Up until now, every preview video had been about Singularities.
But this time, the title outright carried the name [Lostbelt]
"So this Lostbelt finally showed up, huh… "
Sanjiro whispered audibly.
"Huh? Lostbelt? What's that supposed to mean?" Kirina asked in surprise.
Before, it had always been Singularities—so why suddenly a Lostbelt?
Illya shook her head.
"No idea."
As if anticipating that many wouldn't understand, the uploader Alaya thoughtfully attached an explanation—
[Just as life on Earth competes for survival, human history itself is also in constant competition.]
[The victorious history—built upon the "correct choices" and "true prosperity"—is what we know as Pan-Human History.]
[Yet even within this proper flow, distortions may occur. These anomalies—caused by outside interference or corruption—are called Singularities. They are temporary wounds in Pan-Human History. If left unchecked, they could fester and consume the main trunk itself.]
[But beyond even that lie the Lostbelts—entire worlds born from "wrong choices" and "false prosperity," histories that were pruned away by the Human Order because they could never reach a true future. Doomed to end in death, yet revived as rivals to the proper world.]
"I get it now!" Kirina's eyes lit up with sudden realization. "Like in Demonic Front. Imagine if, after we defeated Tiamat, instead of restoring the Singularity—Gilgamesh had been allowed to live forever, ruling Uruk endlessly, and history just kept branching from there. That would be a Lostbelt! The point is that it's a history of wrong choices, wrong prosperity."
No matter how advanced it becomes, such a history has abandoned the proper Human Order and is fated to walk a dead-end road.
"So wait—does this mean the First Emperor really ate the Elixir of Immortality… and actually lived forever?"
Kirina thought back to the ending scene in the previous video "The Eternal Emperor."
After his battle against the gods—
Nameless sacrificed himself, his body dissolving completely into light.
The First Emperor alone remained on the altar, standing above a sea of a million black-armored soldiers.
Though he held dominion over all, he still could not protect the teacher he had cherished—that lonely image lingered in everyone's hearts.
Perhaps that was why the Emperor had once conferred the title of [Imperial Teacher] upon Nameless.
And why he had declared, "Whoever dares to use my Teacher, I will exterminate his entire family."
Miyu shook her head softly.
"We'll have to watch the video to know for sure…"
Everything remained cloaked in mystery.
From the very beginning, this new reveal had pushed the sense of anticipation to the absolute limit.
No one knew—if the First Emperor truly devoured the Elixir of Immortality, what kind of existence he would become after living two thousand years.
Even in his mortal life, he had crushed every rival power and brought the entire land under his dominion.
If you gave him two thousand more years… would he not go on to unify the entire world?
Kirina sighed lightly.
"Too bad even this video can't stand against those Machine Gods…"
Even the Olympian deities, after being crushed by the Vanguard of the Umbral, could only remain stranded on Earth.
Unless one became a monstrosity on the level of Tiamat—the ultimate Human Evil—no being possessed the power to sail the cosmos freely.
Sanjiro glanced at her but didn't add much. Inside, however, he felt a wave of relief.
Good. It seemed Clairvoyance hadn't been unsealed.
That last time had scared him half to death.
He lowered his gaze to the notification that popped up on his phone—
[Alaya: Shikotei is about to mobilize for war. Do you wish to converse with him?]
Eh? So considerate?
Sanjiro instantly grew wary.
This bastard's sudden "kindness" was obviously just another ploy to trick him into working himself to death at the keyboard.
No way he'd fall for it!
Still, after thinking it over, he replied: "Fine!"
Those massive space warships unveiled at the United States press conference had simply been too shocking for words.
[Alaya: You have three minutes.]
"…Heh. Are you looking down on me?"
Sanjiro curled his lip.
Three minutes? What am I, Ultraman?
But fine—three minutes was enough.
Showtime.
====
Above the Epang Palace.
Inside the main hall, every Heroic Spirit had gathered.
