A sword extended from the shining, dreamlike orb and landed in Gilgamesh's hand.
But could this weapon truly be called a "sword"?
It was far too bizarre. It had a hilt and a guard, similar in length to a normal longsword. But the most crucial "blade" part was vastly different from a sword in the traditional sense. Three cylindrical sections were tightly connected, their unsharpened edges twisted into a spiral. The three cylinders slowly intertwined like chains, coiling and extending.
Yes, it could no longer be called a sword. Something that was born into the world long before the concept of "sword" ever appeared could not possibly take the shape of a sword. It was crafted by gods before the creation of man, a divine manifestation that witnessed the genesis of the world.
EX-rank Anti-World noble phantasm: Sword of Rupture, Ea!
This sword could be said to be a noble phantasm on par with the sword of oath, enki, one for creation, one for termination, named after the creation god and termination god in Mesopotamian mythology, respectively.
Unlike the sword of oath, enki, which targeted all primates and destroyed civilization, the task assigned to this noble phantasm's blade from the very beginning was to cleave the then-chaotic heaven and earth in two, giving them definite form. Therefore, its target was the world!
The initial form of this sword was the key to the Gate of Babylon. When first used in the current world, it had to analyze the world's laws to be wielded, which was the red crystal net that had spread earlier. This noble phantasm has two release states. Directly releasing it with its true name, Ea, was the red energy blast that confronted Rin's "Sun, Obey Death" before its release. In terms of power, it even surpassed Saber's Excalibur.
The other method is the complete release that can only be performed after analyzing the laws of the world it is in. In the original work/canon of the Fate series, it was only shown once during the Fourth Holy Grail War, within the King of Conquerors's Army of the King, as "Enuma Elish: The Star of Creation that Splits Heaven and Earth." This is not the true name of this noble phantasm, but its maximum release state. In this state, its goal is truly to cleave the world, causing heaven and earth to re-enact, and everything to return to chaos!
The three millstone-like cylinders, responding to the movement of the celestial sphere, rubbed and rotated against each other with a weight and force comparable to crustal shifts. The surging, expanding magical power was immeasurable, and the proudly swirling divine sword stirred up gusts of fierce wind, preparing to re-enact the miracle of creation!
And because its inherent target was the world itself, it did not need to aim at a target; as long as the target was in this world, it could not escape the blade of this sword.
Damn it! The full power of this sword shouldn't be allowed to be released in the current world!
As a Heroic Spirit under the counter force, this weapon, capable of cleaving and wounding the world, should not be released in the current world. After all, as the counter force, neither gaia nor alaya could allow such a situation to occur. Therefore, this noble phantasm could only be fully released in Reality Marble or other alternate dimensions. Otherwise... how could a noble phantasm that cleaves the world only release a light beam!
And the current situation was very clear: Gilgamesh never believed Rin would die under the sword of oath, enki. That world-ending tsunami was merely to buy time for Ea to thoroughly analyze the laws of the current world. Now, the Sword of Creation, at full power, was the final decisive blow!
This strike was absolutely something the current Rin could not withstand. Cracks of collapse had already appeared in her soul. If she continued to amplify the Second Magic on her Jeweled Sword, Rin would face the crisis of her soul scattering.
What to do? Should I abandon this body and be reborn in a prepared doll? This seems like the best and wisest choice, but why do I always feel like I would lose something? Lose what? I don't know, but I always feel like I cannot lose this thing.
Moreover, under the attack of this sword, it's likely that even her soul wouldn't escape. After all, the range of the attack itself transcends the layers of the manifest world; it's an atrocity against the world, even more brutal than magic.
The fact that Gilgamesh could fully unleash this sword in the current world undoubtedly meant that the counter force had lifted the restrictions on it, willing to suffer damage itself to eliminate the hidden danger that was Rin.
Those two little lolis are really going all out!
Meanwhile, on the other side, on Mount Enzou in Fuyuki, the greater grail had completed its full descent. The black mud curse, a manifestation of all the evils in this world, poured out like a torrent of floodwaters from the large void in the sky.
At this moment, leaving aside Jalter and Saber and others in Fuyuki, as the greater grail completed its descent, something else was also activated from its slumbering seal!
Just then, within Rin's conceptual space, a shattering sound suddenly echoed, reaching deep into her soul, as if something was about to break through its confinement and emerge.
In an instant, a tremendous roar erupted within Rin's conceptual mystery world, and a sudden burst of mysterious energy exploded from within Rin's body. This sudden surge of energy directly acted upon the soul level, like a life-giving water that instantly cleansed Rin's collapsing soul. The disintegrating cracks on her spiritual body were immediately smoothed over, and a full-body, luxurious pure white dress replaced the magical power-condensed knight's armor on Rin's body.
The pure white, dazzling dress was adorned with lines and decorations woven from gold thread. On the front were seven vertically arranged rings, extending from behind the shoulders. Two red ribbons hung from either side of the chest down to the feet, along with an ornate tiara. At this moment, all seven rings on the dress were filled with golden light.
"This is..."
The Heavenly Garment, a Mystic Code passed down by the Einzbern. A dress equipped with the Third Magic of the chalice. The Einzbern had accumulated it over a thousand years as an external Magic Circuits to reach the Third Magic. It controls the heart of the greater grail and possesses magic that can materialize the soul within seconds.
This item, sealed within the conceptual layer of Rin's body since the very beginning of her consciousness, had accompanied Rin through five years of trials and tribulations, finally breaking its seal and emerging at the moment of the greater grail's descent!
The instant the Heavenly Garment was activated, Rin's consciousness was pulled into an infinitely deep and mysterious space.
Deep, void, ethereal, infinitely distant and serene, an unusual tranquility calmed Rin's restless nerves. The world seemed to quiet down all at once. Rin felt her soul lying naked at the bottom of a sea of souls, a cool and comfortable sensation completely enveloping and permeating every part of her soul. Rin felt her soul sublimating, the power of her soul condensing. Her soul, as if, had gained power... At this moment, above Rin, a soft, bright light entered her vision, floating quietly and shining above her.
What was that?
With her thoughts completely calmed and unruffled by the tranquility, Rin looked at the ball of light, feeling the simplest and most direct curiosity. Like an innocent, curious child, she raised her hand towards the soft light.
Closer... closer... The distance between Rin and the soft light grew shorter and shorter. It was unclear whether Rin was rising from the tranquil seawater or if the light was approaching Rin's outstretched hand. Finally, the soft light, no larger than Rin's palm, fell into her hand. Rin closed her fingers, grasping it. In the instant her fingers closed and the light receded, Rin saw what looked like the pattern of a cup... Boom!
Just then, the environment she was in suddenly changed! The golden chalice held by Rin suddenly generated a huge pulling force, and Rin's consciousness felt herself being pulled up infinitely! She was pulled to a height she could not perceive.
Darkness was endless, and she didn't know where she was. In the infinite void, for some unknown reason, Rin felt as if she had been here before.
Is this... the Root?
At this moment, in the boundless darkness, a rope of light, formed by countless glowing threads intertwined, extended to Rin. Immediately after, the rope of light decomposed back into glowing threads, connecting to every part of Rin's soul.
Then, Rin subconsciously looked up. She saw the source of the threads of light: a glittering golden chalice slowly descending. The threads of light were what overflowed from its rim.
"chalice..."
Rin looked at the miracle that had truly appeared before her, murmuring in a daze. Guided by her consciousness, she raised her hands and held it... Boom!!!
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.