Thou Art the Harvest that Reaps the Stars (III)

A revelation is upon us. A revelation is upon us.

Now is the time of revelation.

He is all-powerful justice, the direct heir of Primordial Chaos, and ruler of all things.

He is the one who should keep all of humanity safe. He is the one who should rightfully rule over all worlds.

He is the wielder of the great thunderbolts capable of shattering even the adamas scythe. None less than the Authorities of Gaia and the Meliae bow to his will.

He is the great demiurge, the one who wields the Cronus Crown for all eternity!

Now, behold the words of the almighty Zeus!

...There is work to be done.

I command you by my name, Demeter.

Goddess of the land, who grants the vast earth an abundant harvest, and my own flesh and blood.

You are to eradicate the Chaldeans who lurk within my city.

I permit you to use your Aletheia in every district of Olympus. May your piercing shriek shatter the bones of the enemies that threaten our world.

As you wish, almighty Zeus. Your will is my command.

These Chaldean demons strike fear into the very hearts of our citizens.

And as the citizens of Olympus may as well be my own children, my duty as a mother is clear.

I shall use every power and Authority at my disposal to eradicate them.

...I swear it on my beloved Persephone.

Mmm...

Mmm, mmmmmm. What a lovely oath by a lovely goddess. I'm touched! Truly!

I see, I see. So you have sworn this oath on your precious daughter, Lady Persephone!

Then heavenly Zeus's will is certain to be fulfilled, no matter who may try to stand in its way!

Forgive me, King of the Gods, but may I offer a word of advice?

As nice as it is to see my Alter Ego colleague and fellow Foreign God Disciple Limbo so overcome with emotion, that is not why we are here.

Might there be any room for us to join her on this mission?

Your help is not needed. I have no orders for the likes of you Disciples.

Well, that's a pity. It seems we still have yet to fully earn your trust.

May I say something, Father?

Yes, Father, may Big Brother say something?

While I do have my concerns about sending Demeter out on this mission, I am happy to abide by your judgment if this is what you think is best.

That being said, there is one thing I would like to ask.

Please, tell me.

Why did you place such a curse on that sage of Proper Human History?

Oh?

So, you noticed that, Castor; child of old in whose veins runs my blood.

Very well then, I shall tell you. That sage is a prime example of the very worst of humanity.

Thus, he does not deserve to be met with the full wrath of my lightning. I trust you can understand that.

Father, if I may say one more thing!

Why did you not strike him dead on the spot!?

Big Brother!

And why did you even permit Chaldea's submarine to disembark on our holy land!? If you had only used your true great thunderbolts, their entire ship would be

Enough, Castor.

You may be almighty Zeus's child, but that does not give you license to speak to him however you like.

Remember: you are in the presence of the King of the Gods.

...!

...It's all right.

I forgive your transgression, Castor. And I admit, your words possess an element of truth.

Indeed, I am all-powerful. If I wished, I could have easily reduced them all to dust.

However, there is one thing you must never forget.

If I were to use the true strength of my great thunderbolts, they would demolish the city and obliterate the populace.

Not even Demeter's regenerative gifts would be able to bring them back.

... ...

We must protect the city. We must protect the populace.

For ever since the second machia fourteen thousand years agothe day we obtained the Cronus Crown...

...we have ceased to be a fleet of mechanical arks crossing the sea of stars...

...and have become gods.

I take it your divine revelation is over then? That must be quite tiring for you, King of the Gods.

Especially since merely keeping Olympus running must take at least ninety percent of your resources.

I can't tell you how sorry I am for letting these Chaldea insects slip inside.

I could say the same to you, Wodime. You have nothing to apologize for.

You entrusted Caenis with the task of stopping as I did with Odysseus. Both failed.

Indeed, Chaldea surpassed both our expectations. Revising our estimation of them is more than sufficient.

I see. I don't know what to say. Hearing you say that to me, a mere human, makes me feel I have even less of a leg to stand on.

I may seem cool and collected, but I was actually steeling myself to face some kind of penalty.

You are my friend, I know, so don't you want to admonish me at least a little?

Heh. I could never let the other ships gods, hear you tease me like that.

