Rumble—!!
The colossal cosmic deity roared within the void, as if declaring war. Her incomparably cold and arrogant proclamation spread through the deep vacuum like an absolute authority of the universe itself.
She stood there like the end of all things, as though the majesty and momentum of the entire cosmos had gathered upon her form. Between heaven, earth, and the sea of stars, all the vast authority ever sung of in human history seemed to be but a fragment of her power, freely wielded at her command.
At this moment, even the Honkai energy transformed from Earth's planetary core was nothing more than a drop in the ocean. Centered on Selene, the rift of the Honkai Dimension that pierced through the boundaries of Imaginary Space, dimensions, and reality continued to leak waves from the Sea of Imaginary Numbers without end.
Using it as paint, the cosmic starfield itself seemed infected by a Honkai plague. Ominous erosion patterns spread like living things, growing wildly within a sinister crimson glow.
Vrrr—boom—
With Selene's movement, visible gravity coiled around her.
At the center of the solar system, the Sun—the star that had long served as a source of faith and emotional anchor for countless beings across time—met the devastation of the god of finality, just like its eight planetary companions.
That star, which had illuminated the solar system for billions of years, was dragged by Selene with a single hand!
It deviated from its orbit and hurtled straight toward the shattered Earth.
Buzz—!!
Under divine authority, the Sun—still in its prime—began to age rapidly. Its hydrogen fuel was consumed at an unprecedented rate, and violent stellar storms erupted across its surface.
Its brightness surged visibly. The core began to collapse, while the outer layers expanded. Even on the shattered Earth's surface—protected by multiple powerful forces such as cosmic deities and the strongest Ultimate One—Heroic Spirits could clearly feel the searing, world-burning heat.
Within mere moments, the planetary debris scattered across space was swallowed by the expanding fireball.
In the vacuum—
That massive cosmic ether entity, capable of shattering the cosmos with every motion and previously countering Selene's manipulation of the eight planets, revealed itself.
The goddess—no, more precisely, the supreme deity of the primordial universe of the Type-Moon composite world—descended here. Her energy-formed figure floated in space, raising her head. Her eyes, like galaxies, gazed directly at Selene, who had ignited her own star—yet showed no anger.
Hum—!
She extended her hand casually.
A vast wave of cosmic ether, embracing all things, spread from her center, rapidly covering Earth and then extending across the entire solar system.
Rumble—!!
The Sun instantly became the battlefield of their authorities.
Bang!Crack—
With a clear breaking sound, the hydrogen and helium composing the star trembled violently under forces far exceeding celestial levels. From afar, the Sun looked like a lump of clay, kneaded freely into different shapes by both sides.
The stellar core could no longer withstand the destruction and began to shatter in vast sections.
Crack—!
At that moment, the universe lit up. The star disintegrated into a ring of expanding fire and dust, which eventually dispersed into interstellar matter—ending its life as a star.
From the perspective of all life, it was as if eternal night had fallen. Of the once Sun-centered system, only the broken Earth remained, barely holding on.
Strangely, however, Earth suffered no physical impact from the stellar explosion. Instead, its violent tectonic activity suddenly slowed. The fragments that were on the verge of disintegrating into an asteroid belt seemed to be glued together, even beginning to recombine.
This act allowed Selene to keenly grasp the faint emotional fluctuation of her opponent.
She cares about Earth... about Chaldea... or perhaps about certain individuals.
Selene made no move to stop it. She had already obtained what she wanted.
"Selene... there is no need for further probing. Using such a projection of authority to deceive the masses is inappropriate between us, don't you think?"
The dazzling figure, like a convergence of galaxies, gradually stabilized. Its brilliance receded, becoming tangible and real. A brand-new "Rin Tohsaka" stood between Selene and Earth.
"Indeed. My oversight. How should I address you—Ishtar, or Rin Tohsaka?"
As her projection across the stars condensed, Selene instantly appeared before the equally humanoid "Rin."
She looked her up and down.
This was a being somewhat similar to Ishtar—free-spirited and passionate about life—but without Ishtar's arrogance and excess.