Since America dared to bombard the Heavenly Court defense system, that already counted as a declaration of war.
"War is inevitable!" Ryofu Hōsen answered without hesitation.
"Hah! Just some space warships? I'll cut them down myself!" Kou declared, his voice brimming with pride.
To these generals, not even gods could make them bow.
"All you people ever think of is fighting! What, you're going to charge a starship with a sword?" Komei rubbed his forehead, exasperated.
A bunch of battle maniacs.
Sure, they could fight all they wanted—but he, as the one stuck with logistics, was the one who'd end up cursing.
With furrowed brows, Komei turned to the satellite feed.
"The real question is—how exactly are we supposed to fight a fleet of warships?"
On the monitor, it was all too clear.
A line of colossal space battleships, each one armed with devastating firepower, hovered silently above the Empire's skies.
From orbit, their cannons pointed straight down at the land below.
These weren't mere ships. They were the true bodies of the Machine Gods!
The one that had blasted apart the Heavenly Court defense network earlier was none other than the Solar Deity warship.
It gleamed with a radiance as dazzling as the sun itself—
And with a single shot, it had annihilated the entire Heavenly Court system, which could normally withstand even EX-rank Noble Phantasms.
Fragments of shattered fortresses still rained above.
The crushing pressure left every soul in the hall struggling to breathe.
Komei spoke in an extremely grave tone:
"Based on the earlier strike from the Sun God warship, we can calculate that its power already exceeds one megaton-class nuclear bomb. That is enough to directly obliterate a medium-sized city!"
And that—was just a single shot!
Apart from the Sun God councilor—
The Moon Goddess councilor's cannons were noticeably smaller, seemingly specialized for precision strikes.
That brother-and-sister pair of Machine Gods: one excelling in wide-area destruction, the other in pinpoint demolitions—together they formed a near-perfect combination of strategic weapons.
The Earth Goddess—the very same Agriculture Goddess who had appeared in an earlier video—was clearly serving as a logistics and repair vessel.
The Sea God Machine God, on the other hand, clearly possessed control over the oceans.
Judging from their earlier performance in The Gods of Olympus, Komei estimated that its power was enough to raise devastating tsunamis, capable of swallowing all of Japan's coastal cities.
The God-King, the Sea God, and the King of the Underworld—those three stood at the very top tier.
As for the flagship, the God-King warship—it was expected to possess terrifying thunder-control abilities, enough to conjure massive thunderclouds above and destroy all communications.
Once the network was down, they would essentially be blind men fumbling in the dark—completely unable to fight back.
The rest of the Machine Gods still had their abilities hidden, making it impossible even for Komei to give accurate assessments.
Chin Kyu spoke with deep sorrow:
"It seems… we have no choice but to risk everything in one desperate battle! Kou, are you ready?"
"…If necessary, I am absolutely willing. But—for now, let's wait."
Kou stepped back half a pace.
If they really intended to use him as the spearhead, then he would surely die without a chance of survival.
He didn't fear death—but he did fear being thrown away like a firework.
Komei stepped forward and bowed in report:
"Your Majesty, how do you see it?"
This was now an open declaration of war.
Those false gods had made it clear they held true divine-level power, and they shamelessly sought to suppress the First Emperor to dominate the entire world!
Now the whole world was waiting for their response.
If they chose to bow their heads, then they would forever be trampled underfoot.
The Council of Gods would become actual gods above men, demanding worship from all humanity.
And as for the body of the God of War that the Imperial Teacher had defeated with such hardship—they would be forced to return it. On top of that, they'd surely demand compensation worth tens or even hundreds of times more.
The most ruthless, humiliating slap to the face imaginable.
From that moment on, every Heroic Spirit under their banner would be forced to endure humiliation, groveling under the feet of others.
Summoned to banquets, only to be executed.
Taken as hounds.
