Replica (3/5)

This is bad... The Allied Force is being pinned at the front gate. The Holy City guards are using this chance to make their move.

They'll be wiped out! We need to do something to get rid of the wall somehow!

It appeared out of nowhere. There has to be a way to make it disappear too!

Everyone, hurry and look around you! Do you see a way in, or maybe a generator!?

Hah, there's no such thing...!

Mordred!

Don't call me like you know me, coward! Just like I said I would, I hit you with a fair-and-square surprise attack!

Mordred... I thought you were fighting outside the Holy City!?

Huh? Gawain can deal with that trash himself.

I came to take you out. That was our promise, right?

That's... That's true. But I don't...

...Tch. You're throwing me off my game, shieldy. More importantly, where are they?

？！

You know, the Archer that was with you! Is he at the rear sniping again?!? Hey, show yourself!

Arash Kamangir is gone. He defeated the Light of Judgment and saved the village.

!

...I see. So he died before I could beat him, huh? Damn it. He won and ran away.

？！

Sure it is! He stopped Father's sacred lance!

...I was never able to do that even until my death. I can't believe some minor no-name took that lance out first.

Whatever. Just one less thing to look forward to! You're all gonna burn from Father's lance anyway!

Now get ready, wimps! I'll at least give you the honor of dying by my hand!

...No, if you want to die, do it on your own, Mordred.

We have no time to waste on your desire for destruction.

...What?

What did you say? Are you picking a fight with me, you coward!?

I am indeed! It is a disgrace that you call yourself King Arthur's heir!

No matter how cruel you were, you once did your duties as a general.

But now there's not a trace of that! You fight alone! Without taking command of your men!

And you look at this situation and think nothing of it? The king is trying to burn the world, and his own men!

...Is this what this is about? Are you stupid or something?

My Father's killing his own men? Of course... Of course he would!

Listen! An army is the last thing the Lion King needs!

The Lion King's idea is a city with no war. In that case, why would you need an army!?

We're going to protect the Holy City and die here! We'll be the Foundation of Humanity created by the Lion King!

That's what the Lion King's Round Table is all about!

It was the honor of a knight, which you were given and we weren't!

You were at King Arthur's side to the last. How would you know about our feelings!?

Mordred... You...

Shut up! You just came out of nowhere after all that happened... You're really pissing me off, Bedivere!

Sir Mordred is engaging!

The Gift of the Knights of the Round Table is still active! Let's fight with all we have, Master!

Gah! Grah... It'll take more than that...

I'm not going to disappear... The only one who can end me is King... Arthur...

Sir Mordred is still standing... but...

...Enough, Mordred. I'm sorry for tainting your dream.

What...did...you...say!?

...But it will stay a dream.

You are the Knight of Treachery. The day you want to serve King Arthur from the bottom of your heart...will never come.

...The same is true for me.

The reason I was at the king's side at the end was because I was weak. I was not able to save him on the battlefield.

And the reason you couldn't deliver the king's death was because... you were weak.

We were both incompetent as knights. We were never worthy to be by the king's side.

...However, despite being hated by the king, you still possess this innocent dream. The dream of serving the king.

In that sense, you have surpassed me. You live a much purer life than a sinner like me.

Forgive me for insulting it. ...My sword shall inherit your atonement.

Tch... What the hell are you talking about?

...Man, this is lame. I lost to a coward in a fight, and lost to their trash talk.

This really is the end for me.

If the Knight of Treachery loses to a traitor, what's the point of me staying?

...Mordred's Spirit Origin is gone. Only three enemy knights of the Round Table remain.

...So Mordred also had a reason for serving the Lion King, huh?

No, now's not the time to get depressed! Hurry and search the surrounding area!

We need to destroy that wall ASAP, or everything will be over.

No, the wall is a creation of the Lion King from within the castle. There's no way to stop it from outside.

I can tell you this: we can't destroy that wall. We are completely out of options.

Pharaoh, your prophecy has come true. The Tower at the Ends of the World has appeared at the Holy City.

Hahaha, I knew it! The Lion King must have gotten rather desperate!

Well, Fujimaru joined the battle. To be honest, I expected nothing less! I would be disappointed if they hadn't pushed him at least this far.

I mean, they are the heroes who made me truly laugh! Fwahahahahahahaha!

...Then, I must give them a reward worthy of their exploits.

Open the eye of the great temple! Activate the Great Lightbulb Dendera!

Reroute all magical energy from anti-enforcement defense to the lightbulb!

