City of Water (Aztlán/Calakmul)

I see the remains of an enormous temple, and an even more massive tree behind it... It would seem to be the Tree of Emptiness, but

Yeah. It's literally empty right now. It's clearly dead, just like the one in the British Lostbelt.

And yet, Mictlān is still obviously functioning as a Lostbelt.

In Britain's case, Morgan remade it from scratch into a Lostworld, so it was able to escape its Tree of Emptiness.

But that's not the case for Mictlān. According to Xquic, it's been a Lostbelt for its entire existence, all the way up to now, in 2019.

And that must mean

？！

Yeah. Once we get to the roots of the Tree of Emptiness, everything should be clear.

But first, gotta make a regular check-in. Would you call the Storm Border, Mash?

Understood. Opening a line now.

Storm Border here. Is this the underworld pilgrimage team? I am glad you are all okay.

We confirmed your arrival at the ninth stratum via your ID signals.

Unfortunately, the video feed is not as nice. We are getting a ton of static from the ninth stratum.

The cosmic ray concentration is well above safe levels for humans.

I remember you telling us that Master Fujimaru is wearing a special protective sheet...

...but please be careful to ensure it does not get torn.

No worries there. The deinos made this sheet; it's way stronger than anything Chaldea could make.

Anyway, how's the Storm Border coming along, Sion? Is it gonna be operational soon?

Oh yes. It has been fourteen hours since all of you left Chichén Itzá.

Four hours ago, we successfully restarted the engines, just as we planned.

At the moment, we are working on charging our emergency power reserves, enhancing the Border's armor plating, and generating all manner of weaponry.

We expect it to be another four hours or so until we are satisfied with everything.

Whoa, that's two hours sooner than we planned for! Nice! You all must be working super hard right now.

Unfortunately, we do not know Daybit's current location, as we have not been able to track or even detect him.

And I am afraid I have more bad news.

？！

We lost contact with Kadoc's strike team four hours ago.

The good news is that the Shadow Border's signal is still strong...

...meaning the most likely explanation is that they are simply unable to contact us as a result of some unforeseen difficulty.

...Then are Daybit and Tezcatlipoca making their way here right now?

That is highly probable, yes.

Alternatively, they may have already passed you during the four hours you spent making your way through the fourth underworld.

You have two choices.

You can choose to wait for Kadoc's team to arrive, or you can move on without them.

You are your team's leader, Fujimaru. Since we are unable to reach Goredolf at the moment, the decision is yours to make.

What will you do?

？！

Yeah. Right now, moving forward is our only real option.

Sion, we're going to head to what looks like a temple built near the foot of the Tree of Emptiness.

Could you ask Kadoc's team to rendezvous with us inside once they get here?

Roger that. In the meantime, we will continue to prepare the Border for takeoff. Good luck with your expedition!

Hm? So we're not gonna wait for Kadoc's gang to get here?

Right. Since the Shadow Border is still intact, I'm going to trust that everyone is okay.

So we should focus on our mission of reaching ORT before Daybit and cutting down the Tree of Emptiness.

...Even if that means we'll be erasing Mictlān itself as a result.

Aw, don't worry about that. Didn't the other deinos already tell you? The end of the world isn't anyone's fault.

Think about it like the wind pushing a rod over.

If you say the wind's in the wrong, that'd mean treating everything nature's done up to that point as bad.

If you say the rod's in the wrong, that'd mean ignoring all the work it did to stay upright until now.

And if someone were to push the wind aside so they could run up and kick the rod away...

Well, I wouldn't know why they were doing something like that, but I'd be impressed at them pulling off something pretty big.

？！

Well, think about it. Most living beings only deal with other beings that are about the same size as them, right?

At most, maybe they'll go up against something that's two or three times their size.

But if you're challenging the whole world, well, that means you're dealing with something way beyond any one person.

So I think if someone's gonna do that, there's gotta be a bunch of other people who'd be willing to take their place cheering them on.

