The first four calamities could be easily dealt with as long as the proper countermeasures were done. The main reason why they posed a huge threat was due to their initial 'surprise'. As long as they were found first and dealt with, they wouldn't even pose a threat as much as the future calamities.
Of course, I have the power to deal with all the calamities except for the final one. That would, however, leave the others without any form of development.
While this is a catastrophe of sorts, it is also the time when everyone grew up the fastest. That is evident with the parallel world that I visited a while back.
Moreover…
"The ending may be predetermined… but the means to reach it wasn't…"
Throughout my meeting with several people, that line was marked on my head the most. Most likely, there was already an "ending" with this world's face-off against the "end". That "fate" or "point" might not be changeable.
It was evident when all the futures that I saw with my omniscience entailed a single end—that is, the defeat of the "end" in my own hands. It clearly suggested that there was a future beyond it, yet that was something that even I failed to see as of now.
It was truly strange to see a book's epilogue before even reading the prologue, only to find out that there was an epilogue of an epilogue. That was how far my current strength goes.
What made me realize about the weird emphasis with the "means" was the same power that I hold. Other people at my level has numerous means hidden under their sleeves, yet I haven't fully developed it to the fullest. Given enough time, I might be able to do just that, but we're working on a time constraint.
However…
"A shortcut… Not as far as that, but it counts as one."
…I could do something that would match their efforts.
For now, all I have to do is watch everyone defeat these calamities.
"Hm, if that was possible…"
I started thinking of ways to go outside this box.
*****
Conquest.
The first Horsemen out of the four.
According to the records, it was the first seal under the Book of Revelations. In the simplest terms, it was the one that brought conquest.
Different from war who sought nothing but destruction itself, Conquest was a means to 'test' the 'wills' of the people. So long as they do not surrender to its 'strength', they may have enough strength to ascend to Heaven.
It was a hybrid between a false god and War.
"My friend is currently on a vacation… or rather, another tough fight. I will count on you, everyone."
Beep-!
Simultaneously, Nobu's voice rang across everyone's earpieces. They were divided into four different teams, each dealing with one calamity.
It shouldn't have been possible in the past as there are only five Magisters in total, but the appearance of people from another world changed the entire status quo.
Who asked for Nobu to bring the most talented people within another world's golden age?
With the legacy of their world, they were able to grow the fastest along with the help of falna. Its existence alone was a special cause as it gave fighter jets to talented people who could already fly on their own.
Of course, there won't be such an exaggerated progress without similarly exaggerated talents.
In a sense, they are the lifeblood of Gekai itself.
Clang.
In the chaotic streets of New York, two girls stood calmly.
{Surrender your fate. Your safety will be guaranteed.}
"That's it."
Lili's blood red spear, which usually hid a great amount of blood, threatened to leak out its true self. Her crimson pupils may as well be comparable to the Knight of Conquest.
Her small stature created a unique sense of pressure as the path in front of her remained untouched by the scared people.
"Abrahamic Bible… Something from the Kabbalah…"
While Lili acted as a frontliner, Alfia acted as the backliner. Her experiences as a Creature boosted her progress in Mana Furnace.
Spirits are already extinct in Nobu's world, but when they once existed, the people who received their help had once reached this level of progress.
Add to that her talent that was only second to Bell Cranell, her current level reached level nine with [Infinite Conversion] opened.
Her heterochromatic eyes flashed with inspiration as she found the means to deal with this current calamity.
Seeing this, Lili acted on her own behest. She knew that the most efficient way for this fight to end is to let Alfia cast her spell, thus Lili chose to do her usual job.
Bzzt-!
Clang-!
Her blood red spear was turned into a projectile before removing a considerable chunk from Conquest's white helmet. What was revealed is a form of black fog.
Instinctively, Lili activated the highest output of her [Mana Furnace]. She could feel her 'mind' being protected from something inside Conquest.
When the spear flew back to her hands, the knight had finally turned its gaze to her. It also noticed the spell build-up from Alfia.
"Teacher said it was a test…" She muttered before she felt the blood on her body start to boil. "I am your enemy."
Her single jump was enough to reach the floating Conquest.
"Don't you dare look at others!"
Clang-!
*****
War.
The second of the seven seals in the Book of Revelation.
Its authority was shared with Conquest, but unlike its purpose to dominate, War only held one purpose.
Make the world chaotic through war.
Its power was far more special than the White Knight, too.
Within the confines of Germany, shadows started to rise from the ground. They all wore a similar distinct outfit from their era. What follows next is the resurrection of their beloved weapons.
In the truest sense, War could resurrect all warriors who died through war.
Just as they rose up from the ground, a large ray of hellfire descended upon them.
Bzzt-!
In an instant, the entire resurrected Battalion was turned into cinders. In the face of magicka, technology from the 20th century didn't suffice.
The green-haired elf, Riveria, overlooked everything on top of a hill. This area was desolate due to its prior history as a warzone.
She was currently in France, one of the places struck by war the most.
No matter how easy she dispatched the shadows, Riveria knew that this was just the beginning.
"Sirius told us to quickly defeat War…"
"Oh, that guy's still standing!"
After the smog faded out, the Red Knight was seen standing with its red horse.
"Lady Riveria… It's beginning to move towards the place Sirius told us."
"Dead spirits and braves…"
Underneath the normal background of Nobu's world, what was buried were numerous historical figures among the field of mystery (magicka). If they were somehow revived all at once, that was the time trouble came.
After all, those who fought in war were said to be extremely strong people. There might even be a chance that a Magister could be resurrected.
"Remember that spell?"
"Archangel summoning?"
