Shikotei's assertive demand to publicly screen the video was obviously his way of getting revenge—since his own black history had already been revealed.
Now he was deliberately pushing Artoria and the Round Table Knights to step into the spotlight.
But—Gawain, the Knight of the Sun who embodied brilliance, goodness, and fairness, couldn't care less.
He coldly snorted without hesitation, "Our King is a saint who willingly gave everything for the people of Britain. She is known as the Perfect King—why wouldn't she dare have the video shown?"
Trying to dig up dirt on our King?
What a joke!
Don't forget—the title of my King's previously released Alaya video was "The Perfect King."
A title that no other Heroic Spirit had ever received.
A king so flawless she turned even the most rebellious Mordred into her number one fan.
How could someone like her possibly have any shameful secrets?
"Exactly! Let them watch it. My father is so perfect that I can't even compare. There's nothing to fear from showing her past!"
Mordred stood proudly, chest out, speaking righteously.
As Artoria's only child—and most fanatical admirer—even though she once challenged her for the right to be with "Teacher" during the rebellion, in her heart, she still believed her father was the Perfect King.
A king so flawless she surpassed humanity—nearly divine.
Her only flaw was being too detached from human emotions… but definitely no black history.
"Public broadcast, huh?"
Artoria looked at her two Knights of the Round Table and felt an odd sense of comfort.
Truly her most loyal knights, their faith in her exceeded even her own.
But… why did she get the feeling these two were setting her up?
At that moment—
Shikotei smiled with warm hospitality,
"Then let us watch it together. Let me and my court enjoy the valiant grace of our Britannian friends."
Since they came seeking help to resolve their internal crisis, they'd better make him happy first.
And what better way than watching another top-tier Heroic Spirit's secrets get exposed?
"Fine."
Artoria reluctantly nodded.
The massive wall-sized screen lit up, and Alaya's new video began to play:
[Divine Realm of the Round Table]
The video's opening scene was a callback to the previous side story, The Flower Magus.
It began after the Hill of Camlann Rebellion—where the rebellious knight Mordred fell in battle.
Alone and weary, Artoria sat atop a hill of corpses, asking Bedivere to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake.
But alas—Bedivere, for the first time in his life, defied a direct order from the King.
He wanted the King to live.
He failed to throw the sword back the first time… and the second…
By the time he returned the third time, the King was already gone.
The faithful knight collapsed in agony.
"I have sinned…"
Eventually, he wandered to the very edge of Avalon—and turned into a statue, frozen in time by his regret.
The prologue passed in a flash.
As a sea of blooming flowers filled the screen, a familiar figure appeared:
Merlin!
His sudden entrance made the entire Britannian group shift uneasily.
Mordred instantly reached for her sword, "It's that bastard Merlin again!"
If not for this cursed nightmare meddling behind the scenes, she wouldn't have gone through so much pain.
"Merlin, huh?"
Shikotei's crimson eyes narrowed at the sight.
One day, he would catch this guy and hand him over to Teacher.
Anyone who dared target Teacher would get no mercy from him!
Under everyone's gaze—
In the video:
"Fifteen hundred years of wandering to return a sword… You became a walking corpse and still lived on."
The Flower Magus looked down with a rare tinge of sympathy.
"Bedivere, your obsession is terrifyingly strong."
Indeed—it had been 1,500 years since he first failed to follow his King's command.
And yet, a mere mortal like Bedivere had clung to life for 1,500 years—thanks to the Holy Sword sustaining him.
A horrifying level of resolve.
Clack clack—
The half-petrified knight rasped out,
"Please… help me!"
"I've disguised the unreturned Holy Sword as your new [Silver Arm—Airgetlám]. It will grant you great power… but at the cost of your remaining life." Merlin waved his staff, his voice cold and resolute: "You—whose body, soul, and mind are already decayed—go fulfill your duty as the sinner who failed his King. This is your final chance."
Buzz—
With magic swirling around him, Bedivere vanished from Avalon.
The next scene showed him reappearing in a vast desert.
His silver hair fluttered in the wind as he gazed at the massive holy city ahead:
"This time… I will kill the King who once killed me."
The camera slowly zoomed out.
A colossal city loomed on the horizon.
Its name:
Holy City Camelot.
Thus ended the opening sequence.
And then, the long-awaited narration echoed:
[The Perfect King… did not die a perfect death.]
[A wandering King of the Undead now walks the earth.]
