Chapter 786: The Star-Shattering Strike, A Despair-Inducing Reversal!
"Without death, there is no life; only through death can life be attained."
By nature, Sakatsuki wanted to crack a joke to lighten the overly solemn atmosphere—something like, "Give it up, Mom, the Old Man of the Mountain is everywhere outside," or "King Hassan, I've infiltrated again to go on a rampage!" But when he donned the bone mask once more and plunged the Old Man of the Mountain's sword into the earth, an unprecedented emotion enveloped him.
It was compassion, a sigh, solemnity, and respect.
He had witnessed the choices made by both humans and gods, seen the people of Uruk fight for survival, and observed the tragedy of divine love warping the mortal world.
With the Crown Order Saint Graph, he could stand with humanity, condemn the devastation wrought by the Mother Goddess Tiamat, and coldly raise his blade against the monster that sought to annihilate the world.
Yet, he had also descended into the Primordial Sea, tasted the sorrow of a mother goddess with no home to return to, the agony of her lonely struggle, and the resentment toward a merciless world that had festered in the endless abyss.
None of us are guilty.
We are merely children chasing freedom, a mother yearning for love.
No one was wrong. No one had done wrong.
Yet nothing could be changed.
This world is so fickle, and heaven is always this cruel, drawing a clear line to divide us into opposing sides. Whether kin or comrades, we are forced onto the stage to perform the tumultuous tragedies and comedies of life.
Some say this is Fate.
To speak of overcoming or defying Fate is but an excuse people use to glorify great deeds. True Fate is as inevitable as a rolling boulder. Even if you throw yourself recklessly to stop it, you will only carve more shapes of the dead upon its surface, bringing more sacrifice and misfortune.
Fate is so unfeeling—what has already taken form cannot be altered.
"But this path of suffering is not without meaning."
The trials we endure will transform into hope, reaching someone, somewhere.
On a grander scale, perhaps it will become a beginning.
Even slaves slumbering under Fate's yoke can carve out a path of profound significance with their own hands.
As this realization surged within him, ghostly blue flames ignited in the void. When the face beneath the bone mask lifted, those peerless, mesmerizing eyes blazed with iridescent blue magic light!
This form, this resolve, this power—
Just like the very first Hassan-i-Sabbah!
Boom—Boom—Boom!!!
The tolling of the evening bell resounded through the heavens.
Applaud and cheer for the newly born Old Man of the Mountain and the mission he is about to fulfill!
"The eternity you speak of is not a journey—it is slumber."
"Beast of Calamity, evil born of mankind."
"That very love you yearn to return to is the foundation of your rejection."
"Though you are a god fallen to beast, as the Primordial Mother, I must declare my name."
"From the abyss of the valley—no, from the Throne of the Blazing Heavens, from the Moon's Eye, I descend upon you!!!"
The voice gradually shifted from muffled to clear, from magnetic to resonant. The Crown-class Spirit Origin trembled as the phantom of the first-generation Old Man of the Mountain nodded faintly and dissipated, replaced by the upright figure of the new-generation Old Man of the Mountain.
He would inherit the will of Hassan-i Sabbah, taking the place of the angelic Harbinger of Death to raise his sword against the Beast of Regression—against the Mother of Origins!
"King of the Moon Spirit, Sakatsuki!"
An illusory moon emerged in the sky, entwined with ghostly blue flames that rose and transformed into countless stars.
Beneath this starry nightscape, Sakatsuki raised his sword!
"By the will of Heaven, I shall strip thee of thy wings!"
The ancient blade let out a series of high-pitched cries. With just a casual swing, its sharp aura cleaved through the surrounding space, leaving behind fissures.
The Mother Goddess Tiamat roared, the radiance surging from her sky-rending horns. Countless sparks erupted in the void before Sakatsuki, the scorching flames transforming into black-red beams that shot through the air like the branches of a cursed tree, piercing toward him!
The myriad ghostly flames converged upon the blade. Faced with the Mother Goddess's desperate resistance, Sakatsuki merely swung his arm expressionlessly, sweeping the sword horizontally.
A phantom blade dozens of meters long flashed past, obliterating all filth and impurity in its wake!
Once more, the tolling of the evening bell resounded—for the decree of Heaven had arrived!
Even the exalted Mother Goddess could not defy the arrival of fate!
"The title of Crown means naught to me. The proof of my strength lies within this single strike!"
