Gawain gripped his sword tightly. Though a hint of turmoil remained in his eyes, he wouldn't hold back if it came to a fight.
This wasn't to say he had no feelings for Artoria; quite the opposite. In Gawain's view, the path he was now on was not wrong at all; it was the only path to salvation.
Having embarked on this path, he had even personally laid his own sister to rest. What more did he have to worry about?
This knight, whose smile once shone like the sun, now rarely showed it.
"Good. Very good."
Artoria's sword point dropped, a touch of sorrow in her expression. Her knight was no longer her knight.
Mo Shuying walked over to Artoria. He could see her hand trembling slightly, clearly indicating an inner struggle.
At a time like this, someone naturally had to speak up.
"Gawain, we need to see the Lion King."
Getting straight to the point was the quickest way to resolve the issue.
However.
"Impossible! The Lion King is high above, like a deity looking down on the world. Not to mention seeing that King, you don't even have the right to enter this city."
Gawain's tone grew firmer. Artoria lowered her head, her face hidden in shadow. Mo Shuying wanted to retort, but Mordred leaped forward first.
"Gawain!! This is my true King! It's not too late for you to abandon the darkness and turn to the light! Have you forgotten? You were the most trusted among the Knights of the Round Table by the King!"
Mordred was also angry. Sure enough, this man with nothing but muscle in his head was an idiot!
"I am grateful for the King's trust, but now I am a knight of the Lion King. Mordred, you have betrayed the King again."
Gawain was also angry. Why?! Everyone kept betraying their masters, again and again!
"I haven't betrayed anyone! I have always been loyal to King Arthur! I brought the King here to guide that individual onto the true path! Stand aside, Sir Gawain! I truly don't want to fight you!!"
As she spoke, Mordred had already drawn her greatsword. Her expression became somewhat agitated! Her magic power surged uncontrollably towards the greatsword.
"When did you become such a glib knight, Mordred? Betrayal is still betrayal, in the end. We have all made mistakes, and we can never be forgiven."
Gawain actually stepped out as he spoke, no longer protected by the Holy City.
Mordred seemed to have reached her limit! She violently swung her greatsword, and a furious beam of magical energy transformed into a red-black pillar of light, striking forward!
"Shut! Up!!!"
*Boom!!*
The pillar of light rushed forward! But Gawain, with a wave of his hand, instantly turned the original night into a bright, sunny day!
With the sunlight, intense energy burst forth from Gawain. His Holy Sword was held horizontally at his waist! Then!
"Burn away all impurities... Revolving Sword of Victory!!"
*Whoosh!*
Gawain violently swung his sword in a horizontal slash! With one strike! The black-red pillar of light that had reached him was directly split down the middle!
*Whoosh!!*
A circular wave of fire swept across the area! It forcefully pushed through the red-black pillar of light! It finally stopped in front of Mordred, but the next second, a violent explosion occurred!
*Boom!!*
"Ah!"
Mordred was blown away, but Mo Shuying caught her and set her back on the ground.
"Damn it!"
Mordred wasn't seriously injured, but her expression was still agitated. Her magic power continuously gathered in her sword. This forced absorption was very painful for Mordred.
"Let go!"
Mo Shuying reached out and snatched Mordred's royal sword. This Shining King Sword was actually a treasure sword comparable to the Sword of Promised Victory, but because Mordred obtained it incorrectly, its power was diminished, and it was now only a C-rank Noble Phantasm.
Once the royal sword left her hand, Mordred's expression quickly returned to normal. She looked back at Mo Shuying with a grateful glance, but she was a bit afraid to look at Artoria.
"What's going on, Mordred?"
Mo Shuying remembered that Mordred could spam her Noble Phantasm in the game, but he couldn't quite recall why.
"I... I... I..."
Mordred didn't dare to speak, and at that moment, Gawain spoke.
"Allow me to explain! Do you see it? This dazzling blazing sun! We, the knights summoned to serve the Lion King, have all been blessed."
Gawain raised the sword in his hand, and the light of the sun poured into the Holy Sword, forming golden flames that wrapped around the blade.
"My blessing is called Eternal Day, meaning I am no longer limited by night. I can unleash the power of my Holy Sword anytime, anywhere. This! Revolving Sword of Victory!!"
*Whoosh!*
Gawain slashed again, and a wave of fire spread outwards, carrying not only extreme solar heat but also immense cutting power!
But this time, his opponent was Artoria.
*Bang!*
Artoria stepped in front of them both. With just a single, seemingly casual swing of her sword, she completely extinguished the wave of fire that had surged toward them!
Gawain was momentarily stunned, then he smiled.
"As expected of you. My blessing is Eternal Day, and Mordred's is Loss of Control. Heh, it's truly hard to say if it's a blessing or a curse. As soon as she enters combat, her magical energy unconsciously flows into her weapon, forcing her to continuously unleash her Noble Phantasm. Heh heh, even a Servant will only bring about their own demise by overusing their Noble Phantasm."
Hearing Gawain's words, Artoria turned to look at Mordred, whose eyes darted away, clearly confirming Gawain wasn't lying.
"So it's both a blessing and a curse? Come to think of it, this King remembers now. You, Little Mo, Tristan, Lancelot, Agravain, Gareth—all of them were bestowed with blessings."
Artoria spoke, and this time it was Gawain's turn to be surprised.
"Gareth, how did you… know that?"
"..."
Artoria was also a bit confused. She herself was, in essence, the Lion King, possessing memories of summoning the Knights of the Round Table and creating the Holy City, and memories of formalizing the Holy Selection. But her memories stopped there.
"It's not important. This King only wants to know, was it the Lion King who ordered you to kill these commoners?"
Artoria couldn't recall ever saying she wanted to kill commoners. There had to be something wrong here.
"It's almost time for the Holy Selection to take place, and these commoners are causing trouble now. As knights guarding the Holy City, we naturally must nip this crisis in the bud!"
Gawain stated.
Artoria frowned upon hearing this.
"So you're saying it wasn't the Lion King's order, but yours! You intend to kill these commoners!"
Anger flared in Artoria's eyes. If that were truly the case, she would show no mercy.
"I'm just protecting the safety of the Holy City. Besides, this world is about to be destroyed anyway. Only those chosen will survive; everyone else will perish. Dying sooner or later makes no difference."
Gawain said, sounding entirely justified.
But the next second.
"Silence!!"
Artoria lunged forward! Her Holy Sword slashed towards Gawain's neck!
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