To the Land of the Dead

Fou, fooou!

Great. It fits perfectly. Habetrot did a wonderful job, as usual.

That Mystic Code was designed for the expedition to the Seventh Lostbeltwell, really for the battle with the Foreign God.

The Storm Border is en route to South America. Our airspeed is nine hundred kilometers per hour.

We should arrive in about four hours.

I know it isn't much, but would you like to sleep the next two hours or so?

Then I'll make you a cup of tea to help you relax. One with lots and lots of honey.

...

？！

Oh good. Everything's still in good working order after your emergency assault in Traum.

We shouldn't have to worry too much about sending you out to South America. You'll be able to operate there full-time.

Thank you, Da Vinci. I feel better, hearing that.

You know, um, I may be off base, but I feel like I've been in better shape than ever lately.

The Black Barrel is still a challenge, but I feel much more comfortable handling the Ortinax now.

So it would seem. Your physical capabilities have definitely improved a fair bit.

Keep growing like this and you could well be one of the strongest Servants around one day.

We're all very proud to have you representing Novum Chaldea.

Th-thank you, Da Vinci. I'm still not sure I deserve so much praise, but I'll do my best to be worthy of it.

Oh, but speaking of the Black Barrel, I will be restricting your use of it even more.

From here on, as a rule, you're only to use it to fire simple, compressed magical energy rounds.

Calculating a target's life scale with the Accomplishments Measure, forming the Black Barrel itself, and generating a Dead Counter are all off-limits.

All that puts too much strain on your body and relies too much on Master's luck.

Also, I don't want you firing even the simple rounds in urban areas, either. I've already told Fujimaru that, too.

The rounds affect too large of an area to leave us any hope of avoiding collateral damage.

I think that's the right decision. The Dead Counter breaks some of the world's own laws.

I understand it's not the kind of thing that should be used recklessly.

Exactly. There's a reason the Atlas Institute was afraid of turning the very concept of death itself into a weapon.

...And one more thing.

Standard Servants have spirit bodies. Even when they materialize, they're still made out of ether.

They don't have any actual flesh, and they can never grow beyond the abilities they had when they were added to the Throne of Heroes.

But, as you're obviously aware, Demi-Servants have human bodies which have had a Spirit Origin transplanted into them.

You aren't able to use a spirit form, but you do have a real, physical body. The advantages that gives you are becoming more apparent.

As I've mentioned before, your Spirit Origin pattern is growing with your body.

Well, it does look like that growth stems from changes in your mental state rather than actual physical changes, but never mind that for now.

The problem is that you're approaching the state of a Heroic Spirit even though you're still alive.

And you remember what Servants are called in the magecraft world, right? Ghost Liners.

At any rate, if you want to get stronger than you are already, it won't be all that long before you lose the "Demi" qualifier.

So I want you to really think about that before it happens. Because growth is inevitable, and there won't be any going back.

But hey, no need to worry about it too much. If you feel like you're getting too close for comfort, just take off the Ortinax and come back to the Border.

We're not in the same boat we were before. We have allies we can depend on here in Novum Chaldea.

You don't have to fight all our battles by yourself. If you need help, we'll work together to come up with something.

Fujimaru knows that just as well as I do.

Neither of you have given up on Director Olga Marie, have you? Then I'll be with you every step of the way.

I mean, she's obviously the same Olga Marie in Chaldea's database, isn't she?

I still have no idea how we can neutralize her, but if we can, there'll be plenty of chances to talk.

The Storm Border will soon be passing through Central America! No sign of enemy interference from Mexico to Guatemala!

Once we cross this vast stretch of white seawater, we'll be at the South American storm wall! The operation begins in twenty minutes!

A-all right! I trust all Novum Chaldea personnel are at their assigned stations, yes!?

We may have moved the timetable up significantly, but our preparations for this operation have been complete for some time now.

There's no call for panic now, right, Technical Advisor!?

Of course.

Remember our Foreign God trump card? The Sacred sword that weaponizes the very concept of a holy weapon?

We'll be loading it into our primary cannon, the Hume-Barrel Rayproof, which uses both Proper Human History's legitimacy and humanity itself as ammunition.

We've run over a hundred million simulations with it in Trismegistus II, and it's had a 99.99 percent success rate.

There won't be any problem deploying it in live combat, even with its transformation sequence.

Wonderful! I knew our technical advisor wouldn't let us down!

By the way, this primary cannon...

