Lie To Me

by Aldeanan

A group of bloodsuckers reunites in a castle to plan the assassination of a bothersome human under the protection of an even more bothersome person. However, as more people start to be involved in their project, it appears that several participants have more in mind than simply killing the mere human known as Satsujinki. (Tsukihime focused fanfic, but with global nasuverse lore)

28. Chapter 26 : Hells Bells

Chapter 26 : Hells Bells

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.

Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft

---

What next befell me then and there
I know not well—I never knew—
First came the loss of light, and air,
And then of darkness too:
I had no thought, no feeling—none—
Among the stones I stood a stone,
And was, scarce conscious what I wist,
As shrubless crags within the mist;
For all was blank, and bleak, and grey;
It was not night—it was not day;
It was not even the dungeon-light,
So hateful to my heavy sight,
But vacancy absorbing space,
And fixedness—without a place;
There were no stars, no earth, no time,
No check, no change, no good, no crime
But silence, and a stirless breath
Which neither was of life nor death;
A sea of stagnant idleness,
Blind, boundless, mute, and motionless!

The Prisoner of Chillon, Lord Byron

---

The times are changing so fast
I wonder how long it lasts
The clock is ticking, time is running out

The hatred fills this earth
And for what it's worth
We're in the end before we know

Throughout the years I have struggled
To find the answer that I never knew
It struck me like a million lightnings
And here I am telling to you

Every second of day it is coming your way
Future unknown it is here to stay
Got to open your mind or you will be led to astray
There's a time to live, there's a time to die
But no one can escape their destiny

Destiny, Stratovarius

---

Arcemon Brunestud has disappeared from the earth, his body destroyed by the Marble Phantasm of the being closest to an Ultimate One of Earth.

Now that the matter of her brother in blood is taken care of, the woman Arcemon called Archetype Earth turns to the man beside her.

"Are you not afraid?" She asks with a peaceful tone befitting the Golden Princess heir to the Crimson Moon.

Shiki Tohno is still in pain at the previous loss of his now replaced arm, but he manages to smile faintly. "Why should I be? You're still Arcueid, even if not the one I know."

"Right...I do believe you said a similar thing when we met in a dream all these years ago."

Naturally, at that time the dream was supposed to be a fake within the actual dream of Shiki. But somehow, deep in his heart, he always knew that this conversation he had with this other part of the woman he loves was real. "And I did not change. I have no reason to be afraid of you, nor to fight you. So, will you just leave like that?"

The Archetype nods. "I think, yes. This man... Luke Valdamjong was it? He ensured that my consciousness will be even less likely to take over in the future if I hurt you or my sister lying over here." She points to the unconscious Altrouge with her head. "However, I can still do something about these two fools coming at me."

The Archetype and Shiki then turn in the direction of the two women arriving near them.

A woman with long plain hair and a beautiful yet sober white religious garment. A second woman with brown hair tied in a ponytail, wearing white and red noble clothes. One with Black Keys and the other with a whip and a single Mythril gauntlet.

The two most dangerous human women of this world. Head of the Burial Agency and Vice-Director of the Clock Tower. They just defeated the original Dead Apostle, and now the Golden Princess is standing before them, with her only protector too wounded to even stand rightly. The other princess, lying on the ground, is totally defenceless, while the two hunters themselves are at full strength.

They stop ten metres before their prey, before the woman of God is the first to speak. Surprisingly, she adresses the worthless human standing by the side of the Archetype. "You. The natural born killer. Am I right about your arm?" Her voice echoes, cold, in the otherwise silent and almost-destroyed square.

Looking at the said arm an instant, the one that was cut by Arcemon, before being repaired under strange circumstances, Shiki nods in silence with a serious face.

Her face shows no expression, it is as such impossible to know if she is satisfied or saddened by the news. "I see. So Merem Solomon truly died. For someone like him to leave this world like this... how pathetic of him."

Shiki shakes his head negatively. "He was not pathetic. He died for what he believed in. By saving me... he helped Arcueid once more." He looks down. Angry at the thought of someone sacrificing a part of themselves for him, even if that someone is of the same nature as these beings he fought countless times against.

Narbareck smiles. A sick, twisted smile. "Yet he died nonetheless. The fact that he gave a last order to the mindless doll and demon that now constitutes your arm will change nothing to this fact. Now then, what do we have here..."

She turns in the direction of the Golden Princess, who then finally addresses her: "Good Morning Narbareck. That is still how the heads of your lineage call themselves, right?"

"Yes. Good morning to you too, true essence of Arcueid Brunestud. It has been many years." Narbareck slightly lowers her head with a more normal and peaceful light smile. As if she respects this enemy of mankind standing before her.

"Indeed. You were only fifteen years old when my other part briefly lost control and let me appear while facing your mother. But to think that you would still be alive and looking so young... how? It was well over eighty years ago in human time. I do believe that your God does not appreciate immortality." The Archetype elegantly tilts her head.

"You are right. Let us just say that... it was a one time event. An exception. Like the Jew who will wander the earth until the Second Coming." Answers Narbareck, a smile indicating that she will reveal nothing more.

"I see." The Archetype turns to the second hunter. "And you, magus? I do not believe you ever met this body of mine? And I do not recognize neither your artefacts, nor the scent of your blood."

"Our lineage never met, indeed. But you will learn to fear me." The second woman makes a smirk, a smile not so different from her religious counterpart as ultimate vampire hunter. "I am Barthomeloi, Vice-Director of the Clock Tower and Lord of the Department of Policies."

"Only one name, I see. No wonder you are standing as if equal to the illustrious Narbareck. No matter this, it is a pleasure to finally meet someone with more magical circuits than these bothersome old men. So? Are you two trying to use this once in a timeline chance to get rid of the Golden Princess?"

"I was thinking about doing this, you're right. Finally, I will be able to fight seriously." Barthomeloi's whip dances between her fingers as she says this.

"Ah ah I see." An honest, elegant laugh. Fitted to someone of noble birth, yet one cannot help but find its root within the normal Arcueid. "Very funny, mage. Well then, let us start. Shiki, protector of this body of mine, do not interfere. This mage here seems to not appreciate you and will use this battle as diversion to kill you no matter what happens. I do wonder what you did to provoke such hostility." Barthomeloi smiles like a madman when hearing the Archetype's words. The Archetype ignores this and continues: "And as we said long ago, you breaking my counterpart's shell is helping me to take over, so I cannot let you die now."

The eyes of the Princess turn golden as her feet leave the ground once again. The magus readies her whip while the hand-made Black Keys in the hands of the executor start to shine. Shiki obeys and walks on the side, deciding to trust her for now. However, there is no way he will let her be hurt, as the Archetype is still Arcueid in his eyes.

Yet, as the first sparkles of absolute destruction are about to fly between magus, nun, and Ultimate One, the three suddenly stop moving.

The three all-powerful women turn their heads at the same time in the same direction.

A prodigious energy is emitted as a light appears in the dark night. For a few seconds, that same sky is painted in gold. A strong wind bursts throughout the entire Vale, while the flash of light is brighter than the sun itself. In an instant, destiny has struck this planet, and apart from the red moon, there is now a small sun shining in the dark sky.

Rejected by the explosion, a black form fly in their direction. It crushes the ground just before Archetype Earth. As the dust is dissipated, a sight that they all thought impossible to behold is before them.

Gransurg Blackmore, the Black Wings Lord, renowned as one of the most dangerous foes one can fight on this planet, is kneeling on the ground. Not out of loyalty, no, he is kneeling because he does have enough strength left to stand. The legendary vampire that, if associated with Merem Solomon, could defeat Altrouge Brunestud and all of her protectors, has been defeated by a single foe.

His wings are scattered, and half of his feathers are missing. A black blood is flowing from his body and his breathing is erratic. More importantly, his body is covered by signs of burning, as if he was Icarus and flew too close to the Sun. How fitting for a Winged Lord serving the Moon.

There is no emotion in her voice as the Archetype Earth talks to the vampire and magus who serves her: "I see. It would appear there is something even more bothersome than these two humans."

"Indeed, Princess." Blackmore coughs. "What defeated me... it is as you felt."

"Details?"

"Please pardon me, but I cannot be of more help." With these words, the winged Ancestor collapses, alive, but too heavily wounded to even stay conscious.

After this, the Golden Princess turns once more in the direction of the two women who were about to battle against her: "Well then, shall I provide my help?"

"Why would you? Aren't you on the side of that thing flying over there, Brunestud?" Asks Narbareck, already aware of the nature of the danger looming over the sky of Aylesbury. Although, with such an absurd amount of power, it is not difficult to recognize.

