Earth Fall

Despite coming from Proper Human History, a world that still has a future, you fought valiantly to protect this city in a world that has none.

I took the liberty of observing your battle with the Beast from another universe.

Your exploits were truly magnificent. Well done, Master of Chaldea. Well done, Heroic Spirits of Chaldea.

On behalf of Earth, I commend your accomplishment.

You have shown me once again how precious humanity is and that it is worthy of my trust.

That value will never change, no matter what manner of evils you commit or mistakes you make.

I have no intention of wiping humanity out. I wish only to celebrate your final moments before you depart.

...However.

There is still a chance that I might wither and die before that happens. Then who would be there for you in your final moments?

So I have decided to annihilate humanity before I disappear, using my own bodyEarth itselfas my weapon.

It was no trouble, really. I simply enhanced Earth's strength a bit to draw it closer towards the moon.

It will wreak havoc on the seas for a while, but that's okay. There are no civilizations left on that Earth to worry about.

Only those of you on Moon Dubai will perish.

You must be bored of always seeing the moon falling toward Earth, no? So I thought the reverse might be novel.

You have three hours until Earth impacts the moon. I suggest you make your peace.

Crap, his body's still reading as dead. Is it being dragged along by his consciousness...?

No, better save the theorizing. Act now, think later. Hey! Hello!?

Wake up, Fujimaru! Get some blood flowing to your brain again!

Dammit, it's not working. Maybe he needs something stronger? Something that feels like a crisis?

Now what could rock his subconsciousness to its core... Aha.

Hey! Wake up already, Fujimaru! You're gonna be late for school!

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Oh, hey. It worked. Nice. Good morning, Fujimaru.

Sorry to ask this of you as you're waking up, but can you check to see whether you're injured anywhere?

Near the Marion Hotel. You were lying unconscious under a tree in the park.

I hated to wake you when you were sleeping so peacefully...

...but I was afraid you might never wake up again if I hadn't. Sorry for the shock.

Heard that too, huh? I guess it must've been conveyed telepathically or something.

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Anyway, I'm afraid we don't have time for small talk. Take a look up there, Fujimaru.

As you can see, things are looking pretty rough. There's no time to waste, so I'll explain on the way.

We have three hours until Area H's Moon Cancer drops Earththe entire planeton our heads.

You and I are the closest ones to Area H, and we can't count on reinforcements arriving in time. So

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That's right. Glad you're so fired up. I was honestly pretty nervous, so this works out perfectly.

Yep. Wish we had time to put a real plan together, but we're just going to have to go right at her this time.

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...I know it's a lot to ask. An awful lot to ask. But right now, we're the only ones who can reach her in time.

Please come with me, Fujimaru. I know I can fight at full strength if you're there, too.

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It's not even been ten minutes since you defeated the Beast. We're the only people in Area I.

Our objective is to defeat Archetype: EARTH before she can drop Earth on the moon.

Well, more accurately, the moon is doing the falling. Maybe that's just the princess's way of getting even with us.

According to the brief conversation BB had with Edison over comms, most of the other Servants are still unaccounted for.

Bartholomew and the mechanized soldiers are on their way to find Nikitich and XX Alter after they crash-landed.

MashNo, she's fine. She just passed out after using a ton of magical energy to defend Old Dubai.

I'm a little concerned there was no word about Percival, but I'll let Edison worry about that.

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It took us longer than we expected to initiate an emergency reactor shutdown.

But, it makes sense it'd have tight security, it being the heart of Moon Dubai and all.

Still, we figured it out. The real problem was what came after.

That's everything Edison Alter told me.

Hakuno, I'd like you to hurry back to the surface and rendezvous with Fujimaru.

You and he are the only ones who can reach Area H in time. I know it'll be a tough battle for the two of you to handle on your own, but

Don't worry. Fujimaru is as strong as they come. Besides, I've fought this True Ancestor before.

You have your own job to do, right, BB? So I'll leave you to it. Good luck.

...Thank you. My first task is to confirm Lip's current status.

After that, I'll work on treating Protea Alteror rather, keeping an eye on her. It's only a matter of time until she comes back, after all.

Oh, could you also keep what happened to Lip to yourself for now?

She was the key to this operation's success.

But we only told Edison Alter, Percival, and Bartholomew what part she played.

Lip herself asked us to keep it from everyone else.

