Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After boring a hole several hundred meters across and a few kilometers deep, Vahn released a sigh into the surrounding vacuum. He had expected an almost instantaneous response, so, after twenty minutes had passed, he began to feel a little awkward. Though the Moon was 'technically' dead, as Crimson Moon had been killed by Zelretch, he still felt a little guilty about arbitrarily laying waste to its surface.Since he didn't know how deep the Moon Cell actually was, Vahn decided to save his Elemental Stars for the time being. Then, after having Artoria back away, made possible by her [Mana Burst] Skill, he extended his hand toward the surface of the Moon, his arm transforming into a muscular appendage covered in golden scales as he muttered, "Zhūquè, lend me your aid..." in a voice audible despite the fact they were in a vacuum.In response to his request, Vahn's arm swelled, vermillion flames breaking through the gaps between his scales as a massive octagonal magic circle expanded from his palm. It grew to more than 50m in diameter, appearing much like an eight trigrams formation with a massive void in the center. It was from this void that a fiery gateway opened, allowing a massive pheasant-like bird to, quite literally, erupt into existence amidst plumes of vermillion flames.Though the gateway was only 50m across, the bird that had emerged from within spread its wings to cover more than 300m, waves of flame following its every move as it's five-colored plumage danced gracefully despite the lack of gravity. Then, with a piercing cry that resonated with the surrounding space, it dove towards the surface of the moon, shifting into a meteoric form that blended together vermillion and emerald flames in an indescribably beautiful manner...Despite its movements appearing slow and graceful, Zhūquè impacted the surface of the Moon in an instant. This caused a large portion of the lunar surface, forming a perfect circle precisely 9km across, to sink inwards as the surrounding space was converted into a pure Yang Elemental Energy. This was, in many ways, similar to a Reality Marble, but, instead of creating an isolated space, it imprinted itself onto reality, much like Nero's Noble Phantasm or ORT's [Crystal Cavern of the Slaughter God].While it may seem to contradict his intention of avoiding further destruction, Vahn had unwavering trust in Zhūquè's control over flames. It only burned what it chose to burn, so, even if it burrowed all the way through the Moon, any structures would be left entirely untouched. The only downside was, it cost him a ridiculous amount of energy to manifest the Four Divine Beasts, leaving him nursing an arm that had turned into an appendage resembling a still-burning piece of charcoal...As she never liked seeing Vahn injured, Artoria gracefully floated over to his side, placing her hand against his blackened flesh to transfer some of her Magical Energy into his body. This did very little to ease the pain he was feeling, but, knowing she just wanted to help, Vahn managed a smile as they began to descend into the perfectly cylindrical tunnel Zhūquè had left in its wake.By the time they reached Zhūquè's actual position, it had come to a stop around 235km beneath the surface, floating soundlessly above a rainbow-hued membrane that, at a glance, appeared to be a massive crystal. What surprised them, even more, was the fact that this crystal was indiscernible to the 'Photonic Crystal Pillars' used to seal the Welsh Dragon, a material that had been instrumental to the development of all Spiritron related technologies...With its Master appearing, Zhūquè bowed its head low and, in a feminine voice that inspired a calm state of mind, stated, "I humbly request your forgiveness, Sovereign One. My power is not enough to influence this mysterious substance..."Vahn hadn't even thought to blame Zhūquè so he was actually a little surprised to hear 'her' demure plea. As a result, he adopting a calming countenance as he extended his hand to stroke the center of her fiery crest. This caused her to release the peculiar cooing sound only birds could manage, and, if not for the massive difference in their size, Vahn could easily imagine the massive bird affectionately nuzzling against the palm of his hand.After calming Zhūquè, Vahn allowed her to return to his body, filling him with an incredible amount of power and mending his wounds in an instant. His total reserves decreased while the Divine Beasts were summoned, so, while he liked to spend time with them, doing so in the 'real' world was still a little too taxing at his current level. Still, the fact his evolution allowed him to call upon them, at the expense of losing the ability to borrow their transformations, was something that always