Thou Art the Harvest that Reaps the Stars (IV)

Lady Demeteeeaaahhh!

Wh-what the!?

？！

Over half of the Olympus official guards have been wiped out after being caught in Demeter's wild attack!

There was something different about that last scream!

Could Demeter be malfunctioning!?

Curse you! Curse you, cowardly Chaldea demons!

Those gods from foreign lands warned us you'd probably use some kind of trick!

I don't know what you did to Lady Demeter, but prepare to die!

Gah! You...stabbed me in the...back?

You cowar

Shut up!

Gaaaaaah!

Whoever that was just took out that Olympian soldier... like he was nothing...

You guys're just gonna come back to life as long as the gods are around, right? Then I ain't gonna feel bad about killing you.

Oh, wait! Never mind. That shit doesn't work when you're up against me.

Looks like you're gonna be staying dead forever then. Sucks to be you, huh chumps!?

...Heya, you Chaldean shitheads. Been a while!

!!!

？！

Damn straight!

？！

Well, yeah. Isn't it obvious, idiot?

Far as I'm concerned, you guys and these piece of shit Olympian soldiers are both my enemies.

Caenis!? But, you're Kirschtaria's Servant...

Yeah.

And...you said you were going to kill us...

Goddamn right, I did.

???

Fou, fou?

Excellent sneak attack back there! Caenis, was it? Wow, so you're a beauty AND a spear wielder, huh!

Judging from that divinely rugged spearplay, I'm guessing you've got some connection to the Greek god of the sea!

Call me a beauty again, and I'll kill you.

Aww, come on. Wouldn't it be lying if I didn't call beauty where I saw it?

Does that mean it's okay for me to lie to you whenever we talk? Aw man, that's gonna make me feel bad.

The hell? Don't even think about lying to me, bitch. You try it, and I'll cut out your eyes and turn your skull into a habitat for a damn octopus.

Right? Then it's settled. We're gonna be the kind of friends who can tell each other anything!

Nice to meet you, Caenis! Seeing you mow down those immortal Olympian soldiers was like poetry in motion

...Huh? Hang on. Shouldn't those soldiers have come back by now?

Ha!

Hahahaha, hell no they're not coming back!

I already told you, I'm a Divine Spirit, dammit! And right now, I've got a sea-god backing me up!

Sure, I might be a Servant from Proper Human History, so that's the version of Poseidon backing me up...

But he's still a god, and his domain is still the sea!

!

Poseidon's the same kind of ship god as Demeter, and he used to be just as much a god of land as Gaia was back when humanity wasn't worth shit.

So of course, I can use his Authority over the land, too! Which means I can easily neutralize the blessing that's making these punks immortal!

Ahem. Testing, testing, one two three. This is the Storm Border. Do you read me?

...Excellent, it worked! We've got video again! I trust you can hear me as well, Fujimaru!?

Director Goredolf!

Oh hey, if it isn't Gof!

Fof!

Glad to see you're all right, Mash! And did that little fur ball sneak out of the ship AGAIN!?

Hm? I see you managed to meet up with Miyamoto Musashi...

Hmph. Thank goodness, my ass. I'm the one keeping you punks connected.

？！

Ahh, I see Caenis managed to find you, too! Good, good! This is all very good!

We gave Caenis a communications relay that should boost our connection and let us communicate in real time.

It's a special device our technical advisor put together to compensate for Olympus's environment!

I keep telling her not to work so hard and get some rest, but she never listens to me! You should put in a word with her, too.

Very well. I'll also tell her you said to get some rest already.

？！

Now then, I've got a fairly good grasp on your situation.

Really, it's hard to miss the giant machine god destroying the city, given she's...well, giant.

And knowing all of you, I was all but certain you'd be leaving the Tree of Emptiness aside in favor of doing something about her.

Well? Am I right? I'm right, aren't I? Just to be clear, you can start with the praise whenever you like.

At any rate, I don't know how much you're currently struggling, but now that we've got Caenis on our side, use the extra help as you see fit!

Then I want you to defeat every last one of those damn machine gods and cut down the Tree of Emptiness!

