"Vali… can we actually fight that thing?"
Bikou swallowed nervously as the colossal monster drew closer.
Now he finally understood why this ruined world was saturated with darkness—it all came from that thing.
Raize's mouth twitched as he stared at the roaring giant. That iconic form was impossible to mistake.
He hadn't expected Gatanothor to appear in this ruined world. In the original series, its ionized black fog covered the entire Earth, but even that portrayal paled in comparison to the real thing before them.
Vali narrowed his eyes, feeling pressure far beyond that of a Satan even from this distance.
Albion's voice echoed in his mind:
[If you fight it, be careful. That creature's darkness has no limit. It's extremely dangerous. I know your personality—but if you need to retreat, do it without hesitation. Remember your dreams and ambitions.]
Vali's lips curved upward, excitement flickering in his eyes.
"We don't really have a choice anymore, Albion."
A Zoiger streaked through the sky, its crimson eyes locking onto Vali and Raize. With a piercing screech, it dove straight toward them, followed by a swarm of others.
The disturbance would soon attract even more monsters circling above.
Just like Vali said—if they didn't run, then fighting was unavoidable.
"Cover each other. Don't get separated!"
Raize gave the order, then patted Kanna's head and launched himself toward the incoming flying monsters.
Kanna's strength was not weak, and she was currently at full power, more than capable of taking care of herself.
Vali followed closely behind Raize as they charged forward. Bikou summoned his cloud, enlarging it so the others could stand on it, then glanced toward Kanna.
Kanna shook her head as pure white light burst from her body. Her form rapidly expanded as she transformed into a pure white dragon. She opened her mouth and unleashed a bolt of lightning dragon breath, instantly turning the swarm of small Zoiger diving from above into ash.
A hole was blasted through the black clouds in the sky, though it was quickly filled again the very next second.
Whoosh!
The white dragon beat her wings and shot upward, accelerating to supersonic speed. Dense electric currents erupted continuously from her body, sweeping through the surrounding Zoiger beasts.
Meanwhile, Bikou's group flying in the sky became a mobile artillery platform. Kuroka and Le Fay continuously cast spells and magic.
Arthur and Bikou wielded a sword and staff respectively, guarding against surprise attacks.
"――――AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA――――!!"
A massive Zoiger beast released a screech so sharp it sounded like fingernails scraping across a blackboard. The sound shook the air like invisible shockwaves, raking across the land and causing mountains to tremble.
Just its cry alone was like a raging storm.
"So damn loud!"
Raize's expression twisted as his ears were assaulted. The pure blue wings of light on his back flared as he accelerated straight toward the Zoiger.
Intense high-heat energy surged along his arms, forming visible crimson light.
He spread his arms wide, drawing a circular arc inward. The reactor organ within his body began spinning at high speed, converting heat into ultra-dense, scorching light particles. The blazing energy compressed between his palms, forming a crimson energy sphere.
[Penetrate—Deracium Beam Torrent!]
Holding the blazing orb in his right hand, Raize hurled it forward. A fiery crescent shot out, tearing through the air.
Wherever the red crescent passed, violent winds roared, spawning scorching fire tornadoes.
Boom!
The attack slammed directly into the Zoiger's open mouth mid-screech. The terrifying heat nearly roasted it alive as the destructive light raged through its body.
Dense, web-like currents of energy erupted both inside and outside the Zoiger, spreading rapidly across its entire form.
The creature let out a final wail before its massive body stiffened and lost all momentum, falling helplessly from the sky.
Before it could hit the ground—
Boom!!
Its huge body exploded from the inside out, scattering into fragments and dust. Nothing remained.
The essence of penetrate was using an object as a medium, allowing power to bypass that medium entirely.
Raize had used the Zoiger's body as the medium, letting the energy strike its soul directly, with the destruction spilling over to its flesh.
If Raize wanted to be cruel, he could even use himself as the medium, allowing attacks to pass straight through him.
It was a familiar concept—much like Kamui.
"Vali, let's work together and take down the big one!"
After seeing Vali obliterate a giant Zoiger's head, Raize flew beside him and pointed toward Gatanothor.
He didn't have much confidence fighting Gatanothor alone, but with Vali's cooperation, he believed they had a chance.
"Do you have a plan?"
Vali blasted apart another approaching Zoiger but didn't rush in recklessly. This wasn't a duel—it was a battlefield.
