Dark Maanna

...She's coming. Ishtar... My other half is drawing near.

Are you sure, my lady? We have not received any reports to that effect.

I can tell. The sheer revulsion she inspires in me is enough to make my fingers tremble in disgust.

I see. That is a very good sign.

How can this be a good sign? I'm so angry I could kill you just because you're the closest living thing.

If those bounty hunters are on their way, they will of course be bringing the catalyst with them.

Which means that soon, at long last, the shrine, the goddess, and the catalyst will all be gathered here at the entrance to the Origin Universe.

Of course, we certainly do not need to keep those bounty hunters around. I will have fifty fighters stationed around our position.

Once we have recovered the catalyst, they can then turn the bounty hunters' ship into so much space dust.

There is no need for that. I will see to Ishtar's execution myself.

Yes, you may have those fighters surround their ship and recover the catalyst...

...but once the catalyst is safe in his cell, I want Ishtar brought before me.

...As you wish.

By the way.

Given the route they were taking, they'll have to pass by Green Kitchen to get to Dark Maanna, right?

So why haven't we heard from Enma? She should have noticed something.

Given that she did not contact us, she must have either let them pass, or simply failed to read the wanted poster.

How could she do that!? She's the onlyer, the most earnest Saber among the Six Blades!

I expect she was most likely unable to act due to her financial difficulties.

Huh?

This zone has nothing in the way of tourists, which of course means the Kitchen has nothing in the way of revenue.

The only money she makes is from the occasional Space Shinkageryu recruit who goes there for the hot springs, which is to say, next to nothing.

Even the sparrows who work here only do so to earn money for the Kitchen.

...So that's what those birds are doing here.

I always wondered where they came from whenever I passed one, but I never would have thought...

I understand. After we've completed this plan, I'll give some thought to the Kitchen's financial woes.

I should be able to resolve their problems once I have awakened and become a perfect evil goddess with all the Servantverse under my control.

(Chirp! If not even the ruler of the whole Servantverse can solve the Kitchen's problems, who can, chirp?)

Very well, Lady Ashtart, please wait at your throne. I will pass your command on to the fighter pilots.

We will begin the awakening ritual as soon as the catalyst arrives. Soon, your patience will be rewarded.

...

...How strange. This sense of unease I feel is only growing more intense. It's as though my entire body is...smoldering...

It's not just my revulsion for Ishtar, either. I think I'm...afraid to be in this place...?

Are you there, Sigurd?

I am. What can I do for you, my lord?

That bounty hunter girl must not get any closer to Lady Ashtart.

Once we have retrieved the catalyst, dispose of the interlopers in whatever way you see fit.

...Understood. I hate to go against our leader's wishes, but if you think this is for the best, it shall be done.

...Of course it is for the best. Bringing the two of them together could awaken the real one.

And we are not so foolish as to awaken a being we cannot fully control.

Lady Ashtart's aspect is all the Primordial Goddess needs.

Warp-out successful. Purging auxiliary energy systems now.

We've officially arrived at Forbidden Zone A03: The Red Wasteland's Crown.

？！

That's their fortress!? It's way bigger than I was expecting!

We are talking about an evil organization's home base. If you ask me, anything smaller would be a disappointment.

I see they've already sent out their fighters. What do we do now, Ishtar?

No way we're backing down after coming this far! Engines to max!

Hold on tight, Fujimaru!

As long as we can attach ourselves to the fortress, our boarding codes should open their hatch! They have to!

They've started firing at us! Low power settings though, so looks like warning shots!

They must know they can't shoot us down as long as Fujimaru's on board!

Which means the next thing they try will probably be

？！

Exactly. Which means we've got the home field advantage! Take over the controls for a while, would you, X!?

Come on, Master! Let's get out there and show these punks who they're dealing with!

There, we're attached to one of the fortress's apertures! Our boarding codes check out! Here comes the homing beacon!

You guys ready to charge headfirst into their launch bay!?

Do it!

X, once we're in, can you take over the command room and close the hatch behind us!?

Leave it to me! I'm an old hand at these kinds of breaking and enterings! I'll make sure we're completely cut off from the outside!

All hands, move out! We've got to find Ashtart and capture her as quickly as possible!

