"....ust is waking up?!"
"Huh?" Zenkichi blinked and he looked up to see Envy in a different position than she was before time rewound. Her face was flushed, her gaze unfocused, and her movements erratic. It was as if something had shaken her to her very core.
'The shadow hands are....disappearing?' He then looked down to find the thousands of shadow hands turning transparent, with some dissolving into ethereal wisps of black mist.
The oppressive feeling in the air slowly faded.
He glanced back at Envy, who now seemed far from the composed, malevolent force she'd been moments ago. Her flushed face and trembling posture were utterly at odds with her usual insane demeanor.
She was struggling, her hands clenched into fists, her entire body tense as though battling an invisible force.
"What's happening to her?" Quetzalcoatl asked, her tone cautious, as her sharp eyes stayed locked on Envy. "Something's... different about her. She's weakened, that I am sure, but... something else is off about her."
Zenkichi nodded, "Sure looks like it. But nonetheless, this is the perfect opportunity! Big sis, let's attack!" He then used Empathy to communicate with the others to ignore the shadow hands and concentrate all their attacks on Envy.
Quetzalcoatl narrowed her eyes. "Strange. Why do I have a strange sense of déjà vu?"
She contemplated for a brief moment and shook her head.
"Eh, it's probably nothing. ¡Luchemos!"
Zenkichi clenched his left hand, bright golden flames enveloped his iron-cladded fist as he simultaneously activated his Vollständig—the flames gained a cyan-like hue, radiating even greater intensity.
With his iron-clad body aglow and his wings spread wide, Zenkichi shot forward like a blazing comet and threw a straight punch towards Envy. The fiery embers that radiated from him, cracked the air and turned the sky momentarily golden.
"Celestial Extinction!"
Boom!
It was as if a massive tornado of golden flames had erupted on impact, tearing through the remaining layers of shadow hands surrounding Envy with overwhelming force.
The searing vortex surged forward, consuming everything in its path, leaving scorched earth and dissipating shadows in its wake.
"Everyone! Do you like scorching winds?!"
Quetzalcoatl cried out from above. The skies boomed as hundreds of lightning bolts struck down Envy as rain began to fall, sizzling upon contact with the golden flames still raging below, the raging wind helped intensify the flames.
Zenkichi and the others looked up to see Quetzalcoatl riding what seems to be a large bird, a Quetzalcoatlus to be precise.
"Quetzalcoatl, bring us victory!"
Funny enough, the Quetzalcoatlus she was riding was called "Quetzalcoatl" and a member of the Phantasmal Species on a Phantasmal to Divine Beast level, which is also far more powerful than the Quetzalcoatlus that actually lived in the Cretaceous period.
The Quetzalcoatlus is known as the largest flying animal in history. During the moment of its True Name release, the mounted Quetzalcoatl is able to perform the manipulation of large-scale lightning strikes, summoning intense winds and rains. The speed of this creature is also extremely high, easily surpassing even the latest and fastest modern jet fighters.
This creature became the reason why Quetzalcoatl can be summoned in the Rider Class.
"Mash! Protect us!"
"Yes, Master!"
Just as Quetzalcoatl was about to fire bomb Envy, Gudako quickly called out for Mash to unleash her noble phantasm to protect them from the incoming devastation. Mash nodded firmly, planting her shield into the ground as radiant energy began to envelop her.
"Lord Chaldeas!"
A towering fortress of light materialized around Gudako and the others, its shimmering walls standing resolutely against the overwhelming power that was about to descend.
Gudako blinked, noticing some people missing. "Wait, where's Altria and Jaguarman?!"
Merlin chuckled and pointed upwards.
"Where do you think?"
The sky shone brightly as the sounds of a horse and a jaguar was heard.
"Holy Lance, removing restraints...!" Altria exclaimed as her horse, Dun Stallion, flew high up in the air, its radiant mane blazing like the dawn.
She held the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad high, its golden light intensifying as she prepared to unleash its full power.
"Kuku! You better be grateful and treat me to a feast later!"
Jaguarman's ever playful voice sounded as she appeared right beside Altria, riding on Mister Jaguar; both are in their serious forms—Jaguarman wearing her suit while Mister Jaguar transformed into its true gigantic Jaguar form.
She held out her spear up and an orange magical circle briefly appeared beneath her feet—a fiery aura exuded out of her body, and a gigantic flaming claw appeared over her.
Although she wasn't as strong as the other Divine Spirits, she is still a Divine Spirit—a God! As clumsy and airheaded she might appear to others, Jaguarman was not to be underestimated in battle.
She was a symbol of "War" and "Death"—granting a slight increase of overall physical strength and certain other skills of hers in a battle.
"Rhongomyniad!"
"Killer Technique, Great Death Claw!"
Boom!
It was as if a nuke had detonated in the skies above Kutha. The combined power of Celestial Extinction, Quetzalcoatl, Rhongomyniad and Great Death Claw created a blinding explosion of light and fire, shaking the very fabric of reality.
The air cracked as if it were glass and shattered, revealing kaleidoscopic fractures in space itself. The sheer magnitude of the combined assault tore through the battlefield, leaving a vast, glowing crater at the epicenter.
The kaleidoscopic fractures spiraled outward, distorting the air and sky, creating an otherworldly spectacle of shimmering light and refracted colors.
