Ritsuka would never say he doesn't get scared— far from it — but he thought he had gone through enough to be able to steel himself from making any visible reactions. However, the monster known as Another Zi-O II excuded an unsettling aura that sent chills down his spine.
Honestly, he thought he saw the end of things after resolving the crisis perpetuated by Beast I at the Grand Temple of Time - an encounter that will forever be fresh in his mind with how much he and everyone went through to get there and ultimately overcome. The Incineration of Human History and subsequent struggles with the remaining Demon Pillars was something that made sure Chaldea would never quite settle down and get comfortable with any situation; a perfect reminder that, despite all that he had and will accomplish with everyone in Chaldea, he was still a normal human trapped in a world he could never understand.
Another Zi-O II, meanwhile, felt like a whole different issue altogether.
These Another Riders in general felt wrong in ways his sixth sense just couldn't stop buzzing about when they showed up. The feeling had been subtly developing and growing as he passed through the various singularities since the explosion that left him the Last Master of Humanity; the feeling that told him when things were out of sort with the world due to being exposed to so many paradoxes and anomalies mangling history by various threats to humanity's future.
Such was the case with Another Zi-O II. Except in regards to this one, Ritsuka's sixth sense was practically screaming in his ear at how utterly WRONG this being was; it was as if those very paradoxes and anomalies Chaldea had been fighting all this time were given shape and form. This monster was the twisted conflicts within history and he thrived off it, becoming its very lifeblood.
It made the field director all the more unsettling given the fact that she was glaring daggers at such a creature - as if she was about to jump forward and wring his neck with her bare hands until it snapped.
"It wasn't enough for you to try and rule over a ruined world over some misplaced sense of entitlement, was it?" Olga practically spat out, her grip on her gun so tight that her knuckles were almost white, "You thought ruling over a shattered world was your right? You caused untold suffering for what? Power? Control? And now you dare show your face again, meddling in matters that should be long buried. What could you hope to accomplish now?!"
"Oh spare me your pathetic moralizing! You should have learned by now how useless that is," Another Zi-O II shot back, his tone just as hostile and venomous as the white-haired mage's own, "If you honestly think that it'll do something at this point, then you are a bigger fool than I could have imagined!"
"Bigger than the fool who got played like a goddamn fiddle twice over by the same man?! Those are really big words from someone who got used and thrown away when Swartz led you by the nose by dangling the slightest bit of power in your face! Do you think you can do anything different by doing the same thing you've been doing the entire time?!"
"Swartz is dead, by your own hand in case you forgotten, or did that little deed pass through in that empty head of yours? I shouldn't have expected anything more from the most evil, worst tyrant in history!" Ritsuka did not miss the way Olga flinched at that nor the way her eyes quickly darted toward him, though that was something that had to be dealt with later with the Another Rider's next sentence, "Doesn't matter. Now that he's gone, my destiny is once again in sight in this new world, and it shall start with me becoming the king of this Lostbelt!"
Now that would be a problem for them, even if Ritsuka still didn't quite understand all that was being said. It boiled down to something simple: another being with powers surpassing what Chaldea logically should be able to fight against was threatening the world. Nothing they haven't seen before… he hoped… At the very least, Olga who had clearly defeated this Another Rider before was here to help.
However, something about the way this Another Zi-O II phased his ambitions was strange, causing Ritsuka to step up and ask, "And what do you mean by that? This Lostbelt already has a king and I don't think he'd be willing to give up his position without a fight."
That was when Kadoc chimed in, glaring at both the Another Rider and his lackey. "If you think I'd let you take over what I've been working hard to achieve, you have another thing coming, you freak!"
"Silence, dog. No one was talking to you."
It looked as if the Crypter was about to pounce on the monster but he barely held back; just in case though, Ritsuka stepped in between them. "Who are you? Why are you trying to take over this place?"
Somehow, the Master of Chaldea could see the monster sneer at him as he answered. "No one was talking to you either."
"His name is Hiryu Kakogawa," Olga answered for him, still pointing her gun at their new foe, "And he's just doing whatever the hell he wants to screw me over!" It was a rather vague answer but one that Ritsuka accepted for now. Clearly, there was a long story to it but this was not the time or place for it.
"You just love being a pain in my ass, don't you?"
"That's because you never stop being one to mine!"
