The Demon God King Goetia, whose body had been collapsing and on the verge of destruction,
Now,
Yet, bathed in flames, it welcomed true rebirth and metamorphosis.
A transformation surpassing Demon Gods, surpassing the Demon God King, surpassing the Evils of Humanity, surpassing all existence on the entire planet!
It had achieved a true evolution of life itself.
Its spiritual foundation had already been erased from the Throne of Heroes.
But this was not the ultimate attainment of [Nothingness]—rather, it had engraved its spiritual foundation into the Root itself.
From this moment on, it was no longer bound by the two Counter Forces.
No.
Far from merely being unbound, it had clearly become a Counter Force itself—
[Gaia!]
It was on the verge of completing the ultimate metamorphosis, just like [God] and [The Enlightened One].
It would become an existence of eternal freedom and transcendence, one that no Heroic Spirit could ever harm.
Every spectator, even through their screens, could vividly sense that overwhelming might.
No—this was no longer a matter of mere strength.
It was akin to facing the entire world itself!
[No way… How is this possible? Goetia has grown even stronger again?]
[Becoming the planet's consciousness… That means the entire planet is under its control. Are we doomed?]
[Oh god, we humans live on this Earth—we can't just destroy it ourselves, can we?]
[We're finished! Who could have imagined it would achieve such a heaven-defying transformation?]
[The truth is finally revealed. It turns out that Goetia transformed into Gaia, forcing Nameless to restart the world!]
...
Modern Egypt.
Ramesses II wore an expression of utter disbelief: "This guy actually achieved the ultimate transformation?"
Even a top-tier Heroic Spirit as powerful as him stood no chance against this terrifying entity.
Too strong.
So strong it felt like facing the entire world!
No—right now, the other party was the world.
The consciousness of the very planet beneath their feet!
Humanity's so-called environmental protection was merely for their own benefit, ensuring the continuation of civilization for generations.
The idea of saving the Earth, rescuing the world—it was nothing but delusional nonsense.
Because.
The Earth didn't care about humanity at all. It didn't need saving!
The entirety of human civilization was nothing more than a tiny parasite to the planet.
Over its 4.6 billion years of existence, countless lifeforms had risen and fallen.
Humanity's mere few hundred thousand years of civilization were insignificant in the grand scheme of Earth's lifespan.
The birth of intelligent life had instead instilled a sense of crisis in the planet's consciousness.
It was calling for help across the solar system, summoning the strongest beings from other planets to exterminate humanity!
The great spider ORT, which had come from Mercury and slumbered for millennia, had answered the call of the planetary consciousness—Gaia.
And now.
The Demon God King Goetia had completed his ultimate transformation, becoming [Gaia] itself. How could they possibly fight this?
"So… He became the Earth beneath our feet?" Nitocris murmured blankly.
As a Pharaoh of Egypt and a Heroic Spirit summoned into the modern era, she had seen everything in her long life.
(Scratch that.)
This was something she hadn't seen before!
Ramesses II spoke sourly, "I am the god among gods, the Sun God [Ra] incarnate—"
"Gods are merely extensions of the Earth's authority," King Hassan stated calmly.
"..."
A single sentence left Ramesses II speechless.
Among the two Counter Forces—
Heroic Spirits were extensions of [Alaya]'s power, created to protect humanity.
Gods, on the other hand, were extensions of the Earth's consciousness, [Gaia], all linked to it.
Those deities of fire, wind, earth—they were all manifestations of the planet's authority.
And even then, only fragments of it, tied to specific regions.
For example, the Sun God [Ra] was the deity of Egypt, his authority naturally confined to its lands.
Every human civilization had its own sun god, all sharing the same authority.
Nitocris grew even more curious: "So… how did Nameless defeat Him?"
If even gods were mere extensions of Gaia's will, how could anyone possibly defeat it?
It was unimaginable.
"I, too, do not know," King Hassan replied.
Even as a Grand Servant, he had no knowledge of the other's methods.
