Crack-crack-crackle—!
Violet-red light surged along the point of contact where the National Defense Machine God · Shikoutazer's massive fist struck the Royal Crown · Light of Wisdom.
Hisssss—!!
The Primordial Giant's body—constructed from earth, timber, and stone—splintered apart with a sound like air escaping from a cracked vessel.
Its seemingly solid, gray-black form split open with a web of fractures under the immense strain. Arcs of violet lightning danced within the cracks, blindingly bright and horrifyingly chaotic.
Cracks several stories tall spread across its colossal frame.
BOOOOM—!!!
Another thunderous impact resounded. From the first fissure that had appeared, Selene twisted with raw, overwhelming force—snapping the Primordial Giant's arm clean off.
The severed limb—along with part of its upper torso—was sent hurtling through the air like a mountain cast adrift, spinning violently as it tore through the night sky with a shrill whoosh!
Moments later, the "mountain" came crashing down, obliterating an entire swath of forest beneath it.
"ROAAARR—!"
A distorted, echoing howl of agony rolled across the plains for miles.
"A scream?" Selene raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Is that Avicebron's memory... or his lingering personality?"
Her tone was laced with amusement. The Primordial Giant's sudden, almost human cry of pain caught even her by surprise.
Having absorbed all that made up the Servant Caster of Black—Avicebron—the Royal Crown · Light of Wisdom seemed to have evolved beyond a mere automaton, taking its first steps toward becoming a true primordial man—Adam.
It was beginning to show traces of human emotion.
Whether its cries were from physical pain or from grief and fury at Selene's desecration of the earth—its precious "Eden"—was unclear.
Perhaps both.
"The core still sustains its body... yes, the automatic leyline absorption circuit must also stem from the core. Once separated from it, the limbs lose their thaumaturgical properties."
Through her monitors, Selene observed closely. The severed arm, once detached, quickly lost its vitality. Within mere seconds, it reverted to inert matter—dirt, bark, and stone—collapsing into dust.
That was the key: even after Avicebron's death, the Royal Crown · Light of Wisdom continued to function because its existence itself replaced the world's rules, rewriting reality through its autonomous Reality Marble.
"But Honkai-imbued energy isn't something it can just absorb at will."
Almost as if in response to her words, the giant's regenerative process faltered. Its normally seamless restoration slowed dramatically, arcs of violet lightning crackling across its form like a short-circuiting machine.
The rate at which it drew mana from the leyline plummeted, its self-repair stuttering to a crawl.
"Hmm?"
Within Shikoutazer's control core, Selene suddenly turned her gaze toward the direction where the Hanging Gardens had fallen.
"So, the Red Lancer—Karna—still lives. The Archer, Atalanta... weak, but breathing. Semiramis, you do have some bite after all."
Raising one finger to her temple, Selene smiled faintly. "Master, I'll need one more Command Spell shortly. The next blow will annihilate the Red Faction completely."
"..."
Celenike's quiet affirmation resonated through their link. Selene nodded. "Good. Then... it's showtime."
Shifting her machine's stance, she lunged forward—one arm drawn back for another strike.
The novelty had passed. Now it was time to end this night once and for all.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
The Primordial Giant, its torso barely reformed and its left arm still missing, was pummeled relentlessly. Enormous craters burst open across its body as viscous sludge—a mixture of mud and sap—splattered in all directions.
Selene's blows came fast and merciless. Every strike drove more violet-red mana into the Royal Crown · Light of Wisdom's frame, the energy seeping through its cracks like burning poison.
Each pulse of Honkai power deepened the color of the energy coursing across its surface—darkening, thickening, devouring.
The purple-red arcs once radiant with light now dimmed into a sinister shade, swirling with a suffocating density that seemed almost black.
"ROAR—!!"
BOOM!
The Primordial Giant struggled violently beneath the divine machine, bellowing in rage—but the next instant, Selene, clearly annoyed by the noise, slammed her fist down with the weight of a mountain.
CRACK!
A shockwave rippled through the air. Dust erupted skyward, and even the emerald halo embedded in the Royal Crown · Light of Wisdom's back—its symbol of divinity—shattered under the impact.
Thick fractures crawled across its gray-black body, spreading like veins of lightning. Violet-red energy particles burst through the gaps in its surface, forcing their way into its inner core.
Repair and destruction battled fiercely—but the more mana Selene poured into it, the slower its regeneration became.
Eventually, the Primordial Giant's restorative process lagged behind the onslaught. Every inch of its massive form was gradually consumed by crimson corruption.
Zzzzt... hiss...
Steam hissed from its cracked surface, the sound like a ruptured boiler.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
Then, like a collapsing mountain, the giant fell. Even with its Eden Assimilation field, the forests beneath it were crushed flat—the very earth beneath the Primordial Giant torn asunder.
"ROAAARRR—!!"
Its pained, almost sorrowful cry echoed for kilometers. As though lamenting its own destruction of the earth, the giant suddenly sprang up, meeting Shikoutazer's blow head-on and lunging with renewed fury.
Selene, meanwhile, guided the divine machine backward, deliberately drawing the battle away from the Fortress of Millennia.
Step by step, the titanic duel drifted toward the outskirts of Trifas.
Everything along their path—houses, towers, the remnants of ancient walls—was obliterated in seconds. Against the collision of gods, human civilization was nothing but dust.
"Now then... it's time."
Having widened the distance enough to avoid disrupting her mana supply, Selene unleashed the full might of the National Defense Machine God · Shikoutazer.
Crackle—crackle—CRACKLE—!
In that moment, the divine machine was engulfed in glowing scarlet lines, surging with energy like a god of destruction incarnate.
Shoulder plates split open—gunports ignited. Dozens of crimson beams erupted at once, sweeping low across the ground and slashing toward the Primordial Giant's legs.