Upon the grand throne—
Shikotei's gaze was as icy as frost:
"I… shall never tolerate provocation from any quarter—much less from a rabble of false gods who merely stole power!"
It was naked provocation.
Even if the enemy possessed space-faring battleships, there was no choice but to fight.
Just as he was about to issue his response—
Shikotei noticed a lone figure quietly standing at the center of the great hall. He was briefly stunned:
"Teacher, why have you come?"
There was no need to ask—this sudden visitor was none other than Sanjiro.
Shikotei gave a small sigh in his heart.
As expected.
In moments of grave danger, "the Teacher" would always rush here without hesitation, to shield I and the people.
Even though his Saint Graph had long since shattered, even though his strength was but a shadow of what it once was, and even though he had said countless times he no longer wished to fight—he still devoted himself wholly.
Shikotei was both moved and pained.
I had originally thought of repaying this Teacher—of forever protecting him, letting him finally retire in peace and enjoy the quiet life.
But alas… I's power was still far from enough!
Why—why was I still so weak?!
Shikotei looked at him seriously:
"Teacher, please—believe in me. You need only stand aside and witness."
Every Heroic Spirit in the hall turned their burning gazes toward him.
In the earlier video, The Eternal Emperor, this Teacher had stood beside the First Emperor from his youth, to the unification of the Six States, to enthronement as the ruler.
Merits so vast that no reward could suffice, no title could contain them.
Power overshadowing the throne itself.
And yet—
Shikotei had once declared: "I am willing to share the world with Teacher."
Plainly, he cared nothing for such petty concerns.
"I believe in you, and in every Heroic Spirit here," Sanjiro answered with a smile.
With Alaya's aid, he descended into the Palace's great hall in the form of a projection.
Looking around, he could see every Heroic Spirit's faces—full of fury, but also weighed down by endless worry.
It was obvious: the oppressive power of the Council of Gods hanging in space was far too overwhelming.
For Heroic Spirits who could only act upon the earth, they had no idea how to resist.
"Please—watch Alaya's new video first, before deciding how to confront the Council of Gods."
Sanjiro added,
"I promise—the video will give you the confidence to prevail."
"A new video?"
Only at his reminder did they notice that just minutes ago, Alaya had finally published a new video—
[Lostbelt No. 3]
That title made it clear: this was the tale of what happened after severing the connection to the gods.
The Heroic Spirits in the hall all straightened at once.
"Teacher's foresight is keen indeed!" Komei saluted.
It seemed the Emperor would display brilliance beyond imagination in this video.
Perhaps—perhaps even surpassing the King of Heroes himself.
That was why the Teacher could confidently declare: watch first, then earn the right to face the fleet.
"Good!"
Shikotei naturally agreed without hesitation.
He had been prepared to immediately declare war, to fight the Beacon to the death.
But now—he could at least glimpse what followed in those ancient days.
"Then—watch at your leisure."
Sanjiro's figure slowly faded.
The video was feature-length; there was no urgency in declaring war this very instant.
As he vanished—
"By I's decree, proclaim it to the Empire: let all watch this video together!"
Shikotei spoke calmly:
"And issue a notice. Once the video has ended, I shall deliver response to America's destruction of the Heavenly Court defense grid."
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Komei's face had eased considerably.
After all, in those days, the Emperor and Nameless had fought side by side, sealing even corrupted Gods.
There was nothing left to fear.
Once the video ended, they would launch their final counterattack!
And so—
Before the eyes of all Heroic Spirits, the video began.
…
The video opened.
But not with the sight of Nameless's body crumbling before the Emperor's eyes.
Instead—it began in the lands of Wu and Yue, long since unified under Qin.
On a hillside covered in flowers blooming in profusion.
An endless sea of blossoms.
In the midst of it stood a girl, quiet and serene.
Though Nameless should have been at Shikotei's side, he had quietly come here to this sea of flowers.
