To Become a King and a Magician 661-665

Title: Mordred: Sobbing Uncontrollably!

The throne room.

Observing the situation outside through magic, Merry let out a slight sigh.

“If things continue like this, it’s only a matter of time before he reaches here… I thought with the Holy Grails, those Knights of the Round Table could delay him a bit longer. It’s been years since we last met, and that kid has gotten even stronger.”

“Well, that’s to be expected.”

With the situation having reached this point, the front gate being breached was only a matter of time.

No, perhaps Naoki would teleport directly inside, but the throne room had been equipped with a spatial isolation barrier after yesterday’s intrusion. Even if he teleported, he’d only end up outside the throne room.

But that might only withstand one or two attacks.

If that kid got serious, nothing could stop him.

Turning to look at Arthur seated on the throne behind her, Merry gave a wry smile. “Truly a king followed by so many, just like my useless sister… King Arthur is indeed the same kind of being in every parallel world.”

“Well then, it’s time for me to step back. There’s no need to stay in this Singularity any longer. I’ve already obtained all the items and data I wanted—what will you do, my dear daughter?”

As she said this, the magical disguise on Merry’s body lifted, revealing Morgan’s true form.

Hearing her words, a figure leaning against the wall in the corner of the throne room stepped out from the shadows.

“I’ll stay.”

Clad entirely in armor and wearing a horned helmet, Mordred spoke. “It’s been years since I left home. If I don’t go back, Father and Mother will definitely kill me.”

“Isn’t your mother me?”

“It’s the same thing! Besides, my Father is technically a woman too, so it’s fine to call her Mother!”

Logically, there was no issue with that statement.

But…

(Father and Mother, that unfunny sister of mine definitely wouldn’t accept it if she heard this… Oh well, that’s not something I need to worry about. Let them handle what comes next. I just need to do my own thing.)

Approaching Mordred, Morgan reached out and patted her head through the helmet. “Thank you for following me all these years, my dear daughter. Let’s part ways here, and… see you again in the future.”

“I’d rather meet the current you, Mother. If it’s the old you, I really don’t want to see her again—I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from slashing her.”

Truly a daughter who sides with others after growing up.

Morgan smiled faintly, then her entire body turned into a cluster of light and vanished from the throne room.

“Alright, time to go to Father’s side!”

Pausing for a moment, Mordred slapped her helmet as if to steel herself.

Though she had prepared for this moment for a long time, honestly, she was still a bit scared. After all, in a sense, she had run away from home with her former mother for years. Returning now, there was no way Father and Mother wouldn’t beat her.

And thinking about the methods her Father was using now…

(I should’ve asked Mother to leave me a Holy Grail. That way, even if I get beaten, it wouldn’t hurt as much.)

With that thought, Mordred walked out of the throne room.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

At the same time.

Inside the White Dragon Nation.

*WHOOSH!*

As a gate of light appeared, Naoki and the others emerged one by one.

Though he had been here once before, he hadn’t observed closely then, so this was actually Naoki’s first time taking in the detailed situation of the White Dragon Nation.

The layout was similar to the Holy City he knew, but—

“There’s no sign of humans at all?”

Naoki frowned, turning to look at Gawain and Lancelot. “I remember at the start of the dragon calamity, the ordinary people you protected were led into this city, right?”

The two nodded.

“Indeed, we saw them being received into the city.”

“Then why can’t I sense any trace of humans at all?”

In the entire White Dragon Nation, at least within the range Naoki could sense, there wasn’t a single sign of human presence. Despite thousands of people supposedly being here, the city was now as silent as a ghost town.

Did something happen?

No, that seemed unlikely.

Outside, the Knights of the Round Table were guarding, and inside, according to Gawain, Mordred was watching over, along with Merry. In this Singularity, the White Dragon Nation was almost the safest place.

(No… perhaps it’s the opposite. Maybe this is the most dangerous place.)

After all, Arthur, as a living seal, was in the throne room not far away. Given his current state, it wouldn’t be surprising if something had happened.

