The mighty Lostbelt King had been completely vanquished!
The elephant trunk severed by Miyamoto Musashi's sword still gushed blood violently.
But this was not the fatal wound.
The true core of the Lostbelt King—his crown—had been mercilessly torn away by Nameless.
And crushed to pieces!
"I shall never be defeated! Never yield!"
Ivan the Terrible let out a roar of utmost fury.
He wanted to keep fighting, to slaughter every enemy—Chaldea, the Grand Duchess, and all others.
But now.
He could do nothing.
The once-mighty Lostbelt King, in the final moments of his life, could only struggle and growl weakly, "I... I have not lost yet..."
"I am nothing like the weaklings of Proper Human History! Such wounds mean nothing to me!"
Even with his crown—equivalent to a human heart—crushed by Nameless, he still refused to die completely.
The Lostbelt King glared at Nameless with burning hatred. "I struggled with everything I had... for four hundred and fifty years!"
"I became a Yaga! I transformed all my people into Yaga to ensure our future!"
"What right do you weaklings of Proper Human History have to replace us?!"
This world was doomed to perish.
As the supreme emperor, he became the first Yaga.
And fused his people with demonic beasts, turning them all into Yaga.
So they could survive in this cruel world.
He refused to accept it.
He wanted to prolong the future of this nation, this world.
Yet.
Whether Nameless came or not, this world was destined for destruction.
As the proud Lostbelt King, how could the last Grand Duchess and Kadoc possibly force him to remain in his dream?
It was he who chose to dream!
A dream where the Russian Empire would endure forever, where all his subjects could live happily under his rule.
But now.
The dream was over!
Ivan the Terrible had personally doomed countless lives.
He had personally transformed every citizen of the Russian Empire into half-human, half-beast Yaga.
And still, he saw not even a glimmer of hope!
The tyrannical and domineering Lostbelt King, suffocating under this overwhelming despair, couldn't help but roar hysterically.
The colossal golem that Nameless had been controlling had completely crumbled under the resistance.
Standing atop the golem's head, he wiped the blood splattered across his face.
Nameless gazed at his opponent and sighed softly, "Ivan the Terrible, you are a worthy Lostbelt King. But alas, this world of yours is doomed to destruction, beyond salvation!"
"No! This is absolutely unacceptable!"
Ivan the Terrible bellowed in rage, "Nameless, do you not realize that your so-called 'protection of human order' means the annihilation of this nation! The destruction of this world! You are the greatest executioner of all!"
"I know. I know that pruning the Lostbelt is equivalent to destroying this world. I know you're struggling with all your might to survive."
Nameless's face was filled with profound resignation. "The Lostbelts are aberrations of human history—flourishing in error. No matter how hard you struggle, you cannot continue."
"Because your future was severed from the very beginning!"
"Your desperate struggle for survival will only drag all of human history down into ruin with you!"
After the Incineration of Human Order,
the Alien God descended from the cosmos and launched its invasion of Earth.
Forging a new human history became its most powerful means of conquest.
After ninety days of invasion, the entire planet was bleached, and Pan-Human History would be completely buried.
It sought to initialize the planet and create a new mythology.
At the core of this was the Fantasy Tree, plundering human history to dominate everything.
Nameless had not immediately intervened to erase it.
Precisely because this Lostbelt King had been forcefully suppressing the Fantasy Tree from the very beginning.
He had no intention of letting it take root and flourish.
In his own way, he was protecting this era!
But alas, it was futile.
All efforts were ultimately in vain!
Nameless signaled to Da Vinci.
A magical projection appeared.
The scene depicted was from his previous life as an ordinary person.
The world had been vibrant and full of life.
There was no bone-chilling cold of minus a hundred degrees,
No terrifyingly powerful magical beasts.
No catastrophic storms capable of wiping out cities in an instant.
None of the anomalies found in the Lostbelts existed here.
Everyone was happily enjoying their lives.
"This is the proper Human Order that can endure—the Pan-Human History with infinite possibilities."
Nameless pointed at the projection and declared, "Even if I bear the sin of destroying worlds, I will fight to protect this!"
