"You damned pests again. Can't you just crawl into some obscure corner and wait to die quietly?"
Romedo's voice drew a look of disdain from Lev. It was quite ironic: when Lev had been a professor in Chaldea, he was actually well-liked. Mash had held him in great esteem—arguably her closest relationship before Ritsuka Fujimaru's arrival. Even Romani had taken a backseat to him in her eyes.
Yet despite this, Lev had always had a poor relationship with Romani, often criticizing and reprimanding his work.
"Subconscious rejection, maybe? If Romani's true identity were revealed right now, it'd be one hell of a moment."
Daniel couldn't help but chuckle silently to himself as he watched Lev's attitude toward Romani. He'd heard plenty from Mash in their chats. Due to her condition, Mash had mainly interacted with Romani and Lev in Chaldea, and she knew a lot about both of them. Wherever Lev showed up, Romani usually backed off without a fight.
"Lev, why did you do it? Who's behind you?"
Olga Marie's voice crackled through the communicator. Ever since returning from Singularity F, she'd been investigating Lev—particularly his background. After all, incinerating the Human Order wasn't something just anyone could do. Lev may have been respected in both the magical and mundane worlds, but there was no way he had the power to achieve such destruction alone. Someone had to be backing him.
"You actually survived that?"
Lev was surprised by Olga Marie's voice. He wasn't surprised that Ritsuka and Mash were still alive—after all, he knew Chaldea too well. But Olga Marie? A soul without a proper body or Master qualifications? By all accounts, she should've been dead back then.
"Answer me, Lev."
Her tone turned grim. She had trusted him so much—he had practically acted with director-level authority in Chaldea. And what had that earned her? Betrayal. If Daniel hadn't shown up when he did, she would've died, burdened by regret.
"Haha… You may have barely survived, but this is where it ends. Without the King's favor, struggle as you might—you have no future. Allow me to correct past mistakes. Let me properly introduce myself. Lev Lainur Flauros."
With that, Lev removed his hat and gave an exaggerated bow before placing it back on his head. His voice suddenly shifted.
"One of the seventy-two Demon Gods beneath the Throne—Demon God Flauros."
As his words ended, Lev's body began to bloat grotesquely. His green coat was the first thing to rip apart. Moments later, an abhorrent, sanity-eroding form towered before them.
"Ugh, disgusting."
Rin and Luvia both stepped back in revulsion. Though they were experienced mages who had traveled from the modern age to the Roman Empire, this was beyond what they could stomach.
"Hideous."
Even Nero furrowed her brow and stepped back. It wasn't that she found his transformed form disgusting—it was the swarm of red, fleshy tendrils spreading toward her that raised her guard.
"Careful—this isn't a Phantasmal Species or a Servant. It's a genuine demon."
Romani's anxious voice came through the communicator.
"Got it, Doctor," Ritsuka replied with a nod.
"Didn't expect to run into this kind of monster. Gáe Bolg: Gouging Piercing Spear of Death Flight!"
Cú Chulainn immediately activated his Noble Phantasm. A rain of red spears fell from the sky, blasting through the tendrils and rupturing the eyes on the meat column.
But the next moment, the tendrils and eyes regenerated.
"What a pain."
Cú Chulainn hated enemies with regenerative abilities. It drastically reduced the effectiveness of his weapon.
"This is the final battle—everyone, together!"
Daniel didn't hesitate. At his command, the others sprang into action.
"Excalibur!"
Rin immediately used a Command Spell to fuel Artoria's Noble Phantasm. Since arriving in Chaldea, she had learned the correct way to use Command Spells—no longer reckless like before.
As golden light surged from Artoria's sword, countless magical arrays appeared above the Demon God Pillar—Medea's High-Speed Divine Words.
Cú Chulainn, Boudica, Lu Bu, Spartacus, and Jing Ke all attacked too, though none used their Noble Phantasms. It was at this moment that Daniel realized something: although they had many Servants on their side, only Artoria's Excalibur was a true powerhouse Noble Phantasm suitable for this kind of situation. The rest were mostly defensive or highly situational.
Jing Ke's was an assassination-type, ineffective against such an enemy. Cú Chulainn's had just been used. The rest focused on containing the enemy's tentacles.
"Close… His regeneration is that fast? Must be the Holy Grail inside him."
Seeing the pillar melt under Excalibur, only to rapidly regenerate, Daniel turned to Artoria and called out, "One more time—together!"
As he spoke, he manifested a golden sword identical to hers—thanks to the Class Card system, which he had already explained to her. Hers was the real thing; his was a perfect projection.
Rin used another Command Spell to instantly replenish Artoria's mana. Normally, using a Noble Phantasm twice in a row wasn't feasible—not due to limitations of the weapon, but because of mana costs. But with Command Spells—like Black Saber fueled by the Grail—anything was possible.
"Excalibur!"
"Excalibur!"