The only thing that can kill the world is the world itself. The only way to break the world is if the world itself is on your side.

And then there's the question of what exactly will carry that plan out.

I don't really think you can break the world without good reason, allies, and destiny.

So, if the world itself is on your side

Only then can the world be broken, hm?

That gets to the world's own innate Counter Force. Though I think what Wak Chan is talking about is much more good-natured than that.

Why don't we walk and talk? The temple is still a ways away.

By the way, how are you feeling, Nitocris? You haven't become a zombie like the ones in the story you told us earlier, have you?

If you feel like sucking anyone's blood, please start with Wak Chan. That way, the rest of us will be safe for a while.

I'm not going to suck anyone's blood! Where is this even coming from!?

That's what happened every time Camazotz sucked a deinos' blood. Did he not drink any of yours?

No, he didn't. I'm the very picture of health.

I see. Then my next question is for you, Fujimaru.

How are your Command Spells doing now that Camazotz has been defeated and can no longer misuse them?

？！

Then you'll probably have to settle things with the guy who stoleI mean, the guy you traded them to.

But why are you asking about this in the first place, Tepeu? I don't get it.

So that we all have an accurate picture of our combat capabilities. You see, um...I'm not sure how to say this, but...

...I've been hearing noises from the nearby trees for some time now. It seems we're surrounded by hostile creatures.

？！

No way. This place was filled with toxic gas just four hours ago.

Nothing could be living down here with all those toxins in the air. It must just be the wind or

...

See?

Crap! Sorry guys, but we've gotta make a break for the temple! Those are Tree of Emptiness seeds!

So it would seem. Do they recognize this temple as sacred ground or something?

Beats me. I can't even tell if those things are intelligent or not.

It may not be intelligence so much as ecology. Some sort of animalistic instinct that causes them to band together to protect their territory when they sense danger.

That reminds me of the story of the man who ran away from a pit of snakes only to end up in a nest of scorpions.

...On a different note, is it just me, or is it rather hot in here?

I know temperatures in Mictlān are generally hot, but it's almost like...the air itself has become pure heat.

？！

Yeah, no regular humans could survive in this environment without a Mystic Code to regulate their body temperature.

Although, I also notice this temple is similar to other buildings in Chichén Itzá, which means it's originally from the Ka'an kingdom.

And that means that at some point, humans WERE able to live here. Do you know anything about that, Tepeu?

I can only tell you that I've heard the name "Calakmul" passed down in a few oral traditions.

Based on all the information we've gathered so far, Calakmul would seem to be where Mictlān's humans originated.

They later migrated to the upper strata, and eventually founded the prosperous human kingdom of Ka'an.

Hm? So, they moved up 'cause it was too hot for them to keep living down here?

No, it doesn't seem so. In fact, it seems this heat was instrumental to Ka'an's creation.

You see? These patterns on the wall tell their story. I believe you call this a mural?

Looking at the first mural, it seems Ka'an used this geothermal heat to advance their society.

Ah, yes, I see... Fascinating. It makes me wish we could stay here indefinitely...

That's not an option, Tepeu. Time is of the essence. Not to mention there's no telling when those things might come in here.

I understand. But there's still a lot to be learned from this mural.

It seems that as long as we read it in the correct order, it will lead us to the heart of the temple.

"Chiconahualóyan." That's what it seems to be called in the Ka'an language.

？！

Tepeu'sno, all deinos' brains are as powerful as supercomputers. Decrypting something like this is no problem for them.

Chiconahualóyan...

In Aztec mythology, that was the name of the Mictlān underworld's lowest layer; it was a world of peace and regression shrouded in thick fog.

The dead people who managed to make their way here from the first layer would have their souls purified and be released from their suffering.

That is why it was also known as "the true Mictlān."

So this was the underworld's finish line.

When we saw ORT's corpse in Metztitlán, it wasn't inside a building like this.

So it must be even further down...in Chiconahualóyan.

？！

Of course. My whole purpose on this trip has been to be your guide.