I will use all the energy stored in this temple to unleash my ultra long range divine punishment upon the Holy City!

Yes, my pharaoh! Releasing pyramid's composite armor!

Begin magical energy compression acceleration rituals! Stabilize outputs from Abu el-Hol-class to Mesektet-class!

Humph. You forgot about me, didn't you, Lion King?

It's true that I didn't use the ultra long-range divine punishment out of wariness for your Light of Judgment.

However, that is no longer possible for you! You cannot unleash the Light of Judgment when that tower is up.

And that is why I strike now! My divine lightning shall shatter your lance!

No, if the Light of Judgment does come, I'll block it! Rest assured and focus on controlling the lightning ball, my pharaoh!

That is my intention from the beginning. You just stand there and witness my glory.

All judgment is to be passed down by the hands of pharaohs! For a mere king who's not even a god...

No, I am sure you are a goddess by now. HOWEVER!

I am the pharaoh! And that is why I will show you what it means to be a true God King!

Great Light of Amun-Ra, open your eyes! Behold, Meryamun!

The divine punishment has landed! But... it didn't work!

There's a wall of magical energy surrounding the city! The lightning has not reached the tower!

I can tell by feeling the impact! How impudent! So you had a trick up your sleeve too, Lion King?

Then I'll hit you twice, no, ten times! I'll turn half my Spirit Origin into magical energy and use it to accelerate the great temple!

The walls of the Holy City are like paper to me! Fwahaha! I pity you, Tower at the Ends of the World!

The magical energy walls around the city are gone! My king, just one more hit and...

Do not look back, Nitocris! I will not allow you to worry about me!

My apologies, Pharaoh...

Movement from the Holy City! The Tower is aiming at us... It's the Light of Judgment!

Ugh!

Give me a moment! I'll take care of this!

...Graahhh!

...Nitocris, you're using the Mirror of the Underworld to stop the light from coming down from above, right?

...I still have strength left. Pharaoh Nitocris, do you require my aid?

Aah!! AAAHHH!

...No, there was no need to ask. You'll burn yourself to ash before you ask for help. That's the kind of woman you are.

Very well.

Lion King, you have won this duel of Noble Phantasms! But the greater battle is a tie!

When you aimed for me, you left yourself open! My Noble Phantasm is still intact!

If the greater divine punishment isn't enough for you, then I shall give you my grave!

Even your sacred lance is like an ancient, rickety ship before this huge mass!

O monument of the sun, O great stone, O pyramid which rules the universe!

The sun descends here, in our unlimited brilliance! Fall... Ramesseum Tentyris!

Oh... that is the glorious light of the pharaohs... Ramesseum Tentyris...

You've destroyed the Tower at the Ends of the World, my king! And so I too shall!

I shall protect the home of the king, even if I must offer my soul to the god of the underworld! My mirror is the darkness that drives away all light!

...There is no need.

...Pharaoh?

You've done enough. There is no need for more.

And I don't want you being taken to the underworld. I don't really like that place.

But this is why my mirror...

Idiot. It's already broken.

...I'm taking a rest now. You rest too, Pharaoh Nitocris.

Don't push yourself too hard. You're a little too kind to rule the darkness.

...No, that's not true. I am still an inexperienced pharaoh...

Did you see that!? The pyramid destroyed the pillar of light in the Holy City!

There's no need to fear the Lion King now! We can do itGwah!?

Don't get cocky, rebels! The castle remains strong! The Round Table remains strong!

Sir Tristan is in the Holy City! The rebels who entered are probably being executed right now!

Once this sandstorm is gone, we'll have the advantage! If Sir Gawain can just restore order at the front gate!

Fwah!

...

(It has been an hour since we began this battle... and he has not slowed at all!)

(But I am becoming accustomed to his fighting style. Even this swordsman is not immortal. There must be a way!)

...That's enough. The tolling of the bell has passed.

The storm... stopped? No, he stopped it?

There is no need for the sand any longer. My robe need no longer block out the sky.

The sunlight shall illuminate the sins of the Lion King. The bell shall pass unto the Holy City.

Such arrogance! Once the sunlight returns, my sacred sword will be invincible!

Of course. Arrogance is warranted. That light could not even awaken one who is asleep.

What...?

Galatine...uninhibited by the sandstorm, yet even under the sun you can still deflect it?

(...I was the one who was blind. This swordsman's power rivals the Lion King!)

...Why? Why did you stop the sandstorm?

