The Outer God!!!
It had finally descended. As expected, even though the audience outside the light screen was mentally prepared, the appearance of the Outer God still exceeded their expectations.
Its presence was too vast. Coupled with the all-encompassing projection of the light screen, it was as if the Outer God was shoved right up against the camera.
Although the projection completely blocked the Outer God's aura to prevent harm to ordinary viewers, some people still couldn't handle it, because... the Outer God's appearance could only be described as beyond words.
[Eiriri Sawamura]: "I know the situation is critical right now, but... its appearance is truly... beyond words."
[Utaha Kasumigaoka]: "It's not good to judge others by their appearance, but... you're right, Eiriri."
At this moment, the otaku and the senpai from the Saekano world were on the verge of throwing up. After all, they were just ordinary people; it was normal that they couldn't endure it.
One-Punch Man World—
Saitama silently stared at the ugly Outer God in the video and rubbed his bald head. Looking at it this way, even a bald head was better looking than that thing.
In contrast, the cosmic overlord Boros wore a smile of great interest. That monster was strong... even though the light screen had shielded its aura, Boros could still feel the immense power within. It was just that... compared to a battle of concepts, he preferred an opponent he could fight fist-to-fist.
[Joseph Joestar]: "Yuck—what the hell is that thing? It's even more disgusting than the underpants I changed out of on New Year's!"
[Conan Edogawa]: "Huh? What a strange comparison."
---o---
[Light Screen Projection——
The Outer God's aura was contained by Solomon.
Although it was unknown what means Solomon had used, for a short period, humanity outside of Fuyuki City was safe.
But within Fuyuki, even the lucky humans who had not been turned into abominations would soon face pursuit from their former kin... It was cruel, but this was war.
Perhaps because Solomon's actions made the Outer God feel violated, its featureless, ugly face tilted up to the sky and let out a long cry.
Cry...? Actually, that wasn't the right word.
The sound emanating from the Outer God was neither a cry nor a laugh, but a bizarre sound that was like crying and laughing, like joy and sorrow.
It was a sound that human vocal cords could absolutely not produce. Even the most talented voice impressionist could not replicate such a transcendent sound.
At first, the sound was nothing special. But as the Outer God's volume gradually increased, a ring-shaped shockwave cloud, like that of a nuclear blast, instantly formed in the sky above Fuyuki and spread outward.
Wherever it passed, the very earth was torn open, and trees were uprooted. It quickly spread throughout the entire city.
Those who were close, be they Servants or buildings, were sent flying. Ordinary people were killed instantly by the shockwave.
Those who were farther away were knocked unconscious on the spot, with only a very small number remaining conscious.
And even those who were conscious were dizzy, their stomachs churning, their bodies having lost all control.
Even for Elysia, this sonic attack was somewhat uncomfortable. A pained expression appeared on her face, but the sonic attack was quickly assimilated by the Authority within her body.
However, this was merely a casual strike from the Outer God.
It couldn't even be considered an attack, just a blow similar to a 'shout'.
The terror of a god was on full display at this moment.
The red Archer, Emiya Shirou, who was covering his ears, couldn't help but complain, "Hey, hey, hey, this is way too terrifying. I finally get to descend with my sanity intact, and it turns out I have to fight this big guy?"
Then, the light screen showed Jeanne's image. Her expression was solemn as she said, "The index of strange magical energy in the air is constantly rising. If this continues, perhaps even we will be affected."
Jeanne had never seen such a horrifying scene. She could clearly feel the bizarre magical energy suspended in the air, trying to invade her body as if to make her fall from grace.
This prompted her to clasp her hands together and pray to God: "O Lord—please protect my brethren, please grant me the courage to face despair!"
A momentary flow of magical energy dispelled the strange magical aura around her.
And at that exact moment, the Outer God opened its mouth. The mask on its face lit up with a deep purple glow, revealing incomprehensible patterns on its surface.
At the same time, terrifying magical energy began to gather, compressing and accumulating with unstoppable force, forming a frightening point of mana collapse.
