"Shirou, watch out!" Arcueid's voice boomed in his ears, but her warning arrived too late.

The rushing wind roared in Shirou's ears, and his instincts kicked in, warning him of an imminent danger with a malicious and murderous intent aimed at his head.

Without thinking, he raised his hands to shield himself. The black mud surged, solidifying into a protective barrier just in time, and he swiftly projected multiple shields to intercept the incoming attack.

But in an instant—

A deafening boom resounded as the shields shattered one after another. A brutal strike crashed into his arms, propelling him through the air like a shooting star until he collided with an angel sculpture.

The immense impact shattered the sculpture's foundation, sending it crashing down in ruins, burying him beneath the debris.

"Shirou...!" Arcueid clenched her teeth, her typically sunny face contorting with anger, giving her a ferocious and terrifying appearance. "You've harmed my dear friend, and I'm furious! You're in for it now!"

Her enraged expression sent shivers down the spines of those caught in her intense gaze. The entity responsible for attacking Shirou, however, still didn't appear.

"Come on, sis," Altrouge sneered with disdain. "This isn't the time to be foolish. You should go after the one who seems to be the real culprit!"

Her eyes shifted and landed on Heartless, disguised as Wallachia, and without wasting a moment, she dashed towards him.

"Who do you think you are, pretending to be my subordinate?" she shouted angrily.

Heartless stared at Altrouge charging towards him, a flicker of panic crossing his otherwise composed face. He couldn't help but take a step back, desperately calling out, "I can't handle this! Ruler, help!"

With a loud boom, something smashed into Altrouge's head, creating an explosion of shattered flesh and meat.

The lifeless body tumbled to the ground, blood dripping from its wounds, leaving a chilling sight. Crimson liquid spilled out, rapidly pooling beneath the shattered head.

"Princess! Princess!" Rizo-Waal Strout and Fina-blood Svelten shouted in a panicked frenzy. Even Merem Solomon let out a cry. However, before they could react further, they were forcefully struck by an unknown force, sent flying through the air.

Upon Altrouge's resurrection, she surveyed her surroundings with a cold sweat, cautiously refraining from any hasty actions.

Heartress let out a sigh of relief and cast a resigned glance at Waver and the others who had trapped him. His expression conveyed a sense of acceptance. "It appears that it has no intention of laying a hand on you," he remarked. "To it, you are mere ants, easily crushed at will. It aligns perfectly with the perspective of these apex beings."

Waver couldn't help but question, "What was that entity?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Heartress replied. "Being able to effortlessly defeat the True Ancestors and even their princesses, it's a feat that not even the Heroic Spirits on the Throne of Heroes can easily achieve. And in this world, the only ones capable of such extraordinary acts are... gods!"

"Gods...?" Waver's eye twitched.

"That's correct. Unfortunately, it's not a normal god, but rather a fallen god," Heartress explained. "That woman discovered this Divine Spirit and forged a contract, making it the guardian of this ritual."

Waver's curiosity peaked as he asked, "And who is this woman?"

"I don't know," Heartress admitted. "While she should be considered an enemy, our objectives happened to align this time, so we cooperated."

"Crackle, crackle—"

The angel sculptures surrounding them trembled. One by one, they began to dissipate, disintegrating into particles of light.

"What... What's happening?" the magi panicked.

Terror gripped the hearts of the people as they faced an unprecedented level of fear. The resurrection ritual of the Eternal King had already been shocking enough, but now there was something that could effortlessly defeat the Dead Apostle Ancestors. To make matters worse, the castle itself was once again experiencing anomalies.

What was about to happen next?

Heartress glanced around and stated, "The ritual has already been activated. Whether it was that woman or us, our objectives have been accomplished. It's time for us to bid farewell."

"In this situation, do you honestly believe you can escape?" Waver questioned skeptically.

Heartress let out a laugh and confidently responded, "I am someone whose heart was stolen by fairies. I don't need magecraft to cast a spell. So, it would be in your best interest not to underestimate me."

He shattered Adashino Hishiri's magical cloth and dispelled Lorelei's elite magi suppression spells, preparing to make his escape.

And at that precise moment—

A sword made of black mud, radiating a powerful curse aura, burst forth from the ruins and swiftly flew towards him.

However—

With a resounding crash, the black mud was effortlessly crushed in mid-air by a certain presence.

"The True Ether has already been restored before the true king's descent. Enjoy yourself, fallen god," Heartress's words echoed before his figure faded away and vanished.

It was undoubtedly the fairies' magic. Still, the situation was far from over, and the ensuing events promised only further chaos.

"Crackle, crackle—"

The earth cracked, revealing deep fissures from which a peculiar aura of radiant light surged forth. Its colors held a dream-like quality, exuding an otherworldly glow.

However, as these luminous particles permeated the air, the magi present were instantly overcome by excruciating pain. It felt as if they were trapped within a chamber filled with toxic fumes, each particle poisoning them relentlessly.

"What... What is this!?"

"It hurts... It hurts so much!"

"Someone... Someone help me...!!" their desperate cries filled the air, tainted with agony.

People who inhaled these particles collapsed, their bodies contorting in pain.

Shirou struggled out from the rubble, blood oozing from his forehead, clouding his vision with red. His face wore a grave expression. "Age of Gods particles...!"

But the chaos didn't end there. The particles of the Age of Gods, including the True Ether, surged from the ground, revealing the concealed entity that had lingered in the void. It finally took on a humanoid form.

"Age of Gods... Age of Gods... Humans... will be annihilated...!"

The particles of the Age of Gods merged, forming the silhouette of a dark figure, morphing into a pitch-black human-like shape.

An overwhelming malevolence radiated from the figure, causing a chill to run down the spines of everyone present.

It wasn't directed at any particular individual but rather at the entire group of "humans." It was a genuine malice!

A wave of potent magical energy surged forth from the dark figure.

"Crackle, crackle, crackle—"

The tremendous pressure fractured the earth, resembling the pattern of a spider's web.

The ancient dread etched deep into their very beings tainted the hearts of all who were there.

Without question, it was the oldest and most primal sovereign, the entity that had reigned over this planet for countless millennia. The epitome of nature itself...

A god!