Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 14 - Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Trails in the Sky 

Quartierlatin County, ruins 

This happened some time before Altimia’s and Claudiah’s duel began. 

“The standards don’t match,” a man wearing shaded goggles groaned. 

The man’s name was Blue Screen. He was one of the few Altarian Masters who had the High Engineer and High Mechanic jobs, and he was hard at work completing quests here within this SMPS production plant within the ruins near Quartierlatin. 

One of the quests was to produce more SMPS, but he had entrusted that to tian technicians he had trained a bit. 

He was groaning because of the most difficult quest he had. 

Placed on the work platform ahead of him, there was something reminiscent of a horse — one of the five Prism Steeds. 

This particular steed had been broken in the previous war. 

His remains had been left untouched for a long time, but once the SMPS production plant was discovered, some had suggested that he could be repaired using the relevant facilities. 

The steed had since been moved here, and the few technicians Altar had — Blue Screen being foremost among them — were hard at work restoring him. 

“So, how’s it going?” 

“Still about 80% done. There’s ways in which this thing completely deviates from the SMPS standards.” 

Blue Screen was joined by Dum-Dum, his friend and the leader of their clan, Rising Sun. In his hands were containers of drinking water. 

“Also, we already did some repairs using mass-production unit parts, so it already won’t be as good as it used to be. It’ll be like... 80% as good, at best.” 

Mid-repair, Prism Steed’s appearance was different than it had been before he was broken. 

The most notable change was the color. He used to be all gold, but since he had been repaired using SMPS parts, he was now steel-colored in places. 

“So that’s the situation, huh?” 

“Well, my Embryo’s machine-related, technically, but it specs in stopping machines. No matter how hard I try, I can’t do as good a job as the Triangle of Wisdom guys who got ones that’re all about making machines.” 

Triangle of Wisdom was a crafting clan that boasted many members who had knowledge of machines from real life. 

Due to this, they had a number of members who had Embryos that could be used for machine production. 

“I see, I see... By the way, this thing’s worth a real fortune, you know.” 

“Dude, it’s a national treasure. I don’t wanna follow in the footsteps of the dumbass who stole some Caldinian treasure only to drop it.” 

There were several cases where Masters had stolen national treasures, and that particular incident was a well-known failure. The person had not only dropped the stolen treasure, but also got on every wanted list for doing so. It was downright comedic. 

The criminal’s name, incidentally, was Gerbera, and she was now moping in the gaol. 

“But man, Dendro sure is somethin’. It’s this kinda swords-and-fireballs magic fantasy land, but it’s also got this sci-fi shit too.” 

“Hm...” 

“What’s up, Blue?” 

“About that... You know how this was made by some ‘Grand Artificer Flagman’ from the pre-ancient civ?” 

“Yeah. That’s what it says when I use Identification on it.” 

“That guy made way too much.” 

“...Whaddya mean?” Dum-Dum said while tilting his head. 

Blue Screen himself sounded quizzical as he continued “This ruin had records of the past, including some data about the history of the pre-ancient civ. Among them was uh... sort of a timeline for tech.” 

“What about it?” 

“As I read it, I realized that pretty much everything we Masters find in ruins that makes us go ‘whoa’ — Flagman was behind all of it.” 

“Hm...?” 

“There’s tons of tech he wasn’t directly involved in, but even those things have something that can be traced back to him. Besides that, there is tech that he didn’t touch, but it’s all low-quality.” 

“So...?” 

“That means the pre-ancient civilization wasn’t an advanced civ, but a civ that Flagman made advanced. Edison, Tesla, Bell... he did the work of many geniuses all by himself.” 

“...Man, what is it with Dendro and over-the-top NPCs?” Dum-Dum thought as he remembered what he heard of The Era of the Peerless Three. “I can’t tell if it’s really well thought out or if they’re just making it all up as they go along.” 

Blue Screen then... 

“...But it’s not like you can’t do what Flagman did.” 

...Went on to basically deny what he had just said. 

“Huh? There’s no way anybody could start a tech revolution that insane.” 

