Chapter 355: Chapter 322
It was him.
It was all his fault.
I knew something was wrong, and I let him go about it. I could have stopped it, I could have ended it if I had just followed my gut and taken him out on the spot the first time we met.
Slowly, I stood up from where I was holding Artoria. I could feel myself trembling as he looked at me smugly. "....It was all your fault."
"You're going to have to be more specific." Lev smiled, twirling his cane. "I've been very busy these past couple days." He chuckled, holding a certain ownerless Grail in his hands.
"Lev, you're alright!" Olga exclaimed, running right towards him.
"Dammit, girl!" Cu was the first to react, trying to grab hold of her, but a spell flew right at him, making him step back protectively of his Master.
Lev held a wand between his fingers, having replaced his cane.
I was about to move, to intercept, but his hand twitched and I saw his wand move up towards Olga, making my steps pause. Regardless of how utterly furious I was right now, I wouldn't risk her just to vent my anger.
"Olga, oh Olga." Lev put on a grandfatherly fa?ade. "My stupid and foolish Olga."
"L-Lev??" Olga looked up in confusion as she got close.
"How surprising it is to see you alive." He still spoke with that cheerful tone. "I put a bomb right under you, yet here you are."
"W-what are you saying?"
"Director." I breathed out, taking a step forward.
"Ah~" Lev wagged his finger. "Careful, don't want anything to happen to her, do you?"
"Lev, what're you doing!?" I jerked my head towards the familiar voice of Roman. The holographic-like screen appearing at Mash's side.
"And Roman too." Lev clicked his tongue. "I should have known. I put that bomb right inside your office, but of course you weren't there when it blew up."
"Lev, don't tell me...."
"Do I need to spell it out for you?" He sneered. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to ever put up with this nonsense again, but it seems like things didn't go quite as planned."
"....Lev, this joke isn't funny."
"Olga, poor Olga." Lev shook his head. "The biggest mistake your father made was not leaving Chaldea in the hands of someone more capable. Can you really not understand the situation after saying so blatantly? Then again, you haven't even realized you died yet."
"What!?"
"You didn't have the capacity to Rayshift, did you not understand how you ended up here? I think even Roman knew that, he was probably sparing your feelings."
".....I was working on a solution." The Doctor quietly admitted
"Roman!" Olga shrieked.
"Hmm, did the Rayshift grab your soul right as your body was destroyed? A fluke then, a one in a million chance."
"That's impossible, I'm.....i'm....." Olga started breathing heavily.
"The Rayshift procedure obscures one's casualty. Its entire nature is about pushing one's soul into a fake body that is projected to a different time period....." That is to say...I didn't notice...
"I couldn't say it better myself." Lev smiled brightly as if the topic of the conversation wasn't making Olga have a panic attack.
"Lev, why." Roman asked.
"Why?" His eyes narrowed towards Roman's face. " Because –" The world shook, the very sky itself seemed to start coming apart at the seams as everyone stared up. "Oh, it appears that this singularity is beginning to break down now that Saber isn't acting as an Anchor anymore." He gazed back to me. "I really should thank you. That Saber Servant really didn't follow my orders well, opting to keep this place propped up even after everything that happened."
I almost reacted, I almost lashed out and forwent all consequences. My palm was bleeding from my nails digging into it as I clenched my fist too tightly.
"Allow me to properly introduce myself!" He flicked his arms wide open. "Lev Lainur Flauros." He smiled savagely. "And I'm responsible for the incineration of human history."
"Flauros!?" The name immediately rang bells into my head and his gaze met mine once more.
"As expected, you connected the dots quickly, didn't you?" His expression darkened. "A strange outlier you are. I originally planned to make a move once A-Team were already inside their coffins, it would have much cleaner. Olga here wouldn't have had to suffer, but you just appeared and threw out many of my plans."
Olga was.....speechless. I don't think she managed to properly process what was going on yet.
