"Huuuuh~"
Floating with a whirlwind beneath his feet and landing smoothly on the ground, Naoki clutched his stomach and looked up. "Jeez, she used that much force. I just fixed this building yesterday, and less than 24 hours later, it needs repairs again."
Of course, Aoko had used such force, likely knowing that a punch like that wouldn't actually hurt Naoki. This height wouldn't kill him either, which is why she hit so hard.
After repairing the damaged building with Imaginary Manifestation, Naoki sighed lightly. "Guess I'll head back and apologize to Aoko first. If she wants to drain my energy later, I'll just accept it."
Even so, for Naoki, this wasn't really a punishment. Both of them would end up feeling good anyway. At most, Aoko might not be able to straighten her back or get out of bed tomorrow. For him, there were no negative effects at all.
As Naoki thought this and prepared to return to the revolving restaurant, a chilling murderous aura suddenly struck him from behind.
Naoki paused, then turned around. "By the way, Riddell did say that leaving the hotel means my important business with her is over, and once it's over, you can act as you please."
"Can't you let me settle my personal matters first, King Gilgamesh?"
Emerging from the darkness, Gilgamesh, who had dispelled his spirit form, looked at Naoki, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "You've made this King witness something interesting, Fairy Magus… No, you're now half-Fairy and the third official 'Holy Sword User.' Calling you a Fairy Magus might not be accurate anymore."
"It's just a title. I don't care—call me whatever you like, King Gilgamesh." Naoki replied. "You're here to continue the unfinished fight from the first night, right?"
"Exactly. Letting you go back then was a wise choice. You've become an existence that can entertain this King even more. As one of the few main courses in this Holy Grail War, you're more than worthy."
Main course?
Naoki couldn't help but smile faintly. "Then you've got quite a few main courses on your plate. Careful not to overstuff yourself."
"Do you have time to worry about this King right now?"
A golden ripple appeared behind Gilgamesh. Several Noble Phantasms emerged, aimed at Naoki.
"You won't escape tonight, Fairy Magus. Let this King enjoy this battle."
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
Five Noble Phantasms shot forward instantly. But a second after they were launched, without warning, all five froze and fell to the ground. At the same time, the surrounding temperature plummeted rapidly, dropping in an instant to below zero, unbearable for ordinary people.
Drawing an anti-cold Noble Phantasm from the Gate of Babylon, Gilgamesh scanned his surroundings. "Imaginary Manifestation… No, is that what you call Summoning Magecraft? You're not planning to show this King your new tricks."
"If I used Imaginary Manifestation, it's great for repairs, but in battle, it'd cause too much environmental damage."
Enveloped in a frosty blue aura, Naoki began moving his hands and feet as he spoke.
"This is enough for now."
"Not even using the Holy Sword, huh? Seems the first night didn't teach you real pain."
Switching all prepared Noble Phantasms to types specialized against Spirits and Fairies, Gilgamesh swung his right hand.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
Dozens of Noble Phantasms shot forward again. Extreme cold enveloped them as they were launched. Unlike the first wave, these didn't freeze or even slow down.
*KRAK!* *KRAK!* *KRAK!* *KRAK!*
Dozens of massive ice chains suddenly materialized from thin air, binding all the Noble Phantasms mid-flight. In the next moment, Naoki grabbed one end of the chain and swung the bound Noble Phantasms with force, hurling them back at Gilgamesh!
A ripple opened in front of Gilgamesh. As the thrown Noble Phantasms were returned, a shield emerged from the Gate of Babylon, standing before him. The ice chains shattered into tiny fragments upon impact!
*BUZZZZZZ!*
Multiple golden ripples from the Gate of Babylon appeared above Naoki's head. Accompanied by a dozen staff-shaped Noble Phantasms, blazing flames poured forth!
Given the current state of Spirit summoning, these flames would likely affect Spirits to some extent. As the fire closed in, Naoki could sense the Spirit within him growing restless.
(If that's the case…)
Elemental Conversion—Fire.
*SIIIING!*
A tendril of flame ignited at Naoki's fingertip. With a breath, the flame expanded in an instant, spreading into a massive 'cloak' that blocked all of Gilgamesh's flames, redirecting them and compressing them into a small orb!
Seeing the tiny orb floating back toward him, Gilgamesh didn't hesitate, summoning several Noble Phantasm shields in front of him. But even so—
*PU-CHI!*
A two-finger-thick arrow of fire, formed from the fist-sized orb, showed no sign of being stopped. Almost simultaneously with its launch, it piercedсию
System: pierced through the shields in front of Gilgamesh, even punching a hole through his shoulder!
Glancing at the bloody hole in his shoulder, Gilgamesh couldn't help but laugh. "You've made great progress since the first night, Fairy Magus. Because you're becoming a Fairy, your mastery of Fairy powers has improved?"
"There's also an element of using the enemy's strength against them."
Naoki dispelled the fiery bow in his hand. Under normal conditions, his arrow wouldn't have such penetrating power. But by leveraging the flames from Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasms, the arrow's piercing strength increased enough to break through several Noble Phantasms.
(Unlike the first night.)
Though still laughing, Gilgamesh was now as serious as he had been on the first night. Through their recent exchanges, he realized one thing clearly: Naoki was likely stronger than he was then.
On the first night, Naoki had strength and technique, but the ratio was perhaps eight to two. Technique was only used in close quarters. At a distance, it was pure firepower suppression.
But now, things were different. Every move showed minimal power usage for maximum impact, with far less wasted energy.
"Evolving to a higher level, Fairy Magus?"
"You could say that. Sometimes being a bit weaker isn't bad. Of course, if King Gilgamesh wishes—"
Naoki stepped forward, and a raging sea of flames, like the one Gilgamesh saw on the first night, filled his entire world.
"I can go wild again, no problem."
"Ready for round two, King of Heroes?"