He looked at the black-haired, red-eyed girl and said softly:
"Yu Mei-ren… or rather, a spirit born of the world's reverse side. Would you be willing to come with me?"
"…I have no name. Why call me that?" The girl frowned slightly.
She bared her mouth, showing two sharp little canine fangs—glaring at Nameless fiercely.
The tranquility and grace from before turned violent in an instant.
Nameless blinked, then smiled:
"Because—you're as beautiful as this sea of poppies. That's why I call you Yu Mei-ren."
Clearly, this spirit—what magi would call an Ancestor—had yet to truly interact with humanity.
The so-called fairies and immortals of chinese mythology would only come later.
"I'm hungry! If you want to take me with you, you'll have to feed me—fill me up!"
Yu Mei-ren licked her lips, her little fangs glittering in the sun.
She possessed a special ability—Vampirism—able to drain energy from all living things.
The man before her was stranger even than gods and immortals, brimming with mysterious power that could traverse endless time.
"…Fine."
Nameless extended a finger.
Offering it without hesitation, letting her sharp fangs sink in.
After feeding—
The girl's face was flushed, her eyes sparkling with starlight as she smiled:
"You really are a strange one. But… delicious!"
Thwap!
Nameless flicked her on the forehead.
"If you're going to follow me, then behave yourself—and act human."
"You—! Just because you fed me once, you think you can order me around? Are you right in the head?"
Yu Mei-ren ground her teeth, then snorted.
"Hmph. Forget it. Since I'm going to stay by your side—I'll make sure to eat you clean to the bone!"
As a spirit born, she hated being bound or instructed.
But that man's blood—
…was irresistible.
====
This scene.
It made Mordred freeze for a moment while watching the video:
"Damn it, why is Nameless being so generous!?"
Don't forget—
Back when she was born, it was because of Morgan had used a fragment of Nameless's power combined with her father's blood to create her as an artificial human.
And now this weird vampire girl is straight-up sucking Nameless's blood?
Infuriating!
Artoria replied calmly:
"He's most likely studying divine and immortal powers."
The new video clearly picked up right where The Eternal Emperor left off.
Nameless and the First Emperor, ever since unifying the Six Kingdoms, had been desperately researching every possible method related to immortals and gods, all to fight back against the Deities corrupted by the Outer Gods.
And this vampire girl—she was without a doubt some kind of god-tier being.
"Hmph, what a disaster of a woman!"
Mordred ground her teeth.
Next time she finds Nameless, she'll have to bite him a few times herself to vent her frustration, just like this vampire did!
The scene shifted.
From the land of Wu and Yue blooming with poppies, it suddenly jumped thousands of miles away.
A colossal tree towered in the distance.
Above it, a blazing golden sun shone.
Looking closer—it wasn't the sun. It was a radiant golden Three-Legged Crow!
The Golden Crow, perched on the Fusang Tree.
The audience instantly felt a wave of mythological atmosphere crashing over them—they were being pulled deep into the myth.
In the legends:
Ten suns rose into the sky, scorching the earth and bringing drought, driving people to suffering.
Then came a mighty hero, who drew his bow and shot down nine of them, ending the catastrophe.
That man's name was Hou Yi.
And now, the corpse of a Golden Crow still glowed faintly with light, pierced straight through by a shining arrow.
Clatter—
The Chains of Heaven shifted, and that arrow was pulled free.
Nameless held it and murmured:
"To reach an unreachable might, to shoot down an untouchable dream… is this what it means for me to be a Grand Archer?"
"The Golden Crow that Hou Yi shot down?"
Tamamo-no-Mae's many fluffy tails swayed greedily as she stared at the corpse.
From the Golden Crow's body, she could feel an overwhelming temptation.
The pure power of the sun itself!
Yu Mei-ren narrowed her eyes, glaring at her with full hostility:
"Fox spirit, what do you want to do?"
"Nothing much. I just want to eat it." Tamamo licked her lips openly, without hiding her hunger.
