Time rewinds to when Naoki was pressured by Vortigern's long-range attacks.
With the Holy Sword continuously deflecting the horizontal and vertical slashes of the chain sword, enduring the strange pain from his body and his continuously weakening power, Naoki diverted some of his attention, sinking into the depths of his consciousness.
(Can you hear me? I know you're still there, not completely merged with me. If you're awake, answer me.)
[...]
(Hey! Don't play dead! There's no way a rift of two thousand four hundred years could fully heal in such a short time!)
[Ouch~~~~~]
A somewhat lazy voice came from the depths of consciousness.
[So noisy~~~~~ Can't I sleep a little longer after finally returning to my comfortable bed?]
Another voice sounded within Naoki's body.
Or rather—another consciousness, another personality.
Naoki Number Two, who had split two thousand four hundred years ago and only returned a few tens of minutes ago.
Although due to that backstabbing, the two divided into one had reunited, the division of consciousness and personality still existed. After all, the two had been separated for two thousand four hundred years, and each had developed into a different individual. Merging was not something that happened in an instant.
So, Naoki Number Two's personality still existed.
[By the way, you want me to help you?]
(Otherwise, why would I look for you?)
[Are you stupid?]
Naoki Number Two reprimanded himself mercilessly.
[I am basically the one who caused this situation to happen. I'm not saying it's all my fault, but maybe half of it can be attributed to me. That means I am your enemy. Seeking help from your own enemy, did Aurora kick your head?]
What Naoki Number Two said was true.
The root cause of Britain's collapse and Naoki's current situation lay in the negative emotions within his heart and a series of events caused by his cooperation with Vortigern. He was the one who forced Naoki into his current predicament.
He was not in a position to help.
(Indeed, this situation is not free from your responsibility, but... we are not enemies.)
Naoki said while dividing his attention to face the chain sword.
(After all, we were originally one person. No matter who did what, and it affected the other half, in the end it was our own doing. We can only swallow the bitter fruit, regret ourselves, and cannot hate our other self.)
(Because... quarreling with oneself is the most foolish and unnecessary thing.)
(And at the same time, after losing everyone trustworthy, oneself is the only trustworthy person—the current me needs my own strength.)
[Sigh... I give up on you.]
Naoki Number Two sighed helplessly.
[You're really not afraid I'll stab you again, huh... Never mind, you're right, bothering oneself is not interesting, it just feels oppressive—So how do you want me to help you? I warn you beforehand, even I cannot defeat Vortigern. The current situation is that we are truly defeated in all aspects by her.]
[Fighting against a counter-class is just asking for trouble.]
(If my guess is correct, if this continues, I will die. My body will become a corpse that has lost its soul. At that time, you take over my body, and stall for as much time as possible.)
[Stalling for time? Is that all?]
(Yes. Everyone outside should have started moving—whether the Cursed Worm or Vortigern, defeating one of them can drastically change the situation. This is just passing the ball to others.)
(Please, my other self.)
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
*CLANG!*
Time returns to the present.
Staring at Vortigern across the Holy Sword and Fairy Sword, Naoki Number Two smiled bitterly.
(Saying something like that then just dying, really giving me work, please be a little more considerate of us, Main Body—but, since you've said it, I won't hold back either.)
(I will stall for time completely until those outside tear a hole in the Cursed Worm.)
"Impossible."
Vortigern stared at Naoki in front of her with surprise.
"How can you still have strength? Everything from you should have been swallowed by me, how can you still have Mana to use?"
"Just switching the Mana source to a Lesser Source, is this such a surprising thing to you?"
Naoki Number Two sneered. At the same time, he injected a large amount of Mana into the Holy Sword, causing it to instantly extend into a giant blade of light tens of meters long. After quickly retreating to maintain distance, he slashed downwards!
The blade of light, seemingly tearing the world of darkness, immediately filled Vortigern's eyes.
Swarms of pitch-black insects flowed out from her sleeves, transforming into two savage claws that tightly gripped the blade of light. Then, just like swallowing the light of the Holy Sword before, they visibly absorbed and disintegrated the blade of light, swallowing it back into her body.
"I see, a Lesser Source, huh. Starting to despair?"
Vortigern looked at Naoki, whose Mana was still strong.
Mana sources are divided into two types: the Greater Source possessed by the planet itself, and the Lesser Source possessed by the individual. Under normal circumstances, the Greater Source Mana is used. Naoki also used it when fighting her earlier, it was just the part he had stored outside.
And now, he was using a Lesser Source.
This was strictly not a dangerous act, but if it was meant to make Naoki have the same power as before, that was another story.
The consumption of life force would be beyond common sense, because Lesser Source is essentially Mana converted from life force. In Naoki's case, even though he was an Elemental Spirit, such intense use of Lesser Source would endanger his life.
"You're gambling."
Vortigern laughed.
"Will I devour you clean, or will you defeat me before your life force runs out—you're betting on the latter."
"But it's useless. Even if you burn your life to regain strength, the result won't change. Everything from you will be swallowed by me. This time, you will die completely. There will be no possibility for you to rise a second time!"
Naoki Number Two sneered slightly.
"Then just try it?"
(Who actually dies, is still unknown—no, you shouldn't know. When my power was swallowed by you just now, I knew that besides my outer self, there was also another enemy inside your body that you haven't realized.)
Naoki Number Two felt it. Naoki, who regained consciousness within her body, was attacking the Holy Grail with all his might.
This shouldn't have been a plan he thought of from the beginning. If so, Naoki Number Two would have known when he took over the body—meaning this was an unexpected situation that no one anticipated.
And if this was the situation...
(The swallowed power is not a problem. The more Vortigern swallows my power, the faster her defeat will occur. If so—)
*BZZZZT!*
Making the Holy Sword emit a shining light again, Naoki Number Two slashed the blade of light once more!
(I entrust all my power to you, destroy her from within, my other self!)