A hole immediately appeared on the gauntlet, perfectly sized for the Root Gem.
Ding!
A crisp sound, piercing to the soul, rang out.
A silver Root Gem embedded itself into the gauntlet.
Although energy gems formed the foundation of everything, Ryou ultimately chose the Time Gem.
He now possessed formidable offensive capabilities and even stronger survival abilities; the only thing he lacked was mobility and control.
After all, his Shave was still only at D-rank, barely meeting the standard for combat. It was far from reaching the mastery level of Scathach, who used it as effortlessly as lifting a feather. Not to mention, she had refined Shave into something akin to instant teleportation.
The Time Gem, when combined with Shave, could grant him powerful mobility.
At the same time, the Time Gem's ability to pause time provided formidable control.
After the Apocalypse was embedded with the Root Gem, its attributes changed.
Two new skills were added: Time Acceleration and Time Pause.
Although the Time Gem's abilities could be used when embedded in the Apocalypse, they were greatly weakened.
Time Acceleration was similar to Kiritsugu Emiya's Innate Time Control, though the Time Gem's ability was far more advanced.
This skill could directly accelerate Ryou's personal time fivefold, effectively increasing all his speeds fivefold.
For him, whose agility had already reached A-, and who had also mastered Shave, this was quite terrifying.
Not to mention, the speed of all his skills was enhanced as well.
Overall, time acceleration was far more powerful than any speed-enhancing skill.
As for Time Pause, it created a 100-meter-diameter area around him where time halted, and only he could move freely within that space.
Of course, if someone's strength far exceeded his, they could still break free from the effects of Time Pause.
However, due to the gem's weakened power, both of these skills had cooldown times.
Time Acceleration had a cooldown of one minute, with a duration of 10 seconds.
Time Pause had a cooldown of five minutes, with a duration of only 5 seconds.
Compared to the ability to rewind time or even send Ryou and Medea back ten years, the Time Gem's power was greatly diminished.
But Ryou had no choice.
He could either risk using the full power of the gem and potentially die of old age in an instant...
Or he could choose to use the weakened version.
Life only happens once, and battles are not to be gambled.
So, he chose the safer method.
It's also worth mentioning that after examining the attributes of the Space Gem, he had a suspicion.
It was likely that the highly unusual Fourth Holy Grail War was built around the Space Gem.
No wonder he had encountered people like Jalter and White Lancer Artoria.
This was a phenomenon where parallel worlds overlapped.
During the same period, he could have entered FGO's first chapter, the Hundred Years' War of the Evil Dragon.
Alternatively, he might have used some other method to enter the era of King Arthur in ancient Britain and stir up events there.
The various anomalies in the Fourth Holy Grail War, such as El-Melloi II, who had already gained the power of Zhuge Liang, could likely be attributed to the powerful Space Gem.
The Fourth Holy Grail War, centered around the Space Gem, was chaotic in terms of space, explaining the unusual events.
Next came the final reward from this dungeon.
Ryou took out a black summoning card.
No doubt about it, he could feel the deep resentment contained within it.
Yes, this was the Heroic Spirit Summoning Card for Musashi (Alter).
He swallowed nervously but didn't summon her on the spot.
He had a strong suspicion that the moment she saw him, her first action would be to chop his head off.
Ryou decided to find a few Heroic Spirits as insurance and summon Musashi (Alter) in front of them.
The first person who came to his mind was, of course, Scathacch. However...
"I refuse."
Scathach coldly rejected him.
After Ryou explained his intentions, he was ruthlessly turned down.
"If you can't command your warriors and get yourself killed, that only proves you're worthless."
Scathach's expression was indifferent, stopping just short of saying, "If you die, you deserve it."
Ryuo had no choice but to retreat. Sure enough, his cautious behavior greatly displeased her.
Since Scathach had refused, he had to think of another way.
As for Chaldea's other boss, Ishtar Rin, she was still stationed in the DanMachi world.
With no other option, Ryou went to find Jeanne. In terms of defense alone, she was the strongest in Chaldea—especially after following him into the world of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, where she had been greatly enhanced, far surpassing her original Spirit Origin limits.
Even Scathach had praised her defensive capabilities.
Considering how strict Scathach was, praise from her was rare, which spoke volumes.
As usual, Jeanne was likely in her room at this hour, performing her evening prayers.
Ryou waited for a while, and after her prayers were finished, he gently knocked on Jeanne's door.
"Come in," a soft and pleasant voice called from inside.
He opened the door and entered. The room before him was austere, with a large crucifix directly facing the door.
Aside from some basic furniture, there was almost no other decoration in Jeanne's room, and certainly no luxury items.
It was practically the room of an ascetic monk.
For some reason, he felt a pang of sadness.
After all, the rooms in Chaldea, like those in certain infinite spaces, could be customized according to the resident's preferences.
For example, a certain goddess, who cherished money above all else, had piled up mountains of gold and jewels and placed a bejeweled bed on top of them.
Jeanne's self-discipline was simply too strong.
Ryou couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Perhaps he had been lost in thought for too long, as Jeanne's face turned bright red in a matter of seconds, her blush spreading to her neck, as she mistakenly interpreted his gaze.
"Ryou, is there something you need?"
Jeanne asked, her voice shy.
Startled out of his thoughts, Ryou noticed Jeanne's awkwardness.
Subconsciously, he glanced around the room and at Jeanne in front of him.
He suddenly realized what was happening.
A church, nightfall, a man and a woman alone, and a nun's habit...
This... isn't this just like that night?
Ryou's breath quickened.
Especially when he noticed that Jeanne was only wearing a plain, simple white dress tonight, with no other adornments. She looked like a pure maiden.
The dress, already quite loose, was stretched tight against her generous figure, creating a tantalizing, almost bursting effect.
