Caules came back to his senses, looking toward Fiore, who had interrupted the automaton's movement at the last moment. The girl had already re-equipped her mechanical arm-armor. Though the wound on her back had not yet healed, she could no longer afford to worry about such things.
"Sister!"
"Caules… step back! If you touch that thing, even as magi, we—!"
Roar!!
Before she could finish, the automaton bellowed once again from within the smoke. It seemed enraged, pounding the ground with boom boom force.
The monster scattered the dust and advanced, each step shaking the earth, once more charging at Caules!
"Caules!"
Bzzt…
A flash of lightning appeared before him. The Shogun, in human form, roughly hauled the boy onto her shoulder and vanished again, reappearing beside Fiore atop the watchtower.
Thud!
"Ugh! Ouch… ouch…"
She dropped him unceremoniously onto the ground, leaving him to groan in pain.
"Caules, don't always rush to the front. It's dangerous."
Fiore scolded him.
"S-sorry." Caules scratched his head awkwardly.
"Sigh… Shogun… do you have any insight?"
Seeing his apology, she had no reason to keep reproaching him. She turned to her Servant instead.
"It can extract the life force of living beings, just like those homunculi. Avoid touching it with a mortal body."
The Shogun stepped to the edge of the tower, calmly analyzing the massive automaton in the distance.
"Then we'll attack from range… Archer!"
Fiore nodded and signaled to Chiron.
"Leave it to me."
Chiron understood and readied his bow.
"We'll help too!"
Rider arrived with Sieg in tow, joining the group. Had these two been off flirting until now? How irresponsible—truly beyond limits, the Shogun muttered inwardly.
"Caster! What is going on?!"
Rider shouted in displeasure at Caster, who was standing atop the automaton's shoulder.
"It's been a while, Rider. I shall use this supreme Noble Phantasm—'Royal Crown - the Light of Wisdom'—to save the world."
Caster replied.
"Are you insane?! That thing could never save the world!"
"Heh… pitiful. No wonder your reason has evaporated—your words are inevitably foolish!"
Crack!
Caster's body was wrapped in earth, then melded into the automaton itself.
Roar!
The automaton howled madly again, its attacks fiercer and swifter than before. Its arms began to undergo subtle transformations—becoming even more massive and brutal!
The shockwave from its roar surged outward like a tsunami, whipping their hair and clothes, raising clouds of dust.
"Ugh… he said 'Royal Crown - the Light of Wisdom' just now… could it be that primordial giant?"
Shielding herself from the wind, Fiore's voice was filled with disbelief. This was terrible. She knew of that Noble Phantasm—it was exceedingly troublesome to deal with.
Whoosh!
An arrow struck the automaton's right shoulder. It failed to pierce through, leaving only sparks and a brief explosion.
"He merged into the body… no weak points to aim for."
Chiron frowned. Had Caster not vanished, he would have shot him the next second!
Just as he prepared another arrow, the automaton targeted his tower. Its mouth opened wide—firing a thick, pale green beam of energy!
"!"
Chiron immediately abandoned his shot, leaping away from the tower!
BOOM!!
The beam carved upward from the ground, obliterating the watchtower. Explosions erupted, fire soared skyward—one-fourth of the fortress was mercilessly destroyed.
The blasted debris rained down like a storm, filling the air with dust.
"Hey! Archer, could you stop standing on the castle next time… that all costs money!"
Gordes winced at the damage to Fortress of Millennia, scolding his Servant with distress.
"Uncle, is this really the time to care about that…?"
Caules muttered wearily.
"I understand. I'll be more careful next time, Master."
Chiron responded, bowing his head slightly.
Even while falling through the air, Chiron still responded to his Master's reminder. Twisting his body midair, he drew his bow again and loosed several arrows at the colossal automaton!
Thwip thwip thwip! ×N
The rate of fire no longer resembled arrows, but a sewing machine. Countless arrows hammered into the automaton like a machine gun. Yet aside from a few sparks, they caused no real damage—not even piercing its armor.
"Such exaggerated defense… its skin repels arrow-type damage. Without close combat, this will be difficult."
Landing on the ground, he leapt again to rejoin the others on the watchtower.
"But… if it comes to close combat…"
Fiore turned her eyes to the Shogun.
"I said 'mortals should avoid it as much as possible.'"
Meaning… perhaps she herself could.
The next instant, the automaton focused on their position and raised its arm to smash down upon them!
Seeing this, the Shogun wrapped an arm firmly around Fiore's waist, then leapt skyward. At the same time, Chiron hoisted Gordes and Caules away from the collapsing tower.
BOOM!!
The deafening crash reduced the watchtower to rubble, crumbling to the ground.
