Chapter 433
"Well, to be honest."
Charlemagne scratched his head, struggling to speak, "How many people live in my Brother-in-Law's apartment?"
When Charlemagne heard Hassan of the Zealot mention the apartment where Black Princess and Novia were staying, he couldn't help but worry about what would happen to his sister Attila. Although he knew Novia's character, he still couldn't help but fear that other women might bully his naive sister in other ways.
In his memory, Attila only came to Novia's side after the Holy Grail War in the Snowfield ended.
In other words... it was that Black Princess who occupied the position of wife that should have belonged to her sister for thousands of years? After all, she was Dead Apostle.
"Um..."
The Hassan of the Zealot wants to stop talking.
Besides Altrouge Brunestud, the Black Princess, she also remembered a petite silver-haired Dragon Girl loved wearing blue, a purple-haired woman with an inorganic aura, and a red-haired girl who was at odds with the silver-haired Dragon Girl. Of course, besides her Master Altrouge Brunestud, the one who left the deepest impression on her was the blonde girl.
Kyoko felt a similar sense of dejection to the unknown Hassan of the Zealot, a feeling she had experienced when she first learned she hadn't inherited Hassan's throne. However, compared to her own fleeting moment of despair, the blonde girl's dejection seemed to have lasted much longer.
Now that I think about it, the silver-haired Dragon Girl seemed to have called her Landlady.
"I'm very sorry, but this is a private matter for adults, and I cannot speak about it casually. Please understand."
Although Hassan of the Zealot said that, Charlemagne's expression seemed completely unable to accept it, and just as Charlemagne was about to speak again—
"Boss! Boss--"
The sound came from the mountaintop.
Upon hearing this, Cursed Arm Hassan, who had been listening for a while, spoke up, "Oh? That voice belongs to the lookout on the mountaintop... Looks like they've discovered something..."
"Cursed Arm Leader, something's wrong! Smoke signals are rising ahead!"
"What?!"
Cursed Arm stood up instantly, somewhat at a loss.
The smoke signals were originally set up to defend against invasion, but this is the first time they've been used in so long.
In fact, most of the Hassan here were summoned by Cursed Arm. It's just that the Earthshaker Hassan and the Shadow-Skinning Hassan failed to survive the land invaded by Jerusalem. And not all Number Eighteen Hassan have manifested. Therefore, Cursed Arm was quite happy when he learned that Hassan of the Zealot possessed the skills of the Number Eighteen Hassan.
"This is the first time..."
Even Charlemagne murmured to himself, after all, his Mobile Holy City was still there, and he couldn't help but worry whether it would suffer an invasion like the current Mountain Village.
Charlemagne, quickly regaining his senses, reached the mountaintop and began to observe the unusual sights in the distance.
The flames, devoid of any scientific basis, rushed rapidly through the valley.
The raging fire formed walls, creating boundaries and turning the Mountain Valley into Hunting Ground.
Within that fire, each flame was a sword— the Excalibur, given to him by the Lady of the Lake in King Arthur legend. If Novia were to see it, Ash would surely mistakenly believe that his Holy Sword Factory had been secretly copied.
However, it is not the true Star Sword, but a mysterious artifact that does not achieve the same concept.
"This is..."
The flames, devoid of any scientific basis, rushed rapidly through the valley.
The raging fire formed walls, creating boundaries and turning the Mountain Valley into Hunting Ground, like a giant Lion striding in as if to tear everything apart.
Charlemagne, somewhat surprised, hurled the Phantasmal Holy Sword Joyeuse, into the sea of fire. The flames directly shook the very foundation of the fantasy, defying the laws of physics. They possessed the power to instantly vaporize a mountain, and beyond the Flesh, they were even enough to burn Charlemagne, who was merely watching them, to ashes from the depths of his soul.
Therefore, Charlemagne sighed deeply.
Because this is the Purgatory Flame, and in his memory, only one person in this Singularity could wield such power—
It is not Saber, nor Alter, nor Alterego, but Rider belonging to the king's side, Wandering King appearing in a non-human form, not a knight appearing but prioritizing the duties of a king, Richard the Lionheart who was previously lost in the 'Cradle Jerusalem'.
Charlemagne glanced at the Hassans on his side, and then at the surging aura that could be clearly seen from the distant valley, a aura so powerful it could numb the eyes. His expression became somewhat serious.
If only I could summon my subordinates like Richard did...
However, he seems to be unable to use it now. As for Altosfor, Roland, Bradamante, well, only Ruggiero is somewhat reliable.
Charlemagne's lips twitched slightly as he thought about the unreliable behavior of his men.
Since things have come to this, let's just let it go.
Right now, my side consists of a group of Hassans are incapable of close combat and can only rely on assassination.
And on the other side--
"I've always felt it, and listened carefully, whether it's the feeling of the wind or the sound of the sea."
