Camelot

The battle has ended.

After Li Ye watched Gawain personally escort Gareth away, this silent death match also came to a close.

This death match, which had Li Ye on edge, was surprisingly simple. There were no flashy Noble Phantasm releases, only the most primitive of weapon clashes.

"Very well, my knights, I shall bestow blessings upon you all!" Witnessing this death match called loyalty, the Lion King smiled faintly.

Immediately, radiance bloomed.

The magic power released by the Lion King instantly coursed through Gawain and the other knights.

"Eternal Night - Gawain, Fierce - Lancelot, Inversion - Tristan, Berserk - Mordred—"

Li Ye could tell that, unlike his Dragon Blood modification, the blessings the Lion King bestowed upon the Knights of the Round Table were special effects applied to their Spiritron Dress.

Each was a powerful blessing.

"My King, how shall we establish Camelot next?"

Agravain, as King Arthur's adjutant, stood forward with a respectful expression while the other Knights of the Round Table remained silent.

"It's very simple." The Lion King raised a hand and grasped empty air, the Rhongomyniad hovering before him.

Under the gaze of all the knights.

"Rhongomyniad, deploy."

The Lion King's plain words were accompanied by magic power surging into the sky. Unlike the scene of releasing the Holy Lance, a wave of light, centered on the Lion King, surged outwards in all directions like a tempest!

The earth cracked, magnificent buildings rose one after another, and new banners fluttered in the wind.

An unbroken white wall transformed into an impassable barrier, guarding the Tower of the End!

"The City of Chalk—Camelot!"

Witnessing such a miracle, Li Ye couldn't help but gasp, his heart pounding wildly, as if it were about to leap out of his chest.

What else was the Lion King incapable of?

In 1272, a city rose in a single day.

"Camelot has been built. Lord Agravain, you are responsible for creating the Purification Knights. Lords Gawain and Lancelot, go and bring the people of this land to the city gates. I wish to conduct the first Holy Selection, to screen for pure souls suitable for future generations."

"Therefore, I shall grant you all the ability to screen—"

After leaving these orders, the Lion King turned and ascended the Tower of the End, disappearing from sight.

"The King's orders have been given. Mordred, Tristan… what is your name?" Agravain realized he didn't even know Li Ye's name.

"You may call me Li Ye. I look forward to working with you."

Seeing the Lion King depart, Li Ye knew his opportunity had arrived. Agravain wouldn't keep him in the Holy City; he would surely be assigned a mission outside, and that would be his chance to shine.

Li Ye didn't care about the Holy Selection. He only wanted to get close to the Knights of the Round Table to learn martial arts in a place far from the Lion King's sight.

In terms of strength, even with his Dragon Blood modification, he was only on par with a third-rate Servant, at the lowest level in all aspects. Besides constantly digging into his own potential to gain power, martial arts were the greatest improvement he could achieve now.

Lancelot was the best target. His martial arts had reached the peak, and he was known as the strongest knight among the Knights of the Round Table. Only Lancelot could compensate for Li Ye's current shortcomings in swordsmanship.

"Strange name, you're not from around here?" Mordred's eyes lit up with curiosity upon hearing Li Ye's introduction.

"Li Ye, you will leave the Holy City with Mordred and Tristan to annihilate all the scattered Crusaders." Agravain's words shattered Li Ye's beautiful plan in a few sentences.

"Huh? We're going together? I can annihilate those Crusaders all by myself!" Mordred pounded her chest plate, full of confidence.

"It is most regrettable, but I will do my best."

"Yes."

With the mission assigned, the knights didn't linger for idle chatter and soon departed the Holy City.

Ten minutes later, Li Ye was riding a black horse alone, galloping across the wilderness.

Mordred and Tristan had not accompanied him, choosing instead to act separately.

Heading west, Li Ye slew numerous Crusaders, which further improved his mastery over his own power.

"The ancient Egyptian desert summoned by Chain Summoning—" With Li Ye's current eyesight, he could easily see the vast yellow sand on the horizon, and a terrifying sandstorm raging across that land.

It was precisely the place where the Sun King had departed from the Holy City. By using his own Chain Summoning, he had replaced the land of divine-era Egypt within the singularity, a true advantage of time and place.

Li Ye did not rashly enter the desert. If his prediction was correct, the Sun King had also Chain Summoned the pharaoh Nitocris of the Sixth Dynasty, and a large number of Sphinxes were roaming the desert.

Entering the desert at this time would undoubtedly be courting death.

However, Li Ye did not pay heed to the dangers within the desert. Instead, he began searching along the desert's edge for refugees wandering in this land.

