The Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, cleared her throat softly. "Welcome, everyone, to my Underworld."
Her demeanor betrayed a hint of nervousness.
What could she do?
She was well aware that this was being broadcast live globally, and everyone could see her performance.
But that wasn't really important.
What mattered was that the Primordial Mother Goddess was standing right beside her!
Back then, it was she who had joined forces with Nameless, the King of Heroes, and others to blast Tiamat into the underworld, utterly defeating and banishing her to the imaginary number space!
Fortunately.
This time, the powerful Beast of Humanity, Tiamat, was her ally!
As an enemy, she brought despair to all.
But as an ally, she was an immense reassurance.
With a mother by your side, you were as precious as treasure.
Even facing the Umbral Star's vanguard, she had no fear!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the Umbral Star's vanguard was dragged into the underworld, countless bolts of lightning rained down upon it.
This was the underworld's automatic defense system.
Any enemy that dared intrude would be struck relentlessly.
Each bolt carried the power of Ishtar's Noble Phantasm.
A storm of lightning crashed down upon the invader.
Yet.
Just like before, when facing the Primordial Mother Goddess, the Umbral Star's vanguard remained unharmed.
The giant Altera's crimson eyes swept coldly across the surroundings. "Dragging me into the underworld? As the ultimate weapon of civilization's destruction, I possess the experience to fight on any battlefield!"
"Not just this insignificant underworld—even on the surface of the sun, I can wage endless war!"
Her flawless brown skin boasted defenses that defied all reason.
Harder than any substance on Earth.
Even the sun's surface temperature could not harm her in the slightest.
She could fight just as easily on Pluto, where temperatures neared absolute zero.
Extreme heat, extreme cold, the depths of the underworld, the heights of heaven—even the imaginary number space.
Her body was truly adaptable to all terrains, making her the undisputed enemy of civilization!
Souma smiled faintly. "Bringing you here was simply to avoid harming ordinary people."
Fighting in the mortal world…
Even with Qin Shi Huang's formidable defenses, it was impossible to shield everything perfectly.
After all, this was a battle between a Beast of Humanity and the enemy of civilization—a clash that surpassed even the gods.
A single misstep could sink entire continents, causing millions, even tens of millions, of casualties.
And every death would only fuel the enemy's power, allowing it to grow stronger with each passing moment.
The Umbral Star's vanguard would sustain itself through battle, growing ever more formidable.
Once it had consumed all of Earth's civilization, it would possess the terrifying power to self-destruct—destroying the entire planet with it!
Souma murmured softly, "Enkidu, fall back for now."
Clink—
The Chains of Heaven finally released their hold, swiftly retreating from the enemy.
Even with Tiamat's overwhelming reinforcement, Enkidu couldn't restrain the enemy for long.
This was the true enemy of civilization—if the chains had held any longer, they would have been torn apart by sheer force!
Exhausted, Enkidu transformed back into a golden belt, coiling around Souma's waist.
The immense strain had plunged him into deep slumber, rendering him unable to fight further.
But it was enough.
The battle ahead no longer required his intervention.
"Then, I shall destroy you all and consume this planet's civilization!" The freed giant Altera sneered.
Hum—
Her [Sword of Mars] once again radiated a dazzling rainbow light.
The gray-white desolate underworld was completely illuminated by its dazzling radiance, appearing as if in a dreamlike fantasy.
Under this annihilating brilliance.
Mash and Fou stood resolutely in front of Souma, preparing to block the incoming attack with their Noble Phantasm.
At that moment.
Gilgamesh stepped forward before everyone.
A golden vortex swirled before him, from which he drew a wildly spinning crimson sword.
None other than the mightiest Noble Phantasm—Ea!
"Star-Spangled Banner! This king bears no hatred toward you. You are the enemy of civilization's destruction, destined to obstruct our path toward an infinite future."
Holding Ea aloft, Gilgamesh pointed it at the enemy, declaring, "Human civilization has struggled fiercely from its fragile beginnings, embracing hope amidst despair. None shall truly defeat us!"
His Ea erupted with a crimson glow.
Just then.
The quietly standing Primordial Mother Goddess reached out and gently touched him.
A vast, ocean-like surge of magical energy poured into his body.
"Too much—it's overflowing!"
Feeling the immense magical energy coursing through him, Gilgamesh suddenly felt like weeping.
Boundless magical energy, coupled with a transmission speed surpassing that of the Holy Grail, allowed him to wield Ea's terrifying power with ease.
