The sky wailed, the earth trembled, and the sea roared.
Such was the scale of Kirschtaria Wodime's Magecraft.
Whether it was the goddesses still locked in battle, the Crypters and their Servants attempting to evade attacks and launch surprise assaults, or Chaldea's Storm Border—everyone came to a halt and looked on.
It was not only shock that stayed them, but also a deep, instinctive respect—one that should never be felt toward an enemy.
A young Magus, standing on equal footing with gods despite his mortal body, had turned an ultimate Magecraft theory into reality in this very moment.
"Chaldea may resolve the Incineration of Human Order, but the role you played in allowing me to meet my teacher was indispensable. Even without grasping every detail, the Magecraft battle just now has made one thing clear to me: defeating you here is absolutely essential. This is not a duel—it is a war. Whether it is Servants or allies, there is no reason to hesitate in calling for aid."
Kirschtaria spoke with calm confidence as he declared this to Shiomi.
He looked down at Shiomi, who stood unmoving atop the violently surging sea. Arms crossed, the man's magical energy and imposing presence made Kirschtaria think of a certain being.
That being was his ally in this Lostbelt—the chief god of Olympus, the great god Zeus.
"There's no need," Shiomi said quietly. "It's not that I don't trust my companions. It's just that if a problem of this level still requires everyone to step in, that would be far too disgraceful."
"I see," Kirschtaria replied, understanding.
The staff that guided the celestial bodies was raised toward the heavens once more.
This sea, this world—there was nowhere left to flee.
But for Shiomi, there was no need to flee at all.
Beneath his feet was the sea, and beneath the sea lay the land.
He was standing upon this planet itself. As one of the lives born from it, this moment was precisely when he must give everything he had.
"Seven gales that rend chaos asunder, the blood rain of divergence that split heaven and earth. The paths of the stars were shaped by the gods, but mankind's fate should be decided by mankind alone. From this day forth, humanity shall walk this arduous journey to reach the stars. Therefore, Great Mother of Creation, our mother, the goddess Tiamat—bear witness!"
With Shiomi's words, the earth responded as a single, unified whole—and rejected Kirschtaria.
Leylines, Mana, even the very concepts that defined Magecraft were pushed away.
This was not the will of a single place or a fleeting moment, but the choice of the entire planet.
As the young Magus manipulated the stars and summoned meteors from beyond the sky, he had forgotten that the land beneath his feet was itself a singular, beautiful star within the cosmos—the mother planet that had given birth to countless humans, himself included.
Kirschtaria chose the universe.
Shiomi chose only the cradle of humanity.
The moment he understood this, Kirschtaria's expression shifted from realization to a knowing smile. He raised his voice and proclaimed,
"Grand Order : Anima Animosphere!"
"——The Earth Mother's Banquet - Nammu Duranki!"
Shiomi raised both arms and answered with a solemn declaration.
In that instant, the clash between heaven and earth became reality.
Was it a primordial hell?
Not quite so brutal.
A blissful act of creation?
Not nearly so gentle.
Yet the world itself shook, as though its very foundations had been disturbed.
The sky sought to annihilate the earth.
The earth responded with cold rejection.
Neither side yielded an inch.
On the deck of the Storm Border, Sakura and the others were nearly unable to breathe.
A memory etched deep into their DNA—passed down from humanity's distant ancestors—was whispering to them of the most primal fear.
Even with the "Life Wall" already deployed, it still—
"Steady your breathing. Don't let what you see unsettle you," Morgan's calm voice rang out. "This is neither Magecraft nor a Noble Phantasm, but the manifestation of authority. At this moment, the planet itself is answering my husband's will, pushing back the assault of the cosmos."
As Morgan stepped onto the deck, Sakura and the others immediately felt their breathing ease.
A defensive field no less powerful than Skadi's Barrier spread out around them.
Its name was the "Tower."
"Why are you here, Mother?" Baobhan Sith asked. "Shouldn't you be directing things from the bridge?"
"We can no longer observe the outside situation from within the ship," Morgan replied, her eyes glowing faintly blue. "Besides, how could I possibly restrain myself from witnessing a battle like this with my own eyes?"
The fairy watched everything in silence.
It truly was exquisite Astromancy Magecraft. Both the concept and the structure were refined and beautiful, pushing human intellect to its absolute limits.
If Shiomi were not here, then perhaps only she, seated upon the throne of Camelot, could contend with this Magecraft.
With that thought, Morgan continued shielding everyone as she quietly tightened her grip on her wand.
Demeter fell from the sky, crashing into the shallow sea, most of her body submerged beneath the water.
She stared at herself in disbelief.
Had her bodily functions failed?
No. In that instant, the authority of the Earth Goddess could no longer function properly, causing a malfunction in the Machine God's true form.
At this moment, in this sea, in this world, there was only one being capable of governing the earth.
The one now standing upon the sea, confronting the heavens.
"How reckless… to treat the planet's power as your own…"
Demeter's internal logic was engulfed by an even greater chaos. Even her speech systems strained under the load, the words spilling from her mouth breaking apart as they formed.
"Ah… ah… Persephone… Persephone… my beloved child…"
Like an ordinary human who had lost all sense, she collapsed into the sea, clutching her head and murmuring the name of the one she had lost.
At a time like this, killing the goddess would have been effortless.
Yet Skadi, standing some distance away, did not seize this easy victory.
The reason was simple.
She could not tear her eyes away from Shiomi.
Her heart, already claimed by him, was once again shaken by the fragment of himself he revealed.
Kirschtaria Wodime's strike, filled with absolute confidence—the meteor shower summoned from the stars—failed to reach the land right before it.
Every meteor was burned to nothing before touching the ground, leaving not even ash behind.
No… they had been rejected.
The planet beneath their feet refused their arrival.
Or perhaps, before they could reach the surface, that power had already been devoured.
As long as Tenkei Shiomi stood there, Kirschtaria's Magecraft would never be able to touch the earth.
Light flared forth from the void, and in an instant, heaven and earth were drowned in dazzling brilliance.
The white radiance lasted only a moment before fading, and with it vanished the aurora that had shrouded the sky.
The sea returned to calm, and blue skies and white clouds once more filled the horizon.
Panting heavily, Kirschtaria barely managed to maintain his position, floating in the air.