“Thank you beary much. We all need to be ready as soon as possible,” Shu said as he looked at the ship floating next to Baldr—the Adventure II.

  While Baldr was being repaired, the crew were all preparing in their own ways. The JotA had been taken out onto the deck, and Shu could see them attaching something to it.

  “Shouldn’t you head down?” Seelica asked. “They’re holding a briefing for the upcoming fight, aren’t they?” While those on the Adventure II’s deck were busy with physical preparations, in the meeting room below, they were discussing the upcoming final battle against Abyss Shellder. CQ—Rusalka’s comms expert—had even connected them to Granvaloa, enabling a joint meeting involving all the fleets.

  “That’s exactly why I’m up here,” Shu said. “The briefing will cover Granvaloa’s reserve forces, not to mention all kinds of other classified stuff. I’m the top-ranking Master of anofur country, so if I participate, they’d really have to watch what they say.”

  As proven by how little Shu had known about Rusalka prior to facing them, there were many things countries tried to keep secret. This was true for every one of them.

  Shu himself knew something about Altar that was top secret by any measure—something so secret that the only other person who knew it was the now-imprisoned King of Crime.

  Though, even if Shu tried to tell someone that Altar’s third princess was The Evil, it’s likely nobody would believe him.

  “So, yeah. Since I’m not down in the den, I’ve got nothing to do, so... I’m just keeping watch while waiting fur the repairs.”

  “That so?” Seelica remarked.

  Shu had already told Riella his conjecture about Abyss Shellder and how it might be defeated. By now, she was probably presenting that to everyone else, probably accompanied by Granvaloan classified information that Shu had no way of knowing.

  Since he had nothing better to do, he’d decided to just stand next to Seelica and watch the repairs. After all, he usually repaired Baldr by just returning the Embryo to its crest, so actually seeing the work was somewhat of a new experience.

  “Well, not like we’ll get any chance to relax like this once the fight begins,” said Seelica. “Now’s the best time to get in the right state of mind for it... Though, our Schatten is already scared out of her wits.”

  “It sounds like we need her, so she’ll have to grin and bear it.”

  Schatten was the sixth Rusalka member aboard Siren. While the other five were a fairly consistent presence, Vanessa and Ursula picked a sixth from among their several dozen clan members, depending upon their objective. Schatten had been given the honor this time.

  The role weighed heavily on her, though, and she was currently holed up in her room, repeating “toi, toi, toi” as she knocked on the table. That was a German expression said to ward off the devil, who was jealous of every success. Basically, it was a little spell against failure, similar to the English practice of touching or knocking on wood or the Japanese practice of drawing the kanji for “person” on one’s palm and pretending to swallow it.

  After talking about various things, Shu and Seelica eventually began to just watch Baldr’s repairs in silence.

  But then, something came to Shu’s mind.

  “Just an off-paw question, but... Why ‘Atlantis’?”

  “Hm?”

  “The name of your ship.”

  Rusalka’s cruiser bore a mythological name as though it were an Embryo. “Atlantis” had made Shu think of Mu—another lost civilization that had given its name to Satomi’s Embryo—and he’d wondered if Seelica was trying to express her opposition to Satomi and his status as the leader of the top clan.

  “Oh, I got it from an animated movie I saw on this old disk my grandma had,” she said.

  “Oh...” Shu did recall that some company famous for its theme parks had made a film like that at some point.

  “I do all the maintenance on the ship, so they let me pick the name, and I just went with that.”

  “I see. Speaking of names, what’s your Embryo? It’s doing wonders fur my Baldr, so I should know that much,” Shu said.

  He noticed Seelica’s expression become a bit stiff as she wrung out, “... Mu.”

  Shu said nothing in response. Her Embryo was based on the same thing as that military nerd’s, so he couldn’t help but think that maybe “Atlantis” was actually intended to antagonize him after all.

