Fate: Livestream in Chaldeas

Chapter 184: The Future City — London

London, city center.

Inside a completely sealed-off academy.

Under the moonlight, a young man in a school uniform was desperately running away.

"What kind of joke is this?! I have to die just because of this?!"

In front of him stood a cold, fully shut iron gate.

"Who the hell would believe that crazy woman's nonsense?! As long as I can get out of this place, then for sure—!"

"BOOOOM——————!!!"

Suddenly, something fell straight from the sky!

"Uwah!!"

The boy in the school uniform quickly dodged to the side, falling hard to the ground, narrowly avoiding a direct impact.

However, the aftershock was so powerful that he rolled several times before coming to a stop.

"Too bad~~~"

A sweet female voice echoed from afar.

"If you had just died right there, it might've actually spared you some suffering."

"Stop messing around!!!"

The boy sitting on the ground glared in horror at the giant machine before him.

Right where it had landed, the ground had shattered into a gaping crater!

"I came here to do scientific research, to prove that I'm the strongest scientist in all of Britain! Not to play these deadly games with you people!!!"

He shouted in furious frustration.

"Click, click."

The sound of gears turning rang out as the enormous machine began to activate.

It slowly stood up from the stone pit, step by heavy step, advancing toward the man on the ground.

"Who the hell wants to die in a shithole like this!!!"

The boy scrambled to his feet using both hands and legs, then frantically ran off into the distance—but in no time, all he could see ahead was a white haze of fog.

"Ah, aaaa————————!!!"

Just a few seconds later, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the thick mist—then silence.

"What a shame… A scientist who couldn't even accept being eliminated. That means he didn't even have the qualifications to be an observer."

The girl's sweet voice turned slightly melancholic.

"But that magus said, someone will definitely be able to reach the highest floor. I wonder what kind of person it'll be—now I'm getting a little curious."

Under the moonlight, the mist gradually dissipated, as if it had never existed.

In the vast academy grounds, a deadly silence fell once more.

...

"… Hi~, how was your rest last night?"

Early in the morning, Da Vinci had already arrived at the command room and greeted Ethan.

"Umu, not bad."

Knowing they had to depart today, Ethan had made sure to sleep early after last night's welcome party to be up on time.

Even during a break, he managed to fulfill a promise to a fan who had signed up for a membership card—the Molay wake-up voice.

Since Molay had returned to the Throne of Heroes, he couldn't summon her anymore. Though honestly, he still wished he could just "ask the Holy Grail" when needed for convenience.

Fortunately, Chaldea's system had saved a recording of Molay calling "Mother." He trimmed it a bit, added some effects, and sent it out.

Checked the reviews the next morning—everyone gave five stars!

[My kid loved it, ate so well last night!]

[Slept like a log till morning, even dreamed of visiting R'lyeh, amazing!]

[Thanks host, after playing the audio, two Sea Demons weighing three pounds each showed up at my door, added some chili and dill—absolutely delicious!!!]

This batch of livestream viewers really were total monsters…

But hey, as long as everyone's happy.

Total revenue yesterday exceeded 200,000 livestream points.

Once the Rayshift is complete, depending on the situation, he'll decide whether to reinforce or summon.

"Yo, Master."

Noah, also dressed in military uniform, had arrived early at the command room.

"You're early, Noah."

"No need to worry. Even if Servants don't need rest, I still maintain a proper daily routine. That's a necessary condition for effective combat."

"Sorry, I'm late!"

Mash rushed in from the doorway.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to be late, Mash."

"Doctor Romani said the interval between two sorties was too short, so he wanted to check my condition a bit."

Seeing Mash like that, Ethan suddenly remembered—Mash's maximum active age was only 18.

"Mash…"

As soon as she caught Ethan's gaze, Mash immediately bowed her head and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Senpai! I misunderstood you yesterday!!!"

"No, it's not a big deal."

Ethan waved his hand to signal he didn't mind.

"Anyway, it seems like Draco has a slightly different understanding of many concepts compared to us."

"Hmm? Is someone badmouthing me?"

From a corner of the command room, a small figure stepped out.

"So, you were already here."

"Everything I said yesterday was from the heart, Master."