If she devoured this corpse, she could unlock more tails, step by step—six, seven, even eight tails.
She would absorb the essence of the sun and ascend fully into Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess herself—a being beyond gods!
"Don't even think about it! This is our prey!"
Yu Mei-ren stood protectively in front of the body.
But—
Nameless simply smiled:
"Go ahead. I'll let you have it. You'll be our last trump card against the gods."
"…Really???"
Tamamo's eyes widened, utterly shocked.
He knew perfectly well that once she absorbed the Golden Crow, she'd become terrifying enough to even suppress him.
And yet he gave it to her willingly.
"Just know this—if you dare fall into becoming a Beast, I will cut you down." Nameless said coldly.
"Hmph! Who are you trying to scare!"
Tamamo shrank back instinctively.
But faced with the burning allure of the Golden Crow's solar power, she didn't hesitate. She swallowed it whole.
"Damn it, why would he give our prize to this fox!?"
Yu Mei-ren clenched her teeth in anger.
She'd been looking forward to taking the corpse with them, letting Nameless roast it into a meal.
With his cooking skills, the thought alone made her drool.
But now—he just gave it away for nothing!
"Mmff…"
While fuming, Yu Mei-ren suddenly felt her mouth stuffed with something. Reflexively, she bit down.
…Delicious!
Her once fierce little face instantly melted into pure bliss.
The video shifted again.
Nameless was now standing on an island in the Eastern Sea, gazing at a massive boulder.
He sighed softly:
"As I thought… it's not yet your time to be born."
Then, before the viewers' eyes—
He carved out a cavern beneath a waterfall, leaving behind countless marks and traces.
This mountain was called Mount Huaguo.
The cavern beneath the waterfall was called Water Curtain Cave.
And that giant stone—was the last fragment of the stones once used to mend the heaven.
Inside it, a primordial lifeform was already stirring.
One day, it would awaken as none other than—
Sun Wukong!
At that moment, the livestream chat exploded:
SergeantSaunders-[Everything connects! Nameless is amazing—he's been laying preparations to fight the gods all along!]
GoatedBalls-[So wait… Journey to the West is basically Nameless's battle against the gods?]
AlayaRiggedThisShit-[Sun Wukong's rebellion in Heaven was to help Nameless fight them??]
YoMamaBeenSlobbin-[This is insane—he literally created mythology with his own hands. What comes next!?]
====
In Chaldea.
Mash stared wide-eyed at the screen:
"So… just how much did senpai actually do?"
"Hard to say." Dr. Roman shook his head.
The more these videos revealed, the thicker the veil of mystery around him became.
Nearby, a bespectacled girl was also staring fixedly at the screen.
Mash asked curiously:
"What's wrong, Hinako Akuta?"
She was a quiet, elegant girl from a magus family.
Recently, she had shown great talent and been invited to Chaldea as a technician.
A bookish type, happiest when surrounded by literature.
She and Mash had gotten along well.
"…It's nothing."
Hinako shook her head.
But in truth, it was not nothing at all.
Why… why was this video exposing her true identity?
"Does that mean… I knew Nameless too?" she froze, realization hitting.
Because her true self was—Yu Mei-ren.
The refined, composed literature girl was inwardly screaming:
"Damn you, Alaya! How dare you shamelessly expose this!!"
So embarrassing!
Utterly mortifying!
Her face flushed red as she remembered her fierce little act—only for it to be ruined by her shameless indulgence in Nameless's presence.
But as she continued watching, long-lost memories returned…
And she couldn't help but smack her lips.
As if she could still savor that… taste.
Delicious.
Unlike the other Heroic Spirits, who all sought Nameless romantically—
Her desire was simpler, more primal.
She wanted to eat him.
Straight up devour him!
Luckily, her true identity wasn't out in the open yet.
She could still hide it.
Hinako exhaled quietly, lowered her gaze, and returned to reading her book.
