Thou Art the Harvest that Reaps the Stars (II)

The skyscrapers are collapsing!

Damn these Olympian gods! Not even my defenses can stand in the face of their assault!

They're about to break through every one of our defensive lines! Graaaaaah!

Assemble, my mass-produced mechanical soldiers! It's up to you to hold the last line of defense!

Let them hear you roar, men! Even if we should vanish here today, the flag of freedom will still fly strong!

Farewell, fellow Chaldeans! The rest is up to you now!

I finished the first two summoning positions.

I'm so close to finishing more... but we just don't have enough time!

If we only had a few more minutes... I could have at least finished the third and fourth...

I'm sorry, Lady. If nothing else, we should have at least made sure you could escape.

Edison's group has been fighting admirably. They clearly learned much from their experiences in the Singularities.

But, I'm afraid this is as far as we go. We are truly, utterly defeated.

The gods' lone strike will surely demolish this entire sector before we can deal them even a single blow.

Maybe we threw caution to the wind too soon. Or maybe we never had any chance of winning at all...

Dammit... Dammit!

Mechanical Olympian gods, huh. They're the real deal, so they might even know something about Mahatma

I know, but remember, they are the enemy of all Proper Human History.

They may well be ships that crossed the sea of stars to come here, my wise and beautiful Helena...

...but they are absolutely not the stars you looked up to.

Thank you, Mr. Tesla. You're very kind.

It's the truth, Lady.

Hear me, gods!

This world does not belong to you! You were consigned to the trash heap of Proper Human History long ago!

You aren't protecting anything! You only suffocate humanity with your enduring tyranny!

Humanity will never be your pets or playthi

Good morning. Good, you're already up.

I hope you don't mind if I come in.

Good morning, Senpai.

Fooou!

Did you sleep well last ni

Are you okay, Senpai? You look pale...

？！

... ...

？！

...Senpai.

As a matter of fact, I had a bad dream myself.

I think it's probably because...

...we heard that all the Heroic Spirits that came to Olympus from Atlantis were...

...wiped out...

...Right.

...

？！

Still, they did leave this hidden base for us. It should be more than functional enough for our purposes.

And Musashi is here to help too, so it hasn't been a complete loss!

Now that we've settled in here, we should report back to Director Goredolf.

Our comms situation still hasn't improved, but at least we might not have so much interference down here thanks to the difference in atmospheric magical energy levels.

Fou, fou fou!

Fooou!

Yes, I'm sure he is.

？！

Come on, Senpai. Musashi and Holmes are waiting for you.

Morning, Fujimaru!

Did you sleep well last night? Oh, if you're hungry, there's breakfast to be had over there.

I'll say this about Olympus: the food here is yummy!

I visited lots of different worlds back when I was alive, and as food goes, this place is easily in the top five.

Must mean civilization here has flourished to the point they can really focus on things like refining their cuisine.

...It's just too bad they apparently never got around to inventing udon.

You really do love udon, don't you, Musashi? So do I.

Ooh, a fellow udon lover☆ Right? You just can't beat that texture!

It's true. The way the noodles glide across your tongue while being delightfully chewy all at the same time always makes me end up eating more than I intended.

Oh yeah! I know Servants don't technically need to sleep or eat, but just because we can go without both doesn't mean we should, if you ask me.

Getting good rest helps you feel centered and focused, and a good meal just makes you straight-up happy!

I mean, since we materialized with emotions and all, it'd be a waste to neglect them☆

？！

You bet I am! I'm still me, no matter where I go or what I do.

Sure, things might be kind of depressing lately, but in general, I like to smile my way through life!

That's the kinda gal I was in life, and it's who I am today!

Fou fou.

Oh, morning to you too, Fou!

...So, now that we've had a chance to slow down and catch our breath...

...I think it's a good time to tell you what I've been up to since we last saw each other in Russia.

First, just so we're all on the same page...

I was able to meet up with you guys in Russia because of my, um, unique constitution.

See, I was able to wander into neighboring worlds in life. I've always thought of it as Lady Kannon's guidance, though recently, I learned it's actually called drifting.

So I think what happened was that I ended up drifting right before the world was wiped clean.

When I drifted back a moment later, there was nothing left but bleached-white ground everywhere I looked.

At the time, I thought I'd ended up on some blank slate parallel world somewhere...

...but after wandering around for a while, I drifted right into the snowy fields of the Russian Lostbelt.

You with me so far?

？！

Right. Back at Chaldea, your drift was recorded as something similar in nature to a Rayshift.

So my understanding was that you could only drift to different time periods in parallel worlds.

Yup. As a rule, my drifts always put me in different worlds, never in the same one I drifted from.

Before, if I wanted to drift back to the same world as all of you guys...

...I'd basically have to keep drifting between different worlds and hope I'd eventually get lucky.

But...

When I drifted out of Russia, I found myself face-to-face with the same bleached-white Earth of 2020.

I tried a few more drifts after that, and they all turned out the same way.

While I didn't always end up in the same location, I did always end up in the same world and time period.

A bit surprising at first, but I realized I'd basically gained a superpower: the ability to teleport across long distances.

From there, I spent my days wandering around, fighting off weird creatures, and testing how much I could control my new ability.

Then, one day...

...Watch yourself, woman.

Colliding with another teleporter is unheard of, even in the magecraft world.

I ran into this guy who was kind of arrogant but basically all right, and we ended up traveling together for a while.

He turned out to know a ton about all kinds of things! Like, he knew what kind of divine power my drift uses...

And what happened to you guys after Russia... I'm not sure there was anything he DIDN'T know!

Anyway, he pretty much caught me up on the whole situation...

...so I decided to sneak into the Atlantic Lostbelt ahead of you guys and wait for you.

Oh, I even managed to drift into Olympus easy-peasy! They never even knew I was here!

Unfortunately, my drift only works on me, so I couldn't bring Robed Guy or any other Heroic Spirits along.

They're probably gonna need more help besides just me. Should we spend more time looking for other Servants?

...No need. Circumstances being what they are, we can be assured that a Grand Servant will appear in the Atlantic Lostbelt.

That Servant will be a much more powerful ally than you could ever hope to be.

That being said...

Yeah?

They will need you as well. If you want to come along, I can take you as far as the Atlantic Lostbelt, but no farther.

...Hmph. The Counter Force truly is nothing if not meticulous, meandering, and mean-spirited.

