I am a Peerless Hero without equal! (WC/Currently in FGO Part 1)

"Huh?!"

Ritsuka's arms started to go wild as he helplessly struggled against the pull of gravity. He wasn't trained for this! He was trained for water, not falling from hundreds of meters up in the air!

"Senpai!" Ritsuka heard Mash's voice through the loud wind that blew all around him as he fell. The rough wind whipped around his body, causing the folds in his clothing to go wild.

"Mash!"

Before either of the two could respond, a shadow enveloped Ritsuka in its umbra.

It was Kukulkan. Was she… falling right beside him? No, she could fly, and given how the Goddess wasn't moving even as Ritsuka was falling, it must mean Kukulkan was flying downward at the same speed he was falling.

That shadow disappeared as Kuku suddenly flew down toward an island.

What…?

Archer then spoke the words everyone was wondering, "Where is she—"

An instant later, Ritsuka found himself standing on a solid land. A beach to be precise.

"Huh?"

The Last Master of Mankind looked down at the ground underneath his feet. Soft sand dampened his feet like a sound insulator as he gently stomped on it— as if to make sure it was real.

"Huh?"

He looked down his right arm, eyes focusing on his hands. It was shaking. He balled it up into a fist as if to still the shaking appendage, yet to no avail for he found both of his hands shaking from the experience.

"That was teleportation," Archer said as he dispelled a sword that would've nullified gravity, the blade vanishing into nothingness.

"I asked Zvezdnyy here to teleport you all to the ground."

Ritsuka turned around and found Kuku hovering nearby, a hand on Zvezdnyy's head. The little girl looked especially pleased as if she was about to receive ice cream as a reward for good behavior.

"Praise me! With but a mere wish, I conjured the power to draw you all safely to the ground, sparing you from the cruel grasp of a deathly descent!"

"That was very impressive! Hahahaha!" Iskander chuckled. "Little girl, how do you feel about joining my army? With your wishing abilities, we shall conquer not just this world, but all the worlds in the night sky above!"

The girl placed a hand over her chin, cupping it and puffing up her cheeks in an adorable manner. The degree to which her hat rested upon Zvezdnyy's head would make anyone think it'd fall off in the next moment, yet it stubbornly held on as though glued to her hair.

"Hmm, how lamentable, for the Zvezdnyy Rebenok cannot pledge allegiance to another's legion! The Witch destined to save the World must tread the solitary path, honing her arcane prowess, while my Polkovodets assemble an army of my own, preparing for the inevitable End."

Iskander looked disappointed. Meanwhile, Ritsuka and Mash watched on in disbelief.

"A shame. We could have been two stars that outshone all others, creating an Empire Eternal amongst the void."

While Iskander and Zvezdnyy were having this conversation, Kukulkan was staring at the sandy beach with an almost haunted look on her face— which was soon dispelled as the Goddess focused on something else.

"Are you guys alright? No one's hurt are they?" A familiar voice came from Ritsuka's bracelet. "It seems that unforeseen technical glitches within the Rayshifting system culminated in that sky-high rayshift."

"I think some apologies to my Master are in order, Director Olga," Iskander spoke up. "If it weren't for Zvezdnyy over here, my Master had a real chance of dying."

"... I'm sure the Goddess could've picked up Ritsuka—"

"That's not the point. It's you and your team's failure that my Master was at risk of dying from technical issues."

"..."

There was a pause from the other end. In the meantime, Ritsuka was feeling increasingly hot under the collar. He didn't want any conflict. It's in his culture to never purposefully seek to incite conflict. To the point it could be detrimental.

"Um, Iskander, it's alright, I'm not hurt—"

"Very well. On behalf of the Chaldean Technician Team, I apologize for this mistake."

It sounded as if that apology had to be dragged out of Olga's mouth like bones from a dog. She quickly moved on, "As always, this Singularity is the result of a Holy Grail. Someone must've found it and caused this abnormality. Acquire their Grail. Resolve the Singularity. Fix human history, Fujimaru."

Ritsuka's hands tightened into fists and his gaze steeled, a reflection of his resolve to fix what is broken, "We'll do, Director. Have faith in us."

Olga ended the transmission, leaving the group alone in the Singularity yet continued to be monitored.

