C424

These sinister humanoid figures displayed both male and female characteristics, along with humanoid and non-humanoid features, all emitting muffled howls.

And each of these humanoid forms exuded a sensation similar to that of the fallen Astraea.

"Crack, crack, crack, crack—"

The sky continued to crumble, as if its entire being was bursting through from another dimension.

The sheer size of its head alone exceeded that of the heavenly bull, so the true extent of its body was way beyond anyone's imagination.

A genuinely colossal monster!

"Vessel... vessel..."

The sky kept crumbling.

And at this moment, the planet's anchor connecting the heavens and earth began to glow with a burst of colorful energy. In an instant, the pitch-black sky was illuminated by these beautiful swirls of colors, resembling the aurora. They shrouded the entire city of Fuyuki, as if isolating it from the rest of the world.

"The aura of the planet..." Arcueid murmured.

"The Counter Force is starting to make a move!" Gil whispered.

No doubt about it, the colorful energy pouring from the real Tower of Light was the Counter Force's way of trying to clean up this massive mess.

But then—

Whoosh! Pitch-black lightning cracked through, tearing into the Counter Force.

"Zra, zra!!"

Those dark lightning sparks zapped away all the colorful energy coiling around them.

"Crack, crack, crack, crack—"

And the sky continued to crumble.

"It's obstructing the planet's correction... What kind of monster is this?" Shirou furrowed his brow.

"Rather than obstructing... It's more like it's become an unstoppable cancer that the planet's immune system can't expel." Gil stated.

He looked at Gil, asking, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know..." Gil shook his head, gazing at the monstrous figure in the sky. With a complex expression, he continued, "But undoubtedly, this kind of bizarre thing... must be a creation of Gaia. And its target..."

"I know, it's me." He broke into a cold sweat.

"To be precise, it's after your body, your soul. You do realize what you are, don't you? What kind of vessel you've become."

"I know." Shirou nodded, his gaze locked onto the gigantic dragon in the sky, his forehead slick with beads of sweat. "But I don't think I can hold my own against something like this."

"Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar—!!!"

A thunderous bellow erupted from the colossal dragon's head, its intensity causing the very sea to churn and boil and a shroud of inky black mist shrouded the Counter Force.

The sky seemed to hasten its collapse.

And it wasn't just that—the earth itself trembled, while the sea roiled and churned.

Beneath the Fuyuki Bridge, with a resounding "boom," the sea's surface fractured like shattered glass, and an immense blue arm burst forth, its colossal form reaching out, trying to catch him.

"Watch out, Shirou—!"

Arcueid gathered her strength and punched towards the blue colossal arm, but it passed through as if striking water.

"How could this be?" she was astonished.

At that moment, the blue colossal arm reached for him.

He activated the Towers of Light and cleaved off the blue colossal arm.

The arm was severed, reverting to seawater before sinking back into the depths of the ocean.

"Crack, crack, crack, crack—"

The sea's surface continued to fracture, giving way to two more colossal blue arms that surged out, their massive forms reaching hungrily for him.

He once again used the Towers of Light to sever the encroaching arms, though now a sheen of sweat had formed on his brow.

"The ocean's boundary has been breached!" Gil's voice rang out urgently.

Who or what was this enemy?

Or rather, how many enemies were there?

Shirou was utterly bewildered, as the true form of the enemy hadn't fully manifested, and he couldn't afford to let it manifest.

Meanwhile, the earth continued to quake.

"It can't be..." Shirou's eyes widened.

"This is not good... If the boundaries of the earth are breached too..." Gil's face was covered in cold sweat.

At that moment—

High above Ryuudou Temple, a resplendent golden wheel materialized against the backdrop of the sky.

Gleaming golden light extended in all directions, reaching toward both the heavens and the earth, causing the shroud of black mist to dissipate, and the Counter Force to pulse and reassert its presence.

"This is unexpected, that man has actually taken action..." Gil was astonished.

