『Warth Tempest』.
Using the divine spear Gungnir as its core, it drew in the Mana saturating the atmosphere and condensed it into a thunderous spear before cleaving down. A strike that could surpass even 『Excalibur』—and under normal circumstances, one that consumed an enormous amount of Mana.
But here, in this star-filled sky overflowing with lightning and magical energy, that cost was no longer an issue.
Ordinary attacks would never pierce Zeus's defenses. So Shiomi chose to raise the output instead.
He poured everything into a single, focused blow.
It struck Zeus's Machine God True Form. He felt the impact connect—but it would go no further. There was no sensation of breaking through, no tearing into the conceptual defenses covering Zeus's body.
"To wield my thunder to such a degree… Even a fledgling god cannot be underestimated."
Zeus endured the attack without the slightest sign of slackening, waiting for the strike to run its course.
Then the temple's broadcast echoed once more.
[—Battle involving the Great Main God has exceeded scheduled parameters.
—Hostile divine lifeform threat confirmed.
—Reassessment of offensive capability against hostile divine lifeform.
—Temporarily expanding annihilation-class combat functions.
—Authority request: partial restriction release.
—Request: Grand Composite Authority Titanomachia, limited release.
—Approved.
—Request: Grand Composite Authority Gigantomachia, limited release.
—Approved.]
The words made it unmistakably clear—Zeus had not been fighting at full power.
Shiomi's eyes widened.
He had believed that by proclaiming his divine name and stepping into the domain of the gods, he had gained the right to challenge Zeus.
He hadn't expected Zeus to still be holding something back.
Even after integrating the Authorities of the Twelve Machine Gods, Zeus could go further.
The Mana sustaining 『Warth Tempest』 failed to break through. The lightning forming the slash suddenly detonated.
The shockwave blasted Shiomi backward through the air. Only after being hurled a considerable distance did he manage to steady himself.
"To protect the city. To protect humanity. I must safeguard Olympus. A god-man capable of conquering even my thunder… even the Authority of the fertile earth can no longer reach him. But… there is no other choice."
"..."
Shiomi stared at Zeus.
Something was wrong.
He couldn't put it into words—but something about Zeus felt off.
Then Zeus made his decision.
"Intelligent Entity Protection Function—deactivated."
[—Request: Final Adjudication Function Keraunos, limited release.
—Approved.]
What followed was a cascade of declarations from Zeus himself.
"Planetary Destruction Mechanism—restriction lifted.
Stellar System Annihilation Mechanism—restriction lifted.
Spacetime Assault Mechanism—restriction lifted.
Conceptual Destruction Mechanism—restriction lifted."
As each line fell, cold sweat gathered on Shiomi's back.
Not just this planet—entire star systems, spacetime itself, even concepts had entered the scope of what Zeus could destroy.
He was preparing to release his Noble Phantasm to its maximum extent.
For the first time in a long while, Shiomi recognized his own arrogance.
He had thought that stepping into the realm of the gods, earning acknowledgment from one chief deity after another, gaining such tremendous power—would be enough to face Zeus alone.
But—
"The scale of Mana is still rising. So you're really going to stake everything just to erase me… That's more honor than I deserve."
Shiomi's racing heart gradually steadied. He extended a hand calmly, fixing his gaze on Zeus.
There was no fear left in him. He had chosen to become a god. That meant fighting until the final moment.
And yet—
That unsettling sense of dissonance refused to fade.
It forced Shiomi, even at this life-or-death juncture, to ask the question he could no longer avoid.
"Are you planning to destroy this world—this planet—everything? Even if it means discarding the planet right in front of you, will you really go so far as to side with the Alien God, Zeus?"
"There is no need for further words. You are a god—then experience it with all that you are. Before it manifests within the Fantasy Tree, I shall claim all the Spiritrons stored inside it as my own. Even if only this Interstellar Metropolis remains, I will send it fleeing from this planet into the sea of stars. Even if all that endures are the traces of the humanity I cherish, I will see them brought to their conclusion—in the Age of Gods."
Zeus declared his purpose.
Yet Shiomi couldn't hear all of it clearly. Some word Zeus uttered was swallowed by violent static, distorted beyond recognition before it could reach his ears—or anyone else's—as coherent meaning.
He cared about what Zeus had actually said.
But what left him even more speechless was the intent itself.
Zeus intended to turn this Lostbelt into a colonial satellite, to set out once more into the starry sea as in ages past.
To abandon all life—preserving only the memory that "life once flourished here."
"Boring. Hollow. Meaningless!"
Shiomi's eye twitched as he shot back in fury.
"I don't need your understanding. This is divine principle—the answer we give to the sentient beings who praised us as gods. Ah, my beloved world. My beloved new homeland. Forgive me, my friend, Kirschtaria. The World Tree Atlas—its entirety—is now within my control."
The Grand Temple broadcast began to echo in sequence.
[—Great Main God, overall function release at 35%. Parallel activation of Grand Composite Authorities successful.
—Final Adjudication Function Keraunos, preparing for activation.
—Final Adjudication commencing.
—Awaiting Great Main God activation countdown.
—Notifying all sentient entities within the Interstellar Metropolis. Notifying all lifeforms upon this planet.
—From this moment forward, Final Adjudication will be enacted.
—All sentient entities and lifeforms will have their vital activity terminated.
—Thank you for your efforts…]
The announcements rang out one after another.
"Humanity. Farewell."
Zeus pronounced the planet's end without the slightest emotion.
Lightning grew denser, more violent, spreading across the entire sky above the Great Altar. It sought to erase everything on this planet.
Lostbelt or Proper Human History—bleached world or not—none of it mattered.
Total destruction.
"You're saying farewell a little too early, don't you think!"
Amid the blinding storm of lightning, a blade tore through the sky and plunged straight down, striking Zeus's Machine God True Form.
An axe.
A colossal axe.
So immense that for humans—or even gods who wore human shapes—it was far too large.
"Splitting mountains and cleaving stone" was nowhere near enough to describe its divine might.
Only "cleaving heaven and earth" came close.
The Axe of Marduk.
The Noble Phantasm of Marduk—the ancient Mesopotamian war god, the supreme Main God of the Two Rivers' mythology.
Now, having revealed his divine name and ascended as a god, Shiomi wielded this Noble Phantasm with an unprecedented will.
To stop Zeus, he unleashed everything.