Culmination

There was much to do in the weeks following the tournament's closure. Some of Gria's lost morale had been restored by a display of martial competency from the Three Heroes, but circuses did not fill the people's stomachs, nor did they tackle any of the city's more pressing domestic issues. The evacuee camp was a shanty in all but name, draining the nation's stockpiles while its dwellers were left without employment.

King Granda sought to rectify the matter with the construction of a castle town beyond the city's moat, but such an undertaking wouldn't bear fruit for years. Dorma would eventually present a solution to the problem, proposing that Gria's powerful court sorcerers be lectured on the large-scale applications of transmutation magic. With access to the talents and reagents of Fusala, she argued, it would be possible for homes and walls to be constructed in a matter of days.

Many of the sorcerers in question, who believed that their noble livelihoods were being infringed upon, opposed the idea with intense fervour. They were spellcasters, not labourers--and their skills were best put to use anywhere else. Of course, when pressed as to what struggling sector of the city they would fare much better in, few legitimate answers could be collected. At the behest of King Granda, then, they would spend the better part of each working day seeing to the construction of the castle town.

Sir Lotte's feverish research into the application of Demon Flesh as a magical medium arrived at a breakthrough--much to the King's dismay. Crystals of various focal strengths were consistently able to syphon magical particles from samples of Tiamat's flesh, allowing even those completely clueless in the magical arts to utilise sorcery in their daily lives. With Witilla's consent, the castle's alchemy lab began outputting a steady stream of wind and ice-infused crystals with a variety of domestic applications. The former could be used to increase the efficiency of what few mills remained outside of the city, and the latter to freeze cellars storing vital perishables.

With the advent of Fleecia and Khazman's total support in the war effort came newfound trade and opportunities to replenish Tor's dwindling treasury. Detachments of soldiers from the Anti-Demon Leagues were sent to operate alongside scouts in the countryside to forecast the appearance of Demonic hordes, occasionally outfitted with Fusala's anti-matter bombs to provide them with a fighting chance at eliminating any threats themselves.

The Homunculus' alchemical efforts were also crucial to improving the city's new metallurgical techniques. News of the lauded 'steel' which had proven far more effective at harming Demons than simple iron and bronze spread across the world like wildfire, with neighbouring countries offering inflated prices to outbid one-another, hoping to secure even a few crates of the alloy. Soldiers arriving from both Fleecia and Khazman who had proved themselves capable enough for the Anti-Demon Leagues were some of the first to benefit from the boon of steel weapons and armour.

Gria's barracks ballooned with the appearance of so many warriors, and plans were soon drafted to retake portions of the countryside within Tor's borders, aiming to increase the sphere of influence humanity could operate within. It came as no surprise to anyone that Shilahi--who had proven herself a capable leader of men, was chosen by King Granda to spearhead such expeditions.

Witilla was an odd case. Her importance to humanity's success couldn't be understated, and yet, like Manyu, it was necessary that her origins be kept a secret from Gria's citizens. She had already garnered much attention through her participation in the tournament, and so her requests to be included in military operations were rejected at first. That was, until the dawn of her third week as an ally to humanity.

"Take a look at this report." Barion requested succinctly. The scroll he placed on the table was scribbled hastily with terrible handwriting, "Emitters have been spotted making the journey through the northern mountain passes, escorted by hundreds of other Demons."

"When was this report written?" Dorma asked.

"Last week, so it's likely they've already made some headway--operating under the assumption that they intend to march on Gria." He answered, "Emitters are too dangerous for average soldiers to fight. The risk of Mu'un contamination is simply too high."

"Mu'un…" Witilla repeated.

"Fusala, Lotte and Yula have made some assumptions on the true nature of Mu'un, but it's difficult to understand completely. I was hoping you would be able to explain it to us, Witilla."

"Of course." She nodded, "Mu'un is… a kind of emission, to put it simply. It may be helpful to compare it to magic, but Mu'un--or, to use its correct name, ionising radiation, is a completely natural phenomena, albeit one exploited by Black Luna."

"Ionising Radiation?"

"Y-Yes…" She confirmed, "It's… well, understanding it completely requires one to know a great many things. It would… be for the best if I explained it to Fusala later on."

"Is there any way to stop it?"

"Especially dense elements…" Witilla answered, "Lead, or tungsten… walls created from those will act as a shield, but that's easier said than done."

"Then our only current solution is to kill Emitters before they can make use of it." Barion resolved, "Again, easier said than done, but they're almost completely defenceless compared to other Demons. Would it be possible to use Mu'un--sorry, ionising radiation, to our advantage? We still have the metallic core taken from the Emitter we defeated a month ago."

"Yes… powerful radiation could induce sickness or even death in Demons if their bodies are exposed to it in large concentrations. That's why Emitters only attack in short bursts."

"-Not to mention, Lotte's crystals will allow our soldiers to use magic as effectively as any sorcerer. Our magical bombardments will be even more powerful from now on." Dorma intervened, "Attacking Demons from a distance appears to be the most sensible choice with the knowledge we currently have."

"Barrel Demons still pose a threat, however…" Barion considered, "And steel won't stop those beams. They simply disintegrate anyone they touch. We can avoid casualties by adopting loose formations, but that's only so effective…"

"Um…" Witilla began yet again, "Laser-Class Angels… the ones you call 'Barrel Demons'... they use Worm Nanites to power their beams. An E.M.P. could be used to disable their offensive abilities."

