Buzz!
It was an existence, unlike a thunderstorm. The crimson hell constructed by the Red Dragon was akin to a natural disaster, a manifestation of the power of the Primordial God at its finest through the Red Dragon.
If that crimson hell was a relentless thunderous abyss of life's end, then the pitch-black starlight blooming at this moment within the world was a solitude beyond human comprehension, suspended high above the realm of wisdom.
There was no deafening roar, only the soft hum caused by the disturbance of the atmosphere—like the ripples created by a stone falling into a lake.
A silent nebula stretched vast and boundless, flickering with an unknown, dazzling radiance within the darkness.
This sudden change interrupted the thoughts of Artoria and the others.
Among those present, aside from Waver Velvet, the inexperienced Master, all were battle-hardened heroes.
Their lives had been defined by war—some even hailed from the Age of Gods, having witnessed battles beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
Thus, for them, experience was merely the most basic foundation.
Because of this, Artoria, Iskandar, and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne could immediately perceive, at first glance, the immense magical power and heat contained within the pitch-black nebula that covered most of the Reality Marble.
"This is on a completely different scale from before—"
Holding his demonic spear, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne wore a grave expression, his gaze locked onto the pitch-black nebula engulfing the battlefield.
Calling it a nebula might not be entirely accurate. If one were to strictly define the existence of these lights, they were converging beams of light.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of beams surged outward from Alaric, spiraling as they expanded, destroying everything in their path.
And in that instant, Iskandar's proud and mighty army was silently annihilated within the starlight!
What kind of unimaginable heat could vaporize Heroic Spirits one after another?
"Giving him sufficient magical energy… he was capable of this?!!!"
Only now did Diarmuid Ua Duibhne realize what he had overlooked. Even though he had acknowledged Alaric's strength and presence, he had still underestimated this final Knight of the Round Table.
Like Diarmuid, Artoria also wore a solemn expression. When the King of Conquerors deployed his Reality Marble, even she had believed that victory was assured.
After all, no matter how much magical energy Alaric had, it was difficult to imagine him prevailing against four Servants within this Reality Marble. However, Artoria had not foreseen the transformation that would occur after Alaric obtained Little Red Riding Hood.
The sheer amount of magical energy required to sustain a nebula covering most of the Reality Marble was beyond what any ordinary being could bear.
Moreover, Artoria had realized something crucial—these nebulae were not simply a one-time release of light. Rather, they were continuous, maintaining the existence of this deadly domain.
Defining it as a barrier wasn't entirely accurate. While it involved arcane knowledge, it was ultimately more about manipulating magical energy.
To Alaric, magic—Magecraft—was far too cumbersome. While incantations ensured stability and success rates, and while Magecraft Foundations attested to the existence of certain spells, Alaric often acted more as a pure warrior than a magus.
For battle, a pure form of devastation did not require complicated rituals—all that mattered was understanding the principles.
What Alaric needed was simply imagination—a way to realize his vision of combat and compensate for firepower using Magecraft.
Since Alaric did not possess the Marble Phantasm—a power to freely manifest imagination into reality—his only available method was Magecraft.
Having experienced Solomon's Demon King Goetia, Alaric had already grasped the concept of large-scale high-intensity firepower. Over his year-long studies at the Clock Tower, he continuously refined his techniques, forming numerous ideas to further evolve his abilities.
His understanding of Noble Phantasms had also progressed significantly.
A Noble Phantasm was a legendary armament exalted in the tales of Heroic Spirits. They were weapons forged upon the foundation of humanity's fantasies.
Their power was determined by the legends surrounding them, meaning they could be described as weapons formed from the framework of human imagination.
A Noble Phantasm was activated by calling its True Name and infusing it with magical energy. Aside from the act of invoking its name, this process was similar to using a specialized Mystic Code, making Noble Phantasms akin to mystical artifacts.
If that were the case, then Alaric could recreate the power of Noble Phantasms through Magecraft.
His initial attempt—the Holy Judgment—was already an approach towards this kind of Magecraft, though it was still crude, merely an embodiment of his combat techniques.
However, the essence remained the same. As observed by Romani Archaman at Uruk's Northern Wall, when Alaric fired Holy Judgment using Rhongomyniad, he transformed magical energy into light.
This transformation of nature was already within the realm of divine-level Magecraft.
Because of this, Alaric had glimpsed a path forward in his research.
"Recreating the usage and existence of Noble Phantasms through Magecraft."
At his disposal, Alaric possessed two Noble Phantasms. While Rhongomyniad had transformed nature, preventing its full release, he could still study Gram.
