After returning to Camelot, I sat down and sifted through the data, looking for all the information about the Inner Sea of the Planet and the Pan-Human History. I also noted all the information on the Abrahamic religion, especially about its central figures such as the Abrahamic God.
To be honest, I found the last one especially troublesome, as in contrast to other gods, the Abrahamic God isn't a being, just a concept. It lacks the 'self' that makes other gods imperfect but also human, leaving only the function it serves, an idol carved out from the Root, a tool for Alaya and Gaia itself to ensure proper continuation. They are separate from the Counter Force, yet can be used by it, possess the power to access and bestow authority from the Root, but are themselves not capable of wielding it.
If Alaya is the will of humanity, and Gaia is the will of the planet, then God is all the faith unclaimed by other deities. As such, contrary to other gods that are disappearing, it continues to grow stronger, as the fewer gods there are, the more faith is left to it. So it's a perfect tool for Alaya to keep both humans and monsters in check, while Gaia can make its inhabitants less destructive by promoting itself as the 'gift from God' .
But for my plan, I only needed to confirm that God isn't a being but exists, which I managed to do with the data I got. With that confirmation, I needed only a few last things before I could finalize my plan. One of them was a powerful container, something that could hold inside power rivaling the planet for long enough for me to succeed.
And I quickly became aware that I don't possess an item capable of doing so; as such, I had to seek help, and there were only two people who could help me. First was obviously Artoria, and when I consulted with her, she told me that while she could help me with that, her spear was only a manifestation of the Tower, and it couldn't be the core of my container. Because of it, I needed to seek help from the second person, the Pharaoh.
Already feeling the pain throbbing in my temples, I gritted my teeth and ordered the Spectral Hawk flying above the Egyptian temple to fly inside. It landed in the centre of the hall, at the foot of the stairs leading to the Pharaoh's throne.
-"Oh? To think you'd appear here like that. What can I do for you, my new friend?"
-"I need your help."-I admitted directly, my voice appearing in his mind.
-"Color me surprised."-He sat straight, his eyes full of intrigue.-"What kind of help would a person like you need?"
-"I seek an item. Something that can act as a container for enormous power, at least enough to contain your temple's full power attack."
-"Now that's quite an ask. Hmm…"-He rubbed his chin, thinking.-"I might have something that can satisfy your request, but I cannot part with it for free, even for you, my new friend."
-"What do you wish in exchange?"
-"No, don't get me wrong, I don't ask for some trade."-He shook his head.-"I wanted to ask you about something. Can you make me reunite with my beloved?"
This was something I couldn't answer instantly. I thought for a moment before answering carefully.
-"It depends on how you see life and how much of your beloved still exists. On the spot, I can create a replica of her using your memories, but it'll be at most a shadow of the real person. If you hold something that carries her memories, I can use it, but again, she won't be alive. Lastly, if you have a way to recover her soul, I can attempt to fully revive her, but it might take years."
-"I see."-He fell into thought before nodding and saying.-"I don't have her soul, but I have an item that was with her her whole life. Can you use it to find her?"
-"I can try, but that depends on whether her soul still exists somewhere. You'd best pray your gods truly exist."
-"No need to pray. I exist, so gods exist."
I just nodded, my body appearing here by teleportation a moment ago, as seeking a soul was far beyond what I could do remotely with Spectral Hawk. He then handed me a necklace, explaining its origin. I took it and traced the fate still bound to it, looking for its owner.
This wasn't an easy task, as I wasn't well-versed in such operations. I only attempted it due to my Cyclops bloodline, but it quickly proved far more difficult than I expected. I found myself getting lost in countless connections belonging to other people, encountering dead ends over and over. It took me almost two hours to finally find a trace of anima.
With that trace, the work was much easier, and I soon was able to find a weak but still complete soul. Taking it back, I sorted it and placed it in a seed, preparing to nurture it back to health. I then opened my eyes only to notice the mess around me. The previously pristine hall was now full of cracks as crystal roots broke through the floor, entangling around me.
I quickly walked out of them and instantly felt my brow twitch due to familiar spectators appearing in my view. I once again ignored them and continued my conversation with Pharaoh. I showed the seed, causing a vague ghost-like figure to appear from it.
-"Is that her?"
-"Yes! Can you…"-He stood up due to the intense emotions.