Since it seems this is my final task, I will do my very best to ensure you all arrive at your destination.

In the beginning, the world contained a tree.

The tree connected the land to the sky, and beyond to outer space.

Once connected, outer space summoned a star.

This star was shattered to pieces, and the world set ablaze. The visitors who escaped the planetthe Malla, or "greenery"set about rebuilding this world.

This brought about an age of gentle reptiles with neither predators nor foreign enemies.

This age of reptiles lasted for one hundred million years until the second star was summoneda terminus star.

The Malla went on to create a world underground and became a miniature sun.

This was how Mictlān began.

This all lines up with what Xquic told us.

The Malla were a fibrous life-form which came here three hundred million years ago from another planet.

They fused with the surface's flora and used that network to stabilize the continents into one huge supercontinent.

Dinosaur life flourished on this supercontinent for almost one hundred million years.

But then, sixty-six million years ago, around the same time as Proper Human History's fifth mass extinction event, another meteorite collided with the planet.

This was the terminus starORT.

Yeah. ORT's collision with Earth should have wiped out the dinosaurs...

...but the Malla protected them by creating Mictlān and becoming the sun they needed to survive.

They then started modifying the dinosaurs' DNA and eventually evolved them into a new form of humanity, the deinos.

Then, after another sixty million years had passed, the fourth mass extinction event occurred, about six million years ago.

That was

That was when ORT began functioning again after being shut down.

ORT went on to destroy the sun, nearly driving Mictlān to ruin.

But then the deinos and the Ka'anevery living being herebanded together to cast ORT down to the very bottom of Mictlān.

？！

Senpai? Is there something strange about the mural? You've been looking at it very intentlyOh.

This order of events is...the opposite of what we thought. In this mural, ORT doesn't emerge until after the sun has gone dark.

But then, that would mean...um...

Yes. Xquic misinterpreted these events.

ORT didn't destroy the sun. It went out before that.

What do you mean, "it went out"? Did the priests mess up or something?

No, it was just the sun's time. Not even beings as advanced as the Malla were able to create a sun capable of perpetual operation.

It stopped running after sixty million years, leaving Mictlān covered in darkness.

We deinos can't function without sunlight, so we went into hibernation for the next hundred thousand years.

During that time, when the deinos were no longer Mictlān's dominant species, the human nation of Ka'an flourished in our place.

They never received the Malla's protection. From the moment of their conception, the sun had forsaken them.

That's why they built their civilization around geothermal heat. Camazotz was a king of darkness from the very beginning.

Only Mictlān will die when the sun goes out. I will never change.

The deinos will accept their extinction, as they did before.

But not me. I'll never go extinct. I can live off the heat of the land alone, even without the sun.

Hold on. Does that mean the deinosthe Malla, didn't do anything to help defeat ORT then!?

That the only ones who could fight to protect Mictlān when it lost its sun were the people of Ka'anno, Camazotz alone!?

Since the sun had gone out, yes. That must have been the case.

Humans mustered all their might to shut ORT down, and the sun returned to Mictlān once again.

By the time the deinos had woken up, the kingdom of Ka'an was gone.

We never saw Ka'an. Theirs was a civilization that developed during the hundred thousand years the sun was absent.

And we used what remained of their civilization without a second thought.

...I see. So that's why the deinos were always so afraid of Camazotz.

We had no excuse for what we did to his people's legacy...

The kingdom of Ka'an is arguably Mictlān's only mythology. Now we know that Camazotz was very much a resident of that mythological world.

The mural ends here. Chiconahualóyan must be deeper inside.

The last part of the mural says:

"When the king tore open the terminus star, it became the space tree's seedling."

"Do not touch the star's body, for it has become the foundation of Mictlān itself."

"The terminus star is now nothing less than the Seedling of Emptiness."

？！

If the terminus star became the space tree...does that mean ORT fused with the Tree of Emptiness...?

...Yeah, looks like that's what happened.

Maybe ORT absorbed the Tree of Emptiness as an energy source after the people of Ka'an wounded it...