No, if you have all this power, why did you not use it until this moment?

You could even defeat the Lion King. If you are the Old Man of the Mountain, then, half a year ago...

When we built the Holy City, you could have stopped us!

No. My blade is only a threat to those who disobey the will of heaven.

The will of heaven has not tasked me to fight the Lion King. It has tasked them. Thus there is no need for my blade.

Those who disobey... the will of heaven...

Knight of the Sun, your blade has proven thine innocence. The passing of the bell is proof.

...The will of heaven calls thou to that castle. If thou art a knight, thou must hurry.

Before the sacred lance consumes thy chance to confess the last and only stagnation within thou.

W-Wait! We are not done here!

...He is gone. Did he let me go? No, he is not so compassionate...

The black hole said that... A crueler fate awaits us...

Sir Gawain, you're safe! That was a splendid battle with the enemy leader!

The enemy leader...? I see. So that's how he looked to you.

Was that not who he was? He seemed to be a terrifying swordsman. Just one glance was chilling...

Yes, that is right. I never thought I would see the day when I could battle such a splendid knight.

I am quite fortunate. I actually feel a little guilty toward the rest of the Round Table.

Haha. Nevertheless, you were able to repel even a knight like that.

You are our pride. Please remain the guardian of the gate.

We will deal with the rebels who entered the Holy City. You rest here.

...No, I am sorry, but it must be the other way around. I will return to the castle. You men hold the gate.

The battle will be decided in an hour's time, I am certain. If the castle goes up in flames...

Take your men and head north. Though you may find it hard to reach...

Please, get as many as possible home.

This expedition was doomed from the start, but thank you for coming all this way.

Sir Gawain...

Of course, I have no intention of being defeated. My comrades from the Round Table still fight.

Now I... Gawain, Knight of the Round Table, shall go! My sword is with my king until the last!

...Yes, it shattered... Have I finally gone mad?

It looked like a pyramid fell down from the skies...

It fell from the sky... and it was shining gold...

Was that King Ozymandias's support, you think?

？！

Man, talk about a brute force method! I said we were out of options, but forget that!

Anyway, the Tower at the Ends of the World has shattered. That's a fatal blow to the Holy City Army.

That was the pillar keeping their morale up. I bet some of them will be willing to surrender now!

...No, maybe the soldiers will, but the main camp won't.

The gravity fluctuation still threatens to crush this era. The Lion King's sacred lance is still active.

What you just saw was like the sheathe of the sacred lance. As long as the Lion King survives, the collapse won't stop!

That's...

Let's hurry, Senpai! Once we're through the castle town area, we'll reach the castle!

Fujimaru! Sir Bedivere!

Sir Lancelot! Thanks for finally showing up after the work is all done!

Hnghn!

I'm sorry, I said it wrong. Thank you for coming here at the end!

(Milady, that was not a big change. The strength of your words has not really changed!)

Now, now. Sir Lancelot is here, which means the battle in front of the city is mostly over, right?

Of course. The Alliance Army is in total control. Many archers on the castle walls are surrendering.

They saw what just happened with their own eyes. They probably lost the will to fight.

...The biggest factor was the absence of Lord Gawain. He seems to have returned to the castle.

I see. Then we need to settle things with the Lion King before he arrives.

What about you, Sir Lancelot? Will you come with us?

...No, I must look for Agravain. He is too dangerous to ignore.

...Sir Agravain?

Even in the Lion King's Round Table, he hasn't changed, huh?

...?

Okay, then let's split up. We'll take a direct route to the castle from the front.

You're going around the back, right Sir Lancelot? That's where the bad guys tend to escape from.

Yes. We have horses that can go fast.

We will go ahead and capture Agravain. Then we will meet at the Lion King's throne!

I'm seeing fire over there! The Holy City has almost fallen!

Yeah. I don't know about setting fire to the buildings, but I guess that's just what you do in war!

By the way, Sir Bedivere. You were saying something odd about Sir Agravain, weren't you?

What was that about? I am very curious!

...At the last Round Table too, Sir Agravain inspired hatred and fear in the knights.

I realized that it's the same this time too, is all.

Hmm? And why's that? Was he just such a villain that everybody hated him?

Of course not. If the king's advisor was a villain, Camelot would have never survived.

...For some reason, Sir Agravain makes no efforts to be liked by anyone.

As a result, the people around him viewed him as cold.

His blood relatives Sir Gawain, Sir Gaheris, and even little Miss Gareth all misunderstood him.

