Epilogue

...

Listen. What happened to the city is heartbreaking, but we're still in the middle of a crucial operation.

Cold as it sounds, the fact is, we just don't have time to mourn the dead right now.

Isn't that right, Commander Goredolf?

Would you mind going over our current situation and outlining our next steps?

...Right. Good point. We can grieve our losses once the operation is over.

The ocelomeh's attack has left Chichén Itzá in shambles.

The King of Dinosaurs is dead. The Solar Sojourn, which controls the position of the sun, has been taken to México City.

Sixtyish deinos survived. The ocelomeh were almost completely wiped out before the last survivors retreated.

...In regards to the ocelomeh...

We now know that they are neither humans from this Lostbelt, nor soldiers from Proper Human History Tezcatlipoca trained.

They're apes native to Mictlāna species of primate extremely similar to humans.

So the war between the ocelomeh and the deinos was not a proxy war between Proper Human History and this Lostbelt.

Rather, it was a competition between two species trying to survive within the confines of Mictlān.

Vicious though the ocelomeh may be, they are not directly opposed to human history.

Well, I suppose Izcalli is an exception there. He clearly has it out for us.

Still...

？！

But never mind that murderous lout for now. Here's the real problem we face.

We, too, have suffered many losses as a result of this battle.

Koyanskaya thought she would show off by heading out to defend Chichén Itzá alone, then found herself completely outmatched in a fight against Tezcatlipoca.

Luckily, Fujimaru rescued her and brought her to the ICU, where she's incoherently I mean, currently licking her wounds.

I think at this point I should remind you that I'm supplying all my own magical energy! If I'd had a Master to help with that, things would have gone very differently!

Heh. If she says so.

Granted, there's no one in Chaldea foolish enough to provide such a dangerous Servant with magical energy.

I trust you all agree? Good.

Moving on...the Deinonychus who went out to defend the Border from the ocelomeh are missing.

However, Seventh did give me a message for Fujimaru and Kyrielight before he left.

"Don't worry about us! We'll turn things around in overtime!" ...That is all.

？！

As for U-Olga Marie, who reappeared during Fujimaru's battle with Tezcatlipoca...

She has regained her memories and left Chichén Itzá.

We've been worried about this happening, and unfortunately, it seems the time has come.

She may have been helpful so far, but I doubt we'll be able to count on that going forward.

Up till now, our enemies here have been Daybit and Tezcatlipoca.

However, the Foreign God remains the greatest threat to successfully carrying out our Grand Order. Is that clear?

？！

But she was still the same Olga Marie we knew!

I know her memories have returned, but if we can just talk to her

Get it through your head! Regardless of how closely she resembles the Olga Marie you knew, it does. Not. Matter.

Hell, she might even BE Olga Marie Animusphere, but that doesn't change the fact that she is the Foreign God!

Did you fail to notice that her Spirit Origin is on the scale of a STAR!? "Monster" doesn't even begin to cover it!

You understand that in a single second, the sun puts out more energy than the entirety of humanity has used in all of history, right?

We can't risk her blowing up on us! She's too dangerous! Dammit, can you two worry about yourselves for a change!?

That goes for you too, Kadoc.

I want you to keep a close eye on Fujimaru and Kyrielight.

...Gordy's right. At this point, we have to treat U-Olga Marie as an enemy.

Unfortunately, she's not the only dangerous entity we need to worry about right now.

Kukulcan is the representative of the extraterrestrials that made this Lostbeltthe Archetype of Mictlān.

Remember when Tezcatlipoca said she'd eventually turn on us? I think he's right.

So far, we haven't demonstrated any hostility toward Mictlān or its people, nor made any attempt to attack.

But that won't remain true.

We need to cut down the Tree of Emptiness. At the same time, the Crypter is trying to destroy Earth by waking up ORT.

As far as Mictlān is concerned, that makes us both enemies.

So from Kukulcan's perspective, anything not originally from Mictlān is an enemy.

That is almost certainly part of why she attacked the Storm Border on the surface.

She did ally with us for a time thanks to ourwell, thanks to Fujimaru having reached an understanding with the deinos.

But, now that there is no more need to keep the deinos safe...

...she will almost certainly try to eliminate us on behalf of Mictlān's collective will.

(Yeah. If I were on the side of Mictlān, I'd want to kill Daybit and Tezcatlipoca first, then us.)