As the prototype of the Sword in the Stone, Gram was not of a particularly high rank, but its attack method was similar—it released Light Slashes to destroy enemies and the battlefield.
For Alaric, this was an extremely difficult undertaking. However, he believed that if a highly skilled magus assisted him, the Magecraft-based recreation of Noble Phantasms could be accomplished.
Not only could ordinary Noble Phantasms be replicated, but even Rhongomyniad itself might be recreated.
Although his years of intermittent research had yielded little progress, there were at least some results.
He had refrained from testing it due to his concerns about the Clock Tower and Zelretch backing the Tohsaka family. Moreover, he still could not confirm whether his Magecraft would succeed.
For now, leaving aside these unverified Magecrafts, the domain that Alaric had just unveiled made Artoria grip her Excalibur tightly.
Upon witnessing this deadly domain, Artoria immediately understood—this was a battle of firepower. Without Excalibur, she could not approach the nebula's center, where Alaric stood.
However, unleashing Excalibur's True Name would result in immense magical depletion.
Despite this, Artoria was confident in the firepower of Excalibur.
The Sword of Promised Victory, an A++-rank Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm, was the pinnacle of Holy Swords.
It was humanity's long-cherished wish, crystallized and refined within the planet's core, a Supreme Fantasy.
If she unleashed Excalibur, it would undoubtedly pierce through Alaric's magical barriers, inflicting severe damage—perhaps even obliterating him. But she had to consider what would happen afterward.
Her brief moment of contemplation ended. Artoria turned toward the King of Conquerors, but before she could speak, a deafening battle cry drowned out her voice.
"My warriors! CHARGE!! AAAALaLaLaLaLaie!!"
Unwilling to watch his soldiers perish in silence, Iskandar, riding his Gordias Wheel, bellowed his war cry.
Raising his short sword high, a surge of divine thunder became the only beacon of light in the pitch-black world.
And in response to the King of Conquerors, tens of thousands of Heroic Spirits roared as one.
Even amid Alaric's indiscriminate annihilation, tens of thousands remained, their resounding battle cry shaking the battlefield.
A dense phalanx of Macedonian spearmen stood firm, their sheer presence overwhelming.
Their voices thundered as one.
The great army that once conquered the world had once again sounded the horn of war in this distant future.
Even if they faced an absolute domain of death, even as Heroic Spirits, they could not resist its devastation.
Yet, the horns of conquest did not falter. The army began to move, their war cries roaring like divine thunder.
And leading them was none other than the Son of Zeus, the conqueror of nations, the man whose name shook history—Iskandar!!
"AAAALaLaLaLaLaie!!"
At this moment, Iskandar finally unleashed his divine power!
[Divine Blessing (Zeus Thunder)]
A manifestation of his self-recognition as a son of the gods. Each time it is used, Zeus' Thunder strengthens his body, raising his level of divinity.
Rumble! Rumble!!
The surging divine thunder, by its mere existence, roared across the heavens, shaking the world and signaling the awakening of the god's child!
The thunder of the great god Zeus was the symbol of absolute authority and judgment!
There were few on this planet capable of surpassing such power—thus, this was the embodiment of the pinnacle authority of the world!
At this moment, the blue-white divine thunder raged in an uncharted domain beyond human intelligence, clearing the path for the peerless army with its absolute dominance!
However, the forces that the Conqueror King and his army now faced were those who transcended human wisdom, beings akin to solitary celestial bodies. Even if it was merely a matter of magical energy, only absolute power could break through!
Yet, the instant the blue-white divine thunder touched the pitch-black nebula, it was reduced to nothingness—without even causing a ripple.
"What?!"
Seeing that his divine thunder failed to stir even the slightest disturbance, Iskandar widened his eyes in shock.
But his astonishment quickly gave way to acceptance.
This was something he had already anticipated.
At this moment, he was simply too weak. Without a supply of magical energy, he couldn't even unleash his full strength. Not only was his army's glory unable to manifest, but even he could not wield his divine thunder to attack the enemy.
Though he could still deploy a bounded field and use the divine thunder to some extent, Iskandar knew all too well—when facing someone like Alaric, if it wasn't his full-powered divine thunder, it would be meaningless.
The same applied to his Reality Marble. However, to prevent external destruction, he had to deploy it.
Even so, the King's charge would not cease, nor would his army's advance!
If no path lay ahead, then they would carve one with their swords and spears!
Where the King leads, all shall follow!
But the one who moved even faster than the Gordius Wheel was the solitary king—the Knight King, who sought to forge the ideal kingdom!
