Blue flames condensed into massive magatama shapes, spinning in Raize's palm. Freezing time for something this large required enormous power.
"Hmph. I'll do my part!"
Vali unleashed a full-powered dragon breath straight at Gatanothor's massive, evil-red eye.
At point-blank range, this was unavoidable.
The White Dragon Emperor's beam struck the eye—but didn't destroy it immediately.
Vali pushed harder, amplifying output as the Sacred Gear roared.
"Divide—Divide—Divide—Divide—Divide—Divide—Divide—Divide!!"
Using the surrounding black fog as fuel, the beam doubled, then doubled again—
And finally pierced straight through Gatanothor's eye.
But…
Buzz————!
There was no sign of injury at all. Instead, a terrifying evil light burst forth from Gatanothor's gigantic eye, as if it were an instinctive counterattack provoked by the annoying antics of that tiny mosquito, Vali.
Along with the pitch-black energy beam that had already taken physical form and shot out from Gatanothor's eye, it was like a black hole devouring all light. Vali's only demonic cannon attack seemed to be petrified in an instant, losing all of its original brilliance and power.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA———!"
Unlike the roar of a normal being, Gatanothor seemed to have completely fallen into a berserk rage due to Vali's pestering actions. A piercing shriek that stabbed at the eardrums reverberated from its mouth, shaking the air as it wildly lashed its countless surrounding tentacles, filling the entire battlefield with overwhelming pressure.
"No way… just what level is this thing's darkness at? Even an attack in Juggernaut Drive form got swallowed up and nullified!?"
Seeing this, Vali's expression beneath his armored mask turned grim. Albion was right—this thing was on a completely different level from anything he had encountered before.
Buzz buzz buzz—!
On the inverted jaw of Gatanothor, streaks of purple light flared one after another, rapidly converging into a single point.
Whoosh!!
A massive purple beam, far larger than the one Vali had fired earlier, erupted forth. The attack was viciously timed, seizing the exact moment when Vali had just ended his demonic cannon and needed to catch his breath. As for its speed, there was no need to even mention it.
"Tch, too late…"
In a split second, Vali made his decision and formed a reflective mirror in front of himself. Since he couldn't dodge, he would reflect it back.
But the fatal problem was that Vali's reflective crystal plate was far smaller than the incoming beam. If it couldn't fully contain it, the reflection would fail—and even trying to enlarge it now would be too late.
Gatanothor's piercing beam completely swallowed Vali's figure. The reflective ability did activate, but it only allowed Vali to struggle desperately within the purple torrent.
"[Transfer!] [Penetrate!]"
Suddenly, a peculiar power descended upon Vali. To his astonishment, the pressure from resisting the enemy's output vanished entirely, and Gatanothor's beam passed straight through his body.
It was as if he had become nothingness itself, or a mirage—no power could land on him at all.
[Ah, the Red Dragon Emepror's Transfer and Penetration abilities. I didn't expect that guy to help you this way—using your body as the medium for penetration so that the attacks of that darkness-filled monster can't hit you.]
The White Dragon Emperor Albion, sensing the power descending upon his host, immediately recognized it.
He also had to admire Raize's imagination—using penetration in such a shameless way.
Having obtained the Red Dragon Emperor's power and being able to use it this effectively… it was hardly an insult to his old rival's strength.
"If he were the Red Dragon Emperor's host, then he'd definitely be my greatest rival!"
Saved from certain doom, Vali curled his lips into a grin. Once Gatanothor's terrifying beam attack ended, he flapped his light wings and instantly moved behind Raize.
The flame gathered in Raize's hand was all too familiar—it was clearly the bizarre technique he had used when fighting Vali earlier.
Having amassed sufficient power, Raize directly unleashed the technique Shiki Ya Sakazuki at point-blank range. With such a massive body, there was nowhere for Gatanothor to evade, and the flames of the Shiki Ya Sakazuki struck it head-on.
Boom!!
The flames exploded violently across its enormous body, spreading over it in an instant. This time, the surrounding time was not frozen—instead, only Gatanothor's bodily time was halted.
Time in the outside world continued to flow, but Gatanothor's consciousness was rendered blank for a short period.
The so-called Shiki Ya Sakazuki referred to the divine liquor from myth used to intoxicate the monstrous Yamata no Orochi. Once paralyzed, the enemy would be assaulted without mercy.
"Vali!"
"Got it!"
Seeing Gatanothor's gigantic body completely frozen, as if under a binding spell, Vali immediately recognized the perfect opportunity to strike.
An unprecedentedly brilliant light burst forth from every part of Vali's Juggernaut Drive form.
"Reduce————!!!"
"[Half Dimension]"
Raize had already used Reduce in combination with the Red Dragon Emperor's fire earlier, but now Vali personally experienced just how terrifying Albion's venom truly was.
