"What is that—!" Not only Fujimaru, but Mash by her side, as well as the Ishtar and Quetzalcoatl ahead of them, all noticed the form of the colossal demonic dragon overshadowing the sky at this moment.
Its overwhelming power, combined with unabashed malice, sent chills down Fujimaru's spine.
This was a dragon, unlike any Fujimaru, had encountered in their past adventures—its presence far exceeded any demonic dragon they had faced before. Even the Dragon Witch from Orléans paled in comparison to this creature.
Beyond the divine-level pressure it exuded, what unsettled Fujimaru the most was the intangible malice emanating from it. It felt like the dragon stood as a true adversary of humanity, intent on burning the world to ashes.
It was reminiscent of the first encounter with Alaric—
To this day, Fujimaru remembers that moment vividly.
Alaric had walked the earth as an enemy of humanity, their mere existence incompatible with the world itself—not to mention their malevolent actions.
A fleeting memory surfaced in Fujimaru's mind, but her gaze remained fixed on the shadowy behemoth amidst the crimson sea of lightning. She stared intently at the monstrous form that blotted out the sky.
If her guess was correct, that crimson lightning was the work of this demonic dragon—
"This thing is strong!"
At that moment, Ishtar's startled voice rang out. Standing closest to the heavens, Ishtar's expression was grim. Her golden eyes, divine and radiant, reflected the shadow of the demonic dragon with stark clarity.
The dragon's overwhelming aura made even her feel an immense sense of danger.
Its magical energy output was undoubtedly on the level of a god. Yet, what made Ishtar wary wasn't just the crimson dragon itself—it was the presence of the mother's power.
The favored child of the gods of Sumer, the ruler of the Mesopotamian skies, and the beloved, beautiful goddess—Ishtar could confirm that the crimson dragon was a creation of the Primordial Mother, Tiamat.
It was a being akin to the Lahmu below—a similar existence.
However, unlike Ishtar, Quetzalcoatl saw the crimson dragon as a creature intent on burning the world to ashes.
It was a new lifeform, born from Alaric's incomplete [Dragon] form, shaped and nurtured by someone's ideals and love. This was a creation never recorded in history or mythology, a newborn that could only exist briefly within the Singularity.
Yet, there was no denying that the [Crimson Dragon] represented Alaric's potential future—a lifeform born when the [Dragon] attribute was pushed to its utmost limit.
Empowered by the Primordial Mother's strength, its level of mystery placed it at the pinnacle of all dragonkind—far beyond the reach of even the Evil Dragon Fafnir.
With the magical energy supplied by the Sea of Life, the [Crimson Dragon] possessed power that even Quetzalcoatl found troublesome.
Every bolt of crimson lightning that streaked across the sky carried the destructive force of a Noble Phantasm. It was equivalent to two-thirds of the magical energy Alaric had unleashed at the northern wall—a holy judgment, devastating in scale.
In terms of raw power, Quetzalcoatl believed that the [Crimson Dragon] rivaled the strength of a god, equaling even Gorgon.
If Jaguarman were present, she would no doubt exclaim in awe upon seeing the [Crimson Dragon].
As a Beast Servant, Jaguarman's sense of pure bestial power was unparalleled.
What an awe-inspiring, beautiful, and powerful [Crimson Dragon]—
["Be careful, Fujimaru. You should be able to see a [Dragon] from your position, right?"]
At this moment, Roman's grave voice interrupted Fujimaru's thoughts. "Yes, Doctor. I see a crimson dragon, roughly a hundred meters in length, with wings spanning four to five hundred meters—"
Fujimaru calmly relayed the information she observed to Roman. Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, Roman responded: ["That's right. From Chaldea's observations, this [Dragon] is similar to Alaric, but its magical energy exceeds even Alaric's.
It's a [Dragon] on par with the Divine Spirit Gorgon. If there's no mistake, the thunderstorm covering this sea is the work of this [Crimson Dragon].
