To Become a King and a Magician 726-730

Title: The Second Assault

Almost ten days had passed quickly since the Northern Wall nearly collapsed under the massive Demon Beast attack.

In these ten days, thanks to Naoki’s long-range annihilation abilities and the vigilance of several Servants, the Northern Wall had managed to withstand wave after wave of large-scale Demon Beast assaults.

However, despite Naoki’s ability to wipe out thousands of Demon Beasts at a time, the trend of Demon Beast attacks showed no signs of weakening. At least four or five attacks occurred daily, each involving over a thousand Demon Beasts.

Where were these Demon Beasts coming from? Why hadn’t such numbers appeared before? Could the cedar forest really harbor that many Demon Beasts?

The more Demon Beasts were eliminated, the greater the doubts that arose in the Servants’ minds.

Naoki had similar thoughts, but unlike the Servants, he might have been able to guess the specific reason behind it.

The Magical Beast Goddess was not the true Magical Beast Goddess. Her real name was Gorgon, the hero-killer from the Shapeless Island in Greek mythology, a Gorgon (Medusa) with Mystic Eyes of Petrification. The reason she was called the Magical Beast Goddess was because someone had synchronized Tiamat’s authority, the Hundred Beast Mother’s Womb, with her.

Thus, Gorgon became the Magical Beast Goddess.

However, for Gorgon to produce Demon Beasts, she required raw materials. This was why the Demon Beasts attacking Uruk had been abducting corpses and humans—they were needed to produce new Demon Beasts.

Producing Demon Beasts without any consumption was something only the true Tiamat could do.

And now…

“The number of Demon Beasts is starting to become abnormal.”

Standing on the Northern Wall with Naoki, gazing at the cedar forest in the distance, Merry said with a smile: “It seems the enemy has increased Gorgon’s synchronization with the Hundred Beast Mother’s Womb, or perhaps her authority has been enhanced?”

The Hundred Beast Mother’s Womb was an authority belonging to Tiamat and couldn’t be used by others so easily. Though Gorgon could synchronize with it, there were still limitations. The need to consume humans to produce Demon Beasts was one manifestation of this.

But the current situation… it seemed those limitations had been lifted somehow? The number of Demon Beasts appearing over the past few days far exceeded what could be produced from humans alone.

“Merlin, Merry, how’s the seal on Tiamat that you two are guarding?” Naoki asked.

“Always stable, no signs of being breached.” Merry replied.

Since the Human Order Incineration began half a year ago, Merry had come to this Singularity and used every means to trap Tiamat in the Dream Cage.

This had been agreed upon between her and Naoki from the start.

Recently, after matters in the fifth Singularity were resolved, Merlin had also arrived here, and together with Merry, they guarded the Dream Cage. Thanks to this, Merlin and Merry previously had extra energy to repair the Northern Wall. If it had been just one person guarding it as before, even that small amount of extra energy wouldn’t have been possible.

If the cage were breached later, neither of them would immediately face a fatal impact; instead, it would be split evenly between them.

(Still well-maintained? That means the seal hasn’t been tampered with. Then… the only thing that comes to mind is the Holy Grail.)

Naoki knew that the Holy Grail sent by Goetia to this era was now in Kingû’s hands. If Kingû used the Holy Grail, a situation like this wouldn’t be impossible.

But why?

Naoki felt puzzled.

Was it to maintain a balance with the Northern Wall?

Indeed, without Naoki, the Demon Beasts could break through the Northern Wall in an instant.

(Does that mean they’re trying to pin me down?)

Could it be that by keeping him occupied, one of Kingû’s objectives could be achieved? If so, what was that objective?

As Naoki pondered, in the distant cedar forest—

*WUUUNG—!*

An immense Mana reaction, unlike anything he’d felt before, suddenly flooded Naoki’s senses! It was as if a mage had suddenly conjured a massive boulder on an empty table!

(No, that’s not right. This isn’t a single entity…)

Naoki calmed himself and sensed the situation in the cedar forest.