？！

Yup! I always used to think of this tendency to drift as a problem, so I'm glad it turned out to actually be useful for once!

So, in exchange for no longer being able to Rayshift to different time periods in parallel worlds...

...you're now essentially able to freely teleport, at least to a certain extent?

It's very impressive that you've been able to make your way into Lostbelts without embarking on a Zero Sail.

Yup. I'm not really sure how it works myself, but that all sounds right.

So in summary, your drift ability involved jumping into the rift between worlds, then emerging into another world.

I think it's safe to assume that it still works that same way...

...since that would explain how you were able to get past the Lostbelts' storm walls.

The idea is that you're jumping into a higher dimension, then falling back down to a lower one.

The only difference is that before, you could fall down to any number of possible destinations...

...but now, you're only falling back to this world, which is why you always emerge somewhere here.

...

Yeah, exactly. Hehe. Guess I can't really call it drifting anymore then, can I?

Fou, fooou. Fooou...

？！

...I'd like to know that too. Is he the robed figure we've heard rumors about in the other Lostbelts?

The one who claims to be from Chaldea?

Nnn... Sorry, but I can't answer that. He made me promise not to.

And I still owe him for giving me food and shelter for a night, so I can't go back on my word.

I...see...

？！

Right... He did, didn't he!?

We may not know who he is, but we do know he sent you here to help us!

And if it's thanks to him that we were reunited, he must be

？！

U-uh, yeah, maybe? I mean, it'd be great if that turned out to be the case. Hahaha.

Anyway, Fujimaru and Mash, there's something I want you to keep in mind.

Yes, the Heroic Spirits who came here from Atlantis may all be gone now...

...but you still had allies here willing to risk their lives for you.

So while it might feel like you're fighting all on your own sometimes, you're not.

You may not be able to see it, but your home world of Proper Human History is still here to back you up.

Hearing you say that is all the reassurance I need to know you'll be all right.

？！

Fou, fou fooou!

Aah! Fou!?

Ahahaha, I see you're raring to go too, Fou! That's the spirit!

You're right! Motivation is the key to success! And we're gonna need all the motivation we can get so we can settle things once and for all!

!

What, does saying it out loud scare you? Don't worry, we can do this! You guys already took out two of the gods!

B-but, we only managed to do that because we had so many Servants helping us!

Not to mention they had all enhanced their Spirit Origins using the Olympian gods' Theos Klironomia!

On top of all that, they had to risk everything they had, and even then, we were only just able to eke out a victor

Hmph!

Hmm, hmmm. This isn't good, Mash! You've been bit by the cowardice bug!

Fo?

I, um... A cowardice bug...?

Bugs like that need to be shaken off as soon as possible!

So on that note, go ahead and Ortinax up, Mash.

Huh?

Go on. No need to be modest.

???

？！

Luckily, you can shake off the cowardice bug pretty easily just by getting in some exercise! Which means you're doing this too, whether you like it or not!

That goes for you too, Mr. Detective! Don't think I don't see you watching over there!

Good grief.

It would seem Eastern samurai intuition, especially at a sword saint's level, is a frightening thing indeed.

Holmes! Sh-should you be up and about yet?

Oh yes, I'm quite all right, Ms. Kyrielight. In fact, I feel even lighter on my feet now than I did before we left the Border.

As far as I can tell, I've recovered to the point that I may indeed engage in hand-to-hand combat once again.

These medical nanomachines are truly marvelous things.

？！

Correct.

These Theos Klironomiaa collective mass of microscopic Authorityare named after Demeter, one of the goddesses of Greek mythology.

Demeter is the goddess of fertility and the deity who cultivates ambrosia, a food which grants immortality.

According to the mythology of Proper Human History, she is best known for the tale of her beloved daughter's abduction:

Persephone was abducted by Hades and made the queen of the underworld despite Demeter's desperate attempts to bring her back to Olympus.

Demeter Klironomia... I remember seeing it once back in Atlantis, but

True, but the Klironomia that were being kept here are far more effective than the Klironomia we saw in Atlantis.

If we could bring some back with us to study later, I have no doubt we could

Okay, no more questions! It's time for morning training!

Don't worry, Fujimaru, you can have breakfast as soon as it's over!

U-um, Senpai?

？！

R-right. Understood!

This morning training seems like it will be very different from the simulator training I'm used to, but I'll do my best to adjust!

Very well, Ms. Miyamoto, if you insist. But be warned, baritsu is a highly versatile martial art.

If you think your katana alone will grant you an easy victory, I would advise you to reconsider your tactics.

Oho, I see somebody remembered to bring their trash talk!

Okay, guys, come at me whenever you like! My void sword is ready and waiting!

Fou, fooou!

I know, right? Food always tastes even better after a good workout!

？！

I agree! At first glance, it doesn't appear to be anything special.

There's bread, ham, salad, milk... The same kind of staples we've seen in all sorts of different times and places.

And yet, for some reason I can't put my finger on... everything here tastes completely different!

W-well, maybe not COMPLETELY different. I mean, the bread is still bread...

The ham is still ham, the milk is still milk, and so on...

But from the moment you first take a bite, you can sense the flavors changing at least three times...

...and every single one of them is a breathtaking culinary experience!

I know EXACTLY what you mean! I had the same reaction the first time I went around sampling the local cuisine!

... ...

While we've still only seen a small fraction of what Olympus has to offer...

We now know that it is an enormous, highly advanced city with many tall skyscrapers, that its nanomachines guarantee its populace long, healthy lives...

And that its incredible prosperityprosperity, I might add, that is independent of any sort of currency...

...enables its people to devote themselves to art and academia, thereby further enriching its culture, with no need for any kind of manual labor whatsoever.

Their daily lives are happy affairs, praising the gods with bright smiles on their faces.

War and combat are simply unknown to the people of Olympus. Well, except for where we are concerned.

...Yes, I see.

There is no better word to describe this Interstellar Mountainous City of Olympus than "utopia."

Utopia...

The sort of earthly paradise people have been dreaming of since time immemorial...

Even the food here is simply sublime. The Chinese Lostbelt's empire was arguably a type of utopia as well...

...but its ideals were only achieved by concentrating its culture on a single point.

Olympus, on the other hand, shares its wealth in every sense of the word, and all without any conflict whatsoever.

It really is a paradise beyond human achievement. I must say, even I don't know what Proper Human History could do against an opponent like this.

？！

... ...

Fou, fou.

...Hey, Holmes?

