"Phew..."
As her consciousness projection connected to the temple standing within the void, Selene could even feel a refreshing breeze sweeping past her surroundings.
To the people of Chaldea—and to most Heroic Spirits—this temple was an oppressively suffocating thaumaturgical domain. Yet Selene did not feel even the slightest discomfort.
On the contrary, she felt a sense of fullness, as if magical energy was brimming within her, her Saint Graph loosening in a pleasant release.
It was as though...
The Saint Graphs within Selene belonging to Avenger—the monstrous goddess Gorgon—and Beast II—the primordial mother goddess Tiamat—were rejoicing, as if they had returned to an age when Mystery still thrived in the world.
Compared to the faint suppression she experienced in the modern era, where Mystery had withered away, this place felt like water to a fish, so comfortable that Selene couldn't help but relax both body and mind.
This was an extraordinarily wondrous space.
Standing outside the world, within the fissures of endless void, it was entirely different from the deathly darkness beyond the temple. Inside, it was vibrant with life, its scenery magnificent.
Above stretched an endless azure sky, while below lay a boundless grassland resembling a silver ocean.
Floating mountains surrounded the temple, like steps ascending to the heavens. Large and small, layered one upon another, they revolved slowly around the dazzling and sacred Throne of Heaven.
"The Grand Temple of Time."
"This temple manifests the world's environment before Solomon's death, when Mystery had yet to rapidly decline..."
Sensing the unique structure of the entire temple, a thoughtful glint flickered within Selene's crimson eyes.
In a sense, it would be more accurate to say that this temple itself was Solomon.
King Solomon's second Noble Phantasm—Reality Marble: Temple of Time.
Located beyond the universe, it was an alternate space that almost completely isolated time and space. Its fundamental structure was quite similar to the Greater Grail system beneath Fuyuki City.
However, the Temple of Time was constructed from Solomon's magical circuits. In other words, the temple itself was Solomon's corpse.
No wonder...
The moment she stepped inside, Selene felt a strong sense of déjà vu. Unlike the barren desert of swords created when Archer deployed his Unlimited Blade Works to drag her in, this Reality Marble felt like a living organism.
"The halo..."
Her serpentine tail coiled and shifted as Selene raised her head, gazing forward with a trace of amusement in her eyes.
Above the temple, the most eye-catching sight was the constantly rotating halo—beautiful yet dangerous, radiating an otherworldly terror.
At first glance, it looked like a decorative ring encircling the temple, but in reality, it was a collection of hundreds of millions of beams.
A convergence of countless rays, each possessing destructive power comparable to an A-rank Noble Phantasm like Excalibur, continuously accelerating and compressing. It was a catastrophic 'weapon' capable of converting all of human history into heat.
There was nothing on Earth that could surpass the thermal output of this Noble Phantasm.
To create that halo, Solomon had established seven singularities—seven sources of magical energy. Drawing unimaginable power from every era of human history, the temple formed an astonishing vortex of magical energy.
Buzz!
The temple suddenly trembled.
"Welcome to my world. This is the depths of Imaginary Numbers Space, isolated from time. Its name is—the Grand Temple of Time."
As that voice, as vast as the heavens themselves, echoed with authority...
At the edge of Selene's vision, a radiant divine mountain seemed to rise from the ground. Upon the Throne of Heaven, surrounded like stars around the moon, a white-haired man who had long been waiting slowly stood.
He was not particularly tall, roughly around 180 centimeters. His skin was slightly dark, and his features fell somewhere between those of East Asian and Western descent. He wore a red-and-white magus robe.
"This should be our first meeting. Sovereign of foreign gods—I am Solomon. The King of Magecraft."
"Selene."
After the brief exchange of introductions, Selene looked down from above at the so-called King of Magecraft before her, her gaze tinged with faint mockery.
In terms of sheer size, Selene was far larger than even the throne beneath the man's feet.
Like Selene, the man's pupils were a frightening crimson. Yet within his eyes, there was none of the boundless wisdom said to allow the wise king Solomon to perceive all things.
What Selene saw instead was something hidden beneath a mask of pretense—cruelty, viciousness, and savagery, not unlike her own, driven by raw desire.
"Oh? Really? King Solomon? Starting with a lie at our very first meeting—how... appropriate."
Selene's crimson eyes flickered. The massive divine statue projection coiled before the throne rose upright in response, its enormous shadow instantly engulfing the 'Solomon' below along with the throne.
"..."
The white-haired man's crimson gaze flashed briefly. Though his expression stiffened for a moment, he remained calm and said nothing as he looked at Selene.
