Boom!!
A terrifying, massive fist descended like a meteor. If it struck the ground directly, the surrounding earth would instantly crack and collapse, its destructive range extending hundreds of meters. Such an attack was nearly impossible for even a typical Servant to withstand!
But before the colossal fist could fully land, a pitch-black ray of light streaked through the air. The ray was so thin it seemed to lack any tangible thickness, its sharpness unparalleled.
In an instant, the black light soared hundreds of meters, silently slicing through the descending fist. It severed the death-lines, cutting off the mountainous arm entirely!
Even though the primordial giant could reshape the world into a paradise merely by standing on the earth and receive endless magical energy while doing so, and even though it was blessed by the land and could not be destroyed as long as its feet remained rooted to the ground, this was not the first time Alaric had faced such circumstances.
Gurgle, gurgle.
A black ocean surged from the void, spreading outward like a tidal wave, covering an area of hundreds of meters in a matter of moments. If the primordial giant represented Eden, a paradise that altered the world, then this black tide forcibly reshaped it into a new world.
The Mother of Origins, loosening her grip, returned to the ocean. In an instant, she was enveloped by the boundless waves.
If the giant symbolized the earth, then what manifested now was the primordial sea—the Sea of Life!
Sensing the danger of the Sea of Life, the primordial giant instinctively retreated, trying to avoid it and return to the paradise it had created.
But it was too slow—
With a call from the Mother, the power of self-transformation activated once more. Utilizing the Sea of Life to replace her spiritual foundation, she evolved from a mere Servant to—
Wings of a wild dragon unfurled, radiating the primal divinity of life itself!
The primordial divine form once revealed in the Mesopotamian underworld and described by Romani as a Jurassic-level dragon body, had returned once again!
The reappearance of the primordial divine form stunned everyone. Though its body was only 60 meters long—dwarfed by the thousand-meter-tall primordial giant—no one could ignore the overwhelming power it exuded. The magic energy waves it emitted signified an absolute force that transcended the Holy Grail War itself. It was the primal divine authority that had been suppressed until now by the goddess of origins.
Not only was its power amplified by its immense spiritual foundation, but its dragon body also rendered it impervious to attacks below A++ rank. This meant that defeating her in this Holy Grail War was utterly impossible.
Observing the primordial divine form up close, Merlin uttered in awe:
"Truly worthy of the name Tiamat, the Mother of Creation—"
Although this summoning had forcibly displaced Merlin's summoning slot with Tiamat, he had no complaints. Because it was Tiamat, Merlin was reassured enough to continue observing.
Alaric had transformed into a Beast's larval form was surprising, but that alone wasn't enough to concern Merlin. The reason he had intervened was not the havoc caused by Alaric's black aurora or Kotomine Shirou's attempt to materialize the souls of all humanity.
It was simply the fact that even the Counter Force had summoned Artoria. That alone had prompted Merlin to act.
The Greater Grail, the world's crisis, and the conditions required to summon Artoria had all aligned. Especially the Greater Grail's ability to connect to the Root and grant any wish—this alone could summon Artoria.
But this situation was different from the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki. Alaric had already transformed into a Beast's larval form, demonstrating an ability to sever planetary connections. Against the Star's Holy Sword wielded by Artoria, she was at a severe disadvantage.
The Star's Holy Sword was a crystallization of fantasy forged within the planet's core. It was an artifact at the pinnacle of holy swords, designed to save the planet—a shining blade of golden light, created to vanquish planetary destruction and repel all evil.
As long as the conditions were met, it could annihilate even the Evils of Humanity with a single strike. Let alone a larval form.
To prevent these two from clashing in mutual destruction, Merlin had no choice but to manifest in this world and attempt to intervene.
This concern, however, was momentarily set aside as Tiamat unleashed the Sea of Life and replaced her divine form.
Returning to the Sea of Life and manifesting as a dragon-formed spiritual foundation, Tiamat's output remained undiminished. It matched the level of her power in Mesopotamia.
In other words, the goddess standing upon the Sea of Life at this moment was the authentic primordial divine form—the supreme deity, Beast II.
Yet this time, she was not merely the Beast of Calamity. She was the true Goddess of Life, wielding her ultimate power for a single individual.
The moment her primordial divine form appeared, a certain saint decisively resumed her interrupted Noble Phantasm. She had to act before Tiamat resolved the battle—
"Warm light spreads across the earth, extending to the ends of the world;
From the edges of the heavens, ascending ever higher,
To the heavens' end, I shall go; my final destination, my fate, and my life all reside here."
Clang!
Achilles, now back in action, clashed with Sieg as he guarded Jeanne. Chiron swiftly unleashed ranged attacks, joining Achilles, Semiramis, and Kotomine Shirou in a coordinated assault! Meanwhile, Mordred, who had been forced to pause her fight with Artoria, charged toward her once more, intent on uncovering the reason for her manifestation.
