After a brief confrontation with Babbage, Guinevere quickly realized—this guy wasn't someone he and Mordred could handle right now.
At the very least, with that ridiculous "B+++" rating that looked like it had been assigned with someone's foot, and without using a Philosopher's Stone to summon a new Servant, and with Mordred unable to unleash her Noble Phantasm, their chances of winning were nearly zero.
Not to mention a certain someone back in real-world London probably just sneezed.
After analyzing the gap in strength, Guinevere promptly came up with a new plan.
He immediately contacted Bavanzi via team communication—she'd gone out earlier to search for Ritsuka Fujimaru—and instructed her to bring over as many other Servants as she could. Most importantly, she had to bring Frankenstein.
Admittedly, Babbage's steel armor was a truly formidable construct. Its durability and strength alone made it a nightmare to deal with—especially under the Nightmare World's enhancement. Even his glaring weakness in agility could be compensated by the sheer explosive power and wide range of his Noble Phantasm attacks.
Strong. Incredibly strong. Guinevere could hardly imagine how happy he'd be if he had such a mechanical suit back in Fairy Britain.
But, for all its strengths, the armor wasn't perfect.
Limited by the era it was built in—an era before electricity became widespread—there was one thing it definitely hadn't been designed to resist: lightning.
A machine made entirely of steel, powered by steam. Just how conductive would it be? And those intricate internal mechanisms—how well could they handle high-voltage currents? Not to mention the man inside the suit—Babbage himself, still made of flesh and blood.
That was why Guinevere specifically demanded that Bavanzi bring Frankenstein.
Then, using the thick steam as cover, and while Babbage was fully focused on unleashing his Noble Phantasm on Mordred, Frankenstein circled around behind him—and released her own Noble Phantasm.
Blasted Tree / The Lightning Tree of Execution.
With crackling surges of energy, massive teal lightning coalesced in the air, then surged skyward to form a towering tree of pure voltage, wrapping around Babbage completely.
Babbage froze. His massive hammer—previously used to unleash that devastating vortex of steam—was also swallowed by the lightning. The currents snaked across it, and within seconds, explosions began erupting all along its surface. With one final blast, it was reduced to scrap metal.
The vortex that had nearly consumed both Guinevere and Mordred vanished along with it.
And just like his weapon, Babbage's own steel body began to detonate in countless microbursts, his enormous frame trembling violently—until finally, he collapsed to the ground with a groan, his movements ceasing entirely.
Then, from inside that enormous shell, came a soft sigh.
"So... you used lightning as your attack. I see. You realized you couldn't penetrate my armor physically, so you exploited the conductivity of metal instead."
"Too bad. I hadn't observed Frankenstein's combat before. I lacked that key piece of intel."
After a pause, Babbage continued, his voice calm.
"I've lost. Congratulations, guardians of humanity. You may not have proven your valor... but you've certainly proven your intelligence."
"Does it disappoint you that we didn't win through brute strength?" Ritsuka Fujimaru's head poked through the dissipating steam.
"No. This is better," Babbage replied, a faint warmth in his tone.
"Humanity didn't rise above nature and create such dazzling civilizations through strength alone… but through intellect."
"We stand on the shoulders of those who came before, stacking our knowledge piece by piece, until we stand beside the gods—perhaps even surpass them."
"You stayed calm, even in the midst of crisis. You found my weakness. I'm glad."
"Perhaps, with minds like yours, you really do stand a chance against King Solomon."
As he spoke, soft golden light began to escape from the seams in his steel body.
It was the telltale sign—a Servant beginning to fade away.
"Before I leave this stage... I have one question."
His voice was noticeably weaker now, tinged with fatigue.
"You called me a great pioneer, didn't you?"
Guinevere stepped forward and nodded. "I did."
"But my large-scale Difference Engine and Analytical Engine both failed. No one followed through on my work. Humanity never entered the steam-powered future I dreamed of. All my efforts were in vain. My life was one long string of failures... How can someone like me be called a pioneer?"
"You're from the future, right?" Babbage asked, looking toward Ritsuka. "You should know better than anyone."
Ritsuka nodded solemnly.
"Mr. Babbage, I first read your name in a textbook. You're a globally renowned figure—your contributions are celebrated around the world."
"Even if your large-scale Difference Engine and Analytical Engine were never completed... even if humanity didn't step into the glittering steam era you envisioned... that doesn't mean your work had no value."
"Your designs were incredible. And even though they weren't built exactly as you imagined, they laid the foundation for another invention—one that did change the world."
"—The computer."
"Computer...?" Babbage echoed, puzzled.
"Mm... how to explain this..." Ritsuka thought for a moment.