And this process was extremely fast, essentially completed in the time it took to take a single breath.
Then, as the expressions of the Servants changed drastically, a terrifying dark purple blast was unleashed.
In the next moment, it swept directly across another part of Fuyuki City before flashing past the mountains on the other side of the city and disappearing.
However, in the next instant, Elysia appeared in the path of the Outer God's attack as if by teleportation. She blocked the attack with the scepter in her hand, burning the Honkai energy within her body without any hesitation.
A sharp zing was heard, followed by a continuous series of explosions that completely engulfed the area.
The magical explosion came and went quickly. In that area, all that remained was a crater, as if a layer of the ground had been scraped away. Thanks to Elysia's efforts, the attack did not leave Fuyuki City. But before she could react, countless innocent citizens of Fuyuki had died in that blast.
Shock and rage instantly filled Elysia's heart. However, before she could do anything, a new attack arrived.
It was the same terrifying magical blast, but this time it had begun charging before the previous one had even ended. Its power was even more astonishing, and this time, the target of the attack, after a slight dip of its head, was the maiden who had just blocked the blast from several kilometers away—Elysia!
Even with a short charge time, this attack was three times stronger than the last. If it hit directly, even someone as strong as Elysia would not get away unscathed!
Moreover, the evil god's attack speed was too fast. It had completed its preparations in the blink of an eye.
Even if the distant Saber wanted to counter with the Sword of Promised Victory, or if Lancer wanted to block it with his own body, there was simply not enough time.
However, in that instant, the Saint closest to the Outer God—Jeanne—stepped forward. A golden radiance bloomed from her body. Holding her banner with both hands, she raised it high and released her Noble Phantasm.
"My banner, protect my brethren!"
"My Lord is Here!"
In an instant, a rain of pale golden light descended, forming a splendid light curtain. The Outer God's dark purple beam shot forth once more.
In theory, Jeanne's power was not enough to withstand this blow. However... as a maiden guided by God, the divine power within her body was, on a magical level, already superior to the Outer God's blast.
In a flash, the dark purple beam struck the splendid, pale golden light curtain and was unexpectedly deflected by the holy barrier.
The dark purple beam bloomed like a flower petal, blasting out in all directions.
A series of booms echoed as all the rays were blocked by the golden light curtain that enveloped the area in front of her. A single glance showed that the range of the light's protection reached a radius of at least two hundred meters, a defense as impenetrable as a wall of bronze.
After the dark purple rays struck it, they blossomed into many smaller rays, all of which hit empty ground—undoubtedly the result of Jeanne's control.]
---o---
Light Screen Danmaku——
The initial exchange was far from ideal. Whether it was Elysia or the other Servants, they were completely overwhelmed when facing the Outer God.
Fortunately, Saint Jeanne's holy power seemed to have a restraining effect on the Outer God. This was a silver lining in a dark cloud.
[Artoria Pendragon]: "So this is Saint Jeanne's Noble Phantasm? Though she was an enemy of Britain, with such a divine appearance, it's no wonder that madman Bluebeard was so obsessed with her."
Having been mistaken for someone else, King Arthur had initially disliked Jeanne by association. But after witnessing her Noble Phantasm, her opinion of the Saint immediately changed.
[Conan Edogawa]: "Good, Jeanne's defense is effective. As long as they can hold out until Elysia unleashes her ultimate move, there should be hope of defeating that thing."
The great detective was thinking of a way to defeat the enemy. Elysia should still have an ultimate move she hadn't used. As long as they could hold on until then...
[Otto Apocalypse]: "The power gap is too great. The Outer God's strength has far surpassed the Second Herrscher's. Elysia's Authority will have difficulty inflicting a fatal blow. It seems... we're in real trouble this time."
Compared to the idealistic Conan, Otto was more pessimistic. Jeanne had to use her ultimate just to block a single basic attack. How were they supposed to fight this? With their heads?
