The blinding light and unimaginable heat radiating from the Piedra del Sol illuminated the surrounding area as bright as high noon. As Quetzalcoatl charged toward the churning, blackened Chaos Tide, the very air seemed to tear apart, emitting a harsh, deafening shriek. The apocalyptic heat was so intense that the black mud didn't even have a chance to make physical contact; it simply boiled and instantly flash-vaporized upon approach, forming a towering pillar of steam that pierced the clouds.
BOOOM—
Like a miniature sun crashing directly into the ocean's surface, the initial impact was deafeningly loud. Immediately after, every single molecule of oxygen within a six-kilometer radius was violently incinerated. In the ensuing, eerie vacuum of silence, a blazing sun erupted from the boiling mud, cloaked in a towering mushroom cloud. Searing, blinding rays of heat completely swallowed and encompassed everything within its blast radius.
A heaven-scorching shockwave of thermal energy swept outward. Wherever it passed, the moisture within the Chaos Tide instantly flash-vaporized, leaving behind a massive, scorched crater in the sea of mud. The very bedrock and earth beneath were melted into a sprawling lake of glowing, bubbling magma.
Having frantically fled to the absolute edge of the blast radius, the remaining three Servants barely managed to stabilize their Quetzalcoatlus mounts against the lingering shockwave. They hurriedly turned their heads back toward Tiamat's position.
The area that had just been an eerie, suffocating expanse of black mud had completely transformed into a blinding, orange-red inferno. The residual heat radiating from the epicenter was so intense they could clearly feel it even from miles away.
"Each one of you is crazier than the last..."
Staring at the apocalyptic, world-ending spectacle before her, Ishtar muttered in disbelief, though a distinct itch had begun to form in her hands.
Ever since she manifested in this era, she hadn't had a single opportunity to fully unleash her ultimate Noble Phantasm. Now that her Master was Takumi—a monstrous anomaly possessing practically infinite mana reserves—she was genuinely tempted to drop at least two massive bombardments just to see what would happen.
Furthermore, the destructive scale of her Noble Phantasm was undeniably massive, arguably much flashier and grander than Takumi's actual techniques.
While Takumi possessed an absurd arsenal of skills, the only ones that actually had any notable "special effects" were his Runes. Everything else about his combat style was characterized by extreme, unadorned practicality. Even the absolute, reality-bending defense of [My Heart Remains Thus] appeared to be nothing more than a thin, unassuming shield of light with a faint fiery hue; purely in terms of visual flair, it was actually less impressive than Leonidas's phantasmal Spartan shield-wall.
Shaking off her stray thoughts, Ishtar refocused her attention on the distant battlefield.
At the epicenter of the blast, aside from the two tiny, human-sized silhouettes, two colossal, mountain-sized figures still stood tall.
Having endured a point-blank "nuclear strike," and with the ground beneath them transformed into a literal magma lake by the lingering power of the Piedra del Sol, Tiamat's divine body only appeared slightly scorched and glowing red in a few places. She didn't show a single sign of genuine fatigue or critical damage.
In stark contrast, the twisted amalgamation—which Takumi had violently hurled directly into the center of the blast radius at the very last second—did not possess such absurd durability.
The majority of the grotesque eyeballs covering its body had been literally cooked and popped by the blast. The serpentine hair and the Chains of Heaven extending from it were brittle and covered in scorched, deep fissures. The single black wing on its back had withered and charred into something resembling a dead tree branch. While it technically wasn't dead, it looked incredibly miserable and was undeniably on the brink of collapse.
WHOOSH—
Simultaneously, accompanied by the violent howl of hurricane-force winds, the oxygen that had just been completely incinerated by the Piedra del Sol rushed back into the vacuum from the surrounding atmosphere, whipping the magma lake into a frenzy. Furthermore, having completely lost the buoyant support of the thick Chaos Tide beneath her, Tiamat's incredibly slender, disproportionate legs buckled, causing her massive upper body to lean heavily forward.
