Thou Art the Ardor that Corrupts the Stars (III)

Oh, hey, the laggards return.

That's right. You took freaking forever to get back here, so you're laggards.

Hey, it could be worse. What if we'd never come back at all?

Come on, Caenis, can't you be a little more understanding?

There's nothing to understand. You're laggards AND dipshits, and that's all there is to it.

Maybe so, but you could still sugarcoat it a bit.

And if you call us names for being late, you can't really complain if we call you names the next time you're late.

Hmph. I'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Actually, no. That shit isn't happening. Late or no, if anyone even seems to come CLOSE to insulting me, they die.

Oh, you.

What do you look so happy about? I've seen turtles who were faster than you lot!

？！

I was only gonna wait another hour or so before heading back to the base or the Border. Eh, at least you're here now.

Oh my.

I did not know I was keeping a proud warrior waiting.

Forgive me for the trouble I have caused you, and allow me to make a formal apology.

I am truly sorry, and also most grateful for your patience. I hope we may put this behind us and join as comrades in our battle against the gods.

Wha... Who the hell's this guy?

？！

R-right, Senpai. This is Emperor Caligula, the third emperor of the ancient Roman Empire.

He's a Heroic Spirit from Proper Human History. Although...

？！

Strange. While these underground corridors that connect the alliance base to the surface are indeed free from Zeus's surveillance...

...I also recall them being guarded by a large, hostile machine.

And yet, I can no longer sense anything of the sort here. What does this mean?

If you're talking about Argos, Mordred's gang already took care of it.

So don't worry, Caligula. The underground's safer than ever now.

I see.

？！

Y-yes, he is.

I-I'm still not sure what to make of it. I've never seen Caligula speak so, um, fluently before...

And, um, if he's one of the Heroic Spirits in the alliance...

？！

Er.

Um.

How can I put this...?

Oh, what the heck. I'll just come out and say it! We didn't tell you about him before because

We decided to go for dramatic effect.

...

Foooooou! Fourons!

？！

Now, now. Militarily speaking, it's perfectly legitimate to describe losing forces and no longer being able to continue an operation as "wiped out."

Huh? That's odd. It seems we're having some technical issues with our connection...

Fou fou!

Please don't be too hard on them. We never told you the truth until now, either.

O-oh, no, I'm sorry. We're shocked, yes, but we're not angry.

Of course, Senpai.

Oh, right! Good point!

？！

At any rate, it's wonderful to know we have another capable ally now. From here on, we can include Caligula as part of our operations!

Yeah, that's true. We'll definitely be having Caligula come along with us from here on.

Especially after the alliancewe, messed up last time.

Fo...?

... ...

So it was a bad call on your part that got everyone else killed?

Would you agree that that's a fair interpretation of what you just said, Macarios?

Tch. The hell were you losers doing out there!?

Caenis. You should know that nobody wins every battle they fight in a war.

Yes, some great generals in Proper Human History might have come close, but they never had to go up against a god.

And there's definitely never been a general anywhere who could win every battle they wage against multiple gods.

So do you really think it's fair to just dismiss their efforts with "the hell were you doing"?

... ...

...Yeah, I guess you've got a point. Okay, I take it back.

...Sheesh. You always get serious outta nowhere.

(Hehe. So Caenis doesn't apologize, but IS willing to take things back, huh. I knew there was a strong sense of responsibility buried somewhere in there!)

In fact, I'll do you one better! Divine Spirits are one thing, but you brats were up against an actual god!

Hell, not just one, but a whole buncha gods. I'd say you did pretty damn well under the circumstances!

...Caligula is our secret weapon.

Just like the Seven Link Heroic Spirit Cannon was in our battle against Demeter.

Oh?

That's why everyone in the alliance agreed to keep him hidden until Operation God Destroyer's final stage.

So then, why didn't you hide him here in the base?

Fou, fom?

I expect it was most likely an effort not to concentrate their assets in one place.

It may have been a different story if they had been able to perfectly secure their base, but as things stand...

...if they had kept all their eggs in this proverbial basket, a single successful strike would have meant the end of the alliance.

Exactly.

The underground infrastructure where we keep our base is very vulnerable to massive strikes, like what Demeter was capable of.

That's why we hid Caligula in the East District. Freezing him let us completely hide his magical energy...

...and it didn't draw any attention, since there's plenty of Olympians who freeze themselves when they feel like taking really long naps.

The only problem's that

Aphrodite happened to show up, and the whole East District team was wiped out as a result.

Right...

But we're not gonna make the same mistake again!

This time, we're gonna fight back with everything we've got right from the start!

I get it, believe me. But you can't let your anger get the better of you.

When things are most dire is when you gotta keep a level head, or you'll start making mistakes.

... ...

...Yeah, you're right. Thanks.

Very well, if you'll allow me to make sure I understand the situation correctly...

You expect that Aphrodite may once again try to thwart our attempts to complete the summoning circle operation...

...so you brought Caligula out of cold storage as a means of fighting back against her.

Am I correct?

Yes.

