Just as Kawashima Toya was wondering why he felt so sleepy, a long-lost system notification suddenly chimed.
The gentle breeze of Avalon—the Everdistant Utopia, the land of eternal tranquility—suddenly whipped into a majestic, boundless storm. A dazzling pillar of light descended instantly, enveloping Toya within its radiance.
To the side, Merlin noticed the anomaly and laughed helplessly. "Oops. I forgot to tell him the most important part."
"Well, this is interesting. It seems to be connected to the world known as Little Garden."
"The Type-Moon World and Little Garden... King, you're going to be busy."
Merlin shrugged, deciding to let it go. The connection between the worlds was already established; there was nothing she could do about it now.
Moments later, Toya opened his eyes. A majestic, boundless aura swept out in all directions.
"Infinite energy..."
Toya tentatively threw a punch to test his new power. The surface-level ability of the Third Perpetual Motion Machine manifested instantly.
Its definition was a paradox: "The Gift to Shatter the Heavens and Earth" and "The Gift to Shatter All Gifts."
BOOM!
The air exploded. The force of the punch punched a massive, gaping hole straight through the clouds in the distant sky.
"Stop!" Merlin's eyes widened in horror as she shouted. "King! Don't attack again!"
"If you do, Avalon will be destroyed!"
"Destroy Avalon? How is that possible..." Toya trailed off, suddenly recalling the conceptual nature of the Third Perpetual Motion Machine.
It possessed the power to shatter the cosmology itself.
As the heart of the Type-Moon World, Avalon was, in a sense, a vital anchor of human history.
If he accidentally shattered Avalon, the consequences would be unthinkable.
At best, the organization known as Chaldea—dedicated to correcting the Human Order—would show up with a horde of Heroic Spirits to gang up on him.
At worst, the Counter Force would summon countless Guardians from human history and the Age of Gods to annihilate him.
He was strong, but facing an army of Heroic Spirits from all of history? His only option would be to run.
And even then, escape might be impossible.
Toya glanced around nervously. After confirming that no one from Chaldea had appeared, he let out a breath. "That didn't create a Singularity, did it?"
"What do you think?" Merlin retorted, looking exasperated. "Luckily, you only threw one punch. Otherwise, someone would definitely come to investigate the 'Avalon Singularity'."
"You've bought your item. Now, let's start training."
"Remember: do not use that power again."
"Chaldea and the Human Order are not to be trifled with."
Merlin snapped her fingers, and an ancient arena materialized out of thin air.
Li Shuwen, dressed in traditional martial arts attire, slowly materialized. He chuckled, "Savior, the commotion you caused was quite significant."
"The Counter Force almost issued a mission for the Heroic Spirits to resolve the anomaly of Avalon nearly shattering."
Toya laughed sheepishly. "Sorry. I was testing a new ability and couldn't control my strength for a moment."
He didn't know much about the Little Garden world; he only knew that the Third Perpetual Motion Machine provided infinite energy.
He had overlooked its conceptual application: the "Code: Unknown" composed of two contradictory paradoxes.
That was why a single punch nearly shattered the utopia, almost exposing the Isolated Island to the outside world.
"Savior, your strength has now surpassed this old man's," Li Shuwen said solemnly.
"For the sake of training, please do not use power that exceeds standard specifications."
Toya nodded. "Master Li, that was just an accident. I definitely won't use it again."
One punch almost summoned the Counter Force and Chaldea. Another punch, and Fujimaru Ritsuka would probably show up with an army of Servants to fix the Singularity.
"I must admit, I am envious," Li Shuwen sighed, then his aura surged. "Savior, the burden on your shoulders is heavy."
"Remember, you must never slack off!"
"You are strong now, but the strong are as numerous as the stars. A single moment of carelessness can send you plummeting into the abyss."
"Today, this old man will teach you the most important lesson."
"When facing an enemy, go all out. Show no mercy."
As he finished speaking, Li Shuwen threw a punch filled with terrifying killing intent, carrying the power to shatter the earth.
Toya countered with a strike of his own, his aura just as formidable.
However, his killing intent was far weaker than Li Shuwen's.
.....
After an indeterminate amount of time, Toya stopped fighting.
He sensed it was time for him to leave. He clasped his fists and bowed to Li Shuwen. "Master Li, I will take my leave now!"
"Take care!"
Li Shuwen nodded, watching Toya vanish.
"What an astonishing individual. Given ten years, he will surely surpass this old man in every way."
"In the way of martial arts, he will undoubtedly reach my level."
Merlin appeared silently beside him, chuckling softly. "Isn't that only natural?"
"Aside from being King Arthur, he is also the Savior."
"His future status is unimaginable."
.....
Reality.
Back in his room, Toya felt the power surging within him, bringing an unprecedented sense of security.
"This is the state a Savior should be in."
With the power of the Third Perpetual Motion Machine, he now had infinite energy. He could unleash his Noble Phantasms limitlessly, anytime, anywhere.
With the two conceptual Gifts, he was essentially invincible in close combat.
"The Evil Gods at the North and South Poles..."
"I wonder just how strong they are?"
Toya felt a surge of anticipation.
Now, he possessed the power to punch the polar regions right out of the world.
Although Evil Gods were said to be unbeatable by anyone other than divinities, overcoming this trial was a necessity for him as a human.
Facing an Evil God early and understanding the gap between them would be a huge help for his future.
Toya went to the dining room, ready to eat, but was surprised to find everyone gathered there.
"Eh? None of you have eaten yet?"
"No," Nyaruko shook her head gently, her expression serious. "Darling, news came from Kyon-kyon country."
"In the Mount Kunlun range, they excavated a ruin known as the Emerald Spire."
"It is expected to open in seven days, allowing entry for exploration."
"The Emerald Spire?" A sharp glint flashed in Toya's eyes. "The abode of the Old Deity?"
"Could there be remnants of Immortals and Divine Spirits inside?"
He remembered that this world was only slightly special.
Although monsters and ghosts existed, it definitely shouldn't have reached the level where high-ranking Deities resided.
Nyaruko noticed Toya's confusion and explained, "The origin of this Emerald Spire is very strange."
"Even the perception of the Crawling Chaos was blocked; I couldn't see into its depths."
"Based on Kuuko's and my judgment, this Emerald Spire might be the work of the Eastern Pantheon."
Toya rubbed his chin, his voice deepening. "Not an ordinary ruin, but something from a mythological faction?"
"That makes things tricky."
The goals of the ancient Eastern Pantheon were too vague; no one knew what they were planning.
Back when he almost became the embodiment of Divine Will, he had sensed for a brief moment the past actions of the Eastern Gods.
He had been so shocked he couldn't speak for a long time.
The ancient Eastern Pantheon was planning something massive—something that seemed to involve all mythologies.
And it included him.
Although he had quickly left the state of Divine Will, he knew one thing for sure: he played a very important role in their plan.