Void

...Zeus.

You and I did agree on one thing: to resurrect the age of the gods.

But since your ultimate objective was to escape Earthto leave this planet behind, and return to space...

...we were never going to fully see eye to eye.

It didn't have to be this way.

I could have gotten behind your plan if you had made Olympus into a new kind of starship, and brought its people along with you on your journey.

But instead, you planned to abandon even the very people who named you a god in the first place.

What you envisioned was no new age of gods. It was a dead end, just like what the gods of Proper Human History left behind.

...It's a shame, my friend.

Not even Queen Europa, a Heroic Spirit of Proper Human History, was able to inspire a change of heart in you.

Then again...perhaps this all stems from the ancient curse you've been carrying all this time.

Even with all the functionality of every ship in your interstellar fleet at your command, you still couldn't disobey your primordial father's directive.

It's a great pity, Zeus. Or...Chaos, I should say.

The great demiurge has gone silent. The great demiurge's Divine Core is falling apart.

Cronus Crown damaged. Shutting down. Infinity crystal connection deactivating.

The great demiurge is no longer able to maintain its Aletheia. Damage to space-time linking crystal synced to Divine Core.

Warning. Warning. Keraunos final judgment functionality has been accessed from the source.

A permanent space-time fault is about to occur. Please be wary of space-time quakes.

What is...going on...?

We finally killed that piece of shit right!? There shouldn't be any more damn machine gods left!

And I doubt the Lostbelt itself is falling apart, seeing how the Tree of Emptiness is fine. So what gives?

I-I'm not detecting magical energy. And atmospheric magical energy density levels are still at normal Olympus values...

But, then...what are we seeing?

It almost looks like...there are cracks forming in space itself!

...!

...Look to the heavens.

There is something there within the fault that lies even beyond these space-time distortions.

？！

It's...a giant eye...

I don't know...how I can tell...

...but...I'm positive that...it's looking at us!

No... No! It can't be! Aaaaaaaaah!

Wh-what is it!? What's got Ares so shaken up!?

Well, here's something I never thought I'd hear myself say... Please, Mr. God of War, try to calm down!

Wait. On second thought, do you know what that...thing up there is!?

You...! You've been in that rift this whole time!?

They are the very first starshipthe source of all Twelve Olympians, a colossal interstellar mothership, and the oldest machine god of them all...!

Chaos!

!

...!

...Lord Quirinus!

？！

...Huh...?

A-Ares's readings have...completely disappeared...

What just...happened?

He died saving your lives. His Spirit Origin has already been vaporized.

He was killed by a ray of sunlightgreat Authority that even exceeds that of Apollo in his prime!

So this eye can wield the Authority of machine gods that no longer exist? But I thought that functionality was restricted solely to Zeus!

No, wait... Ares said that thing was called Chaos.

Then...that would mean the true nature of the being peering down on us from a crack in the sky...

...is the source of every god in all of Greek mythology...

Chaos!

？！

N-not quite, Master.

While they do use the term "chaos" in scientific circles to describe unpredictable situations, that's a strictly modern usage of the word.

In Greek mythology, Chaos is the largest, most ancient god of all...

...and their name means "hole in the sky." A void.

...

That thing is nothing less than a colossal interstellar mothershipthe spherical space-time fortress known as Chaos.

They are the being from which all of the machine gods originated.

The truth is that all Twelve Olympians, including Zeus, were nothing more than a way for Chaos to divide their countless functions.

They are the source of the Titans, Olympus, and every machine god.

They are a supernatural god that has become one with the gaps of our universe's space-time! Their core is the very eye you see peeking out there from within the rift!

The truly massive shell that makes up their colossal body uses a star from an ancient, distant system for its core!

In terms of sheer scale, this god of the heavens far surpasses our entire planet!

A colossal structure covering a star...? You mean, like a Dyson sphere!?

A Dyson sphere, originally named for the physicist who conceived it, is a theoretical construct of an artificial structure designed to completely cover a star in order to make use of its energy.

But, you're now saying such a sphere truly exists? And has for eons, at that?