The video continued.
After searching all across the land and laying countless hidden plans, Nameless finally said softly:
"It's time for me to go."
"Nameless, where are you going?" Yu Mei-ren looked at him with deep reluctance.
"To storm the heaven, to shatter the Celestial Court… and seal away those gods corrupted by the Outer Gods."
His voice was calm—yet filled with unshakable confidence.
"…And if you never return?"
Yu Mei-ren froze, blurting the question.
After all, those deities were far stronger than her. How could he possibly win?
"Then I will never return."
Nameless spoke and left without hesitation.
From the very beginning, he had never expected to survive.
Naturally, he hadn't brought her along—this spirit deserved her own life.
Behind him—
"Hmph, I didn't expect you to be so softhearted, not even willing to use me, a sage." Yu Mei-ren ground her teeth.
"If that's how it is, then I'll walk with you all the way—to the very end, even down the road to Yomi!"
"Tch, abandoned, weren't you?"
Tamamo no Mae's voice brimmed with schadenfreude.
Once, she too had sought to win Nameless's heart, only to be dismissed as a monster.
It still stung.
But now, seeing someone else treated the same way suddenly made her feel much better.
"None of your business!"
Yu Mei-ren snorted coldly.
When she realized Nameless had already left for good, she chose to depart in her own way.
Meanwhile—
Tamamo no Mae chuckled softly. "Oh, Nameless, I know you're not truly dead. I'll live on into the future—and come find you!"
Behind her, tails swayed lazily.
By fusing and devouring the corpse of the Golden Crow, she had advanced from five tails to six, with the power to keep growing.
In time, she would become the full Nine-Tails, a complete Beast, a true calamity beyond compare.
Until then, though, she'd have a little fun on the side.
For her new name, she chose—
Koyanskaya.
The scene shifted.
It returned to the ending of the earlier "Eternal Emperor" video.
The war was already over.
Nameless, his body broken, whispered softly:
"Tei… I once told you, if there is no torch in this world, then I will burn myself and become the flame to light the way. Now the world is at peace again. Rule this country well."
His figure crumbled and dissolved into nothingness.
Upon the vast and solemn altar of farewell to the gods, only Shikotei remained, alone, clutching the Sword of Heaven.
All the foreshadowing was now fulfilled; every mystery explained.
By roaming across the land, Nameless had successfully communed with the ancient ancestral deities.
With the aid of Fuxi, Nuwa, Yu, and other progenitors, and the power of the Nine Cauldrons to stabilize the realm, he and the First Emperor had together defied the heaven and struck down the gods.
====
In Academy City.
Watching the video, Merry was startled. "So, in the Lostbelt you really do evolve into a nine-tailed fox?"
"That part I'm not so sure about." Tamamo no Mae shook her head.
She was puzzled too.
By the way Nameless treated her, there was no reason he would have ever entrusted her with the Golden Crow's essence.
Merry suddenly brightened with realization. "Ah, I see."
"What is it that you 'see,' Nightmare?" Tamamo frowned.
"Simple. Nameless had already resigned himself to death. Facing those Outer Gods, he never had confidence of victory. So, he left you behind as a contingency."
Merry's smile widened.
This fox was pure calamity.
If she really gathered all nine tails, she could indeed qualify as one of the Beasts—a terrifying embodiment of humanity's evils.
At that point, even if divine beings descended, she could swat them all away with a single tail strike.
But, as it happened, Nameless had succeeded in sealing the gods.
He left behind a peaceful world for the First Emperor—and for Tamamo no Mae, waiting.
"Nameless and the First Emperor? Hah. Forget nine tails—even my six-tailed 'alt account' could crush them both with ease!"
Tamamo smirked.
"Just wait and see how I perform in this Lostbelt! I'll trample the First Emperor and Nameless beneath my feet!"
Hmph. Once you treated me with cold disdain. But when I am Nine-Tails complete, you will never be able to reach me!
