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!