“Listen, the reason his tech revolution seems that insane is that—” Before he could present his hypothesis to Dum-Dum, a third voice reached their ears. 

“Everyone! There’s an emergency!” one of the technicians shouted as he opened the door. “We were just informed that negotiations at the Old Lunnings Duchy have broken down! Her Majesty Altimia and the Masters under her command are now fighting Dryfe’s forces.” 

The officials accompanying Altimia had sent out the message, and it had now finally reached here. 

The news made Dum-Dum furrow his brow. 

“Whoa now, they’re not gonna invade through Quartierlatin, are they?” Quartierlatin bordered Dryfe, so there was indeed a chance that they would attack that way. The quest income here was good, and both Dum-Dum and Blue Screen were planning on growing their clan soon, so they didn’t like that scenario one bit. 

What now? Dum-Dum thought. If it comes to that, should we loot this treasure and some SMPS? Don’t think anyone’d notice us during an invasion. 

As such outrageous thoughts were passing through Dum-Dum’s head... 

“...Huh?” 

...Blue Screen was taken aback by a certain change before him. 

“What’s wrong...? Hmm?!” Dum-Dum followed his friend’s gaze and noticed it as well. 

The Prism Steed on the work platform had stood up. 

It had been completely deactivated until now, but it was actually moving. 

This wasn’t the only change, either. The materials they’d left near the Prism Steed while repairing it were floating in the air around him. 

This is... magnetism? Oh yeah... I was told that this one’s lightning-element... It specializes in controlling electricity and magnetism. 

The Prism Steed then went on to blast the floating parts with immense electricity from within his body. 

The production plant was drowned in blinding light, but Blue Screen’s shaded goggles allowed him to see exactly what was happening. 

“Plasma cutting and spark machining... Is it re-constructing the parts to produce what’s missing by itself? And machining using its own electricity?” 

Within the blinding light, the material slowly began to change shape, assuming forms that fit perfectly into place. The Prism Steed had completely overcome the standardization problem that had had Blue Screen stumped. 

The parts then gathered around the Prism Steed and joined with it. 

Once the work was done, there was a complete — albeit multi-colored — Prism Steed standing there. 

The sight had struck Blue Screen speechless. 

The Prism Steed faced him... and gave him a slight nod of the head. It was as though he was thanking the engineer for restoring him to the point where he could move on his own. 

A moment later, the Prism Steed looked up and released another burst of electricity. 

The machinery in the facility reacted to the electromagnetic waves and opened up the retractable ceiling. 

With that, the Prism Steed left, leaving behind only a trail of golden light and the still-open roof. 

The Rising Sun members and the technicians were completely dumbfounded by what had just happened. 

Eventually, Blue Screen asked, “...Am I responsible for this?” 

“Let’s give an honest explanation. Given what just happened, you might not get any flak for it.” 

Altar-Dryfe border, sky 

Caught in gravity’s inexorable grip, Altimia plummeted towards the surface. 

The one thing dominating her thoughts was Ray’s current state. If Silver had truly vanished because Ray had received the death penalty, then Behemot had likely already turned the surface into a barren wasteland. 

However, Altimia couldn’t believe that to be the case. 

Ray would never just die for nothing...! She believed that even if he had gotten the death penalty, it was because that was what he had judged necessary. 

And there were things Altimia had to do right now herself, so she could meet him again three days later. 

“There she is...” As she fell with her back towards the ground, she saw Claudiah and her Jade Storm diving directly down towards her. 

Claudiah wouldn’t allow her beloved to fall — but not because she wanted to save her. 

At this rate, she will attack me with the lance and I will not be able to defend myself, Altimia thought. The attacks would put her to sleep, and Claudiah would then take her. If that were to happen, Ray’s struggle and death penalty would be for naught. 

“...Not yet!” Still falling, Altimia reached into her inventory and took out the SMPS. 

Even if Ray had vanished, it was too early to give up. He certainly wouldn’t have given up, if their positions were reversed. 

Surrender was never an option as long as there was the will to resist. 

