Before leaping into this restaurant, Naoki was actually a bit confused.
After all, he was in the middle of playfully feeding Arcueid across the street when a bullet suddenly whizzed toward him. If he hadn't reacted quickly, his face might've been ruined.
And when he traced the bullet's trajectory to see what was happening in the restaurant across the street, the moment he crossed over, he was hit by an overwhelming stench of blood.
Something had happened—that was Naoki's first thought.
There was a Magecraft barrier—that was his second thought.
So, he decisively kicked the glass to shatter it and leaped through the opening.
Upon entering the restaurant, seeing the crowd being torn apart by black dogs, spotting a somewhat familiar figure at the entrance, and noticing a girl leaning against the wall with a pleading expression on the other side…
Naoki immediately understood the current situation. The confusion in his mind vanished, and he knew exactly what he needed to do next.
"This is really pissing me off."
Turning his back to Sion, Naoki glared at the man in front of him. "Even though my sensory abilities are impaired, for this to happen right across the street and I didn't notice it from the start… You're using this shell this time, huh, Tatari. Your sense of humor is seriously twisted."
"A shell—figured out already. Don't you even consider for a moment that this could be the real thing?"
"You can fool anyone, but you can't fool me. Did you forget who saw you get killed seven years ago?" Naoki sneered. "Nero Chaos, the 10th Dead Apostle of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors. You're really boring, bringing back someone who died seven years ago. You even dug up information from that far back."
Nero Chaos.
Hearing that name from Naoki's mouth, Sion, hiding behind him, grew even paler. The names of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors were well-known, even in the isolated Atlas Institute.
He was truly killed seven years ago?
And from Naoki's words, it seemed Nero had been killed by him?
"This is what the Headmaster called… [reliable]."
If that was true, then he was indeed a combat force worth trusting.
However, as if mocking Naoki's words, [Nero Chaos] let out a few laughs. "Indeed. Seven years ago, you pushed me to the brink of death multiple times—but you couldn't kill me. The one who killed me wasn't you, but that woman with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception."
"You can't kill me."
"Roar—!"
A roar came from the side. The two black dogs that had been tearing through the crowd suddenly stopped, turned, and charged at Naoki!
A fierce wind blew swiftly. An invisible force calmly struck the black dogs' bodies, tearing and shredding them.
Ignoring [Nero Chaos]'s newly cold expression, Naoki turned to look at Sion behind him.
(Sion Eltnam Atlasia… I didn't expect to meet her here for the first time. The ten years between the Fifth Holy Grail War and the Incineration of the Human Order is the only period I don't know in detail. Things like this can happen too.)
Meeting this [comrade], who would provide significant help in the future assault on the History of Mankind, wasn't a bad thing. But unfortunately, this wasn't the time to talk with her.
"You should get out of here first, Miss," Naoki said, pointing outside the window. "Find someone named Ayaka across the street. She's my friend and can protect you. This place is about to get dangerous, so don't stay here."
"Yes, I understand!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Sion immediately ran out.
Even a fool could see that Naoki and Nero could start fighting at any moment. If she stayed, she'd definitely get caught in the crossfire. Listening and fleeing immediately was the right choice!
And just as Sion's back foot left the restaurant—
*KRAK!*
A loud explosion suddenly erupted inside the restaurant. A storm and a powerful impact spread instantly!
Sion was thrown back by the force, stumbling several meters until she collided with someone and finally stopped.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"It's fine, it's about time to pick you up anyway," Ayaka said, helping Sion stand and guiding her to Arcueid's side. "I'm Sajyou Ayaka. And this is Arcueid. For your safety, please stay here for now. Leave the situation over there to Naoki."
Hearing Ayaka's words, Sion nodded hurriedly.
Beside them, watching the worsening storm and impact, Arcueid let out a soft sigh, extended her hand, and snapped her fingers. The originally calm night was suddenly swept by a fierce wind without warning. The trees by the roadside swayed violently, as if they might collapse or snap at any moment. Faint thunder rumbled from the sky, and the air was filled with humidity!
Imaginary Manifestation—Storm.
(This way, it'll at least provide some cover.)
During her time awake, Arcueid had also learned some rules of the modern magecraft world, like how mysteries must be concealed. Though she had no intention of strictly following them, since Naoki had mentioned earlier that everyone has their privacy, magecraft was the privacy of the magecraft world.
So, Arcueid could somewhat understand—Naoki would surely praise her for doing well later!
Leaning against the shattered restaurant door, watching the intensifying stormy night, [Nero Chaos] couldn't help but feel awe. "This is Imaginary Manifestation, the power to reshape the world with resolve. Truly a remarkable power."
"Do you have the luxury to get distracted in front of me?"
Naoki's voice came with the storm. Thousands of storm blades, appearing out of nowhere, had already surrounded [Nero Chaos]'s entire body, relentlessly slicing into him.
Yet, no matter how much his body was cut, [Nero Chaos] showed no expression. "You should know you can't kill me this way. Though this shell isn't as immortal as the original, attacks of this level can't possibly kill me."
"How would you know without trying? And besides, if this doesn't work, I still have this."
Unleashing his Killer Mystic Eyes, Naoki revealed his Mystic Eyes, seeing [Nero Chaos]'s soul in its entirety.
"Come on, let me see what a fake soul looks like."