The Great Golem Approaches!

Summoning Magecraft isn't about calling fairies but summoning spirits. Until now, Naoki's Summoning Magecraft, aside from Arcueid, had only summoned fairies, never spirits with greater power.

On one hand, there was no need; on the other, spirits were notoriously difficult to control, making them a hassle to command.

This was the first time Naoki summoned a spirit.

The Light Chariot—Merkabah.

'Now I'm really turning into that bastard Aleister, plus the puppet the Faction will face later… Heh, what a coincidence.'

Chuckling inwardly, Naoki focused on the falling meteor attack.

"As the opponent for my first true spirit summoning, it's more than enough!"

The Holy Spear pointed straight at the sky, Mana pouring out unreservedly. Brilliant, sacred light enveloped Naoki like a divine blessing, bathing his entire body in holy radiance. Giant wings of light even unfurled at the tip of the Holy Spear.

"An angel…"

Someone, somewhere, whispered upon seeing the light chariot soaring through the sky.

The time it took for the two forces to clash was far shorter than expected. Though it felt long, in reality, from the moment Naoki sensed Antares Snipe to the impending collision, less than ten seconds had passed.

The meteor was right before him!

'No holding back—unleash all your power, Merkabah!'

"ROAR!"

A deafening war cry echoed through the night sky!

Moments later—

*BOOM!*

The Light Chariot and the meteor attack collided with tremendous force.

A blinding flash illuminated the entire sky, turning the night as bright as day!

Perhaps because Antares Snipe wasn't a Noble Phantasm with sustained output, or maybe because the instantaneous output of Naoki's Merkabah was too overwhelming, the clash lasted only a moment. The dazzling light that lit up the sky bloomed like fireworks, then vanished just as quickly!

"Failed?"

'Victory!'

Contrasting thoughts flashed through Chiron and Naoki's minds simultaneously.

For Chiron, his deadly attack had been directly countered, and with Antares Snipe's limitation of being usable only once per night, they had lost their only effective means against Naoki.

But for Naoki, the challenge was a success. Even against an A-rank Noble Phantasm attack that didn't excel in raw power, he now had the ability to face it head-on!

Though the cost was nearly depleting his Mana, that was no issue.

*SWOOSH!*

A golden ark sliced through the night sky, perfectly catching Naoki as he fell, powerless from Mana depletion.

Naoki turned to Angelica, who held him like a princess. "Perfect timing, Angelica."

"You flatter me, Natsukawa-sama." Angelica said in a heavy tone. "I came to report that Vlad III and Siegfried have been eliminated by EA."

"I only asked you to hold them off…"

Turning to look at the situation below, Naoki gave a wry smile. "Well, no matter. They had to be dealt with anyway. Great job, Angelica."

"You're too kind."

"So, what's next…"

*BOOM!*

Before Naoki could think about his next move, two distinct lights suddenly flared below. Red lightning and golden-green light intertwined fiercely, like two raging torrents.

Were Mordred and Frankenstein both unleashing their Noble Phantasms?

"Angelica, prepare to pick up Mordred. It looks like a winner will emerge soon. Then get ready to face the remaining Servants."

"Understood."

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

At the Black Faction's Masters' gathering.

Darnic and the others had completely lost their composure.

Vlad III and Siegfried's presence had vanished. Darnic and Gordes had just felt it. The Black Faction's two strongest cards were the first to fall, something Yggdmillennia had never imagined!

And the meteor that just fell—Fiona, as Chiron's Master, confirmed it was her Servant's Noble Phantasm. Chiron had explained this to her beforehand. Yet the attack was directly countered by the Light Chariot.

Meanwhile, Frankenstein and Astolfo were gradually being overwhelmed by Red Saber, pushed to the point of unleashing their Noble Phantasms in a desperate clash. Defeat was likely only a matter of time.

Aside from the absent Assassin, the Black Faction was facing total defeat!

"Teacher!"

Suddenly, Roche, one of the Black Faction's Masters, shouted, shaking everyone's hearts. Darnic and the others looked ahead, seeing Avicebron slowly approaching.

Glancing at everyone present, Avicebron said, "Archer has gone to assist Rider and Berserker. My apologies—it seems the enemy's strength far exceeds our imagination."

"Then why have you returned, Caster?"

"To use my Noble Phantasm, Prince Darnic."

Avicebron's Noble Phantasm!

Hearing this, the spirits of the Black Faction, previously at rock bottom, surged back.

Darnic immediately laughed. "That's excellent. With your Noble Phantasm, any enemy can be crushed. But I recall it requires a Mana core…"

"Correct. The original plan was to select a suitable individual from the homunculi, but with the homunculus factory destroyed by Moon Fall, we must resort to an emergency method. Is that acceptable, Prince Darnic?"

Avicebron's Noble Phantasm, Royal Crown – The Light of Wisdom (Golem Keter Malkuth), required a Mana core to sustain its existence in the world and develop into its perfect form. If the core was a Magus or someone with exceptional magic circuits, the golem's power would increase significantly.

Darnic was aware of this.

"If we're talking about someone with exceptional magic circuits among my kin…"

After a moment's thought, Darnic looked at Gordes. "Caster, I entrust Gordes to you. His performance should suffice, yes?"

"Mmm, sufficient. Please inform Archer and the others to buy me some time for final preparations. Prince Gordes, come with me."

Gordes completely unaware of what was being discussed, could only nod instinctively and follow Avicebron, oblivious to the fate awaiting him.