(The Mana reaction is coming from deep within the cedar forest… It’s shaped like a temple, and—seriously?)

The massive boulder within his sensory range slowly unraveled. After carefully sensing it, Naoki clearly discerned the true nature of that boulder.

It was a colossal horde of countless Demon Beasts!

And at that moment—

*BAM!*

Naoki suddenly felt his sensory ability forcefully blocked and severed. Immediately after, a powerful counterattack came from the cedar forest, like a hammer slamming into his head with full force!

“Ugh…”

Unable to suppress a muffled groan, Naoki wiped a bit of blood from his nose, then took a deep breath with a serious expression.

“Naoki?”

Noticing the grim expression of the person beside her, Merry asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Go tell the others to prepare for battle. A Demon Beast attack like the one ten days ago is coming soon.” Naoki said. “No, it might be even more intense than ten days ago.”

“A lot of them?”

“I stopped counting after eighty thousand.”

So, the Demon Beasts about to attack definitely exceeded eighty thousand?

That was indeed a dire situation. After all, even Naoki couldn’t wipe out over eighty thousand Demon Beasts in an instant. Even dropping the moon wouldn’t do it!

Merry nodded: “Got it. I’ll inform the others immediately.”

“Tell Morgan to set up a shield and take charge of activating Dingir. One Northern Wall should be manageable for her. The others should pair up and guard the entrances. You two help out as well.”

After saying that, Naoki flew into the sky alone.

Merry hooked her staff onto Naoki’s pants: “Where are you going?”

“The Demon Beasts will take some time to cross the cedar forest and plains to reach the Northern Wall. I’m going to wipe out as many as I can before they get here to reduce the pressure on your defense.”

“And… see if I can take out their BOSS.”

Naoki explained while gazing toward the cedar forest.

After a brief silence, Merry retracted her staff: “Be careful then. And—is today the day?”

“Maybe. If necessary, I’ll give you all a signal.”

“Hmm, alright. Go.”

After waving to Naoki, Merry turned and headed toward the stairs with Merlin.

Then—

*WHOOSH!*

Flames erupted from both hands like rockets, and Naoki instantly transformed into a fiery comet, speeding toward the cedar forest!

-

Title: Your Hand Pierces My Chest

In the cedar forest.

The towering trees that blocked out the sky gradually fell.

Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands… countless Demon Beasts continuously poured out from a Greek-style temple deep within the cedar forest. They were like an ocean, flooding the vast forest.

Flying above the Demon Beast horde, Naoki looked down at the army, large enough to completely destroy Uruk.

“With this number and speed, they’ll reach the Northern Wall in ten minutes. And with the Northern Wall’s combat strength, can they hold out for an hour?”

Only after arriving at the cedar forest did Naoki sense the true scale of the Demon Beast horde.

Exactly one hundred thousand.

If most of them weren’t eliminated here, the Northern Wall and Uruk would have no chance of holding out. One hundred thousand Demon Beasts could flatten the Northern Wall just by moving forward.

(Just like before, hit them with a storm!)

The flames in his hands dimmed. A ferocious storm gathered around Naoki. But just as he prepared to summon several tornadoes to suck up and tear apart the Demon Beast army below—

*BANG!*

A loud noise suddenly rang out from the direction of the temple, and a sound of breaking through the air struck. A green shadow shot into Naoki’s view. A hand blade formed from magical energy lunged straight for his eyes!

Kingû!

“Don’t try to hinder the Demon Beasts’ advance, Holy Sword Bearer.”

*CLANG!*

An arm enveloped in a storm deflected the sudden attack. Naoki stepped back slightly, activated his Mystic Killer Eye, and stared at Kingû in front of him: “You’re really impatient. Going straight for my eyes. Are you that afraid of them, Kingû?”

“Shut up!”

Roaring in anger, Kingû circled Naoki at lightning speed and appeared behind him. Several golden ripples appeared, and Heaven’s Chains, like silver snakes, surged forward!