When that time comes, mere Unnamed will be shackled with a flick of my paw—kept locked in a basement for 'training' every day!
"…Uh. Sure."
Merry nodded, her expression odd.
It seemed she'd heard many people boast such things—only to end up thoroughly humiliated.
Now, perhaps it was time to—
"@King of Heroes."
Let's see just what the First Emperor becomes.
Under everyone's gaze, the screen filled with new narration, Mash's clear voice ringing out:
[In humanity's name, the gods were silenced, and Heaven itself was tamed.]
[Thus began an everlasting empire—unchanging, eternal—under the gaze of the First Emperor.]
[But what endured was not Pan-Human History. It was a branch severed, a path destined to be pruned.]
[An empire without death, a nation without end—this is the Lostbelt of Qin.]
…
With the narration concluded—
The video's imagery shifted from grand epic to a simple, fertile farmland.
The Chaldea party stepped off their vehicle one by one.
Da Vinci exclaimed, "Oh! External temperature, 18℃; humidity 30%; gentle breeze. The climate is incredibly pleasant!"
"Incredible. The air is thick with the fragrance of ripe rice… completely unlike the places we've seen before!" Mash echoed her amazement.
"There's no mistaking it. This is the breath of that Empire!"
Nezha's voice rang with joy—having lived there, she knew it instinctively.
Nameless smiled.
"Welcome to Qin."
After traversing so many dreadful Singularities—
Each ruled entirely by gods, with humanity left only to scrape by—
Here, instead, spread endless fields of golden harvest, with not a hint of calamity in sight.
At that moment—
Several farmers hurried over, faces tense with suspicion.
"Where'd you lot come from? Why'd you trample our crops?"
When Chaldea transferred in, they had landed right in the middle of a rice field, crushing a swath of plants.
The farmers' hostility was plain, and soon they summoned soldiers from the village garrison.
But Nameless gently patted the girl's shoulder.
"Come now, merchant-angel. Time to show off that sweet, charming grace of yours."
"Tch. Always making me do the work."
Da Vinci rolled her eyes.
Then—
She stepped forward with ladylike poise, cradling her cheeks in her hands, and said softly:
"We're travelers, lost on our journey. I'm so sorry we damaged your fields. Please forgive us!"
[Golden Rule (Body)!]
With the perfect beauty of a goddess, sustained eternally—
An ability Da Vinci deliberately designed into her body, modeled after the Mona Lisa.
The smile of the Mona Lisa, angelic and disarming—activated!
At that smile—
The male farmers all flushed crimson.
"N-no problem at all! If such a lovely young lady speaks to me, I feel like I could work twice as hard!"
A true charm effect.
"Senpai, she's terrifying…" Mash whispered.
Nameless chuckled.
"If they knew this 'angel' used to be a muscle-bound man with an eight-pack, I wonder what they'd think?"
The truth revealed.
In life, Leonardo da Vinci had been a man, through and through!
That famous statue of David? Its reference was none other than his own body!
The viewers erupted in shock—
HairyBalls-[No way! Da Vinci was actually a man?!]
BoobVenerate-[Damn, I thought it was like King Arthur—just cross-dressing back then!]
EXRankDegenerate-[It's over… knowing she used to be a man only makes me like her more. What do I do?!]
FifthTimeGooning-[Your tastes are messed up—…oh wait, same here. Guess it's fine then.]
YaoiBreed-[Bwehehe~, embrace it my people!]
After winning over the farmers—
One village girl still huffed,
"Ugh, men are so easy. You really shouldn't trust these strangers!"
At that moment—
Nameless stepped forward with a smile.
"My fair lady, we are truly lost travelers. Please, would you kindly point us the way to the capital?"
"Eh—eh, you're making me feel embarrassed saying that."
A blush suddenly rose on the girl's face.
[EX Rank-Grand Beauty!]