brought a smile to his face. He could still remember the time when Mordred's 'Guardian', King, first met Báihǔ, as, despite the fact one was a lion while the other was a lioness, she ended up submitting to him in an instant...With Zhūquè having cleared out a large area for them to explore, Vahn was able to conclude that the majority of the Moon, at least in their location, was one massive crystalline geode. His domain could probe upwards of thirteen kilometers in his base form, so, from what he could ascertain, this meant the true form of the Moon was hollowed geode that was approximately 3,000km in diameter. What most people believed to be the Moon was just a 235km layer of space residue that had built up over the course of 4.6 billion years, concealing a perfect sphere formed from Photonic Crystals. Since even a thumb-sized piece of the substance was enough to create an Artificial Intelligence on the level of Ark, it was a truly awe-inspiring discovery that, under different circumstances, would have left a deep impact on civilization...After marveling at the beautiful structure for several minutes, Vahn placed his palm against the warm surface, muttering, "Now, how are we supposed to get inside...?" to nobody in particular. His domain wasn't able to penetrate the crystal membrane, and, due to the nature of Photonic Crystals, even the most powerful Noble Phantasms would be hard-pressed to leave a single scratch on the surface. Any damage they did would be 'ignored' as a result of the quantum state of the material, which, in all but a few circumstances, would return to its 'default' state in an instant.Vahn was one of the few people that could actually damage Photonic Crystals, a benefit provided by his Source Energy, but, at least for the time being, he was unwilling to do so. He knew the Moon Cell was older than the Moon itself, so, even with the death of Crimson Moon, the system governing the massive supercomputer was still alive. It undoubtedly had an Ego of its own, and, due to his status as Type: Omega, Vahn knew it would obey his orders so long as he didn't direct it to violate its primary objective.Since he didn't want to leave a bad impression on the governing system of the Moon Cell, Vahn had to find something like an entrance. Fortunately, he knew such an entrance existed, as, in many of the materials he had obtained to further Da Vinci's research, such an entrance was generally found in the early 2030s to the late 2100s. The only problem with this was, no matter how much he had searched for details on the entrance, it was a 'very' closely guarded secret. Though the coordinates had to be stored somewhere, it was impossible to find them in any historical documentation, as, preceding the discovery of the Moon Cell, humanity is usually on the brink of extinction due to war.Without exception, the Moon Cell had always been discovered after mana had started to fade, and, in the hopes of securing their future, humanity began expanding into space. Prior to this, the Moon Cell remained in an idle state, observing the development of Gaia and closely record the actions of every entity that had ever existed on her surface. This meant there was a slight chance the entrance didn't exist, but, considering Archimedes and his team were able to get inside, Vahn knew there had to be an entrance 'somewhere'.After organizing his thoughts, Vahn turned to Artoria, mentally activating his comms as he said, "I don't want to damage the Photonic Crystals just yet. The Moon Cell will likely become one of the pillars that supports the Empire so we should avoid damaging it as much as possible. Even if it is able to repair itself, I imagine the system governing its maintenance wouldn't be too happy with us."Though she could understand Vahn's concerns, Artoria frowned inside of her helmet, asking, "Is this truly the wisest decision? The enemy may misinterpret your unwillingness to damage the Moon Cell as a sign they can freely hole themselves within. If they have a way to completely seal the entrance, leaving no traces, what will we do?"Knowing there was a considerable amount of truth behind Artoria's concerns, Vahn mulled over his options for a few minutes before nodding his head and saying, "You're right. There is a chance the entrance isn't in a fixed location so searching for it could ultimately prove futile. I guess Da Vinci is going to have a lot of Photonic Crystals to study in the near future..."Following his words, Vahn gestured for Artoria to give him a bit of space. Then, after taking a few deep 'breaths', despite the fact he was in a vacuum, he calmed his mind to the best of his ability. He had become increasingly proficient at clearing his thoughts in recent days, and, by paying attention to the Flow of Fate around him, he was able to strengthen the