Invincible God of War, Come Forth!

"Without the Holy Sword, Crowley will infuse the Lion King with emotion in his own way, eventually overshadowing the coldness of the Holy Lance. However, the reversed Lion King is merely a new Lion King Alter, not entirely the one you remember. So, if you want to apologize in person, now is your only chance."

Merlin began to explain earnestly, then looked at the anxious Bedivere in front of him and spoke again.

"Now you have two choices, Bedivere. You can return to this false Avalon and give your soul a brief respite. Once Crowley defeats the Lion King, you can leave. That would be a short rest. The other option is..."

"I want to get out! I want to atone to the king in person!"

Before Merlin could finish speaking, Bedivere gave his answer directly.

He shouted and roared, making the choice that he feared most, yet which was also what he longed for most.

"I see... I understand."

Upon seeing this, Merlin also smiled.

"Seriously, this is the option... I bet you wouldn't go out. It seems I'm not as good as that woman when it comes to understanding humans. I've lost this time."

"Huh!?"

Bedivere was taken aback, while Merlin shook his head and said, "It's nothing. Now we need to figure out how to get you out of here. You can't escape the Holy Lance on your own."

"In that case, how about adding a holy sword, Sir Bedivere and Mage Merlin?"

"Wow! There's a ghost!"

"It's not a ghost or monster. You have to believe in science. My friend is just your detective friend."

Suddenly, Holmes appeared out of nowhere behind Merlin. He had also slipped into the interior of the Holy Lance, and he was holding the Holy Sword that Goetia had hidden in this Singularity.

When he was at Atlas Institute, he said he would provide help in critical moments, and that was what he meant by this.

Even if the Demon God King hid the Holy Sword in the deepest canyon of this Singularity, it wouldn't be a problem for this renowned detective. As for the Lion King's Holy Lance...

Since he is a detective, it would be reasonable for him to learn some infiltration and disguise techniques, right?

Merlin, who was trying to connect, was quite startled when he saw that this guy had actually sneaked in with the Holy Sword, and he felt even more that this detective was definitely not as simple as he seemed.

"Then, Bedivere, it's time for you to set off."

Holmes handed the gleaming holy sword in his hand to Bedivere.

"Yes, thank you."

Bedivere grasped it tightly, then nodded solemnly.

The holy sword returned, its blinding light flashing.

Concrete things began to seem illusory.

No.

It's not that it's starting to become unreal.

Rather, from the very beginning, these things were illusions, merely delusions that he longed for but could never attain.

The moment it was exposed by a famous detective, it completely lost its meaning of existence.

Bedivere used his holy sword to cleave open the gate, his gaze piercing through the remaining crack as he looked into the distance at the white city that was gradually turning into foam.

He just gazed at that city from afar, that utopian city.

"How did you even get in? Even with a holy sword, it would be difficult for an ordinary Servant to enter, right?"

Merlin, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but ask.

"Haha, nothing can stop a detective seeking the truth, that's common sense, my friend."

Holmes chuckled, then vanished again as if by magic.

Soon, endless white light shone from behind Bedivere, then covered everything around him, and finally even swallowed up the afterimage of the city.

Bedivere stared.

He watched as his Avalon gradually crumbled into fragments right before his eyes, then vanished into ashes, until not even a trace remained.

Then, the sun rose as usual, and the dream ended.

Chapter 221 Endless War God, Come Out!

"Ha!"

Bang--!!

In a pitch-black world detached from that pristine white space, Rovey punched the person in front of him whose armor was gradually losing its pure white color, knocking him into the black mud, while panting slightly.

At the same time, he shouted loudly, "Keep going, don't stop, Goddess! Can't you fight without the Holy Lance? Are your limbs really just for show?"

"Back when I fought Artoria in Fuyuki City, I was way stronger than you."

"--absurd!"

The Lion King roared in anger, intending to retaliate, but the Lance of Longinus, held tightly in Rovey's left hand, pressed firmly against the Lion King's Rhongomyniad, making it difficult for him to exert his power.

