Once the God-King devoured the divine authorities, he would command all powers—death, life, and everything beyond.
He would ascend beyond the realm of gods themselves, becoming an omnipotent deity.
Even the Great Wall's orbital cannons could no longer harm him; only powers of equal authority could truly wound such a being.
It was the same as back in the Absolute Demonic Front Singularity—
When Sanjiro joined forces with Ishtar, Ereshkigal, and the other deities to challenge the Beast, Tiamat.
Ishtar's full-powered strikes could not even scratch her.
Only in a desperate moment did the Gorgon, who still carried a fragment of Tiamat's authority, shatter the horn upon her brow, grounding her.
Then, Grand Assassin King Hassan—abandoning his very Grand Saint Graph—delivered a single strike that imbued her with the concept of death.
Without that, no matter how hard they fought, no one could truly wound her.
Not even Gilgamesh's Sword of Rupture could banish her outright.
That was the terror of a being that transcends divinity.
Sanjiro and Shikotei exchanged glances, realization dawning.
With the God-King's mastery over lightning and thunder, there was no way he should have been so helpless against his fellow gods.
There was only one truth—
He had deliberately used them to eliminate the rebellious councilors, paving the way to devour their powers!
From afar, Athena's brow furrowed.
"It has come. The very outcome we feared most! By consuming the others, he has already reached a level akin to a Beast!"
"Then… is there any way to restrain him?" Sanjiro asked grimly.
"None! Once he fuses all divine authorities into himself, he becomes an omnipotent god. Nothing can oppose him!"
Athena sighed deeply.
"Fourteen thousand years ago, when we faced the Vanguard of the Umbral Star, we debated this very choice. One path was to fuse all our powers into one, creating an omnipotent god who could defeat the Vanguard before it matured. But we rejected it—because once such a being was born, Zeus would surpass the gods themselves and devour us all."
In Greek myth, every generation of god-kings consumed their children, fearing usurpation.
That dread was the shadow of what we now see before us.
Luckily, in that age, the first wielder of the Holy Sword struck him down, allowing Olympus to survive.
Now Athena's voice trembled with concern.
"He is no longer the mortal 'God-King' Councilor. He is becoming the omnipotent Zeus! This act of devouring is none other than the influence of the Primordial Father—Chaos!"
"Chaos?" Sanjiro's eyes widened.
Could such a terrifying being also descend into the human world?
"Yes. When we came from outside to Earth, the Primordial Father parted ways with us. He did not descend with us."
That being was truly beyond gods, beyond even Beasts.
He never had to fear the Vanguard.
The gods once wished to remake Earth into a new Olympus.
But after merging with the native deities, they had chosen to become guardians of humanity instead, shouldering the fate of mankind.
"This… this is the crisis we feared most."
Sanjiro felt his head ache.
Alaya kept releasing exposure after exposure, and in turn his strength surged back faster and faster.
And now it had burdened him with an endless stream of powerful allies—clearly preparing him for a catastrophe that could annihilate mankind itself.
The Omnipotent Zeus.
The White Titan.
The Primordial Father Chaos.
"Tch. So much for lying down and taking it easy."
Damn you, Alaya!
The God-King broke into laughter.
"Nameless! The powers of gods are finite. In my hundred years of divinity, I have learned one truth—The more stratagems one employs, the clearer it becomes that the gods have limits. Unless—Unless one transcends the gods themselves!"
"Oh? And what are you truly after?" Sanjiro narrowed his eyes.
Once, they still bore fragments of human will.
But after mechanical ascension, becoming machine-gods, they cared nothing for the lives of mortals.
When the Sea God councilor sought to drown Fuyuki City in storms and tidal waves, killing millions—it was clear enough.
To them, humanity was no more than ants.
Would you spare a thought for the anthill drowned when you spill your cup of water?
The God-King's tone grew lofty.
"Nameless… I will shed the shell of godhood. I will become the Almighty. I will become God Himself!"
Gods were immortal, powerful, wielding dreadful authorities—yet still bound by limits.
For over a century, the Council of Gods had ruled this world, yet they never crushed every Heroic Spirit.
Not even their own councilors acknowledged him as king.
All of them were first-generation gods. Why should they revere him?
It proved that divinity itself had boundaries.
Unless one transcended even godhood.
To become omniscient, omnipotent—speaking reality into being.
God.
Only then could he crush every Heroic Spirit, twist all mortals into fanatics, and face no opposition.
He had seen it once, in the Olympus Singularity—
When Cronus devoured the Titans and Typhon's might, becoming an existence akin to a Beast.
That was the future he sought.
But aside from the Queen of Olympus, already bound to his will, every other councilor had opposed him.