*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*

The storm on Naoki’s arm spread to envelop his entire body. A rapidly spinning wind wall deflected all the Heaven’s Chains. Then, through a gap in the wind wall, Naoki’s figure suddenly loomed large in Kingû’s eyes!

(Damn it! Our eyes met!)

Kingû’s face paled instantly. He immediately shot into the sky at full speed, conjuring hundreds of Heaven’s Chains in front of Naoki to completely block his view!

After flying nearly a thousand meters into the air, Kingû finally calmed himself and began panting heavily.

“Haa… haa… Ugh… Uwa…”

Over the past ten days, Kingû had grown somewhat accustomed to the pain originating from his soul. But now, just from a momentary glance, the intensity of that pain surged several levels!

It hurt so much… It felt like he wanted to tear his own chest apart…

No, if it were just that, it wouldn’t matter. After all, this body didn’t need to worry about injury. If tearing his chest open could ease this pain, Kingû wouldn’t hesitate.

But worse than that…

[Kingû, are you okay?]

In his mind, Naoki’s face suddenly appeared, saying those words, as if forcibly inserting a new memory into the depths of his mind. The face of that man, which had been vague a few days ago, was now crystal clear!

“Get out of my mind…”

Clutching his head tightly, Kingû let out a low, beast-like growl.

And at that moment—

“You really fled to quite a height.”

Naoki’s voice sounded from behind Kingû.

Without thinking, Kingû immediately used countless Heaven’s Chains to cover his back, then gathered a vast number of them, forming a half-sphere to encage Naoki!

[This won’t work, Kingû.]

“Uhh—!”

Naoki’s face flashed again, and a buzzing electric sound rang in his ears. The Heaven’s Chain prison, nearly formed, instantly dissolved into countless specks of light in the air.

The sky-blue Mystic Eyes pierced through Kingû’s soul completely once more.

“About seventy percent?”

Observing the changes in Kingû’s soul, Naoki flew toward him: “Though your body is a perfect divine weapon, your soul isn’t as strong as your body. On the contrary, it’s very fragile… Well, since you were born only about half a year ago, your soul’s strength is comparable to a baby’s.”

If it were the soul of the original Enkidu, the erosion speed might have been only half of what it was now. After all, to some extent, a soul grows stronger with time. Enkidu, who spent decades on Earth, had a fairly resilient soul.

But Kingû was different.

Born just half a year ago, though his body was immensely strong, his soul was still fragile.

That’s why, as it was now, just a few glances had eroded most of his soul.

“Ugh…”

Kingû groaned in pain. He knew full well he had to escape this man’s gaze immediately. He had things he needed to do. He absolutely couldn’t lose his soul here!

But…

“Ninety percent.”

Naoki reached out toward Kingû: “The soul erosion progress has reached ninety percent. Your soul is almost mine, Kingû. Though it sounds like something a villain would say, it’s time you stopped resisting and accepted your fate, obediently becoming mine.”

The pale palm grew larger in Kingû’s eyes, as if it sought to dominate his entire being.

The small remnant of Kingû’s soul urged his mind to desperately move his body. But compared to the one percent of self-awareness left, the ninety percent fully eroded by the Mystic Eyes clearly held greater dominance over his body and mind.

“I… ah… I… I…”

“Alright, one hundred percent~”

Naoki’s hand landed on Kingû’s head.

At this moment, the soul erosion was complete. Like many spiritual entities Naoki had controlled before, the Heaven’s Chains, unique in heaven and earth, from soul to mind and even body, fell entirely under his dominion.

Looking at Kingû floating before him, eyes devoid of light, as if frozen, Naoki sighed softly: “That’s enough. Sacrificing your life to keep me from stopping the Demon Beasts’ advance… You really know your win condition, Kingû.”

The current situation wasn’t about winning by defeating Kingû or the Magical Beast Goddess. Victory was about protecting the Northern Wall and Uruk from the onslaught of one hundred thousand Demon Beasts. Kingû had appeared to hinder him for this reason. If Naoki focused on stopping the Demon Beasts, it would be fortunate if only twenty thousand of the hundred thousand reached the Northern Wall.