Hovering in mid-air, looking exactly as he had before the miniature sun detonated, Takumi stood firm. The plasma flag in his hand flickered gently, and the thin shield of light perfectly enveloped his body, ensuring he hadn't suffered a single point of damage even while standing practically next to the epicenter.
The fiery, deep-blue light flared within his eyes. In his vision, the concept of "Death" surrounding the battered amalgamation had grown incredibly clear and close.
He didn't know if it was a twisted coincidence or deliberate design, but this amalgamation seemed perfectly tailored to counter Takumi's specific conceptual advantages. It possessed absolutely no mind, no consciousness, and no heart; it operated purely on primal instinct and a desire for destruction. Consequently, the [Sword of the Heart] could not trigger any of its conceptual "anti-heart" or "anti-hesitation" properties against it. It had to be dismantled through pure, overwhelming physical violence.
In the brief moment Takumi spent analyzing it, the amalgamation—having caught its breath and forcibly regenerated a fraction of its strength—instinctively activated the power of the [Mystic Eyes of Petrifaction] once again. Shedding their charred, brittle outer husks, the serpentine hair instantly elongated, shooting toward Takumi and Quetzalcoatl like a sprawling, inescapable net of divine chains.
Because the vast majority of its resonant eyeballs had been cooked, the actual petrifying power of the Mystic Eyes was significantly weaker than before. However, it was still potent enough to slightly disrupt Quetzalcoatl, who was currently entirely focused on maintaining the output of the Piedra del Sol—not to mention the physical threat of the Chains of Heaven themselves.
Watching the corrupted Chains of Heaven rocket toward him, Takumi's silhouette instantly vanished.
CLANG!
Another unified, crisp sound of snapping chains echoed out. The moment the amalgamation flared its serpentine hair and unleashed the dense web of chains, they were completely severed in mid-air, alongside the purplish-red magical light emanating from its eyes.
Unlike his previous strike, which had merely severed the physical chains and temporarily interrupted the petrifaction effect... this time, he had explicitly targeted and "killed" the severely weakened conceptual origin of the [Mystic Eyes of Petrifaction] itself!
Unless the amalgamation possessed the specific ability to completely regenerate a brand-new set of conceptual Mystic Eyes from scratch, it would never be able to utilize that power again.
"AAAAAHHH—!!!"
A horrific, agonizing screech erupted from the amalgamation's maw. The primary pair of Gorgon's eyes on its face slammed shut, streaming tears of thick, black blood. Unable to bear the unimaginable, conceptual agony of having its eyes "killed," the monstrosity thrashed wildly. Its remaining serpentine hair flailed violently in the air, and its hands instinctively flew up to claw at its ruined face.
What the hell are you screaming about?!
His eyes cold and merciless, Takumi flipped through the air and materialized directly above the amalgamation's head. His right arm—the [Silver Arm]—instantly expanded to the same colossal proportions he had used to suplex Gorgon previously. With blinding speed, he grabbed the amalgamation directly by the jaw.
"AAAAA—CRACK!"
The amalgamation's agonizing shriek was violently cut off. Under the crushing, irresistible force applied to its jaw, its lower teeth slammed brutally into its upper teeth, producing a sickening, bone-shattering CRACK that made one's own jaw ache just hearing it.
But Takumi wasn't finished. Channeling the absolute kinetic force of his entire body into his colossal arm, he used his own position in mid-air as a pivot point, violently hurling the massive, hundred-meter-tall abomination directly over his shoulder like a ragdoll!
The entire sequence of attacks was executed with terrifying speed and flawless fluidity. It was only at this exact moment that Tiamat, who had lost her balance due to the evaporated mud, finally crashed heavily into the sprawling lake of magma, forced to brace herself with her colossal hands to avoid face-planting completely.
Fighting here is too restrictive. I need to move it further away.