Yes?

Did you not notice Fujimaru and Mash had only just cheered up?

Did you really have to rain on their parade like that?

Besides, as far as we're concerned, it doesn't matter whether this place is a utopia, an amusement park, or a front for organized crime.

You guys are from Proper Human History, which means this is a fight for your very survival.

And the only way you guys are going to walk away from this alive is if you beat them before they beat you.

Fujimaru, you're here on behalf of all Proper Human History.

I know that isn't the kind of position you wanted, and that you didn't really get a choice, but there it is.

And you've got enough in your udon bowl as it is without piling on extra toppings.

Hmm. Perhaps, but all that being said, Ms. Miyamoto

Um, Musashi?

Thank you for worrying about us. I really do appreciate it.

But it's okay. We need to know who it is we're up against.

We need to know who the people of the Lostbelts are, even if we are attempting to cut their world off from Proper Human History again.

We already decided that it would be wrong to avert our eyes from the effects of our actions.

？！

Wait, is THAT what this is about? Right and wrong and stuff?

Huh?

Hm?

Fou?

？！

I mean, the key to walking away from a battle alive is to keep things as simple as possible, right?

It's all well and good to worry about your opponent's circumstances, your own moral code, and stuff...

...but you have to be able to separate yourself from those things because worrying about them in the heat of battle is only gonna help you lose.

I mean, I'm not good for much except slicing folks up like some kinda human meat grinder, y'know?

So any undue pressure about stuff not directly related to matters of life and death when I'm in the thick of enemy territory is the last thing I need!

I see. So your comments just now were not meant to console Mr. Fujimaru and Ms. Kyrielight there, but rather

Yup. I just wanted you to cut it out to make it easier for me to win.

Basically, there's a time and a place for everything, and that includes thinking.

I mean... Yes, that's obviously true, and I do get your point, but...

？！

Exactly. Just take it easy. Can't win a fight if you're busy moping.

Anyway, I'm sorry again for raining on our breakfast parade. Aw man, now my soup's all cold!

No need to apologize, Ms. Miyamoto. I should have known better than to voice those thoughts at that time.

Mhmm.

Mm?

Hmm?

Hey, yeah! YOU were the one who rained on this parade in the first place, not me!

Now that you mention it, I suppose I was, wasn't I? Hahaha, I do beg your pardon.

Is that all you've got to say for yourself!?

Fooou! Fou!

U-um, please go easy on him, Musashi!

...What in the world are you all doing at this hour?

O-oh, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to disturb you.

Oh, and thank you for breakfast. It was absolutely scrumptious!

Breakfast?

Ah, I see. That wasn't me. The twins made it for you.

？！

That's right. Though I doubt you saw their faces at the time...

Why don't you two come out already? This is your base of operations now, isn't it?

Um...

I'm, uh, glad to hear you liked the food. Were you able to get enough rest last night?

？！

Oh good! I've never had guests before, so I wasn't sure if I did a, um, good job or not...

Never mind that now, Sister.

Aww.

...For the time being, it looks like you're all at a point where you can talk again.

I'm glad to see the Klironomia's working. I wasn't sure if it would fit your Spirit Origin or not.

Indeed it did, and I am greatly obliged for your help.

？！

You? Klironomia?

Don't be ridiculous.

It'd be one thing if you'd undergone bio-modifications like the elite soldiers, but there's no way Klironomia could ever be compatible with a normal human from Proper Human History.

No, all I did for you was cast a light healing spell, since you didn't have more than a few scratches.

？！

You're very welcome. Hehe.

Fou!

...A-ahem.

Chaldea. Visitors from Proper Human History. Well, I guess that doesn't really apply to all of you, but anyway...

Hehe, you must mean me!

I'm Macarios. And this is my older sister, Adele.

It's very nice to meet all of you.

We're the God Destroyer Alliance. ...Or at least, what's left of it.

？！

I'm Mash Kyrielight.

I'm Miyamoto Musashi, wandering Servant. How about you in the hood?

...I have nothing to do with those twins. Introducing myself now would only complicate things.

Hmm, you don't say. Okay then, who's your owl friend?

Hoot. Hoot.

Fo...

All the gods of Olympus are machines. A mechanical owl shouldn't exactly be a shock.

If you say so.

Um...

Adele. Macarios.

Thank you again for saving us yesterday. I don't know what we would have done without you.

Are you, um...both from Olympus?

Yes, that's right. We're both official Olympus residents.

We have citizen numbers and permanent ration cards, and we live our lives by the grace of the gods' blessings and protection.

But, the truth is

Not now, Sister. Save it for later.

They need to know what's going on before we tell them about us.

Macarios...

I said no. It's still too soon to tell them about us.

Besides, Chaldeans, I'm sure there's someone else you'd all rather be talking to.

Fou!

Voice recording for Chaldea. Pattern B2.

All right, where to begin...

For the time being, I've entered all the information we possess into this base's data processing unit.

It's embedded with a simple artificial personality program, so it can answer most questions you might have.

That concludes the video portion of the instructions!

I'll let the artificial personality take it from here. ...There, I think that should do it.

Activation complete.

From here on, I, the artificial intelligence, will do the talking.

Yes, the picture remains the same, but get over it! The image is a recreation made by recycling existing video footage!

An A.I., eh? I suppose that shouldn't surprise me from one of the greatest scientific minds among the Heroic Spirits.

Don't forget, you can always switch to me if you don't care for the half-witted eccentric's persona!

You can also switch to me, if you prefer. Hehe.

I can't do anything Mahatma-related, though. Sorry I can't be more help.

Anyway, hi there, Chaldeans! It's nice to meet you all!

...Yelena.

So the Servants who left these recordings for us weren't summoned to Chaldea, nor are they ones we met in any of the Singularities...

Rather, they're all Heroic Spirits from Proper Human History who were summoned here to this Lostbelt.

？！

Yes. Good point.

Thomas Edison's lion-head Spirit Origin only came about in the Fifth Singularity...

...so he should still retain his memories of us, just like Jeanne Alter.

All right, let's begin with the basics of Olympus.

Your opponents here are, in a word, gods.

...That was me. I decided to pause the A.I. for a bit.

Before you hear any more, I wanted to warn you that you guys'll probably...

... ...

You'll probably be shocked by what they have to say. It might even be enough to make you despair completely.

Some of the Heroic Spirits that made it here only stuck around long enough to say nobody could win against gods.