Their refusal was what had pushed him into war.
Even if the First Emperor and Nameless one had failed to slay them, he would have struck from behind, destroying the Council of Gods himself.
Now, after fusing the authorities of eleven machine-gods—
The corpse of the War God councilor, once stored somewhere in the Empire, was suddenly seized by his control.
Its divine core pierced through all defenses in an instant, flying into the God-King's hand.
Now—
With the power of twelve Machine Gods united, he stood wreathed in a majesty that surpassed all divinity.
He had become a truly invincible God-King.
The God-King laughed madly.
"No matter what the authority, it is mine to wield! Behold My dominion!"
The sky blazed with boundless lightning.
Winds rose into a howling tempest, coiling around him as the eye of the storm.
Fire and thunder danced within it, merging into the ultimate storm—one that could devour the world itself.
The seas boiled as if granted a furious will of their own, rising up in wrath.
Death spread like a creeping miasma.
Scorching heat seared the earth.
The Storm and Sea of Poseidon.
The Flame and Forge of Hephaestus.
The Death and Underworld of Hades.
The Sun of Apollo…
Every divine authority was his, magnified beyond the original wielder's strength.
"Mortals—thinking reeds! Sink into eternal slumber!"
Flames of catastrophe rained upon the land.
As a god beyond gods, he cared nothing for human survival.
Those who did not worship him were heretics.
Sanjiro glared at him, fury burning in his eyes.
"You bastard… you dare strike at innocent people!"
Such beings were nothing but a blight on humanity—meant to be cut down.
The Omnipotent Zeus sneered.
"I say: the faithless are guilty. And the guilty shall be judged!"
Nonbelievers? He would see them all kneel before him as fanatics.
Shikotei gave a cold command:
"Mere pretender. Open fire."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The orbital cannons of the Great Wall charged once more, lances of light descending from the stars.
But—
A shocking sight unfolded.
The apocalyptic bombardment could not harm him at all.
Around his body blazed a shield of divinities: thunder, storm, sun, moon—every authority woven into one.
So strong, it shrugged off the might of the orbital barrage.
"Ha! I am God! You are nothing but dust. Kneel before me, mortals!"
The Omnipotent Zeus looked down upon the city.
"Believe in me, and you shall have eternal life."
At his overwhelming authority, panic swept through the people.
Where once they had only watched in awe as Shikotei crushed gods, now dread set in.
For this being had devoured them, become something above divinity, and now turned his might upon Fuyuki itself.
The very city would be annihilated.
No one could survive such a storm.
…
In the Fujimura household, Kirina dropped her popcorn, face pale.
"He wants to destroy Fuyuki?!"
The drama had turned on them.
She had thought Tei-nii and Nameless could crush the false gods with ease—but this?
If the Omnipotent Zeus bore such hatred, would he not erase them all?
This was an evil rivaling even Goetia, the Demon God who once set human history ablaze.
At the table, Taiga Fujimura trembled.
"Eh? What do we do?"
"Fujinee… are we really going to die?" Kirina clutched her arm, desperate.
Would her legendary "super luck" somehow save them?
"I-I don't know!" Fujimura stammered. She was only a high school teacher. What could she do against this?
Kirina panicked further.
"Where's Sanjiro? If Fuyuki is destroyed, we'll never see him again!"
She had dreamed of a future—growing up, marrying him, living an ordinary happy life.
Why was it all turning to ashes now?
Frantically, she dialed his number, praying to hear his voice one last time.
Beep… beep…
[The number you have dialed is unavailable. Please try again later.]
On the sofa, Fou let out a weary squeak, glaring at her.
"Fou~ (Idiot. He's already on the battlefield. How could he answer the phone?)"
Even as a young Beast, Fou could feel it clearly.
The Omnipotent Zeus had already surpassed him. To defeat him would require a being of equal rank.
Fou hesitated, then hopped down from the couch.
"Fou! (Fine. Since you cared for me, I will save you, Sanjiro!)"
This time, he would take the stage.
…
Meanwhile, at a luxury hotel in Fuyuki.
In the presidential suite, Jalter's eyes burned as she stared at the broadcast.
"So… Nameless truly appears?"
After searching in vain for over a month, he had shown himself at last—standing beside Shikotei against the Council of Gods.
She rose at once.
Her knight, Astolfo, tugged at her sleeve nervously.
"Majesty, shouldn't we… you know… run?"
"What? Run?" Jalter's gaze was sharp.
For the chance to reach Nameless, she would challenge even Zeus himself. Why would she flee?
The throne of France meant nothing compared to him.
Astolfo pointed toward the blazing god above the city.
"Majesty, we can't fight that! Staying here is just suicide!"
