Moon Fall.
Having heard of and witnessed this technique multiple times, Achilles and Atalanta openly declared it an attack beyond human capability. Amakusa and Semiramis also stated it was Naoki's trump card to be most wary of.
"Truly an unrivaled attack. Bringing down the moon—such an extraordinary feat surpasses human ability. Even we Heroic Spirits can only marvel at this immense power. Regarding this attack, it undoubtedly belongs to the realm of gods."
Karna didn't hesitate to praise Naoki.
Possessing such power as an ordinary human wasn't something achievable through mere rigorous asceticism. He must also have extraordinary luck.
"In that case, for this supreme attack, I must unleash my full strength to face it. Only then would it be worthy of respect!"
Flames formed from Mana blazed fiercely.
The golden armor enveloping Karna seemed to melt in the heat, transforming into part of the flames gathering at his divine spear.
Under the darkness of night, facing the falling moon of destruction, a radiant sun's light rose like the dawn of hope.
"Witness the mercy of the King of Gods!"
'Here it comes!'
Unafraid of burning his eyes, Naoki fixed his gaze on Karna.
"Indra, watch closely."
Karna's strongest Noble Phantasm, the divine spear of certain annihilation, granted by a remorseful Indra in exchange for his golden armor.
"Extinction, in this single thrust!"
Its power was nearly limitless. Until the designated target was utterly destroyed, the lightning flash would never cease. Beyond the world itself, all concepts would dissolve in the boundless lightning.
"Burn to ashes, Vasavi Shakti!"
Karna raised the spear in his hand, a weapon forged from pure lightning, radiating a terrifying aura of destruction.
The divine spear, capable of slaying even gods, was fully unleashed at this moment!
Its enemy was the moon—destroying it with a spear of the sun, a perfect match!
Facing the Red Moon, Karna boldly thrust his spear.
The distance between the divine spear and the Red Moon wasn't great, especially now, when distance meant nothing to either side. In a fraction of a second, too brief to describe, the sun and moon collided in the air.
"…"
A chilling silence filled the space.
The moment they touched, there was no cataclysmic motion, nor even the slightest sound, as if nothing had happened. But Naoki and Karna knew this was merely the silence of a fleeting moment.
The next moment, the next second, the next instant—
*BOOOOOMMMMMMM!!*
A scene of apocalyptic destruction swallowed much of the Hanging Gardens!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
*CRASH!*
A terrifying tremor suddenly echoed, and dozens of stone fragments fell from the ceiling.
Swiping her scythe to shatter the debris, Gray was shocked to see the nearly collapsing ceiling and floor: "What was that tremor?"
[Gray!]
*CLANG!*
Add's warning snapped Gray back, and she parried a sudden strike from Amakusa.
Exploiting his adult strength and posture to press Gray, Amakusa laughed: "Looks like it's begun."
"Begun? Uh… what's begun?"
"Lancer's conquest of Master Naoki. Though in the plan, as long as Master Naoki doesn't interfere, we don't need to eliminate him. But since Lancer has acted, it means we're ultimately enemies."
Big Brother!?
Gray's eyes instantly filled with worry, a change Amakusa noticed clearly: "Even Master Naoki has no chance against Lancer. And you'll end up like your brother—anyone who obstructs my ideals is my enemy!"
The force on her arm intensified. Gray quickly adjusted her defensive angle, using the impact's force to retreat swiftly.
"[Set]"
Amakusa flung several black keys from his sleeve, shooting toward Gray like guided missiles.
"Add!"
[Ready!]
The scythe sliced through the air, and the Mana forming the black keys, along with surrounding Mana, was instantly absorbed by Add. After nullifying the black keys, Gray, now with more Mana, used it for physical enhancement, charging at Amakusa with slightly greater speed than before.
The scythe and tachi clashed rapidly. Sparks flew everywhere!
"Useless."
Amakusa easily parried Gray's attack.
"Your technique is good, but your strength is too weak. Even with Reinforcement Magecraft, it's only on par with my normal state. Far below me when I use reinforcement like you."
Gray knew this well. How much strength could a ten-year-old girl have? Her chances of winning were slim from the start; to win, she had to use that.
But there was no opening.
'I need to find a chance to use it!'
*CLANG!*
A harsh counterstrike to Gray's chest sent her flying. Glancing at the unscathed spot protected by Jeanne's blessing, Amakusa couldn't help but frown: "Why not surrender? I have no reason to kill you, no hatred or enmity. As long as you don't obstruct my goals."
"You have no reason to fight me either, right? If it's Master Naoki's order, he's dead now—you don't need to obey him."
"My brother won't lose!" Gray suddenly shouted, her eyes showing anger and frustration for the first time. "My brother won't lose, no matter the enemy, no matter the situation! He's stronger than anyone!"
"My brother… is the greatest!"
*RUMBLE!*
The ceiling shattered into rubble.
The entire room collapsed instantly.
Two figures descended from the sky like gods, tearing apart and demolishing their previous battlefield!
Disbelief and overwhelming joy.
Two starkly different gazes appeared in Amakusa's and Gray's eyes simultaneously.
"Lancer?!"
"Big Brother!"
Their voices reached each other's ears, but both were now too engrossed in the battle to care about the outside world. If asked why, perhaps it was because they were fully immersed in this kind of fight.