Of course, Kingû likely hadn’t intended to sacrifice his life at first. As the child of Goddess Tiamat, surpassing old humans as a NEWTYPE, he had no intention of dying here so easily.

He probably planned to engage in guerrilla warfare with Naoki, disrupting him as much as possible to keep him from interfering with the Demon Beasts. But in the end, he was thoroughly defeated by Naoki’s Mystic Eyes.

“Alright, let’s end this. I’ll take your heart, Kingû.”

“Pffft!”

Naoki thrust his hand directly into Kingû’s chest.

-

Title: Where’s My Cup? Where’s That Giant Holy Grail?

The root of a Singularity’s formation is the Holy Grail.

Because Goetia sent seven Holy Grails to the past, Singularities were formed, and the Human Order Incineration came to pass. Thus, as long as the Holy Grail is retrieved, the Singularity will naturally dissipate.

In this Seventh Singularity, there are two Holy Grails.

One is the Holy Grail of Uruk, possessed by Gilgamesh. It is an object that already existed in this era, one of many treasures stored in the Gate of Babylon, not a Holy Grail sent by Goetia.

The other is the one sent by Goetia, and barring any surprises, that Holy Grail should be inside Kingû’s body, acting as the core of his Mana reactor, continuously supplying him with Mana.

As long as the Holy Grail inside Kingû is taken, the cause of the Singularity’s formation will be removed, and the Seventh Singularity will end.

That’s why Naoki pierced Kingû’s chest now.

However, just as his hand struck—

“Nothing?”

Naoki’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The Holy Grail, which should have been inside Kingû’s body, was nowhere to be found.

“Answer me, Kingû. Where did the Holy Grail in your body go?”

As Kingû’s true master now, Naoki questioned him directly.

Kingû slightly raised his vacant eyes: “The Holy Grail is now inside Gorgon’s body.”

Gorgon?!

“You willingly gave up the Holy Grail?”

“Considering Master’s Mystic Eyes, the likelihood of me being captured in battle with you was over ninety percent. Therefore, to prevent the Holy Grail from falling into your hands, the former me transferred it to Gorgon.”

Under absolute domination, Kingû honestly recounted all his actions.

Naoki pursed his lips: “You’ve really made things difficult for me. Whatever, defeating Gorgon was already part of the plan—it’s just a matter of time. More importantly now—”

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

Not far away, the sound of cannon fire rumbled from the direction of Uruk’s Northern Wall. The Dingir installed on the Northern Wall continuously fired Noble Phantasms at the Demon Beast horde nearing the wall’s base.

Under repeated salvos, a golden meteor shower relentlessly tore through the sky. Large numbers of Demon Beasts in the bombarded horde were defeated and knocked back, their bodies shattered and blood splattering across the Northern Desert!

If this were a typical Demon Beast attack, firing all Dingir simultaneously as Morgan was doing would wipe them out instantly.

But this time was different.

The enemy numbered one hundred thousand, and not every Demon Beast would be killed by Dingir’s bombardment. In fact, among the Demon Beast horde, the majority could withstand the Dingir barrage and keep advancing!

(This situation won’t last long. Even Morgan will struggle to operate all the Dingir across the Northern Wall simultaneously. I estimate she can only hold out for one or two more minutes.)

With this thought, Naoki raised his hand to the sky. As fierce winds gathered around him, countless clouds rapidly converged above the Northern Wall, and a layer of dark storm clouds soon blanketed the area!

Then—

*⚡⚡⚡!*

A torrential thunderstorm poured down! Ferocious lightning tore through and obliterated Demon Beasts along with the ground!

Imaginary Manifestation: Thunderstorm Clouds.

With Dingir combined with this thunderstorm, plus Ritsuka and the others guarding on the ground, the situation there wouldn’t be a concern for at least two hours.