"You can think of it as an evolved form of the Difference and Analytical Engines—except powered by electricity instead of steam. And thanks to that more advanced energy source, it's vastly more powerful."
"It was the invention that kicked off the Third Technological Revolution. Since then, humanity has entered an era far more advanced than the steam age—the Information Age."
"Your life's work was inherited, Mr. Babbage. And it did change the world."
"As you once said yourself, you truly are a giant upon whose shoulders others have stood to advance human civilization."
"I see..."
A soft smile crept onto Babbage's face.
"I see... a computer, huh? That's a good name."
"I'd love to see one someday."
"Well, how about answering Chaldea's summon next time?" Ritsuka said earnestly. "We've got the most advanced machines humanity's made so far! And there are other brilliant minds there too—Leonardo da Vinci's with us! You could work on inventions together!"
"Hah, always recruiting," Babbage chuckled hoarsely, then coughed lightly before continuing.
"Well then. Since you've proven your wisdom and defeated the boss behind the curtain, it's only right I give you a reward."
"All the information you seek about this world—I've left it in the archive. You're free to read as much as you like."
"And... I thought my armor would vanish with me, but perhaps because we're in this dream world, it's not considered part of my Saint Graph. Though it's been damaged, if someone among you is skilled with machines, you might be able to repair and use it."
"As for Machrie... even as a friend, I must admit—he really does mislead people."
"If possible, give him a little payback for me."
"Farewell, guardians of humanity. I look forward to seeing you again."
With that, the metal body went silent. Guinevere and Ritsuka watched as golden light swelled from its seams—then faded away completely.
——That young man who graduated from Cambridge two hundred years ago... his dream had fallen just one step short.
Yet, humanity gave its verdict:
He was one of the great geniuses.
A cornerstone of civilization—
The Father of the Computer.
[Detection complete: Nightmare Avatar VI – Adonis, the Blind Prince Shrouded in Arrogance – has been defeated.]
[Target extermination confirmed. Distributing rewards...]
[Player has received: Base Mana Enhancement – Level 1. Rune Acquired: Overload.]
[Rune: Overload – Knowledge inherited from a human pioneer. Having glimpsed the forbidden and attempted to merge with it, his knowledge too became taboo.]
[At any time, you may spend up to twice the normal mana cost to complete designated actions, granting a proportional boost in effect. Additionally, when acting as a Master, you can bestow this effect upon your Servants.]
[—Double the mana, double the damage, double the fun.]
"Oh?"
Guinevere's eyes lit up.
As expected of Babbage, who could slap three '+' signs onto a stat—his rune was just as practical and potent.
Simple. Powerful. Direct.
And it could even be used to boost his teammates.
While Guinevere silently marveled at the reward, someone gently tugged on his coat.
Turning around, he found Bavanzi leaning in behind him, lowering her voice.
"Guinevere... is that thing called a 'computer' really that amazing?"
She wasn't the only one. Seeing Bavanzi sneak over, Mordred immediately sidled up too, ears perked to eavesdrop.
"Well..."
Explaining how impressive computers were to someone like Bavanzi or Mordred... that was a headache.
Like trying to explain the Goldbach Conjecture to someone who flunked math. Guinevere had no idea how to make it click.
After two seconds of thought, he whispered:
"Let's put it this way—it's the most fun thing in the world."
"Really?" Bavanzi's eyes sparkled.
"Then it must be a super-great invention!"
Even Mordred nodded thoughtfully, as if pondering something profound.
Meanwhile, completely unaware he had just led them wildly off-course, Guinevere turned back toward the others.
To his surprise, Bavanzi had done better than expected. Not only Ritsuka and Fran—but almost everyone had been brought over. Except...
"Hmm?"
Guinevere frowned.
Where was Shakespeare? That drama-mongering troublemaker?
Come to think of it, ever since they'd entered this dream world, he hadn't seen Shakespeare even once.
"Where's Shakespeare?" Guinevere asked.
"Huh? Shakespeare?" Ritsuka blinked, then frowned as well. "He was definitely with us when Mr. Hyde forced us into the dream world. We even agreed to regroup at Scotland Yard. But... he hasn't shown up."
"Could he have gotten lost?"
Ritsuka asked, concerned.
"...Forget it. Finding him's less important than checking the intel Babbage left us."
Guinevere sighed, shaking his head.
Losing sight of someone who causes chaos just by existing did feel like trouble—but right now, there wasn't much they could do about it.
The real priority was the intel left by Babbage, one of the minds behind the scenes. With that, they might finally uncover a way to prevent the King in Yellow's arrival and resolve this Singularity.
Besides, Guinevere was dying to know—
Just how did a perfectly normal Fourth Singularity end up turning into this?