Be extremely careful. Before you retrieve the Holy Grail, this [Crimson Dragon] will likely be your greatest enemy."]
"Then could it be that Alaric is—"
Hearing this, Fujimaru immediately recalled Roman's earlier mention of [two] magical signatures resembling Alaric. If this [Crimson Dragon] was a being Roman described as similar to Alaric, then Alaric himself must also be present here, right?
But Fujimaru couldn't spot Alaric anywhere on the ocean surface. The sea was now entirely covered by Tiamat's Sea of Life. Even Alaric wouldn't be able to dive beneath such depths, leaving only one possible hiding place—
"Is Sir Alaric above us?!"
Fujimaru abruptly looked up. Even Mash, who was vigilantly scanning the surroundings, instinctively followed her gaze.
As if responding to their gazes, atop the [Crimson Dragon]'s head, amidst the crimson ocean, a dark radiance quietly bloomed.
Like petals unfurling layer by layer, the [Chains of Heaven] unfolded and spread like a colossal dragon, expanding in all directions.
Wherever it passed, the crimson lightning was severed. The scent of death truly spread across the sea of crimson lightning.
This power was entirely different from the crimson lightning that had dominated the sky. It appeared before Fujimaru and the others as a stark contrast.
It was only now that Fujimaru noticed two indistinct figures standing atop the [Crimson Dragon]'s head.
When the crimson sea was momentarily extinguished, Fujimaru, Mash, and the others finally saw the two figures on the [Crimson Dragon]'s head.
One bore a resemblance to Alaric but appeared closer to Fujimaru's impression of Arthur Pendragon—that is, Artoria.
Her slender figure was clad in dragon-scale armor, outlining delicate curves. Her modest chest, barely covered by the dragon scales, left much of her pale skin exposed to the air.
Her pure white hair was tied into a ponytail, swaying behind her in the wind.
In her slender hands, she wielded a massive sword nearly two meters in length, swinging it with an elegance that belied its size. Each casual slash left deep scars in the atmosphere.
The roaring shockwaves seemed capable of cleaving mountains and slicing through all life.
Not far from this unnamed knight stood a familiar figure—the Alaric they knew. He held a golden holy sword, while countless dragon-like [Chains of Heaven] swirled around him.
As the [Chains of Heaven] revolved, the [Crimson Dragon] beneath him once again surged with a sea of crimson lightning, instantly replenishing the lightning Alaric had extinguished!
The crimson sea spread once more into the boundless sky, proliferating endlessly beyond Fujimaru's sight.
With infinite magical energy at its disposal, the [Crimson Dragon] achieved a range of magical coverage that even Alaric could not manage, seemingly intent on dominating the entire sky.
To become the singular existence within it!
Not only did Fujimaru and her allies notice Alaric and the unnamed knight atop the [Crimson Dragon]; but Alaric, too, became aware of the magical signatures of Fujimaru, Ishtar, and the others.
"Be careful!!"
Alaric, locked in combat with the knight, shouted at the top of his lungs. However, his voice was quickly drowned out by the thunderous roars of the lightning dominating the heavens, rendering his warning inaudible to those below.
With no time to concern himself with Fujimaru and the others, Alaric focused intently on the knight before him.
It was only after engaging in battle that Alaric fully grasped just how troublesome this opponent was.
The reasons were clear—
What made Alaric feel truly challenged was the knight's composition: She was formed from Tiamat's divine mud, which created life. With the Sea of Life supplying her, her regeneration was effectively infinite.
Her self-healing was akin to immortality!
If it were merely this regenerative ability, Alaric could still handle it using his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. However, this duo was far from simple.
The knight and the [Crimson Dragon] functioned as one. The knight seemed to act as the [Crimson Dragon]'s brain. As long as one of them existed, the other could be resurrected.
