[FGO JP Main Chapter] Lostbelt 7: Nahui Mictlan ~ The One Who Rules the Planet

[linkhyrule5]

There are something like 17 bars? that you need to take out, and these don't actually give bond, nor can you use revive cubes. When your Servants die in battle against ORT, they're unusable for the rest of the raid. If you run out of Servants, you lose and need to restart the whole thing. Each time you break a bar and enter a new fight, it'll also change its class.

When you break a bar, it also removes all your buffs and I'm pretty sure it buff blocks you, which hits the backline as well. As such, the best strategy is actually to solo it. Give a Servant BHG, use dodge mc, and spend the first turn building gauge, then NP to take off the bar. Also, for solo purposes you are able to field just a single unit. Oh and Mashu is available after losing in battle, but you need to wait like 2-3 battles to reuse her.

There are two fights that give bond (the last two), and these give 10k each, so save your pots for these. IIRC you can also cube in these fights so go all in with bond team I guess. You might want to look up exactly which fights these are, but it should be the final bar (you'll know it's that because you're allowed all your Servants back) and golden ORT.

It's kind of funny that, despite all the teamwork themes and deckbuilding game style, solo Servants are super powerful in gameplay...

[fumei]

--- Section 1 ---

You desperately want to at least bring Wak Chan's body with you outside, but Tepeu stops you right away. The body is saturated with poison, so you have no way of transporting it back safely. Unfortunately, he has to be left down here. As for Tenochtitlan, she's conscious, but it would be too difficult to get her out of here as well, so she's gonna have to be left to her own devices for now. Tepeu will carry Gudao and Da Vinci out, meaning the only ones you're getting out of here are gonna be Da Vinci, Mashu, Habetrot, Gudao, and Tepeu.



A tremendous object is rising up from below you, forcing you to set your Mystic Code's temperature regulation to maximum just to remain conscious. SHEBA informs you that this object represents a maximum level of both danger and hostility. Its Saint Graph doesn't match anything found on Earth, with a Saint Graph grade of Satellite-class and rising. In just a few seconds, the object from below has completely risen, and you make contact. Now begins the showdown with ORT.

Despite boring through the Earth's mantle, it's completely unscathed. It's insane that you even managed to fight this thing for even a little bit back in Mexico City. What's worse, ORT is blocking the way out. Net-like metal fibers are being deployed in all directions, cutting off any alternative escape routes. It's a literal alien spiderweb, and were you to fight in this state, it would be tantamount to suicide. Suddenly, a voice is heard excusing itself for butting in, and something cuts right through ORT's net. It's Kukulkan, berating you for rolling over so easily. No matter how tough your opponent, you should always stand up and fight. She says she probably shouldn't have stopped for tea with Kadoc, and we're treated to a bit of an out-of-place flashback.

Back during Kadoc and co's excursion with Daybit, after Koyanskaya had been defeated by Daybit's shadows, Gordolf and Kadoc were about to be taken out as well, as the shadows had flipped over the Shadow Border and were making their way inside. At that point, however, Kukulkan had appeared and dealt with the shadows. She had lamented how weak PHH mankind must be if they're beaten by an extraterrestrial terminal that weak. Anyway, Gordolf was so thankful for his life being saved, he offered Kukulkan some world-famous British tea. She wondered if that's alright, considering she's their enemy, but Kadoc recounts what was in Gudao's reports about her: She might be the Lostbelt king who wants to keep Mictlan safe, but that doesn't mean she indiscriminately hates her enemies. Kadoc said, on behalf of even Koyanskaya who's not actually dead either, just sulking elsewhere in the Border, that they were very thankful for Kukulkan being such a generous god. Hearing this, Kukulkan had thought that she must continue upholding that demeanor.

Anyway, during teatime they had talked about Daybit, saying how his heartbeat was completely inaudible to Malla, so it was entirely up to Gudao to track him down and stop him. However, even after that, Kukulkan would have to engage Gudao to stop them from cutting down the tree. AS such, she offered to carry Kadoc and Gordolf down to the bottom with her, since she can fly and all, but they declined the offer. Their role from here on will be the rescue the advance party with the Border, so they need to remain here, fix up the vehicle, and then get going. Kukulkan wondered if it was really alright of them to let her go after you on her own, considering the circumstances, but Kadoc said it didn't matter, considering they would have no way to stop her anyway. Right now, the only thing that mattered would be to stop ORT (or its awakening). They could worry about Mictlan after that's over and done with.

So yeah, they had tea and sandwiches and now Kukulkan is here to help, since she cannot allow ORT to ravage Mictlan. Considering she's eaten a lot, Kukulkan will now also go all out in fighting, since she has extra calories to burn. As such, as ORT engages, she asks you to do your best in keeping up with her.

--- Section 2 ---

You...actually manage to defeat it? At least, the instruments show that ORT has ceased activity after your battle. Kukulkan seems to have had some revelation during this moment which completely broke her. Tepeu said he'd figured as much as well, and realizes she's finally found out the truth about herself. Before the conversation can go on any further, Kukulkan simply flies off, leaving you there. The entire cave begins to shake, and you wonder if ORT's gonna start moving again, but Mashu says the instruments actually show it cooling down. More specifically, it's as if all the heat from its extremities is "vanishing" by gathering at its center.

Da Vinci quickly realizes what's going on. You have to get away quickly. ORT wasn't even fully active when you just fought it. It hadn't actually reactivated when it rose from the coffin. Here and now is where you will witness the first reactivation of ORT to its full form.



Back at the Storm Border, everything is giving off a code red. Gravitational fluctuations have been detected all over Mictlan's lowest layer. The instruments are going berserk. The estimated Saint Graph of whatever this thing is keeps increasing, jumping from satellite-class to stellar-class. Nemo Marine confirms that the very Texture of the world is being overwritten from the lowest layer up. Now, finally, they are able to confirm the existence of the Fantasy Tree, but it's completely immeasurable. That is, until they actually look outside.



All the trees of Mictlan are turning into Fantasy Trees. This is what the reactivation of ORT has wrought. This is an ORT different from the one in PHH. It has adapted to the "what if" history of the Lostbelt, and though it may be inferior to the PHH one in both output and destructive instinct, to the point of almost being like a "subspecies", it has fed on the Fantasy Tree and altered its Reality Marble for it. An invasive species that transforms Earth's vegetation into Fantasy Trees, creating an environment more suited to itself. That's what this ORT is. This is no longer the Golden Sea of Trees. It has become the greatest, most terrible Lostbelt; a galactic hell forged in the depths of the Earth.

The Sea of Fantasy Trees: ORT Xibalba.

--- Section 3 ---

You make it outside the temple, seeing the changed world for your own. ORT is also resurfacing in the ninth layer, with its Saint Graph output and scale much, much higher than when you just fought it. It's also grown in size: now about 100 meters tall.

Fantasy Tree seeds, much stronger than the ones you fought earlier, approach you en masse. If you were to engage here, you're dead for sure. You have to retreat back to the temple. However, if you do that, you'll be taken out by ORT instead. You're stuck between a rock and a hard place here. Just then, the Shadow Border comes bustling out of the jungle, quickly picking you all up before making its escape. Gordolf congratulates you on at least accomplishing the most important objective of all: staying alive, and orders you all to rest while you can. Kadoc says Koyanskaya has already headed for Chichen Itza to help set things up there. You recap everything that happened down there, and you come to the conclusion that you might not even be able to stop ORT at this point. Even if you somehow managed to defeat it, considering ORT is part Fantasy Tree now, even if a single Fantasy Tree remained in this world, it would likely just reform. It will make its way out of the Lostbelt, to Antarctica, and destroy CHALDEAS. An impact of that magnitude, enough to destroy an actual planet, would likely shatter 40% of the Earth's surface along with it. PHH, Lostbelts, mankind, they will all be wiped out. In other words, although CHALDEAS might be something bad, you have to protect it at all cost right now. You have to destroy ORT here and now.

Gordolf can't agree to such a plan, though. You've seen and fought ORT once before already, you know what an impossible task that is. Chaldea being ready to lay down their lives for the sake of their objective is fine and all, but that only counts when there's even a sliver of a chance you'll succeed. He asks Da Vinci what alternative there is, but she says there are none. As soon as you failed to stop Daybit, or rather, as soon as Daybit joined the A-team, this was set in motion. You couldn't even escape the world ending, since the Storm Border isn't a spaceship, so you'll quickly die off either way. Gordolf still doesn't want to do this, especially when the one who has to pull it off is someone as young as Gudao, but Da Vinci seems convinced there will be at least some chance at success.

