The container in Chaldea's hangar was only a facade. Inside was a massive special vehicle known as the Shadow Border. From the outside it resembled an armored carrier, but its interior could comfortably hold twenty people without feeling cramped.
At that moment, the armored vehicle broke free from the sliding container at the mountain's base and sped across the jagged Antarctic ice fields.
"How's it going? Where's Professor Shiomi? And what about Lady Morgan, who was supposed to meet him?"
In the cockpit, Olga Marie pressed Da Vinci, who was operating the instruments from the co-pilot's seat.
Although the Shadow Border was designed and secretly built by Da Vinci, even a genius couldn't handle both seats at once. Driving duties had therefore fallen to Artoria, whose Riding skill made her the natural choice.
The vehicle tore across the ice at high speed, yet its ride remained remarkably steady.
"The situation is dire. Master Tenkei Shiomi and Lady Morgan have been confirmed to be engaged with four enemies, though the details are unclear," Da Vinci reported. "The magical energy readings from those enemies are abnormally strong—estimated at Servant-class, top-tier."
"Servants?" Olga Marie pressed. "What about their Classes?"
"No Class signatures detected. They don't match any Servant Class we've encountered before," Da Vinci replied.
Romani pushed in beside her, reaching for the controls. "No, this is an Extra Class—something that almost never appears in a Holy Grail War or even in a Counter Force summoning. It's the result of illegally tampering with a Spirit Origin, fusing multiple divinities into one. A special Class… called Alterego!"
Even though Shiomi and the others hadn't reported anything about a Subspecies Singularity in the Deep Sea, Romani could still immediately analyze the anomaly. Clearly, as the former King of Magecraft, he knew more than he let on.
"Alterego?" Olga Marie felt a headache setting in. "Then what about the professor and the others—"
"For now, we can only trust them," Scáthach said. "Artoria and I have been tasked with protecting your safety. That was our master's order."
Shiomi had distrusted the Mage's Association's oversight and had prepared contingency plans in case Chaldea faced an emergency. Scáthach and Artoria were to handle evacuation support.
Even so, the assault had far exceeded expectations, forcing a hasty retreat that led to considerable casualties.
After the containers slid to the base of the mountain, Chaldea went dark. CHALDEAS shut down, the air systems ceased, and the interior temperature plummeted to below –100°C.
Olga Marie accepted that Chaldea had been forced into closure. Now, her priority was leading the survivors out of Antarctica and regrouping to rethink their strategy.
But Shiomi, who was covering their retreat, was being held back by enemies beyond Servant standards…
"Father… his body hasn't fully recovered yet," Sakura said anxiously. "Why hasn't Mother used the Water Mirror to leave the battlefield?"
"There's probably no time," Caren replied with a frown. "Fixing our coordinates for a Water Mirror transfer while in the middle of battle—even if it only takes seconds—would open up a fatal weakness."
Silence fell over everyone.
"Whether it's the professor or Chaldea itself, we have to take them back—" Olga Marie broke off mid-sentence, her voice snapping in alarm. "Hey! Look outside!"
The Antarctic sky, which should have been bathed in daylight, had been swallowed by darkness. Against the deep blue canopy, seven luminous objects were descending straight toward Earth.
These weren't the fiery arcs of meteorites—they were invaders, arriving from the void of space.
The Shadow Border immediately drew the only conclusion it could. The army of masked soldiers that had attacked Chaldea had only been the prelude.
"Wait—we're receiving an external transmission—"
Da Vinci quickly adjusted the instruments, clearing the static into an audible signal.
"…Hear this proclamation. We hereby declare to all humanity: from this moment, this planet shall be reborn into an ancient yet brand-new world."
The voice was eerily familiar. Olga Marie was sure she'd heard it before.
"Human civilization is wrong. Our development is wrong. Thus, I have resolved to rise against human history—against Proper Human History itself. Once more, let this planet be filled with the Mystery of the non-human. Let it return to the age of the gods. For this purpose, the gods have descended from the farthest cosmos, bearing seven seeds to choose new leaders. These leaders will reshape the planet. The most exceptional of these 'Anomalous Leaders' shall renew the world. This contest is not open to the lives of Proper Human History, nor will they even be granted a seat to watch."
That calm voice declared a merciless reality.
"The Root of Fantasy still clings to the soil, and the Tree of Creation has already spread across the land. From this moment, all endeavors of the old humanity will be frozen. Your sins shall be judged through this decree. Proper Human History ends here, in the year 2017."
Then, the voice revealed its identity.
"My name is Wodime—Kirschtaria Wodime. On behalf of the six Crypters, I deliver this proclamation to you survivors of Chaldea… no, to you, the last remnants of the old humanity. The history of this planet shall be inherited by us."
Olga Marie was struck speechless. "Kirschtaria?! How could it be him?"
"There's no time to dwell on that. We've detected thousands of Spirit Origin signatures ahead—those soldiers who attacked Chaldea," Da Vinci warned. "Director, you must decide!"
"But… where can we go?" Olga Marie turned to Artoria. "Should we ask the King of Knights to sweep them away with the Holy Sword?"
But their numbers were endless. It was impossible to annihilate them all in one stroke.
At that moment, Scáthach placed a hand on Olga Marie's shoulder. "My disciple once received a letter from the Director of the Atlas Institute. It said that if all paths were cut off, we should head for the Wandering Sea. At the same time, he granted permission to use the 'Atlas's Paper Moon' in such a moment."
"…I see." Olga Marie understood at once. Now was the time. "Initiate Imaginary Numbers Submersion! Set the coordinates for the Wandering Sea in Scandinavia! If that letter was real, there must be allies waiting to receive us there! Even if the success rate is only thirty percent, it's better than being surrounded like this!"
"The Wandering Sea, huh…" Romani gave a weary sigh. "Looks like our work isn't finished after all."
Da Vinci's fingers flew across the controls. "Ah—coordinates for the Wandering Sea uploaded to the Border's server. As expected of him!"
"And what about Father?" Sakura pressed anxiously.
Scáthach clenched her fist. "Don't worry. My disciple said that if he couldn't return immediately, he would still regroup with us later."
Because Tenkei Shiomi had said so, Scáthach could only continue to place her trust in his judgment.
After all, right now, everyone could only believe in the fate carried by Tenkei Shiomi.
...
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