"I should, yes. But, it is too early for now. If that thing as you call it destroys Earth, my body will be destroyed too as its Archetype. And even I do not wish to disappear. My duty of crushing mankind is noble, his goal of destroying humanity is for selfish desires of control and power. And, after all, this foe is merely a fake, no matter how powerful it is. If I want to properly awake, I will even need Shiki to live."

"A fake you say? Oh no. It is far more than that. My magic circuits are bowling at its mere presence. You do know more, Narbareck, right?" Barthomeloi looks at the woman at her side.

"Yes... It is Arcemon, but he has become far more than a Brunestud. 'Thou must part him in three. And then knit him as the Trinity. And make them all but one. Lo here is the Philosophers Stone'. Thus is the end of the Ripley Scroll. We have now come full circle."

Narbareck smiles, before continuing. "Four thousand years ago, a prince of the True Ancestors fell. He became a cursed existence, alike a Demon Lord, and was erased from history. He was concealed, his existence forgotten by all, including the True Ancestors themselves. But no matter how hard they tried, his people could not erase him entirely. Rumours of his story, of his fall, came to humans. Thus begun the legends about the brightest star Venus falling from heavens because, although it was more beautiful than others, its pride still caused it to try reaching even further. Millennia later, these legends shaped Lucifer, the today's Devil. In this new entity that defeated Blackmore, these three parts are united. The prince born out of the Ultimate One of the Moon and acknowledged by Gaïa and Alaya as a force of nature and civilization, Arcemon Brunestud. The fake Ultimate One of Venus, the incarnation of the planet that even the Maya thought as third most beautiful after the moon and the sun. And finally, a mystery created by humanity's legends that is under the direct protection of Alaya as Divine Spirit, Lucifer. As being a True Ancestor was not enough, he decided to become a concept itself. A concept so powerful that even Arcueid Brunestud would not be able to defeat him. A trinity, of three concepts that should oppose each-others."

"So the Ripley Scroll was unrelated to the Valesti... as I thought. Of course simply awakening the Dark Six wasn't his entire plan, although he still tried to do it. And how do you know so much?" Barthomeloi asks with a raised eyebrow.

Narbareck answers calmly. "A man named Slomnal Calife had a theory about time. A theory about breach and nexus events creating the way our history will unfold. The birth of Arcemon Brunestud is one of such events, and it broke the world. As a consequence, mankind will be destroyed tonight. Or at least, the first stone will be placed in order to do so. In order to prevent that, to return to a stable timeline, a certain group of six very fascinating individuals contacted me three weeks before the death of said Slomnal Calife. They continued to contact me until tonight."

Barthomeloi tightens her whip and asks with a harsh voice: "And why you of all people?"

"Because the ancestor of one of these six persons is currently a member of my Burial Agency, and they have access to the memories of all their ancestors. Furthermore, it would seem another among them has some kind of link to Valdamjong and Calife. Anyway, it would appear that they deemed this day was our only chance to put an end to this particular threat. But why such questions?" Narbareck's eyes shine. "After all, the lock contacted you, so you already know a few things."

"Eh." Barthomeloi smiles faintly "You guessed?"

"Of course." Narbareck smiles too. "While we were on our way to this square, you received a call. And it is well-known that you are no woman to use a phone. Even less answer it if you are having fun on a hunt. So, did he really survive the destruction of his labyrinth?"

"Naturally. He is the comedian after all. He would never leave the stage without a final punch line. Actually, Arcemon's agents tried, and failed, to destroy him and his labyrinth precisely because of that. Well, now that both our secrets are revealed, should we ourselves take back control on the curtains?"

"I was of the same opinion. I will wonder later how exactly Alcatraz learned of all this. And you, Arcueid Brunestud?"

Both turn in the direction of the Archetype.

After a second, the Ruler of Mankind birthed from Gaïa and Crimson Moon answers. "I said earlier that I would help. This man is an eyesore that would kill me if he had the chance to, and he is a fake unworthy to live. But did Solomon truly help him without noticing? He was the summoner of the Divine Spirit Lucifer, I have no doubt about this. Only he could do such a thing as giving shape to an actual angel of this power. The King of Mages himself was forced to keep on summoning mere demons, no matter how powerful. He would have needed to plan his death at the hand of Blackmore, before using his life to fuel the summoning."

Narbareck shakes her head negatively. "My guess is that Merem was too one step ahead. He felt that someone bad would happen if he summoned such a first-rate monster, but he also sensed that things would be much worse if he did not."

"Something worse than an Ultimate One enemy of mankind protected by Alaya as Divine Spirit and True Ancestor? That plans to kill the same princess he worships?" Asks the Archetype, already knowing the answer.

"So it would seem. And so far, it worked, as neither me or Barthomeloi will target you until that thing over here is down." Narbareck smiles. "My my, Arcemon truly put us in quite a situation. The Vice-Director of the Clock Tower, the Director of the Burial Agency and the Archetype of an Ultimate One of Earth, working side by side."

"Any other end would have been a disappointment. Today, I will finally be able to use my full power." With these last words, Lorelei Barthomeloi, Queen of the Modern Era of Magecraft, heads in the direction of the greatest foe she will ever face. She does not even look to see if she is heading to battle alone, as she could not care less.

With a sigh and a smile, she is followed by a woman who discarded her own name long ago in order to only use the one of Narbareck.

"Shiki, stay here. Your Eyes are useless against a being that partially comes from the stars." Following these two hunters among the bests, a golden haired princess usually hidden within the soul of Arcueid Brunestud flies a few centimetres above the ground. Advancing, she remembers something. Some kind of premonition. A scene that almost never took place within this world. Words spoken by a golden-haired male as he created his first children.

"The inner sea of stars, the canopy covering the sola, proclaimed

Cursed be our Ancestors

Let there be a curse on the world of mankind

The Principle as yet to take hold. The foundation of this planet is too fragile."

The foundation of this planet is too fragile... yes, that may be right. Maybe the Ancestors are not enough of a curse either, as no Principle either took hold in the end. Maybe the curse was already here to begin with instead. Maybe... the time has yet to come. And yet...

As Narbareck starts to pray, Barthomeloi uses her control over the wind to walk in the airs as if it is only natural. Once her prayer is over, Narbareck follows, walking in the emptiness as if on a staircase, small circles of blue appearing under her feet as she steps in the air. The Archetype simply flies behind them, still thinking.

As they approach the being that could defeat an Elder Dead Apostle Ancestor effortlessly, the temperature starts to rise. As if the shining entity they are about to battle against is emitting heat.

After less than a minute, they are before the being that reached a strength that can be called one of an "Ultimate One".

The three human forms are now standing before the embodiment of light itself. Narbareck, Barthomeloi, Brunestud against a broken entity. A trinity with the form of Crimson Moon through humanity's vision of angels, with the powers of a True Ancestor of the Royalty and Lucifer, with the potential scale and abilities of Type-Venus.

"A mage with raw power surpassing any other, a woman of God that is closer to her Lord than the Pope itself, and the physical Archetype of Gaïa's will given shape by humans and the moon. Do you really believe that such an alliance will be able to put up a fight against me?" The voice of the shining one echoes through the silent and now golden night. In it, they find a proof that Arcemon did find a way to take control of the body that Merem Solomon summoned. Turning an unrestricted Divine Spirit into an Ultimate One.

None of the three is afraid of this entity shining brighter than the summer sun. In fact, they are all going to enjoy this battle. Two of them will be able to show their full power for the first time, while for the last one, it is simply a battle between two alpha predators to decide which one will be the king of the jungle.

If it was not for her magecraft, her sacraments, or simply the sheer protection of her divine-like skin, the three would already have been obliterated by the heat emitted by the angel of light.

Spores are slowly emitted by the entity's brilliant wings. The spores are slowly starting to invade the ground beneath them, and even the agents of the Church and the Chelon Canticle Brigade cannot do anything to stop them.

Because of these, under one week, Aylesbury will be nothing more than a giant tree. Then, if this tree was to be even shaken, the leaves will fall. But the same way as this tree will be abnormal, its leaves will be too. These leaves will reveal themselves to be angel-like creatures, and under one month, the entirety of humanity will have perished at their hands.

If humanity is to perish, then the secret and forbidden experiments of a certain group of magi operating within the Wandering Sea will never come to fruition. If their experiments never come to fruition, then the entities that will one day be known as A-rays will never exist, and as such the six witch sisters will not exist under the form people will know them. Some of them will be mere advanced humans, others will never be born.