current that led to his desired mental state in the shortest period of time.After around twenty seconds of oppressive silence, Vahn's eyes opened to reveal golden irises that blazed like stars within the shadowy valley carved by Zhūquè. His body then began to swell up, his height rapidly exceeding eight meters before he began to take on a distinctly inhuman appearance. Large wings sprouted from his back, radiating an intense golden light from their leather membrane as resplendent golden scales sprouted across his entire body. By the time their light began to fade, he had grown to a height exceeding twelve meters and a length exceeding twenty. His wings were even larger, covering nearly thirty-five meters in length while, along his back, blade-like ridges ran down the length of his body, extending into a thick, glaive-like tail.With a draconic visage that inspired awe and reverence in any who bore witness to its glory, Vahn inspected his complete dragon transformation, basking in the indescribable feeling of power that radiated from the center of his chest. Each breath the drew caused the gaps between his abdominal plating to radiate intense golden light, and, if he inhaled deeply, Vahn felt like he would be able to release a powerful breath that could destroy anything in its wake.Since using his Dragon's Breath actually took a considerable amount of his reserves, Vahn ignored the urge to devastate his surroundings. Instead, he used his powerful front claws, set with four large talons and a thumb-like appendage, to begin tearing away at the Photonic Crystals below. They were extremely resistant, but, with a palpable amount of Source Energy radiating from his body, his intent to tear it apart overwrote their ability to instantaneously repair. Thus, with speed that could humble even the most advanced excavators, he tore away large chunks of the beautiful crystal, stowing them away in his Inventory as he quickly burrowed into the crystalline structure below...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Zhūquè, I choose you...!',That's a big ass crystal...','The descent of the Dragon God xD...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

While Vahn was busying himself with burrowing through the outer shell of the Moon Cell, the group of would-be Heroes had gathered around Archimedes in the room designated as Control Center 47, a deadpan expression on his face as he read the report issued by SE.RA.PH.Gathered behind Archimedes, a group of nineteen people had gathered, each with appearances that distinguished them amongst 'normal' people. Some wore outfits that represented specific periods in humans history while others, despite wearing 'normal' clothes, gave off monstrous, ethereal, or, even godly, vibes.Amongst the group, primarily comprised of females of various shapes and sizes, a handsome man wearing a suit of gaudy golden armor stood out. He had pupilless green eyes that refracted light in much the same way as emeralds, but, despite wearing an ornate crown atop his head, he gave off a slovenly and scornful aura as he droned, "Hooo...that man seems to be trying his best, no~? Tell me, Archimedes, why have you gathered us here~? Don't tell me you can't even handle a single intruder on your own~?"Without a single change in his expression, Archimedes continued to monitor the large display as he answered, "That 'man', as you call him, is capable of destroying Photonic Crystals with raw physical power. Even if you were to strike at it for a thousand years, you would not be able to leave so much as a single scratch upon the Moon Cell's surface. I would suggest you prepare yourself for the battle to come, as, amongst everyone here, you are the most at risk of being put to death as a result of the Emperor's nature..."Hearing Archimedes' retort, the man released a shrill laugh that carried undertones of incredulity and scorn before adopting a crooked leer and shouting, "Do you think I'm afraid of some overgrown lizard!? It's good that his scales are made of gold because I could use a new pair of greaves...!!"This time, instead of Archimedes responding, it was Musashi who stated, "Shut up, Jason. You are the most useless person in our entire group. I'm not in the mood to give you another beat down so keep your mouth shut."Jason's expression immediately darkened when he heard Musashi's words, but, as she had always made good on her promises, he could only grind his teeth in frustration. Fortunately, he wasn't left to suffer complete indignation, as, in response to Musashi's words, two women stepped out. The first had doll-like features, with porcelain-white skin, lilac hair, and a petite frame. As for the second, she had distinctly eastern features, including jade-like skin, silky black hair, pale-blue, almond-shaped eyes, and, most