Feeling that silver-white pillar of light—something that even posed a genuine threat to her—Ophis couldn't help thinking every Heroic Spirit summoned this time had hidden depths. Each of them possessed a terrifying trump card.
Beside her, Ishtar's mouth twitched.
"That thing… feels insanely lethal to gods. And… especially effective against mothers…"
"Teardrop Photon Ray can be released at most five times," Altera said. "Master should prepare quickly."
Ophis nodded.
Teardrop Photon Ray wasn't like the crimson lotus saint. La Pucelle manifested as flame, which could be deliberately shaped into a binding attack. Teardrop Photon Ray, however, was raw destructive force—its savage, uncontrollable nature obvious even from afar.
Altera was already pushing herself to the limit just to guide and lock it onto Tiamat. Adjusting its output form was impossible. All she could do was pour everything into pure devastation.
The damage to Tiamat was greater—Ophis could feel how exceptionally effective that energy was against her, and how difficult her wounds were to heal—but no matter how many times it struck, it couldn't truly kill Tiamat.
In other words…
Aside from firing five shots in a row to buy perhaps ten minutes, Altera's attack served no other purpose.
Well. Asking someone specialized in destruction to stall something they couldn't destroy… she shouldn't expect too much.
"I'll ask anyway—Ishtar. Do you still have your Bull of Heaven?"
The Bull of Heaven Ophis and Enkidu had destroyed earlier was merely an avatar. If the real body appeared, it could transform Mesopotamia into a desert within moments. Even Ishtar wasn't reckless enough to do that.
Which meant the bull should still be with Ishtar.
It could freely alter its size. At its largest, it could wrestle Tiamat head-on—stalling the Mother Goddess for hours.
It would severely damage Uruk, but better that than annihilation.
Except… Ishtar's expression turned awkward.
"Uh…"
"Forget it. The moment I considered relying on you as my last hope, I knew it was impossible. Pretend I never asked."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?! I mean, sure, I can't find Gugalanna either, but—"
Ishtar's protest began furiously but dwindled to a mumble.
Everyone behind them wore the same dead, speechless look. When Ophis mentioned the Bull of Heaven, a spark of hope had flared—memories of Gugalanna's legendary strength.
Then Ishtar casually doused it with cold water.
Ophis shook her head.
Ishtar had a talent for failure at critical moments. In other words, at key times, she absolutely wasn't someone you could depend on…
That was why Ophis had never pinned her hopes on Ishtar to begin with. No hopes, no disappointments. And if she ever did come through, it would count as a pleasant surprise…
But it seemed there'd be no surprise today.
"Ishtar, you were slightly more reliable when you had your full goddess body…"
Ishtar's mouth twitched. She sighed.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll prove myself to you. We just need to blast Mother into the Underworld, right? Leave that part to me."
Ophis considered this.
"…Ishtar."
"Yeah?"
"Knocking Tiamat into the Underworld is the most critical part, you know?"
"I'll succeed! I will—absolutely!!"
Ishtar shouted, then shot straight into the sky.
Ophis tilted her head, suppressing the urge to prepare a backup plan… mostly because the pain had reached a level where she couldn't do anything else.
The fourth silver-white Teardrop Photon Ray fell. Altera was already breathing heavily.
"Do you have anything else?" Ophis turned to Ritsuka and the others.
At that moment, Lily stepped forward.
"Master. It's time to use that."
The wounds she'd sustained fighting Kingu had long since healed thanks to Medea. Now Lily's body and spirit were at their peak, her eyes fixed solemnly on Tiamat.
Hearing her, Ritsuka frowned.
"But if we use that, won't it…"
"It's fine." Lily smiled quietly, confident. "It won't be a problem now. People have to grow up eventually. I can't stay Lily forever, can I, Master?"
Another Lily had just made that choice, hadn't she…
Medea's gaze toward her had often felt peculiar, but that didn't lessen Lily's respect.
So Lily couldn't falter now either.
A king couldn't hide behind her vassals forever.
Ritsuka met Lily's unwavering gaze, then nodded solemnly.
"I understand. Then let's begin."
Lily smiled softly, raising the holy sword upright, tip toward the sky. Behind her, Ritsuka lifted her right hand. The crimson Command Spells blazed, aimed at Lily.
"BY MY COMMAND SPELL, I ORDER YOU—SABER. CLAIM VICTORY!"
One Command Spell vanished. In Lily's hands, radiance surged forth from the golden sword in a violent tide.
"BY MY SECOND COMMAND SPELL, I ORDER YOU—SABER. CLAIM VICTORY!"
Another mark disappeared. The sword's light intensified further as Lily raised it higher.
"BY MY FINAL COMMAND SPELL—I COMMAND YOU, SABER. SEIZE THE GLORY OF VICTORY!"
The Command Spells on Ritsuka's hand completely vanished, while the golden sword's brilliance enveloped all of Uruk.
"The Concept of Victory…" Ophis murmured.
A Servant's raw power might not rank highly compared to beings from certain worlds—but their conceptual abilities were genuinely broken.
Medea's reversal. Altera's god-slaying. Jeanne's flames annihilating evil.
And now—this.
Light gathered, compressing into the holy sword held by the young knight, becoming an enormous, dazzling beam of gold.
No decade-long hardship. No legend of undefeated glory.
Only a young girl's pure-hearted longing for victory—for the sake of protecting those she cherished.
Taking pride in holding that will aloft. Taking righteousness in upholding that belief.
The pure-white, still-untested knight-princess cried out the true name of the miracle in her hands.
"[CALIBURN]!"
GOLDEN SWORD OF THE VICTORIOUS
And she brought it down.
Golden light roared forth, striking Tiamat head-on. The torrent of radiance instantly engulfed her, leaving behind an enormous pillar of light piercing into the heavens. Yet that radiance did not obstruct Altera's final, fifth Teardrop Photon Ray—instead, it merged with it, unleashing power beyond simple addition.
"Incredible… As expected of Lily," Mash breathed, heat blasting against her.
"Yes. The glory of assured victory…" Even Romani sounded awed over the communicator. "Trying to calculate the damage is meaningless. From the moment it's swung, that light points unwaveringly toward victory."
At last, the pillar of light slowly faded.
Tiamat had completely stopped. Her body was covered in scorched marks, unrecognizable, and her ability to move—targeted and destroyed—was utterly gone.
Her self-healing hadn't disappeared, but golden streams of light clung to her wounds, blocking recovery.
They'd achieved their goal.
They'd bought time.
Lily smiled in relief.
In the next instant, the golden sword in her hands shattered with a clear, resonant crack.
---
T/N: :sob: