"Lancelot!"
As the crimson, berserk Mana erupted, and Guinevere's Holy Sword, enveloped in Mana, seemed to stretch ten meters long, Gawain cried out in alarm. Mash struggled even harder to restrain him.
Having witnessed the release of the Sword of Promised Victory countless times before, Lancelot was forced to open his eyes by the overwhelming Mana. He fell into a daze once more, as if he were seeing the King of Knights from the past.
As Guinevere raised her Holy Sword high, her stance for unleashing its power was identical to the King of Knights'—only the color of her Mana differed.
I'll die! Lancelot thought. If I take this head-on.
Should I flee? Guinevere's gaze had already locked onto him. Unless he fled toward the crowd of refugees, the beam of light would surely follow. Yet, a sliver of knightly pride held him back.
Should I charge forward and attack while she's gathering power?
Guinevere had already created a thirty-meter gap before beginning her Noble Phantasm's release. He knew that if he charged, her sword would descend upon him mid-stride. He would still be taking the Noble Phantasm head-on.
So...
"Ruler! Show me the power of your Noble Phantasm!"
Only half a second passed between Guinevere raising her Holy Sword and Lancelot completing his thoughts.
As Lancelot roared, he too raised his Holy Sword. Its name was Arondight, the sister sword to the Sword of Promised Victory—and thus a sibling blade to the Holy Sword in Guinevere's hand.
"This sword is sworn to my King! This sword carries my deepest emotions! And this battle will forge the future I share with my King!"
"Reach the end! Surpass the limit!"
"Now, answer me! Unleash the brilliance that rivals the Holy Sword of the Planet!"
"King of another world, witness this light!"
"Shine forth, Sword of Destined Judgment!"
"Arondight Overload!"
Lancelot unleashed his Noble Phantasm a second after Guinevere. Just as the crimson beam of light reached him, he swung his fully released Holy Sword downward.
Guinevere's beam of light was, without question, an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm on par with Excalibur.
And Lancelot's Holy Sword? It was an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm of the same rank.
When he unleashed the Holy Sword, overloading it, immense light mana gathered within its blade.
Normally, this would manifest as a blue beam of mana.
But now, he held the sword's mana in check, preparing to sever Guinevere's light beam. He was betting his life on this single strike—a slash that embodied his entire understanding of swordsmanship.
The azure light of Arondight descended slowly, as if painting across space or welding it like a steel plate.
Regardless of the metaphor, Lancelot's sword tore through Guinevere's light beam, forcing the crimson mana to surge outward to both sides.
However, their battlefield was directly before the gates of New Camelot. The Enforcement Knights pouring from the city had already split to flank them, avoiding the clash of their blades.
The severed light beam fell upon the divided ranks of Enforcement Knights, slicing through their formations before erupting into two pillars of light that soared into the sky.
That her Noble Phantasm Release had been severed didn't surprise Guinevere. She knew the Knights of the Round Table even better than the King of Knights herself.
"Sir Lancelot," she called out, "thank you for your assistance!"
The clash of Noble Phantasms ended. Guinevere and Lancelot were catching their breath, but after just one deep inhale, Guinevere burst out laughing. Her body began to glow with mana as Young Ritsuka used her second Command Spell.
"Ruler, go to Tristan's side!"
Tristan had been blocking the refugees' escape route. He was ambushed by Hundred Faces and Hassan of Intoxicated Smoke, but neither of these Assassins was a particularly powerful Servant.
Hundred Faces sacrificed their life to buy time, and Intoxicated Smoke unleashed his Noble Phantasm, yet they could only delay Tristan for a few seconds.
But those few seconds were enough for Guinevere to complete her Noble Phantasm clash with Lancelot, temporarily cutting off any Enforcement Knights from leaving the city to provide support.
Fueled by the Command Spell's power, Guinevere crossed three hundred meters in the blink of an eye...
"My apologies, Sir Tristan. I should have made you withdraw sooner. Rest easy. If we have the chance, I'll finish the story I left untold."
The teleportation was completely unexpected, and Guinevere's sword strike was impossible for Tristan to defend against. Their bodies crossed paths, and with a single, decisive slash, Guinevere stood holding Tristan's head, apologizing earnestly.
She had apologized far too many times today.
But this apology was exceptionally effective. Hearing her words, Tristan opened his now-eyeless sockets, as if he could still see her.
In his final moments, as he began to dissolve into light, Tristan smiled. He had fulfilled his duty to the Lion King, and he no longer had to endure the constant torment of his knightly code.
As for whether Guinevere could succeed in her correction or if the Lion King could achieve her wish—that was a matter between them as partners. It was best for an 'outsider' like him not to dwell on it.
If Guinevere herself were to raise the banner of rebellion against the Lion King, Tristan would find no will within himself to stop her.
"My Queen," he said, "it is I who should thank you. To leave this world early... this is truly what I have longed for."
Guinevere couldn't be sure if Tristan truly saw her, but he had clearly guessed her identity.
His gratitude also eased the psychological burden of striking down a Guardian Knight.
"You..."
In just a few seconds, Tristan's bow had eliminated over twenty of the Hundred Faces and severed both of Hassan of Intoxicated Smoke's arms. This was the true measure of Tristan's prowess in group combat.
With a few more seconds, he could have annihilated the remaining Hundred Faces, gravely wounded Intoxicated Smoke, and continued his slaughter—all while his heart bled.
From this perspective, Guinevere's decision to let him withdraw was indeed a release.
But while Tristan found his release, the psychological torment for Gawain and the others, who had yet to find theirs, would only intensify.
As the grim-faced Agravain stood on the city walls and reiterated the Royal Decree, Gawain sighed. Lancelot, too, had no choice but to charge toward the temporarily unprotected Ritsuka.
"By my Command Spell, I order you, Ruler, come to my side!"
Chaldea's Command Spells were capped at three charges, but they replenished daily. As long as they were used only when absolutely necessary, no one would begrudge their use.
Clang!
Guinevere's sword clashed with Lancelot's once more. Both staggered back two steps before lunging at each other again.
"Ritsuka, take the refugees and run! Mash and I will hold the rear! If she can't hold out any longer, I'll tell her the True Name of the Servant who granted her power!"
Though sent flying by Lancelot's strike and accumulating internal injuries with every blow from Gawain, Mash stood her ground. She appeared fragile, yet she possessed incredible resilience.
This battle alone was enough for Guinevere to recognize her worth.
At the same time, Guinevere looked forward to Mash's growth, hoping she would figure out the answer that was practically laid bare before her.
A shield familiar to all the Round Table Knights, armor identical to theirs—the Servant who granted her power could only be one of the Round Table Knights.
In this Singularity, Mash had already encountered several Round Table Knights. By eliminating them, and then using historical legends to rule out more candidates, that would only leave...
"I just figured it out!" Mash exclaimed. "The one who gave me power is Galahad... and the person fighting you is my father, right? Dad?"
Was Mash truly that airheaded? The single word "Dad," uttered while she caught her breath, caused Lancelot's body to freeze instantly. Arondight slipped from his unsteady grasp and clattered to the ground.
If Guinevere had been willing to fight dirty, she could have eliminated Lancelot right then and there.
But thanks to her memories of her past life, she knew that Mash's cry of "Dad" was the best chance to bring Lancelot over to their side.
Though Lancelot was a notorious philanderer, he was undeniably a doting father.
And his loyalty to the King of Knights? It was a flexible loyalty, with many things taking precedence over it.