Exaggerated—it was simply too exaggerated.
Was this still a Holy Grail War taking place within a single city?
The final crimson storm from the Sword of Rupture was clearly visible even from space. Its sheer scale was in no way inferior to Solomon's ultimate move from before.
This was a battle of myths in the truest sense, worthy of being engraved in history.
It was just a pity that... even after all that, the Outer God had only sustained minor injuries. With its monstrous regenerative abilities, it would likely recover completely from the damage inflicted by the King of Heroes in less than an hour.
It couldn't be helped. This was the difference between gods and men, a gap in the very level of their existence. Even the most ancient and powerful King of Heroes could not easily cross such a chasm!
Light Screen Danmaku——
[Eiriri Sawamura]: "This is too much! Is the gap between gods and humans really this big?"
[Murata Himeko]: "A god... No, even gods must have weaknesses. Elysia can definitely defeat it."
[L]: "From a rational perspective, it is exceedingly difficult. If no Servants had been eliminated from the start, there might have been a chance to defeat the Outer God before them. However, the infighting in the Holy Grail War has led to too much attrition."
Assuming the King of Heroes hadn't been gravely wounded by Solomon, then based on his strength, even if he couldn't defeat the Outer God, he could have at least contended with it. But...
In his heavily injured state, the King of Heroes could only unleash a full-power Ea at the cost of burning his own Spiritual Core.
Although his final exit was very cool and certainly won him fans, in terms of effectiveness, an uninjured King of Heroes would have done more to increase the chances of victory in this battle.
[Otto Apocalypse]: "Heh heh... I, on the other hand, feel the King of Heroes' exit was perfectly timed. It both wounded the Outer God and galvanized the will of the other Heroic Spirits. Yes, the Outer God's strength is overwhelmingly powerful, but so what... Humanity is the race most capable of creating miracles. Even if the probability is only one in a hundred million, when it comes to humanity, it is still possible to achieve."
[Einstein]: "You're right. Miracles are things that even science cannot explain. But Otto, isn't the person who believes in miracles the least... you?"
[Dr. Tesla]: "Hahaha!!! This genius is going to die of laughter! Since when did the Overseer of Schicksal say something so reasonable? Are you even worthy?"
Just as Otto said, defeating the Outer God seemed impossible, but if a miracle occurred, it could be done. And Otto, who had gradually pieced together the past of the Previous Era, firmly believed that Elysia could create a miracle, because her very birth was one.
As for Tesla's retort, Otto paid it no mind. In a sense, he believed in the existence of miracles more than anyone in Anti-Entropy, more than anyone in the world. Plenty of people hated him already; one more Tesla didn't make a difference.
---o---
[Light Screen Projection——
The dust from the King of Heroes' attack finally settled...
As expected, not only was the Outer God not destroyed, it wasn't even heavily wounded.
However, Gilgamesh's attack had ultimately been effective. A large hole had been torn through the Outer God's torso. While not a fatal injury, it would be no easy task for the Outer God to regenerate it.
At the same time, the Outer God's mask had been destroyed in the attack, revealing an exceptionally bizarre and hideous visage. Its menacing red eyes now showed an exceptionally fierce expression.
New black tendrils gradually grew to fill the large hole in its chest as black sludge poured in, but the speed was much slower than before.
What terrifying vitality!
The last being to withstand a full-power Sword of Rupture from the King of Heroes was named Enkidu, and even he had needed to use his own ultimate move to survive. The Outer God, on the other hand, had tanked it with its physical body.
In the distance, Elysia and her three Servants faced the Outer God head-on.
Elysia hovered three or four meters off the ground, her scepter floating beside her at her will, emitting a mix of white and pink light.
Jeanne stood in front of Elysia to guard against any potential surprise attacks from the Outer God. Saber and Lancer stood on either side of Elysia, weapons in hand, ready for battle.
