"It failed."
Inside the Crypter meeting room, Kirschtaria's base of operations, Peperoncino was the one who broke the silence.
Even counting Daybit, who was attending via long-distance communication, only four Crypters remained.
"..."
Yu Mei-ren glanced at Peperoncino without a word. Sitting in her chair, she clearly had no intention of speaking, but the irritation on her face made her mood obvious.
The failure Peperoncino referred to was Zeus's attempt to summon divine lightning and annihilate Chaldea's StormBorder the moment it entered Olympus.
"So even the all-knowing, all-powerful God King of Olympus couldn't deal with Chaldea," Daybit commented calmly. "Kirschtaria, there's still time. Let me bring my Servants and head to your Lostbelt. At this stage—"
"No. Maintaining the current situation is enough," Kirschtaria replied evenly. "The South American Lostbelt is special. If you're gone for too long, it will likely cause serious problems."
"Heh. Personally speaking, I'd actually love for Daybit to come over," Peperoncino said with a laugh. "Pooling the remaining Crypters' full strength to face Chaldea, who were once our comrades… it's a wonderfully heretical, hot-blooded kind of development."
Yu Mei-ren finally spoke.
"Just to be safe, there's something I need to say first. That man… Tenkei Shiomi has a problem. A very serious one. Not unlike his fairy wife, he can no longer be considered human."
"I know what you're getting at, Yu Mei-ren," Kirschtaria said, raising a hand to signal her to continue no further. "After clashing with Professor Shiomi, I already understood that he is an absolute threat to the Alien God, to Zeus, and to my plan. He must be eliminated."
"Oh?"
Peperoncino hadn't taken part directly in the battle on Hecate Island. Instead, he had been responsible for rear support, coordinating with Yu Mei-ren and her Servant.
But Kirschtaria's personal appearance on the battlefield, and that strike delivered with absolute confidence, had been witnessed by everyone present.
Even so, despite possessing the Eye of Insight, Peperoncino still couldn't tell what Tenkei Shiomi had actually done.
"No, he's more than just a threat. That man is the embodiment of the 'new humanity' I envisioned… alive, or rather, already existing beyond the limits of my original plan."
Kirschtaria smiled faintly, a mix of self-mockery and acceptance.
"Even though his overall power is still insignificant, he has already reached a level where he can stand alongside the great god Zeus."
"So Tenkei Shiomi has shed his humanity and is on the verge of becoming an entirely new god," Daybit said, understanding dawning on him.
"You've got to be kidding," Peperoncino said in surprise, sounding unconvinced. "Wouldn't that make things incredibly troublesome?"
In truth, this was simply how he expressed shock. He wasn't actually doubting Kirschtaria's words.
"How things will truly turn out… even I can't grasp the full picture yet," Kirschtaria said, slowly shaking his head. "What I can see is that he is very soon going to be bound by the fact that he is human. Even after stepping into the realm of the gods, he is still shackled by the identity of 'humanity'."
"Shackled, huh?" Peperoncino's smile turned refreshingly light. "That fits my impression of him perfectly. Even though he's a Magus, even though he's survived battlefields balanced on the edge between life and death, at his core he still possesses a kind of humanity that's fundamentally unsuited for a Magus… no, maybe it's better to call it innocence."
What he meant was this.
Despite having the power to wipe out the Russian and Scandinavian Lostbelts along with the Crypters in a single stroke, Tenkei Shiomi had chosen a more cautious path.
He destroyed only the Lostbelts themselves, killed the opposing Servants, and merely imprisoned Kadoc and Ophelia, those who had rebelled against human history and become enemies of human order.
"Hate the sin, not the sinner. That's what that man always says," Daybit remarked, saying something unexpected. "Of course, that only applies if those people still have room for repentance. Kadoc and Ophelia fall into that category, don't they?"
Peperoncino thought it over, then nodded with a trace of sentiment.
"When you put it that way, it's true. The annihilation of Antarctic Chaldea was actually decided and carried out by the princess of the Russian Lostbelt. That fake priest I know said she died a brutal death. Her heart was completely pierced through."
"So what do we do now?" Yu Mei-ren asked Kirschtaria. "Chaldea's ship is packed with monsters. You called all of us here, but do we really have a way to win?"
"The odds are still there," Kirschtaria replied. "If you disagree with the current course of action, you're free to return to the Chinese Lostbelt. But having already clashed with Chaldea yourself, you should understand how dire the situation is."
"Alright, alright, I get it," Yu Mei-ren said awkwardly. "Xiang Wang said we should help, and that Lanling Wang guy is willing too. I'll stay with you until the end."
Peperoncino couldn't help but laugh, then smoothly changed the subject.
"By the way, Kirschtaria, what about your Servants?"
"It's not looking good," Kirschtaria said, shaking his head. "Zeus allowed me to summon the Dioscuri again, but they've already been forced to withdraw. After all, they were up against Professor Shiomi. Caenis is still entangled with the Servant who remained in Atlantis, and her death is only a matter of time. I still need Caenis alive. I'll recall her to Olympus later using a Command Spell."
"Sorry about that, Kirschtaria," Peperoncino said with an apologetic smile. "All of my Servants were taken by the King of the Lostbelt. I'll have to fight in person."
"Then you'd better hope you end up facing Tenkei Shiomi directly," Daybit said. "At the very least, he can guarantee that you won't die."
"...That's true."
Peperoncino agreed without hesitation.
It wasn't that Daybit was underestimating him. Among Chaldea's strongest combatants, the only one both capable of holding back and willing to do so was Shiomi.
"The Alien Apostles haven't been behaving themselves either," Kirschtaria continued. "After all, our ultimate goals don't completely align. Even though Rasputin has been marked with the Rune of Death, we still need to keep an eye on their movements."
"I'll take care of Ashiya Douman," Peperoncino said calmly. "The onmyōji arts and curses he uses fall squarely within my area of expertise."
"Judge things according to your usual methods and principles, Myourenji," Kirschtaria said. "I'll give everything I have as well, and turn this Atlantic Lostbelt into the planet's 'future,' shaping the Proper Human History I desire."
Hearing his true name spoken aloud, the smile on Peperoncino's face grew noticeably more serious.
"I will. Just don't push yourself too hard. From here on out, every battle will be a hard one."