The black Lion Form figure leading the way quietly closed its eyes and moved forward silently, advancing across the land that had burned away the Purgatory Flame.
He reflexively tried to stop, but felt dizzy the moment he moved.
Clang! It felt like my head was being tightly strangled, followed by a chill and a sharp headache, as if a rusty nail had been driven into my soul.
The incomprehensible sounds surrounding his ears swirled in his mind, and that astonishing heat was so intense that it was unbelievably stuffed into the Lion Form body.
"Thunder, rain, water, and Purgatory —these are all the loving voices of the Lord... But everything has changed, Lord, please continue to burn my body and my soul."
The voice was calm yet full of fighting spirit, containing the power to exert psychological pressure on the opponent, while simultaneously grinning like Lion baring its teeth.
An unparalleled ferocity and Pride.
As Charlemagne had predicted, this was none other than Richard the Lionheart.
Leading the procession was Richard I with the Lion, accompanied by the strongest purple-haired Saber of the Round Table, a silver-haired knight wielding the Spear of Longinus, a blonde girl brandishing a crimson Demonic Sword, a red-haired man with slightly narrowed eyes, a knight whose face was concealed by a helmet, and many other great knights.
A king and five Knights of the Circle, blessed by an unknown Blessing, are about to invade the Mountain Valley at the command of the Cradle Jerusalem.
Chapter 456: A Love That Lasts a Hundred Years
"Strange, why does this Purgatory Flame stop here?"
Richard, in his Lion Form, pressed his fingers to his temples, somewhat surprised that the Purgatory flames, which should have been under his control, had inexplicably stopped.
Originally, according to his plan, as someone who follows the 'divine' command, he would not hesitate to use the flames from Purgatory to evaporate this organization called the Mountain Order, even though they had crossed paths when they were alive. If that were the case, then it was even more appropriate to do so.
After all, there is no doubt that God is in Jerusalem, and believers should be like him.
However, their prolonged inaction indicates that they have abandoned God's teachings and need to be dealt with.
Molay's method of corrupting the Servant by using the power of the Mother of the Black Goat is similar to Carl the Great's Heavenly Voice Assimilation and the Superposition State Lostbelt ORT's summoning of his own state. He first makes their spirit and soul submit in a subtle way, but he does not change the values of the corrupted. In addition, he fabricates the history of the Servant themselves to further corrupt them.
For example, Richard's current understanding of God is that of the 'Lord of Fertility'.
Apart from that, his personality was not much different; for example, he was incredibly enthusiastic towards the Knights of the Round Table accompanied him.
"Haha, is that Mordred? He actually accomplished the impossible, ending King Arthur's reign. He deserves respect."
"Oh? Lancelot, well, even one unfaithful person is probably too many."
"Bosivar, you who have inherited Longinus from Lucius, are indeed worthy of respect."
In short, that's the situation.
"It's strange indeed; I feel the Holy Lance trembling instinctively."
Bosivar, standing to the side, seemed to be saying that there was something inexplicable about the Mountain People, his expression serious.
Suddenly, Richard recalled the Cross and the sensation of being burned by the Purgatory Flame, as if the being he believed in was before him. So he gently raised his hand without turning around, and at the same time, an overwhelming heat rose from his dark hair.
Even though I understand what you're saying, Percival, I can't suppress the Abhimanyu of emotion welling up from my very heart.
The Richard the Lionheart chuckled softly as he spoke these words, then chuckled again and again, and in the next moment, he unleashed the Purgatory Flame surrounding his Spirit Origin.
"Hahahaha! That's fantastic! That's probably a fake that dared to challenge our god! There's no Supreme Being honor than this! Please allow me to offer my heartfelt thanks! Thank you to all the knights who accompanied me! And to our god..."
With ominous crimson eyes, as if dwelling in a shadow born from darkness, enveloped in dark flames, he slowly rose to his feet.
"Give me the chance to challenge Pagan God! O God, witness my Abhimanyu in Purgatory! Witness my Faith!"
Meanwhile, as if in response to the enthusiastic charge of the giant Lion, Charlemagne smiled calmly, Phantasmal Holy Sword the immense Od manifesting on the holy sword, Joyeuse. He had already devised a countermeasure; as king, he should face these guys single-handedly—after all, wasn't that rather cool?
Of course, the Hassans expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that they could also join, but close combat was simply too disadvantageous for them.
"My lords, my benevolence is unparalleled before or since, second only to that of a god."
Charlemagne, having shed his simple attire made of Od and donned the Golden Armor of Carl the Great, remained calm yet exuded an air of unparalleled confidence as he uttered a single sentence.
"Come, witness this! The kingdom destroyed by my sister and Brother-in-Law —I am the Emperor of the Western Rome!"
