Stelle: Can't I just peacefully complete commissions?

"Hm? Why come to me specifically?"

"Because you're very strong... Also, the moment I saw you, I felt you were the kind of approachable person who likes helping others."

"Of course, I won't shortchange you either. As long as you help clear out the Antimatter Legion inside the space station and protect some maintenance personnel as they repair the disconnected compartments, I'll prepare at least one billion Credits for you once the commission is done."

"Credits don't really matter to—... Hm? How much?"

"One billion."

"Through fire and flood! Station Chief Asta!"

[You've received a new commission!]

[Battlefield Cleanup (Client: Asta): Eliminate all remaining Antimatter Legion monsters within the space station and ensure maintenance personnel repair all disconnected compartments.]

Reward: 400 Points + Random Card Pool Draw *1

Difficulty: 2 Stars

"A two-star commission, huh? Is there some big treasure hidden in the space station?"

Shirou scrolled through the map of disconnected compartments Asta had sent him. Currently, there were about thirteen disconnected zones within the space station. Surveillance was blocked, making observation impossible. The Defense Department had taken heavy losses during the previous Antimatter Legion invasion, leaving them short-handed, and the Space Station Defense Department never had any real heavy hitters to begin with.

Who would willingly hole up in a research facility as a security guard?

And this research facility belonged to an Emissary of Intellect—what reckless fool would dare attack this place?

Most of the Defense Department members had transferred from the IPC. Their strength was enough to bully ordinary people who hadn't set foot on a Path, but if they were sent to clear out the remaining Antimatter Legion across the entire space station, they'd probably need to write their wills before stepping onto the battlefield.

[March 7th: Shirou, I heard you took a space station mission? Need this young lady's help?]

While waiting for the logistics maintenance crew to gather at the rendezvous point, Little Pink Hair suddenly sent him a message.

[I Really Can Pole Vault: Aren't you guys investigating other incidents?]

[March 7th: This young lady handles things with ease. Xing and I have already caught the thing that infiltrated the space station—it's called a Voidwater, can shapeshift into others, but it couldn't escape my sharp eyes!]

[I Really Can Pole Vault: Indeed, I, Shirou Emiya, acknowledge your sharp eyes.]

After all, she could see through Dan Heng's hidden power at a glance and identify Tingyun as the mastermind behind the scenes with one look.

Before entering any new map, memorizing March's words was a must. Mr. Emiya's knowledge of the plot was limited, so when encountering unfamiliar dungeons in the future, letting this woman spout a few lines would basically set the tone.

Bloodbaths, family betrayals, separation of Yin and Yang, homes destroyed—she could blurt out such things effortlessly, like a Word of Law.

[March 7th: Being praised so directly all of a sudden makes this young lady a bit shy. Don't worry, with Xing and me helping you complete the mission, everything will go smoothly. Besides, with your strength, Shirou, as long as something like a second Doomsday Beast doesn't show up, there's absolutely no problem.]

Well, so that's where the two-star difficulty lies?

Mr. Emiya stroked his chin. He'd been wondering how some low-level Void Trotters could possibly threaten him, the current Herrscher of Reason. Now that March 7th had blessed him with her words, he had a clear picture.

"Acheron's script didn't include a second Doomsday Beast... Looks like their script isn't all-powerful either."

Or perhaps, they simply hadn't told him about the developments after the script's completion?

But that was irrelevant. It was just a hidden Doomsday Beast—a beam cannon to the face would solve it.

Speaking of which, he'd just acquired such a useful ability, and now a practical punching bag had conveniently appeared!

Ha! What a wonderfully coincidental situation!

[I Really Can Pole Vault: If you want to come, hurry up. I can't wait!]

[March 7th: Your tone sounds weird... Don't capsize in a ditch. If you do, Xing and I will suffer. If some hidden boss really shows up, this young lady will be the first to run!]

[I Really Can Pole Vault: March, watch your mouth. If you keep blessing me like this, I really won't be able to take it.]

Chapter 010: A Teacher, One Who Passes on the Way, Imparts Knowledge, and Resolves Doubts (2/4)

The Antimatter Legion, Or rather, called the "Claws of Destruction."

Although Nanook, the Destruction Aeon, is the youngest among the many Aeons, when it comes to influence in the Sea of Stars, he can contend for the forefront.

The "Forge of War," a weapon of war born from Nanook's hands at some unknown time, forged the core "Assault Group" of the Antimatter Legion.

Its name: Void Trotters.

The [Fire Smith] clan created this group using the remnants of battle-hardened "Warriors" and wild, frenzied "Ancient Beasts" as base materials. They only need to obey the instinct of destruction to charge across the battlefield without hesitation.