At that moment, as if sensing something, Naoki suddenly looked straight ahead, then raised his hand and swung a golden sword slash that split the road and cut straight forward!

“Whoa!”

A cry of surprise came from ahead, and then, on the side of the split road, Mordred’s familiar figure clearly entered everyone’s view.

Artoria’s eyes sharpened instantly!

And whether she noticed her Mother’s gaze, even through her armor, Mordred’s body visibly trembled several times.

Naoki also raised his Holy Sword, and after exchanging a glance with Artoria, he looked at Mordred. “It’s been years, good to see you’re still so spirited, Mordred. Looks like you didn’t suffer too much out there.”

“Ah… haha, Father’s still the same too. By the way, Father, have you gotten stronger? That attack just now definitely had Noble Phantasm-level power!”

“Yeah, to deal with a naughty kid like you who’s been wandering outside for years and never called, I have to be a bit tough to teach you a lesson.”

(He’s mad! He’s definitely mad! I’m done for, ahhhhh!!)

Mordred screamed internally.

The next moment, Artoria’s voice followed.

“Though there are many things I want to ask you, before that—Sir Mordred, you unfilial child, let’s settle the matter of you not coming home for years and giving no word at all.”

(Double damn!!)

In Mordred’s original plan, she intended to follow the orders of that fool in the throne room, pretending to perform her guard duties. After all, her opponents were her Father and Mother, so it wouldn’t matter if she pretended to lose.

She’d appear coolly when they were about to enter, showing her growth over the years—she had even planned the scenario!

But as soon as she appeared, it went straight to family issues?!

Seeing Naoki and Artoria approaching her, Mordred instinctively stepped back a few paces, then…

“Uh, Father… please don’t be too harsh.”

*BANG!*

What greeted Mordred was a loving punch from Naoki and Artoria.

-

Title: Sorry, I Was Wrong, I Won’t Dare Do It Again

“I’m sorry, I was wrong, Father, Mother. I shouldn’t have left for years without a word and not even called.”

A few minutes later.

After receiving heavy, loving discipline from Naoki and Artoria, with her armor completely removed, Mordred, covered in bruises, easily performed a dogeza (kneeling with her head touching the ground) and apologized.

Not apologizing wouldn’t do. If she didn’t, she’d truly be beaten back to the Throne of Heroes. Though Mordred had briefly considered fighting back, the moment the thought crossed her mind, Naoki’s glare made her shrink back.

[Try resisting, and I’ll keep using force]—his look seemed to say something like that.

So Mordred gave in.

It wasn’t because she was scared. In her entire life, she’d never been afraid of anything, but… her body’s instinctive reaction left her unable to resist at all.

Watching Mordred lower her head to apologize, Gawain and Lancelot, observing this family scene from nearby, stood frozen in silence.

(Mordred was really disciplined like this by Sir Natsukawa…)

(Father and daughter? Those two are father and daughter, and this King Arthur… the three of them are husband, wife, and child?)

Mordred on Gawain’s side was also an exceptional knight, but her relationship with King Arthur could hardly be called harmonious. Perhaps due to her illegitimate birth, despite Arthur’s best efforts to interact with her as a father, it often ended in conflict.

It was shocking that King Arthur and Mordred here could get along so harmoniously.

If Mordred knew what the two were thinking, she’d probably grab her sword and fight them—calling parents beating their daughter a harmonious relationship?!

On Naoki’s side, seeing Mordred lower her head to apologize, he stopped his actions.

“You’ve apologized? Do you know what you did wrong?”

“Uh… I shouldn’t have followed Mother around, I should’ve called home over the years, making you all worry…”

“Good that you know! You unfilial child!” Naoki roughly ruffled Mordred’s head. “Later, remember to apologize to everyone at home. Lia and I are enough for now. By the way, I won’t plead your case with Rei. Handle that yourself.”

(Doesn’t that mean I’m definitely dead?!)