This is why they tried to trick the game by contacting Narbareck three weeks before the beginning of the French Holy Grail two years ago. Trying to trigger a chain of events that caused these three most powerful women in the world to now stand before an angel stronger than any other.

The said angel lifts his hand in the air, as the particles of light begin to shine with a heat that will soon rival several suns. The two humans are already feeling sweat appearing because of the absurdly high level of heat, but there is nothing more they can do to protect themselves.

A massive wind awakes upon the clear summer-like sky in order to repeal the heat. Moving her whip in the air, Barthomeloi throws it at the Ultimate One. However, the air itself starts to burn with an intensity worthy of the fires created by the asteroid said to have brought the dinosaurs to their end.

Giant images of golden crosses appear in the sky, followed by the first notes of Heaven's trumpets, but the rainbow jewels replacing the Son of the Morning's eyes disintegrate them in a single breath's time.

The form of the world starts to be reshaped by the Ether, fundamental energy of this universe. However, the Divine Authority of the golden angel is such that its control over that same fundamental energy reverses a rule that has not even been defined yet and nullifies the attack of the Archetype. In fact, she is forced to lift her hand in the air in order to prevent her body from suffering what she tried to do to Arcemon.

God may be dead according to Nietzsche, but through the Sixth, Arcemon brought one back at a power that even the Archetype Earth cannot surpass.

A few humans try to witness the battle over the earth, but their eyeballs are burnt by this sight of another world. Their brains melt simply by trying to comprehend these conceptual forms coming straight from another realm of understanding.

Truly, Howard Philip Lovecraft himself would be at a lost of non-geometrical shapes in order to describe what exactly is taking place in the sky above England.

A Magician against a Moon of Crimson, a Gun-God against an Angel and later a Cross, Six Witches against an entity that turned a sky red, non-human Knights and a Slashing Emperor against a Giant of Darkness, an entity of outer space against the most sacred of all swords. These fights could be understood as livings of Earth against livings of the Great Beyond. But now, the greatest of all earthly beings is battling against a copy mixed between the greatest of the Moon and of Venus.

Such a battle between Ultimate Ones never took place, and never will. All are fakes, and that only makes them more dangerous.

After a single minute that felt longer than the entirety of the night until now, the three women back off. The concepts and techniques used during that single minute would have been enough to write a new page of mankind's history, but as all the fighters owned such abilities, the result was a perfect draw.

"This guy is out of our league. Princess, Milord, I think it is time to be serious." With this, still standing in the air, Narbareck takes something inside of her white garments. Archetype Venus watches without doing anything, a faint smile on his lips.

A book that appears very old, almost crumbling. A codex made out of older pages, from the time books didn't exist. But it is not any book. Because what she is holding, is the first version of the Bible written after the Christ's death. One of the strongest relic owned by the Sacred Church.

With a silent prayer, the woman of God tears off the pages of this centuries old book, before letting them be scattered by the wind. Instead of falling, the pages begin circling around the area, and with a sudden and beautiful vibration, a two kilometres wide area is closed, the angel standing at its centre. It is possible to see that even the spores are not able to go through this barrier, and neither can the angel emitting them.

Now imprisoned with her two allies and the Ultimate Being within an Imaginary Cathedral, Narbareck prepares the rest of her equipment. She takes the silver cross that was hanging from her neck, and crushes it with a "Please Father forgive me, and give me strength in the face of Evil". Instantly, she is covered by a halo of light that quickly fades away.

Her torso is now covered by a shining golden armour and her legs with a white skirt similar to the ones worn during the roman empire. On her chest can be seen a golden cross fleury. On her head is a beautiful helmet with white feathers flying in the wind, while her feet only wear sandals. On one of her arms lies a golden round shield wearing the inscription "Quis ut Deus". Her other hand holds a sword that seems almost torn apart. And yet, this sword seems as if it could cut through everything more easily than a wielder of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

A powerful energy is now coming from this woman chosen by God. An energy that could destroy Dead Apostles simply by standing before them. As if God Himself is watching over the battlefield and supports her.

"My my. The armour of Saint Michael the Archangel himself. The champion of God who will defeat the Devil during the Apocalypse. That is quite a good hidden card, suited against the Light Bringer Lucifer." With a smile, Barthomeloi follows along.

She takes what seems to be a flask containing a black liquid from her white coat, before drinking it. While doing so, she reaches her left hand in the airs before her.

Instantly after drinking the liquid, her right arm still lying against her instantly turns black, almost liquid. In fact, one would instantly recognize in it a variation of the Chaos that once constituted the number ten of the Ancestors. This version was however directly created by the Wandering Sea from the researches of a certain Fabro Rowan one thousand years after the latter became a Dead Apostle. A perfected version, as it only corrupts momentarily her arm, and there is not the price of bloodsucking.

The arm suddenly transforms again, as the black liquid takes the shape of an armour when fusing with Barthomeloi's holy Mithril gauntlet. It is now a full black and silver armour alike those of the middle age. It covers her from the finegrs to the shoulder, and a dark energy seems emitted by it.

Now then, something appears in her left hand stretched before her. Something that many have heard the legends of, yet not many believed it.

It is said that Atlas could destroy the world seven times over with seven supreme weapons. Yet, among them, is a weapon able to kill gods, that could not harm Earth in any way.

In her hand is now a massive rifle, two meters long, entirely black, with a curving buttstock. An absurdly long sniper rifle. A weapon that is only efficient against a certain type of energy, only possessed by a certain type of beings. The Black Barrel.

Barthomeloi's action of strengthening herself in such a way is so unreal that no one could believe in it. Indeed, it is well-known that NEVER would Lorelei Barthomeloi would do such a thing as rely on something else than her own strength. As opposed to Narbareck, who always crushed her enemy with every means at her disposal and an overwhelming strength.

Then, it can only mean that the danger is truly great, greater than anything that she will ever face. Greater than anyone will have to face until at least the apparition of a proper Ultimate One. However, as they are three against one, there is no way she would give up on her honour so easily. Barthomeloi with the Black Barrel, Narbareck with the armour of Saint Michael, Arcueid Brunestud under her full form. This is more than enough to deal with their current foe.

There is therefore only one explanation as to why she still decided to give up on her pride as Barthomeloi: the Archetype Earth has been seen through.

With a faint smile, this golden princess leaves the mage and the woman of God in order to join forces with her true ally.

After all, if the moon is the astral shape, then Crimson Moon is both the brain and the soul. Therefore, if Earth is the astral shape, then Gaïa is the soul, and this entity known as Archetype Earth is the brain.

As such, she has the same characteristics as the other Ultimate Ones. As such, she has no care for other existences apart from those concerned by her goal. This goal being, of course, the eradication of mankind.

If she sided until now with the two women, it was simply because of the twisted part of her personality who wishes to amuse herself by playing with two inferior beings. Pushing them to their last extremities, and see if it was worth fighting them directly.

Now then, the two golden-haired entities face the last two humans standing before them for a final battle.

These two women are at the peak of what mankind can produce, but their foes are powerful enough to be considered Ultimate Beings, and are technically actual Ultimate Ones. One is the most powerful entity of earth, the other a modified copy of Type-Venus.

The battle about to follow is among the greatest that this planet will ever see. The issue could be thought as what will decide the immediate fate of this world. Defeat would mean the apparition of a threat that even the great Magicians will not be able to stop.

As the first light of dawn reaches the far-away heavens, the sky turns golden once again, as powers able to affect the stars themselves are unleashed.

---

A first bullet is fired by the god-killer gun and flies in the direction of the Morning Star. This one simply lifts his hand in the airs, and the bullet that could kill a god melts as if it is made of snow. An act that should not be possible, only came to be because of the nature of her enemy as Trinity. As more than simply an entity filled with primordial energies of the universe.

A burst of wind so powerful that the Everest would be brought down is unleashed, but the golden eyes of the Moon Princess nullify it with a simple thought. After all, she is the embodiment of Mother Nature's will.

The two humans are now flying or walking in the airs inside the sacred bounded field, trying not to be annihilated in an instant.

Chains are appearing and disappearing, created by the two Ultimate Beings before being destroyed by the greatest of all executors. During this time, the magus who could bring down any Ancestor is firing as many bullets as her sniper rifle can, each of them melting before reaching their targets.

Given the power of her gun, who has no difficulty to bring down such beings of the stars, killing them should not be difficult. However, the fact is, the Aristoteles that will one day be brought down by this same weapon are mindless beings that destroy mankind simply by roaming the land. As such, they simply do not understand the concept of protecting oneself and are easy targets.

As for the two beings here, they are not entirely the same kind of Ultimate Ones. They have a consciousness, and are thus much more dangerous foes than an actual Primordial Being. They avoid and deflects attacks, and are much smaller targets.