You got a death wish or something!? Who said any of you could "use" me!?

Eep!

W-w-w-well, let's not forget, Caenis, you owe me a debt, do you not?

In fact, I distinctly remember you admitting defeat in the face of my overwhelmingly skillful negotiation technique and saying you would do whatever we asked!

Y-you are a Divine Spirit, are you not? Surely you're not about to go back on your own word, are you!?

...Tch.

I'm not clear on the particulars of how this came to pass, but I trust we can now count Caenis among our ranks?

P-precisely, Administrative Advisor! Now go ahead and use Caenis however you need to bring that god down!

Hey! The next time you talk about "using" me, I'm gonna skewer you alive and feed you to the nearest whale!

S-save those sorts of threats for Shark Fin in the cockpit!

S-still... That was a poor choice of words, so I'll...be more careful in the future. I'm sorry.

...Eesh. You punks really want a dipshit like that as your commander?

Hahahaha. All right, everyone, now that you know Caenis is on our side, you should be up to speed!

Try to get along as best you can!

Foooooou.

So...Caenis is...on our side now?

I don't know how this happened, but if it's true, this is wonderful news, Master!

？！

Ha! Don't get it twisted, you Chaldean dumbasses!

I owe Goredolf Musik there a debt, so I'm just putting my spear in your hands until I pay him back.

Once that's done, I'm still gonna kill the absolute shit outta all of you, no matter what else happens.

Really? Are you suuure about that?

The hell you trying to say, bitch? You think I don't mean what I say?

Oh no, of course not. I can tell you're serious, and that you're not really our ally...at ALL.

I just mean, given how bad things are around here, you might not be around long enough to pay back your debt.

So what? You're saying I'm gonna die like a dog or something?

I wouldn't go that far, but yeah, maybe. I mean, take a look.

Impossible... Is that Lord Caenis!?

No, it can't be! It must be an illusion cast by the Chaldeans!

All hands, destroy that fake Caenis! We can't let her make any more trouble for Lady Demeter!

Tch. Yeah, all right, I got it. Less talk, more spear, right?

All right, Chaldean dipshits, it's your lucky day. I'll let you command me in this fight.

When you're done, you'd better make sure none of these Olympian soldiers are left alive!

Please, Director, stop! We don't have to do this!

Really, why in the world didn't you restrain this Servant when you had the chance!?

You couldn't have known what we had back when that Nemo Marine picked up a mysterious magical energy signal...

But why the recovery pod treatment once you did!? And without restraints, no less!?

And if that wasn't bad enough, you went and gave her a regular bed once she healed up!?

This is nuts! I don't know what you were thinking, but I'm sure as hell not going in that room!

Believe me, I understand the risks involved here.

However, the fact is, this could be our only chance to obtain something we desperately need.

Remember, we still have yet to hear back from Fujimaru.

He could have failed to rendezvous with the Heroic Spirits who got here before us, and may be looking for a way out of a precarious situation even as we speak.

And if so, what can we do? As things stand now, we have nothing and no one we can send to help him.

So it is imperativeabsolutely imperativethat we find some means to fight back. Immediately.

Well, yeah, sure. I get all that.

But that doesn't make HER a good option! I mean, she's just gonna kill us once she wakes up!

Oh, stuff it! My inner Toole is telling me to go for it, so I'm going for it!

I've come this far without second-guessing myself, and I'm not about to start now.

I'll present her with this luscious, freshly baked croissant and do whatever it takes to win her over to our side!

Don't try to stop me, Pompadour! Here goes nothing!

...A-ahem, ahem. I-I take it you're awake now?

My name is Goredolf Musik. I'm also known as Musik the Phoenix and Musik the Brave.

I'm the current director of Chaldea, though I'm sure you could tell as much from looking at me.

I apologize for the intrusion, but we've been monitoring your vitals, so I know you're conscious enough to converse.

I, uh...

I have a nice, fluffy croissant for you here, which I offer with no ulterior motive whatsoev

Shut up. Gorduroy, or whatever the hell it is. I heard the whole thing.