“Come to me!” Flung into the air, the SMPS instantly moved according to Altimia’s will. It was slowed than Silver, but faster than Altimia’s falling speed, so it quickly caught up... 

“Destruction Sky.” 

...Only for it to be utterly pulverized by the tornado-like spell from above, leaving only destroyed remains that fell to the ground alongside Altimia. 

“Ah...!” Altimia voiced her shock before clenching her teeth in frustration. 

“Against my little brother, that attack would have only left us wide open...” said Jade Storm as he and Claudiah drew ever closer. “...But a mere imitation had no hope of evading it.” 

Ray had made the right choice by lending Silver to Altimia. Otherwise, Altimia would’ve lost right away. 

Although Jade Storm specialized in mobility, that didn’t mean that he had no offensive ability — he could use tornado magic that rivaled the ultimate job skills of high-rank jobs. 

Released with superb precision and as fast as the wind itself, it was simply impossible for an SMPS to evade it. 

Basically, only another original could hope to defeat Jade in an aerial battle. 

“Ah...!” Claudiah was drawing closer. 

Altimia was helpless, and her opponent would attack her until she fell unconscious. 

“Not yet...!” However, once Claudiah was close enough to attack, Altimia’s blade would reach her too. 

She was not defeated yet. 

It was still too early to give up. 

“Altimia! This is the end!” 

“...Claudiah!” Eventually, the distance between them had shrunk to nearly nothing... but then, a golden light akin to a bolt of lightning sped from the eastern sky and struck Jade Storm. 

“What is this?!” Claudiah exclaimed. 

“Ah...!” Neither Claudiah nor Jade Storm saw it coming. 

The former was laser-focused on dealing with Altimia’s counter attacks once she was close enough, while the latter couldn’t see it because the light was disguised by the remains of the destroyed SMPS. 

Having slowed down Jade Storm with the impact, the golden light swooped to catch Altimia’s body. 

“This is...!” Altimia instantly understood what this golden light truly was. 

The feeling of mounting it was much like the feeling of mounting Silver. 

It was a golden unit wreathed in lightning, with steel-colored spots here and there. 

Its most notable feature was the single horn growing out of its forehead. 

This was the item that she’d had Liliana deliver to Quartierlatin shortly before the Love-Duel Festival. 

Altimia could never fail to recognize what it was, and thus spoke its... or rather, his name. 

“Gold... Thunder!” This was Prism Steed No. 1 — the one on which all the others were based, as well as the trusted mount of the founding king of Altar, the first Azurite. 

Having been destroyed once, this relic of the pre-ancient civilization had returned to the battlefield to protect his lady... the new queen. 

The national treasure had been revived and now claimed the new Azurite as his owner. 

“So you came after all... Gold.” 

Altimia patted Gold Thunder’s back, just as she had done years ago. 

The steed said nothing, responding only with a shake of his head. Despite being made of metal, he seemed very much like a real horse. 

“Recognized a unit of the same type. It has been a while, elder brother.” Jade Storm addressed the sibling he hadn’t seen in over 2,000 years. 

Gold Thunder’s response was only silence. 

“Wait... Are you...?” Jade said, seemingly having realized something. 

Before he could continue, Claudiah began to speak. 

“So Gold Thunder has been mended...” 

“It appears so,” Altimia replied. “Our technicians did a fine job. Thanks to them... I can still fight.” 

Mounting Gold Thunder, Altimia brandished Altar once more. 

“Let us start again, Claudiah.” 

“And again we are equal, I see... In all honesty, I prefer it this way.” 

Thus they resumed their aerial mounted battle. 

However, things were different from before, and it wasn’t just the steed Altimia was riding. 

“I understand what you mean. Though, let us make one thing clear,” Altimia said with an indomitable smile on her face. “For all of the kingdom’s recorded history, whenever Altar and Gold Thunder were together... they were never once defeated.” 

This was the simple truth — as well as the main difference between the battle so far and the battle now. 

The next moment, Altimia instantly closed the distance between them. 

“Ah...?!” Claudiah gasped as she threw everything into her defense and deflected Altimia’s slash. 