The sword light—fell in an instant!
Unbelievable. Such a dazzling, dreamlike sword light existed in this world, as though encapsulating an entire lifetime within that single strike.
The world turned pale, then faded into a lifeless gray. Only the chains binding Mother Goddess Tiamat's feet shattered at their roots, her colossal body tilting like a collapsing mountain.
A silent lament echoed through the heavens.
In this monochromatic silent film, countless azure cracks—like shattered porcelain—spread across the Beast's body.
The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—Death Lines bestowed!
The colors of the world gradually returned. As everything reverted to reality, the bone mask on Sakatsuki's face silently burned away, and even the ancient sword in his hand crumbled into dust.
His gem-like eyes emitted faint cracking sounds, fissures spreading across them.
But he had seen it.
Amidst the Mother Goddess's cries of pain and terror, Sakatsuki spread his arms, allowing himself to fall once more as he laughed wildly:
"I have seen it—thy death!"
No need for the power of the underworld, no need for the sacrifice of the goddess Ereshkigal. Even upon the land of Mesopotamia, he could pass judgment upon the Beast of Regression—with death!
This was the true Old Man of the Mountain! The harbinger of equal death, inheriting the will of the first generation!
"Magnificent!"
Having witnessed this scene, Gilgamesh could no longer contain his excitement. Raising his arm high, he roared with exhilaration, as though venting all his pent-up frustration.
Meanwhile, in the command room, the doctor leaned on the console, unable to suppress his agitation as he stood up:
"Fujimaru, the opportunity is here! Now, the Beast can be completely eradicated!"
No reminder was needed. How could the Master, who had personally fought in this battle, miss such a perfect moment?
As the Class Card unfolded, the blackened Excalibur was already in his grasp!
"Everyone, let's press the attack in one go!"
At the Master's call, the Beast Goddess's eyes reignited with demonic light, the Venus Goddess drew her celestial bow, and the Underworld Goddess raised her cage of spears. Meanwhile, Enkidu and Kingu exchanged glances before soaring into the sky, transforming their bodies into peerless Chains of Heaven!
As the divine patterns on his body grew more vivid, the Wise King let out a cold snort, crushing the book in his hand. Amidst unfathomable transformations, his royal garments dissipated, replaced by resplendent golden armor. With a surge of energy, his hair stood on end as if styled with gel.
As the golden ripples behind him grew brighter, Gilgamesh reached into them, unleashing an aura as sharp and unstoppable as the dawn of creation!
But just as everyone prepared to strike, an overwhelmingly violent pressure suddenly erupted—from beneath the body of Mother Goddess Tiamat!
"Wha—?!" Falling through the air, Sakatsuki turned back in disbelief, only to see crimson light illuminating the darkness amidst shattered chains scattered across the ground!
The light traced outlines like flowing blood. When familiar dread rose from the depths of his heart, Sakatsuki didn't hesitate—plunging into a prism, he displaced himself high into the sky.
Looking down from above, the young man's pupils constricted violently!
That was—a transmission magic circle he knew all too well!
A super-sized magical array only he could create, using seven displacement circles as nodes, woven together with the principles of the ley lines!
With this pinnacle of human magecraft, even during his most inexperienced days, Sakatsuki had matched the power of Gilgamesh's Enuma Elish by borrowing Fuyuki's ley lines.
And now, the one activating this magic circle was none other than the strongest entity in this Singularity—the Beast of Regression herself, Mother Goddess Tiamat!
As this lethal trump card finally surfaced, realization struck Sakatsuki through his shock, revealing the full scope of the plan he'd originally devised!
"Using the chains to immobilize Tiamat while continuously channeling energy into the magic circle until it reached capacity—then, after the chains were destroyed, complete release!"
"That's why Tiamat's attacks have been so simplistic until now!!"
"That's why 'I' went to such lengths to force Uruk into this trap!!!"
How devastating would the unleashed fury of Tiamat's accumulated magical energy be?
Powerful enough to completely obliterate Mesopotamia's landmass!
"Fujimaru, pull everyone back!"
Sakatsuki shouted without bothering to explain, using displacement magecraft to gather everyone together before raising his right arm.
The dragon's heart roared—one, three, five... seven seraphic rings bloomed at the forefront. Not stopping there, two radiant divine swords crossed overhead, their steel light forging a shield as displacement prisms expanded and the embrace of a virtual giant manifested...
