"So, that's the situation."
Setsuna concisely explained his purpose to Gilgamesh.
"We need to correct the threat in this Singularity, retrieve the Holy Grail here, and subdue the Three Goddess Alliance. One of the Holy Grails is currently in your possession."
"You? Retrieve the Holy Grail? Subdue the Three Goddesses?"
Gilgamesh's gaze swept back and forth between Setsuna and the Heroic Spirits behind him.
After witnessing the battle between Gudako and the Lion King earlier, he no longer dared to underestimate the man before him.
Shing—
A golden ripple appeared behind him, and he withdrew a golden vessel from within.
All the Heroic Spirits immediately turned their eyes toward it, sensing the immense magical power contained inside.
"The Holy Grail is indeed in my hands. If you can resolve the threat of the Three Goddess Alliance and stop them from continuing to offend Uruk, I would not mind giving it to you."
"But how do you intend to deal with them?"
"Well, the Commander already took care of one of them on the way here."
Gudako pointed. Ishtar was squatting in a corner of the bridge, happily playing with a pile of gemstones.
From time to time, she let out a silly "hehehe" laugh, completely unlike the lunatic goddess who used to show up in Uruk every few days to cause trouble.
"..."
Gilgamesh was speechless.
"Our overall objective is the same."
Setsuna took a sip of tea and spoke leisurely.
"The purpose of repairing this Singularity is to prevent Uruk from being destroyed by the Three Goddess Alliance or anyone else."
"When it comes to protecting Uruk, we stand on the same side. However... Gilgamesh, you clearly cannot handle the Three Goddesses right now, let alone Tiamat."
"Hand over the Holy Grail and leave the rest to us. You can return to being King of Uruk. That is the simplest solution."
"Hoh..."
Gilgamesh had intended to refute him, but after glancing at Setsuna, then at the starship and the Heroic Spirits within it, he paused.
Looking down from the bridge, he could see the axial main cannon running through the hull, along with countless turrets lining the sides.
Judging from Strelizia's earlier performance, the power of these weapons was no weaker. Each turret likely exceeded Anti-Country Noble Phantasm levels.
The unspoken meaning was clear. If peaceful negotiation failed, they might resort to other methods to achieve their goal.
After a moment of thought.
Shing—
With a wave of his hand, he pushed the Holy Grail toward Setsuna.
"Very well. I shall give it to you."
"Be careful. If you end up corrupted and turned into Demonic Beasts as well, I will not be cleaning up that mess."
"Oh?"
Artoria and Nero were somewhat surprised.
The Wise King Gilgamesh was completely different from the tyrannical, arrogant Golden King described in the records. He was reasonable and wholeheartedly devoted to governing his nation.
Once he acknowledged someone's strength, everything became negotiable.
"In addition, Uruk currently faces another problem."
Gilgamesh marked a location on the map, his teeth clenched.
"Recently, someone who emerged from the southern jungle, calling herself Quetzalcoatl, has been attacking my city every single day."
"She claims she will kill one hundred people daily until every last one is dead. No more, no less. After knocking down one hundred, she leaves."
"Tch. If I were not occupied with other matters... Since you intend to deal with the Three Goddess Alliance and have taken my Holy Grail, how about resolving her first?"
Pfft—
Setsuna took one look and burst out laughing.
"Isn't that Kukulkan?"
Quetzalcoatl, the conquering king of the Maya, the sun god of the Toltecs.
The highest-ranking member of the Three Goddess Alliance, the Feathered Serpent of Aztec mythology, and a counterpart of Lucoa.
However, she actually belonged to the lawful good alignment and stood at the pinnacle of goodness. She had joined the alliance for her own reasons.
"A chief god-level existence?"
Gilgamesh frowned and pondered.
This was undoubtedly a troublesome opponent.
"Human Order has already been incinerated, and the future of South America can no longer be observed. No wonder she has appeared here."
"She is also one of the Three Goddess Alliance. I shall leave her to you. Uruk still has affairs that require my attention. Farewell."
...
After bidding farewell to Gilgamesh.
The starship headed south from Uruk.
"Hey, the Golden Sparkle here actually looks pretty decent. How did he lose his mind later on?"
Gudako casually teased.
It was hard to imagine that this overworked Wise King, exhausted to the point of collapse, was the same person as the flamboyant show-off of later eras.
"That's a separate matter."
Setsuna was not surprised.
He secured the Holy Grail onto its pedestal for safekeeping.
"Originally, the Three Goddesses sought to destroy Uruk in order to seize the Holy Grail. Now the order of events has changed slightly. The Holy Grail has fallen into our hands ahead of time."
"Hmm... I suspect there will be some changes in the future as well."
"Oh?..."
The Heroic Spirits gathered around the Holy Grail, examining it curiously.
