The tremors from the seafloor were so violent that even the waters around Nemesis Island could feel them.
Waves surged up nearly ten meters high. If the Knights of the Round Table hadn't released the True Names of their Noble Phantasms and cleaved the swell apart with a single strike, all of Nemesis Island would have paid the price.
Drake glanced at the comrades still fighting the remaining Lostbelt Servants and let out a sharp whistle.
"Looks like Chaldea made it through Poseidon. That explosion just now… that was Poseidon, right?"
"No question." Jason flopped down on the deck. "If someone who can take down Artemis gets taken out by a guy like Poseidon, that'd be a bad joke."
"Hey, don't say it like that." Orion burst out laughing. "Poseidon's still the god of the sea. It's not like he goes down without a fight."
Jason shot him a look. "Still, that means Chaldea's taken down both Artemis and Poseidon…"
"It couldn't be helped." Orion thought for a moment. "They're Lostbelt gods, not the ones I knew. Even if it hurts, even if I feel sorry for them, I know this was the right call."
"Less moping, more helping," Drake said. "Leaving those guys to clean up on their own will be a pain. Didn't we agree that if we made it out alive, we'd chase after Chaldea?"
She meant Chiron and Odysseus, still tangled up with the Knights of the Round Table, and Caenis, who had forced a Spirit Origin breakthrough only to get played anyway.
Even at a numbers disadvantage, they were still fighting like their lives depended on it against the Servants who'd stayed behind.
"That was always the plan." Orion raised his bow, loosed a long-range shot at Chiron, then jumped off the ship again.
Jason snorted. "I'm not going. You dragged me onto your ship and hauled me all the way here. That's more than enough. Chaldea will be fine without us. If I went, it'd just be gilding the lily."
As he spoke, blood ran down him, making it obvious he'd been injured the whole time and never properly recovered.
"Hey, hey… your wounds still aren't healed?" Drake stared. "You didn't have that guy treat you?"
She meant Shiomi.
"Like I've got time to go bother him." Jason waved it off. "Just deal with those few idiots, then let me off. Dump me anywhere on Nemesis Island, I don't care."
"Just dump you, huh…" Drake muttered, neither agreeing nor refusing.
She turned her eyes toward the Fantasy Tree.
With Poseidon gone, the Void Cavern was no longer an impossible route.
Hope the real show starts soon. If this is as far as I'm helping Chaldea, that's not nearly satisfying enough.
...
On the other side of the Void Cavern.
"Storm Border, all sections stable! Damage under 1%. No problems!"
Once the uncontrollable vortex finally settled, the space around Storm Border abruptly became calm. The crew, who'd been tossed around on the bridge and in the corridors, finally had a moment to steady themselves.
Nemo, as a Servant, snapped back to his post and reported the situation.
"Teacher… where is Shiomi teacher?" Olga Marie and Sakura helped each other to their feet.
Morgan gestured toward the screen. Shiomi had connected to the bridge.
"I'm fine. But before anything else, look outside," Shiomi's voice said. "This Lostbelt trip? Atlantis was just the appetizer. The main course starts now."
As he spoke, he swung himself up along the ship's side and climbed back onto the deck.
He shook the seawater off, ran a hand through his hair, then silently tilted his head up to take in the sight before him.
On the far side of that 'fabric' of ocean covering the world loomed a colossal existence.
Without question, it was Olympus, the City of the Gods, vast enough to house millions.
Lift his gaze a little higher, and he could see an enormous structure standing above the immense metropolis.
Above that rose a clear, crystalline mountain range.
And beyond the distant summit of that great crystal, there was something else.
"Oh? The roots of fantasy stretching into the cosmos… you really did nurture that thing into something impressive." Morgan's voice came from behind him.
Shiomi let out a quiet laugh. "Coming from the one who once withered the Fantasy Tree, I suppose you still wanted to see this sight for yourself, my Queen?"
"No. I was simply worried that my husband might catch a chill after soaking in seawater for so long. Your clothes are completely wet." Morgan held out a large, neatly folded towel. "Put this on."
"How unhurried of you." Shiomi took the towel and draped it over his shoulders. "From the perspective of where we departed Atlantis, this place should clearly be underground."
"But in reality, this is the true surface," Shiomi continued. "The entire Atlantis sea region was nothing more than a smokescreen. Do you remember the Greek myths I told you about before?"
"In Proper Human History, after two great wars, the Greek Age of Gods gave way to the age of humans," Morgan replied, placing her palm against Shiomi's back and using Magecraft to drive away the cold.
Even though, in truth, he had no need to worry about catching a chill.
"Can you feel it?" Shiomi said. "The concentration of Mana in the air here already surpasses that of the Uruk Singularity. It seems everything Demeter told me was true. She wasn't lying."
"It appears that after the gods of Olympus defeated the White Giant, history diverged from there," Morgan nodded. She then opened a channel to the bridge. "Everyone except my husband and myself, prepare protective measures before coming outside. This place is even more extreme than Atlantis. The Mana density in the air is far higher, and—"
Before she could finish, the transmission was abruptly interrupted. After a burst of static, all Storm Border communication channels were forcibly seized.
"This isn't a data-packet transmission from the Wandering Sea. The signal source is—" Melusine cried out.
"—the gigantic structure right in front of you!" Romani added.
Then, a heavy, resonant voice echoed across the space.
"Fear. Praise. What lies before your eyes is supreme Olympus. It is the true name of the Lostbelt over which I preside, and the colossal ark that crosses the sea of stars. Kneel and weep in gratitude. This is the seat of the gods, not something the insignificant are permitted to behold."
Morgan closed one eye, a look of irritation crossing her face. "So this is a true god? Just speaking carries pressure on the level of a mental attack. Even I find it unpleasant."
"It's fine. Compared to 'that time,' this is still far weaker."
Shiomi took Morgan's hand, and the discomfort vanished instantly.
"Heh. With my husband here, what is there for me to fear?"
Morgan lifted her head and fixed her gaze on the interstellar city-mountain before them.