Standing tall in a void where no one and nothing existed, the Temple of Time had never once been threatened.
No one could threaten it.
Nothing could threaten it.
It was a Reality Marble that existed even outside the flow of the time axis, a space capable of gathering mana from any era of human history. Apart from Solomon, none could touch it—let alone threaten it.
Yet today, the Temple of Time was destined to suffer a devastating blow.
"Rumble…!"
Like the surge of a raging tide, a black wave spread throughout the Temple of Time, corroding the ground of the temple.
"Ssshhk…!"
That was the sound of scorching black mud devouring the stone pillars, burning them away like molten lava.
"Boom…!"
That was the sound of the pitch-black sea expanding endlessly, waves crashing one after another.
At this moment, it was both Tiamat's very authority and a curse—the Black Sea, capable of forcibly corrupting any who fell into it, randomly inducing self-alteration, ecological mutation, fusion, or replication. Appearing once more after the Seventh Singularity, the Black Sea had returned.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, Lev's face twisted, especially as he watched the Temple of Time slowly being eroded by the Black Sea—his expression shifted drastically.
"Don't touch that black mud! Otherwise, even we cannot escape being consumed!"
Lev shouted in panic.
Immediately, the Demon Pillars erupted with mana, summoning vast clouds of black mist roaring forth to meet the surging tide, both resisting its advance and avoiding direct contact with the mud.
The black tide and black mist collided endlessly, setting off thunderous roars of impact.
Though neither side gained the upper hand, the spread of the Black Sea was halted, its rate of corrosion greatly slowed.
But just then, from within the Black Sea, countless monsters began to emerge.
"ROAR!"
"Awoo!"
All kinds of monstrous cries resounded.
They were not the cries of Lahmu.
From the Black Sea surged forth beasts no longer of the Seventh Singularity's Lahmu, but Uridimmu, Mushussu, Mushmahhu, Ushumgallu—and even Ugallu and Bašmu appeared.
These monsters were truly the children of the creator goddess, Tiamat.
Back in the Seventh Singularity, due to her nature as one of the Evils of Humanity, Tiamat had spawned Lahmu—creatures that most utterly rejected humanity and were rejected by it.
But now, since Tiamat had been subdued by Rozen, she naturally no longer created Lahmu, but instead birthed all manner of beasts as told in legend.
Though these monsters might not be at the divine level described in myth, where each could rival a god, they were certainly no weaker than the Lahmu of the Seventh Singularity.
Meaning that, even a first-rate Servant would struggle facing them one-on-one.
Now, such beasts poured out endlessly, roaring and charging at the Demon Pillars.
"Splurt!"
Led by Ugallu, the monsters pounced upon the Demon Pillars, tearing into them savagely, blood spraying in all directions.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
One Bašmu after another unfurled their wings, flying into the air, spewing clouds of deadly poison gas onto the Demon Pillars, explosions thundering with each impact.
"————!!"
The Demon Pillars trembled violently, writhing as though struck by thunder, releasing voiceless screams of agony.
But the Demon Pillars were no easy prey.
"BOOM!"
With a roar, purple flames ignited one by one.
Each Demon Pillar opened its countless eyes, channeling mana, summoning gales of violet fire. Explosions of purple flame erupted, blasting into the approaching horde.
Beasts were blasted away, some obliterated instantly, their ranks scattered in chaos.
Indeed, the Demon Pillars were formidable. Each one required several top-tier Servants to match, and it would take hundreds of monsters together to pose a real threat.
Thus, though the monsters held the advantage in sheer numbers, they were vastly inferior in quality, and were inevitably crushed.
Yet the Black Sea continued to spew forth monsters without end, roaring, howling, hurling themselves ceaselessly at the Demon Pillars.
And not only monsters emerged.
At some unknown point, among the Demon Pillars, maidens began to appear.
"So this is the enemy he has always been fighting against…?"
A swordswoman in gleaming white armor, wielding a pair of swords, suddenly appeared. With calm composure, she slashed, her twin blades unleashing dazzling arcs of light, slicing a Demon Pillar into countless fragments on the spot, killing it instantly.
"Such detestable creatures. It seems it's time for me to stretch myself once more—Rain Gold."
A delicate girl in a Gothic Lolita dress, with features exquisite like a porcelain doll, spoke softly while holding a lace fan. Behind her, a towering goddess statue clad in golden armor appeared. The very space groaned and cracked under its weight as it crushed a Demon Pillar into pulp, leaving not a trace.
"Striking without a word of warning isn't my style. But since these aren't humans, not even demons—merely monsters—then such methods can hardly be called vulgar."
A princess with goddess-like beauty, long shimmering silver hair, and clad in military uniform, smiled radiantly. Yet from her body surged terrifying spiritual power, conjuring an endless blizzard that froze a Demon Pillar solid in an instant.
"Haaah!"
A Sword Shaman wearing a Saikai Academy uniform, gripping a pure white holy lance, charged wordlessly into the fray. Without wasting breath, she became a streak of motion, her lance piercing a Demon Pillar's core. The unleashed spiritual energy burst forth, forming angelic wings upon her back.
These maidens appeared suddenly, without discussion, and all began the slaughter simultaneously.
And of course, it wasn't just those four.
"You vixens! Damn vixens! Don't think you can win like this! Even if I only have these fists, Yaya will help Rozen smash these monsters to death!"
A girl clad in a black kimono, wreathed in black aura, shouted as she charged into the enemy ranks.
"W-Wait! Wait for me, Yaya."
A lovely maple-haired girl, as delicate as a flower, cried out in panic as she hurried after her.
"Come back! Don't be reckless! It's dangerous!"
Another girl, radiating the grace of a Yamato Nadeshiko, her waist-length hair white as snow, her presence surrounded by icy winds, scolded them in a fluster of worry and anger.
Watching this trio, who looked like sisters, three other girls nearby were left speechless.
"Are they here for a spring outing, or are they here to fight?"
A petite girl, twin-tailed, with demonic horns and clad in ghostly aura like a little oni, spoke in disgust.
"To charge headlong against such terrifying foes—far too reckless!"
Another girl, dressed in layered junihitoe, with fox ears, fox tails, and equally snow-white hair, huffed angrily.
"Well, they won't actually die anyway. Let them go."
A stunning girl with a figure like a model and beauty like a star sighed with a wry smile.
Elsewhere, two more maidens floated in the sky—one wielding a staff, the other a long spear. Seeing so many girls charging into the fray, their cheeks puffed in indignation.
"…For some reason, I feel an overwhelming urge to beat Senpai to death."
The twin-tailed spear-wielding girl growled through gritted teeth.
"For once, I share the feeling, Yuri."
The beautiful staff-wielding girl sighed heavily.
Yet even as they said this, the two wasted no time—one unleashed a magical bombardment, the other dove into the enemy ranks, mercilessly butchering the Demon Pillars.
With these maidens and countless beasts slaughtering relentlessly, the Demon Pillars fell one after another, dying horribly, their ends truly miserable.