[Her lifelong devotion to protection… has twisted into cold-hearted slaughter.]
[Can the sword-bearer of 1,500 years, together with humanity's final Master, rekindle the King's long lost humanity?]
The melancholic, ethereal narration faded—
Leaving only the image of the lonely Knight of the Round Table trudging through endless sands.
An incredibly powerful and emotional scene.
The screen was instantly flooded with bullet comments:
ICastFart-[Here we go! It's the sequel to "The Perfect King"! Alaya's actually doing serialized content now?!]
BoobVenerate-[Feeling bad for Bedivere already… just one moment of hesitation, and it became a 1,500-year guilt trip.]
GigglesThenShit-[So… what exactly is the King of the Undead?]
IDigBigClock-[No way… did Artoria become a mass-murdering undead tyrant? No way, right? No way, right??]
SergeantSaunders-[Shut up, you're ruining the moment! Let me enjoy the video!]
Amidst the confusion of countless viewers—
The scene shifted.
A group of ruthless knights was shown hunting down ragged, terrified civilians.
Bedivere, now in the guise of Lucius, sighed softly and stepped forward without hesitation: "Stop. Don't harm these innocent people!"
Merlin had transformed the Holy Sword into the Silver Arm, granting him overwhelming power—
—but the price of using it was burning away his own life—soul.
Yet—
As a Knight of the Round Table, he couldn't stand by and watch civilians being slaughtered.
The armored soldiers charged at him without hesitation.
Battle broke out instantly.
Bedivere alone was not enough to protect hundreds of refugees.
He could only watch, helplessly, as one by one the refugees fell.
Staring at these knights—who wore Britannian armor but were butchering innocents—Bedivere roared in fury,
"Bastards! You don't deserve to be called knights!"
Long ago, King Artoria and Nameless had established the Eight Chivalric Virtues for their knights:
Humility, Honor, Sacrifice, Valor, Mercy, Spirituality, Honesty, and Justice.
To be a knight was to strike down enemies and protect the weak!
At that moment, Bedivere became ever more aware of the weight of his sin.
"My King... what has become of you?"
Just then—
A young boy suddenly appeared in the chaos, wielding a sword as he slashed through the enemy knights.
Chasing after him came a pink-haired girl with one eye covered by her bangs:
"Senpai, wait for me!"
Despite her small frame, she held a massive shield that could easily block any attack.
Chaldea.
The three-man team watching the video in Chaldea all looked stunned.
Da Vinci blinked in surprise, "Huh? Isn't that Mash and… Nameless?"
"Eh? Wait a sec… Why am I in this video?!"
Mash's expression mirrored her astonishment.
She never imagined she'd appear in one of Alaya's videos!
And the white-haired boy—clearly the same Nameless Heroic Spirit from the previous side story Chaldea, who signed a contract with Alaya to leave his original world, only to be roped into becoming a Master in Chaldea.
"Senpai…"
Tears welled up in Mash's eyes.
At that moment, memories long forgotten began to flood back.
Things she was never supposed to forget… had somehow completely vanished from her mind.
"All truth will be revealed!" Romani declared excitedly while hugging his plush Merry.(All truth indeed...)
Based on all the signs so far—
The world seemed to have undergone some unknown alteration that caused all Heroic Spirits to lose their memories of Nameless.
But once Alaya released a video featuring them, those memories were restored.
Could it be…?
Was Chaldea—originally just a neutral mediator of Heroic Spirits worldwide—actually responsible for saving the world?
Romani looked down at the ring on his hand, and suddenly felt overwhelmed. After all, he was just an ordinary man with no magic, who liked virtual idol Merry...
No matter how hard he tried, he always lagged behind others.
How did he deserve to be part of the organization that saved humanity?
The video continued.
Nameless and Mash, working together, cut down the vicious knights and successfully rescued all the refugees.
"Thank you for your help."
Bedivere said with calm gratitude.
Although unleashing the Silver Arm could have defeated the enemy alone, it would have greatly shortened his life.
Before meeting the King again, he had to conserve his strength.
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked away without hesitation.
Just then—
A desperate refugee woman suddenly lunged at him, grabbing his Silver Arm and pleading:
"My child is starving… please, just a little food!"
"Let—"
Bedivere instinctively tried to pull away, but when he saw the woman's sunken cheeks and frail form, he stopped.
