IBHJ 1298

While Saturn and the other UOs had been stopped at the South American connection point, Uranus had already returned before the Ideal King synchronized history. It had been hiding, waiting patiently for precisely this moment!

Although Uranus didn't get along with Gaia and even harbored hatred toward her, it was still a UO. These beings didn't operate on human values or thought processes—they only considered what was best for their planet. And this made Uranus Gaia's perfect trump card. The very being that hated her and had opposed her at the South American connection point was now her secret weapon!

Without question, Uranus had determined that the Ideal King posed a direct threat to its own existence!

So it had reached out to its siblings, coordinating a two-pronged assault from both inside and outside the barrier.

All for this crucial moment! The Ideal King's philosophy was simple: to protect one thing, another must be sacrificed. But to protect her world by destroying theirs?

Not a chance!

Uranus and Saturn, along with the other UOs, synchronized their attacks from inside and outside the barrier. The countless glowing vines twisted together to form an enormous sword, and in an instant, they focused their power on a single point, striking simultaneously!

"BOOM—!"

Under the massive assault from both directions, the barrier immediately shattered, leaving a huge hole.

The UOs rushed through the breach, firing devastating energy beams as they began tearing apart the barrier from within.

The Ideal King frowned with concern. If they completely destroyed the barrier, even if she successfully created a new history, that world would lack the essential protection needed against invasions from space.

Fourteen thousand years had passed, and it wouldn't be long before the Umbral Star returned to this star system. Without her Eternal Empire, could humanity withstand the Umbral Star's invasion? The Ideal King wasn't sure, but she knew she needed to preserve this barrier as the final defense for the new history's survival.

With a single thought, she ignored Uranus, Saturn, Venus, and the other UOs of the solar system, and instead concentrated the barrier to cover Earth alone. A brilliant white wall materialized like a heavenly dome around the planet.

The sight was strange and almost heavenly—though not the beautiful, dreamy kind of heaven—at least not for Shirou and the others from Pan Human History.

The Ideal King compressed the barrier into a tight cluster surrounding only Earth, then began manifesting the infinite halo once more.

What she didn't realize was that this reaction was exactly what Shirou had anticipated. Well, not just him alone. Humans have their limits. Even someone who spends their entire life studying strategy will miss things. But when strategic minds work together, one person's blind spot can be covered by another's insight.

This very scenario was something Holmes—the detective famous for his logical thinking—had warned Shirou about beforehand. Everything the Ideal King had done so far was playing right into Shirou's plan!

When the infinite halo reappeared, the UOs had already gathered in Earth's orbit. Their attacks—powerful enough to split the Earth and knock stars from the sky—rained down relentlessly on the incredibly sturdy barrier.

At the same time, Rhongomyniad, who had been in human form until now, transformed once again into the Tower of Light. The tower fired a brilliant beam straight up through the clouds toward the barrier.

BOOM!

The holy wall—that supposedly indestructible barrier—shuddered violently. The sky flickered between light and darkness as the concentrated infinite halo began to scatter.

"We did it!" Shirou exclaimed, clenching his fist in triumph.

But before he could celebrate further, the base of the Imperial City—still firmly in Adam's grasp—suddenly released an enormous blast of spirit particles. The city continued its fierce ascent toward the dome surrounding Earth while Adam held onto its base with all his might. Even as soldiers on top of the structure sliced at his fingers, he absolutely refused to let go.

Adam's enormous body was slowly being lifted by the floating city. Just then, the shattered infinite halo reformed, creating a massive arm—the same one that had struck down Mordred before. This arm, containing unimaginable power, came crashing down and slammed right into Adam's face!

BOOM!

The sound wasn't like thunder—it was deeper, like a mountain being split in two. Adam's giant face caved in immediately, his brow bone shattering and exposing what looked like a brain core underneath. The devastating blow finally brought the mighty Adam down.

Adam howled in agony as he plummeted toward the ground like a falling titan.

"We're finished!" Kama said through gritted teeth. "That was our last chance!"

From inside the Machine God-Camelot's head, Agravain watched Adam fall and remarked coldly, "No one can reach the Imperial City. Not even a giant blessed by the Holy Spirit."

"Adam!" shouted Astolfo, desperately clinging to Adam's hair.

"It can't... end like this," Adam roared as his enormous right hand suddenly grabbed his left arm.

"What are you doing?" Shirou yelled from where he clung to the hair on Adam's left arm. His eyes widened in sudden realization. "Everyone grab the hair tight! Don't let go!"

"RAAAAH!" With a thunderous roar, Adam tore off his own left arm and hurled it toward the unreachable city. The giant limb tumbled through the air like a bloody ship, spraying crimson as it flew toward the City at the top of the dome.

CRASH!

Adam slammed into the ground, his massive body demolishing Camelot's buildings into nothing but rubble.

Blood poured from where his left arm had been torn away, creating a crimson river across the ground. But as he watched his severed arm sail through the clouds and land on the Imperial City that had seemed so unreachable, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

The extensive injuries disrupted the Inverse Kabbalah Tree of Life's effect, causing Adam to shrink back to his normal size.

"Damn it all!" Agravain snarled, steering the Machine God straight toward Adam.

Just then, several steel mechs appeared out of nowhere. They grabbed the Machine God's fists, holding them back from striking. Adam didn't waste the opportunity—he clutched what remained of his severed arm and rolled away to safety.

"What is this? More enemies?" With barely a thought, Agravain made the Machine God-Camelot swat its hand as if crushing annoying insects. BOOM! The steel mechs were instantly reduced to twisted scrap metal.

"You humans copy our very form of existence, yet have the audacity to call us enemies," a powerful voice boomed from above. "Such disrespect!"

"Who's there?" Agravain demanded, looking up.

A moment later, Zeus floated down in front of the Machine God-Camelot. "Watch closely, human," he announced. "This is what a true god looks like!"

Zeus released his human form, which dissolved like sea foam, revealing a giant head-shaped ship. As soon as it appeared, Alaya's steel mechs swarmed toward Zeus like they'd found their rightful place. Within seconds, they had assembled into a colossal steel Machine God that towered before the Machine God-Camelot.

This was Zeus's true form—using Alaya's steel mechs to recreate the power of a Machine God. The mighty Machine God King-Zeus had arrived!