The Lion King's Invitation (cont.)

"Have you already forgotten how quickly you almost strangled me when we first clashed? Isn't it a bit too hasty to propose winning me over now? Besides, I have nothing to talk about with an evil god who usurps bodies and slaughters humans."

Rovey was not intimidated by the Lion King's imposing aura. He gently stroked his chin, quickly regained his own pace, and then addressed her.

While it is indeed terrifying for a human to confront a god directly, he has done it more than once or twice, and by now he should be used to it.

And...

"Don't you feel any remorse at all? Even if you exist in the form of a god, you should at least have some self-awareness. Since you claim to be Ordered Good, what you're doing now is far worse than Chaotic Evil. Even the massacres of Lionheart King and the crucifixion didn't kill as many people as you have, did they? Don't you really think you've put the cart before the horse?"

Rovey shrugged and then spoke to the Lion King in front of him, while his other hand quietly grasped Artoria's trembling hand, trying to signal her to stay rational.

"Just how depraved have you become? Have you completely abandoned everything from your past?"

A woman's voice demanded an extremely angry response. Clearly, Artoria could not tolerate this version of herself, who had fallen to such a low level and only possessed a fleeting sense of self.

Sure enough, the person who hates themselves the most is often themselves.

She gripped the Holy Lance tightly in her hand. If it weren't for Rovey blocking her way, Artoria would have already rushed forward to fight the Lion King to the death.

Even though she was wearing a helmet and had deliberately changed her tone, how could Artoria not recognize the Lion King's true identity?

This person is herself... a self completely lost in the past. I just never expected that she would fall to such a state, becoming nothing more than a tool.

"... I am not King Arthur, I am the Lion King. You are you, and I am me. The paths you and I chose are different, which has led to this outcome."

"Although I don't know why you exist, you are not important to me. You are just a possibility waiting for destruction along with this world that is about to perish."

Faced with Artoria's questioning, the Lion King chose to deny and reject it. She completely rejected this alternative future that belonged to her. Then she looked at the figure beside Artoria and continued calmly, "Moreover, I did not make any excuses. That was a meaningless act. What I did was right. This is not a war, but a continuation."

The Lion King's emerald green, empty eyes stared intently at Rovey before him. Although Lovi's pupils shone with a storm-like light, no human emotions could be seen in them.

For her—

Our hearts are as clear as a mirror, and all our actions are righteous.

She was unwaveringly convinced that her method was the best and most correct, and that only she could save the world. As for other people or things, they were merely minor episodes before everything was accomplished, including, of course, her other self.

Rather, it is precisely because of themselves that they are less likely to understand and accept each other.

"See? This is probably the answer to the question you just asked me, and it's also the final boss of this Singularity."

Upon seeing the Lion King Rovey sighed and said, "Artoria, this is the end for you who have not been redeemed."

"..."

At this moment, Artoria remained silent, but the anger in her eyes was already evident.

The Holy Lance he gripped tightly in his hand gleamed with a blinding light, ready to unleash a devastating attack on the Lion King before him at any moment.

'[Miss Artoria! And that gentleman—please respond! How is the situation on your end?! Due to the sudden magical shock, all the instruments in the observation room have malfunctioned!] '

'[Furthermore, according to the equipment, Ritsuka and Mash are in extremely bad condition, and only about one-third of the refugees remain!!]'

Dr. Roman's extremely anxious voice came through the communication device on Artoria's body, reporting the results of the battle just now caused by the release of the Lion King's Holy Lance.

Yet, upon hearing such a brutal number, the Lion King remained unmoved. The dead, and the so-called Chaldea, were all trivial matters to her. At this moment, the only person on the battlefield worthy of her attention was Rovey.

This is also a key reason why she didn't fire the Holy Lance repeatedly and level the place.

The first full-power Holy Lance was launched because she had witnessed Rovey's skill level and knew that a single sneak attack would not be enough to eliminate him. She actually intended to injure him rather than kill him.

"This is really difficult... Are so many people still dying?"

"... However, it seems I'm quite important to you? After all, a goddess like you can't just come down and personally arrest people every time, can you? And you actually consider me an equal, even going so far as to invite me, so I must be very valuable to you..."

Rovey suddenly raised his voice and stood in front of her to prevent the Lion King from attacking Artoria. After all, gods are unpredictable, and Rovey didn't know if the Lion King would suddenly make a move. However, the current situation was that Ritsuka and Mash had been thrown to an unknown location by the aftershocks and were seriously injured, while Gawain and Percival, who were standing in the center of the explosion, were both seriously injured. A large number of refugees nearby were also half-dead from the aftershocks. If the Lion King really wanted to make a move, he had to stop her in time.

