BOOM—!!!
It wasn't the low hum of a magic circuit, nor the howl of the blizzard.
It was heavier, more oppressive—a physical vibration.
It felt as if space itself was being forcibly pushed aside by something massive. The ever-present dark clouds over Antarctica were torn apart in a brilliant, violent flash.
Just as the Shadow Border leaped from the icy cliff, about to plunge into the abyss—the sky above shattered like a cracked mirror.
Optical camouflage—disabled, armaments—online.
A colossal spaceship, over 250 meters long and blood-red from stem to stern, appeared without warning, baring its fangs.
Its streamlined hull gleamed with a cold metallic sheen. From its enormous thrusters, dazzling star-like particles blazed through the blizzard.
For the earth-dwellers—still stuck at the technological level (even in magic) of the early 21st century—it was as if a steel monster had descended straight from a science fiction movie.
"That—that's a spaceship?!"
Goredolf's scream was drowned out by the roar of engines.
Even for Kirei Kotomine—no, Rasputin—who sprinted across the ground to deliver the coup de grace to the Shadow Border, the shock was immense.
But he had no time to lament.
"Target confirmed. Elimination protocol commencing."
With a cold, synthesized electronic voice, ten green markers shot out from the battleship's catapult deck.
They were not beams of light—but 10 giant humanoid war machines, each 18 meters tall: [MS-06 Zaku II].
They were not piloted by humans, but remote-controlled by Helldiver units—autonomous combat robots specially mass-produced for this kind of stormtrooper battle.
They knew neither fear nor pain.
In some ways, they were much like Ivan the Terrible's killer Oprichniki—obedient to a single directive.
Eliminate all hostile targets!
Brrrattat—
Long tongues of flame spat from the 120mm machineguns carried by the Zakus.
Weapons that would count as mere BB guns in the Universal Century Gundam became relentless, mobile cannons on the Earth's surface.
Huge projectiles rained down, instantly shredding the relentless black-clad hunters.
Black blood and severed limbs splattered across the snowy plain, as the monster tide was instantly severed by a wall of steel.
"Ah… this truly is…"
Kirei Kotomine halted.
Before weaponry of this caliber, even the most seasoned assassin had no choice but to retreat, if only temporarily.
He swung his Black Keys against the stream of bullets, deflecting some with superhuman reflexes, but the sheer kinetic energy numbed his hand.
"I don't know which force arranged this… but this is some over-the-top hospitality."
The priest still wore that unpleasant smile, but his eyes had become sharp as knives.
He looked up at the descending green giants, and for the first time in a long while, felt something like joy—the thrill of facing a mighty, unknown foe.
Meanwhile, the Shadow Border's fall stopped—not because they hit bottom, but because they'd been caught.
The crimson heavy transport craft, Komusai II, swooped from beneath the warship's belly like a massive hunting eagle, flying precisely under the Shadow Border.
Enormous hydraulic robot arms extended and grabbed the Border's hull, boosters firing at full power to halt the dozens-of-tons tank's freefall.
"Recovery complete. Returning to base."
…
Kirei Kotomine watched as the Shadow Border was spirited away like a toy car from the battlefield, and sighed.
"This… complicates things. My prey has escaped, and now the hunter is blocked by a pile of tin cans."
He glanced at the three Zakus blocking his path, their gun barrels trained on him.
Conventional magecraft offered little against purely physical weaponry like this.
But—
"...If it's steel, I'll just have to twist a little harder."
The priest undid his robe's clasps, exposing the sinister stigmata on his chest.
Black mud—the curse of the evil dragon Aži Dahāka—gushed from within him.
"Lord, forgive my violence."
The black shadow ballooned in an instant, transforming into a giant dragon's claws and fangs.
He didn't even bother dodging the 120mm AP rounds fired by the Zakus—black mud swallowed the bullets as if alive.
In the next moment, the dark figure charged at the nearest Zaku with such speed that it defied physics.