E-er, yes, while that does have a nice, strong ring to it, I'm afraid I must correct you. It's Goredolf, not Gorduroy.

You gave the order to pick me up?

(Nod)

And you put me in that recovery-whatsit without restraining me?

(Nod)

And you also let me sleep in a real room instead of a jail cell?

(Nod)

... ...

...I don't get it. I'm Caenis. Remember how I swore I'd kill every last one of you dumbasses?

You must've known that when you chose to help me. So that means...

You got a death wish?

(N-n-n-n-n-n-nod)

Quit nodding and say something, dammit! What are you, some kind of drunk freshwater mussel!?

Answer me! If you don't, I'll take your silence as confirmation you got a death wish.

O-of course I don't want to die! I'm standing here now because I believe we can cut a deal!

I saved your life! Th-that means you owe me a debt!

Huh? Are you serious?

You're damn right I'm serious! You were on the brink of death! Hell, you practically WERE dead!

So no, you wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for my bravery and my cunning calculations!

That said, my original plan was to only heal you a little bit and negotiate with you while you were still weak!

I never expected you to recover so much so fast! Dammit, Goredolf! Of all the mistakes you could have made!

You wanted to take advantage of me while I was still weak? That's extortion, not negotiation.

Huh? Really? Is that how it comes across?

Damn straight.

It's no different from telling a POW that they'll have to be your slave if they want to stay alive.

(Cripes! I never thought of it that way before, but she's right!)

Nice. That's WAY easier to believe than saving me outta the goodness of your heart. I'd've straight up murdered you if you'd tried to pull that good Samaritan bullshit.

Your plan's screwed though, since I'm pretty much all better now.

I don't know what kind of magecraft or Mystic Code you used to heal me, but right now, I've got Authority over both the land and the sea.

Once I've snacked on a little magical energy, my Spirit Origin'll pretty much heal itself.

See? I'm all healed up good as new, so I don't need your help anymore.

So, you wanted to negotiate? How you gonna go about that now?

'Cause from where I stand, you ain't got shit for leverage.

Well... There's the fact that I saved your life...

Heard that one already. What else you got?

Nothin'? If it's nothin', I'm killing you right now.

... ...

Well? I thought you didn't want to die. You'd better speak up quick or my spear might slip. Or maybe I'll just kill you with my bare hands.

Which part of you should I crush? Your heart? Your skull? Maybe I'll start with your throat and then...get creative.

C'mon, you fat prick. Say something.

Don't you got anything else to throw at me!?

W-w-w-we've also defeated P-P-P-Poseidon!

Huh?

Huh!?

Th-the Storm Border, our state-of-the-art ship, defeated Poseidon, the mechanical god of the sea protecting Atlantis!

Wh-wh-what do you think of that!? You're the Caenis from Greek mythology, right?

S-so hearing of Poseidon's destruction must make you feel p-pretty good, right!?

... ...

...I can't believe this.

Dammit! I can't believe of all people, you Chaldeans beat me to it!

That shitty punk-ass bastard might not be the Poseidon I know from Proper Human History, but still!

I was supposed to be the one to finish that asshole off! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!!!

...Anyway, that aside... You.

Eep!

You beat Poseidon, huh?

Solid card to play. You might have some skill at this negotiation stuff after all.

I-I, uh... Thank you...?

Five minutes.

Five minutes?

I'll be nice and hold off on killing you for five minutes. Four minutes and fifty-nine seconds. Fifty-eight...

!!!!!!

N-now just a minute! You mean everything I worked up the courage to tell you only bought me five minutes of leeway!?

You ought to be proud. You got five whole minutes from me. Make 'em count.

You could run for away, not that it'll do you any good. You could call for help, which also wouldn't do you any good.

So, Goredolf Musik of Chaldea, what're you gonna do?

.........

So, once five minutes have passed, you're going to kill me? No, not just me... Everyone on this ship?

Yup.

!!!

Th-th-th-th-then, I'll have to find a way to stop you... Wh-whatever it takes...

Oh yeah? And what're you gonna do, mustache? You sure you don't just wanna make a run for it?

