Callum stared down at the ruined giant, unconsciously taking a single step backwards. Even Ember, whose towering frame dwarfed the broken machine, remained unusually cautious.
The colossal wyvern stood perfectly still, ember-colored eyes fixed upon the construct with an intensity that betrayed neither fear nor curiosity. Every muscle beneath his scarred crimson scales remained taut, every claw dug deeply into the mountainside as though he expected the dormant titan to awaken at any moment. Whatever lay before them, the White Demon recognised it as something fundamentally wrong, something that did not belong in the natural order.
At last, Atherius broke the silence.
"You know these blades?"
Callum did not answer immediately. His gaze remained locked on the impossible sword buried deep within the machine's chest, his thoughts struggling to reconcile everything he knew with what stood before him.
"Yes..." he murmured at last. "But... what is one of them doing here? I thought there were only seven."
Atherius remained silent for a moment before his eyes drifted back toward the ruined titan.
"That," he answered quietly, "is something I cannot tell you. When we discovered him... he was already like this."
Yuki clicked her tongue and pushed past Callum, the restraint she'd maintained finally beginning to crack.
"Oh, don't give us that," she snapped. "You obviously know something, so stop dancing around it and tell us."
Her body trembled, not with fear, but with restrained frustration.
It was only natural.
A Blade of God could only mean one thing.
He had been here.
The only man capable of forging such miracles. The only being in recorded history who could compress Atum into weapons that defied every natural law. The forgotten hero who had once driven Dagon away, only for his own name to slowly disappear from history while the consequences of his actions continued shaping the world centuries after his disappearance.
Caesar caught Yuki's arm before she could advance another step.
"Enough."
His voice remained calm.
"We didn't come here looking for answers. We came here to save him."
He turned back toward the giant machine, only for uncertainty to slowly spread across his face.
"...Though I have absolutely no idea how we're supposed to remove that thing."
Atherius smiled faintly.
"I believe," he replied, "the White Demon may be capable of assisting us."
His eyes lifted toward Ember.
The great wyvern slowly lowered his massive head, briefly glancing toward Atherius before returning his attention to the construct. Then, with remarkable caution for a creature of his size, he began moving.
Each step shook the mountain beneath them. Loose stone rolled down the cliffs while cracks spread beneath his immense weight. He circled the broken titan once, carefully studying every shattered plate, every exposed cable, and every wound carved into its ancient frame. Only after several long minutes did he finally gather enough confidence to approach.
Leaning forward, Ember sniffed the machine once.
Then again.
Something changed.
The hostility burning within his eyes weakened, replaced by confusion. His pupils widened slightly, almost as though he had recognised something buried beneath the countless layers of metal. For several long moments he simply stared, caught somewhere between instinct and memory.
Then everything changed.
Without warning, rage twisted across his draconic features.
Ember threw back his head and unleashed a deafening roar directly into the construct's face.
The shockwave ripped across the mountainside, bending trees and sending loose stone tumbling from the surrounding cliffs. Atherius merely sighed as the violent winds swept harmlessly past him.
"...It would appear," he observed dryly, "that he is not particularly fond of our companion."
Callum slowly lowered his hands from his ringing ears.
"Alright..." he muttered, glancing between Ember and the machine. "So what now? Ember clearly doesn't want to help. How exactly are we supposed to get that blade out?"
Atherius rested a thoughtful hand beneath his chin.
"I have no idea."
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Eventually, an exhausted sigh escaped nearly everyone present.
Callum pinched the bridge of his nose before looking toward Ceasar.
"...Any chance Hachi can do it?"
Ceasar activated the interface embedded within his wrist. Streams of calculations flashed across the holographic display as his cybernetic processors simulated dozens of possible outcomes in rapid succession.
"It..." he muttered.
"...should be possible."
He paused before adding,
"If everything goes perfectly."
Evelyn folded her arms.
"And what exactly has to go perfectly?"
Ceasar dismissed the display before beginning his explanation.
"In simple terms, every Blade of God is an impossibly dense structure composed almost entirely of compressed Atum." He gestured toward the sword. "That density is what makes them effectively indestructible, but it's also why they're absurdly heavy."
His mechanical eye focused upon the weapon.
"Each blade weighs approximately one million tons despite being only around seventy meters long. Their density pushes their mass far beyond what something of that size should physically possess. Hachi has enough lifting power to remove it..."
He hesitated.
"...for roughly three seconds."
His gaze shifted toward Artoria.
"So unless we temporarily reduce its effective weight, Hachi's servos will overload before the blade even clears the wound."
Artoria quietly studied the sword for several moments before giving a slow nod.