But as it is just the two of us here, I cannot help but be more lenient with my judgments.

Be at ease, young mage. There is no one else here for whom you need perform.

That goes for the Foreign God too, of course. Even as we speak, I am using all my Authority to keep this conversation private.

Whatever we do or say here remains strictly between us.

That said, even I cannot hide us from the priestess's prying eyes, loath though I am to admit it.

That's because she's the observer. In a sense, she's even more trouble than the Foreign God, who still lacks a body altogether.

But simply knowing that she will not hear what we have to say is more than enough, since that will give us an opportunity to verify our endgame goals with one another.

As you have surmised, Zeus, the Foreign God is indeed keeping a close eye on me.

The Alter Egos may be supervising the other Crypters, but only I have a direct link to the Foreign God.

If I were to act in any way counter to the Foreign God's interests, I would immediately be cut off from further aid.

Which is why I had no choice but to say:

"Grow the Tree of Emptiness. When it is done, the Reconstruction of Myth will take place."

Yes, I remember that.

You also said that this planet's surface activity would be restored to the Age of Gods, and that the gods would soon after resume their reign.

I agreed with your conclusion, but insisted we face one another in combat. I said that if you truly believed in the ideals of which you spoke, you should demonstrate that you wield the necessary strength to bring them about.

...Of course, I lost that fight. I never thought I would learn firsthand how debilitating complacency could be.

That was only because I planned ahead. I took a calculated risk that you wouldn't go all out if I spoke to you alone.

Olympus is not part of Earth. It's a colony that continues to operate to this day.

As its omnipotent god, you have an obligation to keep it running at all times.

So it follows that you would not employ your full strength in an opening move against a lone mage like myself, yes?

Hmph. I have to admit, you were a clever bastard of a human. As soon as you unveiled your meteor magecraft, I knew I had erred at the start.

I quickly changed outputs, but by then, it was too late. In boxing terms, I had already been knocked out.

Hehe, what I wouldn't give to show Hades the signals Demeter and Aphrodite were emitting as they watched.

I doubt there are any stories of those two staring slack-jawed in shock in any myths from your Proper Human History.

I could say much the same of your reaction as well. You looked more like a kindly old man than a cold-blooded, all-powerful god.

Have the other gods of this Lostbelt ever even seen those other possibilities you harbor?

As if I would ever let them see such a thing. I am Zeus, the flagship of all Olympus. I am the all-powerful one who rules over even the other gods.

Even this avatar to which you now speak is no more than a virtual self, created expressly to converse with you. It is both me, and not me.

Yes, good point. I may be hiding something, but being a ship, you are largely unable to do so.

When you do something not expected of you, you create a new function and have it act in your stead.

...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you out. Let's return to the subject at hand.

You recognized the Foreign God's existence, and accepted the Tree of Emptiness into your world.

After all, you need the Tree of Emptiness in order to preserve this Lostbelt. But, at the same time

As long as the Tree of Emptiness is here, the Foreign God will one day descend upon our world.

And we Olympian gods cannot coexist with the Foreign God.

All we gods need is the Tree of Emptiness. The Foreign God and the Alter Egos are our enemies, nothing more.

Thus, the instant the Tree of Emptiness has fully blossomed, we will revolt against them.

I will claim the Tree of Emptiness for myself, and destroy the Foreign God's point of arrival.

From there, I will purge this world of the last traces of insolent Proper Human History, and establish our world of Olympus in its place.

I remember you approached me with a contract back when that thought first occurred to me.

Your exact words were, "There is no need for you to explain your decision with words."

"King of the Gods, I implore you to form a contract with me, for our ultimate objectives are the same."

That was your way of suggesting we protect this Lostbelt from the Foreign God, wasn't it?

I wouldn't be so bold as to say "protect." As you and I both seek the same outcome...

...I only wanted your help so that our goal would be realized even if one of us were to fall.

I trust your feelings on that have not changed?

...Of course not.

I may oppose Proper Human History, but I do not oppose humanity.

I promise you that in the event of your death, I will carry on protecting humanity in your stead...

...even if it should come to light that you have been deceiving us and acting on Proper Human History's behalf.

