"Rumble…!"
The ground was shaking.
No—more accurately, it was the temple itself that was shaking.
As the vicious aura surged from Lev's body, the same malevolent mana erupted from every corner of the temple.
That mana was of the same root and origin as the aura spilling from Lev.
In other words, that mana—every single one of them—was a Demon God Pillar.
"Boom!"
With a loud detonation, a Demon God Pillar burst up from the ground, erupting as if it had drilled up from beneath the earth, appearing in this very world.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Like a chain reaction, one detonation after another followed, with pillar after pillar breaking through the earth, soaring to the heavens, standing before everyone's eyes.
"Come forth, my kin!"
"Come forth, my brethren!"
"Now is the time to reveal our true form and full might!"
Lev stood upon the ground, arms spread wide, calling out loudly.
"The foolish rebels have arrived!"
"The contemptible parasites have trespassed upon our holy ground!"
"It is time for us to eradicate these eyesores for our king, and offer the final fireworks to our great enterprise!"
Lev declared, shouting with fervor.
Behind him, countless Demon God Pillars writhed and roared.
"—!?"
In that instant, Mash, Artoria [Alter], Jeanne [Alter], and Hassan of Serenity were all shaken by the sight before them.
Even though they had steeled themselves for facing powerful foes, to stand directly before all the Demon God Pillars at once still made their faces pale.
Each and every one of those pillars possessed power comparable to their own—without several top Servants working together, they could not possibly be matched.
Every ounce of that malevolent aura bore down on them like a living hell.
Physiological rejection, psychological repulsion, and awe before such a ferocious existence all surged in the Servants' hearts, leaving them breathless.
"We can't win."
Mash, Artoria [Alter], Jeanne [Alter], and Hassan of Serenity all arrived at the same thought.
If it were only a single pillar, then each of them—Mash, Artoria [Alter], Jeanne [Alter], or Hassan of Serenity—would have the confidence to battle it alone and claim victory.
But what stood before them was not one. It was seventy-two Demon God Pillars.
And if their earlier understanding was correct, unless they were annihilated all at once, the number of pillars would never decrease. Bound to the concept of the "Seventy-Two Demon Gods," their count would eternally remain seventy-two.
In other words, no matter how many times they were slain, they would never truly die.
Such vile beings, paired with immortality—this was nothing short of a nightmare.
Lev's earlier resurrection before their very eyes only confirmed this point.
"You have no chance of victory," Lev said, almost with pity.
"Resign yourselves to death."
The moment his words fell, the seventy-two Demon God Pillars all moved at once.
"Rumble—!"
As if heaven and earth were collapsing, an endless surge of black mist erupted from the Demon God Pillars, transforming into a tsunami of darkness that roared toward Rozen and the others.
It was a force that could shatter mountains and push apart continents.
It was a torrent that could crush the ground and wash away cities.
Such a power, if unleashed on the surface, would be nothing less than a catastrophe.
Only this temple, this isolated space, could withstand such force without total destruction.
To this—
"Altera."
Rozen spoke calmly.
"Hum—!"
At Rozen's side, a white-haired girl appeared.
"Destroy."
No sooner had she manifested than Altera leapt forward, raising the Sword of the War God in her hand and swinging it down without hesitation.
"Boom!!"
In the next instant, a radiant band of destructive light appeared, like a streak of rainbow brilliance, sweeping outward. It met the terrifying black tide head-on, and with a thunderous roar, shattered it cleanly apart.
The force that could crush mountains and divide continents was torn, devoured, and annihilated before Altera's light of destruction, vanishing without a trace.
The scene was like storm clouds being blown away in an instant—spectacular beyond measure.
"What…!?"
Lev's pupils shrank.
Altera coldly glanced at him, the look alone making his heart quiver, stripping away his earlier arrogance entirely.
After all, he knew very well what sort of being this girl was.
He could scorn humans, scorn all living beings—but he could not scorn this one.
The vanguard of the wandering star who once ended prehistoric civilization and nearly reduced the planet itself to ruins.
Rozen stood behind Altera, unshaken, gazing at Lev.
"Tell me, Professor Lev—I haven't said a single word, yet you've been running your mouth nonstop."
Looking at Lev as if he were some insect, Rozen spoke bluntly—not with the fear or dread of the past.
"If you think I'm still the boy you could trample on at will, then let me tell you—"
"You're nothing more than a clown unfit for the stage."
"You seem to look down on humanity."
"But do you realize—before me, you're nothing more than a dog that only knows how to bark."
With that, Rozen lifted his hand, and another figure appeared at his side.
The sight made Lev's entire body chill, his heart pounding violently.
Massive, powerful horns.
Eyes that contained a sea of stars.
A voluptuous, imposing form.
A face of unrivaled beauty.
Bound hands and feet.
And beneath her, a surging tide of black mud.
Each of these traits made Lev want to scream.
But Rozen only spoke coldly.
"Show these arrogant fools their place—Tiamat."
Rozen gave the command without emotion.
Tiamat immediately raised her head.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!!"
Like a song, the roar burst forth from her mouth, resonating outward.
The sound rolled like wind, sweeping away everything around them. The Demon God Pillars swayed like seaweed in a storm.
"Boom!!"
Then, the black tide beneath Tiamat exploded.
In an instant, the black mud churned like molten lava.
In an instant, the black sea surged like crashing waves.
The Sea of Life of the Goddess of Creation began to invade the temple.
One of the Seven Evils of Humanity—the Beast that bore the principle of Return, the Primordial Beast—Beast II.
Here and now, she descended once more.