Tathagata's Divine Palm!!
To assist the king, to protect the king, until the very last moment.
This is the kind of loyalty that Lancelot will never understand in his entire life!
The thought of that bastard Lancelot filled Agravaine with rage, and he immediately forgot his last bit of sadness, focusing on the final checks and strategic deployments.
He gazed at the boundless wilderness in the distance, his fingers silently pressing against the hilt of his sword.
"Come, Child of God, Mountain People, and rebels of the desert, I will make you understand just how utterly pathetic your ridiculous ideals and hopes are before the Holy Lance and Camelot."
Meanwhile, in the distance, the wasteland above the Camelot region was rapidly approaching.
Something's coming!
The Hassan, with their keenest senses, were the first to notice the changes in the sky and wind direction, and a very ominous premonition arose in their hearts.
At that very moment, in their enhanced vision, a golden light from the top of the holy city rose from the ground, instantly transforming into a dazzling meteor that fiercely carved a shocking scar across the azure sky.
"[A terrifying release of magic power has been detected! The results show that the aura of that light is identical to that of Miss Artoria's Holy Lance, but the magical reaction is on a completely different level! If we had to describe it—it's about 10 to 15 times the power of Miss Artoria's Holy Lance!]"
On the other side of Chaldea, Dr. Roman, looking at the impossible value on the instrument, lost all his joking demeanor and hurriedly reported his findings, his tone extremely anxious.
If this Holy Lance were to fall, its power would instantly vaporize an army of tens of thousands, with more than half of them reduced to ashes.
This is the intervention of a deity!
"It's another version of my Holy Lance, and this time it's not just a minor skirmish like before. This time she has truly unleashed the Holy Lance and used the power of the Tower of the End."
Artoria, who was most familiar with the Holy Lance, explained.
"Starting with a super-tier True Magic as a sign of respect? What a grand opening ceremony, Dr. Roman. Tell me the landing time."
Riding on the back of the Sand Sphinx, Rovey asked Roman on the other side of Chaldea about the exact time when the Holy Lance fell.
"[30 seconds! Only half a minute! You must find a way to stop the Holy Lance now!]"
Dr. Roman's tone became even more anxious.
"I see."
Rovey nodded, then began to think about how to get this thing.
He's not in a good position to make a move right now, and Arash has been sent to help Ozymandias withstand the pressure.
However, since the Lion King has taken this so seriously, it would be impolite for him to continue hiding it. Therefore—
'Then let's use a little. I also want to know just how strong the malice of a world truly is. Can the mere will of a god really withstand the sins she has committed?'
"Leave this to me, Al. If I lose control later, remember to wake me up. I will not lose until I have dealt with that guy."
Rovey spoke calmly, and then the Sand Sphinx beneath him seemed to understand his meaning, carrying him at top speed towards the trajectory of the Holy Lance, preparing to intercept it.
To be honest, Rovey had already guessed that he would encounter the Holy Lance in the war. After all, the Lion King was a mobile artillery turret. However, it was a bit too overwhelming to expect him to unleash the full power of liberation right from the start.
They say they don't trust humans and think humans are too weak to change anything, but when they actually face humans, aren't they terrified?
There are actually many ways to block the Holy Lance. The simplest way is to learn from Arash's Stella and use an explosion to cancel out the explosion in mid-air. Although Arash is not here, the Heroic Spirit present still have AoE Noble Phantasm.
However, this time the Holy Lance was being unleashed at full power, and even if Artoria were to unleash it as well, it wouldn't be able to completely negate the attack. On the contrary, the sheer force of the impact was enough to give the army behind him a hard time, so he had to think of other solutions.
And he just happened to have something on him that would definitely allow him to withstand the Holy Lance.
"Avalon, I'm counting on you from now on."
Rovey touched his chest and muttered to himself, after all, Avalon's deployment is a defensive technique that can even block a full-power Ea, so why should he be afraid of this Holy Lance?