"Honestly, she should thank me. Now she can fulfill her dreams of Rayshifting at the last moments of her life. Consider it my gift, for not having to hear your whining anymore Director." He scoffed. "But where was I, oh yes. I suppose it only takes one strange variable to change plans. I didn't want to risk an anomaly like you being present at the time, so I had to improvise and decided that individual points were more preferable. Unfortunately, things did not work out quite as well as expected. Roman, Olga, even that elemental all survived. Frankly, I'm a little disappointed in myself since even some of your team survived."
"Why....?" I said softly. "Why do all of this? What's the point?"
"The point?" He scoffed again. "The point is to rid the world of a disease. Humanity isn't worth protecting, I thought you would understand that but I guess was mistaken. I had assumed you were merely playing at being like them, but it's not an act at all." He held the grail up in his hand. "With this the end has begun."
"What are you talking about, the singularity was prevented. Even without the Grail, it's starting to collapse"! Roman interjected.
"Roman, oh Roman." Lev shook his head. "Allow me to show you the futility of everything you've worked for." He waived his hand, and a tear opened up in space and time by pulling on the power of the Grail
"No!" Olga screamed, seeing what was on the other side.
"This...."
"That's right." Lev smiled. "CHALDEAS has turned completely red, meaning Human History has been completely incinerated already. Chaldea is the last bastion of survival in the world for that time period. You may thank me as you watch the last facets of your species whimper away in the darkness. A deserving punishment for your kind after losing the favor of my king."
"D-Director, we're picking up several new Singularities!" Roman exclaimed in shock.
"You finally noticed." Lev's smile turned predatory.
Enough!
"Cu!" I shouted.
"On it." The Caster servant slammed his hand onto the ground.
Roots sprang up, grabbing hold of Olga. It was at that moment that Sir Wiggles erupted in his own Lightning, discharging it right at the source of all my anger.
"Petulant Rodent!" He hissed, about to respond, but I was already on Lev, my sword slashing downwards and allowed Olga to be taken away before retreating a few steps backwards.
I took that moment to slide right to their side. "Roman, being Rayshifting." Right as I said that, this entire place shook, this isolated realm that was only supported by Saber and the Grail.
"Oh yes, Rayshift back. Olga can die by having her existence eradicated that way. A remnant soul that will vanish the moment she steps back into Chaldea." Lev mocked.
"A-are you sure?" Roman hesitated due to his words.
"Da Vinci, you there." I didn't take my eyes off him. He just stared, as if to watch a show. I could tell he was utterly amused by this whole thing.
"She's not –"
"I'm here, what do you need?" Da Vinci's voice came over the link.
"W-what?"
"Later, Roman." I quickly interrupted. "Da Vinci, how quickly can you make Olga a new body?"
"If someone had told me the situation beforehand, I would have had enough time. But as it stands.....she'll only have a few seconds the moment she steps back, not enough time to do anything." Da Vinci didn't hold back her words.
"I-I....." Olga has a few tears streaming down her face.
"Get started." I told her.
"....on it." Da Vinci didn't argue.
"Roman, setting link!" Mash stepped forward, slamming her shield into the ground.
"Rayshifting initiated, thirty seconds until response!" Roman stated. "
"Director, don't fight me." I put a hand on her chest.
"Hey Farm Boy, give me some Magical Energy." Cu spoke up. "My Junior here finished the War, but I'm a little unsatisfied. I think I'll take a crack at that ass over there." Cu raised his spear, pointing towards Lev.
"Oh, you want to fight me, Servant?" Lev's lips curled up.
"Do what you need to, Caster." Samuel nodded, shifting over all the Magical Energy he could.
"Oof, yeah, a little rough there, but that's the stuff." Cu straightened up. He shot me a sideways glance. "I'll give you a few seconds, whatever he is, don't think I can hold him off for long and this place is starting to break apart."
"Thank you." I whispered.
Cu Chuckled. "You still owe me a drink later." He stepped forward, summoning all the Magical Energy he had available. "Wicker man!" He immediately summoned his Noble Phantasm.
