"Sir Gawain has retreated...!? Is it possible that the mighty Gawain was repelled...!"
"Looks like those guys have got some guts! Was Bird-brain kicking the bucket their doing too?"
"...—Impossible... No, more importantly, Sir Gawain. Where is he now? Surely, a Knight of true loyalty, unlike Lancelot, would never betray—"
『Mordred steps back on instinct』
"He's comin' back."
"What—?"
Crashing through the outer wall and flying in, Sir Gorilla-Mond slammed Agravain and Gawain into the stained glass window.
"Gahaa—!!"
"Gufu—!!"
The two of them fainted together in perfect harmony.
"Dahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!! Are you guys doing a comedy sketch!? Hilarious!! I don't know nothin', absolutely nothin'! I'm goin' to intercept!"
"...—Rest, Agravain. Consider this a vacation request from me."
The Knight King slowly lowered the sword...
[Fierce Battle — All for the Oppressed Lives]
Before the main gate of the Holy City, which was shaking violently.
"Dissidents discovered. Eliminate."
A swarm of Holy Knights trying to pluck the lives living in the now.
[Marie! Roman! Monitor the refugees! Tell me when they reach safety! We'll retreat then!]
('Understood! You mustn't overdo it either, Ritsuka!')
('When the Knights of the Round Table appear, it's time to go! Run immediately! Got it!')
Ritsuka, the terrifying Wicked Dragon trying to protect life, nodded deeply to Roman and Marie's words.
[Thanks! Tell Mash too!]
Ritsuka, the Knight King, and the King of Heroes drew the enemy's attention before the main gate.
Refugees retreating under the escort of Hassan and Jack.
Mash and Leonidas guarding the rear.
Victory in this battle is not the destruction of the Knights.
[Come! "Emiya"!]
It is to protect and guard fragile lives!
Summoned, the Archer in the red mantle appeared.
"To call a low-ranking Servant like me at this timing! What happened to your brilliant command earlier!"
Ritsuka thrust the truth at Emiya's sarcasm.
[You're a Hero of Justice, aren't you! If you don't protect them now, what will you protect!]
"——"
She continued without minding the astonished Emiya.
[Rank is low, enemy is strong, we are weak! None of that—is an excuse to do nothing!!]
"————Good grief, you truly are a Master worthy of that King of Heroes...!"
Emiya laughed as if resigned.
"The enemy is a Knight, and we are certainly the villains here. But—let us believe that we have the Great Cause!"
[Exactly! That's what a Hero of Justice is! Not someone with complicated logic, but someone who fights to protect someone!]
"Ah—you are right!"
[—Let's go!]
Nodding to each other, Ritsuka and Emiya dived into the midst of the Enforcement Knights—!
[Ritsukaaaa!! Driiiill!!]
Thrusting spiral mud drills from all over her body, she transformed them into one super-gigantic spiral drill and spun it on her right arm—!
[—Breaaaaak————!!!!]
With the solidified drill, Ritsuka charged forward, sweeping up, knocking away, scattering, and crushing the Enforcement Knights in the area.
She then made a sharp turn, soaring into the air. Spotting the Knights from the sky, she explosively increased the energy of Mana Burst in her chest, raising it to critical point—
[Burn all the Knights to ash!!]
She unleashed and fired raw magical energy itself, condensed to a super-pure and horrific level that no living creature could withstand!
[Breast!! Fiiireeee!!!]
Overflowing pitch-black flames. The Knights hit were instantly melted, dispersed, dissolved, and vanished.
She burned away the Knights below and simultaneously thrust out her left arm harboring the 'Moon Goddess's Bow and Arrow', taking aim.
[The moon is always there—Let's go, Artemis!]
('Okay okay! Let's go with high spirits~! One, two!')
With Artemis's permission as the trigger, immense lunar magical energy condensed and concentrated in Ritsuka's left arm, exceeded critical mass, and was slammed in as an 'Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm'—!
[『『Reach you, All of the Moon: Artemision (Artemis Agnos) ・ Ultimit ・ Ray』——!!』]
The brilliance and beam of the moon itself poured down as a calamity of death, mercilessly swallowing and annihilating all the Knights—!
The Knights, having no means to defend against the attack resembling a super-gigantic laser, pitiably had their paths cut off by anything but annihilation, and perished.
—And eventually, a few of the Knights, deciding 'That one is too much to handle,' changed their target and turned their steps to subjugate the fleeing refugees.
"Funnuaaaaaasshi!!"
"Haaaaaaa——!!"
Blocking their advance were Mash and Leonidas.
Honed bodies.
Sharpened hearts of snowflakes.
Two shields and defenses protected the souls wishing for peace!
"Khhh—Fuuuuuu——!!"
Leonidas knocked away the human wave growing to ten, twenty.
"Haaaaaaa——!!"
Mash pushed back, stopped, parried, and held the line.
We will not let a single one pass. That is our battle.
The two shields raged, determined never to let the lives behind them be threatened.
"Not yetttttttt!!!"
The warrior's shout roused his body.
"Status Up! With this, I will endure——!"
Responding to Mash's heart, the Shield of Snowflakes grew even stronger, increasing in durability—!
"Careless to show your back. I won't miss that opening!"
Nocking, firing, piercing. Emiya reduced the number of Knights.
"I am not impressed by you stealing the future of those living in the now. Accept being reviled as bad-quality evil spirits as inevitable!"
Immediately jumping up.
"My core twists and turns madly——!!"
Projection. Bringing out the Spiral Sword, changing it into an arrow, and firing in one breath!
"『Caladbolg II (The Fake Spiral Sword)』!"
Firing the projected fake arrow, he detonated it with Broken Phantasm, causing a magical explosion that swept up the Knights in one go, taking them all down.
"Sorry, but I can't let you do your job. I'd get scolded by a Master who has strong opinions on 'Heroes of Justice'! —Just this once."
Landing immediately, he projected and equipped the black and white swords 'Kanshou and Bakuya', heading into close combat!
"For the few who would be cut down, allow me to fight——!"
The Red Archer fought with the ideal he once desired in his heart—!
"You who call yourselves Knights. Before you stands the Red Dragon of Britain."
Walking slowly, cutting down the Knights swarming before him, the Knight King approached the main gate.
"Heir of Uther Pendragon, Artoria Pendragon. Only those who carry a Great Cause and Will surpassing my name and authority may challenge me. If you, who have harmed innocent people, possess true pride."
Repelling even the blood spray with her noble brilliance, she scattered the Knights with her steps and arrived before the main gate.
"—As expected, this is unmistakably the main gate of that castle. Then, it cannot be opened by force or malice..."
The Knight King needed to know. If this door, this gate, was truly righteous.
"Holy power, that will is essential. —I must find it. A holy power comparable to the Holy Sword."
Touching the gate, the Knight King obtained the answer.
"So this is what the Sun King was talking about."
('Hmph. Is the assessment done? Artoria.')
Treasures pierced through the swarming Knights. The treasures pouring down like rain targeted only vital points with precision, slaying them.
"Yes. It seems we must still find one more push. A push to break through this gate."
('So that was the Sun King's policy. Indeed, if the gate does not open, there can be no invasion or anything else.')
The two nodded to each other.
—It means it's not time to invade yet. Let's see more of this world, Fou!
(Yeah! The refugees should be able to escape soon! Just a little more, Air!)
—Thank you! I won't let anyone die!
The battle to protect the people, the trampling scattering the Knights continued—!
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