As long as you are not openly to blame for your actions, I will accept you, warts and all.

I hear you loud and clear, Zeus. It seems our plan remains unchanged.

There are only a few days left until the Tree of Emptiness reaches a critical point. Until that time comes, we shall continue to work towards the Reconstruction of the Age of Gods.

Heh. You continue to walk a tightrope with the Foreign God, Olympus, and Chaldea all aiming to knock you off...

...and you do so with aplomb.

Wait, Wodime. There is one thing I would like to verify as well.

Yes?

You told Caenis the stars indicated you would need to fight two more times, yes?

One of those happened in Atlantis, leaving only one more.

So you are to save your final battle for me, understand?

I forbid you to waste it on either Chaldea or the Alter Egos.

I want to fight you once again...and I want to stake the future of this world of gods upon our battle.

...Of course.

When that time comes, I will gladly face you with all my strength, so that I may live up to your expectations.

...What an unpleasant surprise.

Exactly who gave you permission to stand there, human?

Olympia Dodona's corridors are reserved for gods alone. They are no place for humans to loiter.

I see. Well, I do beg your forgiveness if I've offended you, O goddess of beauty.

I was trying to hide my pitiful human self behind a pillar so as not to upset your divine mood, but I guess I wasn't successful.

...You're new here. Are you another one of those mages from Proper Human History? Crypters, was it?

Let's see. There's Kadoc Zemlupus, who reminds me of a filthy little puppy... Peperoncino, who reminds me of a nasty vulture...

And you're... You're... What are you, exactly? Are you really a Crypter?

Nothing about you stands out. I can't even think of an animal you remind me of. How dreadfully boring.

Ouch! You cut me to the quick, goddess. But yes, you're exactly right!

As you can see, I am but a humble, harmless human. If you think me pitiable, I would only ask that you find it in your divine heart to offer me some tiny modicum of compassion.

Compassion? You want me to spend my precious time thinking about a human?

Humans are weak and deserving of our protection. I'm even willing to lend them a hand when they need help.

But that's as far as it goes.

We are the gods of Olympus! We would never waste our time on something so foolish as thinking about humans, especially not here!

Not even a comrade of Kirschtaria.

Know your place, human.

Ahh... You couldn't be more right, goddess. Please, forgive my foolish offense.

You see, I only just arrived from an incredibly barbaric island.

Every person there had their hands full taking care of themselves, and any faith they may have had in something greater had long been lost.

Not that there were ever any gods in that world to begin with, of course. Compared to that, Olympus has been truly divine in every sense of the word.

Indeed, your glorious light is still far too bright for my poor eyes. I only hope you can laugh off my slight as the foolish remarks of a hopeless country bumpkin.

A world without gods, hmm... Such a place is better off being pruned.

Very well, Crypter. You may not be worthy of my consideration, but I can spare you a bit of my pity.

I can only imagine how much you must have suffered in a Lostbelt without a single god.

So I will overlook your transgressions here in light of your wise decision to abandon that foolish Lostbelt.

Now then, what is your name?

Ah, your mercy and kindness move me to my core, goddess! I have no words to express my gratitude and respect!

My name is Beryl Gut.

If I have proved worthy of you remembering me, even if only for a fleeting moment, I will know joy beyond measure!

Beryl... What a strange ring your name has. It almost sounds like blood splattering against a wall.

Very well, Beryl, come to my shrine.

You're going to tell me, and only me, about this Lostbeltthis Land of Fairies at the Ends of the World you abandoned.

It would be my pleasure, my goddess. But first...may I ask you something?

I can't seem to find a close friend of mine here no matter where I look.

It's Kadoc, the one you said reminds you of a puppy. Would you happen to know where I might find him?

Of course not. I couldn't possibly care less about such a hapless creature.

He's probably out somewhere enjoying one of the city's automated brothels.

(...Is that so. Well, that works out nicely.)

I see, I see. Yes, that does sound like something Kadoc would do.

But in that case, Lady Aphrodite, if Kadoc is out in the city now, I mean, according to the revelation from the King of the Gods...

