"TOHSAAAAAKA!!!"
In his normal state, Berserker—Matou Kariya—naturally did not possess such absurd physical strength.
Compared with a Servant, the physical enhancement provided by the Ebony Blade was merely an added benefit to its wielder's strength.
But just as Artoria had once replenished and healed the severely injured Kiritsugu Emiya by supplying him with mana during the Fifth Holy Grail War, and as Caster—Medea—had used magecraft to strengthen her Master, Kuzuki Souichirou, to the point where he resembled a human Servant of the Teacher Class—
Berserker—Matou Kariya—was currently receiving an additional supply of magical energy from Leon.
That was what had elevated him to his current level, allowing him to barely contend with Gilgamesh.
As a result, Leon, who was not a Caster-class Servant, could hardly spare enough magical energy to sustain his own combat ability.
For the time being, he simply stayed beside Aegis Sigma, comfortably "petting the cat" in his arms to replenish his mana while calmly watching the battle unfold.
At present, Aegis Sigma had to remain beside Airi, who had transformed into the Golden Holy Grail, protecting her from being corrupted by Angra Mainyu.
Leon felt that staying beside her himself was also a good idea.
At the very least, his presence would keep her from becoming even more anxious and lonely.
As for the impact this had on his combat strength—
Leon actually did not consider it particularly important.
After all, his greatest trump card against Gilgamesh was currently panting softly in his arms.
By now, Artoria had been thoroughly comforted by the experienced Leon to the point that she scarcely knew what was happening anymore.
Having only just awakened to romantic feelings after years of suppressing them, she was like a kitten lying in a pile of catnip.
She simply could not withstand even a little of it.
Meanwhile—
"TOHSAAAAAKA!!!"
After sending Gilgamesh flying, Berserker immediately reached into the shadow beneath his feet and pulled out a pitch-black fighter jet made entirely of Vibranium.
Without bothering with a takeoff or runway, he grabbed the nose of the aircraft with both hands and hurled it into the air with tremendous force, physically giving it an initial velocity.
Then he leapt after it himself and landed precisely inside the open cockpit.
Riding the "airplane," he violently pursued Gilgamesh!
BOOM!!!!!!!
Gilgamesh immediately turned the tables as well.
The main cannon of Vimana unleashed a solar-bright beam of concentrated energy, blasting straight toward the incoming black fighter jet!
BANG!!!!!!!
The "Black Arrow" and the "Solar Flare" collided at tremendous speed in midair.
The blinding explosion was like a miniature sun suddenly igniting in the night sky.
It illuminated nearly half of Fuyuki City.
Citizens out for an evening stroll all turned their heads toward the direction of Enzō Mountain.
An elderly man with his hands clasped behind his back and his body slightly hunched took one look at the spectacle.
He had clearly seen such things countless times before.
He shook his head and casually grumbled:
"Oh my~ Grandpa's cataracts are about to get blasted right out of his eyes. Which family's gas line exploded this time? Honestly, how rude =="
A young man who had recently moved to Fuyuki from another city overheard him and couldn't help thinking:
Is this really a matter of a gas explosion being rude?!
That's a gigantic flashbang! How could anyone possibly mistake that for a gas explosion?!
As an outsider, he simply couldn't understand.
But the locals had long since grown accustomed to it. ==
...
"Heh~ As expected, beam attacks have very little effect on your armor and fighter jet."
"Ordinary physical attacks also have difficulty doing anything."
"I must admit, I'm becoming rather curious about exactly what you are."
When Gilgamesh saw Berserker—Matou Kariya—emerge completely unharmed from the explosion while riding the fighter jet that had just taken the full force of Vimana's main cannon, his eyes narrowed.
His right hand continued to grip Ea, the Sword of Rupture, while his golden-armored left hand was raised loosely before his eyes.
To be honest, he felt an urge to activate Sha Naqba Imuru and uncover the truth behind this strange monster that had emerged from Berserker possessing Matou Kariya.
If he did so, he could immediately see through Berserker's mysterious true name and origins.
But if he actually did that—
He would lose the pleasure of uncovering the secret himself.
The more mysterious something was, the greater the satisfaction Gilgamesh obtained from discovering its secrets without relying on Sha Naqba Imuru.
For someone like Gilgamesh, who had never been particularly attached to the Holy Grail and had regarded it as his possession from the very beginning, this was what mattered most.
It was also the embodiment of his arrogance.
If he activated Sha Naqba Imuru, he could instantly discover that the Berserker before him was not actually Berserker at all.
He could discover Leon's identity as a Servant, his true name, and even the background that the System had woven for him.
He could also see through the Avalon – The Everdistant Utopia hidden within Kiritsugu Emiya's body.
And if he did so, then with the Gate of Babylon's virtually limitless countermeasures and the overwhelming power of Ea, he could have secured an absolutely invincible position from the very beginning.
Any strategy devised against him would collapse like a castle in the air at the slightest touch.
And Gilgamesh himself would hold the initiative to topple it.
Unfortunately...
A Gilgamesh who refused to use Sha Naqba Imuru was the true Gilgamesh.
Leon had recognized this weakness from the very beginning.
That was precisely why he had cooperated with Kiritsugu Emiya to set this trap and prepare to kill the King of Heroes.
A tyrant who had already become a Heroic Spirit and ascended to the Throne of Heroes, losing all reverence for his own mortal life.
He did not care about his own death.
Because he had already died at the conclusion of the era where the Age of Gods and human history intertwined.
Even his death and transformation into a Heroic Spirit had been a choice he made willingly, allowing him to escape the limitations of a human body and unleash his full power.
Arrogant and overbearing.
Utterly convinced that he stood above all others.
Even death—the thing feared by every living creature—was beneath his notice.
This was Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, the oldest hero created by the ancient gods.
Perhaps his only weakness was exactly what he was displaying now:
His excessive arrogance made him careless, and his confidence in his own strength made him prone to underestimating his enemies.
After all, the one person who had once represented his greatest weakness—his sole true friend—had already been manipulated and killed by the gods.
And with Enkidu's death, what little conscience Gilgamesh possessed had disappeared as well.
"Hmph~ A mongrel is still a mongrel."
"It seems you've poured all your resentment toward Tokiomi onto me, the Servant who once served him."
Gilgamesh did not need to activate Sha Naqba Imuru to see the source of Berserker—Matou Kariya's overwhelming hatred toward him.
"Come."
"If you can keep up, then try following me!"
A smile tugged at the corner of Gilgamesh's mouth.
Rather than waste time launching another pointless assault against Berserker's Vibranium equipment, he simply turned Vimana around.
He deliberately lured the black mad hound away from the safe zone.
"TOHSAAAAAKA!!!"
Berserker did not disappoint him.
Without the slightest hesitation, he rode his "airplane" after Gilgamesh, as though catching up with him would allow him to tear him apart and kill him.
Leon, watching the battle from the front gate of Ryūdō Temple, understood perfectly well what Gilgamesh was thinking.
But he had no intention of warning Matou Kariya.
Because even if he did—
It would be useless.
This was Kariya's obsession.
It was also one of the conditions of his contract with Leon.
"Go."
"Go and bring this imperfect story to a magnificent end."
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