...or maybe the people themselves used the Tree to finish ORT off.

Either way, now we know that ORT and the Tree of Emptiness are fused together. That explains what happened to the Tree of Emptiness outside.

The tree itself may be dead, but it lives on in a different form.

It looks like we have a new ultimate objective. Or rather, we've gone back to the one we started with.

Our job in the Seventh Lostbelt is to destroy ORT.

Yikes! Is that a sea of actual fire? No wonder it's so hot in here! Wait, if it's fire...where's the smoke?

So this is where the temple's hidden staircase led: the ceiling of yet another underground cavern...

Now I see. Goredolf did say it was every gentleman's dream to own a house with a yard, a pool, and a picket fence.

I'm guessing residences like this are fairly common in Proper Human History then?

Don't be ridiculous! Even in the Age of Gods, nobody would build a domicile as absurd as this. Just what do you think Proper Human History is, Tepeu!?

Also, for the record, trying to swim across a sea of lava is absolutely out of the question. That goes for you too, Mash.

I'll be sure to let Kiyohime know.

More importantly, if the very bottom of Mictlān is made up of flowing lava...

...does that mean the ninth stratum we saw earlier is as far as the Malla's power reaches, and from this area onward is Earth's natural geological formation?

Yup. This has got to be the mantle.

It's probably not as solid as the mantle would usually be because there's something beneath that pyramid-shaped temple.

Mash, can you use Sheba to scan the structural composition of this area?

Done. There's a hundred meters between the ceiling we're on now and that temple at the base.

There also appears to be another cavern two hundred meters in diameter below the temple.

？！

Yes, that's right, Master. According to Sheba, that temple is a shaft that leads farther down.

The space at the bottom is most likely Mictlān's end point, where we'll find the Tree of Emptiness's roots.

So you've gotta keep going down, then?

The walls are pretty scraggy, so you guys might be able to get down using those footholds, but

It's okay, Wak Chan. You can just wait here. Those footholds were obviously built for humans, anyway.

They'd crumble under your weight. But don't worry, we'll be right back.

I should be able to come along. I'm not too heavy and I can glide if I need to.

Okay then, Wak Chan, you stay here and watch our things while the rest of us head down.

We'll use the footholds in the walls to climb down to that bridge, then cross it to reach the temple.

...

Nitocris? Is something bothering you?

Oh, no. I just heard the sound of running water.

We may be done for if we lose our footing, but there's no time to waste. We'll just have to make our way down as quickly and carefully as possible.

？！

Whoa! I'm detecting two life-forms up ahead! It's...Tezcatlipoca!

Damn, seriously?

Guess Daybit was right. I can't believe you people got here at the same time I did without even knowing the way.

And it looks like none of you bowed out in the fourth underworld, either. Pretty poor showing on Camazotz's part.

I figured he'd at least tear that Master's head off and drink his blood, since they're both representatives of humankind and all that shit.

Oh, I see. It must've been the Command Spells. Those things use a ton of magical energy, right?

I bet he was pretty weak and hungry after putting three Servants through Alterization. Yeah, that'd explain it.

You are astonishingly magnanimous for your willingness to speak to even the lowliest vermin, great Tezcatlipoca.

Nonetheless, taking care of vermin is my job. May I exterminate them?

Oh, yeah. It is your job, isn't it? Sure, go ahead. I'm not gonna stop you.

If you hate Proper Human History that much, you should get it out of your system while you can. Leaving business unfinished can really eat away at you.

'Course, dying with unfinished business happens to every human, butWait. Hold up.

So she got knocked all the way down here, huh? Looks like fate smiles on you today, Izcalli.

This god just so happened to make it in time. Seems your battle's gonna keep going for a while.

Huh?

...

？！

Tlāloc! You're all right!

She sure is. She was in pretty bad shape after Camazotz sucked some of her blood, but she was able to heal her injuries here.

This IS where she was summoned. In Proper Human History, it's known as Aztlán, the land of beginnings.