BOOM—!!!
One blow.
An 18-meter, heavy-armored mobile suit was crushed like a soda can—the cockpit penetrated, circuits and hydraulic fluid spilling out—a heap of scrap on the snowy field.
And then the second, the third...
Even if the Zakus, piloted by Helldiver bots, were the deadliest of grunt soldiers, against a serious top-tier Servant and an Alter Ego fused with a divine power, they were shockingly fragile.
However, those few minutes' delay were enough.
By the time Kirei Kotomine ripped off the head of the last Zaku and tossed it to the ground, the crimson battleship had already soared into the stratosphere, leaving only a trail of fire in the night sky.
"...Escaped, have they?"
He dusted snow and engine oil from his robe and looked up at the now-empty night.
There was no anger at failure, only burning curiosity.
"To deploy such a large fighting force… then only intervene at the very last moment. There's an interesting third party in play, it seems."
"Koyanskaya will be delighted by this news."
…
A massive airtight door slowly closed, shutting out the blizzard and freezing cold entirely.
With a hiss, air pressure indicators chimed. Warm air once again filled the giant hangar, carrying the smell of engine oil and the stark sensation of metal.
The Shadow Border was securely placed on the central platform. For the war tank, fresh from a race for its survival, it was like paradise.
"Pressure is normal, gravity normal, air analysis… suitable for human respiration."
The Shadow Border's doors opened.
First to emerge was Mash, wielding her gigantic shield, eyes wary.
Close behind her came Sherlock Holmes, pipe in hand (though it was unlit), and Leonardo da Vinci (Lily), hauling cumbersome magical gear.
Last came a girl in the familiar white Chaldea uniform, short orange hair framing her face.
Tears and traces of gunpowder were still visible on her cheeks, and though fatigue filled her amber eyes, a fire called will to survive continued to burn.
Ritsuka Fujimaru.
Unlike the male Ritsuka Fujimaru before, this Ritsuka was female—physically and even mentally, more slender and slight.
Yet it was precisely this delicate form that made her indomitable spirit at this moment so moving—like a wildflower blooming proudly in a blizzard.
"So… this is… inside that battleship?"
Ritsuka looked around.
This wasn't Chaldea, nor any mage's workshop she knew.
Towering metal trusses, maintenance crews working on a nearby red mobile suit Sazabi, and engineering robots buzzing overhead—everywhere evoked the feel of classic sci-fi industry.
"Welcome to the Asteria-class battleship, everyone from Chaldea."
A voice called from above: magnetic, with just the hint of a sly smirk.
Everyone looked up at once.
A man stood beside the second-floor railing.
He wore a perfectly tailored black officer's uniform, a striking red windbreaker, and black sunglasses that hid much of his face.
Steve looked down at them, smiling with impeccable timing.
"I am the captain of this ship—and Supreme Commander of this Independent Guerrilla Fleet."
"You may call me Steve."
His gaze swept past the wary Mash… and after some thought, Holmes finally turned to the orange-haired girl.
So, this is the Gudako of this world…?
Buried somewhere inside Steve's heart, there swelled a feeling called delight. Compared to the prematurely grown-up boyish Ritsuka he had shaped before, the confused and wary girl before him truly seemed worth guiding—no, worth leading.
Though her age didn't quite match his preferences, Steve began to vaguely sense a certain aura from her.
Was this the ultimate affinity manifesting, as the Last Master of Humanity appeared before him?
"...It's a pleasure to meet you, Ritsuka Fujimaru, the Last Master of Mankind."
Steve shook his head lightly, pushed aside all unnecessary thoughts, and leaped down.
Thanks to the gravity control system, he landed lightly before them, the red cape billowing elegantly behind.
"Things are a bit rough right now, but… as long as you're on my ship, you can rest easy."
"In the end—"
He gestured grandly in invitation.
"If there's one thing I'm good at, it's saving the world."