Oh, that? Yes, if he's out in the city now, he'll probably end up dead, caught up in the eradication of Chaldea.

As a pathetic member of Proper Human History, rather than one of our citizens of Olympus, I doubt there will be so much as a trace of him left.

Indeed. This may sound heartless of me, but if that is his fate, so be it. After all, you are the goddess of love, and love can, at times, be cruel.

You were never one to come to the aid of mortals, even in Proper Human History.

For my part, I can only hope and pray that Kadoc is still somewhere in this shrine...

What about the other Twelve Olympians?

Say, for example, the goddess of the land and harvest who has long protected nature, animals, and humans alike?

Oh, yes, Demeter.

Hmm... Good question. I'm not really sure.

?

There would be no problem if she could remain the steely, cold-blooded goddess she should be...

But Demeter...

She's always been much too kind for a mechanical god.

!?

Fou!?

An earthquake! No, wait. That didn't feel like it came from the ground...

This is Demeter's power. Believe me, I'd know these massive vibrations anywhere.

Scream Eleusis.

It's a, well, scream derived from Demeter's Authority that can till massive expanses of land in an instant.

It's powerful enough to destroy entire city districts. She could use it to plow all of Olympus in probably half a day.

Did you say all of Olympus!?

That's right. She must be trying to kill us

No... She must be trying to kill you guys, even if she has to reduce the whole city to rubble to do it.

？！

Yes. Her scream kills everything it touches.

She must be counting on all of us being somewhere in the areas she's targeting, as that's all she needs for her attack to succeed.

This was how the gods so brutally killed the Heroic Spirits from Proper Human History.

Fou, fooou.

...So they don't think anything of sacrificing their own city.

B-but wait, I just remembered. Adele, didn't you say that

The power of the gods is the only thing that can kill these immortal people.

But while they're practically immortal, they're not truly immortal. That's what you said, right?

That's right.

S-so then, does that mean that, at this very moment...

...Demeter is massacring hundreds of thousands of people!?

Yeah, but nobody's gonna care.

Not when they know she'll just regenerate everything she kills or destroys later.

It's what she did back during the third machia, and it's what she did when she killed Nikola Tesla's group, too.

...

With Demeter's Authority, she could easily massacre every Olympian who swears allegiance to her...

... and bring everything back the way it was in just a few days.

Our glorious gods, eh?

So, even death can be cured in this world...

But, you also said you still felt pain, right, Adele?

Even if they know they'll be brought back to life, being crushed to death inside a building must still be a terrifying experience.

？！

Assuming that the goddess of the land's Authority truly is capable of completely restoring a person's physical body...

...the notion that the experience of dying would somehow not affect the victims psychologically is...

I must admit that, while this is unexplored territory, the prospect seems extremely unlikely at best.

...I see you care about the same things they did.

Some said it didn't matter what the people of this Lostbelt went through, since they were all going to disappear when Proper Human History was restored, anyway...

...but that didn't prevent the Heroic Spirits of our alliance from trying to save them from the gods' devastating attack.

What's more

Hahahahahahahahaha! Now that I've been on standby for so long, I took the liberty of rebooting myself!

Adele. Macarios. People of Chaldea.

Given how you twins are more sensitive than most people...

...and, according to old Lionhead, the Master and Demi-Servant from Chaldea are just as much if not more so...

I imagine you must be absolutely twisting yourselves into knots over this dreadful state of affairs!

Hahaha, I know because we did, too!

And with the benefit of that experience, I will ensure you don't make the same mistakes we did!

Now then...

Let's resume Operation God Destroyer!

...

The situation above ground is sheer chaos! None of the people in town are even looking our way!

I have a visual on the target. Demeter is approximately two thousand meters away!

And as luck would have it, it's her big metal ass that's facing us. Let's go do what we can while we have the chance!

Right!

Fou! Fou!

Given that the Tree of Emptiness is deeply connected to a given Lostbelt's king...

...logically speaking, the only god our Operation God Destroyer would need to concern itself with is Zeus.

One could even go so far as to call whittling down the enemy's fighting forces completely meaningless.

However...

