"I underestimated the power of that Outer God."
Athena's face was pale, tinged with a faint blush, her eyes still shimmering with unshed tears.
So powerful…
So powerful that even its generosity was beyond her capacity to endure!
If Souma hadn't arrived in time, she might have already descended into madness.
Indeed, she still needed to rely on this little man before her to experience sensations beyond her limits.
Souma asked, "We've successfully turned the Star-Swallowing Vanguard into an ally. Now, we need to figure out how to deal with your Primordial Father."
"Deal with him? Impossible. Our only option is to flee!" Athena's face grew even paler at the thought of his strength.
Even as a renowned chief deity, she was nothing more than an ant before him.
The Primordial Father had redefined the upper limits of divine power!
She bit her lip and whispered, "The Primordial Father was created by a great cosmic civilization from another universe. It absorbs the full energy of a star, transforming into an interstellar mothership—essentially a celestial space fortress, a Dyson Sphere!"
That was a genuine stellar-scale existence!
No matter how powerful the Star-Swallowing Vanguard was, it was merely planetary-level—utterly unworthy of comparison.
"A Dyson Sphere…"
Souma's expression turned grave.
That thing was on a whole other level of absurdity.
For example, everyone knew about solar panels—devices that converted sunlight into electricity.
A Dyson Sphere, however, was a structure designed with a diameter exceeding 200 million kilometers, completely encasing a star to serve as a colossal nuclear fusion reactor.
And the Primordial Father, Chaos, had essentially packed up a star and taken it with him as his personal power source!
Thus granting himself infinite energy!
Enough for endless cosmic voyages.
"Right now, the Primordial Father should be within the interstice of space-time. Its entry and exit points are likely located at the Sun."
Athena finally regained her composure, reverting to her usual elegant and dignified demeanor as a goddess.
She sighed softly and said, "However, human civilization possesses a wondrous energy entirely distinct from that of stars—it is the inevitable choice for the Primordial Father's complete restoration."
The power of civilization—this was the most inconceivable force in the entire universe, surpassing even the gods and all other sources of energy.
It was what drove the mothership of the equally divine-level civilization, the [Wandering Star], to scour the cosmos in search of it.
Upon discovering Earth, a seedbed of human civilization, they left behind the [Wandering Star's Vanguard], waiting to harvest it once the civilization matured!
"Human civilization... perhaps it's emotions?" Souma mused, recalling the transformation of the Wandering Star's Vanguard, Attila, and offering his own speculation.
The Machine Gods of Olympus and the Wandering Star's Vanguard—none of them possessed emotions.
Yet, after experiencing human emotions firsthand, they each underwent transformations into human forms.
Clearly.
For both the [Wandering Star] and the [Primordial Father],
Once human civilization reached its zenith, turning their hearts from boundless hope to boundless despair would generate a mysterious energy of unimaginable magnitude.
"Emotions? That must be it. Humans possess what could be called a unique 'heart,' making them the coveted prize for various cosmic entities."
Athena nodded. "The Demon God King clearly knew this, which is why he sought to incinerate human history."
The Demon God King Goetia's attempt to burn human history was also aimed at obtaining the colossal energy required to reverse time and return to Earth's birth 4.6 billion years ago.
In this regard, there was no difference between him and the [Wandering Star's Vanguard] or the [Primordial Father], who sought to harvest human civilization!
Athena paused before continuing, "In truth, the Primordial Father remains in slumber to this day. You should be more concerned about the entity slumbering in South America."
"Indeed, that one is about to awaken." Souma sighed helplessly.
That monstrous spider from Mercury had been summoned by Earth's will, [Gaia], with the intent to annihilate humanity.
To Earth, humans were nothing more than parasites—destroying them required no justification.
Moreover, it seemed the creature had arrived on Earth five thousand years ahead of schedule and had been dormant ever since.
Against such a terrifying entity, only Ultraman could stand a chance, right?
Athena said gravely, "According to the deductions of us Olympian gods, that Mercury Ultimate One, [ORT], may merely be a lesser form. Its true identity could rival the Primordial Father!"
"Rival the Primordial Father?" Souma's eyes widened.
That thing used stars as its energy source—who could possibly defeat it?
Consider this.
The [Sun God] was a formidable deity revered across various civilizations.
For instance, Egypt's [Ra], Olympus's [Apollo], and Japan's [Amaterasu], among others.
Even the mighty Beast of Humanity, the fox spirit Tamamo-no-Mae, was merely an aspect of the Sun God [Amaterasu], capable of wielding only a fraction of the sun's power!
"For now, it's just speculation. We cannot confirm its true identity."
Athena shrugged. "The only certainty is that once summoned by [Gaia], it will undoubtedly bring about humanity's destruction!"
Within the solar system,
When Earth's will, [Gaia], issued its call, only this terrifying entity from Mercury, ORT, responded—arriving on Earth a full five thousand years early.