Just as the tyrannical ruler sought to open a path forward, the Knight King made the same choice!
If this battle were to be acknowledged as a true contest, then the so-called solitude that loomed above human wisdom must be completely eradicated!
With a resounding voice, the King declared the True Name of the sword in her hands.
It was the embodiment of a miracle—the culmination of a king's lifetime of glory.
"This radiance is the hope of the stars, the proof of life that illuminates the land! Let us settle this—Excalibur!"
The Knight King unleashed the sacred sword in her grasp—the very same sword that had once repelled enemies from beyond the stars—now bursting forth with the most dazzling golden light amidst the cosmic nebula!
The highly condensed light formed a schism, unleashing an ultimate slash with unparalleled might!
The torrent of light roared forward, cutting through and annihilating the pitch-black nebula in an instant!
Under the brilliance of this golden flood, even the dark nebula was utterly destroyed. The surging torrents howled to the sides, kicking up waves of sand like an overwhelming tide, sweeping across the entire world!
And at the apex that both Artoria and Iskandar pursued, the Knight who stood at the end of the path raised the sacred lance in his hands.
Even from Artoria's perspective, where even a Round Table Conference was impossible, let alone the liberation of a Noble Phantasm's True Name, the knight still spoke the name of his sacred lance.
Not for any particular reason—only to respond to the King's sense of ritual.
"Beyond the sky, it races toward the earth.
It is the wedge of light that stands at the world's end!
—Rhongomyniad!"
The True Ether from the Age of Gods, bestowed by Little Red Riding Hood, accelerated to its limit.
The light that burst from the lance's tip was the Light of the End—a radiance beyond the stars, the final light from the distant Star!
A black torrent of light formed a schism, colliding head-on with the golden flood in the blink of an eye!
BOOOOOOM!!!
Black and gold intertwined, transforming into an unimaginably brilliant tree of light, its cascading branches leaving terrifying marks upon the sandy plains.
The Reality Marble, already ravaged by Alaric's earlier magical energy outpour, suffered even greater devastation at this moment.
A massive chasm—like a canyon—split the battlefield, stretching between Artoria and Alaric.
Like an uncrossable heavenly rift, the abyss swallowed the golden sands, turning into a bottomless void—the very end of the Reality Marble.
Step. Step.
Yet, this did not halt the advance of the Knights.
The Knight wielding the magical lance, along with the Lake Knight, who had fallen into madness yet still retained his peak martial prowess, charged across the chasm the moment the dark nebula faded—rushing toward the Knight at the end of the path!
And at that moment, Iskandar heard a voice he had not heard for a long time—words from his vassal.
"My King, I request the allocation of magical energy—to unleash my Noble Phantasm!"
The young Pharaoh stood among the Macedonian phalanx, no different from the other soldiers, yet his presence was undeniably striking.
With the young Pharaoh's request, both Iskandar and his Master, Waver Velvet, turned to look at him.
Waver, visibly shocked, stared at the white-haired young man who had spoken. Beneath his armor-clad, well-built frame, a mirror gleamed brilliantly.
Unlike Waver, who was examining the speaker, Iskandar knew exactly who this vassal was—
The friend who, after Iskandar's death, accomplished great feats worthy of pride.
"Magical energy… should be sufficient for one full release."
Iskandar quickly assessed his remaining magical reserves, then grinned.
He would never deny a vassal's request out of concern for gain and loss.
"Hahaha! Then go forth, my friend—future Pharaoh, Ptolemy!"
The King who conquered the world still bore that same boisterous laughter.
Even for the man who would go on to rule as Pharaoh, this was a memory he would never forget.
"Yes!"
With this intent already in mind, Ptolemy stepped to the front of the army formation. As the Knight King shifted position, he unlocked his armor!
The mirror, which Waver had been curious about, now gleamed upon his chest!
The future Pharaoh spoke the True Name of his Noble Phantasm—
"The flame in my heart, raised high!
Surging radiance, illuminate my path!
—Pharos Tis Alexandreias!"
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was not only capable of detecting objects 56 kilometers away but could also incinerate ships along the coastline.
The Noble Phantasm wielded by Servant Ptolemy I was the core of this lighthouse—the Mirror.
The blazing torrent of light surged forth, attempting to annihilate its single target.
BOOOOOOM!
But the result was evident—Pharos Tis Alexandreias, though classified as a B++ Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm, was still not enough to pose a threat to Alaric.
The Holy Judgment erupted once again, engulfing Diarmuid Ua Duibhne and Lancelot in the flood of light!
