In the living room of the hotel suite—
After the radiant burst of the lance, everyone was left stunned.
This was, after all, the very lance that anchored the world—powerful enough to wipe out the entirety of Fuyuki City with ease.
"Come," Artoria spoke calmly while holding the holy lance. "I'll allow you to rephrase that."
An overwhelming aura descended like thunder.
In that instant, everyone present felt as if they were once again facing the terrifying pressure of the Lion King.
A divine, almighty presence—capable of annihilating the world with a mere gesture.
Gawain's eyes lit up. "Here we go again! Another challenger to our king!"
Just last night, Mordred had challenged his King—only to be effortlessly defeated.
Now, challenger number two had arrived!
Sir Lancelot, Knight of the Lake, one of the two most powerful Round Table knights alongside Gawain. A man once considered Artoria's greatest right-hand.
And yet—this very knight had eloped with Queen Guinevere, defecting to Britain's longtime enemy, France.
And now… he wanted to steal away Nameless too?
Gawain almost couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.
This man is the very definition of a fool who seeks death.
Of course, Artoria wasn't interested in women. Her earlier marriage to the Queen was just to hide her true identity.
She had always treated Guinevere as a sister, and though the betrayal stung, it didn't enrage her.
But Nameless… he was different.
He was the one who stood by her side since childhood. The one who protected her at all costs.
Back then, when she donned the crown, he had warned her:
"Let me remind you one last time. Once you wear the crown, you'll no longer be a mortal. All worldly desires will be severed from you. What awaits are betrayal, hatred, opposition… a life of endless suffering."
Nameless had tried to stop her.
But in the end, she still drew the Sword in the Stone and wore the crown.
Thus began her path as the "Perfect King"—one who gave everything to Britain.
And now, having returned to the world as a Heroic Spirit—
Gawain had once overheard the king quietly sighing and muttering to herself—
"Once, I had a sincere love placed before me, but I didn't cherish it. Only after losing it did I realize how much I regretted it. The greatest pain in the world is nothing more than this."
"If fate gave me one more chance, I would say to that person…"
There was no sound after that.
But the King stood in the cold wind, closed her eyes, and slowly put on the crown again, transforming once more into the flawless, perfect King.
All feelings of love and romance were turned to the past.
However—
When Mordred suggested yesterday that she should marry Nameless...
The King had taken off her crown on the spot and tried to pass the throne to Mordred.
Even now, she still hadn't put the crown back on.
Thinking of this, Gawain suddenly felt a surge of emotion—
No, anxiety.
Could it be… the King was planning to pursue her own happiness?
Under everyone's gaze—
Lancelot appeared in a most humiliating and eye-burning outfit: a purple catgirl costume. Yet he held his head high with calm composure.
He looked straight at the King.
"For the peace and stability of Britain, to prevent another conflict like the Battle of Camlann, my daughter, Mash, is the best choice!"
For the sake of his daughter, he would perhaps even defeat the divine Lion King—let alone the regular version of King Arthur!
"You really…"
Mash looked blankly at him.
To win her forgiveness and secure her happiness, he had dared to directly challenge the King.
In that moment, she was a little touched.
This man… might really be the perfect dad.
BOOM!
The Holy Lance suddenly burst into radiant brilliance. A golden beam of light shot straight into the sky!
The blast completely obliterated the ceiling above their heads. Golden ripples of light bloomed across the sky like fireworks, catching everyone's attention.
Thankfully, they were on the highest floor of the hotel—there was no one above.
Everyone stared dumbfounded.
This was the first time in history that Artoria had gone berserk!
To unleash a Noble Phantasm in a foreign country without permission—it was no less than a direct provocation.
The last nation that provoked her—the Lighthouse—had already been bombarded into the depths of Fuyuki Bay, never to rise again!
However—
To everyone's surprise, the Empire's Heavenly Court system didn't activate at all.
Gawain took a deep breath: "Could it be that our King already gave prior notice to the First Emperor?"
This was bad.
This meant she might be transforming into the divine Lion King form and was about to go on a rampage!
At this moment—
Footsteps echoed from the distance.
The Black Saintess walked over with a hearty laugh: "Haha! Arthur, to think even you have a day when you lose your temper!"
France and Britain had been enemies since ancient times.
And the two women were rivals in love.
Jeanne had long been displeased by Artoria's saintly demeanor.
Now seeing her lose her composure—could it be she was falling into darkness to become a Dark Queen?
Artoria's serene sky-blue eyes locked onto her. "It has nothing to do with you."
Under that gaze, Jeanne suddenly felt a divine pressure descend upon her.
"Tch… Don't tell me you're being influenced by Lion King's memories and want to become divine again?" Jeanne didn't back down at all.
Seeing her usually flawless rival lose control made her unusually happy.
"It's the Spring Festival. I just wanted to set off some fireworks."
Artoria turned calmly and walked away.
Her cloak fluttered in the wind as she disappeared from sight.
After she left—
Lancelot's legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed to the floor: "I nearly died from fear!"
"..."
Mash was speechless.
