Snapping back from his thoughts, Akira didn't intend to waste any more time.

Beside him, Kingu stared at Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash, a flash of killing intent flickering in her eyes. Unlike Akira's brief flare, Kingu's intent was pure and well-hidden.

The Master of Chaldea had come to correct the Human Order, but the source of that disturbance was her Mother, Tiamat. Therefore, Kingu truly wanted to kill these two right here and now. If they were gone, no one could stand in the way of her Mother's awakening and restoration.

As for the state of the world or the fate of the Human Order, Kingu didn't care at all. The only thing that mattered was her Mother.

"Ritsuka Fujimaru, there is no personal grudge between us. Therefore, I won't hold any anger toward you because of the 'future.' However, there is one thing I want to warn you about."

"What is it?"

"Do not become my enemy. I am not a 'good' person. If you get in my way, I will kill you without a moment's hesitation. Believe me, even if you've cleared six Singularities and faced countless hardships, you wouldn't stand a chance."

"I don't want to be anyone's enemy. All I want to do is save the Human Order before it's destroyed."

Staring back at Akira, Ritsuka Fujimaru spoke firmly. His gaze didn't waver; it was clear and incredibly steady. Akira understood a little bit why, in so many worlds, so many Heroic Spirits formed bonds with him.

As a protagonist, he possessed the full set of noble qualities: justice, determination, and courage. It was like meeting a perfect goddess—after enough interaction, even Akira would have certain thoughts, let alone a protagonist with "Protagonist Aura."

"Save the Human Order? Stop talking nonsense. You at Chaldea don't even understand the true identity of your enemy. You don't even know who you're fighting, so what exactly do you think you're saving?"

"You..."

Ritsuka instinctively wanted to argue, but the words wouldn't come.

Even though the other side called himself the 'King of Magecraft, Solomon,' research suggested there was a high probability that the monster intending to incinerate humanity wasn't the real King Solomon.

Akira's tone clearly suggested he knew far more than they did, so Ritsuka didn't dare speak recklessly and make a fool of himself.

「 Mr. Shin Akira, do you know the true identity of 'King Solomon'? 」

From Chaldea's side, Romani spoke up, his voice filled with excitement and obvious concern. No, "concern" wasn't strong enough—he was desperately interested.

Without knowing who the enemy was, this battle couldn't be won. There were simply too many variables.

"I do know."

「 Could you tell us? This is extremely important to us, I'm begging you. 」

"Sorry, I'm not interested. I was just rejected by you. Now you turn around and want me to give up vital information? Life isn't that easy."

「 Mr. Shin Akira, this concerns the Human Order, it's vital, please... 」

"Enough. Don't use the 'Human Order' to pressure me. Even if the Incineration of Humanity happens, I'll be perfectly safe. If this world is destroyed, I'll just move to another one and keep living."

Morality? Akira hated that kind of pressure. You want to save the world? Fine. You're noble, and I admire that. But if you want to save the world and use that as an excuse to get freebies from me, or try to take the moral high ground to kidnap my choices, I'm not buying it.

As long as I don't have a moral compass, you can't use it to steer me.

"Want to know the real identity of this 'Solomon'? Fine. I won't beat around the bush. Just let this little girl stay with me for a few days, and I'll tell you. Not just his identity, but I'll even tell you his entire plan."

Akira glanced at Mash, who was gripping her large shield.

If you want to play games with me, don't blame me for playing back. Weren't you the noble ones? Don't you want to save the world? Fine, I can tell you everything—it just requires this girl to sacrifice a little. It's no big deal, right? Since you want to save the Human Order so badly.

"You bastard! What do you want with Mash!"

Ritsuka Fujimaru suddenly exploded in rage. He glared at Akira with pure hostility. Mash was the person who had been through every Singularity with him, the one who had saved his life countless times. Even if they hadn't said the words yet, they loved each other.

Now that Akira wanted Mash to "stay" with him, there was no way Ritsuka could accept that. As a man, no one could take that lying down.

"Don't get so emotional, Ritsuka Fujimaru. You are the savior who will rescue the Human Order. She's just one woman. To save all of humanity, what's wrong with a little sacrifice?"

"You jerk! Mash isn't some piece of merchandise! She's a human being—a living person!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself. She's a product created by humans, and one that's nearly 'expired' at that."

"You... I'll..."

"Senpai, please don't let your emotions take over!"

In his fury, Ritsuka wanted to charge forward and strike Akira, but Mash held him back. Ritsuka was no match for this man, and as the last Master, he was their final hope. Nothing could be allowed to happen to him.

Furthermore, regarding Akira's words, Mash actually remembered a few things. She was a designer baby. Compared to normal humans, her lifespan was incredibly short. Based on medical calculations, her life would end when she turned eighteen.

And now, that time was drawing very close. What he meant by "expired" likely referred to this. She was created, and her time was running out—it was essentially an expiration date.

Seeing the furious Ritsuka, Akira let out a mocking smile. Even if you are the protagonist, if you truly piss me off, I'll erase you too.

At worst, he would just kill Gorgon himself, revive his Mother, then head to Gilgamesh to take Uruk's Holy Grail, and finally take his Mother and Kingu out of this world. As for the "plot" and all that, Akira didn't give a damn; it had nothing to do with him.

"Onii-chan, should I kill them here to avoid any unnecessary trouble?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It was then that Kingu spoke up. The goddess who usually gave off a comfortable vibe was now speaking words dripping with killing intent.

This cold reality instantly snapped Ritsuka out of his rage. He couldn't die here. If he did, all their previous efforts would be for nothing.

"No need, Kingu. They won't be able to cause much trouble."

Even as he said that, Akira secretly sent a Shadow General to merge into Ritsuka Fujimaru's shadow. As long as anything went wrong or some "accident" occurred, Akira only had to give the word, and the Shadow General would immediately claim Ritsuka's life.

Being cautious was never a mistake, especially when dealing with "protagonists"!

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