Glancing at Kingû beside him, Naoki pointed to the Northern Wall: “Though Gilgamesh asked me to destroy your soul, before that, go there and help. Heaven’s Chains should be capable of that, right?”

“I understand.”

Nodding slightly in agreement, Kingû immediately turned and flew toward the Northern Wall.

After watching Kingû leave, Naoki shifted his gaze to the Blood Temple below, still spewing Demon Beasts. He raised his hand again. The fierce winds around him surged into the sky, and at that moment…

*⚡!*

A storm pillar, descending from the heavens and enveloped in lightning, flattened and obliterated the entire Blood Temple! Even the ovaries continuously producing Demon Beasts inside were completely destroyed in the storm!

If the number of Demon Beasts was limited, though it would take longer, they could eventually be cleared. But if the Demon Beast production factory wasn’t destroyed, their numbers would be effectively infinite.

Naoki had no interest in endlessly fighting Demon Beasts.

(Good. Kingû is fully eroded by me, the Blood Temple is completely destroyed, Demon Beast production has stopped, the hundred-thousand-strong Demon Beast assault is temporarily held back… It’s time for her to show up, the last one left.)

As if confirming Naoki’s thoughts, in the ruins of the Blood Temple destroyed by the Storm Pillar—

*BANG!*

Accompanied by a crash from below, the rubble piled on the surface shattered and scattered. From a hole that opened in the ground, a massive figure emerged.

*WHOOSH!*

A pair of enormous, feather-like wings flapped, causing the colossal figure to slowly rise into the air.

*RUMBLE!*

A massive, heavy tail rolled through the cedar forest, causing the ground to tremble. The cedar forest, already trampled by the Demon Beast horde, was trampled once more.

A gigantic body, a humanoid torso, a serpentine tail, a pair of wings on its back, standing at least ten meters tall and stretching a full hundred meters long. Its arms were like beastly claws, and its long purple hair swayed in the wind.

This was the image of the giant figure appearing before Naoki now. Upon closer inspection, the long purple hair was actually snakes, like giant pythons, constantly hissing and screeching, flicking blood-red tongues.

“You’ve come, Magical Beast Goddess.”

Naoki softly uttered the name of the figure before him.

She was the Magical Beast Goddess who had been commanding the Demon Beasts to attack Uruk. She was a goddess, a Demon Beast, and a hybrid entity that overshadowed the sky. The terrifying Mana radiating from her body shook the air, making the entire cedar forest tremble!

After fully emerging to the surface, the Magical Beast Goddess immediately locked her gaze on Naoki, floating in the air.

“You?”

The beautiful goddess asked in a sweet yet somewhat deep voice.

“The sinner who destroyed my temple and wiped out my Demon Beasts—is that you?”

“Insect.”

-

Title: Don’t Let It Grow Bigger, or It’ll Be Trouble

Gorgon’s mood at the moment could hardly be described as good.

In fact, she was furious.

To accelerate the production of one hundred thousand Demon Beasts, even with the Holy Grail, she had expended a tremendous amount of her power. According to the original plan, she was supposed to enter a slumber and only awaken after Kingû reported that Uruk had been destroyed by the Demon Beasts.

By then, the energy consumed for producing the Demon Beasts would have recovered, and she would have fully absorbed the Holy Grail.

But now—

“You?”

The snake-haired goddess glared at Naoki floating in the air before her.

“The sinner who destroyed my temple and wiped out my Demon Beasts—is that you? Insect.”

Due to Naoki’s earlier attack, the Blood Temple had been completely obliterated. The Demon Beast production facility within it had also collapsed entirely, causing countless Demon Beasts to die before they could even be born.

For Gorgon, this was tantamount to the destruction of her home and family.

How could she not be enraged now?

Facing her sharp question, Naoki merely smiled and nodded: “Yes, that’s me.”

“——————!”

The moment those words fell, Gorgon’s eyes suddenly glowed. Naoki instantly felt his entire body stiffen, as if his blood had stopped flowing, hindering his movements.