BB headed to Area F.

Protea Alter still hasn't recovered yet. She said she was going to examine her wound and, if possible, treat it.

Which is all the more reason for us to stop Earth. If we don't, her efforts will go to waste.

We're going up against Archetype: EARTH, a vampire known as a True Ancestor.

There's a reason we can't defeat her. Or rather, why our strength alone won't be enough.

So we need to put off direct conflict with her until the last possible moment and find her weakness first.

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She may be a natural Moon Cancer, but she shouldn't be capable of Independent Manifestation.

She can't manifest unless someone summons her. Only, she doesn't have a Master.

So either there's a relic or something in Area H that called her here...or some other cause for her manifestation.

Whatever the case, once we find out what made her appear here, then we can figure out our strategy.

That's when we'll take the fight to her. I don't fight battles when there's no chance of winning them.

All right, we're almost at Area H. Be ready for anything as we make our way in.

Looks that way. It was just daytime in Area I... Maybe this is how it always looks here.

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Oho. So you're the only ones who showed up. Disappointing, but oh well.

I'll be waiting up here, in the sky. If you wish to defeat me, you'll need to get past my castle's best attraction...

"The Seven What-Ifs of the World."

Each and every stage is a work of art unto itself as well as the result of boundless ingenuity and repeated refinement.

An ordinary mage could never hope to clear even one. You will have to overcome seven. Rejoice.

Well, go on then. You don't have much time. Enjoy wasting it struggling to get as far as you can.

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It looks like a warp gate, but it's nowhere near as delicate!

She's actually brute-forcing an entire world to attack us!

I know there's nothing you can do to be careful here, but try your best anyway, Fujimaru!

I have no idea what kind of world or monsters wait in store for us!

I guess it was one of those 4D shows. The special kind where you get hit with air bursts and water droplets during the show.

Talk about generous. I'll say this for Archetype: EARTH: she really gets human culture.

The actual attraction was kind of a letdown, though... I wish she'd given us, the customers, more of what we wanted to see.

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I see. So her experience is somewhat limited. What a waste of an incredible technique. At least it makes our lives easier.

You two get along well, I see. I hope you will enjoy dying together.

(Fujimaru's breathing hard... He must be exhausted. Makes sense. He just got done fighting a Beast minutes ago.)

Well, that attraction sucked. And since there are seven "What-Ifs," I guess we still have five to go.

Why don't we take a break, since we've clearly got a long road ahead of us?

There's a shop right over there that looks perfect for catching our breath. Maybe they'll even have something for you to eat.

That's true. Which is why you'll be the only one resting.

I don't think so. You're already struggling to summon Servants. As we keep going, you'll only struggle more.

If this were a game, this is the stage you'd sit out so you can rest and recover your strength. I can clear one on my own.

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Look. You know better than anyone that a Master who can't use Servants has no chance of winning this battle, right?

Well, you're a Master, and you're dangerously close to that exact situation. So, your job right now is to rest and recover your strength for what is ahead. Got it?

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Good answer! I knew you'd understand. Now I can focus on doing my best and not worry about you!

Okay, Hakuno! Let's do this!

Fujimaru, if I end up needing your help, I'll send out an SOS! But until then, stay in the shop and keep out of sight!

Oh, and if they have any sweet breads, grab me one! Don't you eat them all yourself!

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What a voracious appetite you have. Impressive. Not everyone can eat that much on a battlefield, you know.

But you should probably slow down a little, for your own sake. And that's why I'm confiscating this greasy curry bread.

How about you finish that salad first? Oh, and save the yogurt for dessert, obviously.

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Sorry if I scared you. It's me, Mysterious Executor C.I.E.L, aka Ciel.

We haven't seen each other since we went our separate ways at the sea, have we? Glad to see we're both okay.

Could you tell me what's going on? I haven't been keeping up with current events at all.

So, Kingprotea went on a mysterious rampage...

...and the Beast attacked after the two Proteas fought, then you defeated the Beast.

In other words, there have been two back-to-back battles over the fate of this moon. All right. I understand the situation.

Sounds like the situation's still very much ongoing, yeah? No wonder the gravity felt off.

Archetype: EARTH... She's clearly insane if she means to drop Earth on the moon.

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I-I'm afraid so... I'm ashamed to admit it, but I was so focused on the battle here at this amusement park that I just forgot about everything else...