Look. You might be an idiot, but I can tell you're not completely stupid.

So you do know that when I say I'll give you five minutes, I mean YOU are the only one getting the head start, right?

B-b-be that as it may, I... As director, I have a responsibility to

You think I give a seahorse's shit about that? Besides, what's responsibility compared to your own life?

Just forget about all your allies on this ship and run for your life like the pathetic coward you are.

Nobody'd blame you for it. Especially since they'll be kinda busy being dead.

...B-b-b-be that as it m-m-may... I-I still have a responsibility to

Who cares? What is this, some commander's pride thing?

All right, last chance. Go on and get out of here before I change my mind.

If you don't get why I'm letting you off the hook, then fine. I'm gonna feel kinda bad, but I'll start by killing you

You're wrong! This isn't about my responsibility as commander at all!

NO! You've got it all wrong! This... This goes back WAY further than just my time as commander!

I know! I know, God dammit! It was ME! It's my fault the world ended!

I'm... I'm to blame for Chaldea's destruction. Um, partly. You think I don't think about that every day!?

Chaldea's staff didn't do anything wrong! The Incineration of Humanity wasn't their fault and I damn well know it!

They didn't have a choice! They had to try to fix the apocalypse with just a few dozen people!

I knew that. Even then, I knew it. And STILL I insisted it was all their fault...

They were... They were amazing...

And if I hadn't come in and taken over as the director and screwed EVERYTHING up, things might have gone differently!

So...there. There you have it.

I don't want to do this. I'm terrified to even try, b-but I still have to see this through!

Y-you see... I'm the most important thing to me. By a LOT!

That's why I don't want to be a traitor to humanity! That's why I don't want to end up just some useless coward!

Chubby...

A-and it's why I can't run away now. Even if it means I end up dying here...

That's why I won't back down! I won't!

Do you hear me, Caenis? I'm standing my ground because I think we can cut a deal!

I saved your life, my team and I defeated the sea-god you hateeven if he wasn't the one you know from Proper Human Historyand what's more...

Well?

What's more...

Two minutes. One minute, fifty-nine seconds...

And what's more...I've got a freshly-baked croissant! Right here!

...

It's crispy on the outside, soft and flaky on the inside, and so delicious you'll

Oh, so that's what you've had there all this time. I thought it was some kind of poison... So it's food?

Th-that's right. It's made with tons of butter, and it has all the calories you could want.

I-I've also got milk and tea to go with it, if you like. Croissants are delicious, but they can make you feel a bit parch

...Ha.

Haha, hahahahahahahahahahahaha! Ahhh hahahahaha! Are you serious?

Are you trying to win a Heroic Spirit over with food!?

Are you actually trying to negotiate with me, Caenis the Tyrant, now Caenis the Divine Spirit...

...with a freaking piece of bread!?

Hahahahahahahahahaha! This is the funniest goddamn thing I've seen in...I don't even know how long!

It's too bad Kirschtaria didn't talk to you more! Hehehe, hahahaha! I've never seen anyone so insolent in my life!

...

...Surely it can't be THAT funny, can it? Even Toole used to love these croissants.

...

Gimme that.

Huh?

I said, give it here already.

...(Munch)

...Huh. So, that's a croissant.

Thanks. That was good.

Wha...

That was good. And not only that... I haven't laughed that hard since I manifested.

So I'd have to say you won this little exchange of ours.

All right, Musik, I officially owe you one. You name one thing you want me to do, and I'll do it.

Really!? You mean it!?

I'm a lot of things, but not a liar. I'd never kill anyone who gave me such a warm reception.

I'm not a damn centaur, after all. I might not act like it, but I'm still a king.

Go ahead, name your request. I'll do anything you want that's reasonably within my power.

... ...

...P-permission to speak freely?

Sure.

Could I make a second request as well? One to return the favor I did you with the recovery pod?

Wh-what do you say?

You're serious?

Th-the fact is...I need help! I can't shake this feeling that things are going very badly out there!