With so many monsters already, facing Gatanothor directly inspired little confidence.
"First, we use our Half Dimension to shrink its effective size. Its tentacles are dangerous, but we're highly mobile. We can fight it in motion. Its surface defense is too strong for frontal assault, so we'll inject flames and poison to attack its interior."
Gatanothor's massive body, overwhelming armor, and energy-draining tentacles made it deadly. On top of that, it constantly emitted dense black fog—lethal to most living beings.
Raize and Vali, however, had ways to resist it.
"Good. Let's do it!"
Vali's eyes flashed. The plan suited this kind of colossal enemy perfectly. If its shell couldn't be broken from the outside, they'd tear it apart from within.
The two activated their Balance Breaker and tore through the Zoiger swarm, charging straight toward Gatanothor.
Gatanothor had already locked onto Raize when the light attack was fired. As the two approached, its inverted face twisted grotesquely. Crimson light filled its eyes as it unleashed a thunderous roar.
"GGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!"
The shrill roar became a tidal wave of sound crashing toward Raize and Vali. Even with armor, both felt intense discomfort inside.
Their eardrums felt on the verge of rupture, but stopping was not an option.
Massive tentacles lashed out like colossal whips.
The air itself exploded under the strike. Raize could react—but Vali only caught a glimpse of black shadow.
Enduring the pain, both barely dodged. The tentacles smashed into the ground instead.
Boom!!
Crack! Rumble!!
The sheer force twisted the land. Even a casual strike shattered the earth. This deliberate attack ripped open a massive canyon stretching dozens of kilometers.
A crushing pressure swept across heaven and earth.
Just as Raize said—being hit by those tentacles meant death or dismemberment.
"Don't get cocky!"
Vali sealed his ears with magic and fired a magic beam straight toward Gatanothor's eye.
The blue gem on his chest shone silver as a pure magic pillar formed, stabbing toward the monster's eye like a spear.
Boom!
Gatanothor's eyes flashed red. Thick black fog burst forth, engulfing its massive body. Vali's beam vanished into the darkness like it had sunk into deep mud, leaving only ripples.
The monster's eerie scream rang out again as shadowy fog spread endlessly, plunging everything within dozens of kilometers into darkness.
Visibility dropped to less than five meters.
Tentacles hidden within the shadows struck like venomous serpents, stabbing and whipping at Vali.
Bang!
A tentacle slammed down, shattering the ground. The shockwave blasted everything skyward.
Raize relied on danger sense to evade, but he also had to watch over Vali.
Together, they moved like figures inside a massive meat grinder—one mistake meant death.
"I'll restrain its movements first. You know what to do next."
"Hmph. Getting hit without fighting back isn't my style!"
As they dodged, Raize fired a water magic blast infused with penetrate, carving open a path through the fog and charging forward.
"Divide—Divide—Divide—Divide!!"
Behind him, Vali's blue-white wings flashed repeatedly as he activated his Sacred Gear, erasing the darkness reforming along the path.
Suddenly, a massive claw erupted beneath Vali, snapping upward.
The black fog weakened perception drastically. Without Raize's support, Vali would've been struck already.
"Damn!"
Too late to dodge, Vali folded his wings forward to block.
"Vali, I've got you!"
Bikou arrived atop his cloud, slamming his blood-soaked staff into the claw. The staff expanded into a sky-piercing pillar, halting the strike for a split second.
"Bikou, intercept the attacks!"
Vali seized the moment and escaped, silver dragon energy erupting from his body.
Knowing what was coming, the team covered him.
Kuroka danced atop the cloud, unleashing countless spells. Le Fay supported her like a second artillery unit.
Arthur severed a massive tentacle with his caliburn.
Meanwhile, Vali completed his chant. His body expanded as he entered his ultimate state.
Juggernaut Drive!
The white armored dragon roared as a silver beam tore through the darkness, opening a path in Raize's direction.
Vali surged forward, blasting continuously.
After pushing through, he saw Raize ahead—slashing endlessly, forming a dense net of cuts that severed incoming tentacles.
Despite the dramatic wounds, the damage was negligible for something of Gatanothor's size.
Raize knew this. He wasn't trying to kill it yet.
He was waiting for Vali.
"You're slow!"
Raize sheathed his blade and began charging the divine technique Yasakani no Magatama.