Her youthful, graceful figure resembled Rin Tohsaka from memory. However, unlike Ishtar's revealing attire, this "Rin" was far more formal.
Her body was fully covered, with not an inch of exposed skin below the neck. Golden embellishments adorned her form, and her slender, elegant limbs shimmered with flowing starlight like a turning galaxy.
A purple cloak with golden patterns draped behind her, decorated with intricate motifs and strange symbols. It lacked any defensive design, embodying a unique aesthetic.
There was no armor—nor did she need it. She was the manifestation of the cosmic laws of the entire primordial universe, second only to the Swirl of the Root itself. Without power on a galactic scale, nothing could inflict a fatal blow upon her.
Even Gaia and Alaya would have to act as restraining forces before her.
Her blue-violet hair flowed like a gradient of crystal light. At her forehead shone a crescent moon and star emblem. With every breath, the galaxies seemed to resonate in harmony.
Beneath that mark were her azure eyes—like a river of stars, shimmering with cosmic ether.
"I am Ishtar. The goddess Ishtar. Hm? That might be confusing with a certain someone... Should I add 'Space' as a prefix? I refuse! 'Space' doesn't sound cute at all!"
The cosmic deity, possessing Rin's form, responded cheerfully.
"Right—then this is fine. I am the ruler of the primordial universe. The goddess of goddesses. Ishtar Ashtart. Remember it well, invader from beyond!"
"..."
As soon as she spoke, Selene's expectations of elegance, gentleness, and refined grace dropped several levels. How should she put it... as expected of Space Ishtar—absolutely overflowing with Rin-ness.
Having chosen Rin Tohsaka as the vessel of her manifested consciousness, even the 'primordial goddess' of the original universe inevitably gained certain humanized traits.
"Would you like to work under me? I promise you will witness a world far more magnificent and colorful than this universe sealed within the Swirl of the Root."
Out of courtesy before killing her, Selene extended her hand and asked a question she already knew the answer to.
"I refuse."
Without the slightest hesitation, Ishtar Ashtart rejected her.
"What a pity..."
The warm-up ended here.
Vrrr—boom—!!
Selene slightly raised her hand. Countless streams of Imaginary energy gathered within her palm.
So what if this was the enemy's home ground? Selene directly began seizing control of the world from the Swirl of the Root. Did they think using Solomon as a stepping stone had been for nothing?
The way parallel worlds, universes, and the Inner Sea of the Planet branched and extended from the Swirl of the Root—Selene had already glimpsed it.
Through the continuously spreading Honkai erosion patterns, she could see countless 'strings' woven throughout cosmic space.
She saw the endless, omnipresent tributaries of the Swirl of the Root—phenomena that would never reveal themselves to the world, that even Grand-class beings could barely perceive—now illuminated within her perception like spotlights.
"Then die here—and become nourishment for the Honkai!"
A faint smile curled at Selene's lips as she opened her hand. To any third observer at close range, her palm would appear as pure chaos—space itself twisting within it—until suddenly, a blinding point of light emerged.
At that moment, a true cosmic-level calamity descended.
Protons, neutrons, electrons—all particles assembled under Selene's manipulation of the strong and weak nuclear forces. Electromagnetic force, extreme heat, infinite energy surges, distortions in gravitational fields, and torrents of high-energy solar radiation all erupted together.
Recreation of the universe—the Big Bang itself—power akin to that of a creator churned endlessly within Selene's palm.
"This is my answer as well!"
Hum hum hum—!
A radiant grand crown symbolizing the primordial goddess manifested above Ishtar Ashtart's head, linking together countless stars. In the cold void, the color of the primordial goddess bloomed once more.
Multiple Sterling — Rank: EX.
A unique grand crown. The overlapping crowns of all goddesses derived from Ishtar—the primordial Ashtart—who bore the title 'Queen of Heaven,' restored into their complete form.
Namely—a galaxy with a humanoid form, a cosmic domain where life can exist, a universe where humanity exists as humanity—the true primordial cosmic deity!
