Details of Atlantis's Lostbelt remain unclear, and even the nautical chart was only a rough draft drawn by Bartholomew based on intelligence gathered through his own investigation and that of other Servants.
With Hestia Island as the point of departure, it recorded the general situation of several islands in the northern seas of the "Void Cavern," including Heracles Island. Beyond those lay other islands whose positions were known, but whose names were not.
The Storm Border cut across the sea, speeding toward the waters around Hecate Island. Drake's ships kept pace alongside it, trailing slightly behind at a more measured speed.
"As expected, the Raven's reconnaissance was spot on," Shiomi said from the deck, gazing out at the massive sea-and-sky formation deployed around Hecate Island.
In addition to a fleet comparable in scale to the one once commanded by Odysseus, there were countless Magical Beasts and spherical floating weapons scattered throughout the formation.
Before setting out, Chaldea had considered the possibility of aerial combat. Yet even now, Atlantis had not deployed anything that could truly be called proper aerial weaponry.
Was the sky itself a forbidden domain, a realm only gods were permitted to traverse? Or had the concept of fighting in the air simply never occurred to them?
After all, warships built with technology from the Age of Gods already possessed firepower that bordered on absolute dominance. Investing additional effort into developing air forces would only have been gilding the lily.
"So, what's the plan?" Morgan asked over the comms, seated firmly on the bridge as she operated the Spirit Vein Closing Armament.
"Since they're already waiting for us here, there's no way around them," Shiomi replied. "Give the order, Director."
On the bridge, Olga Marie swallowed as she stared at the fleet formation on the screen, so vast that even when magnified it could not be fully captured in view.
After breaking through Odysseus's annihilation battle, Chaldea had enjoyed more than a week of relatively peaceful sailing without facing any major engagements.
But that smooth passage had only ever been the calm before the storm.
"Open the hatches and begin deploying the automated flying dolls in sequence," Olga Marie ordered once she had assessed the situation. Following the prearranged tactics, she issued her commands with crisp decisiveness. "Have the Valkyries and Miss Melusine prepare. Once we enter the firing range of Rhongomyniad: Spirit Vein Closing Armament, take off immediately. After Ms. Morgan opens fire, provide aerial support and strike the Olympus fleet."
"That's exactly how it should be," Morgan said with a satisfied smile. She straightened in her seat, her expression sharpening into focus. "Rhongomyniad: Spirit Vein Closing Armament, begin loading."
They were still just short of effective firing range, and both sides waited, watching for the other to step into their kill zone.
In terms of range, however, Morgan's Spirit Vein Closing Armament far surpassed the warships of the Olympus fleet, a fact already confirmed through precise data gathered in earlier naval battles.
The Olympus fleet's artillery was, in essence, a series of massive bows. Both bowstrings and arrows were powered by the ships' magical energy reactors, and every magic arrow they fired carried destructive power on par with a B-rank Noble Phantasm, capable of piercing even top-tier equipment in a single shot.
As Olga Marie's orders went out, every department within the ship sprang into action.
At the core of the Storm Border, Skadi deployed a defensive barrier capable of withstanding enemy naval bombardment, swiftly enveloping Chaldea's mobile base.
Meanwhile, in the armament control room, Touko Aozaki completed her final inspections on the automated flying dolls prepared for launch.
Within the temples on Hestia Island and Heracles Island, Chaldea had acquired a large number of golden shields known as "Divine Relics." These artifacts were unique to the Atlantis Lostbelt, and at the same time represented some of the finest Magecraft materials available.
Once they were in hand, Touko could hardly restrain herself. Together with Da Vinci, she incorporated those materials into the automated dolls.
She had initially planned to install the Divine Relics into Miss Melusine's flight exoskeleton. However, considering that these relics originated from the Olympian gods, she worried about the possibility of hidden backdoors. If such safeguards existed, they could have had dangerous consequences for Miss Melusine while she was piloting the exoskeleton, and so the idea was ultimately abandoned.
"Shouldn't we say something now, Touko?" Da Vinci-chan prompted playfully.
"Huh?" Touko didn't catch on at first. "You mean deploying the Automata into the combat zone?"
"No…" Big Da Vinci adjusted her glasses. "I mean the kind of line you say before things begin. A bit of provocation for the enemy. Even if they can't hear it, it still gives you a useful psychological push."
"Exactly." Da Vinci-chan nodded and pushed up her glasses as well.
"Oh, that's what you meant." Touko's expression brightened. She took off her glasses, her face turning cold as she spoke. "Meet your destruction within your own technology, Olympus—"
The deployment hatch opened at once. The Automata was launched outward, flipping several times in midair before its built-in [Pseudo-Svanhvít] activated. It transitioned smoothly into autonomous flight and headed straight for the Olympus fleet.
Touko had spent her entire life as a puppet master. She had used her Automata for countless purposes, but she had never imagined sending them into battle against gods.
The Olympus fleet radiated an immense Mana signature, yet beyond that, Chaldea's radar detected several colossal Spirit Origin reactions within the formation.
Not just people were watching. There were gods among them.
The sheer intensity of the sensory input made Touko, who had a history of amphetamine dependency, feel that everything she had done in the past now seemed insignificant by comparison.
Her blood began to boil.
Along with that surge of excitement came the vibrations from the ship as it continued to accelerate.
The Storm Border was well adapted to high-speed navigation, so the interior remained largely comfortable—at least until it crossed a certain threshold. Past that point, the difference became noticeable.
"What's going on…? Has this ship run into enemies again?" Inside the confinement room, Ophelia looked out through the small window at the corridor beyond.
"Probably," Kadoc's voice came from the cell across the way. "This isn't like when we fled Antarctica. Chaldea isn't the Chaldea we knew anymore. Kirschtaria… he can win, right?"
"He will," Ophelia murmured. "Unlike us, Lord Kirschtaria is the chosen one. He won't lose to Chaldea so easily."
"I thought you'd already decided to side with Chaldea," Kadoc said.
Over the past few days, Skadi, Mash, Olga Marie… so many people had taken turns visiting them. Ophelia's hesitation was far more obvious than Kadoc's.
"It's not about siding with anyone," Ophelia said, shaking her head. "If Lord Kirschtaria wins, we might be taken back…"
Kadoc stepped away from the door and sat back down on his bed.
If they lost, then just as Shiomi had said, the Crypteres… the former Team A would once again be "reunited."