"Is it possible to unleash Noble Phantasms consecutively?!"
Not only Artoria but even Iskandar was astonished by the renewed release of the Holy Judgment.
The power of a liberated Noble Phantasm is immense, but so is its consumption. Normally, Servants cannot release their Noble Phantasms multiple times in succession. Even with ample mana supply, they would still need time to accumulate energy before unleashing another Noble Phantasm.
Yet, Alaric not only managed to unleash an attack rivaling Excalibur right after that absurdly powerful mana release but within mere seconds, he fired another Holy Judgment comparable to Pharos Tis Alexandreias.
This deepened Artoria and Iskandar's understanding of Alaric's current strength.
Tap, tap.
Even so, no one would stop.
The King of Knights charged forward once more, leaving the King of Conquerors and his army far behind. Though her mana consumption was immense, it remained within her acceptable limits!
Boom!
As he watched the radiant figure of the King of Knights, Iskandar gazed upon the abyss ahead and let out a roar filled with boundless battle spirit!
"Let him witness our glory!! My warriors!!"
"Oooohhhhh!!!!"
At the King of Conquerors' command, the Macedonian phalanx behind him—tens of thousands of soldiers wielding Macedonian spears, each an existence akin to Heroic Spirits—simultaneously hurled their weapons!
A vast, sky-darkening barrage rained down like a storm of swords, dimming even the once-bright sun!
Beneath this rain of Macedonian spears were the two galloping knights on the golden sands, and not far behind them, the King of Knights closing in.
Faced with this sight, how could the King of Conquerors suppress his surging battle spirit and remain still?
His war chariot—Gordias Wheel—was pulled forward by divine bulls, beginning its charge. Thunderous divine lightning formed a bridge, linking the two battlefields, allowing his army to cross the abyss!
A ceaseless chorus of war cries, as mighty as rolling thunder, surged forward like an unstoppable tide of battle spirit, roaring toward the distant sky.
A mythic scene began to unfold—great heroes from different eras and legends had gathered, joining forces to enact this grand war theater!
Buzz!
At the battlefield's end, what emerged was—
The Gate of Holy Judgment, surpassing a thousand in number, scattered across the void like a constellation of Starry Eyes, each gateway radiating dazzling beams of light.
Unlike a single, massive Holy Judgment, this time, the attack resembled a sustained nebula, much like the previous one!
Years of accumulated magical knowledge and self-improvement had finally allowed Alaric to control over a thousand of these Holy Judgment Gates!
Buzzzzz!!!
As over a thousand beams of Holy Judgment erupted, the pitch-black rays, like the embodiment of cosmic destruction, mercilessly tore through the battlefield.
The vast desert sands crystallized under the assault, and the already ravaged Reality Marble suffered a third major collapse!
Moreover, the mighty Macedonian army suffered devastating losses under the relentless beams, with dozens or even hundreds of soldiers perishing every second!
As for the three knights who sought to approach Alaric and defeat him here—they were completely halted by the dense barrage of Holy Judgment beams, unable to engage him in combat at all!
Even Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, wielding the anti-magic Crimson Rose, was obstructed by the overwhelming mana discharge, let alone Artoria, who was exhausted after releasing her Noble Phantasm!
Lancelot, too, was forced to stop due to the smaller Holy Judgment attacks unfolding before him.
All three knights were forced to halt, able only to watch helplessly as the final moment arrived—
"The body is the universe, and the universe is the body."
His existence carried the blessing of All Humanity, and having glimpsed a fragment of his truth, he now declared the battle's conclusion.
He who raised the Holy Lance also wielded the Pillar of Light.
His voice was clear and resolute as he spoke:
"At this moment, I shall bring an end to the logic of this world."
The earth was torn apart, the sky spiraled in the nebula's vortex, and the Reality Marble, known as the World Egg, fell into irreversible collapse after losing too many of its foundational members.
The world fell into its twilight.
The Reality Marble—Ionioi Hetairoi (Army of the King) shattered completely.
As the overwhelming wave of light engulfed everyone, the scene that reappeared before Alaric was eerily familiar—it was the streets near the Hyatt Hotel.
However, those who should have been beside him—Kayneth, Sola, and the mysterious Little Red Riding Hood—had all vanished.
Before Alaric could expand his senses to search for Kaynneth; Iskandar, Artoria, and the others nearby caught his attention.
Despite having his Reality Marble forcibly shattered, Iskandar seemed unaffected, though Waver Velvet, standing beside him, looked pale and shaken.
Seeing this, Alaric's smile remained unchanged as he spoke:
"So, shall we continue?"