Artoria had once desperately wanted the Holy Grail, to make a wish and return to the day of choosing the king. In the past, she would have fought to the death for this object.
Now, however, she was far calmer.
Elysia reached out and poked it, sensing a powerful magical energy entirely different from Honkai energy.
It was her first time participating in an expedition to another world. She was more excited than anyone.
"Commander, Commander, if you make a wish to it, can it really grant anything?"
"What wish do you still have?"
Setsuna tapped her lightly with a smile.
"Mm... Maybe I could wish for the Commander not to bully me? I'm worried that one day you'll drag me into a little dark room aboard the Eternal Snowfall and do strange things to me~"
"Unfortunately, the Holy Grail can't stop me."
"...Hey?!"
Elysia puffed out her cheeks.
Then, as if remembering something, she tugged on Setsuna.
"Commander, it's rare for me to join you on an expedition to another world. Is there a chance for me to show what I can do?"
"I want to spar with enemies from this world too. How about I take the lead when we fight that sun god later?"
"You? Fight Kukulkan? Seriously? You really know how to pick your opponents."
Setsuna nearly laughed.
"Look on the bright side. I could have Sophon search for where Jaguar Man is and let you trade a few blows with her. If that doesn't work, Ishtar is fine too."
"Huh?"
A certain innocent goddess slammed the table in protest.
"Um... I would also like to spar with Kukulkan. Shall we go together?"
Nero and Nero Bride raised their hands simultaneously.
"Mm... Master will take care of me anyway, right?"
"Then I'll try as well."
Jeanne Alter crossed her arms and snorted.
The other Heroic Spirits eagerly signed up as well. It was a rare opportunity to spar with a chief god-level opponent. With Setsuna watching from above, nothing would go wrong.
The starship quickly became noisy.
"Ahem—"
"...Let me think."
Just as Setsuna was considering, Gudako cleared her throat first.
"Sure. I happen to have a super cool idea."
"All of you go challenge Kukulkan. Whoever loses gets punished with a party. The one who loses the worst gets special attention from the Commander."
"!?"
An exclamation mark practically popped above Elysia's head.
"Is the Commander the chief god in charge of throwing parties?"
...
South of Uruk.
Following the main road out from the city gate, the landscape at first was a vast stretch of barren plain, dotted sparsely with shrubs.
It looked no different from the rest of the Mesopotamian plains.
However, after the starship swept forward for over a hundred kilometers—
The environment below abruptly transformed into a tropical rainforest.
The trees and vegetation were completely different from the surrounding regions. Lush rainforest plants grew densely, forming an impenetrable canopy over the land, utterly out of place within the natural scenery of the Two Rivers region.
"Hiss..."
"This must be the result of the Singularity and divine authority, right? Singularities are already abnormal to begin with. A chief god can influence the environment."
"The Feathered Serpent is a South American deity. With her appearing here, even the environment of the Mesopotamian plains has been altered."
Gudako gazed down below.
Without the starship, trying to walk through that rainforest on foot would mean wandering for weeks without finding a way out, let alone locating Kukulkan herself.
"Alright. We'll let you all try handling Kukulkan first."
Setsuna cleared his throat.
"Anyone who wants to challenge Kukulkan can go up later. I doubt she'll mind fighting all of you at once."
"Hoh~"
Elysia dragged out the sound and stared at Setsuna for a long moment.
"According to Fujimaru Ritsuka's suggestion, will there be some strange punishment game if we lose?"
"Mm. I think it's a good suggestion. I'll be watching your performance."
Setsuna nodded.
"She... sounds troublesome. I don't feel like sparring with her for fun."
Ishtar knew just how formidable Kukulkan was and surrendered on the spot.
The Lion King said nothing and stepped behind Setsuna, clearly indicating she was only interested in real combat, not playful matches.
"Hmm... Then what if I win, Commander?"
Elysia felt as though Setsuna was underestimating her and puffed up her cheeks, unwilling to concede.
"If you manage to defeat Kukulkan... you can make any request, as long as it's within my ability."
"Even if it's molding an entire star system in the cosmos and naming it Elysia Star or Pink Elf Star, that's fine too."
Setsuna couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright~ Then I want a star."
Elysia found the idea both romantic and beautiful.
Looking at the gathered Heroic Spirits around her, she thought for a moment and steeled her resolve.
"With so many of us, it should be fine, right?"
She was fairly confident in her own strength. Besides, since they were in this world and everyone here was a Heroic Spirit, surely overwhelming her together would solve the problem.
"Umumu, I have never fought a chief god before, but I will give it my all," the two Neros declared, patting their chests.
"Good. I'll be looking forward to creating your defeat CGs."
...
Not long after.
After passing through the endless rainforest.
On the far end of the horizon, a magnificent pyramid-shaped structure came into view.