Clearly, defeating Goetia after his transformation required a terrible price—one that demanded the sacrifice of everything.
That was the truth behind the world's restart and Nameless' disappearance from everyone's memories!
...
The Time Temple of the Crown.
Once, it had crumbled into ruin following the Demon God King's defeat.
But now.
It stood firm once more, more formidable than ever before.
One by one, the heroic spirits who had intended to leave now stood frozen in place, their expressions blank.
All of them wore looks of divine shock as they stared at the Demon God King reborn from flames.
No one had anticipated such an earth-shattering reversal.
Mash's face turned deathly pale. "Why is this happening? Wasn't the battle already over?"
She had been looking forward to traveling the world with her senior after returning.
After all, she had never left Chaldea.
But why had things turned out this way?
"It's over. Everything is my fault. I really shouldn't have lived at all!" Dr. Roman sighed deeply.
Why must he always face such trials when all he wanted was to be an ordinary man?
In the beginning, he had abandoned his omniscience and omnipotence to die.
Yet his corpse was used by the Demon Gods to create the Demon God King Goetia.
Making even his simple wish to live as an ordinary man impossible.
And now.
He had been resurrected by [the Lord] once more, only to witness the dying Demon God King achieve ultimate evolution.
Is my mere desire to live a sin?
"No, I shall let you live. You may live whatever life you wish."
The Demon God King Goetia spoke calmly: "Emperor or general, commoner or pauper... anything is possible."
Having completed his ultimate evolution, he had truly become invincible.
Therefore.
There was no need for haste anymore.
All human resistance was now utterly futile before him.
"So what exactly do you intend to do?" Nameless frowned as he stared at him.
The Demon God King, reborn from flames, had grown powerful enough to crush all heroic spirits, all deities.
Even to overwhelm all Evils of Humanity!
Now, with every passing second, he grew stronger without limit.
"It's simple. I shall create an eternal world where all may attain immortality."
Goetia spread his arms, his gaze sweeping over Nameless and the gathered heroic spirits.
A faint smile appeared on his face: "Humans are truly weak. But human civilization... is truly fascinating."
"I shall preserve all heroic spirits as my most precious treasures, eternally displayed upon my shelves."
"So abandon your resistance, and join me in eternal life!"
After his evolution.
Goetia no longer needed to return to 4.6 billion years ago to control the world completely.
Now, he was the Earth.
The Earth was him!
All divine authorities were his to wield as he pleased.
Granting humanity immortality required but a thought.
"But I refuse." Nameless answered coldly.
Goetia replied indifferently: "Why? Do you realize who you're refusing?"
Just as the King of Heroes had said.
Previously, Nameless had indeed posed enough threat to defeat him.
But now, the tables had turned completely—Nameless would be crushed beneath his hand!
"Didn't you say you only wanted to live? Why refuse?"
Goetia regarded him with slight surprise.
When Nameless had delivered the final blow before.
He'd claimed he wasn't acting as a hero, but simply fighting to survive.
Now that Goetia could grant him eternal life, why still refuse?
"I want to live freely and happily—I'll never become one of your collectible figurines!" Nameless retorted.
The Evils of Humanity are born from love for humanity taken to extremes.
Goetia's love for humanity was purely a "setting" of affection.
Yes, it was like a pre-programmed sequence, shadowed by King Solomon's magecraft.
What he loved was merely the concept of "humanity," not true love for humans in the flesh.
From a certain perspective, he did indeed wish to bring happiness to mankind.
However.
This so-called happiness was nothing more than erasing all human emotions and desires, stripping away every ounce of freedom.
Reducing humanity to livestock, penned and bred for survival.
In this regard, he was even more despicable than Qin Shi Huang of the Lostbelt!
At least when Qin Shi Huang constructed the Lishan Hero Vault, his goal was merely to preserve peace by sealing away heroes temporarily.
But Goetia? He treated Heroic Spirits as mere collectibles, shelved in his display case like trophies!
Your life, your freedom, your happiness—everything about you meant nothing to Him!
