The jewels on the hilt, each representing a Knight of the Round Table, flared with brilliance as the Star-Holy Sword finally unveiled its true form.
"This is the fight that saves the world," Kawashima Toya said, his voice steady and resolute.
"Excalibur!"
A magnificent pillar of golden light erupted toward the heavens, surging toward Cthugha with enough force to cleave the sky.
The Scorched Wasteland
The earth trembled as the shockwaves of the collision tore through the parched desert.
"Foolish," the radiant sphere of fire whispered.
A terrifying surge of hellish flames erupted from Cthugha to meet the golden light.
The clash of the holy radiance and the Living Flame created a stalemate that defied logic. To Toya's surprise, the inferno held its ground, completely stalling the full power of the Star-Holy Sword.
Something is wrong.
Toya activated his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. A flicker of power from Cthugha's true cosmic form became visible, shielding the avatar.
No wonder Nyaruko said she was cheating. I can't break through that divine protection with raw power alone.
He knew that once this strike faded, he would be left in a state of total exhaustion. Even with the power of Hyper Kabuto, he couldn't compete with a Great Old One in a war of attrition. Cthugha sensed the golden radiance beginning to flicker and prepared to counter.
"O, deluded Savior. Thou shalt pay the forfeit of thy choice with thy very life."
The brilliant orb began to dim, revealing a surface that bubbled with solar flares.
The outer shell cracked, and from within emerged a mass of flame-like flesh topped with seven horns, radiating a heat that made the previous temperature seem mild.
Waves of heavy, crushing fire lunged at Toya, threatening to swallow him.
I still have one chance.
Toya gripped the hilt tightly, his eyes locked on the deity.
The world and the Root are on my side. Even the sun itself supports me. How could I possibly lose?
He slowly lowered the glowing blade and let out a soft chuckle. "So you're using cheats, huh? Fine. Cthugha, let's settle this in the past."
He pressed the trigger on the device at his waist.
"Hyper Clock Up!"
The temporal wings on his back flared with a blinding brilliance.
The ripples of space-time grew stronger, glowing with a divine solar radiance. In an instant, Toya vanished, stepping back into the past.
.....
Kuuko waited in the present, staring at the spot where Toya had disappeared. She began a quiet countdown. "Three... two... one."
Nearby, Nyaruko was visibly anxious. Darling, you can do it!
As the three seconds concluded, Toya reappeared in his Hyper Kabuto form.
Crack.
A sound like breaking glass echoed through the air as the sliver of divine power—the protection that should have been eternal—began to dissolve into dark light.
"What?" Cthugha gasped.
Memory after memory suddenly flooded her mind. The images were monotonous, enough to drive a normal person to despair. It was a single, repeating loop: Toya, using Hyper Clock Up to travel to the past, swinging the Star-Holy Sword over and over.
Once, twice...
A million times. Ten million times.
Toya had lost count of how many times he had unleashed the sword's true name.
Each time, the divine protection had blocked him.
But his resolve never wavered. He simply stayed in the past, striking the exact same point across history. Through that sheer, infinite repetition, the shard of divine power was finally ground down into nothingness.
Returning to the present, Toya stood with the Star-Holy Sword in hand. His voice was calm, almost conversational.
"Are you ready to admit defeat?"
His voice was quiet, but to Cthugha, it was more imposing than the light of the sword itself.
"I lose," Cthugha whispered. Even her true body beyond the stars acknowledged the defeat.
"Good," Toya nodded. "Don't do that again. Cheating makes for a boring trial."
He felt the support of the world fading. Traveling through time and unleashing Excalibur so many times had been a massive gamble. If he hadn't received permission from the Root, the sun, and the world itself, he would have been erased by the weight of causality.
Toya deactivated his transformation, revealing his usual self. He looked down at the Hyper Zecter in his hand.
"It's time for you to go back."
The mechanical beetle chirped at him before vanishing into a rift in time.
A shame it was only a one-time use, Toya thought.
The oppressive heat vanished instantly. A cool, refreshing breeze returned to the world, and across the globe, people cheered as the nightmare finally ended.
"I'm heading back," Toya said, glancing at the two goddesses. "You two can finish your chat."
He disappeared from the wasteland in a flash.
.....
The Heavens
High above, the Principal watched the scene with a smile.
"Impressive. He actually managed to beat Cthugha."
He stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Now, I suppose it's my turn to step onto the stage. What excuse should I use? Ah, I have it. A mortal has overstepped the boundary between man and god. I'll call it divine retribution for his insolence."