Whether it was Shiomi and Morgan, or the crew aboard the Storm Border, they had all misjudged one crucial fact.
ORT's true body was not the colossal spider-like form everyone had previously observed.
Attached to that spider-like torso was an equally massive disc-shaped structure. That disc was the true core of ORT.
The entity that fought Chaldea earlier, the one that forced such enormous sacrifices, had only been ORT's keratin layer. It was nothing more than a byproduct produced through the tabolism of this alien invader.
Like human fingernails, it could be trimd away at any ti or used as a weapon.
Except ORT's "fingernails" were terrifyingly powerful.
"Internal temperature rising... Energy from nuclear fusion is generating hypergravity along with multiple cosmic rays..." Romani struggled to steady the tremor in her voice. "The temperature has already reached ten thousand degrees. The estimated limit is one million degrees... No, once expansion begins, it won't stop at that level!"
"It's like a thundercloud cluster in outer space... a Caladiga supercell..." Da Vinci murmured in amazent.
At the sa ti, Shiomi reacted imdiately. She descended onto the Storm Border and deployed a defensive barrier.
Abnormal thermal rays were pouring out from ORT's disc-shaped core. If the timing caught Skadi and Scáthach before they fully shifted to maintaining the defensive field, the Storm Border would be ignited by the extre heat and fall from the sky.
Shiomi had intended to order Camazotz to retreat as well.
But she saw his Noble Phantasm being swallowed by the rays emitted from ORT's core, evaporating little by little.
"Now... while you can... get the hell away..."
Those were the final words Camazotz left behind.
His enormous body and overwhelming magical energy signature slowly disappeared within the super-galactic scale eruption unleashed by ORT.
The Storm Border had already begun turning, preparing to distance itself from ORT while maintaining flight, keeping its speed high enough to hold a relative distance of more than two kiloters.
Morgan had redirected the Mana of the Unity God to maintaining the defensive barrier. Yet the heat still penetrated the conceptual defenses, scorching this special divine body.
The Reality Marble could no longer be sustained.
When ORT's spider-form keratin shell was destroyed and control shifted to its true body, the trendous eruption completely overwheld the previous clash of erosion.
The Unity God's Reality Marble was already collapsing.
Stopping its maintenance rely accelerated the inevitable while reducing unnecessary Mana consumption.
"Five seconds until the Storm Border completes its turn..."
Morgan's brows drew tighter.
The heat from the rays grew more and more intense. It felt as if she were holding a blazing iron pot with her bare hands.
Except the burning sensation wasn't limited to her arms. Her entire body could feel it.
Although Gilgash and Enkidu were providing support through the Noble Phantasms of the [Treasury of the King] and [Wisdom of the People], both of them were severely exhausted and unable to block the attack effectively.
"Enkidu, you remain here to support Chaldea. This place will be handled by this king—"
Gilgash raised Ea, the blade beginning to rotate.
But another proud voice interrupted him.
"Unfortunately, Golden King. The role of shield shall be claid by this Pharaoh. You may rest for now and prepare for the battles to co."
A colossal flying temple suddenly appeared between the Storm Border and ORT.
The radiance of the sun isolated the eruption, allowing Morgan to feel a mont of relief.
Yet rely coming into contact with the explosion caused Ozymandias's solar temple to begin collapsing uncontrollably.
"Hmph... since you insist, Sun King, this king will reluctantly yield for once. The sight of the sun charging forward and burning itself away... this king shall rember it well."
Gilgash slowly lowered Ea.
Both he and Enkidu were heavily drained and needed ti to recover.
The Storm Border completed its turn and rapidly escaped ORT's radiation range, reaching a safe distance.
Even after discarding the keratin layer and switching to independent flight, ORT's speed had not increased dramatically.
Originally, it was estimated that it would take twenty hours for ORT to pass through the entirety of Mictlan and reach the surface.
Now, at the speed of its true body, it would take only five hours to travel from the eighth layer, Yayauhqui, and fully pass through Mictlan.
"Please rest for now. If you require Mana replenishnt, I'll have the Storm Border's reactor convert magical energy and send it to you through the Master," Morgan said to Gilgash and Enkidu.
Enkidu answered on their behalf.
"Then we'll take you up on that... I didn't expect the losses to be this severe. Now only Gil and I are still able to fight."
"The damage to the boundary records is a major issue," Shiomi said. "Servants who have already been summoned once cannot be called again. Most of the Servants who once ford bonds with us have already entered battle. Perhaps it's ti for us to step onto the field ourselves."
"Aren't there still a few who haven't shown up? For example, that Magus of Flowers. And his sister."
Gilgash glanced across the people gathered on the deck.
The exhausted Chaldea personnel were seizing this brief mont to rest.
The next engagent was expected to begin in ten minutes.
Following Da Vinci's suggestion, they would adopt a new rhythm for the battle against ORT: fight for thirty minutes, then rest for five.
"They might arrive soon," Morgan said as she stared at ORT's disc-shaped core.
"Or perhaps they plan to stay hidden from beginning to end. Either way, that choice is theirs."
"That's quite a harsh thing to say. We do enjoy watching stories unfold, but if the protagonists themselves disappear, what is left of the story?"
A leisurely male voice sounded out, completely at odds with the tense situation.
"rlin?"
Artoria, who had been tending to the injured and overseeing supplies, cried out in surprise.
"Long ti no see, my King. The situation is urgent, so I brought her along as well."
rlin gestured toward the female Incubus beside him.
The one who insisted on calling herself Lady Avalon, yet introduced herself to Romani as Magic☆rlin.
"Even though it hasn't been that long, I'm truly delighted to fight alongside you again, Tenkei."
"Taigong Wang?"
Shiomi stared in astonishnt at the Servant who manifested together with rlin and his sister.
Then more figures appeared.
Orion, who had once fought beside them in the Atlantic.
And the Old Man of the Mountain, who had previously assisted them during the restoration of the Human Order journey and entrusted Shiomi with handling the matter of Tiamat.
Both arrived on the deck one after another.
"It's still too early to be surprised, my child. If the enemy is this troubleso, then it's only natural for your mother to take the liberty of appearing here to help."
Just as the voice declared, Shiomi and Morgan stared in shock at the girl slowly descending from the light.
The Primordial Mother, Tiamat, had arrived.
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