---o---
Saint Selection Ceremony.
This was the first time the audience outside the light curtain had heard this term.
The Holy City was open to the outside world, welcoming disaster victims and providing shelter, water, and food. For the refugees, the Holy City was the only land of plenty and safety on this vast continent.
It sounded quite good. In the current end times, with the world on the brink of destruction, water and food were undoubtedly the most important resources for survival, not to mention the Holy City even provided housing.
It was no wonder the refugees were scrambling to head in the direction of the Holy City.
However… with the precedent set by Tristan, and even though the King Arthur from the first viewing had left a very good impression on countless viewers, this so-called Saint Selection Ceremony was probably not as perfect as one might imagine.
---o---
[Light Curtain Barrage]
Kaguya Shinomiya: "For these refugees, the most suitable place isn't the Holy City, but rather the territory governed by Ramesses II."
In the world of Kaguya-sama, Kaguya Shinomiya stated that since King Arthur had ordered Tristan to kill fleeing refugees, there was no need to elaborate on what this "Saint Selection Ceremony" in the Holy City entailed.
Compared to that, the domain ruled by Ramesses II was a prosperous and safe place. At least from what had been shown so far, it was far more reliable than the so-called Holy City.
Unfortunately, in the eyes of the Middle Eastern people of this era, Ramesses II and the people of his Pharaonic domain were pure and simple heretics.
Their so-called faith filled them with fear towards Ramesses II. Compounded by the fact that the Pharaoh's territory was enveloped in a sandstorm and that Phantasmal Species like the Sphinx appeared from time to time, this fear became even more profound.
You All Should Just Explode: "Heretics, huh? Truly the Dark Ages. They're on the brink of death, yet they're still rejecting Ramesses II because of their so-called faith."
Time Spirit: "Ara ara~ Thinking about it from the other side, to Ramesses II, these Middle Eastern people are also heretics. One can only say, as expected of the legendary pharaoh. His magnanimity is truly admirable, to be able to accept even heretics who are not bathed in the glory of the Pharaoh."
From this point alone, one could see the charisma of Ramesses II. Like the three kings from the Fourth Holy Grail War, Ramesses II was absolutely worthy of the title "King."
King of Heroes: "The magnanimity of a king? Hmph, in this aspect, no one can compare to this King. Ultimately, the only one in this world qualified to be called King is I, and I alone."
Aoko Aozaki: "Ah, he's started again. Can someone please shut this most ancient Gian up!"
Gian: "???"
---o---
[On the light curtain, as dusk fell, the group continued their journey toward the Holy City.]
[Regardless of what the Lion King would bring to the Singularity, they had to go and see for themselves.]
[Along the way, Guinaifen was fraught with worry, terrified that she would run into another knight with the same name as one of her siblings.]
[It wasn't about what would happen if she did meet one—after all, it was just the same name, and they looked different. Guinaifen wasn't foolish enough to try and claim kinship with a stranger who shared her brother's name.]
[But psychologically, she would definitely feel uncomfortable. This discomfort didn't stem from the shared name, but from a strange sense of wrongness.]
[It felt as if a pair of hands was controlling the entire situation from behind the scenes. Tristan, Lancelot—it was too much of a coincidence that both of them happened to share names with her brothers. No one would believe that.]
[Who was it that sent her to this place?]
[The person who sent her here definitely knew her extremely well, which gave Guinaifen the feeling of being trapped in the vortex of a conspiracy.]
[But why her? And who could possess such power?]
[To be honest, although Guinaifen was a moderately famous streamer on the Luofu, that was all she was. As a short-lived species, her lifespan was but a blink of an eye to a Xianzhou native. All her achievements to date were probably just a flash in the pan in the eyes of the Xianzhou people. A hundred years after her death, it was likely no one would even remember her.]
[If she had any special identity, it would be that she was a noble daughter from Planet Camelot. But Planet Camelot was gone now.]
[Under the iron hooves of the Antimatter Legion, the entire planet had been destroyed. Only a small number of people like her had managed to escape.]
[Under these circumstances, Guinaifen couldn't imagine what point of interest the great being who brought her here saw in her. It couldn't be because she was good at livestreaming antics, could it?]
[To be able to transport someone from the Xianzhou Luofu to an unknown planet in an instant… if not an Aeon, it had to be an Emanator.]
