Section 10: Eulogy for the Planet of Primates II

...!

Here I go!

Flame and thunder! Come to me!

Now! Diving attack!

Raaaaaaaah!!! Leave it to me, Master!

The combat beast squadrons and other large Lostkin have all been eliminated!

(Huff, huff...) We've been fighting...for four hours now...

...I think we've used up too much of Master's magical energy. Let's take a breather!

How're things looking, Mash?

It's hard to say for certain...but we should have whittled down the enemy forces by a significant amount.

That said...

...Right.

Yes, there are still many hostiles nearby. This isn't over yet!

？！

Mmm. This one's looking pretty big...

A large combat beast! And there are more groups of Lostkin and combat beasts headed this way, too!

They just keep on coming, don't they!?

They're like an endless swarm! Ugh! This is making me really thirsty!

As soon as this is all over, I'm getting myself a nice, cold drink!

Get us through this, and you can have as many as you want! So hang in there, guys!

Ooh♡

The Storm Border might be able to hold out against this many enemies attacking it all at once...

...but even with multiple Bounded Fields, the Shadow Border just doesn't stand a chance!

？！

Right!

... ...

...I was fortunate to run into the Chaldeans. They're all doing a great job.

All right then, I guess I'd better do my job, too, or I'll never be able to show my face to Lord Yuanshi Tianzun or Mother Xiwangmu.

Are you ready to meet your end, shadow of Daji?

You've changed a lot since we last met.

Did you change your perfume or something? Actually, never mind. It would be rude to ask.

Now, it's time. Thought Keys, activate.

...The Kunlun Mountains belong to Yuanshi Tianzun. Invested in the fish-tailed golden crown and the crane robes, unite the heavens and the earth as one!

An immortal aura, godly and pure! Divine Xian of paradise, descend now before us!

In my hands lie the peerless treasured blades!

Encompassing geography and astronomy alike, the eight trigrams lie within me! With them, I am on equal footing with a Divine Xian!

That incantation...

No, wait. IS it an incantation? What do you two make of it?

I think it is. Both his words and his voice are definitely infused with magical energy.

I don't know much about sage arts, or thought spells, or whatever that is, but I, uh, do get the sense he's saying some really crazy stuff!

I-I know, right? I mean, I'm pretty sure I heard something about a Divine Xian in there!

He's basically declaring that he's just as powerful as a materialized Divine Xian-class being!

Huh?

Divine Xian?

Xian, Xian...

If I recall correctly, Divine Xian are similar to Divine Spirits, but from Chinese mythology... Is that right?

Yup, that's them.

Though they're more like actual gods than Divine Spirits, much like the Skadi in Scandinavia, or the Twelve Olympians.

Basically, they're super advanced beings with powerful Mystics and overwhelmingly strong Spirit Origins and spiritual ranks.

Damn, seriously? That's one hell of a claim, Taigong Wang!

I-indeed, it is! But I, for one, have no trouble believing him.

If his exploits as described in the Investiture of the Gods are anywhere close to reality, then he is absolutely strong enough to rival a Divine Xian!

He did supposedly kill Gao Youqian, one of the Four Saints of Lingxiao Palace on Nine Dragon Island, in a single blow.

Whoa! And here I'd always had this image of him as just a tactician.

He was a famed general, and a practitioner of Taoism powerful enough to rival Divine Xian.

Normally, that would be super reassuring right now, but I can't help but worry about that incantation!

After all, even if he does have ties to her, he's still making this declaration to one of the most powerful beings in mythology.

Seems like a pretty risky move to me. But maybe it's just normal for him?

Or, then again...

...maybe that's just how far he has to push himself to take Daji down!

!

Here in this world, I am the embodiment of Yuxu! Here in this world, I am the enactor of Fengshen!

...I swear here and now, under the mandate of the heavens, I shall defeat this god and usher in a holy dynasty!

Prepare to be sealed away forever, shadow of the millennium fox spirit!

...In the name of the mother goddess Nüwa of the Three Sovereigns, know that the virtuous fruits of Taoism are not found in this world, fox!

Da Yao Shenghua - Fengshen Yanyi!

... ...

Heh.

Oopsies☆

Huh?

I'm so sorry. Hehehe. It was just such a weak Bounded Field Noble Phantasm, I couldn't help myself.

...

Hm?

Huh? That's weird.

Ahahaha, well, shit!

That was my Anti-Beast Noble Phantasm, tailored specifically for Daji's shadow. It had the power of the Twelve Golden Immortals...

And it did nothing!

I wonder why!?

Huh!?

Huh?

？！

Bwhafooou!?

No way!

Heh...

Hehe, hehehehe! Ahh, that was hilarious! I wish I'd brought a camera crew!

All that buildup for a complete flop! You're quite the entertainer, aren't you?