He pulled out what little food he had and handed it to her:
"Let your child eat immediately."
Then, with sharp eyes, he stood guard as the child ate—glaring down the nearby hungry refugees.
If he didn't protect them, the child would likely be killed for that food.
Nameless approached with a smile, "You really are the perfect knight, Bedivere."
"Who are you?"
Bedivere turned sharply, fully alert.
How did this man know who he truly was?
=======================
"This is the real you, Bedivere. That damn director… what a joke!"
Sanjiro chuckled watching the scene.
Back when he still lived in a world without magecraft, he'd seen the animated movie version.
And in that adaptation, Bedivere lashed out at a refugee woman who had simply touched his Silver Arm while begging for food.
He had violently shoved her to the ground.
That trash director had completely messed up the story, making countless viewers rage.
After the film's release, many left the director heartfelt blessings like:
"May your illness beat you to the finish line, director."
But now—
"Damn you, Alaya! You exposed me again!"
Sanjiro gritted his teeth.
Fuyuki City was constantly at risk of turning into a crater!
He had just sent off Shikotei, who'd suddenly visited and gifted him Tamamo-no-Mae's tail.
Barely two hours later, this video dropped?
What the hell—Alaya's working harder than a donkey from a work commune!
And now, the Britannian Heroic Spirits still hadn't left.
"Divine Realm of the Round Table" was practically the worst black history of Artoria and her knights.
Even worse than "Eternal Emperor"!
Alaya really couldn't be trusted—ever.
If he didn't stay alert, he wouldn't sleep a single peaceful night.
That damn thing was hell-bent on dragging him back into 007 overtime hell!
"Please, Artoria… don't go berserk after watching this…"
Sanjiro sighed deeply.
When "Eternal Emperor" was released, Shikotei had realized Sanjiro was the mentor who taught him.
With that debt of gratitude, he wouldn't truly harm Sanjiro.
But this new exposé was different.
In "Divine Realm of the Round Table," the corrupted divine Artoria and the Round Table Knights had fought against him.
"Looks like I really need to disappear for a while. No way I can let them find me!"
He took a deep breath.
If needed, he'd just grab the brat and run.
If escape failed… maybe he'd take up Shikotei's invitation to "work overtime"—
No wait—working overtime for him or Alaya makes no damn difference!
While he was busy spiraling—
The video continued.
Onscreen, his smiling self said,
"Bedivere, I'm the Master of Chaldea—Gudao. I've come to resolve the singularity here."
"Chaldea's Master?"
Bedivere's frown deepened.
"Yes. Chaldea was created for the survival of humanity. We travel across time and worlds." Nameless extended a hand, "Join us in opposing the Lion King—and help awaken her lost humanity."
"You… Are you the same Nameless Knight who once served the King?"
Bedivere asked hesitantly.
The more he looked, the more this boy resembled the Nameless Knight from 1,500 years ago.
The only difference… was that this version looked younger, like a teenage version.
That man had also come from the future—and stayed to guard the King until the very end.
He had even told Bedivere:
"Make sure to return the Holy Sword to the lake."
But Bedivere… couldn't bear to let the King die. So he failed.
"Yes."
Nameless nodded.
The mighty knight suddenly dropped to one knee, tears brimming in his eyes—yet unable to fall:
"Nameless… it was my fault. I didn't return the sword…"
Nameless had begged him again and again.
The King had seen through his lies again and again. Even after 1,500 years—he still couldn't forgive himself.
"Bedivere… It wasn't your fault."
Nameless gently helped Bedivere up and sighed,
"You failed to return the sword three times. It's very likely you were influenced by the Demon God King, Goetia. This is all his fault. That guy wanted to ignite the entirety of human history, rewind Earth to 4.6 billion years ago, and become the planet's consciousness—to become Gaia."
The barrage of bullet comments exploded—
Blorbo-[Holy crap, who the hell is Goetia?! He wants to become Gaia?! Turn himself into the planet?!]
PainOlympics-[Nameless just casually dropped some insane bombshell info!]
BobUchiha-[My eyes are tingling! Ignite all of human history, reverse the planet back to its birth… That's beyond twisted even for me!]
ConstipatedProcrastinator-[Wait—is this why we forgot Nameless? Did Earth get destroyed and he had to remake the world?!]
Watching from in front of the screen, Sanjiro suddenly felt a sharp pain in his liver.