For other Aeon groups, they might need to consider the "intellect" of their execution units.

But Destruction doesn't need that. The Antimatter Legion itself is a group that views civilization—a concept only intelligent groups can construct—as something that must be destroyed. So, a single-threaded execution strategy is enough for these war machines produced on assembly lines.

Like the Great Cosmic Calamity of old, the Void Trotters born from the Forge of War, under the command of the Lords of Annihilation, swept through one life-bearing planet after another, mercilessly trampling all civilizations—even Stone Age civilizations just beginning to sprout, or small settlements that hadn't yet formed language, with no exceptions.

The strength of Void Trotters isn't weak. Even the lowest-level Marauders and Erasers possess excellent individual combat capabilities. Ordinary people who haven't set foot on a Path, even wielding kinetic, electromagnetic, or beam weapons, would find it hard to take one down alone—it would take at least a squad of dozens to coordinate an assault.

But since the Antimatter Legion is named a legion, it naturally focuses on group combat. "Marauders," "Erasers," "Manipulators," and "Tramplers"—these Void Trotters together form a complete formation.

For a pre-nuclear civilization, the threat posed by a simple team of these Void Trotters is no less than a Division.

Of course...

"As the saying goes, at thirty, one stands firm; at forty, one has no doubts; at fifty, one knows the Mandate of Heaven."

"They'd need at least thirty Divisions before I'd bother standing up to fight."

"Forty divisions, and I can make sure every last one of them dies with no doubts, buried without a shred of confusion."

"Fifty divisions, and I'll show them who the true Mandate of Heaven belongs to."

While projecting a torrent of Noble Phantasms to gun down Void Trotters, Mr. Emiya explained ancient Earth culture to March 7th and Stelle, speaking with earnest seriousness.

"After that comes 'Sixty and Obedient,' and 'Seventy and Follow Heart.' Asta, you tell me—what do those mean?"

Little Grey Hair paused to think for a moment, then replied with utter certainty, "If sixty divisions show up, I'll beat them until their ears hear nothing but my commands and they obey me completely!"

"If seventy divisions come, then I can finally cut loose and beat them however I please."

"Good. Worthy Pupil."

Mr. Emiya shot Little Grey Hair an approving look, and she responded with a 'shy' expression, as if she felt the praise was undeserved. Little Pink Hair, standing nearby, stared blankly at the sibling banter and said in a hollow voice, "I'm pretty sure that passage doesn't mean that at all."

"No worries. Everyone has their own interpretation—it's normal."

"Asta, don't let this guy corrupt you."

"Relax."

Little Grey Hair gave March 7th a confident look, then replied calmly, "I think this stuff was already stored in my head from before, so I didn't need to learn it in the first place."

"Emiya, promise me you'll never become a teacher."

"Honestly, I feel like I've got some talent for being a people's educator."

Amid the laughter and chatter, the few dozen Void Trotters in the cabin were declared GG. The maintenance crew following behind Mr. Emiya quickly filed into the cabin to check the equipment's integrity. About ten minutes later, Alan from the Defense Department stepped forward to brief Mr. Emiya, "This cabin's communications are back to normal. There are four cabins left. We'll keep troubling you, Mr. Emiya."

"Entrusted with a task, I'll see it through. But I've got a feeling something might happen in the later cabins. If trouble arises, get out of the way immediately—I might not be able to look out for you."

"...A feeling?"

Alan's expression turned serious. A premonition from a Pathstrider who had set foot on a Path was no empty guess—it was an extrasensory perception born from resonance with Imaginary Energy. It wasn't quite predicting the future, but the ability to sense danger, something many animals possessed, was certainly within a Pathstrider's reach.

"I understand. We'll look after the other staff. Please be careful yourself."

Mr. Emiya nodded, his gaze flicking to March 7th. As long as this girl didn't 'Word of Law' any new complications into existence, he could handle it. Doomsday Beast, hidden boss—as long as it wasn't at the Emissary level, he could manage. If it really was an Emissary...

Even if he couldn't kill it outright, if he wanted to protect himself or make a getaway, the enemy wouldn't be able to stop him. Worst case, he'd activate the Aurora Curtain and take everyone out.

"There's not really a hidden Lord of Annihilation lurking around, is there?"

Despite his confidence in facing those Emissaries, Mr. Emiya couldn't help muttering to himself. Logically, the space station was under Herta's protection. Herta herself, having met Fuli twice, was almost certainly an Emissary of Intellect. For a Lord of Annihilation to personally show up over some losses from Void Trotters and a Doomsday Beast would be absurd.

