Replica (4/5)

The royal castle! We've finally arrived, Senpai!

I'll verify that on video, too! But first, I'm picking up hostiles!

There's a lot of magical energy near the entrance! Enforcement Knights!

But no other response in that area! This will probably be the final battle with the Enforcement Knights!

This is the royal guard. They'll be in a whole other league than the others!

Be careful, Fujimaru!

Enforcement Knights, farewell! This is really the last of them!

？！

You're right. Cliché has it that just when you forget about them, a giant Enforcement Knight will appear as the very last obstacle!

Stop talking nonsense and get a move on! It looks like Sir Lancelot is already in the royal castle!

The structure of the castle is the same as Camelot, yes? Then I'll lead the way. Let's go, everyone!

Right. But... I hope the Hassans are all right...

...That makes 90. I heard you possess one hundred personas and can manifest each of them.

...It seems you were all talk... What a disappointment.

Ten left? No...

Probably less than five.

As you can see, I do not have a scratch on me. You have wasted your time.

...Is that what you think?

Mm!? It can't be... What is this mist!?

...I am Serenity, the poison flower that blooms in the darkness. This area is filled with my poison already.

You thought you had the upper hand. But in fact, Hundred Personas and Cursed Arm were playing you.

They purposely pushed you to the limit so you wouldn't notice the poison that was eating away at your body.

Poison? Poison, you say? What did you do to me...

That's right. Your golden Iseult is gone, Tristan, Knight of the Round Table!

Poison has ended your life, undefeated archer! You betrayed a woman and then she betrayed you!

For a Heroic Spirit like you, poison is the eventual end of your fate!

I'll tell you something. The white hand of Iseult has finally caught up with you.

Ah!

A fitting end for one who has killed so many in the mountains, burned villages, and even tried to murder his brethren!

Ahhh... This truly makes me sad...

Huh?

W-Why? I am sure... That was a lethal dose...

Heh... Heh-heh, heh-heh-heh-heh! Hahahahahahaha!

Oh, pardon me. It was just so sad that a chuckle slipped out.

I didn't tell you about my Gift, did I?

The Gift I've been given is "Reversal." It was originally to turn me into a beast by removing any doubt in my heart...

But its special attribute ends up reversing everything. Therefore, right now, poison has absolutely no effect.

Your desperate measure was in vain.

Wha...?

To think... our final secret plan, too... was a wasted effort...

Yes. And now, it's time for you to die.

Ah!

How vexing... We've been fighting that bow for all this time, yet we still cannot see its arrow...

Of course not. As long as you are trying to see it with your eyes.

I knew it would end like this. You three cannot defeat me.

Your tragedy is you didn't comprehend that until the end.

...So it seems. I am truly made aware of my own powerlessness.

Well then...

However. Even if I can't beat you, I know something that can.

Haaaaaaa, you've fell for it! I've got your arm, Tristan!

...So you've grabbed me. what of it? You threw away your life and finally snatched my hand.

But that is all. What can you do with that body when I've split open your belly and disemboweled you?

...Your arm is moving by itself!? No, what is this!?

...I stole this arm from Shaytan. I've been controlling it through a curse...

However, I've removed that curse.

I'm sure Shaytan will take over my body and devour me, a thief, and you, a sacrifice.

Arrrggggh! Why won't you let go!? Get away from me!

Urk, this is ridiculous! You're using our Spirit Origins as bait!?

H-hrrr! Such overwhelming pain... One that pierces through your entire body!

And I'm sorry, Sir Tristan. Even though you're my enemy, I can't help but admire that technique.

For us, skills are living things. How much of your heart and soul did you put into that bow? How much training did you do with it...?

When I think of all the carnage up to now, I have to express my respect for all those years.

However, hell is a fitting place for you! We'll go there together, Tristan!

I-I'm going to die!? I'm going to be eaten by an ugly monster like this!?

I mean, you'll die, too! You're feeling this agony, too! Why would you go this far!?

You're not even bound by any Gift!

We don't need any Gift.

We coexisted with sterile soil, protected our brethren who live on this land, and made the lessons of this earth our concern!

We don't care about other countries! We don't care about some utopia! We loved the people who lived on this land!

We lived for that, and for that we died! That is the original law of us, the Old Man of the Mountain!

