Wu Ling descended from the sky and faced Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka with a serious expression.
"Change of plan. We are speedrunning this one."
Seeing Wu Ling like that, Mash asked with concern, "Mister Wu Ling, what happened?"
Wu Ling looked toward the direction of the other Singularity Belt.
"My original plan was to act as little as possible and use this Singularity Belt to let you two gain experience. But I just discovered that a new Singularity Belt has fused with this one. If that continues, more Singularity Belts may merge into it. So we have to resolve this fused Singularity Belt as fast as possible."
"A new Singularity Belt, and it fused with this one?" Fujimaru Ritsuka cried out.
"Hello? Can you hear me now, Ritsuka?"
A voice came through. A virtual screen lit up in front of the three of them, showing Doctor Roman.
Seeing the signal return to normal, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash looked relieved.
"We can hear you, Doctor."
"Good. Continuing from what I was saying, our observations show that another Singularity Belt has approached the one you are currently in."
Fujimaru Ritsuka scratched her cheek with some helplessness.
"Doctor, we already saw that. And according to Mister Wu Ling, that Singularity Belt has already fused with this one."
When Doctor Roman heard that the Singularity Belts had fused, his stunned face nearly pressed into the screen.
"What? Two Singularity Belts fused? That should be impossible. In theory, the relationship between Singularity Belts should be like oil and water. They can approach each other, but they should never fuse. Unless some overwhelmingly powerful external force..."
His voice grew lower as he spoke. He remembered what Wu Ling had told him before leaving and gradually fell into thought.
Wu Ling spoke.
"Enough, Roman. Do you have anything else important to report?"
"The reason the signal is clear right now should be that the chaotic signal carried by the fog and the chaotic signal produced by the fusion canceled each other out. Two negatives made a positive. Once the two Singularity Belts fully merge, the signal will probably become terrible again. Say anything important now."
Doctor Roman recovered at once. He knew he could not waste such an important opening, so he immediately began discussing the situation with Wu Ling.
"Wu Ling, we have never encountered this kind of situation before. Do you have a plan?"
"Simple. Decapitation strike. With my strength, I kill all the Servants here as fast as possible."
Wu Ling answered without hesitation.
Doctor Roman gave his own suggestion.
"It is direct, and it does count as a good plan. But a fused Singularity Belt is unheard of. Could acting that way create consequences? If possible, a steadier approach would be safer."
Wu Ling glanced at Doctor Roman on the screen.
"Roman, you are an adult. You should know that nothing in this world has zero risk. You can choke while eating. You can choke while drinking water."
"At the very least, if I speedrun it, the consequences should not be too severe. But if we delay, have you considered the other consequence? A third Singularity Belt, maybe a fourth, might keep fusing into this one."
Doctor Roman trembled. His past experience resolving Singularities limited him. Faced with a fused Singularity Belt, he still instinctively wanted to use old methods. He had not considered what might happen next.
"That should not... be possible, right? Two Singularity Belts fusing is already shocking enough. How could there be a third, a fourth, or more?"
Even Doctor Roman did not sound convinced by his own words. Part of him wanted to hold to his view. Another part had to admit Wu Ling had a point.
"Then we follow your plan. Use your strength to speedrun these two Singularity Belts. But I still need to remind you... what happened?"
Halfway through, a shout behind Doctor Roman drew his attention. With two Singularity Belts fusing, his nerves were already tight, so he immediately turned and asked.
"R report! Another Singularity Belt is moving toward the current two!"
Doctor Roman froze. Then he hurried over, checked the screen carefully, and ran back to his seat with a changing expression.
This time, his tone changed completely.
"Wu Ling, you were right. There is another one."
Wu Ling nodded as if he had expected it.
"How long until it arrives?"
"Shortest estimate... half a day."
When Doctor Roman gave that time, his mind seemed to shake. Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka also fell stunned silent. In their original experience, half a day was sometimes not enough even to gather intelligence, let alone defeat an enemy.
At that moment, Wu Ling's voice reached their ears.
"Half a day? Enough."
Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others looked up. Wu Ling had already armed himself fully. His gaze was fixed on the depths of the fog, and enormous magical energy was building inside him.
"Karna."
The Throne of Heroic Spirits appeared behind Wu Ling for the first time in a while. At his call, Karna stepped out of it. Since the Throne of Heroic Spirits was bound to Wu Ling's soul, Karna understood the situation the moment Wu Ling willed it.
"Ritsuka, Karna will stay here to protect you. I will go resolve those people first."
Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded obediently.
"Do not worry, Mister Wu Ling. I will take care of myself."
Beside her, Mash lifted her shield.
"I will protect Senpai too."
Wu Ling nodded. Then he turned and shot into the sky, flying toward his target.
After about ten minutes, his eyes sharpened. He raised the god slaying spear toward the front.
"Brahma, curse me."
The spear crossed the sky with extreme heat. Even the fog along its path seemed to thin under the brilliant flame. Beneath that light, a massive black shape appeared indistinctly within the mist.
Clang.
A huge, piercing sound rang through the sky. The impact swept the surrounding fog away, revealing the giant figure's true form.
Looking at that enormous steel armor, Wu Ling spoke its True Name.
"Charles Babbage. Are you ready for your curtain call?"
"No. I have no valor, no dominion, no honor. But I still have unfinished work."
"My fantasy. My ideal. My dream."
"Dimension of Steam!"