It stood deep within the jungle, built from stone and carved with reliefs bearing strong Aztec motifs.
Most eye-catching of all was the incomparably massive hand axe embedded along one side of the pyramid.
The blade was driven into the base of the structure. The entire weapon was forged from brass-colored metal. The handle alone stretched for hundreds of meters, and the axe head was etched with incomprehensible runes.
It was even slightly larger than the mountain-like pyramid temple itself.
"Wait a moment, Mr. Setsuna, Fujimaru Ritsuka—Is that Marduk's Axe?!"
Dr. Roman's transmission cut in.
"Marduk is Babylon's guardian deity and the national god of Babylonia. His axe is a genuine divine-forged weapon. It was once used to seal Tiamat."
"If we're going to deal with Tiamat and Gorgon, it could be extremely useful. It would be best to find a way to make use of it."
"However, only physical means can wield Marduk's Axe... Mm, perhaps only Mr. Setsuna can use it."
"We'll bring it back later. It can be part of the collection."
Setsuna replied concisely. It was a rare weapon. Even if he had no use for it himself, someone else might.
At the very top of the pyramid.
There stood a massive circular stone disc, like an enormous sundial—the Calendar Stone.
"That is the Sun Stone, the Aztec calendar. It is also Quetzalcoatl's second Noble Phantasm."
"It is the great stone that displays the past, present, and future of the world in ancient Aztec civilization—and the source of Kukulkan's power."
"Hoh..."
Artoria and Nero exchanged glances.
They suddenly felt that their own Noble Phantasms seemed somewhat modest before a chief god-level existence.
Beneath the Sun Stone.
A goddess wearing an Aztec feathered headdress, clad in a red skirt and triangular shawl, slowly rose from her divine seat.
She had golden hair and blue eyes, her long waves cascading down her back. Brass bracers adorned her arms, and emerald jewelry gleamed against her skin.
Both hands rested upon a massive paddle-shaped weapon.
—The macuahuitl, a special Aztec weapon, made by embedding obsidian blades into a wooden club.
The macuahuitl in Kukulkan's hands was forged entirely from metal, appearing far heavier.
At a glance, one could tell she was a deity born of the South American rainforest—bold and unrestrained.
"Over here!"
Kukulkan looked up at the starship above and waved enthusiastically.
"Hi! Welcome to my Sun Temple!"
"Are you my next opponents? You all look so full of energy!"
"Wow, flying opponents? That's rare~"
Shing—
As the starship hatch opened.
Gudako, Elysia, Artoria and the other Heroic Spirits leapt down, landing on the ground.
They looked up at the Feathered Serpent before them.
"We are from the Starsea Empire. We've come to this Singularity to restore Human Order. Kukulkan, would you be willing to join us?"
Artoria attempted peaceful negotiation first.
"With such a great enemy looming ahead, continuing to attack the humans of Uruk is truly..."
"Oh?—"
Dragging her macuahuitl behind her, Kukulkan descended step by step from the pyramid.
The metal scraped against the stone stairs, producing a series of clanking sounds.
"Attack? No, no, no. This is merely a trial. I haven't killed any of them."
Following the direction of her finger was a small human settlement.
The soldiers who had previously "died" in her assaults were all there, looking utterly confused. A strange figure dressed in a jaguar costume was directing them.
"You want to save the world? Restore Human Order? Hmm... what an interesting group you are."
Her gaze swept across the Heroic Spirits before finally settling on Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"You're the Master? From Chaldea, right?"
"Uh? More or less."
Gudako nodded.
The perception of these chief gods was terrifying. Half the introductions were unnecessary.
"Mm... Then let me see your courage first. Let's enjoy the thrill of battle together!!"
Kukulkan's voice carried the warmth of an older sister—enthusiastic and unrestrained.
She charged straight at them.
"Sure! It's just a fight. I haven't had enough fun beating up Golden Sparkle yet. Let's see how strong you are!"
Gudako cracked her knuckles, drew her sword, and assumed a combat stance.
She planned to test the waters with Taixuan sword techniques for a few exchanges, then find an opportunity to release Strelizia and give this native deity a taste of mechanized shock.
However, the very next moment—
Boom—
A sonic boom exploded beside her ears.
"So fast!!!"
Before Gudako could react, a golden figure had already blitzed right in front of her.
"You're too slow—"
Her vision filled with nothing but the Feathered Serpent's fist.
Boom!!
With a single strike, Kukulkan launched Gudako hundreds of meters into the air. For a brief second, she even made eye contact with Setsuna watching from the bridge.
Setsuna couldn't help but clap twice. "Magnificent."
In the next instant, Kukulkan flashed upward, appeared behind her, locked Fujimaru Ritsuka in a perfect Mexican wrestling hold, and slammed her toward the ground.
"Ah, it's over. Seismic Toss incoming."
"Commander, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up first."