To become a king and a magician

"No! It's not over yet!"

"Sajyou Ayaka is still alive!"

Arthur and Natsukawa Tora shouted simultaneously. Jumping off Arthur's back, Natsukawa Tora stared intently at the now empty ground not far away. Although there was nothing there, he knew very well that Sajō Aika was still alive; she was still there!

Arthur was the same.

He had already fought Aika twice, and even the Holy Sword, which had been partially unsealed, could not completely destroy Aika. How could she possibly be defeated by a single attack from the Sword of Divergence? Moreover... this was not a boastful statement; Arthur did not believe that Aika would die at the hands of anyone other than him.

Gilgamesh couldn't comprehend the thoughts of this master and servant. The power of the sword Ea was absolute; there was no one who could survive its attack. The beast in the form of a young girl was indeed dead—

"boom--------!"

Without warning, just like suddenly unearthing a hot spring, black mud suddenly gushed out from the empty ground! And from within that black mud, a figure gradually reached out, crawled out, and then stood up.

"Ah... Ahhh..."

Black mud flowed down that person's body, revealing a girl who was as pure and lovely as an angel.

Looking at Arthur with her blue eyes, Ayaka Sajou instantly seemed to fall in love—no, in fact, she was a girl who had fallen in love! An unnatural blush appeared on both sides of her cheeks, as if she was shy, or as if she was aroused.

"I have always believed, believed that you would come to see me, believed that we would eventually meet again—Saber, my prince!"

The girl's cheers, filled with satisfaction and surprise, reached everyone's ears under the moonlight.

"Saber! Saber! Saber!"

"A fanatic fan"—for some reason, Natsukawa Tora came up with this description. In fact, Sajo Aika's behavior was not much different from that of a fanatic fan.

With a sneer, Natsukawa Torato approached Arthur: "All you do is call him Saber, Saber all day long. This guy is my Servant now! Your fate with the former Master and the blond loser is over. Hurry up and get your lunchbox and go to the next set! Stop lingering here!"

"Loser? Loser?" Ayaka Sajou's eyes instantly filled with murderous intent and anger as she looked at Torata Natsukawa. "You dare to say that, you vixen! Saber has always been mine, my prince! You, Ayaka, and even that Gilgamesh who was talking to Saber just now... you are absolutely not allowed to have any contact with Saber without my permission!"

"Huh? You get jealous just from talking? You're really petty! Let me tell you, Arthur likes the kind of woman who's broad-minded and can tolerate him having affairs with his female subordinates for years before getting jealous! You're the kind of girl who has no breasts, no butt, and a tiny heart. You could never win him over even if you kept pestering him for a million years!"

"What...what did you say?!"

"What do you mean, 'you'! You're still a brat! A fourteen-year-old's limited vocabulary has made you unable to even utter a single swear word? Now you've added another embarrassing thing to your life. Your image as a perfect young lady is completely ruined!"

After saying that, Xia Chuanhu even gave her the middle finger.

"You slut!"

"You... Aa ...

Even if her magic skills are far inferior, when it comes to her foul mouth, compared to those keyboard warriors and trolls from her previous life, Ayaka Sajou is not even at the beginner level. Plus, with the resentment from being tormented by the curse for so many days, Natsukawa Tora felt that he could still be foul-mouthed for another ten minutes or so!

However, Ayaka Sajou clearly didn't have that patience!

"Bang----------!"

The waves surged, and black mud flowed from under Ayaka Sajou's skirt. In an instant, the tsunami-like black mud swallowed most of Mount Enzou, then turned into a flash flood that swept towards the roads and buildings at the foot of the mountain. Flames ignited wherever it reached, and the night sky was painted with magnificent crimson flames. Wherever the black mud was covered, death spread rapidly.

It was obvious that Ayaka Sajou was furious.

From Vimana in the air, looking down at the tragedy below, Gilgamesh couldn't help but burst into maniacal laughter: "Hahahaha! Interesting! Absolutely interesting! To lose one's mind over mere filth, does this even deserve to be called a beast?"

"Well done, Saber's Master! To be so brave as to openly insult a beast—that courage deserves my praise! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

"To be praised by the King of Heroes is truly an honor. Compared to this—Arthur!"

Natsukawa Tora hurriedly ran to the edge of Vimana and looked down. When the black tide surged out, Gilgamesh only had time to bring him onto Vimana, while Arthur, who was a little further away, was left below—it seemed that because Natsukawa Tora had revealed his XP, he had involuntarily moved a few steps away.

Looking down, Natsukawa Torato saw two flashes of light in the black tide—Arthur and Diarmuid.

(We're fighting a horde of monsters. But just defeating them isn't enough; Arthur needs to unleash his Noble Phantasm, and then I need to use my Mystic Eyes... but there's no chance.)

Releasing the Holy Sword from its seal will take time, but the beast tide surging from the black mud is far too fierce. As soon as one wave is eliminated, another will immediately emerge. Arthur simply doesn't have the time to release the Holy Sword.

"Hmph, it seems the Holy Sword Master and Lancer are locked in a fierce battle." Gilgamesh's cheerful voice rang out. "Judging from your expression, you seem to have a plan, Holy Sword Master. Consider it a reward for making me laugh. Be grateful, and I will create the time you and the Holy Sword Master need!"

In an instant—

"Buzz—!"

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

Hundreds of golden ripples spread across the sky! Countless treasures rained down like a storm, instantly sweeping away the surging beast tide that was heading straight for Arthur! Even the black tide surrounding Arthur was repelled and dispersed!