"Okay! Okay! You better settle down director before you do something you'll regret." Ritsuka put his hand on the hissing Olga's shoulder in a calming manner, before turning back to the now-named Hiryu. Before fighting, he had to try opening dialogue. "You say you're going to become the new king of this Lostbelt, right? How exactly are you doing to do that?"
"Hmph! Allow me to enlighten you then," Another Zi-O II answered, holding both of his arms up in a show of superiority, "This Lostbelt runs on a simple rule— the strongest is the one on top. I defeat him, and I'll take his place, claiming this sorry excuse of a history as the first my domain in my right of conquest!"
"And why did you use his Servant to come here?" Ritsuka questioned further, hoping to get more answers.
"Heh, what better way to come here than to take the place of someone who couldn't exist? I must thank you, mutt, for corrupting this Spirit to the point I could take over this vessel for my own need. Good to see that you aren't a total failure after all!"
That was evidently the final straw for Kadoc, who lunged forward while blinded with rage. It happened too fast for Ritsuka to stop him, not when he was already trying to calm Olga too.
And before either of them could react, blood spilt into the air and stained the white tiles. A clock-hand-shaped sword materialized in Another Zi-O II's hand and ran straight through Kadoc's chest. "It seems you are the biggest fool here," Was all the monster had to say before tossing the barely living Crypter's body away. "Not even worthy of being considered a warm-up. Truly pathetic. Woz!"
"Yes, my king?" The dark green Another Rider almost instantly went on one need in front of Another Zi-O II.
"Deal with this lot while I take down the Lostbelt King. They're beneath me," he ordered before glancing at the livid Olga. "But leave her alive, I need her to see me triumph." With that, he turned towards the steps and walked off to face Ivan the Terrible.
"As you wish." The lackey bowed in acknowledgement of their order before stepping forth and summoning the same energy spear used to stab Anastasia. "I shall see your vision completed."
Now that communications have broken down, Ritsuka's mind went from diplomat to commander. "Izo!" He called after the Assassin who had been too busy dealing with the remaining forces from earlier. In a flash, the Servant appeared to protect him and Olga.
"Leave this to me, you two get to safety!" Izo cried without taking his eyes off his opponent.
Safety was a rather hard word seeing as they were in the middle of a battlefield but Ritsuka simply nodded. But first, they had to take someone with them before he bleed out. While his Servants were busy keeping attention off of them, he and Olga rushed over to the bleeding Kadoc. Without any hesitation, he took off his jacket and used it to help staunch the Crypter's wounds. From behind him, he could hear Olga shouting to Kadoc that he better not die on them yet while she shot anything that got too close to them.
Once he was assured that the bleeding stopped (thank goodness it was a clean stab through), Ritsuka did his best to drag Kadoc to safety while Olga covered them. Soon enough, they reached cover right next to the equally unconscious Atalante where they could make sure the Crypter's wounds were taken care of.
"Keep a look out!" Olga ordered him as she immediately went to save their enemy. She took out another one of her strange time watches and used it to summon medical supplies. Nothing much, but enough to make sure Kadoc doesn't bleed out. "Don't you dare die on us, Zemlupus. There's still a lot more we need from you before I let that happen."
Hiryu's first impression of the room was that the music was unbearably loud.
Though, given the size of what it was supposed to soothe, it did make sense, as annoying as it was. The strangely dressed pianist continued playing even when he busted through the doors to the massive bedroom, just letting out a small sigh at the disturbance.
He did not put up much of a fight as Hiryu cut him down and let him bleed out on the floor. While it was sensible to have simply killed the Lostbelt King in his sleep— as his servant had advised him to do —his pride wouldn't allow it. He needed to prove himself superior and the only way to do that was to awaken the sleeping giant to face him head-on; king… to king…
It did not take long after the music stopped that the giant in bed stirred awake and a booming voice echoed throughout the chamber, questioning who was it that was disturbing him.
"Up, you sleepy fool. Face me." Was all Hiryu said in kind.
"The words of one truly too ignorant to understand the magnitude of what lays before him," Was the Tsar's response before roaring once again, this time to intimidate those who dared to challenge him. "But I am more than willing to properly teach you."
It was a challenge Hiryu was all too eager to accept.
"And that should be the final touch…"
As Olga finished bandaging Kadoc's wounds, all the Oprichniki disappeared in an instant, turning into black smoke that too vanished quickly. While she did question what happened, it made their lives easier as they could now focus solely on the Another Riders. Especially since though injured still, Atalante was regaining consciousness.