The Massive wooden construct rose up from the ground, engulfed in fire. And its target was the man who identified himself as Flauros.
"Olga." I shifted my attention towards her. Despite the turbulent emotions I was feeling, the rage at wanting to tear him apart, I tried my best to give her a calm and gentle smile. "You're going to be fine, trust me." At the very least, I could save her.
At the moment, all the anger I was feeling was pushed back in favor of saving her.
Olga didn't speak, but the look she gave was heart wrenching. I've gotten to know her a little bit since coming to Chaldea, she was standoffish, prickly and overall demanding. But....then I began to see what little bits she accidently let out when she felt more comfortable.
My Aura surged out, reaching into her. Her body jerked as her eyes widened at what I was doing.
"W-what are these Readings?"
"For it is through Freedom that we Achieve Immortality. Through this we become a Paragon of Liberation and Choice to rise above Fate. Infinite in possibilities and unbound by death, I release your soul and by my hand, unshackle thee."
Olga's entire body burst out in light.
No, it wasn't her body. She was a Soul right now, and everyone could see her being directly affected.
A multitude of colors swirled around her, a phenomena I've never witness before as this had never been attempted on a soul without a body.
But I could feel her, her existence became more.....solidified. This should keep her form coherent until Da Vinci can create her a physical body or some other solution.
"Shimoda...?" Olga whispered, a confused look on her face.
I pushed my hat a little down on her head. "Sir Wiggles, watch over her." I commanded as he nestled between her arms once more.
"Rayshifting in 10 seconds!" Roman shouted.
"Boss, are you coming?" Samuel asked.
I looked at them, then back to Cu. The Wicker Man, was barely being held together. I narrowed my eyes as Flauros, tore apart the wood construct and a barrage of spells landed on Caster himself.
"Shit..." Cu coughed, blood seeping from his mouth. "Thought I could last a little longer."
"Caster..." Samuel was about to run to him, but Cu put his arm up.
"I know when it's over, Farm Boy." He grinned, even through bloodied and mangled body. He tossed the spear – my spear to him. "Hold onto that. Got a feeling I'm not going to be summoned as a Lancer next time."
"Shimoda...." Olga tugged on my sleeve.
"I'll be right behind you, don't worry." I reassured her. "Samuel, Benjamin, Pierre, and Ritsuka." I glanced once more at the people I should have been responsible for. My heart ached knowing that they were the only members of B-Team that remained. "Mash, watch over them." I had trouble even knowing what to say.
"Leave it to me, Senpai." Mash nodded firmly.
They didn't deserve this, they didn't deserve this at all. But I know they would be in good hands for now.
The Rayshift enveloped them, and It was interesting to see from this side. But I had absolutely no mind to pay attention to it for now.
I glanced at Cu who basically slumped to the ground. "Hey, give me a good show." He grinned.
Flauros looked annoyed, his clothes were a little singed, and his eyes showed red with strange pupils.
"Glady." I growled out once the others were safely away. "Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!"
The Massive torrent of power enveloped me as Ddraig's Scale Mail formed around my body. The accompanied roar shook the world. The collapse that was already imminent began to accelerate.
"What is that –"
"Boost!" I roared again, interrupting Flauros's statement. I immediately shot off the ground right at me.
He flicked his Wand, a shield materializing around him as I slammed into it. "Boost, Boost Boost!" I shouted again, forcing him into the ground.
His shield cracked. "Do you think –"
I reached my hand out, grabbing hold of my Sword of Destruction. My Bloodline ignited around it and I slashed it downwards.
"Impudent!" He shouted, his wand swinging forward to match it, enchanted with his own Magics. The effects landed upon my sword, but they were utterly annihilated, making his eyes widen.
A massive surge of power gathered in his other hand, so I switched targets, My Sword of Destruction cut through every obstacle, and it met his flesh.
He roared as my Power of Destruction tore into his body, completely unaware of the origin, he didn't properly defend against it.