Sajyou Rei, plus Sajyou Manaka—Mordred could easily imagine what those two would do to her. She knew they’d always wanted to be her stepmothers. Having been away from home for so long, who knew how many grudges they’d built up in their hearts!

“Don’t scare her, Master.” Artoria sighed slightly. “I think Rei and Manaka won’t make things too difficult for Mordred. If we push the issue onto Morgan, it should lighten things a bit.”

“Phew~~~~~”

Mordred let out a huge sigh of relief.

If that’s the case, it wasn’t so bad. At least she wouldn’t have to experience a fate worse than death.

But Mordred didn’t get to relax for long. Naoki’s hand gripped her head again. “Well, we’ll talk about that later… Mordred, explain properly—what have you been doing with Morgan out there all these years? And why are you here now? Don’t tell me you came for sightseeing.”

“Uh… ow, ow, ow~~~ Father, it hurts! My head’s gonna break! I’ll talk!”

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Regarding her travels with Morgan over the years, Mordred’s explanation was simple because there wasn’t much to elaborate on. From her perspective, Morgan had just taken her around the world to travel. Though she’d experienced some things, they weren’t particularly significant.

What mattered was what happened after the Human Order Incineration began.

“Mother and I came to this Singularity via Spiritron Transfer after the Human Order Incineration started half a year ago.”

“Spiritron Transfer? Morgan knows that technique?”

“Uh, Mother said she got it from Merry. Those two seem to meet often in dreams.”

Mordred didn’t think twice and spilled the information.

(Good, leaking critical Chaldea secrets. Add it to Merry’s tab. We’ll settle it together later.)

Merry, lazing about in the seventh Singularity, was completely unaware she’d racked up another debt.

“But, though she called it Spiritron Transfer, Mother and I didn’t come to this Singularity together. When I arrived, I happened to encounter the collective manifestation of the Knights of the Round Table there, and I displaced the Mordred on their side.”

Displaced?

Could a Servant’s summoning be displaced by Spiritron Transfer?

“It’s probably a conflict with the concept of [Mordred].” Naoki mused. “Before the Mordred on Gawain’s side could manifest, this Mordred arrived a bit earlier. As a result, she fulfilled the [condition of Mordred being summoned], naturally displacing the Mordred on Gawain’s side.”

Gawain: “That’s a situation I never considered.”

“Well, that’s not the point. Besides, from Mordred’s situation, Morgan must have come to this Singularity before her. So what did you do afterward?”

“Didn’t do much. I just followed to face Vortigern, then when we were dragged into the Unique Barrier, Mother ordered me to act as a throne room guard. Oh, and midway, I was sent to the fourth Singularity once—there, I performed pretty well and saved Father’s two juniors a few times!”

She must be referring to Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash.

Seeing Mordred’s ahoge swaying and her eyes sparkling, Naoki knew this kid was fishing for praise.

“Yeah, you did great. I was away for something at the time, so it’s good you could help.”

“Hehehe~~~~ It wasn’t a big deal. I just slashed a few enemy Servants.”

Mordred laughed, rubbing her nose.

Seeing her cheerful face, everyone couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

(With a face like that, it’s hard to imagine she’s the rebellious knight.)

(Truly like a child.)

“Watch your words, Mordred.” Artoria said with a smile. “So, you appeared here now because—”

“Oh, I came to fulfill my throne room guard duty. It was Mother’s order, after all. But since Mother’s gone now, and I don’t want to keep getting beaten by Father and Mother, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Morgan’s gone?

Realizing this, Naoki and Artoria raised their eyebrows, and Naoki said, “So, that means… all that’s left is to go to the throne room and wake that idiot up, right?”

-

Title: The Best Way to Wake Someone Up is with a Hard Slap to the Face

The throne room.

Aside from Arthur seated on the throne, the place was empty. The hollow hall was filled with a deadly silence.

The current Arthur could sense it too. Though his consciousness was on the verge of collapse and he could lose himself entirely at any moment, he still clung to a faint sliver of will.

He’s coming.