Yet beings killed by the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception truly met their ultimate end. Even if a new body was constructed, it would merely be an empty shell—
Unless, like a certain True Ancestor, their entire body was replaced to create a new form, thus bypassing the effects of the Mystic Eyes. However, even such an approach carried immense risks.
But the [Crimson Dragon]'s method of resurrection seemed to completely evade the effects of the Mystic Eyes. Using divine mud, it continually constructed new lifeforms.
Each iteration was entirely different from the last, yet they all retained the same skills, knowledge, and—contract.
A genetic contract (Amino Geass) was forged with Tiamat. Though it lacked abilities like ecological evolution, fusion, or proliferation, it granted the [Crimson Dragon] the ability to self-modify.
It wielded divine mud to perform life's great miracle, but only upon itself.
In Alaric's estimation, the process was akin to cloning. After killing the third iteration of the knight, Alaric finally realizes this.
Even if the knight was cut into seventeen pieces, a new one would emerge from the [Crimson Dragon] below.
Her speed was simply too fast—so fast that Alaric could not eliminate the [Crimson Dragon] in a short amount of time.
But Alaric was no ordinary individual. Having endured countless trials to reach his current state as a Knight of the Round Table, he quickly devised a way to defeat the [Crimson Dragon].
By evaporating the Sea of Life below, he could sever the [Crimson Dragon]'s magical energy supply and its control over the divine mud. Without infinite magical energy, the [Crimson Dragon] would no longer be a match for him.
From his observations, Alaric deduced that resurrecting the knight consumed enormous amounts of magical energy. Even for the [Crimson Dragon], with its godlike reserves, the process was a tremendous drain.
Without infinite magical energy, the [Crimson Dragon] would only be able to iterate seven times at most.
In other words, after killing the knight and the [Crimson Dragon] three times each, they would reach the end of their lifespan—
Aside from this near-immortal regeneration and self-modification, the knight's martial prowess gave Alaric the uncanny impression of Jaguarman.
The knight fought purely on instinct. Yet, it was this instinct that repeatedly allowed the knight to evade Alaric's attempts to sever her lines of death.
It was as if she could foresee danger—
'Is Instinct really this troublesome?!'
Alaric, who had relied on Instinct to avoid countless dangers in the past, understood all too well how powerful this ability could be. But that power depended on the user having physical abilities to match its potential.
It was obvious that this knight could fully utilize the power of intuition!
This made it exceedingly difficult for Alaric to land a finishing strike on the Lines of Death, making it impossible to end the battle quickly.
Meanwhile, Fujimaru and her group had arrived. Alaric, however, showed no intention of retreating and instead directed the Red Dragon to launch an assault on Fujimaru and the others.
In the part of the sea that Alaric couldn't see, Fujimaru, Ishtar, and the others completely lost track of Lahmu due to the vast thunderstorm and the Red Dragon.
They could only watch helplessly as Lahmu threw itself into Tiamat's embrace, offering the twisted object known as the Holy Grail.
"That's… Tiamat—"
Gazing at the form of Tiamat, Fujimaru froze briefly and muttered instinctively, "She already has the Holy Grail!"
"Is she the mother of all the demonic beasts?"
Mash's expression was one of shock as if she couldn't accept the fact that Tiamat had given birth to all those Lahmu.
But not far away, Ishtar answered Mash's question, "She is indeed the Mother of Origins, Tiamat. We need to act quickly!"
"Alaric is also fighting that dragon. We must deal with Tiamat as soon as possible—"
Fujimaru noticed the restraints binding Tiamat and frowned slightly. "Is she restraining herself?"
"That's right. Mother cannot move freely right now. This is our best chance!"
Ishtar glanced at the thunderstorm above, which was only 300 to 400 meters away, radiating waves of magical energy so intense they were terrifying to behold.
The urgency of the situation weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
They had to deal with Tiamat as soon as possible!
Though Tiamat was the Mother of Origins in Sumerian mythology, the Mother of all gods, Ishtar didn't hesitate to attack.