Gudako, Mash, Brunhilde and Ana looked up in shock and horror. The sheer force of the combined attack had not only obliterated everything in its path but also warped the very fabric of existence around them.
All the while Merlin, Fou and Ereshkigal watched it unfold with either curious or concerned expressions.
"....This shield can protect us, right?" Ana asked, pale-faced and trembling.
"O-Of course! Don't worry, Ana. Lord Chaldeas can withstand even the strongest Holy Sword in the world! Though it was the corrupted one..." Mash said, muttering the last one, her voice wavered slightly as she tightened her grip on her shield.
The towering barrier of light shimmered under the strain of the forces unleashed outside, cracks faintly appearing but holding firm.
"Isn't this too overkill?! I know we should get rid of Envy, but isn't this too much?!" Gudako exclaimed as she held Mash's waist tightly, trying not to get blown away—the latter blushed heavily.
To her shock however; Merlin, Brunhilde, and Ereshkigal shook their heads.
"No, when it comes to Her Majesty, it's easy to tell that she's holding back on using Rhongomyniad, or we would've all died. The power it holds and the range of its attack can rival the Strongest Holy Sword—Excalibur," Merlin said, his expression unusually serious.
"Rhongomyniad is a pillar of light that holds the world together. If Her Majesty had truly unleashed its full power, it wouldn't just be this city—it'd be the entire region wiped off the history map. This is her restrained version, believe it or not."
"No, we totally believe you..." Gudako, Mash, and Brunhilde simultaneously said. They could still clearly remember Goddess Rhongomyniad, the version of Altria that became a Goddess.
Ereshkigal then added, "Both Quetzalcoatl and Jaguarman are also not at their full power, so to speak. They are Gods from a distant land, they are essentially out of their elements. If we were in Eridu, they can probably do this much without even breaking a sweat."
Gudako exhaled sharply, still clinging to Mash for support. "A-As expected of Gods.... Fortunately you guys didn't fight all-out at us back then."
Brunhilde nodded in agreement and said, "True. And as for the matter of Zenkichi....well, he's been fighting for a while now. If he had fought her, when he was at his peak state, this battle might have been over much sooner."
Gudako gulped, feeling once more helpless that she couldn't do much to help her friends. "That makes sense....not really! He's supposed to be younger than me!"
(AN: Alright, to remind everyone again, Zenkichi is 16 years old. As for Gudako? In my headcanon, and probably some of the FGO fans as well, consider the MC of FGO to be at least 18 or 21 years old. Cause there's no way Chaldea would be so unprofessional and stupid to hire a minor in an important mission to save humanity....right??)
She then glances at Ereshkigal, Brunhilde, Merlin and Ana.
Both Ereshkigal and Brunhilde shrugged, either not knowing what to say or that she admits to not being at the same level as Zenkichi and the others.
Ana expressionlessly shook her head.
Merlin merely smiled.
".....Zenkichi, I hope you add some kind of anime shop in the group chat!" Gudako exclaimed.
.....
"Achoo! Ugh, what the fuck...?" Zenkichi sneezed and looked utterly confused, the golden-cyan flames surrounding his body flickered. "Did I catch a cold or something? I thought I don't get any sort of sickness or disease anymore..."
He shook his head and refocused his gaze on the crater below. Remnants of varying divine energies crackled and sparked across the battlefield, creating an otherworldly light show.
The air was dense, heavy with the lingering power of Quetzalcoatl's lightning, Holy aura from Altria's Rhongomyniad, destruction from Jaguarman's Great Death Claw, and dense heat from his own Celestial Extinction.
The ground was scorched black, and fractured space shimmered with residual kaleidoscopic fractures.
In the center of the devastation stood Envy—or what was left of her. Her body looked as if it were ravaged by a wild animal, missing body parts, blood and guts spilling out.
Yet her purple eyes still burned with defiance and rage.
"Damn it," Zenkichi muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Even after all of that, she's still standing?"
"I—"
Quelch!
Just as Envy took a step forward, she let out a sharp gasp—an arm pierced through her chest and was holding a....
beating black heart wrapped with thorns.
"My..."
"Yours? No, no. You merely carried my belongings—temporarily, as I did some important work." A deep, arrogant voice echoed throughout the entire ruined city.
Zenkichi and everyone's eyes widened.
Envy began to fall, turning into dust, and a tall figure stepped forward, pulling back his black hair while Envy's blood dripped down from his fingers.
He held a prideful smirk on his face as he placed the black heart in his mouth and said,
"Leader of the Ancient Monsters, the Monster that presides over Pride—Leon, has arrived!"
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
AN: Let us welcome back a fellow patron that had achieved One Above All status: Gilgamos! May you achieve greatness and prosperity in your future, and spread thy great wisdom to ye fellows.
On another news! The tournament arc is coming to a close and the training arc in the inner courtyard and then journey to the Sun Moon Empire is coming up next—the Holy Son will soon arrive to enlighten thy fools who perverted the dead.
Lastly, use this code: 97397 for 50% off on membership~ C'mon now, feel the spirit of Christmas~ Hohohoho~
P.S. There's going to be a surprise in the 24...or 25th? Depending on the timezone differences really.