"Atalante, are you okay?" Ritsuka was quick to her side, who was coughing hard as her sight began to clear up. The Berserker, however, continued to mutter Finis's name under her breath. "Please, don't strain yourself or else you'll make your injuries worse."
"W-Where, are the others?"
"...They were killed by the Another Riders. I'm sorry." Ritsuka stated with a sympathetic expression and tone. "I know you may not be fit now but—"
Before he could even finish, Atalante was already out of cover and going after Another Woz while shouting Finis' name. "So there's that Berserker rage…" Olga thought as she watched Atalante fight Another Woz alongside Izo.
With both their priorities dealt with, Olga thought of what their next course of action should be. A part of her wanted to go after Hiryu and stop him from usurping the title of Lostbelt King, but the sensible part of her knew that was a terrible idea as is. Without any Servants backing them and her still being unable to transform, they would be just as foolish as Kadoc was earlier. 'Dammit, what can we do?' Olga mentally cursed as she took out another blank Ridewatch and stared at it. 'Why won't my powers return?!'
"Billy!" Ritsuka's sudden cry snapped her out of her thoughts, making her look up to see what was happening only for her eyes to widen at what she saw. Evidently, Billy and Izo had swapped opponents as the latter was now fighting Another Geiz but that was not what mattered. What mattered more was the state the Archer was in. Billy was bleeding out too from a nasty wound caused by Another Woz's spear with Atalante behind him, who had a look of disbelief on her face; it was clear that he took a blow meant for her.
Worse of all, his body was slowly breaking down into golden dust, confirming that he could go no further.
"And thus, one falls while the other still stands…" Another Woz declared as they watched Billy fall to one knee with his hand still gripping his revolver tightly. "Now, do me a favor and die quickly, Servant."
"If…" Billy started to say, gasping out in pain. "If you think I would go down that easily… then you have another thing comin'!"
Despite being mortally wounded, Billy was still a quick draw and, in an instant, fired his Noble Phantasm at his killer. The surprise attack was all it took for Another Woz to seemingly perish in a fiery explosion. At the same time, Nezha and Izo managed to send the other two Another Riders flying into each other near the spot where their fellow monster died before joining Atalante and Billy's sides.
The explosion had also further destabilized the room, with the previous cracks in the wall caused by the Another Riders' entrance getting bigger.
However, Olga knew it was not that easy. Another Riders did not go down that easy. All she could hope was for the defeat to be enough to reveal Another Woz's true— "Huh? Ritsuka?!" To her continued surprise, Ritsuka ran out of cover to go to Billy's side. Mentally cursing the teen for such reckless behavior, Olga ran after him too to pull him out just in case.
"Heh… sorry, Fujimaru… but I have to leave the rest to you…" The Archer managed to get out through pained breaths. "Just remember… don't lose that hesitation, will ya?" With a final cheery laugh, Billy finally succumbed to his wounds and disappeared in a shower of golden particles.
The Director could faintly hear Ritsuka muttering Billy's name with sorrow that broke her heart. Sorry, Ritsuka, but this is not the time to be grieving,'
She wanted to say that aloud but couldn't as the smoke from Another Woz's defeat cleared. Her eyes and gun trained on the outline she could faintly see and… "Wha…?"
"Finis…" Atalante growled again. This time, it finally clicked why.
The Berserker's earlier rage was not due to anger towards Another Woz for killing Finis and the others— "Ah… It looks like my cover is blown." —but because Another Woz was Finis. Standing where the monstrous version of her devoted herald was none other than the former spymaster of the resistance.
"Wha… how? Why?" Olga could barely say as she was completely stunned by Another Woz's true identity. Behind her, she heard Ritsuka whisper the traitor's name in disbelief too.
"Explain yourself, Finis!" Shouted Atalante, her own pain at the betrayal evident in her voice. "Why did you betray us?!"
"Betray is such a strong word," Finis sighed with a shake of their head, though oddly enough, it wasn't in a mocking manner. "I wouldn't call it a betrayal since I was never on your side in the first place. You, Viktor, and the rest of the resistance just so happened to be what I needed to bring my… "king" here, into this Lostbelt with that Fantasy Tree."
"So you're the one behind all this?!" Olga shouted in anger. Just how many times will she learn someone she thought was on their side was a traitor today? First Team A, now Finis?! "Who are you really?!"