As Fujimaru and her group approached, Tiamat, who had remained silent until now, opened her mouth once more.
"Aaaaaaa!!"
Visible sound waves spread rapidly, surging into the thunderstorm in the sky. Even the thunderclaps that roared across the heavens couldn't suppress the sound waves!
In an instant, the waves engulfed Fujimaru and her companions, rendering Ritsuka's mortal body immobile and halting the advance of her flying dragon.
["Be careful! Massive magical energy reactions are forming within Tiamat's body—on a scale comparable to a hydrogen bomb!"]
Roman's warning followed closely, making Fujimaru realize the gravity of the situation.
Continuing to approach would only invite harsher sonic attacks, seriously impacting their combat capability.
"We can't get close—hit her with overwhelming firepower!"
Fujimaru immediately made the decision and turned toward Ishtar.
If no other Servants were summoned, then Ishtar unleashing her Noble Phantasm would be the best choice.
They had to strike down Tiamat in one blow before the Red Dragon could intervene!
Fujimaru still had vivid memories of the crimson lightning earlier.
If her assumptions were correct, Alaric was likely still battling the Red Dragon and the nameless knight. Even so, the crimson lightning had managed to reach her at the Persian Gulf. This meant that if given the chance, the red lightning would swarm toward them again—
The crimson thunderstorm hovering over the skies, spanning thousands of meters, was looming directly above Fujimaru. If it were to collapse, she had a sinking feeling that things would go very wrong.
As Fujimaru gave the order, Ishtar, who was prepared, glanced at the crimson lightning sea in the sky and grinned.
"Leave it to me! Fujimaru, defense, and support will be up to you next! Don't let me get hit!"
"Understood! By the power of a Command Seal, grant Ishtar victory!"
Having long since formed a contract with Ishtar as her Servant, Fujimaru decisively activated a Command Seal. The surge of magical energy from the Command Seal powered up Ishtar's Noble Phantasm!
"Mash, stay vigilant against the skies!
Quetzalcoatl, I'm counting on you too!"
Fujimaru called out loudly, "Don't let the lightning strike us!"
"Leave it to me~~!"
Riding her flying dragon high into the heavens, only a hundred meters away from the crimson lightning sea, Quetzalcoatl smiled and said, "Big sis here won't let it fall~~!"
Mash, meanwhile, brought Fujimaru closer to the scene. Standing at the front of the flying dragon, she summoned her Round Table shield and kept a close eye on Tiamat below.
At this moment, Fujimaru, Mash, and the others were under attack from all directions.
Though they had great confidence in Alaric, they couldn't afford to leave anything to chance.
In just a few moments, everyone was in position. Ishtar's lips curled into a smile, divine power swelling in her golden eyes.
With the Command Seal's support, Ishtar had no hesitation. She raised her hand toward the sky and smiled, "Leave it to me—Gate Open!"
With Ishtar's motion, a massive rift suddenly tore through the sky.
As the mistress of the heavens, Ishtar used her authority to open the gate to the Celestial Realm.
What is the Celestial Realm?
It is the symbol of the sky.
Within the massive gate spanning dozens or even hundreds of meters, the vastness of the cosmos was revealed. Starlight surrounded a golden star, which appeared before them.
The absolute golden star—this was the Venus.
The divine power of gods is a manifestation of faith, and Ishtar, a multifaceted goddess with various divine roles and powers, could draw on the concept of Venus as an arrow for her Noble Phantasm!
The brilliance of the star illuminated the faces of Fujimaru and Mash. Even Quetzalcoatl, not far away, showed a knowing expression.
Though her divinity originated from a meteorite that had fallen to Earth, in Mesoamerican mythology, Quetzalcoatl also embodied part of the concept of Venus.
In other words, Quetzalcoatl, like Ishtar, was also a Venus goddess.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ishtar, now fully divine, threw the divine spear. The massive Venus spanning dozens or even hundreds of meters silently collapsed.