"If protecting this makes me evil, then I am willing to become evil!"
One beautiful scene after another.
It left Ivan the Terrible stunned.
It left all the Yaga of the Lostbelts stunned.
They were witnessing happiness beyond their wildest imaginations.
A life they could never have even dreamed of.
One by one, the Yaga watching from afar reached out, as if trying to touch it.
But then they hesitated, withdrawing their hands, unable to hold back quiet sobs.
The viewers of the video were all emotionally overwhelmed in that moment—
[Damn it, got something in my eye! Why'd you have to go and make me cry?]
[Sigh… It really hurts to see people so different from us, yet just as alive and real.]
[Life in this Lostbelt is countless times harder than even the worst times in our world.]
[Getting older—can't handle scenes like this. Neither Nameless nor Ivan the Terrible is wrong. The world itself is the problem!]
[Everyone only sees Nameless' glory, but who understands the crushing weight he carries…]
[Burying an entire world with his own hands… I can't even bring myself to kill a chicken!]
...
Reality.
The Einzbern Family.
Julian gazed pensively at the video, reminded once again of that scene from Oath Under Snow.
Their Einzbern family was so very, very similar to Ivan the Terrible.
The world they lived in was likewise doomed to destruction.
The Einzberns had spent a thousand years scheming, all for the sake of preserving the world's future.
To that end, they were willing to coldly sacrifice anyone.
By the end of their plan, Julian's father, sister, and all his loved ones had perished.
Yet, in the end, it was all futile.
Even if they had truly offered Miyu as a sacrifice, it wouldn't have saved the world.
And in that moment, Nameless stepped forward.
Willing to shoulder all the sin and responsibility, just to save Miyu.
In the end, he clawed back a sliver of hope for survival!
"Humans are creatures that, in their daily lives, are constantly destroying something," Julian murmured, watching the boy on the screen with a sigh.
"And among them… you are the gentlest soul in this world."
"Unfortunately, what has been lost can never return."
He possessed immense magical power, yet all he could create were soulless puppets—never true resurrection.
Angelica sighed as well. "Just how heavy a burden is this man carrying?"
To personally destroy an entire world—that sin alone would crush countless people.
Yet Nameless had to fight again and again, to destroy, to kill, all to reclaim the future.
This King of the Lostbelt… was also a pitiable soul.
Neither side was wrong, yet they fought to the death.
Perhaps this was exactly what the [Alien God] wanted to see.
No doubt it stood in the shadows, watching humanity's desperate struggles with cruel amusement.
What an utterly despicable individual!
Amidst the sorrow and sighs of countless viewers, the video continued to play.
After witnessing the scenes projected before him, Ivan the Terrible suddenly ceased his curses and resistance. Instead, he dragged his colossal body, struggling like a pilgrim, toward the Fantasy Tree. This was the final pilgrimage of his life.
"Is this world truly destined to be pruned?" Ivan the Terrible gazed at the Fantasy Tree with profound sorrow. Having witnessed the beauty of Pan-Human History and Nameless, who willingly became evil to protect it, he had come to acknowledge them.
"No, I will never allow it!" The last princess, Anastasia, sneered coldly at him. "I shall become the emperor and continue this world's future! Ivan the Terrible, you are merely a stepping stone for us."
Summoned by Kadoc, she sought to ensure the Fantasy Tree took root and flourished, securing control over the Lostbelt. There was still hope for this world—to defeat the other six Lostbelts, obliterate Pan-Human History, and emerge as the sole legitimate timeline.
"Merely a stepping stone, you say? Pity. You are not her. Had it been her, I would have willingly offered this entire world." Ivan the Terrible shook his head. In his final moments, he realized she was not his wife—only a deceitful imposter who bore her name and likeness. A despicable fraud unworthy of his gaze.
Turning from the Fantasy Tree to Nameless, Ivan sighed softly. "Is this the end? You are fragile, yet fortunate... My wife was such a woman too. We loved this world more than anything, yet could only accompany it to ruin."