？！

Welcome, foreign Master.

I am one of Space Shinkageryu's Six Blades: Sigurd the Dragon-slayer Sword.

I'm afraid I must ask the other guests to leave now. Take up your sword, half-goddess.

As a sign of respect for the Spirit Origin you share with Lady Ashtart, I will kill you in a fair fight.

Fine by me. Once I beat you, that'll be the last of both the Six Blades and this whole Saber insanity.

(Though it looks like he doesn't use a katana either... Which means the man who killed Father is still out there!)

There is one thing I don't understand. Tell me, half-goddess, before we begin: Why travel with her?

Huh? You mean Jane?

Yes. She and I are both survivors of the team that set out to kill the Primordial Goddess two thousand years ago, after she had been driven mad by her lust for revenge on all Servantkind.

Your companion there used a galactic bear trap of sorts to pin the goddess in place...

...while I used my demonic sword's Ten Suns form to obliterate her Spirit Core.

Without Space Scout Calamity Jane's keen eye, our team would never have been able to defeat her.

So tell me, as one of the Primordial Goddess's alter egos, why are you running around with the woman who sealed your original goddess self away?

...

Is that true, Jane!?

？！

Yup, it's true! I was totally planning to kill Ishtarin dead in the end!

I mean, she's one half of the Primordial Goddess, right? No way was I gonna let her live☆

Honestly, I still don't know what made Tokiomi want to raise her as his daughter.

That's exactly why we should make sure scholars get proper licenses before they work with genuinely dangerous stuff.

Anyway, none of that is really important right now since we're about to fight!

What's the matter, Sigurd? Have you grown rusty over the years or something?

Hold up. Hold up! You're a survivor of a team that set out to kill the goddess...?

But, that happened a long, long time ago, right!? So then, why were you working as Father's assistant!?

No... More importantly...

Were you just lying when you told me to become a bounty hunter, or consoled me after Father was killed!?

Did you even mean a word of it, Jane!?

Hehe. Sorry!

Now I see. So you were simply trying to do your job, albeit in your own way.

That answers my question. Now, let us begin our battle.

Wha...!? H-hey, come on, I'm still really shaken up here! Shouldn't an old, honorable swordfighter like you be able to gimme a moment to just process!?

Resistance is futile. Your swordplay is no match for mine.

Lord Munenori ordered me to dispose of all of you except the catalyst...

But as a knight of Space Shinkageryu, my loyalties lie with the commander.

And I need not hear her speak to ascertain her true will beyond a shadow of a doubt.

She wishes for the catalyst to be brought to her, and the rest of you to be imprisoned.

Farewell, Jane. As for you, half-goddess.

Power absent order only invites chaos.

But some thought such power could be contained as long as it was given form, regardless of what that form may do or think.

I commend Professor Tokiomi's attempt to do so, but it seems his methods were unequal to the task.

...

(Sigurd only brought me the catalyst? What was he thinking? I swear, when will he learn to not go off on his own?)

(...Well, I guess it's all right. I'll still get to do everything I planned, just not in the order I'd originally intended...)

...Hmph. So, you've finally returned to me, Master of Earth.

I'll admit, you surprised me back in Queens by temporarily enhancing my more pathetic half.

But I'm afraid that ability will do you no good here, since there are no Servants to come to your aid.

...

......

............

？！

...There is no need for us to converse.

Having said that...I suppose we could talk about everything that's transpired up to this point. Especially since we still have time.

So as the leader of Space Shinkageryu, I demand you tell me how you and my lesser half defeated almost all of the Six Blades together.

How dare you still speak to me so casually!? You'd best start treating me with the respect I'm due!

Sigurd appears to have elected to throw them in the holding cells, but rest assured...once the ritual is over, I'll make sure they're executed.

？！

？！

...I see. Well, that turned out to be a tremendous waste of time. What an incredibly boring journey you've had.

All right, my turn. I'm going to tell you something that's just as much for your benefit as mine.

After all, you don't want to simply be the proverbial lamb to the slaughteror altar, in this casedo you?

So I'm going to tell you what it is that Space Shinkageryu is trying to accomplish...

...and what will happen to the Servantverse once you, myself, and the Origin Universe have all played their parts.