Bzzt~
Flashing as lightning in the air, the Shogun held Fiore close with one arm, while with the other she swung her naginata, slicing into the automaton's arm as it reeled in stiffness!
"Kyaa~!"
Fiore cried out involuntarily, overwhelmed by the perilous thrill.
Slash!
With a resonant blade cry, the lightning-clad naginata cleaved through the arm as though cutting through fruit.
Again flashing into the sky, she stood upon hovering purple elemental steps, descending like a goddess, looking down upon the automaton below.
"Huff… huff…"
Fiore clutched her chest, panting hard. The last few seconds had been far too intense…
The Shogun's gaze never left the automaton. At the severed cross-section of its arm, she saw vine-like growth sprouting, spreading until a new arm regrew. Grass bloomed beneath its feet, and the surrounding forest slowly transformed under its influence.
Taking advantage of the recovery period, Jeanne sprinted toward its feet, leapt up its body, and ran along its arm with lightning speed, charging for its face!
"Haaah!"
She swung her battle standard like a cudgel with all her might, smashing it into the automaton's head!
Thud!
Like the toll of a bell, the blow forced the automaton back several steps.
"Truly worthy of Ruler!"
From a vantage point, Chiron once more fired arrows in rapid succession like a machine gun.
Roar!!
The automaton bellowed again. The shattered face swiftly regenerated, and it raised a pale green magical shield, blocking all incoming arrows.
Mana surged—its shield exploded into a shockwave, repelling the barrage of arrows back at them with even greater force!
BOOM!
A chain of explosions erupted, each arrow detonating with pale green magic, demolishing surrounding structures and scattering their formation.
Mana coursed through its body, its massive frame growing even stronger. Behind it, thorns flared with the blinding glow of charged energy.
"Damn it… what kind of mana is this?!"
From behind a boulder, Gordes stared in terror at the colossal monster.
"Ahhh—! So troublesome!!"
Farther away, Rider, still being chased, shouted in exasperation.
"The primordial giant… its indiscriminate power reshapes the world itself—it can alter reality."
Hearing Fiore's voice by her ear, the Shogun glanced at the girl, who hung limply at her side, legs dangling, clinging tightly around her arm.
"…According to ancient lore, the mere presence of the primordial giant transforms its surroundings into Eden—a self-sustaining Reality Marble. It's extremely dangerous."
Fiore, ignoring the embarrassment of her current posture, shared all the knowledge she knew.
"Eden knows no bloodshed… therefore… Archer's arrows have no effect at all."
"If we kill its Master, will it be harmed?"
The Shogun asked.
"No… even if Caster is eliminated, the giant will not stop. It will still remain in this world."
Fiore shook her head regretfully.
"But if we don't kill him, he'll endlessly fuel it—and keep it alive?"
"Yes…"
Fiore nodded.
"In that case, there is only one answer."
The Shogun's gaze turned dangerous.
"Eh?"
"First, slay its Master. Then erase the construct entirely."
In the next instant, she flashed away as lightning to a distant high platform, a relatively safe, secluded place. She set down the girl in her arms.
Fiore steadied herself with her mechanical arm, facing the Shogun with puzzled eyes, full of worry.
"Is your mana still sufficient?"
The Shogun did not explain, instead asking an unexpected question.
"Eh… um… yes, it's sufficient. Shogun, are you planning…?"
Thanks to her excellent magic circuits, Fiore's mana reserves were also considerable.
"To face this thing requires something equally vast. An eye for an eye—that is this vessel's principle. I won't say more. You'll understand soon."
She offered no details, only a veiled hint. Fiore obediently refrained from pressing further, watching silently as the Shogun departed.
Whoosh!
Lightning fell into the distant forest. The Shogun stood, surveying the open ground, then closed her eyes. Her naginata rested behind her, while her other hand formed a seal before her chest.
At once, immense lightning coursed over her body. Her eyes shone brightly as a colossal Eye of Stormy Judgment tore open the sky behind her, like a wound in space itself.
She stood motionless, eyes closed, as though connecting in spirit with something beyond.
"!"
Even Ei within the Plane of Euthymia was shocked.
[Shogun… could it be that you intend…?]
'Trust me.'
[…Very well. If anything goes wrong, I will bring it to an end myself.]
Ei had no doubt in the Shogun. Still, this was her first time seeing her attempt such a summoning across the boundary of life and death. Perhaps the rules of this world gave her aid.
Since Eden rejected bloodshed, physical attacks were useless. Thus, only elemental force could prevail—on a massive scale. And water alone could amplify lightning's might.
The elemental currents around her grew stronger than ever before, thick with power. The channel to the other side had been opened—any instability could sever it.
"God who perished beyond the veil, this vessel summons you beneath Inazuma, by the call of Narukami, appear in this place."