Draco slowly walked up to Ethan.

"I'm dead serious, you know~ After all, I am called the Whore of Babylon, aren't I~~~"

"No way! Stuff like that is absolutely forbidden!!!"

Mash, already changed into her combat outfit, immediately stepped in front of Draco.

"Oh? And what do you mean by that? If you don't explain clearly, how would I ever know~?"

Draco grinned mischievously.

"I mean… I absolutely won't allow Senpai to spoil Draco-san!!!"

Mash declared seriously.

"——————?!"

Draco froze in place.

"…I seriously can't tell if you're joking or being dead serious right now."

"Aiya, Mash is such a good kid."

Da Vinci kept her usual smile, as if she had already expected this situation to happen.

"She only learned combat-related knowledge here in Chaldea. These weird things? She doesn't know any of it~~~"

"Wait… are you saying there's another meaning?"

Mash looked at everyone with a completely confused expression.

"No no no, it's nothing, nothing at all."

Ethan hurriedly cut off the conversation.

If this kept going, it would be his turn to get embarrassed.

"Da Vinci, go ahead and brief us on the Singularity repair mission this time."

"Roger!"

Da Vinci promptly pulled out a pair of glasses from who-knows-where and put them on.

She tapped the screen, and right away, information on the next Singularity appeared in front of everyone.

"Our next target is London, United Kingdom, in the year 1888 A.D.—a time when humanity's history took a massive leap forward. That is: The Industrial Revolution!"

"It was during this era that the foundations leading mankind into the modern age were laid. However, due to special circumstances, the Human Order Foundation Value in this Singularity is continuously rising, and the coordinate space usable for Rayshift is gradually shifting as well. That's why this location has been given priority for repair."

Da Vinci kept operating, and more detailed data immediately popped up on the screen.

"This time, the Rayshift destination will be central London, near the location of Big Ben. Even if there's some margin of error, we won't be too far off. After all, automobiles already exist in this era—way more convenient than walking, right?"

Da Vinci pushed up her glasses, her eyes gleaming with pride as she looked over at Ethan and said:

"And finally, the good news: This time, in addition to chambers for you and Mash, there are four extra chambers available for the Rayshift!!!"

"That's impressive… Wait, isn't that only one more than last time?"

Only one extra Rayshift slot had been added.

Yet from the way Da Vinci said it, it sounded like world-shattering news…

"Even just one more is already a major boost to our combat strength~"

Da Vinci said this playfully with a cute expression.

"Excluding Draco, who can manifest independently without a chamber, this time you can bring four Servants along."

"Wait, doesn't Noah also have Noah's Ark for transportation?"

Ethan suddenly remembered and turned to look at Noah beside him.

"I sincerely apologize, Master."

Noah shook his head slightly.

"My Noah's Ark cannot appear at a precise historical location to intervene directly in history."

"I see…"

Thinking about it, 'Beasts' like Merlin and Draco, who possessed the Independent Manifestation Skill, really were quite extraordinary.

But then again, it was precisely because they had those kinds of authorities that they were able to contend with the course of human history in the first place.

"By the way, since our destination this time is semi-modern London, it's best not to pick Servants who are too far removed from the era."

With Da Vinci's reminder, Ethan instantly understood.

To minimize interference with history, choosing Servants this time would need to be done with extreme caution.

Ethan began thinking deeply.

Noah would certainly take one slot. His role was to observe the twisted distortion and identify its origin.

That left three spots, ideally reserved for Servants from the semi-modern era.

In terms of when they were engraved onto the Throne of Heroes, Waver, Reines, and Emiya Kiritsugu seemed the most appropriate.

Heracles and Iskandar, with their massive builds and muscles, would be hard to blend in discreetly—highly inconvenient for investigative work.

Of course, Heracles' raw strength was unquestionable—he might be able to wipe everything out on his own.

But based on experience from previous Singularities, things were never that simple.

Still, if he were to bring two strategists and one Assassin, lacking destructive firepower like Mordred or Jeanne Alter, and considering Ethan himself wasn't even certain he could summon a strong Servant…

Draco was also limited by her Saint Graph, unable to fully unleash her power… No matter which way he looked at it, the options felt lacking.