At the same time—
The primordial goddess's voice echoed in declaration:
"Though I may seem a laughable mother, should I grow truly enraged, this is what I become!
The waves of creation, the crust of origins! Let us meet again in Gondwana!
My steadfast child, defy the logic of creation!
This was not merely the manifestation of divine authority. By returning to the Sea of Life and appearing through her dragon-formed spiritual foundation, Tiamat unleashed her most primal magic energy. Its potency rivaled EX-ranked Anti-World Noble Phantasms!
A terrifying torrent erupted from her mouth, dimming even the heavenly light. The roar of the primordial ocean shook the world itself.
The waves of life surged forward, overturning the earth and knocking the primordial giant into the Sea of Life! Or rather, it had already been swallowed by the ocean.
The paradise created by the giant—its Eden—was powerless against the primordial sea. It was relentlessly consumed and reshaped.
The world belonging to the giant Adam vanished entirely.
With Eden submerged, the giant lost the blessing of the earth. It could no longer draw endless magical energy nor maintain its immortality as long as it stood upon the land.
In an ordinary Holy Grail War or even a Singularity, the primordial giant would possess top-tier strength, requiring an army of elite Servants to defeat it once fully grown.
But against the primordial sea, to which it was fundamentally ill-suited, it stood no chance.
If the primordial giant—Golem Kether Malchut—was an autonomous Reality Marble, then the oncoming torrent was absolute violence capable of tearing through the world.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The black-and-red flood swallowed the primordial giant, obliterating its impossibly durable body and magical circuits inch by inch. Even its controller, Avicebron, was instantly vaporized without a trace!
The thousand-meter-tall giant, which once seemed so imposing, now appeared insignificant before this torrent.
The rapidly expanding Sea of Life grew into an astonishing domain several kilometers in diameter, engulfing the primordial giant and the entire battlefield.
Brilliant light explosions erupted across the universe. Yet the aftermath of these blasts was entirely suppressed by the Sea of Life, minimizing destruction to the surrounding environment. Ultimately, only the primordial giant and Avicebron vanished within the ocean's embrace.
As the primordial goddess annihilated the giant, the saint's prayer rang out amidst the explosions—
"My existence is equal to nothing, like a shadow wandering aimlessly;
My bow cannot be relied upon, nor can my sword save me."
"Don't even think about it!"
Responding to Jeanne's chant, Semiramis, now back in action, decisively unleashed multiple spells. With her High-Speed Divine Words, she was undoubtedly a grand sorceress.
Although she could not wield the grand-scale magecraft of her Hanging Gardens, Semiramis could still cast devastating attack spells.
Jeanne, currently unleashing her Noble Phantasm, lacked the means to defend herself against such magic.
Footsteps echoed.
With the resounding neigh of the white horse, a knight who raised the banner high from the ground shouted:
"My Lord is here (Luminosité Eternelle)!!!"
Bearing witness to the legend of the saint—bearing witness to the legend of Jeanne d'Arc—only the Heroic Spirit who had served as France's Marshal, Gilles de Rais, could fully utilize this Noble Phantasm.
A radiant, pure white light blossomed, deflecting the onslaught of incoming magecraft one by one.
This allowed the saint's chant to continue:
"With the sole remaining thing I possess, may I shield His steps.
Oh Lord, I entrust my being to Your will—
After despair, hope shall surely follow!!!"
The culmination of the final hymn was accompanied by the eruption of blazing fire.
Jeanne d'Arc opened her eyes with a devout expression, gazing at the holy sword of Saint Catherine in her hands. It was a silver sword she had never used in life, but with it as the catalyst, Jeanne could invoke her second Noble Phantasm, one that could only be used once:
"La Pucelle!"
This was a conceptual crystallization of Jeanne's martyrdom on the stake, interpreted as an offensive strike.
An alternate version of a Reality Marble, this sword was the crystallization of Jeanne's inner world. In essence, this sword represented Jeanne d'Arc herself. Thus, once the Noble Phantasm was manifested, Jeanne would vanish from the present world after the battle concluded.
As such, this was an ultimate, life-risking strike.
The cost was undoubtedly immense, but the reward was equally overwhelming. La Pucelle could, at the cost of Jeanne's life, annihilate all existence.
Of course, this flame would only harm targets Jeanne deemed necessary to destroy. It could not be used simply against strong enemies or due to emotions like hatred.
Even against Alaric, Jeanne had no intention of using this strike. The only thing she sought to destroy was the Greater Grail—a threat to all of humanity.
The Greater Grail, along with the immortality and perpetual energy it could bestow through the materialization of souls, was something too far removed from the present capacity of humanity. Humanity's spirit was not yet ready to bear such a thing.
Thus, the Greater Grail could not be allowed to fall into the hands of Alaric or Shirou.