Knight of Demise

This is merely an analogy...

Let us make a play about the end of Britain. Oh, please do not be vexed.

As a playwright, this is the only way I can express myself.

Lord Mordred plays the role of demise. The knight of rebellion is truly the epitome of the end.

That knight gathered all rebels to her banner, splitting Britain in twain, and laid waste to the Round Table itself...

...Bringing our play to its conclusion.

King Arthur shall play the role of the sacrifice. And so I beg your indulgence.

The king was, to be sure, used as a sacrifice.

The one at the center of Britain's tragedy, but retaining her composure as the King of Knights through it all... There won't be a dry eye in the house.

I suppose it may have ended differently, but I confess that I would not know.

Now, for you, Sir Lancelot. Your parts in this play will be mixed.

Your character witnesses the Round Table's split, and you will also take on the task of informing the audience of the play's conclusion.

You, the sole witness, watch in agony as the tragedy unfolds before your eyes.

You walked the path of the knight, and were charged with passing on the idea that knighthood itself had not perished.

Whether you succeeded in doing so... Well, I imagine that is a question you can answer better than I.

I see. That's quite the merciless view of things. Such could only come from the mind of a playwright.

...In that case, I am a man past his time, yes?

Quite upsetting, but I'm grateful, Shakespeare.

Yes...yes...

After overhearing your agony, I simply dissected it as an author might.

While I do so, might I beg your assistance?

I shall, to the extent that I am able, and if Master approves.

Then let us be off! With Master in tow, our destination is the Mist City, London!

London?

My apologies, Master. I thought you knew why we were here.

Hahaha!

Oh, nothing, nothing. I just thought it might be amusing to bring the knight to this evil version of the city, is all!

？！

Anyway, Shakespeare.

What am I supposed to do here? Sightsee?

When one calls upon a knight, it should be for battle, or to save a princess.

As I see no princess, it seems battle is to be the order of the day!

Before partaking in a bit of nostalgia for your homeland, it is time for battle! Look ahead... It seems we are about to be beset by foes!

I hesitate to say that I understand, but I shall fulfill my duties as a Servant.

To battle!

That was a fine warmup. Now, let's proceed.

I know this is rather obvious, but this place is very different from the Britain I remember.

Well, that is Mordred. She was never the most refined among us, and could be downright uncouth about things like this.

I can only imagine she was barking like a dog, trying to scare others out of her territory.

I see humanity has come a long way to be able to build so many structures of this sort in this benighted land.

I understand progress is progress, but it is still somewhat jarring.

？！

Yes, this place was in constant strife. It had no chance to thrive, being ever ablaze in the fires of war.

The people of this land...they put all their hope in the King of Knights.

They all believed that the one chosen by the sacred sword would be able to save the world.

And yet, ultimately, Britain's fate was destruction.

The best you could do was try to mitigate the damage for future generations.

Now that I reflect back, that is probably true.

They should have simply given up and accepted their destruction in peace.

That is my opinion as I look back on it now, playwright.

But for those who lived during that time...the knights who lived in that era...well, there was no way any of them could accept such a thing.

...Yes, I suppose that's true.

And that is why we fight now to prevent our own destruction!

It would, I suppose, be fair to say that I am simply watching, cheering, and writing.

...Master, is there nothing that can be done about this writer?

Were he a warrior, I would have him account for his words with his weapon... That would resolve so many things so very easily...

NO VIOLENCE!!!

Have you forgotten the true nature of what it means to be a Servant!?

Hahaha... Whatever do you mean...hahaha...

Had I been summoned in a normal Holy Grail War, it is Master who would have been doing most of the fighting.

？！

Yes. My job is to wave a flag around to cheer you on.

I'm relieved, then, that you're not involved in a normal Holy Grail War, Master...

Doubly so, knowing that had you been in such a situation, Shakespeare might have been your Servant.

But then again, I wonder what kind of Holy Grail War he would be summoned to?

...Would they make him write a new book or something?

