Take one step, but look ten steps ahead. That was the principle Li Mo adhered to in handling affairs.
Reality was bizarre and unpredictable; you never knew how strangely things might develop when you acted.
The more cautious one's actions, the more one should prepare for various contingencies as much as possible.
If someone knew Li Mo's plan for this occasion and understood his principle of conduct, they would feel a contradiction between the two. Why was that?
Because this was something that *had* to be done. One could only strive for the optimal solution to a certain extent.
After the initial pleasant surprise upon first arrival, Li Mo did not grow fond of the scenery of the Norse Lostbelt. A vast expanse of pure white, with no other colors besides that. Even though his favorite colors were black and white, looking at them for too long inevitably became tiresome.
Today, after seeing Koyanskaya off, he brought Ophelia into the castle and handed her over to Skadi. There was no further discussion with the Queen during this.
What needed to be discussed had already been discussed. All that remained was to head north alone to the location of the Fantasy Tree.
Heading north was true; being alone was false. On the pure white snowfield, a Servant accompanied Li Mo.
"Sigurd."
Surtr, wearing Sigurd's Saint Graph.
The great hero wielding the demonic sword was honestly following Li Mo forward. In his original plan, the other should have been in the castle. When needed, Skadi would directly destroy his spiritual core, allowing Surtr to manifest in the world once more.
Plans couldn't keep up with changes. Now, he was traveling north with Li Mo. Clearly, he would have to shatter Sigurd's spiritual core himself next. Fortunately, he didn't need to maintain Sigurd's existence personally.
Li Mo looked up at the sky.
Even from a great distance, he could clearly see Svalinn's long golden hair. With a Valkyrie present, things wouldn't be easy.
"Where are we going?"
"Finally couldn't resist asking? Great hero, I thought you wouldn't speak up along the way," Li Mo responded with a smile.
"What do you plan to do with me?" Surtr asked.
He truly couldn't figure out what this mage before him intended. When had he, the Flame Giant who brings about the end, come to be treated with such an attitude by this insignificant ant?
Ah, how pitiful.
Surtr inwardly mocked himself like this.
"I plan to send you back to the Throne of Heroes, Sigurd," Li Mo began. "You know the direction we're heading is towards the Fantasy Tree's location, right?"
"What if I do?"
Inwardly, secretly pleased.
Currently, Surtr was trapped within Sigurd's Saint Graph. This was due to the power of Ophelia's Command Spells; he could not violate them. He could not return to his true form by killing himself. But... if someone else shattered his spiritual core, the shackles on him could be broken, allowing him to return to his true form.
The mask covering his face hid his expression, but changes in his eyes couldn't deceive others.
Li Mo had been paying attention to Surtr's eyes and saw that subtle change. He knew then that his deception hadn't been seen through.
*He doesn't know that I know he is Surtr.*
That was enough.
"The Fantasy Tree was brought by little Ophelia. This achievement is acknowledged by Her Majesty the Queen. However, such an important thing uses others' technology and is under others' management. What if... they left a backdoor?"
Li Mo said, "It's not about suspecting little Ophelia, but suspecting those behind her. Something like a Fantasy Tree couldn't possibly be something she created."
As his words fell, the scenery before them underwent a tremendous change.
Where there had been nothing, a gigantic tree appeared. Like a pillar connecting to the heavens, resembling the Tower of Babel linking sky and earth. Its bark was cracked, revealing a scene as deep as the starry cosmos within.
That was the Fantasy Tree.
Fantasy Tree "Sombrero."
Li Mo, with some knowledge of astronomy, knew that name. It was the name of a galaxy—the Sombrero Galaxy, also called the Mexican Hat Galaxy. A spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo, discovered by a French astronomer in the 18th century, approximately 29.3 million light-years from Earth.
All Fantasy Trees were named after astronomical galaxies.
Considering the director's family of Chaldea were originally monarchs of astronomy... the scent of conspiracy was too obvious.
However... that was something Fujimaru Ritsuka would have to face.
Li Mo brought "Sigurd" to the foot of the Fantasy Tree.
The Fantasy Tree was tall, so tall one couldn't see its end at a glance, making its height impossible to judge. It was thick, perhaps hundreds or even a thousand meters in diameter?
Sombrero—its existence had been concealed by Skadi, using ice and snow to refract light, granting it a cloaking effect. But as Li Mo approached, the protective layer covering the Fantasy Tree vanished, revealing it before them.
Svalinn landed on the ground. This golden-haired Valkyrie was the one Skadi had assigned to assist Li Mo.
"Can we begin?" Svalinn asked.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Svalinn." Li Mo shifted his attention from the Fantasy Tree to Surtr beside him. "Let's return to the earlier topic. Little Ophelia has both merits and faults, and Her Majesty the Queen isn't someone who enjoys killing. So... we can only render her non-threatening."
"So, I must die?"
"Of course. In Norse mythology, the great hero wielding the demonic sword. Among the Servants I've encountered, your strength is also considered formidable."
That was a lie. The Servants Li Mo knew of included plenty of overpowered beings. Even Grand Servants had appeared. Sigurd was rather low-key within Chaldea. At least, that was the case for player Li Mo.
He also didn't think much of Sigurd's strength; ultimately, he was just a Servant. The specifications of the Saint Graph set a limit; how powerful could he truly be?
"So, my apologies, Sigurd, for having you exit in such an undignified manner."
To fully commit to the act—Surtr, restrained by Skadi, couldn't move freely, and couldn't fully exert his strength. Li Mo, without using the empowerment of the "Authority of the Beast," shattered the spiritual core belonging to Sigurd within Surtr's body.
And then...
"Ha, hahaha."
He laughed.
"I finally... waited for someone who could kill me. Thank you, truly, Li Mo. I never imagined it would be you who ended up killing me. I shall grant you a perfect ending."
"Hahaha, hahaha!"
Surtr laughed arrogantly. Unable to commit suicide, he couldn't break free from Sigurd's Saint Graph. But when Sigurd's spiritual core shattered, he gained freedom. And then—use Laevateinn to destroy the entire world.
The next moment, Surtr's laughter abruptly stopped.
"I didn't realize before, Surtr, that you talk so much," Li Mo began.
"You... know who I am?"
"A Saint Graph from Proper Human History, with the aura of a Lostbelt. How could I not notice?" Li Mo pointed a finger at the sun in the sky. "You are there; your presence is so obvious. If I still couldn't distinguish that, what kind of mage would I be?"
"Then why would you still do this..."
Surtr sensed something was wrong.
The next moment, he felt an intense aura emanating from the other.
He saw two ravens descending from the sky, landing on his shoulders.
Surtr was all too familiar with this.
It was.
It was!
That was—
"ODIN!!!"