Bab 109: Chapter 109: Final Stage
The Holy City of Jerusalem became an impregnable fortress the moment it was merged with the Divine Lance, Rhongomyniad.
Since then, only people with a pure heart could gain access. That is to say, it couldn't be harmed externally.
In the tenth iteration, Ozymandias had to collide his Rameses II, his temple, in order to work with my magicka and break through it.
The second time it happened, it was Sanzang Xuanzang's suicidal attack—the palm of a Buddha temporarily manifesting in this world. It shouldn't have happened during that time, but it was due to a miscommunication.
Without knowing about her full prowess as a Buddha, I left her alone until it was late.
Although, it informed me of the full details surrounding the core events at this moment.
It is similar to how I did things back in Gekai. With such a huge information advantage, the chances of victory rose significantly.
Just like then…
I want to create a better ending.
Buzz-!
A voice came from my right earpiece.
"When will you start?"
"...now."
I replied as I stepped closer to the ivory walls. I am currently inside the city, facing the tall white walls that separate it from the rest of the city.
What lies beyond is the throne room.
"Fu…"
There are a few stages to this plan. The first stage is to counteract their golem army, which I could do with my mechanical army manifested out of nanites. There is also the issue with the other Round Table Knights as well as the aftermath of this battle. The probability of having several unexpected appearances such as the Hassan on that temple as well as Solomon's own intervention is an issue as well.
Meanwhile, the third one involved opening the castle and disabling the physical manifestation of Rhongomyniad. The latter could be done with Ozymandias' Rameses II and Altair's full-powered attack, but it would remain invulnerable so long its castle gates remained closed. It would enact the principle that only the 'pure ones' could pass.
Thus…
"...alright."
The moment I touched the ivory walls, I felt it'll only take a single push to open it.
Was this the effect of Pure Heart?
The last time I entered, I timed it when I released that miracle. It disrupted the entire operation of the Divine Lance which led to a brief time to enter and exit.
I still have the final miracle, yes, but I am planning to save it for an emergency.
"Now…"
The rays of sunlight seemed a tad bit brighter at this moment.
That is until…
Bzzz-!
Hum-!
Crack-!
Boom-!
Out of nowhere, a bright golden ray pierced through the shield with the shape of a divine lance.
Its destructive power is on another level. It is the kind of attack that could directly kill gods. It is the combination of magicka's pinnacle and the authorities of the gods of Egypt.
Although it still isn't enough to match special conceptual weapons built on special conditions, it could destroy its physical form; the sheathe.
Zoom-!
The F-22 fighter jets flew right over the city. They left a trail of light as well as a series of small shiny objects.
Buzz-!
Hum-!
BAM-!
They stayed still mid-air before they all 'exploded'. A visible blue wave overran their radiuses. When these waves clashed, it formed a zone whereas mystical entropy is in place. No form of magecraft could be cast at these zones.
This world shouldn't have this mechanic, but I successfully brought it over with [Mystery Distortion].
With this, Rhongomyniad's physical shell should be more brittle.
"We're coming over!"
Gareth's voice resounded in my earpiece. It didn't take a moment before the transport carrier 'spat' out several black figures. When they became closer to land, their fields were distorted. It brought them a 'soft' landing as a result.
"Cough!"
…or not.
After this small dust cloud passed, everyone was dirtied by their slightly imperfect landing.
Only Percival and Gaheris made a safe landing.
"Ow… I'm dizzy…"
"We can train more after this." I proposed.
"No…?!"
Well, it seems she gained a fear of skydiving?
"It's actually a popular hobby in my world. Even normal people have fun with it."
"They have fun with this?!"
As we talked, Lancelot manifested out of nowhere.
"They're coming."
Her eyes darted to a certain direction. Huge amounts of magical energy gathered in that direction before a magical energy blast came at us.
"Custodio." (Guard and defend.)