Thinking of this, Rovey immediately tensed up.

The main reason is that even if he and Artoria fought together, they wouldn't be able to defeat the opponent. Fighting here would result in too many casualties. He originally came to rescue people, and although many have already died, he can only do his best to save the remaining ones.

"That's right, you are an existence equal to me. I am collecting the purest souls in the world, beings that can represent the concept of humanity. The future of humanity needs to be based on this."

The Lion King then gave his answer, "And you, the chosen one, the light emanating from you is the most dazzling I have ever seen. I can sense the purity and innocence of your soul. You alone surpass the combined mass of all the souls in Camelot; you are an absolutely irreplaceable being. So..."

Under Artoria's astonished gaze, the Lion King, who had been completely assimilated by the goddess and had always been uninterested in anything, actually extended his palm towards Rovey and uttered the words she had kept hidden in her heart for a thousand years. "Innocent one, Child of God, pure human, you are the most suitable choice to follow Camelot and me to the other side of the world's end. Come, become my partner, and we will reach the end of time together, and then, at some appropriate moment in the future, restart Human Order together."

"Oh, is this considered a confession?"

Rovey joked, trying to buy some time to think of a better strategy.

"Calculate."

However, the Lion King was clearly not the shy girl Nitocris was; having already harbored this idea, she readily admitted it without hesitation.

Artoria: "..."

Artoria, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed at this person who had appeared out of nowhere and was trying to steal her away.

"That's quite an honor, to be proposed to by a goddess. But you've probably picked the wrong person. I have no interest in becoming your Adam."

"Refuse...?"

What do you think?

"You bastard who appeared out of nowhere, die!!"

As the two continued their standoff, Artoria, who had been holding back her anger, raised her Holy Lance and attacked.

Because of her strong physique, and because Rovey had just taken the brunt of the Holy Lance's damage for her, she was in relatively good condition. While Rovey was stalling for time, she had already unleashed the Holy Lance to its limit. Upon hearing that her counterpart in this world was going to take away the person she had waited for for over a thousand years, she unleashed the same ultimate move as the Lion King's earlier sneak attack as a retaliatory strike, intending to give the Lion King a surprise.

[ —Rhongomyniad (Rhongomyniad)!!]

To Rovey's surprise, Artoria launched her attack with the Holy Lance.

"Madness."

Sensing that extremely familiar power, the Lion King's eyes merely flickered slightly before she raised her own hand and unleashed the power of the Holy Lance.

The next moment, the starlight before my eyes became even more dazzling.

Two golden rays of light from the surface of the Holy Lance burst forth simultaneously, their dazzling brilliance merging like the sun. In that instant, terrifying energy swept across the entire city gate area of Camelot, causing an earthquake-like tremor.

Fortunately, Rovey had delayed for so long that the surviving refugees had already followed Ritsuka's main force westward, so the clash of the Holy Lance hadn't resulted in too many innocent lives being lost again. However...

"Artoria!!"

Rovey was startled by Artoria's sudden action.

After all, it's too much of a stretch to fight the Lion King head-on with the Holy Lance.

At this moment, the Lion King, who has transformed into the Holy Lance Goddess and can unleash the full power of the Holy Lance, can suppress Artoria, who has not yet broken all the seals, even though he attacks later.

In an instant, the clash of the Holy Lance resulted in Artoria suffering a significant loss.

"Ooh!"

The golden light was overwhelmed, and the dazzling brilliance attempted to engulf everything about Artoria. Although Rovey intervened to stop it, Artoria was still struck by a portion of the Holy Lance's light and suffered serious injuries.

Seeing that Artoria had made the first move, the Lion King also planned to seize this opportunity to kill this version of himself who had chosen a completely different path, and to take away her Anchor of the Planet. That way, she could build more Tower of the End and then accommodate more qualified humans.

"Do not move!"

"Hmm?"

The instant the Lion King approached, Rovey reached out his right hand and pulled the injured Artoria into his arms. At the same time, his other hand gripped a silver spear, from which his own blood flowed, and he held it motionless, aiming it at the Lion King.

"..."

The starlight, unlike the surface of the Anchor of the Planet, seemed ordinary, but the silver-white spear made her stop in her tracks.

—The Lance of Longinus.

As Percival was blasted away by the Holy Lance and nearly fainted, Rovey seized the opportunity to summon the Holy Lance and release his own blood to awaken it as much as possible. Now, after a thousand years, the blood of the God Child flowed freely once more at the tip of the lance, and the power to slay the God Child spread from its tip. Rovey was prepared to fight the Lion King to the death.

