Tohru had quickly gathered Kasugano Sora, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Hanazono Yurine.
Just as she was about to grab Jashin-chan and make a run for it, she realized the snake demon had no intention of moving.
"You all just go ahead and escape," Jashin-chan said, waving them off with a dismissive hand. "I am the noble Jashin-chan; I don't do 'retreating'."
"Idiot."
Tohru didn't waste another second. She immediately shifted into her draconic form, scooped up the others, and flew off into the distance.
Kawashima Toya stared at Jashin-chan as if looking at a complete moron. "You aren't leaving? What exactly are you planning to do here?"
"Me?" Jashin-chan crossed her arms, her face a mask of supreme arrogance.
"I'm here to bear witness to this battle. If you end up dying, Toya, I'll make sure to give you a proper burial—after I've avenged you, of course."
"Me? Dying?" Toya chuckled dryly.
"You should worry about yourself first. Try not to let the Evil God's essence corrupt you. If you turn into a monster, I'll be the first one to cut you down."
He turned his attention back to the figures of Nyaruko and Kuuko, no longer concerned with the snake demon's antics.
Nearby, Jashin-chan watched the two with curious eyes.
The corrupting aura of the Evil Gods washed over her soul and mind, yet it failed to trigger even the slightest change. She remained exactly as she was, showing no signs of being tainted.
"Is that really Nyaruko?" Jashin-chan asked, sounding genuinely confused.
"When did she become an enemy?"
Is she actually immune to an Evil God's corruption?
Toya felt a flash of surprise, but he didn't look back.
"I'm not sure," he said flatly.
"But whatever the reason, our priority is to take them down."
Nyaruko and Kuuko were releasing their true essences in a heavily populated area, actively trying to corrupt the humans around them. That alone was enough to label them as enemies.
As for the consequences of slaying their clones, Toya didn't care. He had to deal with the immediate threat.
"I see. In that case, I'll lend you a hand and take one of them on." Jashin-chan cracked her knuckles, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
"I've been looking for an excuse to smack Nyaruko anyway."
"I'll handle her. You take the red-haired one."
"Fine. Nyaruko is yours." Toya raised an eyebrow, surprised but willing to accept her help in splitting the field.
"Star-Holy Sword!"
With a sharp motion, Toya summoned the blade specifically designed to purge evil. The golden radiance of the sword illuminated the entire hall of the agency, cutting through the gloom.
He stood there, a sacred figure amidst the impending darkness, looking every bit like a savior standing against an unpredictable calamity.
"Damn, that's a cool weapon!" Jashin-chan's eyes sparkled with envy.
"I wish I had one like that."
"Wait... I think there is one."
She looked toward the display cabinet. "Isn't there another holy sword in there?"
Toya watched as Jashin-chan grabbed the other Excalibur—the gift from Mery. He remained silent, half-convinced that Jashin-chan was simply operating on "gag character" logic.
She forced a transformation with the Kabuto Zecter earlier, and now she's wielding Excalibur like it's nothing. Is there anything in this world she can't use?
"Thirteen Restraints, release! Round Table Resolution, begin!" Toya shouted, his voice resonating through the area with heroic authority.
"Approved!"
The voices of the Knights of the Round Table echoed in unison. The jewels on the sacred blade flared with light, one after another.
The holy radiance intensified as the power of the stars converged upon the blade. Surrounded by the shimmering gold light, Toya looked like a high deity, magnificent and untouchable.
"This is a battle to save the world!"
"Excalibur!"
Next to him, Jashin-chan decided to follow his lead, shouting at the top of her lungs. "Thirteen Restraints, release! Round Table Resolution, begin!"
"This is a battle to save the world! Excalibur!"
In an instant, the duplicate sword in her hands also erupted with a blinding golden glow. One beam was a strike meant to purge evil; the other was a manifestation of pure, destructive power.
The two Noble Phantasms unleashed their true names simultaneously. Two massive pillars of golden light surged forward, swallowing the clones of Nyaruko and Kuuko.
BOOM!
Hmm... I can't control this body, but surely I can interfere a little bit since I'm already here?
Such a thought flickered through the minds of the real Nyaruko and Kuuko. The clones didn't even attempt to dodge; they simply stood their ground, allowing the twin attacks to incinerate them. In a flash, their physical forms were reduced to ordinary ash and scattered by the wind.
As the blinding light faded, it revealed the Trash Fox Agency, or what was left of it. The hall was in total ruins.
"Wait, that was it?"
Jashin-chan pouted, looking thoroughly disappointed.
"The fight ended in one hit. Since when was Nyaruko so weak?"
Toya didn't answer immediately. He was scanning the area.
"Jashin-chan, didn't you notice? Neither Nyaruko nor Kuuko moved an inch."
"Aside from releasing that corrupting aura at the start, they just stood there and took it."
If the two of them had actually fought back, defeating them would have required leveling half the city.
"So what?" Jashin-chan tilted her head arrogantly. "I am a high-ranking demon of the highest order. If you'd just release the seal on my powers, Toya, I'd show you what I'm like at full strength."
"I could level this entire city with a single blow."
Toya looked at her with a knowing smile and immediately crushed her dreams. "No."
If Jashin-chan's seals were removed, she would be far more dangerous than Nyaruko or Kuuko.
Her true power didn't just lie in destruction; her imagination could manifest a world of her own, populated by entities that were 100% loyal to her.
Between facing the actual Nyaruko and facing ten million Nyaruko clones created by Jashin-chan, Toya knew exactly which one he'd rather deal with.
"You're so stingy!"
Jashin-chan gritted her teeth in frustration.
"Just you wait. When I finally get these seals off, you're the first one I'm coming after!"
"Darling! We're back!"
Toya was still picking through the debris of the agency when a familiar voice rang out. Nyaruko and Kuuko appeared a short distance away, waving at him as if nothing had happened.
"More enemies?" Jashin-chan's eyes narrowed as she reached for Excalibur again.
Toya raised a hand to stop her. "No. These are the real ones."
Nyaruko skipped up to Toya, her face a mask of adorable, exaggerated sorrow.
"Darling, I'm so sorry!"
"Start talking," Toya said, crossing his arms and looking at them with a flat expression.
"Why did those clones of yours just try to corrupt the entire neighborhood?"