To live eternally under His rule would be no different from becoming a puppet, just as King Solomon once was.
"Pitiful. Your struggles are in vain. Our grand undertaking shall be realized!"
Mana surged violently from Goetia's form.
The collapsing, explosive bands of light above stabilized once more.
Without hesitation, He launched His attack. "Third Noble Phantasm—Deploy!"
"You were born here, and here you shall perish. Burn away—"
[Ars Almadel Salomonis: The Time of Birth Hath Come, He Is the One Who Masters All.]
An unimaginably colossal pillar of light crashed down from the heavens.
The very fabric of space groaned under the force of the impact.
The [Human Order Incineration Cannon], capable of piercing through the planet, was unleashed once more.
Goetia had no intention of giving Nameless even a sliver of opportunity—only absolute, utter defeat.
Under this annihilating strike—
A familiar sheath of the holy sword materialized.
Countless golden threads extended from it, weaving into a massive defensive network that shielded Nameless and everything around him.
BOOM!
A cataclysmic surge of light crashed against the seemingly fragile barrier.
Yet.
The annihilating beam dissipated without a sound, as if swallowed by a black hole.
Not a single trace of harm reached Nameless, Mash, Roman, or the others under its protection.
This was the strongest defensive Noble Phantasm—
[Avalon: The Everdistant Utopia!]
Goetia gazed at him calmly. "Why do you resist? Why do you fight? I cannot comprehend it."
He could have granted them eternal life, freeing them from the cycle of death.
Yet, they still chose to defy him.
"Humanity has long grown up. We have bid farewell to the gods—we no longer need a 'master' to enslave us!"
Nameless pointed his sword at the enemy.
There was no room for negotiation.
This was the most fundamental principle of being human.
"How amusing! Humans, your so-called struggle is utterly meaningless before me now!"
Goetia laughed heartily. "I have become the planet itself. To kill me, you would have to destroy the Earth!"
After transforming into [Gaia], he stood invincible.
He cared not for humanity's resistance.
Just as ordinary humans could not survive without the Earth.
They could not.
Thus, even if Nameless possessed the power to destroy the planet, he would never dare to do so.
If he did—
He would become the greatest butcher in history, responsible for billions of deaths.
"Nameless, a friendly reminder—after becoming [Gaia], any damage you inflict upon me will manifest on Earth."
Goetia smiled as he warned him. "It will take the form of natural disasters—volcanic eruptions, typhoons, earthquakes!"
His body was now the Earth itself.
Hurting him meant harming the planet.
The more severe the injury, the more catastrophic the consequences.
Disasters would rain upon the world.
Even if Nameless wielded the power to sever existence at its root, he could never truly kill Goetia.
Because he would not dare.
Killing him would mean dooming the planet, plunging it into eternal death.
No life would remain!
His existence was now bound to all of humanity.
A true—
Hostage of all mankind!
"Then, how about this?" Nameless expanded the sheath's barrier once more.
But this time—
It was not to block the enemy's attack.
Instead—
He trapped both himself and Goetia within the bounded field!
Inside the Avalon barrier.
Nameless raised his sword. "I may not be able to kill you, but I can seal you away for eternity!"
The sheath possessed the strongest defense in existence.
Once activated, it nullified all magecraft and physical attacks.
Not even the King of Heroes Gilgamesh's [Enuma Elish], said to cleave the world, could breach this defense.
An absolute sanctuary beyond even the Five True Magics!
Now—
Nameless repurposed it into the ultimate prison, sealing the fully transformed Demon God King!
The barrage of comments exploded—
[The sheath can be used as a prison too?!]
[The Demon God King took all of humanity hostage, forcing Nameless to seal him away forever!]
[Even if all Heroic Spirits joined forces, they couldn't defeat the Demon God King. Only the scabbard can serve as this prison!]
[The problem is, Nameless is also imprisoned inside! As the one who deployed the barrier, he can't leave at all!]
[Holy shit, is Nameless planning to become the eternal warden, suppressing the Demon God King forever?]