From thousands of people, only a handful are chosen.
The rest—all slaughtered.
Nameless's words left everyone in the meeting room utterly stunned.
This wasn't the beloved king who cherished her people. This was the merciless executioner of innocents.
Shokatsu Kōmei's lips curved ever so slightly as he watched, recalling the time he saw Unlimited Blade Works.
Back then, the King of Heroes was just as confident and arrogant—only to be brutally humiliated.
That infamous moment when the Chuunibyou Golden Spark declared he would cleanse the world with black mud and destroy all "useless" people—it became one of his most notorious black marks.
And he was promptly publicly executed by Alaya.
His fanbase took a massive hit—and still hasn't recovered.
And now… it seemed like King Artoria was experiencing the exact same fate.
"Karma never misses," he mused. "Heaven spares no one."
Under Shikotei's mocking interrogation—
The Britons finally snapped out of their shock.
Gawain immediately responded without hesitation: "Impossible! That is not our King!"
The perfect king they so fanatically revered—how could she ever be a butcher of innocents?
"Yeah! No way it's true!"
Mordred was just as adamant.
She knew her father well. Yes, she was poor at understanding human emotions and, during war, could decisively order the deaths of all enemies.
But—
Those were soldiers and generals.
Once you pick up a weapon and step onto the battlefield, you should be ready to die.
In war, there is only life and death—not right or wrong.
And now, Nameless declared that her father randomly slaughtered innocent civilians?
Mordred clenched her teeth,
"Damn it, Nameless! If you've got guts, come say that to my face!"
He kept avoiding her—didn't even give her a chance to meet him.
"Calm yourself," Artoria said with composed dignity.
She glanced sidelong at her fuming daughter.
You really think I don't understand people?
Mordred may look furious, ready to stab Nameless at the first chance—But if he truly did appear before her… she'd probably turn on Artoria herself.
Artoria spoke softly, "Let's keep watching. The truth will reveal itself."
But deep down, she felt a pang of unease.
Had she really been corrupted by the Holy Lance and become a divine being who slaughtered innocents?
"Continue the playback," Shikotei said calmly.
Interesting—truly fascinating.
It's only when others' dark secrets are exposed that he feels entertained.
Especially when it's King Artoria herself—an apex Heroic Spirit on par with himself.
Of course, what would please him even more…
Would be if Sanjiro accepted his invitation to rule the vast Empire together.
That would be the greatest joy.
For now, Shikotei simply continued watching the boy on the screen with serene interest.
Back then, the one who shielded him from the wind and rain—Nameless—was now, on screen, nothing more than a young man with a shattered spirit origin, barely a hundredth of his original strength.
Why did he still refused his help?
Under the gazes of all, the video continued to play.
On screen—
Bedivere clutched his head in pain.
"Nameless, I must meet my king! I have to end all of this—myself!"
The king had changed.
No longer the perfect saint he once knew.
Instead, she had become a cold and unfeeling divine being, arbitrarily judging the fate of humankind.
Nameless said quietly, "That is the Lion King—not a mere Heroic Spirit. You won't even reach her."
"But…"
Bedivere wanted to argue.
But then remembered—it was exactly because he hadn't listened to Nameless back then that everything ended up like this.
"Don't worry. You have us."
Nameless smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
Mash stood calmly to the side, shield in hand.
"Yeah!"
Bedivere nodded firmly.
And then—battle resumed.
Their enemies: mysterious Assassins and terrifying Sphinx-like monsters, all launching a fierce attack.
Mash raised her shield and stood at the front.
"Senpai, I'll defend—leave the offense to you!"
"Got it."
Nameless flickered forward, wielding a projected Noble Phantasm, and engaged the monsters.
These Assassins and beasts were formidable foes. But against the combined strength of two Heroic Spirits, they were nothing.
In mere moments, the enemies were slain or repelled.
The drugged and unconscious Nitocris was rescued, and to show her gratitude, she led them to the palace of the Sun King—
[Ramesseum Tentyris]
Clad in a white cloak, with dazzling golden eyes that shone like the sun, the king sat upon his throne.
"Travelers from a foreign land, I am Ozymandias. Both god and sun, pharaoh and ruler of all!" High above, the Sun King, Ramses II, looked down arrogantly.
