Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

Back in the twilight of the Age of Gods in Britain.

He, Lily, and Merlin had traveled across Britain and parts of Europe together.

By journeying far and wide, the young and naive King Arthur had grown rapidly.

Yet, every time King Arthur drew her sword to uphold justice, Merlin would stir up chaos, escalating the situation.

Leaving Souma to clean up the mess.

That damn incubus was nothing but a thrill-seeker who only wanted to watch the show.

If not for Artoria's intervention and Merlin's slippery nature, he would've cut him down long ago.

During his previous travels, this guy would flirt with every decent woman he came across.

Especially those lonely noblewomen trapped in their boudoirs—he had a perfect success rate, a total nightmare of a playboy.

Now, Souma was going to confiscate his "equipment," making Merlin, who loved teasing others the most, suffer the same treatment.

What you love is your future!

This time.

Souma would turn this trash nightmare into "Mari-chan," forcing him to feed strawberry cake to the otaku doctor he despised the most!

I just love seeing that look of utter humiliation on your face while you have to hold it in!

The mere thought of it sends shivers of delight down my spine!

Doctor, the promise I made to you during the final battle—I'll fulfill it now!

"You bastard, Nameless—did Roman send you as backup?"

Merlin glared at him, grinding his teeth.

A top-tier Grand candidate, someone who could very well ascend to the rank of Grand Caster if he just offed himself—

Now, he was being forced by Nameless to become a "her"!

Incubus truly had no gender.

But since he was half-incubus and half-human, he naturally possessed the concept of gender like humans—otherwise, he wouldn't have flirted so casually with those girls.

Could it be that this guy had been persuaded by that otaku doctor he couldn't see through?

To turn him into the real [Magi☆Mari]?

"Guess?"

Souma stepped forward.

In an instant, his entire being transformed into an unsheathed blade, brimming with an edge that could tear everything apart.

Behind him, a hellish mountain of corpses and a sea of blood surged forth, unrestrainedly displaying the countless battles he had experienced.

Under such terrifying pressure, Merlin actually found himself trembling!

Yes, he was shuddering!

The great Magus of Flowers actually found himself somewhat unable to withstand the other's overwhelming presence.

His eyes were like abysses, carrying a sharpness that could rend everything apart—so much so that Merlin didn't even dare meet his gaze.

"Just how many battles has this guy been through?"

Merlin stared at him in a daze.

This fighting spirit was so overwhelming that it surpassed his comprehension.

Even gods wouldn't be spared from his disdain, would they?

Strangely enough...

Given Souma's domineering and aggressive nature, why hadn't he actually attacked yet?

Merlin suddenly felt a hint of confusion.

In the past, whenever Souma encountered an enemy or crisis, he would strike without hesitation, no matter who the opponent was.

But now...

Despite flaunting his boundless might, he only used the pressure of a Servant to intimidate him, with no sign of actually attacking!

A smirk actually appeared on Merlin's face. "Souma, why don't you just attack me already?"

"Hmph, do you really think I can't destroy you?"

Souma felt a bit helpless inside.

As expected, he couldn't fool this half-incubus.

If he reclaimed the power he had left with that brat, it would definitely alert Servants like King Arthur and Jeanne d'Arc, exposing him completely.

But the remnants of power within him weren't enough to defeat Merlin.

After all, the other was a candidate for Grand Caster, standing at the pinnacle of humanity.

But it didn't matter.

Right now, it was two against one!

Hum~

Golden portals manifested one after another behind him.

From each portal emerged a formidable Noble Phantasm.

It was none other than [Gate of Babylon], borrowed from the King of Heroes!

As long as the King of Heroes granted him access, he could use it freely.

Yet Merlin only grew more relaxed. "Heh, Souma, oh Souma... So you're just a paper tiger now!"

Though he didn't know what kind of terrifying calamity had befallen the other, it was clear that his strength had weakened to an extreme degree.

So weak that he even needed to borrow [Gate of Babylon]!

His current power was nothing to fear.

All he had to do was guard against the King of Heroes making a move!

Gilgamesh, standing atop a streetlamp, burst into laughter. "Hah! Souma, you really are pathetic now."

The other had asked for his help, yet arrogantly tried to handle things himself.

Unfortunately, some kind of devastating battle—whenever it had happened—had left him battered and broken.

His Spirit Origin was shattered, his strength reduced to less than a hundredth of its peak. There was no way he could defeat Merlin now.

"Laugh all you want, bastard!"

Souma shot him a glare.

This guy just loved seeing him in a tight spot—what a great friend he was!

"This king has no sister to laugh at."

Gilgamesh grinned even more delightedly, his own [Gate of Babylon] unfolding behind him.

Countless golden ripples dyed the surroundings in dazzling brilliance.

Fortunately, he had already pulled the area into a separate dimension—otherwise, the intense fluctuations would have been detected by other Servants long ago.

"Souma, you've fallen. To think you'd resort to borrowing the King of Heroes' power to defeat me?"

Merlin suddenly sneered with full mockery, "Don't push me too hard. If I truly decide to burn my origin, you won't be able to keep me here!"

"Targeting me like this, do you really think I have no temper?"

Souma coldly stared at him.

This bastard had deliberately lured Jeanne d'Arc, Mordred and others to Fuyuki City, treating him like a clown on stage, wanting to watch a grand show.

How could he let this go so easily?

Merlin looked at the two and suddenly proposed, "How about this—let's make a bet."

"Oh? What kind of bet?"

Gilgamesh stared at him with great interest.

"Simple. I'll give up using my Noble Phantasm and rely solely on illusions. If Nameless can defeat me, then you can pour the Nyannīchuan on me without any regrets!"

Merlin laid out the terms of the bet.

From his observations of Nameless through Clairvoyance, he could see that the other's strength was pitifully weak.

No!

It wasn't just weak—his body seemed forcibly pieced together, broken beyond belief!

He shouldn't even be alive!

Merely surviving was a fluke. How could someone this weak possibly challenge him one-on-one?

"Hahaha, my dear friend, he thinks you're too weak! Can you tolerate this?"

Gilgamesh couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Nameless, who had walked through human history, powerful beyond imagination, was now being taunted by someone handicapping himself.

This was just too hilarious!

"..."

Souma was speechless.

Back when he had defeated gods and opposed the Evils of Humanity, when had he ever been treated like this?

Just as he was about to say, "Ganging up means the two of us beating you, and a duel means you picking a fight with both of us," he suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Damn, Alaya was forcibly updating the video, ignoring the subspace blockade?

He glanced at the video title and suddenly smiled. "Of course! But before that, how about we all watch a video together?"

Alaya's exposure videos were meant to awaken his lost [Existence].

In other words, each video released would restore a portion of his strength.

And this new video was titled—

[Vow in the Snow!]

***

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