---o---
[Light Screen Projection——
Jeanne blocked the attack, buying time for the others.
However, as if to confirm Otto's guess...
The Outer God once again emitted that strange, headache-inducing sound. It raised its arms and placed them directly in front of its chest.
Then, magical energy more than ten times stronger than the one that had just attacked Jeanne rapidly converged.
In an instant, the pupils of the Servants contracted violently. In the next moment, a terrifying blast, ten times more powerful than the previous beam attack, shot toward Jeanne's defense.
During this process, a skin-crawling humming and crashing sound reverberated, caused by the terrifying convergence of magical energy.
Instantly, Jeanne's banner, her arms, and even her entire body began to tremble.
The terrifying attack was relentlessly battering her defense.
Faced with such an attack, Jeanne clearly couldn't hold on. Her feet and body were slowly being pushed back. Her body, unable to withstand the immense pressure, was already cut in several places by the magical energy, with blood constantly pouring out.
The maiden gritted her teeth and held on under the assault.
"O Lord! Please grant me greater strength. Even if I must sacrifice this body, I must carve out a new possibility for my comrades behind me!"
The maiden closed her eyes, holding the banner before her, and prayed silently in her heart, using her body to withstand the irresistible attack.
Perhaps the Lord heard her prayer, or perhaps a miracle occurred.
Instantly, a thick, golden magical energy erupted from Jeanne's body. Her clothes fluttered without wind, and her braided hair came undone at that moment, scattering and revealing her beautiful form with her hair down.
The retreat stopped. The trembling stopped. But Jeanne seemed to have turned into a statue, standing there, merely maintaining the defense of her Noble Phantasm.
Seeing this, Elysia began to gather the power within her body once more. Jeanne was burning her own Spiritual Core. Although she didn't know this beautiful maiden at all, she was certain that she was a reinforcement. Therefore, Elysia would never let her die for her sake.
She raised the scepter in her hand. The real battle was about to begin—
Elysia stared at the unseeable body of the Outer God with a rarely seen, irrepressible fury.
Immense power gathered on her scepter, and even her body began to emit a pink glow.
Artificial Collapse, Herrscher Authority, Pristine Bloom, Arrow—Elysia would use all her power to defeat the indescribable true god.
Even if the price was herself, she would have no regrets!
Saint Jeanne's Noble Phantasm had bought her enough time, enough time for her to once again wield that incomparably powerful Authority.
Even if...
After using that final strike, she would also...
But at a time like this, there was no need to think too much. Jeanne was already at her limit!
Right then and there, Elysia prepared to use all the power she could muster.
However, at that moment, a familiar and arrogant voice rang out: "Stop, Elysia! The matters here are not for an outsider to handle!"
Elysia was stunned and immediately turned to look.
She saw the King of Heroes, covered in blood, slowly walking toward her.
Looking at the King of Heroes' completely destroyed Spiritual Core, Elysia asked in surprise, "King of Heroes, you... you're not dead?"
The King of Heroes replied arrogantly, "Dead? How could that incompetent king kill me? Do not worry. It is a mere fatal wound."
Speaking as if it were nothing, he suddenly smiled. "But you, Elysia, this beautiful form of yours is enough to make the stars dim."
Elysia frowned. Normally, she would have returned the King of Heroes' teasing without reservation, but now, she only replied calmly:
"There's no time, King of Heroes. Leave this place quickly. With your power, you should be able to survive even with a damaged Spiritual Core..."
As she spoke, she glanced at Jeanne, whose body was already swaying and on the verge of being broken through. There was no time left.
But the King of Heroes said in a flat tone, "That woman has burned her Spiritual Core. She is not far from death. But Elysia, there is no need for you to burn yourself out as she has."
Then, the King of Heroes looked at Elysia with his crimson eyes, making no effort to hide his desire.
"Elysia, give up on sacrificing yourself. Become this King's woman!"
"From this day forward, this face, which makes even the stars dim, shall be for this King's eyes alone to admire!"]