Why don't you show them who you really are already, Hummingbird?

You're not gonna be able to defeat them while you're hiding your True Name. Forget your godly duties. You never took them seriously anyway.

You've always been stronger when you were fighting for humans, right?

...For humans?

Gods exist to rule over humans. Why would Tlāloc ever fight for

...Tezcatlipoca!

What, no more "Brother"? That's a shame, but I guess I got no one to blame but myself.

I'm taking Izcalli to the coffin. You stay here and kill them.

After that, do whatever you like. Disappear, go back to México City... Go nuts.

Let's go, Izcalli.

...So, you made it all the way here.

You've faced me in the jungle... México City... And Chichén Itzá.

Not one of those times were you any match for me. Every time, something had to intervene to save you.

But nothing's coming to save you this time.

Lostbelt, Proper Human History, it makes no difference to me. My only concern is passing divine judgment on invaders bent on destroying our land.

As both Tlāloc, the god of rain, and Huītzilōpōchtli, the god of war, I will execute your divine punishments.

Oh no... She's not bluffing. And given her affinity for this place, she's stronger now than she's ever been.

That defensive concept she's got flowing throughout her Spirit Origin is no joke. Camazotz might've had the edge offensively, but she's clearly the best when it comes to defense.

I don't think we'll be able to fight our way past her. We'll have to figure out some way to go around

No. We don't have time for that. She's far too vicious to let us escape anyway.

I'll deal with her. It's time I avenged my humiliation.

I'm counting on you to handle things from here, Da Vinci. Mash, I'm sorry to step out before you.

And Fujimaru, I must thank you for making the right choice.

That you thanked me back then is proof you're a truly first-rate summoner.

？！

Do not fear. I am about to show you the power that let me rule a great nationthe power of a pharaoh!

Oh, it's you. The queen who failed to defend her precious ship not just once, but twice.

I'm tired of fighting you. Your spirits are useless on me and you know that by now.

Luckily for you, I'm every bit as magnanimous as I look, so I'm willing to spare at least one Servant.

You? Magnanimous? Hah. You're every bit as tyrannical as you are miserable and greedy.

Jealousy was the only reason you wanted to destroy the Storm Border.

You were desperate to destroy it because you saw that it was both more beautiful and useful than you, and you just couldn't stand that, could you?

You relentlessly criticize and rank anyone who defies you, or who you know is better than you.

You're a petty, small-minded...thing who can't stand to see anyone or anything that might surpass you. Isn't that right, "Tlāloc"?

...I see people who claim to be incarnations of gods are every bit as arrogant as you'd expect of one claiming that title.

Resorting to insults just because you can't possibly defeat a Divine Spirit like me, huh? Where's all that queenly pride now?

Oh, you ARE funny. Come, now. You're not a Divine Spirit. We both know that.

Why don't you tell us your True Name? Tezcatlipoca has given you permission now, hasn't he?

Or would you rather I did it for you? I suppose so. You'd never reveal it yourself; you're far too stubborn.

...Please. What a fool you are to think you could ever figure out my True Name.

It's not as if you have the power to pass judgment on a god in any case.

If you're so desperate to disappear, I'll just kill you now before you can call me by some other god's na

Only a god may pass judgment on another god. This is all the more true in the case of someone only claiming the title.

If I can't defeat you as simply an incarnation, then I'll simply have to sacrifice my heart.

You

You have another form too!? ...No, it's not that. You're becoming an Alter...!

Trying to deceive me? Such insolence. No manner of falsehood, fabrication, or forgery can stand before my scales.

You are no god. You are certainly not several gods!

You shed blood not for godly laws or humanity, but solely for those who live in your city!

It is clear that your True Name is Metztliapan, or the Lake of the Moon!

No, in that form, perhaps I should call you Tenochtitlan!

The most prosperous floating city in Mesoamerica, and one which worshipped the gods Tlāloc and Huītzilōpōchtli!