"...Someone whose doing what they must do. Nothing more, nothing less. Just like all of you," The severe look on Finis' face spoke of so much yet brought about so many questions that needed to be answered. However, before anyone could ask for any of those answers, the whole palace began to shake, as if an earthquake had arrived, "Ah…it seems that things are reaching their apex here. Geiz, Tsukuyomi. It's time to go."
Another shockwave rocked the area as the two Another Riders got up from their fallen positions and flocked to Finis' sides, who were now standing straight again.
"I suggest you all find a way out of here before this whole place completely collapses," Finis advised softly with an undecipherable smile before turning around to make their exit.
"Wait!" Atalante shouted, desperately reaching out for Finis. Much to the surprise of everyone watching, Finis actually stopped herself and gave the slightest of glances behind as the Berserker Servant continued on, "Is it really true? Was everything we went through… Was everything you and me shared… A lie?"
"...Only if you want it to be."
And with that, Finis and the Another Riders disappeared from sight altogether as several pillars came crashing down in front of them and obfuscated them from view from the others, leaving the remaining occupants in the room to fend for themselves.
"Master! We have. To leave!" Nezha shouted as the hall— nay, the palace started crumbling around them.
"No shit! Things really have gone to hell in here!" Izo shouted, leaping away just before a large rock could crush him, "Where the hell can we go from here?!"
"Wait, we have to take Kadoc too!" Ritsuka shouted as he looked at where the unconscious Crypter was.
Unfortunately for them, a fissure opened in between them, seemingly separating them too greatly for them to escape with his unconscious form. While Olga also wanted to save Kadoc, there was simply no way they could grab him and get out in time before they got crushed under the rubble. They had to abandon him and all the answers he had else they join him in the afterlife.
That was— to say —until the first miracle blessed them since they entered the palace. From a crack in the ceiling leading outside, a flying gray scarf flew in and snatched all of them, including Kadoc away.
Before Olga knew it, she found herself falling onto the soft snow outside the city.
She could hear the distant sounds of something massive fighting but instead focused on her immediate surroundings— namely, the familiar sounds of a truck heading their way before skidding to a stop just right in front of everyone.
"Everyone, are you all alright?!" Caster and Rider Da Vinci both jumped out of the Shadow Border and ran to check on the group that just escaped the collapsing palace, going on to help some of the fallen up from the snow covered ground, "The scanners on the Border picked up something unnartually massive in the palace and rushed here as fast as we could when we realized something was truly wrong!"
"Damn, you really did get them out. I misjudged you, scarf," She heard Mordred's nearby and impressed voice from the side as she laid in the snow, feeling exhausted after everything that transpired. "Yo, Master? What happened in there? Why's there a giant elephant fighting a huge ass bug now?"
While the Saber Servant moved to help her Master, a hand entered Olga's vision, open in offering to help her up. She already who it was and couldn't help but let out a chuckle as she grabbed the hand.
"You sure know when you're needed, Woz."
"Should you be in trouble, I'll always be there to aid you, my overlord." Her herald and ever-loyal servant, Woz, replied as she got to her feet. Once she steadied herself, he got down to one knee and bowed. "Let me reaffirm my loyalty to you, my queen, for you are the one true demon queen of time."
"…Never mind, you are a weirdo." Mordred scoffed. "
"—and then this guy turned into a scarf and flew off to save "his demon queen."" Mordred somewhat mockingly finished the end of her side of events as they rested in the Shadow Border. Things had been going well for her and Beowulf; they had managed to keep the army busy… until all the Oprichniki disappeared. They still had to deal with the Yaga but after a couple of minutes, the ground suddenly split as a massive mammoth-like beast came out of the ground before a giant red bug-like monster appeared to fight it.
After that, "the weirdo" as Mordred called him appeared, wanting to know where his demon queen was. She was initially confused until he told them his demon queen's name.
"And as you know my overlord, I then rushed inside of the palace to save you and… your new followers," Woz stated, giving the other members of Chaldea a judgmental look over, as if he found their current company wanting and then some when it came to meeting his standards.
"Woz, be nice," Olga sighed at what he called the others, "This is going to be their first impression of you after all."
"The opinions of simple rabble do not matter," The herald replied with an eye roll as he leaned his back on the wall behind him, causing Olga to groan in embarrassment.
Mordred, naturally, had something to say about that. "You remind me a bit of my brother," she scoffed again but otherwise stayed her blade, most likely out of gratitude.
