"Honestly."
"These tedious farces never end."
Weapons rained from the Gate in an unbroken stream, annihilating every familiar that dared approach.
Gilgamesh had nothing but contempt for this so-called "Reality Marble."
For the others, it might represent a dire threat. For the King of Heroes, it was merely a domain he could dismantle at will.
CRASH!!
One swing of the greatsword. An entire swarm of familiars, erased in a single instant.
Compared to the half-dead trio below, Berserker and Archer retained substantial combat power.
"Hmm?"
"Brandishing a Noble Phantasm again?"
Spotting Berserker switch to a spear, its surging mana unmistakable, Gilgamesh smirked.
"You're constrained by that little girl of yours. Perhaps you should exercise restraint."
"To annihilate a creature of this caliber, your Master might not survive the mana cost."
Having identified Berserker's greatest weakness, Gilgamesh spoke with pointed amusement.
Unlike himself, who had both Tokiomi and the ley line feeding him power, Berserker could only rely on self-generated mana. Little Sakura of the Matou family was wholly inadequate as a mana battery, severely limiting Berserker's sustained combat capability.
After their protracted duel and the fallout from the "lethal" attack, both had burned considerable reserves. If Berserker deployed a high-output Noble Phantasm now to destroy the Witch, Sakura's life would be at stake.
"Well, I know you're trying to goad me into making the first move."
"But the King is not without compassion."
"It would be terribly rude to keep forcing a distinguished guest to perform."
"Allow me to make an exception this once."
With all the air of a showman, the golden King produced an unusual key-shaped artifact.
The Witch must have sensed the crushing pressure. Ophelia's candleflame head swiveled downward, and she drove her enormous spear straight toward him.
BOOM!!
But Berserker, switching to a massive axe, deflected the spear in mid-thrust.
"What's he doing?!"
Standing beneath the Witch's shadow, Jonouchi felt inexplicable dread.
The surrounding familiars hadn't attacked him, but he couldn't relax.
He could see crimson light spiraling upward.
Patterns like tattoos rippled through the air.
Crack!
A sound like shattering glass. And then, in Archer's grip, a "sword" pulsing with an eerie red glow.
"Now then... awaken from your slumber."
"EA!"
His body began to rise, levitating. The King's unbridled arrogance shone in every line of his posture.
Whoosh!
Ophelia split into multiple copies, attempting to overwhelm him with numbers.
"Futile."
Gilgamesh merely swung the weapon in his hand.
RUMMMBLE!!
An ominous tremor rattled through the barrier. Everyone within felt the swelling, terrifying mana.
Crack crack crack...
"The world... is breaking apart?"
Waver looked skyward. The barrier's fabric was fracturing, fault lines spreading across the alien sky.
"That's Archer's Noble Phantasm?"
Saber stared at the golden figure engulfed by Witch copies, stunned.
This level of power dwarfed her Excalibur by an order of magnitude.
An Anti-World Noble Phantasm. A weapon that could affect the very concept of "the world."
She'd never imagined Archer possessed something of this caliber.
BOOM!!
Wind pressure erupted outward. The Witch copies closing in were blasted back, dissolving into nothingness.
"Sakura!"
Watching the massive creature topple, Jonouchi screamed her name.
SHATTER!
Like glass breaking, the Reality Marble fractured and rained down in fragments.
Fuyuki City returned to normal.
"We're saved..."
Waver sagged with relief.
Escaping that world, with every familiar vanished, meant they were momentarily safe.
"But Lancer still exists!"
"Archer only destroyed her world."
Saber watched the colossal creature and spoke urgently.
Waver, Lelouch, and Kenshin turned to see the Witch Ophelia on her black-and-white steed, thrashing wildly. Its building-sized spear swept indiscriminately through the streets.
"What are you doing?!! Sakura!"
Watching the rampage, Jonouchi bellowed.
"Hahaha!! Having sensed the King's threat, it decided to harvest these foolish mortals for mana! That's the survival instinct of a cornered beast!"
Gilgamesh helpfully answered on the Witch's behalf.
"What did you say?!"
"She would never do something like that!"
The image of the girl's carefree smile flashed through his mind. He refused to believe Kyoko was capable of this. Jonouchi roared back in defiance.
"Fool. The moment she activated that Noble Phantasm, 'Lancer' ceased to exist."
"It is nothing more than a monster devoid of personality, reason, and thought."
"It protects you only out of lingering obsession. And by the same token, to protect you, it will indiscriminately devour mana to fight the King."
"It cares about nothing else."
Sneering, Gilgamesh pronounced his verdict.
CRASH!!
"AAAGH!!"
"A monster!!"
Confirming Archer's words, the Witch's spear continued claiming sleeping civilians, converting their life force into raw mana.
The blatant carnage had already sparked terror in the streets.
"Hey!"
"Sakura!! Stop!!"
Both hands cupped around his mouth, Jonouchi screamed. No response. Nothing reached her.
"What a pathetic spectacle."
"Don't fret."
"The King rarely deigns to demonstrate his power. As a mercy, I'll send you to meet her in the next world."
Already ascended high above, Gilgamesh smirked coldly.
"What?!"
Colossal mana gathered overhead. Jonouchi looked skyward.
Crimson light splintered outward. Turbulent winds raked the clouds apart.
Whatever was coming would be earth-shattering.
"I won't let you!"
"I won't let you kill Sakura!!"
Ignoring everything else, Jonouchi grit his teeth and placed his hand on his deck.
'Come on! My deck!'
Whoosh!
The tiny sliver of recovered mana was spent in one draw. Jonouchi pulled his final card.
"Enuma----Elish!"
Gilgamesh had no intention of fully unleashing Ea. He merely fired a single "casual" strike.
But the Witch's enormous body made the perfect target. He didn't even need to aim downward. A horizontal swing from this altitude was more than sufficient.
This one blow would erase the Witch and Caster together.
Watching the shockwave barrel toward them, Jonouchi glanced at the card he'd just set on the Duel Disk and cracked a lopsided grin.
"Very strong! Way too strong!"
"But I activate..."
"Magic Cylinder!"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]