The Knights of the Round Table's Battle! The Appearance of the Fantasy Race

Soon after, word came that Vortigern had appeared on one front and that King Arthur had personally led the campaign, accompanied by Merlin.

Beneath the towering tree's glow, you felt a foreboding in your heart, and lately, the soldiers on this front had been dwindling.

Not long after those two pieces of news arrived, three more followed: Vortigern's soldiers seemed to be vanishing, their whereabouts unknown; then Vortigern and Arthur clashed, and Vortigern alone routed Arthur.

You were stunned for a good while upon receiving the news—how little time had passed, and Vortigern had already defeated Arthur?

You knew it had to be connected to that towering tree. Soon, you received word that Arthur was summoning the Knights of the Round Table.

Coincidentally, the Vortigern soldiers on this front seemed to be stalled by something, making no moves, so you handed command to Gareth with three thousand knights and set out with Kay and Mordred.

When you arrived, you found fewer than a dozen Knights of the Round Table present; the rest had reported being delayed by Phantasmal Species. As for the sudden appearance of so many Phantasmal Species in Britain, it went without saying that the towering tree was behind it.

The only ones who made it were Kay, Gawain, Lancelot, Bedivere, Tristan, Agravain, Mordred, Percival, and the other Knights of the Round Table.

But upon your arrival, you were told that King Arthur and Merlin had gone off to search for something, leaving orders to hold Vortigern back—and for you to take command.

Most of the Knights of the Round Table knew you well and were aware of your strength, so there was little discontent. Yet it was as if Vortigern had timed your arrival perfectly; before you could even formulate a plan, word came that Vortigern was alone on the battlefield, demanding you come out and fight him.

With no choice, you led the Knights of the Round Table to the battlefield. Seeing that Vortigern had brought no troops, you knew that even if you had brought more knights, it would be useless. So you took only a few Knights of the Round Table to the front lines, gazing at Vortigern in the distance.

Vortigern stood there in black armor, a sword in his hand. You could feel that his aura had grown far stronger than three years ago, and you could also sense that he radiated the same energy as that tree.

Vortigern showed no surprise at your arrival. He looked at you from afar, his expression calm, with no trace of urgency.

Just as you were about to say something, Vortigern suddenly vanished from where he stood.

You all tensed up instantly.

Clang!

A metallic clash rang out sharply beside you. Vortigern had appeared before you, sword in hand. Fortunately, you reacted in time, or you wouldn't be standing here unscathed.

If it had been you three years ago, you might not have been able to dodge Vortigern's attack. But now, you were no longer the same person.

In an instant, you all readied for battle, and Vortigern launched his attack without a word.

Under Vortigern's onslaught, only you, Gawain, and Lancelot could withstand his strikes; the others barely managed to hold their ground.

You could clearly feel that Vortigern hadn't even used his full strength, yet he had already pushed you to this state. If he went all out, none of you would stand a chance.

And you could sense that Vortigern's strength had grown far beyond what it was three years ago, as if he had been blessed by someone.

Blessed?

For a moment, you thought of that towering tree, but at the same time, Vortigern seized the opening in your hesitation and slashed a wound across your arm. You quickly snapped back to focus, concentrating entirely on dealing with Vortigern.

His figure kept shifting, occasionally turning into a blur as he appeared beside another person. You could only barely fend off his fierce assault.

The Knights of the Round Table, once invincible and all elite, were now cowering under Vortigern's attack, completely suppressed—proof of just how powerful he truly was.

Seizing a gap, you slowly gathered mana into your blade, charging it before Vortigern's next strike, then unleashed it.

Soon, as Vortigern appeared before you, you suddenly struck at him, completely ignoring his own attack—a move meant to trade a thousand wounds for eight hundred. But Vortigern didn't fall for it; he took the hit squarely while landing his own blow on you.

You both flew backward. Vortigern stopped after a dozen paces; you stumbled back thirty.

Without a moment's slack, you quickly said, "That tree behind him has blessed him. He's incredibly strong. Be careful."

You could clearly sense the tree's aura on Vortigern, and his strength was overwhelming. Only a blessing could explain why he was so powerful—just like Gawain, who had the sun's blessing, Vortigern had the blessing of that mysterious tree behind him.

Only then did the Knights of the Round Table realize why they were being so thoroughly crushed by Vortigern even when working together—he had the tree's blessing.

