"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."
In that instant, the earth began to tremble.
From the massive pit that seemed to pierce straight down to the planet's core, a colossal black shadow slowly emerged, appearing before everyone's eyes.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa————!!!"
A roar like a raging storm swept across the land.
"Ugh...!"
"Kh...!"
Almost by reflex, Rozen and Altera simultaneously raised their hands before them, blocking the incoming storm of sound waves.
But while the storm of sound could be blocked, the enemy's footsteps could no longer be stopped.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
With each thunderous step, the massive figure approached.
The booming reverberations caused Rozen and Altera's expressions to shift once more.
"Footsteps...?"
"Could it be...?"
Both Rozen and Altera realized the same possibility.
Originally, Tiamat had no footsteps.
As the Primordial Sea, Tiamat was not permitted to tread upon land. Her legs were not for walking, but for gliding across the sea's surface, only able to step onto the earth when the Black Sea surged forth.
Such a Tiamat should not produce footsteps.
And yet, here and now, the sound of massive footsteps echoed through heaven and earth.
"Gurgle...!"
Black mud, boiling like molten tar, wrapped itself around the massive figure, each step heavy as it advanced toward Uruk.
Reports from Chaldea came through right on time.
"Beast II's Saint Graph pattern has changed!"
"The damaged Saint Graph is recovering by the second!"
"H-How can this be!?"
Roman, Da Vinci, and Olga Marie all cried out in shock, their voices bursting through the communicator.
Yes.
Tiamat's Saint Graph pattern had changed, and the damage it had suffered was rapidly repairing itself.
There was no helping it—after all, in her parameters she possessed this very skill.
Self-Modification: EX
By using the Sea of Life to alter her own Saint Graph, she can evolve from a standard Saint Graph state (Demonic Beast Mother) into a dragon body over sixty meters long.
In this dragon form, Tiamat nullifies all attacks ranked A++ and below.
Indeed.
With this skill, Tiamat could use the black mud to reconstruct her Saint Graph and even repair it.
Now, her true form was finally manifesting in this world.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa————!!!"
As the black mud dispersed, Tiamat emerged, crying out in a piercing shriek as she unveiled her new form.
Jet-black dragon horns pointed toward the sky.
Wings unfurled, covering the land.
Powerful limbs trampled upon the Black Sea.
A hideous dragon body, dripping with malice.
Tiamat had become a dragon.
Her pair of eyes first fell upon Altera, and then a violent, feral gleam flashed.
Boom!
The next instant, from Tiamat's eyes, a jet-black torrent of raw mana erupted forth as a beam, surging straight at Altera.
"...!"
Altera's pupils contracted. She tried to evade, but suddenly a pained expression crossed her face. One knee struck the ground—she had collapsed onto the earth.
"Damn it!"
"No!"
"Look out!"
Inside Chaldea, Roman, Da Vinci, and Olga Marie all turned pale at the sight.
Rozen's expression also changed, but without a moment's hesitation, he burst forward.
Zing!
On his right arm, light flared. Rozen's figure vanished into rippling space itself.
When he reappeared, he was already before Altera.
Without pause, Rozen raised his arm. The light in his hand flared, enveloping both himself and Altera.
Boom!
The black torrent slammed violently into the light, like a dark tidal wave crashing upon a brilliant reef, split apart by the glow.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa————!!!"
Tiamat roared in fury, her eyes unleashing jet-black torrents one after another, blasting against the radiance.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The roaring echoes filled the air as wave after wave of darkness struck against the reef of light, desperately trying to shatter it.
Rozen used Cleansing as his shield, raising a barrier of radiance to fend off Tiamat's relentless assault.
But his gaze remained fixed upon Altera.
Looking closely, Altera was on one knee, her Sword of the War God planted in the ground like a crutch, her face twisted in pain.
Around her, faint spiritual light flickered. Her body was beginning to fade, its outline dissolving into particles of light.
Seeing this, Rozen's expression darkened.
"I knew it. Why could your Noble Phantasm evaporate over half of Tiamat's Saint Graph in one blow? Because you burned your own Saint Graph!"
Burning one's Saint Graph.
That meant using one's very Saint Graph as fuel, transforming it into power.
When Altera had unleashed Tears of the Star, Sword of the War God, she not only drew upon Rozen's High-Grade Mana to imbue her Noble Phantasm with destructive properties, but also burned her own Saint Graph to amplify its might.
Otherwise, even with destructive properties and High-Grade Mana, her Noble Phantasm should not have been able to erase more than half of Tiamat's Saint Graph in one strike.
After all, under the frame of a Heroic Spirit, Altera's destructive power was far weaker than that of her true self.
Rozen's High-Grade Mana was indeed formidable, but Tiamat was a creator deity, supported by the Sea of Life, which endlessly circulated True Ether. The mana she wielded was equivalent to High-Grade Mana, even if it did not reach the compressed extremes of Rozen's.
With that backing, Tiamat should not have lost half her Saint Graph to a single strike.
The only reason such a result was possible was because Altera had burned her own Saint Graph, greatly increasing the output of her Noble Phantasm, and enabling her to channel more of Rozen's High-Grade Mana.
The cost was this—Altera's Saint Graph was beginning to collapse.
"You were too reckless! Who told you to do that!?"
While holding off Tiamat's assault, Rozen shouted angrily at Altera.
"...I only chose the most efficient way to fight."
Lowering her eyes, Altera replied quietly as she forced herself to rise.
"Give me mana."
With great effort, she lifted the Sword of the War God, pointing it at Tiamat, her voice calm.
"I'll use my Noble Phantasm once more. Before Beast II's Saint Graph fully restores, I'll erase her in one blow!"
Her tone was cool, but her eyes burned with resolve and determination.
It was clear—Altera had already made her decision. In this battle, she would sacrifice herself.
"After all, I am only your weapon, your familiar. Even if I die, I'll simply return to your soul, and after some time you can summon me again. To offer myself like this is the best way I, as your familiar, can fight."
That was what Altera declared.
"So don't hes—"
But before she could finish, Rozen cut her off.
"You were about to say, 'Don't hesitate. You can use me as a disposable tool, as a one-time bomb without guilt,' weren't you?"
At last, Rozen turned his head to face her.
"What do you take me for, Vanguard of the Wandering Star!?"
At that, Altera's eyes trembled.
Her expression changed violently.