Mystic Eyes of Petrification!

Gorgon’s jewel-rank Mystic Eyes, capable of mercilessly petrifying anything. Even with high-level Anti-Magic, it couldn’t be fully resisted. If caught off guard, even Naoki would be affected by the petrification.

In the Age of the Greek Gods, filled with heroes, these Mystic Eyes had buried countless heroes.

Seeing Naoki immobilized in the air, Gorgon sneered with disdain: “How pathetic. This is the price for disrespecting a goddess and daring to defy me, Tiamat—carry your ignorance and regret in your heart, and die, human.”

As she spoke, the giant snakes formed from her purple hair raised their heads one by one, glaring at Naoki in the sky and opening their mouths. Immense Mana gathered in their mouths, forming beams of Mana that shot out one after another from her snake-hair!

Judging by the intensity of the Mana alone, each beam was equivalent to a single Noble Phantasm attack. Combined, their power approached that of an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.

If hit by this attack, even Naoki would be severely injured.

The assumption being that the attack could actually hit.

*ZIIING-BOOM—!*

The Mana cannon beams swept across the sky. Accompanied by a rumbling vibration in the atmosphere, the cloud layer above was forcibly split by the attack!

However…

“There’s one thing you got wrong.”

Naoki’s voice, which Gorgon assumed had been annihilated, suddenly sounded near her ear.

“I haven’t been human for a long time.”

*BAM!*

As Naoki’s voice fell, Gorgon’s cheek was struck hard by a flying kick. The impact, like being hit with a sledgehammer, sent Gorgon’s massive body crashing into the nearby forest! It caused a powerful tremor and kicked up a cloud of dust!

In an instant, thick smoke nearly engulfed Gorgon’s body.

Floating in the air with lightning crackling beneath his feet, Naoki looked down at Gorgon: “Your prejudice against humans has nothing to do with me. Ten years ago, I might have argued with you, but not now. I stopped being human ten years ago. It’s not my place to dispute whether humans are insulted or belittled.”

“Ugh…!”

Rising from the ground, Gorgon glared at Naoki with eyes full of rage: “How dare you…”

“Dare what?”

In an instant, Naoki, who had been hundreds of meters away, appeared right in front of Gorgon. Their Mystic Eyes locked. Just as Gorgon reacted, Naoki delivered another kick to her forehead!

*BAM!*

Amid a loud crash, Gorgon was sent flying again by Naoki’s kick. Her entire upper body flipped backward and crashed to the ground!

When a giant fights, their immense attack and defense power can make even the shockwaves difficult for smaller opponents to handle. But conversely, if the smaller side has speed the giant can’t react to, the roles reverse.

The larger side becomes a sitting target.

As is the case now.

*BAM!*

Descending from above, Naoki landed a punch on Gorgon’s chest!

Even without a rebounding sensation, the impact of the punch pierced through Gorgon’s body, creating a massive crater in the ground below and slamming Gorgon hard into it!

“Ugh… Damn it!!”

Being struck hard by Naoki three times in a row was already a great humiliation. Gorgon, as the Magical Beast Goddess, was powerless before a mere ant…

“Don’t get cocky, insect!”

*ANG—!*

Around Gorgon, the giant snakes formed from her hair, as if alive, swam wildly while letting out dragon-like roars. Immense Mana gathered in their mouths, transforming into beams of light fired relentlessly at Naoki!

The power of these shots was even stronger than before. If unleashed on the Northern Wall and Uruk, even without the Demon Beast army, the Northern Wall would melt and collapse instantly.

Using such firepower against a single small opponent was like shooting a mosquito with a cannon.

But once again, if it couldn’t hit, no amount of power mattered.

“Too slow.”

Naoki, whose body had nearly turned into lightning, swiftly darted through the randomly sweeping cannon beams like a meteor shower.

Seeing Naoki continuously dodging, Gorgon instinctively tried to track him with her eyes, but let alone follow him, she couldn’t even catch his shadow!

