"Tokiomi—!!"
Gilgamesh let out a furious, low growl.
He snapped his head toward the direction of the Tohsaka Manor, his crimson, snake-like eyes practically spewing fire.
"You lowly subject! How dare you use such shackles to command me?!"
To demand a retreat in the middle of such a battle? It was an absolute disgrace!
As the oldest of kings, to be called back like a dog using such a method was humiliating.
But he could not defy the absolute command of the Command Spell.
The golden ripples behind him closed with extreme reluctance, and the peerless Noble Phantasms that had peeked out vanished into the air one by one.
Gilgamesh's figure began to turn transparent, dissolving into golden Reishi before fading away.
Right before completely disappearing, his murder-filled eyes swept over Asuka and Berserker one last time.
"Mongrels... you managed to keep your lives."
"Rejoice... and struggle to your hearts' content before your judgment arrives," he spat out bitterly.
With Gilgamesh's departure, the heavy, oppressive aura weighing down on everyone instantly dissipated by more than half.
But that did not mean the battle was over.
On the contrary, for Asuka, the real trouble had just begun.
Having lost Gilgamesh as his primary target of hatred, the constantly enraged Berserker suddenly stopped swinging his trident.
His face, covered by a bone mask, slowly turned until it locked onto Asuka.
Deep within those pitch-black eye sockets, two points of red light flickered to life.
It was the look of a beast that had just spotted its prey.
Perhaps it was because of the identical Shihakusho Asuka wore.
Or perhaps it was due to some unspeakable resonance between their Zanpakuto.
A low roar rumbled from Berserker's throat. The monstrous killing intent originally aimed at Gilgamesh completely shifted to Asuka in an instant!
"Roar—!!"
Without any warning, Berserker's figure exploded into a cloud of black mist right where he stood.
In the very next second, he appeared directly above Asuka!
'So fast!'
Asuka's pupils shrank.
This Berserker's speed was actually a notch faster than when he was fighting Gilgamesh!
The pitch-black trident, wrapped in dark currents of water, cleaved down toward Asuka's head with the terrifying momentum to split mountains and shatter rocks!
With no time to think, Asuka's body reacted on pure instinct.
He raised his Zanpakuto horizontally above his head.
Clang—!!!
A deafening clash of metal echoed through the clouds.
The ground beneath Asuka's feet instantly collapsed, spiderweb-like cracks spreading out for several meters.
The immense force traveled down the blade, shaking Asuka so violently that half his body nearly sank into the earth.
'What monstrous strength... Is this a Captain-class Soul Reaper?!'
He naturally knew that anyone who could wear a white haori with a division number on the back was a Soul Reaper Captain, just like Uncle Shiba.
Asuka could only grit his teeth and desperately hold his ground against the pressing trident.
It was too heavy!
This was not just physical strength; a thick, oppressive weight of magical energy coated the trident.
It was the comprehensive stat boost brought by the Madness Enhancement attribute, as well as the suffocating pressure of the trident itself, crashing down like endless ocean waves.
'...This is your Zanpakuto? It makes no sense that you aren't a Lancer.'
Asuka tried to exert force and push his opponent away, but Berserker's attacks followed one after another like a violent storm.
The trident danced through the air, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. Every strike was heavy and powerful, forcing Asuka into a purely defensive stance.
But what troubled Asuka even more was...
With every strike he blocked, he could feel Sumire Kamado letting out muffled groans of pain from the other end of their contract.
The magical energy consumption was too great!
This kind of high-intensity, head-on collision was practically draining the blood of a Master with such low magical energy reserves.
Although he could try to use his innate Avenger-class skill, [Self-Replenishment (Magic)], to resonate the surging malice within him with Heaven's Feel and automatically restore his magical energy...
That kind of magical energy carried a cursed attribute. It would mentally corrupt Sumire, potentially even driving her insane. He did not want to use it.
'No, I can't keep clashing with him head-on like this.'
Asuka grew anxious.
He used Shunpo to dodge and weave through the narrow space, trying to find an opening in his opponent's guard.
"Hey!" Asuka shouted at Berserker during a brief moment as they crossed paths. "You're a Soul Reaper, right? I'm Asuka! Do you know who I am?"
"Who sent you? Urahara? Or the Seireitei? I'm from the Fifth Division, you know!"
"If you still have any consciousness left, stop right now!"
Asuka had already listed every connection he could think of.
However, the only response he received was an even more frenzied assault.
Berserker swung his trident in a vicious horizontal arc, bringing forth a blade of black water that cleanly sliced the tops off a nearby cluster of shipping containers.
In those crimson eyes, there was no light of reason—only slaughter and madness.
'Is communication completely impossible...?'
Asuka's heart sank.
Although this Berserker wore a Shihakusho and wielded a Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto, his soul seemed to be completely controlled by something else.
Right now, he was nothing more than a weapon that only knew how to destroy.
'In that case...'
Asuka's gaze sharpened.
He couldn't afford to keep taking a beating passively. If this continued, Sumire would collapse before a victor could be decided.
'Even though I didn't want to reveal my strength this early in front of so many people... I have no choice.'
Asuka took a deep breath, and the Spiritual Pressure within his body began to vibrate at a specific frequency.
"Nugata, stop sleeping. It's time to eat!"
The Zanpakuto in his hand trembled in response, erupting with a violent aura that rivaled the overwhelming malice radiating from his opponent.
Berserker's trident crashed down once more with a destructive presence, and Asuka gripped his blade with both hands, swinging it fiercely to meet the incoming attack!
Buzz!!
The jagged, interlocking patterns on the blade suddenly opened up, resembling a row of greedy, gaping maws.
When Nugata's edge collided with the trident wrapped in terrifying magical energy, a scene unfolded that left all the Heroic Spirits present utterly dumbfounded.
Sizzle!!
The dense, black currents of magical energy on Berserker's trident were frantically sucked into Asuka's blade the moment they made contact with Nugata, as if drawn in by a massive water pump!
"What?!"
Lancer exclaimed from a distance. "He's... stealing Berserker's magical energy?!"
Iskandar also wore a look of astonishment. "To directly absorb magical energy so full of curses? Just what kind of Noble Phantasm is his weapon?"
"Gulp..."
Asuka felt a cold, tyrannical energy surge through the hilt and into his body.
It was Berserker's magical energy.
It was brimming with madness, resentment, and killing intent.
If an ordinary magus or Servant were to absorb this kind of energy, they would likely go mad from the mental pollution within it.
But in his inner world, the giant white wolf let out an excited howl.
After being processed by Nugata, the devoured magical energy was actually converted into pure Reiryoku, directly replenishing Asuka's somewhat depleted Spiritual Body!
"Phew..."
Asuka felt the power swelling within him once more, and his eyes lit up as the burden on the magical energy pathway connecting him to Sumire drastically decreased.
'I see...'
'As long as I devour the opponent's attacks, I can convert them into energy for my own actions, meaning I won't need to consume Sumire's magical energy?'
A smile crept onto Asuka's lips.
'If that's the case... then this just got a whole lot easier!'