I thought you were a most unusual Heroic Spirit. Were you a court jester or something?

I was planning to have my children overwhelm you by weight of numbers, but that's not an elegant solution.

Since you've put on such a good show, it's only right that I return the favor, no?

So I'll play along with your game, and put on a little performance of my own.

？！

This body you Chaldeans once helped me discover is a bit worn out, but it should suffice for the occasion.

After all, there's no great detective here this time, and I don't see any sign of Athena or Ares Klironomia, either.

Her magical energy readings are suddenly skyrocketing! It's just like we saw in Olympus!

I'm seeing spatial erosion in your vicinity, too! She really is a Beast!

Now, what sort of fighting forces do you have...?

Hehe, ah, yes. There's the hilarious court jester, though I'm still not sure who you are.

So it seems the only halfway decent fighters you have are the dragon rider and the Divine Spirit.

Hmm... I see the Divine Spirit has quite the nasty little sword, but it doesn't look like she's unlocked its full potential.

That just leaves the pitiful imitation human girl, and...

Oh, right. I almost forgot.

You.

You're here too, aren't you, Master? I don't have any particular attachment to you, personally.

That Black Barrel of yours is a very good weapon, though...and by good, I do mean terrible.

As the executive director of NFF Services, I have to commend your accomplishments.

But as a Beast, I find you the worst sort of trash this planet has to offer.

Her magical energy's still spiking higher! And her physical mass just transformed into something...enormous!

I can't believe the sheer mass of her Spirit Origin! You guys actually fought this thing back in Olympus!?

Thought Keys, activate!

In my hands lie the peerless treasured blades! Encompassing geography and astronomy alike, the eight trigrams lie within me!

Yuxu Tixian - Fengshen Zhixing!

Oh wow...!

That was my second Anti-Beast Noble Phantasm; it's cast on my allies! I just hope this one works!

You don't sound all that confident!

Well yeah, after what just happened...

Snap out of it already! We've come this far together, so I'm gonna get serious again!

And now, it's Habbycat time! Call her, Mash!

Right...! Habetrot! I need your help!

Okay! You got it!

So that's the Beast? Whoa, she's huge! But I don't see anyone ever choosing her for a bride!

She looks pretty tough, but I'm not about to let her win!

The bond between Mash and Fujimaru is even bigger than she is!

Here she comes! Everyone, get ready!

Hrn!

What a strange feeling...

It almost feels like I'm hitting cotton candy? ...No, that's not quite right.

There's something about her that makes my hair stand on end! I don't even know how to describe this feeling, but I don't like it!

I can say this second Noble Phantasm of yours is working pretty well, though!

True, I do get the sense she doesn't like it! What do you think, Taigong!?

...I suppose.

However, its output is far too low. It's not even giving you ten percent of the power I expected it to.

And then there's the lack of feedback from our attacks!

It can only mean this Beast is NOT actually Daji's shadow!

It's either just an alter ego of sorts, or a clone! Nothing more!

Huh!?

It's a little shocking to hear a mere clone is this strong, but that does explain some things! Like why hitting her feels like hitting a cloud!

... ...

Just dealing with a clone is taking everything I've got. Healing everyone's exhaustion is also proving difficult.

That's the truth, much as I wish it wasn't.

I admit it! I failed big time! And I'm usually so good about succeeding at times like this, too!

？！

!

...

...You're right. Thank you, Master of Chaldea.

Fou!

Yes, you're exactly right.

I am Taigong Wang. I am a hero inscribed in humanity, and a great tactician who managed to defeat a massive empire.

And what's more, I'm also the extraordinary hope of the Kunlun Mountains! Three thousand years ago, I was a match for the Twelve Golden Immortals even while I was still just a Taoist practitioner!

So of course I can and will do something about this!

...Are you all done flailing at me now?

Then I guess this is goodbye. I hope you don't mind, but I'll be letting my children take it from here.

I'm detecting multiple hostiles again! ...And there are even more of them than we fought earlier!

Uh-oh! That's not good!

Tch!

I recommend an immediate retreat, Master of Chaldea.

？！

Allow me.

...Ah.

Huh?

Yikes! How did a three-meter beauty pop in here all of a sudden!?

Sorry about that. I didn't know I was gonna be sent here.

Phew. I almost ended up in here with my mount. Good thing he turned into his spirit form in time.

A simultaneous group transport spell!? That must be the same earth evasion spell you used earlier!

Director Goredolf, would you mind taking control of the Shadow Border?

I'd like you to get as far away from here as you can, as quickly as you can.

A-all right.

Wait, what about you!? Don't tell me you're still outside the Border!?

...Well, yes, I am, actually.

I'm going to draw Koyanskaya's "children" away from you, so that you can put as much distance between them and you as possible.

If you wouldn't mind.

But, what about yo

So what, you're valiantly sacrificing yourself?