"There's a settlement on the other side of this island." Kuku was the first to speak, catching everyone's attention and prompting her to elaborate, "While I was high up in the air, I quickly took a glance at everything visible. It's an endless ocean all around us, any islands other than this one are blocked out by the curvature of the planet. In short, we're most likely in the middle of the Caribbeans."

"That raises the question of why there's a settlement on this island, no? Unless it's similar to primitive Polynesians?" Archer asked.

Polynesians were an ethnic group of people that existed in Southeast Asia from prehistory. They were a race of sea peoples. Skilled in ocean travel, they explored and colonized the entirety of Oceania stretching from Indonesia to Hawaii.

"No. I spotted wooden and stone structures. As far as I'm aware, Polynesians only used wood and strings."

"That would mean this island is home to a well-connected port," Iskander said.

The Servant then pulled out his sword and started marching into the jungle filling the island's interior, "Let us go then! I haven't conquered for over two thousand years! It's about time that I broke this dry spell."

The thrill of discovery— of new, unexplored lands thrummed in Iskander's chest. In mere seconds, the King of Conquerors disappeared within that thick jungle. Every line of sight to Iskander was blocked by leaves and shrubs, with only the sounds of cutting and footsteps telling Ritsuka that the Servant hadn't just fallen off a cliff.

"..."

"Did he just Leeroy Jenkin us—?"

"What is 'Leeroy Jenkin', Senpai?"

"Stay here. I'll be back with Iskander in tow." Kuku said as she burst into movement. She flew into the jungle, disappearing among the greens even faster than Iskander.

"Ritsuka, pray tell, what is Leeroy Jenkins?" Zvezdnyy repeated Mash's questions.

"How do you—" Ritsuka instinctively moved to question how they couldn't know such a famous figure from internet history, before realizing the sheer gulf of isolation from the modern world they must've had.

"Leeroy Jenkins is just a catchphrase from a game," Archer answered.

Wait, how does Archer know what Leeroy Jenkin is? Ritsuka wondered internally. Is that some of the information provided when a Servant is summoned? Who would think Internet memes are important enough for a Servant to know?

"A game…?"

Before Zvezdnyy could inquire further, Kukulkan walked out with Iskander in tow… only…

"There's no need to be so forceful, o' self-proclaimed Goddess!" Iskander complained as Kukulkan locked the Conqueror's head as though he were a goat. The Goddess only further tightened her grip, causing Iskander to chuckle out loud, "Ha ha ha ha!"

"I am a real Goddess. Do not call me self-proclaimed." Kuku stated before letting Iskander go.

The Servant chuckled, laughing off Kukulkan's manhandling as if it wasn't a big deal, "Though your strength easily rivals that of the gods, you possess not a shred of divinity, o' self-proclaimed Goddess."

"It's a mindset, Iskander." Kuku explained, "You don't need divinity to possess the mindset of a God."

Hearing of the word 'Mindset', Ritsuka's mind drew up memories of that heart-to-heart conversation he had with Kuku about her outlook on life and philosophy. To her, that must be what the 'Mindset of a God' is—that selflessness, the ability to empathize with your enemy, the inability to hate.

Unlike Ritsuka who had an idea of what Kukulkan meant, the Goddess's last statement baffled Iskander. His brows furrowed, edging outwards. His lips thinned and came up to his nose. "That makes no sense at all."

Ritsuka then clapped his hands to catch everyone's attention.

"Alright guys, now that Iskander's back, let's quietly head towards this port. We don't want to attract the attention of unknown elements."

Iskander looked back at the Goddess, obviously wanting to continue this conversation.

"No. I wish to understand what Kukulkan meant when she said 'the Mindset of a God'."

However, his desire to know what the Goddess meant when she said that got the better of him. He willfully ignored his Master's wishes and continued with the questioning.

Iskander was truly a creature of impulse.

"You can ask later," Kukulkan said as she continued to hover. Ritsuka absentmindedly noted how not once has the Goddess's feet touched the sandy beach. "Let's go."

Defeated, Iskander relented, fine with losing the battle and not getting what he wanted. For now.

The group trekked through the dense jungle. Normally, it would've been nigh impossible for someone to pass through this opaque vegetation. Thick leaves blocked out sight while overgrown roots came from the earth, serving as an unseen tripping hazard thanks to those leaves.