His only concern was how long he could hold on after he pulled out the plug that was Avalon.
His body is now like a volcano about to erupt; once it is no longer restrained, its contents will inevitably erupt uncontrollably.
Although this was meant to be used on the Lion King, there was no time to wait. He had no choice but to do it this way for now. At worst, he could just throw him into Camelot and give them a surprise when he couldn't hold him back any longer.
'What are you looking at? I'm a hero too!'
"Rovey!"
"Crowley -senpai! We're going too!!"
"What? What are you doing following us— Gudako and Mash?"
As the Sand Sphinx soared into the air, riding the sandstorm, a Sphinx followed, carrying Ritsuka and Mash on its back. Artoria wanted to help, but unfortunately, she was riding a warhorse, not Sphinx.
When he saw the two of them following him, Rovey looked somewhat surprised.
"Senior Crowley, the Humanity Incineration is something Chaldea should have dealt with. You've helped us so much this time, it's time for us to repay you. Besides, Dr. Roman has already told us about your current physical condition, so let us handle this crisis."
Ritsuka Fujimaru rode the Sphinx to Rovey's side and smiled as she spoke to him. At the same time, the golden meteor broke through the clouds and was right in front of them, only ten seconds away from arriving.
Mash had already raised her shield, preparing to withstand the impact of the meteor at close range.
"Roman, why do you have such a big mouth? I'll teach him a lesson when we get back!!"
Rovey snapped at Roman from Chaldea, scaring Roman into silence. But what Rovey feared most at that moment were Mash and Ritsuka.
"You two, stop fooling around. No one can withstand this attack unscathed except with a full-force defensive stance; even Galahad's shield—"
"No, we still have a trump card up our sleeve."
Ritsuka suddenly raised the Command Seal on the back of her hand.
"Please trust us. As long as Mash and I stand here, we will absolutely not let anyone get hurt."
"That's right, I will definitely protect everyone."
They spoke with utmost seriousness, and as they spoke, one of the red marks disappeared again.
"Senior Crowley, you have an even more important mission to complete. Only you can defeat the Lion King. Please do not let down those who believe in you, whether they are the Heroic Spirit or us, who are all looking forward to the ending you have described."
Mash murmured softly, and in the next moment, the second Command Seal on the back of her hand vanished.
"Then, carry our hopes forward! Defeat the Lion King and win the final victory! We all look forward to your wedding with Miss Artoria!"
"See you later, Senior Rovey!!"
As the final words fell, the two left behind bright smiles. Then, the red Command Seal disappeared along with their figures. At this moment, Mash stood in front of Ritsuka, ready for the final battle.
"Senior..."
"Okay, let's all come at once, Mash!"
The dark shield emitted a faint light, and the girl bravely faced the descending light as she held it high. Although the light looked extremely dim, and although it was so weak as to be almost imperceptible compared to a dazzling shooting star, it shone with an indescribable sense of security at this moment.
Compared to the distant White Chalk City, this light felt warmer and more reassuring.
Because...
"—The real Camelot is right here, Senior Galahad, please."
"True Name Release - I stand on the seat of calamity, in our homeland that can heal all wounds and all resentment."
"—The Lord Camelot (Lord Camelot)!!"
Pure white magic surged forth, mingled with pale blue light, and the snowflake-like purity of the power continuously coalesced in her palm. In less than a second, a white city-state, almost identical to the pristine city on the ground, suddenly appeared high in the sky, protecting everyone below and behind her. Only a shield, braving the blinding light, continued to approach.
This body, alone, is an unshakable Snowflake Bulwark, never retreating even in the face of the wrath of the gods.
When Mash met Lady Artoria, she told her about the weight of the shield and its meaning, and also revealed the knight's true name. However, even with reverence, the Mash of the past could not unleash the shield, and even with Galahad's approval, she could not activate its true Noble Phantasm.