They were going all out just to defend!
"What's happening...?" The others quickly sensed the same impending doom. While reinforcing their defenses with everything they had, they couldn't help but question Sakatsuki. When his answer reached their ears, their faces paled and their souls trembled.
For the young man declared:
"The attack coming next—will be planetary in scale!"
No more words could be contained as the grand magic circle shattered in an instant, unleashing a torrent of pitch-black magical death rays that roared forth like an abyss given form!
When the Mother Goddess Tiamat's mana completely overwhelmed the magecraft circle crafted by the magus, calamity several times greater than its original scale descended as a deluge of annihilation. Infinite destruction cycled endlessly, transforming into cosmic radiance beyond imagination that cascaded down with overwhelming might!
The first to scream in terror was Chaldea's Command Room!
"Emergency situation detected! Emergency situation detected!"
"Chaldeas' Fourth to Second Commonality Theories eradicated! Pseudo-Spiritron Field experiencing vibrations!"
"Absolute Proof System undergoing reverse collapse!"
"Master Fujimaru Ritsuka's data has entered chaos state! Estimated repair time remaining: negative 438 hours!"
The attack unleashed by Mother Goddess Tiamat through the grand magic circle had actually damaged Chaldea's existence across space-time itself!
Meanwhile, upon the lands of Mesopotamia, the people of Uruk felt like drifting leaves tossed upon a stormy sea.
Not for a single moment did their bodies feel like their own!
Finally, amidst suffocating pressure, they realized—this was no attack that mere defenses could hope to withstand!
Had Mother Goddess Tiamat aimed this strike at the planet's core, this world would have met its demise billions of years ahead of schedule!
Fortunately, the Mother Goddess did not direct this lethal blow to pierce through this cruel world.
In fact—she hadn't even harmed her own children!
"Damn it!"
"Tiamat—Mother—Her target... Her target is—!!!"
By the time they realized Tiamat's true objective, their frantic turns came too late.
When the cataclysm descended, even the towering Primordial Giants—the Adams that required entire armies of top-tier Servants to defeat—were shattered like fragile dolls within the blink of an eye.
Annihilation!
Under this ultimate destruction and radiance, even the giants bid farewell to existence without ever realizing it!
After obliterating over thirty Primordial Giants—Adams—the undiminished light of ruin shot straight into the heavens, eventually vanishing into the cosmos amidst the sky's thunderous tremors, becoming nothing more than a lonely, fading star.
The world-ending attack had concluded. The battlefield, now transformed into a cratered basin, bore scars everywhere, with occasional arcs of residual energy flickering like tear streaks across its surface.
With this soul-shaking strike, the Uruk expedition reached its final punctuation.
No one could stop Mother Goddess Tiamat now—without the Primordial Giants to restrain her, the frenzied Lahmu and Baal Lahmu would swarm forth like locusts, tearing Uruk's defenders to pieces!
"Sakatsuki."
Before the reborn Lahmu could emerge from the black mud to surround them, Gilgamesh licked his parched lips and spoke quietly.
"As galling as it is... we retreat."
"Yeah, I know." The young man watched as the death lines across Mother Goddess Tiamat's body gradually faded, his lips twisting into a bitter smile.
"The problem is... 'I' know it too."
From within the black mud, a crimson-black marked stone surfaced. When Tiamat pierced it with her claw, everyone gasped as space itself seemed to grow heavier, as if bound by the weight of ten thousand mountains.
Sakatsuki gave a bitter smile and spread his hands. The moment his substitution magecraft activated, it let out a mournful cry before shattering into dull gray dust that scattered in the air. His imaginary number magecraft fared even worse—not even a shadow appeared in response to the magus's call, as if the entire imaginary number space had died.
Without a doubt, this was a seal.
The "Sakatsuki" on Tiamat's side had long anticipated the possibility of Uruk's retreat and had preemptively sealed off the space in this region!
At this moment, the Persian Gulf had become a battleground with no escape—no, more accurately, a slaughterhouse!
This was the true killing move. Even if the Mother Goddess Tiamat's instinctive mercy spared them from the star-destroying strike, the monstrous Lahmus would still slaughter the remnants of humanity in her stead!
By then, the Seventh Singularity of Mesopotamia—no, the entirety of Pan-Human History—would be devoured by the Beast!