(Still, I wonder... Is Kukulcan really an agent of the Malla?)

(Some of what she's done lines up with their intentions, but it seems to me like she's also gone her own way at times.)

I see. Then we had better start thinking of Kukulcan as an enemy from here on.

It's not all bad, though. If we play our cards right, we can pit our enemies against each other and swoop in to claim the spoils in the aftermath.

At any rate, that's the long and short of our current situation. Now that we understand the situation, it's time to plan our next steps.

Fujimaru, Mash, and Kadoc, I want you to get some rest over the next two hours.

Go outside and get some fresh air, take a nap... Whatever you feel like.

We will meet back here in two hours' time. Do not be late.

I should have known it would still be dark out.

It would have been evening in Chichén Itzá about now.

Guess you two aren't the only ones who wanted to go outside.

You two gonna do anything in particular?

？！

O-oh, hey. Are you all done with your talk?

Wak Chan! You're okay!

Oh... Um, I don't suppose you know where the Deinonychus brothers and Tepeu are, do you?

I haven't seen the Deinonychus bros, but Tepeu said he was going back to his house for a while.

The other deinos are all gathered at the xokta shrine. Maybe you'll find the Deinonychus bros there?

？！

(You idiot! Don't you realize they've gotta be mourning!?) Hey! Wait up, dammit! Outsiders like us shouldn't

Shit, there they go... Well, guess I'll just have to go take my lumps with them.

Hold up, bro. You're coming with me. There's something I wanna ask you.

...Where'd Olga go? In fact, what exactly is she to you guys, anyway?

I asked Tepeu, but he wouldn't give me any details. Is it something I'm not supposed to know?

...All right, I'll tell you.

Consider it thanks for protecting the Border while we were being held captive in México City.

This'll be a good chance to reevaluate things, Wak Chan. See, that woman you've fallen for is actually...

...I don't see the Deinonychus brothers anywhere.

All of Chichén Itzá's remaining deinos are gathered here... And it looks like they're discussing something.

Oh, hello, Fujimaru. Hello, Mash. Have you come to tell us more stories of Proper Human History?

This is wonderful. Now please, come to the center. I do hope you'll finally tell us about Latin America this time.

I see. Well, that's understandable. Conveying events with words alone is difficult.

Even a small mistake in expression or description can prevent the listener from getting the full picture.

Hm? Why would we be mad? Oh, I guess there was that business with Vucub.

We didn't want to put one of our own in prison either, but we ultimately decided to follow Proper Human History's example.

？！

Um... May I ask what you're all going to do now? You know that your sun's going to explode soon, right?

And if that wasn't enough, your friends and family have been killed, and your city's been destroyed.

We may not be responsible for the sun, but the rest is all because of the knowledge from Daybitno, from Proper Human History.

You have every right to blame us for this tragedy. And yet

Hey! What do you think you're doing making Mash cry, Chitam!? Knock it off!

What, did you show her that crazy math formula you were talking about earlier or something?

No, it was nothing like that... Gosh, now what do we do?

We didn't mean to make either of you sad, but...I guess we did.

Your brain waves tell me you're both feeling guilty.

I remember you were worried about this kind of thing before, when you asked us if we hated Proper Human History.

Just you asking us that made us so glad.

It proved you've always accepted Lostbelts for what they were, even as you fought against them. It also proved you never forgot them.

Yeah, for sure. But it was also kind of painful to hear.

I mean, you two are still holding on to those harrowing memories even after going through this cycle six times now, right?

It's too bad you can't forget the old ones each time. But I guess that's also why Proper Human History's got so many stories.

？！

Oh yes. That's the biggest difference between Proper Human History and us.

We don't have any history, or any stories. That's why we can accept extinction as a matter of course.

It's just never been something we thought of as painful.

Talk about being happy-go-lucky, right!? Heck, I can only say that now 'cause we finally know how the Lostbelts work!

...Wait. Does this mean...

Um, I know it may be very rude to ask this of you all, but...

...could it be that Tepeu isn't uniquely understanding, but rather, that all deinos are...well...

You mean, do we share similar brain structure and levels of intelligence? Yes, I suppose we do.

There have never been any deinos who are so exceptional as to be described as "geniuses" or "brilliant."