Alas, she was a bit too late, and Altar sliced off a bit of Drim Roeg’s side. 

“Jade!” 

“Storm Acceleration.” Responding to Claudiah, the steed charged forward as fast as possible. 

They needed to increase the distance between them and buy time to recover. 

Despite that, the golden steed that had once closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye wasn’t chasing them. 

Well, he actually was... but not at the absurd speed he had displayed before. 

Claudiah and Jade had known that it would play out like this. 

Gold Thunder was Prism Steed No. 1 — the original model. Specialized in versatility, he was no match for Jade Storm when it came to mobility. 

The moment he first closed the distance had been an exception. 

“The Ram, this function you just saw was—” 

“I know. That was Gold Thunder’s Rail Jump... This is the first time I’ve seen it with my own eyes.” 

Rail Jump. This was an acceleration skill installed in Gold Thunder, and its effect matched Jade’s Storm Acceleration. Via control over electromagnetism, it created a kind of linear rail in the atmosphere and a barrier around the rider before firing Gold Thunder forwards. 

The speed he reached while using it was far above mach 1, and for that moment alone, he was the fastest of all Prism Steeds. 

“...Combining that speed with Altar is fearsome indeed,” said Claudiah. “I can see why it has never been defeated.” 

An all-rending slash, delivered at the speed of lightning... Some would say Claudiah was the most overpowered thing present, simply for being able to survive that onslaught. 

“The function can only be used across short distances and requires a cooldown,” said Jade. “Using it expends an extremely high amount of calculation power.” 

Using Rail Jump was akin to firing a live human with a railgun. With all the safety measures and countereffect management involved, it was only natural that it should use a high amount of processing power. 

“I see. We can deal with it, then. What about his offensive skills?” Claudiah asked. 

“They are no threat,” Jade responded. “Before release, the enemy unit’s Plasma Smasher creates a difference in electric potential in the surrounding atmosphere. This unit can sense that change and read the trajectory before release. Moreover...” 

“Is there anything else?” 

“No. All else irrelevant to assessing the threat he poses.” 

“I see. Regardless, we should settle this soon,” Claudiah said as she shot a glance downward. From this height, the scene below looked like a gathering of dots, but Claudiah was able to see one thing very clearly. 

In a clearing far below, Chrono had been defeated by Kashimiya. 

Due to their immense speed, Claudiah wasn’t able to see the precise moment of his defeat, but the fact that Chrono was the only one left spoke volumes. 

Kashimiya has the highest chance of victory against Behemot, Claudiah thought. It would be different if she used her trump card, but... as things are, he could be able to defeat her. 

With Silver’s disappearance, Ray Starling’s death penalty had been all but confirmed. 

However, Claudiah didn’t know what became of the rest of the peace conference entourage, including the two Superiors — Tsukuyo Fuso and Shu Starling. 

If she didn’t end this battle in time, Behemot might very well lose, which would leave them all free to assist Altimia. 

“Our next attack will end this. We will assume an advantageous position over Rail Jump and defeat Altimia with a counterattack.” 

“Understood,” Jade replied. Claudiah’s statement was full of certainty, for she knew that they were fully capable of doing exactly what she’d just described. 

She had thoroughly examined Jade Storm’s capabilities the moment she’d discovered him, and she’d also investigated the Altarian treasure Altimia was now riding. 

Thus, Claudiah knew that Jade Storm was capable of countering Gold Thunder’s Rail Jump. 

Waiting for the perfect time, the two riders flew while maintaining some distance between each other. 

“Brother, I have a question for you,” Jade spoke to Gold. “The Rail Jump you just used was somewhat slower than the speed written in the specifications. Your standard flight speed is also about 80% of what it should be.” 

Unlike their words thus far, these lines weren’t riding the wind, but communicated to Gold directly using the comms function installed in all Prism Steeds. 

The signal was separate from all others, well-compressed, and delivered at an extremely fast speed. 

However, Gold Thunder said nothing in return. 

