After the Holy Selection

"Ah, Lord Li Ye. You've returned with Mordred? Why aren't you wearing any clothes—"

Gawain's smile was as warm as a spring breeze as he walked past Li Ye and out beyond the city gates.

Upon seeing Gawain, the refugees who recognized him became incredibly excited.

"Everyone!

I sincerely thank you all for coming. This night has been long; The age of man has been destroyed, and this tiny world is about to meet its end. The Lord has passed judgment, and there will be no room for humanity on this land."

"That's right, there's no land left to survive on except for the Holy City, Camelot! Our Holy City is a complete, perfect, pure white thousand-year kingdom. Step through this main gate, and an ideal world awaits you."

Gawain's words echoed through the sky, spreading across the land like the sun.

This made the refugees cheer even louder.

Gawain continued, "I am deeply grateful to all of you who were willing to come to the Holy City with me, and to those who came of your own accord. It must have been a long and arduous journey.

But it will all be over! The King will accept all people, whether they are heathens or foreigners, with no exceptions!"

Gawain's tone shifted, "However—you must first obtain my King's permission!"

Before Gawain could finish speaking, Li Ye suddenly looked up. A figure had appeared on the endless city walls at some point.

Pure white armor exuded an aura of royalty.

The Lion King's cold voice instantly drowned out all other sounds—

"Only a select few can be led to the end. The essence of humanity is corrupt and ugly; Therefore, I will conduct a selection, choosing souls that will never be defiled, choosing souls that will never be swayed by evil. Humans who are born with it and will never change—eternal and immaculate."

As the Lion King's proclamation reached its end, a faint wave of magical power spread like the tide, instantly covering all the refugees present.

A faint radiance began to rise.

"Mom, you're glowing!"

"What is this light—"

Exclamations erupted, and everyone was astonished by the appearance of the radiance.

The Lion King: "The Holy Selection has concluded. Only these nine individuals may enter the Holy City; Retrieve them, Lord Li Ye—"

"!"

The chosen ones, to the shock of all the knights present, were named by the Lion King.

Gawain looked at Li Ye in disbelief.

Li Ye, however, stepped forward without hesitation, his tone calm:

"As you command—"

He then walked past Gawain, his gaze sweeping over the astonished refugees.

"Everyone, I regret to inform you, but this is for the sake of posterity; The King desires you to accept purification, so the Holy Punishment will now be carried out!"

As his words fell, the Purification Knights who had been standing motionless slowly drew their swords and advanced towards the people who had not been chosen.

Unlike the Crusaders of yesterday, this was a one-sided slaughter initiated by Li Ye.

Li Ye did not try to evade it. His golden, slit pupils took in the faces of every person who fell beneath the swords of the Purification Knights.

'This is necessary for survival—'

Li Ye thought to himself.

The first Holy Selection concluded only after the nine chosen individuals entered the Holy City.

"You're quite the capable one!"

Mordred, who had nothing better to do, sidled up and playfully nudged Li Ye with her elbow.

"You did well, Lord Li Ye."

Gawain patted Li Ye on the shoulder like an older brother, as if he truly recognized Li Ye's knighthood only now.

"Lord Li Ye did very well."

At this moment, the Lion King's cold voice came from above. The Lion King had silently landed not far from Li Ye, removing his helmet.

Gawain and the others knelt on one knee, saying in unison, "My King—"

"Lord Li Ye adapts to the Dragon Blood quickly."

The Lion King walked up to Li Ye, seemingly surprised by Li Ye's compatibility with the Dragon Blood.

Li Ye didn't look up, striving to keep his mind steady. "Yes, this annihilation of the Crusaders has made me realize even more the power of our King's blessings—"

"Very well, I shall bestow upon you the title of the last seat at the Round Table—"

The Lion King's words were astonishing. Even Li Ye couldn't remain calm. He raised his head in shock, his gaze meeting the Lion King's indifferent eyes.

The Holy Selection had ended, but the rumors of the Holy City Camelot as a paradise had already spread throughout the land.

More and more people would be heading towards this paradise.

Li Ye, who had obtained the title of Knight of the Round Table in less than a day, did not enter the Holy City with Gawain and the other Knights of the Round Table.

It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was that he couldn't.

"Lord Li Ye, go and see what the Sun King's situation is now."

At the same time as bestowing the title of Knight of the Round Table upon Li Ye, the Lion King personally assigned him a deadly mission.

Am I going to scout for information on the Sun King?

Li Ye harbored self-doubt as he could only watch helplessly as Gawain and the others followed the Lion King into Camelot, its gates shutting him out.

He was left standing in the desolate outskirts with a group of silent Purification Knights, tasked with cleaning up the aftermath of the Holy Selection.

Exchanging glances with the Purification Knights who were clearing the remnants of the Holy Selection, Li Ye became even more incensed. "A bunch of blockheads!"

The Purification Knights, under the effect of Berserk, naturally didn't understand Li Ye's meaning and silently continued their work.

After wasting some time, Li Ye, along with these Purification Knights, cremated all the refugee corpses.

Li Ye watched the roaring flames engulf the pile of bodies that were once living beings, his expressionless.

He thought of what King Hassan had said about understanding death.

Not enough. This isn't death yet.

"Lord Lancelot, so you were here."

After searching for a while, Li Ye finally found Lancelot on the outskirts of Camelot.

"It seems Lord Li Ye is ready," Lancelot said with a smile.

Lancelot was referring to the agreement he and Li Ye had made yesterday, the training after the Holy Selection.

Li Ye hesitated slightly. "Lord Lancelot, could you simplify the content? Preferably, magic usage and swordsmanship that can be mastered in a short time."

"Hmm? Lord Li Ye, it's not that I'm refusing you, but these kinds of skills are built up over time. It's difficult to achieve them quickly. Do you have something urgent?"

Hearing this, Li Ye said with some helplessness, "The King gave me a mission, but my abilities are insufficient, which is why I wanted to take a risky approach to achieve the highest level of accomplishment in the shortest possible time."

"Oh? What kind of mission did our King assign you that would trouble you so, Li Ye?" Lancelot's curiosity was piqued. Ever since he met Li Ye, he had felt an inexplicable sense of confidence from him.

Whether facing the King or them, the Knights of the Round Table, Li Ye possessed a certain confidence.

What kind of mission could trouble Li Ye?

"Go west and investigate the territory of another King."

Li Ye took a deep breath, already contemplating how to ask the other party not to kill him.

"Lord Li Ye, there's another King?"

Lancelot was surprised.

"He is a King from another world summoned by a magician of Jerusalem when our King destroyed it. His name is the Sun King - Ozymandias. His power is so great that he can even contend with our King."