Type-Moon, What Do You Mean You summoned Tiamat?!

Amid the clash of Noble Phantasms, golden braids swayed gently. The girl holding the Iris Holy Flag wore an extremely beautiful face, her expression a gentle yet distant smile.

"Saint… Jeanne d'Arc?" Matou Yuu unconsciously asked.

Jeanne d'Arc slowly turned her head toward the boy. A sacred smile, as if showing pity for all living things, appeared in her golden eyes.

"You don't seem surprised by my appearance… Matou Yuu."

Matou Yuu calmly met the girl's gaze. "You're the Ruler, right? Honestly, I think it's strange that a Ruler hasn't been summoned even though the Holy Grail War has dragged on this long."

Under normal circumstances, a Ruler would never be summoned by the Holy Grail War itself. If one actually appeared, it would mean something gravely wrong had occurred in this war.

For example, someone had committed fraud and broken the rules, or the scale of the war had grown so large that the Grail's normal mechanisms could no longer maintain balance.

For example… the byproducts of this war had already created terrifying variables capable of destroying the world and endangering all humanity.

If any of these three extreme scenarios were triggered, a Ruler's forced intervention would activate. Unfortunately, the Pseudo-Holy Grail War unfolding in Snowfield City had, in its haste to achieve its goals, crossed all three lines.

"I see. You can immediately understand why I exist in this world? If so, that's wonderful."

Jeanne d'Arc maintained her gentle smile, but her tone softened slightly. "To be honest, explaining all these complicated mechanisms from scratch is quite troublesome."

Troublesome…?

Matou Yuu's eyes twitched slightly. That was not a word one expected from a saint bearing the mission of saving the world.

Before he could finish his internal monologue, Tiamat, who had been tugging on his clothes, tilted her head. Her bright, clear red eyes stared intently at the girl before them with a questioning gaze.

The next moment, Tiamat suddenly leaned close to Matou Yuu and whispered, "Yuu… she doesn't smell like a Heroic Spirit."

Not a Heroic Spirit…?

Possession, then?

Matou Yuu's heart skipped a beat.

Jeanne d'Arc was briefly surprised, then softened her expression. "Goddess of Creation, your insight is truly remarkable."

"Was the danger of Tiamat's true form descending the reason the Grail forcibly summoned you?" Matou Yuu suddenly asked.

"That's right… If I had to name one, this Mother is certainly one of the most important reasons."

Jeanne d'Arc looked at the black-haired boy with a gaze full of pity. "However, Matou Yuu, you yourself are also an extremely dangerous unknown error."

"I can't believe such a combination appeared in the Holy Grail War… I was planning to slack off at first."

The more Matou Yuu listened to that voice, the more it resembled the slightly resentful voice caused by overtime… he thought inwardly.

Realizing her words were somewhat problematic, Jeanne d'Arc quickly shook her head and once again displayed a beautiful, compassionate smile. Her clear voice echoed through the underground space.

"Um, everyone, please pretend you didn't hear what I just said. Now, as the executor of divine punishment, I shall completely suppress this chaotic Holy Grail War. Please quietly step back behind me."

"Our Lord will deliver a merciful judgment and bring absolute peace to this land distorted by sin."

However, the moment she finished speaking, a chilling, mad laughter suddenly rang out from deep within the corridor right beside them.

"Hahahaha… Hahahahahaha!!"

From the end of the corridor, accompanied by heavy, suffocating footsteps, a tall, shadow-like figure emerged from the darkness.

Avenger – Alcides!

The moment this great hero had his divinity stripped away, he suddenly tore off the cloth covering his head. His crimson eyes stared fixedly at Saint Jeanne and the others enveloped in golden light, filled with endless hatred.

"From the very beginning, those guys have been spouting vulgar nonsense non-stop… I was wondering who they were." He grinned, revealing terrifying teeth. "So those arrogant birdmen are shamelessly possessing pathetic human bodies?"

"A witch who was cruelly abandoned by her people and burned alive by humans is still, even after death, offering this body to a hypocritical god, causing so-called miracles like a puppet, and shamelessly acting as a Ruler?"

