Location: Singularity 6 - The Holy Land (Desert Wasteland)
Year: AD 1273
Status: Extreme Heat Warning
The sand was endless. A sea of beige dunes stretching under a scorching sun that felt personal.
Raiden trudged through the sand, his boots sinking with every step.
Bedivere led the way, his silver arm wrapped in a cloak.
"Hot," Raiden complained. "Dry. My throat feels like sandpaper."
Ishtar was floating on Maanna, holding a parasol. "This is terrible for my complexion! Where is the oasis? Where is the luxury hotel?"
Melusine had deactivated her armor to cool down, wearing a simple white dress (Raiden's shirt). "The air density is low. Flight is optimal, but the sun is... oppressive."
Jalter was sweating profusely in her leather jacket but refused to take it off. "Shut up! It's not hot! I'm an Avenger! I run on hate, not hydration!"
Nightingale sprinted up to Jalter. "Heatstroke imminent! Hydration is mandatory!"
She tackled Jalter and forced a canteen of water into her mouth. Glug glug.
Raiden looked at the horizon.
"Bedivere. Where is this 'Sun King'? Does he have air conditioning?"
Bedivere pointed to the shimmering distance.
"There. The Great Temple Complex. The domain of Ozymandias."
They arrived at the massive temple complex. Sphinxes with majestic manes guarded the entrance.
A girl with long purple hair and jackal ears stood atop the gate.
Nitocris (Caster).
"Halt!" Nitocris shouted, trying to look imposing. "You stand before the temple of the King of Kings! State your business, disrespectful travelers!"
Raiden looked at the massive pyramid behind her. It was dark stone, glistening in the sun.
"It looks like a Toblerone," Raiden noted.
Nitocris blinked. "To... ble... rone?"
"Chocolate," Raiden explained. "Big, triangular chocolate. Is the inside filled with nougat?"
Nitocris flushed red. "Insolence! This is the Ramesseum Tentyris! It is filled with divine power, not nougat!"
Suddenly, a booming laughter echoed from the pyramid, shaking the sand.
"DAHAHAHAHA! Interesting! Truly interesting!"
The gates slammed open.
Sitting on a floating throne in the main hall was a man who radiated golden light. Ozymandias (Rider).
He looked down at Raiden with amused arrogance.
"You compare my glorious works to confectionery?" Ozymandias grinned. "You have guts, mongrel! Or perhaps... you are a King yourself?"
Raiden walked in, ignoring the pressure of Ozymandias's Imperial Privilege.
"I'm Raiden. I'm hungry. And your pyramid looks delicious."
Ozymandias's eyes narrowed. "Ho. You possess a Sovereign's Haki. A Dragon's Soul. Very well! If you can withstand my glory, I shall grant you an audience!"
He snapped his fingers.
Two massive Sphinxes pounced on Raiden.
Raiden didn't dodge. He grabbed both Sphinxes by their heads and slammed them together.
CRACK.
The Sphinxes collapsed, dazed.
"Sit," Raiden ordered.
The Sphinxes whimpered and sat down like obedient dogs.
Ozymandias laughed again. "Splendid! A Pharaoh loves a beast tamer! Come, Dragon! Let us drink!"
Inside the throne room, Raiden drank wine from a golden goblet.
Ishtar and Ozymandias were arguing about who had more jewels.
Melusine was staring at the Sphinxes, wondering if they were edible.
"So," Ozymandias leaned back. "You seek to challenge the Lion King. The Goddess Rhongomyniad."
"She has a cup I need," Raiden said. "And she locked herself in a city called Camelot."
"The Holy City," Ozymandias scoffed. "A pristine prison. She gathers the 'pure' and slaughters the rest. I have no interest in her madness. But..."
He tossed a golden key to Raiden.
"...if you intend to punch her in the face, I will allow you to pass through my desert without being incinerated by my sun."
Raiden caught the key.
"Thanks, Pharaoh. Nice pyramid. If I get hungry later, I might come back for a bite."
Ozymandias smirked. "Try it, and I will drop a pyramid on you. Now go! Entertain me!"
Location: The Holy City - Main Gate
The walls of Camelot were white, immaculate, and infinitely high.
Outside the gate, thousands of refugees were gathered, begging for entry.
Knights in silver armor were "selecting" them.
Those who were rejected were executed.
Raiden watched from a dune.
"They're wasting food," Raiden frowned. "Killing them serves no purpose."