...Look, you know how it is, right? I have responsibilities I need to fulfill.

So as a survivor of the goddess hunt's A team, I couldn't let Tokiomi just go ahead with his research on the Primordial Goddess, right?

But when I realized I couldn't talk him out of it, I decided my only choice was to become his assistant and keep an eye on things.

Then when he brought the goddess's Spirit Core back from the forbidden zone, it split in half...

...and when he then said he was going to raise her to be human, well, what else could I do but stick around so I could see how it turned out?

That way, if I saw any signs that she was turning out to be like the goddess of vengeance legends tell about, I'd have plenty of chances to take my gun and pop her right in the back of the head.

But then I went and forgot all about that up until Sigurd reminded me! Sorry, Ishtarin☆

So...does that mean you're still the same old Jane you've always been then?

I guess that depends on Ishtarin. I mean, I sure didn't tell her why I got mixed up in all of this stuff to begin with.

Then there's no problem. I already knew exactly what you were apologizing about earlier, anyway.

Not to mention I also already had a preeetty good idea how cold and calculating you are deep down...you know?

Oh man, when you put it like that, even I can't help but feel a little bad.

Okay, enough of that. Now let's figure out a way out of this mess, shall we?

They took Fujimaru away after Sigurd beat us, right? Then there's no time to waste.

We need to break down this door and get after him.

I'd love to do just that, but the walls here are oddly hard...

It looks like they're made out of something unusual. Something normal Servant Noble Phantasms can't even scratch.

Right you are, Assassin. Dark Maanna Space Fortress is but a cover name.

This fortress is in truth an artificial shrine designed to serve as an altar to the Primordial Goddess.

Its true name is "Ancient Shrine Bel Maanna (Imitation)."

Hmph, too cowardly to even talk to us face-to-face, huh?

I don't know who you are and frankly, I don't want to know, but isn't introducing yourself supposed to be the bare minimum courtesy among civilized people?

I see little point in giving my name to those who will soon be too dead to make use of it... But, very well.

I am Space Shinkageryu's vice commander, Yagyu Munenori.

Munenori? As in Munenori the sword saint, the head of Edo Shinkageryu!?

Heh, who can say. I suspect he is someone with whom I have...much in common, and I can understand all too well how frustrated a man in his station would be.

No matter how his disciples venerate him for his incredible skill, the fact remains that Otomeryu is forbidden from leaving Edo Shinkageryu's walls.

It is only natural that he may wish to, let us say, cut loose and do as he pleases from time to time, without concern for what those around him may think.

...Well bully for him. So what's the great vice commander of Space Shinkageryu doing here then?

Oh, that? Well, you are still the goddess's alter ego, even if you are only her good half.

So I thought it would be better for you to know what is about to happen, rather than for you to simply disappear.

Hmm. So if this place is an ancient shrine, does that mean you're planning on awakening Ashtart here?

We are not "planning" on anything. Lady Ashtart's awakening has already begun.

It started as soon as the goddess's halves, this forbidden zone, and the catalyst were all gathered together.

As described in the Goddess Scriptures, the Primordial Goddess who resided in the Shining Blue Galaxy was said to be a goddess of vengeance who loathed all of Servantkind.

Once she awakens, the Origin Universe will overwrite every rule that governs the Shining Blue Galaxy...

...by very literally cutting the entire universe cleanly in half.

Wha... Are you insane? If that happened, everything in the universe would die, INCLUDING you idiots!

Ah, but you see, the goddess would not enact her vengeance on us, for we are her loyal followers.

It seems your father never taught you what the goddess of the Origin Universe truly was.

...!

Well thanks for the exposition dump, Mr. Bad Guy. Now I know exactly what I need to do.

I need to destroy this fortress before that ever has a chance of happening.

Heh. Preposterous.

We were not the only ones who had a hand in building Dark Maanna.

Its exterior may be crafted with modern technology, but it is a warship above all elsea warship made for the goddess by a primordial Mystic.

Perhaps your so-called plan would not be entirely folly if the legendary sacred sword capable of cutting through the Dragon's Heart jewel at the core of the ship truly existed...

...but the last wielder of the sacred sword was lost in the last great war, along with the hopes and dreams of the Dark R.O.U.N.D.S.

