Inside the base, lying in bed, accompanied by incessant flashes of light in the sky outside the window, Merry clutched her chest tightly, panting endlessly.
Even with Arcueid's covert assistance easing her burden, the battles raging across various points within the illusion's Bounded Field still made it hard for her to breathe.
"Really… those idiots… don't treat Mana like it's nothing…"
It wasn't just Naoki and Solomon, two massive Mana consumers causing devastating damage with every clash, but to deal with the horde of demon spirits, Artoria and the others showed no restraint in using Mana either—especially Atalanta and Mordred. With their Noble Phantasms requiring relatively low Mana and backed by high-caliber Mana sources, they unleashed them every few moments.
Add to that the sheer number of demon spirits—honestly, Merry felt nearly drained, her head throbbing with pain.
(Later, I'll have to have a serious talk with the King about compensation for this!)
Meanwhile, Gray seeing Merry's pained expression on the bed, wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel and couldn't help but ask, "Sister Merry, are you still holding up?"
"Hmm… barely… that idiot Naoki, when he fights, he really doesn't care about anything else…"
"When Brother returns, I'll give him a lesson." Gray looked out the window. "It's just… the fight is intense. Sister Riddell, can you see how Brother's doing?"
Riddell, leaning against the window, shook her head. "No, I can only see the general situation. I used to manage, but since those demon spirits appeared, I can't see clearly anymore. Especially since his opponent is that King of Magecraft. If I recklessly use Magecraft, it'll likely get countered."
"Worried about your brother?"
Gray nodded without denying it. It wasn't about trust or lack thereof—just concern.
[Well, if it's that Little Guy, there won't be any problems. He said himself this fight probably won't escalate to a life-or-death struggle. Besides, it's the Little Guy—even Sajyou Manaka, connected to the Root, couldn't kill him. If he dies, that'd be the real impossibility.]
"I know that too… Add!"
After muttering a word or two, Gray hurriedly stood and approached the window, looking down—several demon spirits were moving toward them, a small number, likely stragglers separated from the main group.
"Sister Riddell, stay here and look after Sister Merry. I'll head down to deal with them."
"Are you sure you'll be fine alone? I'll come with—"
Before Riddell could finish, Gray leaped out the window, jumping from the second floor. In her empty hand, she now gripped a scythe transformed from Add, its massive blade slashing downward!
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
Golden Mana light spread along the slash's path, and wherever it flew, demon spirits and the ground were torn apart by the radiant light, instantly forming a massive chasm in the earth.
Seeing this, Riddell couldn't help but gape in shock. "Gray… when did she get this strong?"
"During those four years in that world, she went through a lot… Plus, with Lia summoned… Gray's combat strength now can rival a Servant." Merry explained.
"She's Naoki's little sister… she couldn't possibly lack ability."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
*PU-CHI!*
The Holy Sword slashed through another demon spirit in front of her. Taking a moment to catch her breath while planting the sword in the ground, Artoria looked around. "That was the last one."
"Good work, Lia. You can lean on my shoulder for a quick rest." Morgan teased.
"The fight isn't over, Morgan. Joking can wait until it's done. Right now, we need to help Master."
The battle had already lasted nearly fifteen minutes, far longer than Artoria had expected. She didn't know how Naoki's fight was going. Hopefully, Rei, who was with him, could assist their Master.
Just as Artoria thought this, a figure suddenly shot through the sky nearby!
*BAM!*
Accompanied by a powerful tremor and a loud crash, a figure plummeting from the sky smashed into the ground. Lightning struck instantly!
*BRAK!*
The spreading smoke was dispersed by the lightning. In the crater, Artoria and Morgan stared at Naoki, looking disheveled, blocking the lightning with his Holy Sword, both showing shocked expressions.
*BOOM!*
A second bolt of lightning struck!
Naoki, already struggling, was thrown back by the lightning's impact. Stabbing the Holy Sword into the ground, he slid nearly a hundred meters before stabilizing himself.
"Master!"
Hurrying to Naoki's side and raising her sword toward Solomon, who appeared in her view, Artoria asked worriedly, "Are you okay? Master, leave it to me for now."
"Cough, cough, cough… I'm fine, just got tricked. Nearly died. Those two lightning bolts took out half my life."
If Arthur's power were still present, Naoki could have acted recklessly with A-rank Magic Resistance, but now he had none. Being hit by two lightning bolts, even with the Holy Sword to block, was enough to put him in serious trouble.
"Really got beaten up." Morgan approached, laughing. "But it seems your opponent isn't faring much better?"
"King of Britannia and Ruler of the Island?"
Landing from the air, Solomon, just as disheveled as Naoki, glanced at the two standing before him. "Planning to call for backup, Fairy Magus?"
"Didn't you throw me here? But making me and your demon spirits blow each other up—classic you. No wonder Forneus later becomes a human bomb; turns out the boss taught him."
Naoki was thrown here because Solomon had ordered Barbatos to self-destruct, simultaneously destroying the Phoenix. Even Naoki couldn't withstand the impact of two Demon God Pillars exploding.
"But can you not use that self-destruct trick again? It brings back some unpleasant memories."
Solomon's self-destruction—every FGO player would get PTSD just thinking about it.
Glancing at the rings on his hand, Solomon seemed to understand why Naoki said that. "I'll keep that in mind, but you know it's a last resort. I'll try my best not to include it among my options."
"If you try to blow yourself up again, I won't mind smashing all ten rings on your hands."
"No can do."
Seeing the two acting friendly, like old rivals, Artoria and Morgan were a bit confused—since when did they get along so well? Weren't they still in a fight?