*Bzzzzz*

The thick vegetation was cut into pieces when the Goddess conjured forth a sideways-facing tornado of high-speed wind. It acted like an invisible shredder that collected and minced all leaves, shrubs, and wood into a fine powder deposited to the side.

The Goddess then launched this invisible, almost silent shredder as though it were a bullet. Like a person tracing a trench through freshly fallen snow, a path was easily cleared. The destination is the top of a cliff that overlooked the port.

Reaching that destination with ease given how there was no more vegetation in the way, Ritsuka looked out beyond the edge of the cliff and saw a fully functioning port with pirate ships anchored in the bay.

"Pirates!" Zvezdnyy exclaimed excitedly.

"What a perfect area to set up a port," Iskander remarked.

"It's a natural harbor. Well protected from outside waves thanks to its moon shape. It's also fairly secluded. Perfect for pirates." Archer commented.

Iskander turned to look at the other Servant.

"You certainly are knowledgeable. Are you sure you don't want to join my army, Archer? Your knowledge would prove immensely useful." Iskander offered once more.

"Hey! Know this: Archer is a loyal warrior in my battalion!"

"I am neither. I am my Master's Servant. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Ah!" Zvezdnyy recoiled as if Archer's comment had just shot her, "I see, so my efforts were insufficient. Very well then, Archer! I shall strive harder to demonstrate, as I have to my Polkovodets, that I am indeed a leader worthy of your allegiance!"

"Tsk."

The sound of gunfire interrupted Zvezdnyy's stubborn attempt at recruiting Archer.

"They're having a bar brawl," Kuku said while pointing at one of the many buildings that nested around the crescent bay, just a bit behind the beach that served as the edge of the island.

Ritsuka squinted to try and follow where the Goddess was pointing at. Yet even with her directions, the teen still couldn't see the bar brawl as it was too far away for his eyes.

Several more gunshots rang out.

"I think, that I speak for most of us that Zvezdnyy and Ritsuka should stay back with Rider," Kukulkan said.

Oddly enough, she walked away from the edge of the cliff towards the path where they came from.

"My Polkovodets? But why?! I long to behold pirates! Please, grant me the chance to witness real-life pirates!"

"You're a kid and Ritsuka isn't bulletproof like me or can dodge bullets like Archer."

"I can effortlessly conjure a suit of impenetrable armor for us both!" The instant after Zvezdnyy said that, she and Ritsuka were both encased within a set of medieval knight armor tailored perfectly for their size.

Surprisingly for Ritsuka, the armor was so light he could barely feel the thing's weight. It was as though he wore a second T-shirt instead of a heavy-looking armor.

"Zvezdnyy. What did I say about using your powers on others without consent?"

"Ah."

The suit of armor vanished like smoke in the wind.

"That uh… that you shouldn't do it?"

Kukulkan nodded—

*VZZZZZZZZ*

A beam of burning plasma about as thin as a needle shot out from Kukulkan's back, setting fire to several shrubs.

"Reveal yourself, unknown Servant. The only reason you're still alive is because you didn't attempt anything for the past ten seconds."

"Unknown Servant—?" Mash instantly got between the place where Kuku shot her plasma and Ritsuka. Her shield was ready.

Seeing how Mash was still behind Kuku, the Last Master of Mankind realized this was the reason she moved away from the cliff's edge. The Goddess must've detected this Servant much earlier…

Several moments of silence later, footsteps on dried leaves can be heard.

"Well, thou art certainly perceptive." The Servant said as he walked out of the vegetation.

He was a green-haired individual, wearing loose clothing that bore his chest out into the world.

"I am Archer, yet I sense thou art not content with this revelation." The new Archer said calmly with an accent, "So, to earn thy trust, allow me to reveal my True Name: David."

"...Who?" Zvezdnyy questioned hesitantly.

Instead of getting angry, David humbly answered Zvezdnyy's question, "I am a king of ancient Israel, famed for my skill with the harp and for having slain the giant Goliath."

It was… very unfitting of a King to lower his head and answer the girl's question. In Ritsuka's mind, the only knowledge of 'Kings' he had was of those Daimyos and Emperors of Japan's past—feudal lords who would kill a peasant for the slightest offense.

In their earpiece, Da Vinci gave a quick, in depth summary of who David was.