Nobody wanted to hold back at this moment.
*****
Famine.
The third of the seven seals in the Book of Revelation.
Unlike its compatriots, its power sought to change the entire world at once. It was to spread famine far worse than what the Dark Ages had experienced. It meant the growth of new bacterias and diseases that would harm the entire world's ecosystem drastically.
As a Spirit, Aiz could literally feel how disgusting it was. Her golden pupils became cold at the thought of this entity existing.
Unfortunately for Famine, it was on the scope of what Aiz viewed as Monsters.
Thus…
Hum-!
Blaze-!
Dark black flames appeared all around her. The ominous air coming from her was comparable to Death's aura. They were flames of destruction that were once her weapon of revenge.
When Aiz's grudge was ended by Nobu's own hands, she was initially confused. She was barely satisfied when she managed to fight the Black Dragon over and over again.
Only now did she manage to find something that required her to unleash [Avenger]'s flames.
The things that Ottar said in one iteration became true.
(A/N: This is canon. When Ottar decided to train Aiz, he mentioned how it could become one of her most sophisticated/powerful weapons. Her [Avenger] was something only used back in Daedalus Arc, giving her a major boost out of literally everything. Her [Durandal] weapon wasn't simply just 'dulled' like her usual escapades with it, the weapon itself was "destroyed" from the inside out.)
"She's gone serious."
"I could see that."
Just like the previous line-up, Filvis and Ein served as the backlines as Aiz fought. Though, unlike Conquest's appearance on a crowded area, Famine appeared on a bountiful wheat field.
Aiz's destructive flames didn't discriminate on its targets as it burnt the entire field down. In this manner, she was no less different from Famine; save for her blade that was pointed towards it.
"Instead of counters… let's work on restrictive spells." Filvis suggested. "Wallenstein-san's strength should be enough to defeat it."
Recalling the nature of Aiz's flames, Ein supported Filvis' decision unanimously.
Thus, the battle between two entities wielding destruction has begun.
*****
Death.
As the fourth seal, it held the strongest authority out of the four knights. Its ability was very simple: to resurrect all dead people. That included all living beings who died since the creation of Earth. That number could reach as high as trillions.
If not handled well, it may as well be the calamity that would end Earth. There wouldn't even be a need for the other calamities for the physical realm to be destroyed.
Unfortunately…
"Oriundus." (Come forth.)
Crack-!
Bzzt-!
Out of nowhere, hundreds of golden lightning bolts surrounded the Black Knight. It posed a similar threat akin to Poseidon's billion amperes thunderbolts. It flickered as Kazamitsu observed their surroundings.
It was unknown whether something else was at play, but their battlefield happened to be the ocean. There wasn't anything that could be affected by their fight.
In a split second, he decided on his course of action.
"Vinco." (Vanquish.)
Swoosh-!
The strong force generated by the lightning bolts made its way to the ocean. In an instant, energy was transferred to it. The water soon began boiling as arcs of lightning bolts appeared within its surface.
Knowing their battlefield, Kazamitsu played it to his fullest.
"Aphstraho." (Split.)
At that moment, his magicka served to mimic nuclear fission.
Boom-!
A large explosion has occurred within the Pacific Ocean.
*****
"You must be fully confident with them."
"They can do it."
Nobu's response to his King's words was full of confidence. He already saw their futures, hence there was nothing to be scared of. It was as if he cheated in this entire game of fate.
Instead of simply going according to the script, he could modify it the way he wants it to be.
"Your eyes… Since the time you returned, it has changed a lot."
Just as usual, her emerald pupils gave off a feeling of sanctimony, something resulting from Artoria's royal personage.
"You are looking somewhere higher than everyone. Am I not mistaken?"
"That's not wrong." He replied. "There are things that one could only understand when they are in another position."
"You…"
For once, Artoria didn't know what to say towards Nobu. She could sense that he became somewhat similar to her past self—one who carried the extremely huge burden of safeguarding Britain.
She doesn't know how to express her being against it… until she chose to grab his hand.
"There are times when… you thought it's selflessness, but it turns out to be selfishness. If you are planning something like that, my former knight…"
No words were spoken, but it felt similar to his promise with Artemis and Hephaestus—a kind of 'death do us part' kind of thing.
There was nothing going on between them… until now, that is. It was not as simple as most emotions, but a mix of several feelings that made it complex to understand.
At first, Artoria chose to repay Nobu, both in what he had done in the past and in the singularity, by staying with him. She could only understand the magnitude of her orders in the past as well as the burden of her wrongdoings when she received her Excalibur back.
It was just like that, a huge debt that has to be repaid.
However, now that Nobu felt extremely similar to her, she could vaguely feel the direction where his actions would go.
Artoria was aware of her other selves' wish—for her to relinquish the rule of Britain for it to not meet its historical end. It may seem selfless at first glance, but she knows that a part of her simply wants to do "something" before the guilt overwhelms her. After all, she believed that it was her fault that Britain fell like that.
"...I see."
In the end, Nobu could only reply with a smile. It made him glad that there are really people willing to "die" along with him—that there are people who cared for him to that extent.
He knows that there are others who are like Artoria, but knowing it was already enough.
That, in a way, enforces his will to prevent his world's downfall.
It was no longer a matter of selflessness, but a creed he made to himself. There are many things that have been sacrificed at this point. Abandoning his world would make everything seem pointless. The world itself supported his cause, thus it was reasonable for Nobu to do the same.
"For now… I'll bring forward the fifth and sixth calamity. You should be able to handle the fifth one, my King."
"So be it."
Once again, Nobu changed the entire script.