Altera was furious—angrier than she had ever been in her life.
Driven by this emotion, she traced her origins and merged with herself on the Moon, transforming into the colossal god of destruction, Sefar, and returned to Earth.
Her goal was singular: to destroy the one who harmed him and protect the ones important to both her and him.
She had already decided on the outcome. The Holy Sword of the Stars was nearby, and when the time came, she would let its wielder destroy her, just like 14,000 years ago.
But this plan did not come to fruition, as she wasn't the only one with such thoughts. However, no one could deny the sincerity of her intentions and the sacrifices she made—they were real.
Yet, regardless of the intentions or the starting point, some things had to be done, and certain beings had to be eliminated, for from the perspective of the planet and humanity, their existence was inherently wrong.
Shinji stared at Alera.
"Do you remember what I said? If you turn into this form, you become my enemy, and I will stop at nothing to bring you down."
"Yes... I remember... so... come... defeat me... just like that Holy Sword wielder..."
"I'm no Holy Sword wielder, and the sword I want to use isn't a Holy Sword."
He spread the fingers of his right hand, and a tricolored prism sword, composed of red, yellow, and blue, fell into his hand—it was none other than Sword of the War God, Altera's Noble Phantasm when she was a Servant.
For some reason, even though she had disappeared as a Servant for a while, the sword had not vanished.
Shinji flipped the sword, blade facing down, hilt facing up, and the hollow ornament at the end flipped open, releasing a beam of light that shot straight into the sky.
"Mars connection, 2 seconds until firing—"
At the end of the beam, high in the atmosphere, beyond human sight, an array of spells formed rapidly, comparable to the Sword of the End, Enki, releasing a laser beam thousands of times thicker than the beam itself.
This was the true use of Attila the Hun's Noble Phantasm, Sword of the War God. The tricolored prism sword was not a sword at all but a pointer, and upon the release of its True Name, a massive beam of destruction would descend from the distant sky, annihilating a wide area.
A satellite laser weapon from the Age of Gods, an A++ rank anti-army, anti-fortress Noble Phantasm, its name:
"Teardrop Photon Ray—Sword of the War God!"
The energy from the heavens descended, its power capable of splitting mountains and destroying cities. Yet, despite being hit directly, the colossal god suffered no severe damage. In fact, after the initial phase, it even showed signs of absorbing the energy and growing larger.
The giant's pained voice echoed from within the light—pain not from physical injury, but from an internal human struggle.
"No... this sword... cannot... defeat me..."
"I know. I was just getting familiar with your sword."
Shinji flicked his wrist, and the Sword of the War God flipped again. "Though I said I would defeat you, that's a last resort. Before that, let me try my hardest—Altera, do you trust me?"
"Yes, I trust you," she answered without hesitation.
"Then I will respond with all my might. I declare—"
The world changed color.
The scenery around Shinji vanished, replaced by endless darkness.
It wasn't a change in weather; the scenery itself had been replaced by something entirely different.
As if condemning the very act, all elements moved to eradicate him.
This scene was so familiar—it had happened over a thousand years ago, and again, just a few decades ago.
When the Magicians, by chance, grasped the power of Magic, this was the wondrous sight that appeared when they fully uncovered the veil of "Magic."
"Ugh—"
Electric currents surged, mercilessly tearing Shnji's body apart.
Miracles destroy the world, and thus the world itself begins to act, preparing to erase him.
In the agony of burning cells throughout his body, his consciousness nearly faded from this world.
But he did not retreat.
This pain and isolation were the cost of keeping his soul connected to the Root, the gateway to Magic that surpassed humans, planets, and even the universe.
He gritted his teeth, held onto his consciousness, and resisted the form of the universe.
The burden burned his retinas and nerves.
And at the end, he saw a light.
"By my true name, I declare!"
Countless voices penetrated his soul, urging him to stop, to give up, but he ignored them all.
He reached deep into the abyss of oblivion and touched the truth of Magic.
The order of the world, the meaning of existence, the will of the planet, and the will of humanity all spoke to him.
Such things had nothing to do with him.
Shinji had long known that Magicians were the enemies of the world.
Now, the sole reason driving him forward was to seek the faint hope of saving Altera.
The miracle he sought, the power he craved, the faint hope of saving Altera.
From the beginning, Shinji had never wished for destruction, only for salvation.
Just like Aoko Aozaki before him, just like Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg before him, perhaps the reason Magicians are Magicians is because of such simple desires. xD
The order of the world shattered. He was abandoned by the planet, abandoned by humanity, and drifted away from the world, returning to a place beyond.
The rules of the world were rewritten.
The scenery changed rapidly, like an endless carousel, turning at blinding speed, reflecting countless records, countless eras.s, monsters, gods, demons.
Countless and indescribable.
It was like a review of the planet's history, racing through ten thousand, a hundred thousand years in an instant.
"—Order (Three), collapse here (Soul materialize words)!"
As the declaration was made.
The Third Magic, after a 2,000-year absence, reappeared on Earth, revealing its form.
In an instant, the desolate mountains turned into a sea of light.
Pure white light, infinite light.
Only the bare trees and the previously dug pits stood as proof that this was still the same world.
The density of magical energy skyrocketed, and the overactive Great Source caused every human present to experience varying degrees of dizziness and nausea.
"This, this is—"
"Order has changed. This is not the order of modern times; it's the order from when I was alive."
Medea, not being human, had no adverse reactions, but the horror in her eyes was greater than anyone else's. When first summoned, she had felt joy, but now, only fear remained.
"But why?"
"Look at this light, and you'll understand."
The speaker was Solomon. Only this King of Magecraft, who hailed from the same era and possessed even greater power, could find the answer before Medea.
She quickly adjusted her mood and focused her gaze.
The next moment, her recently stabilized emotions spiraled out of control again.
"H-Hecate, Goddess!!!"