Souma whispered, "Listen, the evening bell has revealed your name!"
The strongest assassination technique of the Grand, combined with the Star Holy Sword, would unl eash the power to slay all.
"With a mortal body, I tread into the domain of gods—offering this flesh as sacrifice!"
Souma's entire body seemed to burst into raging flames—
"Platinum·The World!"
He transformed himself entirely into fire, recklessly igniting everything he was.
The entire Reality Marble suddenly froze.
Time itself seemed to pause at this moment.
Even the Umbral Star's vanguard's light of destruction descended at an agonizingly slow pace.
Souma swung the Star Holy Sword toward his foe: "Illuminate the sky, ignite hope, forge the path to the future!"
"Sever bonds! Sever fate! Sever karma!"
BOOM!
The Star Holy Sword, blazing with the fire of civilization, slashed toward the enemy with boundless flames.
Under this strike—
The Umbral Star's vanguard's light of destruction was cleaved apart midair with overwhelming force.
This time, it was no longer about severing a contract or bestowing humanity upon the foe.
Instead, the towering, several-kilometer-tall body of the Umbral Star's vanguard was utterly obliterated by this single slash!
Countless fragments scattered.
The Umbral Star's vanguard had been defeated—by Souma, in a direct confrontation!
Countless voices erupted in cheers—
-[Holy shit, he actually won! Defeating the Umbral Star's vanguard head-on—Nameless is OP!]
-[Human civilization shall pass the torch, enduring for eternity!]
-[We won! We are the champions! At this moment, Nameless is truly the invincible king!]
-[Am I really going to die here? Logically speaking, shouldn't I have been defeated by Nameless?]
-[Having my body shattered is nothing more than a trivial matter—there's no way I'd perish from just this!]
...
In Egypt, within the Radiant Great Temple.
Ramesses II stood frozen in shock: "Did he really just defeat the Umbral Star's Vanguard head-on?"
Damn, that's just too insane!
An incomprehensible level of strength!
Even he, hailed as the King of Kings, the earthly incarnation of the sun god Ra, had not the slightest confidence in achieving such a feat.
After all, even Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes—who was both his peer and close ally—had merely played a supporting role in this battle.
Defeating the Umbral Star's Vanguard outright was simply impossible!
Nitocris, too, was awestruck: "Nameless truly is formidable. Only by wielding the Holy Sword of the Stars and executing a true Grand Assassination Technique could he strike down his foe in a single slash!"
"Indeed."
King Hassan's eye sockets flared with intense flames.
Though his expression remained unreadable, the other two could clearly sense his satisfaction.
Nitocris understood perfectly.
Among the Assassins, none had ever truly inherited the mantle of the Grand Assassin.
This left the old man as the sole representative of his class among the Seven Grand Servants, with no successor to take his place.
It was both an unparalleled honor and a profound sorrow.
Retirement was simply not an option!
But now, Nameless—who had learned the Grand Assassination Technique from him—stood as humanity's mightiest guardian.
Fully worthy of protecting human history.
A disciple the old man could proudly boast about to anyone.
Ramesses II scoffed, "Nothing special."
Despite his words, the envy in his tone was unmistakable.
Why, among all heroic spirits, was he the one to stand out so brilliantly?
Then—
A sudden anomaly occurred.
At the center of the Umbral Star's Vanguard's shattered, kilometer-long body, a black hole abruptly manifested.
Every last fragment was swallowed whole.
A dreamlike, multicolored radiance bloomed.
As the light gradually dimmed, the figure reformed—into that of a human.
The very same scourge who, over a thousand years ago, had galloped across the steppes and struck terror into the hearts of Europe—
Attila the Hun!
Her beautiful eyes gazed at him with complex emotions. "I… actually lost?"
Even as the enemy destined to annihilate civilizations, she had been fairly and squarely defeated.
Her original human consciousness had now completely overwritten the cold, mechanical will.
"Welcome back, Attila."