"Blazing Wind, Starfall, Iron Tomb, Phantom... I don't know the names of the rest."

"Phantom is probably scheming over something on the Xianzhou right now. If Blazing Wind strikes, it'll be a massive, overwhelming assault. Starfall usually acts as the vanguard commander... Only Iron Tomb, according to the data, prefers to target high-tech civilizations."

Mr. Emiya mulled over the enemies that might appear in the space station, then without much hesitation, moved toward the remaining cabins. March 7th's Jinx ability was impressive, but he wouldn't treat it as absolute.

He swept through the cabins one by one. Just before reaching the second-to-last one, Mr. Emiya began to sense an unusual energy level in the Imaginary Energy reaction inside. He immediately signaled the others to keep their distance. As he slowly extended his magical perception into the cabin, after a moment, he glanced back at March 7th and said quietly, "Good thing you only mentioned the Doomsday Beast."

"What do you mean?"

March 7th didn't catch on right away, tilting her head with a dazed look, her big, pretty eyes filled with pure cluelessness. Stelle understood what Mr. Emiya meant and gently patted March 7th's shoulder, then said seriously, "March, this is a once-in-a-lifetime request from me. Can you say something to me?"

"What?"

"Say that I, Stelle, will never in my life win the full jackpot of the Interstellar Lottery."

Chapter 011: In a Beam Clash, the Left Side Always Loses—Except for That Dyna Pig. (3/4)

Excellent.

Watching Little Grey Hair seize the opportunity, Mr. Emiya couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. That reverse psychology move was definitely worth a shot.

Seeing the eagerness in Mr. Emiya's expression, March 7th fell silent for a moment before belatedly catching on. She immediately huffed angrily, "I am not a Jinx!"

"Then how do you explain the Doomsday Beast reaction inside?"

Pushing open the cabin door, Mr. Emiya casually projected Seven Rings of Heavenly Domination to block dozens of Imaginary Particle Cannons fired from within, then turned his gaze to the pitch-black sphere at the cabin's center.

The energy level resembling a Doomsday Beast was emanating from that black sphere.

As the sphere slowly rotated, gradually revealing the form of a Doomsday Beast Core, March 7th's expression completely cracked, "How is there really a second one?!"

"How indeed there is a second one—an interesting question."

A cold, AI-like voice devoid of emotion responded from within the Doomsday Beast Core, "Though it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, only I myself should have known about placing this core here."

"But... you seem to have sensed it in advance, haven't you? Nameless."

That pitch-black sphere kept rotating, the Imaginary Energy level rising without pause. From within the core, the Doomsday Beast's limbs and frame rapidly extended outward, the planet-destroying giant transforming into a ferocious form before everyone's eyes.

"Would you care to satisfy my curiosity?"

A beast that should have known only the instinct to destroy now stood on two legs, upright like a primate, and questioned them like a human being.

"This core was originally just a 'gift' meant to land here and greet Herta."

Mr. Emiya listened to the voice emanating from the Doomsday Beast's body, silently pondering its origin. But before he could reach a conclusion, the voice spoke again.

"Since the Nameless have discovered it ahead of time, please accept this 'gift' for an early inspection."

With that, the core at the Doomsday Beast's chest began gathering vast amounts of Imaginary Energy, its level climbing sharply within seconds. The terrifying energy converged, stirring the surrounding air into weaving streams of pale blue light.

"That's quite a warm welcome."

Seeing the sheer volume of Imaginary Energy gathering, Mr. Emiya raised an eyebrow slightly, then couldn't help but laugh.

"But I'm standing on the right side now—how dare you try to clash beams with me?"

As he spoke, a brilliant golden holy sword suddenly materialized in his hand. In the Nasuverse, Noble Phantasms were ranked by their legends, but Star-Forged and Divine weapons were artifacts that accomplished feats without the boost of legend—unlike those objects that only sublimated into Noble Phantasms after their owner's death.

This Star-Forged weapon, the pinnacle of Elven craftsmanship, was wielded by the nameless Holy Sword Master in an age before King Arthur was even born. It had fought against the Harvest Star Vanguard, the White Giant Seferu, whom even the Twelve Olympian Machines could not match.

If it were merely a "crystallization sublimated from legend," then cutting away the parts belonging only to the planet's record would leave behind nothing but ordinary sword metal—or even just a wooden bow, a pair of common revolvers.

But what appeared in Mr. Emiya's hand now was not that "sand" piled high by great deeds. It was the genuine Star Sword.

"This is the War of Salvation—!"