The Most Powerful Magus of the Modern Era is now the one firing at the Golden Princess, while the Embodiment of Belief in God is charging at the King of Fallen Angels with the sword of Saint Michael.

Simply by moving his hand, the Bringer of Light opposes the sword of The One Who is like El. The Holy Sword strikes the sacred hand by producing sparks, before the woman feared as Narbareck moves her shield in order to protect her face from Arcemon Brunestud's other hand. Once again, bright sparks are emitted by the two clashing mysteries while an energy wave soars through the air and would have crushed an entire neighbourhood if not for the protection erected earlier by Narbareck.

Just beside this fight between the hero of God and the brightest of fallen angels, is a battle to the death between the Princess of the Moon and the mage one step away from True Magic.

Bullets follow waves of wind, before being followed again by new squalls. The Princess destroys them one after another, by crushing them with her mighty claws, wrecking them through the power of her Golden Eyes, or melting them by the sheer power of being Gaïa's strongest Counter Force. Suddenly, the Queen of the Clock Tower rushes at her opponent while the darkness now composing her right arm extends. This darkness quickly surrounds the White Princess, but she gathers her hand and, with a mere sigh, the Chaos is teared apart an instant right before Lorelei Barthomeloi flies away to avoid her death.

Seeing that things are going nowhere, the two humans exchange foes once again.

But, no matter what, the result is the exact same.

The Chaos is nothing in the face of a heat like that one, and the angel moves too fast for any bullet to reach it. As for the usual wind of Barthomeloi, he has no problem in denying its violence simply by stretching his hand.

As Narbareck rushes at her own target, something worse than any prediction takes place. A breath's time before the golden sword reaches the Archetype's neck, something appears in her hand and counters it. Something metallic, a blade. A sword cursed and holy at the same time. A splendid work of craft that could not be reproduced by human hands. A power that is only equaled by a single sword on this planet. A sword able to cut a continent in half, and of whom the name is Crimson Moon's very function and mission. The Knight Arm known as Real of the World.

With a single blow, fear appears for the first time in the eyes of Narbareck. A crack appeared on her sword supposed to one day bring down the devil.

Both humans back off, and charge again after concerting with each-other.

They attack the Ultimate One of Venus at one, and thanks to Barthomeloi's wind, both attacks land. An attack able to kill any Divine Spirit, and one able to kill an alien Ultimate One.

Yet, both are nullified.

After all, such is the truth of what they are facing. If the Divinity is crushed, then he survives as an Ultimate One fuelled by Gaïa, the actual Type-Venus and Crimson Moon. If his link to them is severed as his existence as Archetype is targeted, Alaya permits him to survive as envoy from the Throne of Heroes.

The two humans are fighting with everything they have, but against such Ultimate Beings, everything is not enough. Slowly, they are starting to get tired, and God only knows how long they will last before total annihilation.

And what God knows... is that this story is one of lies and betrayals.

---

A crimson moon hangs overhead. This heavenly body of the night sky is watching upon this fateful night, lonely ball of scarlet light. It is like an eye shedding tears of blood, an observer that is both near and far.

"I see. So that is how it is." The Golden Princess suddenly stops fighting.

Before the desperate resistance of these two pathetic humans, as strange as it can be, she saw beauty.

This beauty finally teared off what was stopping her from truly seeing. From seeing the Truth.

Yes, she finally realized it.

'The eyes are both kind and scary'. Such is how Brunestud of the Crimson Moon was always described by those who met him, enemies and foes alike.

Yet, no one ever thought about the meaning lying behind these simple words. A meaning that changes everything, turning this entire chain of events into something pointless.

The beings worthy of being called Ultimate Ones are fitted to their names. There is nothing more powerful than them, and they are perfection incarnate. After all, what is more perfect than a statue? A statue, without feelings, emotions, nor consciousness. This is why only these beings can be called 'ultimate' and 'absolute'. They do not feel, they only represent and act in accordance to the will of their respective planet.

Yet, there is an exception confirming the rule.

This is what everyone failed to notice, and what this embodied Archetype of Earth only understood now.

If the moon is so perfect, if its Ultimate One is indeed absolute, then why does Brunestud of the Crimson Moon need to feed from blood?

Yes, that is the question no one ever asked.

All the other Aristoteles kill, plunder, slaughter. And yet, none actually needs to do so. They simply do so because they were asked to, tasked to, but there is nothing more to it. They don't feel. They don't think. Then why is Brunestud not the perfect being prophetized and prayed by mankind since the days of old? Why does he need to bear the burden of the curse of bloodsucking?

The answer is simple.

The artificial mind of the moon is an empty doll that will one day fall in love with a man-made human who hates humanity. The daughter of the moon was an empty doll that has now fallen in love with the only human who killed her.

Then, what about the real mind? The artificial mind will fall in a thousand years from now on, before turning into coral. The daughter already fell, and turned into a girl instead of being the emotionless executor of the True Ancestors. But what about the original, the one called Ultimate One of the moon?

Why would Brunestud slowly kill the villagers praying Merem Solomon instead of destroying them in an instant? Why would he bring the boy's body back to life, before explaining him how to live and giving him a goal in life by this single action?

Why would Brunestud defeat the necromancer out of a whim, before accepting his vows of loyalty and allowing him to serve by his side under the name of Black Wings Lord?

Why would Brunestud let the foolish Pirouz Ahriman, who attacked him, live, even though his malediction tainted the purity of this envoy from the moon?

Why would Brunestud personally attack this bothersome Dead Apostle that came to be through magecraft, before allowing him to rule upon his inferior kind as White Winged King?

Why would Brunestud allow both Arcemon and Altrouge to live, even though they were not even worthy of being acknowledged?

Why would Brunestud not burn the entire Earth's surface upon arrival, and instead will roam across it during four long thousand years before being defeated by the old man of the jewels?

The answer is really the simplest of all.

Yes, the eyes are scary. Yes, he feeds from this vermilion source of life called blood. Yes, he is here to crush humanity into oblivion.

Yet, the eyes are kind. Yet, he brought hope and dreams to those who ended up serving him after a single meeting, those who recognized him as a pure god worthy of being looked up to. Yet, he did not wish to put an end to mankind, at least, not for now.

Brunestud of the Crimson Moon was never perfect. Brunestud, since the very beginning, had the consciousness and rational thought process that the other Ultimate Ones are lacking.

Such is the absolute principle that rules over this Ultimate Lifeform. It is an entity of almost-perfect purity, an entity observing from afar. As such, it decided to simply wait and see.

One day, when the wars of humanity will be so violent that the violence will end up regressing as predicted by Enstein's fourth World War theory. When the collective unconsciousness that created Alaya will fade away as will mankind's dreams, hopes, and emotions themselves. When the Earth, this beautiful green and blue planet will start to rot and turn against the very being inhabiting her. When Homo Sapiens will become the hunted, after having been the hunter for two hundred thousand years.

Then, and only, then, will the night sky turn red, the moon crimson falling upon Earth, turning the oceans vermilion and tainting the ground scarlet. Only then, when humanity will be a concept that humans lost, will Crimson Moon finally begin to bring the end. The first attacker, before the eight others arrive and create a land of steel.

Until then, it will simply stay this shining ball observing from afar. Waiting, shedding its tears, while humans destroy themselves like Brunestud's own people did long ago. Only when humans will do as Kaguya's people did, turning their planet into an empty grey shell only inhabited by copies of what they once were, will Brunestud of the Crimson Moon finally attack.

Yes, such is the realization that came to the mind of the Archetype Earth.

The time has yet to come. That is all she failed to see. And this is what Arcemon Brunestud saw.

After all, why would he wish to crush everything in order to punish his Father Crimson Moon, if Crimson Moon's goal was exactly to destroy mankind? Because Crimson Moon wants to wait and observe, and by purifying Earth now, Arcemon Brunestud will turn this wish into a delusion.

'Farewell, human. I hope your words will come to be more than just a joke.' A gentle request that the golden woman made to a man claiming that she is Arcueid Brunestud no matter what. Back then, it seemed like an awkward request that betrayed her noble self. This simple request she made in a dream is now back to her mind, as if to haunt her.

Like the daughter of the moon whose first feelings after anger were love, like the astral body whose concept of existence was to see love break and fade away, like the artificial mind that felt love once and was betrayed on the spot. Like all of them, this Archetype of Earth shaped by humans and birthed by the union of the moon and the earth wants to be defeated by love.

Such is the realization that Archetype Earth had upon herself and her master and progenitor.