With the sound of a fierce wind, the star fell into the chamber of her divine vessel, Maanna, transforming into an arrow!
"This is my full power!"
Ishtar extended one arm, mimicking a handgun gesture, and aimed at Tiamat below, who was gathering power.
"An Gal Ta Ki Gal Šè!"
The goddess, brimming with excitement, declared the true name of her Noble Phantasm. From the heavens, the starry arrow pierced straight into the sea where Tiamat resided, engulfing the Mother of Origins!
BOOOOOOM!!!
This Noble Phantasm, rooted in the myth where Ishtar crushed the sacred mountain Ebih—so feared even the gods revered it—had been elevated to its ultimate form.
In Mesopotamian mythology, it is said that Ishtar invaded the mountain Ebih, increasing her divine might with every step. In the end, she seized the summit with her hands, stabbed the heart of the mountain with her spear, and caused the entire mountain range to collapse.
This Noble Phantasm, an Anti-Mountain Noble Phantasm of the highest A++ rank, wielded power so immense that even the Mother of Origins could not ignore it!
The sea surged instantly, creating waves tens or even hundreds of meters high, threatening to engulf them!
A terrifying void appeared in the sea, with water endlessly pouring into it.
["Tiamat's Saint Graph has been annihilated. You can either go assist Sir Alaric or recover the Holy Grail first!"]
From Chaldea, Roman confirmed the disappearance of Tiamat's Saint Graph and finally breathed a sigh of relief. There shouldn't be any more enemies now, right?
"As long as we recover the Holy Grail, it'll all be over—"
Sitting on the dragon's back, Fujimaru didn't relax after the battle. In less than a second, she adjusted her mindset: "We'll recover the Holy Grail first, and afterward—"
There would be no need for further battles.
"Yes, Senpai!"
Mash, ever vigilant, withdrew her gaze from the thunderstorm above and looked toward the now-calm sea below, where the Holy Grail lay.
But just as Fujimaru was about to retrieve the Holy Grail and end this Singularity—
Da Vinci, back at Chaldea, noticed something unusual.
["Roman, something isn't right."]
The crimson light and numbers reflected in her eyes skyrocketed. ["It's transforming from diffuse to hyper-structured—its scale is increasing rapidly. The Saint Graph is reconstituting!"]
Roman, struck by the same realization, looked more serious than ever and muttered, ["Could it be… the Tiamat we just fought was only her mind? And now—"]
The real Primordial Goddess was emerging?
["The sea level is rising rapidly! Get out of there, Fujimaru!"]
As Roman stood stunned, Da Vinci urgently shouted, ["Stay away from the water!"]
At the same time as Da Vinci's warning, Fujimaru Ritsuka, ordered the dragon to ascend rapidly into the sky and head toward the Persian Gulf—even though the skies were dominated by the thunderstorm.
However, the shadow in the sea below filled Fujimaru with even greater unease.
"What is that—"
Mash, gazing at the sea below, murmured in disbelief.
The ominous shadow broke through the surface of the sea, and the colossal horn rising from the white spray shimmered with an unsettling crimson glow. Its form resembled Tiamat which Mash, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and others had encountered before.
Or rather, a more mature version of her. If the Larva Tiamat was the youthful mother, then this was the embodiment of the Femme Fatale form.
Beyond her appearance, her stature now exuded the overwhelming majesty and power of a primordial goddess.
The chaotic waves below her surged instantly, expanding to engulf the sea, corroding the ocean, and even beginning to encroach upon the land, spreading toward the city of Uruk!
[Spirit Origin restructuring: confirmed.]
[Magic Core reactivation: confirmed.]
[Humanity's Evil [Beast II], the Mother of Origins, Tiamat, fully manifested.]
The sheer divinity radiating from her was enough to inspire fear with just a glance—how could anyone possibly fight against such a being?
