A golden meteor fell from the sky.
Boom!!—
With a thunderous crash, dust billowed everywhere, and a massive crater was smashed into the ground.
Gudako was planted halfway into the soil, with only her two legs sticking out, twitching weakly.
"Eh?!"
Seeing a teammate instantly taken out the moment the battle began, the gathered Heroic Spirits were horrified.
"Ritsuka, are you alright?"
"She has Spirit blood and underwent genetic ascension and hyper-transformation surgery. All her skill points went into physical stats. She's fine."
Setsuna smiled faintly.
"More importantly, you should think about how to deal with Kukulkan."
Whoosh—
The Feathered Serpent darted through the crowd, her voice brimming with unprecedented excitement.
"Ah... so many people! This is so fun!!"
"Big sis is... so happy! So excited!!!"
"Come on, let's understand each other through battle!!"
"Umu, this woman is insane. Even crazier than I am."
Nero and Nero Bride drew Aestus Estus, attacking from left and right in a pincer strike.
"Oh? You two look exactly the same? Are you the same Servant from different eras? Your Master must be amazing~"
With a slight turn of her body, Kukulkan crossed her arms and casually pinched the blades of both swords between her fingertips.
"She's so strong!"
Nero found that no matter how much force she used, she couldn't push forward even an inch.
"Hehe—"
The blonde goddess tilted her head and smiled.
Thud! Thud!—
With two kicks, she sent both Neros flying.
Then she met Mordred head-on as the knight charged forward.
"Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father—"
Mordred raised her sword, her Noble Phantasm chant not yet complete.
Smack!
Kukulkan grabbed her arm, spun her several times midair, and hurled her away like a meteor to the other side of the sky.
"Rebellioooon—"
Her fading voice still echoed across the battlefield.
Boom!!—Smack!—
Facing many alone, Kukulkan moved freely across the battlefield.
Relying purely on physical strength, she sent a group of Heroic Spirits into utter chaos.
"This woman's kind of ridiculous, isn't she?!"
Jeanne Alter, Jeanne d'Arc, and Artoria were stunned.
This was just her wrestling techniques and bare-handed combat, yet she displayed absolute suppression.
If she took it even further, what then?!
With a single glance, those who had long fought side by side immediately understood one another.
You fight the opponent you choose, even if you have to crawl to the end.
"Together!!"
Jeanne Alter, Jeanne d'Arc, and Artoria launched another assault.
[God is Here With Me!]
Boom!—
Jeanne planted her banner into the ground, using her Noble Phantasm to block the attack head-on.
In the distance, Elysia transformed into her Herrscher form, donning a white gown as she floated in midair, gathering a war bow before her.
Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!—
Pink-violet arrows formed from Honkai energy shot out in rapid succession.
"Wow, someone from another world too?"
"You're not a Servant? Hmm? Not a Master either? Then who are you? So interesting!! So interesting!!!"
Kukulkan dodged the attacks effortlessly, even catching one arrow to examine it, her excitement growing.
Whoosh—
Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Artoria's radiant holy sword slashed down from behind.
Tripitaka formed hand seals, and a Buddha's dharma image manifested behind her.
She pushed her palm forward.
[Five Elements Mountain—Tathagata Palm.]
At that moment, Kukulkan was suppressing Jeanne with one hand and holding an arrow in the other, her movement seemingly completely restrained.
There was no possible way to dodge.
Yet she did not evade.
She took the attack head-on.
Boom!—
The light of the holy sword dissipated upon her body, as if shattered by an overwhelming repulsive force.
"Ah, I forgot to tell you—I stand at the pinnacle of good, you know?"
"Trying to defeat me with the power of good? That's not very likely~"
Bang—
Kukulkan smiled as she knocked both of them flying.
"...Huh?!"
No one could imagine that this strange goddess also belonged to the lawful good alignment—and was extreme good at that.
"She's immune to good alignment? What are we supposed to do?!"
"Then how about me?"
Jeanne Alter dove down from the sky, spinning her dragon banner.
"This is the roar of a soul tormented by hatred..."
[Roar, Rage of Mine!]
"La Grondement Du Haine!"