Sion contacts you, having finished her strategy analyzation. Since the four Underworld Borders are "unrestricted summoning zones" that allow even PHH Heroic Spirits, and considering Gudao's manyfold connection to Servants, you will be able to engage in large-scale summoning operations. The Storm Border will position itself over Chichen Itza and dedicate three of its engines solely to support the summoning ceremonies. All the Servants Chaldea has registered up til this point will be engaged in battle. This is an all out war using [however many Servants exist on your account at the moment], leading the first ever Heroic Spirit army in history.

The actual strategy will be for you to give chase to ORT and engage it in combat. According to TRISMEGISTUS II, you have 20 hours until ORT crosses Mictlan. You will need to immediately depart for the Underworld Border and perform summonings there. If you can't defeat ORT within this time limit, it will become impossible to observe the secret behind CHALDEAS, the true meaning of Earth's bleaching, and even the future of mankind. At least, TRISMEGISTUS II has responded to the question of whether there's any chance at all of you succeeding with a simple "affirmative", so a chance exists.

Thus begins the final operation: the Decisive Battle in the Sea of Fantasy Trees.


Now, at this point the map screen actually changes to reflect ORT overwriting the texture, but what's more is that technically this is where "Nahui Mictlan" actually ends. More precisely, you're forced to watch a cutscene here of the chapter banner changing to a red colored one, reading "ORT Xibalba".

[fumei]

--- Section 1 ---Gordolf orders you to stay 700 meters behind ORT as you pursue it up Mictlan. Things aren't really as tough as when you were chasing the Beasts of Calamity in Britain (like how insanely hot it was when Barghest transformed), but you still need to keep a solid distance, and you should be able to command Servants from this range. He also suggests starting out with some less demanding Servants so you can get a feel for its power level. In other words, don't throw your trump cards at it just yet.

The battle goes horribly (at best you can take out its big HP bar, which shatters and reveals nine more, but the battle ends when your party is wiped out). Something strange has happened to the Servants in battle, as well. They can't be recalled. The very information in their Saint Graphs has been stolen in its entirety, and their link to the Throne of Heroes destroyed.

Da Vinci
Heroic Spirits are Ghost Liners---recorded strips of the limits we achieved.
They're basically the time period the hero was active, recorded as a phenomenon by our very own universe.
And that's what ORT just consumed! This is real bad! Not at all like how it played out in the Temple of Time!
It's quite literally eating human history!

This is actually insane. The Throne is something located in a higher dimension, it shouldn't even be possible to target with any attacks. But ORT's web-like tendrils seem to be stretching all the way into this higher dimension, using the Servants as terminals. In other words, it's likely ORT is able to damage the "main copy" stored in the Throne. What this means in practice is simply that any Servant defeated by ORT her won't be summonable again.

Sion is actively performing analysis to try and find a weak point you can exploit, but for now you just have to keep throwing things at it to slow it down. The one upside is that in all technicality, information cannot be digested. In all likelihood, ORT is simply storing them internally to use itself. Da Vinci likens it to deposits at a bank. The greater the deposits, the more important that customer becomes to the bank, or the cosmos in this case. That's the sort of concept ORT is working on right now, which means that if you can just break the "ORT bank", all those deposits should come pouring out again. As long as you defeat ORT, all your "debts" will be cancelled. And so, you need to keep fighting, to free the Servants, and to gather more data.

(After this section is when the map screen changes to the solo raid interface, and the remaining sections play out at set intervals as you take out more and more break bars from ORT. Also, note about the Guda face images, I don't actually know or remember when these change to each one respectively, so I'm just inserting them where they fit with the story, but just know that it's based on your progress in the raid.)

--- Section 2 --- (Plays when one break bar has been taken off from ORT. 8 remaining.)

You are managing to deal damage to ORT, but it's still a far cry from being able to stop it entirely. Gordolf orders you to rest, while Mashu goes out to clear seeds from the Shadow Border. At first you're a bit surprised the seeds have made it all the way up here, considering you're almost at the Fourth Underworld, but then you realize: Mictlan is now full of Fantasy Trees, meaning the seeds are scattered all over. There is no refuge remaining in Mictlan, no matter where ORT is. All living organisms in this world, be they deinos or ocelomeh will lose their lives. The Storm Border contacts you to tell you this exact thing again, but also that they have calculated the route ORT is taking.

Undeniably, it's actually heading for Mexico City. If it were just heading for the surface, that would be an unnecessary stop, so one has to wonder why it's going there. Even when you fought it in Tezcatlipoca's future, you didn't really think about why it was there in the first place. Nemo is sorry to say that despite how much you're struggling, ORT is actually in an incomplete state right now. As it is right now, all its components are functioning completely independently, because the "central unit" of sorts, or its heart, you could say, is missing. In other words, ORT is currently in what basically amounts to power saving mode, only generating enough energy through the rotation of its disc. Most likely, if it had its main power source, Mictlan would have been annihilated in mere moments.

Kadoc thinks perhaps Camazotz destroyed the heart back during their fight, but you have another idea: it's the sun. You might remember that the sun (or the solar itineracy) was moved from Chichen Itza to Mexico City, so that adds up. Tepeu starts sharing what he knows about this as well. How do you think a new sun came to be when the old one disappeared 6 million years ago? Malla used all their power to create the first sun, leaving them unable to replicate this feat a second time. As such, they had to get it from an external source. Once the Ka'an gave everything they had to defeat ORT, Malla took its heart and fashioned a new sun. It's effectively the exact same scenario as Daybit and Olga had just now. The heart might not be in ORT's body right now, but it is still active somewhere. That's also why ORT never reactivated: it didn't receive a command to restore its heart since it was still intact. For all this time, the energy that nurtured the deinos was the heart of ORT.

Obviously, you must defeat it at all costs before it can retrieve its heart.

--- Section 3 --- (Plays when three break bars has been taken off from ORT. 6 remaining.)

We're treated to a monologue by Tenochtitlan.

The end arrived without mercy. The end arrived without cause.
No longer does refuge exist in the underground world.
The Fantasy Tree seeds came in droves, ravenously consuming all vegetation as nutrients.
They considered all non-plant life as enemies, and attacked them indiscriminately.
The animals killed by the seeds were crystallized, and then shattered to become stardust scattering in the winds of Mictlan.
Deinos and Ocelomeh alike, all who lived in the forest dwellings lost their lives, powerless to resist.
No life could be felt in my soliloquy. My voice sounded demoralized and regretful.
Beside me laid a boy's motionless corpse.
After Chaldea had headed for the surface, I had intended to be swallowed by Earth's mantle, alongside the crumbling temple.
But looking at the boy's corpse which had been left here, an unidentifiable rage welled up inside of me, and I forced my near-broken body back into action.
That fire saw its limits here. My rage cooled down, and all felt dreary again. I laid down beside the entrance of the temple.

She thinks herself so stupid. What does it matter where she dies? It's all over anyway. She speaks to Izcalli's corpse, to the replica of the king who caused the city she exists as to crumble. It wasn't an act of malice, but simply that of a foolish king, unable to meet demands. She places her finger on his forehead, and runs her finger along his scar. Those chosen to be one-year Tezcatlipocas weren't allowed a single defect, yet this boy had a great scar on his forehead, and it had been there since the very start. No matter how many times he was reborn or no matter how perfect the spell, it would never heal. It was a scar of the soul, more than anything else.

Izcalli had never once cared to know who he really was. He only needed to serve his god, and he was happy to do so. His resolve had been razor sharp back then. This boy, forever unknowing from whom he had been created, was simply given the name Izcalli, and took it on himself to develop the undiluted vengefulness necessary to overwrite ORT's instincts.

My brother's choice of person had been correct.
Considering who he was---considering that it was the soul of Moctezuma II, he would surely, without fail, reject Pan-Human History.
He had been the one who believed in the foreign Spaniards, and welcomed them, only to be betrayed.
The disparate tribes of Mesoamerica ought to have come together to fight the foreign threat, but instead betrayed him.
In the end, even the nobles abandoned him, and so, he was stoned to death by the people of his own kingdom.
He shouldn't want to so much as look at Pan-Human History. He shouldn't want to so much as look at the city which had become his grave.
And indeed, the boy who held the soul of Moctezuma II within grew to become a king filled with rage.
"If you continue to be a king for this one year, you will become Tezcatlipoca."
"Kill the deinos. Offer up their hearts to the sun. The deinos are strong and smart, so you better not falter."
"This is a trial, Izcalli. A trial to see if your soul is worthy of putting an end to Pan-Human History."
It hadn't been a trial. It was assured to work out.
The unhealing wound upon his forehead indicated that Izcalli's hatred was eternal.
---Or so I had thought.