That would make Chaos here a god that embodies every concept and natural phenomenon under the sun... No, even that fails to do it justice!

We're now up against a star capable of covering every centimeter of the sky!

So why's this thing only showing up now!? To protect Zeus!?

No. Zeus's Divine Core is well and truly gone.

Just as a Heroic Spirit cannot maintain their existence without their Spirit Core, neither can a god maintain their body without their Divine Core.

...That's right. Lord Zeus is no longer with us.

I expect that Chaos there...

...has shown themself in order to carry out Lord Zeus's will in his stead.

But, this is all wrong. Lord Zeus wished to preserve this civilizationto keep it alive as long as possible.

However, Chaos has no particular feelings towards Earth.

Chaos's highest priority is preserving the fleet...

So Chaos means to absorb not just Olympus, but every resource on this planet's surface...

...and return to voyaging across the sea of stars.

But... Ahh, this is terrible. There is no longer anything there...

There is nothing and no one left where Chaos resides!

All that remains there is...

...a gap in the cosmos!

...Chaos, the primordial god.

In Greek mythology, they are said to be the source of the gods... No, more than that. They are the source of all on Earth.

It never occurred to me that their true identify would be a titanic rent in the universe itself.

A massive eye that peers down on this planet from a gap in the very fabric of space!

What's more, they now wish to revert this planet to its primordial state, and return to the sea of stars!

Subjects and civilization...irrelevant.

Intelligence and minds...irrelevant.

Prosperity... Ruin... Irrelevant.

Primordial Chaos reactivation confirmed. All components will be deemed unnecessary.

Emergency alert. Emergency alert. Chaos has manifested.

They will soon begin harvesting the planet's resources, and will then revert the planet's surface to its primordial state.

In accordance with interstellar migration treaty, thirty-seven percent of this unregistered planet's volume will be consumed.

All intelligent life-forms on this planet are encouraged to evacuate immediately.

...Setting aside the self-serving nature of that announcement, as well as the timeline it details...

It sounds as though Chaos intends to scoop out thirty-seven percent of Earth's surface.

？！

Indeed. Suffice to say, if Chaos is successful, Earth will no longer be a suitable planet for human life.

Well, hang on. It doesn't seem like it's going to attack us, right?

Chaos perceives the universe on a vastly greater scale than Zeus. I suspect they are not even aware of us.

The magical energy they fired at Ares was more akin to a reflex.

They don't mean to attack us. Their only intention is to make off with this planet's surface, Lostbelt and all...

...and set sail on another voyage across the sea of stars.

So they just wanna turn us into fuel or some shit for an interstellar pleasure cruise? Screw that noise!

I don't know who this Chaos bitch thinks they are, but I'm sure as shit not letting that happen!

...That's right.

We still haven't cut down the Tree of Emptiness. ...We can't afford to stop now.

...The Black Barrel has sustained damage. The Ortinax's total output has fallen below fifty percent...

...but the auto-maintenance function is still working. I can temporarily boost output to sixty percent for combat.

My shield remains intact, and Aegis's protection is still in effect.

？！

Right!

...I'm afraid we can't.

It must be at least twenty thousand meters away from us. We simply have no way of reaching it.

And even if we could...we would need to fight them inside that rift.

And fighting in outer space is uncharted territory even for Heroic Spirits like us.

Even if there were a spacefaring Heroic Spirit here, the battle would be over by the time they were to reach Chaos.

Goetia, the King of Demon Gods, managed to store all the magical energy of human history in bands of light...

...but even if we had equivalent energy at our disposal, we would still be unable to destroy Chaos.

That... That can't be

Excuse me, Mr. Holmes? I have a question!

...Go on.

Remind me, are these machine gods different from conceptual ones?

They aren't. It's difficult to convey accurately, but they are close indeed to gods born from deified natural phenomena.

So while they are fundamentally dissimilar to natural gods, they still function as gods who preside over nature and various phenomena.

I'm afraid I can't explain it any better than that. Do you understand now, Ms. Miyamoto?

I see, I see. So they're basically still natural phenomena, huh.

Great! No problem, then!