His eyes glowed bright, and his flesh that was striped away shifted unnaturally, underneath, it appeared with more eyes. Matching his own disfigured pupils, they all glowed bright, unleashing condensed Magical Energy that actualized into the form of lasers.
I ripped off what remained of his arm, pulling away the few bits of flesh that still held it together to his body before pulling away.
My Aura took a small hit to defend against his attack, but I wasn't much worse for wear.
Flauros stood to his feet, letting out a pained growl. "You.....insignificant ant." He clutched the spot where his arm was missing.
I held up his severed arm, and I pulled on my bloodline again, disintegrating every piece of it right before his eyes.
"I am far from done with you." I returned his scornful gaze. "I've had people I've hated before. I've had people target those I care about. I've had to deal with some of the most heinous excuses for living beings in existence. But you are probably the person I hate the most out of all my years of living. Congratulations, you achieved a monumental feat."
Flauros look at his arm and sneered towards me. "This means nothing infront of the power of my king. You are nothing, an amalgamation, a facsimile of one of us, nothing more!"
"Yes, well, allow me to retort." I kicked off the ground again, moving at him at blinding speeds. "Boost!" called out again and my fist smashed right into his stomach. His body practically caved in, but the light didn't even flicker in his eyes.
He immediately grit his teeth and lashed out at me, those menacing eyes of his. Appendages burst out of his body, all covered in those strange eyes. They were strong, easily contesting with my own strength, enough that I had to actually be wary of them.
It was no wonder that Cu was so easily defeated and his Noble Phantasm overcome.
This thing was just masquerading in the form of a Human, but it was more certainly a Demon.
The sky above us crackled and roared, matching my own fury with Thunder and Lightning following in its wake. I didn't reel myself in, letting all of my anger slip out to facilitate the change in weather.
My other swords flew out, slashing at the massive tentacle-like appendages that attempted to reach me.
"Annoying tricks!" The voice of the Demon roared out, smacking them away, only for me to take hold of my Sword of Destruction and pierce right inside one of the largest appendages, letting loose my Power of Destruction.
His painful roar resounded everywhere, forcing him to abandon it after realizing how corrosive my Bloodline was.
I didn't let up, I reached out my hand, grabbing Dawnbreaker slashing into his shoulder. He used his other hand to grab hold of the blade, stopping me in my tracks, but I just let go and reached for Ascalon.
The Dragon Slayer sword flew into my hand and I swung it at his neck.
He had to sacrifice several more of his tentacles to ward off the attack. My Noble Phantasm bit into the flesh surfaces, cleaving one and stopping halfway through another before the momentum subsided.
I once more abandoned that sword and gestured to the sky.
"Thor's hammer." I looked him right in the eyes as I called upon one of my most destructive spells.
I activated my Semblance, turning my body into Lightning. The detriment to my spell, I had never found a way to overcome it. A side effect of the massive power being that it would harm anything within the area, including myself..
The construct that formed out of Pure Lightning. It swung its hammer downwards. However, I was now Lightning itself, I wouldn't be affected.
I watched his eyes widen and a look of panic appear on his face.
His body bloated, and shifted once more. His flesh split open and a massive tentacle surged outwards, reaching dozens of meters into the sky. Eyes wound around it, showing the same ones that Flauros revealed.
Was this his true form!?
The presence was enough to force me backwards. And all the eyes looked up into the sky. An eerie shout sounded out, the eyes glowed bright and a malevolent flame-like magic erupted to meet my attack head on.
They collided in mid air, completely destroying one another.
The ground beneath us cracked and dispersed. It was a lightless void that began to be revealed underneath. This Singularity was well and truly almost gone.
"You forced me into this." The eyes of the thing all focused back on me. "Die!"
The eyes dilated, and laser-like attacks discharged from every single one. They turned and jerked at angles that should be impossible, surrounding me completely.
"Ascalon!" I called out, my Noble Phantasm long returning to my hand.