At any rate, you lot need wait but another hour. Preparations for your execution are underway as we speak.

Enemies though you may be, you still managed to defeat five of our Six Blades. I will therefore give you an honorable death, in form of the rite of seppuku.

Oh man... This is so much to take in, I don't even know where to start.

Well, for the moment, I guess the most important thing is that this fortress is seriously bad news. Is there any way you can destroy it, Jane?

Nope. I'm not even sure a Universe-class battleship would have enough power to destroy a Dragon Heart energy reactor, let alone me.

...

A Dragon Heart, huh? Just leave that to me. I know a way to destroy that...

(Oh, right, I forgot! X let that slip way back on Texas Beyond!)

Really? You do?

Well, as long as nobody gets in my way, at least. So you two can just focus on rescuing Fujimaru.

It sounds like the ritual's already underway, so we really can't afford to take our time.

Good point! We can totally do this with you here, X! I mean, you're the Saber who once saved the Servantverse!

If you can pull this off too, I'll totally recommend you to the Galactic Police's galaxian department!

Huh? Galaxian? I've never heard of it before, but it sounds pretty cool...

Now we just have to figure out how to get out of here. Can't you break through these walls, X?

No, the Dragon's Heart is one thing, but I don't know if I can destroy a relic from an ancient civilization...

Well, I suppose I could give it a shot, but

Aah, I'm sorry! I destroyed it without even meaning to!

You didn't destroy anything. I opened it for you, chirp. I take it you three are Lady Ishtar, Lady X, and Lady Jane?

The madam asked us to bust you out. Are you really going to defeat the evil Space Shinkageryu, chirp?

Alert. An Archer, Assassin, and Extra-class Servant have escaped from the holding cells.

All hands must move to capture targets immediately. I repeat, all hands mustArgh!

Damn, they already know we escaped! Figures the home base would be a cut above the rest!

You're sure this is the way into the fortress's core, Mr. Sparrow!?

I'm sure, chirp. And there's an elevator there that leads directly to the throne room too, chirp!

Great, thanks! Okay X, we'll handle the throne room, you handle the core!

On it! As soon as I find the reactor, I'll bust it up good and make my way back to the launch bay!

Jane, head back to the launch bay now and make sure the Maanna's ready to go when we need it!

Got it! I hate to split up our forces, but I can't deny it'll be a good diversion!

I'll hold on as long as I possibly can, but I will leave with Maanna if it gets too dangerous to wait!

So you two better hurry back! No detours!

Don't worry! I'll be back in no time, and I'll make sure Fujimaru is with me!

...There you have it. That is Space Shinkageryu's objective: to turn me back into the Primordial Goddess.

Well, I suppose it would be more accurate to say they mean to use me as a vessel with which to awaken her.

？！

...This is the destiny I have been given. If this is what is being asked of me, I will see it fulfilled. That is all.

From what Munenori tells me, Professor Tokiomi brought the Primordial Goddess's Spirit Core back with him, but it split itself into good and evil halves.

I don't know for certain why the Primordial Goddess chose to divide herself in that manner...

...but if her goal is to enact vengeance on all of Servantkind, I do have a theory.

I suspect she thought she lost to Servantkinda collective entity that is no greater threat to her than an insect colony would be to usbecause her good side's naivety was holding her back.

So if this goodness was her fatal flaw, ridding herself of it would ensure she does not fail again.

Which is where I come in.

I will complete the goddess's evil form and enact vengeance on all of Servantkind, regardless of how I may personally feel about it.

If by doing so, I am able to grant Munenori's wish, that is, as they say, killing two birds with one stone.

Professor Tokiomi refused to awaken me, but Munenori raised me. So if this is what he wants, I will

What's the meaning of this!? Can't you tell I was right in the middle of an important discussion!?

It's an emergency, Commander! The prisoners have escaped and are on a destructive rampage!

I've received word that fighting has broken out in both the engine room and the launch baGuh!?

Sorry it took me so long to get here, Fujimaru!

So your plan is to revive the goddess, huh Ashtart? Don't you even know goddess revival went out of style ages ago!?

I really can't let YOU do this crap since you have my face, so I'm here to bring you and your whole Space Shinkageryu organization down!