She thinks back to right after the battle in Mexico City, when she had a conversation with Izcalli about their wants. Izcalli had mentioned to her that the destruction he saw of the city in that future had caused him internal pain, though he didn't think it possible. It's not that he particularly feel any connection with the Ocelomeh or the city, seeing as he wasn't an Ocelotl himself, and the city being from PHH, but he felt great pride in the achievements of the Ocelomeh. Likewise, despite his hatred for PHH, he wasn't one to just renounce something so beautiful as this city. He knows he will probably be banished from this city at some point, considering he's an "outsider", but he wants to at least create a great kingdom for the Ocelomeh to live on in. This despite knowing he will be sacrificed at the end of the year. Still, as their king, he wants to see the fate of the Ocelomeh til the very end. Or rather, that's the dream he has, even if he knows it will never come to pass, as he's made for a single purpose. Thinking about those things are the only times when his scar stops hurting.

In the end, he wasn't able to fulfill either his dream nor his objective as Tezcatlipoca, and Tenochtitlan thinks him a kid into the very end. She also thinks back to what Nitocris told her back then: about how she shouldn't deceive herself when you know when and whom you should fight; to promise to shed blood for her people. After all, doesn't some regret still linger in her heart? With a heavy sigh, Tenochtitlan proclaims: "Humans are just so stupid!"

In Chichen Itza, a bunch of deinos have begun gathering. They don't really understand why, but they just feel so connected to this place now. Furthermore, being able to communicate with words and share stories is just too engrossing, so they decide to sit down and talk about PHH stories some more. The fact that so many of them came back to the city in which they once lived shouldn't matter, but it does feel really important to them for some reason. It's something they lost, and for once wanted to take back. In the end, they just hope Chaldea will be able to avoid being dragged down alongside their extinction.

--- Section 4 ---(Plays when five break bars has been taken off from ORT. 4 remaining.)

You ask for a time out as you drop to the floor, apologizing. Kadoc helps you into a chair and tells you to rest up for 15 minutes, and try not to think about what's going on. He also says you shouldn't be relying so heavily on energy ampoules, as it appears you've been quite liberal with them. Since you've got a bit of a window, you decide to decelerate and find a safe spot to rest up. You've now been in battle for nearly four hours straight, and it's starting to show on both Gudao and Mashu.

Tepeu is glued to the window, examining the Fantasy Trees. He mentions that he can indeed detect massive energy levels coming from inside them, although not exactly as strong as Mictlan's sun. Kadoc begins saying compared to the real ones (using the one in Russia as example) which are much bigger, these are more like tips of branches, but he quickly stops himself. After all, there's no such thing as a real or fake Fantasy Tree. Rather than a question of being genuine or size, as long as the shape is the same, it works the same. Tepeu continues musing:

Tepeu
It should be impossible for the galaxies inside of the trees to be real, but we cannot help but recognize them as galaxies.
There is a galaxy inside of the tree. No problem with that part. But what makes them serve as the anchor for a Lostbelt?
Despite the fact that ORT, the Fantasy Tree, had ceased activity, Mictlan still persisted.
The energy of the galaxies isn't actually being used, don't you think? That's purely something secondary---
Should the main premise be that they just have to hold a galaxy within? That there's some kind of meaning of there being a galaxy inside of them...?

You're not really sure where he's going with this, but Gordolf has something important to announce anyway. Due to the time constraint, there's no possibility for you to go out of your way to help any other deinos. This includes the one Tepeu cares most about, the one in Metztitlan, which ORT will pass right through. Well, while Tepeu appreciates the sentiment, he doesn't mind it. Even if you could get there in time, Ixquic can't ever leave that place. That's something both she and him accepted long ago.

Cut to Metztitlan, where Kukulkan is visiting Ixquic, telling her that ORT is heading straight there. Kukulkan praises her for her resolution in dying here, and vows as the arbiter who is to determine the fate of Mictlan to ascertain her final moments for herself. She also thinks about how when Chaldea was here before, Malla had already decided that "For as long as ORT is the Fantasy Tree, it must be left be," and "If Chaldea would try to deactivate ORT, then they are to be eliminated at Kukulkan's hand." Ixquic seems to feel kinda bad for Kukulkan, so she starts talking about Quetzalcoatl, who Malla used as the model for Kukulkan. Quetz was such a free being, yet Kukulkan is the opposite. In the end, both Kukulkan and Ixquic were "what ifs" that never managed to become like the real thing. However, Kukulkan is determined in her role as the creator god of this world, and in her responsibility to it. As such, Ixquic thinks there's nothing left to do but to say her farewells.

Ixquic
Malla. Based on the judgment of nobody but yourselves, you evacuated us underground and kept us alive.
You still regret that choice. For tens of millions of years, you tried your best to take responsibility for it.
"There must have been some other way." "I should've done the same thing as in Pan-Human History."
Thank you. But it's okay, really. We've been more than happy here.
Even if you are from a different planet, and are a different life form, you are still our mother.
Don't you have the right to mourn the deaths of your children in that what-if dream of an unreachable Pan-Human History?
Well, it seems to be just around the corner now. Now please, fly away from here so you don't get caught up in it.
I'm happy to have been able to say my final thanks. Farewell, Kukulkan.
My only friends were big brother Tepeu and...you, the sun who always watched over me.
We've had a dramatic and love-filled life, more so than any other mankind ever did.

--- Section 5 --- (Plays right after section 4, without further requirements.)Rather than continuing to chase after ORT, you rushed ahead to the Third Underworld, where you have to make your final stand, lest ORT makes it to Mexico City. You'll be able to summon more easily here, so this should be fine. You call on Ereshkigal Alter, who already knows exactly what is going on, and is ready to help. Dumuzid says it's time for him to return all the magical energy he embezzled from this Underworld. Turns out, he had just made it seem like all the flowers here died out, while he stored the magical energy elsewhere to prepare just for this moment. As such, you now have a huge surplus of energy, and Ereshkigal has set up an "anti-ORT barrier", which is literally a wall of thousands of Gugalanna legs packed so closely together nothing could get through. Well, ORT arrives and blasts right through the wall. Without barely reacting to Ereshkigal's failure, you realize it's time to summon again. Ereshkigal isn't out of the game yet though, and vows to assist you.

Ereshkigal Alter
...Ahem! Ereshkigal, the goddess of the underworld, commands you!
From henceforth, you shall summon without limitations! Both myself and the Storm Border shall support you!
Gugalanna's legs will be placed throughout the underworld, and by expanding and compressing the territory,
we'll increase the spatial density of the sixth layer! It won't be so easy to break through here!
Meanwhile, I'll slow down ORT with red lightning, and give your Servants the blessing of the underworld!
Let's settle this here and now, Fujimaru! I'll show you who's the real goddess of victory!

--- Section 6 --- (Plays when eight break bars has been taken off from ORT. 1 remaining.)At the Storm Border, they're still under attack by seeds, though it's letting up a bit. They need to start charging the main battery now though, which will take a full four hours given their engine deficiency right now, and as such for that time, they won't be able to provide any backup to Gudao's party. Luckily, you have Ereshkigal's energy to compensate, but she'll need to be the one to maintain all the Saint Graphs. Actually, she's already taking some heavy damage from doing so. She's outputting so much magical energy that she's unravelling physically, starting from the fingertips. Even so, as long as the summoner retains a will to fight, she won't leave this battlefield. The damage to ORT is definitely starting to pile up, and so this battle of wills between the invasive species and the summoner who managed to even suppress Tiamat must be coming to a close.

--- Section 7 --- (Plays when all break bars has been taken off and ORT is defeated.)

ORT is starting to crumble. You've done it. You somehow managed to beat it! You go outside to bid Ereshkigal farewell before she disappears. She says all that's left now is Kukulkan, but compared to ORT, she could hardly be much of a problem. Ereshkigal leaves for a bit after apparently noticing something, and Dumuzid is left to convey her final thoughts. She fought as hard as she could, to the point where it was as if she was fighting as the underworld itself. In this state, she could have possibly fought off the civilization-reaping alien as well, but considering ORT is something which eats planets, this was just a bad match-up in the end.

