Shinji Matou at Your Service

After speaking, Solomon launched a fierce assault on Kirei.

Using his fists, legs, and feet, he engaged in close combat and quickly gained the upper hand in an astonishingly short amount of time.

Although Kotomine Kirei had already realized from their earlier exchanges that Solomon had formidable hand-to-hand combat skills, he had never imagined that he would be this strong—on par with the very top-tier combat-type Servants.

A strange sense of absurdity surged in Kirei's heart.

"You—aren't you the King of Magecraft?"

"Oh, it seems I do have such a title," Solomon nonchalantly replied as he seized an opportunity to deliver a heavy blow to Kirei's shoulder.

"Where's your magecraft?"

"This is magecraft! Strength enhancement! Speed enhancement!"

A fist glowing with magical energy struck Kirei again, forcing him to retreat continuously.

At the same time, Solomon stepped forward, moving faster than Kirei could retreat.

"Now witness my ultimate move—Magecraft Iron Fist!"

Kirei dare not be careless. By now, after having taken several punches, he knew all too well how heavy this Caster's fists were—heavier than even those of the Three Knight Classes. He quickly steadied himself, his hands poised, eyes locked on Solomon's fists.

Then, he was abruptly kicked in the abdomen, sent flying once again, unable to hide his shock.

"You—you're using kicks too?"

"This is the essence of magecraft," Solomon retracted his foot and said with a serious expression.

"Alright, enough jokes and warm-up. Though I'd love to beat you to death, unfortunately, such attacks are useless against you. I'll have to use actual magecraft."

As he spoke, Solomon's hands spread out naturally, moving with a unique rhythm, his posture as graceful as that of a top-tier conductor.

Under his command, the surrounding Great Source became unprecedentedly active, and in almost an instant, dozens of layers of magecraft formations were constructed around Kirei. Both the speed and the scale of the magic left even Medea, also a magus from the Age of Gods, in awe, while Kirei found himself overwhelmed, unable to react.

Kirei's other half, Roa, the Serpent of Akasha, had once been a peerlessly powerful magus. But precisely because of this, he understood all too well just how perfect Solomon's magecraft formations were—so perfect that he could not think of any way to break or counter them.

At this moment, everyone realizes the true meaning of the title King of Magecraft, the one who rules over both angelic and demonic magic. This was the pinnacle of all magus—Solomon.

Indeed, Kirei, having stepped into the realm of the Beast, already counted as a divine-level entity. His scale and rank were higher than those of ordinary Servants.

But in this case, the Servants mentioned were the regular ones, not including those who, though not gods, were stronger than ordinary deities. Solomon was one such being.

Nineteen lifetimes of accumulated knowledge could not compare to the true wisdom bestowed upon Solomon by the Lord.

The proud systems of numerology and other secret arts were utterly meaningless before Solomon, who had truly mastered the essence of magecraft—phenomenon manipulation. Kirei's magecraft formations weren't even completed before being seen through and instantly countered.

Even in physical combat, which Age of Gods magus typically did not emphasize, Kirei had been utterly crushed. How could he possibly win?

In no time, Kirei was surrounded by seventy-two layers of magecraft, so heavily that he couldn't even muster an ounce of strength.

Even so, Kirei did not give up. He still had one last trump card. Laughing maniacally, he roared:

"I am immortal! Even you can only seal me. One day, I will break the seal and return!"

"You've reminded me of something," Solomon calmly replied, clasping his hands together. A crack appeared above Roa's head.

"Imaginary Number Space?"

Sakura blurted out, sensing a power similar to her own from the area.

"Precisely," Solomon nodded with satisfaction.

"Oh, Roa, you've approached the source of the Tree of Life by relying on the Sea of Life. But do you know where the true source of the system tree—the owner of the Sea of Life—is?"

"Could it be—?"

Kirei froze, and then his face changed drastically as a terrible premonition took root in his heart.

"Yes, exactly what you're thinking. The Mother Womb of creation, Tiamat, though once used as the soil for the production of life, was cast into the Imaginary Number World after Earth's environment stabilized and the ecosystem was established. She had become an obstacle to order due to her chaotic nature."

Solomon chuckled, expanding the crack as he explained.

"Even now, she continues to slumber in the Imaginary Sea. Luckily, I know how to find her. So, let us return to the Origin of Life together—this is your dream, isn't it?"

As he finished speaking, the magecraft formation was completed. Solomon strode forward, grabbed the sealed Kirei, and leaped toward the crack above.

However, just before the two could enter the crack, a strange creature, resembling both a cat and a dog, suddenly appeared beside the rift. With a single swipe of its paw, it knocked both Solomon and Kirei back to the ground, shattering the seal on Kirei in the process.

After landing, Kirei scrambled away, disregarding his dignity as he distanced himself from Solomon. He was truly terrified—this was indeed the Enemy of the Beast.

Solomon, on the other hand, slowly raised his head, his expression serious as he stared at the strange creature that swiped its paw again, dispersing the Imaginary Number pocket.

"——Cath Palug."

"You should address me as Beast IV, though I am still growing."

The white magical cat spoke human words, its body rapidly enlarging in mid-air. In the blink of an eye, it became a giant beast, even larger than the previously massive Angra Mainyu.

"I see. The will of the planet desires the appearance of a Beast."

"Indeed. Beast II, let's swap opponents. Go do what you want; this one is mine. Surely, you feel the same, don't you, kind King?"

Solomon nodded slightly and said to the others behind him, "I'm truly sorry. Compared to Beast II, Beast IV is a far greater threat. I must prioritize dealing with it."

In truth, there was no need for much explanation—everyone could see this for themselves. From the moment the giant beast appeared every human present, regardless of strength, felt an overwhelming sense of mortal danger. It was a primal fear as if facing a natural predator—an unmistakable sign of a certain existence: the First of the Dead Apostle Ancestors, the Primate Murderer.

If left unchecked, it was likely that everyone nearby would be slaughtered even before Solomon could send Kirei into the Imaginary Number Space. There was no doubt—the beast had that capability. The title Primate Murderer meant it had absolute authority to kill primates, a privilege granted by the planet's counterforce, Gaia, specifically for the extermination of humanity.

Such authority could only be opposed by the seven Guardians chosen by humanity, and Solomon, the King of Magecraft, was one of them. This was his true purpose for appearing here.