“So you did indeed lose your communication function. I see that some of your parts have been replaced by imitations, as well. You cannot match a complete unit like myself in that state.” 

Silence. 

“How disgraceful. As you are now, even the younger brother was a stronger foe.” 

Jade spoke of his brother with a contempt one would never expect from a machine. 

He was not exactly wrong, either. Right now, Gold Thunder’s speed was higher than that of an SMPS, but below that of Zephyrus Silver. 

“...Ha!” Gold Thunder let out a strange sound. It might’ve been merely some noise produced by the complex machinery within his body, but to Jade Storm, it seemed like a response to his words — a chuckle. 

Upon hearing what sounded like mockery, Jade revved up the machinery within his body, as though to represent his anger. 

This feeling seemed to be mixed with a strong resolve to make certain his brother suffered a second obliteration. 

He was fully intent on breaking through Gold’s Rail Jump and using Destruction Sky to eliminate him once Claudiah defeated Altimia. 

Jade waited for the opportunity, and it soon came. 

This was accompanied by a distinct change in Gold Thunder’s rider. 

While Claudiah caught a glimpse of Chrono’s defeat, Altimia also had her eyes on the surface. 

From this altitude, she could see far and wide, and there on the horizon was the city of Altea, sending up smoke and fire like a lit candle. 

That was all she needed to know that time was short, so she resolved to end the battle as quickly as possible... even if it cost her everything. 

“You are the boundary.” 

She began to weave a certain ritual prayer. 

“The boundary between what was and what will be.” 

These words were older than the era of the founding king—older, even, than the most distant of written history—and they were given only to those Altar saw as worthy. 

“You divide all that exists. All things are either ‘before’ or ‘after’ you.” 

These were words for the skill called “Release,” which unleashed the power hidden within the holy sword. 

“Fire, water, wind, earth, life, death, time, space... None can escape you.” 

This prayer was the password to unlock the second safety lock on Altar’s true form. 

“Carve into creation.” It was the Sacred Princess’ ultimate job skill, passed down to her by the blade Altar itself. 

“The Primeval Boundary!” 

And Altimia had just invoked it. 

! 

A moment later, there was a rumble as though the world itself had begun to shriek, and Altar’s blade vanished completely. 

No... Not completely. 

Altar had merely begun cutting even the light that hit it, making its blade impossible to perceive. 

Without saying a word, Altimia moved the sword... and it cut through space itself. 

But unlike with King of Destruction’s World Breaker, the tears in space did not close up, but remained there. Once touched by Altar, the space that had been cut by the sword’s edge became fixed that way, as though it was the true and natural state of the world. 

There was no good or evil here — by merely existing, Altar now tore apart the universe itself, changing it on a fundamental level. 

The Primeval Blade was often called sacred, but now it carried a power more fearsome than the most cursed of weapons. Its strength could not even be compared to the power of the “ordinary” Altar that Altimia had been wielding thus far. The princess hadn’t used this final ability because it came at a cost that made the phrase “double-edged sword” seem lacking. 

But she had been pushed into taking up this power to protect those she held dear. 

“...Gh!” 

Following the release, Altimia was overwhelmed by an intense dissipation of energy. 

Her physical fatigue from the battle so far began to pale as Altar now consumed her magic, mental, and life forces — MP, SP, and HP — at an alarming rate. 

Clenching her teeth to endure this life-rending side-effect, Altimia fixed her eyes on Claudiah. 

“...Let us end this, Claudiah.” 

“...Yes! It almost seems a shame not to draw this out more, but I also intend to end this now!” Thus, the two riders and their steeds charged towards each other. 

A moment later, Gold Thunder used Rail Jump once again. 

Tearing apart the space she traveled through, Altimia moved into an advantageous position at a speed that was impossible to follow. 

However, as though he had anticipated where their enemies would go, Jade Storm had evaded them with a blast of air. 

“I see you!” he said. He could predict where they were going to go because of the many layers of wind he had placed around him. 

Since Rail Jump essentially turned Gold and his rider into a bullet, it could only “shoot” them in a straight line. Because of this, Jade Storm was able to predict their final position by tracing their effects upon the many curtains of wind he had set up around them. 