Suddenly, an alarm sounds so loud it's splitting the head of everyone inside the Border. Dumuzid tells you they're all alright, but you should hurry back inside; you won't survive at this distance. Once inside, he bids you take a look a the monitor.

ORT's internal temperature is skyrocketing. It's performing nuclear fusion, producing massive concentrations of cosmic rays and gravitational pull. It's currently at 100,000 degrees celsius, estimated to reach 1 million soon enough, or even higher. It's becoming like a swarm of thunderclouds in outer space: a galactica supercell. Turns out, the "body" you were fighting all this time wasn't exactly that. It was more like "waste parts" left on the outside body after activity, like keratin on a human. As ORT is something which fell from the sky, a true unidentified flying object, its true body is the saucer-like object. Rather than think about this, you just wonder where Ereshkigal went, but Dumuzid says she went and took the full brunt of the space storm to help protect you. He hands you a single remaining flower from the Underworld: the last remains of a goddess who sacrificed her own wish in order to turn the Third Underworld into a decisive battleground. As long as you have that flower, you will have her blessing.

Dumuzid
And her message. This is why I am here.
"I'm sorry I couldn't fight to the end. But at least I went out cool, right?"
She wasn't daunted in the slightest while facing that storm.
Triumphantly, her Saint Graph crumbled from her fingertips from providing the magical energy for the Heroic Spirit summons.
Her smile was as radiant as that scarlet flower. Unfortunately, it could only record one second of audio.

Fujimaru
---Yeah. You were cool.
...Thank you, Ereshkigal.

With this, it's time for Dumuzid to disappear as well. Before that happens, he gives you some pointers. It appears the storm extends less far above ground, so you should give chase at a distance of two kilometers from now on. This is gonna increase the burden on you as the summoner fivefold, which will be painful. Dumuzid isn't too worried though. You are the one who reached the abyss and showed it the brilliance of the rainbow. The hero who the goddess of the underworld longer for so much she willingly risked her life for you.


(Since ORT reactivated again, the raid interface is replaced with 6 more break bars which need to be dealt with, and the model on the map is replaced with just the golden saucer)

[Petrikow]

Almost there huh

Sorry, I hadn't been updating the OP in a while, lol.

[Zork Knight]

Well, he's not an UFO anymore.

ORT is an identification.

[sentence]

Well, he's not an UFO anymore.

ORT is an identification.

Who named him ORT first and why?

[Comun]

Brishsan. Because things need names, I guess.

[Reign]

Better than calling it "that alien monster spider".

[Zork Knight]

Can't wait for Foreigner ERszebeT for Halloween

[Comun]

Extra Radiance Thing.

[fumei]

Okay, now THIS is the longest one I've done summary-wise. Just a lotta dialogue, I guess.

--- Section 1 ---ORT has resumed activity and begun heading for Mexico City once more. Gordolf is growing increasingly uncertain about success at this point. If ORT absorbs the sun, you're completely done for. Maybe you should retreat, he says. But Gudao will not retreat. They will stop ORT, no matter the cost. And so, you'll continue your fight. You'll keep summoning, Gordolf will maintain the two kilometer distance, Kadoc will use the guns to take out any seeds heading for you, and Mashu will have to help out with that as well, since if she engages ORT at this distance she won't be able to come back, so that's a no go for her.

--- Section 2 --- (Plays when one break bar has been taken off from ORT. 5 remaining.)

A storm is coming. A world-rending storm is coming for the sun in an effort to regain its heart.
All the Ocelomeh in Mexico City had gathered in one place.
The Fantasy Tree seeds scattered around the forests had begun attacking their settlements.
For the non-combatants, Mexico City had become a citadel of hope dedicated to their protection.
The Ocelotl warriors equipped themselves with their weapons, and engaged in battle with the seeds attacking their city.
And now, the seeds have departed, and the storm is about to arrive.
This is something which was made clear an hour ago. That's when the storm approaching from the bottom layers of Mictlan had become visible.
It is a gale that blows away trees and nature. A rainbow-hued radiance which destroys animals from within.
It is a flying saucer boasting a hulk as massive as a city.
The Ocelomeh understand that staying in Mexico City will spell their doom.
They understand that their only resort is to evacuate the city and pray that the storm passes.
---And even knowing that, not a single one has chosen the future of leaving the city.

The Ocelomeh are all arming themselves, something which Vucub thinks is wholly insane. What good do they think that'll do? He orders them to flee with him, but no matter how much he begs and screams, they don't listen. Why is this? Why is it that they won't understand? Is it an order from their King, from Izcalli? But no, it's not. In that moment, an Olcelotl speaks out. It's a broken language, but it's an intelligent one nonetheless. "You, wrong. Not for king" he says. They fight not for a king, but for Mictlan. They want to live on in this world. They want to become smarter, let their families laugh. That's why they fight. Not for some god, but for the sake of their world. It's not that they don't understand what kind of monster ORT is, but that they'll fight to protect it despite that.

The Ocelotl points to the altar, implying that if they break it, the sun will leave. They want to get it out of here. Vucub thinks that's stupid. They just got the sun here, and now these dumb apes are trying to tell him what to do with it? He's not like them, he'll never be allowed to be treated like this. But they know he's not like them. They say he's a bad deinos, who betrayed his friends and fled here alone. But still, they don't hate him. He did the best he could to survive. While the rest of the deinos never saw the Ocelomeh even as enemies, Vucub was the one to acknowledge them.

Hearing this, Vucub pushes away the Ocelomeh who are trying to break the altar. He explains in a condescending voice how they don't how it works, but he does. There's a stone which they stole from Chichen Itza to which the sun is drawn. He takes it out of the altar, and says he will return it to where it belongs. The Ocelomeh are thankful, and in exchange give Vucub a candy skill, saying he is chosen by fate. Before they leave, Vucub asks for their names. They have to have names, at least. The leader of them says his name is Cuauhtémoc. It's not a good name, but it was given to him by his mighty father, and it "sounds like bravery". For context, that's the name of the last king of the Aztecs in PHH. He succeeded the throne of the Spanish-conquered Tenochtitlan after the death of Moctezuma II. He was a brave young king who fought until the bitter end together with just a few hundred subjects. The meaning of the name is that of the "descending eagle".

And so, the priest takes off towards Chichen Itza.

Back at the Border, Kadoc is telling you to get your breathing together, or you're gonna die from hypoxia. There's currently six kilometers between ORT and Mexico City, meaning it'll get there in five minutes. The Ocelomeh are trying their best, but their weapons are simply ineffective against it. But that's when you notice it. The sun appears to be moving a bit. As you look at the monitor closer, you see a faint source of heat, which seems to be the solar itinerancy. The biowave you see next to it is that of Vucub. You have no idea what kind of change of heart he had, but he's actually saving the whole world in this very moment. If the sun returns to Chichen Itza, you'll even be able to defend it using the Storm Border. But there's an issue: Vucub just isn't fast enough while carrying that weight. The solar itinerancy is about to be consumed by the supercell's massive sphere. You have about one minute until that happens, as ORT has now arrived at Mexico City's edge.

The Ocelomeh have had to retreat back into the city, but they haven't given up fighting yet. They definitely intend to fight into the last; to protect their home from invaders. Suddenly, you notice another weird heat source in Mexico City, which appears to be rising rapidly. Extreme amounts of magical energy is detected all over the city. This is the same reading as a Saint Graph of Divine Spirit-level.

There won't be anyone there anyway. Why would there ever be anyone protecting those short-lived abodes?
So, I thought I'd come here to disappear, watching as Mictlan breathed its last, in the middle of the abandoned city.
It was so lively that I could hardly believe my eyes. The cries of joy were so loud that I felt my ears hurting.
Not a single one of them had fled the city. They held their weapons fast, united in the face of the enemy.
"I want to stay here forever." "I want to live in this beautiful city forever."
They were so overjoyed to have such a cause to fight for.
There was still fear, of course. All who were headed for the battle lines were prepared to fight to the death.
"There is no way I'll live to tell the tale. We will all go extinct here."
"But we will still fight. Even if not a single one of us remains. For the sake of the time we spent here. For the sake of the happiness we had here."
This battle was not one between species trying to eradicate one another. It was a battle to protect what was dear to them in the face of unprecedented cataclysm.
They felt that purpose worthy of their lives. The final battle to protect their future home.