-"She is too weak now. If I were to forcefully awaken her, she would either disappear or be bound to me; both options are something we don't want to see. She'll need slow nurturing; in two years, she should be able to wake up."
-"Two years, huh? Pity."
-"Don't you already have a way to wait for those years to pass?"-I motioned to the audience watching our talk.
-"Hah! Indeed. Just some time won't stop me, the great Ozymandias! HAHAHA!"-He laughed aloud.
I also smiled slightly, understanding his feelings.
-"Fou!"-A familiar pet jumped at me.
-"Can we talk properly now, Eno?"-Rin approached me with a smile that seemed more threatening than friendly.
I looked at her and sighed, nodding slightly. I waved my hand and changed the crystal roots into chairs and tables for everyone to sit at. I also sat down, Fou making themselves comfortable on me as I pet them.
I took the first careful look at every one of them, seeing wariness and worry on their faces. Those who knew me from before looked troubled by my current state, most likely already aware of the divine power flowing through me, but the new faces were mostly afraid, prepared to fight at a moment's notice.
-"Ehem. Let me introduce you to everyone, this is Eno, a friend whom we met in our world. The one who blocked Solomon's attack."-Luvia introduced me to new people.
-"Miss Luvia…"-A male voice sounded as a floating screen appeared near the group.-"Are you sure he and that person you spoke of are the same?"
-"Yes. Why?"-She asked, confused.
-"That guy is pure magical energy!"-A female voice sounded from the same screen.-"That energy reading… Even for a god, it's outrageous."
-"Did something happen after we got separated?"-Atalanta asked, sitting close to me without a care for my changes.
-"I returned to my homeland. Faced some things I had avoided, reunited with friends, uncovered some secrets about myself."
-"Sounds busy."-Mordred commented, her voice not hiding annoyance.
-"Quite so. I spent the last few years at war, dealing with the same treacherous kings you acted with in your life."
-"Really?"-This caught her interest.-"How did they end?"
-"Urien was killed by Morgan, Rience was pushed to the corner and acted as a scapegoat. He's about to get tried for treason."
-"Ha! Got what he deserved!"-She slapped her thigh in amusement.-"What about father?"
-"Artoria is all right, a little tired and worn out, but still leading the knights from the front. Caliburn just broke, so she was about to claim her second sword. In the process, something happened, and I arrived here."
-"Good."-She sighed in relief.-"And her?"
-"Morgan is cooperating fully. She is now Artoria's Chancellor, helping her to govern while leaving the people facing tasks for her."
-"To think they can actually get along…"
-"On they can do so only because of that guy."-Tamamo pointed at me with a smile.-"He is Justiciar that both of them appointed. If not for him acting as an intermediary, neither would have even spoken to each other."
-"And you knew this how?"-Mordred asked.
-"Her Patron."-I looked at the fox woman.-"She is a host for a god, quite powerful at that."
-"Yes. My Lady asked this poor girl to watch you."
-"Hey, you talked about war, care to tell more?"-A young child asked me.
-"You are?"
-"Alexander of Macedonia, son of Zeus."
-"Pleasure to meet you. As for war…"-I started to describe what happened and how the war progressed.
Soon, Chiron, who was resummoned by Fiore and Okita Souji, who was summoned by one of two unfamiliar to me masters, also joined the conversation. They asked some questions, focusing on champions such as the Knights of the Round Table, interested in the lives of heroes renown through the ages.
As the conversation continued, I got to know all the faces that were new. Okita Souji was already introduced, but her master, Gray, was someone who sat quietly, face covered with a hood, but I could feel her eyes on me nonstop. When I looked at her, she would avoid my gaze, as if afraid of something.
Aside from her, there was Ritsuka, a cheerful girl with red hair, accompanied by quiet girl named Mash. Ritsuka summoned Katou Danzou, who sat silently on the side, her eyes locked at me, ready to strike if ordered. Reines was Alexander's master, while the trio of Rin, Luvia, and Sakura summoned Red Archer, Tamamo, and Child-like Medusa, respectively. Aside from them, there was one more person who called themselves Lucius, but I felt that he looked familiar under the cloak.
But it was not my place to meddle, so I just talked with everyone casually, not trying to dig deep. We didn't focus on things like their organization or my purpose, just talking about what happened and other such matters. Such a conversation continued for a few hours, allowing us to catch up, though the distance due to our current positions still remained. When it was time to end, I stood up and smiled slightly.
-"It was a pleasure, but it's time for me to leave."