Casting a quick glance at Quetzalcoatl—who was simultaneously maintaining the magma lake to hinder the Chaos Tide and closely monitoring Tiamat's movements—Takumi reverted his right arm to its normal size and instantly gave chase after the airborne amalgamation.
***
Exactly as Takumi had predicted based on his meta-knowledge, upon realizing her primary method of locomotion—the Chaos Tide—had been completely evaporated, the massive, structural horns atop Tiamat's head suddenly shifted and opened like mechanical thrusters, revealing a complex, bio-magical propulsion system capable of levitating her colossal divine mass.
As an unimaginable volume of super-heated, azure magical energy violently vented from the thrusters, Tiamat's massive body was forcefully hoisted into the sky.
According to Romani Archaman's analysis in the original game's plot, Tiamat's physiological structure was so absurdly advanced and dense that she could legitimately be classified as a living, interstellar-capable ark.
Given that fundamental, cosmic nature, achieving atmospheric flight was literally child's play for her.
"So you really can fly! Goddess Tiamat!"
Watching the colossal Mother Goddess ascend into the sky, the corners of Quetzalcoatl's mouth curled up into a ferocious, wildly exaggerated grin.
There was absolutely no trace of fear or hesitation in her eyes; only the pure, raging inferno of unadulterated fighting spirit.
"Witness the power of our underworld, Xibalba, and the cataclysmic impact that annihilated countless lives!"
Without a single second of hesitation, Quetzalcoatl clutched the blazing Piedra del Sol in her hands and violently slammed it directly into her own chest, forcibly merging the divine construct with her Spirit Origin to unleash her ultimate Noble Phantasm—
CRACK! SHATTER!
The exact second the Piedra del Sol merged with her body, the ornate, divine accessories adorning her form violently shattered into dust, unable to withstand the sudden, apocalyptic surge of energy. Terrifying, incomprehensible heat surged through her veins. The absolute Divinity belonging to one of the Supreme Gods of the Aztec mythos ignited, transforming into the raw, cataclysmic kinetic force required for her next strike.
Through the combined utilization of the Piedra del Sol and her other Noble Phantasms, Quetzalcoatl had successfully, momentarily replicated a fraction of her true power as a fully manifested Divine Spirit. However, the immediate consequence was that her Servant Spirit Origin—fundamentally incapable of containing such absolute, conceptual mass—began emitting the sickening sounds of structural collapse.
Even as glowing, erratic fissures of light began spider-webbing across her skin, threatening to tear her physical vessel apart, Quetzalcoatl didn't care in the slightest.
"I shall burn everything away…"
"And become the comet that killed Earth!"
Kicking off the air with explosive force, she instantly launched herself straight up into the stratosphere, violently piercing through the cloud layer. Then, flipping her trajectory at the absolute apex of her ascent, she plummeted downward like a blazing, apocalyptic comet, her target perfectly locked onto the crown of Tiamat's head.
"[Ultimo Tope Patada! (The Searing Flames Also Incinerate Gods!)]"
A blazing comet, dragging a massive tail of scorching fire, tore through the heavens with the blinding radiance of a dying sun. Tiliting her head back to stare at the impending, cataclysmic "Comet Strike," Tiamat silently activated one of her absolute, conceptual Authorities.
[Nega-Genesis]!
It wasn't merely a conceptual bounded field designed to completely overturn the current evolutionary tree and overwrite the Earth's genesis; it was simultaneously her absolute, ultimate defensive mechanism.
VMMMM—
Accompanied by a deep, resonant hum, a massive, transparent, blood-red spherical bounded field expanded outward, perfectly encapsulating Tiamat within its absolute protection.
The very next second after the barrier deployed.
The "Flaming Comet" slammed directly into it with entirely unrivaled, world-shattering momentum.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
In the original plot, it was explicitly stated that the Spirit Origin Ishtar utilized was infinitely close to her true, divine self. Aside from missing the Bull of Heaven, her raw combat power was functionally identical to her peak state as a Goddess.