Well, there are certainly some Heroic Spiritsespecially those from times of war or who ruled large countrieswho are able to ignore the screams of innocent bystanders.

No doubt they are used to having little concern for human lives, throwing them away like so much refuse.

But to that, I say this!

Is throwing lives away what makes one a hero!? Is being able to kill the mark of a champion!?

Yes, I suppose heroes may need to be callous at times, but it's not callousness that makes them heroes in my book!

If just killing and never doing any good was all it took to be a hero, then there would be no distinction between heroes and killers whatsoever!

No, it is overcoming adversity, breaking through the dark of night, and saving, not taking, lives that makes one a hero!

If a true hero is forced to take one life, it is only in order to save another, even if that other is their own.

...So, my fellow compatriots.

If you, like us, are enraged by the destruction you see before you...

Then rest assured, there is a way to defeat the one causing it! While we may have left for battle ourselves before it was complete...

...the Collaborator has since completed our secret weaponone which gives us more than even odds of victory!

Thank you for sharing your opinion. However, it did strike me as a tad long-winded for an impassioned mid-mission speech...

Oh? Wouldn't you say that's the pot calling the kettle black?

Hmm. I can't say I expected this A.I. to come with a timer function...

The reason I went to the trouble of making that speech, good Chaldeans...

...was to verify your feelings on the subject.

What happens next is up to you. So, Fujimaru, what will you do!?

？！

Right!

Fooou!

Ah! You got out again, Fou? Please, get back in the storage space!

Status report: Seven Link Heroic Spirit Cannon activated. Four hundred seconds until we can fire it!

Commencing Operation God Destroyer One: Demeter Maneuver!

Good luck, everyone!

Operation God Destroyer? What's that?

It is what it sounds like. It's the name for the strategies we came up with to take down each of the gods.

They've been the God Destroyer Alliance's goal for a long time. Hell, they're the whole reason our alliance exists. And luckily, Tesla's group made a ton of headway on them.

Unfortunately, we failed in our attempt, so now, we would like you to pick up where we left off.

Please help us. I'm sure Mahatma had a hand in bringing you here.

These Spirit Origins of ours may not know you... but you have fought alongside other versions of us before, right?

I remember you. We met back in America. We fought both against and alongside each other.

I'm sure you will all fight to the very best of your ability, but knowing you, I can promise you this: it still won't be easy.

Which is why we have this.

Senpai, that mechanism...!

Fou?

？！

Right. Externally, it appears to be very similar to the ones we saw in Atlantis.

This is an original model, so I'm sure it's a cut above what you saw in terms of effectiveness and precision.

After all, Klironomia never degrade while they're near the Cronus Crownthe symbol of the king of the gods.

I'm guessing the Cronus Crown is that giant mechanical thing up above the great shrine?

That's right. It used to belong to Cronus, back before the first machia.

So that's what keeps the Authority nanomachines in good working order, huh? Sounds like extra divine providence.

Fou, fooou!

Whoa there, careful, Fou. You don't want to get too close.

Not unless you want that adorable fluffy body of yours to start swelling up like some kind of muscle balloon.

Fou fou, kyaaau!

These Theos Klironomia contain the Authority of both Athena and Ares, the two gods of war.

They're very pure nanomachines that are usually only given to the Royal Guard stationed in the great shrine. They should be a huge help in combat.

At least, until their effects wear off...

Anyway, they're one of the more powerful weapons we got with the Collaborator's help.

Normal Heroic Spirits can't hold a candle to the gods, so you'll need these to power up your Spirit Origins.

Ares Klironomia...!

Back in Atlantis, we heard these were long gone...

I see. Well, don't worry, that's not the case here.

They don't exactly grow on trees, but rest assured...

...we do have high-purity Klironomia from all of the Twelve Olympians here.

Usually, they would reject human-based Spirit Origins...

...but fortunately, we know how to adjust them to work on you.

So we're basically getting a free power-up, huh? This is great! It's like Buddha himself has come to drag us outta hell.

Those of us who live by the sword aren't picky about using whatever gives us an edge! At least not if you live by my Niten Ichiryu!

Granted, I'm sure there are also regular Heroic Spirits capable of cutting down gods, but never mind those for now!