The sword activated, moving to protect me at every angle, deflecting and blocking every blow that came about.
"Annoying pest!" The warped voice growled out.
It attacked me again, but I withdrew Ascalon. The Sword of Destruction reentered my hand and Dragon Wings sprang forth from my back. I pushed off what remained of the ground, the endless void consuming everything else.
I dodged around what blasts came for me, approaching the Demon's true body. "Sword of Destruction." I called out.
The ability to destroy anything three times every century. That was the ability that the sword held, it was what Jinn told me about the Relic. I've only used it once thus far.
"I target your core, and I sentence you to Destruction!" I slammed the sword into the main body.
The massive Tentacle flailed haphazardly, as if it lost all ability to properly maneuver. One of the large eyes on the tentacle bulged and the familiar shape forced its way out.
Still missing an arm, body still scarred and cleaved in several places. He dropped to the ground, and parts of his body began to disintegrate at visible speed.
The massive Tentacle from being dissipated as well, leaving but his human-like form left.
"What did you do!?" He wreathed on the ground. "My connection, I'm losing—!?" He screamed. My satisfaction at watching him get destroyed quickly came to a halt when he revealed the Grail once more. That annoying trinket was starting to get on my nerves. He held it up as one of his legs disappeared in its entirety. "My king, save me!" He wailed, opening a rift and jumping through.
It slammed shut right before him.
"You think you can leave!?" I ground my teeth, putting away everything else but Mirage. "Reversing special Coordinates!" My sword began glowing as I started my abrupt calculations. The world falling apart around me. "Finalized local anomaly, opening Kaleidoscope!" I shouted, slicing my sword downright right where he left from, and I jumped through.
[***]
I slammed onto some sort of marble flooring. I didn't even consider where I was going before jumping through, maybe my anger was clouding my judgment, but I couldn't stop. I had to see that bastard die with my own eyes. I wanted to watch ever piece of him burn away as he writhed in pain.
I took in my surroundings. It was as if we were in the void of space, nothing around but floating pieces of earth, the biggest being the one I stood on. Immediately my eyes found a large staircase and they traveled up towards the top.
There was a man, sitting on an ivory throne, looking down at me.
Next to him was Flauros. His body writhed and continued to disintegrate at visible speeds, though it appears like the Grail was fighting the effects.
"My king!" Flauros looked up, pleading. It seemed like he was doing everything he could not to be on the ground writhing in pain.
The man on the throne.
He had long white hair and a single braid, and tan skin as if he lived in the desert for all his life. His eyes lazily opened, upon my entrance, a single hand propping up his hand that held on his armrest. His clothes were extravagant, showing off someone of wealth.
But that was all overshadowed by the danger senses blaring in my head.
Strong.
Very, very strong.
It was giving me the same warning signs that Ophis did at a minimum.
The man held up his free hand and snapped his fingers. As if an invisible shockwave pulsed out, and things shifted.
I looked at the Magical Effect, and the number of spells cast in that instant made my eyes dilate. It's not that he simply countered it with a snap of his finger, but that numerous spells attacked it from every angle. All of them that didn't work simply faded away in contrast to the Power of my Sword. No, what I picked up near the end was Time Reversal.
Flauros's body stopped disintegrating and started healing instead.
I know that my Sword of Destruction wasn't beyond reproach. It was created for the intent of Humans to wield, so it couldn't reach the level of Slaying Gods by itself. However, the ease in which it was overcome set me even more on edge.
"You allowed someone to follow you back, Flauros." The man on the throne opened his mouth.
"M-my apologies, my king. I don't know how he was able –"
"The Kaleidoscope." The man interrupted. "A Magician of the modern age."
"Who are you?" I stood up fully, not backing down from his intense gaze. I held my hand to the proverbial trigger in case things went south. I had several cards to play in an emergency. However....this place was odd. It didn't place anyone on the World-Line nor the Time-Line. I was fairly sure we were somewhere in the sea of imaginary numbers. "What is this place?"