(Archer's support?!)

Realizing this, Arthur immediately understood that Archer was creating an opportunity for him.

"By the Command Spell! My servant, Arthur Pendragon, release the seal on the Holy Sword!"

"By Command Spell, I command you! My servant, Arthur Pendragon, fulfill your mission and destroy the Beast!"

Aside from the one he used at the port on the first night, Natsukawa Torama has now used up his remaining two Command Seals! And Arthur has indeed received the will contained within them!

With the holy sword raised before him, Arthur began the ritual to release the seal: "Seal Thirteen – Decision Start!"

[Kai, admit it—this is a battle for survival]

Bedivere, acknowledge—this is a fight against those stronger than yourself.

Lancelot admits—this is not a war against the elves.

Mordred, acknowledge—this is a battle against evil.

[Agravin acknowledges—this is a battle for truth]

......

As one seal after another was broken, the light emanating from the holy sword continued to shine and rise.

And finally, with the liberation of the seventh seal—

"Arthur, acknowledge it—this is a war to save the world!"

With the final seal broken, Arthur raised the Star Sword, whose light reached the night sky, and shouted its true name!

"It's over, Aika! — [Excalibur]!!"

The strongest sword, meant only to save the world, struck a beast for the third time, delivering its most glorious and swift blow! In that instant of intense light and heat, the black tide and the beast tide were instantly evaporated and annihilated, far more thoroughly than when they were struck by the Ea!

At the heart of the Black Tide, with no intention of hiding, Ayaka Sajou, her face flushed, stretched out her arms and opened her heart to the starlight.

(This is... the prince's light, shining only for me... a light that belongs only to me.)

But that's not enough. This light cannot be seen by others; it belongs only to her, just like her prince!

"Look over here! It's Ayaka Sajou!"

Suddenly, the voice of the fox spirit that Sajou Aika hated the most rang out in the air.

Completely disregarding the possibility of falling to his death, Natsukawa Tora leaped off Vimana without hesitation. He took off the Mystic Eyes Killer, which he had only acquired a few hours earlier, and threw it away. The Mystic Eyes, as clear as the sky, stared at the soul of Sajyo Ayaka!

then--

"Eat her! [Tiger (Me)] ——————!!"

The gemstone... no, within that shimmering azure, a faint iridescent light could even be seen!

Amidst Natsukawa Torato's furious roar, a ferocious tiger that feeds only on souls appeared behind Sajō Ayaka, its gaping maw aimed at the girl—but it couldn't bite! It couldn't eat her!

How could the evil soul of humanity, the soul connected to its roots, be so easily eroded and sealed away?

Blood and tears streamed down his face, and his eyeballs emitted a painful scream. Xia Chuanhu felt like he was going blind, and the aftershocks of the Excalibur made him feel like he had one foot in the grave.

But you can't close your eyes!

Look directly at it! Erode everything about this soul before you, transform it from the inside out into its shape!

"It's over—Sajyou Aika!"

Finally, Natsukawa Torama arrived in front of Sajyo Ayaka. Having completely entered the attack range of Excalibur, he used his last bit of strength to punch Sajyo Ayaka in the face with all his might!

(This is the punishment you've cursed me for so long! I can't swallow this insult until I punch you!)

Thinking this, Natsukawa Torara continued to gaze at Sajou Aika until the very end, and then—

We've reached the root of the problem!

44. Root of entry and exit

source.

The cause of everything. The existence from which all phenomena flow. The truth of the world. Ultimate knowledge. The Akasha Record.

In the world of magic, it has many names, but how to reach the source is the only research topic for all magicians. No matter what kind of magic or research it is, the ultimate goal is to enable magicians to obtain a way to reach the source.

Now, by eroding Ayaka Sajou's soul and sealing it into his own eyes, Natsukawa Torato, in an extremely accidental, even miraculous way, has reached a level that magicians who have passed down their skills for dozens of generations could not achieve and that they have only dreamed of.

It felt like plunging into an endless deep sea, or leaping from a great height; one second you were experiencing the ups and downs of a roller coaster, and the next you were instantly switched to the slow, leisurely feeling of rowing a boat on a lake...

Xia Chuanhu could not understand what he had experienced. Everything he could capture and experience was beyond his comprehension. He could only let himself drift like duckweed involuntarily in this place that could be called "space".

Then--

"Oh dear, are there any guests?"

In an instant, all the strange sensations vanished, and the empty view was replaced by drifting snowflakes.

With his feet touching what seemed to be real ground, Natsukawa Tora looked ahead. Beneath his feet was a slope that stretched forward, and behind him was a slope that stretched backward, as if he were standing on an infinite road with no end in sight.

"guest?"

The same voice rang out again.

This time, Natsukawa Torajiro suddenly realized that a black-haired girl dressed in a kimono, quiet and elegant like an ancient princess, had appeared not far in front of him.

"You are......"

"Nice to meet you, guest from another world." The girl greeted me with a smile. "I am Ryougi Shiki. I saw you drifting near the Vortex of Root, almost assimilated, so I brought you here. How are you feeling now?"

How do you feel?

Subconsciously touching his eyes, Natsukawa Tora said, "It feels... like coming home...."

“Home?” Ryougi Shiki smiled. “Indeed, because your eyes ultimately absorbed that girl’s soul, you also became connected with the Root, so going home is indeed not a problem.”

"So... I'm back?" Natsukawa Tora replied with some confusion, then chuckled softly, "I'm not used to this way of greeting you."

"Hehe, me too."

Ryougi Shiki spoke while chuckling softly.