Even more terrifying than Da Vinci's charm!
The audience all burst into laughter.
Just moments ago they had been mocking the farmer, yet now they themselves had instantly been captivated by Nameless.
Da Vinci stepped forward and asked, "May I ask, who rules this world?"
"Of course it's the Son of Heaven."
The farmers all answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Unwilling to give up, Da Vinci pressed further: "Then, may I ask what the Son of Heaven's name is?"
"I reckon the Son of Heaven is simply the Son of Heaven. Would you go around giving names to the sun and the moon?"
The farmers looked at her with increasing bewilderment
. "We don't have the qualifications to meet the Son of Heaven. As long as we offer our gratitude and prayers every day, we can live well thanks to His Majesty's grace."
All questions ended without answers.
At that moment—
Chaldea's monitoring system transmitted an image.
A floating city suspended in the air!
The instant it appeared, all the viewers watching the video immediately recognized it. It was—
Epang Palace!
The current vessel of the First Emperor, a mobile sky fortress.
However—
Unlike the Epang Palace of historical records, this one was far more powerful and mysterious.
From an ordinary palace, it had transformed into a true—
Cosmic warship.
Da Vinci muttered in shock, "If that's the case, then the technology of this era has already far surpassed our own!"
A city that could float in the sky—no matter what its energy source was—already proved how formidable its technology was.
Even Chaldea couldn't accomplish such a feat!
"A king who has lived for over two thousand years… it's only natural he could reach this point." Nameless looked at the colossal warship with a complicated expression.
This was the very tale he once told the young Shikotei as a bedtime fairy story.
Never had he thought… Shikotei would truly make it reality!
That Palace… was in fact his true body!
Meanwhile—
In the Council of Gods.
The God-King chairman spoke:
"Those cowards, they still haven't responded to us?"
Earlier, the council had voted to let the Sun God fire a strike and obliterate the Celestial Court defense system—
As nothing more than a show of force.
Now that they had mastered the power of parsing divine authority, they intended to establish their rule over the Empire in the strongest way possible.
Or, as they itself would say—
"Kill the chicken to warn the monkey."
Once the EMpire was crushed, the entire Earth would bow before them.
They would become the one true—
God!
The God of Wisdom asked suspiciously,
"Didn't they just announce a statement? Calling upon their entire nation to watch this new Alaya video, and said they'd respond after the broadcast?"
"Oh, the 'Lostbelt' video?"
The gathered gods all smirked.
Surely they didn't believe that some mere video could let weak mortals stand against true gods?
Surely not? Surely not? Surely not?
The God-King snorted coldly: "Fine, then let's give them a little more time!"
Waiting for the length of a video was nothing to them.
They wanted to press down without restraint—forcing Shikotei and Nameless into submission.
Before the barrels of their cannons, all words were powerless!
Strength was absolute!
The councilors also opened the video, prepared to continue mocking this so-called First Emperor.
An eternal empire lasting millennia, an immortal emperor?
Immortality was nothing more than a petty wish of mortals.
Gods were eternal by their very nature.
No matter how long you lived, it was meaningless.
But then, as they continued watching—
"Hm? Why does the Epang Palace in this video look like… a warship?" The Goddess of Wisdom frowned slightly in surprise.
The Epang Palace in reality was merely a mobile palace, nothing resembling a weapon of war.
At best, it was a glorified airship.
Yet the one shown in the video was unmistakably a full-fledged warship!
The Sun God sneered: "Just a warship? That's their trump card? That thing can't even leave the planet!"
Every one of them commanded fleets of interstellar warships. One volley was all it would take to annihilate it!
But then—
The video revealed something else.
A blurry image—something extending endlessly downward from the Epang Palace, enveloping the Earth like vast wings.
It stretched on like an infinite wall, shielding the planet itself!
The Goddess of Wisdom fell into deep thought.
"Wait a moment… doesn't that look an awful lot like the Great Wall?"