BOOM—!

Along with Alcides' rage, jet-black mud of calamity violently erupted from his feet, twisting and expanding in the void before transforming into countless ferocious, gigantic arms.

"Allow me to correct you, Archer. I am not a witch. To be precise… I am a saint."

Saint Jeanne, holding the pure white Iris Flag, took a step forward. Her golden eyes, majestic like a god's, stared at the tall, demonic figure before her as she spoke quietly and calmly. "And… your magical energy flow is quite unusual."

"Magical energy far beyond common sense… I see. So your Master has completely connected your spiritual core to the leyline beneath this city, granting you infinite magical energy?"

Yes… The magical energy Alcides was drawing upon right now was forcibly extracted by Faldeus from the leyline beneath Snowfield City through the Greater Grail system.

Just recently, that ruthless politician had sent people to find the half-mad Alcides and offered him a deal.

Do you want revenge on Matou Yuu, who killed your Master?

Do you want to kill the Creator God with your own hands?

Or do you intend to slaughter all the high-ranking gods in this Holy Grail War?

In that instant, the flames of revenge ignited in Alcides' heart, and he accepted the contract without hesitation. In return, he obtained the nearly infinite magical energy of the Spirit Vein Nuclear Power Plant.

"Gods? Saints?!"

Alcides charged into the blazing golden light that seemed capable of melting flesh and blood, like a raging primordial beast.

BANG!

That single strike, carrying terrifying violence, shook space itself and shattered Saint Jeanne's absolute defense.

The raging black mud clashed with the sacred golden light. Alcides' crimson eyes burned with the flames of hatred.

"No matter who you are, return to the heavens. This is… the battlefield of humanity!"

Staring at the Avenger trying to tear apart the holy barrier, Saint Jeanne's usually sacred and indifferent face showed a rare solemn expression.

"What deep sorrow. To cast aside even the glory granted by the gods and your own pride, unleashing bottomless rage upon this land."

In the golden eyes of Saint Jeanne dwelled calm and pity.

"Great hero trapped in suffering, the Lord will forgive the injustices you suffered in life. However, at this moment, I cannot allow you to cross this line."

She turned to look at the boy behind her and spoke quickly. "Matou Yuu, this vessel has its limits, but I will stop the Archer… Now go and close the rift in the Imaginary Sea!"

Matou Yuu slowly nodded, took Tiamat's hand, and turned to sprint toward the central Greater Grail control panel.

Seeing his prey trying to escape his sight, Alcides let out a low growl.

Since physical impact couldn't break this turtle shell, he would completely distort the opponent's sublime miracle and claim it as his own!

"Reincarnation Pandora—!!"

The true name revealed, an aura of despairing calamity erupted as if possessing self-awareness, greedily devouring and trying to steal the angels' defensive barrier.

"I see. So that's it. The power of calamity that forcibly steals others' Noble Phantasms and even distorts their concepts to take them…"

Even while feeling an evil intent that corroded the very foundation of the divine spirit, Saint Jeanne did not falter. She gazed at Alcides with eyes full of pity.

"What arrogant yet tragic obsession. But those who are lost… Avengers… The weapons forged by the gods may be stained by the mud, but what you are trying to devour now is not something inanimate—it is the miracle itself emanating from the supreme throne."

Saint Jeanne began to speak, slowly raising her head. Her beautiful face no longer bore any trace of humanity, only a sacred majesty that made all things prostrate.

"The tools of great sin are destined to be unable to withstand this light."

"I am the Scribe of Heaven, the proxy of God's countenance. I hereby declare: no sin or curse can defile this pure white domain."

The moment she raised the Iris Flag high in her hand, her eyes completely transformed into golden suns, and endless sacred power flowed forth.

Mysterious yet solemn prayers instantly drowned out the roar of the black mud.

"The scales have tipped. The time of judgment has come."

"Wash away the mud of original sin with the flames of mercy, and protect the lost lambs with these pure wings!"

"Witness this supreme miracle—"

A dazzling golden beam shot straight from the tip of the holy flag toward the dome, illuminating the entire underground magical workshop like a heavenly palace.