Boom!!—
Blazing dragonfire surged forth.
"Wow, there really is an evil-aligned Servant too? By the way, are you twins?"
Kukulkan's eyes lit up.
"Too bad, still not enough~"
Her figure vanished instantly. The dragonfire struck nothing but air.
The next moment, Jeanne Alter turned her head to see the smiling face of the golden-haired goddess—and the raised macuahuitl above her head.
Boom—
Another meteor fell from the sky.
"Cough, cough—"
Gudako had just climbed out of her crater, dusting herself off, when she looked up and saw Jeanne Alter crashing toward her.
"Ahhhh what the hell is that?!"
Rumble!!—
The two of them smashed into the ground together, creating an even larger crater.
"Ah, this is bad."
Elysia hurried over to catch them.
Gudako was thoroughly dazed. She hadn't even had time to summon Strelizia before being taken out by a full combo.
"Ritsuka, are you okay?"
Elysia injected Honkai energy into her body. She wasn't seriously injured—just stunned from getting spiked headfirst into the ground.
"Ugh..."
Gudako lay on the ground, shaking her head and waving her hands vaguely.
"My head hurts..."
"You fused with Garuda's hyper-transformation factor. Your physical condition is very strong. It's fine. Just rest for a bit," Elysia said.
"I... I think I saw my uncle. He was talking to me..."
Gudako muttered hazily.
"Uncle?"
Setsuna and the others were puzzled. Since when did Gudako have an uncle?
She must have been hit so hard she was hallucinating.
"You didn't damage your brain, did you? I adjusted my strength according to your abilities, you know?" Kukulkan leaned over.
"What did your uncle say? Did he tell you to hang in there?" Setsuna asked curiously.
"He said... he said..."
Gudako mumbled intermittently.
"He said what you love is your life."
"???"
"What kind of uncle do you even have?!"
...
Boom—
Rumble!!—
Ten-odd minutes later.
The ground near the Sun Temple was in complete ruin.
Massive craters from overwhelming force could be seen everywhere. Even a large portion of the surrounding tropical rainforest had been neatly erased, as though carved away by Noble Phantasms.
"Ah—ha!!—"
Kukulkan stretched lazily, arms wide.
"So fun!!"
"Power types, technique types, twins, and even cross-world combination attacks that got my blood pumping!! I give you ninety-five points!!!"
As if nothing had happened, she cheerfully praised everyone.
"Ugh..."
Not far away, a group of Heroic Spirits were sitting, lying down, or leaning against trees.
"Tch, what the hell..."
Jeanne Alter pushed herself up, shaking her head.
Kukulkan had only used wrestling techniques and pure hand-to-hand combat, fighting many alone while holding absolute advantage.
Although this wasn't a fight to the death—only a "trial"—
The fact that one person had knocked down so many close-combat-oriented Heroic Spirits was unbelievable.
The rank of a chief god was terrifying indeed.
"Should've just spammed Noble Phantasms together from the start..."
"No, we should've destroyed the solar traversal first! What a miscalculation!!!"
Jeanne Alter was distraught.
"Ahh, don't be like that~ I just wanted to see humanity's courage~"
Kukulkan strolled over casually.
She knocked lightly on Gudako's head.
"Little sis, if you're hurt, big sis can heal you~"
"I'm perfectly fine! Once I summon Strelizia, I'll fight you for three hundred more rounds!! We'll take it to outer space!!!"
Gudako, now recovered, was extremely dissatisfied with being instantly defeated at the start.
"Hmm... But looking at this, humanity still isn't enough."
Kukulkan crossed her arms, shaking her head with apparent regret.
"Go back. You can't save the humans here. I'll free them in my own way."
"..."
Hummm—
The moment her words fell.
The hum of starship engines echoed in the air.
The vessel slowly descended onto an open clearing nearby.
Setsuna stood on the outer side of the bridge, looking down at the battlefield and smiling faintly.
As expected, challenging Kukulkan was still a bit too much for them.
"I'll handle it."
He looked toward Kukulkan, who stared back at him in surprise.