"Mash! Papa worked really hard for you today!" Lancelot sprang up, showing off his muscular body. "Come now, you can touch it if you like!"
"Stay away from meeeeee!!!"
Mash fled immediately.
That fleeting moment of emotion she felt earlier completely vanished.
She turned and ran straight back to Chaldea!
This dad was terrifying. It'd be better if he turned into a gentle mom…
At the same time—
Sanjiro stepped out onto the balcony, staring dazedly at the golden fireworks blooming in the sky:
"Holy Lance light? What happened?"
The familiar golden glow—it was undoubtedly the power of the Holy Lance.
Could Artoria be using this to celebrate the Spring Festival?
"Indeed. the King of Britain has a thoughtful heart," Shikotei replied with a smile.
Artoria had given prior notice that she would be releasing her Holy Lance once.
Now it seemed that the flawless monarch was clearly influenced by 1,500 years of Lion King memories—becoming much more prone to anger than before.
The so-called perfect king might not be perfect anymore, as she can't control her emotion perfectly anymore.
Gilgamesh, also smiling, said gleefully: "Fireworks, huh? I should charge her for the fireworks show later."
To dare blast a hole through the top floor of his hotel—at the very least, that was a billion-yen repair fee!
"What fireworks?" Kirina turned to glance, completely unfazed.
She slapped down her card. "Come on, give me a nine!"
If only that king had been an ace—she would've nailed a natural nine and ended it on the spot!
Kirina clicked her tongue in annoyance.
No big deal. As the self-proclaimed Queen of Lucky 9, she was destined to flip the game around.
People didn't understand what it meant to win with just a single coin.
Only two words described it:
A Gambling God.
"Play faster! I even poured you tea! What, need a calculator?"
How could those two possibly beat her?
If either of them scored better than her, she'd eat the whole table right then and there.
And then—
Mr. Gold slowly laid down his card.
King.
Ace.
Eight.
Natural.
"…"
Kirina blinked.
Next round. She doubled the bet. Dealt the cards herself.
Mr. Tei didn't even look nervous. Laid his cards down with one hand, sipping tea with the other.
Queen.
Nine.
Straight nine.
???
Third round. She went all-in, slapping down her coin before the cards even landed.
Her cards?
Six.
Two.
Before she could even blink, both of them dropped their hands.
Mr. Gold: Four and Five—Draws a Jack, Nine again.
Mr. Tei: Eight and Ace—Nine again.
"…You're both cheating, I swear!" Kirina nearly flipped the table. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I can't take this kind of oppression!"
Sanjiro laughed, patting her on the head. "They're just lucky today."
Lucky? One had Golden Rule, the other had Imperial Privilege. They weren't playing Lucky 9, they were playing with the laws of fate—your only chance of winning was if you unlocked your full power with Clairvoyance EX!
"I can't take this injustice!" Roya grew angrier.
These two clearly had too much money—and were picking on her!
Buzz~
In her frustration, a brief flash of violent energy surged from her.
All three men present noticed it.
Sanjiro remained calm.
"Alright then, how about you keep the New Year red envelopes yourself this time?"
"Eh, really?"
Kirina instantly beamed.
Every year, he always said he'd keep the envelope safe, and it never came back.
"Of course it's real."
Sanjiro pinched her cheek.
"That's better."
Kirina instantly burst into a delighted smile, her tears vanishing without a trace.
In her mind, she was already calculating how much she could spend on gacha rolls and how many new Heroic Spirit merch figures she could buy.
Crisis averted.
That overwhelming, violent aura from earlier? Felt like it had all just been a dream.
The First Emperor and the King of Heroes both stared blankly, unable to believe what they were seeing—
So this… was how he protected humanity?
Ding-dong~
Suddenly, a notification popped up on her phone.
[Your favorite uploader has a new update! Come check it out!]
"Whoa! Alaya just dropped a new video?"
In high spirits, Kirina turned on the TV and joined the others on the couch to watch.
The new video was a side story related to Holy Round Table Domain, titled—
[Demon King: Goetia]
Just seeing that title made Sanjiro's expression shift.
Was Alaya really about to expose that identity?
Yikes. This was definitely dragging everyone down together!
With his current fragmented Spirit Origin, he had absolutely no chance of fighting back.
Just as his anxiety reached a peak, the video began playing—
[This side story features a conversation between the Lion King and Dr. Roman, briefly explaining the origin of the mastermind.]
Sanjiro finally exhaled in relief. "Okay, Alaya, I guess you do have a conscience after all."
As long as the full truth wasn't exposed, it was manageable.
...
On-screen:
After unleashing a Summon Card and utterly defeating a divine being, the Steel-Willed Savior gave a gentle wave to the Lion King, to whom he had granted a human heart.
"Farewell."
"Please… don't go!"
Artoria tried to stop him, but her hand grasped only air.
Only endless regret remained.
However—
Even after the boy's departure, Chaldea's video call remained connected.
Dr. Roman spoke, "Lion King, it's time for you to go too. Otherwise, you'll vanish along with the Holy Capital."