I'd like to use them too, if you don't mind. Under the current circumstances...

I also agree that we can't be picky about how we even the odds. Is this okay with you, Master?

Right.

Thank you, Senpai. Don't worry. If I feel anything is wrong with my vitals, I'll let you know right away.

That said...I think I'll be just fine.

I saw what it was like for everyone else to fight with Klironomia back in Atlantis. Now, it's my turn.

？！

If you'll stand over there, Mash and Musashi, I'll begin the Klironomia injection and bonding procedure.

And while we're doing that... I'll go over exactly what Demeter is.

Here's a video feed of what's taking place above ground right now.

This is Demeter, goddess of the land.

Aka Demeter, interstellar voyage supply and production ship.

She provides the Olympus Interstellar Fleet with the supplies they need, and on Earth, she provides people with infinite resources.

She's said to be the god who inherited the most from Gaia, one of the original prototype ships.

She possesses Authority over the harvest in other words, production and regeneration.

While her power does consume a fair amount of magical energy, she rarely has to worry about running out thanks to the connection she, along with all the other gods, have to the god-made leyline in Olympus's crystal mountain range.

Theoretically, she can regenerate from any amount of damage, making it impossible to completely destroy her.

And if that wasn't bad enough...

She also possesses Scream Eleusisa destructive Authority that breaks down old and dead organic matter into reusable resources.

Between infinite regenerating defense and massively destructive attacks, she's a very powerful opponent.

...There's no way you can hope to defeat her in a normal battle.

I see. Yes, that's certainly about what I would expect when going up against one of the Twelve Olympians.

What about that aural dissonance you two used yesterday? It appeared to do a good job at cutting the gods off from their magical energy resources.

That? Well...

That IS one of the Alliance's trump cards, but it's not one we can use freely...

Plus, it takes a while to charge with magical energy, so it's still out of commission right now.

Not to mention that the real thing is somewhere else right now. Sorry.

Hmm. I suppose I should have expected it wouldn't be that easy.

However, we've been developing a secret weapon on the sly...

The Seven Link Heroic Spirit Cannon!

With it, we have a nonzero chance of actually slaying the gods!

？！

Unfortunately, it wasn't ready when Tesla's group was still here, but it's ready now!

With the Heroic Spirit Cannon complete, we can finally fight back without having to cower in fear of the gods!

The Seven Link Heroic Spirit Cannon...

I'm not typically one to get excited about weaponry, but there is something about that name that gets my heart dancing. The Seven Link Heroic Spirit Cannon... Hmm.

Yes, the gods may have defeated us, but our loss was not in vain.

Our path to victory was viable. We simply weren't able to take it!

But now, our corpses have paved the way, and the path forward is clear!

So go, and be victorious!

Okay, thanks, guys. Now let me take it from here, or we'll be here all day!

All right, so, the Seven Link Heroic Spirit Cannon is basically a giant, super Mahatma cannon.

It's a type of Mystic Code that all seven of us Heroic Spirits pooled our magical energy into making. You could even call it a magecraft weapon of sorts.

It uses Klironomia from the Olympian gods who were in the coexistence faction and were defeated during in the last machia

Hades, god of the underworld; Apollo, god of the sun; Ares, god of war; and Hephaestus, god of the forge.

All seven of us, along with the Collaborator, designed it to fire a pretty powerful projectile.

It should be able to expose a mechanical god's Divine Core with a direct hit, which will open it up to further attack!

This can work! I'm sure of it!

Now, let's get down to how exactly we're going to pull this off.

Our target is Demeter, the mechanical god destroying Olympus's South District, advancing as we speak.

It looks like she's digging deep down into the ground, too...which means it's only a matter of time until she also destroys this base.

So we've got to fire the Heroic Spirit Cannon before she can get the chance.

According to our calculations, these are the four optimal positions at which the cannon can inflict the most damage:

Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta.

Our job is to lure Demeter to one of these positions and score a direct hit on her with the Heroic Spirit Cannon, after which we just whale on her.

This is our surest path to victory right now. But be careful! The Heroic Spirit Cannon may technically be complete now

But it can still only be fired once! If it misses, you'll be in big trouble!