At that, Lancelot froze in horror.
"Damn! My daughter… she wouldn't try to protect Nameless, would she?"
Once, his son Galahad had defied him—only to be reborn as the gentle girl Mash Kyrielight.
A blessing beyond measure.
But he had only just found her. Barely a month had passed.
Now, with Nameless revealed to the world, and Mash's devotion to her "senpai"—
There was no doubt she would rush to his side.
But against a being with Beast-class might? She would be destroyed.
Jalter blinked.
"Protect him?"
Had she remained the pure saint, she might have sheltered the city.
But as the Dark Saint, she had long lost that radiance.
She could barely hear her Lord's voice anymore—
Until—
A hum rang within her mind.
A voice spoke:
[Do you desire power?]
Her eyes widened.
The Lord… had spoken again?
Was this real?
She trembled, then answered with devotion.
"My Lord… I desire the power to protect the people!"
Once, when her prayers went unanswered, when France betrayed her, she had fallen into darkness.
But if the Lord was truly omniscient and omnipotent—then surely, He loved humanity still.
If she asked selfishly for Nameless, would He turn away once more?
No. She could only pray to guard the innocent.
The answer came.
[As you wish.]
A surge of power erupted within her.
Her Saint Graph ascended in an instant.
And with it—her lost Noble Phantasm, La Pucelle's Banner, returned to her hands.
Once fallen into shadow, she could never summon the holy standard of hope and victory.
Until now.
She raised her head, voice solemn.
"My Lord, I will protect this city!"
For clearly—
The false "God" had trespassed too far.
And God itself had answered.
She had, perhaps, stumbled into a blessing in disguise?
…
Tsunamis and storms descended upon the eastern seas of Fuyuki City.
All of the Heroic Spirits gathered along the coast, desperate to resist such apocalyptic devastation.
But most of them had been warriors in life; to defend against a natural disaster of this scale was nearly impossible.
The Omnipotent Zeus sneered:
"Heretics who spurn My name—Fuyuki shall be erased in its entirety, as punishment for your sins!"
Having devoured the power of the gods, he had become the true God Himself, an invincible Almighty King.
"Storms! Lightning! Tsunamis! Obey My call—destroy these unbelievers!"
The ocean surged, waves hundreds of meters tall rising like walls of death.
Dark clouds pressed down, threatening to crush the city itself.
Amid this world-ending calamity—
A figure known to all suddenly stepped onto the shore.
It was none other than Jeanne d'Arc, still residing in Fuyuki City!
Before countless eyes, the Dark Saint—no, the Holy Maiden—raised her pure white banner, adorned with the fleur-de-lis, and cried out:
"My flag—protect all innocents!"
[Luminosité Eternelle: God is Here With Me!]
The holy banner unfurled. White light radiated from her form, expanding outward in all directions.
From above, one could see it clearly: a vast barrier of purest white encasing the entirety of Fuyuki City.
BOOM!
The towering tsunami crashed against the barrier, yet could not so much as tremble it.
Instead, the waves softened, dwindling, until the sea returned to calm.
Lightning and storm winds unleashed annihilation, yet still could not pierce the wall of light.
It was—true invincibility.
The Omnipotent Zeus froze in disbelief.
"A mere Heroic Spirit… can withstand My power?"
He had fused the might of all gods; by rights, no defense should stand before him.
What was happening?
Jeanne fell to one knee, gripping her holy banner with reverence.
"False god who dares call yourself the Lord—you shall be struck down!"
That flag embodied her legend: the banner she carried upon the battlefield, under which victory was nearly assured and she emerged unscathed.
But each use drew the damage into herself, burning her body in its place.
This time, however, with God's own blessing, she could stand against everything the usurper unleashed.
She lifted her gaze, smiling toward Nameless in the distance.
"This time, I shall fight beside you. Go and strike down this impostor. I will protect Fuyuki!"
====
Artoria watched the radiant Saint, doubt flickering in her eyes.
"She… regained the Lord's blessing? How could that be?"
Britain and France had always stood opposed.
She knew well: the Dark Saint had long since lost God's favor, and could no longer summon that invincible flag.
"Tch, forget that—are you going to help Nameless or not?" Mordred ground her teeth.
The Great Wall's orbital bombardment had been so terrifying that even she had hesitated to charge in.
But Jeanne had rushed forward without hesitation. How could she sit idle?
When this was over, she would bite Nameless herself!
That bastard, staying in Fuyuki all this time and never once coming to see her.
And still he dared call her his "most precious treasure"? Lies!
Gawain scratched his head nervously.
"Do we really need to get involved?"
This wasn't Britain. He had no obligation to throw his life away.