-"Here is your item."-Ozymandias waved his hand, and a few broken stone tablets appeared next to me.-"Something of my friend and brother, it once carried word of God, so I believe it'll satisfy your needs."
-"It's perfect."-I nodded and took it away.
-"Eno."-Mordred stood in my way.-"Mind having a bout?"
-"You want to fight me?"
-"We."-Atalanta stood by her side.-"You are the right hand of that Lion King, right? By capturing you, we'll be able to force her…"
-"I advise you to stop with this idea. The Lion King won't negotiate; she would just destroy you. Not to mention…"-I looked at all of them.-"…you are not enough to capture me."
My words were taken as a clear provocation, resulting in more Servants rising up. I glanced at Ozymandias, who smiled and waved his hand. Few soldiers stepped forward, leading us to a place in the desert where we could fight freely. So now, I stood opposite 10 Servants ready for battle.
I looked at their formation: one Lancer, Caster, and Assassin, two Sabers and Riders, three Archers. Not a bad combination, but the lack of more casters made them ill-suited to fight against more mages. As such, I planned to exploit that. I created a crystal sword and spear, stepping forward while speaking softly.
-"I'll leave my back to you, Otto."
-"Sure. I'll show how I got my title of Witch King."-He appeared behind, Leithanian music already sounding around.
I just smiled, markings of Night Warrior lighting up on me.
~"Anu'dora!"~With a battle cry, I lunged forward, disappearing with a glimmer of magic.
When I reappeared, I was already in the middle of their formation, my spear millimeters from Astolfo's heart, while my sword cut through Tamamo's kimono, drawing blood in the process. Despite my attack being successful, they weren't heroes for no reason, so I could already see three different attacks heading in my direction, but I let them be, continuing my attack while simply speaking.
~"Cease."
And the world responded, instantly stopping all movement. My Decree acing as a Law they had to heed, making all their attacks freeze mid air. In that moment, reached Tamamo, my sword lightly tracing a wound on her neck, signaling her 'death' . I didn't want to harm them much, so this had to be enough. Feeling that my Decree was about to stop working, I disappeared from there.
This time, I appeared in the air, floating above everyone. I instantly pointed my sword downward, the clouds of Rain of Stars forming around. Otto also made his move, the desert around us turning into a storm of sand and dust. Soon, rows of figures started to form, an army of sand soldiers. He took a slight inspiration from my Remembrance; now that he lacked followers, he just made new ones himself. He ordered them to attack, a wave of meat shields to buy us more time.
With the sand soldiers and falling stars attacking them, the remaining 9 servants had to divide their attention to deal with them. They couldn't just use big attacks left and right, being restricted by their masters' magic reserves, even if they had support from their organization. This was a contrast to me, who had access to both my reserves but also those of the Planet, not to mention the ability to crystalize the surroundings to recover.
And I leveraged this advantage to create a great amount of Originium Glintstone dust around me, making it form two dragons. Those two joined the fray with a roar, each easily rivalling a high-ranking Servant. But this still won't be enough to finish this fight, so I started to prepare for one spell to end this once and for all.
Gathering all the magical power around in one spot just beneath the battlefield, bringing it to just before critical mass. When there was enough energy gathered, I fused one of the favorite sorceries of His Highness Radahn, the Blades of Stone, with the Catastrophe that I was triggering due to the sudden crystallization of the gathered magic energy into Originium Glintstone, finally breaking past the criticality.
What followed was a violent eruption of crystal shards from below the ground, each like a blade trying to cut or pierce everyone in range. With the addition of disrupted gravity due to my spell, all remaining Servants quickly got buried by the crystals; none were dead, but they got quite mangled. The Catastrophe lasted for a few more minutes, finally ending naturally after the area with a radius of about ten kilometers was destroyed.
When the dust settled, everyone could see a crystal wasteland with two dragons flying around. I landed slowly on one of the crystal pillars that now rose from the ground, looking around at the destruction I caused. But I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. My attack power was nothing to scoff at, but compared to my current power, it was still lacking.
I could easily use spells of strategic level, be it Anti-Fortress or Anti-City, but I have few skills that could reach the Anti-Country, let alone Anti-Planet or Anti-World. Even if I can inflate their power with my magic power, the cost quickly became absurd, so using them that way is improbable. But that was something I was already working on resolving, to take a step past the Grand classification into the Planetary class.