A seven-layered magicka fortress manifested. It blocked the incoming attack, absorbing a part of its energy to strengthen itself. Sporadically, an infinite distance was drawn between it and the outside world.
It kept happening for two seconds before the attack died out.
"Bedivere."
"...Yes."
The grey-haired man nodded with solemnity. Despite the pain he has to constantly suffer just by holding Excalibur, he acts as if it doesn't exist.
To him, nothing is more important than redeeming our King.
I admit…
Such an act is admirable.
Hundreds of homunculi in the form of knights started to surround us. They are golems manifested along this entire castle.
At the same time, the ones stationed outside began preparing for the huge temple flying in this direction.
In this mission, time is against us.
"Let's act now."
*****
A duel.
It is an honorable fight where two knights bet their honors in order to prove something. It could be their possessions or beliefs.
Inside the castle, several blades clashed.
Clang-!
Clang-!
Sou-!
Sou-!
Percival's lance struck Tristan's arrows. The sorrowful knight didn't mind it and continued firing arrows with his eyes closed. Even so, he acted as if he could see everything in full view.
"So that's why… Did you blind yourself out of this inhumanity, Tristan?"
"...You could consider it so."
As old friends, Percival understood something about Tristan the moment their blades met.
"You are atoning by choosing this path."
"..."
In the legends, Tristan left the Round Table after a tragic event happened to him. As a result, he wasn't there when his King needed him the most. He couldn't do everything as his King died in solace.
When he was given another chance to repent, he didn't hesitate to choose it.
As things went by, he closed the distance between them. Strangely, he didn't choose to engage in close-quarter combat with Tristan.
'What is he planning..?'
Tristan recalled their strange actions a while ago.
When he encountered them, Percival chose to cover them as they pressed forward. It turned into a one-on-one fight between them.
"Where is he?"
"Galahad?" Percival asked rhetorically before a smile slipped on his face. "He is going to make things right."
*****
"Really? You two?! Tsk!"
Mordred held her greatsword as she saw her opponents. They are none other than Gareth and Bors. Ironically, the younger generation of the Round Table clashed in an unexpected way.
"I'd be defeated if it was Galahad… but you two? Have you become too overconfident with yourselves?!"
Gareth received Mordred's remark with a light gulp. The infamous knight who held Clarent rampaged on many battlefields. Each time, she left a trail of corpses in her wake.
Admittedly, that was something she couldn't do.
"No. Galahad is preoccupied with more important things. We are here in his stead." Bors stated.
"Hah… Are you looking down on me?!"
At this moment, Mordred's temper took a turn for the worse.
Bam-!
Clang-!
Gareth received her charged strike and was pushed back. The former held her lance horizontally on top of her face, with Mordred's blade being several inches away from her.
"...Tsk."
Sensing the incoming attack, Mordred disengaged Gareth and turned to Bors instead.
Clang-!
Clang-!
Clang-!
Bors used his entire life's experiences as a probationary Round Table Knight. Unfortunately, that seemed lacking in front of the overwhelming knight—Mordred.
"Hup!"
Gareth charged towards her. The huge lance gathered momentum as it drew closer to Mordred.
The latter tried blocking it with confidence, but the sheer amount of force pushed her back this time.
Screech-!
The lance's tip and Clarent's ridge created sparks as their wielders channeled their emotions.
*****
"Where's Galahad?"
"That should remain a secret until later."
After exchanging glances with Gaheris, Gawain turned to Kay who also shook his head.
"Then so be it."
Gawain trusted his King's prowess. With the Divine Lance in her hand, nobody would be able to shake her rule.
"I assume you came here for a fight? However, I am truly baffled why you chose to do so at this time."
It is currently 2:13 PM.
Gawain has the "Blessing of the Numerals" whereas he would be strengthened during certain periods of time—that is, the times in which the sun shines the brightest.
"We want to convince you."
"Huh..?"
"You'll understand later."