So I just wanted to make sure you're ready for what comes next.

？！

Right. We can't do anything if we don't know what we're up against.

So please, Macarios. Adele. Let us see the rest.

... ...

First, let's begin with the gods.

The gods of Olympusthe rulers of this Lostbelt are genuine deities that have existed since the Age of Gods.

Those deities, including the ones you may have seen in Atlantis...

...are beings who came here from far, far across the universe.

!

!?

Fo! Fo fo fou, fooou!

I trust Macarios and Adele are there as well? They, like all residents of Olympus, refer to the gods as thus:

Deities who came here across the sea of stars. The great ones.

The descendants of Primordial Chaos. The great systems of prosperity who bear the Cronus Crown.

And of course... the Twelve Olympian Machine Gods.

The sea of...stars...

We knew that these machine gods were interstellar weapons, but...

Th-this is way bigger than I was expecting... I mean... Huh?

So, um... Hang on, let me just make sure I've got this straight...

You said these are super ancient gods who came here across a sea of stars, right? So, then...

That would make them space aliens! Right!?

Fooou! Fo fou!

Not quite. It would not be entirely accurate to refer to them merely as intelligent life-forms from another planet.

Based on everything we now know...it seems they are more akin to machines from an extremely advanced civilization.

One that may reside outside our galaxy, or at the far ends of our universe...or in an entirely different universe altogether.

...Yes, that's more or less correct.

Huh, I'm surprised.

I thought you guys would be a lot more taken aback. Why aren't you?

？！

...I see.

All right, now should be a good time to proceed. Next, I have more information about the gods for you.

From this point onward...

I will be telling you how this Lostbelt differs from Proper Human History, and at what point in time it diverged.

First of all, how did these gods originally come to be? The first gods were born from Primordial Chaos, and eventually, the younger generation fought the Titanomachia, the first great war.

Up until this point, the world was largely the same as it was depicted in the myths of Proper Human History.

The Titanomachia was a war between the Titans, the gods of the old generation, and Olympus, the gods of the new.

As I recall, Zeus defeated his own father Cronus, the king of the Titans...

...and in doing so, he gained control over the rest of the pantheon...

The gods of Olympus won that war, and Zeus became omnipotent as a result.

Omnipotent...

Then, there was a second machia. This one took place roughly fourteen thousand years ago.

During this waralso known as the Leucusmachiathe gods of Olympus did battle with an enemy that threatened the entire world.

Unfortunately, details pertaining to this event are scarce.

Not only was it not recorded in Proper Human History, most citizens of Olympus know very little about it.

However, my distinguished colleagues, what we can say for sure...

...is that we are certain this is the point where the Lostbelt diverged from Proper Human History!

Fooou...

The third great war, the Gigantomachiaa battle against the enormous Gigantes that took place about thirty-five hundred years ago...

...serves as further evidence of that divergence.

In Proper Human History, this machia was the second, and final, great war of Greek mythology.

In the version from Proper Human History, the gods of Olympus, aided by human heroes, eventually succeeded at vanquishing the mighty Gigantes.

I think the great hero Heracles even played a part, if I'm not mistaken.

But! In this Lostbelt...

...the gods eradicated every last Gigant in an instant!

How did they accomplish such a feat? By

By preserving their machine god bodies, which, in Proper Human History, had long since faded away, I presume?

Exactly!

The Olympian gods used their original machine god bodies to obliterate the Gigantes all at once.

At least, that is our working theory. In Proper Human History, the gods' machine bodies were lost long ago...

...but here in this Lostbelt, the gods were somehow able to retain them.

The result is the very Atlantic Lostbelt in which we now find ourselves! A world ruled by machine gods who still possess their once lost mechanical bodies!

So then, in Proper Human History...

...the gods of Olympus were meant to lose their machine bodies between fourteen thousand and thirty-five hundred years ago?

So it would seem. But here, the gods remained alive and well.

And as long as these mechanical gods from beyond our universe have their original bodies, they are not even affected by the deterioration of the Age of Gods that was meant to occur.

That brings us to the fourth, and final, machia.

As with the second, this one also has no equivalent in Proper Human History; it is peculiar to this Lostbelt.

A few thousand years ago, the gods of Olympus split into two factions.

Their conflict revolved around what to do about humanswhether to rule over them, or to coexist alongside them.

This schism led to a fierce disagreement between the gods.

Zeus, Demeter, Aphrodite, Hera, and Artemis wanted to rule...

...while Athena, Hades, Poseidon, Apollo, Hestia, Ares, and Hephaestus wanted to coexist.

We believe Poseidon initially sided with the rulers, but that he eventually ended up defecting to the other faction.

Gods on each side enlisted loyal lesser gods as their disagreement devolved into full-blown war.

This battle went on to be called the Olympiamachia or the Great War of Olympus, as it's known in Atlantis.

Both sides fought fiercely...

...and the remains of the mechanical gods who were killed fell to Atlantis, where they formed islands.

In the end, the faction supporting rule over humans was victorious, and the opposition survivors were punished.

For example, Poseidon, the sea-god.

His Divine Core was rewritten, reducing him to little more than an Automated Defense Unit to protect the Great Pit.

And that brings us to today.

The gods who emerged triumphant in all four machia continue to rule this Lostbelt, with the city of Olympus as their capital.

Today, there are five gods who reside within Olympia Dodona, the great orbital shrine that makes up the center of the city.

Zeus, the omnipotent god of the heavens.

Europa, the divine queen who fused with the goddess Hera.

Demeter, the goddess of the land.

Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.

And finally, the Dioscuri, the ancient twin gods.

The Dioscuri...!

Not now, Macarios. Not now.

...

Technically, the twin gods of Dioscuri are a Divine Spirit, which makes them neither living gods nor mechanical ones.

They died once, and were transformed into a Divine Spirit.

Who killed them, you ask? I wish I could say it was the God Destroyer Alliance, but it wasn't. No, their killer...

...was the Crypter Kirschtaria Wodime.

!!!

？！

After that, Kirschtaria formed a contract with the Dioscuri, making them his Servant.

To be clear, he did not summon their Divine Spirit from the Throne of Heroes. He formed a contract with genuine gods after they had been killed and reduced to a Divine Spirit.

...The Dioscuri are not among of the Twelve Olympians, but they are no mere lesser god, either.

They are one of the ancient gods who accepted Zeus as the supreme being. To be precise, they are a Divinity that have been around since before the Gigantomachia.

