Chapter 260 Chaldea's first and strongest insurance!
Holy City, Audience Hall.
The air was as still as solidified lead, making it hard to breathe.
Arthur sat brazenly on the throne that belonged to Artoria, idly toying with the golden Holy Grail, completely ignoring the people below.
The defeated Artoria looked at him with complex emotions; with her divinity violently suppressed, the human confusion and bewilderment resurfaced in her emerald-gold eyes.
She still hadn't recalled her past, only vaguely feeling that she had experienced similar predicaments before.
Gawain stood with his sword, the cold Iron Knight Agravain frowned, and the elegant red-haired Knight Tristan closed his eyes, saying nothing.
These Knights, imbued with immense magical power, now found it difficult even to move their feet.
Their [Blessings], under the invisible divine might of the man on the throne, were fragile and easily shattered; they couldn't even get close, let alone draw their swords against him.
The Chaldea group stood on the other side of the hall. Da Vinci, with arms crossed, her beautiful slender brows slightly furrowed, her eyes gleaming with an inquisitive light.
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu stood together, nervously watching every movement in the hall.
"Hmm, the Holy Grail is fine. The unknown entity is indeed not good at precise operations."
Speaking words that others couldn't understand, Arthur was the first to break the silence. He held the golden Holy Grail, shaking it gently as if it were an ordinary wine glass.
"Next, Artoria, are you still so stubborn?"
He asked calmly, his gaze falling on Artoria, who didn't even lift her eyes.
But as soon as he spoke, the expressions of Agravain and the others changed drastically.
The Knights' anger and loyalty nearly consumed their reason, making them unable to suppress the urge to draw their swords.
Arthur didn't even glance at them, only speaking to Artoria, who still had a cold, pretty face.
"It seems that to discipline someone, they must first be willing to listen."
His gaze swept over everyone, precisely landing on the slender figure at the edge of the hall, who kept their head down and their true face hidden by a cloak.
"Will you come yourself, or shall I do the honors, My Lord?"
Arthur's voice was soft, but it made the silver-haired Knight's body tremble violently.
Bedivere slowly raised his head, his handsome and refined face filled with pain and resolve.
His lips moved, finally turning into a long sigh, and he walked step by step towards the center of the hall.
Each step felt like treading on his own shattered heart.
Finally, he knelt on one knee three steps in front of Artoria, bowing his head deeply.
"My King..."
He removed the cloak that covered his face, revealing a face that Artoria should have been intimately familiar with, yet now found utterly strange.
Artoria's emerald-gold eyes were filled with confusion. She had lost too many human memories, her divinity washing away the past into a blur.
"Who are you?"
The cold and indifferent question, like a sharp blade, deeply pierced Bedivere's heart.
Unlike their King, who had no memories, the Knights of the Round Table were astonished the moment they saw Bedivere.
This comrade, who had never responded to the King's summons from the beginning, now appeared within the Singularity?
And the King's attitude... Bedivere's body swayed, a bitter smile gracing his lips.
But he still held on, firmly raising his arm.
That silver arm, driven by magic, made a soft sound like a sword being drawn, and a brilliant, exquisitely beautiful Holy Sword slowly rose from within the gauntlet.
Excalibur Soteria!
The moment the Holy Sword appeared, Artoria's pupils constricted sharply.
She herself was as if struck by lightning, her body uncontrollably taking a step back.
A surge of resistance and pain from the depths of her soul shook her to the core.
"Your sinner, Bedivere, atones here."
He held the Holy Sword high with both hands, his voice hoarse with extreme pain and regret.
"It was I... back then, I could not bear to see my King perish, and I disobeyed your decree three times, failing to return the Holy Sword to the lake."
"It was my selfishness and cowardice that caused you to miss the chance for peaceful slumber, ultimately being eroded by the Holy Lance, transforming into a deity, wandering for a thousand years, and leading to today's tragedy!"
"All the tragedy stems from my sole fault!"