"Luminosité Eternelle—!!!"

…Ignoring the mythical-level collision sounds erupting behind them, Matou Yuu grabbed Tiamat's hand and sprinted straight toward the Greater Grail's central control panel.

Unlike traditional magecraft, this was a cyberpunk-style control panel with glaring red warning lights flashing.

Dozens of deep-blue holographic projections intertwined in the air. In the center of the screens appeared a three-dimensional map representing the spiritual veins beneath all of Snowfield City.

In the suburban area of this holographic projection, a deep black hole had been torn open… It was the Imaginary rift the Pale Rider had forcibly opened earlier.

The moment Matou Yuu touched the projector above, sharp alarm sounds rang out almost simultaneously from the control panel.

Immediately after, a series of bright red English words appeared on the holographic screen.

[ACCESS DENIED]

Fujimaru Ritsuka stepped forward and glanced at it. She immediately received related messages through Chaldea's spiritual communication system. She suddenly looked up in panic. "No good! Matou-san, it requires double authentication via the encryption device's retina and magical energy circuits!"

"How long will it take Chaldea to decrypt it?" Matou Yuu asked.

"Three minutes—"

Crack!

Without hesitation, Matou Yuu poured the Imaginary magical energy residing in his palm into the data pipeline of the central control console.

A deafening electronic screech rang out, sparks flying instantly. In mere seconds, the originally bright-red flashing warning box was gradually covered by deep purple magecraft.

The two girls were already stunned.

This brute-force decryption method was extremely efficient, but it also had the downside of immediately notifying the other side.

However, Matou Yuu had never believed from the start that he could infiltrate perfectly without anyone noticing.

The fact that Alcides was here meant the other side had already grasped their movements.

But… so what?

In this emergency, every Servant and Master participating in the Holy Grail War would wish for Tiamat's true form to return to the Imaginary Sea first.

After all… if she truly descended, there would be no more chance for any of them to play.

BOOM!

With a muffled roar, the entire Greater Grail control panel seemed to explode with boiling deep-blue magical energy.

Under Matou Yuu's control, the magical energy flowed upstream, constantly surging toward the black rift symbolizing destruction.

The edges of the rift slowly narrowed and closed, as if sewn together by a skilled tailor.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash were already holding their breath. Cold sweat covered Matou Yuu's forehead due to the massive consumption of magical energy.

Tiamat never took her eyes off the boy's profile. She herself seemed somewhat weakened now.

The phantom of her true form floating in the sky was still asleep, yet she unconsciously refused to leave. Because the very existence of Beast II, Tiamat, yearned to return to the sky once more.

Even while sleeping, she did not want to return to the cold Imaginary Sea.

Therefore, during this period, Tiamat had to suppress her subconscious desire to return.

A bead of cold sweat rolled down Matou Yuu's forehead and fell to the floor.

Noticing Tiamat's unwavering gaze, Matou Yuu turned to her with a smile. "Tiamat, will you regret it?"

"After closing the Imaginary Sea rift this time, there might never be another chance to return."

"Is simply remaining in this world as a soul enough?"

Feeling the boy's incredibly gentle gaze, Tiamat blinked her red eyes, then gently shook her head. "It's fine."

Yes… It's no problem.

She had spent far too long alone in the long river of history. She had yearned to return. For the world to return to the Age of Gods she once knew, and for her own true body to stand upon this land once more.

But… this planet did not welcome her, and the humans living here did not welcome her either.

Still… that didn't matter.

As long as there was someone in this world who accepted her, as long as he continued to love her.

She was willing to give up returning and leave that real body sleeping in that cold, long night.

Just leave this small spiritual body in the present world… That was enough.

She was satisfied with that.

In the distance, golden light clashed with black mud, and deafening roars echoed.

The Greater Grail control panel had fallen completely silent.

Seeing the blue-haired goddess obediently nod, Matou Yuu smiled faintly.

He turned to look at the hologram behind him. The black rift symbolizing despair and destruction had clearly shrunk to a tiny, barely noticeable crack.