By that exact same logic, the Spirit Origin Quetzalcoatl was currently utilizing was undeniably even more robust and powerful than Ishtar's. She was essentially operating at the level of a fully manifested Chief God!
Yet, even a Spirit Origin of that absurd caliber was fundamentally shattering itself just to unleash the raw, physical force of this single strike. The sheer, apocalyptic kinetic energy contained within it was entirely unimaginable.
CRACK—CRACK—SHATTER!
Exactly as expected, after a brief, terrifying stalemate lasting only a few seconds, the absolute conceptual barrier manifested by [Nega-Genesis] began to buckle. Starting directly beneath the point of impact of Quetzalcoatl's foot, massive, glowing fissures began rapidly spider-webbing across the red sphere. The sharp, deafening sound of conceptual glass cracking was so loud that even Ishtar and the others—still observing from miles away—could hear it clearly.
"Hraaaagh!!"
Seeing the barrier on the verge of collapse, Quetzalcoatl let out a furious, blood-curdling roar, forcing every last ounce of her remaining divine energy into her leg. Two seconds later, the absolute red barrier violently shattered like a pane of fragile glass, exploding into countless glowing fragments.
Her momentum completely unhindered, Quetzalcoatl's blazing kick slammed directly into one of Tiamat's massive horns—
The surrounding air violently warped and distorted under the unimaginable heat and kinetic force, emitting a deafening, high-pitched shriek. In the exact microsecond of impact, time itself seemed to freeze. Then, a world-ending, heaven-shaking explosion detonated. A blinding, apocalyptic sphere of fire instantly expanded, completely illuminating every single inch of space within a ten-kilometer radius. A devastating shockwave violently blasted outward, carrying gale-force winds and a suffocating, super-heated aura that threatened to rip the breath from one's lungs.
When the second "Sun" finally faded, Tiamat—having absorbed the entirety of the mitigated, yet still catastrophic damage—was violently plummeting from the sky. Accompanied by a sickening, deafening CRACK, the massive horn atop her head had literally been snapped off near its base by the sheer, brute force of the kick! The severed horn, emitting a terrifying, atmospheric roar, plummeted toward the earth below.
Crashing heavily into the magma lake, Tiamat's divine body was covered in massive, glowing burn marks. One of her primary horns had been completely severed, and the other bore deep, highly visible fractures. However, despite looking incredibly battered, her actual combat capability hadn't diminished in the slightest.
As for Quetzalcoatl...
Amidst the swirling, fading flames of the explosion, a slender silhouette fell limp. Driven entirely by residual momentum and gravity, she traced a helpless, downward arc toward the unforgiving earth below.
Having channeled the absolute entirety of her Divinity into that single strike, her Spirit Origin was completely overloaded. Her physical body had lost the monstrous strength capable of casually hefting mountains, leaving her entirely powerless to arrest her fall.
She really is ridiculously sturdy... Tiamat...
Staring down at Tiamat, who was already visibly beginning to regenerate her massive burn wounds, Quetzalcoatl—who couldn't even twitch a single finger—couldn't help but offer a bitter, self-deprecating smile.
I genuinely believed that as a Chief God from a completely different mythos, my absolute strongest strike would inflict significantly more lasting damage... I suppose I was entirely too arrogant...
SWISH!
A blinding blur tore through the air, perfectly intercepting Quetzalcoatl mid-fall.
Hmm?!
Her weightless, plummeting body suddenly found solid support. Quetzalcoatl felt a gentle breeze wash over her as she was smoothly caught in a secure, incredibly gentle princess carry, slowly gliding through the wind.
The warm, revitalizing light of Healing Runes began to wash over her. Looking up, Quetzalcoatl saw Takumi holding her securely, his fiery eyes still dead-locked onto Tiamat's position in the distance.
"Didn't I literally just tell you that Tiamat fundamentally cannot be killed outside of the Underworld? Why on earth did you push yourself so recklessly hard?"