Agh... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!

...

Heh... Hehhhhh...

Giving me the freedom of a hand was a mistake. I am able to fire Failnaught with but a finger...

...Well. Somehow I managed to... separate myself from the Old Man of the Mountain...

...However, it seems I was too late. Shaytan has already devoured half of me...

...Still. A frightening level of tenacity... No, I suppose I should say "faith"...

The heathens... By rights, I shouldn't care, but...

What was he saying, about skills being alive and such...? ...Haha. That kind of dedication... That's not fair...

...Is that me reflected in the window...?

Thus, even viewing the villainous knight was horrifying. He was reduced to a monster...

...Heh. Since coming to this land, there has been nothing but misery. And yet, in the end, it seems I saw something amusing...

The seventh corridor and the second spiral staircase. This is the fastest route to the throne.

They don't have many people on hand in here, surprisingly. Maybe we can get to the Lion King without anyone getting in our way.

？！

Yes. Sir Bedivere, how are you feeling?

You don't have to worry about me, Fujimaru, Lady Mash.

My arm has been feeling better for a while now, and I should also be feeling better shortly.

Your words are a comfort to me, and I am afraid no longer.

？！

Um? Well, I can't exactly explain what that entails very easily...

That's enough talking! I'm detecting a strong Spirit Origin from down the rear stairs!

It's... a Knight of the Round Table! Sir Gawain is coming up!

...So he came. There's no way he wouldn't make it in time.

Let us consider ourselves fortunate that the goddess of victory is on our side.

If he decided to interfere while we were fighting the Lion King we would have no chance of winning.

？！

Yes, we've made it this far so maybe you can say I've had a change of heart.

Well said. I will not have to hold back against a knight with a smile like that, Sir Bedivere.

Sir Gawain! You're here alone!?

Yes, I gave each knight their choice. I no longer have anything to do with their fate.

Whether I strike you down here, or I am the one to fall, the fate of the Holy City will not change.

When the Tower appeared, our job here was done. The only thing left for us in the Round Table is for each of us to figure out how to serve the king.

...It does seem so. Your resolve has not changed. In the end, you remain the sword of the king.

You would not stop me from revealing the king's mistakes and denouncing the Holy City.

Of course. The king said this to me when I was summoned here.

"Knight of the Sun, the other bearer of the sacred sword. You should take this chance to grant your desire."

The king told me I could do anything. I could leave the Holy City, or even strike him down.

...You couldn't understand just how happy I was in that moment.

You just happened to be there for the king and take care of him in his final moments.

I was once called the right-hand man of the king, but unable to cast away my own personal grudges, I caused his death.

...I cannot repeat that foolishness again.

King Arthur is not the same king he once was. The king understands that more than anyone.

He wouldn't call himself the Lion King if that wasn't the case. He gave us all a choice from the beginning.

Britain's Round Table has fallen to ruin. Our world has fallen to ruin.

The Lion King declared he will protect the world. No matter how self-righteous that might be.

Why do you think we alone are left of the Round Table in the Holy City? It should not need to be said.

The second chair, Percival. The third chair, Kay. The sixth, Gaheris. The ninth, Palamedes.

The advisor, King Pellinore. The next 11th chair, Bors.

After they were summoned by the king, they showed their loyalty by revolting against the Lion King.

They were all wonderful knights. They challenged the king in battle to protect the king's honor.

...And we disposed of them all.

...It can't be... Weren't they killed by the Crusaders?

Hold your tongue! Do you think us knights with superhuman strength would lose to some grave robbers?

So that means you... completed your oaths together in your own ways?

That's right. Sir Bedivere, you were not the only one granted the right to slay your own brethren.

The moment we pledged our loyalty to the Lion King we were already branded sinners. No matter what happens, I will not betray the Lion King.

At the same time, I am grateful. I do not know the reasons the King of Knights became the Lion King...

However, my wish will stay with the Lion King.

Because King Arthur has the sacred lance, and he needed us, the Knights of the Round Table, to be the means to destroy this world...

I am no longer a knight serving the King of Knights. I am Gawain, a knight serving the Lion King.

...That's all I have to say to you. Draw your sword, Sir Bedivere.

What you want to protect and what I must protect are like oil and water. Allow me to ask once more, what is your sword for!?

