Their vision flashed. Wu Ling, Mash, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and the others returned to Chaldea.
An hour earlier, Nursery Rhyme and Andersen had surrendered. Wu Ling then killed Tesla with lightning speed before Tesla could react. After that, he reunited with Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash, contacted Doctor Roman and the others, and returned successfully.
Doctor Roman was standing outside the Rayshift device. When he saw them return, he stepped forward.
"Good work, all three of you. Ritsuka, Mash, you two should rest first. Wu Ling, come with me. We will proceed according to your plan."
"Yes, Doctor." After answering, Mash turned to Wu Ling. "Please keep going after this, Mister Wu Ling. But after working hard, please do not forget to rest."
"Of course. You two should rest well too. Next time will be the decisive battle." Wu Ling followed Doctor Roman after saying that.
Fujimaru Ritsuka watched Wu Ling's back, then moved beside Mash and sighed. "Mister Wu Ling really makes people feel safe. Ever since we met him, it feels like the whole world changed to easy mode."
"But for some reason, Mister Wu Ling gives me the feeling that he is in a hurry," Mash said, tilting her head uncertainly.
Fujimaru Ritsuka folded her arms and looked in the direction Wu Ling had gone. "In a hurry? Maybe it is because this is about saving the world. The sooner the world is saved, the better."
"That is true. Saving the world and restoring Human Order both demand speed. Maybe I was overthinking it."
"Come on. With Mister Wu Ling here, things should be fine."
"Yes, Senpai."
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash returned to their rooms to rest. Wu Ling, however, still had work to do. He needed to enter Goetia's location information into Chaldea's database. Before that, he had to resummon the two Servants.
By directly connecting to the Heroic Spirit summoning system, Wu Ling controlled the Throne of Heroes inside himself and severed his contracts with Nursery Rhyme and Hans Christian Andersen. After that, the two Servants returned one after another through Chaldea's summoning system.
The moment Andersen was summoned, his gaze fixed on Wu Ling.
"How astonishing. The Throne of Heroes, the King of Heroic Spirits, Chaldea, and the last Master of the world. It is a story like a heroic epic. If the world were a book, you would likely be its protagonist."
"No. Every person's experience is unique. Everyone can be the protagonist of their own life. Take Ritsuka, for example. She may be the protagonist of this world."
Andersen shook his head. A faint smile appeared on his face, as if he had remembered something.
"No. This is a writer's intuition. Still, as you said, everyone is their own protagonist, so I will not lecture you on it. I will only bless you here. I hope your story is not a fairy tale, because beneath those beautiful worlds and perfect endings lie cruel truths and grief with nowhere to go."
Afterward, Wu Ling followed Doctor Roman to the control room and took out a crystal ball. Inside it was Goetia's magical energy signature, which Wu Ling had intercepted from outside the two Singularity Belts.
"This contains the magical energy from this time and the energy from before. With my perception, I can determine the general direction. Add the Spiritron Calculation Engine Trismegistus and the Near Future Observation Lens SHEBA, and we should be able to pinpoint Goetia's location. When the time comes, transferring the entire Chaldea can also bypass the other Singularity Belts blocking the way. That solves two problems at once."
Doctor Roman took the crystal ball and handed it to a staff member so they could extract the magical energy and begin the calculations.
"With the speed of the Spiritron Calculation Engine, we should be able to confirm the location within half an hour if nothing goes wrong. We can leave here before the new Singularity Belt arrives." Seeing the calculations begin, Doctor Roman moved his attention from the Rayshift device to Wu Ling.
"Then, Wu Ling, let us continue our earlier topic. About Goetia and Solomon..."
A while later, the staff member returned.
"Doctor Roman, the Spiritron Calculation Engine has confirmed the location of the mastermind."
After waiting a moment and receiving no reply, the staff member repeated, "Doctor, we have confirmed the location of the one you called Goetia."
"Ah... yes. Let everyone rest first. You should all rest for half a day too. After that comes the decisive battle." Doctor Roman finally came back to himself and gave the order.
The staff member was struck by two opposing emotions at once: joy at being allowed to rest, and tension over the decisive battle. Because of that, they did not notice that Wu Ling had already left. They also did not notice the ring missing from Doctor Roman's hand.
Wu Ling walked through the corridor full of technological light, casually tossing a ring that looked as if it had been made from pure gold.
"So this is one of the ten rings God gave Solomon. I cannot feel anything special from it, but it is definitely the real thing."
Wu Ling sensed the changes inside his Throne of Heroes and smiled like victory was already in hand.
"The most important piece of the victory puzzle is in my hand now. I can make up for everything else with my own strength. Even against the seventy two Demon God Pillars, and even without the help of those Servants, I still have ways to stall them. When I face Goetia, everything will truly depend on me. Still, am I stealing Ritsuka's spotlight by doing this?"
Thinking about that, Wu Ling hesitated. As the last Master of the world, Fujimaru Ritsuka should shoulder part of the responsibility. Would taking everything on himself be bad for her growth?
In the end, Wu Ling decided to carry it himself.
In his own words, "Why should a girl who has only just reached adulthood save the world? Would it not be better for her to eat well, drink well, put on makeup, find a boyfriend, and live normally? Is she supposed to risk her life for the Mage's Association to grant her Cause: Open afterward? Fighting to the death only to receive Cause: Open is worse than living a peaceful life as an ordinary person."
Of course, part of that was selfish. If Fujimaru Ritsuka insisted on going, Wu Ling might not be able to protect her in time once the fighting began. Rather than let her risk her life for an abstract duty, he preferred to crush the danger before it ever reached her.
During that half day of rest, no one rested well. The coming decisive battle left Chaldea heavy with pressure. At last, under that oppressive atmosphere, the final battle began.