A mist completely opposite to the surrounding black fog poured from Vali's body, sweeping over Gatanothor's enormous form like a poisonous cloud.
At the same time, with the White Dragon Emperor's Half Dimension activated, Vali began twisting the space around Gatanothor's body, attempting to continuously erode and shrink its massive size.
By eliminating the difference in scale, they could gain at least some advantage.
"Reduce————!!!"
"Penetrate——!!!"
"Transfer——!!!"
Raize also began unleashing Reduce and Cerulean Inferno, coordinating with Vali so that all the poison and fire penetrated and transferred directly into Gatanothor's body and soul.
After careful consideration, Raize further increased his output.
"Boost— Boost— Boost— Boost— Boost— Boost— Boost————!!!"
Blue flames ignited across Gatanothor's surface as invisible poison and tangible fire eroded it simultaneously.
The White Dragon Emperor's poison and the Red Dragon Emperor's flames spread rapidly throughout Gatanothor's body.
From its massive frame to its tentacles, then into its internal organs, and finally into its ethereal soul.
Through their coordination during the period when Gatanothor was frozen by the Shiki Ya Sakazuki, Vali and Raize delivered a devastating blow that could no longer be ignored.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA———!!!!"
As the time stop ended, an ear-splitting scream unlike anything before erupted from Gatanothor's mouth.
This time, its cry was like a wail of agony, as if it were a criminal being flayed alive—screaming incessantly, its inverted giant face contorted with pain, its massive body completely losing control and thrashing wildly.
Its flesh, blood, bones, organs, soul, and spirit were all being visibly eroded and reduced, while the inextinguishable flames burning both inside and out drove it into unbearable torment.
Blue flames still burned across Gatanothor's huge body, which had not yet been reduced by the White Dragon Emperor's Half Dimension, while invisible toxic miasma seeped from the gaps in its flesh.
Its massive form now showed signs of shrinking, the surrounding shadowy black fog growing unstable and no longer densely congealed. Even its frenzied tentacles had no mind left to attack.
Bikou and Arthur seized this chance to rush over. What they saw was blood pouring continuously from Gatanothor's inverted head and body, staining it red before being burned clean by the flames.
Even with its formidable regenerative abilities, there was nothing it could do now. The poison and fire had thoroughly permeated it inside and out—its very breath and the blood sprayed with its screams were rapidly diminishing.
Raize ignored the monster's resilient flesh and struck directly at its soul. The move was absolutely ruthless—even Vali felt that this gigantic beast of darkness was on the verge of defeat.
However, there was a saying: a trapped beast will still fight.
Even though Raize and Vali's combined attack was devastating, it completely unleashed Gatanothor's ferocity.
Boom——!!!!
In an instant, Gatanothor's body—burning inside and out with poison and nightmare—underwent a violent transformation. A special energy fluctuation erupted from it, sweeping across the entire ruined realm in a split second.
That overwhelming, demonic pressure crashed down on Raize and Vali's souls like a massive hammer. Even Raize, with his terrifying endurance, suffered injuries through the White Dragon Emperor's armor under this difference in scale.
It felt as though his spirit and soul were shaken, let alone his body. A surge of blood rose in his throat.
In humanoid form, Raize possessed part of Kirby-level durability. If he had transformed into Kirby, he could have endured this burst completely.
"Pff—!"
With a scream, Vali's Juggernaut Drive armor shattered into energy particles and dispersed into the air. He did not have Raize's resilience—his spirit was ravaged by Gatanothor's berserk energy, and nearly half of his internal organs were pulverized. Fortunately, Albion exerted himself to bear part of the impact for him.
As for Bikou and Arthur, it was even worse. Their Flying Nimbus dispersed beneath them, and all four screamed as blood poured from their seven orifices.
Bikou and Kuroka, aided by special bloodlines, barely retained consciousness, but Arthur and his sister were knocked unconscious on the spot, left barely clinging to life.
Without conscious resistance to the surrounding dark mist, their bodies began to take on a pitch-black hue, their life force steadily drained away.
After losing the Flying Nimbus and falling from the sky, Arthur's Holy King Sword activated at the critical moment, flashing with light and forming a protective barrier that caught the dying siblings, as well as Bikou and Kuroka who fell shortly after.
With the protective armor around Raize and Vali shattered, the surrounding shadowy fog also assaulted them. Badly injured, Raize forcibly swallowed the blood mixed with fragments of organs in his mouth.
Vali, heavily wounded but aided by Albion, spread his demonic wings after the White Dragon Emperor's light wings shattered and dissipated.
And at that moment, the entire ruined realm began to change!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunder roared through the black clouds, the earth cracked relentlessly, and the dark mist of the ruined realm grew restless.