"Master, there's no need to stress over this."

Seeing Ethan furrow his brow in frustration, Noah suddenly spoke up in a calm, reassuring tone.

"Hm? You have a solution?"

"Precisely."

Noah's answer caught everyone by surprise.

"While my Noble Phantasm can't target a specific era with precision, it can transcend space-time. As long as I leave Noah's Ark behind in Chaldea, whenever support is needed, any Servant still capable of operating can board the ship and be transported to the time period where I'm currently located."

"In other words, you can use the ship to directly bring them to this Singularity in London?"

"Exactly."

Noah nodded in confirmation.

"I've already conducted reconnaissance—there's a space inside Chaldea that can accommodate the Ark."

"Indeed," Da Vinci chimed in confidently.

"Near the lower simulation area of Chaldea, there's a warehouse designed for storing large-scale vehicles. It's an emergency contingency space. And as for ensuring that Noble Phantasm can fully materialize within Chaldea—leave that to a genius like me, Da Vinci. It's no trouble at all."

"Therefore, Master, I propose that Mash and I accompany you to the Singularity first. In the meantime, Draco should be tasked with guarding your location. We can't rule out the possibility of another Rayshift malfunction."

"Hmph… Even you with a "Crown" can't defeat me, and now you want to order me around?"

Draco grumbled softly, then declared in a voice that made it clear she was the one in charge:

"But protecting my Master is my duty. That has nothing to do with anyone else."

"Ethan, what do you think?"

Da Vinci turned to him. Ethan nodded immediately.

Honestly, he was still shaken by the possibility of a Rayshift failure. If everyone scattered like stardust again and were detected by the enemy, it would be a disaster…

Letting Noah bring the others over later would be a far better idea.

"Got it. I agree with the plan."

"In that case, let's begin preparations."

Da Vinci removed her glasses.

"Leave the explanation to the other Servants to me."

With a shared nod, everyone made their way toward the Rayshift main hall.

Since they hadn't informed the other Servants, no one else had shown up early this time.

"I've been waiting for you."

As they entered, Doctor Romani was already inside, having waited patiently.

"The Rayshift for this mission is fully prepared. I even have some good news to share!"

Just as he was about to announce they'd gained one extra Servant slot, Ethan spoke up first.

"Doctor, I've got even better news."

After hearing about Noah's Ark's ability to travel to Singularities, visible shock spread across Romani's face.

"I didn't expect that ship to have such capabilities!"

"It's not anything too amazing. Plus, the Ark can only transport Servants in spirit form to my location."

"Even so, that removes the issue of insufficient firepower. And fewer Rayshift participants means more precise teleportation. Your job now is simply to pinpoint what's causing the temporal distortion."

Following Romani's instructions, Ethan and Mash entered their spiritron chambers one after another.

After Noah securely stationed the Ark within Chaldea, he stepped into the chamber that had already been prepared for him.

As for Draco, she leaned casually outside Ethan's chamber and spoke nonchalantly:

"Don't worry. I'll follow the link from our contract and come find you."

"I'll be counting on you, then."

Ethan nodded at Draco before sealing the chamber.

In his heart, he silently prayed that this time, he wouldn't disintegrate the moment he landed.

"Reverse Summon System, activate!"

"Initiating Spiritron Conversion."

The system's voice echoed through the room.

"Rayshift commencing in 3… 2… 1…"

"All systems: Clear! Commencing physical confirmation—Grand Order!"

But just as the spiritron conversion finished, the blaring sound of sirens erupted from above the control hall!

"——————?!"

Doctor Romani and Da Vinci exchanged a quick, startled glance, immediately turning to check the systems.

"What's happening?!"

"Display the data! Pull up everything from the Sheba lens—right now!!!"

"There's been a massive fluctuation in the Chaldeas observation system!"

"The Human Order Foundation Value in Singularity: London is spiking uncontrollably!"

"A+, A++… It's surpassed all observable thresholds!!!"

The alarm still ringing in their ears, Romani stared at the screen in complete disbelief.

Meanwhile, Ethan and the others, already in the process of Rayshifting, had no idea what chaos was unfolding behind them.