...Then I shall answer. My right arm is the end of my loyalty, my proof of a sin that I could not erase.

What it dreamed of was the king. For the sake of truly saving the one who walked alone...

...I will cut down anyone who stands in my way! With my arm, now the silver arm of Nuadha, Airgetlám!

Then I shall crush you along with that arm.

Last remnant of the old Round Table! Last remnant of chivalry! Your life will end here!

So this is the end... I guess this is divine intervention...

In the end I won't make it to the king's fight... I guess that is my fate for being an unfaithful knight...

...What are you saying? There is no knight more loyal than you, Sir Gawain.

You're the same as me. You admire what it means to be a king rather than the concept of honor.

You cannot call yourself unfaithful...

...

...Bedivere. Why did you have to appear now?

...Not when the Holy City was prosperous... but when everything is about to end...

...The King may have regained his heart... if you were the one...

I...resent you from the bottom of my heart.

...That's right. Sir Gawain. I am also an unfaithful knight which you should detest...

A sinful and foolish knight...

Ugh...

This is the end. Your plot ends here, Agravain.

...I will not kill you. We both became traitors... the moment we cut down our Round Table brethren.

However, I cannot ignore your evil plans. You will pay for the numerous atrocities you've caused in the name of the king.

...Traitor? Me? The same as you?

Haha, hahahaha. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

...Agravain?

I can't stop laughing!

Th-This power... Did you use the Madness Enhancement you placed on the Enforcement Knights on yourself!?

Agravain, you...

...My mother was mad.

"One day, you will rule over Britain." That was the grudge I had to hear when I was growing up.

Through the plan of my mother, Morgan, I got to sit among you all. I did not want to be a Knight of the Round Table, but I suppose that was the fastest way.

I was but a tool to steal the throne away from King Arthur and give it to my mother.

I agreed to it. I understood that Britain needed a strong king.

I just wanted Britain to continue on. I used King Arthur to that end.

...I used our king.

You...!

I wanted a king that would labor. A king that would, even for a little bit, extend Britain's life.

I just needed someone for my plan. I did not really care who became king.

King Arthur was the best. That is all. King Arthur was easier to use than Morgan.

I hate women.

Morgan was a vixen, ugly to her core. And Guinevere, who extolled virtue, fell in love with you.

I have and will continue to hate women.

I will continue to despise humans.

And I will continue to resent the emotion of love.

That is me...

Do you understand the relief I felt when I found out the first person that made me fear being resented...was a man?

...That's what you and Guinevere have done. You cannot even fathom the emptiness I felt in my heart when I found out of my king's pain.

Lord... Agravain...

I still have something left to do.

...This is what you deserve. You have once again betrayed my king.

...It's time. I've detected a powerful magical response up ahead.

This is the highest point in the Holy City. It must be the location of the throne.

...Just who and what is the Lion King? Why did the Sixth Singularity end up like this?

The answer to all of that lies beyond these doors. ...Are you ready, Fujimaru?

？！

...Yes! The final stage of the Sixth Grand Order... Let's go!

...This is the highest level of the castle. The place of the oath for the Knights of the Round Table.

And the person sitting on the throne is the Lion King... Altria Pendragon!

...Answer me.

...Answer me. Who are you?

Why did you come to my castle? Why do you show yourselves before me?

I am the Lion King. The King of the Storm and the Lord residing over the Ends of the World. The remnant of the hero who wields the sacred lance Rhongomyniad.

...That voice just gives me the shivers... This is just like a geas...

(That is the Lion King... King Arthur who held on to the sacred lance...)

(I've already made up my mind, but to think I would be afraid this much... However...)

(I must look upon the Lion King directly in the eyes!)

...Answer me.

Do you seek me? Or are you here to reject me?

Fujimaru, the last Master of the distant Chaldea.

Why have you come to see me?

？！

Makes no difference. To correct the course of humanity is the same as taking my life.

You are here to kill me. Unfortunately, you are not chosen by the sacred lance.

Your soul knows good but commits evil. While it is good, it allows evil.

That is the same as evil. I had some expectations for the latest human who could reach my feet, however...

You shall die here. Your soul is not needed in my utopia.

...I will unleash the Round Table.