I might not've been able to beat Zeus on my own, but I can totally take this Chaos thing.

？！

Wow, Musashi, that's amazing! But...are you sure?

Cut the shit. I know you wanna put on a brave face, but this ain't the time for jokes.

Thank you, Caenis. That may be the first helpful assertion you've made since we first met.

Ms. Miyamoto, I'm afraid that, regardless of how exemplary your sword skills may be, there is simply no way you can destroy that enormous mass from

Who said anything about destroying it?

That overgrown temple up there usually sticks to its own side of the universe and never interferes with ours, right?

The only reason it's able to stick its, uh, pupil into our business now is because of that hole up there.

So in that case, all I've got to do is get rid of the hole. I might not be able to destroy the eye, but I can close the window it's looking through, so to speak.

True, but the problem is, that hole is not a window. It's a hole in space itselfa total absence of form.

It is a void... Ms. Miyamoto!

Now you've got it. I finally figured out why I've kept popping up around you guys all this time.

Haha, I know I said there was something out there I've still yet to slice, but I never thought I'd find it here!

？！

Nope, sorry. We don't have time to wait for permission from some high-and-mighty official, not my style.

Every Heroic Spirit here gave everything they had to save Proper Human History.

I might not be from there myself, but it's not like I have anywhere else to go right now.

And hey, remember what I told you before? About how I got to Olympus ahead of you guys?

I've tried lots of times to get back to my own world, only to end up drifting into all sorts of others.

When I get to the boundary between worlds, there's a light field I always end up falling through.

You can see hundreds of entrances to all sorts of worlds there beneath your feet, so I'd always pick one and jump in, thinking that would be the one that finally gets me home.

But I always just ended up in a different world each time. That's how I happened to run into you in Shimousa.

Oh, though we did have that really close call back in the American desert, didn't we!? Man, that place was a blast!

But anyway... The more I drifted, the fewer entrances were left with each trip.

It's no surprise, really. I knew that eventually, there wouldn't be a world left that would accept me.

"There is no place for you in any world."

I mean, it only figures, right? The Japan I came from was long since pruned away. Looking back on it now, it must've been a Lostbelt itself.

And so, I became a wanderer drifting through space-time.

I kept barging into all sorts of worlds under the pretense of finding my way home, and kept getting kicked out.

...Sometimes, when I found myself in a really nice world, I'd even try to settle down there.

I didn't want to face reality. My options were dwindling rapidly and I didn't want to deal with it.

Then...when you said you'd stopped ending up in other worlds

...She meant that this one would be her final stop. Coming here was her fate.

When I first heard about her condition in Russia, and how this was the only world she had ever revisited via Shimousa...

...I knew then that this would happen someday. Sadly, Ms. Miyamoto's world-hops are not infinite, but

？！

Oh my, so angry☆

...Thank you, Fujimaru. Thank you for getting so angry on my behalf.

But this is my karma, and my time to shine. Plus, you know how I am!

Fujimaru.

Now that you and I've formed such a close bond, I'm going to make sure I do you proud with this one last thing.

Yeah, that's right! This is where my journey comes to an end!

And I couldn't ask for many final opponents more worthy than a giant mechanical sky god!

Besides, once I perfected my zero sword, I always knew I someday wanted to take it even further!

So I've made my decision! No more bouncing from world to world for me! Whatever happens here, happens! Woohoo!

...Hold up. You can't face that thing alone

？！

Phew! Sorry we're late!

But we've finally made it to the great shrine's airspace!

Bahaha! Who cares about Zeus and his overblown sparks! He's not making MY hair stand on end today!

After a fierce and daring battle against the Zeus terminals trying to keep us away from the shrine, we're here and ready to back you up!

The Storm Border!

Perfect! Just what the swordfighter ordered!

Wait. Just what in blue blazes is going on here!?

When I had Captain enable the Border's secret jet feature to bring us up past the clouds...

...the last thing I expected to find was a...crack? In the sky?

Wh-wh-what IS that...thing up in the stratosphere!? And is it just me, or is it the most terrifying enemy we've faced!?