Before anything else could be said, the door opened as Da Vinci - Caster - entered the cockpit with a mix of relief and concern etched on her face."Alright, Kadoc's condition has been stabilized and he's now resting in the medical bay with my other self monitoring his health," She informed them with a relieved sigh. With a grave expression, she then turned her attention to the front windows of the Shadow Border. "Now what do we do about that?"
Olga's eyes followed Da Vinci's and her face grimaced at what was going on outside of the Border. From the hill they were parked on, they could see the city being trampled into nothing as who she assumed was Ivan the Terrible fought on top of titan-sized mammoth against Another Kuuga, no doubt summoned by Hiryu. The fighting has been going on for some time and while the former destroyed the latter multiple times, Another Kuuga simply reappeared a few moments later due to Another Zi-O II's mastery over time. At this point, it was a war of attrition and if she knew Hiryu, he never gives up. He'd sooner die than admit defeat, and somehow he keeps finding a way around death too.
But the same cannot be said for Ivan, at the rate things were going for him.
"...We can't stay here." Olga declared with finality, breaking no quarter for disagreement, "Hiryu's interference has turned the tide in ways we couldn't have anticipated. We must retreat, regroup at the homebase, and rethink our strategy. At least, that's the plan for everyone from Chaldea. As for the rest…"
Without needing to know Woz's answer - which was obvious for everyone to see - the white-haired magus turned to Atalante and Beowulf, who were both sitting on the corner floor of the Shadow Border, the weight of her words hung heavily in the air, a stark reminder of the dire circumstances they faced. Outside, the battle raged on, a relentless spectacle of power and chaos.
"...I'll come with you all," Atalante answered quietly, her voice tinged with resignation yet determination "It's obvious that things have become a lost cause in this Lostbelt, especially with those Another Riders taking over and the resistance being all but wiped out since we gave everything we had in this final assault. I personally don't have anything left here since…" Her words trailed off, the unspoken agony of Finis' betrayal lingering in the air like a bitter aftertaste.
"Hmm… Alright, we have no issues with that." One more hand on deck was more than welcomed considering the dire situation. "And you, Beowulf?"
The Berserker hummed in thought for a few seconds before answering, "I'm going to stay. She'll do what she can with you, I'll do what I can here. Besides, I heard from Fujimaru that you guys already have a record of me in Chaldea."
Right, Olga remembered Ritsuka telling her too. Speaking of which, she glanced towards the so-far silent Master who had been looking out at the fight between kings. However, as if sensing someone was looking at him, he turned to face Beowulf. "We'll leave things here to you then. I believe in you."
A grin appeared on Beowulf's face at the distant but still reassuring reply. "Thanks, Fujimaru. I'll leave everything else to you then." With that, Beowulf left the command room with a smile.
"Then we shall start making preparations for another dive. Rest up until then," Da Vinci nodded before leaving for the engine room to do just that.
With the next course of action settled, Olga moved to sit next to the quiet Ritsuka. He was clearly still deep in thought, trying to make sense of everything that just happened. After a bit of silence, though, "…I think… there's something you need to tell us, demon queen. A lot actually," Ritsuka turned to gaze straight into her eyes. He didn't sound hurt or accuse her of something heinous, all he wanted was answers.
"…Once we get back home. I would rather not tell this story twice." Olga agreed without any complaints. After what happened, they all deserve to know.
'Especially with how hectic things are going to get.' She thought grimly as the Shadow Border began to move, her eyes watching the shrinking sight of the battle between Another Zi-O II and Ivan the Terrible, the last thing she saw being Another Kuuga finally slaying the massive ice mammoth.
It was going to be a long… long day when they got back to Chaldea.
…Why do I feel like we just pulled a Godzilla 2014 when it comes to showing off giant kaiju fights off-screen?
Anywho, Another Zi-O II is here and clearly playing for keeps! Did we pull off his introduction properly into the world of Grand Order? What about Woz? Did his moment prove worthy of his character? Did we not IWAE enough? Do tell us your thoughts!
FB: So Chaldea will now learn the truth about Olga and her future self. Honestly though, we didn't really change much from the canon ending for LB1 if you think about it: nothing is left in the Lostbelt and Chaldea takes home an injured Kadoc! …Also Atalante Alter but that's a bonus… and the Lostbelt isn't totally gone yet. Oh well, that's going to be future Chaldea's problem now. At least Ritsuka doesn't have PTSD.
…Well, any new PTSD. Weird coming from me who literally has an emote called "Angst for the Angst God" in my server.
Until next time all!