..."Your" face? So you think you're a truer part of the Primordial Goddess than I!?

What a joke. I'm the real deal here. You're nothing more than a defective copy.

It's been ten years since your father was murdered, and your incompetent self was so preoccupied living hand-to-mouth that you couldn't even manage to track down his killer.

The very idea that a shoddy copy like you considers herself the same as me is so far beyond revolting, I actually find myself pitying you.

...All right, forget fighting to save the universe. I'm gonna kill you for being such a heinous bitch!

？！

You stay out of this!

Anything you want to say can wait until I've defeated this bitch and brought her down a peg or ten!

You really are a fool, aren't you? It seems you've already forgotten how outmatched you were at Queens.

And now you think you're going to defeat me? What a joke. The only hope you have of killing me is making me laugh so hard my sides end up rupturing.

You'll soon be begging for me to spare your life, Ishtar.

Though of course, that's only if you still have the energy to sob for mercy after I've cut off your arms and legs!

Well, well, listen to you, princess! Looks like you finally learned a halfway decent comeback!

You know, for all your big talk, all the "evil" stuff you've done has been petty BS! If you're gonna be EVIL, then have some freakin' panache!

But no, the best you could come up with is mohawk gangs, Altrium smuggling, messing with a bunch of students, and your stupid Saber Badges!

Ugh, there's nothing that pisses me off more than a small-time criminal! If you're going to be evil, then go big or go the hell home, dammit!

At least it's better than being a damn bounty hunter! Do you have any idea how dizzy I got when I looked up your record!?

Instead of saving the money you earn, you just go off and blow it on the nearest source of food or entertainment, and then go back to borrow even more! Didn't Professor Tokiomi teach you any restraint!?

I'll take being a small-time criminal over sloppy, half-baked "justice" any day of the week!

？！

(Damn... She's reacting faster now than she was at Queens! But then, that's just as true for me...!)

(It's like we're both pushing each other to greater heights... But is that a good thing? I'm getting a bad feeling)

Warning. Warning. Main engine shutdown confirmed. The Dragon Heart has been destroyed.

This ship is no longer spaceworthy. Chain reaction detected in fusion reactor. Thirty-two minutes until total system failure.

All hands, please evacuate via air lock three. I repeat. Main engine shutdown

What in the...!?

There, I made it with room to spare! So this is the ship's core, huh.

Hmm... I've never seen a reactor like this before, but that's definitely a Dragon Heart.

All right then, a little True Name release followed by my sacred sword, and then

So, your goal is the destruction of this fortress.

Unfortunately for you, that will never happen as long as I still draw breath...or prepackaged oxygen, in this case.

...I knew it. I could sense you were a wielder of the sacred sword back when we fought in the launch bay.

And you wield a demonic sword. It looks like you used to be a Saber of some repute...

...but you lost the right to call yourself a first-rate Saber the moment you joined Space Shinkageryu!

And what the hell is the Galactic Ascalon Movement, anyway!?

The other dragon types might not have a problem with that kind of cheat, but you better believe I do!

I have no attachment whatsoever to a Servantverse where Mystics have faded away and the dragonkin are in decline.

I have been wandering the galaxy for two thousand years, searching fruitlessly for a truly worthy opponent. Can you even begin to imagine what that is like?

...So, you are a genuine dragonkin. I never would have believed it.

To think that all the curses I leveled at the state of the world...all the ugliness I imposed to suit my own needs...would come back to me in this way...

Indeed, these are my just deserts. There was nothing I could do in the face of your sacred sword's brilliant light...

Phew, that was a tough one! Each and every one of his attacks felt like they were punching right through me!

But, it's also very sad he had to go out like this... He was genuine to a fault. Awkwardly so, even.

If he'd only found a partner who understood and accepted his unabashed straightforwardness...

...I don't think he'd have ever fallen in with the likes of Space Shinkageryu.

Oh well! All that aside, he was still a Saber, and Sabers get no mercy from me!

Now then, let's get back to destroying this core. True Name, releaGuh!?

(Cough...hack...) Oh man, the blood just won't stop...

Aw, dammit. I guess I wasn't as good as I hoped about dodging his attacks...

He struck with such skill I didn't even realize he'd destroyed my Spirit Core... Just my luck.

