Chapter 207: Departure for the Labyrinth
"Don't you dare stop me!!!"
Tesla's glove released a violent surge of electricity!
Blue lightning shot forward, crackling wildly along the ground!
The silver knight drew his sword and thrust it into the earth — a burst of sword energy exploded, disrupting the current and knocking it back!!!
"Try this then!!"
A vortex of electricity formed above Tesla's head, lifting his entire body into the air.
"Haa!!!"
Blue lightning came crashing straight down from the sky!!!
BZZT! BZZT! BZZT————————!!!
Bolt after bolt of lightning struck around the silver knight.
"Counterattack, Saber!"
The young man with blond hair commanded.
"Understood!"
The knight continued swinging his sword, dodging the lightning while charging forward, aiming to take down Tesla.
Whoosh——————!!
Suddenly, a sharp slash came flying from the darkness, targeting the silver knight's weak spot!
CLANG——————!!!
At the exact moment it was blocked, the assailant revealed himself—
Jekyll, holding a dagger, appeared in front.
"Why are you attacking us? Aren't you also one of the chosen ones, longing to advance and seize knowledge?"
His gaze was fixed on the blond young man standing before the door.
"Of course I long for knowledge. But if we rely on a method like this to achieve it… it will only bring humanity to ruin faster."
The blond young man stood firm before the door, speaking with a calm expression.
"That's why I have to stop you."
"I see… so you're the enemy."
Jekyll lowered his head in regret, gripping the dagger.
"In that case… I won't hold back anymore!!!"
Suddenly, Jekyll seemed to become an entirely different person — he reversed the dagger's grip and charged straight at Gawain!
"Ha ha ha ha ha!!!"
His dagger strikes grew faster and faster, like a torrential downpour in a frenzy.
"Die, die!!! Die with your guts splattered everywhere!!!"
The silver knight blocked the attacks with his holy sword, retreating step by step as he defended.
"That brat Jekyll actually called me out — guess that means you're a real tough one, huh? Look at that pitiful, wounded face of yours! Show me how you tremble in fear!!!"
With glowing red eyes, Jekyll had now completely revealed his other persona — Hyde.
"You can willingly switch personalities... Truly a dangerous individual. Or should I say… is this transformation something MoonCell has granted you?"
The blond young man murmured.
"DIE FOR ME ——————————!!!"
Hyde raised his dagger high and lunged straight at the silver knight!!!
CLANG——————!!
A harsh metallic clang rang out — the gleaming dagger was instantly knocked away!
Whoosh——————!!
The sharp holy sword slashed straight toward Hyde!
"Ha ha ha ha, this kind of pain only excites me more!!!"
Ignoring the wound gushing blood, Hyde revealed the hand he had hidden behind him and stabbed directly at the silver knight!!!
STAB!!!
The holy sword pierced through Hyde's abdomen, then flung him into the air with a powerful thrust from the blade.
Bright red blood splattered everywhere.
Hyde's body slammed into the transparent wall behind and finally stopped — his dagger fell from his hand, lying still in a pool of blood.
"JEKYLL!!!"
Tesla could no longer stay calm at the sight.
"You dare injure my teammate like this?!"
Suddenly, crackling sounds of electricity filled the air, and an electric tower began materializing around Tesla.
"This is the primordial form I created from knowledge—a device I, a genius, forged from the knowledge of mankind!!!"
As Tesla shouted, the electric tower behind him rapidly increased the electric field in the area.
"Come forth! Artificial thunder! Illuminate the future that belongs to humanity!!!"
Electricity surged from the tower, linking directly to Tesla's glove before being focused and fired straight at the silver-armored knight below!
BOOM——————————!!!
A massive bolt of bluish-purple lightning exploded forth like an electric tornado, blasting ahead!!!
The silver-armored knight leaned slightly forward, drawing his sword.
"Holy sword, draw forth——!!!"
His eyes showed no fear as he faced the artificial lightning head-on, as if ready to withstand any destruction.
The silver holy sword in his hand suddenly radiated brilliantly, as if ignited by scorching flames!!!