The Singularity had been repaired. Human history would soon return to its proper path.
Everything here would disappear.
"The Chaldeans… huh. After becoming the King of Storms, I finally understood what the Demon King was trying to do." Artoria sighed softly. "Once I became divine, I gained the same perspective as him."
"Oh? And what was he trying to do?" Da Vinci asked curiously.
"In Goetia's eyes, all of humanity must die, and human history must burn. Not a single soul left alive on this planet."
Artoria exhaled deeply.
"I was almost in the same mindset—destroy the world, preserve only a few hundred people. But unlike me, he wanted the incineration of the entirety of human history, push it all the way back 4.6 billion years, and become the planetary will itself—Gaia."
Those simple words left everyone utterly stunned.
Wipe out humanity. Burn the entirety of history. Push it all the way back to the Earth's birth—4.6 billion years ago.
The puppet master's ambitions were so massive, they defied comprehension.
Gulp.
Kirina swallowed hard. "That's horrifying! If he actually succeeded, humanity would be completely wiped out!"
Terrifying.
If not for Nameless fighting for humanity, she wouldn't even be here.
"What a grand plan… For the Demon King, igniting all of human history is just his rocket to reach the primordial state of the Earth—a blank slate before humanity existed, a world free of "flaws," death, suffering, or unpredictability—pure order." Shikotei murmured.
Reversing Earth's time to 4.6 billion years ago—clearly, that was a form of terrifying "magic," far beyond any god.
The sheer energy it would require could effortlessly destroy the planet.
We're talking star-busting level power here.
And humans—fragile creatures living on this planet—had absolutely no way to resist.
Think about it: if the Earth even twitches, you get a magnitude-9 earthquake humans can't survive.
If Earth rolls over, or bounces a little—
Would humanity still exist?
"Trying to become Gaia—the Counter Force?" Gilgamesh furrowed his brow as well.
There were two great Counter Forces: Alaya and Gaia.
Alaya was the collective human unconscious, acting to protect humanity.
Whenever humanity faced overwhelming threats, it would summon Counter Guardians.
His dear friend, for example, had been tricked into a contract with Alaya and forced to wander history protecting mankind.
Gaia, on the other hand, was the planetary will.
As long as Earth wasn't destroyed, Gaia didn't care.
It gave zero fucks about humanity's survival.
Which meant that everything—saving the environment, repairing Singularities—was all humans saving themselves.
There was no grandiose "saving the Earth."
So then—
Did that bastard actually succeed, at least partially?
And what was the connection between that entity and the little girl bound by countless seals beside his dear friend?
Gilgamesh's eyes shifted toward Sanjiro.
He was starting to understand… With each new Alaya video release, he was inching closer to the truth.
Sanjiro quietly watched the video.
The King of Uruk sat beside him, and Israel's Boxing King was on screen.
His mind raced through countless memories.
Six thousand years of human history, fighting again and again—against Heroic Spirits, gods, even the Beasts of Humanity—until his very soul had gone numb.
But he could never forget… that one battle.
So brutal that everything had to be sacrificed, just to give humanity a future.
So, Alaya, what the hell are you planning now?
Is it because you can't keep the brat sealed any longer? You want to restore my power quickly?
Sanjiro felt a sharp, phantom ache in his liver.
Deep. Agonizing.
He'd fought for thousands of years, grinding away until his metaphorical iron rod had become a sewing needle.
Goddamn you, Alaya!
...
The video continued.
"Goetia injected collapse points into human history, trying to make it completely fall apart." Artoria went on, "His temple exists outside proper time. The only way to find him is by repairing the deviations in history."
And that, was Chaldea's true mission.
Kirina's cheeks flushed with excitement as she watched, a deep thrill running through her.
She couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow! Nameless is seriously amazing! He's officially my favorite now!"
Before, she'd been a huge fan of Artoria, Gilgamesh, and other Heroic Spirits.
But every single one of them eventually revealed some ugly black history, and her fangirl love had cooled off a bit.
But now, seeing Nameless quietly walking through history, protecting humanity without ever asking for thanks—
He was the perfect Heroic Spirit, with zero scandals.
"He really is incredible. I admire him too," Sanjiro said, patting her head.
The two monarchs beside them fell into silence.
They'd seen narcissists before… but this guy?
This guy was on another level.
The video still wasn't done.
"Go, Chaldea's saviors. Your next target will contain an Evil beyond anything you can imagine—perhaps the original sin of mankind itself."
As Artoria's figure slowly faded, she added:
"Go forth. Fight. Protect. Stand against the evils of humanity. So that mankind may live on, forever."
The screen shifted.
Her figure disappeared entirely.
New footage appeared—Chaldea's base, bustling with activity and preparation.
Then several lines of on-screen narration appeared:
[Next Episode Preview!]
[Following Holy Round Table Domain, humanity's final Master—our final defender—will travel even further into ancient history.]
["This is the age where mankind and the gods part ways!"]
Gilgamesh blinked.
"The era when humanity and the gods split paths… That must be the end of the Age of Gods. Related to me?"