Ryou wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like Jeanne's figure had become more voluptuous and feminine than before.
Could this be the result of his training…?
Holiness and allure—two opposite qualities—blossomed beautifully in Jeanne.
Most importantly, although Jeanne appeared visibly shy, she showed no signs of resistance.
This was tacit consent!
Ryou had to summon every ounce of willpower—2000% of it—to suppress the desire rising in his heart.
Focus on the important matter! Focus on the important matter!...
He kept repeating this to himself as he explained his intentions to Jeanne.
Unexpectedly, after hearing him out, Jeanne's expression became incredibly serious. Her entire demeanor shifted, radiating a majestic, sacred aura, as if a holy angel had descended.
"Ryou, this is not right…"
Then, to his horror, he realized that Jeanne had entered her hidden lecture mode.
Two hours—two whole hours—Jeanne lectured him non-stop!
Ryou felt like his brain had completely shut down.
For a moment, Jeanne's image loomed infinitely large before him, with countless golden rays of light bursting from behind her.
He, on the other hand, felt like a sinner confessing before a goddess.
The most terrifying part was that throughout the entire two hours, Jeanne's lecture never repeated itself, nor did she use a single insulting word. She didn't even scold him harshly.
Yet, somehow, he was filled with overwhelming guilt, as if he had done something unforgivable to Musashi.
Heaven knows the truth—he had only used a few tricks to win against Musashi in their duels.
Historically, Musashi had used tactics to defeat Sasaki Kojiro, so why was he now being portrayed as a scoundrel who had deceived an innocent girl?
Why, oh why?
"… In short, for things to have come to this point, it's all your fault, Ryou. Once you summon Musashi, please apologize to her sincerely."
"Yes…"
Ryou replied listlessly.
As for those previous indescribable thoughts, they had long been thrown out of his mind.
Now, he only wanted to do one thing—sleep until he woke up naturally!
"Why don't we summon Miss Musashi tomorrow instead?"
Jeanne suggested, clearly noticing how drained Ryou was after her lecture barrage.
"Okay," Ryou agreed and, without another word, collapsed onto Jeanne's bed.
"Wha—!? Ryou, what are you doing?!"
Jeanne was startled by his sudden action.
"Don't talk. Get in bed and sleep," Ryou mumbled without even opening his eyes.
Jeanne blushed deeply and nervously fidgeted with the hem of her dress, hesitating to approach.
"T-this doesn't seem appropriate…" she whispered, stealing glances at him.
However...
Soft snoring sounds filled the room.
To Jeanne's astonishment, he had fallen asleep—just like that.
"..."
Jeanne could only shake her head, helpless. After a moment of hesitation, she eventually lay down on the other side of the wooden bed, still fully clothed.
Listening to the steady breathing beside her, Jeanne gradually let go of her shyness.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Whether he was truly asleep or not, Ryou suddenly rolled over like an octopus, draping half of his body over Jeanne!
Jeanne was startled out of her wits, her entire body freezing up.
Yet he was genuinely asleep.
And so, Jeanne ended up being held in an extremely intimate position by Ryou for the entire night.
Nothing else happened during the night.
...
The next morning, as soon as Ryou opened his eyes, he felt unusually clear-headed and sharp.
Then, he sensed someone staring at him.
Instinctively turning his head, he saw Jeanne, just inches away, looking at him with a deeply resentful expression.
Jeanne had hardly slept that night, while he had slept like a log, completely oblivious to everything.
A woman's heart is like the depths of the ocean.
When Ryou had wanted to do something indescribable to Jeanne, she had been shy and even somewhat resistant.
But when he ignored everything and simply fell asleep, Jeanne had spent the entire night overthinking.
'C-could it be that he's already found someone else and forgotten about me? Does Ryou no longer find me attractive…?'
Ah, the delicate thoughts of a woman.
And so, with a strange atmosphere lingering between them, the two arrived at the training grounds.
The reason they came here was, naturally, to avoid any unnecessary damage to Chaldea from the 1000% probable fight that was about to occur. The training grounds were designed to withstand even Scathach's full-power strikes.
After entering the training grounds, Ryou and Jeanne exchanged a glance. Jeanne's body flickered with light, and she instantly donned her standard silver full-body armor.
She nodded at him, signaling that she was ready.
Ryou immediately took out the black summoning card that faintly radiated resentment.
[Would you like to use the designated Musashi (Alter) Summoning Card?]
"Yes."
As Ryou confirmed, a blood-red magic circle appeared before him.
Thunder rumbled, and a slender figure emerged from the center of the summoning array.
"I am the vengeful Shinjigami. My sword exists solely to kill the man named Nguyen Ryou…"
A cold, razor-sharp voice echoed.
The figure was clad in a blood-red and black swordswoman's outfit, which accentuated her alluring curves even more.
Her navel and thighs were exposed, revealing large patches of snow-white skin, yet the warrior herself seemed utterly indifferent. Instead, from head to toe, she exuded a cold, blade-like, cutting aura.
Four katana of varying lengths hung from her waist, two on each side.
Even though the swords remained sheathed, the killing intent and the overwhelming scent of blood emanating from them made one's hair stand on end.
Her once pink hair had turned a cold silver, and her eyes were now blood-red.
And then, through the flashing lights of the summoning circle, those blood-red eyes locked onto the familiar and utterly detested face before her.
Musashi (Alter) had been born from her hatred for Ryou.
And now, the one who had summoned her was none other than the source of her hatred and her very existence.
For a moment, the atmosphere was painfully awkward. The silence was so thick that even a pin drop could be heard.
To break the tension, Ryou awkwardly raised his hand and waved.
"Yo, long time no see…"
Musashi's face suddenly brightened with a dazzling smile.