Now then, there is only one thing left in order for the wished future to take place.

A drop.

A single drop of tear falls from her golden eye.

This drop disintegrates before even reaching the barrier closing the area, unnoticed.

The Golden Princess brings her hand in the air, and the entire world collapses.

She does not exist, she has no purpose except welcoming the Crimson Moon hanging over the heavens. Then, the only thing left is to serve the one she will one day be. Serving his will of wanting to wait until ending the story of mankind.

Having humanity survive, until their fall is caused by their entire species in their entirety. Mankind shall be the fall of mankind, and not a foreign element or a single individual. Mankind will fall no matter what, the moon will make sure of it... but that day is not today.

The closed space crushes the angel that was imprisoned in it with a sound that could turn one deaf.

Using this once in a species' time occasion, Lorelei Barthomeloi fires the black sniper rifle.

A lonely bullet flies through the air until creating a hole between the eyes of the Son of the Morning.

Instantly, the rainbow light fades away from his golden eyes.

Instantly, the pure wings stop flapping and the eerie body of light falls to the ground.

The Black Barrel has done its office. A being filled with Ether was slain.

An instant before reaching the ground, thus turning Aylesbury into a giant carnivorous plant, the Millenium Castle is called forth and turns the child of the heavens into nothing more than a single leaf.

Using this chance, the woman of God properly cuts off the head of the Golden Princess with a sword able to slay the Evil One Himself. So as to make sure that Arcemon will not take over like he did to the Divine Spirit.

As her golden haired head falls to the ground, the moon sheds a new tear.

The long hairs disappear, as if they never existed, when Arcueid Brunestud, the one who met Shiki Tohno in Misaki Town years ago, reappears.

As she falls to the ground, the moon turns blue.

As the moon turns blue, the heavens turn lighter.

As the heavens turn lighter, the far-away horizon turns pink.

As the horizon turns pink, the moon slowly begins to fade away, defeated, as the first sunlight rises. Beautiful, as if it is the first time since the first Homo Sapiens child came to see it.

The princess of the moon closes her eyes.

Finally, a bird starts to sing.

Life is back in the Aylesbury Vale.

The war finally ended, and humanity has gained one thousand years of time before the ruby-like moon will greet the heavens again.

The war has ended... or so they thought.

---

Instantly noticing that something dreadful is about to take place, the number one of the Burial Agency unleashes her trump card. Her voice hurriedly chants a prayer for the Lord that gives her strength.

"Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit. May Thou give me power to protect Thy children, as the armed arm charged with executing Thy Holy Justice. It is finished. Eighth Sacrament's blessing, break lock. I thirst. Activate sealed blessed curse at 100%. My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? First Holy Scripture, unleash last rank of defence. Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother. May the pure garden of eternity trap the forbidden fruit in an area that never will living beings reach again. Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. False Garden of Eden!"

A violent wind bursts, and a massive flash of light covers the world an instant before the Ultimate One reaches the ground and unleashes his true form.

As the light fades away, the nun and the mage find themselves in the place where their species was granted existence. The legendary place where Adam and Eve lived, before committing the original sin. The Garden of Eden.

The most beautiful place in all fields of existence. The grass always green, the sky always blue, and a permanent faint air that is neither cold nor warm.

In an instant, the holiest of places is entirely destroyed.

A tempest of a bright energy breaks havoc on the once peaceful land, revealing a being of light. A giant angel constituted of golden light. Even more beautiful and pure as the fake Archetype-Venus, as it is a pure entity of light. Truly, a Divine child of the Moon and Venus, given shape by the dreams of an entire species.

Arcueid Brunestud, by the side of the two humans, looks up. Seeing this being above all others, she sighs. "Like Ripley predicted, you are no more a trinity, but one altogether. Truly, you have become an Archetype of what the association between Earth, the Moon and Venus would look like. Yes, you are worthy of being called Archetype Venus."

She turns back and looks at the two humans. "Narbareck, Barthomeloi? Could I ask the both of you to win time for me?"

"You've got a plan? As things are now, even turning you back into Archetype Earth wouldn't be enough. You may be tolerated by Alaya, but he is under its protection, and fuelled by the Ultimate One of Venus above all this."

"Who do you take me for? I am Arcueid Brunestud, of course I have a plan." Waving at them, she jumps away from the fight.

There, a kilometre away from the being above all others, stand two other beings that too deserve such names. A lone girl in black sitting on a giant wolf. The Princess of the Dead Apostles, and the Beast of Gaïa.

"Hello Altrouge." Says calmly Arcueid as she reaches them.

"Hello there, my dear sister." The girl nods. She seems strange. As if purified. As if she is only the girl Altrouge, and there is no trace of the Dead Apostle who killed Luke within her.

"How did you manage to enter Narbareck's private space?" Asks Arcueid with a carefree tone.

"Not telling." Altrouge smiles, there is almost something childish in her tone.

Ignoring this, Arcueid continues. "So? What's the plan."

Altrouge stares at her without answering, before smiling again and sighing. She gets down from the white wolf and pats it. "The plan... is for me to surrender."

The instant she says this, something explodes in the distance. Indicating that they don't have much time left before Narbareck and Barthomeloi are put in a corner.

Arcueid's eyes narrow. Between her and Altrouge, there is only one form of surrender. And there is no doubt that this is the one Altrouge is talking about. "Do you mean..."

"As the Master of Blood and Contracts, I propose you a deal, Arcueid Brunestud. The deal of the century, of the millennium even. A deal that you cannot refuse."

Altrouge starts to dance by turning around herself. Her dress flutters in the wind provoked in the distance by Archetype Venus, and a light smile is on her lips. Ignoring the great danger that lies only one kilometre ahead. As she stops, she puts her hands behind her back, leans forward, and makes a bright childish smile.

Then, her eyes shine as she speaks again. "For the next hour, I will use my power to give you my Authority as Daughter of Crimson Moon. This means that, as long as we are in this world, Altrouge Brunestud will be nothing more than a Dead Apostle, and you will be the sole heir to Father."

Arcueid looks at her, trying to understand if she serious. Once she sees that there is no lie in her sister's words, she sighs and shrugs. "It will not be enough. Even if our powers are combined, in this Garden of Eden, we are the farthest from the moon it's possible to be."

"Eh eh." Altrouge goes near the wolf and rubs her head against his fur. "That's why my dog came to us as soon as he felt something bad would happen." She suddenly looks at Arcueid with shining eyes and a dangerous smile. "The Beast will awaken."

Arcueid briefly shivers. "By the Beast, you mean..."

"The Evil of Humanity. Beast IV. The power that I sealed away, because otherwise mankind, my source of nourishment, would be extinguished. The true potential of the Beast of Gaïa."

"... I see. Do you think it will be enough?" Asks Arcueid.

"Hey, who do you take me for? Why need the moon, when we have a beast of the earth right here. My beautiful puppy has thousands of years of mana stored into that pretty fluffy body."

Altrouge gets away from her beast, and grabs Arcueid's hand. "After all, my dear free-haired sister, why let Type-Moon take over, when together we could be Type-Earth!"

As opposed to the strangely happy Altrouge, Arcueid is strangely serious. "I see. So this really is what you're planning. But it is risked. Gaïa will try to take over the two of us and gain the body for herself. In fact, we are not sure that any of us will be able to reappear after this."

"Don't worry about that. As I said earlier, my doggo will help us. Once this fake Garden of Eden fades away, we will back to normal. This will be a Phantom Type. A dream of one night. An unlasting illusion forever trapped in the Garden of Creation. So. What do you think?" She smiles. Her smile is pure, there is no hidden intent in it. Using her second form seems to truly have drained her of all negative emotions. In fact, she appears to not have suffered yet the after effects of killing Luke.

Arcueid smiles lightly and looks straight into Altrouge's eyes. She nods. Altrouge smiles back, and tears off a part of her dress so as to reveal her collar. "Itadakimasu. That's how your Shiki would say it, isn't it?"

With shaking hands, Arcueid gets closer to her sister. With a shaking head, she reaches her teeth to the pale skin of the Black Princess. She asks "Are you sure about this?"

"Our enemy is a superior Archetype Venus. This is the only way we can fight back." Don't worry, I will make sure you don't turn all bloodthirsty on us.

With the characteristic sound of teeth piercing flesh, Arcueid's vision collapses and everything turns white.

---

A pillar of light appears in the distance. It goes so far in the air that it seems as if it pierced the sky and reached the stars.

Seeing this, but also mainly sensing it, Barthomeloi and Narbareck jump back. They might be at the peak of mankind, but what is about to happen is something that even Zelretch would not be able to stop.