If Tiamat continued suppressing the phantom of her main body until the gap fully closed, this final step would be completely finished.

At this moment, Matou Yuu, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and even Mash had their gazes focused on the last faint light remaining in the holographic projection. Unconsciously, their breathing had become calmer.

Little by little… And just as that gap was about to be completely filled—

Buzz!

A thin strand of pale mist quietly seeped through the underground ventilation ducts deep into the earth.

At first, no one noticed its presence.

But slowly, the pale mist symbolizing plague and death suddenly expanded like countless cold tentacles and violently surged toward the motherboard of the Greater Grail control panel.

Almost instantly, the completely silent holographic projection suddenly lit up with shocking crimson warning lights.

[WARNING! The system's underlying logic has been forcibly overwritten by an unknown concept!] [Command Conflict: Forcibly reopen the Imaginary rift!]

The closing rift began to violently tremble under the erosion of the pale mist, showing signs of tearing open again!

"The Pale Rider?!"

Matou Yuu's pupils slightly contracted.

Why was this existence forcibly intervening at this exact timing?

It was important to understand that the underlying logic of every action the Pale Rider took was to fulfill little Tsubaki's wish.

Even Matou Yuu had not expected that this natural disaster without human consciousness would exceed its authority and hijack the Greater Grail control system at this critical moment when everything was about to stop.

"Matou-san!"

Mash was slightly startled by this and immediately tried to step forward to help, but Matou Yuu quickly stopped her. "Don't come closer! Protect Tiamat!"

If Tiamat was distracted now, the phantom of her original body in hibernation would instantly awaken again… And the current total magical energy in the Greater Grail control panel was completely insufficient to forcibly close a second rift.

He had to completely seal the rift that had appeared in the Imaginary Sea here.

With these thoughts in mind, Matou Yuu took an unexpected action without hesitation.

Instead of attacking the pale mist outside the control panel with magecraft, he placed both hands directly on the Greater Grail control panel, poured more magical energy from the Imaginary Sea, and tried to wrest control of the machine from the Pale Rider.

As if sensing the boy's predicament, the pale mist instantly bounced off the operation panel and tightly wrapped around Matou Yuu's arms.

The curse symbolizing death and decay instantly formed a layer of frost on his skin, and his blood vessels visibly and rapidly turned black.

However, upon closer inspection, it became clear that some power resisting death—the concept called plague—existed inside the boy's body, preventing the mist from invading Matou Yuu.

Still, the intense pain felt as if his soul was being torn apart.

Matou Yuu gritted his teeth, used his own body as a physical barrier, forcibly relied on the Imaginary Sea's devour everything nature, and absorbed the pale mist the Pale Rider had poured into the Grail into his own body.

Like a fierce rally race, accompanied by a roar suppressed to the limit, a torrent of magical energy powerfully blew away the pale mist on the control panel.

On the holographic projection, the violently trembling Imaginary Sea rift let out a sorrowful cry of indignation before finally closing completely and disappearing.

"Did we finally succeed…?"

Seeing this scene, Fujimaru Ritsuka collapsed to the ground in relief, letting out a sigh of relief almost simultaneously.

Mash, standing beside her, smiled in relief at having overcome the hardship.

Matou Yuu was breathing heavily. The frost on his arms gradually disappeared, leaving only faint black traces as remnants of the plague.

…

…Meanwhile, high above the snow-covered city at night…

The nightmare mage Merlin, clad in white robes, sat awkwardly on his floating staff. He wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead, looked up at the completely silent night sky, and let out a long breath.

"I'm really exhausted… I absolutely don't want to do this kind of job again next time. Even with that Mother's subconscious cooperating, putting the origin of a creation spirit of that level to sleep with illusion magecraft nearly drained all my strength…"

…

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a luxury hotel on the outskirts of Snowfield City…

When the night wind blew, the green-haired beauty Enkidu raised his head, looked at the completely vanished rift in the distance, and secretly let out a sigh of relief.

