Looking at the Demon Pillars, which were gradually changing and had not yet settled into a fixed form, Morgan suddenly felt as though she had seen something similar before. During the Fourth Holy Grail War, Caster had done something like this. But compared to the Demon King Goetia's actions now, the oppressive force he displayed was on an entirely different scale.
The ancient Great Dragon that Scáthach had previously bound in place with lightning was pierced the moment it lunged forward, and seemed to melt as it was swallowed up.
"Oh..." Scáthach hummed deeply, "After destroying the spell, it absorbed it as a source of Mana."
Morgan and Artoria continued to distance themselves, avoiding the tentacles of the Demon Pillars that were writhing around them. These tentacles appeared blind but were clearly homing in on sources of Mana. It was obvious that the Demon Pillars were trying to prevent anyone from interfering with this brief yet deadly process, automatically forming special defenses to protect it.
"Strike Air!" Artoria shouted as she wielded her Holy Lance, unleashing "Invisible Air." A wide-range attack instantly swept the dense Demon Pillars away, giving them more room to retreat.
However, the mana released from her move attracted even more tentacles. Scáthach planted her spear into the ground. Flames clung to the lingering wind and twisted into a fire tornado hot enough to melt metal.
"That's a bit too hot, Scáthach." Morgan raised her hand, activating her Magecraft to shield the three of them from the intense heat.
"If we don't do this, we'll have to keep running, and we'll miss our chance to strike back." Scáthach crouched and began inscribing Runes on the ground. Each Rune, once completed, automatically moved along the floor and vanished from sight.
Artoria sheathed her Holy Lance and gripped the Holy Sword with both hands, preparing for the next move.
The fire tornado didn't last long. As the searing flames, now forming a solid defense, dissipated, the Temple of Time came back into view. In the center of the temple, a massive figure, covering the throne and crushing the white marble steps and pillars, began to move slowly. It was indescribable, and just one glance was enough to shatter one's sanity.
"Is that the combined form of the 72 Demon Pillars, Goetia's new form?" Scáthach smiled bitterly, "Has my beloved disciple struggled this far without ever seeing this result?"
However, that wasn't the case. If Goetia had summoned the 72 Demon Pillars to counter Shiomi, the power of the Ten Commandments would have obliterated them. At that point, Goetia would lose even more power, and the Demon Pillars would become defenseless. The only arrogance Goetia had left was a stroke of luck that allowed him to leave himself an escape route.
"Don't worry... Even though Goetia's Spirit Origin has greatly expanded, his output remains unchanged—still at the level of a top-tier Servant." Morgan's fairy eyes quickly analyzed Goetia's current state.
"That's what you say, but a top-tier Servant comparable to Tiamat... It's not that simple." Artoria frowned deeply.
"It's just big. If you're scared, retreat to my husband's side and act as his bodyguard. Scáthach and I will handle it," Morgan said.
"That's not necessary." Artoria showed no sign of retreating.
At that moment, an abnormal fluctuation in the Temple of Time made Scáthach turn back sharply.
"...The gate has been closed," Scáthach said. "Unless one side, either Goetia or us, is completely wiped out, this barrier won't disappear."
"Not a bad 'restriction'. It seems that even after turning into a mountain of rotten flesh, it hasn't lost its intelligence," Morgan commented lightly.
Goetia had constructed a barrier with immortality as an absolute condition, preventing any reinforcements from entering. The Demon Pillars had all gathered around the throne, and the Servants who had descended to support Chaldea would inevitably come to their aid.
"Wait, if that happens, Tenkei will also..."
Artoria looked at Shiomi's position.
"There's no time to hesitate. If we die, my beloved disciple won't be able to survive alone." Scáthach joked lightly, then suddenly raised her voice. "It's coming!"
Goetia launched his attack. His upper body resembled a Titan, while his lower body was made up of countless Demon Pillars sprawling across the ground. The countless eyes on his body lit up one by one, sending a chill down their spines. Each flash indicated a pure Mana attack being fired.
The three of them scattered, stepping on giant rocks suspended in the air due to the abnormal Mana fluctuations, dodging Goetia's attacks as they moved across the battlefield.
Morgan, seizing the opportunity while Scáthach and Artoria launched their counterattacks to attract more attention, retreated into the Water Mirror and appeared behind Goetia in the blink of an eye.
She raised her hand indifferently, and as her mana gathered, countless eyes suddenly opened on the upper half of the giant's back, staring intently at Morgan and launching an attack.
"Sure enough, it has eyes in the back," Morgan muttered, glaring at Goetia, her expression already showing anger.
The tentacles suddenly shot up into the sky, turning into an impenetrable cylinder that surrounded Morgan's position. When the exit above closed, the tentacles began to constrict and squeeze the space, but then exploded outward.
The unstoppable mana transformed into blue flames, spreading in all directions, burning everything in its path. Tentacles, the body made of Demon Pillars, all turned to ash.
The flame that had once been extinguished in the Queen of Winter's heart was now transformed into a tangible enemy attacking her.
Morgan's fingers twitched slightly, and the flames turned around, transforming into countless ferocious beasts that pounced on Goetia. Some were pierced by beams of light emitted from his eyes, while others destroyed the eyes that tried to fight back.
"Are you sure you want to focus your attention on me?" Morgan asked with a cold smile.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Goetia's ears.
He didn't focus on counterattacking Morgan behind him, keeping his guard up against Artoria, who was limited to using the Holy Lance, and continued his relentless assault.
Scáthach.
The Queen of the Land of Shadows, where had she gone?
In the midst of battle, Scáthach's figure vanished. All eyes searched every corner of the Temple of Time, but there was no sign of her.
Then, a sharp, cold Mana came from underground. After expanding Solomon's body into the universe, the throne at the center of the Temple of Time was essentially like a floating island.
So, Scáthach had made an attempt. She used the gap to move directly beneath the throne and launched an attack with Gungnir. The light of Gungnir pierced the earth, nearly striking Goetia's head.
"As expected of Odin's infallible spear, it can ignore the constraints of the environment," she remarked.
Looking at Goetia, whose massive body was knocked east and west by this blow, Scáthach landed on a rock and sighed.
No wonder her beloved disciple had made a contract with her to lend her the spear of the gods. It was to ensure that if he couldn't fight, Scáthach would have an even greater trump card to use.