"A pleasure. I am the ruler of the Starsea Empire—and the true Master of these Heroic Spirits."
"What happened just now was merely them having some fun. Kukulkan, I formally invite you: let us resolve this Singularity together—and deal with Tiamat hiding behind it."
"Oh! You even know about Mother?"
Kukulkan looked somewhat surprised as she sized Setsuna up, then clapped her hands.
"Ahh, so you're their Master?"
"Come on, play with big sis. If you win, I'll agree to your terms. If you lose, you'll stay here and keep me company~"
...
"Hiss—"
Gudako and the group of Heroic Spirits watched as Setsuna slowly descended from the starship.
Having just been thoroughly beaten by Kukulkan, they were sprawled all over the ground, barely managing to prop themselves up.
"Umu... how embarrassing. In the end, our Master still has to clean up after us.~"
Nero puffed out her cheeks, sitting on the ground.
"She's an opponent beyond imagination..."
Elysia rubbed her temples and dusted off her clothes.
For her very first expedition beyond her home world, Kukulkan's difficulty level was severely overtuned.
They had completely overestimated themselves.
"Kukulkan, I have a question."
The Lion King, standing behind Setsuna, suddenly spoke.
"Since you are a benevolent god of the lawful alignment, you should possess the capacity to love humanity. Why then have you joined the Three Goddess Alliance to obstruct us?"
"On a higher level, our goals should be aligned."
"Not really~"
Kukulkan waved a finger, then opened her arms.
"I love you humans. Humanity is the value of my existence."
"But if you can't even pass my trial, how will you face the even more terrifying danger behind me?"
"Rather than letting humanity fall into despair at the very end, wouldn't it be better to let them reach their end here instead?"
"Hoh..."
"You're referring to Beast II?"
Setsuna raised an eyebrow.
Kukulkan's thinking was simple. She was testing humanity.
If no human capable of summoning the courage to earn her recognition appeared, then human civilization should end here.
Because behind her stood an even more dreadful threat—Tiamat. Humanity that failed to earn her recognition would never overcome it.
Rather than forcing humanity to confront absolute despair, she would grant them a merciful end in advance.
"My, you really do know quite a lot. Looks like you did your homework before coming here, didn't you?"
Kukulkan smiled, casually drawing out her paddle-shaped obsidian macuahuitl.
"So then—are you ready?"
"Of course."
Boom—
A sonic explosion rang out. In an instant, the golden figure had blitzed forward, bringing her weapon down toward Setsuna's head.
Bang!!—
Two fingers firmly caught the blade. The aftershock whipped up violent winds around them.
"Not bad! Are you a power type?"
"For a Master to have this kind of physique is rare indeed... Ah, big sis is getting excited again!"
Kukulkan's exhilaration surged.
"So fun, so fun!!—"
She realized that although Setsuna was a human Master, his strength far surpassed that of the Heroic Spirits from earlier.
It was unbelievable.
"Come on, show me your courage!!"
She launched into Mexican wrestling techniques once more, attacking from above and below simultaneously.
Thud! Thud!—
Setsuna neither dodged nor retreated. With a backhanded palm strike, using superior speed to strike after yet arrive first, he forced Kukulkan back.
"Fast reactions, little brother~"
She was sent flying dozens of meters, carving a trench into the ground before stabilizing herself.
"Heh."
Originally, to earn Kukulkan's recognition, one had to demonstrate humanity's "courage."
In the original scenario, Gudako had challenged strength with weakness, showing that humanity was willing to stake their lives and launch insignificant, ant-like attacks against a mighty god.
That was courage. That was resolve.
But now, the power dynamic was reversed.
"Kukulkan, what I'll show you isn't courage—but strength."
"Absolute strength capable of suppressing the world and subduing Beast II. Bear witness."
"Hoh..."
The Feathered Serpent froze briefly, her expression turning serious.
"You dare speak of showing me strength instead of humanity's courage? Bold words, little brother."
"Then big sis will have to get serious—"
Whistle—
She let out a sharp whistle. A massive pterosaur soared in from the horizon.
Leaping onto its back, she circled above Setsuna.
Boom... boom...