Then, before the grim gazes of Vali and Raize, all the black fog of the world began rushing back into Gatanothor's massive body.
"ROAR!!!!"
Gatanothor let out an earth-shaking bellow like an elephant's roar. Its colossal form became like a black hole, drawing in even light itself as it reclaimed all the darkness of the ruined realm into its body.
The blue flames and toxic miasma burning on its surface were also swallowed back along with the surging black fog.
At the same time, as Gatanothor continued reclaiming its dispersed power, its aura grew ever more terrifying. The entire ruined realm creaked and groaned, the clearing sky filling with dense cracks—the incomplete world could no longer withstand Gatanothor's escalating power.
[Hey! Vali, and you too, Raize boy—leave now while you can! This enemy is no longer something you can deal with. It's reclaiming the power it scattered across the ruined realm. Once that happens, the flames and poison you penetrated into its soul will all be forced out. Leave now, while there's still time!]
Albion's weakened voice echoed from the silver light behind Vali. It was clear that bearing the earlier shock had taken a heavy toll on the White Dragon as well.
"Cough… looks like that roundabout tactic only managed to make it serious and angry."
Clutching his chest and coughing uncomfortably, feeling his ruptured organs, Raize activated his healing power. He glanced at the still-alive Bikou and Vali, fired a healing beam at Vali, then looked reluctantly at Gatanothor, whose presence was still rising.
Raize admitted he couldn't keep fighting. If even that indirect strategy had failed, he had no other options.
[Sigh… retreat, Raize. This isn't an enemy you can defeat with schemes. If you can't retreat safely, I'll take you across dimensions myself.]
Nep's voice sighed in his mind. Not stopping Raize earlier was also a lesson—just because he had gained considerable power didn't mean he could fight anything. Some gaps were simply too great to overcome with tactics.
Still, Nep acknowledged Raize's courage. Rather than fighting head-on, he had struck directly at Gatanothor's soul through its powerful body—something even Gatanothor himself hadn't anticipated from such tiny insects.
But that same act had thoroughly enraged Gatanothor. Whether it could leave the ruined realm or not, it now only wanted to tear these insolent intruders apart.
Raize looked at the dark giant with frustration and unwillingness. This defeat would be repaid someday in the future.
For now, retreat was the only option.
He pulled five strangely shaped mushrooms from his inventory. Each was half a meter tall, black-gray in color, with unsettling human-like faces on their caps—faces that were anything but friendly.
The Doom-shrooms opened their crimson, ominous eyes. Manipulated by Raize's energy, they were hurled violently toward Gatanothor.
Raize's arms flared with light as they transformed into pure light, surging with immense energy.
Crackle!
Streams of light formed from countless photons surged toward the Doom-shrooms.
This attack was one of Ultraman's classic finishing moves: the right hand stored negative Spacium light energy, the left hand stored positive Spacium light energy, and when the hands crossed, it was fired in a continuous, sustained blast.
The moment the beam touched the Doom-shrooms, intense light erupted from their surfaces. Inside them, it was as if nuclear fusion ignited. After a brief contraction—
Boom!!!
A mushroom cloud like a nuclear explosion detonated before Gatanothor, blocking its vision in an instant. Using the nuclear blast as a smokescreen, Raize entered acceleration, teleported to the severely injured Vali, grabbed his arm, and sped toward Arthur's position.
At this moment, Gatanothor was absorbing the darkness of the entire Ruined realm. The dark clouds surrounding the area and filling the sky began to recede at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Those small Zoiger monsters whose bodies had been molded by darkness let out a final wail before rapidly collapsing into black mist and dissipating, all of them turning into nourishment for Gatanothor.
The remaining large Zoiger monsters were unaffected, but they were being slaughtered by Kanna in an utterly crushing manner.
With the annoying small monster birds gone, Kanna devoted all her power to dealing with the large Zoiger monsters.
However, Kanna also noticed that Gatanothor's aura was becoming increasingly terrifying. Enduring her fear, she flew toward Raize's direction. Even though she had been highly wary of Raize before, she was now willing to be brave and endure danger and fear to try and save him.
"Kanna, get inside, now!!"
Behind Raize, Divine Dividing manifested once again. His entire body radiated golden light, and even his hair and pupils were dyed with dazzling gold.
After entering Chaos Mode, his speed surpassed what it had been before. In Acceleration Mode, everything around him seemed to come to a standstill.
Alone, he pushed the bubble barrier that Arthur had spread out, advancing at extreme speed. Arthur, who had already taken the Phoenix's Tears, had recovered, but the situation was urgent and there was no time to heal everyone's injuries.
Although surprised by Raize's appearance, Kanna quickly flapped her wings and flew over. With a flash of white light, her massive dragon body transformed into a cute little girl.