Does it have a firing mechanism in the Command Room that looks like a gun's trigger? You'll have to show me later.

C'mon, Chubs. The call was already made that the Marines would be firing it, wasn't it? Give it up, would you?

Hmph! Of course I know that, Gibier! I just wanted to indulge my sense of adventure for a bit!

Do you still want to hear my report on Test Subject E, Commander?

I definitely do. What did you find out?

Little of substance, unfortunately. I learned only three things.

One: that operating room had cutting-edge equipment from the same level of civilization as our own.

Two: Test Subject E is of a completely unknown species. Trismegistus II had no data on it whatsoever.

Three: though it had been cleaned up, we found a great deal of human blood and tissue there.

I will need additional time to conduct a more thorough analysis, but right now, the Lostbelt takes priority.

So I have halted further analysis with Trismegistus II for the time being. Any questions?

？！

Good catch. It had been thoroughly cleaned, but we still detected a fair amount of blood, and little flesh as well.

So yes. Barring suicide, it is possible a murder was committed there.

...But, it was an operating room, right? Couldn't someone have made a mistake during an operation?

Hm, I see. True. There is at least half a chance of that.

Though I do not believe most surgical errors result in blood splattering a full meter from the operating table.

That's enough about Test Subject E. We'll be in hostile territory soon. How are our reinforcements coming along?

On it. This is the computer rooI mean, summoning room.

For this mission, Trismegistus II is recommending we summon four Servants.

While it would be more energy efficient to summon them from inside the Lostbelt, we wouldn't want a repeat of the Britain situation.

We've already summoned the first Servant. She's headed to the Command Room right now.

Just be patient, and we'll have the other three on their way soon, too.

Hmm, a wise decision. We'd be royally screwed if we only realized we couldn't summon any new Servants after we'd already entered the Lostbelt.

Anyway, I wonder who the first Heroic Spirit to help us conquer the final Lostbelt will be.

South America has its share of harsh environments, you realize.

So I suspect it'll be a muscle-bound, headstrong, uncultured gorilla of a Servant forgotten by civiliza

Who are you calling uncultured!? Such insolence from Chaldea's commander!

Yes, it's me. I'm glad to see you in good health, Fujimaru. I heard your pleas for help and came to assist.

Wh-what are you saying? There IS no ladyI mean, pharaoh, inside Lord Medjed!

？！

I take it you know this Servant?

Nitocris, have you retained memories of your previous summoning?

That is, of meeting Fujimaru and Mash in the Sixth Singularity?

It seems I have, yes. If you used Chaldea's Spirit Origin Graph to summon me...

...that could explain why I've retained memories of that summoning.

However, this is still technically our first meeting, so a proper introduction must be made.

Ahem. You may raise your heads, people of ChalHmm, I see they're all already raised. How insolent. I suppose I'll let it slide this once.

My name is Nitocris. I am the incarnation of the sky god, and the wielder of the Mirror of the Underworld.

Admittedly, I'm not familiar with South America, but the glory of a pharaoh shines brightly wherever she may go.

You may pay me homage, and rely upon my aid.

So you're the first Servant accompanying us, Nitocris. That's encouraging news.

Though you seem a little, um...different than the Nitocris we met before.

Hehehe. That, Mash, is because my Spirit Origin is different. This time, I have my full power right from the start.

Thanks to the Storm Border providing me with a vast amount of magical energy, my Spirit Origin has reached its final, ideal form.

What's more, I can now move about without my Master's presence thanks to having gained Independent Action!

？！

THAT is what you're happiest about? I'm astonished...or better yet, stupefied.

At any rate, this time around, I am a very independent Servant.

I require no magical energy from my Master, nor am I bound to Chaldea in any way. I am completely free.

However, I also understand what it is I have to do. Even without the restrictions of a contract...

...I, Pharaoh Nitocris, will do everything I can to help Chaldea achieve victory and restore Proper Human History.

...Well, sure, it'll be handy to have one of the escort Servants be able to act independently...

...but the sheer amount of magical energy needed for that, not to mention the courage it'd take to let a Servant run around all on their own, is just insane.

You guys must trust this Nitocris a hell of a lot.

？！

Nitocris, I'd like you to guard Masterwell, the whole field ops team, really.

We expect the journey to South America to involve a lot of travel on foot...

...so we need a Servant who's flexible, good in group battles, and knows curative magecraft for disease and injury.

