-28- Mash...is a Servent...?

Amidst the piercing sound of breaking air, the meteor-like arrows streaked across the sky, descending upon the Servant standing at the center of the ruins, shielding Rozen in front of her.

But just before impact, a massive shield was raised, acting as a barrier and intercepting the incoming barrage.

"Clang——!"

As if ringing a bell, the heavy arrows landed upon the sturdy shield. Immediately, a chain reaction followed, as the onslaught of arrows collided with the shield, generating a continuous and resounding clash.

The force generated from these collisions caused a powerful shockwave, transforming into a gust of wind that churned up clouds of dust, dispersing the surrounding flames.

Under the assault of the choking smoke, Rozen instinctively raised his hand, shielding his face and trying to stabilize his stance against the near-point-blank impact.

Merely from arrows striking a shield, such a tremendous aftermath was unleashed?

This left Rozen feeling shaken.

However, what made him even more unsettled was the transformation he witnessed in Mash.

"Senpai, are you okay?"

Holding the shield and firmly focused on the front, Mash shouted towards Rozen behind her, not relaxing her guard in the slightest.

Seeing this, Rozen was not only unable to find comfort, but instead felt even more perturbed.

"Mash... How did you..."

Rozen struggled to form coherent words.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the familiar white Chaldea uniform she used to wear was completely gone, replaced by a tight-fitting, purple armor.

The purple armor hugged her body, outlining her unexpectedly alluring figure. It offered protection while exposing the front of her shoulders and upper thighs daringly, exuding an aura that was both resolute and seductive.

Rozen had known Mash for two years, yet he had never seen her dressed like this. Her figure, more alluring than he imagined, not only stirred his emotions but also thoroughly confused him.

Even more astonishing was...

"She managed to block such an attack...?"

Continuous shots that surpassed the level of upper-level Familiars.

If such a barrage occurred during the simulated battles, Rozen could confidently say that the hundreds of intermediate Familiar-level Lizardmen he faced back then would have been defeated in a matter of seconds.

This wasn't something an ordinary mage could withstand.

While Mash possessed considerable magical aptitude, her combat abilities were not necessarily higher than Rozen's.

Yet now, even Rozen was powerless and could only resort to using Command Spells to summon his own Servant to deal with this attack, but Mash managed to stop it head-on.

Her astonishing defense, unfamiliar attire, the overwhelming magical power surging from her, and the fact that she had been summoned through Command Spells—all these signs were telling Rozen.

Mash was his contracted Servant.

"How is that possible?"

Mash was undoubtedly a human.

Why did she become a Servant?

No...

It is not entirely impossible.

"Could it be..."

Rozen recalled a critical piece of information and his expression turned tense, his teeth clenched tightly.

In these short few seconds, Rozen underwent multiple emotional fluctuations. While holding up the massive shield that could conceal an entire person, Mash anxiously shouted towards Rozen amidst the shockwave.

"Senpai... No, Master! Please tell me what to do next...!"

"Master."

The new address from his junior finally made Rozen realize the current situation.

That's right.

No matter what, he was now a Master.

Moreover, an unknown enemy had launched an attack against him, seeking to kill him.

If he didn't find a way to resolve this crisis, no matter how many confusing things had happened, he wouldn't have the chance to investigate them further.

Only by escaping from the current situation could he calm down and unravel all the mysteries.

With this in mind, Rozen took a deep breath, allowing his mind to refocus.

Then, facing the current situation, Rozen gave a decisive instruction.

"Find a place to take cover first!"

After calming down, Rozen's first instruction seemed almost self-evident, something one could overlook in extreme situations.

However, it was also the most appropriate instruction.

"When facing long-range attacks like archers' shooting, the first thing you should do is look for cover!"

Rozen raised his hand, blocking the incoming smoke, and shouted loudly to Mash.

"We can't confront archers in the open! Let's take cover behind the nearby buildings!"

Naturally, this instruction received a response.

"Yes!"

Without hesitation, Mash lowered her shield and swiftly turned around, embracing Rozen tightly. Before Rozen could react, with astonishing speed, she carried both him and the shield, which was much heavier than herself, and leaped towards the back of a nearby building.

"Bang bang bang bang——!"

The arrows, no longer blocked, landed directly on the ground where Rozen and Mash had stood just a second ago. They shattered the concrete pavement, penetrated the hard bedrock, and created an explosion that sent debris flying, causing the ground to crack and fissure.

For a moment, gusts of wind blew in all directions, dissipating the smoke.

"Cough... Cough, cough...!"

Behind the collapsed building, Rozen, who had been put down by Mash, couldn't help but cough from inhaling the dust and debris stirred up by the impact.

It seemed Rozen had inhaled quite a bit of the dust raised by the shockwave just now.

"Are you okay, Senpai?"

Mash, one hand holding the shield, the other patting Rozen's back, voiced her concern.

Her voice filled with worry, her gentle gestures, and her clear eyes gazing straight at Rozen—despite whatever changes had occurred—Mash remained Mash.

"I'm fine."

Rozen shook his head, looking at Mash.

"Sen... Senpai..."

As if just realizing how revealing her attire was, Mash quickly moved the hand that had been patting Rozen's back to shield her body, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Seeing Mash's embarrassed demeanor, Rozen almost let out a sigh of relief.

At this moment, a dazzling meteor streaked across the sky, landing on the building where the two of them had taken cover.

"Boom——!"

Amidst a fierce explosion, the side of the building facing the attack was devastated, reduced to rubble.