The blinding light gradually faded from view.
As his eyes slowly adjusted to the changing light, Naoki quickly looked around, and then—
"What's going on?! Why am I so high up?!"
Height!
That was the first thought that crossed Naoki's mind. Now, with his eyes, he could see all the way to the edge of Fuyuki City, as if standing atop a skyscraper—and most importantly, the floor of this skyscraper was transparent!
Naoki wasn't afraid of heights, but the sudden shift in perspective made him wobble slightly. It felt like he was floating in the air!
"Master!"
A voice came from behind, and Artoria's figure quickly approached Naoki. "Don't daydream, prepare to fight that monster!"
"Oh—you're wearing clothes! By the way, why are my clothes gone too?!"
The oddly familiar dialogue, but with reversed roles and positions, left Artoria momentarily speechless. She herself wanted to ask why their consciousness fusion in this realm ended up like this. If she hadn't experienced it before, she might have reacted the same way as Naoki.
"We're in a consciousness form now, and consciousness forms can't wear clothes." Artoria thought, then answered.
"An explanation that makes sense in some ways but feels weird when you think about it!"
"I don't know the details, but that's not the main focus now, Master. The monster's coming!"
"GGGGGGGGaaaaaaaa—!"
A ferocious roar thundered in Naoki's ears. Due to the earlier pillar of light and the tremor from the giant's landing, the monster rampaging in the city had now fully turned its attention to Naoki. Hot flames gathered in its mouth.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
Like cannon fire, several fireballs shot out in rapid succession!
From his current perspective, Naoki realized that the fireballs, which had seemed massive before, were now only the size of his head.
"Master! Attack directly!"
"Oh!"
Though he wasn't confident deep down, since Artoria said so, Naoki didn't mind giving it a try!
Clenching his right fist and gathering strength, Naoki slammed it into the nearest fireball!
*THUD!*
A sensation like plunging his hand into hot water coursed through his arm. The fireball, which he was certain would burn him to death, now felt like it had no power at all!
When it was struck, the fireball burst like a water balloon, rapidly expanding before exploding completely. The blast triggered the other nearby fireballs to detonate as well!
Above the Mion River, a spectacle of blooming fireworks instantly appeared, though these fireworks were a bit too dangerous.
"It worked?"
Clenching his fist, Naoki's earlier doubts began to fade, replaced by growing confidence. His eyes locked sharply on the monster before him, surrendering to his racing heartbeat and the overwhelming urge that nearly controlled his body!
"Then—let's attack! Lia! Take it down before its destruction spreads further!"
"Ready, Master!"
*BANG!*
The ground shook violently. As Naoki and Artoria advanced, the towering giant standing firmly on the ground shot forward, reaching the monster in an instant and delivering a powerful uppercut to its overly long neck. Then, it leaped in place, landing a devastating spinning kick on the monster's horned head!
*BANG!*
The monster's neck visibly bent at a horrific angle. But in the next moment, the nearly broken neck split rapidly, segment by segment, stretching three or four times its original length, lunging like a venomous snake!
(Too slow!)
As the thought crossed his mind, Naoki's body had already moved. Dodging the sudden attack, his hands swiftly wrapped around the monster's elongated head, coiling it several times around his arms before locking it tightly under his armpit, and then—
"Hiyaaaa—!"
With Naoki's roar, the monster, its neck bound, was gradually lifted into the air by force. As Naoki spun, it whirled rapidly, forming a massive disc!
"Throw it into the sky, Master!"
"Oh! Fly, you bastard!"
After spinning until he felt slightly dizzy, Naoki forcefully hurled the monster in his hands skyward, launching it higher than any building in Fuyuki City!
"Now!"—somehow, the same thought emerged simultaneously in Naoki and Artoria's minds.
No need to exchange glances or further actions. The two, their consciousnesses synchronized, raised both hands in unison, clenching tightly as if grasping something. As they did, the radiant giant also raised its hands high. Countless particles of light gathered in its hands like a storm, instantly forming a brilliantly shining Holy Sword!
Now Naoki could remember—or rather, he knew—what someone like him should do in this moment, what someone like him *could* do, and the power of the object (the Holy Sword) he held!
"Get out of this city!"
"True Name Release! Lethal Beam!"
"Excalibur!"
The Holy Sword swung toward the monster still airborne. A flood of light surged forth, instantly engulfing and consuming the monster's entire existence!
At that moment, all the residents of Fuyuki City witnessed this star-like beam that defeated the monster and saved them all.
In a corner of Miyama-chou, someone leaning against the door of the Natsukawa house chuckled as they watched the light piercing the sky.
"Hm, good job, Naoki. Keep defeating every monster that appears, one by one. Each of them is a manifestation of my power, a part of my strength. As long as you defeat them one by one, I'll gradually lose my power too."
"Then, I can truly be with you…"
Facing the radiant giant standing in the city's center, the blonde girl's face showed a pained smile as she stretched out her arms, as if wanting to embrace it.
"Wait a little longer, wait until the day you defeat me again. Only then can we truly be together."
"Wait for me just a bit more, my Prince!"