Hmm. So you're basically a bodyguard, huh? In that case, I ought to introduce myself, too.

Hiya! I'm Habetrot! Think of me as a guardian fairy who lives in Mash's shield!

What a polite one you are. You must be one of Bastet's kin, hm? A pleasure to meet you.

Hmm? (What's a Bastet?)

Very good. And we still have three more Servants to summon?

Very reassuring! I knew I preferred Lostbelts to Singularities!

Perhaps now, we'll be able to enact the mass Servant deployment plan we weren't able to use in Tunguska!

We'll have that Tree of Emptiness cut down in no time flat! Once you've found it, of course!

Oh, wait. There IS no Tree of Emptiness reading in the South American Lostbelt.

Isn't that right, Sion?

It is. We see none of the energy readings peculiar to the Trees of Emptiness in the South American Lostbelt.

Though of course, the fact that this Lostbelt continues to exist must mean there is something equivalent to it.

Perhaps it somehow died, as in Britain. Or, as in China, it may have been hidden.

Either way, the Tree of Emptiness can wait this time. Our top priority here is defeating the Foreign God.

We have to stop U-Olga Marie before she can fuse with ORT.

Please don't forget that.

...It looks like we're all on the same page with this operation. And...good timing.

The Storm Border is just about to arrive at the storm wall. Everyone, get back to your seats and strap in.

Run Triton Engines One through Three in parallel. Allocate sixty percent to propulsion, forty percent to defenses.

Preparing to breach the supercell surrounding the Lostbelt.

Activate the bow's dimension-piercing drill! It's time to finally take the fight to the Foreign God!

We made it through the storm wall! Damage to the hull is, of course, minimum! All right!

Cut the commentary! Focus on the report!

Get me an external view on the monitor. I want to see this Lostbelt for myself!

Roger that. Switching monitor to external camera feed!

？！

I expected to see the Amazon rainforest! It looks more like we just flew straight into Hell!

Dry, barren ground! Thick storm clouds everywhere! No plants or animals anywhere! Rain of volcanic ash!

The Amazon is said to be Earth's lungs, but this place is completely inhospitable to human life!

It's like a prime example of volcanic winter! Even for a Lostbelt, this is utterly beyond the pale!

I could not agree more, Goredolf. This is a far cry from Biosphere 1.

I am aware Lostbelts are dead branches of human history, but this does not even appear to be part of the same tree.

What could have caused this? What...process could have resulted in such an environment?

Yes, this is shocking. Excuse me, but I think you'll want to see this.

It's a measurement of the local landmass. What do you make of it, Sion?

？！

Huh? What the...? It seems vaguely familiar...

Do you know what it is, Zemlupus?

...Y-yeah, I do.

I can't remember what it's called, though. You tell them, Kyrielight.

It looks like...Pangaea? But, that shouldn't be possible...

Possible or not, that is exactly what it is: the supercontinent of Pangaea.

Hm? I don't understand. Super or not, how can a continent be medicinal? Surely such an inhospitable place as this can't be called a panacea.

Not panacea! Pangaea! The giant landmass from the Mesozoic era that every continent on Earth broke off from!

Back in prehistoric times, there was a ton of continental movement and collision happening on the earth's crust...

...and at one point, the continents of Earth were all stuck together, becoming a single landmass.

THAT was the supercontinent of Pangaea!

Right. It's the geologic time period that took place before the current Cenozoic era.

Going from oldest to most recent...

First, there was the Precambrian era, which took place 4.6 billion to 539 million years ago.

Then there was the Paleozoic era, which took place 539 million to 252 million years ago.

After that came the Mesozoic era, which took place 252 million to 66 million years ago.

And finally, there's the Cenozoic era, which so far encompasses the last 66 million years.

Each of those eras can also be broken down into subdivisions we call periods, but we don't need to go into that now.

Yeah, that one. With the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.

(Man, he just rattled those numbers right off the top of his head... Is he a paleontology nut or something?)

？！

Hahaha, what are you silly Billies talking about?

You DO realize this is 2019, right?

So how in the world could we be seeing the Earth from 66 million years ago here?

I really wish I knew. Strictly speaking, I don't think this is actually Pangaea, though.

I mean, there's just no chance of an environment like this giving rise to humanity.

They say humans' first ancestors appeared 66 million years ago. But nothing could possibly live here.

This looks more like the aftermath of a mass extinction event than

Wait, that's it! A mass extinction! Maybe what we're seeing here is

Fou, fooou!