I can't get a read on its magical energy! It's got to be either a Divine Spirit, or a machine god

You got it, Da Vinci! That thing is the original Chaos!

It's the literal mother of all machine gods, including the Twelve Olympians themselves!

Now they say they're going to dissolve and absorb almost half the planet's resources before just setting sail on a voyage across the sea of stars! Talk about a pain-in-the-ass deity, huh!?

So it's going to slurp up the whole planet!? Can it just transform anything into magical energy?

!?

Welp, hard turn to starboard! Let's just go back to the ground and pretend we never saw a thing!

Sorry, can't let you do that! Hup!

？！

Hehe. As if that's ever worked on me before! I don't even go back to restaurants to pay my checks!

Just keep the ship headed for that fissure, Director! I've got a special move that'll take care of this in a flash!

Wh-what are you saying!? Surely that can't be possible!

Go on, Fujimaru, say something! Is there any way she could possibly pull this off!?

？！

I knew it. Fortunately, as you can see, I always make it a point to keep a level head.

And right now, my level head is telling me this nightmare I'm seeing before me could actually destroy the world!

Technical Advisor! Administrative Advisor! Which one do I believe!?

Me, of course! Besides, in the first place

Warning. Warning. Initiating resource collection procedures.

All intelligent life-forms, please close your eyes and relax. Beginning force shutdown of all life-form functions.

Reverting planet to primordial state. Initiating countdown.

Thank you, Primordial Mothership Chaos, and have a wonderful journey.

So, it's counting down the seconds until the entire planet is returned to its primordial state...?

That's the final warning. If we don't do something fast, Chaos will activate the Cronus Crown...

...and disassemble everything on Earth, physically and conceptually, into their component Spiritrons...

...From there, it's only a matter of time until the planet eventually dies...

See? We don't have time to think about this!

？！

Senpai is right! Please come back, Musashi! With the Border here now, we still have other options available to

Suck it up, you two! You're being silly!

You think I don't know all that!? This is the best option! The only option!

Believe me, I don't wanna do this But everyone not dying here is a lot more important to me!

So please. You know we've been through a lot together. Just...let me go. Let me do this.

...

Are you going to take this one chance to go out doing something truly meaningful away from me?

As my best Master ever, aren't you supposed to use a Command Spell or magecraft or something to back me up in a moment like this?

？！

？！

All right! Now that's what I'm talking about!

Hey, everyone inside the Border! Set a course for that hole! Full speed!

B-but... H-hang on, just a moment!

Fujimaru is...is glaring at me, and I think he's crying too!

...This is Captain Nemo speaking. I'm the captain of the Storm Border.

Don't worry, Saber Miyamoto Musashi. I'll light the way up to the Border's bow...

...and max out its inertia control and repulsion conservation to keep you safe.

The Storm Border might not be as strong as my father, Poseidon...

But with my Nautilus, the Shadow Border, and Hephaestus's power all helping out, we can still give him a run for his money.

So I promise we'll get you to your destination, no matter how rough our course might be!

Thanks, that'll be a big help! It's definitely a little far to reach on my own, no matter how good with a sword I might be!

It's been a long journey. I've slain people... Monsters... And now, gods.

I finally encountered my destiny in the keep of Shimousa's Toke Castle, where my sword at last reached zero!

After all that, I could wish for nothing more than to end this journey by setting out for one last selfless act!

Truth be told, most of my journey was so pathetic that I'm glad no one was there to see it all...

...but like I think I told you before, the times when I got to fight alongside all of you were an exception.

A female version of Musashi like me never really fit in anywhere...but with you guys, I finally got to fight for a decent cause.

That's why I think I could have been a hero. One who could even measure up to Proper Human History's Musashi.

Okay, thanks for everything, Fujimaru! Do it, Captain!

Roger that! Setting a course for the fissure in space-time! Fill speed ahead!

？！

Current airspeed is twenty-seven thousand kilometers per hour! But I still can't get a read on our distance to the target! Waaah!

I can see Chaos with the naked eye, but they're still not registering on our sensors!