[The Xianzhou Luofu had yet to pinpoint her location. From the information she got from the phone's forum, even the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission, Lady Fu Xuan, had gotten involved in the investigation, and it had even alarmed General Jing Yuan.]
[Seeing that General Jing Yuan was following her account, and the skyrocketing number of her followers, Guinaifen truly felt a sense of unreality.]
[She had never imagined that she would become famous on the Xianzhou in this way.]
[If this were peacetime, this meteoric rise in popularity would have made her ecstatic. But right now, she would rather not have this kind of heat.]
[As Guinaifen pondered, the group continued to move forward, and the number of refugees they encountered grew larger and larger.]
[They were all preparing to head to the Holy City of Chalk, all seeking a patch of pure land amidst this disaster.]
[Guinaifen and the others, riding in the Desert Skiff, naturally attracted the attention of many refugees. The magnificent clothes they wore were particularly out of place among the refugees, making them look like the children of a rich family experiencing life.]
[Coupled with the Desert Skiff they were riding, it drew even more attention from the refugees. After all, in this era, such a vehicle did not exist.]
[Thus, after some consideration, the group decided to get off and walk. To avoid drawing attention, they also donned gray cloaks and covered their faces with gray masks. After proceeding like this for a while, they blended into a group of refugees.]
[Although they were outsiders, such fugitives were everywhere. A lone person would always choose to join a large group upon encountering one.]
[Therefore, the closer they got to the White City of Chalk, the larger the refugee caravan became.]
[From the hundred or so people Guinaifen and the others had first seen, to several hundred by the time they neared the Holy City, and even over a thousand had gathered outside the city itself.]
[And outside the White City of Chalk, a group of knights in full plate armor maintained order and had set up a temporary refugee camp. Although the refugees' situation wasn't great, they had not fallen into chaos.]
[It seemed the people of that city had plans to accept the refugees.]]
---o---
[Light Curtain Barrage]
Naruto Uzumaki: "Guinaifen's hometown… was destroyed? The Antimatter Legion, what's that?"
Herta: "A bunch of lunatics who follow the Aeon of Destruction, carrying out the philosophy of annihilation, slaughtering living beings and destroying planets throughout the cosmos. Planet Camelot… is just one of the countless planets that has fallen under the iron hooves of the Antimatter Legion."
Super Scientist Ah Guang: "The God of Destruction… is he an existence similar to the Swarm King? I wonder how his strength compares to the Swarm King's…"
Little Gui: "Sigh, I was originally from the court of Camelot in a domain beyond. I had twelve siblings. Our days were peaceful and joyous, but who could have expected that the Scourge of Annihilation would bring the calamity of war…"
On the Xianzhou Luofu, Guinaifen became sentimental as she recalled the past.
If not for that Scourge, she and her siblings would not have been separated to make a living.
---o---
[On the light curtain, by the time Guinaifen, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and the others arrived at the Holy City, night had already fallen.]
[As the stars twinkled in the sky of the Singularity, they successfully reached the walls of the Holy City.]
[Viewing the Holy City up close, the impression it gave Ritsuka and the others was one of immense size and weight, filled with a sense of the fantastical. It was clearly not a city built by normal means.]
[The walls alone were over twenty meters high, and the exterior was covered in golden carved patterns, making the walls look magnificent, grand, and imposing.]
[With such a high-value wall and city, it was no wonder the refugees regarded it as a Holy City and were willing to travel thousands of miles to seek refuge here. It looked much better than Ramesses II's grave… er, pyramids.]
[Now, both Ritsuka Fujimaru and Guinaifen felt a sense of trust toward the Holy City.]
[Although judging a book by its cover wasn't good, such a righteous-looking city and righteous-looking knights truly gave one a sense of security.]
[Moreover, the refugees had indeed received shelter here, as well as some food and water.]
[Combined with what Ramesses II had said, that "The Lion King is saving the world in her own way," this sense of trust was further reinforced.]
[It was just… the earlier Tristan…]
[Gazing at the refugees before them, Guinaifen and Ritsuka exchanged a glance.]
[Tristan's actions were indeed despicable, but from beginning to end, the refugees had nothing but praise for the Holy City and the Lion King.]
[So far, no ill rumors about the Saint Selection Ceremony had spread, and it was true that people had successfully entered the White City of Chalk through it.]