In an instant, the massive Outer God and the four tiny figures standing against it formed a stark contrast. The area on the Outer God's side had an abnormal climate due to the Sword of Rupture's attack; the clouds above swirled in a tornado-like pattern, and combined with the dark magical energy released by the Outer God, the surroundings were pitch-black.
Elysia's side, in contrast, was the opposite. A pink and white light shone upon the land. Though it could not match the darkness that enveloped the sky on the Outer God's side, it successfully illuminated their surroundings.
Darkness and light, the evil Outer God and the four heroes saving the world—this scene was worthy of being called a world-famous painting, worthy of being forever collected by the light screen projection!
---o---
Finally, after a standoff of several dozen seconds, the Outer God made a new move.
It once again opened its mouth, which probably hadn't been washed in who knows how many tens of thousands of years, and let out a bizarre and incomprehensible roar toward the sky.
The stench from its mouth was so strong that the entire nation of Japan could likely smell it. This roar was not for an attack; after all, such an attack would be of little use against the Servants and Elysia.
The reason the Outer Gods are enemies of the world is because of their troublesome, chaotic, and incomprehensible concepts, and most importantly... the speed at which they corrupt the world!
Previously, a portion of Fuyuki's citizens had been transformed into monsters because they couldn't withstand the bizarre shockwave. Now... one could only hope there were still humans left in Fuyuki...
Monsters... an endless stream of monsters... began to charge toward Elysia's group of four. Although they were not strong individually, their numbers were immense. It was clear... the cunning Outer God wanted to buy time to regenerate its body.
If Elysia and the others were to be swamped by the army of monsters, the Outer God would have enough time to recover from its injuries. It seemed that compared to those arrogant final bosses, this non-human boss was far more cautious and patient.
Seeing that they were about to be overwhelmed by the tide of monsters, Lancer's brows furrowed. He then sighed, and said to Elysia with some reluctance, "My lady, allow me to eliminate these monsters. It is shameful to admit, but... with my strength, I cannot even get close to that thing's body. The only thing I can do now is clear the obstacles for you."
Lancer had a clear understanding of his own strength. Among the remaining Servants, his power was arguably at the bottom. Furthermore, his Noble Phantasms were Anti-Unit. As for the Outer God's body, setting aside whether he could even get close, even if he did, his anti-magic spear probably couldn't even pierce its skin.
Therefore, rather than holding them back at Elysia's side, it was better to deal with these attracted monsters. After all, a large number of monsters could, to some extent, pose a threat.
And Lancer's anti-magic spear was, in a sense, effective against these monsters.
Hearing Lancer's words, the other three were stunned, but they quickly understood his meaning. Elysia thought for a few seconds, then said, "I understand... Lancer. In that case, I'll leave my back to you. Don't you dare get taken out by those monsters..."
She understood Lancer's will. Choosing to have one companion hold off the monster tide before it arrived was the optimal solution. Although Saber and she also had the ability to deal with the horde, it would either take time or consume mana and Honkai energy.
So, after a brief consideration, Elysia agreed to Lancer's proposal. However... she also told him to be careful. Even ants can kill an elephant if there are enough of them. Such a terrifying number of monsters would be a challenge for even some first-rate Servants.
"Rest assured, my lady... Lancer Diarmuid will definitely bring you victory!"
With those words, Lancer turned to face the flood-like tide of monsters. Before leaving, he took one last look at Elysia... his lady.
If I had been summoned as a Saber, perhaps I could have truly helped her,he thought. But there were no 'what ifs' in this world.
This farewell might be their last. When he returned to the Throne of Heroes, his memories of the Holy Grail War would surely fade. But... Lancer Diarmuid would never forget Elysia!
Elysia, however, did not look back. Although she had told Lancer to be careful, she knew that once he went, he might never return.
What was the population of Fuyuki City? In the most optimistic scenario, over a hundred thousand citizens had been transformed into monsters. Not to mention, Lancer was barely maintaining his existence with a mana elixir.
So, facing this situation, Lancer was almost certain to die. But even so, Elysia still did not look back.