He had never seen any vision of Selene violating their agreement.
Unlike Chaldea and humanity—who, in his eyes, were destined for destruction and merely barked in futile defiance—Selene's taunts could easily be ignored.
As long as it did not involve Chaldea, his composure remained remarkably steady.
The two locked eyes, their identical crimson gazes meeting in silence for a moment before Selene suddenly let out a soft laugh.
"No need to be nervous."
"As an ally—and in appreciation for the amusement your plan has brought me—I'll offer you a reminder. You are you. You can never become him. No matter how perfect your disguise, it is nothing more than self-deception."
If Selene made no effort to conceal the cold, destructive aura emanating from her body, then the man calling himself Solomon seemed to be doing the opposite—desperately trying to disguise himself as someone else.
The origin of all modern magecraft, the king who represented humanity's separation from the divine, the starting point of Mystery's decline, the absolute and eternal pinnacle of magecraft, the holder of the Grand Caster seat—the King of Magecraft was undoubtedly great and wise.
To magi who walked the path of magecraft, his existence was as perfect and all-encompassing as the Root itself, something that could lead one into ruin.
Unfortunately, the Solomon before her was no longer that King of Humanity. Only the body remained the same—everything within had long since been replaced.
"Still not willing to admit your true identity? And I must say—the one on your left middle finger is an obvious imitation."
'Solomon' wore a ring on each of his ten fingers—a total of ten silver rings, the famous 'Ten Rings' of legend. They might fool ordinary people, but to Selene—let alone Heroic Spirits possessing Clairvoyance—the signs of imitation were far too obvious.
"At this point, wouldn't it be better to just be yourself?"
Maintaining his composure, 'Solomon' calmly picked up Selene's words and replied in an even tone, "I see. As a divine king from another realm, it is only natural that you possess an authority similar to Clairvoyance..."
"If that is the case, then you should understand even more clearly—I am Solomon."
"Ah, indeed. You are also Solomon. After all... this body truly is Solomon. Your origin is Solomon, and the power you wield also comes from Solomon."
Selene covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh, lightly tapping her lips before losing interest in continuing the topic or provoking him further.
"Alright, let's leave it at that. I have no interest in digging into your personal affairs."
A certain degree of dominance suited her persona perfectly. In this world, gods who reveled in amusement were far from rare—even divine kings among certain pantheons were no exception. Moreover, Selene was not currently within his line of hostility.
But going too far would be inelegant. It was not yet time to completely tear off the mask.
As for exposing the truth and tearing apart his disguise—that was something Selene had no intention of stealing the spotlight for. That role should be left to the protagonist of this grand final battle for humanity.
"So then, Solomon—how much longer until your Temple of Time merges with that world? The grand stage has already been prepared for you. The curtain is about to rise, and I don't have much patience left."
After a brief moment of thought, 'Solomon' replied without emotion, "According to your region's time, by dawn of the next day, I will merge the Temple of Time with this world."
"Good." Selene nodded, then continued, "Do you want me to leave the people of Chaldea for you?"
"There is no need. To burn to ashes without a trace—that is their destined future."
'Solomon's' gaze sharpened slightly as he spoke.
"The outcome is already decided. Whether it is Chaldea or humanity's last Master, it makes no difference. From the moment human existence is predicated on death, all their so-called values and beliefs are worthless. How they reach their end—I have no interest in it."
Selene idly fiddled with her nails, the smile in her eyes deepening.
"What about you, Selene? I am curious—why would you involve yourself in such a meaningless mess devoid of any aesthetic value?" 'Solomon' asked.
"Because it's interesting." Selene lazily leaned against the steps, looking at 'Solomon' with a relaxed tone.
There was no doubt—this was a lie. And yet, it was also the truth.
Because she genuinely wanted to watch.
"The Incineration of Humanity, the destruction of human history—Solomon, don't you think this will be a magnificent performance?"
"Will it be the King of Magecraft, who has schemed for a thousand years, successfully destroying human history... or will humanity's last Master succeed in saving the world?"
"Whether it's your arrogance at victory, or your wails of despair, your pleas for mercy, or even some grand moment of enlightenment when you fail and perish—I'm curious about all of it."
"I will not lose."
"It's best if that's true..."
As she spoke, Selene's consciousness projection gradually faded until it vanished completely.
"..."
Silence once again filled the vast Temple of Time.
"Flauros... the ally you found has far exceeded my expectations. However... as long as she is a Servant, I have nothing to fear."
...
Ryuudou Temple.
Opening her eyes once more, Selene slightly restrained her smile.
