IBHJ Chapter 921

"Is this the fear the Sumerian gods once tasted?" she looked down at her trembling hand. "Even though... even though this is just a phantom manifested by a Servant, it fills me with so much dread. Even my divinity, given by the gods, is trembling..."

But Enkidu had misunderstood one crucial detail. The entity that ravaged the gods 14,000 years ago, nearly ending the Age of Gods, was not Altera's true form. It was merely one of her avatars, not much different from the Giant God form Altera was manifesting now.

The power of the Giant God was simply overwhelming, undoubtedly among the most formidable forces in the TYPE-MOON universe. Her mere existence, with her colossal mass, was like an immense gravitational well, pulling and crushing everything around her. Each movement she made unleashed shockwaves comparable to a Category 12 storm!

"Giant God..."

The onlookers stared at Altera with mouths agape, gazing at the terrifying figure with a mix of awe and reverence, like primitive cave dwellers witnessing a force of nature beyond their comprehension.

"Stay away!" Shirou yelled.

The Altera before them was no longer Altera, but the Vanguard of the Umbral Star. Altera's sense of self had vanished, leaving only the destructive instincts of the Vanguard. Right now, she was distracted by the Angels of Destruction, but once she noticed them, disaster would surely follow.

His shout seemed to snap everyone out of their trance, and they scrambled away from Altera.

However, Altera didn't pursue the retreating crowd, nor did she continue her assault on the angels. Instead, she lowered her head to examine her own palm, her red eyes filled with a clear, puzzled light.

He noticed this and stopped, looking at Altera whose eyes flickered with confusion.

Could it be...?

A hesitant murmur escaped Altera's lips, "Why hasn't my consciousness disappeared?" She seemed to be examining herself, bewildered, wondering if she had truly reverted to her original form.

"Altera," he said, a glimmer of hope in his voice, "Could it be that you're still in control?"

She turned her head slightly, her clear, cold red eyes landing on Shirou as she softly murmured, "Artoria Pendragon."

His eyes widened in surprise. There was no doubt about it—Altera, who had clearly spoken Artoria's name, was conscious!

But why? After reverting to the White Titan, Altera's sense of self hadn't vanished, but remained remarkably clear. The destructive instinct of the Vanguard of the Umbral Star hadn't awakened either.

What was happening?

Suddenly, a thought struck him. He turned to look at Illya, who stood nearby, her face pale. Could it be because of the magical energy Illya had transferred to Altera that she retained her consciousness?

It was the only explanation that made sense.

And this wasn't even a problem—they had been prepared for Altera to lose control, but now that she was still conscious, it was a blessing in disguise!

"It seems luck is on my side after all," he thought, then looked at Altera and quickly shouted, "Altera, throw the Heaven's Corpse out!"

"I understand... friend." A smile touched her cold, beautiful face as she moved.

She had believed that after reverting to the White Titan, her sense of self would disappear, turning her back into the rampaging Vanguard of the Umbral Star, bent on destroying all life. Yet, unexpectedly, she had retained her consciousness, her thoughts crystal clear, her body feeling strangely light.

Did this mean she had overcome her instincts?

Could she now hug others too?

The thought brought a smile to her face as she charged towards the Heaven's Corpse.

The Angels of Destruction sensed the threat to their master and rallied, rushing towards Altera in a unified front.

"Out of my way—!"

Altera let out a cold cry. Without any visible movement, scorching white vapor erupted from her body.

This wasn't an attack, just the breath of a living being. Yet, this simple exhalation was like the heat wave from a nuclear explosion, sweeping outward in all directions.

With a series of booms, the Angels of Destruction were blasted away by this scorching breath, unable to hold their ground.

"This is bad!"

Enkidu's face paled as she saw the searing breath surging towards them. She quickly summoned the Chains of Heaven, forming a shield wall to block the oncoming wave.

However, the moment Altera's breath touched the chains, they disintegrated instantly, as if the chains were made of dry twigs.

"We're finished!"

Enkidu stared at the apocalyptic wave of breath in terror. She never imagined Altera could be this terrifying.

No.

Perhaps it was precisely because she was this terrifying that she was able to destroy the earth.