"I know you've repaired five Singularities. Now you seek to fix the sixth. The Holy Grail you seek—it has long since come into my possession!"
He was imposing to the extreme.
Arrogant beyond compare, like a sovereign of the world, a god among gods.
He claimed both past and future in the palm of his hand. Even the future-bound Nameless and his allies couldn't escape his penetrating gaze.
But then—
His head tilted.
Nearly fell off.
A shadow silently loomed beside him.
An overwhelming aura of death.
In his hand, an absurdly huge sword.
And yet—no one could see him.
=====================
Egypt.
Ramses II had been watching the video, laughing loudly at Nameless's condemnation of King Artoria.
"Hahaha! So much for the so-called 'perfect king'!"
Lauded by all, yet turned into a mass-murdering tyrant—not at all the image of the noble king he remembered.
He was just about to mock her—
But then he froze.
"Wait—what? I got decapitated?!"
He'd just been laughing at Artoria—and now his own head was rolling?
This was [Ramesseum Tentyris], his EX-rank strongest Noble Phantasm!
It was a massive collection of combined temples and shrines—practically invincible. Ramses could bless or curse intruders at will.
He could even fire the "Great Lightbulb Dendera," capable of vaporizing entire cities!
And yet… within his strongest fortress—
The "Invincible Sun King" was silently beheaded.
Worse—
That damn King Hassan didn't even hide!
"Bastard! What rank is your stealth?!"
Ramses II stared at the calm assassin on-screen and felt a chill down his spine.
Those despicable Assassins—always lurking in shadows! Why didn't this one flee like the rest?
On screen—
Nameless struggled not to laugh.
"Great Pharaoh, exalted god, ruler of the End Times—your head…"
"You're imagining things from fatigue!"
Ramses denied it with force.
A true Sun King could not show weakness.
He tried again:
"I—ayaaaah…"
His head almost fell off again.
No way to cover it now. The room was awkwardly silent.
"In my temple, I am invincible! None can kill me!"
He propped his head back up and shooed them out like pests.
A live decapitation. The most humiliating moment in the great Pharaoh's history.
He now understood—it had been a warning.
That man—just who was he?
How could he cut off my head?
And yet—
Ramses himself couldn't see him.
Only the viewers could clearly see the Assassin he sought in rage—
Fully armored, black greatsword in hand, casually walking out the temple gates.
Openly. Unashamed.
The viewers stared in awe—
The heavily armored assassin walked out…
And met Nameless, who stood silently waiting for him.
Nameless respectfully bowed.
"King Hassan, thank you for warning Ramses II. Please… lend us your aid."
"I am the Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan-i-Sabbah. Your desire to save this era has been acknowledged by my blade."
King Hassan's eyes blazed with blue flames.
"What do you ask of me?"
"Please… teach me the art of assassination!" Nameless requested.
"If you understand the Lion King's true motives, Ramses' delusions, and the flaws of human history—then I shall teach you."
"Of course I do."
Nameless smiled.
A man who's read the script had zero pressure answering these questions.
"Interesting. You're even more impressive than I thought. No wonder Alaya chose you as the savior."
King Hassan was intrigued.
As a Grand-class Heroic Spirit, one of the highest-ranked of all, even he occasionally received missions from Alaya.
That's why he'd appeared to warn Ramses II.
Now, this person Alaya selected—seemed to bear a mission far greater than his.
King Hassan raised his black greatsword.
"Then watch carefully. I will only teach this once—this is how one uses [Azrael]!"
Buzz—
Nameless projected a replica of [Azrael] in his hand.
He instantly grasped its use, and began training in the strongest Grand Assassin technique!
The viewers were floored—
SergeantSaunders-[Damn old man! You're wearing heavy armor and swinging a greatsword—what kind of Assassin are you?!]
ConstipatedProcrastinator-[Everyone knows—if you kill everyone who sees you, you're a great Assassin!]
4thWarPTSD-[Ramses is already top-tier, and even he got casually beheaded. Hassan must be Grand-ranked.]
YeetTheInfidel[If even Grand Assassins don't dare confront the Lion King directly—just how terrifying is she?!]
Meanwhile, in Academy City—
Merry and Tamamo-no-Mae exchanged glances, both feeling a chill on their necks.
"So Nameless was actually taught by King Hassan when he decapitated Hundred-Faced Hassan…"Tamamo swallowed hard.