  ◇◇◇

  South Sea, Adventure II

  Currently, there were five people in the Adventure II’s meeting room—Adventure Fleet Commander Riella, her advisor Asam, Vanessa, Ursula, and CQ. The latter three were all members of Rusalka and CQ was their comms expert. Using her magic, she enabled simultaneous and mutual communication between this vessel, Granvaloa, and the Seventh Seabed Excavation Fort located elsewhere in the South Sea. The result was reminiscent of a real-world video call, and holograms of four more people shimmered into view.

  These new additions were Military Fleet Commander Morgan Granright, Merchant Fleet Commander Nash Var Grandleft, and two additional Superiors—Antimicrobic Soy Sauce and Miroslava Swampman.

  With the exception of the sickly navarch and pirate fleet commander, as well as the Edwards spouses who were still flying around somewhere, this meeting involved all of Granvaloa’s most powerful, both politically and in terms of combat capability.

  “I’ll start with an apology. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you and ran off like this.”

  That was the first thing Riella said the moment the comms were established.

  “You should be. You’ve probably shaved a decade off my life with your shenanigans,” the military fleet’s Morgan said with a scolding tone, though his expression also betrayed some relief that she was safe.

  “Well, knowing whose child you are, I am not at all surprised,” said Nash. He had been a friend of Riella’s late mother and father, and his words carried a hint of nostalgia. “Though, Melisande was very worried too. Do pay her a visit and reassure her.”

  “Sorry again... But I can’t go back yet. Not until we beat the Abyss Shellder.”

  “Riella,” said Morgan. His voice was stern, but Riella continued regardless.

  “Please hear me out. If we don’t defeat this thing right away, it’s going to be too late.”

  “What?”

  In response to Riella’s words, Asam made several documents appear on the room’s walls—this was the data acquired by Satomi as well as the photos taken by Baldr.

  Riella used these to present Shu’s theories, making sure to respect his secret identity and refer to him by job rather than name.

  As she continued, the expressions on those listening began to change.

  “...So all those Mocks are split off directly from Abyss Shellder,” Morgan said with a bitter frown.

  “I hardly want to believe that, but it seems we have to face the facts,” said Nash, clearly tense.

  “The Edwards spouses said something similar,” Morgan added.

  “Oh? Did those two see something?” Vanessa asked.

  “Yes,” he nodded. “They said they finally found Abyss Shellder...” The Edwards—the fastest duo in Granvaloa—had recently spotted the UBM and sent in a text report about it. “According to them... It was eating a Mock.” Riella’s eyes widened, and Morgan continued. “After that, it just disappeared into the sea. I thought it was just infighting among various monsters, but King of Destruction’s information paints a different picture.”

  The split had used Predatory Absorption to secure valuable body parts, which Abyss Shellder had then taken for itself. Additionally, the influx of unnecessary parts most likely caused it to create another split.

  “If that is correct, then the rate of predation increases every time the individual splits consume another monster,” said Nash. “It’s a real spelltree overgrowth...or they’re ‘multiplying like rats,’ as you Masters would say.”

  “That explains the increase in Mocks,” Antimicrobic Soy Sauce whispered. He’d defeated many of them and had felt this change himself. “It grows stronger the more it eats, and the rate at which it grows stronger is increasing too...”

  “That’s right,” said Riella. “We gotta kill it as soon as possible. Before it spreads to the other seas... No... The rest of the world.”

  There was still time to stop it. With the secret of Abyss Shellder’s invincibility exposed, they had something that was just barely capable of beating it, while its splits could all be taken care of by Granvaloa’s forces. But if it obtained any more power than it already had, it would quickly grow beyond the country’s capabilities.

  If that happened, there would be no one to stop its spread throughout the seas, and once it was done with the water, it would advance toward the land. That would herald the end of the world itself.

  “It does not seem that we have time to wait for Mr. Yamamoto’s revival,” said Nash. Satomi’s death penalty hadn’t expired yet.

  “Time is more on its side than ours. We must act now,” Morgan concurred.

  “Yeah,” said Riella. “We can’t even wait until tomorrow.”