As the sky completely darkened, Li Ye finally found a few refugees who had wandered there in a stone forest with numerous large rocks. A man and two women, who appeared to be a family.

"Don't come any closer!!"

The dust-covered middle-aged man, his expression filled with fear, stood in front of his wife and daughter, preventing Li Ye from advancing further.

Without wasting time trying to gain the family's trust, Li Ye waved his sword, tearing open a death line on a nearby boulder. With a loud rumble, a stone block weighing several tons crashed to the ground!

"Calm down. Crying wastes time."

Faced with this violent intimidation, the middle-aged man immediately collapsed to the ground in fear, while his wife and daughter rushed to shield him.

"Sir, is there something you need?"

The young-looking girl gathered her courage and asked. Her mother was instantly terrified, covering her daughter's mouth and trying to speak for her. But Li Ye smiled.

"Good question. May I know your names?"

"Ansari—"

"!"

An indescribable sense of danger washed over him. Li Ye decisively pulled back, drew his sword, and swung it down under the horrified gaze of the Ansari family!

Clang!

A poisoned dart was cut down by Li Ye's sword. Li Ye looked towards the sound and saw a figure wearing a skull mask flash past behind the family.

"Old Man of the Mountain?" Li Ye was slightly startled, recognizing the meaning of the skull mask.

It was the assassin's order originating from the Middle East, and its founder, the Old Man of the Mountain, was the origin of the Assassin class!

Unable to sense the direction of the shadowy figure, and deeply aware of the threat posed by an assassin, Li Ye decisively placed his sword against the middle-aged man's neck before the next wave of attacks could arrive, forcing the hidden figure to reappear!

If Li Ye's guess was correct, that figure was most likely a manifested Assassin-class Servant. The Old Man of the Mountain, as the founder of the local order, was likely acting to protect the people.

"If you continue to attack, I can't guarantee their safety!"

Li Ye spoke rapidly, but his mind was unusually calm. He fully activated his senses, trying to feel the presence of the assassin in his surroundings.

After being modified by the Lion King's dragon blood, Li Ye's five senses had been greatly enhanced. He even felt an inexplicable intuition stirring within him.

His ability to react to the poisoned dart earlier was a result of that strange intuition.

"!"

Here it comes!

Sensing an abnormality in the air's flow, Li Ye spun and swung his sword. The blade cut through the air, but ended up striking nothing.

'So fast. I was almost too slow.'

Li Ye's gaze was sharp. This time, he had seen the assassin's figure, but he didn't rashly pursue. Instead, he continued to point his sword at the middle-aged man and shouted, "I am not a Crusader. I mean no harm. We can talk."

"S-Sir—"

The girl's trembling voice reached him. Li Ye knew without looking that his actions had broken the atmosphere he had previously created. He then said, "I was just trying to scare them a little. It'll be fine."

Several minutes passed, and the assassin had yet to appear.

Li Ye wasn't impatient. He knew that an assassin who would intervene for these refugees wouldn't just leave. They were likely lurking somewhere, waiting for an opportunity.

"Do not harm them."

The assassin appeared. It was a slender, tall woman with dark skin and purple hair. Though standing there, she seemed almost nonexistent.

"Which Hassan are you?" Li Ye observed her for a moment, confirming she was a Servant through her Spirit Origin. However, unable to recognize the identity of this dark-skinned assassin, Li Ye asked honestly.

"Serenity Hassan. Aren't you a Crusader?" The one who called herself Serenity Hassan maintained a certain distance from Li Ye and the others, politely declining Li Ye's attempt to approach. She stated directly, "I carry poison. Even getting close will cause poisoning."

Li Ye was fine, but the Ansari family could not withstand such poison. Therefore, Serenity Hassan had to maintain a certain distance to prevent accidents.

"Miss Serenity, why don't we sit down and talk?"

Li Ye sheathed his sword. He had already locked onto Serenity Hassan's presence. The distance was only about ten meters, which would take exactly one second to cover. If Serenity Hassan made any move, he could immediately attack and sever her death lines!

Seeing that Li Ye harbored no hostility and that the Ansari family was safe, Serenity Hassan nodded and asked directly, "Since you are not a Crusader, who are you?"

As she spoke, Serenity Hassan's gaze swept over the sword in Li Ye's hand.

Li Ye replied naturally, "I was once a Crusader. Now, I am a humble knight under the Lion King. The Crusaders have already been destroyed, and the pure white Lion King will bring a different future to this world."

"The Lion King?"

Serenity Hassan looked confused, clearly hearing the name "Lion King" for the first time.

Li Ye didn't elaborate further. He got straight to the point: "Miss Serenity, I wish for you to take me to see that person, the assassin known as the first Old Man of the Mountain!"