"That's the strongest Grand Assassin… a being capable of killing gods!"
Merry felt a shiver too.
King Hassan, so powerful it defied imagination, had only ever existed in legends. Even she had never truly met him.
Among the Assassins, there was a chilling legend:
"When the Old Man of the Mountain strays from the path—I will appear before him… and take his head."
A killer—strong enough to surpass all boundaries.
Just imagine—
You're about to head out, when you suddenly see a kind-looking elderly man quietly standing off to the side.
Dong~
A bell tolls. He suddenly appears before you, blue flames flickering in his eye sockets, and calmly declares:
"The evening bell tolls to call your name—now hand over your head."
…Better not think about it.
It's even more terrifying than the worst nightmare!
Even Merry felt like she was having one just from the thought.
She exhaled deeply. "But don't worry—whether King Hassan truly exists is another matter entirely. And even if he does, there's no way he'd take action just to deal with us."
"Indeed. The fact that Nameless even got to know someone that terrifying was pure shamelessness," Tamamo-no-Mae echoed, taking a deep breath.
No, she had to get stronger.
If she wanted to pin Nameless down and dominate him, she'd at least need to condense a sixth tail!
The video continued.
After receiving training from King Hassan, Nameless set out with Mash and the others toward the only two villages remaining outside the Holy City of Camelot.
A terrifying Judgement was about to befall them.
Once the pillar of light descended, everyone would be vaporized in the endless radiance.
So, they split into two groups, attempting to forcefully evacuate all the villagers.
The great hero Arash, bow in hand, smiled: "Don't worry. I may be just an ordinary Archer, but holding off a Round Table Knight or two is no problem."
"Alright, I'll leave the eastern village to you then!" Nameless gave his shoulder a firm pat, trusting him completely.
Even having read the script, he couldn't determine the exact moment of the Judgement's arrival. He could only prepare early.
Arash let out a hearty laugh. "Haha! Once this battle's done, don't forget to treat me to some drinks!"
"No problem. I'll get you the finest wine!" Nameless clasped his hand and parted ways, heading to the western village.
They split up.
On the way to the western village, Mash voiced some unease. "Senpai… I feel a sense of danger… Could it be that the Judgement will arrive early?"
"It's possible. Let's hurry!" Nameless said gravely.
Thankfully—
They made it just in time and managed to evacuate the entire western village, saving hundreds of innocent villagers.
Barely ten minutes after they left, a brilliant pillar of light descended.
Boom!
A radiance so intense it was blinding swallowed the entire western village.
When the light finally faded, the village was no more.
Even the surrounding few kilometers had been blasted into craters tens or even hundreds of meters deep.
Countless viewers were suffocating with dread.
…
"Too terrifying…" said Kirina, her face pale.
In the video, the divinized King's attack was absurdly powerful.
A single strike blasted several kilometers.
If that landed in Fuyuki City, the entire place would be wiped off the map!
"It really is terrifying," Sanjiro sighed softly.
If Bedivere had returned the sword back then, none of this might have happened.
Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets.
In the [Sacred Round Table Realm] singularity, countless humans were slaughtered, and it nearly became a full-fledged Lostbelt.
If it had transformed, fixing it would have been ten times harder.
"Wait—the camera's shifting to the other side! The eastern village!"
Kirina exclaimed in surprise.
It was an ordinary little village.
Flames raged uncontrollably.
Countless bodies lay on the ground, blood flowing freely, an utterly gruesome scene.
And the culprits were none other than the [Enforcers of Purity] under the Lion King.
Knight of the Lake Lancelot and Child of Sorrow Tristan—commanders of this unit.
The fire and massacre—they caused it all.
A once peaceful village had been utterly destroyed by them.
"Hm? The King's Judgement came early?" Tristan looked up toward the sky. After a brief moment of surprise, he looked at his opponent with pity.
"You're a fairly strong Archer, but you cannot change the outcome. You'll all vanish—cleansed under the King's Judgment!"
Before him stood a blood-soaked man, utterly exhausted from endless combat.
The man was none other than Arash, the Persian hero summoned to this era.
A seemingly ordinary Archer.
But Arash's usual bright expression was now filled with rage. "You knights… have disgraced the very name of 'knight'!"