"Permit me to lend thee all a hand. Allow me to take thee to meet the master of this island. I shall lead the way." David had a very particular way of speaking. It was like waxing poetry.

"..."

Ritsuka looked to Kuku for instructions. The Goddess's head leaned forward as her eyes studied the ancient King.

"Ritsuka, do you permit Zvezdnyy to give you a suit of inviolable armor?"

Surprised by the question, Ritsuka nodded.

With a smile, Zvezdnyy brought a hand in front of her mouth. There, she curled all of her fingers save for two— her middle and ring finger— and then muttered, "I hereby invoke the manifestation of impenetrable armor to envelop both myself and Ritsuka Fujimaru!"

The girl and the teen were each encased in a suit of bluish-green crystal armor made in the fashion of a knight. The choice of material caused Kuku to raise an eyebrow before turning back to David.

"We'll follow you."

David leads the group down the cliff and into the port. Every pirate the group came across leered at the women present as if they hadn't seen a female in months. Several people whistled and catcalled.

Mash looked disturbed at the attention she was getting, prompting David to explain, "Scarcely any records exist of women sailors, so it's likely these pirates haven't laid eyes on a woman in months. Fear not; they won't take any action. Simply ignore them."

Mash nodded.

Before too long, David led the group to the largest building in this port: a tavern. Kukulkan then raised a hand, causing everyone save David to halt.

*Boom*

Another pirate was violently thrown out of the tavern door as though he were a cannonball. He skidded to a stop over a length of five meters, stopping right in front of David's feet.

David, looking entirely unperturbed unliked Ritsuka and Mash, casually walked around the fallen men and into the tavern while saying, "How violent, captain. Yet, how very much like thee."

A figure walked out from the darkness provided by the tavern. She carried a large container of alcohol so strong Ritsuka could smell it from half a dozen meters away.

"So! You are the Master and his servants… and children too? Indeed, you all bear quite a peculiar appearance."

The owner of that voice wore an ornate pirate outfit that helped her to stand out from the rest of the rabble. The buttons on her upper chest were undone, revealing her large breasts to the world, and her pirate hat barely covered pink strands of hair that came down from her head. A scar ran down her face.

"Hi there!" Ritsuka began, "We— we're from an organization called Chaldea and we're trying to revert the Incineration of Human History!"

"The Incineration of Human History? Might that have aught to do with the strange nature of these waters?" The woman gestured at the ocean beyond the harbor.

"Yes! It does. We're here to correct this situation. If we could have your cooperation—"

"Nah."

At this point, Ritsuka normally knew he should've stopped. But the way this woman just casually refused them caused the teen to feel anger bubble up. It was like she's invalidating all of their struggles and the potential result of a failure.

"What do you mean 'nah'? This affects all of humanity—"

"I'm Francis bloody Drake, a pirate to the very marrow of my bones. This sea is entertaining and no one has ever seen it before! So to start with, we're going to plunder everything we can from this ocean! This is what it means to be a pirate! Isn't that right, me hearties?"

It was only now that Ritsuka realized they were surrounded by pirates who all yelled "Aye captain!"

Drake was now turning around.

"Drake— Wait! I don't think you understand the gravity of this situation!"

"You've annoyed me."

Half a dozen 16th-century ship cannons emerged from newly manifested portals around Drake. They were all pointed at Ritsuka. They stared at him menacing in silent judgment.

Ritsuka wondered if this was what a person felt like when another individual pointed a gun at them. This feeling of dread, of finality, of knowing your life is about to end. Did everyone feel at peace, right before they're about to die? Of course not, Ritsuka chastised himself.

Ghosts exist. Vengeful ghosts.

Just as those cannons were about to fire, Ritsuka felt regret. Regret at how he failed to save—

*BOOM*

______

AN: I have a lot of interesting ideas of where to take this Singularity. Though to be honest, I'm more excited about the things I have in store for the London Singularity. Oh, London, things are about to get... eldritch.

Though the issue comes with the American Singularity. I literally cannot think of a way to make the American Singularity more interesting so I'm kinda tempted to just skip it.

Anyway, Drake's actually a very good embodiment of the themes of this Singularity. Actually, I kinda wanna know; do you guys know what the themes were for Orleans and Septem? They're there for a reason.

Since I don't make money through donations, my motivation is entirely dependent on your comments. Please, give me lots of comments.