"I acknowledge it, Fujimaru Ritsuka. This is your victory... As the defeated, I shall perish alongside my world..." The colossal and formidable King of the Lostbelt crumbled into ashes, vanishing without a trace—just like the incinerated pages of human history.
Yet, the members of Chaldea felt no joy in their victory. They watched his dissolution with heavy hearts, overwhelmed by an ineffable sorrow—the agony of wanting to save, yet being forced to destroy.
At that moment, the Yaga who had served Ivan the Terrible launched a surprise attack, targeting Nameless in his exhausted state. Powerful magical bullets silently streaked toward him, catching even Mash and Da Vinci off guard.
In this dire moment, an entirely unexpected figure intervened, shielding Nameless at the cost of their own body—the werewolf youth who had once pledged allegiance to Ivan and nearly attacked Nameless.
The brutal magical assault overwhelmed even the Yaga's monstrous vitality. His body and soul shattered, and he collapsed backward.
Nameless cradled him and sighed, "Why? Why did you save me?" As a denizen of the Lostbelt, he should have been an enemy. Yet, without hesitation, he had acted to protect him.
"If I had never seen the light, I could have endured the darkness," the werewolf murmured, his eyes filled with longing. From birth, he had suffered endless torment, believing the world was inherently cruel. Yet...
Yet he saw the happiness and beauty that Nameless spoke of.
A beauty beyond imagination.
The boldest, most obsessive dreams could not describe such beauty.
The werewolf lad Patchi, with his last ounce of strength, reached out and patted Nameless' shoulder: "I... will never forgive you for showing me such a blissful world and then getting defeated!"
"So fight! Walk your path with pride, and protect that world!"
"A world where everyone can laugh, where everyone can be happy—that's the world that should remain!"
"Don't lose... don't lose to this empty world where only strength matters..."
His hand slipped slowly from Nameless' shoulder.
The werewolf lad was dead.
Not a trace of fear remained on his face—only an overflowing longing for happiness.
In his final moments, he had glimpsed something beautiful.
He saw the dazzling stars, warmth, and abundance.
Like the Little Match Girl, he died amidst visions of bliss...
The audience erupted instantly—
[Damn, more knives! This is peak suffering!]
[Imagine Nameless bringing Patchi's photo back to the original world, showing him our schools... That's the real knife!]
[Stop, I'm crying already! This cruelty is unbearable!]
[Who would've thought this guy, once seen as a cowardly traitor, would bravely step forward at such a moment?]
[Dr. Roman has something to say—they're so alike... Both fought desperately to live, yet sacrificed themselves without hesitation!]
...
In the real Chaldea.
Mashu watched the heroic sacrifice of the werewolf lad and couldn't help wiping her eyes: "He's so much like the Doctor..."
Despite struggling so hard to survive, he stepped forward without hesitation when it mattered most.
His senpai had shown him a beautiful life.
So he wanted his senpai to live on, to keep protecting that beauty.
What a simple, earnest werewolf lad.
"Everyone is protecting what's precious in their own way," Dr. Roman sighed deeply.
Only when something is lost do we realize its true value.
An ordinary life is the most cherished fantasy for countless people living amidst war and natural disasters.
He had once relinquished omniscience and omnipotence precisely to protect this beauty.
Now.
He put on the ring once more, no longer choosing to escape but standing bravely to defend.
He couldn't let Nameless bear the burden of saving the world alone.
They all said he was the one who most deserved rest, to laze around and eat strawberry cake.
But in truth, that person was the one who most needed rest!
Da Vinci stared blankly at the screen. "To be honest, I initially didn't fully accept the Yaga, couldn't see them as human. Now, all I feel is respect!"
The Yaga, with their beast-like forms, had seemed like valuable research material to the Universal Genius.
A means to explore countless possibilities.
But now, this Yaga had shown, in their own way, the courage and devotion unique to humanity.
Earning the respect of all.
The hymn of humanity is the hymn of courage.
It is in such dire moments that human courage truly shines.
...
The footage continued.
Nameless shot down the attacker without hesitation.
But the battle was far from over.
After the death of Ivan the Terrible, the authority of the Lostbelt King fell upon the princess.