Her cold, resonant voice rang out like an incantation, echoing through the heavens and the gate beyond.
"Today you are not merely the spirit at this vessel's blade, but shall receive form by the will of thunder. Appear as kin, as this vessel's vassal."
This was no ordinary otherworldly summoning, but a summoning of the dead across the boundary of life. She was certain—if it was him, he would respond. It was an experiment, a bold attempt. A soul long faded, called to re-form its worn true body by her voice.
"Answer the will of eternity—appear, Orobashi no Mikoto!"
Her violet eyes snapped open as she thrust her hand aside, still clasped in a seal!
The Eye of Stormy Judgment began to change… The lightning element gave way to bubbles rising like those of the deep sea. The bubbles thickened, until endless ocean water poured forth, like tears from a vast eye.
The forest filled with mist and floating bubbles, drenched in a blue hue.
In a dark place beyond the veil, two pallid serpent eyes gleamed from the shadows!
BOOM BOOM!!
In that instant, seawater burst out like a tsunami. From the colossal eye's pupil emerged a great serpent clad in gleaming silver-white scales!
Its immense body coiled through the sky like a dragon, circling several times before lowering its length to the sodden ground.
ROAR ROAR!!!!
The great serpent opened its bloody maw and raised its head to the sky in a long howl… The piercing roar shook the air itself, releasing a shockwave that stirred the forest's branches and sent dust billowing from the ground.
Its sheer size dwarfed the forest, towering higher than dozens of stories, like a dragon dominating the land.
The serpent's appearance drew every eye present—including the automaton and Caster.
"Wh-what is that?! A s-snake?!"
Gordes fell onto his backside, staring up at the moon-blocking behemoth with stammering disbelief.
"Looks like some kind of familiar summoned by Saber?"
Chiron lowered his bow, analyzing solemnly.
"So cool~!!! I totally hate her, but this is just way too cool!"
Rider's eyes sparkled as he gazed at the massive serpent the Shogun had summoned.
"R-Rider…"
Caules covered his face in exasperation.
"Oh? Saber, so you also possess such a Noble Phantasm? Whether it's a familiar or Noble Phantasm, I'm truly astonished."
Caster murmured in awe.
"..."
Fiore exhaled softly in relief… As expected, the Shogun was strong.
After its howl, the serpent gradually quieted, surveying its surroundings. Then it lowered its head, turning its gaze upon the woman with the naginata who stared back, unflinching.
The serpent's head descended, looming close, frowning slightly as it studied her. Breath from its nostrils blew the dust and rustled her kimono's sleeves and hem like a gale.
After a long silence… as though recognizing her face and scent—
"…Baalzebul."
At last, the serpent spoke. Its deep, magnetic voice carried a heavy pressure, though the Shogun paid it no mind.
"It has been a long time, Orobashi… Or perhaps I should call you Watatsumi Omikami, should I not?"
The Shogun met its presence with a poise equal to its own.
"Heh… For me, slain beneath your blade, what reunion could there be?"
Though tinged with bitterness, its tone carried a hint of self-mockery.
"That was your just fate. You invaded Inazuma, brought calamity to my people, slew my generals. Death was your deserved punishment."
She answered without hesitation. Even with subjects of his own, he had committed such excesses—so much so that even now those of Watatsumi Island remained restless…
"..."
The serpent lowered its head in silence.
"I cannot deny it… You are right. That was my sin to bear."
Remorse echoed in its voice.
"Enough. Let us not dwell on old wounds. Today, I have summoned you not to argue, but to lend me your strength."
She cast aside the past, lest it delay the matter at hand.
"Oh? I have yet to ask—summoned from beyond, into this strange land… What is your purpose?"
Orobashi finally seemed to notice the surroundings. This was no land of Inazuma—rather, it felt like another world. And why was Baalzebul here?
"It is a long story… Look there."
The Shogun tilted her chin toward the distant automaton, still lumbering toward them.
Narrowing its eyes, Orobashi studied the giant of comparable size. At once, it understood…
"I see. Baalzebul… you called me to help you face that thing."
"Indeed."
She closed her eyes, voice low.
"Well?"
It was her final question.
"Heh… How could I refuse? Consider it atonement for the calamities I once caused. Though far from enough, it is my offering of repentance!"
ROAR!!
Orobashi bellowed at the automaton. Its massive body surged with torrents of water-elemental power, waves so dense they even drowned out the Shogun's violet lightning.
The serpent lowered its head to the ground before her, saying nothing, but the meaning was clear.
"Excellent!"
With that, she leapt onto its bowed head.
The serpent rose, coiling into the sky, spraying water and dust as its immense body blotted out the heavens. Silver-white scales shimmered under the moonlight, noble and resplendent—so dazzling it seemed like a spectacle torn from the grandest of films.