Souma smiled and extended his hand to her. "Even if dark clouds blot out the sun, I will burn the skies to show you the way home."
This was the girl he truly knew.
Back then, he had personally taught her—culture, swordsmanship, and more.
He had watched her grow from naivety to maturity.
Witnessed her rise to the glory of founding a vast empire, then fade into old age and death.
He had been there for every step of her life.
Just like Qin Shi Huang, she was one of his proudest disciples.
Attila longed to embrace him, but her arms fell limply to her sides.
As the enemy of civilization, she had no right to do so.
"All I know is battle. All I bring is destruction. I'm incapable of anything else."
Her expression grew even more desolate. "Tell me, Teacher… do I even deserve to live alongside humanity?"
She was different from the Evils of Humanity.
The Evils of Humanity were love twisted to its extreme—love that became the destruction of mankind.
From the very beginning, He was created for the sole purpose of destroying humanity.
As a weapon of annihilation, after being defeated, He no longer had any reason to continue existing.
Facing His inquiry,
Souma smiled and replied, "You were merely a weapon before, a tool that obeyed the [Wandering Star]. No matter how powerful the weapon or how many lives it took, the fault lies solely with the wielder."
Indeed, He had been nothing more than a weapon before, devoid of any self-awareness.
Everything had been a pre-programmed directive by the [Wandering Star], forcing Him to fight endlessly like a machine.
No matter how terrifying a weapon may be, its true nature depends on who wields it.
Now,
He wanted to take control of this weapon and make it protect humanity!
This was the fundamental reason why Souma hadn't destroyed Him, but instead sought to awaken His human heart.
Under the gaze of that smile,
"I only know how to kill. Like a silent, heartless machine. This is what I was shaped to be."
The Wandering Star's vanguard trembled as He reached out, "And yet... I've begun to wish... that these hands made only for destruction... could learn to love, to embrace..."
After severing the contract that bound Him to the [Wandering Star], He had gradually regained His human consciousness.
He wanted to transform from a mere weapon into a true human being!
Countless memories of their time together surged violently through His mind.
The warmth of being held in Souma's arms during the cold.
Being shielded behind Souma's back when facing bandits and wolves.
Being tenderly cared for by Souma during times of illness.
Being personally trained in swordsmanship by him and learning cultural heritage alongside him.
Countless little moments, all of them, became vividly clear in her mind at this moment.
"You are the enemy of civilization's destruction, the inevitable obstacle on its path to the future, yet also the path civilization must tread."
Souma held her slender hand and said, "Our goal is the stars and the sea. We must endure the cruel laws of the dark forest of the universe, and you are but one of them."
"Destruction to the extreme is rebirth!"
After the enemy of civilization's destruction descended, humanity united as never before.
The flames of civilization burned fiercely, bringing humanity a future brighter and more boundless than ever.
To live by facing death!
"So... you mean I can stay here?"
The girl petite face was filled with disbelief.
The more human she became, the closer she grew to humanity, the more she feared being cast out.
Had she never seen the light, she would never have known loneliness.
But now—
Having been defeated by him, having personally experienced the beauty and happiness of being human, having witnessed the dazzling splendor of human civilization—
She could no longer bear to live alone in solitude.
Because,
Humans are, after all, social creatures!
"Of course! Please, stand with me to protect humanity, to turn this imperfect world into the one everyone hopes for."
Souma's smile grew even brighter. "Protection and inheritance—this is human civilization, where the flames of the torch burn eternally!"
The girl before him had completely shed her identity as a Seifar, transforming into a true Heroic Spirit of humanity.
"Thank you, Master... Then I shall forever answer your expectations. Beyond destruction, I will strive to do my best!" The Seifar responded with heartfelt gratitude.
"Then, Seifar, this is the moment to bid farewell to your past. Abandon all that came before."
Souma placed his hand atop her head. "From this day forth, your name shall be Attila. Fight to protect humanity, and may all that is beautiful be blessed!"