On the Light Curtain—
The camera focused on a character who had not been on screen for a long time.
Marisbury Animusphere.
As the true winner of this Holy Grail War, he had not left Fuyuki City immediately after obtaining the Grail.
A small magecraft ritual had unexpectedly led to a disaster capable of destroying the world. If he were to return to the Clock Tower now, it would be difficult to explain the situation to those people.
Moreover, this world-ending catastrophe was not something he desired. Unfortunately... even the Grand Servant Solomon, possessing a Grand Saint Graph, was powerless against it. He could only place his hopes in Elysia.
"BOOM!!!"
A massive roar echoed in Marisbury's ears.
"What's happening, Caster!" Marisbury's voice rang out. The man had lost his previous calm and gentleness, his tone now quite agitated.
With the world on the brink of destruction, it was impossible for him to remain composed.
"It is the Outer God. Its true nature has fully emerged. My magic circles can no longer restrain it. The world has entered its final countdown to destruction," Caster Solomon stated slowly.
Marisbury's expression turned grim. So... the young woman he was so desperate to understand had ultimately lost to absolute power?
After a moment's hesitation, Marisbury said, "Caster, there's no need to maintain the formation. Prioritize my safety. If it comes to it, we'll escape to another parallel world. As long as Chaldea is successfully established, we will surely be able to avenge this world in the future."
Solomon did not answer, merely staring silently at the center of the battlefield. His brow was furrowed, a look of surprise in his eyes.
Marisbury, standing behind him, assumed that Solomon, as the 'King of Mages,' could not accept the idea of fleeing. He said, "This is the only way, Caster. The Outer God's power has far exceeded our expectations. With your abilities, you can surely find a way to reach another parallel world."
Marisbury seemed resigned, but Solomon simply shook his head and said in a low voice, "Master... I believe there is no need to dispel the formation. Because Elysia... no, it should be she and her companions... they have the potential to step into the void and defeat the Outer God."
"What?" Marisbury was taken aback, then asked, "What did you see, Caster?"
"Power... a power that approaches the infinite. More than ten different kinds of power are converging. It is... a power far greater than even the Holy Sword of the Planet can display."
Solomon's tone remained steady, but it was laced with a hint of disbelief. "There is no longer any need to proceed with the Incineration of the Human Order, Master. Elysia's power is rapidly approaching the level of a Chief God. In this age where the Age of Gods has faded, such a mighty force should be impossible."
Solomon spoke slowly, under Marisbury's shocked gaze.
A Chief God—in the whole of human history, beings who could be called such were few and far between. The great god Zeus of Greek mythology, Odin of Norse mythology, even the God of Christianity.
Perhaps there were differences in strength among them, but... for a Chief God-level existence to be born now, in an era where divinity has waned, was a shock that was absolutely beyond words.
"Caster... we are now witnessing the birth of a deity."
After a long moment of shock, Marisbury no longer spoke of escaping. His voice was low, and the slight tremor in his tone indicated he was still reeling from the revelation.
---o---
Meanwhile, the video showed the entire process of Elysia achieving the power of a Chief God.
Vill-V's plan was already clear; its execution was just a matter of time.
As Vill-V was explaining, Kevin slowly walked forward, looking at Saber. She, in turn, openly sized up the seemingly cold man before her.
"Are you... Elysia's friends?" Saber asked slowly after a brief moment of staring. This man before her exuded an unparalleled pressure.
It was a feeling she had never experienced before, as if she were standing in a blizzard, the cold creeping up from her feet.
Just by standing still, the oppressive aura Kevin radiated was enough to startle the holy king.
"We are," Kevin replied, looking at Saber's face.
A strong, holy power emanated from Saber. He surmised that she had been the one helping Elysia all this time. Therefore, Kevin held a natural favorable impression of this warrior from another world.
"Are you here to save the world?" Saber asked in a low voice. It wasn't that she didn't trust Elysia or the man before her, but... not everyone among the Thirteen Flame-Chasers gave Saber a sense of righteousness.
The woman with green hair had a look of keen interest, and the man with the mask stood there like a powder keg. Whether these people could be trusted was a very serious question.
Hearing this, Kevin paused for a moment. He looked up at the sky and said, "Save the world... No. Salvation is never an easy task. Sometimes, we cannot even save a single person."
He closed his eyes, as if returning to the past, and stated firmly:
"But this time, it has nothing to do with the future of humanity, nothing to do with the ideals of the masses..."
Opening his eyes again, Kevin's icy gaze was sharper than any blizzard.
"We wager our very lives... For One Alone!"
Yes. The Flame-Chasers present were not here for salvation. They were here for Elysia.
It was Elysia who allowed Flame-Chasers of such disparate personalities to stand together for a single purpose.
"Kevin, what are you doing? You're the most indispensable part of the magician's performance!"
Vill-V's voice came from nearby. Kevin gave Saber one last look and said:
"Warrior from another world, thank you for your help to Elysia. I believe we will meet again."
With that, he turned and went back. Under Vill-V's direction, a massive pattern, like a magic circle, formed with Elysia at its center.
The audience outside the screen and Saber silently watched this scene, clearly feeling an unprecedented power gathering within the formation.
And just then, the Outer God moved—though its thought process was different from a human's, it would not stand by and watch the situation develop unfavorably for itself.
Stepping back into the void, the Outer God was invincible. Its evil, chaotic nature began to corrupt the world at a visible rate.
Then, the power of the void materialized, lashing out at Elysia in the form of numerous attacks.
The speed was immense. Saber, seeing this, wanted to intercept them, but she couldn't keep up with the speed of the assault.
Just then, a female voice suddenly echoed from the center of the formation. It sounded like Elysia, yet also like the whisper of the world itself.