Yeah, that's right.

... ...

(Hmm. Doling out information to your allies in tiny bits at a time like this doesn't seem like a good call to me...)

(But, I guess I can understand why they're doing it.)

(Everything they tell us about the gods only underscores how much of a threat they are, even with all the countermeasures they seem to have in place.)

(And since they mentioned some of the Heroic Spirits who came here just bailed when they heard what they were up against, I can't blame them for being cautious.)

(It's all about emotion, isn't it?)

(No matter when or where, the human heart is always a key factor...)

Fou, fo?

Uh, yes? What is it, Fou?

Fo!

Huh!? Aww, just when I thought he was finally warming up to me.

？！

？！

Of course. As long as it's something that's within our ability to answer.

So what's up?

？！

Oh, right. I was just wondering about that, too!

Caligula as we know him is a Berserker, and he can't really...communicate very well.

But here...

What, like he's hard to talk to?

Whaddya talkin' about? He's talking just fine. Ain't that right, Emps?

Indeed.

I understand your bewilderment, and worry not, for this is an answer I can give.

I believe it is because I was struck by the moon goddess's attack.

Fomuu?

You see, back in Atlantis, Diana, ran me through with some sort of invisible force.

!

Yes! Diana was the Roman name for Artemis!

Right, Senpai!

I believe it was the name she was known by in Rome!

？！

So, does that mean you were struck by orbital cannon fire, Caligula?

No, he specifically said "invisible force," so we should assume it was some other manner of attack.

Artemis was also the goddess of madness, so perhaps...

...she possessed Authority to control the mind, too?

What do you think?

Man...you really are sharp, aren't you?

Hahaha, well, I suppose the gods of these Lostbelts do often call me a sage for a reason.

Caligula, the mad emperor of Rome beloved by the moon.

Given his connection to Artemis, we thought he may have acted as a kind of lightning rod.

So we used him to lure Artemis out...

...and when she blasted him with a precision mental attack...

...He was transformed.

The attack inverted his madness, making him rational.

Artemis was likely confused by this. We believe it led to her assuming Heroic Spirits of Proper Human History all possessed some kind of mental protection.

So she gave up on her precision mental attacks...

...and resorted to a more direct manner of destruction, in the form of a massive orbital bombardment.

...I suppose it would be a fruitless endeavor to discuss whether a physical or mental attack would be the lesser of two evils.

Fou, fooouuu...

People of Chaldea, I understand what your presence here signifies.

My goddess, Diana, has fallen, hasn't she?

？！

...I see. So Orion fulfilled his purpose.

Then I will not grieve for my goddess, for I am certain she has returned to where she belongs.

... ...

...Yes. I think she has, too.

...Are you done? Do you punks ever shut up!?

Are we ever gonna actually get around to setting up these Grand Servant summoning circles whatsits!?

Sorry. You're right, we've taken long enough. It's time we began this operation in earnest.

Come on, let's head back to the surface. Holmes, Caenis, Caligula, you three use your spirit forms.

Mash, Musashi, Fujimaru, you three come with us.

You got it!

Let's go get revenge for your fallen allied Heroic Spirits and finish these summoning circles in one fell swoop!

Hey, it's Macarios and Adele! I can't even remember the last time I saw you guys.

You two really love to travel, huh. How's that going? Are you expanding your horizons?

...Yeah, you could say that.

It's good to see you again. We just got back from visiting the South District.

Once we've got our things all sorted out, we'll be heading out again soon to Altartown this time.

Whoa, the south, huh! Hey, wasn't that where

Oh, yes. But fortunately, we weren't affected by all that...unpleasantness, thanks to Lord Zeus's protection.

Ahh, I see. It's true, we really do have a lot to thank Lord Zeus for.

Thanks to him, the ambrosia supply hasn't slowed down one bit, even with Lady Demeter resting in the great shrine.

It's just like how he provided for us back during the Olympia Machia, too.

Ahh, what would we do without the omnipotent Lord Zeus, who took over the Authority of every fallen god? We're so lucky to have him.

...

Yes, you're so right.

By the way...I haven't seen those friends of yours before. Are they from the south, too?

N-nice to meet you.

Hey there!

Woof!

Yes. They're distant relatives, actually.

It's going to take some time for the south district to be restored, so we thought we'd take them to Altartown in the meantime.

What a wonderful idea. There's certainly no shortage of large branch shrines to visit in Altartown.

Exactly.

Well, I hope your tomorrow is just as peaceful as today. May Lord Zeus's protection be with you.

...Good, he's gone.

Man, you guys really do know a lot of people. Are you sure it's okay to be out here with us?

Don't worry about it. We can't just throw you into the deep end of an unfamiliar city.

Sure, we could always just give you a map, but that wouldn't be nearly as efficient.

Right. We're bound to run into a lot of trouble on our way to the second one...

...so this'll go much smoother if we show you the way there ourselves.

(If I'm hearing Adele right, then what she's really saying...)

(...is that there are going to be soldiers stationed near where we'll need to place the summoning circles.)