Unless something changes, I don't think the Storm Border will ever make it to Chaos, not even if we had a million years!

Wh-what do you mean!? I can see it right there! Can't we just keep heading straight for it!?

No, we can't. The only reason it looks that way to us is because all we have are our simple human senses to rely on to perceive it.

But the distance to Chaosor rather, the route to that void is actually absurdly complicated!

Exactly! It might look like we're going in a straight line, but we're actually going every which way BUT straight ahead!

Whoa! I just took a look at our course on the map, and it looks like some sort of jigsaw puzzle! And a three-dimensional one at that!

Isn't there anything you can do about this, Captain!?

...I do have a route planned out, thanks to the Paper Moon acting as our compass.

We're following that route right now, and it's slowly but surely getting us closer to Chaos.

That being said...

The Paper Moon's route to Chaos will take us sixty-two hours times six-hundred and seventy-two attempts.

Of course, the Storm Border will never last that long, to say nothing of Miyamoto Musashi up there on the bow.

Th-then what are we supposed to do!?

...Let me just make sure of something, Da Vinci.

Have you gotten the hang of piloting the Storm Border yet? Do you think you can operate this ship by yourselves?

Not easily, but yeah, I think I can manage. I'll never be able to leave this computer room again, though.

Oh, and I think I'll also need the marines.

I can manage the systems from here okay, but I'll still need people to keep all the interior facilities clean.

...Got it. Then I'll leave more clones behind. I'm sure I can. I'll make sure I do.

Besides, they're not much more than extras. There's no need for them to come along with me.

Captain?

If our route to Chaos is too long to traverse in Reality Space, then we'll take a shortcut through Void Space.

So I'll cut the distance down from infinite to finite by making a series of intermittent Zero Sails.

What!? You can't do that, Captain! Not even the Nautilus could handle consecutive Zero Sails!

Besides, the Border is made for punching through Void Space, not jumping through it like a flying fish!

I can do it. I'll make it happen. I swear it on both my Triton and Nemo Spirit Origins.

!

...

Whoa, whoa, come now, Captain. You know you shouldn't be so quick to volunteer to risk your li

Wait. Hang on. You... You don't mean...?

Yes, I do. Goredolf, this chair is yours now.

Though I have to say, you seem like you'd be a lot more at home in the cockpit than the captain's chair.

Wha You can't be serious! You can't

...No. No, I...

...I...

Okay, I'm off to the engine room. It's okay. Don't worry about it.

Just think of this as the Storm Border gaining a new Triton engine.

That will not be necessary.

!?

Worry not, child of the sea. You may be short in stature, but you are great nonetheless. We shall make a path for you.

What the!? I can't believe it! We've got a road!

It's giving us a straight shot right to Chaos...cutting through every layer of this cross-dimensional maze!

We are Romulus=Quirinus, ally to all determined to carve new paths in this world.

We were saving the power left in this body for what comes after, but no more.

We have decided to use all our remaining divine aura, and all our Authority, to see you to your destination.

Captain, waaait! We can go straight there now!

It's only two thousand meters to Chaos now! The Border can get there in under three minutes!

...Yeah. No need for the report, Marine. I can see it for myself.

What a beautiful view. It's like looking at an ocean of light.

I couldn't have asked for a better stairway to the sun. How can I ever repay you?

We may be a god, but we do not seek compensation. Neither would we see you throw your life away.

Now go forth, gallant crew of the Storm Border, and reach the destination we all seek.

That is why we were sent here. All roads lead to Rome.

Who...was that just now...?

...Engine room! Crank the engines up to one-hundred twenty percent output!

I don't care if we end up stranded three minutes from now! We're going to get this job done come hell or high water!

Okay! Now that I've said my goodbyes, it's time to become the ultimate sword!

This battle is what my Heavenly Eye was made for.

Here me now, kaleidoscope of all things in this world that are born, grow, and multiply.

I will sever every path, cut off every branch, and draw forth the null that lies at your essence.

I will slice off every bit I possibly can, then continue to slice off what remains.

Thus, I shall become ultimate. I shall become the heavens. But even that is not enough to fulfill my dream.