"Your Majesty, it seems you have already met my king."
Observing Selene closely, Lev's eyes gleamed with excitement. The thought of double the amusement left him unable to contain himself.
"Mm. By dawn tomorrow, Solomon's Temple of Time will merge with this world. The countdown to the Incineration of Humanity has begun."
"Lev, continue organizing the underground ley lines."
With the mindset of making full use of a tool, Selene once again sent Lev down into the massive underground cavern beneath Ryuudou Temple.
Honestly, if time weren't so limited, not to mention just the Pacific's ley lines, Selene could have linked together the ley lines of the entire planet.
"Sister Selene, Mei and I cleared out the Matou residence..."
At that moment, Kiana suddenly jumped onto Selene's shoulder, affectionately rubbing against the smooth yet terrifying fine scales on her cheek as she spoke with slight embarrassment.
"But aside from that short old man, I didn't find any other targets. We didn't find Shinji Matou from the intel..."
"Lady Kiana, did you just say Shinji Matou?" Rita, who was brewing tea for Durandal and Fu Hua on the balcony of the pavilion, immediately asked for confirmation.
Kiana nodded blankly.
"Ah, him. My apologies, Lady Kiana—it seems I may have taken your prey." Rita gave a charming smile and offered a slight bow.
"Kiana, did you notice anything else?" Selene asked.
"No. The Matou residence had already been transformed by that heretical mage into something like a nest of worms. There was no sign of life left, so I burned it all down. Um... Sister Selene, did I miss something?"
Hearing Selene's question, Kiana thought for a moment before shaking her head.
"Miss something... not really..."
Murmuring to herself, Selene vaguely recalled a certain tragic girl. Something about piercing the moon... certain kill... certain rescue... flickered through her mind.
"It's nothing. Just some insignificant detail."
Shaking her head to cast aside the stray thoughts, Selene's gaze shifted to the figure lying before her amid the crystalline ruins—Kirei Kotomine, whose life or death was uncertain.
"How did the Holy Church manage to collect so many leftover Command Spells? They're practically one of the ultimate products of the Greater Grail system. For Servants, if used properly, they're an incredible boost."
"I don't understand..."
Her serpentine tail moved, and the crystalline surface suddenly warped and collapsed, instantly swallowing Kirei Kotomine. In the next moment, an endless tide of thick, purple-red fluid surged out from beneath Selene.
Imaginary Numbers Space: EX
An inherent skill that emerged after Selene fused with the Beast II Saint Graph of Tiamat.
Beyond her own Herrscher authority over Imaginary numbers, it also incorporated Tiamat's Sea of Life, Nega Genesis, and Potnia Theron.
Sea of Life: Selene herself becomes the Ocean of Imaginary Numbers that gives birth to imaginary life. By circulating the True Ether of Earth's genesis, this sea can supply magical energy infinitely.
Everything that comes into contact with it is eroded and subjected to random self-modification, ecological alteration, ecological fusion, and individual proliferation. Once the sea emerges onto land, anything that comes into contact with it must form a cellular-level contract with Beast II—an Amino Geass—automatically becoming an enemy of humanity.
Nega Genesis: A conceptual field capable of reshaping the world, overturning established evolutionary theory and the prophecies of Earth's creation. It grants Selene extremely high resistance against Noble Phantasms born from proper human history.
In simpler terms—greater durability, higher magical and physical resistance, and stronger regeneration.
Potnia Theron: Anything born under Selene's authority cannot defy the power of the mother goddess, as doing so would violate the very system of life itself. Creating monsters or giants is merely the most basic application of this authority.
Though, when activating it, Selene couldn't help but curse out loud.
Damn it!
Looking at the purple-red glowing patterns lighting up around her lower abdomen, Selene froze completely.
What kind of setup is this?
Then, recalling the blue-green markings on Tiamat's abdomen that symbolized her authority...
...Right. The placement of your authority symbols is really strange.
Selene silently turned around and controlled her scales to grow, sealing off everything below her navel tightly.
"Phew..."
Thankfully, the pattern wasn't pink—let alone heart-shaped. Otherwise, Selene would have rather self-destructed.
"Potnia Theron..."
"Huh? Because of Saint Graph restrictions, I can only summon and create beasts... I can't summon or create human armies?"
Ah... that cut her enjoyment in half.
Unhappy. There went her plan to use the Imperial Army as 'new humanity' to mock Chaldea's 'old humanity.'
"Fine. A limitation is a limitation. There will be opportunities later... The Sangheili—humanoid species from the Covenant should fall within my creation range, right?"