When the Knight Returns

Seeing that words could not rouse the other party, Percival drew his spear without hesitation, and Gawain did the same, drawing his holy sword. The holy sword and Holy Lance of the two clashed in an instant, bursting out dazzling sparks.

—Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

"How tragic... Percival, you actually came back to die willingly, and it seems the intelligence was wrong. That guy wasn't Moses, not even Servant. How could a human possess such combat power?"

"Tristan".

Accompanying the music were three invisible elven blades of energy, aimed at Rovey's arms and legs. Because the Lion King had ordered Rovey not to die, he didn't aim directly for his neck.

"Never mind, I'll inform Agravaine later. In any case, arrest him first. My king has ordered the execution of Percival and the rest of the failures, but this human cannot die!"

After delivering the Lion King's oracle, Tristan turned to look at Rovey with a sorrowful expression.

"Surrender. Percival alone cannot stop Gawain, and you are no match for me either. As the Lion King's chosen one, you should stand on our side."

"Although Buddhism has the saying 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' and Christianity has stories and legends about the God Child bearing sins, there has never been such a thing as associating with demons."

"I see... Then it seems the only option is to cut off your legs first, and then take you back for treatment."

Tristan immediately assumed a fighting stance.

"Well, Tristan, are you the type to make threats before you even speak? After the [Reversal], has your reserved nature finally come out?"

"Hmm? You actually knew about my blessing? It seems you have quite a few secrets. But you can't escape today."

Tristan ignored Rovey's teasing; he was more concerned with the intelligence the other party possessed.

With a gentle flick of his fingers, a series of ear-piercing whistling sounds rang out, and more bowstrings began to shoot out at him without restraint, intending to sever his limbs simultaneously.

In an instant, the entire battlefield descended into violent chaos.

Rovey quickly surveyed his surroundings. The once tranquil plains before Camelot had now become a chaotic killing field. There were two separate disturbances rebelling against the Purification Knights' encirclement; one should be him and Percival, but who was behind the other?

Never mind, let's break through first and then cause a ruckus.

Chapter 194 The Knights Return

The pristine city gates are now stained with blood.

The praise that once rang in my ears turned into wailing.

The holy knight raises his sword.

Fairness and justice have been trampled upon.

A false city will eventually perish.

——

——

"Please don't hurt us... please..."

"Didn't you say you could accept anyone? Why are you doing this?!"

"Liar! Liar!!"

On the chaotic battlefield below the Snowflake Wall, the cries of the refugees echoed endlessly.

"Rused, Rused..."

The mother, who had hoped to enter the holy city with her child, cried out in anguish when she learned that only she was allowed to enter and that they were to kill her child.

"What?!"

Finally, while the Purification Knights were diverting their forces to suppress the rampaging Rovey and Percival, as well as the second-party enemy forces on the other side, he single-handedly and resolutely crossed the chaotic battlefield, ran to his child, and hugged him tightly in his arms.

"Mommy, Mommy, I'm so scared..."

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Mom is here."

Just as the mother and daughter embraced and wept on the battlefield because of this sudden turn of events, a Purification Knights approached.

"You have been chosen, woman. Enter the Holy City immediately."

"No, no, stay away from me! Ahh... Rused! Rused!!"

When the woman loudly refused, the Purification Knights in front of her grabbed her shoulder without hesitation, intending to drag her away. When Rused tried to stop him, he was thrown to the ground by the Purification Knights, his head hitting the ground hard, and he lost consciousness.

"Wake up, Rused!"

Upon seeing this, the woman screamed in anguish, trying to wake the child lying on the ground.

"Come with me, chosen one."

But the Purification Knights remained unmoved, and he spoke in a cold tone.

"No, no! You actually beat a child! What a cruel act you've committed...! Are you even a knight?!"

"If you want to take me with you, then take this child with you! We can't leave Rused alone!"

The Purification Knights: "He still failed the trial. Forget about him. Besides, your body is no longer yours now."

"Once you enter Camelot, there are absolutely no exceptions allowed. You are not allowed to have family ties or selfish desires. As the soul of the Avalon, you cannot have any freedom as a human being."

The Purification Knights's cold words extinguished all hope for this mother.

"No... no, you can't do this! I'm willing to give everything for the Lion King! I'm willing to give everything! Please, please... take him with you! He's just a child!"

"I will definitely give him careful instructions! After that, I will devoutly offer blessings to the Lion King every day! I will make him give up his faith and follow the Lion King forever..."

The Purification Knights immediately interrupted her, "No, you don't need to. You don't have to abandon your faith, because it is something of equal value to life, something worthy of respect, but..."

"You now belong to the Lion King, and your child has been chosen by your god. I will help you sever this bond!"

Without hesitation, realizing that the woman wouldn't go with him unless he killed the child, the tall, Purification Knights ruthlessly swung his sword.

Just as previously confirmed, they are nothing more than puppets, machines, the Lion King's henchmen. They will do anything to carry out the Lion King's orders, even if it means killing children.

They cared nothing for glory or personal feelings; everything was solely for the efficient execution of orders.

"No!"

Faced with the falling blade, maternal love triumphed over fear.

