"Is Con-chan alright now?"
"Yes! Con-ra is a strong kid! She won't stay a crybaby forever!"
"What a relief..."
"Please go, Mash-san! I'm sure they are waiting for you!"
"Right! Mash Kyrielight, setting off!"
"Ah, there you are, Mash! Over here, over here!"
"Doctor?"
"There's no time. I'm going to leap you over now, so get ready, okay?"
"Leap...? Doctor, what do you mean by that...?"
Having crossed the lands of France in a desperate battle to reclaim their dango for the moon-viewing, the Gorgeous party now faced the ultimate wall standing right before their prize—a trial incarnate.
Clutched in her hand was the tri-colored sword of the War God, and downing dango with a completely expressionless face was that very hero... the King of Destruction, the sovereign of the ultimate nomadic nation, the King of the Huns...
"To fall into material desire—how far the vanguard has fallen. Was your sacred mission truly such a fragile command?"
"Mm. The King of Heroes. A king possessing infinite possibilities. You, too, must eventually be destroyed."
The Saber, Altera... holding a dango in one hand, had materialized as a formidable obstacle!
"Caligula-san... died after making such a wholesome, hero-like move..." Rikka mourned Caligula's death. A sudden change of heart and righteous behavior were, more often than not, a fatal flag.
"The karma of one's past life is absolute. No matter how powerful they may be, their destined nature becomes a scar—a fatal flaw—for Heroic Spirits, does it not?"
The King sighed heavily. Of course, such things meant nothing to the King of Heroes. His obsession with death had been cast off tens of thousands of years ago.
"Yet the emperor's assassination matters little right now. Vanguard of Destruction, why do you turn your blade against us? Don't tell me the emblem carved into your very soul is merely throbbing for a fight."
—Emblem? Vanguard?
Intriguing and unfamiliar terms reached their ears. Just as back in Rome, he seemed to know something about her true identity. But for now, the immediate problem took priority.
"Wherever civilization exists, I shall appear. For civilization is meant to be destroyed—destroyed roughly, and on occasion, destroyed with gentleness and rigor."
"Please show us some mercy and leniency, I beg of you!!"
"Hold on, hold on! Wait a second! That's all fine—well, no, it's not fine! But why on earth are you here of all places?! Make that clear first!"
"I walked."
"On foot?!"
"Mhm," Altera hummed, proudly continuing as she munched on a dango.
"Rayshifting is a product of civilization, so I will not use it. Traversing continents or reaching dango makes no difference to me. I walk. I destroy."
"Indeed... come to think of it, you also marched into Rome on foot. Is that some personal obsession of yours, Altera...? It seems excessively inconvenient..."
Though the tone was casual, she was by no means an opponent to be taken lightly. She was the avatar of ruin—an embodiment of destruction that would not stop until everything in sight was laid to waste, constantly marching toward civilization itself.
She would destroy towns, collapse cities, eradicate human living, and trigger the collapse of nature in her wake. Leaving her to her own devices was equivalent to condoning total ruin. Unless a Master was present to restrain her, there was no choice but to strike her down right here.
"Altera-san! Just to be sure, I'll ask: those belong to us! Will you give them back?!"
"No. I, too, possess discretion. —Though it is merely a matter of intuition, I have realized that civilization comes in different types and perspectives."
"Ho...?"
The King of Heroes raised an eyebrow. For someone who knew her true nature, concepts like "learning" or "noticing" were absurd anomalies, prompting him to let the conversation continue.
Ea remained silent, quietly sorting through the treasury to prepare for an emergency.
"Munch... In short, there is good civilization, and bad civilization."
"Good civilization."
"Bad civilization?! Isn't that completely subjective?!"
"Dango is good civilization. Because it is delicious. But moon-viewing is bad civilization. It is a ritual to offer prayers to the gods. Unforgivable."
"I don't think 'dumplings over flowers' means that!"
"Therefore, I shall keep this cargo. Munch... Those of you who attempt moon-viewing will be destroyed. Munch... If you stand in my way, I will show no mercy."
Setting the dango aside, she raised high the blade that eerily resembled a giant tri-color ballpoint pen.
"This Sword of the War God, which I coincidentally picked up in the mud, shall shatter you."
"Coincidentally?!"
"In the mud?!"
Rikka and Jeanne stared in utter shock, wondering if the divine sword was truly that down-to-earth (literally). Overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity, their minds struggled to process the situation.
—It appears dialogue is impossible. We must neutralize her immediately and retrieve the dango.
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