—She's eccentric, but she is undoubtedly King Arthur. A King does not speak falsehoods. Let us believe in her!
Air and Gil resolved to trust her. They would trust the words and feelings of the girl who was the ultimate anti-Saber weapon.
"Then, the remaining member of the Round Table… I shall be the one to cut down Mordred," Artoria declared firmly.
"Sooner or later, the Mordred who accepted the Blessing of Rampage will burn out. Before she suffers the indignity of wasting away to nothing—I will strike the final blow."
Perhaps this was the final act of mercy and compassion the King of Knights could show her illegitimate son. As if it were her duty as a King to provide the end that was destined.
"Then leave that bastard Agravain to me and Lancelot," the other Mordred declared bravely.
"We're the ones who helped break the Round Table in the first place. There's no one better suited for the job. Especially now that we've smashed his Gift."
…Actually, on the way here—
"I have no ulterior motive other than slicing this Gift! CALI-BURRRRRRR!!"
"GWAAAHHH!"
Struck down by Artoria's holy sword.
"Get up! It's too early for a nap, Father! What's left of you if we take away your durability and swordplay, Father?!"
"BWAGH—?!"
Smashed awake by Mash's shield.
"Resenting someone because you couldn't bring yourself to hate them is just a petty grudge! CALI-BURRRRRRR!!"
"GUWAAAAAAHHH!"
Slashed again by the holy sword. Because of his "Iron-Willed" Gift, the damage was halved, resulting in a repetitive cycle of agonizing but non-lethal strikes.
"—The previous holy sword strikes had nothing to do with breaking the Gift, however."
"WHAT—?!"
"This final strike shall release the blessing upon your body. —Gather, breath of the planet; torrent of shining stars."
"W-Wait! Wait a moment—!!"
"『Excalibur!』"
With his Gift severed, Lancelot was finally, truly liberated from the Lion King. (Incidentally, he remained bedridden for three hours afterward while receiving treatment.)
(I actually felt sorry for him… I better keep quiet about this to Gareth…)
"Is something wrong, Mordred?"
"N-Nothing! Nothing at all! Yeah! I just gotta do my best!"
Having glimpsed the terrifying side of the King of Storms, Mordred had become a little bit wiser.
"And so, the ones to defeat the Lion King… the core team will be Mash, Rikka, the King of Knights, Bedivere. And… you, Gil."
It was the inevitable lineup. The Knight of the Round Table, the King of Knights, and the last Master of humanity. The equation solved itself.
"Indeed. However, at the start of the operation, I shall remain at this temple. —There is something I must strike down."
—The King has an inkling.
The Holy City is beginning to close. Therefore, he expects the "Tower" that protects it to manifest, and he is preparing without a hint of negligence.
"The obstacle I foresee requires a somewhat large-scale means of destruction. The 'Gardens,' the 'Temple,' and—the 'Giant God.' To ensure your path is not blocked, I shall act separately."
"Haha! So you noticed as well, Golden One."
"Naturally. My eyes see through all truths. Not even a 'Judgment' can change that. —I shall handle the mana consumption for the Servants and the expansion of the summoning slots. Look forward to it. —You're up, 'Empress.'"
At the King's words, Semiramis gave a cold, cruel smile.
"Finally… yes, leave it to me. My Hanging Gardens are already complete. Even a god shall not stop me now…!"
Sitting upon her Precious Throne, the Empress made her declaration. She struggled to maintain her dignity, fighting back the urge to let her expression soften with joy. She was caught between her pride and her instincts.
—She really likes it.
(She's totally into that thing.)
Seeing Semiramis nestled deeply into the Precious Throne, Air and Rikka shared a secret high-five, reconfirming the "preciousness" of the moment.
"I'll call Arthur for the guard. The moment of the attack is the moment of greatest vulnerability—the opening for one's head to be taken. A hidden Holy Sword is an absolute necessity."
"Understood! Leave it to me!"
Arthur gave a powerful nod. His response, full of resolve and certainty, was deeply reassuring.
""Oh, Great Hero!""
The two Ozymandiases spoke in unison. Gilgamesh burst into boisterous laughter at the bizarre sight.
"Fuhahahahaha! This is beyond surreal! This is why Servants are so entertaining!"
"P-Please, that's disrespectful! (whispering)"
—In any case, the plan is set. Let's summarize it, Fou.
(Got it!)
Fou quickly scribbled down the outline and assignments.
Vanguard/Raiding: Iskandar, Ozymandias.
Reinforcements: Rama (Sita), Hijikata, Okita.
Infiltration: The Hassans (thinning out the wall guards).
Gate Breach: Artoria (Heroine X) to defeat Gawain. Simultaneously, Moses and Sanzang to destroy the gate.
Invasion: The King of Knights to defeat Mordred. Lancelot and Mordred (Ally) to intercept Agravain.
Core Team: Mash, Rikka, and the King of Knights to lead Bedivere to the throne.
The Pyramid Defense: Gilgamesh, Ozymandias, Semiramis, and Arthur to deal with "something."
The King would apparently handle the summoning limits. —Trust the King. It'll be fine!
"Alright! Now that the policy is set, let's get some rest! It's just past noon!"
"The speed of this playthrough is ridiculous… I feel like I'm missing chunks of my memory…"
Olga Marie's shock was justified. Leaving the village, the rescue, the info gathering, and the briefing had all been accomplished in half a day.
—Isn't this too fast?!
"It cannot be helped. Since we know not when the world will close, we had to take every measure immediately. Haste was required."
(A mere three days of events. and it's only going to get faster from here.)
The two laughed. Even in another world, would there ever be a journey of Restoration as fast as this one…?
"Very well. —The matter is settled! Everyone, gather your strength! The operation begins tomorrow at 7:00 AM! This battle shall decide the fate of this Singularity! I won't say 'defeat is not an option'—with this many Kings and this much power gathered together, defeat is simply impossible!"
Everyone nodded deeply at the King's encouragement.
"A few minutes before 7:00 tomorrow, I shall fashion a warp gate to the wasteland before the main gate! Each of you, teleport individually! This way, we need not worry about the time spent marching! Is that clear?! Attend without fail and prepare yourselves! For the end we grasp shall be nothing less than perfection!!"
The King's rally shook the very foundations of the pyramid.
—Let's do this, Fou!
(Yeah!)
"Gramps… will you lend me your strength…?"
The final day before the decisive battle had begun!
The Refugee Camp
The evacuation of the refugees was complete; the camp was now a desolate ruin.
"..."
A single knight walked through the grounds.
A lion's mask. A white cloak. Silver armor.
He stood there, doing nothing but staring at the remains of human life, the evidence that people had once been here. Eventually, he began to walk slowly, taking in the whole camp.
Tents, tools, toys, a discarded tank. From these, he felt the traces of human existence.
...He picked up a fallen plate. Before him was the stage the refugees had built to encourage one another.
"..."
The knight stood in silence, watching.
'It'—the thing he once thought was more important than anything else.
'It'—the thing that had once made him smile with such radiance.
"—They increased upon the earth, built cities, crossed the seas, and split the skies."
CRACK.
The plate was crushed in his hand.
"—For what purpose…?"
He could no longer remember the value of 'it.' The shape and the importance of 'it'—the thing that had slipped from his heart—could no longer be recalled.
The lone knight continued to stare into the void...
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