["A divine ark that would take humanity hundreds of years to create—this is—this is the true form of the goddess Tiamat!?"]
The moment Tiamat fully manifested, Romani's analysis revealed the despairing truth.
Tiamat's true form was an ark capable of infinite magical energy cycling, able to voyage across the stars on her own. She was the primordial goddess, the ultimate source of life.
"She isn't even looking at us. She's ignoring us completely and heading straight for Uruk—"
Witnessing Tiamat's arrival, the goddess Ishtar's expression turned grim. She bit her lip in frustration. "While it's good that we've been spared for now, what are we supposed to do about this?! Quetzalcoatl! What's your opinion?!"
As a goddess of the heavens, Ishtar was never one to give up or accept reality without a fight.
If there was even a sliver of hope, she would always try to seize it.
But this time, the enemy before them seemed insurmountable.
Even Quetzalcoatl, the supreme god of Mesoamerica, could only shake her head and give a negative response:
"There's no way we can win! The size difference is just ridiculous! There's no way I can even use grappling techniques on her!"
"Can't you make yourself bigger?"
Braving the fierce winds, Ritsuka shouted while covering her ears: "You're a supreme god too, Quetzalcoatl!"
"That's a power from the creation era before the Great Extinction! Even if aliens came here, they wouldn't be able to beat that thing!"
Quetzalcoatl shouted, delivering a despairing message:
"To stop you from holding onto any cruel hopes, let me make this clear—even if Ishtar uses all her authority and we combine the full strength of Mesopotamia—we can't even scratch this Tiamat goddess!"
"How can this be—"
Hearing this, Mash unconsciously held her breath.
As the supreme deity of Mesoamerica, Quetzalcoatl's words carried immense weight.
Only a being like Quetzalcoatl could truly comprehend the overwhelming power of the primordial goddess Tiamat.
And it was precisely because of this understanding that her words were so despairing.
"Then let's go support Sir Alaric first, and then regroup to come up with a strategy!"
Despite the hopeless situation, Ritsuka didn't falter or despair. Her firm determination cut through the oppressive atmosphere.
Seeing Fujimaru's unwavering resolve, Quetzalcoatl smiled:
"That's right. First, we have to bring that boy back~~!"
"Yes, we must get Sir Alaric back!"
Mash's expression was grim. Besides the fully manifested Tiamat, there was also Alaric, who was locked in combat with the Red Dragon, and he needed their help.
They couldn't just leave Alaric behind to face both the Red Dragon and Tiamat.
"Alaric—"
Not far away, Ishtar, who was keeping an eye on Tiamat's movements, instinctively glanced upward at the thunderous sky. Crimson lightning continued to churn without end.
The enormous shadow of the dragon lingered above them, moving as they moved.
Not only Ishtar but Ritsuka and Mash also noticed this.
"The dragon is heading for the land as well!"
Fujimaru's face darkened. They had already witnessed and understood the scope and power of the crimson lightning storm.
If Tiamat's sea of life was meant to reshape the world's environment and replace the elements of life, then the destructive Red Dragon, which parasitized the sea of life—
Its lightning storm was the dragon's breath of destruction, meant to burn the world to ashes.
Under this crimson lightning, no new life could be born—only meaningless death would follow. This was a dragon's breath that existed solely for annihilation!
If the Red Dragon were to reach land, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"There's no time! We can't let this dragon land!"
Fujimaru's thoughts raced, and she shouted decisively:
"We must stop it at all costs!"
At that moment, starlight burst forth.
The soundless light of the stars swept across the sky, piercing even the crimson sea of lightning and striking the figure atop the Red Dragon's head with pinpoint accuracy.
The thunderstorm abruptly ceased, allowing Fujimaru to see the figure that had been struck.
Alaric, bare-chested, lowered his head to look at the gaping hole in his chest. The attack, far exceeding the scale of anything before, had vaporized not only the dragon's heart but also most of his internal organs.
'Still couldn't react in time—'