The one he had been waiting for was now on his way here.

*CREAK!*

Accompanied by a soft sound like the clinking of armor, at the edge of Arthur’s vision, on the only path connecting the throne room to the outside world, Naoki’s figure appeared in his eyes.

Not just him.

Artoria, Mordred, Gawain, Lancelot, Jeanne Alter—only Tristan, who chose to stay guarding outside the city for safety, was absent.

Seeing Arthur seated on the throne, his eyes vacant like a puppet’s, Gawain and Lancelot were the first to show clear signs of doubt.

“The King… has reached this point?”

“That witch said the King was completely fine… where does he look fine?”

Lancelot had the urge to cut Merlin down on the spot. The Arthur sitting on the throne now bore no resemblance to the radiant Knight King!

Mordred placed both hands behind her head. “Mother’s already gone, and there are no traps inside. Father, you—”

“All of you stay outside. Leave the rest to me. Bringing him back is something I have to do.”

Naoki took a step forward, and behind him, a massive spatial wall rose, sealing the entire throne room, completely separating the inside from the outside!

(It seems he doesn’t want to be disturbed.)

Artoria looked at Naoki within the wall. But thinking about it, if the opponent was that Arthur, it wouldn’t be appropriate for anyone else to interfere. From any perspective, only Naoki was in the right position to handle this.

Inside the barrier.

Approaching Arthur, who still sat on the throne, Naoki looked at him. “Not standing up?”

“…”

“What, you can’t even do something as simple as standing? You’re not actually fast asleep, are you? You’ve held on for over half a year. What’s a little longer?”

“You came?”

Slowly rising from the throne, Arthur, cold as an iceberg, spoke in a frigid tone. “Finally, you came?”

Arthur didn’t know why he wanted to say that. His heart pounded rapidly, just like yesterday when Naoki had infiltrated. The loud thumping of his heartbeat made him feel slightly irritated, and his head throbbed unconsciously.

Why did his body react this way when this person appeared?

Who was he, really?

These questions filled Arthur’s heart and mind, but unfortunately, he couldn’t voice a single one. In his current state, he lacked the ability to ask questions. Moreover, when he saw the man before him again, his body spoke those words on its own.

[Finally, you came?]

Though his consciousness was on the brink of collapse and his sense of self nearly gone, Arthur’s body still reacted this way at that moment.

Of course, it was only that one time. To Arthur, Naoki was undoubtedly an [enemy] who disturbed his frozen heart and affected the state of his seal. He was an eternal [intruder] infiltrating his being.

If that’s the case—

*SHUA!*

Golden light gathered in Arthur’s hand, and the Star’s Holy Sword appeared instantly.

Though its ownership had passed to Naoki, Arthur could still wield the Star’s Holy Sword. After all, it was a Noble Phantasm fused with his legend. Even if he no longer possessed it, based on the legend’s essence, he could use it again.

*SHUA!*

The moment the Holy Sword appeared, Naoki suddenly felt his body grow heavy.

(Is that the pressure from the high-density Mana being released? While sealing Vortigern, as a side effect, he can also use some of Vortigern’s magic… One body, two dragons, the white dragon and the red dragon?)

“By the way, I don’t think I’ve ever faced an actual dragon species before, have I?”

Drawing his own Holy Sword, as he spoke, the Mana intensity in Naoki’s body surged to another realm. The overflowing Mana radiated a shimmering gate of light, and golden flames blazed across his entire body.

Magic circuits fully opened.

Mana output limit released.

—Reaching the realm of a Divine Spirit.

(This is the third time I’ve faced Arthur with a sword.)

“I hope this is the last time between us, Arthur.”

*WHOOSH!*

Arthur’s response was a sudden, godlike-speed attack.

Naoki’s vision was instantly filled with the light of the Holy Sword.

Under an immense Mana Burst, Arthur’s speed was near teleportation, swinging his sword the moment he moved. Rather than saying he slashed with a beam of light, it was more like he brought down a massive wave of light!