A soft smile appeared on his lips. "I am Solomon."
The words were like thunder to my ears. It all made sense then, Flauros, one of the 72 Demons of the Ars Goetia. The name attached to them was Solomon.
That name filled me with utter dread. If there were any Mages in history that I would absolutely not want to tangle with, he's sitting right at the top of the list.
".....it was you then. You planned everything?"
"Correct." He said with clear nonchalance. " I—"
"Then you can die." I pulled upon the Kaleidoscope. I wouldn't give him the opportunity. Spell Circles swirled around Mirage and I pulled on an obscene amount of Magical Energy in that few moments. With my Boosts still holding, I jumped up right in front of him. He didn't move, he didn't react, even with the sheer immensity of Magical Energy that was barely contained around my sword to the point where it was flowing off. "Ether Canon!" I released it mere feet away from his face.
A Translucent shield appeared around him. Just from eyesight alone, I could see layers upon layers interwoven beautifully inside of it. The lattice of spell work, I would call it superior to my Shield of Asgard without hesitation.
However, this Ether Canon of mine was only inferior to the one I launched against Siegfried when I competed in the Holy Grail War. If I had more time, I could have accumulated more, but I decided that a quick hand was a necessity here.
Yet...his shield held.
No it didn't simply hold. At first, it shuddered and threatened to shatter, but he did something and the lattice of spells that condensed the entirety of the spell work shifted. It unwound and realigned itself, then my Ether Canon started to cascade off it. The vast majority of its power looked as if it unraveled at the seams upon colliding with his defense.
"Using the Dimensional Refraction Phenomena to gather Magical Energy from parallel worlds. Then through a series of Magical Circles designed to integrate the Fifth imaginary Element into a solid shape and further igniting it with a continuous supply of Magical Energy, facilitating the observed reaction." My spell dissipated, having run out of juice, and his shiel didn't show any signs of wear. "How novel."
".....how?"
"True Magic you may possess, but the spell is merely Magecraft." He shifted in his seat, crossing long leg over the other. "I am the foundation for all Magecraft in the world, thus all Magecraft is beneath me. I am Solomon, and welcome to my workshop."
His workshop....
An intense foreboding feeling set in at the implication. I felt this place was odd, cut off from the normal flow of both time and space. It existed outside of both, and I had no idea about its existence normally. Nor would I have confidence in breaching it the way I did unless Flauros hadn't opened a path for me to follow.
I walked right into his seat of power, his domain. Who knows what sorts of protections and enhancements he receives by simply existing here.
One does not fight a Magus within their Workshop. It was an ironclad rule known amongst every Magus in the world.
And I wantonly jumped right into the workshop of the supposed King of Magecraft.
With my heart beating faster, I gathered all the power I had onto my left hand. The Boosts I had manifested before all sinking into one ability. "Penetrate!" I lashed out.
"Dragon...." Solomon raised an eyebrow, seeing through the source immediately.
The shield in front of him lit up again, my attack touching it. The shield finally warped, my Draconic energy pushing at it and it pierced right through, like a balloon that had a hole blown out. Several more Barriers met the same fate before Solomon Raised his hand up.
"A conceptual penetration of all defenses." He muttered as the blast slammed right into his open palm. He shifted again, I could see dozens upon dozens of spells fail beneath the ability of Ddraig. His facial expression finally changed noticeably; a frown formed as he seemed to focus.
He let out a snort, and a Magic Circle formed. Before, every hint of Magecraft he'd performed had been nearly instantaneous and without any build up. But now, he was forced to fall back on something else.
His arm stiffened, and he twitched slightly, but the Spell Circle took in the Penetrate and dispersed.
He paused, looking at his palm. "I am injured...."
The skin on his Palm had been destroyed. Mangled and bleeding from the collision.
"I can understand why Flauros was defeated, how peculiar. And your existence, yes, an odd thing that confused him as well. An understandable mistake on his part. However, you are not one of us." He raised his hand up, and my vision was filled with light.