He turned to look at his best friend, who was receiving earth to repair his body beside him, and smiled lightly. "It seems the catastrophe threatening this planet has been averted by a group of excellent humans. It looks like your journey was in vain, Gil."

Gilgamesh… or rather, the Wise King Gilgamesh possessing this body, looked down at the body that had recently been destroyed by the arrogant personality, slowly feeling the internal organ damage being repaired.

Hearing his best friend's words, he quickly raised his head again and looked up at the quiet night sky. His crimson eyes, as if seeing through past and future, emitted a cold light.

"Enkidu, do you know what the most foolish humans in the world are like?" Gilgamesh suddenly asked without warning.

Enkidu paused for a moment, thought for a while, then quietly answered in a mysterious voice. "Are they humans who have forgotten they are merely fragile lumps of earth? And yet they try to touch the stars, let alone pluck them?"

"No."

Gilgamesh slowly shook his head, a cold, extremely contemptuous smile appearing on his lips.

"Ignorant people are not terrifying existences. That is humanity's essential flaw. The truly terrifying, irredeemable existences are… those who do not feel awe toward the power that destroys everything, and try to control natural disasters with ridiculous political maneuvering."

Enkidu paused again, raising one eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

The wise king said nothing, his cold gaze fixed on the underground direction of the Snowfield Reservation.

…

…Deep within the secret command center.

Dozens of liquid crystal screens emitting cold light floated in the air. Inside this command center reinforced by advanced magical bounded fields, information officers from various departments were systematically monitoring and processing data related to the Holy Grail War.

At that moment, a subordinate in charge of monitoring the leyline suddenly raised his head and loudly reported. "Lord Faldeus, it has been confirmed that the Imaginary Sea rift has completely closed!"

"Sir, the magical energy backflow in the Greater Grail control system has stopped, but administrator privileges are still strictly locked by physical means!" another subordinate immediately followed.

"The target has not moved! It has been confirmed they are still in the central control room on Underground Floor 3 of the Snowfield Reservation!"

Hearing the series of reports, Faldeus smiled as expected. "Just as planned…?"

Now that the greatest threat had been dealt with by the unpaid laborer, it was time to eliminate the remaining variables.

He slowly raised his right hand.

On the back of his hand, three crimson Command Spell marks symbolizing absolute authority appeared simultaneously, emitting dazzling light, then completely vanished.

"Alcides… With my first Command Spell, I order you to devour the remnants of the earth's leyline and break the bonds of sanctity!"

"With the second Command Spell, burn away your hatred and take aim at the creation beast that must not exist in this world!"

"Then, by all means—with the third Command Spell, shoot down the gods and permanently sever Tiamat's connection to the human world!"

The moment Faldeus finished speaking, he pressed the bright red detonation button on the table.

Click.

Almost the instant that physical button was pressed, all the ultra-small city-destroying weapons buried deep underground activated.

Eerie blue electric sparks flew along the complex underground cables, racing through the entire detonation network in a mere tenth of a second before finally converging on the center of the catastrophe.

BOOM!!

The next moment, the entire underground base shook violently as if struck by a magnitude 10 earthquake, and muffled explosion sounds echoed from deep underground.

…

Almost simultaneously, on the battlefield not far away…

Alcides, whose aura had already been somewhat weakened by the suppression of holy light, let out a beast-like roar when the three Command Spells forcibly injected him with violent magical energy.

He suddenly grabbed an incredibly heavy bow.

The bowstring was drawn to its maximum, and Hydra poison coiled around the massive arrow.

With a terrifying sonic boom that seemed to tear the universe apart, a red arrow carrying the power to pierce meteors and the killing intent to slay gods flew straight toward Matou Yuu's heart!

Sensing the approaching fatal crisis, Matou Yuu instinctively tried to loosen his grip on the control panel.

However, at that moment, pale mist suddenly erupted from the motherboard of the Greater Grail control panel.

The mist, moving as if alive, violently trembled, and the Imaginary rift on the holographic projection—which had just been completely closed—was forcibly pried open by the system's base code. A small black crack quietly appeared.

System hijacking, base self-destruction, god-slaying arrow.