  They were not at full force yet, but if they hesitated any longer, it would all be over.

  “We found out how it works today...and we’ll kill it today.”

  Hearing Riella’s bold declaration, the other fleet commanders nodded.

  “Let’s do this! It’s not just Granvaloa that’s in danger, but the whole world! You’re not a real soldier if you don’t get on this! Yeah! I’m gonna do it!” said Miroslava, full of energy.

  “Miro makes it sound stupid, but I’m with her,” said Antimicrobic Soy Sauce, brimming with aggression and resolve. “This is a monster with the capacity to utterly destroy Granvaloa. Letting it live is not an option.”

  Vanessa laughed. “We know what makes it so broken now. This’ll be a whole lot easier than last time.”

  “We may not have King of Building, but we have King of Destruction,” said Ursula. “I believe we can still do this.”

  “It’s decided, then. Lemme explain the plan.”

  Riella went on to relay Shu’s idea for how to defeat Abyss Shellder. Some participants had doubts or concerns about this plan, but she insisted it was possible, and Asam as well as Rusalka’s Superiors all took her side.

  “So the core of the plan is King of Destruction...a foreign Superior,” said Morgan.

  “All of this rests on whether this person can carry out his role,” said Nash.

  “I guess you just have to believe us,” said Vanessa. “But he’s the man who saw through our strategy in the first fight. He can find the path to victory even if the odds are low.”

  She seemed to hold the opponent who had defeated her in very high regard, insisting that he could make his plan a success.

  At this point, Miroslava spoke up. “Uhhh, can I ask something? The only participants in that plan are King of Destruction and the adventure fleet, right? What about us? What do we do?” That was the question that came to her mind upon hearing out the plan.

  However, she was the only one who was confused. Antimicrobic let out a sigh, as though he couldn’t believe she’d ask such a question.

  “Miro, didn’t you notice something missing from the plan?”

  “Huh? But she just explained how they’d beat Abyss Shellder, right?”

  “That’s right. How they’d beat Abyss Shellder’s main body.”

  “Huh...? Oh!”

  That was when Miroslava finally put her hand to her mouth as though she’d just realized something.

  Antimicrobic looked at Riella—or perhaps through her and at KoD, the absent mastermind of this plan—and asked...

  “Our job is to wipe out all the splits, right?”

  It was a role perhaps more difficult than slaying the mighty Irregularity itself.

  Riella responded with a nod.

  “He said that when Abyss Shellder ate the splits that had powers it wanted, it called them back.” This suggested that it had some means of contacting the organisms that it had spawned and scattered around the South Sea, summoning them when they had collected quality body parts. In that case...

  “If Abyss Shellder’s in actual danger, it might call them all back,” Riella said.

  A brief silence ensued. Though the number of Mocks out there was unknown, with how many monsters the UBM had consumed here in the South Sea, it was bound to be massive. Definitely more than a hundred, almost certainly over a thousand, and perhaps as many as ten thousand—an enormous army of chimeras, each of them at least as strong as a dragon.

  Fending off this horde while fighting the main body was simply impossible.

  “Uncle Ante... We want you to watch out for the splits,” said Riella.

  “Makes sense,” he replied. “And it’s a job that suits me.”

  Antimicrobic Soy Sauce was strongest when fighting immense numbers on his own. If he didn’t have to worry about friendly fire, he could burn away his enemies—along with the very sea beneath them. “There’s a limit to how much area I can cover, though. If the splits come from every part of the South Sea, I won’t be able to take care of the other directions, so...” he said as he tapped Miro on the shoulder. “I’ll leave one to you. Don’t let them slip by this time.”

  “R-Roger!” Miro replied, tense but motivated.

  “Also... Commander Morgan. If the splits are made from parts the main body didn’t need, there’s bound to be some that fly. I’d like it if Maude and Scala took care of those.”

  “Very well. I will pass this on to them. Also, all combat-ready warships that can make it to the South Sea will depart immediately. If they move at top speed, they should at least be able to reach the splits in the west side of the South Sea.”