At first, I was just staying out of sight and doing a bit of recon, but then I saw that the guards here were... Well...

They looked just like me, except they were using awful weapons like chainsaws, great axes, and sledgehammers...

I might have lost my cool a bit and destroyed one of them, but that just brought the others running.

It was fine once I'd destroyed the rest of them, but I used a ton of magical energy getting it done, so

I'm so sorry!

While you were fighting for your lives, I was here gorging myself on junk food!

This is exactly why you should never keep that stuff around in the first place!

That's right. I did it. I destroyed all one hundred and eight Ciel-type ether mobile units.

Hehe. Please, no need to stare with awe and respect. It was nothing. Well, it was quite something, but still also nothing!

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Oh, but never mind that. Now, about Archetype: EARTH.

You said you met her once before, in Old Dubai.

According to Mash and Anthony, she merely toured the city, all meek and elegant the whole time.

...Which means none of you saw her as a threat.

My preferred method of annihilation is to simply watch over humanity until it comes to an end.

I have no intention of hurrying the process along myself. Do you know what I mean?

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But now, the moment the Beast was defeated, she declared her intent to put an end to humanity herself.

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You're not far off. She has several different roles, which manifest as different personalities.

First, the True Ancestor princess born to be the Earth's sense of touch, yet ultimately ending up as the moon's Archetype.

Second, the tomboy princess who had her life completely reset by a rare stroke of luck, and decided to cast off all her responsibilities and spend the rest of her days happy and carefree.

And third, the princess who remains pure and innocent so she can continue in her responsibilities as the Earth's sense of touch.

The EARTH you met was probably the third one. I don't know much about that side of her.

But now, she's the first EARTH: a representative of her namesake who wants to punish humanity.

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Oh, right. Let me give you a quick rundown.

There's a kind of life-form that began their existence as natural phenomena, and gained consciousness through people's awareness and perception.

They since graduated from their planetary origins, and are now fully independent beings.

In the magecraft world, they're most commonly known as Divine Spirits and Elementals.

They're a lot like humans in the sense that they only gain ego through being seen and spoken of.

Anyway, True Ancestors are one such type of being, except that humans aren't involved in their creation at all.

You could say they're pure Earth Elementals. It's also why they so thoroughly despise us.

Humans have moved on from being dependent on nature to flourishing on their own.

They plundered the planet and enjoyed the benefits, ensuring a future for themselves even if Earth no longer had one.

Humans are the only creatures that could even conceive of this original sin, much less commit it.

It was this one point that established humans as the dominant species on the planet.

But from the planet's perspective, we're inexcusably evil.

We may not be outright killing Earth, but we continually damage its outer crust, and we actively stop other primates from even getting a chance to exist.

Earth may be a planet, but it's also a life-form and a concept unto itself. So naturally, it would try and protect itself from humans.

"Disavow humanity."

That is the order that lies at the heart of the True Ancestors' greatest masterpiece, Archetype: EARTH.

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There was probably some arguing between the various EARTHs. But the first EARTH won and came to the surface.

This EARTH is the king of True Ancestors. She has no compunctions about destroying all humans. We have to defeat her. Now.

Even if it's impossible.

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We might be able to defeat the second or third EARTHs, but the first? Out of the question.

You see, she's the alter ego of Earth itself.

Even if we managed to defeat her, she would just take advantage of Earth's resources to hit us back even harder.

That's why we can'tor rather, shouldn't, defeat her. She's the embodiment of nature's retributive power.

I can practically hear you thinking, "Can't we just reason with her then?"

Same story, unfortunately. We could reason with her in her second or third forms, yes.

But her first? Not possible. She'll never be willing to listen to what mere humans have to say.

And it's not like defeating her first form will result in the second or third ones taking over, either.

Nothing will change unless she herself makes the decision to hand things over to one of her other selves.

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That being said, we can't just stand here twiddling our thumbs while she destroys Moon Dubai.

We'll just have to find some way to neutralize her once we're out there fighting her.

And since we can't count on anyone else's help, it'll just have to be the two of us.

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Huh? Kishinami's here, too? Where?

Oho, I see. "The Seven What-Ifs of the World." Forget malicious; that name sounds like she doesn't even care at all.