No longer would he be drained so easily.
From the end of the Age of Gods in Uruk to his manifestation as a Heroic Spirit in the present.
He had never fought a battle so abundantly resourced!
Having a mother is truly wonderful!
Tiamat wasn't just a magical [power bank]—she could also greatly enhance every ally on the battlefield.
Providing mana, healing, buffs, and all other enhancements, she was practically a mobile fountain!
Under the terrifying enhancements of the Primordial Mother Goddess.
Gilgamesh unleashed Ea's full power without hesitation—
"Narrate the genesis. At the dawn of creation, even the void offered its blessings."
"The sword that rends the world—my Ea!"
"The mortar that encircles the stars, the celestial hell is the end of the eve of creation!"
Gilgamesh gazed at the formidable Star-Spangled Banner and shouted, "Let your death bring an end to all—"
"Enuma Elish!"
A crimson pillar of light erupted from Ea, illuminating the entire underworld.
The world-rending blade clashed recklessly against the enemy's [Sword of Mars].
Under this collision.
The underworld's space groaned under the strain, emitting cracking sounds.
Like shattered glass, the surrounding underworld fractured violently, revealing the chaotic, disordered void of imaginary space.
Endless torrents of energy rampaged through everything around them.
Mash raised her shield without hesitation: "Manifest—"
"Lord Camelot!"
The magnificent walls of Camelot enclosed and protected everyone within.
Shielding them from the energy storm capable of tearing everything apart.
At the same time.
Ereshkigal also shouted: "The heavens have their abyss! The earth has its prison! My heel is the wrath of the underworld!"
Around the towering walls of Camelot, the underworld's terrain rapidly rose, forming massive boulders of underworld protection.
Ereshkigal plunged her Noble Phantasm into the ground, "Appear! Blazing Temple!"
"Kur Kigal Irkalla!"
Adding another layer of defense beyond Mash's protection.
A double-layered defense!
As the mistress of the underworld, her defensive capabilities here were no less than Mash and Fou's combined.
Don't forget.
Back in the Singularity, when Tiamat unleashed [Nega-Genesis], it was she who stubbornly blocked its spread!
Within these two layers of defense.
Souma, who had remained largely inactive until now, finally unleashed his full power.
An enormous furnace slowly materialized behind him.
It was as if he had summoned a volcano spewing molten lava, recklessly unleashing endless heat.
Now, he had reverted to being an ordinary blacksmith from a certain timeline, preparing once more to stoke the furnace and forge.
But this time.
It was no longer about tempering the blessings of gods to create a god-slaying weapon.
Instead, he would smelt the concepts of numerous Noble Phantasms to forge the Star Holy Sword of human civilization!
Not relying on heaven! Not relying on earth! Not relying on gods!
Purely through the brilliance of human civilization, he would forge the ultimate Holy Sword to oppose the enemy of civilization's destruction!
Hum~
Once again, a blank [Phantasm Summon Card] appeared in Souma's hand, initiating another dreamlike summoning.
But this time, it wasn't to summon versions of himself from various timelines.
Instead, it was to establish connections with the heroic spirits!
"I, as a guardian of human civilization, request the assistance of all heroic spirits!"
Souma raised the Install Card and declared loudly, "I beseech you, O heroic spirits, heed my call and lend me your strength!"
The oath and scene were nearly identical to those in [Oath in the Snow].
However.
The difference was,
This time, he was no longer fighting alone.
No longer forced to rely solely on himself in helpless solitude!
Once the summoning began.
[Alaya] instantly transmitted the call to each and every heroic spirit of humanity.
The first to respond to the call was none other than the King of Heroes.
Gilgamesh laughed and said, "Since it's a request from my adorable dear friend, this king shall lend you a hand!"
Without hesitation, he expended his spiritual foundation to create a conceptual projection of Ea and gently placed it before Souma.
A weapon's conceptual projection was equivalent to providing Souma with a blueprint for forging, allowing him to fully analyze it from start to finish.
Once Souma completely deciphered it, he could replicate and project it using projection magecraft.
The replica would possess power close to that of the genuine article.
Under the enhancement of the Reality Marble [Unlimited Blade Works], the counterfeit could even temporarily surpass the original!
The conceptual projection of Ea now lay before Souma.
It carried the concept of "tearing the world apart."
Comparable to the myth of Pangu's axe in China, it was once used to cleave heaven and earth.
But that wasn't all.
With the support of countless Noble Phantasms from [Gate of Babylon], its power could be further amplified.