Tenochtitlan
---Temple of the Two Gods, move to shoulder area. Convert city water streams into Magic Circuits. Inject Divine Core into Mamalhuaztli, Igniting Constellation.

---You cannot be serious... Just, what are they doing, honestly?
Do they have some kind of stupid fantasy of ascending to heaven if they die bravely in battle or something? I bet they do. That's how the Aztec world worked.
If you fight and die, it doesn't matter who you are, you will be recognized. If you win in battle, it doesn't matter who you are, you will be in the right.
However, that only counts when your opponent is another warrior like you. Those who die in accidents or from sickness all go into different kinds of underworlds.
Those who die from old age or disasters are allowed to head to Tezcatlipoca's paradise.
But Tezcatlipoca is no more. Even if they all die here, no god is going to save them.
---So... I guess it's up to me, right?

Tenochtitlan
Ometeotl, Multigod Fusion System, approved. Cardiac City, launching---
YOU FFFFFFFFUCKING INVADER!! You're not taking another step into MY CITY---!

You can't believe it. Using the city itself, which was actually her Noble Phantasm, Tenochtitlan has managed to stop ORT in its tracks, allowing Vucub to escape. You'll change course and head for Chichen Itza as well. Preferably, your final stand will have to be in the second Underworld, where you will have to go all out yet again.

Meanwhile, Tenochtitlan is having more and more trouble with ORT. The momentum was in her favor only at first, and the longer she holds on, the more her ability to contend with it decreases. The saucer never actually stopped spinning, and so it smashed her pillar-arms to pieces, returning them to their original stone form. Ometeotl, this machine, is Tenochtitlan herself, meaning any damage sustained by it is returned straight back to her.

My tears stream forth. My screams flow out. A feeling of rage-tinged regret telling me I should've just stopped, assaults me.
If my soul weakens, the city will crumble.
Pathetic. I couldn't even hold out for a single minute. There wasn't a single point to me trying to stand in the way.
The only thing this stupidity has gotten me is more pain and a greater feeling of helplessness.
I can't protect anything. I couldn't in the past, and I can't in this Lostbelt either.
All the time I spent here only served to remind me of that. And just as I'm about to ungracefully collapse...
My tears begin to roll down my cheeks. My sobbing wells up. Rage-tinged happiness surges forth. Why can't I run away?
They are protecting the city. They're protecting me.
They're protecting what I failed to protect in the past, when no battle even occurred to protect it.
I was occupied by the invaders, then buried under the soil by the foreign culture's values, as if I had never existed.
But I'm not buried yet... If there are people here in this city who still wish to live, then---
Even if I can't stop you like this, and even if this single minute of resistance only extends to become two.
That still isn't reason enough for me to ever give up---!
Again and again will I be constructed. Again and again will I protect their sun, and their dreams.
My name is Tenochtitlan! The magnificent city by the water, where warriors are honored!
The beating heart of the Aztec world that rises even after death---!

ORT has gone. It just went ahead and changed its course. It probably didn't even see Tenochtitlan or the Ocelomeh as much more than pebbles on the road. Half the city is destroyed, and only a few people remain. It won't be long now until Mictlan comes to an end. Still, Tenochtitlan can't help but feel glad. Glad that she was able to protect the world of these people. She might have always been reluctant, but in the end she got to see the view before her now, one with a clear sky, where numerous happy voices share in their victory. If she got to experience this, it was all worth it in the end.

Tenochtitlan
So long then, my city, my people... Also, you meddlesome Nitocris.
As you can see---the regret in my heart is gone.
The dreams that arose in this city end here. The hummingbird falls from the sky, and so, returns to the lake of the moon...

--- Section 3 --- (Plays immediately after section 2)

It seems like you actually passed out from exhaustion while you were approaching the second Underworld, but you've arrived finally. You've been chasing ORT until now, but from here on you're going to try to outpace it, so that the sun can move safely back to Chichen Itza. Since Chichen Itza is in the third layer, and the second Underworld is in the fourth, you should consider the first and second layer as non-factors, meaning this is the last place you can engage in battle. Gudao is barely holding on at this point, and Tepeu simply asks that you do not push yourself too hard, for which you are thankful.

Sion and Nemo Professor had formed a plan for Beni and Kingprotea in the second Underworld, but both of the latter deemed it such a stupid plan that would absolutely never work, that they practically refused to do it. That is, of course, until you arrive on the Shadow Border, ask them very kindly as their Master, and they then drop all pretenses of not wanting to help. Beni then transforms back into an Alter as she explains the quite simple plan.

Once ORT enters the second Underworld, you will slow it down, and Kingprotea will straight up grab a hold of it and stop its rotation. Once it's stationary, Beni will use her 4 ri (16 kilometers) sword to bisect the organs which generate the galactica supercell. That's it. Kingprotea laments that ORT is supposedly immortal, but Beni says in that case she'll simply have to apply the concept of death to it. Apparently, King Hassan just stuck around after you summoned him here last or something and straight up taught Beni a technique for that which is only usable in this Underworld (of course).

--- Section 4 --- (Plays when two break bars has been taken off from ORT. 4 remaining.)

Kingprotea
Your guard is down, ORT!
Serial Phantasm, deployed. My fingers surround the world---
Churning the ocean of milk! Releasing highly-concentrated liquid ether!
I'm trusting that you know how to play! After all, having to catch the ball is the whole point!
Uuuurryyyaaaah!!! Hold stiiiiiiiiill!!!

Beni-Enma Alter
Brilliantly done, Protea! Now I strike with the Great Red Lotus, the sword that knows the boundary of life and death!
As the mountains shake, winds blow down from the hot stones! Thunderclouds of the galaxy, be gone!

The whole Underworld trembles, and finally you are able to confirm the cessation of the galactica supercell. It won't slow ORT down, but at least it'll make battle a lot easier for you. Now you just have to head for the third layer and beat ORT up as much as you can on the way. According to TRISMEGISTUS II, if you manage to destroy around 60% of ORT's outer shell, a point blank shot from the Storm Border's main cannon will take it out. The cannon is already charged, so as soon as you shave off enough of ORT, you'll head straight for Chichen Itza. You ask what happened to Kingprotea and Beni, but Da Vinci say they're both fine. They're just both breaking off here so that they won't be crystallized by ORT.

As you leave, we cut to a final scene of Kingprotea and Beni. They both praise each other's work just now, and say goodbye to the other. Beni asks if Kingprotea didn't want to have a proper farewell with Gudao, but Kingprotea only says that if they were to see her invincible-seeming self in this state, they would only grow more depressed. They might be used to wearing themselves out with summoning by this point, but Kingprotea really hates that forced smile they put on.

--- Section 5 --- (Plays when five break bars has been taken off from ORT. 1 remaining.)

The sun has been confirmed to have returned to Chichen Itza, and in an hour it'll be night too. This is actually Vucub's doing, as he made the sun dim more, so that it would be harder for ORT to notice. You also get a report from the Storm Border: 98% of all native life in Mictlan has now been confirmed dead. Thus, since there's nothing more to attack, 97% of all the seeds have also self-destructed. The only still remaining things in this world now are ORT, Chaldea and a small number of deinos.

Suddenly, you hear what sounds like a great stampede outside, and the amount of bio-readings spikes. They deinos are all coming your way. Turns out that when Koyanskaya went to Chichen Itza, she had at first been quite impressed with the calmness of the deinos as they simply shared stories while the world was ending, even to the point of wondering if sending her main body out into space was gonna be the wrong move. Following this, Vucub had arrived too, after having returned the solar itinerancy. He asked all the other deinos to take up fighting, but they had refused. Since they would go extinct either way, they could find no reason to fight, and why spend energy on something that achieves nothing. Vucub is defeated, and says that he guesses facts are facts and whatever they do won't change that. The Dino King, however (who has now regenerated after Izcalli shot him everywhere but the head), disagrees. Living's all about doing stuff just because of how it feels.

