Chapter 489: [489] The Five Seconds That Changed Everything

As a savior, the giant bore the duty of guiding suffering humanity. His mere existence could rewrite the world—a supreme being who had consumed the forbidden fruit and attained the light of wisdom.

The giant’s victory condition was simple: he only needed to maintain his existence. By doing so, he would gradually ascend into an invincible realm.

For this reason, the giant had always adhered to a cautious offensive strategy. This was not passivity but pure tactical reasoning.

In contrast, the Servants were undeniably at a disadvantage. The five directly engaged in combat were all heroes, yet they had only one chance to strike. Missing this opportunity meant certain defeat.

But through the combined efforts of Jeanne d’Arc and Atalanta, the critical moment had arrived. A wheel of fire spun, meteors streaked across the sky, and a divine sword cleaved steel—three Noble Phantasms launched a coordinated assault against the giant, Adam.

Adam understood perfectly—this was the decisive moment that would determine his survival.

He also knew that if he could block even one of the three Noble Phantasms, victory would be his.

The giant harbored no fear of death. But he absolutely refused to fail in the mission entrusted to him.

The first to arrive were the twin divine swords of the war god Zababa—one struck true, shattering Adam’s ankle. Yet, the giant had focused his attention on the other blade.

The attacks of Achilles and Karna were rendered ineffective. Adam knew the source of his blessings and how to permanently eliminate the threat.

He understood that he couldn’t deflect the divine sword with a mere swing—its speed was beyond his reach. But his reasoning was flawless, devoid of resolve, driven purely by necessity.

The spear and the god-slaying lance aimed for the giant’s spiritual core and heart, but to no avail. Even with only one foot touching the ground, the world still bestowed its blessings upon the "Primordial Man." As long as Adam remained in Eden, no harm could befall him.

His feet had to be severed!

"Impossible...!"

Whose voice was that, filled with shock? The second sword Sakatsuki swung had indeed struck the giant’s left arm.

The arm, shattered like kindling, had fulfilled its purpose. In the end, the mountain-cleaving saw still failed to meet the victory condition of "destroying both of the giant’s feet simultaneously."

—But that limitation applied only to Ig-Alima, not to Sakatsuki.

"Blocked? Then another one."

The aftermath of the battle between heroes and the giant was absorbed by golden orbs, amassing an ocean of magical energy. With a casual gesture, Sakatsuki summoned a new divine aura into the air.

The next strike would surely finish off the wounded giant.

But the reason Adam bore the title ’Crown of Wisdom’s Light’ was because his intellect surpassed even that of heroes.

Before his left arm took the blow meant for his legs, Adam’s right hand, gripping the greatsword, had already swung down toward Jeanne d’Arc, who was kneeling on the ground—even with his balance compromised, the giant’s all-out attack, forsaking all defense, only amplified its ferocity.

A gust of foul wind rushed at her face. Jeanne gritted her teeth, trying to rise, but her legs gave way, and she collapsed once more.

To create this opportunity, she had already exhausted too much of her stamina. She could barely move, let alone breathe properly.

Sakatsuki was preparing a killing technique, while Karna and Achilles were in the critical stages of unleashing their Noble Phantasms. Atalanta was too far to intervene. No one could block this strike, and no one could save her in time.

In other words... was this where the Ruler’s duty would end?

Yet, in her dazed state, Jeanne failed to realize that every action the giant took was for the sake of "survival"—his mind held no concept of mutual destruction.

From the moment of his creation, the puppet master who forged Adam had implanted a secret command into his masterpiece. This command recorded the bond between the Ruler, destined to slay him, and another individual—a bond the Primordial Giant naturally saw as his chance to turn defeat into victory.

And that person did not disappoint the giant Adam.

The divine light still shone brightly, but the scent of blood, thicker than the aura of the gods, swiftly blanketed the earth.

Drip, drip.

Blood seeped into the soil, blossoming into fragrant flowers of Eden.

When Jeanne looked up in confusion, what she saw was the expressionless young man—and his shattered yet unyielding left arm, still firmly pressing down on the obsidian sword.

The giant’s monstrous strength defied all reason. Even after Sakatsuki employed the force-dispersing techniques of Bajiquan, reinforced his body with the principles of Raikō, and layered protections from the Third Magic, the gauntlet he had clenched was shattered, its fragments cutting his cheeks. The bones of his left arm jutted out, flesh torn, the stark white spikes exposed to the air—a horrifying sight.

—He had blocked it. With just one hand, Sakatsuki had intercepted the giant’s deathblow for Jeanne.

But no one felt relief. The arm that had taken the full force of the strike was broken, and the divine energy he had been gathering had scattered. Meanwhile, in the blink of an eye, the giant’s shattered ankle had already healed.

In other words, the opportunity to defeat him, gained because of Jeanne, had been lost because of her once more—and Eden was nearing completion. The giant was on the verge of attaining true immortality!

Soon, no one would be able to stop the Primordial Giant’s advance.

Was this the end...? A hero sighed silently, steeling themselves for a final, desperate struggle.

Yet, the Servants present failed to notice that Sakatsuki’s other hand—the one he had never used—was now gripping a spear as crimson as blood.

While their spirits wavered, the young man’s gaze remained resolute. Facing Adam, whose wounds were rapidly closing, he stepped forward and thrust!

Gáe Dearg, the Anti-Magic Crimson Rose, sealed the giant’s retreat, piercing effortlessly through Adam’s uninjured left foot and severing the puppet’s connection to the earth. Then, the one-armed assassin casually discarded the spear. Amidst the dissipating crimson motes of light, he leapt high into the air—his eyes blazing with iridescent blue radiance—and with both hands, he grasped the golden spear of curses.

That was a gift from Diarmuid—the cursed spear that prevents wounds from healing, the Yellow Rose of Mortality!

After using the Red Rose of Exorcism to destroy the concept of ’Eden,’ and with the curse of the sea god delivering death to the Primordial Giant.

He mustered all his strength.

Condensed into a single strike.

Infusing his honed skills into this one decisive blow, in an instant, he swung his spear in a sweeping arc.

As he fell headfirst, golden ripples spread outward from the young man like a radiant shockwave, the blinding light searing the eyes of onlookers and severing the giant’s very foundation upon the earth!

The ankles that had narrowly escaped destruction, damaged and then restored—within the giant’s slowly forming consciousness, a new emotion called shock was awakened.

He had underestimated Sakatsuki’s combat prowess, and the price for that arrogance was the complete loss of the earth’s blessing!

From the moment the divine sword severed the giant’s ankles to the saintess being ambushed, then Sakatsuki risking his life to save her, and finally using Diarmuid’s twin spears to utterly destroy Adam’s feet—

All of it happened in the span of mere seconds, swift as a falcon’s dive.

Brilliant as a shooting star, yet extinguished without a sound. Amidst the scattering droplets of blood, Sakatsuki, eyes closed, was caught by Jeanne d’Arc. Tears glistened in the saintess’s eyes, yet her voice trembled as she shouted:

"Now!"

In the next instant, a flaming holy spear and a streak of emerald light pierced through the giant’s heart and spiritual core, their momentum unbroken as they tore through crumbling earth and stone, soaring straight into the heavens!

From a distance, it looked like two bold strokes painted across a pitch-black canvas.

The Primordial Giant—Adam—had been slain!