Did Fujimaru's team manage to meet up with numerous allies, like they did in Atlantis!? Or did the Heroic Spirits who got here ahead of us all meet an untimely end!?

If it turns out to be the latter, then Iwe, need you more than anything!

H-huh?

That is to say, we need your help! Desperately! And while I'm at it...!

...I also want that thing you've been holding so tightly in your right hand ever since we found you.

Hm? My right hand?

Oh yeah, I guess I do have something here, don't I?

I must've grabbed hold of it when I was floating around in the sea...

That's a fragment of the moon goddess, complete with Artemis Klironomia! It's a bloody miracle that you happened to find it!

Please, let us have it! It's of the utmost importance that we have it!

Go nuts. I sure as shit don't have any need for this thing.

Aah, what a waste! Phew, it's okay. I don't know what we would have done if it had brokenOh, right. I guess it wouldn't, would it.

Thank you, Caenis. I appreciate this more than I can say. Now, at last, we have the means to fight back!

Excuse me for a moment!

Wh-what the...!? What're you doing back out here, chubby!?

Perfect timing, Manuel! I need you to bring this to my technical advisor at once!

After that, I want you to use every bit of electricity the Storm Border has at its disposal to contact Sion back at the Wandering Sea, even if only for a few seconds!

When you do, you are to tell her "We have the last material!"

Phew. And with that, my work is done. My subordinates should be able to take it from here.

Well then, now that things have settled down a bit, there's something I need to ask you.

This has nothing to do with learning our enemy's strategy, or figuring out his weakness or anything like that.

I just want to know out of, um... Personal curiosity? Disbelief? No... This is really only about my pride as a fellow noble.

What is your Master...Kirschtaria Wodime, like as a person?

Could I ask you to tell me your personal thoughts about him?

At any rate, the important thing to know is that Caenis is not your enemy!

I'll tell you all about the bond of trust we've forged later!

Fujimaru! Mash Kyrielight! You two are our last hope for restoring Proper Human History.

It is for that eminently logical reason that I risked my own life to help you!

Since my gamble has paid off, it's time for you two to take the proverbial ball and run with it!

Understood, Director!

Right, Master! Resuming combat now!

？！

If she doesn't want to follow us to our destination, we'll just have to drag her there, kicking and screaming!

Don't worry, I'll give everything I've got to make that happen.

If four swords aren't enough...I'll break out my immovable fifth to finish the job!

Can we count on your help too, Caenis!?

Even though if you do this, you'll be throwing your lot in with anti-AtlanticI mean, anti-Olympus Lostbelt forces!?

Ha! Fine with me! If they didn't want me switching sides, they shouldn't've stabbed me in the back in the first place!

?

?

Care to elaborate?

Sh-shut up! Forget I said anything! All I need to do's kick this god's fat ass, right!?

Okay, Goredolf Musik! Time to see for yourself what a powerful asset I can be!

Don't you dare miss a second of this! If you so much as blink, I'll kill you on the spot!

Now check this shit out!

Lapithai Caeneus!

We're not done yet!

Setting Ortinax to maximum output! Preparing to pierce Demeter's base with the bunker bolt!

Haaaaaah!

There! Demeter's at point Gamma!

Now's our chance! Firing our final weapon, the Seven Link Heroic Spirit Cannon!

We hit her! It...it sounds like she's screaming!

Do you hear that? Do you see that!? It's working!

...You're right! I can see cracks where the blast hit her outer shell!

Way to go, Seven Link Heroic Spirit Cannon! You actually managed to crack open that super tough god armor!

...It's not over yet. Do not let your guard down.

The blast still didn't manage to expose Demeter's Divine Core! I can't believe it. Her armor is even tougher than I thought.

I hate to say it, but I'm impressed. I can't believe she managed to take a direct hit from our Seven Link Heroic Spirit Cannon and remain intact. That being said

Her armor isn't invincible anymore! Especially now that we've got Caenis's spear negating her healing Authority!

We've definitely got a shot at beating her now! Come on! There's nothing to be afraid of!

Mash! Fujimaru!

？！

Understood, Master!

Setting Ortinax output to eighty percent! I'll keep up the attack making use of the Klironomia's effects!