“Damned insect…”

Gorgon’s rage became uncontrollable. The snakes woven from her hair grew frenzied, transforming into giant serpents chasing after Naoki as he evaded.

The scene looked like countless dragons and snakes intertwining, surrounding him from all directions. An ordinary person would despair just looking at it.

The hair-snakes and cannon beams formed an almost impenetrable net. Escaping was nearly impossible, and hiding within it was just as hard. With their sheer numbers, a single misstep while dodging one attack could lead to being hit by another.

But Naoki could do it.

(Everything is under my control.)

With his Fairy-like Pseudo-Future Vision, Naoki could fully predict attacks coming a few seconds ahead and prepare all responses in advance!

“Running around like that—”

Gorgon gritted her teeth in frustration, and her thick, hill-like serpent tail suddenly swept around!

Since she couldn’t catch him, she’d force him out with an indiscriminate long-range attack!

“Where are you attacking?”

However, Naoki’s voice came from above Gorgon’s head—somehow, after circling through her visual blind spot, Naoki had escaped the prison of countless hair-snakes and arrived above her unprotected head!

Lightning gathered into a bow and arrow in his hand, aiming a Thunder Arrow at Gorgon’s head, the bowstring drawn to its limit.

“Fall.”

*SWOOSH!*

The thunder arrow shot from the bowstring instantly transformed into a Thunder Pillar descending from the sky!

Gorgon, below, had no time or chance to dodge. Her massive serpentine body was completely engulfed by the lightning!

*BOOM!*

The sound of thunder echoed through heaven and earth.

-

Title: I Don’t Trust You, But I Trust Him

Moments earlier—

The Northern Wall.

“Noble Phantasm, Deploy!”

“Lord Camelot!”

Amid the girl’s furious shout, a white chalk castle embodying the ideals of the Round Table appeared in this foreign land. Facing the charging Demon Beast horde, Mash rushed forward, slamming into them with all her might using the white chalk castle!

*BANG!*

A large number of Demon Beasts were instantly thrown back into the thunderstorm by the castle’s impact. The entrance to the Northern Wall, previously packed with Demon Beasts, was momentarily cleared. Though the Demon Beasts would soon fill the gap again, this at least bought some breathing room.

Mash turned to look at Ritsuka behind her: “That was the fifth Noble Phantasm deployment. Is Master still holding up?”

“Barely…”

Leaning against the wall, Ritsuka, her face slightly pale, forced a reassuring smile at Mash: “Compared to us, the Department Head is facing a much tougher battle. If this place falls, he’ll laugh at us.”

Moreover, behind the Northern Wall was Uruk. If they failed to hold this position and let the Demon Beasts break through, it would undoubtedly cause an unprecedented catastrophe!

Thus, even though her hands and feet were trembling and her Mana was drained from Mash’s repeated Noble Phantasm deployments, Ritsuka absolutely couldn’t fall here.

Her other comrades were still fighting; she couldn’t be the first to collapse and become a burden.

“Alright, please hold on a bit longer, Master!”

Mash nodded and once again raised her shield, standing in front of Ritsuka. Outside, the Demon Beasts that had been repelled were regrouping and charging toward the castle gate!

Their numbers were fewer than before, but even so, they were still difficult to fend off.

(If I keep deploying my Noble Phantasm, Master’s Mana will…)

“Mash, deploy your Noble Phantasm.”

Just as Mash hesitated about how to face the enemy, Ritsuka placed a hand on her shoulder and gave the order.

“Don’t worry about me, Mash. Defend this place with everything you’ve got and drive back the Demon Beasts.”

“Understood!”

Nodding firmly, Mash’s shield glowed white once more. But just as the White Chalk Castle was about to manifest for the sixth time—

【Strong Mana reaction detected ahead! Someone is approaching your location at high speed!】

Roman’s shout suddenly rang out.

Someone approaching the Northern Wall? A new enemy?!

