Lancelot left the Holy City.
He left in a daze.
The Lion King had given him a new mission. Chaldea and the rebellious Knights of the Round Table were naturally headed for the desert, and within that desert lay not only the Atlas Institute, but also the Sun King. Having detected this movement, the Holy City had apparently treated it as alarming intelligence, believing Fujimaru Ritsuka, Anno, and the others might join forces with the Sun King.
The Sun King was an enemy of the Holy City, and Chaldea, Anno, and the others were enemies of the Holy City as well.
The Lion King did not wish to see such an alliance, because it was undeniably a threat.
But—
Lancelot glanced back at the Holy City's gleaming white walls.
"What am I supposed to do?" he murmured. Then he turned around and led a squad of wyvern knights toward the desert.
His eyes were filled with confusion.
Just as they always had been.
But this time... would he still run away? Or would he continue to turn a deaf ear?
"We'll remain in the mountains and prepare for the next attack. We'll leave the desert to all of you," Cursed Arm Hassan said, giving Fujimaru Ritsuka a slight bow.
"...I understand." Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded, though his heart still felt heavy.
The successive departures of the two Servants, Pindo and Arash, had brought more than just a sense of crisis.
There was not much time left. That was Anno's conclusion.
Methods of brute force that had never been used before were now being employed. That did not necessarily mean the other side was desperate; more likely, they simply no longer cared about the consequences.
With the Incineration of Humanity on the verge of completion, what that meant was self-evident.
Combined with