Hell. Without question, hell.
The battle had only just begun when Zeus started lifting the combat restrictions on the Machine God's true form one by one.
The planetary destruction mechanism. The galactic annihilation mechanism. The spacetime assault mechanism. In the end, even the possibility of the concept-destruction mechanism was no longer restrained.
At this moment, the Mana saturating the battlefield had already grown so dense it defied comparison. And the magical output of Zeus's Machine God true form was so overwhelming it was impossible to ignore.
He stood there.
The Main God of Olympus—the great god who sought to lead the interstellar city back onto its voyage through the endless sea of stars.
Could it be done?
Shiomi did not have absolute confidence.
Even so, he had no intention of retreating.
Do what can be done, and do it to the utmost.
Even if he ultimately could not defeat Zeus, the clash of their Noble Phantasms would at least create an opening for others to strike.
"Sky, be torn apart. Stars, be shattered. All that lies above is mine. All who rule the stars are mine!"
Zeus's voice rolled across the newly silent heavens.
Majestic. Primeval. Absolute authority that allowed no defiance.
Before such a proclamation, all living things could only submit, leaving their life and death to the will of the great god Zeus.
But human lives belong to humanity.
The human world belongs to humanity.
They had fought until now for that truth—and they would continue to fight, until Proper Human History was restored to them.
So Shiomi would not kneel.
Nor would he allow Zeus to carry out his unilateral, arrogant design any further.
Here, he would cut off Zeus's path completely and bring that incomprehensible plan to an end.
"The divide between heaven and earth has vanished, yet man and god have not come to rule together. They remain undifferentiated. Thus—"
"I shall rebuild the order that belongs to humanity!"
Shiomi spread his arms wide, the colossal axe moving in sweeping arcs with him.
More decisive than when he crushed Surt.
Faster than when he slew his own misguided past self.
"—I, the Star-Cleaving Thunderbolt - World Discipline Keraunos!"
Emerald light burst from Zeus's eyes. Vast, unrestrained Mana surged to its absolute limit, and the face embedded within the Machine God's true form opened its mouth.
A torrent of Mana like an apocalyptic flood erupted from within.
It shattered planets. It annihilated star systems. It assaulted spacetime. In the end, it even sought to pulverize concepts themselves.
The categories of destruction expanded without cease, pushed to their ultimate extreme.
Only such total eradication could eliminate the obstacle before him.
Zeus believed this without doubt, and he poured out everything.
But what lay before him was not an obstacle.
It was a span of water no more than a foot deep—yet one Zeus could never cross.
Enuma Elish!
Marduk, the supreme Main God who bore fifty epithets and unified the Authorities of the many gods of Mesopotamia.
It was said that in ancient times he split the body of the primordial goddess Tiamat in two, thereby creating heaven and earth.
That Noble Phantasm, that legend, those deeds—all were embodied within this massive axe.
Once, merely forcing himself to wield it had been enough to utterly defeat Quetzalcoatl's Divided Spirit Servant.
But now, he was no longer the man who timidly brushed against the realm of gods.
At this moment, as a newly born god granted a divine name by Tiamat, he stood beneath this sky.
Split. Sever. Divide.
If that was the ultimate Noble Phantasm capable of shattering even concepts—
Then he would sever the very act of shattering concepts itself.
Zeus's Noble Phantasm was something only a god could fully comprehend.
"...Oh… oh… why… can I not reach…?"
A voice laced with grief and confusion echoed amid the clash of Noble Phantasms.
In his Machine God true form, Zeus had no need to use the mouth upon his body to speak.
His bewilderment was only natural.
He had unleashed his Noble Phantasm to such an extent—yet the diminutive god before him remained untouchable.
Marduk's axe blazed into golden radiance and severed Zeus's Noble Phantasm in two.
The emerald torrent of Mana vanished the instant it brushed against that golden light.
All Zeus could do was watch as the light drew closer, nearer and nearer, until it was before his eyes—then fell.
Even with countless Authorities layered upon him, he could not stop that strike from reaching the Machine God true form.
For a fleeting moment, something like a primordial hell—reminiscent of the world at the dawn of chaos, when heaven and earth first parted—took shape in the sky.
Then it dispersed.
The clash between Zeus's Noble Phantasm and Marduk's axe had neutralized most of their power.
Even so, the Orbital Grand Temple, Dodona was left scarred beyond recognition.
The once sacred, unreachable dwelling of the gods was reduced in an instant to a crumbling aerial fortress on the verge of collapse.
As the one who had borne the brunt of the Noble Phantasm, Zeus took the final damage.
"I… have been wounded? I… have suffered damage?"
As the light of the Noble Phantasms faded, the dim sky was dyed in gold, like the coming of a radiant dawn.
Zeus's Machine God true form wavered, barely able to sustain its flight systems.
Yet Shiomi, who had claimed this exchange, was in no better condition. He fell from the sky and crashed onto the shattered roof of the Great Altar, his body caught by Talos under Europa's command.
A hard-won victory.
But it had not ended Zeus.
Judging this to be his best opportunity, Zeus rapidly gathered his remaining functions and locked onto Europa.
"Please stop, great god Zeus! For those children who refuse to give up and long for tomorrow… grant them blessings, not curses. Even this newborn god understands that truth. There is no way you do not understand it, my beloved great god Zeus… Whether it is Proper Human History or a Lostbelt, saving the planet—was that not your true wish?"
Overcome with sorrow, Europa tried to stop Zeus from carrying out what was effectively a self-destructive attack.
"Europa."
Zeus heard the voice of his divine consort.
"If you love me as well, then tell me—what difference is there between humans and gods?" Europa asked, her voice trembling.
Shiomi silently nodded and raised his head to watch Zeus's reaction.
"Humans and gods are different. A god who loves humanity is merely a god who will erode and fall apart. And, my Europa… I am not the Zeus—the god—you love!"
Just as expected, Zeus rejected her words.
As if something were influencing him.
Shiomi sensed it too. But he was momentarily drained of strength, unable to respond before Zeus's next attack came.
Would he have to take it head-on?
No.
"If that is your answer, then I have nothing left to hesitate over, great god Zeus. In your current state, even you are within reach of the Holy Lance's Authority."
Artoria, who had been observing and waiting for the right moment, urged her steed into the sky and made her declaration.
"Thirteen Restraints, released—! Round Table Decision, begin!"