Definitely not the kind of name I'd expect from a cold-blooded killer. Is she messing with us or something...?

Anyway, we're still talking about Kishinami. I trust you have your strength back now, Fujimaru?

Then let's get out of this shop...

...and go clear this silly "Seven What-Ifs" game without losing a single life!

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(Huff... Huff...)

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Hm... Fujimaru? That's weird. I didn't give a signal yet.

...Oh, I see. It's been that long already, huh. Of course you'd show up then. Sorry I'm still only on Stage Six.

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Oh, that? Well, I was doing fine so I figured I could keep going at least another stage.

But, you're right. I was pushing myself too hard just to make myself look good.

I'm sorry for upsetting you. Let's tackle the rest of these stages together.

Are the sports drink and churro for me? Perfect. I was just thinking my brain could use a little pick-me-up.

I'm sorry to interrupt your camaraderie, but would you mind if I joined you as well?

Ciel? Oh, right. You were infiltrating Area H, weren't you? I wasn't sure it was you until you came closer just now.

Your presence and magical energy concealment skills are amazing. Are you sure you're not actually an Assassin?

Of course not. No Executor who serves the Lord would ever be an assassin. That's Archers' domain.

That aside. Is that the entrance to one of these What-Ifs?

I see, I see. So for this attraction, she's making worlds with Marble Phantasm and throwing them directly at us.

That's pretty clever for her, but it's still no more than a fancy diorama.

So let's blow this thing to pieces and send it back where it came from! Now that's what I call divine justice!

Indeed. Looks like you really did get plenty of rest. I guess this means I should have given the signal sooner.

Of course! We make a great Master team!

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You know, that was quite the detailed world concept. I'm honestly surprised she came up with it.

I thought she would just hit us with a frozen hell, a lava field, or some kind of primitive Stone Age environment.

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Three was a world where animals all wore collars, Four was a sea world full of merfolk...

...and Five was a world where all the animals had been mechanized.

Wait, does that mean that this final "What-If" is going to be

Correct. It is the very annihilation you are all about to experience.

A world where a collision with the moon causes cataclysmic destruction. That will be your final attraction.

Archetype: EARTH...!

That was a fine diversion before everything comes to an end. Even I could not help but be drawn in.

As your reward, Masters A and B, I will crush you myself quickly and painlessly.

You two fought well against your extinction, even though it was a foregone conclusion. I truly enjoyed witnessing summoning techniques from different worlds.

It's just a shame to have an unwelcome foreign element in the mix, however. Do not expect a painless death from me, Executor.

Oh, right. Your body does not die easily, does it? Very well. Then I shall simply erase you all in a stroke.

After that, I look forward to playing with some life-size dolls.

Those of you who will still retain your form should be honored. Rest assured that I will crush your bodies under my heel with the utmost care and affection.

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(Me too! I really thought we had more time! Isn't royalty supposed to wait for their enemies to come to them while they wait in a throne room or something!?)

(Even if we manage to defeat her now, she's a True Ancestor, so she'll just come back even stronger. What do I do? What do I do!?)

(Do I just let Fujimaru escape? No, there wouldn't be any point. Once Earth falls, it's over anyway.)

(Someone'll just have to stay here and draw the True Ancestor's attention so the others can find her summon point...)

Fujimaru, you know what you have to do, right?

I'll handle Stage Seven on my own. In the meantime, you go with Ciel to look for you-know-what.

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No, let's all fight her together. We can beat her.

That is, she's in a state where it's okay to beat her. She won't fight back. She's straining herself a lot already.

...You're as irritating as a hornet buzzing around a bedroom. No, perhaps you're more like a weather vane that won't stop squeaking.

Regardless, I am sick of looking at you, and of hearing your voice. Did you truly just say you could beat me?

I did. As you are now, I can handle you all by myself. So I'm leaving everything else to them.

If Earth called you here, then I was called here to stop you.

This is no longer a battle over Moon Dubai. It's a battle to decide which of our worlds is right and which is wrong.

And that's not even getting into how it's all YOUR fault that I became a Moon Cancer in the first place!

So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to clean up your sins, and you're going to take whatever punishment I choose to give!

Because believe me, I sure didn't get mixed up with all this parallel world and Servantverse nonsense, or change into this ill-defined Spirit Origin, because I wanted to!

You're the whole reason I ended up like this. And now...