Instinctively, I activated my Semblance. My body turned to Lightning and I moved far enough away, sliding down on the ground at the base of the stairs.
"Hmm, a resistance to Magical Effect?" He raised an eyebrow. "A Secondary Elemental Transformation?" He tilted his head in confusion. "Not fueled by Magical Energy. Curious."
I wanted some distance so I could take a moment to reorientate my thoughts. He caught Ddraig's Penetrate, and it merely caused a flesh wound on his Palm.
[Brat, look up to the sky!] Ddraig shouted, breaking me from my stupor.
My head immediately jerked upwards, and I trembled upon seeing it. A massive ring of light appeared far above, but it wasn't just a light show.
"You noticed." The man calling himself Solomon mused. "The sum total of Magical Energy by burning away Humanity from your time period. It's still incomplete, but it is still a substantial amount."
It wasn't just a ring of line. It was composed of smaller strands of light, each one holding an immense amount of Magical Energy. Each one probably more than the amount I used to cast my Ether Canon a few minutes ago. And there were thousands upon thousands of them all flying in a circle, enough that it looked like a solid shape.
"You..." I whispered, having trouble finding the right words. "You're using human history as fuel!? This was your goal? And why you destroyed Chaldea."
"Humanity should be thankful that they have some use." He waived his hand dismissively. "And Chaldea was never of any consequence. Merely an annoyance that entered my eye and was dealt with. Its existence makes no difference to me."
"An annoyance?" I repeated his words. So many people died, many of which I knew, and it was just because they were an 'annoyance'. "Strun Bah Qo." The words like a roar as they echoed out into the void.
I saw his eyes widen, the vibrations of my words sending a quake throughout this realm. Surprise flash across his face as his head jerked upwards. "Clouds!?"
Thunder and Lightning answered my call. The lights so far above became obscure from my summoned storm. The shout that probably had the most affinity with myself after I became a Campione.
It could even be called a minor application of my Authority without summoning it forth.
"Come lightning!" I commanded as it crackled far above.
It dropped down at my command, right atop the supposed King.
"Ridiculous!" He scoffed, standing up from his chair for the first time. His hands raised to the Sky. "I do not know what manner of Divine Words these are, but this is my Domain! I command you to cease!" His voice raised and a monochromatic sphere exploded outwards.-
His hands wrenched and pulled, the Lightning that was coming down collided with his spell, and it disappeared. As if it were willed out of existence, the Authority that I used to call it forth was overridden.
My summoned Storm began to disperse.
He looked at me smugly, making me even angrier.
I held up my hand to the sky, and my Divinity was unsealed. A massive torrent of Magical Energy enveloped me as it exploded outwards.
"It was here, at this place, that Susanoo led a thousand unruly deities in rebellion! A thousand swords standing upon the earth, used as city walls to defend against the enemies. Here, namely, the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi! The Steel that breaks a thousand blades!"
The words of power left my lips, the chant completed, and the void shifted once more. The dispersing storm immediately filled with life once more. The Thunder Clouds multiplied and were filled with a substantial amount of energy as they swirled around above.
A single bolt of lightning fell downward, right into my hand.
The feeling of a Sword between my fingers.
The Divine Sword I had acquired after defeating the Storm God.
My Authority.
With it fully out, I could feel the boundaries of this place more thoroughly. I could feel how my Authority was scraping against the rules here, how this place belonged to someone else and I was an intruder. I was being suppressed, even now by these laws.
As my Authority reached out, with every moment, it was being eroded. I sent it to combat this erosion, but it was a losing battle.
Instead, I focused on the one who called themselves Solomon.
He stared at me with utter surprise. "You possess an Authority."
"Come Lightning, come Thunder." I held my sword up high, and the surrounding storm answered my call. As If connecting Heaven and Earth, Lightning flowed downward continuously. It enveloped my blade, enlarging and encompassing the sky.
If my storm wouldn't be able to hold for long, then let it accompany a single swing of mine.
