Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After listening to Musashi recount the events of the preceding days, Archimedes had a grim expression on his face. He didn't consider himself an emotional person, often finding it one of the principal weaknesses of the human race, but, at this moment, he couldn't help but feel indignant. If Musashi's words were true, it meant they had very little time to act, even though time was one of the things they should have had a surplus of...

While Archimedes was still hanging his head, an expression of deep thought visible on his face, Shirou took the liberty to interrupt, saying, "If the Emperor really does know the location of our Headquarters, we should take his previous warnings into consideration. The amount of power he has at his disposal makes it difficult to fight defensively. Most of us lack the means to fight in a vacuum so we need to begin making preparations to take the fight to him."

Immediately following Shirou's words, Musashi nodded her head, adding, "Going by his words, it seems like the Emperor has been tolerating our group specifically because we're 'Heroes'. Now, it feels like he is testing us...if we fail to meet his expectations, I get the feeling things won't end well for our group..."

Hearing the two's remarks, Archimedes showed a dull expression before shaking his head and saying, "This is likely just an effort on their part to get us to expose ourselves. The fact they were led around by Lovecraft is evidence enough to discredit the possibility the Emperor is aware of our location. Even if he does arrive, I have already prepared countermeasures against anything they can throw at us. Unless he intends to destroy the entire moon, we'll be able to trap both him and allies without difficulty..."

Having been the one to fight against Vahn, Musashi didn't take kindly to the fact Archimedes so easily dismissed her warning. She showed a rare frown, her tone harsh as she stated, "Listen here you arrogant asshole! If you keep underestimating that man, we're all going to get killed! None of our plans have accomplished anything beyond pissing him off. If your next plan fails, how many of us will lose their lives as a result of your negligence!?"

The entire time Musashi was shouting, Archimedes just stared back at her with the same dull look on his face. This was one of the things he hated the most about people, and, though Musashi was not a 'human', the fact she emulated their emotions made her weak, at least mentally. Even if he used logic and reasoning to try and convince her, she wouldn't actually listen as, much like other humans that acted based on their emotions, she had already convinced herself that she was right.

Instead of arguing, Archimedes just typed a few commands into the terminal before him. At the same time, the mirror-like partition separating them turned into a display, allowing Musashi and Shirou to read the information presented. It was only when they started reading that Archimedes explained, "Based on the information you provided, we were able to gain some insight into the true identity of the entity calling himself Vahn Mason..."

Seeing the data on display, Shirou's face formed into a frown as he muttered, "Yellow Emperor Huangdi...so he is some kind of Dragon God?"

In response to Shirou's question, Archimedes stated, "The Moon Cell has existed for more than 4.6 billion years. It has observed the Earth since it was nothing more than a cloud of space debris. In its records, the entirety of human history, including the feats of every Hero that has ever existed, can be found. In all of these records, the existence of Vahn Aldrnari Mason cannot be found...it is as if he appeared, quite literally, out of nowhere."

Hearing Archimedes' explanation, Musashi showed a troubled expression, asking, "Does that mean he is like me...?" At the same time, she recalled the fact that Vahn had openly admitted to being from a different world, something she had also conveyed to Archimedes while explaining what had transpired since the battle.

Archimedes just shrugged in response to Musashi's question, answering, "I can't know for certain without analyzing the person in question. What I can say with some certainty, however, is that his existence has fundamentally changed since the time he first emerged in Fuyuki City, Japan. Since then, he went from being a marginally powerful person to a literal God over the course of a short few months. Even more nonsensical is the fact that the Moon Cell only has limited information on the Emperor and the Empire he has founded...almost as if there is something directly interfering."

Following his words, Archimedes changed the display to show a view of Avalon from a bird's eye view. Then, after typing in a few commands, several filters overlapped the image until, much to the surprise of Shirou and Musashi, a massive serpentine creature appeared above the island.

Anticipating their questions, Archimedes continued to type away on his terminal while explaining, "This creature is another anomaly within the current time axis. There is no mention of its existence in any of the Moon Cell's records and, if not for the interference it causes in scans, discovering it would have been impossible. The truly troubling thing is, even though I am able to identify its size and proportions, there is no method to determine exactly what it is... almost like it doesn't exist..."

Though he had never underestimated the Empire, Shirou paled slightly after seeing the creature of impossible proportions. Before he could ask any questions, however, Archimedes went on to add, "From what I have been able to determine, there is a high probability that the Emperor used the Greater Grail to cement himself as something akin to a lynchpin of reality. It was only after the conclusion of the Holy Grail War that his power began to increase beyond comprehension. Worse still is the fact that, by unknown means, he seems to have gained access to the Throne of Heroes, potentially using a route linked to the Root itself..."