What is it, Fou? Are you trying to tell us something?

Emergency alert! We have an unidentified object ten kilometers off our bow. It's heading right for us!

It's fast, and it's freaking me out! It's not even flying! It's surging through space by...warping itself repeatedly!

It's closing in on us quickly! What do we do, Captain!? (Crying)

Keep it together, Marine! Raise the Storm Border's electromagnetic barrier and brace for an attack!

Lookout, tell us what we're dealing with! Better yet, put it up on the monitor!

Yes, right away. Here's the enemy silhoueOh crap.

...Oh, it's you. You came here on purpose? Are you a pack of idiots?

Hmph. So you thought you'd keep your recent momentum going and cut down the seventh Tree of Emptiness, did you? You should have thought better.

Do you even realize where you are? I chose this Lostbelt myself to serve as my home away from home.

I can sense anything amiss here instantly. And I'll be damned if I start letting unauthorized migrants in while I'm still Earth's ruler!

Normally, I would just use my gravity field to crush you and your dinky little ride in the blink of an eye...

...but rejoice! I'm in an excellent mood just now.

You see, I just killed seven of your Grand Servants, the so-called pinnacles of humanity's final magecraft, all at once.

So you know what? I'm going to give you all a chance!

Time to SHOW you I'm the only being worthy of ruling this planet rather than just telling you!

Now, come on out, humans!

This will be your final battle, so let's make sure it's at least face-to-face.

？！

Ghhh! This is all so sudden, I can't even think!

And what was that about "home away from home"? What does she think this is, a vacation?

Well, at least she's giving us a chance!

Apparently, she's so confident that she doesn't mean to use her those ludicrously powerful pseudo-black holes! The fool!

All right then! If it's a Servant fight she wants, it's a Servant fight she'll get!

Master Fujimaru, you'll stay here in the Command Room to summon and command your Servants remotely!

Mash Kyrielight, you head out to the deck and guard them! Remember, you're the cornerstone of our defense!

Sion! Da Vinci! You said we were good to go at any time, yes!?

Of course! The Hume-Barrel can begin its firing sequence right now!

Good! Then we'll begin the operation immediately! Our target is U-Olga Marie, the Foreign God!

We'll start by defeating her in a Servant battle, then pull her off the Border's deck!

After that, we'll hit her with a direct blast from the Hume-Barrel and completely neutralize her!

Remember, everything is riding on this one battle! Let's go, people! Give it everything you've got and then some!

Ha, hahahahaha!

You're a long way off from hurting me, but a bit of pressure on my skin is nice for once!

Your skills are impressive. It makes the time I spent learning to play on your level worthwhile!

But now, I think it's time for my big move; that's right, the one you've all been waiting for. Here comes my gravitational field!

Not on my watch! I should be able to handle one of that size all on my own!

Shield of white, let only those without sin pass! Mold Camelot!

Wha...!? You just batted it back at me like it was a ball!? Wait... I know what this is! I've seen records of it!

This is tennis, right!? You didn't tell me you were a Heroic Spirit of tennis!

I'm not, but I have always wanted to go to the championship! Now, Command Room!

The Foreign God is on the move after taking Mash'suh, her own attack! She's at the outer edge of the bow!

All engines, full reverse! Ready the primary cannons! Da Vinci!

I'm on it! The firing sequence is almost done!

And it's all thanks to the time Fujimaru bought us!

Storm Border's transition to drawn sword form: complete! Anti-threat response valve: open! Initiating magical energy circulation!

Virtual Triton Engines Five and Six are fully operational! Power supplied from Void Space remains stable at maximum!

We're good to go, Captain! Let 'er rip before it all comes crashing down!

？！

Well, we're basically applying the same principles used for the Black Barrel.

The Black Barrel measures a target's lifespan and inverts it into projectile energy.

For the sacred sword armament, we made it measure a target's threat to humanity and proportionally draw on Earth's own defenses for energy.

You know how a living thing sends white blood cells after threats? Earth provides energy from its core to power similar defenses.

This lets both the Black Barrel and the sacred sword armament's attack power and heat usage come from something greater than we can provide ourselves.

Right. Which means using the armament doesn't actually consume too much of the Storm Border's magical energy.

We can keep it flying without any problem. All right, Captain, you're up!

Gunner, lock your target and make sure you hit! We'll never get another shot at this!