After signing a contract with Alaya, not only did he take the alias Gudao and join Chaldea, working with Mash and others to fix Singularities—
He also traveled throughout human history, guarding the early years of many Heroic Spirits.
Which meant he wasn't just working endless overtime.
He was—
Working across multiple timelines simultaneously.
Stacking time upon time, working in countless locations at once!
If you added up all the overtime he did, it could total hundreds—or thousands—of years!
And this was the real reason he desperately avoided exposure.
Damn you, Alaya!
Click—
The bedroom door beside him opened.
Kirina, wearing disheveled clothes, stepped out looking dazed, "What the hell just happened?"
Her last memory was of the Mr. leaving with Sanjiro.
After that—nothing.
Her body had felt hot... and someone had been touching the very core of herself…
Kirina's eyes narrowed, "You didn't take advantage of me, did you?"
Did this guy sneak a feel—or even kiss her—while she was asleep?
"Bullshit! With your flat board body, I wouldn't touch you if you paid me! Besides, these hands of mine wouldn't touch asphault, FLAT, roads." Sanjiro said in complete disdain.
"Hmph! I'll have you know I'm one of the most popular girls in school—guys line up just to ask me out!"
Kirina rolled her eyes.
She probably just woke up groggy.
She casually flopped onto the couch, her white-stockinged feet landing right on Sanjiro's thigh, even slipping under his shirt for warmth.
Then she looked at the TV in surprise, "Huh? An exposé video about King Artoria?"
King Artoria—one of her absolute favorite Heroic Spirits.
Compassionate, beautiful, hailed as the Perfect King—she was utterly obsessed.
Hearing Nameless's words to Bedivere, Kirina's eyes widened: "Goetia's such a bastard! He actually tried to wipe out humanity?!"
My god! As expected of the Demon God King—he wanted to ignite all of human history and become Gaia!
She clenched her fists in fury.
What a monster!
If humanity was destroyed—how was she supposed to live?!
"Mhm, you're totally right. That guy's a giant asshole!" Sanjiro agreed without hesitation.
"Really, thank goodness for Nameless. If he hadn't been protecting us in secret, we'd all be dead by now."
Kirina sighed in relief.
If not for Nameless, the world would've been burned down and humanity wiped out.
"Yeah… we really owe Nameless big time—Ow! Stop squirming!"
Sanjiro gave her a light smack.
This brat seriously needed discipline—leave her alone for three days and she'd start tearing the roof off.
"You stop moving first!"
Kirina smirked.
This pure-hearted virgin really couldn't handle teasing.
She stared at the LCD screen, "So… what exactly is this video trying to show? How awesome King Artoria is?"
"How should I know? I haven't finished watching it yet." Sanjiro answered casually.
"Hmph. No matter what, King Artoria's the most perfect king in my heart. No way she has any black history!"
Kirina happily munched on oranges while watching the video.
Any juicy gossip about her idol had her curiosity burning.
"Nobody's perfect. Even the First Emperor had black history—how could King Artoria not?" Sanjiro looked at her like she was a silly kid.
"Tch! No way! Absolutely impossible!"
Kirina argued without hesitation.
Then—
Under her gaze—
On the screen—
Nameless gazed at the grand, radiant Holy City in the distance and sighed, "Bedivere, prepare yourself. That's no longer the king you once knew… That is the cold and merciless divine being—Goddess Rhongomyniad."
"A god, huh…"
Bedivere's face turned bitter.
In that instant, he understood—his most beloved King had been fully corrupted by the Holy Lance, and transformed into a ruthless divine entity.
"Jerusalem—originally the holy city of the Crusaders. The Lion King led the Round Table Knights, slaughtered two entire warring tribes, and established Camelot in a single night. Every month, the Lion King holds a Selection ceremony—choosing only souls that meet her criteria to enter Camelot and carry humanity's legacy forward."
"What about those who don't meet the criteria?" Mash asked hesitantly.
Nameless paused, then answered softly: "Every time, only a few are chosen out of thousands. The rest—all killed. Not a single one spared."
==========================
Inside the meeting hall—
As Nameless's words echoed from the video, dead silence fell across the room.
It was so quiet, one could hear a pin drop.
Everyone slowly turned to stare at Artoria.
Even the Britannians looked shocked, wondering if they'd heard wrong.
Shikotei frowned slightly, his crimson eyes locked onto Artoria: "So this is what you call a benevolent, flawless king who cherishes her people?"