(In which case, it would definitely be dangerous to try to navigate an unfamiliar city while checking a map, especially in the middle of a chaotic battle.)

Fou, fou!

...Okay, it's not much farther now.

Yikes. There sure are a lot of people here, huh?

I don't suppose we can take our plans elsewhere, can we?

Nope. Apparently, it has to be these spots, though we're not entirely sure why, either.

They said it's got something to do with the position of the stars, and things like that.

(So the summoning circles need to use celestial bodies. That makes sense for constructing a spell like this.)

(If the Heroic Spirit this spell summons is really capable of destroying gods...then who, or what in the world is it going to be?)

Woof!

...All right, let's get started. Is everyone ready?

I'm all set!

？！

Yes!

Fou...!?

Whoa, the middle of the street is glowing! This is definitely going to draw attention!

The spell's giving off magical energy! There's no way the gods aren't gonna notice this!

Get ready! Enemies'll be here soon!

The roads and buildings are all putting up shutters! I'm picking up hostile entities headed our way, Master!

Attention, citizens of Olympus. This is an emergency alert.

The Chaldean demons have appeared in Statuetown, ward twelve. Please evacuate the area in an orderly fashion.

Initiating destructive countermeasures.

There they are! Guess we don't have to bother with these invisible disguises anymore, then!

Right! Suspending disguise Mystic Code effects now!

Sorry, big guy, but we've got a job to do here, and we can't let you through until we finish what we came here to do!

I'm pretty sure I've seen that shining, giant red eye of yours before! You're one of those murder machines that just comes barreling after us without a thought in its metal head!

So, I'll see your brute force...

...and raise you my razor sharp blades! Caenis!

So it's killing time now!?

It is, isn't it, samurai chick?!

That's right! Well, not killing so much as smashing, but same idea!

Hahaha, smashing machines, eh? That takes me back to the Luddite movement of the industrial revolution!

However, while the Luddites are a thematic fit for us, as our enemies are machines, you should know that they ultimately failed, Ms. Miyamoto!

Then we'll just have to make sure they succeed here in Olympus!

Who cares about any of that crap!? Let's just get started already!

Activating Ortinax's emergency combat mode! Output remains stable. Athena Klironomia synchronization successful!

I'm good to go, Master!

Right!

Hah! Like that'll be a contest. We're gonna freakin' smash these things!

You said it! All right then...

？！

Let's do this!

All hostiles eliminated. Ortinax systems remain green. The battle is over!

Nice job, everyone!

That was easier than I thought. I'm glad we didn't have to deal with any locals getting mixed up in the fray.

Now that you mention it, it does seem like the Olympians cleared out of the area very quickly...

Maybe it's all thanks to their daily training? The gods must really have their people on a short leash...

Fooou...

...There, all done. Come on, let's hurry to the next one.

Did it work? I thought magecraft was s'posed to be all flashy and shit.

Huh? Why would we want to draw more attention? If anything, Blavatsky went out of her way to make the spell as innocuous as possible.

You can talk about that stuff later, Sister! Now come on! The official guards'll be here any moment, so we're gonna have to make our way past them!

？！

Understood! Preparing to move to the next target!

I have one word for you, Demons of Chaldea insolent miscreants who shun the gods' glorious light.

Die... Die, die, die!

Die, become part of Olympus's underworld infrastructure, and maybe then you can start making amends to the gods!

Ghh... Caenis!

Die this, die that. Is that all you can say, dumbass? I got a better idea. YOU die!

Ghh!

Curse...you...Chaldea!

I'm sorry you had to die holding a grudge. Hopefully, your soul will at least find respite in paradi

Oh, right. Olympians come back to life in no time at all, don't they? Guess there's no point praying for their salvation then!

(All compassion one moment, the next she's... Huh. What's with this chick? Some kinda samurai thing?)

Wait. The hell am I admiring her for!?

C'mon, you freakin' nutjob dual-wielder! We gotta do this while my Authority's still working!

I can stop their instant healing bullshit, but I can't stop it forever!

(Hmmm?)

(I can't put my finger on it, but it's definitely a little easier to fight here now than it was before...)

(The Klironomia's power-up is definitely part of it, and Caenis has been a big help, too.)

(But it feels like there's more to it than that alone...)

(What could it be?)

Well, anyway, these Olympian soldiers really do put up a hell of a fight, don't they!?

And there's no end to them with this healing stuff, so guess that goes to show we've gotta go after the big guys! Err...gods!

Right. Remember, we're not here to fight off soldiers.

Now come on, hurry! We're almost to the next spot, and there's no shortage of soldiers in Statuetown. It won't be long before reinforcements show up!

Macarios! We need a distraction!

...Got it.

Heads up! I'm gonna cast a smoke screen spell!

It's not poisonous, but you'll still choke if you breathe too much in, so be careful!

(Cough, hack) Aha, so this is what you used the first time we met!

The alliance developed this spell for emergencies! It can disrupt magical energy detection for a short time!

This way, everyone! We're almost to the second spot!