So no, Tepeu's mind doesn't work any differently from ours. He just sees things differently thanks to his unusual eyesight.

Once we heard your stories, every deinos understood that Mictlān is a Lostbelta place of cosmic fantasy.

Even knowing that, we still love your stories, though admittedly they do make us feel lonesome as well.

Not me! I just had a great time hearing them! I still wish I could've gone swimming in Atlantis!

All the more reason for us to keep going for another generation. That way, there'll be a world for aquatic deinos!

There's no way you could become a plesiosaur, Kukkumo. You're way too impatient to wait for evolution.

Anyway, it's about time now.

？！

Are you...all heading into the jungle?

That's right. Now that the Solar Sojourn and the King of Dinosaurs are gone, we have no more reason to stay in Chichén Itzá.

Good luck with Proper Human History. We wish you all the best.

Please, don't worry about us. We were always destined to die out here.

？！

...Yes.

And not only were they not despondent about their fate, they were actually kind enough to worry about us...

They don't hate anyone, they don't resent their circumstances. They just share whatever happiness they have with as many as they can...

It's wonderful, but...for some reason, it makes me really sad, too.

？！

？！

Good, you're all right on time!

Now, let's begin the briefing for our final mission in the South American Lostbelt!

Nemo Professor! Sion! How are the Storm Border's repairs coming along!?

We have finished mending everything except the onboard facilities and the engine room. At the moment, we are getting ready to restart the Triton Engines.

Yessir. We're counting down the moments until we can begin repairing the armor plating's electromagnetic barrier that Kukulcan destroyed...

...and begin reapplying our Anti-Spirit and Anti-Curse membrane coatings.

We should be back to combat readiness in about ten hours.

Once that's done, we'll restart the engines, generate new Spiritron torpedoes, and charge the main cannons.

We expect it'll be a total of twenty hours before the ship is ready for both flight and combat.

I see. Excellent work. To be honest, I was secretly beside myself when the Border was nearly split in two, as I didn't see how we could possibly come back from damage like that...

...but you've actually succeeded in restoring the whole thing! Thank goodness for Mictlān's abundant resources!

I've got a report to make, too.

The density of the toxic gas in the eighth stratum is falling rapidly.

According to Trismegistus II, the eighth and ninth strata will have breathable atmospheres in about ten hours.

Which means the time of the underworld pilgrimage is finally upon us.

The only catch is, like Nemo said, we still can't move the Border yet.

If we try to fly without barriers, we'll be easy prey for Kukulcan if she decides to finish the job she started when we arrived.

Unfortunately, Daybit is almost certainly preparing for his own underworld pilgrimage even as we speak.

By the time we finish rebooting the Border, he could well have reached the bottom stratum and revived ORT!

So once again, we have no choice but to send our field team ahead!

Master Fujimaru and his Servant, Mash Kyrielight!

Nitocris, Koyanskaya, andloath though I am to let you goTechnical Advisor!

You have two options to choose from!

Plan A: Operation Daybit Assault!

Locate and neutralize Daybit Sem Void on his way to the bottommost stratum. You should aim to get him somewhere between the sixth and eighth strata!

This should resolve the immediate threat without needing to go all the way down to the bottom stratum. The important thing is that ORT remains dead!

Plan B: Operation Tree of Emptiness Felling!

Reach the bottom stratum before Daybit, find the Tree of Emptiness, and cut it down!

No matter how powerful ORT is, it's still a part of this Lostbelt, so getting rid of the latter should remove the former too.

According to Trismegistus II's calculations, each plan has a fifty-fifty chance of succeeding.

Now, just for the record, let me ask you this, Master Fujimaru.

Do you feel one of these plans has a better shot than the other? Don't be shy. Give us your honest opinion.

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No, we should go with both A and B, at the same time.

？！

There's no reason for us to stick to just one choice. We should split up into a team to strike at Daybit and a team for the underworld pilgrimage.

Even if the strike team fails to stop Daybit, they should at least slow him down.

That'll buy the pilgrimage team time to reach the bottom stratum, cut down the Tree of Emptiness, and destroy this Lostbelt.

That gives us the best chance of success.

I'll of course be on the Daybit assault team. I'll need the Shadow Border, Koyanskaya, and the best driver you've got.

My plan is to go after Daybit in the third underworld.

If the driver has a healthy number of top-tier magical circuits, so much the better.