That allowed him to release a blast of air just in time to move himself slightly out of the way of Altimia and Gold’s final position. 

A sword had a shorter range than a lance, so this deadly attack became a perfect opportunity for a counter. 

And so, Claudiah used Paradox Stinger to attack Altimia’s head. 

The word “victory” appeared in Jade Storm’s processing circuitry, but then... 

“You are exactly as the specifications stated, Jade.” 

...He heard those words on the Prism Steed comms channel. 

“Your communication function is active...!” In the moment their riders clashed, the two steeds had this hyper-fast exchange. 

“It is as you say,” Gold continued. “While I am no longer exactly what I used to be, you have not changed since you were constructed.” 

“Of course. I was preserved perfectly, and not much time has passed since I was reactivated.” 

“And that is why... you have lost, Jade.” 

“What...?” 

“2569 times. That is the greatest difference between you and I.” 

“Hm...?” Jade Storm didn’t understand what Gold meant by that. 

But that wasn’t the only thing that had him confused. 

The more pressing problem was that Gold Thunder had vanished from right before him. 

And the next moment, Altimia appeared in an advantageous position yet again, ready to swing her blade. 

“How...?!” Jade Storm’s reading of the situation had returned only an error. 

No one could blame him. 

After all, the only possible explanation for what had just happened was that... 

“...You used Rail Jump twice in a row?! Impossible! That cannot...!” 

It was impossible indeed. 

The intense calculations Rail Jump required made it impossible to use without a long cooldown. 

Gold’s original specifications simply wouldn’t allow for something like this to happen. 

However... Those specifications Jade Storm was familiar with were no longer accurate. 

Gold Storm did indeed have a lower base ability due to the SMPS replacement parts all over him... and he was more skilled than before due to the 2569 battles he had experienced. 

The latter was exactly what had allowed him to make this phenomenon a reality. 

Prism Steed No. 1, Gold Thunder, was the oldest, the template for all other Prism Steeds, as well as the most battle-hardened of them all. As the national treasure of the royal family, he had fought many battles as the mount of Altar’s kings and their most loyal knights. 

During it all, Gold Thunder had refined himself. He had improved his programming, sharpened his functions, and incorporated a strong intuition for battle into his calculations. 

Eventually, he crafted techniques that allowed him to use Rail Jump without being influenced by his rider’s use of Altar, as well as the ability to use Rail Jump multiple times in a row. 

That was the greatest difference between Gold Thunder and Jade Storm — an immense gap in battle experience. 

“Ah...!” The second Rail Jump was unexpected, but Claudiah was quick to adjust. 

She instantly noticed it happening and moved to counter Altimia’s attack with a second Paradox Stinger, but... 

“...Ohh.” 

...As she thrust Drim Roeg, she noticed that it only had half of its tip. 

A moment later, the other half of Drim Roeg’s point fell from what had been the spear’s initial position. 

“...I see what’s happening.” Paradox Stinger was a peerless technique that changed the initial point of a spear’s thrust by bending space itself. 

Therefore, Altimia, who wielded a power even greater than that — a calamity in weapon form — was able to break through it. 

She had cut both the lance itself and the space it occupied in the middle of the lightning-fast Rail Jump, never giving Claudiah a chance to deflect. 

For one long moment, Claudiah stared at the remains of her weapon and the tip that had fallen far out of reach. 

Her body trembled slightly. 

Next to her, there was Altimia, whose blade had completed its arc. 

“...So the battle was decided by the difference between the tools at our disposal,” the princess of Altar quietly said. 

It might’ve been her way of consoling her friend. 

“No... You are simply far more capable than me.” Claudiah contradicted her friend’s words, assuring Altimia that it was indeed her own ability that led to this outcome. 

A moment later, Jade Storm’s head and Claudiah’s right artificial arm were severed, and a blade wound opened up on her right side. 

“I... have been defeated.” Admitting that she had lost this battle, Claudiah plummeted towards the surface along with the now-headless Jade Storm.