Klironomia injection and bonding process complete. Vitals all look good!

I'm all set, too! This is amazing! I can feel the energy welling up inside me, magical and otherwise!

As for the stuff with the cannon, we were listening along too, and I think we got the gist.

Basically, we hit this goddess...ship thingy with a special cannon, then it'll be time to cut her down to size!

Sounds like a plan to me! Now let's all go make it happen!

Are you with me, Fujimaru!?

？！

？！

Right, Master!

Foooooou!!!

There's just one last thing you should be aware of.

We don't have time to get into the details now, but just be careful about what you say up on the surface.

Down here, you can say whatever you want, but up there, make sure not to mention our base or our names.

？！

All set? Great!

Then let's get this operation started!

I have a visual on the target! Demeter is making her way through the South District, moving from the northern area to the southern!

She's laying waste to everything in her path... She's going to destroy this entire region unless we stop her!

That's probably her game plan. If she doesn't find us here in the south, she'll keep destroying all the other districts one by one until she does.

(I'll say this about that plan: it's a pretty solid approach to killing us all no matter where we might be hiding.)

(Case in point, the alliance base is right in the southern tip's underground infrastructure.)

These gods don't do anything by halves, that's for sure. If nothing else, I'll give them points for style!

Last time, Demeter stopped her assault after she'd killed all the Heroic Spirits above ground

But this time, we don't know what her ultimate objective is. For all we know, she might really destroy the entire city.

Either way, we're not gonna take this lying down!

(No way in hell I'm gonna let this god destroy the city or wipe out our base!)

What's the latest status on the Seven Link Heroic Spirit Cannon?

It's all set up on the rooftop of a disguised skyscraper in the middle of the South District. We're aiming it at point Alpha as we speak!

Find a way to lure Demeter there. We'll open fire as soon as we have her in our sights!

Fooou!

Ah! Please get back in the storage space, Fou!

...Let me go over this one more time.

Demeter is not acting alone.

She's being accompanied by a number of escorts located directly beneath her.

Specifically, it's a swarm of destructive machines and steel Demonic Beasts.

You should be able to draw Demeter's attention by finding these escorts and destroying them one at a time.

Our analysis tells us that Demeter relies exclusively on her overwhelmingly powerful abilities in combat...

...so she has no understanding of strategy or tactics as applied to battle.

So, the plan is to hit the nearby enemies hard, draw Demeter's attention, and lead her to point Alpha, hm?

Fascinating. Yes, most fascinating indeed.

It seems phase one of this anti-machine god strategy can best be described as, "We won't know until we try!"

!?

Foumes!?

？！

I-I'm shocked too, Senpai. I can't recall Sherlock Holmes ever saying something so, um, cavalier before!

I-it almost sounded to me like he was just, well, saying something for the hell of it!

Hahahaha. I assure you, Ms. Kyrielight, I was being quite sincere.

!?

Uh, does he usually say that kinda stuff, or was he hitting that pipe of his when we weren't looking?

No, while I do very much enjoy a good pipe, I'm quite sober at the moment. Nor am I anyone else disguised at me.

Now, more importantly, I'm sensing a number of magical energy signals not too far from us. Am I the only one?

You're right! It's a group of Demeter's escorts! They appear to be about two hundred meters away!

And Demeter herself is twenty-two hundred meters past them! We're close enough to begin the operation!

Fooou!

So, Fujimaru, what's your next move?

？！

Understood!

Prelim time, huh. Fine by me!

Very well! Let us begin phase two of this anti-machine god strategy: "The only move we can make!"

Man, oh man. I feel great! These Ares Klironomia are amazing!

Confirming multiple hostiles down!

These Athena Klironomia are amazing, too... I've been able to raise the Ortinax's output to ninety percent!

Master, with these on our side, I think we should have no problem going toe to toe with Olympus's forces!

However, we'll still need more power in order to face a mechanical god. In this case, we require the Seven Link Heroic Spirit Cannon to break through her shielding!

And let's not forget, it's only a matter of time until the escort troops you just defeated regenerate!

