The burst of brilliance could not last forever. After a moment of dazzling splendor, calm was quickly restored.
Shinji who had gathered the power of countless gods and delivered the final blow had already moved from before Sefar to behind her.
The massive body, now over thirty meters tall and still growing, lost all its support and teetered, eventually collapsing to the ground, scattering vast amounts of white spiritual particles.
"Third Magic: Dreaming a Thousand Birds Dance!"
Shinji, having stopped his forward momentum, slowly lowered the sword, marking the final punctuation of his strike.
"This is the power of the giant's destruction!"
After a moment of thought, he added:
"It's also the power of protection, the power of hope."
This time, the colossal giant was unable to destroy any living being before being destroyed herself.
The giant continued to disintegrate.
Everything that had once constituted her body on this planet—
Her spirit, her soul, and her physical form—all were lost.
It was like tears.
Not tears of sorrow or regret for failing her mission—
But tears of joy, for having protected everything she held dear.
Those tears were so enchanting, like the sky above, the tears of the stars left behind in the brilliant starlight.
Overflowing, endlessly overflowing.
There was no sign of it stopping, and no way to stop it.
Amidst the endlessly falling spiritual particles, within the unstoppable tears of the stars, Shinji descended from midair. He moved against the flow of spiritual energy, arriving at the place where the giant's head should have been. He glanced around hurriedly as if searching for something.
Soon, he found what he was looking for—hidden among the fragments of spiritual particles, a roughly one-meter square, opaque crystal.
This was the backup of the data of the giant Sefar—another of her cores.
Shinji held the core in his hands, quietly waiting.
With a crack, the surface of the crystal split, the fissure rapidly expanding.
Within it appeared the form of a small white girl.
The overall impression she gave was still white, and in her half-open eyes, one could see pupils as red as burning stars.
It was Altera.
There was no mistaking it—though much smaller, it was indeed the Servant who was supposed to have disappeared.
Altera's eyelids fluttered, and she opened her eyes, gazing somewhat dazedly and confusedly at the face of the boy standing so close.
"Shinji...?"
"Good morning, Altera. Though the time might be a bit off, it's still time to wake up."
"Ah, hmm... I... why... is this... a dream?"
Altera was already becoming aware of the changes that had occurred to her.
"Of course not. Didn't I tell you? Before defeating you, I'd do everything I could. This is my answer," Shinji explained with a smile.
"The promise between us has been fulfilled—a brand new life for you."
It turned out that all of Shinji's elaborate efforts—using the Third Magic to overturn the world's order, connecting to the Seat of the Gods, summoning the gods—were not just to defeat the giant. It was all so that the backup core of the giant, the new life of Altera, the small girl in his arms, could be born.
That final sword strike not only severed Sefar's physical body but also cut off the influence of the devouring star. Though this was just a backup, it was undeniably an important step.
Today, Shinji had dealt with the clone; next time, he would deal with the true body. There was no reason why something that Nero had accomplished would be beyond the reach of Matou Shinji.
You are connected to Venus, but I'm directly linked to the Seat of the Gods. You have royal authority, but I have the Third Magic. Just wait, Altera—it won't be long before I bring about your true liberation.
Altera, still in her childlike form, didn't understand Shinji's thoughts. She nestled in his arms, watching as the giant's body fully collapsed.
"Can I... have a new life?"
"Of course. Forget about the wandering star and your mission. You are not the embodiment of destruction. Civilization is not your enemy, and life is not your prey. You are human, an ordinary human. Just do what you love. Travel the world, herd sheep, bake bread, go to school, and study. Do whatever you want—this, I promise you as the practitioner of miracles, the wielder of the Third Magic, Matou Shinji."
"Hmm... I'll try my best."
Perhaps she didn't fully understand yet, but Altera still agreed.
"Great! Let's do our best together."
At this moment, the giant had completely disintegrated, and the surrounding sea of light was gradually fading. This strange world had also begun to destabilize.
Miracles are difficult to maintain, and the world has its order. Even for a Magician, it's hard to oppose the world for long. Now that Sefar, the trigger for the gods' united front, had been eliminated, the gods would no longer remain in the mortal realm.
"Thank you all for your help. Truly, thank you," Shinji said with gratitude.
"Thank you..."
Shinji held Altera in his arms and bowed deeply in the direction where the gods had departed. Then, as if something had occurred to him, he turned to Altera and said:
"By the way, you don't need the giant's body anymore, right?"
"I don't need it," Altera shook her head.
"Then let me take it. I can put it to use."
"You can, but how exactly are you planning to use it?"
"I'll make you two little sisters."
"Sisters?"
Shinji responded with a mysterious smile. He began to weave magic, establishing a dialogue with one of the gods.
"Great Odin, please wait a moment before you leave. I have one more favor to ask—could you teach me how to create Valkyries?"
"The original Runes, is it? That's no problem. My Shishou has already passed them all down to me, and any gaps have been filled in with magic—no need to hang upside down for seven days or lose an eye."
"Forgive me, I'm still not fully accustomed to myself after splitting my soul into three parts, so my mental state is a bit unstable. I beg your pardon, Great One, please don't hold it against me."
"Hmm, hmm... this way... like that... oh, there's such a method? Understood. This is practically tailor-made for me. As expected of a great god, I'm truly impressed."
"Got it. I'll take a trip to the ruins of Asgard on your behalf, and if I have the time, I'll make sure someone films a movie about Norse mythology. Even though you're no longer around, the names of the Norse gods will continue to be remembered."
"Alright, moving on—"
Shinji gently placed Altera on the ground. While spreading his arms wide, he exerted all his strength to gather the scattered spiritual fragments of the giant, all while glancing up at the world that was on the verge of breaking.
As the mystic word verge faded away, the magical world officially crumbled. A sharp glint flashed in Shinji's eyes as the Third Magic activated once again.
"Just as I expected—you've been watching this place the whole time. Your actions are far too predictable. Since you're here, you're not leaving now. After trapping me over and over, did you think I wouldn't get mad? Soul materialization"
In an instant, the highly condensed spiritual particles in his hands swirled about as if swept by a category twelve hurricane, wildly dancing before being bound by an even stronger gravitational force, unable to escape from Shinji's grasp.
After a brief stalemate, Shinji suddenly clenched his hands tightly.
In that instant, the earth trembled, and mountains shook.
Every being within the world, whether human or not, heard a faint but sorrowful wail.