A battle at the peak of the stars.

Two Ultimate Ones facing to decide which is more worthy of its title.

A sudden blast of wind explodes within the garden.

Instantly, the angel of light now back at a human height looks at where it comes from. It raises both its hands in the air, and a lava-like ray of light fuses through the air and explodes in the distance. A mushroom bigger than any atomic bomb rises in the air, as the heat becomes hotter than dozens of suns.

Yet, as the dust settles down, it is possible to see a small form moving where the angel attacked.

Peacefully, a woman is walking on the ground.

Every step she makes regenerates the burned grass. Every breath creates small spores that, when reaching the scorched land, bloom a hundred flowers. Slowly, around her, nature is taking back its rights on the destroyed space created by the explosion. Lianas, creepers, trees, are growing, reaching dozens of meters in less than a minute.

The woman is divine.

There is simply no other way of describing her. The same way as the being of light, she is above everything in this world and outside of it. Her green eyes are shining like the most beautiful of morning dew. Her white hairs are flowing along with the wind, forever in suspension. Her feet are naked, and it seems as if the grass is never crushed when she walks on it. She is wearing a plain dress that seems made out of leaves, and yet it appears to be a work of craft that could never be reached by human hands. The physical representation of the beauty sought by Rita-Rozay-en.

She is the embodiment of everything beautiful in nature. A mother of all beings. The woman that created the earth, and yet was born from it.

The Primordial One. Mother Nature.

Gaïa.

Type-Earth.

Ray of light after ray of light, the angel tries to destroy her. But, simply by lifting her hand, her body absorbs the light through photosynthesis and makes this Lady Nature even more dazzling.

"AH AH! So you two really did it. You couldn't handle your weakness, so you fused together to form an Ultimate One of Earth. I didn't expect Altrouge to be able to do that, but I guess you guys never got the chance to see what would happen if you didn't fight among yourselves. Well then, let us begin the battle for the fate of this world." The Angel of light gathers his hands.

An explosion with him as centre suddenly destroys everything within a ten kilometres radius.

Yet, once again, once the dust has settled on the scorched wasteland, a single little space of green can be observed. This space growing as Type-Earth walks to her opponent.

Without warning, a thousand creepers fly in the air and reach the angel. Each are burned at stake just by being close to the being of light.

Now, the ground under the angel is too starting to be covered with green. However, this green is different. It is twisted, poisoned. Angel-like beings are slowly growing out of it like trees, before rushing at the peaceful woman.

Each of them is pierced by the branches of trees that grow in the way. Then, red flowers bloom on the trees, created by absorbing the vital energy of the angels.

The sun shines brighter than ever, and the trees that killed the angels become dust turned to dust. The woman, however, takes the heat up front and grows stronger from it.

Clouds gather in the sky, and the Angel is struck by lightnings able to bring down mountains. The light of the angel is lit brighter every time a lightning that should be mortal strikes it, as if absorbing it.

A tornado of flames is created by a shaking of the Angel's wings and reaches Lady Nature. It is scattered by her mere breath.

A volcano appears out of the ground beneath the angel, but a single look of his rainbow and eyes causes the lava to turn into obsidian.

With each step, the True Ultimate One of Earth is closer to her foe.

Slowly, a shadow covers the sky. A massive ball now bigger than the clouds. A massive heavenly body taking over the entire canopy. It is an orange land covered with white clouds. A copy of the planet of love. A mirror image.

With a screeching sound, the sky falls on Type-Earth's head. The air bursts at once, and the planet pierces the heavens.

Gaïa's imagined body simply stretches one hand to the incoming Armaggedon, and a massive tree appears to stop the planet where it is. In a single breath, the tree becomes World Tree, and covers the entire earth. The leaves of the World Tree are burnt to ashes, but its branches have successfully interrupted the Venus Fall copied from Crimson Moon's own Moon Fall.

For a few seconds, the land falls silent.

Then, the ground shakes and crumbles as the two Ultimate Ones jump at each-other.

The two have in their hands the same sword. A golden masterpiece of craft. A Knight Arm that shines with the same light as the midsummer moon, even in this land where the sun shines no more. Real of the World.

The two swords clash, and the land is once again turned into a scorched earth without anything standing. Clash after clash, the two beings fly in the once green land of shadows between the Earth and Venus.

The fact is, none of the two is now wielding their swords. Instead, the swords fly before them in the air, creating faults on the ground with every clash.

Lady Nature suddenly flies back, and the all powerful pillar of wind Alt Nagel crushes both swords without effort, before reaching the Angel.

Unscathed, the Angel of Light creates a miniature big bang at the place where his enemy stands. The ball of heat explodes, but Lady Nature appears as healthy as ever.

She reaches her hands, and a miniature cube appears in her hands, mimicking the giant one that appears around her opponent. She crushes the cube, and the bigger one crumbles on the defenceless winged being along with it.

Naturally, the rain of star that then falls on Type-Earth reveals that the attack did not inflict any damage.

And yet, simply by sighing, Type-Earth turns these same stars into butterflies.

The two Absolute Beings now stand still before each-other. Silently, as words are but worthless before beings of such might. An exact copy of the Ultimate One of Venus mixed with a child of the Ultimate One of the Moon. Added to that, powers befitting the king of Hell and once the strongest of God's soldiers, Lucifer. Finally, as True Ancestors, he possesses powers bestowed by Gaïa.

Before him, the True Ultimate One of Earth. A vessel ready to welcome Crimson Moon, but instead filled with the energy stored by the Beast of Gaïa for millennia. Possessing all the powers of the Earth, but also those of the Moon thanks to the nature of the vessel. Arcueid and Altrouge Brunestud together, at their peak, yet stronger than they will ever be on their own. More powerful than the entity humans called Archetype Earth will ever be.

These two Ultimate Ones are staring at each-other. The scenery is peaceful, but the air is filled with a deaf tension. An electric energy that seems about to blow up any second now.

Both have now lost their consciousness, and yet, they are more aware of their surroundings than either. They are now alike the one humans call Crimson Moon, an Ultimate One, but with remaining bits of reasoning. As opposed to that, the eight called forth by Gaïa are nothing but war-machine, with a basic reasoning. Apart from 'walking' and 'killing humans', each of them only had one unique thought that was their own.

But not these two. They can still produce a few thoughts, although those are wrapped in fog.

As they are about to clash once again, a new power enters the stage. This time, an intelligent power, as it wielded by lowly humans.

And yet, this power, like the Sword of Promised Victory once did, might be able to bring down beings of the stars.

---

Vatican City is now standing within the Garden of Eden.

It is a fake, created by Narbareck. However, within this holiest of places, the illusion acquires a power able to resist the clashing of the two Ultimate Beings twenty kilometres away.

In the building are two women, and a small creature.

"So that is Primate Murder?" Asks Narbareck with a strange tone. As if, even someone like her cannot believe the sight before her eyes.

"What it once was I would guess." Answers Barthomeloi. "What it never became."

Before them, sleeping on a table, is a small creature. White, fluffy. Innocent. It could stand in the palm of their hand. Unlike the one they know in every way. And yet, its two horns indicate without a doubt that it is indeed the Beast of Gaïa. The Evil of Humanity theorized to be a bigger threat to mankind than Crimson Moon, an actual Ultimate One, and ORT, a rumoured other Ultimate One, or an entity of the same level at least.

The greatest of all man-killing machines is now a cat-sized fluffy white dog.

"Reassure me. It will regenerate, right?"

"Of course." Says Barthomeloi. "This is Cath Palug. The Beast of Gaïa. The same way as Type-Earth over there, it will be back to normal once we exit this world. Although, I have no doubt its magical energy will be extremely reduced."

"Good. Then, we will let it live." Narbareck smiles.

"Agreed." Barthomeloi nods. "It would be a shame if the greatest target of all was not even able to put up a fight against us. It will be far more fun when I kill it once it's back at full strength. Now then, what's the plan?" She asks while turning in Narbareck's direction.

"This place will not last long if they continue to destroy the land like this, but it will last long enough for us to prepare." Narbareck answers.

"Do you really think we can do something about this?"

"Of course. If Schweinorg was able to defeat Brunestud, there is no way the two of us will just stay on the sidelines, even if that means giving up our current status. Don't you agree?"

Barthomeloi smiles. "Of course I agree. I doubt I will get a chance to fight another Type in my lifetime. Well then, let us prepare."