So keep making your way through them until you get to Demeter! Onward!

!!!

Demeter is...changing direction!? Instead of heading to the southern edge...

...she's started moving towards the east!

Wh-what the!? Why isn't she trying to use her unstoppable regenerative and offensive abilities on us!?

Dammit, change of plans! Forget about points Alpha and Beta! Hurry to point Gamma!

Demeter's escorts are reconstructing themselves and changing formation. Try to get her attention by destroying them again!

Multiple hostiles detected again! The reconstructed escorts are making their way towards us!

Good grief. Talk about your loyal guard dogs. Still, this would seem to work in our favor.

Let's make extra sure to get Demeter's attention this time. Are you ready for another round of strenuous combat, ladies and gentleman?

？！

Right, Master. Preparing to resume battle operations!

There! We broke through the second wave of escorts!

Oh, we can SO do this. Seriously, these war-god nano-whatsits are freaking AMAZING!

I'm not about to convert from Buddhism anytime soon, but I can still totally get the appeal! Thanks for helping out!

Anyway! That ought to have gotten Demeter's attention by

...The hell? She's ignoring us?

It seems Demeter does not get involved in her escorts' affairs. I suppose they must all be operating independently then.

Fo? Fou?

These escorts are only slowing us down. If we're to lure Demeter to point Gamma...

...it seems we'll have to get out in front of her and make her notice us.

She may have limitless capacity for regeneration, but even she cannot ignore a direct attack to the face.

So, you want us to directly attack a god!?

I'll even go so far as to say that the third phase of this anti-machine god strategy is "Hit them as hard as you can"!

So that is the wisdom Sherlock Holmes, great sage of Proper Human History, has to offer.

It's a reckless, foolhardy plan, but the premise is sound.

Okay, Mash, Musashi, and Fujimaru. The rest is up to you.

Don't even think about trying to defeat her. Just holding out against her will be more fiendishly difficult than you can possibly imagine.

But for the plan to succeed, you will have to evade her attacks and hold out as best you can until you can lead her to point Gamma!

She's been repeating the same crap for a while now! God? Yes. Master orator? Not so much!

Hell, I bet most modern-day kitchen appliance A.I.s are chattier than her. She could learn a thing or two from a good kabuki show.

All right, that's about all the bluffing I can muster. What do you think, Fujimaru!?

？！

I knew it! Then let's keep this attitude up for one last push!

Demeter is approximately twenty-six hundred meters away from our position! Deploying rapid movement charge to initiate battle!

I-I somehow managed to withstand her large-scale magical energy emanation!

The Ortinax's auto-maintenance is still working. Theoretically, I should be able to take two more strikes!

Are you all right, Master!?

I'm relieved to hear that!

...Of course!

？！

There! We finally have the big gal's attention!

Although... Not only is her armor super tough, it really does regenerate before your eyes, huh...

We'll obviously never get anywhere like this. We've gotta fight mass with mass.

So!? How's that part going!?

It isn't much, but she has slightly altered her course to face us.

Assuming she doesn't further alter her course, she should arrive at point Gamma in due time.

So far so good, as they say, but I can't help but wonder: How many more times can we weather that assault?

Even with Ms. Kyrielight's considerable defenses, I'm also forced to conclude that two more strikes is our limit.

Suffice to say...

Things are not looking good.

Fa! Foooooou!

Fou!?

Dammit, this IS bad! Enemy reinforcements are headed this way from the East District, and fast!

It's the Olympus official guards! Depending on their numbers, you might not be a match for them, even in your powered-up states!

So you are the Chaldeans! The demons who would defy Lady Demeter and turn their blades on the gods of Olympus!

We will cut you all down, women and children or not!

Master!

!

(How'd they make it here through all these explosions!? Oh, right, they come back to life. Makes sense!)

(Man, as if Demeter wasn't a hell of a handful on her own, now we've got a bunch of tough-ass soldiers who don't even fear their own deaths to deal with, too!)

(Let's see, one, two, three... Way more than I can count!)

(Saying things aren't looking good would be kinda an understatement!)

All right, Shinmen Musashi... How are you gonna get out of this one!?