notably, a willowy figure clad in a silken, cheongsam, robe.Being the first to step out, the lilac-haired girl shouted, "Musashi! I won't allow you to insult Jason as you please!" while brandishing a staff that was longer than she was tall. As for the cheongsam-clad woman, appearing marginally older than her counterpart, she kept her calm and composed look on her face as she politely stated, "Forgive me, Lady Musashi, but, I believe your actions are uncalled for. Now is the time when we should be uniting our strength to repel our foes, not sewing conflict and discord amongst ourselves."Despite the woman's demure and polite countenance, Musashi's eyes briefly flicked to the bladed fan tightly clenched in her hands. She could also sense magical energy flowing through the silken scarf floating gracefully behind the woman, knowing it could move with lightning speed to bind her foes.Never one to shy away from 'most' battles, Musashi adopted a battle-hungry expression on her face, placing her palm against the hilt of her katana as she muttered, "Behold, a true hero. Witness how he cowers behind women with a snide smile on his face, even as his balls shrivel into his stomach~."Jason's face paled in response to Musashi's taunting, but, before he could shout out in his defense, a ripple passed through the entire room, encompassing them all. In the next moment, he, along with everyone else, found themselves in some kind of plaza. The most concerning part, however, wasn't the plaza itself, but, high in the 'sky', a nebula of swirling energy could be seen amidst a vast expanse of zeros and ones.Preceding any questions, Archimedes, now floating in the air before the group, stated, "If you are so eager to do battle, take it out on the Emperor and his forces. This is a digitalized Reality Marble that has been created by the Moon Cell itself. Originally, I had wanted to delay things until the end of this year, but, given the circumstances, we have no choice but to fight. If possible, try and convince that madman that we're taking his previous warning seriously. The more time you can buy, the better the chances of success."Without explaining further, Archimedes tapped on a small window that had appeared in thin air, his figure, along with several others, vanishing in an instant. This left a group of fifteen behind, including the vast majority of Heroic Spirits, Musashi, and Caenis. As a result, Jason immediately tried to take charge of the situation, but, before he could open his mouth, Shirou preempted him by saying, "I will go and meet with the Emperor alongside Musashi. There is a chance we will be able to avoid a fight, but, in preparation for negotiations breaking down, each of you should make your own preparations. I'm certain Archimedes has constructed this Reality Marble in a way that is beneficial to our side so use this as an opportunity to familiarize yourself with it."Immediately following Shirou's words, Jason adopted an incredulous sneer as he droned, "Eeeeeh!? Does anyone else hear a dog barking~!?" Then, without waiting for a response, he began to laugh in a cackling manner before pulling along the doll-like girl and adding, "Come on, girls. We don't have to listen to his mongrel's prattlings. Let's find a nice and isolated place to cut loose and have some fun. Let that idiot go and die on the front lines like the dog he is, ahahahaha-grk...!"Just as Jason began to walk away, Musashi's figure vanished from view, reappearing behind him in an instant and whacking the back of his head with her sheath. This caused Jason to bite his tongue hard enough to draw blood before he collapsed onto the ground, his eyes rolled back as spittle and froth leaked from his mouth.The fall of Jason caused the two women who had previously defended him to each exclaim, but, by the time they turned to face Musashi, she, alongside many of the others, had already vanished. Thus, with bitter expressions on their faces, they helped each other shoulder the unconscious Jason before carrying him off to 'safety'...---Though he had expected some kind of response from the enemy side, Vahn hadn't anticipated that, after digging through nearly three kilometers worth of Photonic Crystals, he would suddenly be cast into a seemingly infinite expanse of space just as his claws found purchase. The strangest part wasn't that he had entered what appeared to be a Reality Marble, but, based on what he could tell, it gave off the same impression as the Virtual World. The primary difference between was, instead of being a virtual avatar, Vahn could feel that he was in his normal, draconic, body...Since there was nothing like gravity, nor any visible landmarks to guide him, Vahn just floated within this peculiar space for several minutes. It wasn't until flashes of light began to illuminate