Bedivere clenched his fist. "This is the Lion King's justice. It is wrong. We must stop it."
Mash raised her shield. "Servant signature detected at the gate! It's... huge!"
Standing before the massive gate was a single knight. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and wielded a sword that burned with the heat of noon.
Gawain (Saber). The Knight of the Sun.
He stood amidst the bodies of refugees.
"Turn back," Gawain said, his voice void of emotion. "Only the pure may enter. The rest are dust."
Raiden slid down the dune.
"Hey, Sunshine."
Gawain looked up.
"Intruders. By the order of the Lion King, I shall remove you."
He raised his sword, Excalibur Galatine.
The sun overhead seemed to intensify. Under the sun, Gawain's skill [Numeral of the Saint] tripled his strength. He was invincible.
Raiden walked up to Gawain.
"Move. I have a dinner reservation."
Gawain didn't speak. He swung his sword.
It wasn't a technique. It was just brute force amplified by the sun.
Raiden punched the blade.
BOOM.
The collision created a shockwave that cleared the sand for a mile.
Raiden skidded back five feet.
Gawain didn't move an inch.
"Oho," Raiden shook his hand. "You're sturdy. Like a raw potato."
"I am the Knight of the Sun," Gawain stated. "While the sun shines, I cannot be defeated."
Mordred jumped in. "Take this, you stiff idiot! Clarent Blood Arthur!"
She fired her red lightning beam.
Gawain blocked it with one hand. He swatted Mordred away like a fly.
Lancelot (Melusine) hissed. "He is utilizing the solar radiation to reinforce his Spirit Origin. His defense is EX rank."
Gawain raised his sword high. The blade began to glow like a miniature star.
"Excalibur... Galatine!"
He brought it down. A wave of solar fire rushed toward Raiden.
Raiden didn't block.
He looked up at the sky.
"The sun is annoying," Raiden muttered.
He opened his mouth.
[Void God Azathoth: Gluttony - Solar Eclipse Mode]
Raiden didn't eat Gawain.
He ate the light.
A vortex of darkness erupted from Raiden's mouth. It didn't aim at the ground; it aimed at the sky.
It sucked in the photons. It swallowed the solar rays.
For a radius of two miles around the gate, the day turned into night. The sun was blotted out by Raiden's void.
Gawain's sword flickered. The fire died down.
His invincibility buff vanished.
"What...?" Gawain looked up at the sudden darkness. "The sun... gone?"
Raiden lowered his head. His eyes were glowing red in the dark.
"You said you're invincible while the sun shines?"
Raiden stepped forward.
"It's nighttime now, Potato."
Gawain gritted his teeth. "Even without the sun, I am a Knight of the Round Table!"
He swung Galatine.
Raiden caught the blade with his bare hand.
CLANG.
This time, Gawain buckled. Without the 3x buff, he couldn't match Raiden's Dragon Strength.
"You're just a guy with a sword now," Raiden said.
Raiden punched Gawain in the stomach.
[Bael Art: Impact]
CRACK.
Gawain's armor shattered. He coughed up blood and flew backward, slamming into the massive white gate of Camelot.
The impact left a crater in the unbreakable metal.
Raiden walked over and picked Gawain up by the neck.
"Mashed potato," Raiden quipped.
He looked at the dented gate.
"Open sesame."
He used Gawain's body like a battering ram.
He slammed Gawain into the gate again. And again.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
With a final crunch, the lock broke. The massive doors of the Holy City creaked open.
Gawain fell to the ground, unconscious.
Raiden tossed him to Nightingale.
"Nurse. Fix him up. He's durable. Might be useful later."
Nightingale nodded, pulling out bandages. "Understood! I will treat his contusions with aggressive compassion!"
Bedivere stared at the open gate.
"You... you defeated Sir Gawain. In a minute."
"I turned off the lights," Raiden shrugged. The darkness faded, and the sun returned, but Gawain was already down.
From the shadows of the city streets, another knight watched them.
A man with long hair and a bow, looking incredibly depressed.
Tristan (Archer).
"How sad," Tristan plucked a string on his harp. "Gawain has fallen. The gate is breached. This is... truly sad."
He looked at Raiden.
"I suppose I must kill you now. Or perhaps I will just play a requiem."
Raiden looked at Tristan.
"You look like you need a drink," Raiden said. "Or a haircut."
Nyx: [Alert. Incoming projectile. Arrows that cannot be seen.]
Raiden cracked his neck.
"Lunch isn't over yet."