Dinosaur King
Result's the same, so you won't have an opinion about it nor do squat, huh? The hell's wrong with you all? You some kinda sad-ass slaves or something?
Goddamn dinosaurs, and yet you've lost all of your wild spirit. Apologize to everyone who's ever admired your kind in their youth, dammit.
But what's it matter, huh? What if shit doesn't change the result?
You guys were a highly intelligent and mighty species. You pretty much eliminated the concept of "wastefulness".
"If you do something wasteful, conflict will arise. If you do something wasteful, disparity will be born."
Malla's approach is sound enough, sure.
You are beings who cannot justify taking action if your only reason for doing so is a selfish and individualistic dislike.
But yeah, this is "the final day". Even if you do something selfish, it's not like it's gonna have any effect on what happens tomorrow.
It doesn't matter how many mistakes you commit today, because you won't have to reflect on it tomorrow anyway.

The deinos are confused. If it won't have any effect, doesn't that mean the outcome stays the same no matter what? Yes, the outcome won't change, but there is meaning in actions, and the meaning will remain. Dying in a struggle against death isn't "wasteful". One has to act for something greater than oneself. Right now, the "story" of the deinos doesn't have a proper conclusion. Meanwhile, the stories they have been listening to all this time had people who didn't go out willingly either. Their worlds were completely screwed, but they only "concluded" after Chaldea defeated them. Still, the deinos didn't mock those people when hearing their stories. They found validity in them fighting for the goal of coming to an end. To accept extinction and to resist into the last are two different things. There's gonna be nothing left here tomorrow, so what's the harm in doing something "stupid" to place your own conclusion in the story.

The deinos finally understand. And so, they take up arms handed to them by Koyanskaya. Literally.

Turns out they learn how the guns work super quickly, and are able to modify them to be even better. Perhaps dinosaurs with guns were the most dangerous mankind the whole time. Meanwhile, Vucub seems a bit down in the dumps. The Dinosaur King has a heart to heart with him about it, and Vucub at first claims that he's nothing like these deinos who would change their minds from one simple speech, but the dino king thinks they're exactly the same.

Dinosaur King
These buggers came back here because, in reality, they'd been itchin' to do "something" very badly.
And that "something" ain't exactly simple battle, or some wish to clamor for their existence.
"This is how far we came."
That's what they're trying to prove, as life, as a species. That's what's gonna spur you all on. No matter when it may be.

End of the flashback, and back with the Shadow Border. The armed deinos are all passing by you, waving, as they head towards the fourth layer where ORT currently is. There are about 60 of them, all armed with guns. Sion contacts you, saying the Dino King left a message for you: "No need for reinforcements. You in Chaldea should carry out your own responsibilities." In other words, you should simply ignore the deinos and link up with the Storm Border as planned. About the same time as you arrive there, ORT will be in attack range, as well. That is to say, the success of the operation will be heavily dependent on your ability to return in time.

Gordolf is actually kinda upset at this development. The gentle, wise, and practically ideal mankind of the deinos shouldn't have to do something like arming themselves to fight ORT in vain. Chaldea is going to deal with ORT by themselves, so there should be no reason for the deinos to fight. Tepeu simply urges him to step on the gas, but before that, he says he has to take his leave her as well. He's very grateful for your time together, but this is where you have to split. He asks for some kind of weapon, perhaps a knife (get it?), and says that he cannot be the only one not headed for battle here.

Tepeu
I'm sure in your eyes this looks like nothing more than dying in vain, or a show of pointless resistance.
That's what I think too. This is an avoidable battle. And it's a battle that should be avoided, most likely.
But this is about principle, newly born as it may be. If I ignore this, I'll cease to be a deinos.

Da Vinci hands him a submachine gun, and he bids farewell. However, Mashu is having an even harder time to accept this. Not only Tepeu, but none of the deinos should have to do this. They never took to conflict, never showed any hatred, and never discriminated. So why now of all times would they head for what amounts to guaranteed death?

Mashu
We have seen so many different worlds at this point. And no matter how aberrant they were...
No matter how sinful they were, not a single one of them, and not a single person in them, deserved to die.
And even among all these---the deinos were really just...so wonderful---
So why---why are you headed out to lose your lives, not in the extinction of your species, but in a completely hopeless and meaningless battle!?

Tepeu is surprised that Mashu could get so riled up. Or rather, perhaps it's the case that because someone like her can feel so strongly about this because of all the things she's had to go through up to this point. He agrees that the deinos didn't see anyone as more "special" than anyone else. Everyone had the same worth and were equals, so there was never any conflict. But that isn't actually true for Tepeu. He did discriminate; for what he cared about. He refers back to Ixquic's words about how if everyone is exactly the same, then why should you feel grief over someone's death? For everyone to be equal, there can be no discrimination. Mashu found this both beautiful and hard to take in, at the time, but Tepeu says that's just how it is.

Tepeu
Mash. Differences exist. It's something which comes to be. Life is not all the same.
It's all right that you would feel sadder about the misfortune of someone close to you rather than someone you have little to do with.
You humans sought something to connect with---something which could allow you to shine. And so it was that mankind prospered.
It's rather cruel to say, but a "world of equals" would just become the same as ours.
A world where those who are special are neither acknowledged nor noticed... A world where it's not possible to save even a single friend...
I wanted to save her.
I wanted to save that girl who had spent 6 million years rooted in the same spot, not a single other of her species with her, and whose only role was to keep watching over Mictlan.
And because of that, much tension occured between us. Frustrated, I gave up, chose to forget it all, and lived my live away from others as a hermit.
I couldn't change anything... I accepted that I would just have to live out my own life as a lone deinos.
But then you showed up, my friends.
All the stories you had of Pan-Human History sounded dangerous, yet at the same time, wonderful.
I experienced so many things. There was the shock I felt when you first wandered into my cave. The trusting voices of you together with Habetrot.
The sincerity and lightheartedness of Fujimaru's temperament.
The sound of Marine's excited footsteps. The fearless smirk of U-Olga Marie.
The shady language of Father Kotomine. The cleverness and youthfulness of Da Vinci.
There is so much more, but if I kept going, it would never end.
I went off ostensibly as your guide, but you were the ones who guided me to a new world instead.
It was so much fun. And fun is good.
So please, don't see your own world and your own actions as something bad, and be burdened by them.
I told you, didn't I? Every single deinos is rooting for you.
We neither resent you, nor envy you.

In the end, he's rather sad about the fact that nothing in this world changed for 66 million years. In that much time, it should've been inevitable that they accomplished something, and yet they didn't make a single thing. Is that really "peaceful"? That kind of nature is inherently not the correct answer for sapient beings, since to not do anything wrong meant to not do anything at all. Humans cannot make the correct choice, and even if you choose the best thing based on the circumstances, afterwards you'll simply realize that there was a better option anyway. Anything with sapience will never arrive at a "categorical correctness", and will always choose "wrong". Deinos never undestood this, because they never needed to. But now, finally, they've been allowed to make the wrong choice. It took them 66 million years, but they're finally able to strive for the proper world.

With those words, he deems he's taken up enough of your time, and prepares to leave. He says he's already left "a message" for you in Chichen Itza. He turns to Mashu, and thanks her for everything. He always loved how when they first met, she lowered her shield immediately and greeted him. Likewise, he had returned her greeting with a polite bow. And now, with the same gestures, they bid each other farewell.

---

(After this section ends and you return to the map screen, the sound effect of Shiki's Arc Drive in Type Lumina is heard, and ORT's last break bar is removed. In other words, Tepeu managed to take out one of ORT's bars with his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.)

--- Section 6 --- (Plays at the last bar remaining.)

Across the reddened plains, the last of the deinos ran.
Some fell before even getting close. Some fell trying to save their comrades...
Some fell while in the middle of attacking the enemy's shell...
Some fell after turning back against the flying saucer even as it had passed over them, biting at it into the bitter end, despite not inflicting so much as a single injury.
One fell streaking across the sky like a lightning bolt, killing one of the saucer's lives, before having his limbs torn off in return and plummeting to the ground.
And just like that, the enemy passed over the great plains, with the charge of the deinos having come to an end.
The mighty deinos did not die immediately even with half of their bodies torn to pieces.
Their tattered bodies laid still upon the ground, and though they had accepted the impending end of their lives...
There they still lay, with a vague look of longing, staring at the red sun that had long since left them behind, far off in the distance.

Kukulkan stands by the side with the dino king, simply watching. The king asks her how it feels knowing she could've turned the tables, given who she is, yet now she's here just looking at the extinction of the species she protected until now. She instead asks him if he put them up to this. Rather than go gentle into the cold embrace of extinction, he would have them experience a hellish bloodbath? That's just how Tezcatlipoca rolls, though: fight and fall. Well, either way, he doesn't think this can make up for 66 million years of monotony, and once their conversation wraps up, he disappears, having reached the end of his summoning.