*BANG!*

A deafening explosion echoed through the throne room. The main gate, along with the walls on both sides and the ground where Naoki stood, was swallowed and obliterated by the light!

If not for the barrier blocking it, this attack might have reached all the way to the front gate of the White Dragon Nation.

Perhaps to counter Vortigern, the Holy Sword’s seal was always in a released state. Though the other Knights of the Round Table had returned to their seats, the Holy Sword still maintained four released seals.

A Holy Sword with A+ Noble Phantasm power in its normal state—it wasn’t an exaggeration to display such strength.

“—Is that all?”

Yet Naoki’s calm voice rang out from above Arthur’s head.

He said the same words again. No matter the attack, Naoki had already devised a way to counter it before it was launched. By always controlling the spatial changes around him, it was as if he had limited foresight of one second in battle.

“Wake up!”

Stepping on the air, as if wings had unfurled behind him, an immense surge of Mana erupted from Naoki’s back. His entire body plummeted like a meteor! The radiant Holy Sword struck directly at Arthur’s head!

For those whose minds are sluggish, aside from people pretending to sleep, the most effective way to wake them is with a hard slap to the face.

*CLANG!*

Holy Sword clashed against Holy Sword. A powerful Mana wave exploded in an instant, followed by a golden storm that swept through, engulfing the entire throne room!

-

Title: Truly Beating Him to Death

Just as Naoki and Arthur began their duel.

Chaldea, control room.

*🚨🚨🚨*

The control room, usually filled only with the sound of keyboards clacking, was now overwhelmed by the incessant blaring of alarms.

Rushing in hurriedly from outside, Ritsuka asked Roman without even catching her breath, “Doctor! What’s going on?”

“It’s an abnormal situation originating from the sixth Singularity.”

Without turning his head, Roman swiftly operated the control panel.

“The sixth Singularity, which we couldn’t observe until now, has finally become visible. It’s as if the barrier blocking our observation has been lifted. After that, we detected two massive Mana reactions from the sixth Singularity!”

“One of them is Natsukawa, already identified.”

Naoki’s Mana reaction.

Ritsuka and Mash had returned this morning and learned that their Department Head had gone to the sixth Singularity for a mission. At the same time, they also learned of the message Naoki left behind. Both had been preparing for a mission to the seventh Singularity in their rooms.

Since their Department Head was handling the sixth Singularity, it surely wouldn’t be an issue—not only Ritsuka and Mash but most of Chaldea’s members thought the same.

But now…

“The intensity of the Department Head’s Mana—hasn’t it reached the Divine Spirit level again?”

After five and a half months, Ritsuka could somewhat understand the situation on the screen.

Roman nodded. “Correct, Natsukawa’s current state has indeed reached that realm again, but within the Singularity, there’s not just one Divine Spirit-level Mana reaction.”

“There are two others… no, one of their Mana indices keeps rising.”

As Roman said, the analysis of the sixth Singularity observed through Sheba showed two red dots of nearly equal size, and beyond those, a larger red dot faintly encompassing both.

(Inside the sixth Singularity, there’s an enemy stronger than the Department Head at full power?)

Ritsuka vaguely realized this fact.

“This is truly a massive crisis.”

At the control room’s entrance, Da Vinci strode in quickly. “We’ve struggled through the first five Singularities, and now that we’ve reached the sixth, the difficulty has suddenly jumped to another dimension.”

“With this Mana intensity, even Natsukawa would struggle… no, it’d be extremely difficult for him to resolve. Though I doubt he’s alone there, this hidden Mana intensity isn’t something that can be overcome with numbers alone.”

Ritsuka frowned tightly. “Does that mean the Department Head is in trouble?”

“Possibly. After all, it’s Natsukawa. Even if he dies, he’d probably show up perfectly fine the next day, but if that happens—”

“The mission in the sixth Singularity would become impossible.”

Roman finished Da Vinci’s sentence.