Although the Lion King wanted to free it, the dark mud had already obscured the Holy Lance's white shell. Dark black and crimson, two different colors of deep color, climbed onto the Holy Lance, swallowing its original brilliance. Crimson thorns also grew on it, making it difficult for the Lion King to hold it tightly in his hand.

"Waaah..."

A violent blow to the abdomen sent a groan of agony through her. The Lion King, kneeling in the mud, stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Even her pristine white hand, which had gripped the Holy Lance, was slashed open, stained crimson. Simultaneously, an unparalleled pain surged through her mind, making it impossible for her to concentrate. This wasn't the pain of the cut hand, but the agonizing torment her soul was enduring.

Wronged souls, Black Mud, the All the World's Evil...

The endless malice that had accumulated in this world, the hatred, pain, despair, and wails of those she had killed, all began to flood into her mind and started to buzz.

This unusual interference made it impossible for the Lion King to concentrate on fighting. He could only listen to the continuous howls around him, while busy defending against Rovey's attacks and retreating, trying to find an opportunity to escape this dark world.

However--

How could Rovey possibly give her that chance?!

Were those seemingly insignificant punches really Rovey's full power at that moment?

Obviously, that's not the case.

The series of bullet punches just now were just Rovey testing the waters. He was simply using the Calamity Torrent, his malice, and his emotions to influence the Lion King's state, slowly dragging him into a trap that had already been set up.

After all, she is a goddess, and even the All the World's Evil cannot immediately affect her; it will take some time.

The Lion King was certainly aware of this, which is why she was in a hurry to leave this eerie place.

--call out!!

When that silver light pierced the air, the Lance of Longinus tearing through the void and knocking off her helmet, revealing her true face beneath the visor, the Lion King finally sensed that clear killing intent flashing by, and Rovey's true offensive officially began.

"—Take this!"

That's when he truly unleashed his attack!

Moreover, along with his movements and the surging killing intent, the entire dark world began to surge at this moment, with the suppressed red and black waves like the sea and giant waves, and then Rovey's attack erupted.

Its ferocity, ferocity, strength, power, and dominance were unprecedented.

The Lion King tried to stop her, but the punch came crashing down along with the dark waves and the illusions of the Astral Soul she had killed.

With incredible speed and power, it transcended the limitations of space and distance in the blink of an eye, and a powerful fist landed on her beautiful face, causing her entire body to stagger and almost lose her balance.

"What... what kind of power is this?"

"It's incredible that it can affect me so much..."

Repeatedly attacked by Rovey, as a deity, constantly having such filthy substances poured into her body by humans, and being touched by such attacks, even the Lion King lost her former indifference and detachment at this moment, perhaps without even realizing it herself—

Anger, confusion, astonishment...

These emotions, which would never have appeared on her goddess face under any circumstances, were now appearing one after another, and her original nobility and transcendence as a deity were being shattered.

Subtly, the Lion King's lofty throne in heaven has been shaken, and her pure, white, and empty heart has been gradually filled with the things she once abandoned.

And what taught her about emotions was—

"The Hand of God!!"

"God Demon-Slaying Fist!!"

"Demon-Slaying World-Saving Fist!!!"

"—Sea Tiger Explosive Fist!!!"

A series of powerful moves arrived in an instant, accompanied by the sound of air being cut and the sharp wind of the fists. Although the skill names were just randomly shouted out, after disarming her, Rovey's fists really struck her body like a storm. Although they were not the kind of explosive force like magnetic field power, they were more of a variety of emotions and scenes that she had ignored.

Whether it was his own emotions or those of the dead, all those numerous and varied emotions were now using his body as a medium to strike out as far as possible, hitting the Lion King's body and, more importantly, her soul.

"Stop, stop—!"

The goddess's perfect body made the Lion King feel little physical pain from the blows, but the special attack superimposed on his soul caused her excruciating pain.

Something hidden deep within the soul seemed to be about to burst forth, and certain shackles within the heart began to shake silently at this moment.

'This can't be done, it won't work...'