[For this reason, Guinaifen and Ritsuka had no choice but to trust the Holy City. The only thing they needed to worry about now was whether they would be discovered and captured while blending in with the refugees.]
[Well, it couldn't be that the Holy City slaughtered all the refugees and vaporized their bodies, which is why no bad rumors ever got out, right?]
[No one would believe something so absurd.]
[While blending into the Holy City, Da Vinci took the opportunity to analyze the Purified Knights nearby.]
["Hmm… so that's how it is. No wonder they all look the same. Those Purified Knights aren't actually human."
["If I'm not mistaken, these Purified Knights are things created by the Lion King."
["A powerful deity possesses many miraculous authorities. To become the god-like Lion King, she is truly terrifyingly strong."
[Hearing this, the group nodded in understanding. Though surprised, they weren't overly shocked.]
[There was a precedent, after all.]
[The Sphinxes created by Ramesses II were also top-tier Phantasmal Species, and they could even be mass-produced. And Ramesses II was not yet a deity.]
[Next, Dr. Romani, whom Chaldea had contacted a short while ago, added, "The mana intensity within the bodies of these Purified Knights is very high, already approaching the level of a Servant."
["Ritsuka, you all must be careful. If you can avoid conflict with these guys, try your best to do so."
["Although they are not strong individually, when fighting as a legion, they are quite a troublesome opponent. You have absolutely no chance of winning against them!"]
[Hearing the doctor's instructions from her earpiece, the faces of the group under their masks turned solemn, and they nodded in understanding.]
[A single Purified Knight was equivalent to a third-rate Servant without a Noble Phantasm. The Lion King was truly… terrifyingly strong.]
[The group's gazes swept around them. At some point, more and more Purified Knights had appeared outside the gates of the Holy City. Their numbers had grown from just a hundred at the beginning to nearly a thousand.]
[However, this wasn't strange. After all, there were many refugees, and the time for the Saint Selection was fast approaching.]
[Then, when the time reached eight o'clock in the evening, suddenly, the original darkness of the night changed drastically.]
[The sky… suddenly lit up.]
[In an instant, Guinaifen was startled by the sudden appearance of the light.]
[Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash beside her were also startled, nearly revealing the equipment under their black robes to a nearby Purified Knight.]
[This sudden shift between light and dark had caught everyone off guard.]
[Ritsuka asked in a daze, "Uh, did I fall asleep? Why did the sky suddenly brighten?"]
[Mash was also astonished. "Senpai, it's not like that. The sun suddenly rose!"]
[As Mash said this, the refugees also looked up at the sky. Everyone was the same; it had only been a short while since nightfall, yet the sky had suddenly brightened. They were all stunned, believing that the sun had suddenly risen.]
[This was nothing short of a divine miracle.]
[Countless refugees fell to their knees, their respect for the Holy City and the Lion King growing even stronger.]
[At that moment, Guinaifen's gaze was fixed on the gate of the Holy City.]
[Her fragile Spirit Origin told her that there was a terrifyingly powerful fellow over there.]
["This time… who will it be?"]
[Please don't be a familiar name, Guinaifen thought. However… it seemed her fears were about to be realized.]
[Just as Guinaifen was pondering, a golden halo flashed before the gates of the Holy City.]
[Then, a tall knight clad in silver armor with hair as dazzling as the sun appeared there.]
[His features were handsome and resolute. His well-built frame, over one meter eighty in height, seemed to contain endless power. And within his deep, determined eyes, there was the aura of a true powerhouse.]
[At the same time, as his comrade-in-arms, Bedivere recognized the other party at a glance and immediately whispered to Ritsuka and the others, "That is a Knight of the Round Table—Gawain!"]
[Guinaifen: "Damn it! It's like this again!"]
[The corner of her mouth twitched fiercely as Guinaifen turned to look at this knight who, once again, shared the same name as one of her brothers.]
[At that moment, the Sun Knight Gawain also spoke.]
[With a resounding voice, he declared, "Please calm yourselves. This is a miracle brought by the Lion King!"]
["This is the 'blessing' bestowed upon me by my King, and its name is 'Nightless'."
["It allows the sun to hang high in the sky in any place where I am present, even in the dead of night, causing the night to never appear."]
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