At the same time, in the dying world.
"Excalibur!"
With a furious roar invoking the Noble Phantasm's true name, a beam of golden sword light compressed to the utmost limit burst through the pristine white marble wall from the summit of the Tower of End, which stood at the center of the Holy City and supported its dome, carving a meteor-bright trail through the sky.
"Boom!"
The next instant, the fiercely blazing sword light exploded in midair. Its uncontrollable power became an unstoppable Aether Torrent, and amid the violent contraction and distortion of space, a massive mushroom cloud rose with a deafening roar.
In the blink of an eye, the once-glorious and tranquil Holy City resembled the site of a meteor strike. The ground had collapsed, molten rock flowed wildly through the streets beneath billowing smoke, and towering buildings crumbled in swathes.
Plants, fountains, even the guards and every other part that made up this sanctuary were dissolved and torn apart in the blinding light, reduced to their most basic spiritrons.
At the same time, the transparent wall of wind outside the Holy City crumbled beneath the clash of magical power. Raging sandstorms howled in from the wilderness like furious dragons spiraling down, gradually swallowing the streets, lawns, plazas, and corpses...
As far as the eye could see, there was only the pallor of light and the murky black of death.
Inside the Tower of End, halos of light still flowed, sacred and dazzling.
Looking up, the dome of the silver-white tower held an inverted galaxy, as though it connected the world to the terminal of the Root. An air of solemnity and emptiness pervaded the place.
The invisible pressure made worshippers instinctively lower their heads.
The floor below was paved in black and white tiles, creating a stark contrast