As the arrow shot forth, Naoki immediately felt his body revert to a state of complete powerlessness. The final attack had drained all his remaining strength, and an overwhelming urge to collapse surged through him, his legs giving way uncontrollably to the ground.
A hand suddenly reached out from behind, pulling him up and hoisting him onto a shoulder.
"Your back was so imposing before; at least hold on until the very end. If you can't even manage that now, it deducts a few points." Merry said with a smile. "Thanks for your hard work. You did incredibly well this time, beyond my expectations, Naoki."
"You shameless jerk…"
Due to the overwhelming weakness, Naoki's voice came out in gasps.
"But… beyond your expectations… this is a first, isn't it?"
"Yeah, that's why I said you did amazingly well."
Earlier, when Naoki had stopped moving in midair, Merry had genuinely panicked. To end the fight safely now was an extraordinary stroke of luck.
Her eyes turned forward, where the clash between the sword and fire arrow was nearing its end. As the side with no follow-up, the fire arrow was visibly being eroded bit by bit. The black aurora seemed to consume the flames, gradually devouring them in their view.
In this final clash, Arthur would win.
Both Naoki and Merry could see this outcome. After all, it was the Holy Sword of the Stars. Even inverted by Mad Enhancement, even without its seals released, its power was far beyond a single full-strength blow from an ordinary human.
Surviving this long was already a miracle.
"I'll take you away, Naoki."
Merry said as much, but unexpectedly, despite Naoki having no strength left, she felt like she was trying to uproot a massive tree—he wouldn't budge.
"Naoki?"
"No need to leave, Merry." Naoki clutched his chest, feeling his heartbeat and the intermittent will expressed within it. "It's not over yet, Merry… Neither I nor he have lost."
His heart could feel it, his body could sense it. At the other end of the aurora, within that beastly form, the knight hadn't stopped fighting.
So, Naoki couldn't leave yet.
*NGIIING—*
The crimson moon mark on the back of his hand emitted a faint glow. As if reaching for something, Naoki shakily raised his limp right hand, then clenched it tightly—
*KRAK!*
A sudden cracking sound rang out, and the ground was instantly filled with countless fissures. The hotel's first floor shattered to pieces. The three on the ground floor fell downward!
At the same time, due to the collapse of the floor beneath, the black aurora clashing with the fire arrow suddenly veered upward, piercing dozens of floors before vanishing into the air.
(Forcibly shifting the pivot to alter the Noble Phantasm's trajectory? Even halting its release?)
Merry stared at Naoki beside her in shock. To come up with such a method in this state… No, more shocking and perplexing than the method itself was that Naoki could actually do it?
The fire arrow had clearly drained all his strength; it couldn't be an effect of Summoning Magecraft, and without Summoning Magecraft, Naoki shouldn't be able to do anything.
(No, don't think about that now. What matters is what comes next.)
Merry looked up. With the collapse of the first floor, the entire hotel's stability was compromised. Combined with the earlier sword attack, the whole building seemed likely to collapse soon.
If they didn't leave immediately, they'd be buried alive!
"Merry…" Naoki called weakly. "Help me… stand firm… I'll…"
"Don't push yourself in this state. I'll get you out."
"No… I mean…"
Naoki gritted his teeth, holding his breath, then let out a heavy grunt as if activating some ability. The moment the grunt ended, Merry instantly felt a change in their surroundings!
"This feeling…"
A faint light radiated from Naoki's body. Bathed in it, the falling debris froze in midair, and the collapsing ground halted… Except for Naoki, Merry, and Arthur, the entire building, now gradually enveloped in light, strangely came to a standstill.
Time stopped?
"No… this…"
Merry could sense it wasn't time stopping. If it were, she wouldn't still be able to think, let alone a time stop that only affected the building? A being like her could still move freely.
Thus, this wasn't time stopping, but—
*SHHHH…*
The light grew brighter. Initially as faint as a candle, within a few breaths, it swelled to the brilliance of dozens of stacked incandescent bulbs. The intense light forced Merry to reflexively close her eyes.
A few seconds later, when her eyes no longer felt the blinding light, Merry opened them to see the Fuyuki Grand Hotel, completely intact and undamaged.
The collapsed ground, shattered pillars, fallen ceilings… all gone!
"This…"
"Ugh…!"
A pained groan snapped Merry out of her daze. Turning, she saw Naoki with blood at the corner of his mouth, his head tilted, leaning against her arm!
"Naoki!"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
On the rooftop of a building some distance from the Fuyuki Grand Hotel.
Arcueid gazed at the hotel, nodding as if confirming something, then looked back. "Is this what you wanted to verify, Souji?"
"Yes, Master."
Okita Souji—no, the figure behind Arcueid wasn't the cherry-haired girl, but a dark-skinned girl with white hair, holding a large katana, her expression cold.
Okita Souji Alter.
Or rather, the enforcer sent by Alaya and Gaia—Majin Souji.
"His Majesty's existence is quite contradictory. Besides wielding the Holy Sword as a Demi-Servant, the parts resembling you, Master, grow more numerous each day. Thus, which side he belongs to—Alaya or Gaia—has always been a point of contention."
"But now, it seems a decision has been made."
This meant Alaya and Gaia had been vying for ownership of Naoki?
Arcueid's gaze cooled slightly, but at that moment, the sudden presence of two figures behind her made her turn.
At the rooftop entrance, Ryougi Shiki and Sajyou Rei had appeared unnoticed.
"Regarding what you just said about the two Counter Forces targeting that boy, could you explain in more detail, Miss Guardian?"
"Same here. I think I also need an explanation for my household's Master."
The unfriendly stares from the two connected to the Root made Majin Souji's skin crawl.