Behold, the wave of the Ends of the World. When the outer layer is removed, the true face of the planet is revealed.

The storm that's beyond the throne... So the Lion King was waiting at the Ends of the World from the very beginning!

The Lion King has stood up from the throne... She's assumed a combat stance!

Master... What should we do!?

？！

Senpai!?

That's some courage right there! A Servant would cower before that level of divinity!

But that's the spirit! Tell her! That's only something you, a human, can do!

...A reason, huh? Humans always want to ask that, no matter the era.

I am abandoning the world, in order to help you, humans, to survive.

The history of this planet will come to an end due to the work of one man.

Humanity will be incinerated and history will become nothingness. But that goes against my purpose.

We were born thanks to you humans. A god cannot exist without humans.

Which is why you humans must remain. I will protect you no matter the cost.

...This is my own free will. If the King of Mages is allowed this much freedom, I am also going to do as I see fit.

Yes, I shall confess. I have always wished for this.

I love all of you. You are important to me.

That is why I cannot bear to lose you.

I've decided to grant humans eternity. To souls worthy of remaining in the next world...

Those who do no evil nor will they know evil even when affected by it. Those who know no end to goodness and yet are not aware of their goodness.

I shall gather those purest souls, freeze them, and archive them.

No matter how much time passes, I will store them in my lance as something whose value will never change.

What is wrong with that? My work is all for you, humans.

？！

...Is that what you think?

...Is that also what you think? O Knight of the Shield?

Human lives are finite. Amongst them, there are few whose lives are even more limited.

Mash Kyrielight, you understand my ideal, don't you?

...!

I...

I...

？！

Fujimaru, that's enough talking! The Lion King's mental structure is now completely that of a deity.

She's lost her values as a human! This won't end with just talk!

Fight, and destroy that lance! Time will return to normal if you do that!

...Imprudent, Romani Archaman. That is much like you. However, I have come to the same conclusion.

You've answered the question. If you are to deny me, I will deny you, as well.

Your death is inevitable, and now it draws near. Lament the limits on your life.

Know those limits, and accept my divine grace.

Knight of the Shield, if you want to protect human lives... you will not fight me.

Here she comes...! Master, prepare for combat!

The enemy is Altria, the Lion King... No, she's not a Heroic Spirit anymore!

If I were to give her a name... She is the Goddess Rhongomyniad, an avatar of the sacred lance!

She blew away pieces of Sheba!? Her magical energy can even reach Chaldea!?

Damn it! I can't get a visual!

Is everyone okay?! Did you defeat Rhongomyniad!?

Ah... This is bad... There's just too much difference between us... The power of divinity that surpasses that of a genius...

That is truly the power of an Authority... A normal Servant couldn't stand up against that.

Ugh! I can't...move my...legs!

The king is mistaken! We must fight for the king's sake as well but...

My body...won't...listen to me!

？！

This is the end. As your lives wither away, the Ends of the World shall be unleashed.

I am the King of the Storm, the wave that will swallow this earth. I am the one who shall bring an end to this world!

...But feel no sadness. Happiness shall be granted to you humans.

Your limited lives will receive eternity.

I will freeze the lives of yours that will burn up and store them. I will stop them from losing any value.

That is the meaning behind "protecting" lives. The ultimate conclusion of what it means to protect humans.

？！

That's not right! It isn't right!

Milady!?

？！

You're wrong. I don't agree with your concept of happiness.

I've seen a lot of different lives in this era!

Someone died to protect a child! And there was someone who grieved about it!

And... they continued to live on in spite of all of it.

There was someone who thought that their mom would continue living on as long as they were alive!

Having an end isn't meaningless! Life continues on. It doesn't just exist for only a single moment!

Even if these losses continue to mount forever, life will continue to spread out, connecting us all!

...

...

Rhongomyniad! If you call yourself the Storm... If you're the ends of the world...!

I will fight you with everything I have!

Very well. Show me.

My sacred lance calls forth the storm. It shows the truth lying underneath the peeled skin of the world!

Sacred lance, anchor unleashed. For thou art the Anchor of Storms which splits the sky and connects the earth...

Unleash your light from the Ends of the World! Rhongomyniad!

Here I go! Master Fujimaru, please give me strength!

Watch me, Director... At this very moment, I will prove the foundation of our humanity!