This last princess of the empire began wielding the [Grand Authority].
Her power surged wildly as she declared coldly, "I am Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, and I shall lead this world into the future!"
She had never liked the empire of the bears.
But this was the world she lived in.
Thus, she would defeat all other Lostbelts and the Proper Human History, ensuring her world's survival as the true continuation of humanity!
Kadoc revealed the Command Spells on his hand. "By the power of my Command Spells, I order you—become the emperor!"
All three Command Spells erupted at once, further amplifying her strength.
With the princess wielding the [Grand Authority] and ascending as the Lostbelt King, his victory was assured.
How could a severely wounded Nameless possibly defeat her?
Yet.
Nameless stared at him with icy eyes and spoke without hesitation. "Come. Let's settle this, man to man, one-on-one."
Hum—
Beneath his feet, the familiar magical circuits lit up,
Exploding into flames that instantly engulfed both him and Kadoc.
Across the vast, empty land, countless graves stood, each marked by a sword.
This was the Reality Marble—
[Unlimited Blade Works!]
"You—!!!"
Kadoc panicked instantly.
He never imagined that Nameless, who had seemed on the verge of death, could still deploy a Reality Marble.
No matter how much he looked down on Nameless for his humble origins, the man's achievements were undeniable.
That was why Kadoc had schemed so desperately, using Ivan the Terrible to weaken him.
After joining forces to defeat Ivan, he would have his Servant, the princess, seize the Lostbelt King's authority and strike while the iron was hot.
But now.
Nameless had pulled him into a Reality Marble without a word, forcing a one-on-one duel.
Wasn't this just bullying?
Kadoc wanted to cry.
If he could actually defeat Nameless one-on-one, why would he have needed all those schemes?
The absurdity of the scene made the audience burst into laughter, dispelling the earlier sorrow and tension.
They cheered him on with mock enthusiasm, urging him to defeat Nameless—
[Damn, I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts! Kadoc is completely stunned!]
[Hahaha, even with his Servant as the Lostbelt King, there's no way she can enter the Reality Marble!]
[Kadoc, don't back down! Beat Nameless and become the one true Master!]
[Nameless: If you're my bro, come fight me! Let's have a glorious fencing match!]
[♫ The blade's edge, the eye's gleam ♫ Many have tried, but only I succeed ♫ I long for a worthy opponent ♫]
...
Under the audience's gleeful gaze,
Countless swords rose behind Nameless as he smirked at his opponent. "Welcome to my world, Kadoc. Do you still have enough magical energy left?"
"...Stay away from me!!!"
Under the relentless barrage of Noble Phantasms, Kadoc had no means of fighting back. He could only flee in desperation.
He lasted less than three minutes before being utterly captured by Nameless.
Yes, captured alive!
This self-proclaimed elite of Team A, a Master candidate from a prestigious mage family,
Was completely outmatched by the one true Master, Nameless.
It left the audience wondering—could the seven members of Team A really stand against Nameless?
With Kadoc captured, his Servant, the princess, could no longer fight either.
Both the Lostbelt King and her successor had been thoroughly defeated.
Thus, the battle for the first Lostbelt came to an end.
After their defeat,
The colossal Fantasy Tree, now defenseless, was felled without resistance.
The sky, perpetually shrouded in dark clouds, cleared in an instant, revealing a sea of glittering stars.
The Yaga of this world looked up at the stars in bewilderment and awe.
They couldn't comprehend what had happened, mesmerized by the dazzling night sky.
But alas.
This was but a final mercy.
The world began to crumble.
The heroic spirit Salieri, who had always followed in his dear friend's footsteps, played Mozart's Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the piano.
Amidst the beautiful melody,
The breathtaking starry sky, the collapsing world, the vanishing lives—
Everything was heading toward destruction, and yet, toward rebirth…
Thus, the first Lostbelt came to an end.
Before the audience could catch their breath,
Nameless, Mash, and the others had already boarded the Shadow Border, diving into the second Lostbelt.
Adjacent to the first,
This was the second Lostbelt—
The Permafrost Empire: The Eternal Flame of the Gods' Twilight