The truth exploded like a thunderclap, not only leaving Artoria stunned but also making Mashu and Ritsuka in the distance cover their mouths.
Artoria gazed at the Holy Sword, fragmented memories surging like a tide, clashing with the coldness of her divinity, causing her a splitting headache.
She instinctively turned, wanting to flee, but a hand firmly pressed on her shoulder, preventing her from moving.
"Don't try to run away every time you encounter something you can't solve. If I'm not mistaken, this is the third time, isn't it?"
Held by Arthur, the Lion King struggled in vain, forced to face the Holy Sword that belonged to her, to face the past she had forgotten.
On the other side, the Chaldea trio were whispering.
"So that's it!" Ritsuka suddenly understood. "Mr. Bedivere's actions are the root cause of the Sixth Singularity's formation!"
Da Vinci's expression remained serious: "Even so, the purpose of that interloper is still unclear. He is the key to resolving the Sixth Singularity."
Ritsuka whispered, "He first saved Mash, then defeated the Lion King and Professor Lev. He shouldn't be an enemy, right?"
Mash nodded, her tone unusually firm: "I also think we can trust him!"
"Eh? Why?" Ritsuka and Da Vinci both looked at her curiously.
Mash's cheeks flushed slightly; she couldn't quite explain why, it was just an intuition from the depths of her soul.
"I... I don't know, I just feel... he's very much like someone."
Just then, under Arthur's suppression, Artoria tremblingly accepted the Holy Sword that belonged to her.
Arthur ignored the Knights of the Round Table who glared at him, turned directly, and walked towards Mashu and her two companions.
Ritsuka, as the Master, proactively stepped forward, ready to negotiate and offer thanks on behalf of Chaldea.
However, after Arthur sized up Ritsuka, a thoughtful look appeared in his silver eyes, and he spoke first.
"I remember your name is... Fujimaru Ritsuka?"
In an instant, the expressions of Ritsuka, Mash, and Da Vinci all froze.
How did he know their names!?
"Fou! Fou wooo—!"
A familiar cry, mixed with grievance and excitement, suddenly came from inside Arthur's breastplate.
The next second, a small white figure suddenly darted out, pouncing straight into Mashu's arms.
"Fou Fou!?"
Mash fumbled to catch the long-unseen "unknown entity," her face showing undisguised surprise and bewilderment.
How could Fou Fou be here?
And coming out from this man's body?
Under their astonished and uncertain gazes, Arthur raised his hand and removed the hood that concealed his face.
A handsome, familiar face, with a gentle smile that could never have appeared in the past, clearly presented itself before them.
The air, at this moment, completely solidified.
Mash's arms, holding Fou Fou, suddenly stiffened, her pupils rapidly constricting, her lips unconsciously parting, her voice filled with deep disbelief.
"Bro... Brother?"
"Captain!?"
Ritsuka's reaction was even more exaggerated; she was so startled that she took half a step back, almost thinking she was dreaming.
The girl laboriously tried to superimpose the smiling face before her with the always cold figure in her memories.
"Oh my, it really is you."
Although Da Vinci wore a "everything is under control" smile, deep in her eyes, shock also flickered.
"Long time no see, Mash, Da Vinci-chan, and Fujimaru Ritsuka."
Enjoying the trio's varied exaggerated expressions, Arthur's lips curved into a helpless smile as he began to fabricate his experiences.
"Simply put, I was saved by Human Order at the brink of death, and since then, as a failsafe, I've been traveling back and forth through various problematic parallel timelines, doing pretty much the same work as you."
His explanation was half-truth, half-lie, but it was enough to deal with the current situation.
"Mash, Fujimaru, Da Vinci-chan, let's chat later."
Arthur didn't give the trio much time to process the information, his expression solemning, and his tone abruptly shifting.
"The situation of this Singularity is completely different from what you've experienced before."
"The Lion King distorted history merely to tear open a negligible crack for the arrival of something."
"Those guys like Lev are, at most, just a few guard dogs."