The more Archimedes explained, the louder the alarm bells in Shirou's and Musashi's minds. They had already known the Emperor acted a Temporal Singularity, but, seeing how quickly his power and influence had spread, courtesy of the graphics provided by Archimedes, it felt like the time to act had already come and gone. Despite this, neither gave up; instead, their convictions had only strengthened, resulting in Shirou stating, "He must be stopped. Treating the world like it is some kind of sandbox is inexcusable."

Though he didn't share Shirou's bravado, Archimedes nodded his head in approval, saying, "That is the entire reason you were summoned. Even if our methods aren't the kindest, they are nothing compared to the damage caused by the Emperor. We may have to get our hands dirty, but, if left to his own devices, the Emperor will continue to act with impunity, ruining billions of lives without remorse. Tell me, Musashi, do you really think we can trust the word of someone like that...?"

Hearing Archimedes' question, Musashi's resolute looked dissolved into a conflicted expression as, despite how 'extreme' his actions were, she didn't get the impression Vahn was evil. Even if his words had been an attempt to deceive them, his actions hadn't exactly been roundabout. He was the type that seemed to throw himself into conflict, facing enemies directly rather than relying on subterfuge and deceit. He also seemed to genuinely care about the people he wanted to protect, rather than treating them like tools to further his agenda...

Seeing Musashi's conflicted look, Archimedes had to fight hard to prevent a sigh from escaping his lips. Part of him even wanted to shout at her for being so emotional, but, recognizing this was a contradiction of everything he stood for, he forced himself to remain calm.

Instead of focusing on Musashi, Archimedes turned his attention to Shirou, who, despite giving off an aura of skepticism, seemed convinced. This made things a lot easier, as, for reasons that defied common sense, Shirou had become one of the central figures in their resistance. He had a way of drawing people to him, and, though he was remiss to admit it, Archimedes needed the idealistic man to control some of the more troublesome members of their group.

Without waiting for Musashi to respond to his previous question, Archimedes decided to issue a small compromise, saying, "I will take the information you provided into consideration. There is a small probability that the Emperor was telling the truth, so, in an effort to ascertain the veracity of his words, we will establish contact. Based on your account, he won't take drastic action against us until we do something he considers 'underhanded'. Thus, we will reach out to the Empire and, so long as they do not demand we expose ourselves, I see no reason not to take advantage of his proposal..."

As Archimedes rarely changed his mind, Musashi and Shirou were left momentarily at a loss for words. This caused the shaggy-haired inventor to roll his eyes before rising to his feet, releasing a long yawn, and saying, "I'll entrust the matter of sending a message to you, Assassin Shirou. As for you, Musashi...return to control center forty-seven when you get out of Quarantine. If the Emperor does know the location of the Moon Cell, we'll need to take appropriate measures. I'm sure you'd like the chance to get your revenge so I'll need your assis-"

Before Archimedes could finish his words, a small tremor could be felt by everyone present. In the next moment, the fluorescent lighting transitioned from a vibrant white to a cautionary red . At the same time, the walls began displaying red, blue, and green arrows. These, in order, indicated the location of enemy forces, injured allies, and medical stations, respectively.

Though not 'entirely' unexpected, Archimedes' expression hardened as he muttered, "It would seem we have company..." before turning around and addressing the air on his way out of the room, saying, "SE.RA.PH., cancel override quarantine protocols and direct all pertinent personnel to control center forty-seven. Begin preparations for the activation of Automaton on my order..."

---

Unaware of what was going on inside, Vahn was floating above the surface of the Moon with a slight frown on his face. Though he had the ability to locate Musashi and Caenis using the Strings of Fate, the Moon was still massive. It had a diameter exceeding 3,400km, and, while only a fourth the size of Gaia, it wasn't something he could explore in a short period of time. This left him with the option of burrowing into the Moon directly, or, as he was currently doing, striking the surface with enough force to alert those hiding within to his presence...

After waiting for a full minute, Vahn pulled out three golf-ball-sized Elemental Stars, releasing them toward the surface of the Moon. This caused Artoria, who had been floating next to him, her face masked by a rather ornate helmet, to say, "Perhaps they wish to feign ignorance...cowards..." in a rather icy tone.

Though Artoria couldn't breathe in space, she would still be able to survive indefinitely due to her unique constitution and infinite mana reserves. Her main reason for wearing a helmet was due to the pressure differential, and, while it might not lead to death, suffocating wasn't exactly pleasant. It also allowed her to communicate directly with Vahn, so, contrary to her belief that a true warrior always showed their face, Artoria, temporarily, had her's concealed.

In response to his Empress' words, Vahn just shrugged dismissively as the Elemental Stars, having reached critical mass, erupted in massive plumes of destructive energy. He intended to gradually increase his output with each round, starting from one and stopping only when someone came to stop him. If they wanted to pretend they weren't inside, he could continue making a larger hole in the Moon, drilling through to the core if necessary...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Moon Cell is worse than Big Brother','Archimedes' glib tongue','Hello? House Keeping~!')

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