Narbareck's smile grows larger. "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Her armour shines brighter than ever as the entire garden fills it with an energy opposed to the devilish one at the source of the Dead Apostles. "Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

She makes the sign of the cross, and heads outside. There, she reaches her hands on the sides, letting her sword and shield fall on the ground. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." A white light surrounds her. Her eyes are fully opened and bloodshot, as if what she is seeing is Heaven itself. The light around her starts to take form. Forms of angels. After all, although her enemy is of divine nature, he is but a fallen one. One that strayed away from God's path.

"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever." Two objects begin to materialize within Narbareck's hands. In her left hand is now a shining lantern made of silver. A symbol of the Archangel Gabriel, God's left hand. In her right hand appears a massive wooden artefact. Its form has no difficulty to be recognized, as it is a cross like those used for crucifixion. But not any cross. This one is covered with pages of various Holy Books, and the cross itself was carved from a tree grown of a part of Jesus' cross. The First Holy Scripture.

The strongest artefacts in possession of the Holy Church are now gathered in the hands of a single individual for the first time in its two millennia long history. The Armour of Saint Michael, the Lantern of Saint Gabriel, and the Cross of the Holy Son. "Amen." With this simple word of Narbareck, a sudden gust of wind covers the land, with her as epicentre.

However, with a flash of light, this massive wall of wind suddenly rushes back in her direction. Instead of hurting her, it is simply gathered beside her. At the extremity of the whip dancing between the fingers of Lorelei Barthomeloi, Lord of the department of Policies.

"Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten

Daß ich so traurig bin;

Ein Märchen aus alten Zeiten

Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn." A hatred for vampires older than time. She always hated them, and so did the previous head, and all the other ones before her. It is deeply rooted within her blood. A hatred so old that she does not remember its origin.

Hearing the singing voice of her fellow hunter, Narbareck raises an eyebrow. "Heinrich Heine? Barthomeloi, I thought you hated your name."

"I do not hate it. Simply, Lorelei is a meaningless word, while Barthomeloi works well enough to inspire fear or respect. After all, your lineage does the same thing. No one knows what your true name is, as it lose all relevance once you take on the mantel of Narbareck.

Die Luft ist kühl und es dunkelt,

Und ruhig fließt der Rhein;

Der Gipfel des Berges funkelt

Im Abendsonnenschein." As all other humans are but weak beings, it is the duty of the Barthomeloi to stand above them. They may not have reached Magic, but their skills in magecraft made of their current heir someone equal to the famed Director. When the rest of mankind will have been defeated by the dangers of the night, the name Barthomeloi will still stand to exterminate monsters. As sport, of course.

"Die schönste Jungfrau sitzet

Dort oben wunderbar,

Ihr goldnes Geschmeide blitzet,

Sie kämmt ihr goldenes Haar." The wind surrounding Barthomeloi begins to light up brighter than any jewel. Her hair seems almost golden, and her eyes are shining with determination. Truly, it is as if the angel Narbareck on her side has been joined by Eve herself.

"Sie kämmt es mit goldenem Kamme

Und singt ein Lied dabei,

Das hat eine wundersame,

Gewaltige Melodei." She begins to walk, the whip moving in the air around her, the wind following it to gather at its tip. It seems as if a tornado is being formed by her words before being absorbed by her moves of the hand. Her words are alike a melody of Sirens. Words full of honey, leading only to a dark end at the mercy of this woman outside of human boundaries.

"Den Schiffer im kleinen Schiffe

Ergreift es mit wildem Weh,

Er schaut nicht die Felsenrisse,

Er schaut nur hinauf in die Höh." Occupied to unleash literal Armaggedons at each-other, none of the two Ultimate Ones notice the slowly approaching small insects. The air has begun to leave the land, taken away by the magus nix standing on a rock above the rest of humanity. The amount of magical energy within her body is making her live up to her title of Supreme Mage of the Present Era.

If we consider that on a scale from 1 to 100 the Director is at 180, then she is currently at 210 and still growing because of her chanting. By reusing Narbareck's words, if the deceased number seven Bow was a water hose, and other magi mere water guns, then Barthomeloi is a firefighting plane. Such is the nature of her Blue Blood: Noble Magic Circuits combined with the unique magical attribute of Almighty.

"Ich glaube, die Wellen verschlingen

Am Ende Schiffer und Kahn.

Und das hat mit ihrem Singen

...Die Lorelei getan."

In a single breath, the dancing whip is suddenly directed at the two beings above all others. The whip creates a faint sound of wind because of the speed at which it moved, but this sound is nothing in comparison to what follows.

Suddenly, it is as if the legends of the Bermuda Triangle came to life. The wind is not only that, it became an absolute weapon. A pillar of power able to bring down literal gods. As fearful as Alt Nagel could ever be, if not more.

"Boreas, Eurus, Notus, Zephyrus! I grab thy names from the nothingness they fell into, and resurrect them anew for a last time. To-day, thou shall bring down a being greater than any earthly divine one! UND, MIT IHREM SINGEN, DIE LORELEI WIRD ES TUN!"

The tornado becomes pillar of tempest and is unleashed on Archetype-Venus at once.

Following it, is a light that burns the skin of this being of light at the core. The light of Saint Gabriel. Behind the ray of light, a second pillar pierces the heavenly being. A pillar of pure blue and golden light. A pillar created by what was once a cross. After all, between the hands of Narbareck, is now a massive tube that cannot be described in any way except as a cannon. And what it fires is God's hate/LOVE. What the japanese could call Tenbatsu.

As the combined pillars of wind and light reach the Angel, the Garden is once again overwhelmed by a power beyond one's comprehension.

Once the dust settles down once again, the two Ultimate Ones are nowhere to be seen. Instead, stand two massive beings of light. One seems to have wings, and the other a dress and long hair, but these are the only things that can be recognized.

"Tsk." Wind exits Narbareck's gritted teeth. "They expanded their Life Scale to reach the one they should have. The same one that Zelretch fought against, and that are coming to destroy the world in a thousand years. Now we are in the endgame, they will wipe us out without noticing, no matter what we do to protect ourselves."

Under the feet of the two beings of light, the ground begins to burn. The little air that has not been absorbed by Barthomeloi's attack is getting hotter and suffocating.

Three new pillars of light suddenly appear. Within them, the two Ultimate Ones and the magus. Trying to absorb all the surrounding magical energy in a Mana Burst like the world has never seen and will never see again.

Seeing this, Narbareck begins to modify the shape of the fake land they stand in. Or so she thought, but the two other beings have already taken control of the Garden through their Event Storage.

"Hm. Never fought that woman would be so powerful, she didn't seem like it. Guess she never got the chance to be awakened with Altrouge until now." With a sigh, Narbareck lets the cannon and the lantern in her hands fall on the ground. Then she does a sign of cross and joins her hands to pray for maybe the last time.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will." She stretches her two hands before her. A new weapon, a dark barrel, appears within it, and she lets it fall on the ground.

She remembers an event of long ago. A battle that took place back when she was an ordinary mortal. Not yet the greatest of all hunters.

She faced El Nahat, but instead of targeting the decoy she had prepared, El Nahat targeted the number two Burial Agent of the time. The one that was here before Neige.

Against all odds, Narbareck decided to stand between her agent and certain death. After all, the agent was a better asset than herself at the time. The result is that she had a vision. A promise was made. She would acquire a limited longevity and survive the attack, but in exchange, she will be cursed to one day do the contradictory act of bringing down a Holy Being as a servant of God. Then, and only then, will she pay the price of decades of near-immortality.

Such is how she did not age in eighty years, and such is why El Nahat, seeing her survival, reluctantly accepted to be used as weapon by her. The price of the loser.

The three artefacts on the ground begin to gather.

They mix into a greyish liquid that begins to envelop Narbareck's body. Her armour is mixed up with it, as the cross fuses with her back. On her thorax, a circle of light has appeared, blessed by God's left hand. Finally, on the cross on her back, appears a massive three metres long silver cannon. Similar in look as those of the Napoleonic Wars. A fusion between the First Holy Scripture and the Black Barrel. A weapon able to bring down conceptual, fantasized, and literal gods.

The pillars of light have now disappeared, and Barthomeloi looks at Narbareck with eyes shining like jewels.

Nodding at her, Narbareck directs the canon on her back at the Angel-like being of light. Having such a massive artefact on their back would instantly kill any human because of the weight, but the cross under it is a marvel of technology that permits her to do so. Even if such technology will never be reached again until the term of 'human species' begins to enter the dictionaries as plural.

Now humanity is able to fight back against such beings. A gun created to strike down the divine, fused with a gun created to eliminate beings of the stars. The fact is, after all, Archetype-Venus is both.