"This sword is a replica of the sun. Its flame shall cleanse all the impurity of this world."
"Excalibur Galatine!!"
A golden slash erupted like the sun, tearing straight through the bluish-purple lightning from the front!!
In just a flash, Tesla and the entire electric tower behind him were completely engulfed by that radiant light!!!
Everyone held their breath, watching the live broadcast unfold on the giant screen.
Suddenly, the image on the screen suspended above Big Ben changed instantly.
"That was too dangerous!!!"
BB appeared on the screen with a panicked expression.
"A terrifying monster suddenly appeared just now and wiped out two outstanding dark horse teams! What should we do, this is a major crisis!!!"
The panic on BB's face vanished in a flash, replaced by her familiar mischievous little devil smile.
"But then again, a Game without dramatic twists like this wouldn't be any fun, right? Otherwise it'd be too unfair for the players. So then, will any other player be able to enter the fourth floor and defeat the newly appeared Knight—let's wait and see with BB~~~"
BB flashed her usual commercial smile.
"Well then, this BB Channel broadcast ends here. Everyone in New London, remember to use electricity safely~~~"
Click.
Right after, the screen in the sky disappeared.
...
In the infirmary, Ethan's team had just finished watching the latest BB Channel broadcast—and the silver knight, now clearly blocked the entrance to the next area.
The moment he drew that silver holy sword, his identity was completely revealed.
The Knight of the Sun — Gawain.
One of the famed Knights of the Round Table from the legend of King Arthur.
Blessed by the Saint, during the daytime, his power reached peerless levels—none could rival him.
["Ooooh, the greatest fanboy of our King, Gawain!!!"]
["He's here! King Arthur's potato chef!"]
["Oh, it's been a while since a Knight of the Round Table showed up."]
["Umu, the actor playing Gawain is pretty handsome, right up my alley."]
["Omoshiroi, can the host's team take on Gawain, I wonder?"]
["That's the leader of the Round Table Knights, definitely super strong!"]
["Daytime means invincible, when the sun sets it's clock-out time~"]
["Oh, so basically like Escanor, huh?"]
["Exactly, though Gawain is still pretty strong at night too, unlike Escanor."]
["Host, didn't Mordred kill Gawain in the legend? Summon her! I miss Mo-chan!!"]
...
[System: 'The King No.1 Chef' has sent 200 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: Chef Gawain, it's time for your shift, the King is requesting your mashed potatoes!]
...
Gawain's appearance wasn't particularly surprising to Ethan.
What was surprising was that Leonardo B. Harwey, Gawain's Master, wasn't directly confronting BB. Instead, he was actively stopping others from progressing into the Labyrinth.
Could it be he knows something inside?
"I didn't expect it to be Gawain, the number one Knight of the Round Table?!"
Dr. Romani, who was also watching the screen, couldn't help but be stunned.
"Don't tell me we'll have to fight him later?"
"In the best-case scenario, we should avoid confrontation altogether. After all, he's the 'Knight of the Sun'."
Da Vinci furrowed her brow, speaking with concern.
"From what we just saw, it seems he possesses immense power within the Labyrinth. He's likely a very difficult opponent."
"In any case, we'll deal with it once we're inside the Labyrinth."
Ethan turned to glance at Matou Shinji, who was currently focused on the screen.
Earlier, Matou Sakura had found an old laptop in the infirmary's locker.
Though clearly not thrilled, Shinji still used it to begin reconstructing the Labyrinth's map.
"Phew... Done!"
Matou Shinji let out a sigh of relief and turned to Matou Sakura.
"I'll send this data to you."
"Yes!"
Matou Sakura nodded, then took the laptop and began operating it.
Just a few moments later, Ethan and Mash's communication bracelets began to emit a sound.
Upon opening them—a completed map was immediately projected in holographic display.
From the first to the third floor, every path and corridor was drawn in detail, even marking areas with potential hazards.
It was practically no different from a system-generated map in a game.
"As expected of the top-ranked expert on the Asian leaderboard, truly reliable!"