Rumble—crack crack crack!
As Selene's authority of finality collided with Ishtar Ashtart's primordial authority, billions of stars began to boil!
Their clash echoed throughout the universe, forming a grand symphony of destruction!
Imaginary space storms, physical cosmic storms, waves of the Swirl of the Root, torrents of cosmic ether... At this moment, even a Grand possessing clairvoyance would be little different from a blind man. The entire Type-Moon world—countless dimensions, timelines, and parallel worlds—was thrown into chaos.
Their battle was simple—and brutal.
As for the chanting of Noble Phantasms?
Unnecessary.
They themselves were the objects of worship those chants invoked.
One side appeared to merely flick a finger, yet in truth controlled the microscopic particles of the world and the four fundamental forces of the universe.
The other seemed to simply hurl raw power, yet what she unleashed was the galaxy itself—cosmic ether infused with a higher-dimensional spiritual foundation, burning entire galactic domains to ash.
Wherever their power passed, planets—and even star systems—were violently dragged from their natural orbits by the ever-escalating shockwaves.
Each collision sent nearby stars spiraling out of control.
Planets painstakingly formed over eons, regardless of size, had crusts that were no more durable than soaked paper before such absolute power.
Mountains shattered. Oceans reversed. Continents overturned. Regardless of environment or the presence of life—mass extinction arrived instantly. Even the most resilient microorganisms perished in an instant.
Planets were torn apart, magma erupted from their cores, and stars that should have continued burning instead met sudden death—extinguished into ash.
The sea of stars boiled. The constellations fell. The galaxy burned!
...
Beneath the dim starry sky, the shattered Earth continued to rumble with tectonic upheaval.
Amid the upheaval, mountain ranges far exceeding even the Himalayas rose and split apart under continental collision, surging like waves.
Dry ocean beds roared endlessly, while hurricanes stirred sandstorms thousands of meters high.
Even though the planet had been forcibly fused together by divine power, its ecosystem had collapsed—the land itself was dead. Any recovery was, for now, a distant impossibility.
Looking up, this was a divine war beyond all records. Countless stars were extinguished as cosmic gods unleashed unimaginable destruction.
Within Semiramis' Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Waver Velvet stood frozen.
"The eight planets are shattered, even the Sun has fallen. Without the Sun, even if the foundation is restored, this world will still perish."
Previously, Avicebron had been preparing his Golem Kether Malchut, while Semiramis completed the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Waver had handed battlefield command to Iskandar and focused entirely on preparation.
By sheer luck, he had avoided Selene's devastating purge.
But now? The Noble Phantasms were ready—but likely useless.
Even if Avicebron's 'Adam' grew to one hundred thousand meters, it would still be wiped out by a single shockwave.
Waver only wanted to ask—why?
He had merely come to investigate an ordinary Fuyuki Holy Grail War. Yet each revelation had been more shocking than the last.
Illegal summons. The appearance of the Demonic Beast Goddess. Chaldea. The incineration of humanity... and now cosmic deities descending.
If not for the protection of one of them, Earth would have already been destroyed.
Even Gilgamesh, arrogant as he was, had no intention of stepping into that battlefield.
The gap was simply too great.
What use was unwillingness? Even qualifying as a spectator was beyond him.
"Waver Velvet."
"Who's there?!"
The sudden voice snapped the exhausted Heroic Spirits within the Hanging Gardens to attention.
Waver turned toward the source. At the entrance of the throne hall, a radiant light—pure as a gemstone—split space itself. From within a multicolored jeweled gate, a tall figure stepped forward.
Clad in a black uniform, over six feet tall, his body was packed with muscle, exuding immense pressure. His posture was upright like a pine tree, resembling a seasoned military general forged through countless battles.
His appearance was that of a Central European—Germanic type. His white hair was combed back messily. Though his face bore the sternness of an elderly man, his vitality made him appear closer to his fifties.
"Waver, everyone of Chaldea—this is no time for despair. The enemy has arrived... and the invaders from beyond are far more than just a single god-king."