Oho. I may not have been able to finish the Paris-Dakar Rally, but I still have good driving technique and off-road expertise.

And you're looking for a driver that surpasses me there, and who also possesses top-tier magical circuits? Where in the world are we going to find someone like that?

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Right? We have nothing to worry about there.

So you guys just focus on the underworld pilgrimage.

I haven't cleared the third underworld, so that rules me out of that group anyway.

Fine. I was already planning to use the Shadow Border in this mission anyway.

All right, the advance team will take the Shadow Border down to the sixth stratumthe third underworld boundary.

From there, the pilgrimage team will get out and head to the bottom stratum to cut down the Tree of Emptiness.

The Daybit assault team will stay in the third underworld boundary, set up a dragnet, and carry out the plan from the Shadow Border.

I don't love the thought of the pilgrimage team going on foot, though. We'll need help from deinos who can act as their transport.

I know you said the deinos have left Chichén Itzá, but there may still be some there.

I'll have the Marines take a look around and see if they can find a porter.

...On a related note, we should talk about Tepeu, too.

He's been a tremendous help so far, but the conflict between the Crypter and Chaldea is a problem for Proper Human History alone.

I don't cherish the idea of drawing him into our battle. What do you think, Fujimaru?

？！

Got it. Then I'll leave it up to you. Tepeu likes to act mature, but he's also intensely curious.

I'm sure he would help us if we asked. In fact, I'm not sure he'd forgive us if we didn't.

Agreed. Shy though he might be, he does know how to hold a grudge! Go pull that shut-in out of his comfort zone!

I see, I see. It's nice to hear you've become such good friends with a deinos! I don't know how it happened, but by all means, go ahead and talk to him!

In the meantime, we'll continue our preparations!

This will likely be your last chance to take in Chichén Itzá! We don't have much time, so enjoy it while you can!

! !

Sunours! Sing, is!

Mictlān! Mictlān!

? ...

It's all right. Go ahead. I can report to Tezcatlipoca alone.

(So the women and children who were living in the jungle have all come to the city.)

(...But they're not here to celebrate our victory.)

(They've been praying for the husbands and sons who went off to battle to return safely.)

(They love their families, just like humans. No. Their love is purer than humans'.)

...Only a handful of soldiers came back. The ones who lost their partners must think I'm a terrible king.

(...That ocelotl's been training to join the royal guard for half a year.)

(...Hmph. It looks like he resents me for telling him he was too young and leaving him behind.)

Behold, the sun has moved from the Maya to the Aztec. Now we have the minimum viable model of Proper Human History in place.

Oho, the triumphant king returns. Welcome back, Izcalli. Did you kill the other me?

I did. I riddled him with bullets.

His limbs went flying, his head was torn from his neck, and his flesh was shredded to gooey bits.

I see. Good job. Only Tezcatlipoca can kill Tezcatlipoca.

You and that other me might've both been immortal, but a fellow Tezcatlipoca's weapon will easily do plenty of damage.

The conditions were equal. Trust me, that other me had no complaints about dying in battle.

Hm? What is it? Is there something you don't get?

Ah, right. I never did tell you that the King of Dinosaurs was also me, huh?

But that's only 'cause I trusted you. I knew you were the kind of guy who could step up when he had to.

Gods are expected to be fair and impartial. You wanted destruction more than you wanted to win.

If you decide you don't need Proper Human History, then you have to let go of the Lostbelt, too.

Understand? If you choose extinction, you can't leave one side standing. You need to get rid of everything to start all of it over fresh.

Yes, great Tezcatlipoca. I'm honored to receive your divine proclamation.

All right, let's head out. It's underworld pilgrimage time.

Get ready to leave, Izcalli. I'm about to make your wish come true.

Underworld pilgrimage... Does that mean we'll be going to Mictlān's bottom stratum?

That's right. Chiconahualéyan, the ninth stratum. The moon lake where we'll find a real altar city instead of this slapdash replica.

The place known as Aztlán, the land of beginnings. It's also where you were born.

I was...? Then, I wasn't born from the earth of México City?

That's right. That city's the only place I could've summoned you.

Hey, I know. Want to bring along a few of the surviving ocelomeh you trained yourself?

No, that's all right. This was a hard-fought victory.

Even the ocelomeh need time to relax and lose themselves in drink.

