Prologue

...It looks like this is as far as I go. I'm sorry, d'Eon!

Sanson! Ghh!!

Haaaaaa!

(Come on d'Eon, don't let up for a moment! And don't worry about what might happen later! This is the only chance you've got!)

(It bounced off! I can't believe how tough his armor is!)

Khh...!

(He's not even using...his Noble Phantasm!)

Noble Phantasm...Fleur de Lis!!!

I see. A series of strikes made in tandem with a lily-based illusion.

(It didn't even scratch him!)

What a joke.

Guh...!

It's over, Proper Human History.

We've destroyed every last one of your nests.

...Heh. It's not over yet.

This started long ago, and it ended long ago.

Ah, you mean them? The Olympus Alter Ego will deal with them.

Did you think this would all be over once they arrived?

There is no path forward for you. Any future you may have had is gone.

You can submit to us and live, or oppose us and die. Which will it be, Proper Human History?

...We will never submit!

I see.

Then death it is.

We've found the leyline, sir.

Good. This is the last one.

Once we have used it to summon a Servant, causing it to go dormant, we will destroy it completely.

Our enemies should have known better than to give us time to prepare for their arrival. Now, we will ensure they have no chance whatsoever of defeating us.

Without a catalyst, the only sort of Heroic Spirit that can be summoned here will be one drawn to this place by sheer coincidence...but make sure you stand back all the same.

We may end up summoning a Berserker, after all.

Yes, sir.

Hear me now, in the name of our great demiurge. Come forth from the circle of binding, Guardian of the Scales.

Come forth and dedicate your life to Olympus, to this land brimming with the breath of the gods!

Where am I? Wait. Who am I...?

...Hmm.

Are you...my Master?

Yes, I am.

From here on, you will dedicate your body, your life, and your skills to Olympus, down to your very last drop of blood.

It is through this servitude that your life will have meaning.

Um... What do you...mean by that?

...If this is beyond your comprehension, then your only task is to die.

... ...

...Yes, Master. My life is yours to command.

...Chaldea. The invaders who would see our world destroyed.

I will never let you reach Olympus. It is here in Atlantis that you will meet your end.

None of you will escape. None of you will survive. I will slaughter you all where you stand.

Prepare for battle.

...Are they serious?

Is that really all those fools at Chaldea brought to try to cross this sea?

They're here!? Where!? Ooh, that must be it! Wow, what an awesome ship!

Although...I guess that is a little concerning. It's a beautiful ship, but it's way too small for these waters.

Though it might've been too soon for them to make their move. Worst case, this battle might be over before it's even begun.

I just hope they haven't let their victories over those other four Lostbelts go to their heads.

Well, that's harsh. And here I thought I sensed you were firmly on the Master of Chaldea's side.

Hell yes I am! I can't help but go weak in the knees for Fujimaru!

That's why I'm only a little concerned for him and his team. Looks like they're bound to have yet another rough start!

You find that a happy turn of events? Even now, I still cannot fathom how your mind works.

Is it because of your love for dire predicaments? I swear, you're far more Berserker than Saber.

Well of course I'm going to smile about this. I'm genuinely thrilled that they made it here.

How about you? Did you not expect Chaldea to show up here now?

...Well, I hadn't ruled it out.

How unfortunate that this is the worst possible scenario for them. At last, I'll finally get to see them lose.

Well, well, you sound happy. Though you certainly don't look it.

...Hmph.

I can understand them having such a hard time in Russia. It was their first Lostbelt, after all.

I can accept their pathetic showing in Scandinavia, as that was a world too kind for its own good.

I can turn a blind eye to their raucousness in China, for that was a world too long without any manner of festivity.

And I can concede they had a right to be so self-righteous in India, for that was a clear-cut case of good and evil.

No doubt it is owing to these experiences that the Chaldeans are likely thinking something along the lines of:

"The Atlantic Lostbelt may be a threat, but there must still be a way to overcome it."

But they would be wrong. There is no problem here that needs to be solved. None.

This Lostbelt is already perfected and is actively moving ahead to the stage beyond Proper Human History.

The Chaldeans shouldn't have come here with the intention of defeating this Lostbelt. And they especially shouldn't be trying to learn more about it.

What are you trying to say?

I am saying that coming to this Lostbelt with any intention other than its complete and utter annihilation is a terrible mistake.

I can only hope they realize the error of their ways before they're completely wiped out. Alternatively...

...Well, no matter. I have my own work to do.

How about you? If you like, I could take you to their ship right now.

Oh, no thanks, I'm good. I'm just gonna go ahead and wait for them at the enemy's main base.

...

...Did I misspeak? I thought I was clear that as the Chaldeans are going about this now, they're all going to end up dead.

Oh no, I understood you. I just don't agree.

Sure, they might suffer a horrific defeat and end up losing everything, but there'll still be enough of them left to fight back.