"L-Laser-Class… Nanites?" Barion blinked, "I'm sorry, but what are you trying to say, Witilla?"

"Worm Nanites… or as you call them, Magical Particles." She elaborated, "They, too, are a creation of the Caretakers. They, alongside the terraforming salvos, were introduced to this world some 900,000,000 years ago."

"W-What…?"" Dorma stammered out, "Nine-hundred million years… the world couldn't possibly be that old, could it?"

"Witilla…" Barion paused, "Do you mean to imply… that Black Luna--these 'Caretakers', played a role in developing our society?"

"It goes much deeper than that, I'm afraid…" She answered, "If it wasn't for them… 'life' as you understand it wouldn't exist on this planet. The original 'Humanity' from beyond the stars; the creators of Black Luna, were responsible for implanting this world with life to begin with."

"A true God…" He muttered, "For what purpose?"

"That's beyond my access level…"

"Ah… that boils my blood just thinking about it!" Barion slammed a hand against the table, "Our suffering… the destructors of our history--all of them, artificial beasts--slaves to a grand scheme! What could possibly justify this hellish cycle!?"

"Nations rise from the ashes of the previous age, and are inevitably destroyed by the next. The corpses of the fallen serve to create the next generation of Demonkind, and the cycle continues unerringly… but to what end?" Dorma placed a thumb to her lower lip, "Are we truly the playthings of some celestial empire? Subjects in a fathomless experiment?"

"Witilla-" Barion sighed, "Thank you for being truthful with us, but please don't reveal this information to anyone else. A truth like that could reverse the momentum we've worked so hard to achieve."

"Of course." The girl nodded, "But, how do we intend to stall the creation of Demons? Even as we speak, more of them are being synthesised from the bodies of the dead…"

"The subterranean chambers." He answered, "They're… facilities for birthing Demons. If we can devise some method of detecting them, and a weapon powerful enough to destroy them, it's possible that we could completely eradicate the presence of Demons in specific regions. Thankfully, I've had Fusala focusing on this exact strategy as of late. Why don't we pay her a visit and see how her research is coming along?"

…

..

.

Gria had not only seen a surge in foreign military aid, but also support from the more scholarly sides of Khazmani and Fleecian cultures. The Lunar Dominion had always been renowned for its exceptional devotion to the scientific disciplines--alchemy chiefly of all. But their advancements in the understanding of non-magical surgery as well as insights into the budding field of microbiology had allowed them to stand at the forefront of technology when compared to the rest of the world.

The castle's alchemy lab was the same as ever--uncomfortably pungent and warm. Moreso with the tremendous volume of researchers flowing in and out of the much-too-small room. As ever, Fusala was occupied singularly with her experiments even as Barion, Dorma and Witilla wandered in.

"Oh, if it isn't you three." Sir Lotte greeted, having been attending to his own research in the room, "To what do we owe the honour?"

"We're interested in seeing how the Anti-Demon weapons are proceeding, is all." Dorma replied, "I presume the production of magical crystals is proceeding smoothly as well?"

"Better than we ever hoped." He answered, "The demand for domestic spellcasting is reaching a boiling point. Thanks in no small part to Witilla's generous donations. Why, if we had samples of Leviathan's or--Goddess forbid, Atroma's flesh, the applications of these crystals would be astounding in their numeracy."

"At least you 've found some way to excuse yourself from the construction project."

"Oh, yes. Yula wasn't too happy about that, let me tell you." Lotte cleared his throat, "Still, it's really for the best, isn't it? The court sorcerers have had enough time to loiter around while maintaining the Gate between here and Aelf'ahlnohma. It's about time they were put to use."

"Is Fusala's weapon ready yet?" Barion asked.

"You had better ask her that yourself. I can't make sense of it, personally."

While Dorma and Witilla remained to discuss the subject of magic, Barion wandered over to Fusala, who was finally enlightened to his presence as he drew close, "...Hello, Barion."

"Fusala. I think you may already know what I'm about to ask."

"The experimental weapon designed to level Demonic facilities is ready, yes." She inferred, "Utilising a method by which magical particles may be overloaded with potential energy, it's possible to create a bomb with the kind of violent exothermic reaction necessary to destroy such a large and durable target."

"Will it work?"

"I would be surprised if it did not." She answered, "The largest problem during initial testing of the weapon was miniaturising its design. We were successful in creating a hand-thrown bomb, but its volatile nature has forced me to store it within a pocket dimension."

"You mean to say we can't use it?"

"No." She tilted her head, "It may be wise to exercise caution when carrying it, however."

"If we can destroy the facility beneath Kahrein-Du'em, it will be a huge step forward." Barion continued, "I'd like to test it out as soon as possible."

"Some tact may be required to deploy it in a manner that does not risk grievous harm." Fusala warned, "Sir Lotte has proposed that whoever throws it should immediately escape through a Gate."

"Just how powerful is it?"

"It would not be an exaggeration to claim that it is the most powerful weapon ever created by our combined civilisations." She reported, "Naturally, it is also difficult to fabricate, requiring both rare reagents and extensive alchemical knowledge."

"-So don't waste it. I understand."

"If you plan to depart immediately, I will retrieve it in just a moment."

"You don't think I'll be telling anyone else to do it?"

"I believe you are the only man with enough courage to attempt such a task." She replied, "Whether that makes you a fool or a genius will be decided by this experiment's outcome."