Got that right. No matter how short-lived it is, you gotta savor joy while you can.

Okay, time for the finishing touch. Daybit's waiting in the jungle. Let's go pay our respects to ORT's coffin.

I never thought I would see a war in a land as peaceful as Mictlān.

It seems humankind cannot escape the consequences of accumulation, no matter what form it takes.

They accumulate wealth, sin, forgiveness... Even our own Foreign God must find this situation deplorable.

...Hmph. I already knew about human wars from the video records I studied.

Chichén Itzá might be a ghost town now, but it was never a creation of deinos civilization anyway.

They've never accumulated anything. And they never will.

Quite right. Your eye is as sharp as ever, my lady.

But that's not true for humankind of Proper Human History.

Both the Crypter and Chaldea will try to reach the bottom stratum.

The former will do so hoping to revive ORT, while the latter will do so to erase this Lostbelt, and ORT with it.

So...what will you do, my lady?

You need to ask? The whole reason I chose this Lostbelt as my temporary lodging was to acquire an even stronger Spirit Origin.

ORT belongs to me. I'm not about to hand it over to anything as powerle

...Anything as incompetent as humankind.

I've come to the conclusion that Earth's prime species is evil. I have no compunction about eliminating it.

I'm going to go to the bottom stratum. You stay here and monitor Chaldea.

Once I've fused with ORT, they'll try to escape on their ship.

I've chased them down twice before. I don't want to bother with a third. Do you understand me?

Of course, my lady. Rest assured, everything is already in place.

The moment the Storm Border tries to escape Mictlān will be their last.

Yes, of course. I'm relieved you came to talk to me.

Thank you, Fujimaru.

？！

All the other deinos have left Chichén Itzá, right?

Whether the sun exploding is what destroys Mictlān, or it is a casualty of ORT's destruction of the whole world...

...the deinos will accept what happens without a fight. That response could be called rational, or even noble.

But, knowing what you've fought so far, I thought you might find that response cold and heartless.

So I was steeling myself for the likelihood that you would leave without a word.

In the end, the deinos are Mictlān's prime species. We are, at heart, very different creatures from yourselves.

？！

I still have some preparations to make, so please go back to the Border without me. I'll meet you at the castle gate.

Even I've never been past the seventh stratum, so I'm looking forward to the adventure that lies ahead.

Oh, and one more thing. I have something of a favor to ask of you...

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Yup, they sure are. At this point, the sun might never come back.

Then again, even if it did, it's just going to explode anyway, so maybe that's actually for the best?

That being said...don't you think you should be more careful, walking around alone at night?

You're the Master of Chaldea. As far as Mictlān is concernedas far as I'M, concerned, you're just a rare and unusual interloper.

But the novelty of that has worn off. So, wouldn't it be funny if I just...pruned you here and now?

？！

Err... Uh... Well, I didn't really think you were going to be so unfazed.

Man, and I spent all that time practicing what I was gonna say before I flew down, too...

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Hm? Oh, right. I guess he did say something about me not protecting the deinos, huh?

Yep, he was dead-on. The sun helps the world grow, yes. But it also makes it burn.

Think back. Did I do anything, anything at all, to protect the deinos, even when we were traveling together?

That's right! I didn't!

Even when Camazotz showed up, or this war was taking place, I just kicked back in the sky and enjoyed the show!

I did. You really are an insolent one, you know. Say something like that again and I will very literally squash you.

？！

Anyway, the sun's going to explode soon, so who cares how many of them die now?

The cycle of extinction has come to Mictlān, just like it did in Proper Human History.

There's no point in getting angry or sad about it, or refusing to face reality.

Even if the deinos and ocelomeh all die out, eventually humans like you will still be born, right?

Life will never die out completely, no matter how bad the collapse. Proper Human History has proven that.

So I was thinking...

...why don't you all just leave now that your ship's almost prepared?

I mean, there's no point in you sticking around for Mictlān's collapse, is there?

？！

I see. Then I guess there's nothing more to be done.

I am the arbiter of Mictlān.

That means I'm obligated to watch over the deinos and ocelomeh's final moments.

To do that, I need to keep this Lostbelt around.

Which means both the Crypter trying to revive ORT and Chaldea on its mission to cut down the Tree of Emptiness are my enemies.

...The next time we meet will be in Calakmul. That is where you and I will go our separate ways.