"Let the unsung ballad, be sung once more."
"For the story sealed in history, write a new chapter."
"A noble and pure soul, embarks on a journey."
Following these words, like the chant of a holy maiden, twelve streams of different colored energy shot out from the Flame-Chasers and began to circle Elysia.
"May the Beast of Plunder bless her, granting the freedom of [Reverie]."
A strange sigil emerged from Pardofelis, turning into a ray of light that entered Elysia's body. As the first wave of attacks hit, her incredible luck allowed her to pass through the obstacles as if unlocking a door, evading all harm.
"May the Feather of World-Crossing bless her, granting the perseverance of [Vicissitude]."
Crimson energy transformed into feathers and merged with Elysia's body, making her incredibly resilient. The phantom of a martial artist appeared, blocking attack after attack for her with its fists.
"May the Scroll of World-Painting bless her, granting the purity of [Stars]."
The purest blue adorned Elysia's soul. A brilliance like a painted scroll erupted with a riot of colors, causing the Outer God's chaotic nature to retreat like a mouse from a cat.
"May the Serpent of the World bless her, granting the thirst of [Infinity]."
Green energy, in the form of a snake, coiled around her. Her body, torn by a sudden wind blade, healed in an instant, leaving Elysia unharmed.
"May the Whistle of Dawn bless her, granting the will of [Daybreak]."
A dark green will devoured all surrounding darkness. All threats around Elysia were annihilated, so completely that even the world itself could barely escape this terrifying devouring power.
"May the Blade of Severance bless her, granting the resolve of [Setsuna]."
When a terrifying power suddenly struck, a flash of pink brilliance severed even time itself. The apocalyptic scene turned from dynamic to static. In the entire world, it seemed only Elysia could still move.
"May the Eye of Good Law bless her, granting the wisdom of [Bodhi]."
The grey spirit of wisdom reversed yin and yang. It was as if a Buddha had descended, using the power of nature to gather the spirits of all things unto Elysia.
"May the Flame of Calamity bless her, granting the sincerity of [Decimation]."
The Outer God's attacks grew more ferocious, a storm of bombardments sweeping towards Elysia. But at that moment, crimson flames erupted, advancing with unstoppable momentum, incinerating everything to ash.
"May the Box of Fool's Play bless her, granting the miracle of [Spiral]."
A massive barrier fell, and numerous energies extended from it. They surrounded Elysia, but a magical green energy shot out, turning the fierce attacks into harmless tricks, as if by magic.
"May the Song of Splendor bless her, granting the brilliance of [Gold]."
As attacks on her will and soul arrived, the phantom of a golden theater rose up, protecting Elysia within. It was a fortress built of love, a theater created for Elysia alone, capable of withstanding all the harm in the world.
"May the Cage of Deep Sin bless her, granting the compassion of [Discipline]."
The phantom of a nun appeared outside the theater. With her compassionate eyes, she seemed to see everything in the world. She not only repelled the chaotic soul but created an even stronger psychic force.
"May the Unburning Sword bless her, granting the ideal of [Salvation]."
The phantom of a man and his sword appeared. It was Kevin. An azure power burst forth, the force of ice and flame surrounding Elysia. It held the power to tear everything asunder, yet before Elysia, it was as harmless as a child.
At this point, the Outer God had exhausted all its tricks. Its power was terrifying enough to destroy the world, yet under the combined might of the Flame-Chasers, it was reduced to nothing.
Suspended in the air, Elysia's holy form, radiant with the light of humanity, was revealed to all. Behind her, the sigil of [Ego] slowly emerged, so massive that even the colossal Outer God seemed tiny before it.
Around the sigil of [Ego], twelve other sigils shone brightly, circling it like the numbers on a clock.
Elysia spread her arms, and the sigil behind her burst forth with a dazzling light.
With Elysia's smile, the thirteen sigils shot out like arrows from a bow, turning into rays of light that rushed towards the Outer God standing in the void.
It tried to dodge but was powerless. The void was the Outer God's domain, where it held supreme authority. But against the power of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, that authority was like a dream, helpless.
The sigils pinned its form to the empty void like seals.
Its violent struggles and roars shook the entire void, but the sigils were welded in place, not budging an inch.
Elysia slowly extended her hands. Behind her, the space seemed to shatter, revealing a colossal pink figure.
In appearance, it was a giant version of Elysia, wearing a crown of flowers, looking both benevolent and powerful, like a true god descended.
A pink bow and arrow appeared in Elysia's hands. She drew the bowstring, and an arrow materialized.
Similarly, the giant pink phantom behind her mirrored her actions, an even larger arrow appearing in its hands.
"The performance of the Flame-Chasers must be grand and magnificent."
As Elysia spoke, the arrow in her hand began to charge, its power growing stronger and stronger, until it reached a level capable of wiping out the surface of a planet.
"Demon God of the Void, after witnessing the grandest performance of the Flame-Chasers, you may now scatter with the dust!"
One arrow, loosed—
Under the watchful eyes of the light curtain audience, in the sight of Solomon and Marisbury, before the very eyes of Saber.
Elysia's arrow gradually merged with the one fired by the giant phantom behind her, becoming a massive and terrifying force that struck the body of the Outer God.
It was a power that could destroy the world. It was a power that could create all things. It was the combined power of the Flame-Chasers.
Amidst the Outer God's tragic screams, this power relentlessly tore its body to shreds, again and again, until it could no longer regenerate.
It wanted to escape, but the sigils pinned it to the void.
With continuous roars, the Outer God's body gradually dissipated, turning into dust in the wind. These beings, who had no concept of death, were ground to dust before this force of destruction and creation...
Author's note:
ps: The first viewing arc of the first volume is now coming to an end. Thank you all for your support!