Beneath the Fantasy Tree in the Norse Lostbelt—
The mighty tree of illusion had finally fallen.
The threat of the Fire Giant was gone.
The queen's interference, too, had ceased.
The enormous tree that upheld the false mythology shattered under the combined assault of Mash and the Heroic Spirits, collapsing like a glass tower. It burst into countless points of light and scattered into the bright, polar-day sky.
With the Fantasy Tree gone, the reality that maintained this Lostbelt's existence also began to peel away.
Cracks opened in the sky.
The land itself began to blur—signs that the world was about to change shape.
"So this… is the end?"
Scáthach-Skadi stood before the ice palace that was gradually turning transparent, her purple eyes harboring a tension so faint one might almost miss it.
Even with that man's guarantee beforehand, as a queen who loved this land deeply, her heart had remained uneasy right up to this very moment.
"It is not over yet, Your Majesty."
The voice from the sky filled her with both awe and expectation.
The warship stripped away its optical camouflage and descended from the clouds like a steel god.
The main cannon at the prow was not loaded.
In its place was a massive ring-shaped device, glowing with an eerie blue light.
Steve's voice was amplified, carrying clearly to every corner.
"Reverse-Displacement Technology, activate."
"Target: Entire Norse Lostbelt."
"Coordinates locked: Sector 2, interior of Chaldea."
"Everyone—time to move!"
Bzz—!!!
A soft yet irresistibly powerful curtain of blue light cascaded down from the warship, instantly filling the entire field of view.
Within this luminous veil, the collapsing world seemed to freeze in place. Then—
As if lifted gently by an invisible hand—
A hundred villages, ten thousand humans, and all the giants and beasts together began to float.
And beyond that glowing screen of light, Skadi saw it.
She saw vast, fertile lands without endless blizzards. Lands without cruel laws mandating population culling.
She saw the Yaga building new homes upon the frozen earth of the Russian Lostbelt in the far north.
"They… actually did it…"
Skadi covered her mouth. Her eyes turned faintly red.
Even as a god, she could not suppress the overwhelming surge of joy and emotion that welled up inside her.
This was not destruction—it was rebirth.
"Farewell, friends of Chaldea."
As her body faded along with the world, in the final moment before transfer, the Ice Queen turned back toward Ritsuka and the others on the ground and gave them a smile warmer than any they had ever seen from her—a smile like the sunlight of a gentle spring day.
"And please… convey my thanks to that man."
"Tell him that Queen Skadi… is very satisfied with this ending."
A flash of light.
The Norse Lostbelt vanished completely.
All that remained was the familiar sight of Earth's surface—bleached white, cold and desolate.
…
"Phew… Even if I've seen it once before, no matter how many times I watch it, an operation that uproots an entire world is still insane."
Kadoc rubbed his arms against the cold wind, grumbling with a look that said "I'm used to it," even as he complained.
"That's just the Steve way!"
Mash looked utterly delighted. She put away her shield and turned to the Ritsuka at her side.
"Senpai, mission complete!"
"Yeah. You all did great."
Ritsuka nodded, then looked toward the very back of the group.
There, Ophelia stood alone in the snow.
She was still wearing her nun-like black dress.
The blindfold had been put back on. She looked out of place—and lost.
The Lostbelt was gone. Surtr had been destroyed.
The Fantasy Tree had been felled.
As the Crypter responsible for overseeing this Lostbelt, she had failed completely.
She had betrayed the expectations of the Alien God. More importantly… she felt too ashamed to even face the captain she had always respected so deeply—Kirschtaria Wodime.
"Um… Miss Ophelia?"
Ritsuka stepped forward and offered her a hand.
"…Are you going to kill me?"
Ophelia lifted her face and spoke in a voice as soft as falling snowflakes.
"Or are you going to take me back as a prisoner to interrogate me? Either is fine… I'm already…"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Ritsuka took her hand and squeezed. Ophelia stiffened at the unexpected warmth.
"You're coming home, of course. To Chaldea!"
"Eh? Back… to Chaldea?"
Ophelia froze as if she had just heard something unbelievable.
"But I'm a traitor from Team A, an enemy who tried to destroy all of human history…"
"That doesn't matter anymore!"
Before Ritsuka could answer, a pink "Anywhere Door" suddenly opened right in front of everyone.
Steve leaned half his body out of the doorway, a cup of steaming black tea in hand.
"Hey, you all done talking yet? Dinner's gonna get cold."
He glanced at Ophelia, the way one might look at a problem child who'd run away from home and just been found again.
"Don't worry about it, Ophelia."
"That gloomy guy Kadoc already joined us, so one more isn't going to make much of a difference."
"And…"
Steve jabbed a thumb at the Kadoc standing beside him.
"Look, this guy's living the high life now, isn't he? Not only does Da Vinci work him to the bone every day, Ritsuka also drags him along for Master battle training. A very fulfilling life, if I do say so myself."
"Hey! Steve! That's called prisoner abuse! And I haven't been enjoying myself at all!"
Kadoc immediately bristled, but when his gaze flicked over to Ophelia, he sighed and turned his face away.
"Well… this guy runs his mouth, but Chaldea is… definitely more humane than that cold, sterile conference room."
Kadoc scratched his head, his voice slightly muffled.
"And if you pity Wodime… the only way to make it up to him is by living, right? Once you're dead, nothing's left."
"Kadoc…"
Ophelia looked at her former colleague, then at the earnest Ritsuka and Mash, and finally at Steve—who seemed unserious but was anything but simple underneath.
Her resolve wavered.
Lord Kirschtaria's wish… If it was for the sake of these people, then maybe…
"O-okay."
At last, she bowed her head. Her voice still trembled, but the confusion was gone.
"If you're really willing to overlook what I've done… then I'd be honored… to join you."
"Wonderful!"
Mash cheered and rushed forward to hug her.
"Welcome back, Ophelia."
Ritsuka smiled.
"Yeah… I've come back."
…
Wandering Sea – New Chaldea Strategy Room.
After stepping through the Anywhere Door and teleporting in an instant (originally, Steve had planned to keep the act going—return to the battleship, fly back to the Wandering Sea, then open the door—but he decided that whole process was way too much of a hassle and dropped the theatrics entirely), the group went from frigid Northern Europe to the warm base of the Wandering Sea in the blink of an eye.
"Congratulations on your triumphant return, everyone!"
The new proprietor of the Goredolf café already had top-grade black tea and croissants prepared.
"This is your reward," he said, "for a bunch that seems to know nothing but fooling around."
But the broad grin threatening to spill off his face betrayed his true feelings.
"So this is… the new Chaldea?"
Ophelia, holding a cup of hot tea, sat somewhat stiffly in her chair and looked around at the lively, bustling room.
"That's right. It's only a temporary facility, but it's not a bad place to stay."
Steve leaned against the doorframe, watching the scene with a faint smile.
"And so, the Norse mythology arc comes to a perfect close."
He turned and looked out the window at the dark, imaginary sea stretching beyond. His eyes grew increasingly deep and distant.
"Next up… this should be the right one, yes?"
"There were a few hiccups along the way, but the real highlight is still ahead…"
His gaze seemed to pierce time and space, focusing on the massive shadow draped over the east.
…
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