So I will smash through the wall of the heavens, and glare at what lies beyond.

Once I have severed the formlessthe void...the face of pure nothingthen, I shall become the Buddha's sword, and slice through destiny itself.

...Namu, Tenman Daijzai Tenjin. Now is the time for me to use everything I've got!

Distance to target: ! We'll need to punch through several layers of space, acting like a Bounded Field! Brace for impact!

There's still three...four...five impacts left! Make sure you don't fall off!

Current speed: twenty-nine thousand kilometers per hour. Temperature of the outer hull is four-hundred degrees Celsius and rising!

Musashi, are you still there!? Are you still alive!?

... ...

Even at this speed, we still can't get close to it! It's a lot farther away than it looks!

It'll take twentyNo, thirty seconds until we reach the fissure in space!

Can you hang in there until then, Musashi!?

...an.

Musashi?

Of course I can, Captain! Don't worry about me! Just keep punching it!

Keep the bow pointed up and all the engines at full throttle! We're going to do this thing in style!

...You got it! Setting elevation angle to ten degrees! Once we get above the Bounded Fields, it'll all be up to you!

Chaos! Sorry for the late introduction; hopefully, you won't mind if I let my swords do the talking!

This is nothing!

Yikes, that was close! Don't tell me I'm gonna get shot down before we get close enough to make my move!?

I won't let that happen! The Border is going to back you up as best it can, right to the very end!

Don't worry, we'll handle defense. Just save your strength for when it really counts!

Spiritron cannon, continue firing!

Whoa, nice! Thanks, Captain! I can tell from your voice that you must be a real cutie!

Aw man, now I really wish I'd met up with you guys sooner!

Me too, Miyamoto Musashi! But keep your focus on Chaos!

Six thousand meters to go until we reach the fissure! Estimated time until collision: sixteen seconds!

Got it! Thanks for the ride, Captain! You did an absolutely fantastic job!

...Not at all. It was an honor to help. Your bravery is an inspiration to us all.

...All right.

Man, that sure is a big eye you've got there. I wonder, can you really see me with it?

Even if you can, you're probably thinking, "She's only a human. What can she possibly do?"

You're not wrong. There's no way a normal attack would ever do a thing to a fissure in space-time or the universe.

Any kind of physical attack would be pointless. As would any form of resistance.

Basically, even the katana of the greatest swordfighter ever is even less significant than space dust as far as you're concerned.

Yeah, that's right! Everything I've ever done has amounted to no more than space dust!

I told myself I was walking the path of the sword even as I lost my way. I kept resisting, trying to accept what I couldn't come to terms with...

I don't know if I left anything of value behind. I don't even know if I gained anything at all!

But even so!

The one thing I do know...is that I've been lucky enough to meet some incredible people.

So here I am!

Now, after a long and self-centered journey, my blademy swordis ready to reach you!

Chaos! Your giant fissure in the universe might be devoid of form...

But slicing the void is my destiny!

Hey Shinmen Muni, you shitty old man? Y'know how you love saying you're the strongest in the world? If you're out there, I hope you're watching this!

Because I'm about to go where you never could!

This is for you, Ishanaten!

I shall break through the void to reach the truth!

I shall pass beyond the state of zero!

Mmmmmm...!!! I did it! I cut the last god!

Not a bad job for a Musashi who shouldn't even exist, huh? That was beyond perfect, if I do say so myself!

Ehehe, I hope everyone else saw that! I knew I could pull it off if I tried!

...Wh-what was that? What just happened?

I don't know! Our sensors are all going berserk, so I can't tell what's going on outside!

What about Musashi!? Is she still out on the bow

... ...

...No. She's not.

!!!

Chaos and Musashi are gone.

This ship is part of me, so I can tell there's nothing outside anymore. No god, no Heroic Spirit... Nothing.

The fissure in space-timethe gap in the cosmosis closed.

Then...does that mean

Yeah. I'm not going to mince words.

Chaos returned to their original null state. They'll stay silent forever now.

Miyamoto Musashi burned out every ounce of her Spirit Origin...and completely disappeared.