Made in Heaven

Leon had thought that on this campaign, he would crush the enemy with overwhelming, invincible power.

In fact,

that was exactly what happened.

With Merlin's real-time, full-map support, Leon had a clear picture of the enemy's troop deployments. He immediately decided to set out with more than two thousand men.

Leading his army through Vortigern's territory, Leon went straight into the King of Orkney's forces.

As soon as they made contact, Leon didn't hesitate. He brought his sword down, killing several hundred enemy soldiers and breaking their morale with a single blow. Then he took up his lance and led the charge.

Under Leon's command, his men's morale soared. They had only a single company, barely more than six hundred combat troops, yet they still charged with unstoppable momentum against the seemingly endless enemy army.

Leon led his troops in seven charges through the enemy ranks in a single day, changing horses but never riders. He utterly routed the King of Orkney's twenty-thousand-strong army.

In the great battle, he slew the King of Orkney in single combat and killed more than a thousand men. He pursued the fleeing enemy, leaving them utterly terror-stricken. As the soldiers fled, they trampled one another in their haste. The casualties were beyond counting, and blood ran ankle-deep.

Leon's side suffered barely a hundred casualties. They took more than ten thousand prisoners and captured an immeasurable haul of warhorses, weapons, armor, and provisions.

Leon assigned two thousand laborers and support troops to guard the prisoners, then had Merlin notify the royal capital to send people to take custody of them as soon as possible.

After having his soldiers change horses, Leon gave the order to carry only ten days' worth of provisions. Without stopping for a moment, he continued north with five hundred combat troops and five hundred laborers, marching day and night to reach the King of Orkney's capital before the enemy could react.

When he reached the capital in Scotland, Leon had his men change into the enemy's banners and armor.

The garrison inside the city still knew nothing of the fighting at the front when Leon tricked them into opening the gates.

Once inside, Leon led from the front and fought all day. From the south gate to the north, everything was stained with blood; from the western end of the city to the east, severed limbs littered the ground. Leon fought until blood had congealed at his elbows before finally taking the city.

After routing the garrison, Leon did not let his men loot the city. Instead, he had the army camp on high ground some distance away and accepted the surrender of the city's nobles.

Leon demanded that the city send out large quantities of supplies to reward the army. He also demanded that the nobles send their children and descendants to serve as hostages at his side. Under pressure from Leon and desperate to save their own lives, the nobles had no choice but to agree.

Leon had camped outside the city not only to give his army time to rest, but also to keep the people inside in check.

To the people within the city, Leon's army on the heights beyond its walls was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. The fear and unrest sparked by Leon's miraculous arrival and capture of the city in a single day only magnified the threat his actions posed.

Leon also ordered the nobles to hand over their private soldiers, who would be formed into a security force to maintain order in the city and keep its residents in line.

"Have every resident moved out of the city. I'm going to destroy it completely."

At Leon's command, the security force bound the townspeople's hands and strung them together with ropes like cattle and sheep, a hundred to a group, then moved the city's food and wealth outside.

The city's walls were tall, and its population was large. Leon had needed an entire day to capture it, a testament to the people's resilience.

He destroyed the city for two reasons. First, he wanted to secure his future rule over the region and prevent anyone from using its fortified walls to rebel. Second, he wanted to weaken the local population. Rebuilding the city would force the people into exhausting physical labor every day, leaving them worn out but not starving and making rebellion less likely.

This was especially important for Leon, who had few soldiers and generals, yet still had battles to fight. Maintaining stability was vital.

"Where's Morgan?"

After breaking through the city, Leon had his men search the city and its palace, but they hadn't found Morgan. He was about to destroy the castle, and if she happened to be hiding inside and was accidentally hurt, he would be heartbroken.

Merlin looked away and said to Leon, "She's always been clever. She returned to Camelot a long time ago, so Your Majesty needn't worry."

"That's good."

Leon picked up the lance standing beside Merlin and held it against himself to compare their heights. He couldn't help giving it a few swings.

The lance was shaped like a spiraling drill and was nearly five meters long. It would have been far too heavy and unwieldy for an ordinary person, but it suited Leon perfectly.

Leon smiled at Merlin, pleased. "Merlin, well done. You really do know what you're doing. You've made some excellent improvements to this lance."

Merlin wore an expression that said, "Of course I did," and looked thoroughly pleased with himself. "Haha, it was nothing special. I'm just glad you're satisfied."

When Leon had brought the lance out of Camelot's palace, it hadn't been this large. It had been a little over three meters at most, and Leon had found it awkward to use, so he'd always treated it like an iron staff.

Leon had mentioned it to Merlin, who had taken the lance away and spent the past few days modifying it. He'd put a great deal of effort into the redesign, and now that it was finally finished, he'd handed it to Leon as if expecting praise.

"The Storm Anchor that binds the stars. Its common name is Rhongomyniad."

Well, it really was big!

Leon knew this lance. It was the Noble Phantasm of the Lion King, the goddess from the game's sixth chapter. It anchored the Tower of Light on the surface of the world, and Merlin had used Magecraft to modify it into a Holy Spear that could pierce through anything.

Simply put, it was a divine weapon much like Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang.

Now that Merlin had finished modifying it, Leon wanted to test its power.

Merlin's modifications went beyond that. Pointing below the spearhead, he explained to Leon, "There are four illuminated slots here on the shaft. Each one represents a single release, so the spear can be released four times in total. If all four slots go dark, it means the activation device has run out of energy and needs to be replenished with magical energy."

Leon understood.

So it was basically a battery. When it ran out, he had to recharge it.

Leon had been the one to suggest this modification to Merlin.

He had no Magic Circuits in his body and wasn't a mage, so he naturally didn't know how to use magical energy. That meant he couldn't properly wield Holy Swords and Holy Spears that required magical energy to activate; he could only use them as ordinary weapons.

It was a little embarrassing. He had been in Type-Moon for so many years, yet he still didn't know how to use magical energy.

All kinds of mysterious Magecraft, releasing his own magical energy, and flashy techniques—he couldn't do any of them.

Now, Merlin's modifications to the Holy Spear had completely fulfilled Leon's dream of surfing on beams of light.

Someday, he would have Merlin modify Excalibur in the same way.

Leon carried the Holy Spear, followed by Merlin and a group of guards, and walked out of camp.

He looked at the distant city walls. All the residents had been evacuated fifty miles away, leaving only an empty city behind.

The soldiers around him spread out, leaving Leon a wide-open space.

"Holy Spear, unmoor!"

The Holy Spear blazed with golden light. A visible torrent of magical energy wrapped around its shaft, intertwining into a raging, surging spiral that looked like a drill.

Leon gripped the Holy Spear. Every muscle in his body strained, the veins on his arms bulging as he gritted his teeth.

"My drill is a drill that pierces the heavens!"

The ground beneath his feet cracked and caved in. With a shout, he hurled the drill-shaped light in his hands with all his might.

Whoosh!

A brilliant, sacred light shot forth, carrying terrifying power. It broke the sound barrier with a thunderous roar.

Its target: the empty royal city.

Boom!

A dazzling Tower of Light erupted from the ground. At that moment, the entire earth and sky trembled, as if even the planet beneath their feet had been roused by the blow. Space itself shuddered.

Then came a terrifying surge of magical energy, spreading wildly like a nuclear explosion.

Every soldier behind Leon stared wide-eyed in shock, unable to believe the terrifying sight before them.

"So this is the Lion King's power!"

In the distance, the common people watched the towering pillar of light in grief, tears streaming down their faces.

They knew that the home where they had grown up was gone.

When the light finally faded, all that remained was a field of ruins and the people's muffled sobs.