How disappointing. And here I thought we could speak as equals. The last thing I need is bad melodrama.

Not at all.

Me? Sacrifice myself?

Of course I'd never do anything like that. Don't be ridiculous.

I'm a tactician. An army's commander dying before the battle's end?

Abandoning one's troops to their own devices? That would be the height of irresponsibility.

It would be doing each and every one of my soldiers a disservice, and a dereliction of my duty to the world at large.

So no, I'm not sacrificing myself.

The truth is, this is all an illusion.

I may have mass, life-force, magical energy, and even a Servant aura...

...but I myself am not actually here anymore.

...Well now.

I had no idea you were such a magician. Hehe, are you sure you weren't some court jester somewhere?

Ahaha. Maybe I was.

But just so you know, Ms. Beast, I can repeat this trick as many times as it takes.

Every time you decide to go after the Shadow Border, I'll help them escape in the exact same way.

And if you think seeing my technique enough times will let you figure out the trick...

Think again.

I'm very, very good at earth evasion spells. I know over two hundred of them, and untold combinations thereof.

...How do I know you're not just talking big?

Ahaha.

Care to see for yourself, then?

No, I'll pass.

I'm out here on a lark, anyway. I don't have the mental or physical energy to spare for games.

I'd much rather spend my free time back home enjoying a nice siesta.

Of course, if you and the Chaldeans would like to come visit my headquarters, you're perfectly free to do so.

I usually turn away all visitors who show up without an appointment...

But as a Beast, I certainly can't turn the representatives of humanity away empty-handed.

So the next time we meet, I'll greet you myself rather then sending a familiar to do it.

And with that, I bid you good day.

See you later, then.

...

Has anyone ever told you you're something of an odd bird?

Haha, that's not a very nice thing to say, Ms. Beast.

But if you must know, yes... I get that a lot.

Man, that sure was embarrassing, huh!?

Fou, fooou!

After all my big talk about how I would handle her myself, my Anti-Beast Noble Phantasm did nothing.

I'm sorry!

...I'm so sorry.

Now, now. I won't say I know how you must feel, but you don't need to take sole responsibility.

Besides, the only reason we're still here and able to talk about this at all is your earth evasion spell.

Master is right.

None of us would be here right now if it wasn't for your earth evasion spell.

So please don't be so hard on yourself, Taigong Wang. We're all grateful for your help.

？！

Besides, I was really hoping to avoid any further fighting back there, anyway. You did great, Taigong Wang.

Indeed. It was a bad matchup, that's all. And who can blame you, since it's Koyanskaya we're dealing with here?

You're the reason we didn't suffer any casualties, or any damage to the Shadow Border...not to mention that we survived to have this conversation in the first place.

So do cheer up, my good man. As far as I'm concerned, you're every bit the Taoist I thought you were.

Fou fou.

Well that's good news for you, huh, Taigong Wang?

They definitely wouldn't have let you get away with a failure that colossal in Kiev, that's for sure! Ahahaha!

If you were a Bogatyr, you'd be dead from sheer mortification in the Sun Prince's court!

Good thing you're not, huh!?

...A-ahaha.

Ouch...

Are you throwing a pity party for yourself, Taigong Wang? Is that it?

... ...

...Ahem.

I know my credibility is in the gutter, but there's no sense in dwelling on my many mistakes at this point.

What's more, it's thanks to my grievous errors in judgment that I can now say something with new clarity.

What's that?

It's about her. Koyanskaya.

Fair-faced Golden Fox. The millennium fox spirit known as Daji who brought disaster and calamity to China three thousand years ago...

...ushering in the end of the Shang dynasty as a Beast, an Evil of Humanity.

Some also say she's one of the major figures behind Tamamo-no-Mae, one of the three great monsters of Japan.

R-right. Although Tamamo-no-Mae continues to deny that...

Eh, why don't we just leave Tamamo-no-Mae out of this, huh? Things are complicated enough already!

Thank you.

Up to this point, my hypothesis was that the being you call Tamamo Vitch Koyanskaya...

...was actually Daji, now transformed into a Heroic Spirit after her death.

That is the assumption under which I materialized and prepared my special Anti-Beast Noble Phantasm.

However...

Your second Noble Phantasm had some effect on her, but your first didn't work at all!

The first was supposed to hit her on the inside, and the second was supposed to hit her on the outside.

But, the second was the only one that worked. And at less than ten percent of the effect I originally envisioned, to boot.

？！

？！

Then, that must mean

Indeed.

My second Noble Phantasm had some effect on Koyanskaya thanks to her resemblance to Daji, but since the resemblance was only surface-level, my first had no effect at all.

That, in turn, can only mean...

...the Beast we face is not, in fact, Daji's shadow.

Although Koyanskaya does look a lot like her, they actually have no connection whatsoever.

They are completely separate beings.