Ritsuka and Mash instantly tensed. The next moment, a meteor-like streak shot down from the sky and landed in the midst of the Demon Beast horde!

*SHUA!* *SHUA!* *SHUA!*
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*

Numerous golden ripples appeared in the air. Heaven’s Chains, like silver snakes, shot out at high speed, piercing the Demon Beasts one by one. The Demon Beasts fell like grass being cut down.

This is… someone helping to eliminate the Demon Beasts?

Ritsuka was slightly confused.

Then, she saw a figure walking toward her.

“You’re the last Master of humanity?” Arriving before Ritsuka, Kingû gave a gentle smile. “I am someone ordered by my Master… that is, Natsukawa Naoki, to come and assist in eliminating the Demon Beasts. My name is Enkidu, or rather, Kingû.”

Enkidu!?

Ritsuka and Mash instinctively took two steps back.

[Enkidu, who was supposed to be dead, claims to be Tiamat’s child and has destroyed many fortified cities]—this information was known throughout Uruk.

“You… aren’t you an enemy of Uruk?”

“Yes, in the past, that was true.” Kingû said with a smile. “In fact, I was the one leading these Demon Beasts to attack the Northern Wall.”

“And now you say you’ll help us eliminate the Demon Beasts?”

Ritsuka’s face was full of disbelief: “This is like laying a conspiracy out in the open. What’s your goal?”

Kingû shook his head: “I have no goal. Though the past me was an enemy of you and humanity, the current me is not. After all, my body, soul, mind… everything about me now belongs to my Master, a mere puppet controlled by him, unable to do anything against his orders.”

“And [Go to the Northern Wall to help fight the Demon Beasts]—that’s the order I’ve received now.”

(A puppet… the Department Head?)

“Could it be the Department Head’s Mystic Eyes?”

Ritsuka knew their Department Head possessed a pair of Mystic Eyes capable of eroding souls and dominating others. So, was the Kingû before her someone whose soul had been eroded and controlled by the Department Head?

Ritsuka bit her lip: “So… we can trust you now, right?”

“That depends on your own judgment. If you mean fighting the Demon Beasts, then I will provide assistance.”

As he spoke, Kingû turned and summoned nearly a hundred Heaven’s Chains, piercing and destroying the Demon Beasts that had once again breached the thunderstorm.

Ritsuka took a deep breath: “Mash, help Kingû eliminate the Demon Beasts.”

“Master?”

【Fujimaru!】

Mash and Roman couldn’t help but cry out in shock.

“Master, do you think Kingû can be trusted?”

“No, I don’t trust him.”

Ritsuka shook her head.

If it were just Kingû’s words, Ritsuka still wouldn’t believe him. It was possible he was pretending to be controlled, preparing to infiltrate Uruk to do something malicious. That possibility wasn’t out of the question.

“But I trust the Department Head.”

Naoki had gone to the cedar forest. With his sensory abilities, there was no way he wouldn’t know Kingû came here, yet he didn’t pursue him.

With Naoki’s abilities, it was impossible for him not to catch up to Kingû. That meant Kingû’s arrival at the Northern Wall was also approved by him.

Thus, Ritsuka decided to accept Kingû’s explanation and words.

“I understand.”

Mash let out a soft sigh.

“Please lend us your assistance, Kingû-san. Help us eliminate the Demon Beasts.”

“Yes.”

Kingû nodded, slightly surprised as he looked at Ritsuka—the last Master of humanity. She didn’t seem to be just a human who relied solely on Servants and was otherwise useless. She had some merit.

And just as the three decided to fight together—

*BOOM!*

A thunderous roar that shook heaven and earth suddenly erupted in the distance.

A massive thunder pillar striking from the sky was clearly visible to Ritsuka and the others!

“That’s… the Department Head’s attack, right?”

Seeing the shining lightning, Ritsuka couldn’t help but smile: “We can’t lose to the Department Head, Mash! We have to show him the Northern Wall still standing strong when he returns!”

“Understood! Mash Kyrielight, ready to fight!”