...Anyway! We're heading towards the main event!

Main...event?

Yes, yes. The main event.

The last Knight in a foreign land...the divider of the Round Table: Sir Lancelot!

The individual whom you are to fight...is behind that bolt of lightning!

...Are you a Knight of the Round Table?

Wha...!?

Impossible...impossible...impossible!

Why...why of all places, would you be here!?

That's obvious.

I am the embodiment of destruction, a Servant who manifested through the aspect of annihilation.

I will destroy it all.

Through my Rhongomyniad, thunderous clouds shall engulf all things.

...I will not allow it.

Why not, Knight of the Round Table?

A fog surrounds your name in my memory as I am now, but I still sense that you once served me.

So sense my intentions, conform to my will, and obey my words. That is what it means to be loyal.

No...

My methods and actions may have been mistaken, but I still believe my intentions were true and just.

At times, true loyalty may require a knight to bare steel against his lord.

This rings all the truer when I face one who calls herself the embodiment of destruction! I can justly say that a person like you is no lord of mine!

If you are the Wild Hunt, the King of the Storm, I am...

The Knight of the Lake, who faces the storm down with his silent blade.

If that sacred sword of yours moves as quickly as you flap your lips, you will make a worthy opponent.

Come to me, dead spirits who gather here. I will turn this demonic city into a charnel pit!

Just as dawn will always break the dark of night, so too must a storm end.

I am merely a remnant. Were this not the end of the world, I might simply have made a mark on history and disappeared.

My king, you are...

Stop right there, Knight of the Round Table. I am not the king you know.

This shining sacred spear is all that allows me to exist as a Heroic Spirit.

Even so, I am no more than a remnant of that person. There is no need for you to bow to me.

...No matter what form you have taken, you are my king, now that you have come to your senses.

Well, I didn't come to my senses. It is only that I have remembered something.

The plains that I remembered are long gone, as are the people we vowed to protect.

But I still sense something. There are some human activity that has rooted itself in this city.

Traces of the dream of a utopia... A dream that existed here long ago, and still exists today...

If it wasn't for the guidance of the playwright, I might not have known what to feel in the face of this fate of mine.

Shakespeare, was this your doing?

Hahahahaha, of course not!

I could never have summoned such a perfect likeness of the King of Knights!

Well, to think that she would manifest as a remnant, destroy London, and then simply disappear...

...would be a nightmare.

And so I felt compelled to bring the most capable of all knights to this place.

Ah, 'tis passing strange... These dreams of mine are no sooner formed than forgotten.

Thank you, Master.

A capable knight...?

Ah, to be referred to as such embarrasses me.

In any case, I will accept your praise with pride!

Master...

Thank you. I shall cherish those words forever.

No matter the dire situation I face, those words will give me strength.

？！

I must be honest. To think that the most capable knight is FRENCH is more than a little troubling.

Fortunately, modern man that I am, I consider myself to be quite open-minded when considering a nation's troubles.

So even though the critics of your country first called me "vulgar" and "cruel"...

I offer my forgiveness now!

I don't see how that has anything to do with me!

I'm really just venting here.

Well, at least in modern France, people know my true worth, so all is well...

But know this: an author carries his grudges forever!

By the way, you said it was all a nightmare, Shakespeare.

Hm... No, it can't be...

？！

It's nothing. I just remembered somebody...a dependable mage who has a deplorable tendency toward the ridiculous as well.

If his hand is at work here, there's nothing for it. Annoying as it is, I can only accept it.

After all, he is sneaky as a snake in the grass.

Only our king could ever command that man.

...I see. He WOULD do something like this...

？！

Ah-CHOO!

Hmmm, did I catch a cold? Or maybe someone's talking about me.

Hopefully all that annoying stuff is done.

And so, thanks to the Knight of the Lake, the remnant of the King of Storms in London vanished...

And now his debt to the Round Table is paid in full.

Yep. All's right in the world. Happily ever after for everyone.