"Have you seen enough?"
Within the image of the water mirror floating before the Jewel of the Magic Tower, Zelretch, Leon precisely located the "camera," as though he were staring directly at Zelretch across an endless expanse of time and space.
"Oh~ So he actually noticed me?"
Zelretch stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Looks like his true body is quite the formidable individual."
Leon's question did not annoy him.
If anything, anyone capable of detecting Zelretch's observation was worthy of his attention.
Perhaps, in the future, such an individual might even become a friend he could chat with to pass the time.
As long as Leon did not endanger Earth—the "school" from which Zelretch had graduated—his tolerance toward this foreign anomaly was surprisingly high.
Although Zelretch looked exceptionally stern on the outside, the truth was that he was nothing more than a somewhat taciturn, self-indulgent old otaku who happened to be just a tiny bit—a billion times—too powerful.
He was extraordinarily tolerant when it came to accepting new things.
"Hmm…"
"Should I respond to him?"
Zelretch rubbed his chin, somewhat hesitant.
"What if he's merely bluffing me? It's entirely possible that he isn't actually certain whether someone from another time and space is observing him."
"If he's simply unusually sensitive to spiritual presences, that's not enough to warrant my interference."
Zelretch had once been tricked in precisely this manner by an excessively cautious—almost neurotic—individual.
That man had not even been capable of detecting Zelretch's presence.
And yet, just as Zelretch happened to be observing him, the man had suddenly turned around and shouted:
"Stop staring! I know you're there!"
In that instant—
Zelretch, who had been concentrating on observing him, had nearly lost control and erased the man from existence on the spot.
It had become one of Zelretch's darkest personal embarrassments—something he had never told anyone else.
It had even left him with a certain psychological scar.
Therefore, when it came to Leon Stark Odinson noticing him, Zelretch's first instinct was that Leon was bluffing.
"Forget it. I'll watch for now."
"I won't interfere until his true body appears. That's my decision."
Any world that Zelretch personally interfered with became an immutable reality.
But the future of this particular world line was shrouded in complete chaos, making it impossible for him to see clearly.
He had to proceed with caution.
…
Mount Enzō, Ryūdō Temple.
After Leon finished speaking, the void he was staring into produced no response whatsoever.
It was as though his declaration had merely been a one-man performance.
Zelretch:
"…"
"Who exactly are you talking to?"
Gilgamesh frowned as he questioned him.
Leon's mysterious behavior made him feel that something occurring before him had already begun slipping beyond his control.
"Nothing. Just some decrepit old man who spends all day peeping on an eighty-year-old maiden while she bathes."
Leon no longer bothered hiding his true personality and asked in an exaggeratedly provocative, almost deliberately irritating tone:
"You seriously can't sense him, can you? You can't, right? Surely not?"
"What did you say?!"
Gilgamesh clenched Ea so tightly that it creaked.
Although, strictly speaking, the bones of his own hand were what were actually making the noise.
"I know you're angry, but calm down first."
Leon activated the mysterious old man's "Don't do it" skill, forcibly restraining the already enraged Gilgamesh in place.
He then lowered Sakura from his arms and whispered into her ear:
"Sakura, the battle that's about to begin will be extremely dangerous. Stay beside Aegis Sigma and don't go anywhere, understand?"
"Mm. I understand, Mr. Leon."
Matou Sakura obediently nodded.
Remember. Other than Aegis Sigma, don't trust anyone.
That includes the blonde big sister over there.
Just nod. No one else can hear this.
Leon's voice appeared directly inside Sakura's mind.
Sakura's tender lips parted in surprise.
Then she nodded vigorously before trotting into the area protected by Aegis Sigma, obediently standing beside the Golden Grail.
Whoosh—
A gentle chill spread from the azure-green shield supporting the Golden Grail.
The cold condensed into a chair behind Sakura, its size perfectly suited to her small frame.
When Sakura noticed it, she did her best to put a faint smile on her face.
She bowed politely and said gratefully:
"Thank you. Um… Sister El?"
Mm-hm.
Aegis Sigma lightly tilted its shield-body toward Matou Sakura in acknowledgment.
Finally—
Leon glanced back at Artoria.
Her eyes were filled with shock and confusion.
He offered her no explanation.
Instead, he left her with only the sight of his tall back as he walked away.
"Artoria, this identity is false."
"But that wish is real."
"So I won't ask for your forgiveness."
"Just watch quietly."
"Watch until that wish reaches its end."
"Leon…"
Watching Leon's retreating figure, Artoria's thoughts were thrown into turmoil.
She had no idea what attitude she should take toward him.
Because if things continued like this, then sooner or later, one of them would have to fall.
And regardless of which one it was—
Artoria could not accept it.
"Hmph!"
"If this had happened in the past, someone as slow and indecisive as you, dragging your feet on the way to battle, would have been blasted to death by this King with a single shot from the Roar Cannon!"
Gilgamesh sneered contemptuously.
"If you can do it, then try."
Leon stopped only two steps away from Gilgamesh.
"What?"
"Not using that holy sword anymore?"
"You actually think you can defeat me with nothing but that ridiculous belt?"
Noticing that Leon was empty-handed, Gilgamesh continued to taunt him, still completely unaware of the gravity of what was about to happen.
"Mm."
Leon nodded openly, completely unconcerned.
"Although I don't particularly want to admit it, that holy sword alone isn't enough to bring you down."
"So I'm going all out."
"King of Heroes, is your treasury stocked well enough?"
"What?"
The instant Leon finished speaking, a black longsword that instinctively made Gilgamesh's heart tremble slowly emerged from the shadow before Leon.
"Now then—"
Ultimate Darkness and the God-Slaying Sword.
The sword that narrates the primordial beginning, and the chains that bind the gods.
The superiority and inferiority of their respective capabilities would now be put to the test!
"Henshin!"
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789