The Great Wall's cannons—each one hit like his strongest Noble Phantasm.
A thousand of them had fired, and not even that threatened Zeus. Charging in would be suicide.
"Of course."
Artoria's voice was calm.
Even the King of Heroes had lent his hand to aid Nameless. How could she simply stand by?
This time—she would be the one to protect Sanjiro.
Atonement, for the harm she had once done him in that singularity.
Even if it cost her everything.
…
Meanwhile.
The focus of all eyes, Sanjiro, finally allowed his taut heart to ease.
He had feared Fuyuki would truly be destroyed—his friends, his family, all lost.
Now, with Jeanne's invincible defense, he could unleash his full strength without worry.
A laugh nearly escaped him.
"Tch. Omnipotent Zeus… you've managed to anger that pigeon Lord Himself. You've dug your own grave."
For God was, in truth, a being on par with both Alaya and Gaia—one of the two supreme existences of the Earth.
But a pigeon nonetheless, deaf to prayers, caring nothing for mortals.
So, for Him to grant Jeanne His blessing—surely, Alaya's scheming little loli had invited Him to watch the spectacle?
As those thoughts crossed his mind—
The Omnipotent Zeus looked down upon him coldly.
"Mere defense cannot save you. Once I have cut you down, this city will fall easily!"
An "invincible" barrier was but a prison, a cage. None within could escape.
Now, he would slay Nameless before all the world.
That so-called strongest protector of mankind—Only by killing him could Zeus seize dominion over the planet.
From there, he would claim the final step: seizing human history itself, and becoming the one true God.
"Oh? So you really want to kill me?"
Sanjiro looked at him with pity.
Even before this god who had consumed Olympus itself, fusing all divine Authorities—he felt no fear.
"Heh. Barking even at death's door? No one can save you now—not even God Himself!" Zeus scoffed.
Around him surged endless storms and lightning, enough to annihilate everything.
Even if this was but a projection of Nameless—it did not matter. With such overwhelming power, he could trace it back, seizing Nameless' true self.
Then, before the entire world, he would execute him.
"There are always insects who dare challenge the power of the divine."
He sneered.
"Even Shikotei's orbital cannons could not harm Me. To threaten Me, you would need power equal to My own. You could never achieve that!"
A crippled man, daring to oppose an Almighty God? Absurd.
Even if he sacrificed himself, summoning countless versions of himself across timelines—it would still be in vain.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Sanjiro suddenly smiled.
"Tiamat—once more, lend me your strength."
"Wha—?!"
The Omnipotent Zeus faltered.
Could he truly summon that Human Evil?
No—it was impossible.
Such a being, so terrifying, could not simply appear at a whim.
And yet…
Had she not already descended before? With but a single strike, smashing the Council of Gods' projections to dust, sending them scurrying in fear until now.
Only after he had become a true main deity had Zeus dared reemerge.
And now—
WOOOM—
A vast, unfathomable power pierced through the world's walls and fell upon the battlefield.
No, not merely upon it—
It poured directly into Sanjiro's body.
A primordial force, carrying with it the breath of the world's dawn.
The birth of creation. The rise of life.
All beings bathed in the glory of their Mother, flourishing under her care.
The power of the Mother of Creation herself.
Athena's eyes widened in shock.
"You—you can actually summon Her?!"
Unthinkable. That being stood above even the Twelve Olympians.
A primordial existence with the power of creation itself—her status was beyond compare.
Even among the Evils of Humanity, she reigned at the pinnacle, able to crush the Nine-Tailed Fox with ease.
And now—
With but a single call from Sanjiro, she had answered.
Granting him her vast, boundless power.
Athena could scarcely believe her own senses.
Impossible.
Her father, Zeus, had always feared her latent strength. He would never have aided her so.
And yet—
Now it was real.
Unrelated to him, Sanjiro could so easily call upon her aid!
Why would that embodiment of Humanity's Evil show such favor to Sanjiro?
The Omnipotent Zeus was utterly shaken:
"W-What? You can truly summon her power?"
That terrifying existence should never be able to descend so casually.
For her to descend should demand a terrible price—so how could a single call from him bring such unquestioning grace?
Even with power nearly on par with a Beast, facing that existence, he would still have no chance of resistance.
That—was the real reason the Council of Gods had never dared to strike.
"Why not?" Sanjiro smiled.
If you could devour the gods and seize such overwhelming strength, then don't blame him for calling in his own support.
He'd let you see what it meant—
"A child with a mother is like holding treasure!"
Hum—
A figure silently appeared at Sanjiro's back.
Slender, pale arms drew him gently into an embrace.
Twin crimson cross-shaped pupils glared with frozen disdain at the so-called Omnipotent Zeus before them.