The once-clear sky darkened instantly. Lightning churned across the heavens, and heavy thunder rolled between the clouds.
"Quetzalcoatlus! She can control wind, rain, and lightning! Get out of the way!!!"
Ishtar hurriedly called for everyone to retreat.
Crackle!!—
Bolts of lightning rained down relentlessly, blasting deep craters into the earth.
"Whoa, damn it?!"
Gudako barely dodged a strike.
"Weather manipulation, hm..."
"Your mount is pretty cool. But if you want to fight me in the sky, that's a bit unfair."
Setsuna smiled.
He reached forward and pulled.
Crack—
Kukulkan suddenly felt the surrounding space distort. The pterosaur lost balance instantly, dragged downward as space itself twisted around it.
"Spatial manipulation? Is this Age of Gods magecraft? You're much stronger than that little sister earlier~"
Unfamiliar with the Herrscher of the Void's authority, Kukulkan relied purely on combat instinct. In a flash, she vanished and reappeared at Setsuna's side.
Her speed was so extreme that even the Lion King and Ishtar, standing closest, failed to perceive it.
"Too slow."
"Kukulkan, do you know how fast a starship travels while cruising through space?"
"What?"
She blinked, not expecting him to still be chatting mid-battle.
"—Faster than light. So in my eyes, all your movements are slow motion."
Bang—
Without even looking, Setsuna casually struck her away, sending her flying hundreds of meters.
"Tch... again!!"
Gripping her obsidian blade, she charged once more at an incomprehensible speed.
Bang—Smack!!!
Rumble!!—
Each blow was either effortlessly blocked or struck an energy shield, sending ripples across its surface.
The more they fought, the more excited Kukulkan became.
"You're amazing!! Little Master!"
"You're clearly not a Servant, yet your body is stronger than all of them... And that power—I don't recognize it. It's from another world, isn't it?"
Her form of address shifted from "little brother" to "little Master."
Even among Heroic Spirits, only a handful could match her in speed and strength. And in Kukulkan's perception, Setsuna was a mere human rivaling a chief god.
That was nothing short of a miracle.
"Ah... I'm so excited, so happy!"
"Little Master, if you could keep coming to wrestle with me forever, that would be wonderful! You're an incredibly valuable opponent!"
"..."
"Compared to wrestling, I'd rather settle this world's business first."
Setsuna cleared his throat.
Boom!!—
Another strike sent Kukulkan soaring hundreds of meters into the sky.
As she tumbled through the air, she burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha... To think there's a Master this powerful. Seems I underestimated humanity."
"Then I suppose I'll have to use a finishing move... Though if I use my second Noble Phantasm, it might harm the others."
"Little Master, can you take this attack?"
Boom!—
A crimson surge of magical energy erupted from her body, shattering her armor into fragments.
She transformed into a red meteor, shooting beyond the atmosphere at a sharp angle before curving back toward Earth.
"Witness the power of our underworld, Xibalba, and the cataclysmic impact that annihilated countless lives!"
"I shall burn everything away and become the comet that killed the Earth!"
[Ultimo Tope Patada!]
"Xiuhcoatl!!!"
With a resounding shout, the crimson meteor descended from the distant heavens, carrying unimaginable destructive force straight toward Setsuna.
"Isn't this the ultimate move you were supposed to use on Tiamat? Why are you dropping it on my head instead?"
Setsuna laughed.
He raised his hand toward the sky.
Crack—
The authority of the Herrscher of the Void activated.
At the very instant Kukulkan, transformed into a meteor, reached him—
The surrounding space was completely locked.
She froze midair, utterly unable to move.
"Hm?!"
"You actually—"
Kukulkan realized that despite being only a few meters away from him, she could not touch him at all.
"Controlling space? This can't even be called magecraft anymore. This is—?!"
In the next instant—
Crack!!—
The space above her fractured like a mirror.
Even as a chief god with an immensely powerful body and the blessing of the pinnacle of good—nearly immune to all attacks aligned with good—
Setsuna clearly did not belong within the category of "good," nor was he bound by such rules.
CRACK!—
Kukulkan felt herself splitting apart.
Literally.