It had slept for five millennia and was now gradually awakening.
Athena added, "As a side note, it's immune to your [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]. The concept of death does not apply to it."
"Immune..."
Souma was at a loss for words.
The [Mystic Eyes of Death Perception], capable of seeing the death of all things, was considered one of his strongest trump cards in battle—yet it was completely nullified!
Truly outrageous!
Since the concept of death didn't exist here, it seemed he had no choice but to call upon the old man once more.
Souma sighed inwardly.
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
He himself wanted nothing more than to retire and live out his days as an ordinary high school student.
That old man, King Hassan, had gone silent after sacrificing his Grand-class strike.
Clearly, he too wished to retire in peace.
Alas, the fight must go on...
...
Meanwhile.
Fuyuki Grand Hotel.
Mordred had deliberately dressed down a little, making herself appear more ordinary as she waited in the lobby to greet her little friend.
The gap in power could make relationships difficult.
Even if her friend didn't particularly mind the terrifying disparity between a Servant and a normal human, she still wanted to minimize it.
"If only Roya could become a Servant too."
Mordred sighed deeply at the thought.
If her friend were a Servant, they could truly be like sisters.
After a short wait.
Her little friend arrived right on time, and Mordred led her back to the presidential suite.
Gilgamesh, the owner of the hotel, watched the scene unfold: "Mischievous children are drawn to each other—such is the arrangement of fate!"
Swirling his glass of red wine, he smiled with amusement.
What's more terrifying than one mischievous child?
Two mischievous children!
Double the trouble—can you handle it?
Now these two were getting along like sisters, which spelled nothing but disaster for Souma!
"Tch, with these two troublemakers paying a visit, I wonder just how delighted my dear friend will be?"
Gilgamesh's lips curled into a grin, thoroughly entertained.
Using his Clairvoyance, he had caught a glimpse of the future—a scene where the two little ones would visit hand in hand.
The best part? Both troublemakers had been raised by Souma himself.
One during the twilight of the Age of Gods in Britain, the other in the modern 21st century.
Truly, he had dug his own grave.
How delightful.
After such a grueling battle, he deserved some entertainment.
Should he go and watch the show too?
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the hotel.
Roya greeted them nervously: "It's an honor to meet you, King Arthur... and Sir Gawain."
After all, she was just an ordinary, powerless human—being in the presence of these two legendary heroes was more than a little intimidating.
"Welcome," Artoria said with a gentle smile.
Love me, love my dog.
Since the other party treated her like a child, she naturally made an effort to show more care.
Mordred held her little friend's hand and said, "Don't be shy, just treat this place like your own home."
"Mm, thank you, noble Heroic Spirits."
Roya grew even more moved.
These mighty Heroic Spirits were truly so approachable, treating even a little girl like her with such kindness.
It seems I really must have saved the world in my past life!
Gawain stood by the bed, basking in the warm sunlight, his gaze shifting between the three in the room.
Was it just his imagination?
Why did it suddenly feel like His Majesty was showing more favor to this ordinary little girl than even Mordred?
This was practically doting on her like a real daughter!
As the invincible knight under the sun, his intuition was equally formidable—he couldn't possibly be mistaken.
But why?
That guardian treated Roya like a daughter, and King Arthur also seemed to regard her as one.
Who else could make His Majesty act this way?
A bold thought abruptly surfaced in Gawain's mind!
After eliminating all impossibilities, the truth could only be one—
"Could it be that Roya's guardian, that student representative who welcomed us Heroic Spirits, is actually Nameless in his youth?"
Once he deduced this conclusion,
a faint shudder ran through his body, instantly clarifying why His Majesty had been disappearing so often lately.
She must have been sneaking off to meet Nameless, right?
Gawain gave Mordred, who was currently bickering with King Arthur, a strange look.
She had met Souma several times, yet never saw through his true identity—poor Mordred!
Just like that French saintess who claimed to be blessed by [God], pitiable to the extreme.
Soon, Mordred pulled Roya into her own room.
Gawain also clearly sensed King Arthur's aura shift slightly—another sign she had slipped out of the hotel unnoticed.
After a while,
Gawain saw the two preparing to leave and asked curiously, "Huh? Where are you two off to?"
"Nothing much, just going to her place to hang out," Mordred replied casually.
"!!!"
Gawain instantly perked up.
Earlier, His Majesty had already left—most likely heading to that very home.
And now Mordred was about to go there too. If the two met—
It's happening! The moment he'd been waiting for!
Hadn't he traveled all the way to China just to witness this heartwarming father-daughter reunion—
Ahem, no, it was for the sake of Britain's future, to seek China's assistance!
He, the radiant and righteous Sun Knight, was no mere spectator who reveled in drama!
Suppressing his excitement, Gawain smiled and said, "Go on, then. Just be careful not to cause any trouble."