Kind of hate these rush jobs trying to finish this story. But one more chapter ladies and gents, and then this story is over!
"I'll hold a position here to provide sanctuary. If you're in need of healing or recharging your energies, retreat to this boundary! Now go help Lip and Melt, we need to defeat Deus's vanguard before we can get a clear shot at beating him!" Hakuno told them as everyone nodded their heads in understanding.
"Contractor, Protea, Jeanne Alter and I will stall Father for everyone. Light be with you!" Helel spoke up, already flying past everyone to stall Deus with Kingprotea and Jeanne Alter wordlessly following up in silent agreement. That's Heroic Spirits for you, being able to silently converse with each other about intent and plans when it comes to saving the world.
"I'll take on Death." Morgan announced, striding towards Meltylryllis and Death having their tango as her full power was unleashed.
"Then we should take care of the other one together." Arthur suggested while the Hestia Familia looked at him warily. They didn't know who he was and despite appearing to be an ally, couldn't fully bring out their trust.
"Thanks Uncle, nice to see you again even if you are different in appearance right now." Hakuno spoke up, getting Hestia to calm down since she knew that what Hakuno said was the complete truth and for Ais to instantly trust the man. Welf looked at the man, then to Morgan, and then Hakuno and looked confused. "I take after my father, Welf." Welf nodded his head in complete understanding now. Haruhime looked relieved and Primo was excited to see the new family member show up. Lili just sighed and nodded along, already used to crazier stuff with Hakuno.
Arthur blinked before realizing that Hakuno must have met Artoria once before and saw the resemblance in them to tell he was an ally and her uncle. He gave her a smile in gratitude before getting serious and leading the assault against Famine alongside the Hestia Familia and Passionlip.
Famine can affect the cost of energy, which can be both boon and bane to mages and while Haruhime is a mage, she still knows some melee for self-defense. Welf is a blacksmith first and foremost, and his magic only works as a counter to an enemy's magic. Primo is a mage for sure and would definitely have the hardest of times if not for the spirit Diabound and her carrying Crimson Harvest in its compact form on her back so she's got that covered. Lili had surprised Hakuno the most, using the Merlin-Killer MKII surprisingly well like it was an extension of her body. It actually made the Witch proud of the Supporter's growth and is certain that after all this, Lili will level up. If not, Hakuno was going to vent her frustrations in the Dungeon after this is over.
But her surrogate mother Hestia was what really surprised the Holy Witch the most of all people. All known records in myths and legends showed she's a pacifist in them. But Hakuno inwardly berated herself, forgetting that Hestia was one of the children who fought against the Titans in the past alongside Zeus, Poseidon, Hades and Demeter. Hestia was the nicest goddess of the original Olympian siblings which made making an enemy out of her terrifying. It's always the quiet or nice ones to look out for after all. And by the gods, Hestia is delivering the literal firepower towards Famine with no sign of exhaustion even if the scales were tipped negative.
[Senpai! Bell-kun has woken up! And he has something to say!] BB's communication from the Throne World reached Hakuno's ears.
"What is it?" she asked.
[He said deep inside Deus's inner world, there are statues that are the souls of people acting as the source of His power and existence. Paracausal power is the means to free them and I don't know what paracausal power is!]
…!
Gardener's Sky and Winnower's Deep, the Light and Darkness powers are the key to undoing Deus's existence. Activating the Gate of Babylon, a nameless lance of high quality appeared in her hand as she gripped it tightly. This lance has no current origin to any Noble Phantasms belonging to any Hero recorded yet, which made it suitable to her needs. Channeling the essences of Friendship, Dreams, Pride, Kindness, Compassion and Love a new weapon was beginning to be forged. It embodied the aspects of this family as the night was lit up by a pillar of golden light.
This new Sacred Lance was the symbol of the Hestia Familia Myth, a beacon and guide for those seeking a home. It was named Tzáki, meaning Hearthstone in Greek. A humble name, which describes Hestia herself and Hakuno was certain the goddess wouldn't mind the name since it is associated with the hearth after all.
She began to feel the ache and pain from the drawn out fight with Deus recede as her magical reserves were recovering from Annwyn Ataraxia helped with the process. Every once in a while, one of her allies would withdraw to recover for a few minutes before returning to the fight. But when Death and Famine finally fell, the path towards God lay before them so judgment could be served.
/Storm Border/
"Even now, your family never ceases to impress me, Artoria…" Ritsuka stated that after seeing Arthur and Morgan's efforts change the battle to Hakuno's favor. "Seeing siblings side by side like that…wow, just wow…"
"Master, please don't imply working with Morgan?!" Merlin squeaked, looking scandalized while Artoria Avalon was drinking tea and Azure Artoria watching both her other self and sister working together for a common cause.
The King of Knights wondered what would have happened if things regarding the inheritance to rule Britain were different. Could the bond between the two sisters be stronger instead of weaker like it had before? From the peaceful yet strong expression on her sister's face when she fought alongside Arthur proved a bond between siblings can be stronger.
The unity before her was capable of beating a god of all things and maybe, perhaps, she may be a bit judgmental with everything due to her ideals. For now, she watched the Master of the Moon create a new Sacred Lance from the King of Heroes' treasury.
It pierced the God's body, and a weird distortion erupted from Deus's body.
/Monolith Canopy/
"Infuse your weapons with my Light, destroy the statues inside!" Hakuno told everyone as they were drawn into the inner world of Deus, standing in a pool of light that baptised their weapons with its power.
Free us. FREE US!
You are mine!