WhaY-you really are an idiot, aren't you? How could a city become a Heroic Spir

Um... Sheba's Spirit Origin observation has stabilized. I should be able to add her to the Spirit Origin graph no problem now.

You...BITCH! What kind of Servant blurts out another Heroic Spirit's True Name on a wild guess!?

Insolent whelp. My golden eyes see through all. Here in my underworld, gambits like yours are forbidden.

Come, show us your true form. Do it, and then I will crush you.

Why you... You think you're so great just 'cause you're an Alter now? Fine! You want my true form? You got it!

Aztec myth has no place for a desert god! I'll render you back into the dust you came from!

Your walls are shattered! It's over, Tenochtitlan!

Ghh...! (Crap! She's going to kill me!)

...Huh? (No Noble Phantasm? She's not finishing me off...?)

How long are you going to just lie there? That you are incapacitated doesn't mean you have suffered a fatal wound.

...What's going on? Aren't you going to tear out my heart?

I could, but now is not the time. I only require the hearts of the dead.

I have no use for hearts of living beings with unfinished business. They're revoltingly warm.

Make no mistake, this is not me repaying you for letting me live earlier.

I must still give you a hundred lashes, then destroy you utterly, to make up for the humiliation you caused me. This has not been nearly enough.

...So I spared your life, and you kill me in return? Do you always try to cover up your mistakes like that? Some god you are.

So you still have the strength to trade insults. Good.

My only fear was that I might have taken it too far.

？！

You should be more careful, my ally. Have you forgotten how barbaric that Mesoamerican Heroic Spirit is?

Just because we won doesn't mean she won't use the last of her strength to attack you. So you'll just have to see me off from where you stand.

I said my goodbyes earlier. Do you recall? This is as far as I go. My apologies for leaving without asking.

Then again, perhaps I should say I'm impressed I lasted this long!

I pulled out my own heart and used it as fuel for my Alterization. Of course I'm going to disappear.

The truth is, I died back in the fourth underworld.

Alterization is a form of rebirth that can only be done in the underworld. This is just what happens when you attempt it elsewhere.

I regret nothing, but it is a shame that I'm going to vanish for good.

I doubt Pharaoh Nitocris will ever be summoned to Chaldea again.

I suppose a very, very slim chance remains. But, if you say so.

Still, I suspect even a version of me who doesn't know Chaldea will be able to forge a fine alliance with you.

Of course you will! You're my ally, and an incredibly seasoned Master!

？！

...I don't understand. Why would you sacrifice so much for so little?

You could have killed me easily, but you didn't. Why? This is beyond humiliating. Please, just put me out of my misery.

Even I don't know what I was thinking.

I can't believe I felt a sense of kinship with someone as morbid, stubborn, and dreary as you.

Kinship? You felt kinship...with me?

I did. We were both so preoccupied with our positions that we ended up hiding what we really wanted to do.

As you said, I am a queen who fought for her own revenge.

I came up with an underhanded trap to execute retainers who had far more power than I did.

Some people said what I did was brave, or even wise.

But it proved nothing besides my own foolishness.

It was far too little, far too late. By that point, I had already lost everything I really wanted to protect.

I didn't realize then that my chance to demonstrate my bravery or wisdom had long since passed.

Instead of fighting to kill the ones who killed my brothers, I should have fought to protect my brothers, even if I was too weak to do so effectively.

No amount of self-punishment after the fact can make up for the regrets I carry in my soul.

Seeing you fight so reluctantly reminded me of myself, back before I lost my brothers.

So, while I know this is very self-serving, I want to make you a request I wish someone had made of me back then.

Once you know who your true enemy is, and when you should fight them...don't lie to yourself.

You're the incarnation of a beautiful city and you said you would gladly spill blood for your people's sake.

Are you certain you don't still have regrets in your heart?

...Nitocris's Spirit Origin is gone. I'm guessing her entry in the Border's Spirit Origin graph is also probably

？！

Dammit, it's all lava down there! There's no way we can survive that! We've gotta hurry to the temple before