From what we've been able to gather, they joined the pantheon by imbibing of Zeus's divine blood...his Klironomia.

They are now considered children of Zeus, with standing equal to Apollo in his glory days.

And Kirschtaria Wodime... managed to kill them.

Hard to believe, isn't it? Hahahaha!

...If only it really was as bad a joke as it sounds.

They should've just stayed dead. Them, a Divine Spirit? What a load of crap!

The Dioscuri are deranged. They don't deserve to be spirits, let alone gods.

...?

P-please forgive my brother. He, um...

He swore an oath to the late Athena that he would one day take revenge on the twin gods...

...for their murder of our hundred-odd fellow alliance members...

The Dioscuri are bloodthirsty maniacs! Death incarnate! Human killers!

They killed almost all of the humans who joined the God Destroyer Alliance!

...There are only a few members left now, including us.

...Oh, um...

... ...

？！

...Well, Chaldeans?

Why're you acting like that? Aren't you scared?

We're up against murderous gods. Gods who actually enjoy going out of their way to slaughter people.

And if that isn't bad enough, there's another guy out there strong enough to make them his flunkies!

Just the idea that you might have any chance of beating them is absurd!

... ...

...Yeah. It's absurd.

We know some of the Heroic Spirits gave up and walked away when they found out how the Gigantomachia ended.

So what about you guys? What's your deal?

Does the fact that you guys aren't more fazed mean your worldProper Human History, is even more messed up than ours?

Stop that, Macarios! That's no way to speak to people we've just met.

Oh.

... ...

...Sorry, everyone. I got a little out of hand there.

P-please, it's fine.

Really. I don't blame you for being taken aback.

We've encountered so many different threats by now that I suppose our reactions must seem strange.

Gods from another universe... Mechanical gods with frightening powers...

Twin gods who enjoy taking lives... Kirschtaria, who's strong enough to make those gods his Servants...

Every last one of them is a tremendous threatthreats that we may very well not be able to deal with.

...And these revelations ARE shocking for us. It's tempting to despair in the face of such overwhelming odds.

But, all that being said...

!

You're gonna do the best you can? That's it?

...Haha. Are you kidding me?

You know, Fujimaru, I honestly can't tell if you're being arrogant or modest.

？！

...Okay. I think I get it now.

Yeah, that's it. I get what you guys are like now.

You're just how Edison said you'd be! Hahaha! He was right after all!

So you Chaldeans really are just a pack of weirdos, huh?

Well, nothing wrong with that! Haha! You've convinced me! I like you guys!

Fou, fooou!

So you get it now, huh? That's great! They really are weirdoes, aren't they!?

Fooou!

Aah! Wh-what the hell are you? Don't jump on us! What are you, some kind of squirrel?

Hehe. Look, Macarios, I think he likes you.

Fou, foun!

Eek!

Ah! Hey! Get away from my sister!

Weirdos, huh...

Yes, that's the right way to think about them, Macarios. They're all hopeless weirdos.

That's been the case in every other Lostbelt so far, too. Though that's not to say that means they'll be able to accomplish the same thing here.

What are you talking about?

You're only here because the Collaborator sent you, right? So where do you get off acting like you know so much about Chaldea?

Collaborator?

That's what we call the person who's been so kindly aiding our God Destroyer Alliance.

We don't know their true identity either, but they've been a big help to us, especially with procuring supplies for combat.

We were told that the Collaborator sent this hooded man here to help us, but...

...Say, you in the hood? You ARE on our side, right?

Of course.

I am for now, at least. Otherwise, I would have let the gods do what they wanted with you.

I'm an acquaintance of this "Collaborator" you speak of, andOn second thought, that's enough for now.

...

Um, excuse me. I apologize if I'm way off the mark with this, but are you

Kadoc Zemlupus.

...!

？！

I'll spare you the details of this particular exercise in deduction, but suffice to say, I am something of an expert when it comes to disguises.

Well, Sir Hood? Did we get it right?

... ...

Kadoc!

F-fo, fooou!

What? Do you guys know each other or something?

Oh my... Does this mean you're part of Chaldea, too?

Me? Part of Chaldea!? You've gotta beOh, forget it. Just, hell no!

...Dammit. Holmes I get, but how the ACTUAL HELL did YOU see through my disguise, Mash!?

I was using a disguise spell and everything!

I-I'm sorry.

Whoa, whoa. What are you apologizing for? It's not like you did anything wrong.

...Yeah, fair enough.

Saved you?

For what?

？！

I only bailed you out 'cause it would've been a waste to let you die back there.

Far as I'm concerned, you're nothing more than pawns I can use to throw Olympus off-balance, just like you did in Russia.

So I'm gonna use you guys to further my own agenda. That's the only reason I bailed you out.

It's not like you even have a snowball's chance in hell of winning here, anyway.

Between Zeus, Wodime, and the Foreign God's Alter Egos, you guys are hilariously outclassed.

That's why I don't have to bother trying to kill you myself.

Fou...

Kadoc, as a former member of Team A myself, I

I'm not part of Team A anymore. I'm a Crypter now.

...Hell, maybe I'm not even that anymore.

Does this mean you are not acting with or on behalf of the Crypters here, Kadoc Zemlupus?

Hell no. I don't have the slightest idea what Wodime's thinking.

He went out of his way to have Rasputin get me, but he never told me why.

...He never told me why.

You may have lost your Russian Lostbelt, but that doesn't mean you need to enter another Crypter's service.

You can keep your Sirius Light, too.

You're a free man, Kadoc. All I want you to do in this Atlantic Lostbelt is whatever you see fit.

...Is that your idea of a joke? 'Cause if not, it doesn't make any sense.

Aren't you the one who sent Rasputin to get me off the Shadow Border?

That was entirely the priest's decision. I have no right to give the Foreign God's Disciples orders.

As for why he saved you, your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps he only wished to prevent you from leaking information.

Yeah, well, there's not much I could've told them besides which Crypter was where.

None of us have any idea what the Trees of Emptiness are actually made of, or who the Foreign God really is, after all.

Of course not. The Foreign God couldn't care less about any of you, after all.

The Foreign God isn't going to tell you anything, nor do they expect anything from you.

They couldn't care less if you lived or died.

Whereas the same cannot be said for me, as my every action carries the weight of the grandest expectations.

Is that so? Well, excuse the hell out of me for being a third-rate mage.

......