It will finally end…
We won't suffer another day with you!
They began destroying as many statues as they could with their weapons before they felt Deus expelled them from His being as He became more monstrous and demonic in appearance. Hakuno, armed with Sacred Lance in hand, posed to attack. "Flaming Lance, forward!" she commanded, darting like a shooting star that collided with Deus, creating a visible wound on His torso that was leaking ichor from it. "Now guys!" Hakuno told them.
"For my family!" Hestia was the first to move, blasting an intense fireball with a heat that would reduce orichalcum to liquid in seconds.
"Break for me, Kazuki!" Welf was the second to unleash his attack, using the last of his magic swords, a lesser but still formidable flame scorched Deus's face.
"Look upon me Father, for this is the Lie of Lucifer!" Helel gleefully shouted, firing his Noble Phantasm from the sky as meteors pelted Deus. Deus snarled before Hakuno stabbed Him in the eye, causing the evil god to howl in pain before he grabbed her and began channeling power to inflict pain onto her.
"Empty results, Kishinami!"
"-FIREBOLT!"
A white streak of flames exploded on Deus's face, causing him to lose focus as Hakuno escaped his grip and leaped back to her allies. There he was, Bell Cranel, partially healed, but determined to help as Elohim's power flowed through him. "This battle is far from over, young witch, let's finish it, together!" the god within him told her as she nodded in agreement. Swarms of angels hovered overhead and then suddenly; Abaddon turned to devour them.
"Couldn't let you have all the fun now, can't I? Go for it Holy Witch!" Asherah's voice echoed from the Dungeon's depths. Golden flames danced along the lance and Hakuno's resolve grew with each second.
She charged once again, using the Sacred Lance to open a pathway within as the Familia and Servants charged in to cripple Deus.
You're almost there!
Go young heroes!
Your pain is poison!
This ends here abomination!
The voices of the imprisoned souls cheering them on as they faced destruction moved them, not allowing their deaths be in vain. Once they were ejected out, Protea stood tall as BB utilized a special trick in collaboration with Hakuno. The Holy Witch enshrouded the giantess with Vortigern while BB casted a spell that made it absorb both Lip and Melt to grant the Alter Ego their respective weapons for an effective attack. "Gigamax Virgin Papillon Laser!" The three Alter Egos voices called out in sync as the entire monolith was being crushed by the destructive power of the attack as it began to collapse.
"Seal Thirteen, Decision Start!" Arthur commanded.
"Dark lake, come to me." Morgan spoke softly.
Golden starlight and lakeside depths mingled as one.
"Excalibur!" "Roadless Camelot!"
The combined Noble Phantasms of Arthur and Morgan unleashed a terrifying explosion that ripped through the collapsing monolith, sending debris flying in all directions as Haruhime's golden fox avatar carried everyone to safer grounds before Deus rose from the dust looking more like a demonic corpse than a god. "You dare raise your blades against God Himself?" Deus demanded, fury overtaking Him as they were beginning to sink deeper into the Dungeon itself. "Then burn in the flames of ruination!"
"God, you tried to take on the people of this world, and that was your mistake." Jeanne Alter told Him as she raised her sword overhead and cursed flames heeded her call. "Le Grondement de la Haine!" The flames and implement that followed after did not lessen the anger, rather, made it worse.
"Radiant stars traveling the obsidian night sky. Listen to my innocent prayers and guide these descending lights." Primo began chanting while Diabound wielding Crimson Harvest slashed a wide gash from Deus's lip to the end of one cheek to make it look like a demented smile while the god tried to heal the wound and retaliate against the Spirit of Vengeance. The stars themselves were lighting up and Hakuno instantly knew Primo was combining the Animusphere Magecraft with her own spell to unleash that lightshow again. "Come, tears of the stars!" the elf child commanded with the same grace and elegance of Hakuno and Morgan as she slammed the butt of her staff down, "Smite the sinners with righteous fury! Lumine Pleiades!" a bombardment of lasers from the stars themselves.
Scorched, mutilated, Deus crawled from the ashes and smoke, His body forcing itself to heal beyond safe limits as it started to bloat and distort in a grotesque way that it looked like it came out of a horror movie like The Thing with all the weird appendages, heads, and many mouths crying out. "Captain…" Bell breathed out, still winded. "Show Him…His word isn't absolute."
"How?" Deus growled out, IT trying to sustain ITS existence as blood and puss leaked from ITS body. "And why do you fight against MY Holy Word?" IT rasped out in frustration.
Hakuno called upon her power as a Cypher, drawing on the energies of the Gardener's Sky (Light) to finish this nightmare that had plagued countless worlds and doomed Cypher society to fall. "We're not heroes trying to make names for ourselves here. We fight as ones who seek to protect the lives of the people in this world. Guardians so to speak. And remember this, tyrant who seeks control over all…" her body began to glow with that brilliant light, one more brilliant than a god's.
"Guardians make their own fate."
A pure beam of paracausal power fired itself towards Deus. IT felt itself falling apart at an existential level, writhing in pain as IT tried to control that light for itself. IT realized that this light that Hakuno used was not something IT could wield, let alone be worthy of having as IT heard the countless souls that made ITS being finally scream in rapture of this deliverance. IT was falling apart, even its fellow divine components were being split and back to individual entities that were also dying from the light. "I-I…I…" Deus sputtered, body fading from existence as it was finally unmade from existence. "I…DON'T…UNDERSTAND…" IT lamented, sounding alone and small as Deus, the Evil Counterpart of the Abrahamic God was unmade and erased from all future timelines that very day.