So in the meantime, I'm going to do what I'm best suited for...

...so that I can be ready to pass the torch to them once they finally, doggedly make their way to the goal.

...I see. Then you can also see how this is going to end, albeit in your own way.

Very well then, go on ahead to Olympus. If nothing else, the Chaldeans should make an excellent decoy.

Right? The gods can't tear their eyes away from them!

So, on that note, guess this is goodbye, Chaldean. If I run into you again there

You won't. This is the last time we will ever meet.

My eyes see no further trace of you once we go our separate ways here.

Well, at least that ought to keep things nice and simple then! Hey, do me a favor and tell them I'll be waiting for them up ahead, okay? Thanks!

That fool. As if I would ever pass along such a message.

That aside... I never would have thought she would make the trek to Olympus via consecutive drifting. She truly is her own personal Rayshift device.

Unfortunately, Chaldea, the same cannot be said of the rest of you.

The insurmountable iron wall that is the fleet of Olympus will rain shots down upon you like a meteor shower before you can even see them coming.

And even if you somehow manage to get past that, you will then need to face the nihilist god of the sea.

...Do you truly understand your position here, Fujimaru?

You have no time to spare to learn about this Lostbelt.

The moment you attempt to do so, or to get to know its Crypter, will be the moment your journey comes to an end.

...Your incorrigibility has helped you prevail thus far, but you can't count on it forever.

... ...

... ...

... ...

(Damn, you could cut the tension in here with a knife!)

This is finally it, Master.

？！

Ahem! Come now, what's with the long faces!?

Given how obviously weak and pathetic the sixth and seventh Lostbelts appear to be...

...this is shaping up to be our decisive battle!

That's exactly it, chubs. Come on, this tension's been making your sphincter tighten up just as much as ours, right?

Heh. That right there shows just how little you actually know about the world of magecraft, Kidney Pie.

I'll have you know the tension I'm experiencing right now is nothing like all of yours.

No, I am genuinely freaking out here, and I'll thank you not to lump me in with your everyday ordinary nerves.

As far as mages go, Kadoc Zemlupus was the bottom of the barrel. Every aspect of the boy, from his skill to his lineage to his resolve was truly, genuinely substandard.

Ophelia Phamrsolone's Mystic Eyes may have been menacing, but she was still just a girl with no killer instinct.

Akuta Hinako was... Well, her very existence may have been cheating the system, but she was never actually a mage.

I would put her in the same category as any extremely dangerous wild animal.

As for Peperoncino...

Hmm. On second thought, he's so slippery I don't even know how I would go about evaluating him, so let's just say he's the exception to the rule.

My point is, Kirschtaria is on an entirely different level than the other Crypters. There is simply no comparison.

Oh? Does that mean you've met him before? Perhaps at the Mage's Association?

Oh please. Well, technically, I suppose we do both come from equally distinguished families, but never mind that.

Listen. The Clock Tower is where true geniuses come to gather. There, even mages with talents well beyond average are considered to be strictly ordinary.

As such, simply being able to stand out there marks you as someone capable of changing the very world.

Kirschtaria Wodime has been acclaimed as one of the brightest stars by the elite aristocrats of the Barthomeloi faction...

...as well as the democrats of the Trambelio faction, and even the staunch neutralists of the Meluastea faction alike.

Despite their differences, they all had equally high hopes that he would be the one to rebuild this world's deteriorating foundation of magecraft.

They even thought he might have gone on to found a thirteenth department of study at the Clock Tower if he hadn't decided to join Chaldea. Hmph.

Really? I had no idea Kirschtaria was so highly regarded in London.

And yet you never met him yourself, huh, Gordy?

Of course not. I was always jealAhem, cautious about who I reached out to there, after all.

And Kirschtaria received no end of support from all the other successors to nobilityyoung men who were obligated to carry on their family names.

You see, anyone from a mage family, no matter how prestigious, would never dare disobey their father.

For them, their fathers, some of whom are genuine monsters who have been alive for hundreds of years, are the most terrifying beings in existence.

And yet, even in the face of these wicked old foxes from the previous era of magecraft, Kirschtaria was never afraid to speak his mind openly.

My guess is that his confidence stemmed from the sheer superiority of the magical circuits he had, circuits that have helped him go his entire life without ever losing to anyone.

He always carried himself as though he were a king, as though he had been chosen by the gods.

He was both confident and idealistic, yet distinctly humane despite being both coolheaded and ruthless.

He set the top records in all sorts of fields at the Clock Tower, many of which remain unbroken to this day.

I still remember feeling keenly aware of how talent and charisma are something you're either born with or you aren't while peering over at him from behind a convenient pillar.

(Oh yeah, I could see tubbo doing that. I bet he was tearing at a handkerchief and glaring at him.)

The director is right. Kirschtaria was a bona fide genius who excelled at absolutely everything.

