Artemis's fall happened almost in an instant.
On Olympus's side, as Crypters who had come to support Kirschtaria in intercepting Chaldea, Yu Mei-ren and Peperoncino both more or less understood what was going on.
In their understanding, let alone Chaldea, there were hardly any Heroic Spirits in this world capable of sniping a god in satellite orbit from the surface of the earth.
But when that almost absurd scene actually unfolded, Yu Mei-ren, fighting on the front lines alongside Xiang Yu and Lanling Wang, couldn't help but be shaken.
"My wife, this is no good omen. We must withdraw from this place at once," Xiang Yu said to Yu Mei-ren.
"Withdraw?" Yu Mei-ren jolted, but she didn't doubt Xiang Yu's judgment. "If you say so, then we'll find a way out. The fleet is already finished, and Kirschtaria doesn't have much grounds to blame us anyway."
At that moment, Lanling Wang stepped forward to cover them.
"Master! Please withdraw at once with Xiang Wang. I will hold the three of them back!"
There were no remaining Olympus soldiers or Magical Beasts to draw on.
In less than an hour of battle, the Olympus fleet deployed around Hecate Island had been wiped out. Warships and manpower alike were all but annihilated.
The nearest reinforcements were on Deimos Island, twice the distance between Hecate Island and Heracles Island. Even if they had started moving toward this way from the very beginning, they would only arrive in time to collect the wreckage.
"Are you planning to die here?! Your Noble Phantasm can't stop them!" Yu Mei-ren held her sword crosswise.
At the moment, they were still exchanging blows with Artoria's group, having pulled back just enough to face off at a short distance.
"But… those three won't let us leave so easily," Lanling Wang said, reading the situation clearly. "Lord Peperoncino is nearby and ready to receive us. Please rendezvous with him as quickly as possible. Master and Xiang Wang are the real fighting strength that can still be preserved. Don't worry about me. A true man dies on the battlefield. That is my wish."
In life, Lanling Wang had died because of his lord's suspicion. His wish had always been simple: to die honorably as a soldier on the battlefield.
"But…" Yu Mei-ren clenched her teeth, unable to bring herself to accept it.
For her, an elf-like being with a near-endless lifespan, Lanling Wang was one of the few friends she had. More than that, he had been a crucial support in helping her reunite with Xiang Wang.
She had once watched Lanling Wang, in life, drink poisoned wine to his death. She had never imagined she would have to watch her old friend die again.
"Please, hurry!" Lanling Wang urged.
Because Artoria and the others were already closing in again. Once the fighting resumed, all three of them would be pinned here.
A Chaldea that could even bring down Artemis was not something their current strength could possibly contend with.
With that, Lanling Wang raised his sword and charged forward again, only to halt abruptly in the next instant.
The three across from him froze as well.
It wasn't because they'd decided to stop fighting.
The next second, a body wrapped in machinery fell from the sky and smashed onto the deck.
"Ow, ow, ow…" Melusine hissed, forcing herself up. "...It's completely wrecked…"
"Miss Melusine." Gray ran over at once.
She had fallen closer to Artoria's side. Gray quickly moved in to support her and began removing her flight armor.
Artoria and Barghest immediately took position in front, guarding against any attempt by Lanling Wang and the others to seize the opening.
"What happened, Melusine?" Barghest asked without turning around. "Weren't you—"
"Our opponent was the real deal. An Olympian god… a lifeform higher than me." Melusine sounded frustrated, but she couldn't deny it.
Even the Albion Dragon couldn't stand on equal footing with true gods.
And she had been maintaining a fairy form, not a dragon. To have held Demeter off for that long alongside three Valkyries was already an outstanding result.
"What about the Valkyries?" Artoria asked with concern.
"They've already been retrieved by Storm Border."
Melusine shook free of her exoskeleton and slowly rose to her feet, lifting the sword in her hand.
The first to fall was Thrúd. To protect her sisters, she took Demeter's attack head-on and crashed onto Drake's ship.
Next came Ortlinde and Hildr. They tried to counterattack, but in doing so exposed even greater openings and fell one after the other.
When Ortlinde fell, Chaldea noticed the situation in the sky. Sakura and the others on deck recovered the remaining two Valkyries and brought them back aboard for treatment.
Melusine herself had nearly lost her ability to fight as well. Fortunately, Shiomi had granted her the protection known as 『Inflaming Divinity』.
Thinking of that, Melusine couldn't help but feel deeply relieved.
While they were regrouping, Demeter descended from the sky.
"I do not wish to kill you here. If you surrender now and accept my Klironomia, you may yet have a chance to live," she said, pointing her scythe at Melusine and the others.
"I refuse." Artoria leveled her Holy Lance at Demeter. "And they feel the same. We will never accept the dominion of any god!"
Gray and the others nodded in turn, affirming Artoria's words.
"Is that so? Then—"
Faced with such an unyielding refusal, Demeter's expression showed only a trace of sorrow, her voice trembling slightly.
Yet the surge of Mana around her grew rapidly stronger.
A Noble Phantasm.
A god's Noble Phantasm.
Just as Artemis had her divine arrows, Demeter possessed her own.
Artoria's pupils shrank sharply. As she signaled the others to fall back, she raised her Holy Lance.
"Thirteen Restraints, release. Round Table Resolution, open—"
Just as the light on the Holy Lance was about to ignite, another voice rang out, stopping her and interrupting Demeter's attempt to release her Noble Phantasm.
"Don't rush, Artoria. You don't need to stake your life against the Goddess of Abundance here."
As the voice spoke, Shiomi descended from the sky and came to stand beside her.
"Master!"
"Tenkei-sama!"
"So you were the one after all," Yu Mei-ren said, looking at Shiomi. "That strike that brought down Artemis earlier… that was your doing, wasn't it?"
Shiomi nodded. "It's been a long time, Miss Yu Mei-ren. My wife has been hoping to talk with you again, her old friend, about books. Would you be willing to lay down your weapons and come see her with me?"
Within all of Chaldea, aside from Shiomi himself, Morgan was the one from Group A with whom Yu Mei-ren was closest.
One was a spirit, the other a fairy from the Fairy Kingdom.
Neither was human, and books became the common ground that bound them together.
"…" Yu Mei-ren fell silent for a moment.
Shiomi didn't press her for an answer, because Demeter was still there.
"You even killed Artemis… What exactly are you doing?" Demeter's eyes were filled with grief and helplessness. "Is slaying fellow gods the path you've chosen to ascend to the seat of divinity?"
"No," Shiomi replied calmly. "This is simply the path I chose to protect my companions, to protect those who can never be replaced."
As he spoke, he raised his hand, and a beam of light descended into his palm.
...
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