The entirety of the storm I summoned had gathered. Just as Susanoo had done to me when we fought. Just as a swing of his could reach the horizon and sunder the sea itself, I swung my sword.
For the first time Solomon looked hesitant. He had to brace himself. His Shield was brought up immediately, but that was all I could see before everything was consumed by my Divine Lightning.
The torrent of Lightning intertwined with Divine Power and Magical Energy shot off into the distance. It disappeared unto the ends of whatever void existed in this place.
It was but a moment to withstand, but not many could. However, A figure still stood once the attack had ceased.
No longer were his clothes pristine, nor his skin flawless. His eyes were red, pupils demonic in a way that matched Flauros.
Chunks of his skin was missing, but blood did not seep out. Instead, things began to wiggle and wreath underneath. The biggest wound was across his chest, seared flesh revealed a singular menacing Eye, larger than my head.
It locked eyes with me and I felt a shiver go down my spine.
Despite the 'damage' that I had caused, he didn't look the slightest bit unwell. No, he scowled, his jaw opened up unnaturally, and sharp teeth filled his mouth, but not the slightest indication of pain. "Impudence." He sneered.
"....you're not Solomon." I breathed out, gripping my sword tighter. "Solomon wouldn't do something like this. There are enough records left to know that he was a defender of humanity."
As if to agree with me, I felt the Spear inside start to vibrate in anger.
"That fool saw all the wrongs of the world and let them continue unabated. Defender of humanity? A laughable notion. " He scoffed, voice raised, scowling deeper. The most emotion I've seen him give off thus far. "I would have allowed you to wait for death like those other misbegotten fools, but you have earned my ire."
He held his hand up to the sky, and I felt death approaching.
What remained of my clouds were immediately dispersed without the slightest indication that they were there.
"Begone from my presence." He waved his hand downward.
An uncountable number of lights from the sky above obeyed his command. They intertwined and shot right at me.
"Avalon!" I shouted out immediately, panic rising within my chest. The Ever Distant Utopia enveloped me right away as the lights collided with the defense.
Artoria's Sheath had fended off Excalibur without any problem, however, each strand of light that came at me could easily match it in intensity. A continuous burst of power completely enveloped my vision and I saw no end in sight.
The Sheath didn't waver in the slightest, yet, under this onslaught, Avalon started draining the remaining stores of Artoria's Magical Energy quickly to sustain itself. I've never had to use it for this long before, and the upkeep was substantial.
What I would call the strongest defensive Noble Phantasm, was losing in a prolonged engagement. I did not have any thoughts about the shield breaking, but the power behind it was going to run out any moment.
The ground I was standing on was annihilated, the Collison rocketed me off my feet, carrying me off of the marbled flooring that remained. Avalon's source of power was flickering, maybe only one or two breaths more of time were left as I was slammed into the dimensional barriers of this domain.
It didn't stop, the sheer power was enough to shatter the fragile barrier. The void between worlds – the imaginary Number Space greeted me with just emptiness in all directions.
Avalon finally began to rescind its holy protection.
I brought up My Divine Sword protectively, but the intense power pushed through my defenses. My Aura surged outwards, but it shattered completely. The Scale Mail around me followed suit, barely holding out for a few breaths before shattering as well.
I struggled to keep myself even conscious. It was only with a sudden eruption of golden light around me that I felt a miniscule amount of breathing room open up. Large White Wings sprouted from my back and enveloped me protectively.
I used that single moment to force myself away. Between the void of worlds, I could only pull towards a vaguely familiar location and use all my remaining strength to force a path open, yanking my body out of the path of the hostile light of destruction.
My last thoughts were relief as the holy light around me faded away. Any longer and I would have been completely incinerated.
I could only see the barest sight of a broken moon before my body collapsed completely and my consciousness faded.
[***]
Here's a big chunky chapter to wrap up the tail end of this first singularity. And Yes, Goetia is really that fuck off powerful. Cue training montage.
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