Ultimately, she was chosen by Holy Selection, and her character was beyond question. She was the best among humans, so even when faced with a knife that could easily take her life, she resolutely rushed forward, using her body as a final shield for her child.

"What?! How could this be..."

As the sword was about to fall, the Purification Knights stared wide-eyed, unable to believe that this woman would actually use her body to block the sword.

He hurriedly tried to hold back, but the momentum of his fall wouldn't allow him to easily retract his sword. Soon, the gleaming blade was already above the woman's back, and in less than a second, it would have severed her at the waist. However—

—Clang!

A piercing sound, the clanging of metal, suddenly began to echo in my ears.

The expected bright red did not appear; instead, a white lance darted across the battlefield.

"This, this is...?"

The Purification Knights stared in disbelief at the white lance that had blocked his attack, feeling the magic flowing within it and being utterly shocked.

Because there's absolutely no mistake, this is the Lion King's Holy Lance, but, but why? Why is it...?

Appearing here?!

He turned his head in disbelief, only to see a pair of emerald eyes and a head of flowing golden hair staring intently at him, their gaze filled with anger and coldness.

"King..."

He was about to speak when he saw the silver-white Holy Lance, radiating a holy light, suddenly withdraw like a nimble snake. Then, a slender, pale hand guided the Holy Lance straight through his chest.

In an instant, the core of his magical power shattered completely with a crisp "crack," like fragile glass.

The massive knight's body, having lost its support, seemed to have had its soul ripped out, turning into a pile of scattered armor that crashed to the ground with a "thud," kicking up a cloud of dust and announcing the complete demise of its life.

"..."

She didn't speak, she didn't say anything... because for Artoria at this moment, silence was the greatest form of anger.

Although King Arthur of Britannia only occupied a small part of her travel memories, it was the beginning of everything, one of the very few memories she cherished. Now, at this moment, in this place, it was being recalled again in this way. How could she not be furious?

Having just arrived at the battlefield, she looked at four familiar figures on the other side who had already begun a fierce battle.

Gawain, Tristan, Percival, and... Crowley.

He really is here; my premonition was right.

"Ritsuka, Mash, you two organize the evacuation of these refugees. I'm going to check over there!"

"Huff... As expected of Senior Artoria, she's so fast."

Ritsuka and Mash arrived behind them, panting heavily.

Seeing the mother and child left behind, Mash breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Although I clearly saw it, I couldn't catch up... Luckily, Miss Artoria was there."

Without pausing, after rescuing the mother and child, Artoria rushed towards the city wall.

"But didn't the doctor say we should retreat?"

Seeing Artoria continue deeper into the area, Mash's face showed worry.

'There's no way around it! This is a terrible situation, and Miss Artoria simply can't possibly stay calm!'

Roman's Projection knew Artoria's current situation better than anyone else.

Seeing the Knights of the Round Table in this state, it would be strange if she, as King Arthur, wasn't anxious.

Knowing the opponent's strength, Roman issued new instructions without hesitation.

"Ritsuka, Mash! No, you two should lead the refugees and break through to the west! The magical reaction at the city gate is too terrifying; you absolutely cannot go there!"

"But... Senior Artoria, she..."

"Don't worry, she'll be fine! I'll take care of her over there."

Roman's tone was firm and unquestionable.

—Whoosh!

A piercing whistling sound flashed by, cutting through the air and leaving deep, claw-like furrows in the ground beneath their feet.

"Hmm? You really are extraordinary..."

Having blocked countless magical energy blades from his opponent, Rovey's skill level made Tristan feel quite troubled, and he realized even more that he would definitely not be able to capture him without using his true abilities.

Then, this guy made the right decision decisively and promptly released his Noble Phantasm.

" —Failnaught!!"

With Tristan's low growl, more invisible sonic blades arrived beside Rovey in the next instant, intending to slice him to pieces.

"You really don't hold back... It seems the 'Reversal' blessing has completely warped your mind."

"There's no other way. This is the only way I can subdue you." Tristan said coldly, "Don't worry, I will spare your life later. After all, you are the one chosen by the king."

"You think you can subdue me like this?"

Rovey raised an eyebrow slightly, intending to block Tristan's Noble Phantasm, when suddenly...

Knock knock!

His heart suddenly raced, and then a colorful light emanated from his chest.

The Avalon within him seemed to resonate with something on this battlefield, which distracted him unintentionally.

—Whoosh! Whoosh!

In a mere instant, the invisible sonic blade arrived. Because he was distracted, Rovey didn't have time to deflect the attack. He was just about to use his magic to open the barrier and withstand it when the sonic blade, which was powerful enough to cut through steel, did not land on his body.

"You're way too late, Crowley! And the place where we're reunited is anything but romantic, in a place like this. You really are something else."

"I'm so sorry we didn't meet again in the flower field, my silly queen..."

"Hmm, I'll settle the score with you later."

The Golden King of Knights's figure darted across the battlefield from the side and into the center, standing alone like a shield in front of Rovey. Facing several invisible sonic blades, the blinding light emanating from the Holy Lance completely blocked them, steadily catching Tristan's terrifying Noble Phantasm attack.

"Actually... I'd rather hear you call me Artoria or Lily than the title 'Queen of Fools'."