(Huh? That's weird. What was that long silence about?)

It's fine, Kadoc. Just get some rest for now. We won't have to worry about Chaldea for the time being.

Caenis has told me they've made their way to Scandinavia, but there's nothing we can do about them from here.

So my only orders for you are to go about and see Olympus for yourself.

...And you actually think I can live up to your expectations? Even after the total mess of things I made in Russia?

I'm not the one who can decide whether or not you'll do that, Kadoc. You are.

...

...He might as well not have told me anything at all, for all the difference it would've made.

So now, I'm doing whatever the hell I want, just like he asked. That's part of why I'm here.

I'm gonna uncover the truth behind Zeus, and what Wodime's really thinking.

Oh? And what do you mean by that last part?

...Hmph. I don't actually care what's going on in that head of his, but it's not like I've got anything else to do.

So I'm gonna show that stuck-up aristocrat that things aren't always gonna go his way.

...Oh? What's this now?

Goodness, it's been so long since I've seen your face in person.

I think the last time must have been back then...

...when you tore those poor Dioscuri twins apart.

Kirschtaria Wodime.

Good day, Lady Demeter, goddess of the land. Indeed, it has been a long time, hasn't it.

...It seems your memory partition is functioning properly, at least in regards to me.

Oh my, how terrifying.

That sounds as though you could destroy our true Aletheia bodies whenever you like.

Ahh, Kirschtaria Wodime. A dreadful human capable of killing us single-handedly.

You're quite the problem child, aren't you?

It saddens me so, particularly since I think of you as my own son.

Demeter. Mournful goddess of the land.

Mother of the beautiful Persephone, who inherited much of Gaia's disposition.

I urge you to share your boundless motherly love with humans other than myself.

I have no need of it.

Oh my...

But there can be no children without mothers, nor can children grow without love and nourishment.

Gods and humans are the same in this respect.

Humans, humans, humans! This new intelligent species still barely older than a newborn babe!

This precious, fragile intelligence we met on this planet. I love you all, truly.

I love you as though you were my own children.

And I love you too, Kirschtaria.

...In the same way you love Persephone?

Why yes! You know, Zeus is absolutely right.

There's nothing that brings a mother like me more joy than to see her children grow up strong and happy!

Which is why there's nothing I wouldn't do to make that happen.

I would take an arrow for my children. I would gladly give up my body, my life, and my Aletheia for them. Truly.

Then I will take you at your word, Demeter, and trust that you truly bear a mother's love.

As a matter of fact, Zeus's ideas of the restoration of mythology are closer to your own notions than to mine.

Kirschtaria? What are you saying?

Do you mean that Olympus, the heart of our Lostbelt, is not the ideal you seek?

Of course it is. We only differ when it comes to our...end points.

You see, I believe that the gods should be even stronger than they are now.

Now, let me tell you one more thing.

This is the single most important piece of information about the gods of Olympus I have to share.

The king of this Lostbelt is Zeus, an all-powerful god who naturally still possesses his original mechanical body.

He has existed ever since the Age of Gods, just like Scáthach-Skadi from the Scandinavian Lostbelt.

It looks like this is information we already knew.

Zeus... An omnipotent god who has continued to exist for millennia.

If we are to take his "omnipotent" nature at face value, then we would seem to be well and truly outmatched...

And yet, Mr. A.I., I cannot imagine that the electricity expert whose visage you now borrow...

...would waste his time challenging an opponent whom he truly has no hope of defeating.

...Hahaha! You cut right to the heart of things, don't you?

Still, I can hardly blame you for interrupting, Mr. Holmes. You have every right to be concerned.

And you're correct. Your hope of defeating Zeus is smallperhaps even infinitesimalbut it does exist.

Zeus is indeed almighty, but he is not truly omnipotent.

Fou...!?

So, if I understand you correctly...then, while he does rule over many things...

...he doesn't technically rule over absolutely everything?

？！

You catch on quickly. Yes, that's exactly right.

As King of the Gods, Zeus possesses Authority over infinite things, but conceptually, he does not possess infinite Authority.

We believe that Zeus turned into a nigh omnipotent god by synchronizing all of the Titans' Authority with his own...

Followed by the many lesser gods' Authority...and ultimately, even his fellow Twelve Olympians' Authority.

That much, at least, would seem to be a matter of little doubt.

But, conceptually, he is not truly omnipotent, and so does not have control over all things and beings in this world.

At least...that's our working theory.

I see. Do you happen to have anything to support that theory?

Of course: the very alliance base you're standing in right now.

The underground infrastructure...!

Precisely. A truly omnipotent being would have known about "villains" like us lurking underground the instant we set foot in here!

And yet, he has no awareness of this underground infrastructure. This was the domain of Hades, his fellow god, and he doesn't even bother to look at it!

From this, we can surmise that the gods of Olympus are conceptual deities, like those from other mythologies...

...And, simultaneously, that they depend on Klironomiatheir Authority-like functionalityfrom the enormous mechanical bodies they used as ships to cross the sea of stars.

That is where our chance of defeating Zeus lies!

For if we are up against a nigh omnipotent King of Gods with Authority over infinite things, rather than a truly omnipotent god...

...then you should have a chance, however minuscule, of defeating him.

Thank you, Mr. A.I. This has been both informative and hope-inspiring.

Fou fou, fou.

...All right, let's get back to business.

Though that said, the only business that remains is the information we have pertaining to Zeus.

The omnipotent King of Godshead of the Twelve Olympians and victor of all four machia...

...has formed a contract with Kirschtaria as his equal.

Well? Bet you had no idea about that, did you?

Fou!!! Foooooou!

You mean, Kirschtaria formed a contract not with a Divine Spirit...but a god!?

But... But that shouldn't even be possible...

G-granted, there's no way to test that for sure given that gods don't exist in our own time...

...but theoretically speaking, forming a contract as equals is...!

Okay, hang on. Let me make sure I've got all this straight.

You're saying this Kirschtaria guy formed a contract not with a Divided Spirit, but with an actual god, right?

And not just any god, but a demiurge that's as big a deal as the Vairocana?

Full marks, Ms. Miyamoto. In fact, from an esoteric Buddhist perspective, it was a truly perfect answer.

That's right. Zeus is neither a Divine Spirit that returned to nature, nor a Divided Spirit.

He is a proper, almighty god...

And Kirschtaria Wodime has formed a contract with him! It puts him on completely equal footing with Zeus as his sworn friend, no less!

