*BOOM!*
Once again, Gandr slammed into the Black Dog, sending it flying. Watching the red-black Mana tear through the ground and the Black Dog crash into a building, Naoki panted slightly: "I think that's it, right? If they get up again, I can't keep going."
"Grrrr..."
A low growl made Naoki, who had just relaxed, immediately tense up again.
Was this Black Dog just too tough? It had already taken over a dozen Gandr shots at full power, yet it still wasn't dead? Just how strong are you?!
'No, it's not about its strength—it's the fact that something is keeping it alive.'
With his Mystic Eyes, Naoki could clearly see that every time the Black Dog was hit by Gandr, it suffered severe wounds, its spiritual core and form nearly shattered. Yet, just before it was completely destroyed, a surge of Mana would flood into its body, stabilizing it again. In other words, it had plot armor with no cooldown.
And the source of that Mana was obvious to Naoki—the leyline flow.
A Black Dog this size shouldn't normally appear. Summoning it would require an enormous amount of Mana, and the leyline flow was an incredibly rich natural source.
In other words, unless the leyline's energy was exhausted, this Black Dog couldn't be defeated.
"Have mercy on me, my energy's almost gone too."
Gandr's power was immense, but great power also meant great energy consumption. If he kept spending energy like this, he'd only have about three shots left.
And draining the leyline's energy in just three attacks was clearly impossible. Even if he succeeded, the consequences for London would be catastrophic.
Besides, the current situation was already devastating enough for London. Due to the aftermath of Naoki's attacks, the intersection looked like it had been bombed, a complete wreck. Anyone who didn't know better might think this was post-war ruins.
'So, how am I supposed to deal with this?'
Naoki was stuck in a dilemma.
But just as he was thinking that, from the top of a tall building not far away, a person suddenly jumped down—or more accurately, seemed to have been pushed.
Naoki instinctively moved to catch them, but the moment his eyes clearly saw who it was, he froze in place, letting the person plummet headfirst toward the ground.
"..."
However, the expected splatter of blood and gore didn't happen. Just before impact, a cluster of beautiful flowers suddenly bloomed beneath them, gently cushioning their fall and lowering them safely to the ground.
Still clutching her skirt and staff, Merlin immediately dashed toward Naoki and whacked him over the head without mercy.
"What's wrong with you?! Ask yourself! I fell from over a dozen floors up, you know?! Why didn't you catch me?!"
"Huh? That was you? Sorry, I didn't see clearly. My bad 'in a flat tone'."
Seeing Naoki's indifferent, borderline regretful attitude, Merlin's temper flared. Puffing out her cheeks, she swung her staff again, aiming for a Dream Demon Skull Crusher on his head!
Dodging the sudden attack with ease, Naoki raised his hands: "Why are you so mad? It's not like you'd die from a fall anyway. Wait a second—if you fell from there... that means you've been up there the whole time, huh?! Watching me from above, were you?!"
"—!"
Merlin's angry expression stiffened. She quickly hid her staff behind her back and averted her gaze: "No way! I just happened to be passing by."
"Passing by on top of a building?"
"The air's fresher up there, the night breeze is nice and cool."
"You think I'd believe that?"
"Just trust me this once~"
Merlin instantly switched to a pitiful expression, her eyes brimming with tears and charm. But just as she made that face, Naoki's finger was already pointed at her forehead.
"You were watching me fight alone, weren't you?"
"Correct."
*SLAP!*
Naoki immediately delivered a Shoryuken that sent Merlin flying high enough to greet the sun!
Here he was, fighting for his life against the Black Dog, while his strongest ally was sitting in the VIP seats watching his suffering for entertainment? Sure, he knew Merlin was like this, but that didn't stop him from teaching her a lesson!
"Hic hic~ You really had the heart to hit a beautiful girl like me? You have no mercy at all?"
"For you? None needed."
"Cruel!"
"Not cruel enough for you. Done playing around?" Naoki said coldly. "If you are, then help me out. How do we beat this Black Dog? I've only got three Gandr shots left."
"Huh? That's plenty!"
Merlin blinked: "The Wild Hunt only partially formed because of your Mana. If you run out completely, it'll disappear on its own."
"Hah?"
"Basically, that's not a Black Dog—it's part of the Wild Hunt that follows King Arthur. Normally, it wouldn't be summonable. But this time, because you entered this altar, they manifested."
Naoki's eyebrow twitched violently: "So... this is my fault?"
"Correct, correct, correct!"
Merlin nodded rapidly.
Taking a deep breath, Naoki glared at the Wild Hunt in the distance. Every magic circuit in his body lit up, the remaining Mana inside him fully ignited and gathered into his right arm before he unleashed it all in one punch!
"S——H——I——T——!"
A red-black Mana cannon erupted alongside Naoki's scream, obliterating everything in its path! The entire street was engulfed in the attack!
The sight was almost like a Noble Phantasm release.
Gaping at the destruction, Merlin took a sharp breath.
'Thank goodness I tricked him. If I'd told him this was actually mine and Morgan's scheme...'
Imagining that beautiful scenario, Merlin couldn't help but shudder.
"No! I must never tell Naoki! I'm scared!"
Even if she wouldn't die, Merlin had no desire to be on the receiving end of that. Who in their right mind would willingly take a Noble Phantasm-level hit?!
Glancing at Naoki's furious, terrifying expression, Merlin made another decision.
'Maybe we should postpone the France thing for now. Lately... it's probably best not to piss him off. Yeah, that's the way.'