Haha, so I've got a chance to kill a god now? Perfect! Hell yeah, let's do this thing!

You better believe I'm gonna use you for my own purposes, Chaldean dumbasses!

Huh? Was that Nikola Tesla I saw just now? Is he one of the Heroic Spirits that got here before us?

Does this mean I was working myself up over nothing? I don't recognize that boy and girl over there, either...

W-well, no matter! Right now, our top priority is taking down Demeter!

Leave this part to me, everyone! Is that clear!?

Begin the attack!

...A-all right, no matter! Begin the attack, everyone!

There, we managed to get her outer shell off! Did it work!?

Yes! Demeter's outer core is severely damaged! What appears to be her Divine Core is now exposed!

Ortinax output remains stable! I should be able to maintain Anti-Divinity combat mode for at least ten minutes or so!

？！

Right!

Hold it! Just hold the hell up! Are you dipshits blind or something? You can't just ignore her Klironomia!

...Dammit, she hasn't completely stopped regenerating!

I can confirm her infinite regeneration has started up again! Her wounds are beginning to close!

Dammit, we were so close! ...Demeter! How much are you going to mock us!?

Wh-wh-what are you all doing!? Go on, keep hitting her! Caenis! Can't you use your land Authority to neutralize her regeneration!?

I am, dammit! But it's still not enough to stop that bitch of a goddess!

This damn Lostbelt Demeter really is directly descended from Gaia, isn't she! Dammit! I started celebrating too soon!

...It would seem this is well and truly the end. Even with all our great strokes of fortune, we still weren't able to defeat her.

We thought we had accounted for our enemies being more powerful than expected in our designs, but her regenerative powers exceed even our wildest expectations!

The Olympian gods truly seem to surpass us in every way imaginable!

This isn't over yet!

If you punks can beat Poseidon, you can sure as shit beat Demeter, too!

Besides, nobody kills you jackasses but me!

Now take this, Fujimaru! It's a little present from Mustache!

He said this thing's guaranteed to be a game changer!

？！

？！

Is that... No way!

That's right! It's a new piece of Ortinax equipment Chaldea's own technical advisor designed in tandem with our Atlas Institute alchemist ally!

It's a form of cancer made to bring down beings of a scale far beyond human capacity...

We call it... the Black Barrel!

It's the Natural Longevity Conceptual Weapon, one of the Seven Taboos!

Not that I know much about it myself! Wahahahaha!

Nice catch, Fujimaru! So...what is that thing, anyway?

？！

？！

Fou, foooooou! (Special Translation: Nice pass, Fujimaru!)

...Yes, Master! I know exactly what to do with this!

During Sion's lecture on life scales, she talked about a paradox effector that could let someone use a measurement as a weapon.

Da Vinci took that concept and ran with it to make a new mechanism for the Ortinax.

I actually had time to practice using it in the simulator while I was on standby at the Wandering Sea!

？！

Ah... Whoooa! So that's how it all works! It really is a gun barrel, isn't it?

Anyway, get ready to have your socks knocked off, Fujimaru!

You're looking at one of the Seven Taboosone of the Atlas Institute's crowning achievements, renowned throughout the entire magecraft community!

Or so I'm told!

？！

Indeed. The Seven Taboos are something of a legend among the Mage's Association. They're said to be weapons of magecraft capable of destroying the very world itself.

And the Black Barrel Conceptual Weapon there is one of them.

Ms. Sion already possessed a replica of it. I believe she offered it to Chaldea as a souvenir of sorts.

I knew she was also working with Da Vinci on a new replacement part for the Ortinax...

...but I didn't know they had finished their work after we arrived here.

Good, no issues with the gun barrel transformation! Output and stability are all well above expected parameters!

Send out the Accomplishments Measure! Begin the Black Barrel transformation when ready!

Here goes! Initiating Accomplishments Measure! Ascertaining Demeter's life scale!

One thousand... Two thousand... Three thousand... There! It stopped at forty-five hundred!

Beginning Black Barrel transformation! Preparing to burn the Dead Counter into the gun barrel!