Shiing-!
Shiing-!
The two knights drew their blades.
*****
A King.
They rule and protect their people. They are the guiding light that brings a nation to prosperity.
It is the role that she, Artoria Pendragon, had undertaken for years.
In order for humanity to survive, she chose this path. She chose to sacrifice the entire world in exchange for 500 human lives. But, before she could even take action, everything was disrupted by this world's irregular—Nobu.
The boundary she was about to set to protect the remaining portion of the Singularity collapsed due to a miracle. In turn, it hindered her plans regarding the selection of pure human souls.
Add to that the departure of the knights who fought against her, everything went in shambles.
Nevertheless, she didn't panic. She didn't feel anxious. She simply sat on her throne and thought of alternative plans.
That was how inhuman she is.
"..."
The moment she sensed their intrusion, Artoria glanced at Agravain.
"I will deal with it, my King."
Agravain kept his comments to himself as he respectfully bowed and left the throne room.
Unlike his expectations, he was welcomed by a young girl instead.
"It's you?"
"...Agravain."
He didn't belittle the girl as he saw her prowess. It is completely unthinkable that someone could deal with two Knights of the Round Table at the same time.
Moreover, she somehow gave off a familiar feeling.
"You must be a knight as well."
"Fairy Knight, Lancelot."
Unexpectedly, she answered his query swiftly.
"Fairy… Knight..?"
The girl didn't say any more words. Her glance was enough to tell Agravain that a fight is about to happen.
Clang-!
Clang-!
Bam-!
…
The Lion King saw the ongoing fight. Not only that, she also foresaw the arrival of two people within the throne room.
A white-haired man wearing a black coat was accompanied by a long-haired knight with a metallic arm.
For a moment, the Lion King paused on the knight before turning to Galahad—Nobu.
"You should've understood this action of mine."
"Yes. It is a probable way to save humanity from extinction after King Solomon's incineration of human history. Then, it doesn't justify your actions. You lost your humanity, my King."
"..."
Without wasting further time, Bedivere started moving forward. Artoria was slightly confused by his actions, yet she couldn't find the thought to blast him with her divine lance.
Click-!
His silver arm was detached from his body. A second later, it started transfiguring into the shape of a sword.
By the time Bedivere was in front of her, it turned into a sword she was extremely familiar with.
"..!"
Bedivere kneeled as he presented it to her.
"This is my mistake alone, my King. I disobeyed your words… Had I followed it, none of this would have happened…"
The moment Artoria touched the sheathed Excalibur, her memories had returned—
"I remember… Bedivere."
—along with her humanity.
"I…"
The implications behind her actions started to weigh on her. She was no longer the invulnerable Goddess Rhongomyniad but King Artoria Pendragon.
"...I see. Thank you, Bedivere… and Galahad."
Galahad wore a thin smile as he felt a sense of fulfillment. It was a journey that lasted for three full years. It is even longer than his journey on Gekai. Still, he doesn't regret undertaking it.
"I am glad to see you back, Your Highness."
Nobu spoke as he gave a respectful bow. It was a magician's bow towards someone they greatly respect.
After doing so, he continued speaking:
"Sadly, this isn't the end of everything. There remains one last matter to be dealt with."
Artoria immediately saw what Nobu was pertaining to.
A huge white ring of light glowed intensely on the blue sky. Everything seemed to be normal yet it isn't. A near-infinite amount of mana started converging on the ring of light.
"As expected… Solomon began to interfere."
The final stage of this singularity starts now.
*****
A/N: Uni is out here causing my health to deteriorate (welp). I wasn't even able to remain healthy for a week before I caught another cold. Worse, we'll be having our finals starting tomorrow. Anyways, I apologize for this long interval. I could only promise that it'll be better once our finals pass (preferably around two weeks later). I still have quite a lot of projects to finish, so I'll be ending this note here.
Happy Reading~!
Status Power Mingguan
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