BOOM!
SHHHHHT!
The beams struck the earth, tearing the landscape apart. The ground split open; shockwaves blasted outward, a storm of fire and dust rising like the wrath of a god.
Caught mid-motion, the Primordial Giant's lower body disintegrated under the blinding light—its connection to the leyline severed in an instant.
The faint green glow along its spine vanished completely.
A moment later—Squelch!
A titanic steel hand pierced through its chest, sliding in effortlessly—smooth and precise as a blade through silk.
"Game over, Avicebron... Single Arm—All Batteries, fire!"
At Selene's command, the arm impaling the giant's chest flared violently with violet-red radiance.
Then, she drove it downward.
THOOM!
A colossal pillar of light erupted from the earth, spearing the heavens. Thunder rolled in its wake as the ground quaked.
RUMBLE—RUMBLE—RUMBLE—!!
The atmosphere itself was torn apart by the explosion of mana. Rings of compressed air rippled outward, shrieking like blades as the sky glowed with apocalyptic brilliance.
The clouds split open. The heavens shimmered with violet-red light. The air boiled, heavy with ozone; arcs of mana crackled endlessly through the charged sky.
Then—silence.
The pillar of light faded, leaving a dim afterglow—a scar upon the dawn's horizon.
But the rumbling did not stop. It grew louder, deeper, until it rolled like waves.
Hurricanes tore through the plains as the aftermath swept across the land.
When at last the explosion subsided, the world was left scorched and fragmented. From afar, those who had fled could only watch in awe and terror.
When the light and smoke cleared, only one titan remained standing—the machine god.
The other—the being of gentle radiance and life—was gone.
The outcome was clear: destruction had triumphed over creation.
Near the crash site of the Hanging Gardens, the ground trembled violently. The sheer force resonating through the earth made the fragility of human life painfully clear. Instinctively, every living creature felt an overwhelming urge to flee. Herds of animals stampeded outward, driven by primal terror.
"Caster of Black, Avicebron's Noble Phantasm—Royal Crown · Light of Wisdom... and Rider's National Defense Machine God · Shikoutazer... this is absurd. Truly... Anti-Nation Noble Phantasms..."
Bracing herself against the fierce wind, Jeanne d'Arc narrowed her eyes. One hand gripped her holy banner while the other shielded her face as she gazed upon the cataclysmic spectacle.
Since parting ways with Selene in Sighișoara, Jeanne had pursued the Hanging Gardens, chasing them toward Trifas. Along the way, the magnitude of destruction she witnessed only grew worse with every step.
Now, purple-red pillars of light rose from the darkness, and the rhythmic thunderclaps of distant explosions filled her with dread.
A chill settled over her heart.
This level of devastation—akin to a divine calamity—could not possibly be concealed from the world. The damage to ordinary lives, to the land itself, would be catastrophic.
Jeanne sighed, a deep sorrow filling her chest. "The aftermath of this Holy Grail War... may be beyond salvation." She silently prayed for those who would bear the burden of rebuilding afterward.
"At this rate," she murmured, her gaze turning toward the horizon, "the Romanian Grail War will end soon... how swiftly it all fell apart. And still, I have yet to uncover the true anomaly behind this war."
Her eyes shifted toward the site where the Hanging Gardens had fallen. "Amakusa Shirou Tokisada... I pray you're there."
...
Cough... cough...
"Is everyone... still alive?"
Emerging from the ruins of the crashed Gardens, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada supported the frail and injured Semiramis. His upper body was bare, his expression pale yet composed.
"I'm fine... barely," Semiramis rasped. "But, Father... this Holy Grail War—it's over for us. That enemy... we can't win against something like that."
Nearby, Archer of Red, Atalanta, clutched her bow weakly, her gaze vacant as she stared up at the night sky. "...Yes. That power... it's hopeless."
"Perhaps." Karna's voice was strained, each breath labored. His once-brilliant skin was scorched and covered with violet burns, the marks spreading like a curse. "But there's still a chance... if my final strike—one meant to kill a god—lands true... if I can trade my life for Rider of Black's, victory might yet be possible."
The irony wasn't lost on anyone—the son of the Sun God, burned by divine light. But it was the truth. Recognized by the Counter Force itself, Selene bore a divine authority equal to that of the original Sun God. Even with his golden armor and his Master's Command Spell saving him from annihilation, Karna had suffered unimaginable damage at the heart of God's Wrath.
"No..." Amakusa interrupted softly. "We don't need to defeat Rider of Black. All we need is the Greater Grail."
He turned, setting Semiramis down gently before facing the others. "Currently, those who've fallen include Assassin of Black—Jack the Ripper, Caster of Black—Avicebron, Berserker of Red—Spartacus, and Rider of Red—Achilles."
"The Greater Grail has already absorbed four Servants. Once three more fall, it will activate. And when I infiltrated the castle, I prepared for this. I carved a spatial transfer array directly onto the Grail itself."
Atalanta's eyes widened. "You mean...?"
"Exactly."
Clapping his hands lightly, Amakusa smiled—a pure, almost gentle expression that chilled the blood. "We don't need to kill everyone. As long as a total of seven Servants perish—regardless of faction—the Grail will awaken."
Understanding dawned, grim and cold. "You... you can't mean..."
"I do."
Amakusa raised his right hand, the Command Spells upon it glowing bright crimson.
"For the salvation of mankind, I will use everything at my disposal. Since our Caster has been captured... let's make him useful to the very end."
Red light blazed from his palm.
"Triple Command—sever all mana to Caster of Red, William Shakespeare. Terminate the Master-Servant bond..." His tone dropped, voice like steel. "And end your own life."
Vmmm—!
The sigils flared, burning through the night as the command echoed into eternity.