？！

I can hardly blame you for feeling lost. I doubt I could comprehend its workings either, even were I at my peak condition!

But while I may not know how it works, I do know what it does! That's Demeter's life span!

Then again, since she's a machine, perhaps its her warranty period? Or her estimated number of years in operation? Well, no matter!

The point is, as long as this universe has a finite life span, there is nothing in it that will last forever!

Everything that has a form must also inevitably have an end! A limit, if you like!

That gun barrel can measure that end and make it tangible! In other words

So it's a weapon that copies its target's mass and throws it right back at them in the form of magical energy?

Precisely! I must say, Caenis, you're far more intelligent than your behavior would suggest!

Right. It's not the kind of weapon you could usually carry around like this.

But in this case, I was able to miniaturize and stabilize it by restricting the measurement function to machine gods only.

Sion gave me the blueprints for it some time ago. All I needed was a benchmark to use for its core.

The first benchmark was Poseidon's Divine Core. And the second...

...is the fragment of Artemis that Caenis was holding when drifting down from Atlantis.

That was the last piece of the puzzle we needed!

...Hmph. So that idiot Artemis turned out to be good for something after all, huh.

But the Barrel still needs ultradense magical energy to do its job. And that means we're going to need you to use a Command Spell, Fujimaru.

And not just any Command Spell, either.

No, this one's going to have to be a little different.

You'll need to use everything you've gotyour magical energy, your stamina... Even your own fate.

Make no mistake: if you miss this shot, you won't get another.

And since Mash has her hands full working the Ortinax, you'll need to work together to time it just right. She'll do the aiming. You'll pull the trigger.

？！

Now that's what I like to hear. Okay, good luck saving Proper Human History!

Ha! I swear, nothing throws you off, does it? ...Thanks, Fujimaru. I'm counting on you!

？！

？！

Right, Senpai!

This may be only the first of Olympus's mechanical gods, but it's still a crucial moment!

!

Oh come on! After everything we did to get her to notice us, NOW she's paying atten

Oh shit!

That's the sound Demeter makes when she's about to get serious! She's storing up a metric shit ton of magical energy in that giant ass of hers!

To put it in terms you punks'll understand... she's just about to unleash her True Name!

Demeter's magical energy is rising rapidly! She's about to unleash a massive scream!

I don't know what you guys just got hold of, but you'd better hurry! At the rate she's charging up magical energy, I don't think she'll care if she ends up blowing herself up!

You guys need to get out of there now, before you're blasted into ether dust!

...It's all right. We'll be fine.

If my calculations are correct, we should be zero-point-five seconds faster.

It might not be much, but it's enough for us to win!

...Connection in place.

I've measured Demeter's destiny. Now I'll use the Dead Counter to turn it from speculation into reality.

Bunker bolt is at its limit! Gun barrel is fully stabilized and synchronized!

...Master!

？！

Loading Command Spell into Spiritron chamber!

Barrel Replica, full trance! Go, Ortinax!

Demeter. Goddess of the land.

Now that you know you're about to disappear, don't you have any regrets?

...That's very kind of you.

I do have one regret. Just one.

I can only pray that these new, tiny, intelligent beings...

These ten million of my darling Olympians... are able to find peace.

I pray that when their time comes... they are able to go without suffering.

Direct hit! The magical energy bullet punched straight through her Divine Core!

Target's magical energy readings are falling rapidly... And the hostile entity signal is fading!

...I can confirm that the enormous hostile entity has gone completely silent. I'm not seeing any magical energy readings, either.

Congratulations, everyone.

The operation is over. We won!

You won...

You actually...defeated Demeter...

I-is this... Is this really happening...?

Anti-Divinity combat complete. We won, Master!

？！

？！

Senpai!

Fou, fooou!!!

Yes, I'm seeing this on our end, too! Fujimaru's vital signs are dropping as we speak!

Both his magical energy readings and vital signs are at dangerous levels!

This must be that thing Da Vinci was talking about! Mash!

Senpai! Grab hold of my shoulder!

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Senpai!!!