It wasn't until she witnessed Camelot, built on the land of calamity, at this Singularity that Mash truly understood and comprehended what the Snow Wall was.
But the gate to that Avalon is false, built with blood and tears; it is by no means the true gate to Avalon.
Now, after experiencing so much growth, Mash will surely be able to unleash this strongest defensive Noble Phantasm, and she will surely be able to make the gates of the City of Ideals reappear on the land of calamity once again.
—Boom!!
The pristine Snowflake Bulwark bloomed in full glory, and in my memory, the phantom of that holy city collided with the Holy Lance in the sky, completely sweeping away all the clouds.
The ear-piercing roar and the blinding light were visible to both the knights in the holy city and their companions below.
Although Mash lacks the memories of the Knights of the Round Table and doesn't know what the ideal world looks like, and the Noble Phantasm she unleashes isn't as magnificent and grand as the real Avalon, the purity of her desire to protect those around her is far more pristine and flawless than any holy city.
Rather than isolating evil, her Avalon places greater emphasis on protection.
And this is the City of Ideals that Mash built, a city of protection, White Chalk City that will never waver!
City?
What's going on?
"Where did this city come from? They couldn't possibly withstand this level of power!"
On a distant hill, Barbatos looked at the Snowflake Bulwark in the sky that was stubbornly resisting the Lion King Holy Selection's attack with a puzzled expression.
"Mash... she's really grown up..."
Lev, standing to the side, was somewhat moved as he looked at the purple figure.
The child I once witnessed being born has now grown up to the point where he can withstand attacks from the gods.
Witnessing this situation firsthand, he truly didn't know how to describe his feelings at that moment...
Are you angry? Do you hate it?
No, I'm more relieved than anything else.
"Hmph, so-called gods are nothing more than this, not even good enough to be dog food."
Goetia watched the Holy Lance being gradually neutralized, a mocking smile on his face. He valued the girl who held up the shield more than the Lion King who thought he could escape.
"It's just a boring interlude. Let's continue to retrieve the Holy Grail. Before the Lion King is defeated, we need to use the Holy Grail to re-fix this Singularity. The King must still be here."
As he spoke, Goetia looked up at the enormous pyramid that stood silently atop the mountain.
"Hateful--!!"
"Neither Chaldea nor those refugees could possibly possess weapons of this caliber, could they? What on earth is going on?!"
Agravaine watched the power of the Holy Lance being gradually neutralized, his eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the white phantom in the clouds that, while resembling Camelot, was completely different from Camelot.
The original plan was to use the Holy Lance to crush their ranks before the war, to let those refugee ragtag troops experience the wrath of the gods, and to break their fighting spirit.
In this way, they can gain a significant advantage in the war.
However, the scene before him was something Agravaine never dreamed of.
"That's not a weapon."
While Agravaine looked angry and surprised, Gawain, who was standing next to him, suddenly spoke up.
"Gawain, what does this mean?"
"That was a belief, a steadfast belief that could withstand the Lion King's full-force attack... a belief that one should entrust one's whole being to protect."
"... Galahad has really found a good successor."
Gawain simply smiled slightly and then fell silent.
Compared to Agravaine, who was lost and couldn't even recognize the Chalk Gate, he, though dull-witted, saw much more.
Similarly, a hint of envy flashed in his eyes.
'The battle that follows can no longer be taken lightly.'
Gawain slowly gripped the sword hilt, silently reciting these words to himself.
Chapter 212 The Tathagata Palm!
Boom boom boom—!!!
Heaven and earth cried out in despair; the earth roared.
A blinding beam of light seemed to tilt the sky, and a vast divine power erupted violently in the heavens, its terrifying force causing the figures below to tremble.
" —Mash!!"
"Senior--!!"
Hundreds of meters in the air, Mash and Ritsuka held hands tightly, their calls overlapping. The power and momentum of the Holy Lance began to decline at a visible rate under their combined resistance.