around him that he began to move again. This wasn't the result of his choice, however, but the 'restrictions' that had suddenly been placed on him. As a result, he found himself oriented towards the direction that now became the ground, while, numbering in the thousands, strange automatons comprised of red and black material began to manifest around him.Without any prompting, these vaguely humanoid automatons began charging at him, many using their pointed appendages to strike at the golden scales on his body while others, shaped like swords, shields, and even war hammers began to impact against his hide without causing any damage. While this was going on, Vahn silently observed them, his golden eyes blazing with understanding as he saw passed the vertices making up their form, peering directly at the complex network of code that governed their behavior.Vahn could even see through magical formations formed by higher-tiered beings so it took very little effort for him to interpret the runic coding that drove the automaton's logic. As a result, he was able to understand their function, and, after a few minutes, he expanded his domain, stating, "Stop." in a firm tone. In response, the seemingly mindless automatons all froze in place, transitioning from red to a gentle blue as he reverted back to his human form.Though it would take much longer to gain a complete understanding of the space he had entered, Vahn was about to ascertain that he was in a Virtual Reality Marble created by the Moon Cell. Each of the automatons surrounding him were known as Anti-Viral Attack Programs, designed with the sole purpose of expelling and deleting foreign entities. Unfortunately, while their attacks should even be effective against Gods, they were virtually powerless against him due to his past experiences within the Virtual World.If it were the same as Da Vinci's system, the Moon Cell should have been able to eject him whenever it pleased, but, from what he could tell, there was an underlying logic that prevented this from being the case. It was almost like the Moon Cell invited things into it, allowing them to run rampant within a simulated environment entirely under the governance of the system.What confused and intrigued Vahn was the fact that, despite clearly recognizing him as an invasive element, the Moon Cell seemed to 'obey' the influence of external forces. Its structure seemed to change in relation to the 'expectations' of those within, emulating an environment that allowed them to express their power with fewer restrictions. As a result, just by standing in one spot for a few short minutes, the floor, which had previously been a panel of solidified blue light, now became a series of marbled tiles while, around him, the Ivory Castle slowly manifested into existence...While he was curious about the true nature of the Moon Cell, Vahn momentarily discarded wayward thoughts, turning his attention to the peculiar arrangement of ones and zeroes above as he stated, "I invoke my authority as Type: Omega. Whoever is in charge of the Moon Cell, appear before me. Also, block any and all forms of observation involving secondary and tertiary sources. Nothing I say or do is to be disclosed to anyone but the primary Administrator without my direct permission."Though he didn't know how the Moon Cell was structured, Vahn knew that everything within had to be monitored by the governing system. Thus, even without establishing direct contact with the entity in charge, it should still be able to hear and understand his orders.Immediately following his command, Vahn felt a ripple pass through the surrounding virtual space, much like a Bounded Field being activated. At the same time, the feeling of being watched, which had been present from the moment he was pulled inside the virtual space, faded away. Then, after a few seconds had passed, one of the nearby automatons transitioned from blue to amethyst, its form changing rapidly into something vaguely humanoid, albeit with wing-like protrusions and a large metallic disc hovering above its head.Unlike the previous automatons, Vahn was unable to see through the structure of the entity before him, so, while not necessarily the case, it gave off the impression of a Tier 5 being. Then, in response to his previous words, it stated in a synthetic voice, "Input accepted. Elevating entity, Vahn Aldrnari Mason to the position of Chief Administrator. Do you wish to be transferred to the Primary Terminal or the Main Core?"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The golden cuck appears','Furiously hits for 0 damage...','Top 3 anime betrayal moment')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

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~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1432: Burrow