Three terrifying threats with the power to destroy everything converged simultaneously upon the boy standing before the Greater Grail control panel, crossing space under Faldeus' perfect plan.

Matou Yuu glanced at the crimson meteor flying toward him from the corner of his vision, then looked at the control panel before him, which was flashing violently and trying to reopen the rift.

His brain reached an absolute conclusion in a single instant—

No, there was no time to dodge.

If you give up, all your efforts until now will have been in vain.

If he chose to evade or defend, the Pale Rider's virus would tear the Imaginary Sea apart in an instant.

The current mana accumulation in the Greater Grail control console made it completely impossible to close this rift a second time.

In that instant, without thinking, Matou Yuu slammed all his magical energy and arms into the core of the control panel, forcibly sealing the Pale Rider's intrusion with brute force.

On the holographic projection floating in the air, the last remaining crack in the Imaginary Sea was finally completely sealed.

BOOM—!!

Then, the very next moment, the underground bombs Faldeus had planted exploded around them. Flames rising high and scorching heat waves instantly engulfed the entire hall.

In the terrifying sea of flames and explosions, Matou Yuu suddenly turned around, leaped forward, and tightly embraced Tiamat's small body.

Because she was protected by his not-very-broad, rather slender chest, the blue-haired goddess was unaffected by any impact.

Puff—

However, the next instant, the Hydra-cursed arrow precisely and mercilessly pierced the boy's chest.

Warm liquid fell onto her white cheek.

Tiamat unconsciously raised her face and looked somewhat dazedly at the black-haired boy embracing her protectively in his arms.

Without a doubt, Matou Yuu had accomplished it.

He had completely sealed the Imaginary Sea rift, allowing Tiamat to remain in the human world as a Spirit.

And Tiamat was satisfied with that.

As long as this anchor remained, she was willing to allow her massive body floating in the Imaginary Sea to continue enduring the long, endless cold and loneliness.

She had resolved to abandon her instincts as Beast II, to stop obsessing over reconstructing the Age of Gods, and to stop obsessing over returning to the Earth that had rejected her.

Just like the small wish she had made on the overpass… She simply wanted to stay here, to experience all the beauty of the world, and to enjoy life as a human.

But… what if the boy who held her hand while walking through the noisy city, who patiently bought her cotton candy, and who smiled and said "Welcome to the human world" could never open his eyes again?

If I were all alone… what meaning would this lively world have?

Tick-tock.

Bright red blood continued to flow from the terrible hole in the boy's chest.

Tiamat instinctively tried to support him, but her palm only filled with hot liquid.

She looked down, staring at her blood-stained hands with an expression of unprecedented terror.

Even when facing the merciless betrayal and exile of the gods, this woman's heart had never wavered… But now, the hands that had given birth to all things trembled violently and uncontrollably.

BANG!

The next moment, the boy lost all strength.

Like a leaf scorched by cold wind, he slipped from her fingertips and fell heavily onto the cold titanium alloy stairs.

At that moment, time seemed to stop.

Saint Jeanne's cry mixed with anger and divine power, Fujimaru Ritsuka's desperate scream, Mash's desperate attempt to raise her shield, and the endless explosions around them…

From Tiamat's world, everything completely disappeared.

She knelt dazedly in the pool of blood, staring at the boy lying on the ground. His eyes were closed, his breathing completely stopped.

I… just wanted to stay in this world.

I… just wanted to be with someone.

It was truly a modest wish.

As long as he was alive, she had already decided to give up everything, like a beast.

But...

"Aaaah..."

She extended her trembling hand, trying to cover the bleeding wound on the boy's chest, but the cursed blood would not stop.

The once bright and clear, gentle red eyes of Tiamat slowly widened greatly.

The light of reason and humanity that had dwelled in those eyes slowly faded, like a candle flame flickering in the wind.

In its place was bottomless, complete darkness that swallowed even light.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!

At that moment, the entire Snowfield City—no, the entire crust of the North American continent—let out a terrifying, unbearable scream.

Before the despair and sorrow emanating from the Mother Goddess of Creation, the Imaginary rift that Matou Yuu had forcibly closed was instantly torn apart like fragile paper.