The two golden beams fused in mid-air, forming an even stronger stream of light that annihilated the Demon God Pillar completely, leaving behind only a Holy Grail floating in the air.
Fusion of Noble Phantasms was usually impossible—but this was a special case. Daniel's projection was a perfect replica.
"This can't be… How did I lose? Who are you people?!"
Lev's voice rang out as his body, centering around the Holy Grail, began to regenerate. He no longer carried the same arrogant tone. Despite being a Demon God with a Grail, he had been defeated far too easily—an outcome he could not accept.
"You don't need to know who we are. Will you surrender? You've lost."
"Hah! You really think this is over? I only lost because I've been away from the Temple too long. You got lucky—but that ends now!"
Surrendering was not in Lev's nature. To him, humans were lower lifeforms—he would never bow to them. Instead, he blamed his loss on being too far from the Temple, which, to be fair, did hold some truth. Within the Temple, Demon Gods were stronger.
As he spoke, a golden light flared before him. A figure emerged—an incoming Servant summon. Even if he'd lost the battle, destroying the Roman Empire would still count as his victory.
"You probably don't know who she is, so allow me to be generous. This is Attila, the destroyer, the scourge of God. The one who brought down Rome."
The ancient King of the Huns—Rome's greatest enemy.
As Lev enthusiastically introduced her, the silent Attila suddenly drew her blade and cleaved him cleanly in two. Then she extracted the Holy Grail from his corpse and absorbed it.
"Destruction not of life, but of civilization. Photon Ray—Sword of the War God."
With the Grail absorbed, Attila's tri-colored sword shimmered with otherworldly light. A burst of rainbow energy surged toward Daniel's group.
"Lord Camelot!"
"Chariot of the Sun!"
Mash and Boudica deployed their defensive Noble Phantasms immediately, shielding Nero and the others.
BOOM!
The impact against Mash's wall sent tremors through the earth. The resulting shockwave obliterated the palace behind them.
"Incredible… so this is the power of the Scourge of God."
Romani, watching via surveillance, was visibly stunned. If that was only the aftermath, what would've happened if it had hit directly?
Attila's Noble Phantasm didn't target life—it targeted civilization itself. Its destructive properties could annihilate all forms of existence.
Though Mash and Boudica had acted swiftly, Lu Bu and Spartacus—both Berserkers—were instantly caught in the beam and erased before they could even activate their Noble Phantasms.
Spartacus's self-destructive Noble Phantasm, which grows in power the more damage he takes, was completely nullified by sheer overwhelming force.
"Gigantomachia. Vanguard of the Star."
While Romani was stunned by Attila's power, Daniel was calmly analyzing her.
Long white hair, red eyes, graceful yet fierce—she was undeniably beautiful. Though she appeared to be a Servant, her true identity was that of a Giant God, a foe of planets.
Of course, this was merely a split avatar—not her true self.
The Moon World's lore ran deep. Beyond Earth's own counter forces and gods, the cosmos teemed with powerful entities: Star Apostles, UOs, and more.
That was why star-forged holy swords existed—to counter threats from beyond.
"She's leaving? What's she planning?"
They watched in surprise as Attila turned and departed. Due to her sheer power, no one dared chase after her immediately.
"She's probably heading to destroy the capital, Rome. Don't worry—I'll stop her. Leave this to me."
As monsters began to spawn—skeletons, homunculi, ghosts, wyverns—Daniel realized she had used the Grail to create these as a distraction.
After giving a brief explanation, Daniel raced after her.
"Let me show you the true might of a Key of Destruction. I am the black that devours all, the white that gives birth to all. Born before creation, enduring beyond annihilation. God Key: Abyss Flower, First Power Activation—Holy Lance Bloom."
Though Attila was fast, Daniel was faster. Even with monsters in his way, he soon caught up.
Instead of using Excalibur or Ea, he summoned the Abyss Flower—a God Key—and unleashed its full output.
Attila, as stoic as ever, responded by unleashing Photon Ray once more. Though her class was Saber, her behavior resembled that of a Berserker.
White energy clashed against rainbow light.
And the white beam prevailed—piercing through her and ending the battle.
"Looks like I win."
As Attila's form began to fade, she smiled.
"Didn't expect there to be something even my sword couldn't destroy."
And then she was gone.
"There's a lot your sword can't destroy—you've just never seen them."
Attila's weapon was indeed mighty—but not invincible. For example, she couldn't even destroy Mash's shield. Arthur's dining table craftsmanship truly was remarkable.
"The Holy Grail... I wonder if Da Vinci can figure out how it was made."
With Attila gone, Daniel turned his attention to the Grail she had left behind.
Unlike the Holy Grails in standard wars, those found in Singularities couldn't grant wishes. Even so, they were invaluable artifacts—worth studying.
The mysteries of this Grail might be the key to understanding far more than just a single war.
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