If you really want a decisive battle, then come on!

Let's compare the two Holy Lance and see which one is more powerful.

At worst, we can just blow up the Lance of Longinus and sink Camelot!

"Crowley, you..."

Artoria, held in someone's arms, felt a little nervous and shy. But thinking about how she had wanted to help Rovey break the deadlock just a moment ago, and now found herself in a situation where she needed to be protected, she couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Although more than a thousand years have passed, I am still the one being protected.

We clearly agreed that I would be his sword the next time we met, but...

"Let me make this clear beforehand: if you dare to lay a hand on anyone here, I will not hesitate to release this and then drag you along on this journey with me, at any cost."

The Lance of Longinus, having drunk the blood of the God Child, had already pushed its power to its peak, but this was still not enough to kill the Lion King, who was of divine caliber.

Ultimately, Rovey couldn't think of many ways to defeat the Lion King head-on, but he did have a way to bring her along on the journey.

The most efficient way is to use the life of the God Child to liberate this gun.

"..."

Seeing this, the Lion King abandoned his previous thought. "It doesn't matter. My past self and those losers are nothing but trivial matters to me. These tasks should be left to the Round Table. My only target is you."

"Me alone... So what do you want to do? Do you want to trade one for one with me?"

"..."

The Lion King did not answer, but the light shimmering on the surface of the Holy Lance in her hand answered everything.

She will not back down no matter what.

Even if it might cost her her life, she would still take down Rovey.

"I see... So you only want me, right? How about we make a deal? I'll go back to Camelot with you, and in return, you'll let everyone leave."

Realizing this, Rovey didn't press the matter further, but instead decided to stop while he was ahead.

If given the choice, nobody wants to be a self-destructing firework of a great hero.

Sacrificing himself to obtain the Lance of Longinus to replicate the shot that killed the God Child sounds cool and is unforgettable.

But if he could avoid dying, Rovey certainly didn't want to.

Moreover, Rovey wasn't sure if the shot that killed the Holy Son could actually kill the Supreme God. Besides, he cared about too many people...

He has been busy and moving forward for so long.

Over time, he accumulated many bonds, and there were too many people who loved him and whom he loved. His death would undoubtedly cause many people pain.

Although there's a high chance he'll be captured by that heartless boss Alaya and made a guardian, it would be difficult to see his friends again.

The Lion King was nothing more than a Lion King; there were clearly better solutions available, and he certainly wasn't worth trading his life for the other side.

She was all alone, but I wasn't... Many people were waiting for him to come home.

"Yes, although the traitors will definitely be eliminated, I can guarantee that I will not take action now."

The Lion King agreed to Rovey's deal and laid down the Holy Lance, while Rovey also laid down the Lance of Longinus.

"The contract is established."

Rovey didn't believe the Lion King would go back on his word; such a being, having lost human emotions, didn't even have the capacity for regret or deception.

Since she has already agreed, she will definitely keep her word and carry it out.

Then, Rovey gently put Artoria down from his arms and stroked her slightly messy golden hair.

"Crowley, don't go with her! You..."

"I'm fine, she won't hurt me. Besides, this is a good opportunity for me. I've always been very interested in the Anchor of the Planet and the Tower of the End. If I can observe them up close, I'm sure I'll make some new discoveries. Percival, Gudako, Mash, and those refugees, you'll take care of them. We'll meet again later in the Mountain Village or the Pyramid. And the way you stood up for me just now, you're still as dashing as ever. It reminds me of the first time I saw you. I never imagined that the crybaby Saber had grown up like this. You're so cool! If I had faced you in this state back then, I would have definitely beaten you to a pulp!"

"Thank you, Artoria."

Rovey comforted Artoria, saying that during her 1,500-year journey, she had grown more than he had imagined.

Now, he must do everything he can to protect her.

After saying that, Rovey got up and went straight to the Lion King, giving Artoria no chance to stop him.

"I can go with you, but let me make this clear first. I will not submit to you, nor will I agree with you. I am only going to witness what you call the end of the world, so I will definitely leave. There are more important people waiting for me to return, Lion King."

"It's meaningless. I only need your soul."

The Lion King responded in this way.

"See you later, Artoria."

Afterwards Rovey carried his cane and said goodbye to Artoria behind him. Passing by Percival, he returned the Lance of Longinus to him and apologized for lying earlier.

He wasn't as great as Moses; he was just an ordinary Magus.