"Who…!?"
As that undoubtedly third-party voice rang out, Enkidu was the first to react. He whipped his head around and barked out a harsh shout.
"...!"
Even Altera and Mash, as if only now realizing the presence of a third party, showed expressions of alertness.
"Hm?"
Even Rozen couldn't help but have his expression shift slightly.
There were two reasons.
One: despite a third party appearing, even with both the Heaven's Eye and Mind's Eye, Rozen hadn't sensed the presence until just a second before the voice rang out—which astonished him.
Two: the moment the voice was heard, Artoria [Alter] within his body reacted as well.
It's worth noting—due to Rozen needing to let his magic circuits recuperate, and to prevent the Beast Vassals in his blood from stirring and destabilizing his mana, all had agreed to lower their activity levels and enter a semi-dormant state.
Not just Artoria [Alter], but Jeanne [Alter], Hassan of Serenity, and even all twelve of his Beast Vassals, including Avrora, had followed through and gone into semi-sleep.
The result was simple: unless Rozen actively summoned them, they wouldn't react to threats or protect him.
But that wasn't much of a problem—because with Kinu and Gyokuto around, Rozen's safety was still well-guarded.
Thus, during this dormancy, Rozen had Kinu transformed into a cursed tool and kept it worn on his body, never taking it off.
However, something strange occurred. While the other Servants and Beast Vassals remained dormant, Artoria [Alter] had begun showing signs of waking.
It was as if she'd heard a voice she absolutely could not ignore—rage boiled within her even in her half-sleep, like she was dying to cut the speaker down, her reaction growing increasingly intense.
And she wasn't the only one reacting.
"Fou! Fou— Fou!"
Standing on the unconscious Ishtar, Fou suddenly became extremely agitated, squeaking non-stop and bouncing up and down—stomping so much that Ishtar let out "Guh," "Gah," and "Ahuh" in her sleep.
"Fou...?"
Mash looked at Fou in shock at the unexpected reaction.
It was then that the one responsible for causing all these reactions finally made their leisurely entrance.
"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt you all. Originally, I was just going to sit back quietly and enjoy the show—uh, no, I mean I didn't want to provoke hostility, so I refrained from introducing myself. But with how things are going now, if I don't step in, it's going to get messy. Especially you over there with the Sword of the War God—could I trouble you to put that away? If you go full-power here, the demonic front really will collapse. For the sake of this era, could you please take it easy?"
Speaking in a singsong tone like performing on stage, the newcomer chuckled lazily while strolling forward with leisurely steps.
He was a Magus clad in an overly flamboyant white robe.
With disheveled silver-white hair reminiscent of a dreamlike garden, a wand in hand, and the appearance of a man in his twenties, he gave the impression of a gentle older brother from next door. And yet, despite that distinct appearance, his presence was strangely faint and elusive.
No one could tell where exactly he'd emerged from—he had appeared so abruptly. Even though the area was surrounded by magical beasts, it was as if he'd slipped through a crowd and materialized inside the encirclement.
Like he'd stepped out of a dream.
"Who are you?"
Kingu's expression turned dangerous.
But despite the tension, he didn't make a move.
Clearly, even Kingu sensed this Magus wasn't ordinary.
"Fou! Fou! Fou!"
Fou's reaction became even more intense, seemingly about to charge forward, only to be firmly held back by Mash.
At the same time, within Rozen, Artoria [Alter] inexplicably settled back into dormancy.
But not before saying something.
"If you can't stand him, just cut him down. Don't mind me."
With those words, as if she couldn't bear to look any longer, she returned to slumber in visible displeasure.
"...What is going on?"
Even Rozen was confused now.
What exactly caused these mysterious reactions from both Artoria [Alter] and Fou?
Unaware—or perhaps pretending to be—the Magus carried on with a bright smile.
That smile genuinely gave off the warmth of spring sunlight.
And yet, the words he spoke next were completely out of sync with the atmosphere.
"Well then, time to run away, yeah?"
The Magus said that suddenly, without context, to Rozen and the others.
"Eh?"
"Wha?"
"Hm?"
Rozen, Mash, and Altera all blinked in unison.
Kingu, on the other hand, had a bad feeling.
"Attack!"
Without hesitation, Kingu gave the order.
All the surrounding magical beasts snapped back into focus and roared as they charged.
But before they could reach them, the mysterious Magus had already raised his staff.
"Here we go~!"
With an exaggerated call, a floral array unfurled around the Magus like a spell circle. Countless flower petals fluttered into the air, as though caught by the wind, and surged across the entire battlefield.
The petals whirled with tremendous speed, instantly covering the Magus, Rozen and his group—even the unconscious Ishtar was wrapped within.
"Don't even think about it!"
Kingu tried to rush in, but a wall of flower petals swarmed him, blocking his vision.
"Clang!"
The next second, his gleaming hand sliced down like a blade, slashing through the flowery haze with a sharp sound.
Countless petals dissolved and scattered, and the battlefield returned to normal.
Kingu stared ahead grimly.
But before him, there was nothing—only wandering magical beasts remained. Rozen and his group had completely vanished.
Kingu tried to trace their movements using his ability to read the guidance of the earth—but failed.
They had vanished completely, leaving no trace.
"To slip past my perception… this is no ordinary magus."
Kingu growled in a low voice.
"So, he really was the magus of Uruk. One of the helpers Gilgamesh summoned from the distant future."
In other words, a Servant.
And not just any Servant—one that Kingu knew of.
Thanks to that Servant, Kingu's side had suffered considerable trouble and still hadn't managed to conquer Uruk or annihilate this era's humanity.
"He came to meddle the moment he sensed Chaldea's Master arrive? Damn dream demon...!"
Kingu ground his teeth in frustration.
"Don't let me catch you. Or any of them."
"If I do, I'll make you taste hell."
"This era has no need for your kind."
"None...."
With those words left behind, Kingu leapt into the sky and flew toward the north.
Only the magical beasts remained, still howling in rage, turning once more to assault the monster defense line.