Back with Chaldea, you have managed to join up with the Storm Border. This is it. Once ORT gets closer, it'll be the final blow. You'll unload the Hume-Barrel Rayproof and end this whole thing. There won't be any more close combat; either this hits and works, or it doesn't. That's all this comes down to. There is a bit of a catch to this though, since you need to annihilate every cell of ORT in a single blow it needs to be in 10km range, so what happens if it's possible for ORT to attack you outside of that range? Well, just don't think about that. You also won't be able to fire more than once, since it'll take too long to recharge the cannon.

I of course don't have to tell you that this catch obviously comes to pass. As ORT approaches you, now 30 kilometers away, its tentacles grow larger, extending to 20 kilometers each. If they connect with the ship, it'll start fusing with ORT, but you can't even move when the cannon is deployed, nor do you have anything to shoot them down with. But that's where the Type 79 Tamamo Tank comes into play!

Also called the The Type 79 Iz Tula Seven Drive: Mk. Mictlan, it's what Koyanskaya has poured all the resources she's gathered here into. With the help of the xoqqer brothers (they told you they'd make a comeback in overtime, didn't they?) she has deployed this beast of a weapon on the ground, and will use it to intercept the tentacles while you prepare to fire, and so you do.

20 seconds until ORT enters effective range. All safeties off. Maximum output. Main cannon: fire!


Too bad, that didn't work either. It somehow generated another space storm, even though you got rid of those organs earlier. It's not that it regenerated them, but that it's somehow recreated itself as what is effectively a whole new concept. That's why its matter increased so much as well, because as a result, it recreated the spider-shaped body. In other words...you have to do it all over again? There's no way you would manage that. Thankfully, it's not that it fully protected itself, but that it used the gravity field to redirect the cannon blast. You simply have to calculate a trajectory which would hit it regardless. Of course, easier said than done considering if ORT closes in any more, you're done for, and it would take at least two minutes to recharge the cannon if you redirect literally all power you have to it, which is simply not enough. Are you gonna have to retreat and leave Mictlan behind after all? Even if you do that, you won't get another chance like this to take out ORT. Thankfully, help does arrive...

Rasputin
I understand the sentiment. You are just one step away from victory, after all. So, that's where I have a proposal to give. How about it, gentlemen?

--- Section 7 ---Rasputin asks you to give him a second to explain, and to your surprise, time itself has stopped. Or to be more precise, all of you are currently acting so much faster than time itself can keep up, so it only appears to be. This is one of the seven Super Authorities possessed by the Alien God: Tachyon Jail (a name Rasputin definitely didn't come up with). However, it won't last long. Suddenly, you're also able to hear Olga's voice from somewhere distant, telling Rasputin to get to the point. You're surprised she came back for you, but she already told you back at the coffin, remember? "I don't intend to watch the Earthlings breathe their last in this Lostbelt". The humanity of PHH will only receive their due administration back in PHH, so she has to make sure you get back, obviously.

Now then, Rasputin continues: because of what Daybit did, ORT is currently using the Alien God's heart, so it's kind of a principle thing that she has to take it out before she leaves. As such, she has decreed that you may fight together with her. You accept before even hearing the terms, and Rasputin goes on to explain the plan. They will maintain the localized accelerated space-time, as well as provide electric power for the Rayproof's second shot. In exchange, you will destroy ORT's "main entity", and allow them to control the Rayproof. Basically, this will work because in accelerated space-time, ORT's super fast regeneration won't be able to keep up with the damage you apply to it. As for the electricity, this is why Rasputin was sneaking around the Border back then. He was making some modifications to provide a relay to the outside they could use.

In order for you to manage this last sortie, you also reroute TRISMEGISTUS II's calculations to the summoning system, which will allow you to emulate some of the Servants you already lost to ORT. In that sense, this is truly the final battle between earthlings and ORT. You may hold nothing back, as you show Olga your maximum power.

---

You've done it. You manged to break ORT's main body. Now, you should just stand back and let Olga handle the rest. She doesn't want you to head inside, though. If you did, you'd miss witnessing the heroism of the one who rules the planet. Solenmly watcing the color you emit, which stayed the same the whole way through, she declares that she will use all of humanity's toys for this purpose, including the Rayproof.

Olga states that if you have anything to say, you should do so now. There won't be another chance. You don't want to steal the moment, but she calls you stupid for it, saying it's necessary to cheer people on. Well, she's only here to fulfill a promise anyway.

U-Olga Marie
By the way, you still don't get why I would go so far to help you out, do you?
You didn't kill Kingprotea in the First Underworld. You didn't kill Beni-Enma in the Second Underworld.
You didn't ostracize your opponents just because they were monsters.
That's why I'm helping. I find your way of doing things so tiring, but you should keep cherishing it all the same.
One last thing... I was always afraid of asking this, but it's now or never.
Well? Who is Olga Marie? Was I...Chaldea's Director?

Fujimaru
---She's...
Yeah. You were an awkward, yet excellent director.

U-Olga Marie
...I see. That sounds like a good dream.
Good grief. I really wish I'd been able to do better.

Annihilation of ORT visually confirmed. Olga did it! But...where is she? Mashu yells at the control room to quickly scan their surroundings, but nothing comes up. Her readings are completely gone. The destruction of her Saint Graph was confirmed alongside the firing of the Rayproof. This is the only natural outcome, doing something like that without a heart. She told you already, didn't she?

"Hey! There's something you've got to say, isn't there!? There won't be another chance!"

She saved Earth...just like she'd promised.

--- Section 8 ---You decide to head back inside, considering you can barely walk at this point. But, well, of course it isn't really that easy. Nemo announces that some sort of crazy summoning formula is being activated nearby, and TRISMEGISTUS is telling you to clear the area immediately.

TRISMEGISTUS II
"Misappropriation of Pan-Human History mirror image."
"Summarization of 300 million years of Lost History."
"Confirmed that these have been used in the formulation of virtual Heroic Spirit entity."
"Biological classification: One Radiance Thing Grand Servant: Class Foreigner."
"ORT is being summoned."

Crazy as it is, because of how many Servants it ate, right before it died it came to understand the summoning ritual, formulated a virtual future, and summoned itself once it had been designated a Heroic Spirit within that what-if future. Just from existing, it warps the Border's hull. It's preparing to emit what is effectively a solar storm, and at this range you won't survive. You can't even move the Border at this point,since you redirected all the power earlier. You have to at least get inside for a chance at survival. Mashu tells you to grab her shoulder, but when supporting you, Mashu would simply be too slow. You yell at her to leave you behind, but she wasn't asking, she was ordering. And so, ORT fires.



A new Saint Graph reading has appeared: it's Kukulkan, having made it just in time! She flew here at mach speed while somehow not even breaking the sound barrier, but she is at least firmly intent on defeating ORT.

Kukulkan
---Cease, thou being called from the void.
Thou who ate the Cosmic Tree and served as the keystone of Mictlan for 6 million years.
Companion mine. The one feared by all. Although it may be our extinction so to do, I shall punish thee nevertheless.
Pan-Human History needs no scars done by thy claws! In the name of the Sun God Kukulkan, I shall annihilate thee here!

We get a flashback to just before this, with Kukulkan standing on the battlefield where the deinos were slaughtered. Tepeu lies there, on the verge of death, as Kukulkan, the Doctrine of the Sun, approaches him. He has come to realize that dying is a painful experience, and dying an even scarier one. Still, he's happy that his battle gave him meaning in this form. He was so close to commiting a mistake by being too caught in his dream. In the end, he's glad he didn't make "her" go through any of this, no matter how good a reason he might have had. Kukulkan says she'll commit those important thoughts to memory, as her role comes to an end. The Ocelomeh are all dead, and the last deinos are dying on this field. With them gone, she'll cease activity soon too. ORT will head for the surface and shatter the planet, Malla will wait for new life to arise, and the cycle of extinction will repeat.

