It was over.
The Third Noble Phantasm had been unleashed, and the Wielder of the Holy Sword of the Stars had no way to withstand it.
Goetia was absolutely certain that with this attack, everything would end.
Soon, on the scorched earth after the aurora of destruction faded, an empty expanse stretched before Goetia.
No, there was a slight discrepancy.
On the completely burned ground, a faint glimmer of light remained.
Just a tiny speck of light.
"That is…"
Goetia's eyes narrowed slightly.
The true form of that light was a circular Light Shield. Within it, Aoko stood unharmed, maintaining her posture of using the Fifth Magic.
"So, Avalon, the sheath of King Arthur?"
Goetia realized.
Indeed, if it was King Arthur's sheath, blocking his attack wasn't impossible. After all, it was absolute defense in the truest sense, the one and only Absolute Protection in all human history, the strongest defensive Noble Phantasm.
During the one-day preparation prior, Naoki had borrowed Avalon from Artoria and implanted it within Aoko's body.
As the only person capable of resolving the ribbon of light, Aoko's safety had to be guaranteed.
"Sacrificing yourself without any defense just to keep your lover alive?"
Goetia looked toward the spot where Naoki had vanished.
"Saving his own personal world, the Wielder of the Holy Sword of the Stars. Self-sacrifice for the sake of another—Your actions are beyond my expectations. Though you can no longer hear it, allow me to praise you all the same."
With this, the final obstacle was gone. The rest could be left to the Demon God Pillars. Aoko was merely a minor issue, nothing to fear.
Goetia thought this—
*STAB!*
In the next second, his head was pierced from behind.
The glowing Excalibur, without warning, thrust through Goetia's head from the back!
"I wouldn't mind a few more praises."
A voice that defied reason came from behind Goetia.
His eyes trembled.
His spirit trembled.
Goetia slightly tilted his gaze, struggling to catch a glimpse of the situation behind him.
"!"
An unbelievable sight, one that made him feel as if he were dreaming, appeared before his eyes.
Naoki, who should have been completely annihilated by the Third Noble Phantasm, Ars Almadel Salomonis, and whose death had occurred just seconds ago, now stood intact behind Goetia?!
*SWOOSH!*
Excalibur swung downward. Starting from the head, Naoki cleaved Goetia in two on the spot!
Thick black mist spread from the severed parts. The sensation of his body being corroded made Naoki quickly leap high and return to Aoko's side.
"Naoki!"
Aoko unconsciously cried out: "You—"
"I'll explain later. For now, stay focused and use your Magic to dismantle that thing."
"…"
Aoko, whose mind had briefly frozen, could only glare angrily at this ruthless man.
Not far away, Goetia, his body already restored, continued to observe Naoki, his eyes scanning him as if reevaluating.
"I see."
As if he had understood something, Goetia raised his right hand and clenched it: "Retreat."
*SHUA!*
As the command fell, Aoko, closest to Naoki, suddenly sensed a change in the man beside her. Specifically… it was as if he had returned to his original state.
Goetia stared at Naoki: "Summoning Magecraft—a summoning ritual crafted by human hands. At the exact moment you were about to be struck by my Noble Phantasm, you completed the summoning of Time, became a Time Fairy, and avoided the fate of death by shifting yourself to the Future."
Time Travel.
This was an ability that clearly reached the domain of the Second Magic.
Just moments ago, Naoki had used the planet's infinite Mana as a foundation, replicating the miracle he achieved in the Seventh Singularity—defining Time, simulating a fairy that governs Time, merging with it, and becoming an existence capable of partially replicating the Second Magic.
"An excellent summoning ritual. Though born from the hands of foolish humans, its superior foundational system, combined with your usage and development, has finally touched the domain of True Magic—an extraordinary achievement."
Goetia didn't hesitate to offer praise.
"But there won't be a second time. Using a Summoning Ritual in front of me—this is your most foolish action."
Goetia was the collective term for the magical ritual created by King Solomon—the Seventy-Two Demon Gods themselves. It was the highest-level summoning ritual ever known. Thus—he had the authority to intervene in and destroy other summoning rituals.
If the target was a Servant, it meant he could negate and destroy attacks originating from Servants and nullify all Noble Phantasms symbolizing Heroic Spirits.
And the current situation was the complete blocking of Naoki's Summoning Magecraft, forcibly canceling the completed summoning and fusion, and expelling the entity within Naoki's body.
Goetia was the natural enemy of Summoning Magecraft—its greatest nemesis.
The reason Naoki hadn't used Summoning Magecraft to strengthen himself from the start was precisely this. It was a trump card he used to protect himself, not something to reveal early.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
The ribbon of destructive light began spinning once more.
Goetia declared coldly.
"Though there's been a deviation from the schedule, your actions have only delayed your death. The future you reached is not one where you survive, but one where you will still die."
"You have no second chance—Vanish."
The Third Noble Phantasm was unleashed again.
This time, there was truly no escape. Naoki had lost his means of survival. If he took this attack again, he would surely die!
"Naoki…"
"Calm down, Aoko, it's fine."
Naoki smiled as he stroked Aoko's hair: "His Noble Phantasm can no longer be used on me."
Can no longer use the Noble Phantasm?
What did that mean?
Aoko was briefly confused, but when she looked into Naoki's eyes, she immediately understood.
At the same time, just as Goetia prepared to unleash the Third Noble Phantasm—
His mind was suddenly filled with a vision like falling snow. Naoki's existence briefly flashed in Goetia's consciousness.
Then, as if something was wrong with his body, black spots appeared on Goetia's form. A faint sense of weakness slowly spread throughout his body. The Third Noble Phantasm, already primed, halted because of this!
"This is… my body…"
"Not bad, it worked."
Naoki brought Excalibur before Goetia: "Merry's Illusion Magecraft is as effective as ever. I wasn't even wearing glasses from the start, and I've been using my Mystic Eyes on you all along, yet you didn't notice at all."
Mystic Eyes!?
Goetia stared at Naoki's eyes—until this moment, they suddenly felt clear, as if a fog had lifted, and at the same time, Naoki's sky-blue Mystic Eyes entered his awareness.
"Soul Eater Mystic Eyes, Mystic Eyes that erode the soul, Spiritrons, and Saint Graph."
"Though your essence is a magical ritual, you do possess your own Saint Graph. Its type is Beast, so naturally, my Mystic Eyes work—Why do you think I engaged you in a fight that seemed like a waste of time?"
Even the Soul Eater Mystic Eyes found it extremely difficult to erode Goetia. After all, the scale and power of a Beast's Saint Graph were immense. Previously, when facing Tiamat, the Mystic Eyes were nearly ineffective.
But now, by continuously damaging Goetia and eroding the wounded areas first, the erosion speed increased significantly—meaning, destroying the whole by targeting its weak points.
Like a thousand-mile dam breached by an anthill.
"Sorry, Solomon."
Naoki gripped Excalibur tightly, speaking to Roman, now in Chaldea, words he couldn't hear.
"This strongest summoning ritual you created—I'll make it mine now."
"This is my way of saving the world—a way that's deviant, unglorious, and far from noble."