"—Hmm, it seems you've been poisoned with sothing quite interesting. Mind if I take a look?"
Like an elusive wind, Touko approached Faker without a care in the world, brazenly examining this being who didn't belong to this era, unfazed by the fact that her figure was fully exposed to her heterochromatic gaze.
Of course, Faker wouldn't let this opportunity slip. Her golden-silver eyes glowed, but just as the compulsion from her Mystic Eyes was released, it was blocked by an invisible wall. Faker herself also suffered a backlash, her gaze dimming.
Seeing this, Touko casually pushed up her glasses, revealing a mischievous yet lazy smile.
"Those Mystic Eyes are quite useful, but unfortunately, they don't work on . These glasses are a powerful Mystic Eye Killer, capable of sealing even Rainbow-ranked Mystic Eyes. Relax, relax, I never lie when it cos to research. I just want to study the poison in your body, no other intentions. You want to recover quickly too, right?"
"..."
Faker remained silent, glancing first at the trembling students around her, then at her dire condition. In the end, she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be at the rcy of this woman who would stand at the pinnacle of any era.
"Good, then let's begin sampling—Mana, give a hand."
"Sure, Aunt Touko!"
Mana responded loudly, jumping out from behind Ryougi Shiki and Mitsuzuri Ayako. She took a couple of steps, then suddenly stopped, turning her head in another direction.
"What's wrong?"
Touko asked, noticing her pause.
"Sothing's coming," Shirou answered first.
"Yes, Big Brother is right, sothing really strong is approaching," Mana nodded.
"Strong?"
Touko's eyes flickered as she subconsciously placed a hand on her chest.
"Oh? How strong?"
Shiki asked eagerly, her blood stirred.
"Stronger than the monsters that attacked us, stronger than Grandpa Muramasa. Mom would probably be killed instantly," Mana said, with no hesitation in damaging her mother's pride.
"Mana, aren't you underestimating a bit too much?"
Shiki protested, dissatisfied.
"It's the truth," Mana remained unmoved.
"It's here."
◇◇◇
The spear in Shinji's hand was brimming with powerful magical energy—this was the prelude to the release of a Noble Phantasm, the fruit of his years of hard work.
The spears of the Scathach were slightly different from other Noble Phantasms. To unleash their true nas, one not only needed ownership but also the requisite skill. Without the skill, even if you were gifted the spear, it would be no different from an ordinary weapon.
After ten years of training and practice, Shinji could finally bring out the true power of this spear—Reversed Causality, Guaranteed Hit.
Normally, it would aim straight for the heart, a one-hit kill, but now it was aid at the Achilles tendons in the legs, to cripple Altera's mobility.
"Sorry, Altera, you'll have to suffer a bit. I'll heal you afterward—Gáe Bolg Alternative—"
With magical energy surging, the True Na was about to be unleashed.
At that mont, just as the magic spear was about to strike, a sharp sound of wind cutting through the air echoed from a thousand ters above.
In the next instant, a dense rain of attacks fell from the sky, interrupting Shinji's final blow.
It was dozens of different Noble Phantasms, each unique in form, descending upon the center of the battlefield and separating him and Altera who were about to decide the outco.
This unmistakable attack thod was the signature move of a certain individual.
"King of Heroes, Gilgash! Are you going to interfere too?"
Shinji retracted his spear and looked up, squinting at the golden ruler descending from the sky. At this mont, the situation had spiraled out of his control, heading in an unpredictable direction.
Up until now, aside from the issues with Roa, Araya, and Lorelei's appearance, everything had been under control. Even though Roa had managed to escape by sheer luck and Lorelei had caught him off guard, he had still adapted quickly.
His conflict with Lorelei was not just a matter of clashing personalities; it was also a deliberate ploy to create the appearance of internal strife and draw out the enemy, then work with Touko to capture them all in one sweep. He hadn't expected to draw out a different group instead of Roa.
Gilgash stopped roughly twenty ters above the ground, looking down on the battlefield.
"Don't use such filthy words like interfere to describe this, clown. This king has no interest in your farce. If it weren't for Rin and the others wanting to watch, I wouldn't have even glanced in your direction. But since this caught my eye, I must fulfill a certain obligation."
"Obligation? A king's obligation?"
"Not just as a king, but also as a son. Though this fake mongrel has lost those mories, my kingdom and she share a certain bond."
For the first ti, a trace of embarrassnt appeared on Gilgash's eternally arrogant face.
"It's sothing that happened long ago on this planet before this king was even born. The contract was not with this fake, but with the real her, the shattered Giant God!"
"What?"
The statent caused all three present to frown. The first two were Lorelei and Touko, who both had so knowledge of the secrets from fourteen thousand years ago. The last was Altera herself, who had no mory of such things.
"You made a contract with ?"
"It's nothing but a disgrace to my family."
Gilgash let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Although it displeases greatly, you did spare the man who was essentially my father. Back then, you made him swear an oath to the gods. That debt hasn't disappeared and must be repaid. Truly, this debt has nothing to do with , but if it remains unpaid, it will tarnish the na of Uruk. Since you can't return to your original form, it falls to you as you are now. I will take the gods' place and forge a contract with you. Just once, I will lend you my aid—this is the agreent."
"Then... does that an... soone like you is going to join my side?" Even Altera, usually so cold, couldn't help but be surprised.
"Who said I would join, fool? Just this once, I will help you, this fake mongrel, once."
Hearing this, Altera's expression returned to its usual stoic indifference. Gilgash, seeing this, turned his gaze away, his interest waning.
"Even when this king deigns to lower himself to assist, you refuse to show any emotion? Atilla, you truly are a dull one. Since this is a rare opportunity, let offer you so advice. If you wish to exist as a Heroic Spirit, then you must find your way to survive. So long as you waver and wander between two paths, you will always be a fake mongrel."
"Wavering, am I?"
"Can't understand? Then go ponder it on the sidelines."
As Gilgash spoke, he opened the Gate of Babylon, letting the golden light fill the sky.
"Though I'd like to settle things here with the Queen of the Shadowlands, neither of us is in peak condition. So I'll pass the ti with you. Don't disappoint , clown. The Queen of the Shadowlands accepted you as her disciple, and Rin has set her sights on you, so you should at least have so skill. Don't die like those mongrels, who perish the mont they make a mistake."
"This is troubleso now," Shinji said, scratching his head in
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