Well, I can still figure something out! Especially since the whole universe is at stake!

...In fact, I'm pretty sure this is why I survived.

I might have been all alone, forced to fend for myself SurCam-style...

But a true hero can't give up until they've given all they've got and more besides!

Besides...if I save the universe again, Ex will have to forgive me, right?

All right, let's do this! Saber Ninja Art Ultimate Technique!

Light and darkness cross to reveal Sabers! Cataphract shift! Feel the power of kingship!

Excalibur!!!

This can't be happening. How can Dark Maanna be falling apart!?

I thought this shrine was made for me! Munenori told me it would be the second coming of Bel Maanna!

It's over, evil me!!

Any hope you had of reviving the Primordial Goddess is gone, along with Space Shinkageryu's future!

So just give up, give Fujimaru back to me

I mean, promise to return him to his own universe...

...and you and I can stop fighting.

Unless, of course...you won't be satisfied with anything short of a fight to the death?

Of course not. Every breath you draw shames me!

So I will ensure that both Space Shinkageryu's dreams and the goddess's resurrection come to pass...once I have erased you from existence!

Prepare yourself, good me, for this Origin Universe is the perfect site for my grave!

I... I lost...?

To a pathetic half-wit like you, who grew up without a care in the world, like a normal girl?

...

Oh no, you have not lost at all, Lady Ashtart. If anything, you did better than I expected.

After all, she is a better fit for this forbidden zone than you ever were.

Huh? What do you mean by that, MunenoAagh!

？！

You literally stabbed her in the back!? Who the hell are you!?

Heh. Did I not already introduce myself earlier? I am Space Shinkageryu's vice commander, Yagyu Munenori.

Mune...nori...? But...why...?

Let us say it was a warrior's mercy. It would be far crueler to let a battle drag on when the outcome is already clear.

No, I decided to end this battle now because you still have a key part to play, Lady Ashtart.

Unfortunately, my goddess, Dark Maanna is done for.

...I see. So then, what will happen to me...? To the organization?

Not to worry. Ships can be rebuilt as many times as necessary.

Now, let us be on our way.

...Huh? Where are...we going?

Come now, my lady. Surely you have not forgotten how you wish to become a perfect evil goddess?

Right... I do, don't I...? That's weird. I can't seem to walk... Will you take me there, Munenori?

Of course, my lady. You are our most precious vessel. I will bear you there with the greatest of care.

Hold it! You leave her right where she is!

I don't know who you think you are, but you have no right to take Ashtart away

Of course I do. It was I who raised her, after all.

...!

Come to the altar in the Origin Universe. You too have a right to watch this unfold.

Oh, and one more thing. You've spent so long searching for the man who killed your father, Tokiomi...

I see no reason not to tell you now. It was I.

!!!

That was him... That's the guy I've been

？！

Y-yeah, you're right! Sorry, I couldn't think straight!

Okay, first we head back to the ship, then we go after them!

Testing, testing! Do you read me, Jane!? Can you give me a route to the launch bay from here!?

Take corridor A6 over there, then corridor B2! After that, it's a straight shot to the bay!

It's a fire, chirp!

No, it's an earthquake, chirp!

We're gonna crash, chirp!

Whatever it is, we still have to keep calm and proceed to the exit in an orderly fashion, chirp!

？！

Come on, get out of our way! You know if you don't hurry, you'll get caught up in the blast too, right!?

No cutting in line, chirp.

I swear, goddesses these days have no manners, chirp.

Ow! Hey! Okay, okay, you can all come with us! Now quit pecking at me already!

Really, chirp? Okay, we'll go with you then. Lead the way, chirp.

Oho. A little compact, but not bad. Mind if we borrow the storeroom, chirp?

Huh? You mean she's not with you!? But I thought she

She's fine! She already got out! I've waited as long as I can, though. We have to go NOW!

？！

Buckle up! I'm gonna use the rocket boosters to get us out of here, so keep your mouths shut if you don't want to end up biting off your tongues!

？！

...X...

...No, never mind. There'll be plenty of time for regrets later! Right now, we've got work to do!

Jane, take us to the forbidden zone! We're going to settle this where that bastard took Ashtart...

The altar of the Origin Universe!