But Vortigern denied your claim: "White Knight Pantaleon, you're close. This tree behind me has blessed me, but my blessing also includes the blessing of Britain's land! As long as this tree behind me stands, and Britain does not fall, I will always have this strength—and even more!"

Hearing Vortigern's words, you all wore grim expressions. None of you doubted him, because Vortigern had no reason to lie.

If what he said was true, then facing him would truly be a bitter struggle.

The sun was about to set, and Gawain's blessing would soon fade. The situation was dire, but none of you backed down.

Because you were Knights of the Round Table!

You carried the honor of King Arthur!

A knight's honor would not allow you to retreat a single step!

A knight's valor would not let you yield!

If you fell in this battle, future generations would sing of your deeds and praise your actions!

You stood together, swords and bows in hand, facing Vortigern without fear.

Vortigern looked at you and, for some reason, suddenly laughed. You thought you caught something in that laugh, and you looked at him with a hint of confusion.

But Vortigern gave you no chance to voice your question, charging straight at you.

Innate Skill: Unyielding White Dragon activated!

Your strength surged noticeably compared to a moment ago. You held the Sword of the Holy Knight, clashing repeatedly with Vortigern. Behind you, the other Knights of the Round Table did not intervene—not because they didn't want to, but because before the battle, you had told them not to interfere in your duel with Vortigern.

They were knights themselves, and they understood the meaning behind your words.

To interfere would be a disrespect to him—a disrespect to a knight!

Talent: Chivalric Spirit evolved!

Acquired Innate Skill: "Perfect Knight"

Innate Skill: Perfect Knight activated!

Talent: Sword Heart Clarity evolved!

Acquired Innate Skill: Holder of the Sword.

Talent: Holder of the Sword activated!

In that moment, you managed to fight Vortigern to a standstill on your own, even gaining a faint edge and suppressing him slightly.

But you knew that against a battle-hardened veteran like Vortigern, this was merely a temporary surge in strength that caught him off guard. Your fighting style was too straightforward, and sooner or later, he would see through it and revert to the previous situation, where he had the upper hand and suppressed you.

However, after that massive tree appeared, you noticed a change in your bloodline. Your constitution and endurance had been strengthened to an unprecedented degree. If it came down to a prolonged battle, you could hold out against Vortigern for an entire day without issue.

Your battle with Vortigern was witnessed by the Knights of the Round Table, and they were astonished by your strength.

Yet, just then, an enormous number of Phantasmal Species suddenly appeared around you without warning, catching everyone off guard.

But the Knights of the Round Table quickly reacted. As you watched those Phantasmal Species, a moment of carelessness allowed Vortigern to cut a gash across you. Still, you noticed that the Phantasmal Species weren't approaching your side, and you knew this was Vortigern's doing.

Your battle began. The many Knights of the Round Table fought with seamless coordination, handling the overwhelming tide of Phantasmal Species with ease. But against Vortigern, you gradually began to lose ground. Fortunately, your enhanced physique and vast magical reserves allowed you to temporarily hold your own against him.

Your fight with the Knights of the Round Table lasted two days and two nights. Several times, you tried to unleash your Noble Phantasm, but Vortigern interrupted you each time. Whenever you attempted to create distance, he closed in again, giving you no opportunity to activate it.

In the midst of it all, a doubt surfaced in your mind: why wasn't Vortigern using his Noble Phantasm?

Did he not have one?

Impossible. With strength like his, there was no way he lacked a Noble Phantasm.

Could he not release it?

That didn't make sense either.

Had he already activated it?

You found that possibility more likely, but you had no idea what form his Noble Phantasm took, nor whether it was still in effect.

As for the other Knights of the Round Table besides you, they were still fighting, but aside from Mordred and Gawain, fatigue was already showing on their faces. After all, they weren't like the three of you.

You and Mordred both seemed to be affected by that tree, while Gawain, thanks to the blazing sun at high noon, showed no sign of weariness.

The Phantasmal Species seemed to be multiplying endlessly. Your knights had joined the fray as soon as the creatures appeared, but against an infinite tide of Phantasmal Species, they were helpless. Even when Mordred and the others unleashed their Noble Phantasms, the gaps were quickly filled by the next wave.

You had a rough idea: unless that colossal, towering tree was felled, the Phantasmal Species would keep appearing endlessly across Britain.

But at this moment, none of you could break away. You were all entangled by the enemies around you, unable to make your way to that tree.