Chapter 755 Long Time No See, Excalibur!
"Ah, great, I've got it!"
The door burst open as Fujimaru, dark circles under his eyes, waved a clay tablet excitedly. "I've deciphered the meaning in the Tablet of Destinies! Uh..."
His voice trailed off as the boy blinked at the scene before him in the palace - a furious Gilgamesh with hair practically standing on end, a calmly smirking Sakatsuki, a visibly distressed Siduri, and a messenger soldier dripping with cold sweat. Tentatively, he asked:
"If I turn around and leave now, can you pretend I was never here?"
"No, no, of course not, my dear friend." A diamond-shaped space unfolded. With just one step, Fujimaru found himself magically transported to the center of the palace hall. Sakatsuki had somehow switched expressions and now smiled at him amiably: "Now there's one good news and one bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
"Stop messing around, Sakatsuki. The situation seems pretty serious..."
"The good news is, Uruk has just triggered two apocalypse-level alarms simultaneously."
"How is that good news?!"
"Let me finish. Thanks to your timely appearance, our king-sama doesn't need to personally intervene and can safely coordinate everything from his throne."
"Hmph, it's only because you mongrels are incompetent." The King lifted his chin haughtily, showing no appreciation.
"Yes, yes. Now, as for the bad news—"
"Don't bother." Fujimaru rolled his eyes. "I'm getting deployed again, aren't I?"
"Bingo! As expected of Fujimaru, already mentally prepared!" Sakatsuki clapped enthusiastically. "Actually, we really can't do this without you. After all, you're the one who brought Miss Gogh back with you."
"Gogh?!" Fujimaru froze, then tensed up. "What happened to her?"
"Miss Gogh is currently forcing her way through the gates," the messenger soldier whispered to Fujimaru. "Normally we can't open the city gates at this time. The brief deactivation of the magical barriers would let human scents attract the demonic beasts—"
Before he could finish, Fujimaru was already sprinting away. Class Cards flew out automatically, slotting into his mystic code and transforming into solemn armor.
"So impatient. Let me give you a lift." Sakatsuki snapped his fingers, packaging Fujimaru along with a burst of steam into the prism. "Well, with Fujimaru there, even an Avenger should calm down."
"Then shouldn't you hurry to the other front, chef?" Gilgamesh was already having Siduri deliver clay tablets. "Mother's wrath is far more terrifying than that counterfeit goddess. I'd hate to see Uruk destroyed on such an absurd day."
"As you command, our ever-generous-with-vacation-days Mr. Gold." White robes fluttering, the young man placed a hand over his chest and disappeared in a shower of magical light.
When he reappeared, a lethal black tide surged toward him.
Sakatsuki sighed. When he raised his eyes again, all traces of his usual playful demeanor were gone, replaced by steel-cold solemnity.
Reaching out, his hand cut through the sanity-eroding sea of mud. His fingers clamped down like iron pincers, gripping something dark with unyielding force.
As if struck at its core, the darkness let out a furious, mournful shriek. The churning black mud surged, transforming into high-pressure blades that instantly tore through the young man's cheek and pierced his chest and limbs.
The seeping blood was absorbed by the black mud, further exciting the monster, which even emitted greedy whispers. Yet when Sakatsuki softly spoke, all killing intent, all malice, froze into silence as if sealed in ice.
Only the deep, resounding noise of the young man twisting his arm transmitted and spread through the black sea.
It was like forcibly opening the vault door of a bank.
"Though I don't know what angered you so, shouldn't you open the door to welcome your child home?"
His face gradually paled as the black mud voraciously sucked at the life force within his body, yet Sakatsuki paid it no heed. He simply stared intently into the depths of the black tide until, after a long moment, a relieved smile appeared.
"Ahh, you're still here... Mother."
His heart pounded with a draconic roar as the young man lowered his stance. His golden eyes burned like flames, every muscle in his body tensing into the perfect stance to unleash strands of superhuman might beyond counting.
In the next instant, Sakatsuki stomped the ground, condensing the earth's power and his own strength into a single line—as if transforming into a giant holding up heaven and earth—roaring as he spread his arms wide. Magical light coiled around one arm while projected ropes bound the three unconscious figures. His other palm opened wide, propping open the planar barrier as he simultaneously unfolded a prismatic space for displacement.
"Go!"
Pulling the three untainted figures into his embrace, Sakatsuki wasted no time. He turned sideways to shield against the black sea's impact, shoving them into the space before clasping his hands together.
The space closed, and the three figures vanished.
The black mud-covered sea let out a roar of utmost fury!
The Creator's authority seeped into his body, bringing not blessings but malice condensed into aberration. His mother's disappointment continuously transmitted through the viscous dark sea—she had abandoned the world, just as the world had abandoned her.
Those who fall into the abyss ultimately become part of it.
This, Sakatsuki understood all too well.
"But I really don't want to go through that a second time. Not only was it agonizing, but my memories were completely read through. Just thinking about how many embarrassing moments She has stored away makes me feel awful..."
In the deepest darkness, Sakatsuki curled his lips into a cold smile.
"Even so, if I can't beat Her, does that mean I can't bully you remnants?!"
In that instant, light erupted.
Illuminating the young man's eyes and the gradually materializing outline of a blade.
It ignited everything, tearing through the deepest sea of despair, silencing all lamentations as it transformed into a radiant blaze ten thousand feet high, proclaiming its existence.
Immense power surged from the sacred form of the sword, rising as an indomitable torrent to dispel despair.
As the young man raised his sword, countless motes of starlight gathered.
"This radiance is the hope of the stars, the proof of life that illuminates the earth!!!"
The dark sea roiled, howling as if sensing its natural enemy. Yet the young man merely lowered his eyelids and whispered softly, "You who have come from afar, bear witness."
The resplendent blade was raised high, tearing through the ashen firmament, illuminating those brilliant eyes. The will of the ocean seemed to boil, surging into towering waves, yet could only bow in panicked fear to hear the solemn declaration as the young man swung down his sword:
"——Excalibur!"
The holy sword descended.
A torrent of blazing light surged forward, instantly solidifying the turbulent Reality Marble. The dark ocean convulsed violently, parting to both sides.
That near-celestial path expanded, expanded, endlessly expanding!
Until all the 'seawater' was evaporated, until all the sorrow and resentment were swept away!
The final faint sound was that of the World Egg shattering. Amidst the apocalyptic scene of collapse, Sakatsuki leaned on his sword, gazing calmly at the sky.
In that profound moment, it was as if he locked eyes with some sorrowful yet maddened gaze.
"I won't let you touch her," the young man murmured, the biting wind fluttering his pure white robes. "Never."
Thus they stood in silence, in confrontation, until this world was completely destroyed. Only then did the hero's figure finally vanish.
Only a silent sigh remained, scattering at the boundary between reality and illusion, following the path of its origin before disappearing in an instant.