The sky was burning.
Kirschtaria Wodime floated ten thousand meters above the ground, waving his staff like a conductor's baton and transforming the surrounding atmosphere into a massive star chart.
Along the magical trajectories he created, countless meteors trailed crimson flames as they fell toward the sea, radiating an aura of destruction.
It was a mystery that would drive any magus to despair.
It was sacred magic that used stars as bullets and gravity as a detonator.
"Is this your answer, Wodime?"
Steve looked up at the apocalyptic scene, but there was no sign of panic on his face.
On the contrary, a faint hint of admiration even appeared in his eyes.
"As expected of the Clock Tower's genius—applying astrology to this extent truly deserves to be called a Grand Title."
"However…"
He lightly snapped his fingers. His red trench coat fluttered in the wind.
"I've wanted to try this for a long time. Whether your mystery is more difficult or my steel is stronger."
Buzz—!
Through a spiritual origin fluctuation perceptible only to Heroic Spirits, Steve's magical energy nature changed dramatically.
The sharpness inherent to the Archer class vanished, replaced by a deeper, more feral aura as if a commander were leading thousands of soldiers.
[Saint Graph Promotion: Class Change]
[Archer → Rider]
"Come on, Wodime. Since you've gotten serious, I can't hold back anymore."
"This is only one percent of the forces I deployed in a single battle before I died, but it's more than enough to make you understand what industrialized violence truly means!"
Steve suddenly raised his right hand and snapped his fingers toward the meteor shower.
Snap!
Amid the roaring thunder, the faint sound was negligible.
But the next instant, the entire space outside the atmosphere was torn apart.
There were no magic circles, no sacred incantations.
All that remained were coldly exquisite, mechanically beautiful folding doors.
In the darkness, countless green lights flickered like fireflies.
Immediately after, these points of light rapidly expanded into eighteen-meter-tall green giants.
They were neither golems nor familiars, but pure war machines made of steel and circuits.
A single-eye monitor flashed red. The shoulder shields bore the emblem of the Human Federation. They wielded heat axes and machine guns powerful enough to melt battleship armor.
Noble Phantasm Release: War God Legion
It was the Zaku-type autonomous combat robot legion, the Hell Soldier series, produced in the fully automated arsenal outside the solar system that Steve had commanded before his death.
50,000 units.
A total of 50,000 massive steel objects were deployed in near-Earth orbit like a swarm of locusts.
Without fear or hesitation, the moment they received the order, they activated their thrusters at maximum output.
Boom—!!!
Tens of thousands of blue flame trails converged into a sea of light in space.
This steel torrent did not choose to confront the meteors head-on. Instead, it displayed astonishing tactical ability.
They moved in groups of three or five, using the enormous thrust from their propulsion systems to collide precisely with the sides of the meteors.
The key was not to destroy them, but to alter their trajectories!
"W-What?!"
For the first time, Wodime, soaring high in the sky, showed an expression of surprise.
In his view, the meteors originally aimed at the Chaldea group were deflected from their original paths by suicidal collisions from the unidentified mechanical puppets and scattered into the sea in all directions like drunkards.
Rumble!
Countless massive water columns erupted from the sea surface, but the New Argonaut, located at the center of the storm, miraculously remained unharmed.
"Could it be… are those golems? No, that precise coordination, that control method without relying on magic…"
Wodime frowned, but before he could fully understand the situation, an even stronger sense of crisis suddenly surged from below.
A red light shot upward from the deck of the New Argonaut.
It was a red unit taller and more imposing than a standard Zaku.
It featured streamlined armor, massive shoulder thrusters, and a symbolic golden commander's antenna.
MSN-04 Sazabi.
"Wodime! Your stars are indeed beautiful! But—"
In the cockpit, Steve gripped the control sticks tightly. His eyes seemed to emit the iridescent glow known as New Human.
The full-screen display showed a massive meteor over 500 meters in diameter breaking through the Zaku legion's defensive line and charging straight toward the New Argonaut, radiating an aura of destruction.
This was the core of Wodime's attack—the unavoidable decisive strike.
"It's just a broken rock! I'll push it back with the Sazabi!"
With that roar, the red machine shot forward, emitting unprecedented brilliance.
It was not flames from the thrusters, but a warm, powerful green light leaking from deep within the machine's frame.
Psycho-Frame – Resonance!
The Sazabi transformed into a red meteor and charged toward the massive meteor.
The moment the two made contact, the tremendous impact violently shook the entire cockpit.
Alarms blared loudly, and the armor creaked under the strain.
"Move!!!"
Steve gritted his teeth and poured all his will, magical energy, and obsession with protection into the machine.
The green light gradually intensified, eventually transforming into a massive halo that enveloped the entire meteor.
Under the dazed gazes of the Chaldea members below and in Wodime's incredulous eyes,
The massive meteor that had seemed unstoppable… actually stopped.
And then it slowly began to push backward.
"Ooooooh…"
With Steve's final roar, flames erupted from the Sazabi's rear thrusters for several kilometers.
The immense thrust combined with the physical interference force generated by the psycho-frame caused the meteor to deviate greatly from its original trajectory and fly off into outer space.
Boom—!!!
The meteor finally exploded in space, transforming into countless dazzling fireworks.
The red machine floated in the air with its back to the star fragments covering the sky, like a steel giant that had just defeated a god.
"Whew…"
In the cockpit, Steve let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He glanced down at Ritsuka and Jason, who were completely stunned. A proud smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"So, Wodime? This is the power of human technology."
He switched on the external speakers, and his voice echoed through the sky.
"Your Age of Gods is indeed very powerful."
"But unfortunately, the times have changed."
…
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