At Ethan's praise, Matou Shinji finally regained his former confident demeanor.
"Don't exaggerate like that. This level of work is barely a basic skill for a first-class gamer."
However, Shinji's expression quickly turned serious.
"That said, it's been a very long time since I last entered the Labyrinth. I can't guarantee that the structure hasn't changed."
"That possibility is entirely real, so as a precaution, I've also sent the map to Chaldea."
Matou Sakura transmitted the data.
Not long after, Dr. Romani at Chaldea responded:
"Received. This way, we can adjust the map based on the actual situation."
The keys had been collected, the map secured, and the communication system functioning properly.
Next was the official step—entering the Labyrinth, searching for the imprisoned Noah, and confronting BB directly to correct this singularity.
"Sakura, can I ask you to open the entrance to the Labyrinth?"
"I can open it anytime… but…"
She looked at Ethan with some concern.
"Senpai, the Labyrinth is a space created by BB using MoonCell, so many abnormalities might occur. But if you're ever in danger, please call my name—I'll open a way back for you."
Matou Sakura looked earnestly at Ethan.
"If we can't conquer the Labyrinth, then just retreat and try again. Even if this future is headed toward a MoonCell invasion era, I'll do everything I can to keep this place from collapsing!"
"Thank you, Sakura."
Ethan offered his thanks naturally.
He could clearly sense the sincerity radiating from Sakura.
But hiding in this place wouldn't achieve anything either. Even if there was only a sliver of hope—he would still stake everything and take the risk.
"That won't happen, because there are so many reliable teammates here… and your support as well."
"I understand…"
Matou Sakura gently nodded.
"I'll be here… waiting for Senpai to return safely."
With that, she began operating the old-style laptop in front of her.
Moments later, the infirmary door emitted a soft light, and electronic sounds echoed out, gradually fading into the distance.
It was as if the entire infirmary were gliding through a vast digital ocean.
When the outside noises completely disappeared, Matou Sakura let out a soft sigh of relief and smiled at Ethan.
"Senpai, you can depart anytime now. Just open the infirmary door and you'll go straight to the Labyrinth."
"Thank you for your hard work, Sakura."
Ethan nodded.
"Fuwaa~ Haven't moved in a while, guess I should get a bit serious."
Tohsaka Rin hopped down from the infirmary bed, stretching comfortably.
"Tohsaka? You're coming too???"
Ethan looked at Rin beside him in surprise.
"Isn't that obvious? The entire school district has been destroyed—I've got nowhere to go back to. Might as well enjoy a full-blown Labyrinth adventure, and while we're at it, teach that arrogant bitch a lesson!"
Tohsaka Rin made a fist gesture, clearly having been fed up with BB's antics for quite some time.
"My singing voice must of course echo throughout MoonCell. Even the Labyrinth is no exception."
Elizabeth proudly puffed out her chest, the dragon tail on her back swaying gently.
"Rin, what you just said really resonated with me. The one and only MoonCell idol can only be me. That woman is just a washed-up star clinging to her radio broadcast, not even worthy of a second-rate title."
"Yeah, I think the same. Just like last time, we should drag her off her pedestal and claim MoonCell for ourselves. Wealth and money—those are what truly last!!"
"Obviously! Only MoonCell is worthy of a flawless superstar like me!"
Tohsaka Rin and Elizabeth continued chatting excitedly like that.
As expected, Tohsaka Rin and this Dragon Idol both had a bit of that "baka" quality—truly the fate of heroines in the Type-Moon world…
"As for me, I'm not going. Without a Servant, I'd only be a burden to everyone."
Matou Shinji shook his head.
"I'll stay behind to continue refining the map."
"Got it. If something happens, I may still need your help."
"Hmph, this young master doesn't want to keep owing you, you know."
Matou Shinji snorted and turned away, no longer looking at Ethan.
Ethan glanced around at everyone present, then stepped toward the infirmary door and reached out to open it.
"Alright then—everyone, get ready to move out. Let's begin our conquest of the Labyrinth!"