Don't worry! Our target may be on the small size, but the primary cannon's emission cone is phenomenal!

Correcting for margin of error! Releasing Sheba firing safety!

Swapping primary cannon's magazine to Hume-Barrel! Rayproof, fireee!

The Foreign God is still alive! If anything, she's STRONGER now!

She absorbed all the energy from the primary cannon's blast!

...Huh?

But how!?

She must be cheating somehow. I bet those horns of hers are able to absorb all that energy somehow.

...No, that cannot be it. The Rayproof was designed to accommodate for scenarios like that.

(...But the primary cannon's power output did drop well below expected parameters right before it was fired. Which must mean)

Snap out of it, dammit! All of you! Just look at her!

Even she has no idea how she survived that blast, and it's pretty clear she's really, really, REALLY mad!

She's about to take her anger out on us in a big way! And she's going to use one of the gravitational fields that destroyed the Wandering Sea to do it!

Crap! Get a second round loaded! Hurry!

I'm switching up the settings for the next shot! If we change from a photon reaction round to an armored jacket, then

Wait! Stop! Picking up an anomaly on the surface! A huge chunk of the ground is falling apart!

There's a...a massive hollow underground! Whoa! Just how deep IS this thing!?

I've got a really, reeeally hot heat source heading at us from underground! Ahhh! It's right beneath us! (Crying)

What is THAT!? Don't tell me that's the Foreign God's new attack!?

No, it is something else! The Foundation of Humanity rating just gave it a negative value!

It came from this Lostbelt!

Internal pressure, two hundred billion. Temperature, sixteen million degrees. Density, one-hundred and sixty times that of water... That is a sun, no doubt about it!

Wha Meunière! What's the situation on the deck!?

The Foreign God and that pillar are facing each other!

Mash is standing by! She's ready to react to either of them! Honestly, she's pushing herself way too hard!

Mash, get back inside! Stand by in the Shadow Border's hangar!

Understood! Falling back to Hangar One!

Fujimaru, Kadoc, and Meunière! That goes for you, too!

In fact, the entire rest of the Chaldea staff should hurry to the Shadow Border's hangar!

You mean, you want them to retreat!? But, what about me!? And Sion!?

It's still too soon for the commander to leave. As for Sion, she has to stay here to keep me around.

Da Vinci, leave the computer room and head for the hangar as soon as you get the chance, too!

Th-then...you're saying I'm the only staff member staying!? B-b-but commander or not, I'm still only human!

Get ahold of yourself! You have nothing to worry about! I'll be here to protect you!

？！

Nemo IS the Storm Border, remember? And he's telling us he's sensing danger coming! Just do what he says!

Once we meet back up with Mash, he'll be able to act that much more freely! Isn't that right!?

Exactly, Kadoc. Now, go on. All of you, hurry to the hangar.

Here, I'll send a Marine with you. If you need to contact me, you can do so through him.

Aye, aye, Captain! You can count on me!

...What is this light? I didn't see anything like this in that subterranean worl

Huh!?

What do you think you're doing!?

This ship is MY quarry! Leave it alone, or

This sensation... It's not light, or fire, but...a fusion of plant and mineral!?

So, it's a sun, and a plant, and fire, and mineral, all in one...?

But, nothing like that should exist anywhere in

Damn! I can't hold it off! Is it actually more powerful than me!?

Oh man, I don't like the sound of that at all! And then there's the heat! What's going on out there!?

No gawking! Running time now!

Nemo wants us in the hangar so we can get on the Shadow Border!

And that means he thinks we might crash! Right, Fujimaru?

Don't give me that! You've used the Shadow Border to parachute to the ground plenty of times!

Really didn't expect to get the same experience myself quite so soon!

？！

Wait, really!? Oh my gosh! You're so cool under pressure, Captain!

That's way outside our area, though! We just carry supplies, clean, give reports, and stuff!

？！

Oh shit.

No way.

(Gasp)

？！

(Huff... Huff...)

...All hands, the Storm Border has sustained massive damage. It cannot stay airborne.

I'm going to attempt to bring us down on the surfacno, inside the hole that opened up beneath us. Brace for impact.

I've also used our remaining magical energy resources to summon the three other Heroic Spirits as planned.

They should be able to help Master Fujimaru.

...Khh... ...I'm sorry. That's all.

I'm going to use all the magical energy I have left to try to land safely. Whatever it takes to keep you all alive.

After that...I wish you luck.