"We are knights! Don't you see it? That pillar over there—that's the purifying light of the holy lance Rhongomyniad!" Tristan pointed at the brilliant beam in the distance. "The insignificant hillfolk have already been erased. Now it's your turn."
"You're insane! There's no way… the King would do something like this!" Bedivere roared.
Even now, he clung to a final sliver of hope—only for it to be cruelly crushed.
"Of course it's the King's command! His Majesty personally unleashed the Judgment—no survivors." Tristan, eyes closed, showed only pity. "There is no room for emotion in punishment. The King has finally cast off her humanity."
"My King…"
Bedivere's pain deepened.
"In five minutes, the Judgment will descend. Farewell, Sir Bedivere. We likely won't meet again."
Tristan swiftly retreated.
The other Enforcers were ordered to stay behind and delay the escape of Arash and the rest.
Arash sighed. "I bragged to Nameless earlier… said I could hold off the Round Table Knights… but I failed to defeat them and evacuate the villagers."
"Don't talk. Let's break through the enforcers' blockade!" Bedivere's silver arm gleamed.
Every time he used the [Silver Arm], it caused soul-searing agony.
But in this desperate moment, he had no choice.
Arash, however, placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't use it! That arm… one more time and it'll kill you. Save it for the final target."
"So you knew I was a sinner…" Bedivere's expression was complicated.
Arash grinned brightly. "Haha! I have Clairvoyance, you know? This much is nothing."
Vmmmm…
Brilliant light flashed in the heavens.
It was like a falling star—unstoppable and barreling toward them.
Once it landed, all would be obliterated.
"You guys get out of here. Let me redeem my earlier shame before Nameless."
Arash looked up at the sky and sighed, "Sorry. I wanted to stand before the Lion King with you and Nameless… but I'll have to go on ahead."
He raised his red longbow, aiming it toward the falling pillar of light.
In that moment, the bright and cheerful young man became the mythical hero who shot down the sun—an incarnation of courage against the divine.
The entire scene froze, burning itself into viewers' hearts.
Countless spectators held their breath—
TooHotToPeg-[Facing a god with a mortal's body… there's no hope at all.]
CommandSealDaddy-[That's divine judgment! He could've run—why didn't he!?]
ICastFart-[Because he's Arash, the hero who ends wars! Heroes don't flee the battlefield!]
…
Under countless watching eyes—
The brilliant golden holy lance descended from the sky.
Like a star crashing to Earth, brimming with destructive might.
Unstoppable.
Unblockable.
Unavoidable.
Everything under such divine force seemed utterly hopeless.
Despair spread like wildfire—suffocating every viewer.
But in the midst of that despair—
The ever-smiling youth pulled his bowstring tight and began to chant:
"O' Holy Lord of the Sun's rays,"
"One who bestows all wisdom, majesty... and strength."
"O' Shining Lord. My heart, my thoughts... and my accomplishments be examined."
"Now, creator of the moon and stars!"
"My deeds, my end. Behold my Spənta Ārmaiti!"
"As I unleash this Final arrow, let my very being... be shredded into dust!"
As he chanted—
The divine punishment descended from above, engulfing everything in ruin.
Arash loosed the arrow, releasing the ultimate strike of his life:
[Stella!!]
A brilliant, radiant light burst from the arrow.
Like a miniature sun soaring from the earth, the arrow drew a dazzling arc and slammed directly into the descending golden divine punishment.
The massive tower-shaped divine retribution that blotted out the sky was actually stopped by it!
No—not just stopped, but completely destroyed!
From the shattering tip of the tower all the way down, the golden column of divine light was utterly crushed, like dry twigs beneath a storm.
And even after obliterating the golden divine punishment, the radiant arrow continued to soar straight into the sky—as if it meant to pierce the very sky itself!
Then, his entire body exploded like a meteor—a final blaze of glory, as he burned his life to release that one shining strike.
Countless people held their breath, watching the scene in stunned awe.
A mere mortal, drawing a bow and loosing an arrow—had truly shattered a divine punishment!
"Since the beginning of time, there have been those who could shoot down stars… but to destroy one—there is only this man!"
The newly arrived Nameless solemnly poured wine onto the ground.
"Great hero… I drink to you. Rest well. I will shoulder everything and see this singularity repaired."