Holy cow! THAT'S the kind of mage you guys have been up against!?

... ...

That's right. Not that we managed to stand against him for very long.

... ...

...Hmm.

Wodime's been clear about his goal from the beginning.

"We are about to fill this world with inhuman Mystic secrets. We will restore the Age of Gods."

And if this Atlantic Lostbelt ends up becoming the new proper timeline, that goal'll pretty much be fulfilled.

He formed that contract with Zeus to be certain this Lostbelt's Tree of Emptiness would grow bigger as soon as possible.

...But even with all that said, there's something that doesn't add up.

A Lostbelt needs its Tree of Emptiness to maintain its existence. But that doesn't change the fact that, as far as that Lostbelt's king is concerned...

...that Tree of Emptiness is something strange and entirely foreign.

But Zeus had no problem with this. I'm sure he and Wodime came to some kind of secret agreement about it...

...but at this point, I can't see what their endgame could be.

Fou, fou.

...Keep that fur ball away from me, would you? I never liked it even when I was at Chaldea.

Fou!?

E-easy there, Fou. It's okay.

...Phew.

All right, Mash, this is the last thing I have to tell you. If you want to see Wodime...

...you can find him in the Great Orbital Shrine Olympia Dodona.

That's where you'll find Zeus, too.

Who cares? It's none of your business.

What, have you finally snapped, Fujimaru?

I might not be a Crypter anymore, but that doesn't mean I want to go back to Chaldea.

I can't trust either side, and I'm sick of being somebody else's pawn.

If I'm gonna fight back, I'm gonna do it on my terms. So much more badass doing it like that, anyway.

...Anastasia'd probably say the same thing, if she were still alive.

？！

...Hmph. All right, that's it for me. I'm getting outta here.

I've said everything I wanted, and gotten everything I needed out of being the Collaborator's lackey.

I doubt we'll ever see each other again...

That'll really depend on you guys.

Kadoc...

See you around, Mash. Just make sure you don't stick with the losing team there for too long.

You felt for yourself how strong those gods were, right? Well, Zeus and Wodime are even stronger.

If I were you, Chaldeans, I'd take a good, long think about how you want to spend the rest of your lives.

If you do survive long enough...make sure you go see Wodime.

You know, I thought I'd tail him for a bit to see where he's going...

...but he lost me pretty quickly. Too bad.

Man, turning invisible and then a rapid movement ability is a hell of a spell combo. It might not technically be teleportation, but it sure feels like it.

Maybe he's using talismans and Mystic Codes this Kirschtaria gave him or something.

Ehehe.

Well of course! How could I not after he tried to run off like that!?

？！

Incidentally, I attempted to tail him as well, with equally dismal results. Hahaha, I suppose we should have known he wouldn't make it that easy for us.

That being said...

I believe the information Kadoc Zemlupus shared with us is trustworthy enough to use in determining our next course of action.

After all, he would have little reason to lie to us except for personal revenge.

Well, while he certainly has cause to desire vengeance on us, taking into account his manner of speech, facial expressions, tone of voice, and what he told us

We get it. We get it! Enough with the deduction shtick already!

Basically, we have to make our way to Kirschtaria just like Kadoc said, right?

And eventually, you guys have to cut down this Tree of Emptiness these insanely powerful superbeings are defending.

Boy, talk about playing on hard mode. This is gonna be a fun challenge!

Fooou...

Since this Collaborator person is good enough to support this underground society here...

...I figured it'd make our lives a lot easier if I could make contact with them...

But, it looks like that's not happening anytime soon. So! What's our next step?

...Great Orbital Shrine Olympia Dodona.

If that enormous floating building is acting as the gods' and Kirschtaria's base of operations...

...then our next step should be figuring out how we're going to get to it.

We could try to get there in the Border through a series of Zero Sails, but even if Zeus's thunderbolts somehow missed us while we were preparing

It wouldn't take long for the other gods and soldiers to overwhelm us with sheer force of numbers.

There we go.

？！

Oh, that? I was just defrosting something.

Yeah, I did.

So Proper Human History has frozen foods too, huh? I never knew that.

But this isn't food. It's something way better.

？！

...Fujimaru.

We'd like to officially ask you to join the God Destroyer Alliance. We want you to come fight with us.

You want to go to the Great Orbital Shrine, right? And you also need to cut down the Tree of Emptiness Magellan that's even farther up past it, right?

Then we should be able to help you with both goals.

We have ways of traveling through airspace here. Furthermore

The Great Orbital Shrine is the gods' throne. It's forbidden for humans to set foot in there.

They won't let you in without a fight...but then, you're going to have to fight the gods, anyway.

？！

...We will.

(Magellan... Another galaxy name. Though I had suspected as much.)

We'd be honored to help you.

Oh, I just had a thought. Why don't we take this occasion to celebrate?

Ooh! By celebration, do you mean yummy food!?

That's right. I made a pretty simple breakfast, but for a special occasion like this

Sister.

Hm?

Sorry to interrupt, but I need to use this thing while it's still freshly defrosted.

Huh? O-oh, I see. Yes, you do, don't you?

So no yummy food just yet, huh... Bummer.

？！

It's something you might have seen before. Here it comes.

The floor just opened up...and something huge is coming up from underneath it!

Oho.

Huh?

It looks just like...the hostile entities we encountered in Atlantis a number of times!

It's a steel Chimeraan autonomous weapon made out of high-purity Klironomia.

It used to serve the gods, but after Edison and Tesla made a number of adjustments to it...

...and Ms. Blavatsky casting a spell to tame it, it now listens to us. It does a very good job, too.

Nemea! Sit!

As you can see, it's now this alliance base's trusty guardian.

So, next up...

...we're going to use it to see how strong you guys are. I trust you're okay with that?

Yup, figured something like this was coming.

Oh no, you don't. Where'd all that big talk from earlier go, huh?

Surely you're not about to say your baritsu is no match for a little Demonic Beast, are you?

Of course it is. I said baritsu was a highly versatile martial art, and I stand by that. But that doesn't mean using it to fight a creature like this isn't quite simply a pain in the posterior.

Hahaha, you two really get along, huh?

Anyway, we can back you guys up with artillery Mystic Codes, but we don't know that much when it comes to swordfighting.

It's true. So we were hoping we could count on all of you to handle the melee combat, if you don't mind...

Hey, you'll be fine, right, Mash? I mean, you've got that giant shield and everything!