People looked at the approaching wave of breath in fear, their hearts sinking with despair. At that moment, with a sickening crack, deep black mud erupted from the ground. Though it looked and felt so malicious that it seemed to have come out of someone's worst nightmare, it formed a massive protective dome, enveloping everyone inside.

But could this layer of mud withstand Altera's breath?

Impossible, right? After all, even the Chains of Heaven had failed.

Yet, when the scorching wave of breath hit the black dome, there was only a soft pop. Without even the slightest ripple, it was stopped by this layer of mud.

"It—it blocked it." Enkidu stared at the layer of mud in astonishment. The breath that even her system-enhanced Chains of Heaven couldn't withstand was effortlessly stopped by this unassuming mud.

"Enkidu, what happened?" Gilgamesh asked from beside her.

"Can't you see clearly through the screen, Gil?"

"Of course not, the map just went black," Gilgamesh replied. "Did we get caught in the Giant God's AOE attack?"

"No. The Giant God's breath wave was neutralized. Neutralized by the mud," Enkidu said.

"Mud?" Gilgamesh frowned.

...

Phew. Shirou sighed in relief, retracting Evil Blossom into his shadow.

Earlier, when he saw Altera's breath tear through the Chains of Heaven like they were nothing, he instinctively unleashed Evil Blossom. He hadn't been sure if it would be enough to block her breath, and the result surprised him greatly.

Not only did it block it, but it completely nullified the attack. The previous [All the World's Evils] definitely wasn't capable of doing this.

He knew that the current black mud's power came from the countless malicious entities and a fragment of the vortex's power that he had infused into it. Only then could it accomplish such a feat.

"Hey! Look—"

As he withdrew the black dome, the scene outside came into view, and everyone froze, eyes widening in disbelief.

"My—my God!"

People were speechless.

The entire city of Zaun looked like it had been ravaged by a magnitude 12 earthquake. The ground, buildings, city walls—everything—was destroyed to the point of resembling an apocalyptic wasteland. Only the buildings still protected by the system's [Safe Zone] rules remained relatively intact.

And this was just from the Giant God's breath!

"Too—too terrifying!"

"What in the world is that?"

"Giant God... Could she be like those destructive gods, invaders from beyond the sky?"

People were shocked and terrified.

The entire land had been devastated.

No.

Not the entire land, actually. The area behind them was still relatively untouched.

And it was all because Evil Flower's black dome had neutralized the attack.

Still, the fact that a single breath could cause such catastrophic damage was truly terrifying!

Shirou looked at Altera with a cold sweat. This was the kind of power that belonged to the same tier as Enlightened One, Ultimate Ones, and other beings at the very pinnacle of the TYPE-MOON universe.

It was a power that dwarfed Eternal Kings, Grand Servants, and most Beasts. A power that could instill an unprecedented, unparalleled despair.

Yet, he also possessed a power in his hands that could stand against such beings.

That power was the evolved Evil Blossom.

Besides, Sixth Seat had mentioned that Eternal King was a vessel, and within the invisible vortex, there was potential for further evolution beyond Eternal King!

...

"I'm sorry, I can't control my power," Altera said, looking at everyone apologetically.

Crack! Crack! Crack!—!!

Zaun City's protective barrier, already weakened by the Heaven's Corpse's invasion and Altera's breath, finally shattered completely.

The Heaven's Corpse, embedded in the barrier while trying to invade, suddenly plummeted from the sky like a falling mountain as the barrier gave way.

"Throw it out, Altera!" he shouted urgently.

She nodded and reached out towards the Heaven's Corpse. With terrifying strength, she lifted the massive island into the air.

Crack! Crack! Crack!—!!

Under the immense force, her fingers sank into the base of the Heaven's Corpse. With a twist of her waist, she hurled the island away. Like a meteor, it was flung far from Zaun City, causing a thunderous boom on impact.

"Screech! Screech...!"

The Heaven's Corpse emitted a strange, almost pained cry. Clearly, even for an Ultimate One, such a physical assault was enough to inflict damage.

"Ahhhhhhh—!!"

Altera took massive strides, smashing through Zaun City's crumbling walls and rushing outside. Her giant hands became falling meteors, pounding on the Heaven's Corpse or ripping out large swathes of forest from within it.

"Screech! Screech...!"

The Heaven's Corpse wailed in agony.