"This sword is a replica of the sun, a purifying flame that incinerates all impurity—Excalibur Galatine!"
The swing of Excalibur Galatine unleashed a cataclysmic wave of flames, so vast that even Pegasus couldn't evade it in time. Jiang You's vision was instantly engulfed in fire, the searing heat striking him with each breath, burning his lungs. It was daytime, and Gawain, empowered by his threefold sunlight buff, could easily shatter Jiang You and Medusa's Spirit Origins.
But Jiang You remained calm. He had already ensnared Gawain within his Noble Phantasm's range. Soon, the attack would be nullified, transforming into a Duel invitation that Jiang You could initiate at will.
Faced with the onslaught of Excalibur Galatine, Jiang You swiftly severed his connection with Medusa, sending her back to the Worldline of the Fifth Holy Grail War. After all, Medusa was notoriously fragile, and Jiang You had no intention of seeing her roasted like a snake. Now without Pegasus to support him, Jiang You hurtled into the heart of the inferno, propelled by inertia.
"Infiltrating from the sky was certainly one way to do it."
Gawain watched as his Noble Phantasm engulfed the enemy, finally feeling reassured. "Invading during the day wasn't the wisest move," he remarked. "The visibility is far too clear. Though you had little choice, I suppose. Now, silently await the King's completion...!!!!"
The outcome of a long-range attack after his Noble Phantasm's activation had now been determined. Jiang You suddenly materialized before Gawain, unharmed.
"He emerged unscathed from my Noble Phantasm!" Gawain exclaimed in disbelief.
This wasn't just any Gawain—this was Gawain of the Everlasting Day, empowered by the Lion King's Divine Protection, granting him a permanent threefold enhancement. Few servants could withstand his Noble Phantasm's power, let alone emerge from it without a speck of dust on their robes.
Gawain waved away the soldiers attempting to reinforce him, knowing that sending more ordinary troops against such a formidable foe would only be sending them to their deaths. "State your name, intruder," he demanded. "With such strength, you must be more than a nameless pawn. In that case, I, Gawain of the Knights of the Round Table, challenge you to a duel!"
"Jiang You!"
As Jiang You declared his name, the Duel Space unfolded!
Jiang You LP: 4000.
Gawain LP: 4000.
"A Noble Phantasm that alters the Duel's rules?"
Gawain, though a hulking gorilla of muscle, wasn't as dim-witted as Mordred. After all, no truly brainless brute could earn the unanimous praise of his comrades. He quickly processed the knowledge that had appeared in his mind. "You must be the special Servant My King spoke of—the one with the ability to bypass my Noble Phantasm's defenses, and this extraordinary Noble Phantasm itself. It's no wonder Tristan and Mordred fell before you."
Gawain seemed to have misinterpreted Jiang You's immunity to attacks as a personal ability. This was fortunate; it meant Jiang You would face fewer unnecessary attacks before reaching the Lion King.
"I may not be your match either," Gawain admitted, drawing five cards from his deck. "But I will do everything in my power to stop you from interfering with the King. First, my turn!"
"First, I activate the Spell Card 'Enforcement Legion'! I Special Summon two 'Enforcement Knights' of different classes from my Deck!"
Identical to Tristan's cards, two silver-armored knights marched heavily onto the battlefield.
Enforcement Knight L: Attack Power 1000
Enforcement Knight A: Attack Power 1200
"Next, I Tribute 'Enforcement Knight L' to tribute Summon 'Round Table Knight Gawain'!"
As expected, the Knights of the Round Table could summon themselves onto the field in the first turn.
The sun hung high, and a white-armored knight emerged from its radiant disk, descending onto the battlefield.
Round Table Knight Gawain
Saber, 6 stars, Attack Power 2500.
"My own effect activates! When this card is Special Summoned, add one [ Revolving Sword of Victory ] to my Hand Card! Then, I equip this sword to myself!"
Gawain's Attack Power: 2500 → 3000
"As you've likely already witnessed, I activate King's Blessing! The Continuous Spell Card [ Blessing of the Everlasting Day ] targets my [ Gawain ]. While this card remains face-up on the field, the targeted Round Table Knight's Attack Power and Defense Power triple their original values. Moreover, during my turn, if the targeted Servant has no Equip Cards, I can equip one Equip Card from my Graveyard to the targeted Servant once per turn. While this card is face-up, all coin-toss effects are locked to heads."
In the original game, Gawain could unleash his Noble Phantasm once per turn. Here, however, that ability has been transformed into the repeated equipping and un-equipping of Equip Cards, since the Noble Phantasm's effects are now tied to the sword itself. The coin toss, originally meant to determine day or night, is now rendered irrelevant by [ Blessing of the Everlasting Day ], which forces the day phase.
[Revolving Sword of Victory]: The equipped servant gains 500 Attack Power. This card can only be activated when the equipped servant is destroyed by an effect. Banish this card to negate the effect. Once per turn during your Main Phase, banish this card to destroy all face-up Servant Cards on your opponent's field. During the turn this effect is activated, the equipped servant cannot declare an attack.
This card has a similar effect to [ Sword of Promised Victory ], but instead of piercing defense, it negates one destruction effect. While it sacrifices 500 Attack Power, it offers greater versatility. Of course, Ahoge's inherent negation abilities mean she doesn't rely heavily on this effect.
Gawain's Attack Power: 3000 → 7500
An Attack Power of 7500 is indeed the highest value seen so far, and the triple multiplier further emphasizes his inherent capabilities. The Holy Sword has effectively become a kind of Xyz Material. However, just like in the original lore, he remains extremely vulnerable to King Hassan's effects.
"Next, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!"
The Knights of the Round Table's card deck leans heavily towards open plays and honorable combat, leaving their backrow almost entirely undefended.
Gawain's astronomical Attack Power effectively eliminates the possibility of battle destruction, but Jiang You has an abundance of effect-based removal options.
"My turn. Draw!"
Jiang You began his turn, opening with his most frequent move. "I Normal Summon Hundred Faces! Its effect activates: all cards with the same name are Special Summoned from my Deck!"
Hundred Faces: Attack Power 800 x 4
Morning Glory: Attack Power 0
"The Host's effect lets me declare a card type. I declare Spell Card!"
He drew Shining Star from the top of his Deck, a perfect match for King Hassan's Ritual Spell Card. Not a bad draw.
"Now, I activate Tomes of the Hundred, tributing Hundred Faces to destroy your Set Card!"
Dealing with traps early is just common sense.
"A wise decision. Too bad, I'll activate the Trap Card Belt of Perseus! By paying 1000 Life Points, I select one Knight of the Round Table. Until the end of my next turn, that Servant cannot be targeted by card effects or destroyed by battle!"
This belt, from the history of Gawain and the Green Knight, was said to grant invulnerability to swords and spears.