Seeing the once-bustling interstellar city reduced to a barren expanse that looked like an apocalyptic wasteland, even Kirschtaria couldn't hide a flicker of surprise.
Standing amid those desolate ruins with sand and dust whipping through the air, Kirschtaria looked up at the sky, and a sudden chill of loneliness crept into his chest.
When was the last time he'd felt like this?
Was it that assassination attempt when he was fifteen?
"You're actually here, Kirschtaria?" Yu Mei-ren's voice came from behind him. "You came to a place like this without a single guard? If Chaldea spots you, they'll launch an attack immediately."
"Thank you for your concern, but I haven't let my guard down that far," Kirschtaria replied evenly. "I left my position out of curiosity, just to conduct a bit of insignificant investigation on the battlefield the goddess Demeter left behind."
Yu Mei-ren's face didn't change. "I'm not worried about you. A man like you doesn't need anyone worrying. But if you get killed out here, then the whole plan to call us in will go straight down the drain."
"It's fine."
That was all Kirschtaria said. Then, before Yu Mei-ren could add anything else, he smoothly changed the subject.
"But still… this was one hell of a battlefield. Even the goddess Demeter was brought down."
His expression was grave, giving no hint whether it was regret or simple awe.
"It means Chaldea… no, that man has grown into a real problem," Yu Mei-ren said. "And the Alien Apostles are all just standing aside and watching."
"According to the reports, Professor Shiomi separated from the others," Kirschtaria said, turning around.
He was standing at the very center of the enormous crater where Demeter had vanished.
"He only brought two companions, entered the interstellar city without hiding his movements, then fought the guardian forces openly and loudly. In the end, it escalated into a direct battle with the goddess Demeter."
"You're saying he did it on purpose?" Hinako frowned.
It was hard to say it made sense.
Cut off from rear support, cutting down anyone in his way, man or god. It looked effective, but it reeked of a high-stakes gamble.
"It's more than that," Kirschtaria said.
He lightly flicked his wand, drawing a line through empty air.
A chain of magecraft reactions flared to life, outlining a trail that led out of the crater and away from the western ruins.
Tracking magecraft.
Following the traces of residual Mana left behind at the scene, to pinpoint where the target had gone.
"That man has plenty of combat experience, doesn't he?" Hinako muttered despite herself. "So why would he leave something this… amateur?"
The moment she said it, she caught herself. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait. Don't tell me Tenkei Shiomi did it intentionally?"
"Given what we're seeing, that's the only possibility," Kirschtaria said. "Leaving that battleship, operating alone in Olympus, and making his actions this conspicuous…"
Hinako hesitated. "He made himself bait?"
"Without a doubt." Kirschtaria gave a faint, almost helpless smile. "And very tempting bait at that. Our ally, the great god Zeus, probably hasn't noticed at all. He's taken it as mere mortal incompetence, and he's likely preparing to commit even more force to wipe him out."
But in truth, Shiomi was using this to draw Olympus's attention, especially the great god Zeus, and to lure the other gods into closing in.
The ruins in the interstellar city's western sector made one thing clear: the moment a full-scale fight with the gods began, everything around them became unsafe.
"It looks like Teacher Shiomi deliberately pulled the battlefield away from the main force to reduce damage to allied troops."
Thinking that through, Kirschtaria added another remark.
"Luring a god to be killed…" Hinako stared at Kirschtaria. "If anyone else said something like that, I'd think they'd completely lost their mind."
"But that's the reality," Kirschtaria said, shaking his head. "Even if I tried to stop it, Zeus wouldn't listen."
They were allies, able to speak to one another on equal footing.
But once a decision had been made, even Kirschtaria couldn't forcibly overturn it.
"So what are you planning to do?" Hinako asked.
"For now, whether it's you or Peperoncino, neither of you should engage in solo combat anymore," Kirschtaria said seriously. "No matter how this ends, when it comes to fighting Chaldea, the three of us, as Crypters, should face it together."
Otherwise, there was no telling whether they might be swept up in the gods' battles.
Even an immortal spirit like Yu Mei-ren could fail to revive under such extreme conditions, vanishing completely.
"You're actually worried about your companions?" Yu Mei-ren sounded a little surprised.
"You accepted my proposal to become Crypters together and launch a rebellion against Proper Human History," Kirschtaria said. "That makes us companions. Even if we're destined to become rivals in the end, that's something to settle after victory."
"Is that so. Xiang Wang, Saber, and I will remain in the rear and await orders."
Yu Mei-ren didn't reject Kirschtaria's stance. She turned and left, never seeing Kirschtaria's faint nod of thanks.
Once her figure disappeared above the crater, Kirschtaria glanced again at the traces Shiomi had left behind and let out a quiet sigh.
The great undertaking he sought had already been reached by someone else.
He would have liked to try persuading Shiomi, but he knew there was no chance at all.
Tap.
A light landing sound echoed.
"It seems calling you back with a Command Spell while your Mana reaction was still active was the right choice," Kirschtaria said.
Caenis clicked his tongue. "The interstellar city got wrecked this badly? Those Chaldea bastards—"
"Don't dwell on it. Our odds are getting worse, but I have no intention of giving up," Kirschtaria said calmly. "I called you back simply so you'd keep fighting for me, and so you can witness how this Lostbelt's future ultimately ends."
"That's rare. I never thought you'd be the type to say something so bleak," Caenis scoffed, though she clearly grasped how serious things were.
"Bleak?" Kirschtaria looked genuinely surprised. "What I just said… did it really sound bleak?"
"That's how it sounded to me," Caenis replied.
"I see."
Kirschtaria wore an expression as if he'd just realized something new.
A genius by birth, a Magus capable of changing the world.
And yet, for the first time in his life, he no longer felt absolute certainty about what he was about to do.
Likewise, this was the first time Kirschtaria had ever faced an inevitable battle without complete confidence in victory.