She leaped through the air and jumped into the opening Arthur had deliberately left in the bubble barrier. After Arthur sealed the bubble again, the scenery before them suddenly blurred, and they entered an unimaginably terrifying speed.
Vali and Arthur, who still had strength and consciousness, couldn't help but glance behind them at Raize, who was pushing the bubble and rocketing forward.
What the hell is this kind of speed? And what kind of form was that supposed to be?
So when he fought Vali before, he hadn't even gone all out.
The dark mist covering the entire Ruined realm began to be drawn back into its master's body at a visible speed. Along with the darkness receding like a rapidly retreating tide, Raize could increasingly feel Gatanothor's aura behind them—already far left behind—was shaking the entire Ruined realm even more violently.
As the shadowy black fog rapidly gathered and faded, and the sky cleared, a shocking mutation began to occur.
Rumble—!!!
Crack! Crack!!
The shattered land was once again struck by massive earthquakes as Gatanothor's power surged explosively. This time, the rumbling was even louder than before, and the sky itself cracked like a mirror, revealing pitch-black fissures.
Streaks of void lightning energy burst within those cracks. This Ruined realm…
[Leave immediately. This Ruined realm is about to reach its critical point. After that monster reclaimed the darkness it had spread out, the power it forced up has already exceeded what this Ruined realm can contain. If this place collapses, you'll be torn apart by the space storms' chaotic currents—no chance of survival!]
Albion's grave voice warned everyone of the current situation.
Earlier, Gatanothor's rampage had accelerated the destruction of this Ruined realm, while the darkness it spread out had simultaneously been supporting it, forming a delicate balance.
Now that Gatanothor had retracted its darkness and recklessly increased its power, that fragile balance had been broken. This Ruined realm had already begun to collapse.
If they stayed any longer, none of them would be able to withstand the destructive force of the realm's collapse.
Realizing this, Vali quickly swallowed a dose of Phoenix's Tears as a precaution, then fed another dose to the barely conscious Le Fay. He immediately looked at the person responsible for transportation in the team.
"Arthur!"
Arthur naturally understood the situation. After Raize had accelerated away from Gatanothor—the massive and poorly mobile monster—Arthur immediately began the evacuation ritual.
With another swing of caliburn, a pocket portal was opened. However, when Arthur tried to enter it, a massive torrent erupted from within the spatial rift, and in the next instant, the rift they intended to enter expanded violently.
No—rather than expanding, it shattered.
Chaotic spatial currents surged wildly within the rift.
"No good! The surrounding space is full of turbulence. There's no way to construct a safe passage!"
Arthur gritted his teeth and searched desperately for a safe spatial node. The surrounding environment seemed to have lost all gravity. Giant chunks of earth broke apart and floated into the sky, only to be caught by the rifts and shredded into nothingness.
The Ruined realm had entered its final countdown to collapse. They had to leave immediately.
"Open a door for me. I'll handle it!!"
Raize stopped pushing the bubble forward at full speed. The Yamato blade suddenly manifested in his hand as he gave the order to Arthur.
When Arthur saw the Yamato in Raize's hand, his eyes lit up. Without wasting words, he immediately opened a doorway in the bubble barrier, ready for Raize to pass through at any moment.
Raize hovered beside the bubble. Facing the massive spatial rift ahead, he assumed an iaijutsu stance in midair. The energy within his body surged wildly into the Yamato.
Clang—clang—!
Along with two overlapping blade chimes, two slashing waves detonated within the chaotic void currents of the rift.
The power of the Yamato was separation. Raize used that power to sever the spatial turbulence, forcibly carving out a stable and safe spatial passage.
After completing this, Raize swiftly returned to the bubble. Without needing Raize to say anything, Arthur already knew what to do. He immediately guided the bubble carrying everyone straight into the chaotic rift, following the stable passage Raize had created.
The remaining BETA species left behind in the Ruined realm began to roar restlessly. Although they possessed interstellar power, they lacked any means to escape the catastrophe before them.
"ROAR!!!!"
Whoosh—!
Accompanied by a world-shaking roar that ravaged the entire Ruined realm, countless purple beams of light shot across the realm. After Raize and the others had left, those beams precisely struck the spatial rift.
Like a blade slicing through paper, the beams tore open unhealable spatial fissures throughout the entire realm.
As the spatial rifts expanded due to the overwhelming destructive force, Gatanothor's devastating attack was itself shredded and neutralized by the space storms it had triggered.
The annihilating power of interdimensional storms was no less terrifying than Gatanothor's own might—anything that entered was destroyed without exception.
"ROAR!!!!"
Realizing that the insects who struck it with dragon flames and lethal poison had escaped, Gatanothor went completely berserk. Its enormous body limited its mobility, allowing those audacious insects to flee right under its nose. The rage nearly drove it mad.