At once, the two Ultimate Ones feel the presence of the weak humans standing near them. They finally recognized them as a potential danger. But, even though Type-Earth can be described as incarnation of Gaïa, Altrouge and Arcueid are still the ones in command. The Ultimate One of Earth suddenly unleashes every attack she used so far, going as far as to directly punch the other giant body of light.

All in order to gain time for Narbareck to fire.

"Die Lorelei wird Sie dazu bringen." With a calm voice, Lorelei Barthomeloi's connection to the Root as magus is severed, the entirety of her power charged into the Black God-Slayer Barrel in a single instant. A power that is superior to the use of True Magic if we only compare the mana input.

With a scream resonating farther than the one produced by Archetype-Venus, Narbareck breaks the Seven Seals. Echoing all around the Terrestrial Paradise are the Seven Trumpets, one at a time.

The First Trumpet unleashes a rain of hail and fire mixed with blood that nullifies the divinity of the Fallen Angel

The Second Trumpet throws a reverse image of the Moon's imaginary sister at the physical representation of Earth's sister planet.

The Third Trumpet creates a star poison corrupting the spores of Type-Venus.

The Fourth Trumpet absorbs the light of the sun, turning it into a dark bullet of energy that slowly moves within the Barrel.

The Fifth Trumpet causes the Morning Star to fall from the sky and collapse on the ground. Like a defeated giant. Then, its own angels begin to devour it.

The Sixth Trumpet creates an army of True Angels. Two-hundred million mounted troops creating spores surpassing those of Venus, and attacking the latter.

Finally, the Seventh Trumpet resonates. Solitary. Alone in the middle of this holy land.

A voice follows, proclaiming "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever."

The Garden is now back to the Holy Place it once was. Archetype-Venus is at the same time charged with more divinity than either, and yet all its divinity is in a passive state.

The Princess of Light suddenly grabs the Angel of light. She punches it on the ground, while the latter tries to escape.

Finally, the third and last woe is over. Now, there can only be the Apocalypse left.

With a last movement of the hand, Barthomeloi throws all the wind left in this land to the back of Narbareck. All the magical energy, all the Ether brought by the battle, all the life itself. The cross absorbs it all, and gathers it within the bullet moving quickly within the chamber.

With a pressure of the finger, followed by a detonation sounding like the martyrs for the Wrath of God, the bullet is fired.

Lonely, turning into a ray of dark power as it moves, it travels across the land. The space turns black and red, as if the firing gun took all of its colours away.

Archetype-Venus screams, but it is immobilized by Type-Earth.

With its afterimage still within the Barrel, the bullet reaches the core of the heavenly being.

A massive wave of dark energy covers the land, and everything goes black.

A sound of shattered glass can be heard, as the world collapses on itself.

---

Lorelei Barthomeloi slowly walks out of the cloud of smoke. Around her, Aylesbury seems nothing but rumblings and slowly dying flames. Destroyed by a single explosion that no one could have prevented. An explosion that contained enough energy to blow up a small moon.

The Vice-Director's clothes are torn off in several places. Her skin is covered with dust and bruises. Her hairs are messed up, and blood is falling down her eyebrows. Yet, there is no doubt about it, she is still the most powerful magus of this era.

And, more importantly, she has won. She is back in the real world, and this is a fate that Arcemon Brunestud, Lucifer, Archetype-Venus, no matter the name, did not share.

A broken whip in her hand, she approaches a form lying on the ground.

She readies her whip in the air, but as she is about to bring it down, a hand grabs her wrist.

She turns her head, a light of hatred shining in her eyes.

Beside her is a young girl. Maybe fourteen years old. Black dress tattered, dust and wounds covering her entire being. Half of her face still missing. And yet, there is a light of the same intensity as Barthomeloi's shining in her eyes.

"No." A single word with a childish but resolved voice.

"Why?" A single question as sole answer.

"..." After staying still for a full minute, eyes deep in other eyes, the girl opens her mouth again. "She is a Royalty. She is a Brunestud. She is... my sister."

"There will never again be a chance like this. She is unconscious, weak, unprotected. If you do not kill her now, you will forever stay the second Princess. The one that does not matter."

"Maybe. But it is my choice. And if you wish to oppose me..." A form approaches as the girl says these words.

Looking at it, and acknowledging the sword within its hands at this single sight, Barthomeloi frowns. "So you call your bodyguard for help? Weak."

"Eh. After this fight, you're barely standing yourself." Answer the girl for whom these words also apply.

"That's true." Lorelei Barthomeloi stops, before continuing with a faint smile. "And after all, such execution would lack in elegance and sport. Hm! I bid you farewell, Your Highness." With these words, that the girl is not able to determinate if are truth or lies, Barthomeloi leaves.

After a few metres, she stops. She looks at the ground nearby for a few seconds, before taking a human form on her shoulders. A cloud of smoke passes by, and when it has left, so have the two greatest vampire hunters currently walking the earth.

The girl smiles when seeing Barthomeloi take someone on her shoulders. It would appear that a new being worthy of the respect of this elitist magus lineage has arisen. Took Narbareck long enough.

"Now then." the girl looks at the form she just protected. A woman. Blonde. Dressed in white. Pure. Unscathed by the battle for life and death that just ended in a land different from this one. "What am I going to do with you, hm?"

Silently, a second man approaches. The one who arrived earlier, the bodyguard, stares at him walking. The girl simply ignores him, although she notices his approach. He reaches the person lying on the ground, takes her above his shoulders, and looks at the girl.

"Thank you." He murmurs, before leaving.

A light falls on the girl's face. A golden light that is refreshing only for those blessed with life. Mortal for the cursed creature of the night called Dead Apostles. Indicating that the time has come for hell to leave Aylesbury.

The sun is rising.

With this, Altrouge Brunestud leaves the battlefield.

As she slowly walks in the silent streets of Aylesbury, the sky slowly starts to turn blue.

The extremity of the horizon is pink, and the rising sun is finally here to erase all traces of tonight's battles.

Arcemon Brunestud, and the monster he had become, have been defeated. The Aylesbury Valesti has been stopped before the Dark Six were entirely awaken. The two Princesses survived, and many a poor innocent's souls entered Heaven or the Tartare.

The reaper claimed what was his, and now the town is handed back to the livings.

Slowly, life reappears on the Aylesbury Vale, still unaware of the many events that unfolded tonight. Still unaware that, if even a single event went differently, the world could have ended right here and there. And even the Wizard Marshall Zelretch would not have been able to prevent it.

In the middle of this, a lone girl walks to the horizon, slowly followed by the survivors of her cursed kind.

---

Oh boy, what a hard chapter to write.

Honestly though, when you got Tsukire, Notes, FGO and Fate Extella, it's difficult to write a "lore-breaking VS lore-breaking" fight. Who could have the stupid idea of making two entities literally called "Ultimate" fight each-others huh?

Anyway, it's still not over. I mean, the story is, but there is an epilogue even longer than the current chapter (which is my longest ever so far btw). In which, end of the Mario plotline, Sixth and Six Sisters explanation, wtf was Alcatraz doing when I declared him as dead one fanfic ago, and basically just wrap up everyone's character arcs.

Anyway, back to this chapter with two small notes.

case some of you are unsure, the artificial mind of the moon is indeed the girl of the moon in Tsuki no Sango. I felt bad to not include lore from such a masterpiece.

that the song sang by Illya has the same name as Barthomeloi? I think not!

Anyway, the whole Crimson Moon wanting to wait thing is my actual headcanon. There is no other reason as to why he didn't destroy the world upon arrival, and why he acted so "kindly" with folks like Merem and Gran. Would make sense considering how his child arc is. Apart from that, I really have difficulties with Narba and Bartho. They are overpowered, but the guys before are Ultimate Ones y'know? If Zelretch only won because he was underestimated, they should lose. But at the same time, Bartho's raw power is superior to the Director, and we don't know where he stands compared to Zelretch, but he is as powerful as the Wandering Sea in its entirety according to wiki. Same for Narba, who we could consider as the religious equivalent of Bartho in terms of power.

But again, against them we had the guys that destroyed the world in Notes, when even the alien thing of Extella failed. (if we consider the Land of Steel is an actual destruction compared to the 70% of Extella)

Also again, please excuse me, but I have not yet read the Lostbelt and stuff so sorry the actual only scene of Black Barrel. Still did my best, but I didn't want to spoil myself too much.

Lots of prayer too, and the usual song that was instead a poem. I almost used the poem for Rozay-en because of some story by the Witcher's author (unrelated ik), but after seeing it was called lorelei I changed mind.

Anyyyway. Thanks for reading so far, and see yall in 2-3 weeks for the so far 19K words long epilogue!