  The military fleet’s Superior and commander exchanged brief words...

  “GFRS’s combat units are already active in the South Sea. I will inform them of the plan. We will also send our reserve in the capital and provide supplies to the military fleet if needed.”

  The merchant fleet and Satomi’s GFRS made preparations for the final battle...

  And...

  “...I see I’m late.” The door to the meeting room at Granvaloa opened up, and an old man walked in. He carried a cane, and his back was bent, but the sharp light in his eyes betrayed no signs of age.

  “Old Grandrear... Are you okay?” Riella asked. The old man that had finally showed himself was none other than the commander of the pirate fleet, Balthazar Grandrear—the oldest of the four commanders, and the one who’d seen the most strife.

  “Hmph. I just felt a little unwell. That’s all. It wouldn’t do to embarrass myself here.”

  As he was now the most senior individual present, Bathazar looked over the fellow fleet commanders, as well as Riella on the other side of the comms.

  “You youngsters are easy to read. I can see it all written across your faces, plain as day. You’re planning to beat Abyss Shellder with everything you’ve got, right? You should take some of our pirates with you, then. If it’s against monsters, then even our young’uns can go all out. And take this too.”

  Balthazar took out an Inventory and tossed it to Morgan.

  “What is this?” Morgan asked. He was familiar with its appearance—it was an Inventory meant to store gasses and similar substances. They were mostly used as attachments for diving gear, but since they kept their contents at a consistent temperature, they could also be used for cooling or heating.

  However, this one seemed to be built a bit more clumsily than others.

  “It’s a parting gift from that stupid girl, Zeta.” Every pair of eyes in the room widened—all of them knew the name of King of Thieves. She’d been a Superior of the Granvaloan pirate fleet since before Miroslava had evolved, and she’d contributed greatly to the defeat of the SUBM, Twin Moby Dick.

  However, she’d since stolen a national treasure and fled the country, making her a wanted criminal.

  “She gave it to me before leaving,” Balthazar said. “Her words were ‘Tactical nuke. It’s sealed away in a pre-fusion state. Destroying the Inventory will blow away everything in a kilometel radius. I’ll leave it here as an apology for my departure.’”

  Morgan’s face turned pale as he realized he was holding a dangerous weapon.

  Nash’s expression was also strained as he whispered, “I would prefer that to be handled with care.”

  The four Superiors present, who truly understood the meaning of “nuclear fusion,” were all thinking the exact same thing.

  Balthazar cracked a smile, seemingly amused by their reactions. “I took it as something to remember that fool by... But there’s no better time to use it than now.”

  “Old Grandrear...”

  The pirate fleet no longer had a single Superior with them. That Inventory was their final remnant of a Superior’s power—and yet he’d decided to use it in this battle.

  Riella was briefly struck speechless. With this, all the might of Granvaloa was consolidated in this one place.

  The power of the four fleets, and their Superiors old and new, was now directed entirely toward Abyss Shellder.

  “Thank you all so much.”

  Riella couldn’t help but express her gratitude...

  “We’ll win this...no matter what!”

  ...and go on to declare that their victory was all but assured.

  “Yeah,” said Antimicrobic. “Leave the mobs to us. We’ll wipe them out no matter how many there are.”

  “I’ll do my best too!” said Miroslava before the link to the Seventh Seabed Excavation Fort was cut.

  “Make sure you come back alive.”

  “I promised to teach you how to be a commander, didn’t I?”

  “Heh. Mind our ages, you hear? If someone here’s going to be moving on, it ought to be me... You’d better not die.”

  Entrusting Riella with their wishes in turn, each of the commanders ceased communication.

  The only ones present now were the members of the adventure fleet.

  “All right...”

  Riella looked over at everyone’s faces...

  “We’re beatin’ it for sure this time.”

  ...and, having surpassed the possibility of defeat, declared the outcome of the rematch.

 

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