The Counter Force extended its influence throughout the expanse of the sky and the earth, enveloping the entire Fuyuki city as if it were a colossal shovel trying to remove the city from the planet.

"Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar—!!!"

The immense dragon's head let out a resounding roar, but its ability to disrupt the sky had now waned.

The earth stopped trembling, and the sea's disturbance subsided.

Correction was underway. However, the Counter Force struggled to expel these anomalies. Instead, it seemed on the brink of trying to remove the entire city of Fuyuki from the planet's surface!

At that moment, the golden light in the sky gradually began to dim and the voice of the Enlightened One resonated in Shirou's ears.

"The bond has ended."

From the the night sky, luminous rays descended, carrying with them a cascade of fragrant blossoms. These flowers descended like a gentle rain, paving a path of petals. Following this flowery passage, a beam of resplendent gold light traversed the same path, departing from the world.

"Enlightened One..." Shirou's stared at the receding golden light with complex emotion.

Without a doubt, the Enlightened One had departed.

From this moment, he stood as the tallest presence in Fuyuki City.

And there was no one left to protect him.

"Eternal King...!"

"My king..."

"Shirou..."

"Fujimaru-niisan..."

Gritting his teeth, he turned on his heel, his gaze locking onto the monstrous entity that loomed above in the sky. His expression was marked with unwavering determination as he proclaimed, "It's time to end this!"

"Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar—!"

The colossal creature's head, a splintering force against the very sky, let out a deafening roar.

"Vessel... Vessel... Our vessel...!"

The sinister humanoids jerked violently and emitted voices akin to celestial choruses.

...

London.

"What's that?"

"What on earth is that thing?"

"Is this some kind of illusion?"

Crowds of people gathered on the streets, craning their necks to gaze at the sky, their expressions filled with disbelief.

Given the nearly nine-and-a-half-hour time difference between Fuyuki City and London, the two cities experienced distinctly different times of day. While Fuyuki City was still cloaked in the embrace of the night, London was bathed in the full light of the day.

However, at this moment, a dense black mist enveloped the sky, swallowing all trace of sunlight.

Moreover, strange illusions appeared in the sky.

An enormous white dragon soared through the sky, emitting a roaring sound.

Bipedal wyverns and griffins danced in an aerial ballet.

Bizarre and monstrous creatures roamed the land.

"Don't come... Don't come here...!!!"

Ordinary citizens were consumed by terror.

The sharp sound of gunshots echoed endlessly through the air, yet the bullets passed through the creatures, embedding themselves in the walls and leaving behind bullet holes.

Gradually, it dawned on the people that these creatures were mere illusions.

But... were they truly just Illusions?

If they were illusions, why did they seem so real?

Adding to the bewilderment, the iconic tower of London, the Elizabeth Tower (commonly known as Big Ben), seemed to be gradually becoming ethereal. It was as if a resplendent golden temple were about to emerge from its structure.

...

Inside the Clock Tower, within its grand Parliament Hall, twelve Lords, each symbolizing the pinnacle of power within the Clock Tower, were seated. Accompanying them were delegates from the influential families that held sway over the Tower's inner workings.

Seated at the head of the assembly, representing the Clock Tower's leadership, was Lord Barthomeloi Lorelei. Her expression turned solemn as she spoke. "The situation is exactly as all of you have witnessed. A black mist now blankets London. No, not only London, but the entire British Isles..."

Just then, Marisbury Animusphere pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose and interjected, "No, it's not confined to the British Isles alone."

Lord Barthomeloi's brow creased, her gaze shifting to Marisbury, "What do you mean, Lord Animusphere?"

Rising from his seat, Marisbury cast his gaze across the assembled Lords and representatives, his voice resonating deeply as he spoke, "The black mist has surrounded the entire globe!"

"What?"

"Wasn't it limited to London?"

A collective murmur of shock rippled through the room.