"...I think I can."
"But only briefly."
She looked around the valley.
"This place suppresses nearly all harmonic Atum. My authority is barely functioning."
Ceasar smiled.
"A brief moment is all we need."
Without another word, he detached the capsule mounted to his wrist before tossing it onto the mountainside.
Within seconds, Hachi stood before them once more.
Unlike Tyrus, whose proportions resembled an impossibly elegant guardian sculpted by a master craftsman, Hachi looked brutally practical. Thick armour covered every surface of its body, while six enormous floating plates hovered behind its back like massive mobile shields.
It resembled less a legendary hero...
...and more a walking fortress built for nothing except war.
Chrome's voice echoed through the cockpit.
"I heard everything."
"I'll move into position."
"Give the signal."
"I'll activate Hachi's full output."
Ceasar nodded before speaking again, his tone noticeably softer.
"Chrome... how are you adjusting? Is Hachi's AI treating you well?"
The reply took several seconds.
The massive mech slowly flexed its fingers, almost as though Chrome were simply enjoying the sensation of movement.
"...Yes."
"The AI has been incredibly kind."
"It has helped me understand many of its systems."
He looked down at his enormous hands.
"...Thank you."
"...For trusting me with Hachi."
A genuine smile crossed Caesar's face.
"Don't mention it."
He pointed toward the blade.
"I'll attach gravitational stabilisers around the sword. They'll reduce the strain once Artoria alters its weight."
His gaze met Hachi's glowing visor.
"We only get one attempt."
"So make it count."
Chrome nodded before guiding Hachi down the mountainside in several enormous strides until the mech came to a stop directly before Tyrus.
The moment he approached, Ember lowered himself into an aggressive stance. Smoke poured between his teeth as a deep hiss escaped his throat, his claws scraping across solid stone.
Then...
He paused.
His head slowly tilted.
Chrome raised both enormous mechanical hands.
"Ember... it's me."
"It's Chrome."
"You don't have to worry."
A brief pause followed before he added quietly,
"...Thank you."
"For protecting me while I was offline."
The great wyvern blinked.
Slowly, he approached until he towered over even Hachi. Lowering his massive head, he brought his nostrils within inches of the mech's chest and sniffed once, warm smoke drifting lazily across the armor.
Then, to everyone's complete surprise, the White Demon gently licked Hachi's shoulder.
Chrome laughed softly.
"Thank you, Sir Ember."
"I appreciate your kindness."
Only then did Hachi step toward the Blade of God.
Up close, the weapon's sheer scale became overwhelming.
Nearly seventy meters in length.
Its silver surface shimmered beneath centuries of ash while ancient runes pulsed faintly along its fuller, almost as though the sword itself still breathed.
Chrome wrapped Hachi's colossal hands firmly around the hilt.
Behind him, Caesar's body partially separated as dozens of compact devices launched from hidden compartments before swarming around the blade. One after another, they locked into place, forming a shimmering gravitational lattice around the weapon.
Artoria stepped forward.
Closing her eyes, she forced golden light into existence around her fingertips despite the valley's suppression.
Caesar looked between them.
"Ready?"
Both nodded.
Just before they began, Atherius casually glanced toward Callum.
"Oh."
"I nearly forgot."
Callum frowned.
"...Forgot what?"
Atherius smiled with suspicious innocence.
"When the blade comes out... my companions and I will probably have to restrain Tyrus."
Callum's expression slowly changed.
"...Probably?"
"Well..."
"The blade has been suppressing him."
His smile somehow widened.
"So... he may wake up frightened..."
"...and attempt to kill every single one of us."
The words had barely left his mouth before Artoria released her authority.
The blade suddenly became lighter.
Caesar's gravitational lattice ignited.
Chrome pulled.
The mountain screamed beneath Hachi's feet as stone shattered and servos roared at maximum output.
Then, with a thunderous explosion that echoed across the entire valley, the Blade of God tore free.
The colossal sword flew through the air before crashing into the valley floor, carving an enormous trench through solid stone.
Silence followed.
For several long seconds, nothing happened.
Then sea-blue light slowly spread throughout Tyrus's body.
One system after another reignited.
Broken circuitry repaired itself.
Ancient conduits flooded with power.
Optical sensors slowly awakened.
The colossal construct remained perfectly motionless, making no sound beyond the steady hum of countless ancient systems returning to life.
Callum unconsciously held his breath.
No one moved.
Everyone simply watched.
Waiting.
Then, without the slightest warning, the machine's mask blazed with brilliant light as its head snapped upward.
A single terrified voice erupted from every speaker embedded throughout its colossal body.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"