Still, she looks down at Tepeu, asking if he doesn't have any requests, seeing as how he's the last remaining deinos. Tepeu can only laugh at how sad she looks when asking this. She stood by during the assault on Mexico City and Chichen Itza alike. He had thought she couldn't feel sadness, but it was more that she didn't know how to display it properly yet. Yet now, here, she displays her emotions in full force. Though she may have once been a mere imitation, she has now taken on a face of her own. However, she doesn't know if it's really okay to grieve for something. If she did, she would be truly awful and inhumane. An arbiter who simply watches everyone die off can't be allowed to grieve for those same deaths, that would be unforgivable. But Tepeu doesn't agree. Who would be unable to forgive her? Whatever the answer, not like that would matter.

Tepeu
Why don't you just set yourself free already, Kukulkan? You've been trying so hard not to all this time, haven't you?
Don't worry about us. Please just do whatever you want to.
Actually, you can't just leave the cleaning up of our world to someone else. Your problems should be taken care of personally.

Doctrine of the Sun
Wait!? You knew all along, Tepeu!?

Tepeu
Of course I did. It was obvious from the start.
That's why I'm fully aware that you want to go help them right now, but can't because your feelings of guilt are holding you back.
If you're going to sleep either way, please do so after you've gotten that load off your mind. I'm on my last legs, so I'd like to at least be sent off with a smile.

He also has one final request: please, give them one final dream. They, who could never birth even a single story, want to see her in a form so dazzling it will make them doubt their very eyes. Grant them their one and only legend.

Doctrine of the Sun
Yeah... Even after witnessing the Heroic Spirits of Pan-Human History, I could never find it in me to help them.
My beloved will always be you deinos. You who lived in Mictlan.
You, who treasured me, and called me your friend, despite me being a false sun.
So if it would in some way prove as salvation---
---Then I will gladly become a Lost God.
I am Kukulkan. The Feathered Serpent. And as the Golden Sea of Trees Incarnate, I shall go steal my own heart---!

She assumed her third ascension form, and took off into the sky. The deinos lying on the ground looked up at the streak she left in the sky. Almost as if looking upon an as-of-yet-unknown, but nostalgic, beautiful star. They reflected on the joys of life, and felt regret as the embrace of death approached. For them, the future of PHH was a lost history, and yet, as they closed his eyes at long last, they felt as if it were his own. Even if the fifth mass extinction had not come, the sun born in the underground would surely light up the world once more. Upon the sunset sky flew now wings of gold. And so it was that a god was born in the Lostbelt bereft of stories.

And so, she has now come to defeat ORT. She explains that ORT used the last traces of its corneum as a catalyst to summon a Ghost Liner of itself, but its only purpose now is to prolong this Lostbelt. It's not even really alive anymore. However, since Mictlan spawned this thing, it's Mictlan's responsibility to deal with it, as well. As such, even if it means the disappearance of her world, Kukulkan cannot let that thing be. So once more, and only once, you shall fight together. Kukulkan's wings, though lost history they may be, exist for the sake of those who dream of the future!

---

You fight and defeat Grand ORT, but it's no use.

TRISMEGISTUS II
"Reporting: Collapse of virtual Heroic Spirit entity's Saint Graph observed."
"Warning. Advent of invasive alien life form observed."
"Lost records are embedding into the space-time continuum."
"Inflation caused by paradox effect confirmed."
"Invasive entity: Starcell."
"Ontological interval redefined to year 14.6 billion in observable universe time."
"ORT manifesting."

This is an opponent that can seemingly not be defeated no matter what you do. Well, Kukulkan knows the real reason, and she explains that it can't be destroyed because part of it always remains here: the sun. This is where her real duty lies, so she'll handle it.

Kukulkan
Invaders that flew in from the void, the both of us... We were co-existent, weren't we, ORT?
By consuming the Fantasy Tree, you managed to extend the time you were active, and by us using your heart, we managed to keep the world alive.
Destroying you here would mean destroying the Lostbelt as well.
Nevertheless...
I cannot allow the future shown to me atop the sun altar by Tezcatlipoca's vision to be forced onto Pan-Human History.
---I'm very grateful for our time together.
I shall now speak the consensus of Malla: Mictlan...ends here.
The life nurtured for the duration of 66 million years, and its answer---
"It was good. However, there was another way."
We halted the progress of the species who live on this planet. We have acknowledged as much.
Extinction comes equally to all.
No matter your environment, no matter your ecology, as long as you are alive, you cannot escape it.
---And know this well!
This sun is your heart; the embryo which birthed and formed me!

Kukulkan
My name is Kukulkan! The one born of the sun! And thus, we are one and the same!
So now it is that I return this body to the sun it whence came! Interstellar Voyage Engine, activate!
Wind cometh from the heavens. Stars falleth from the cosmos.
---None else but ORT may defeat ORT!
Your time has come to an end, Ultimate One! There is nothing upon this planet for us to consume!

And so, the sun burned out, its final duty concluded. The Sea of Fantasy Trees vanished, having never become more than a supposition, and upon the plains remained the deinos whose death was fast approaching. In the final moments of his life, the stargazing deinos looked up at the cosmos in the now sunless underground. It had been nothing more than a world of fantasy, the memories of which would fade from all eventually, but still, during that time, it was beautiful. Even if something lacks a happy ending, even if it's fantasy, or fiction, once something's created it can never disappear. Dreams once born forever etch themselves into the boundary. They remain, forever, in this universe. Even if there's no one to recount them, if it has happened, it could not have been meaningless.

In Chichen Itza, Koyanskaya thinks to herself that she can't compete with a Lostbelt King ending their own Lostbelt, and then lets this temporary summoning of hers end. The xoqqer brothers (so Tepeu wasn't the last deinos like Kukulkan said?) are gonna have one last xoqqer ritual before their lives burn out altogether. Back on the Border, Kukulkan laments that her blowing up the sun also took out all the other Fantasy Trees in Mictlan, since now the world will disappear. Whatever, it's not like she did it for PHH or anything. However, you argue that she is totally an ally of PHH, because she was never your enemy even once. She almost wants to capture you all here just so she can spend more time with you, but since she is the god of this Lostbelt, she can neither keep you here, nor come with you. She wants to witness the end of Mictlan as it fades away. At least she got to become a proper god in the end.

Lastly, she wants to share the consensus of Malla, even after everything has died out by now. "We're rooting for you with every fiber of our being," they said. Not because you saw Mictlan off, but because it is the natural course of life to root for the next ones to take up the relay. Kukulkan wishes you much hapiness and luck on your journey, be it past, present, future. With that, she too disappears, and the world begins to fade to darkness. As the sun has disappeared, gravity itself is beginning to change here, so you need to head towards the surface. However, there's something wrong.

You just simply, out of the blue, collapse.

[Link0306]

Wak Chan… Eresh… Tlaloc… Tepeu… U-Olga… Kuku… Dino Bros…

[Link0306]

Also I’m guessing Eresh would have been absorbed by ORT right? Not like it matters since we beat him later, but just curious.

[sentence]

Wak Chan… Eresh… Tlaloc… Tepeu… U-Olga… Kuku… Dino Bros…

Kukulkan didn't die with explosion. She appears after the sun explodes and says she will watch the LB as it dies, and that she could now be summoned as Servant by Chaldea (hijacked the Throne like ORT?).

- - - Updated - - -

Also the interesting moment about Kukulkan isn't mentioned there, is that she says in the last dialogue that she never fought Chaldea. You can read it there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2BRgk-8tIo

Which leaves the question. Who was that? Malla itself or (Dino) Archetype: Earth of the Lostbelt?

[Link0306]

That still is Kuku, she said so herself in chapter 13.

[sentence]

Also I’m guessing Eresh would have been absorbed by ORT right? Not like it matters since we beat him later, but just curious.

Yes she was caught by the UFO and got eaten.

[Link0306]

Think they meant Kuku and Chaldea never had a proper battle

[sentence]

once something's created it can never disappear. Dreams once born forever etch themselves into the boundary. They remain, forever, in this universe.

Is that just what dinos think, or Lostbelts are part of Universe of Records?

[fumei]

Which leaves the question. Who was that? Malla itself or (Dino) Archetype: Earth of the Lostbelt?

Like Link said, I think she's just talking about a proper battle. Her showing up in her super-giant form and swatting us out of the sky doesn't really count as a "battle" anymore than you slapping a mosquito on your arm is a battle.

Is that just what dinos think, or Lostbelts are part of Universe of Records?

Well, it's a deinos saying it, but for all intents and purposes I don't see why they wouldn't be.

[Link0306]

One last thing, I do like how Koyan was disappointed with the Deinos at first and was regretting her own decision, but then got to fight alongside them and left happy.