Wait, wait, wait. I think I just heard a particularly amazing phrase mixed in there!

Okay, single men need to shut up.

...But you didn't see Sir Agravain that way. Why?

...No. I hated him, too. But later, I realized.

The collapse of the Round Table and the fall of Camelot began after Sir Agravain's death.

The king needed him. Perhaps more than Merlin, the court mage.

...Um, actually, you know... I agree with Bedivere.

When I saw Sir Agravain at the fort, I felt relieved.

It was as if my Spirit Origin was saying, "If he's here, the king will be all right."

Galahad was the biggest airhea...I mean, best Knight of the Round. He was an excellent judge of character.

If he trusted Sir Agravain, there must have been some justice in his heart... Watch out!

This silent arrow... Sir Tristan! Where are you! Show yourself!

Ahead, on the roof of the left side building! There's a magical energy response behind the smokestack!

...How sad. Another 10 steps, and I could've been close enough to slice you into ribbons.

But Sir Bedivere's outrageous remarks irritated me, and I let go a moment too soon.

...That's Sir Bedivere for you. Even his mistaken words bring him good luck.

I wish I had a fraction of his good fortune.

...The way I see it, fate is like the grim reaper.

Those who outrun it are given a brief stay of execution, and those who it catches die unfulfilled.

You escaped your fate once before, from that dump of a village.

Now let me see your last struggles, one more time.

...Tristan, I've nothing more to say to you.

The Sir Tristan I know vanished in that village. Immature as I may be, I am a knight serving the King of Knights.

You are a knight of the Lion King, and I cannot let you defeat me!

...Of course. You've finally reached that state of mind, then?

The Round Table you knew never existed here. We are lions. Monsters with the heart of beasts.

We think nothing of slaughtering you, destroying this era, and being the only ones to survive.

I'm sorry, but that's all I have left to me now. So let us end this.

He's coming! Fujimaru, milady, get ready!

Right! The enemy is Tristan, Knight of the Round Table! His bow has taken many lives! This time, we'll snap it in two!

...How sad. To miss your mark, despite possessing all of that skill...

Certainly, you have improved. You are no longer one I can kill with minimal effort.

However, the same can be said for you. You cannot kill me if I am focused on defense.

This is what you call a stalemate. Ahhh... This is exactly why I am so sad...

On this occasion, time is on my side. All I have to do is toy with you people here.

That alone will accomplish the Lion King's ambition. Ah, so boring, so difficult to bear.

I did not imagine a silly ending like this awaited... This is but a tragedy...

Ah, Sir Tristan is right! He doesn't mean to actually defeat us!

He's making shallow attacks. At this rate, neither side will score a winning hit.

...The first time I saw him, I had a hunch that this Archer falls under the category of "deplorable."

And it seems my intuition was right. He's being atrocious!

We have no time. If it comes to that, we...

Wrong! What you call tragedy, we call it comedy!

...Who are you people?

？！

My apologies for making you wait, Fujimaru. I'm sure we have much to discuss, especially the fierce battles up to now...

But at the moment, we are in a race against time. Please, go on ahead.

This man is our prey. By the pride of the Old Man of the Mountain, I swear we will take his life.

...

？！

Hahaha. That's my line.

Then farewell for now. With this battle, consider us even.

Why the look of concern? Get going. We are, together, Old Men of the Mountain. We don't fight if there's no way to win.

We've researched Tristan's history. We'll easily kill him, then hunt for the Lion King's head.

Yes. Our fangs will definitely reach that villainous Tristan. The rest is up to you. Go on, and be careful.

？！

...Indeed.

Hassan!

I am grateful for your thoughtfulness, time and again! May the fortunes of war be with you...!

...That is my line as well. The duty you have undertaken is more important than ours.

The fortunes of war be with you, Sir Bedivere.

Once, there was a king that, though an enemy, called our hero a knight and praised him...

You remind me very much of him. It seems chivalry is still alive and well.

...Right now, I am very sad.

It seems even the Knights of the Round Table have fallen.

Are you so absorbed in chatting with your friends? You insects who have come here to be exterminated?

I fear the cost for such boorishness is high. In fact I worry whether you can afford to pay it.

I am going to dismember and gut you while preserving your heads, so die not along the way.

I'm not so sure about that plan. You don't hear us pleading for our lives either, dandy.

... What did you just say?

I said... I know your weakness.

I, Hundred Personas, am going to teach you that the cause of your defeat is arrogance and your contempt of us!