The Holy Lance's true form was the "Tower of Light" that anchored the world's surface. Only through the same process as the Holy Sword of the Planet—through the existence of thirteen restraints—could it barely take shape as a Noble Phantasm.
To release its True Name, half of those thirteen restraints had to be undone.
That decision could only be made by Artoria Pendragon together with the twelve knights she trusted most.
And now, at long last, Artoria had her opening. No matter how far she could push it, she had to keep fighting.
For the utterly exhausted Shiomi, she had to carve out a chance for the next blow.
At this moment, many Knights of the Round Table were still present in their current state. With half the knights on the field, the decision first called for their votes.
Lancelot, affirmed.
Percival, affirmed.
Gawain, affirmed.
Gareth, affirmed.
Bedivere, affirmed.
Mordred, affirmed!
The instant they heard the King's voice, the Knights of the Round Table understood the battle had reached its fiercest point. Their opponent was the great god Zeus, and no matter what, they would not betray their creed.
Then, even the Knights of the Round Table who had already returned to their seats gave their acknowledgment one after another.
"This is the battle to save the world!
Arthur, affirmed."
Unprecedented—every one of the thirteen restraints was released.
A scale so dangerous it was almost beyond imagining. Yet against the great god Zeus, whether out of caution or out of reverence, it was the only acceptable response.
"Take this, great god Zeus! Rhongomyniad!"
The warhorse racing through the sky carried its master with it, transforming into a razor-pure Tower of Light that came crashing down upon Zeus.
"A mere Holy Lance Goddess—!!!"
The protection of his Authority had been battered and broken, and his opponent was already in a weakened state.
Zeus, having focused all his attention on Shiomi, had forgotten there was another goddess here.
The goddess who wielded the Holy Lance.
The goddess who had reclaimed the hearts of men and fought for the human world.
The power Zeus gathered in haste became a strained, desperate defense, barely withstanding the crushing pressure of that Tower of Light.
Zeus understood all too well that the Holy Lance could not remain without restraints for long.
If he devoted himself entirely to defense and held out until the Noble Phantasm ended, he could still survive.
But time was now a gap measured in seconds. Even a few seconds of distraction were enough to turn fatal.
"One last question… you don't mind, do you, Europa?" Shiomi asked.
"Please… stop the great god Zeus," Europa replied softly, kneeling upon Talos's shoulder.
Artoria had bought them precious time, and at the same time pinned Zeus's movements in place.
Even if Zeus noticed Shiomi forcing himself back to his feet to attack, he had no spare capacity to deal with him. He could not even properly control his lightning anymore, managing only the slightest interference.
Another divine weapon had already locked onto Zeus.
Shiomi suddenly felt a stab of shame.
If the War God Marduk had manifested, this extra strike would not have been necessary.
If the great god Odin had manifested, Gungnir would already have pierced Zeus clean through.
So all Shiomi could do was pour everything into a single blow—fight in a way that would not disgrace a god.
"Thank you, Artoria."
He sprang from Talos's palm, raised Gungnir high, and fixed his aim upon Zeus's Machine God true form.
"This is the strike that speaks fate, granting all things in the world their ordained death. Even a great god cannot escape it. Proclaim the end—and fall to the earth, Ragnarok Gungnir!"
Unlike Marduk's axe, Gungnir had no massive bulk.
Its dazzling light flashed only for an instant.
By the time the target noticed Gungnir, it was already locked on. Once thrown, it could not miss.
A golden meteor cut across the sky.
"Ah… ah…"
With his divine core pierced, Zeus's Mana reaction cut off abruptly. Even the Mana sustaining his defense scattered in an instant, ending together with the Holy Lance's light as it reached its limit.
The colossal Machine God true form began to sway, then started to crumble from its outermost edges.
The death of a god could no longer be averted. Zeus could not even find words to answer that blow, and fell into his final silence.
Altitude.
With the lightning no longer barring the way, Storm Border finally rose to the Grand Altar within the Orbital Grand Temple, moving in to face Zeus.
After pushing himself past his limits again and again, Shiomi could no longer maintain his levitation. His body slipped from Talos's palm.
Europa stared in shock as Zeus perished. Before she could order the bronze giant to catch him, Shiomi had already fallen.
Below him stretched a bottomless abyss. With nothing to stop him, he would fall all the way to the surface of the interstellar city.
"Tenkei!"
Artoria was too far away. She couldn't make it in time.
But soon, she no longer needed to worry.
Storm Border had been tracking Shiomi from every angle. Just before he plummeted out of reach, Melusine burst out with her not-yet-fully-recovered flight equipment and caught him midair.
"Nice catch…" Shiomi said with a faint smile.
"I'm sorry. Zeus's lightning… If we had forced our way through, even Storm Border would have…" Melusine apologized for being a step too late.
"It's fine. You made it in time." Shiomi shook his head.
Melusine carried him back to the deck of Storm Border. Artoria descended shortly after.
The Grand Temple began coldly announcing the situation, as if that were simply its designated function.
"—Main God: silent.
—Main God: divine core collapsed.
—Divine Armament Kronos Crown: emergency shutdown. Linked systems damaged.
—Connection to wireless crystals will be severed.
—Main God: unable to maintain true form.
—Spacetime continuum crystal synchronized with divine core: fracturing.
—Warning. Warning.
—Final Judgment Occurrence Source: connecting.
—From this moment, a persistent spacetime fault will occur.
—Caution: spacetime tremor."
The mechanical broadcast shifted from status report to full alarm with barely a pause.
"What's going on?" Melusine had only just arrived and didn't yet understand.
Shiomi steadied his breathing, focusing on recovering his spent strength.
That announcement had mentioned a "Final Judgment Occurrence Source." It seemed there was something else behind Zeus.
Something that had driven him to deny Europa's feelings.
"It's right there. You'll see it soon."
Shiomi lifted his head. Even before his eyes confirmed it, his instincts had already sensed its presence.
The collapsing true form of Zeus suddenly erupted in a far greater explosion.
Space split.
The sky cracked open.
Then an impossible sight began to take shape.
Twisted. Warped. Torn open into a gash.
Beyond that rift, something existed.
"What… is that?"
Even with a field of vision comparable to the King of Magecraft, Artoria felt an instinctive chill at the thing gradually revealing itself.
From the far side of the distorted sky, something was staring back.
It blazed like a second sun.
No—brighter than the sun.
"…A pupil?"
Melusine clenched her fists, suppressing the shock rising in her chest.