It's true. My grown-up self has memories along those lines too...

...and they're telling me that, while I was definitely an unparalleled genius in every human endeavor under the sun, Kirschtaria was an indomitable genius when it came to magecraft.

？！

Oh sure, he is too. Just of a different sort.

Again, these memories belong to my previous self who interacted with Team A, so I can't fully vouch for them...

But I'd say that Daybit's the type who could make the impossible possible, while Kirschtaria's the type who could master anything we know can be done.

So while it's not like one type is necessarily better than the other, when it comes to being a leader...

...I'd have to say being able to put together a foolproof plan like Kirschtaria could was the way to go.

Nonetheless, the fact remains that they are both peerless geniuses. I can't say I relish the thought of opposing either one of them.

You can say that again. Maybe if we're lucky, they'll underestimate us and let down their guard?

I don't think we can count on that.

Kirschtaria always gave everything his full effort, even combat simulations.

I remember it seemed to me like he had a real...aversiona hatred almostto settling for anything less than what he wanted.

Hmm. A genius who refuses to take the easy way out... Perhaps this means he was actually just a hard worker?

No, I wouldn't say that.

According to Chaldea's records, Kirschtaria lived a perfectly ordinary life during his time there.

If anything, Kadoc worked way harder than he did. He spent dozens of hours training for every one of Kirschtaria's.

Oh?

Anyway, that's pretty much all we have to go on, so I think that's enough Kirschtaria speculation.

We may not know exactly what we're up against, but whatever they throw at us, we'll be ready.

We've used every last bit of the magical energy resources we've accumulated to get to this point.

Now, thanks to the Nautilus acting as the Shadow Border's outer layer, crossing the ocean is a proverbial walk in the park.

Not that this even comes close to what the Nautilus can really do.

I understand your disappointment, but I'm afraid the Shadow Border's safety is of paramount importance.

Quite so.

With these manifold Bounded Field spells...

...the new engine that lets us use magical energy to propel ourselves through water at high speeds...

...and the Aronnax Phantasm serving as our naval ram, we should even be able to cross bodies of magma if we're so inclined.

Of course. The Nautilus and I have seen it all and can handle anything. But I would like to avoid damaging the ship if we can.

Hello, hello, this is Sion. I am reading you loud and clear.

I made sure you all have as much food and drink as the Border can possibly carry.

This is, without exaggeration, the best we are able to do at this point. If we fail with all of this going for us, I will never be able to look you all in the eyes again.

Oh, not to worry. If we do fail here, at least we won't have to concern ourselves with next year's budget.

The smart thing to do now is to use everything we've got and let the rest sort itself out later.

Ulp... I do hope we can find a leyline and summon more Servants soon.

As things stand now, we don't have nearly enough in the way of fighting forces!

Come now, Goredolf, you know why that is just as well as any of us.

Given the battles we've fought in the other Lostbelts thus far, summoning Servants on-site gives us much better odds.

Besides, Master Fujimaru can only form temporary contracts with so many Servants. I'm afraid you'll just have to keep a stiff upper lip as best you can for now.

Okay, we're about to reach the storm wall.

It might have been impenetrable for the Shadow Border prior to its upgrade, but now...things are different.

Activating Imaginary Aronnax Phantasm.

Lostbelt Phenomenon: identified. Naval Ram Assimilation: successful.

Untether from reality. Void Space Dive Penetration Mode...

Zero Sail: unfurl!

Sir, the lookout just reported a faint ripple at Eastern Four, the white wall.

Of course, it could just be an underwater earthquake

Do you really think we would be seeing an oceanic earthquake now? No, it's almost certainly Chaldea.

They may be arriving a little later than expected, but the plan otherwise remains the same.

Assume they have succeeded at diving through Eastern Four, and train your sights on their most likely emergence point.

All hands and ships to battle positions. And hurry up with the Lamia deployment.

Yes, sir.

Listen up. Do not treat these foes as you would typical Rogue Servants.

Servants who have formed a contract with a Master are stronger than you think.

Do not for a moment think yourselves above them. Let down your guard, and you WILL find yourselves the hunted rather than the hunters.

...Yes, sir!

Very well then, I leave this in your hands, .

Understood. The Echidna production is coming along extremely well.

Is it possible to manufacture those things?

Yes. Well, at least the prototypes.

Tch...

Damn engineers. After all this time, you still haven't been able to complete them?

Well, no matter. Send them in.

Yes, sir.

Activate the Echidna!

Right away, sir!

A creature that spits out monsters in spite of the tremendous pain it causes, hmm. It is indeed the mother of life.

This should have all manner of applications.

Come on, move it! Go, go, go!

Hoist the beam sails! Head for the target coordinates! Full speed ahead!

The Third Fleet has arrived at the target coordinates!

Lamias are now ready to deploy! Your orders, sir!

...Take them out.