"AAAAAAAAA——!!!"

Vast black swamps violently surged from the rift of nothingness, and a powerful, endless cry of despair and rage that shook the entire planet echoed among the people of this world!

…

…"By severing the only anchor point, not only have we defeated the most troublesome Matou Yuu, but due to the lack of magical energy supply, even Tiamat will be weakened to an unprecedented degree."

Standing on the rooftop of a high-rise building, Francesca looked down at the distant cityscape faintly shaking from the underground explosion and unconsciously let out a pleasant laugh. "Oh my, even that stiff bureaucrat Faldeus might actually have some talent after all."

"Now that all unknown elements have been eliminated, let's get the Holy Grail War back on track."

"Now that the global crisis has been resolved, the Pseudo-Grand Servants dispatched by the Counter Force should be returning home soon."

François laughed softly and prepared to leave. "Now then, my other self. It's time to go back and watch the show."

However, just as François turned around and finished speaking…

His voice suddenly stopped. It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed his throat.

Without any warning, terror welled up from the deepest part of his spiritual core—the terror a carbon-based lifeform would feel when facing a superior predator—violently pressed against his back.

"Hey… my other self."

At that moment, Francesca's voice came from behind.

The hedonistic criminal who loved chaos and viewed everything as entertainment had an unmistakable tremor and anxiety in her voice.

"That Matou Yuu… he must have closed the Imaginary Sea rift before as well, right?"

François suddenly stopped, frowning as he suppressed the strange anxiety welling up in his chest. He nodded. "Yeah… The Greater Grail's magical energy is backflowing. Why are you suddenly asking that—"

"Then look… what the hell is that?" Francesca's pupils rapidly contracted, her trembling finger instinctively pointing toward the horizon ahead.

"What are you talking about—"

François muttered irritably to himself and slowly raised his head, following her finger's direction to look up at the sky above the city outskirts.

And his voice completely stopped.

Reflected in his pupils was an image so intense it would instantly mentally collapse any magus.

Without a doubt, Matou Yuu had completely closed the Imaginary Sea rift at that point.

Faldeus had indeed calculated the timing precisely, detonating the bombs only after confirming the Imaginary Sea was closed, severing Tiamat's only anchor in the human world.

That man's logic was perfect.

But he had miscalculated one thing… Matou Yuu was not a chain binding the beast—he was the only lullaby on this planet capable of calming the Creator God.

At that moment, the lullaby stopped.

Click, click, !!!

With a glass-shattering, deafening roar, the spatial walls stretched across the entire sky above Snowfield City instantly cracked like a mirror struck by a giant hammer, countless dark spiderweb-like patterns appearing.

Immediately after, the entire sky completely collapsed.

A massive imaginary black hole exceeding several dozen kilometers in diameter yawned open in the night sky like the mouth of an abyss!

Rumble, rumble!

From the bottomless entrance of that cave, countless Seas of Life flowed down like an inverted Milky Way, emitting intense primordial auras, madly devouring mountains and buildings along the way.

Within that swirling black mud waterfall, countless twisted, bizarre new humans densely appeared.

…Laḫmu.

They emitted chilling, high-pitched laughter like the cries of newborn babies.

"Hehehe… Hehe hahahaha!"

The city's mad laughter turned into the most terrifying death knell.

But that was not the most despairing thing.

François and Francesca stood frozen, staring fixedly at the very center of that black sea.

There, a statue as massive as the sky slowly emerged from the depths of the Imaginary Sea.

Her body was as graceful as a human woman, yet far too enormous to measure, her skin pathologically pale.

Gigantic, demonic dragon horns pierced the sky. Both her hands were bound by ancient chains. The chains were tightly fastened to her chest. That face, which should have been incomparably beautiful, those eyes that once reflected the stars of the sky, were now overflowing with intense rage.

It was divine punishment descending upon the entire world for the loss of a single beloved person.

Humanity's Evil – Beast II.

The enraged, ferocious Tiamat, Goddess of Creation.

…

…

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