This wasn’t the sixth Singularity situation Naoki had described to him. The enemy they faced wasn’t the Goddess Rhongomyniad and her Knights of the Round Table but an entity whose information was completely unknown.

(All this time, relying on the information Natsukawa gave me, we’ve had some advantage in operating within Singularities, but this time… no, should I say this is the difficulty we were supposed to face from the start?)

(With this situation, even if we send Fujimaru and the others via Spiritron Transfer—)

“Doctor! Please allow us to perform a Spiritron Transfer!”

Ritsuka’s sudden words stunned Roman and Da Vinci.

Roman frowned. “Fujimaru, that’s too dangerous—”

“But we have to go, don’t we, Doctor?” Ritsuka interrupted. “A strong enemy isn’t a reason for us to avoid facing it.”

“…”

“Please allow us to go, Doctor Roman.” Mash added, her hands clenched tightly at her chest. “The Servant within me… Sir Galahad, is also urging me to go there.”

Even Mash…

“What are you doing, Roman? Hurry and prepare the Spiritron Transfer!”

At that moment, Marie’s voice came from the door.

Standing in front of Ritsuka and Mash with her arms crossed, she said, “Akuta is on her way here too. You two go first. But there’s one thing to note: if we here determine your lives are in danger, we’ll forcibly bring you back, regardless of your wishes.”

“Director… Understood!”

“We understand, Director.”

Seeing Ritsuka and Mash respond, Da Vinci nudged Roman’s side, and Roman let out a helpless sigh. Indeed, no matter how much he trusted Naoki, the situation observed here wasn’t something Naoki could handle alone, so he had to send help.

Whether they could actually help in the end didn’t matter.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Five minutes after Naoki and Arthur’s battle began.

Inside the throne room, now mostly in ruins.

*CRASH!*

The sound of destruction never ceased.

*CLANG!*

The light from the two Holy Swords slashing tore through the ground, obliterating everything. The explosions and impacts destroyed all that was contained within the spatial barrier.

Heavy and hard to counter.

This was Naoki’s most visceral feeling right now.

His pseudo-foresight and the advantage granted by his fairy senses allowed him to take the initiative, but only temporarily. Facing Arthur with four seals permanently released, Naoki had to focus entirely to survive and dodge each attack.

If that were all, it wouldn’t be an issue, but the problem was—

*SWOOSH!*

A sword flash split the air. A beam of light slashing from two hundred meters high reached Naoki in an instant!

As usual, the moment Arthur moved, Naoki swung his Holy Sword at the same time.

*BANG!*

The sword flashes nearly canceled each other out in front of Naoki.

But at that moment, a figure suddenly tore through the blinding light. Arthur, charging at high speed, slashed without hesitation!

This was an attack launched almost simultaneously with the sword flash.

With his inexhaustible Mana flooding his body, Arthur’s Mana Burst had reached its limit. The enhancement effect on his body was incomparable to Naoki’s. At least to Naoki, Arthur’s movements seemed accelerated by one and a half times!

To fight the current Arthur, even as a fairy, Naoki had to concentrate to his absolute limit at every moment.

*CLANG!*

Blocking Arthur’s heavy slash just in time, then twisting his wrist to lock Arthur’s arm, Naoki slammed his head into Arthur’s face!

But the next moment, Arthur’s knee struck Naoki’s chin!

*BAM!*

Both were knocked back by each other’s attacks, crashing into the spatial barrier’s edge, making the barrier itself tremble!

And the instant after hitting the barrier, both figures crossed a hundred-meter distance again, clashing at near-zero range!

Staring into Arthur’s face and eyes through the two Holy Swords, just like at the start, he still looked blank and emotionless.

(Arthur…)

*CLANG!*

With a sudden burst of strength, Naoki pushed Arthur back. While creating distance, Naoki instantly manifested countless chains piercing toward Arthur.

*TRING!*

The Holy Sword radiated blinding light. A blade of light extending tens of meters swept swiftly. The countless chains were sliced and shattered, and then, without a shred of hesitation, Arthur thrust straight at Naoki!

