"Is there really no way to have Artemis brought over to deal with Chaldea?"
On the flagship deck of the Olympus fleet, Yu Mei-ren watched the battle unfold as she posed the question to the masked Saber at her side.
"I'm afraid not, Master," Saber replied. "Chaldea's ship is moving far too fast. Even a god positioned in satellite orbit would still need time to take aim."
Each time Artemis attempted to lock on, Chaldea had already slipped out of the Divine Arrow's effective range.
This repeated again and again, until the Storm Border closed in on the Olympus fleet itself, leaving Artemis with no opportunity to fire at all.
"Does that mean we just sit here and wait for Chaldea's ship to ram us?" Yu Mei-ren clicked her tongue under her breath. "Is there really nothing we can do, Saber? You're a general who's fought wars, aren't you?"
"My apologies, Master," Saber said with a hint of regret. "In life, my campaigns were fought in the north, against northern enemies. I never led southern expeditions, so naval warfare is not my strong suit."
"I see…" Yu Mei-ren relaxed slightly.
At that moment, a deep, steady voice sounded from behind them.
"Do not panic, my wife. I will handle the battle personally."
"Xiang Wang!" Yu Mei-ren nodded, both relieved and delighted.
The one she called Xiang Wang was none other than the Berserker-class Servant, Xiang Yu.
"Order the fleet to brace for impact. We're entering engagement range," Xiang Yu said calmly.
Saber immediately accepted the command. "I'll relay it to the fleet at once!"
"With Lord Xiang Yu here, there's no reason we should lose." Yu Mei-ren felt completely reassured.
They had to support Kirschtaria in securing victory over Chaldea. That was precisely why Yu Mei-ren had gone to such lengths to persuade the Emperor, finally obtaining permission to bring Xiang Yu to Kirschtaria's Lostbelt as reinforcement.
The Emperor himself had little interest in the Lostbelt conflict and displayed absolute confidence.
Even so, the fact that Chaldea had already severed three Lostbelts in succession made the Crypters uneasy, especially after two of their companions had been taken captive.
"They're coming, my wife," Xiang Yu said.
"Prepare to engage!" Consort Yu shouted, shedding her usual gentle demeanor as she issued the order.
However, what reached them first was the artillery fire from the Chaldean warship.
Another consequence of the Odysseus fleet's all-day operations was that Olympus possessed pitifully little intelligence, all of it based on eyewitness accounts brought back by the surviving Dioscuri and Chiron.
The Leyline-Severing Armament struck with precision, hitting the heavy bow mounted on the foremost Olympus vessel.
Then came a dense swarm of Automata, sending a jolt through Hinako's heart.
She recognized those puppets.
Back when she had concealed herself within the Clock Tower as a Magus, she had heard of the title "Grand Puppeteer" and had seen a few completed Automata with her own eyes.
That was how she managed to recognize them now.
The Automata attacked the soldiers aboard the Olympus warships from the air. Ground-bound magical beasts and infantry were helpless against them, forced into a purely defensive posture as they endured the assault while desperately trying to redirect the ships' heavy bows to sweep the sky with counterfire.
A piercing chill ran up her spine. Hinako looked up and saw, positioned even higher than the Automata formation, a silver-haired girl clad in flight armor.
The Gatling gun mounted on the right side of her armor swung toward the flagship and opened fire.
Fortunately, Xiang Yu had already noticed her. His weapon moved in a flawless, airtight arc, intercepting every round fired by Melusine.
Realizing she couldn't take down the leader right away, Melusine abandoned the attempt without hesitation. She shifted focus, continuing to suppress the counterattacking warships while evading incoming fire.
Her mission was clear. Together with the Valkyries, she had to secure air superiority and keep firm control of the battlefield.
As long as the Olympus fleet had not been completely annihilated, the chances of Artemis's Arrow being fired remained slim.
The real question was who would deliver the signal to launch it.
"O' King of Storms, swarm of Ghosts. It's time to start the Wild Hunt! Golden Wild Hunt!"
Close on StormBorder's heels, Drake's warship unleashed its Noble Phantasm. Its speed surged even higher as it charged forward, guns blazing, bearing straight down on the Olympus fleet.
"Wait, wait! You're really going to ram them?!" Jason screamed in panic from the helm.
The moment the Noble Phantasm activated, control of the ship shifted to Drake herself. The helmsman no longer had any say over its course.
"Hahahaha! Of course we're ramming them! After swallowing this much humiliation, now's the time to get it all back in one go, Jason!" Bartholomew shouted, brimming with fighting spirit as he voiced his support.
He planned to release his own Noble Phantasm the instant they made contact with the Olympus fleet and press the attack while momentum was on their side.
"This is exactly why I said I didn't want to sail with you people!"
Jason's wail, mixed with Drake's hearty laughter, rang across the battlefield.
Watching the scene unfold, Melusine was convinced that the battle was progressing smoothly.
But it was all a smokescreen.
Tenkei Shiomi, who had been aboard the warship before the engagement began, was nowhere to be seen.
The clash was drawing attention exactly as intended. Like right now...
"What a naughty child. Just because you can soar through the sky, you think you can act however you like."
Demeter rose into the air, her scythe flashing as she brought it crashing down onto Melusine's armor. The impact nearly sent Melusine spiraling out of control mid-flight.
"A god personally entering the fray? That's a bit too unfair, don't you think?" Melusine protested, struggling to hold her stance.
The blow looked ordinary, yet it carried a terrifying weight that even she found hard to endure. Only Shiomi could probably withstand it alone.
"Hehe~" Demeter narrowed her eyes, her smile gentle and composed. "As a Dragon of the Boundary, is that really something you should be saying, Albion?"
"..." Melusine fell silent.
She took pride in being the Last Dragon and delighted in her own overwhelming strength.
Her one regret was that no matter how beautiful or powerful she was, she still couldn't draw that person's gaze.
"Lady Melusine!"
The Valkyries took to the air together.
"You are..." Demeter showed a rare hint of surprise as she looked at them. "To use that thing as material to create you... your creator has truly accomplished something extraordinary."
"Huh?" Melusine didn't quite understand what she meant.
But the battle was already underway. Her task, together with the three Valkyries, was to hold Demeter back and keep her from interfering with Chaldea's fight against the Olympus fleet.
Could they really do it...?
For once, Melu felt a flicker of uncertainty.
After all, their opponent was a god.
No. They had to succeed, because that person was definitely watching this battle unfold.
With that thought, the mana surging through Melu spiked sharply.
Moving in perfect sync with the three Valkyries, following the tactics they had drilled day after day, she formed up with them and threw herself into a tight, relentless engagement with Demeter.