M-me!?

？！

Right, Master!

...Just, um, give me a few minutes please, if you all wouldn't mind!

Emergency transformation complete. Setting output to seventy percent!

Preparing to intercept combat training target!

That's enough! Okay, Nemea. You can rest now.

The steel Chimeras are going back into their underground storage hangar. The battle is over, Master.

Phew. I never would've thought the Chimera would divide itself like that.

Is it just me, Ms. Miyamoto, or were you not taking this especially seriously?

...Looks like you guys really are strong. You've obviously had a lot of experience fighting up close.

That means you ought to be able to go toe to toe with the Royal Guard.

But...it's still not enough to beat the gods.

So we're going to use Tesla, Edison, and Blavatsky's parting gifts.

That's right. They left us a number of machines, and a few different plans of attack to use.

These god-slaying blades are the best tools the God Destroyer Alliance can offer you.

？！

Huh?

Oh, this? I guess I must have gotten hit when Nemea's shards went flying. Don't worry, I'll be fine.

She's bleeding from her right arm! We have to stop it!

It's okay, she'll be fine. In fact, this is a good chance to show you something. Just stand back and watch.

Your injury is...healing itself...

It still hurts, but the wound is gone now.

By tomorrow, there won't be a trace of pain left.

So it's really okay. You don't have to worry.

Fooou...

You can burn us, shatter us, tear us apart... It doesn't matter. We'll always go back to our "perfect" forms.

That's right. We never change, no matter what happens to us.

Any injury we suffer heals itself. That's how we've been remade.

Thanks to the ambrosiathe Demeter Klironomia they regularly give us to maintain our bodies...

...no citizen of Olympus will ever get sick. We're practically immortal now.

No one can die. No one can kill.

The gods are the only exception. They're the only ones with the power to kill us.

Huh...?

I-I'm sorry, I think I may have misheard you a moment ago.

Did you just say you were practically, um

Immortal.

Yes, Ms. Kyrielight, he did indeed say that.

I presume that means that as long as the gods' Authority remains, you and the other people of Olympus will even come back from death?

That's right.

？！

Immortality...

The one thing humanity has continued to long for since time immemorial... The ultimate goal of countless technologies, not to mention magecraft...

And here, it's just...a fact of life...

Just how advanced IS Olympian civilization compared to ours?

So every injury anyone gets heals automatically, and they never even have to fear death.

It's damn impressive, that's for sure. I can't even imagine what it would be like to live like that.

Fou, fooou...

I knew this city had achieved long, healthy lives for its citizenry, but I never would have thought it had also found a way to bring them back from death.

Never mind utopia. This place would seem to be more akin to heavenour collective idea of a blissful life after death.

It almost strikes me as a calculated plan to forcefully evolve all of humanity into the realm of gods...

Good gracious, I can only imagine the look on Qin Shi Huang's face if they were to hear about this.

？！

？！

...!

R-right! Now that you mention it...

...that reserve soldier we first fought after the alarm was sounded was...

He was dead. I killed him myself.

But now that you mention it, there WAS something strange about it. Even after I dealt the killing blow, I didn't feel as if I'd really won.

I guess him not actually dying would explain it.

He didn't die. None of us can be killed here.

Inflicting death is a power only the gods have.

By this point, that soldier will have come back to life and started thinking up ways to get his revenge.

... ...

...While we're on the subject, I might as well tell you this, too.

Even if we stop taking ambrosia, like me and Sister have...

...the Klironomia inside our bodies will continue to function.

So we'll always be like this, forever.

...Forever?

Fo?

That's right. Forever.

Immortality is, well, eternal.

Ever since that day the gods bestowed ambrosia on us eons ago...

...we've always looked exactly like this.

？！

That's right.

We've been alive for a long time. A very, very long time.

We'll never reach adulthood. We both stopped growing long, looong ago.

The adults are all happy that we're still children.

They say children are weak and should be protected, so we should just let them and the gods take care of us, and be grateful for it.

...Never mind that we passed adult age a long time ago.

......

Now I see.

While many Olympians may be fine with this enforced stagnation, the two of you are not.

And while the gods may have succeeded at preserving happiness at the level of a society, it seems they were unable to extend their control to individual emotions. Truly fascinating.

Very well. That at least makes clear why you two have chosen to rebel against the gods and assist us...

...but before we go any further, there is one thing I would like to confirm with you.

All right.

Fine with me.

As you know, we are from Chaldea a group of beings from Proper Human History.

Our victory here would mean the end of this entire Lostbelt.

Do you understand what that means? If we succeed at cutting down this Tree of Emptiness...

...everything hereOlympus, the gods, and all the many people, including you twowill disappear. No exceptions.

Even knowing that...do you still wish to fight by our side?

？！

... ...

Fou...

...Yeah. We do.

We don't need to keep living the same day over and over forever. We want to see a new tomorrow...

Even if it means we end up dying for it.

...

Oh no...

Please, don't be sad, Mash. We've spent an entire century thinking this through from every possible angle...

...and this is what we decided.

We want to see tomorrow. A real tomorrow.

A day that's different from the one that came before. Something more than just another today.

We've already lived more than enough for countless lifetimes.

Do you have any idea how old I am?

Um...

Well, I remember everyone in Atlantis had a life span of at least a few hundred years...

So I would guess maybe twice that? Or several times...?

...Hehe. A few hundred years, huh?

The gods' protection must have worn pretty thin for them. I'm jealous.

Back during the fourth machia, we were actually supposed to go to Atlantis ourselves...

...along with all the other people who supported the faction that wanted coexistence between gods and humans.

But what happened was

We missed the last boat.

And we'll never have another chance, since the gods don't allow any of us to leave the city.

Whoa, whoa. Hold up.

The fourth machia was the war between the gods. Didn't that happen something like several thousand years ago?

So...you guys are saying you're a few thousand years old!?

No, we're not.

...I'd say we've been alive for about ten thousand years.

Huh?

That's right. Ten thousand years plus a few centuries.

Ten thousand!?

Fo!

...We're citizens of Olympus.

We're the gods' beloved playthings, kept in their eternal cradle.

Ever since the day the gods built this city...

...we've been stuck living here forever.

That's right.

For over ten thousand years...

...we've been forced to live millions upon millions of versions of essentially the same day.

Never getting to set one foot outside the city's limits... Never getting to grow or change...!

For ten thousand years...

...we've been utterly stagnant.