Chapter 56: Chaos, Terror Unleashed
Chapter 56: Chaos, Terror Unleashed
"Servant, Mashu Kyrielight, prepare for action!" Gudako, freed from her slight annoyance of not being able to enjoy the fireworks, nodded solemnly and advised Mashu, "Yes, attack with the back of your shield!"
With a surge of courage, Mashu chased after Tom in the direction of his escape. There was no need for hesitation, considering that Tom had just discarded his weapons.
Tom was fleeing openly, fully exposing his back. In such a situation, it would be a waste not to pursue. Mashu didn't hesitate at all and swiftly charged forward, wielding her shield.
Although Mashu, being a shield-bearer, wasn't particularly fast, she shouldn't have been able to outrun Tom, who moved so quickly that he was imperceptible to the naked eye. Yes, Tom had previously demonstrated a speed that Mashu couldn't even see, running with only two toes. Only Arash, with his Clairvoyance, managed to glimpse Tom's afterimage and revealed the astonishing fact that Tom had used only two toes to achieve such velocity.
However... Tom's speed was now remarkably slow for some reason. At this moment, Tom's speed was only slightly faster than that of an ordinary person. With this level of speed, Mashu could easily outpace him, even with her enormous shield held in one hand, running backward.
Mashu propelled herself forward with a single leap and effortlessly caught up to Tom within a breath's time. It was as if she was racing against an average personextremely effortless. It didn't even feel like a race; it was more like a brisk walk. At least, Mashu didn't sense even a trace of pressure.
After catching up, Mashu didn't pause for a moment. With her massive shield in handno, I mean, her large dinner table... no, her large shieldshe brought it down upon Tom's head.
"Bang~~~ !!!" Accompanied by a dull sound, Tom's head was instantly flattened like '()'. However, this didn't hinder Tom's escape; he continued to flee.
The deformation of Tom's head surprised Mashu for a moment. She knew very well that her strike couldn't possibly possess such power. Yet, it had managed to squish Schrdinger's cat's head, as if it were smashing not an Heroic Spirit's head but a lump of clay.
But seeing that Tom was unaffected by the blow, Mashu only briefly hesitated due to the deformation of his head. She immediately resumed wielding her shield, aiming to strike Tom's head from above.
bang~
bang~
bang~~~
With each strike, Tom would shrink a bit, to the point where after several consecutive hits, Tom's height was comparable to a water bottle. From a distance, he now resembled a sentient paint can. What baffled Mashu the most was that even in this flattened state, Tom continued to run. Despite having short legs, he maintained the same speed and frequency, as if he hadn't been squashed at all. It was truly eerie.
"Monster..." Mashu's expression changed from 'brave' to 'panicked' as she looked at Tom, who had now become a flattened paint can before her eyes. Though she was internally alarmed, Mashu mustered another strike, hitting Tom on the head once again. It was the only direction she could reach since she couldn't strike horizontally without crouching down.
"Bang~~~!!!" With the final round of strikes, Tom was reduced to the height of a bottle cap, even shorter than a water bottle.
However, it had reached its limit. Mashu couldn't continue the futile tapping.
At this point, Tom had reached Bai Song's side and turned to face Mashu. After reaching Bai Song's side, Tom instantly regained composure.
"Biu~~~." Accompanied by an extremely bouncy sound, Tom compressed downward, then sprang up like a spring, returning to its original height.
Mashu had been tapping for so long, only to discover that it was all in vain!
She had been certain that she had inflicted damage on Tom, but just like the damage caused by Arash earlier, it instantly vanished.
Mashu could only suspect that this 'Schrdinger' possessed an incredibly potent healing ability. Otherwise, Tom wouldn't have been able to restore itself instantly after being turned into a paint can but maintained its flattened state throughout.
Realizing that she had gotten too close to 'Schrdinger,' Mashu's forehead broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly retreated several meters, keeping a distance of around ten meters between her and Bai Song.
"Hoo~..." Mashu took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm.
Although she wanted to completely eliminate Tom so they would have one less dangerous enemy, Tom had 'Schrdinger' behind him!
"Swish~." Standing in front of Bai Song, Tom ran his right hand from left to right across his forehead. When his hand reached the far right, his wrist stayed still while his palm flicked to the right, casting off a bead of sweat. After escaping from the dangerous situation just now, Tom finally felt relieved.
Although he was directly facing Mashu at this moment, he remained calm. The reason was simpleBai Song was behind him, and he trusted that Bai Song would protect him.
Meanwhile, Bai Song observed Mashu. Despite feeling a bit uneasy seeing a girl wielding an incredibly huge shield up close, he didn't panic too much. After all, Tom stood in front of him, acting as a shield. He had no reason to worry.
At the sight of Mashu in her familiar attire, Bai Song recognized her as the protagonist of FGO, Mashu Kyrielight. As expected, the orange-haired woman standing in the distance was none other than Fujimaru Ritsuka. However, Bai Song was curious as to why Ritsuka was depicted as a female. In the anime adaptations, the character had always been portrayed as male. This was something he needed to investigate further.
The person who had initially sniped at him was undoubtedly the great hero. It felt all too familiar. Whenever Bai Song played FGO, he would always use him as his first card.
The familiar green chest armor, plain attire, and the crimson great bow all showcased his true name.
Yes, his name was the great heroArash!
Although Bai Song had figured out the identities of these individuals, he was curious as to why they appeared here. What intrigued him the most was the fact that they not only appeared in this world but also used drones to spy on him. After being caught in the act of spying, they even launched an attack regardless of it being daytime. Was there no justice left?
Bai Song observed Mashu from head to toe, thinking to himself that there might be a misunderstanding involved. Perhaps they could resolve this through conversation. If they could resolve it peacefully, then everything would be fine. After all, he was here to save the world too. "Was it you who used drones to spy on me just now?" he asked.
Upon hearing this, Mashu nodded, thinking that it must have been Kiritsugu-san who was spying on Bai Song. At the same time, realizing that 'Schrodinger' seemed to be capable of communication, it presented an excellent opportunity to gather information. Therefore, Mashu cautiously began to inquire about this Singularity, "Is all of this... caused by you?"