She trusted Lancer, just as she trusted her dozen or so comrades.
If the Thirteen Flame-Chasers were here, perhaps the scene would be much more spectacular.But... standing here now were still heroes saving the world. They too were 'Flame-Chasers', and they were the 'people' that Elysia deeply loved!
Sensing Lancer's presence growing more distant, Elysia took a deep breath and said to the two beside her, "Let's go, Saber, and you too, Jeanne. Don't give it a chance to breathe! Stop it from regenerating its body!"
As her voice fell, Saint Jeanne and Saber shot forward like arrows released from a bow, while Elysia flew toward the Outer God's head.
Seeing this, how could the Outer God let them approach? Magical energy surged in its mouth, gathering once more. Without a doubt, it intended to unleash the same attack as before.
This was an uncharged attack. Under normal circumstances, Elysia's group would have had no time to react. But perhaps because of the large hole in its chest, the Outer God's time to gather magical energy had lengthened.
And how could the ever-prepared Elysia allow it to release that attack?
Transforming into a pink meteor, Elysia flew at the speed of a comet to the Outer God's head and struck its mouth.
The impact of the pink Honkai energy against the Outer God's charged magic seemed to cause a chemical reaction, resulting in a violent implosive explosion.
After such an explosion occurred in its mouth, even a creature like the Outer God, which felt no pain, thrashed about as if it had been hurt.
Its indescribable face twisted due to the explosion, making its already hideous appearance even more 'lovely'.
This sight, witnessed up close, stirred a feeling of nausea in Elysia. She immediately made a soul-crushing comment, "Judging by the standards of a god, your looks... are really quite unique."
She couldn't help it. Although all Outer Gods looked bizarre, this one was particularly so. From Elysia's aesthetic point of view, it was simply unbearable to look at.
It wasn't so bad from a distance when it was shrouded in black gas, but seeing it up close now almost made Elysia's hand slip and smash her scepter into its face.
This was probably what they meant by a "soul-crushing" insult. Speaking of which, the Outer God had it rough. After all, it had no concept of beauty; it wasn't its fault it was born looking like that. Elysia's comment was basically a personal attack.
If the Outer God were a social justice warrior, it would definitely sue Elysia. Unfortunately, it wasn't even human and lacked the most basic legal rights.
But setting aside Elysia's comment, the audience outside the light screen discovered a blind spot.
Although the collision of different types of magical energy could also cause explosions, in terms of power, it seemed they were nothing compared to the force generated by the collision of Honkai energy and magic.
Could it be because the power systems of Honkai energy and magic were completely different? This was perhaps a topic worth exploring. But for the Elysia in the projection, all she needed to know was that Honkai energy could produce quite an impressive effect.
It was unclear whether the Outer God had understood Elysia's earlier remark, or if it had simply come to see her as a threat.
A vast cloud of black gas billowed forth, lunging toward Elysia. This was the power that could forcibly transform humans into monsters. It seemed it wanted to turn Elysia into a monster as well.
Elysia, unlike a Servant, was a truly living being, and also a human. In theory, she could be transformed into a monster by the Outer God.
An ordinary person would be instantly transformed by inhaling less than a micrometer of the black gas. For such a massive cloud of gas to surge toward her, it seemed the Outer God also felt that a micrometer would have no effect on the Elysia before it.
However... turning Elysia into one of those hideous monsters? You might as well just kill her. The mere thought of herself turning into a monster made Elysia so disgusted she wanted to die on the spot.
Before the black gas could envelop Elysia, from below, a wave of golden light slashed towards the Outer God's face. Of course... the target of this wave was not just its face, but also the wound left by the King of Heroes' Sword of Rupture.
With this strike from Saber, the hole created by the original wound widened once more. However, because it was not a full release of the Holy Sword, its power was somewhat less than the King of Heroes' Ea.
At this, the Outer God seemed to be truly enraged. Why did everyone have to go for its face? Why did they always aim for its face? Even if it had no concept of anger, it was about to lose its temper...