The Lion King, who had never experienced any inner turmoil before, felt a new pulse rekindle in her long-dead heart under such circumstances. Faced with this situation, she could only grit her teeth, ignoring her body, which was beginning to turn black from the bottom up. In this final moment, she raised her red and black Holy Lance high, intending to shatter everything in front of her, because she sensed that Rovey was trying to defile her; he didn't want to kill her, but rather to corrupt her.

She simply could not accept that kind of thing, that kind of thing.

She could accept death, she could accept defeat, but she couldn't accept becoming the other side of herself.

So--

"Holy Lance - Pull..."

Amidst the dark waves, the Lion King raised the Holy Lance, about to forcefully unleash it, but her hand suddenly paused at the next moment.

Immediately, the Holy Lance in his hand seemed to be shackled, unable to move, as if it were being stopped by some invisible special force, unable to exert its power.

The Holy Lance, which she had always held tightly in her hand and which was as much as part of her body, betrayed her at this crucial moment!

'How... how is this possible?'

The Lion King's eyes widened, utterly bewildered by this turn of events. But being a goddess, her millennia of experience and wisdom were not merely for show. In a mere instant, the Lion King guessed the answer and angrily cried out a name she hadn't uttered in countless years—

"King Arthur!!"

With a roar of anger, complex emotions began to surge forth, even to the point of complete loss of control. In that brief moment, the Lion King used his soul to delve into another dimension of his mind.

At this moment, in the space of consciousness, the once pure white tower was teetering on the verge of collapse, and the fierce storm it had stirred up was gradually subsiding. And the figure that should have disappeared long ago actually appeared here once again.

"So it was you who did it all along."

The Lion King stared at the figure sitting at the Tower of the End at the end.

She was a unique being with the exact same face Lion King before her, but with different hair color and armor style. However, without a doubt, she was also Artoria.

The Lion King demanded, "Do you even exist anymore? Why are you interfering with me?!"

Artoria, dressed entirely in black, looked at the Lion King who appeared before her without saying much, only calmly speaking.

"You and I were originally one person... It was because I lacked the ability and means in the past that you appeared. I couldn't control anything at all. Now it's just that the lost feelings and memories have returned. It's you who are unable to fight seriously."

"And I have seen what you have done over the past thousand years for the so-called Tower of the End, not only causing the Knights of the Round Table to fight amongst themselves, but also killing so many innocent people. I feel deeply pained,... and... disappointed, and remorseful. King Arthur should not have done such things... Now it should all end."

"That's what the dark Artoria said, her eyes filled with disgust and regret as she looked at the Lion King."

If she were given another chance to go back to the day she picked up the Holy Lance, even if she couldn't find peace this time and was forever haunted in this world like a lost soul, she would never let the version of herself that had committed such a sin come out.

"Foolish! I am you, you and I are the same person! As King Arthur, you must prioritize the greater good and take saving all mankind as your responsibility! These principles are engraved in your soul, you should understand that too!"

"And you, now, are influencing me. The karma of killing I committed in the past is binding me, preventing me from using my full strength, and leaving me in this predicament!"

"Artoria, if you want to save humanity and Britannia, then disappear right now!!"

The Lion King's condition has deteriorated again. All sorts of negative emotions have stained her inside and out with a completely opposite color, even her demeanor. At this moment, only she herself is unaware of the drastic changes in herself.

Seeing this, Artoria remained seated before the tower where the Holy Lance stood. She shook her head and said indifferently, "No, I no longer trust you."

"You..."

"And it is time for you to leave. Your end has come. Farewell, Lion King."

Artoria had no intention of continuing the conversation. She simply spoke her final words calmly, and then the Lion King was ejected from her consciousness. The Holy Lance in her hand remained dormant, devoid of any power. The Holy Lance had completely betrayed her.

At this moment, unable to even maintain a unified thought, she completely lost her goddess demeanor and became somewhat deranged. Compared to Artoria, her current state can be described as going from one extreme to another; if one had to describe it, she would be more like Morgan.

Furthermore, directly in front of her, Rovey, who had already guessed what was going on, saw the Lion King, who had completely changed, and knew that things were almost done.

So--