Charlemagne was the first emperor of Western Europe to be recognized by the Pope three centuries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. He was known as the Emperor of the Western Rome and the Emperor of the Romans, and was also hailed as the Father of Europe.
Before everyone present, Charlemagne rose straight up from one end of the mountaintop.
Without hesitation, a straight line like a laser beam.
In just a few steps, they leaped across a distance that would normally take most people several hours to cover.
In response, Richard, the black, beast-like Lion, charged forward, his raised upper body nearly twice the height of Charlemagne.
The ferocious, Lion Form, black, shiny Claws swung down with the angle and force of a waterfall. Those Claws could easily destroy not only the Magecraft equipped with defensive Magecraft, but even the Spirit Core of Servant. However, Charlemagne did not use the Phantasmal Holy Sword Joyeuse, but instead swung his fist to collide with the Lion's Claws.
Although Richard in his beast form had the advantage in strength, Charlemagne was superior in burst power. Thus, a fierce battle ensued between man and beast. With both feet firmly planted, the man was fighting the beast squarely.
Humans and beasts clashed fiercely dozens, even hundreds of times.
Every conflict unleashes an amazing Od.
That was war, and at the same time, a myth.
"Second only to God? Carl, in that case, you should be even more aligned with me."
"I can see that in your eyes, Richard, and the other knights, there's a message—not a denial of the Present World's phenomena, but a distortion of what is worthy of their trust."
Charlemagne responded to Richard in this way.
But Richard, seemingly puzzled, said, "Carl, the God to whom we offer our prayers is in Jerusalem."
"Oh? What does this mean? Speaking of which, Richard, your power seems... well, I don't know anything about you guys—"
Charlemagne noticed that not only Richard, but also the other Knights of the Round Table Servant, all exhibited a subtle and inexplicable change.
"Shut up! Who cares what you and that damned Lion have to say!"
Mordred, the knight whose face was concealed by a helmet, unleashed his Noble Phantasm directly at the two combatants in a fit of rage.
The Knights of the Round Table noticed this, but did not stop them; perhaps some kind of 'contamination' had already completely eroded their Spirit Origin.
Otherwise, the pure and innocent knight, who could not bear to see people suffer, would certainly not have acted this way after obtaining the Spear of Longinus.
In that instant, the surging hatred not only clung to Mordred's sword, but also enveloped her entire body. The intense Concept of Hatred spread within her, and in the blink of an eye, it covered the young man's entire body.
When Charlemagne saw that intense, terrifying hatred, he finally understood.
This is not the kind of ability Knights of the Round Table should possess.
Rather, it's the Power of Corruption of Cradle Jerusalem of humanity. Judging by this, it seems even the very essence of Spirit Origin existence has been rewritten...
Mordred drew upon the unparalleled hatred for the King of Knights and herself that she inherited from the 'Fabricated Memories of Jerusalem,' and the true name of her Noble Phantasm naturally came out of her lips.
"Clarent Blood Arthur!"
The atmosphere was scorching, and the blood that stained her skin with Red and Black as she was activated caused her own shape to twist and become grotesquely distorted.
"Ugh, this is troublesome... Getting hit still hurts a bit. I don't know why the Purgatory Flame stopped here, but it's enough for now."
Richard's ferocious Lion mouth opened wide, revealing sharp teeth, and his normally empty, jet-black Claws began to gleam with a dazzling light.
This is Noble Phantasm from which Richard the Lionheart King Arthur, even regarded everything he acquired as a sublimation of the legend of Excalibur. Its actual effect is similar to a combination of Lancelot's "Knight of Owner" and Artoria's "Excalibur," meaning that he can unleash such a beam of light from anything he has in his hand—weapons, cutlery, or even a twig picked up from the roadside.
"My Claws are weapons too, Carl."
A tricky battle.
When Charlemagne heard Richard, with his Lion- like mouth, utter these words, he couldn't help but think so.
Because he felt that Richard's murky eyes seemed to be telling Charlemagne, 'You who disobey God shall die.'
Some live, some die.
Even if it weren't a battle, this was a scene that was quite natural in a chaotic era.
Judging from the current situation, the enemy led by Richard not only has a terrifying aura, but also seems to be corrupting the Memory of the Planet.
The countless weakened versions of Excalibur, formed from countless Purgatory Flame, shook the very foundation of the mythical Holy Sword Joyeuse, outside the Mountain Valley. And this was merely Richard's offensive. Moreover, among the knights who had not yet acted, there was even the aura of the Spear of Longinus. It seemed that Charlemagne's side had no chance of victory.
The current situation seems to be like this--
But Charlemagne would not run away from this, because this was the path he had chosen by his own will.
In the past, it was a special thing on the journey. The light from the sky above the Alps was clear and refreshing, and the clear blue sky seemed to be blessing the visiting travelers. The young Charlemagne and his companion Altosfor witnessed the sights and sounds that were etched into Charlemagne's life.