The youth asked softly, his tone laced with profound helplessness.
The gentle breeze rustled his hair. The soft green glow of the Healing Runes mixed with the ambient firelight, perfectly illuminating his brilliant, glass-like fiery pupils. Combined with the incredibly gentle, entirely non-reproachful look in his eyes...
Taking in this absolutely picture-perfect scene from point-blank range, Quetzalcoatl froze entirely. The corners of her mouth curled upward uncontrollably.
Adopting an incredibly cheerful, yet slightly apologetic tone, she replied:
"I couldn't help it! Big Sister is just a bit of a battle maniac at heart! Besides, I proudly declared right from the start that you could leave everything to me! If I talked such a big game and then barely contributed anything, Big Sister would have been incredibly embarrassed!"
Quetzalcoatl beamed at Takumi's profile, speaking as if she had merely made a trivial mistake, lacking even the slightest hint of genuine remorse.
"...Do whatever you want."
Sighing deeply, Takumi—who fundamentally disliked scolding his friends—simply closed his mouth.
"Say, Takumi... would you be interested in experiencing a wildly passionate romance with Big Sister? Because I am absolutely, completely in love with you!"
Staring at the beautiful youth who had flawlessly protected her during this apocalyptic battle, the fierce affection blazing in Quetzalcoatl's eyes reached an absolute boiling point. Feeling as if her heart was literally going to leap out of her chest, she decisively laid her cards on the table.
Hearing this utterly shocking, direct confession, Takumi's entire body went completely stiff. Then, as if finally solidifying a difficult internal resolve, he slowly relaxed.
His eyes filled with genuine apology, Takumi gently shook his head. He spoke in a calm, entirely steady voice:
"...My heart is incredibly large, capable of cherishing many people. But at the exact same time, my heart is incredibly small; I am genuinely terrified that I won't be able to devote my entire, undivided sincerity to each and every one of them. Therefore..."
"I am truly sorry."
Honestly, how many women had he inadvertently charmed along this journey?
In the First Singularity, there was Jeanne d'Arc. But his [Heart of Fire] hadn't fully awakened then, and he wasn't entirely certain if her feelings were genuinely romantic, so he could temporarily set that aside.
In the Second Singularity, Nero had made absolutely zero effort to hide her intense, burning affection for him. That was undeniably one.
In the Sixth Singularity, because his [Heart of Fire] had fully awakened and he had accidentally exposed his genuine fondness for the Lion King... given her intensely aggressive, possessive nature, she absolutely counted as another.
Add Ereshkigal into the mix, who had just recently been completely "sunk" by his sincere praise...
Build a harem?
Putting himself in their shoes, he absolutely would despise seeing the woman he loved resting in another man's arms. So why would any woman willingly tolerate the man they loved holding someone else?
Even in ancient, historical times, harem infighting, bitter jealousy, and lethal political maneuvering were incredibly common. Furthermore, the women who held genuine affection for him—and whom he also genuinely cared for—were all historically significant figures, reigning Emperors, or literal Goddesses! If he actually tried to build a harem with a roster like that, Takumi honestly had no idea what kind of apocalyptic, world-ending bloodbath would occur!
Therefore, the exact moment he left the Underworld, Takumi had decisively utilized the [Sword of the Heart] to conceptually sever and suppress the greedy, wandering desires of his own heart. He actively prevented himself from easily falling in love, terrified that his [Heart of Fire] would passively attract even more women into this convoluted mess.
After all, this wasn't some gacha game where he could just "roll" for a new character and instantly declare them his "waifu." This was reality, and he needed to exercise strict, absolute self-control.
—He didn't even have a single clue how he was going to resolve the massive, tangled romantic mess he had already created! If he casually added more fuel to the fire...
Recalling the highly specific, incredibly ominous warning Ozymandias had given him back in Camelot, Takumi couldn't help but shudder violently.