(A half-hearted Imaginary Manifestation can’t even slow him down! I need to imagine something more specific—but there’s no time!)

*BANG!*

Smashing Arthur’s light blade with full force, Naoki opened his left hand’s five fingers, but before he could close them for the next attack, Arthur was already in front of him!

(Damn—)

The Holy Sword swung down like a golf club strike—

*BAM!*

Naoki was sent flying toward the barrier’s dome!

(Damn it, if I want a stronger Imaginary Manifestation, he doesn’t give me time to prepare, and close combat is a fifty-fifty… This will never end.)

Indeed, in terms of comprehensive strength, Naoki was clearly above Arthur. As a fairy, he had the power to suppress anyone. If Arthur’s strength was a hundred, Naoki’s was a hundred and ten.

In close combat, neither could decisively defeat the other. With Imaginary Manifestation, Naoki was undoubtedly stronger, but the issue was that a hastily executed Imaginary Manifestation wasn’t enough to disrupt Arthur’s actions. And if Naoki wanted a more refined Imaginary Manifestation, Arthur would never give him the time.

Not even a single second!

If the Imaginary Manifestation process was interrupted, Naoki would take a heavy hit from Arthur due to his exposed weakness!

*BAM!*

A tremor came from below. Arthur stepped forward, shattering the ground, and charged at Naoki, who was leaning against the dome!

*PU-CHI!*

The Holy Sword pierced straight through Naoki’s chest!

A fatal wound!

Staring into Arthur’s blank eyes, Naoki gritted his teeth, reached out, and locked Arthur’s body from behind his head. In Arthur’s slightly widening eyes, Naoki hugged him tightly—

“You handed it to me yourself. Let’s trade heads, you bastard…”

*BOOOMMMMM!*

A heaven-shaking explosion echoed within the barrier.

-

Title: You Damn Brat, Wake Up!

As a fairy, Naoki possessed several abilities:

—Real-time spatial perception of his surroundings.

—Full support from the planet itself.

—Imaginary Manifestation.

And the ability to adapt himself in response to an enemy’s fighting style—Self-Transformation.

Compared to the other three abilities, Self-Transformation was rarely used by Naoki, as it overlapped with Imaginary Manifestation, though there were differences.

Imaginary Manifestation modified the world itself, but it couldn’t affect living beings. It was merely the ability to freely alter the environment and circumstances.

Self-Transformation, on the other hand, was an ability focused on himself.

No matter the enemy he faced, he could adjust himself to the most suitable state to counter them. Its specific form was a formal attire.

In the current situation, the most appropriate use would be to create an attack powerful enough to counter Arthur’s slashes or a transformation to accelerate his recovery speed.

But—

*BOOOMMMMM!*

Amid the deafening explosion and blazing flames that shook the entire spatial barrier, Arthur’s figure plummeted to the ground like a kite with a cut string.

Forcefully pulling the Holy Sword from his chest and tossing it aside, Naoki panted and slowly descended. “An explosion equivalent to a volcanic eruption… That should be enough to snap you out of it, right?”

Naoki now wore a fiery red formal attire, glowing like molten lava, constantly radiating heat outward.

This was a formal attire crafted with the imagination of a [volcano], continuously unleashing impacts on the level of a volcanic eruption.

Impact, fire, high temperature… The existence of this attire embodied the concept of a volcano.

Delivering a volcanic eruption-level strike to Arthur’s head at point-blank range. The effect now seemed significant, worth the price of Naoki being pierced through.

(Fortunately, it didn’t hit my heart. Otherwise, even with Avalon, recovery would’ve taken a while—looks like it’s over now…)

*CREAK!*

A faint sound suddenly rang out.

Arthur, lying not far away with his entire body charred, shouldn’t have been able to stand anytime soon after enduring a volcanic eruption-level attack. Yet, in Naoki’s eyes, he was rising little by little.

“You’re way too durable.”

Even Naoki was slightly shocked.