...you're going to take full responsibility!

Both of you, stand back. I'm going all out right from the start!

No more stupid ideas like dropping Earth on the moon! The only thing going down here is this Archetype!

Why, you insolent... You would DARE take pity on me now!?

The real you wouldn't be acting like you are now. This was more than enough to snap you out of it.

I've exposed your true moon face, so you can drop the act now. You weren't very good at it, anyway.

Your personality hasn't changed at all. You're still the same innocent True Ancestor you were when you showed up in Moon Dubai.

You just chose to take on the role of villain so someone would come along and defeat you. Or is it that you were afraid we might see you for who you really are?

...You have a nasty habit of taunting your opponents. Hm, so this is how it feels when someone gets on your nerves.

One correction. I wasn't acting at all.

I didn't know how a final boss should behave, so I gave twenty percent of my body over to my future self.

But I've learned enough. I no longer need to rely on her.

No more masks at this ball. If it is what you want, I will give you this dance and hold nothing back.

But first, let me ask you one thing. Who was it that realized I hadn't actually changed?

Fujimaru, of course. I was a distant second.

Really? Is that true, Fujimaru?

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Indeed. I should have realized something was off from the start.

The True Ancestor I know would have dropped the moon immediately, not given us a three hour reprieve.

The very fact that you went to all this trouble to set a stage for us proves that you're not your cold-blooded self.

...Well, you've convinced me. I'll have to be careful in the funo, on second thought, I needn't bother.

The moon will soon reach a point of no return.

Once it's past that point, it can never be returned to its original position, even if I were to restore Earth's gravity to normal.

The only way to save Moon Dubai is for you to defeat me here and now. That is your one and only chance.

Isn't that right, my beloved heroes?

So please, come up to the stage. Let us entertain our audience as best we're able.

I shall be the candidate intent on annihilating humanity, and you shall be the wandering heroes here to stop me.

No sense standing on ceremony. I plan to enjoy this performance as well.

Now then... May I have this dance for the fate of Earth and moon alike?

...So, it's already over. What a pity. Well, I have only myself to blame for falling short.

This was a great deal of fun. Thank you for humoring me.

Looks like we made it just in time. The moon should return to its original orbit now.

So tell me, why did you do this, anyway? You're not the kind of person to obey someone like BB Dubai.

I wasn't obeying her. I was simply answering the moon's own request.

We may have been dead for some time now, but it's still our purpose to honor requests from celestial bodies.

Do you remember what I asked you earlier, Fujimaru?

About why BB Dubai is holding this "Final Boss of Humanity's Annihilation Showdown"...

...and what it was that truly did wipe out this world's humans?

I see... Too bad. I was hoping to hear it from you before I disappeared.

That's right. If you could tell that much, then I have faith you'll figure it out very soon.

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Actually, do you mind if I ask you something about those Seven What-Ifs?

I noticed they all lined up with each Moon Cancer's campaign slogan.

You could have made those stages much more brutal if you'd wanted. So why did you go with those?

Those What-Ifs were all from parallel worldsfuture landscapes that unfolded across other Earth selves of mine.

Unfortunately, unlike my free-spirited self, I don't have much in the way of imagination...

...so I can only materialize things that have actually happened.

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Oh yes. Although each of the Moon Cancers had their own proposal...

...I believe they were chosen from the start because BB Dubai knew what they would propose.

I only realized that after trying it myself.

I chose my own proposed method of destruction expressly because I wanted you to overcome it...

...but BB Dubai wants one of these proposals to become reality. It seems to be the only thing giving her hope.

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Thank you for being so considerate. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.

It was this landthe site of the original moon landingthat called me here.

That footprintthe one small step for man that was at once a giant leap for old mankindwas my catalyst.

But now that a future where Earth collides with the moon has been ruled out, I can go no further.

Good luck, Fujimaru. I will never forget how you fearlessly took my hand in yours to lead me around.

And I must pay my respects to you as well, Crowned One. Your eye for tactics is as sharp now as it was a thousand years ago.

As for you, who became an insolent idol wannabe Spirit Origin...

Well, no matter. Do as you like. It doesn't matter to me.

Yeah, yeah. Feel free to get lost already.

Well then, everyone, I wish you a wonderful finale.

Even if there is no one left on this Earth, I still have hope that humanity will seize a new future.