The flow of battle began shifting in the exact direction Marisbury had feared most.
His ace, the Grand-ranked Servant, failed to sweep the battlefield in one stroke. Instead, the enemy's mysterious power-sharing and silent, implicit teamwork drew him into a bitter war of attrition.
The magical duel between the false Solomon and the real King Solomon raged on. With each disappearance of light and darkness, space itself echoed with pained groans from the strain.
Olga Marie's barriers were impregnable, nullifying every assault aimed at the Master.
Mash, though disadvantaged in sheer power against Barbatos, wielded a shield that seemed to possess infinite durability—even the Demon Pillars' relentless pressure could not destroy it outright.
Worse, as King Solomon continued summoning additional forces from imaginary space, the number of nauseating Demon Pillars visibly increased atop the rooftop—like a rampaging cancer multiplying, forcing Chaldea's defenders into ever-tighter quarters and increasing the pressure upon them.
Steve stood calmly outside the battle, almost as if he were watching a play. At last, apparently bored with this prolonged battle, he shook his head and took a single step forward. That step seemed to set the pace for the entire battleground; under his gaze, everyone's movements seemed to sluggishly fall a beat behind.
"Let's end this warm-up."
His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the magical racket to reach every ear.
"Marisbury, you seem to be under some misapprehensions."
"Do you believe that as long as your trump card isn't negated by the rules, victory comes by sheer numbers alone?"
Before Steve finished speaking, he raised his right hand. No elaborate circles, no ornate chanting.
He simply spread his five fingers, palm aimed at the Demon Pillars surrounding Mash and Olga Marie.
From his hand, five pitch-black singularities abruptly materialized, spinning violently—like five miniature black holes, devouring all light around them.
In the next moment, five magical projectiles—pure dark matter trailing comet-like tails—blasted forth at incomprehensible velocity.
There was none of the grand spectacle of ancient magecraft, nor even the basic structure of contemporary magecraft: this was nothing but the pure concept of destruction itself made manifest.
Two projectiles struck Barbatos just as he was about to crush Mash. The invulnerable white body had no chance to even scream; like paper cast into acid, it instantly collapsed, splitting at the molecular level and dissipating into cosmic dust—erased from the world entirely.
The other three projectiles pierced through more Demon Pillars, instantly banishing their vast hulks from existence as well.
In barely a breath, half the enemy's seemingly hopeless numerical superiority was annihilated.
This abnormal sight left everyone momentarily stunned.
Marisbury's composure shattered—replaced by unprecedented shock and wariness. He stared at Steve, as if trying to see through the very existence of the man before him.
"You can't take shortcuts dealing with these Servants," Steve said, lowering his hand and stating the facts in a calm, matter-of-fact tone. "Because the pseudo-Servant spell cast upon them did not originate from this planet."
"It was developed independently by the New Human—a new form of humanity, evolved far in the future after leaving this planet's cradle, from deep space, capable of directly absorbing new energy sources."
To ensure this Lord understood exactly what kind of existence he was facing, Steve elaborated further, savoring the transformation from confidence to despair.
"The reason you and your Servant cannot interfere is simple: our authorities are fundamentally different."
Steve pointed to himself and the distant King Solomon.
"King Solomon, King of Magecraft—wields the Ring of Solomon, which controls every form of magecraft created upon the foundational mysteries of this planet. He is the apex and ruler of the planetary magecraft system."
"And I..."
Pointing to himself, Steve smiled.
"My authority is Cosmic Magecraft—it governs every spell invented and produced by the New Human, who, after evolving past the planetary cradle, directly absorb an entirely new energy source. All magic from this future humanity is under my domain."
"Our two authority systems are fundamentally independent; they neither conflict nor interfere with one another."
"In theory, he could attempt cosmic magecraft. But the moment either is used, the other's authority nullifies or takes control. Thus, there can be no rule-based kill between us. All we can do is a fair, direct magical duel on even ground, like two ordinary magi from completely different backgrounds."
Steve's words struck Marisbury's heart like a sledgehammer.
He had always believed the supremacy of the Holy Grail War—believed that he held the world's highest rules.
But now, this man was telling him, casually, that the world Marisbury knew was merely one of countless rule-systems, and that his opponent possessed another set, utterly alien to anything Marisbury had ever known or imagined.
"Beyond the planet... New human..."
Marisbury muttered to himself. For the first time ever, the mind that had always worked so shrewdly began to burn with overstrain.
He quickly realized the man before him was the single greatest and most unreasonable variable in all of his plans—a fatal element.
To oppose him was to stand against an unknown, higher-dimensional civilization.
There could be no more delay!
A resolute thought formed in Marisbury's mind.
If he couldn't win under the current rules—he would force the battleground into absolute superiority!
At this moment, Marisbury's vigilance peaked. He issued the highest-priority order to the King of Magecraft beside him without hesitation.
"Solomon! Activate Noble Phantasm! Bring everyone to the Temple of Time!!"
He would use the ultimate fortress built outside time itself—composed of infinite Demon Pillars—to crush everything: this terrifying variable, and all the rest.
"Yes, Master."
King Solomon responded with expressionless efficiency, raising both hands high. At that instant, his ten radiant rings shone with their greatest brilliance yet.
The sky split like a shattered mirror. Beyond it, for all except Olga Marie, appeared a familiar, now-blazing crimson cosmos.
"Ars Paulina!"
As his True Name was unleashed, an irresistible force of forced teleportation blanketed the entire rooftop.
Those who had experienced that final battle. Forgotten yet deep-rooted terror swept over them once more.
The scenery melted, digitizing as it dissolved.
Fuyuki's city lights blurred, the rooftop beneath them crumbling into falling blocks.
When sight cleared—they found themselves within a colossal temple, air so grand it took their breath away. The entire structure seemed to hover within imaginary space beneath a blood-red starry sky, infinite luminous rings overlapping to form the temple's body.
Countless Demon Pillars crowded every stairway and dais, silently turning their endless eyes toward the unwelcome guests.
This was the Final Singularity of the future—Solomon's common bond with his Demon Pillars:
The Temple of Time, the ultimate Reality Marble fortress.
…