Because he was a living seal for Vortigern, Arthur was now unconsciously using some of Vortigern’s Mana, and Vortigern himself possessed the Holy Grail, making his Mana nearly limitless.

With this infinite Mana support, or perhaps unconsciously using the Holy Grail’s power, Arthur, who shouldn’t have been able to stand, miraculously did—likely that was the situation.

“Huuu… Haaa…”

Taking deep breaths, Naoki, who recovered to peak condition in a few breaths with the planet’s support, raised his Holy Sword.

After nearly seven minutes of desperate fighting, he was back to square one.

(I feel like this will never end if it keeps going like this. I need to hit him with something big…)

“You… you…”

But as Naoki pondered, Arthur, now standing again, didn’t attack immediately. Instead, he opened and closed his mouth, like an aphasic patient regaining speech, slowly uttering a sentence.

“You… uh… you… are… Naoki…”

“!”

Naoki’s eyes trembled slightly, then he let out a heavy sigh. “You’re awake? You damn fool, Arthur.”

“Uh… ah… I… almost…”

As if suppressing something, the Holy Sword in Arthur’s hand clattered to the ground. His hands clutched his head tightly, as if trying to crush it.

Something’s wrong!

(Could it be he hasn’t fully recovered… no, from his words, he should’ve regained some awareness, but—Vortigern’s influence?!)

Arthur had been suppressing Vortigern to prevent his full recovery with the Holy Grail’s aid. To do so, his own self, consciousness, and soul had nearly been consumed over the past half-year, leaving him almost a puppet.

Issuing a few commands was already his limit.

But now, through the battle with Naoki, combined with the heavy blow to his head and his unconscious use of the Holy Grail’s power, Arthur was starting to recover slightly—hence, he was feeling pain again.

The pain of suppressing Vortigern at the cost of his life.

Vortigern was an apocalyptic device created by the island of Britain. Whether in human history or hidden history, its purpose was to destroy Britain. It wasn’t something a single person could suppress and seal.

So, Arthur was now experiencing an adverse reaction.

No, more accurately, it was assimilation.

“Arthur… it hurts?”

“Ugh… ah…”

Trembling as he bent to pick up his Holy Sword, Arthur’s body stiffly turned toward Naoki. But at that moment, Naoki was already in front of him, thrusting his own Holy Sword into Arthur’s chest.

Just as Arthur had done to him moments ago.

Without any hesitation.

Unlike Naoki, who was a fairy, Arthur was a Servant. If his Spirit Origin was destroyed, he couldn’t remain in this world for long. Relying on the Holy Grail might be a possibility, but Arthur couldn’t do that.

After all, the true owner of the Holy Grail was Vortigern, not Arthur.

Embracing Arthur and slowly sitting down, Naoki looked at his now-calm face and sighed slightly. “You really know how to give me work. Do you enjoy getting beaten by me? It was like this ten years ago too.”

“I’ve troubled you, Master…” Arthur’s voice was faint. “I always believed you’d come here.”

“I don’t want trust from a guy. It’s too much, gives me the creeps.”

“Haha, is that so?”

Smiling bitterly, Arthur said seriously, “It’s not over yet, Naoki. I can feel that because you’ve destroyed my Spirit Origin, the seal on Vortigern, which I’ve maintained until now, has also broken. The Unique Barrier manifested by Vortigern will soon disappear. After that—”

“Alright, alright, shut up for a second. I’m gonna shove something in you!”

Taking the Holy Grails he’d taken from Gawain, Lancelot, and Tristan, Naoki stuffed them all into Arthur’s body at once, then grabbed his collar and said, “What, planning to go back to Avalon and sleep like this? You want to run off before finishing what needs to be done? No way. Get up, the fight’s not over.”

“Your three knights are worried sick about you, and Vortigern’s about to rise. Are you the type to not seek revenge after being beaten once?”

“At least I’m not.”

Naoki stood and kicked Arthur, as if urging him to get up.

“The one who’ll take down Vortigern is Britain’s red dragon, Arthur Pendragon, right?”