The final battle began.
Army clashed against army, elite met elite, commander faced commander.
Inside his mech, Lloyd led the charge. Shields and armor deflected boulders and giant arrows from afar, before he countered with a magic-energy cannon blast that tore through a city wall and skewered a giant golem archer behind it.
Then a shadow blotted out the sun. The pale, rock-scaled Ancient Dragon descended from the sky, twin spiral thunder lances in hand, and struck down toward the mech.
Sensing the electric surge, the mech tilted its head upward. Spotting the falling bolt of lightning, it gripped its magic lance tightly, lifted it high, and thrust forward to meet the thunder.
Boom!
Scarlet lightning collided with blue magic, detonating into a massive shockwave. And as the explosion bloomed, fire and gold erupted into battle elsewhere.
Demi-humans swung clubs. Misbegotten slashed with blades.
Leyndell's soldiers raised shields, while Perfumers scattered sparks of flame.
Catapults and greatbow golems bombarded from afar, answered by volleys from Lloyd's sorcerers and the Albinauric archers.
Scarlet dragon thunder crashed from above. The mighty Ancient Dragons had answered the call of their allies, ready to crush the "lesser beings" before them.
But before their lightning could strike, howling winds heralded the return of those very "inferior creatures" they had once banished. With claws and fire, they surged forth in vengeance.
The battlefield roared with thunder and wind. Screams, steel, and flame filled the air. Exploding arrows shredded soldiers, blades carved arcs of blood. Scarlet lightning split the heavens, while titanic colossi shook the ground.
Time passed.
No one knew how long it lasted. By the time even the sky had turned blood-red, the roars of battle had begun to fade.
The land outside the Royal Capital had become a vision of hell. Corpses covered the ground. Limbs lay scattered. The craters left by siege weapons overflowed with blood, forming lakes thick with floating remnants of flesh.
At the center stood the colossal mech—its once-sleek armor now battered and scarred, its shimmering shields flickering faintly like dying embers. One mechanical arm was missing, ripped clean away to reveal the magic circuitry within.
Yet however broken it appeared, it still stood stronger than the massive Ancient Dragon lying before it, its skull pierced clean through by a magic lance.
Lloyd had won.
Even against the full might of the Golden Army. Even with his own power sealed. Even while commanding a patchwork army. Even at a terrible cost—he had prevailed.
And this victory was not by strength alone. It was born of the bonds he forged, the changes he brought to the Lands Between.
This was the victory of a King.
But though the enemy had been destroyed, the war was not yet over.
Lloyd stepped out of the wrecked Gundam and into the fractured walls of the Royal Capital. Raising his head, he saw them—one golden fog gate after another, stretching into the distance.
No more skirmishes, no more exploration. Just one relentless chain of boss battles.
"Treading on gold, huh?" he muttered, before stepping forward to touch the first gate.
[Golden Demon Ghost · Morgott]
[Blood Lord · Mohg]
The enhanced Omen brothers.
If Lloyd had been alone, they might have posed a challenge.
But he was no longer fighting solo—and his summoned allies were more than one.
[Crucible Incarnation]
[Formless Mother]
Crucible against Crucible. Blood against blood.
Neither side was a single being. Even empowered, the brothers barely put up a fight. Lloyd cut through them with ease.
Next came another golden fog gate.
Beyond it stood Messmer and the Twin Moon Knight.
[Golden Serpent · Messmer]
[Twin Moon Knight · Rellana]
On Lloyd's side were Melina and Renna—Messmer's sister, and the being formed from the fragmented remnants of Rellana's former sisters.
By all rights, the fight should have been difficult. Their opponents were formidable, while Lloyd's allies didn't look particularly strong.
Renna, after all, had spent most of her life buried in research rather than battle, and struggled against Rellana's skill.
But Melina—after Lloyd lifted her seal and granted her mastery over Destined Death—had become the true Queen of Gloam-Eyes, stronger even than her former self. Yet with that power came... complications.
"Wait... is that Cancel?"
Having once been struck by Lloyd's Ring Strike, Messmer immediately recognized the technique Melina was using.
After confirming it, he turned to Lloyd, clearly intrigued, and asked if he could learn it—it looked powerful, after all.
"It's not exactly a good thing... but fine, learn it if you want."
After all, reality wasn't a game. Even "Cancel," defined by the Law, was simply a specialized combat skill.
So after a brief thought, Lloyd agreed to Messmer's request. From then on, the Lands Between gained another flaming weapon—this time, a blazing spear to match the fiery greatsword.
After Messmer's battle ended, Lloyd pressed forward once more.
Beyond the next golden fog gate stretched a vast hall.
And at its center stood a figure he knew well.
[All-Knowing · Gideon Neill]
But unlike in the original course of fate, the All-Knowing was not alone.
Others stood beside him.
[Sleeping Arrow · Dolores]
[Dragon Lance · Vyke]
[Raging Wolf · Bagram]
[Outcast Sorcerer · Wilhelm]
[Knight · Bernahl]
And more beyond them.
The hall was crowded with figures, many of whom Lloyd had never seen before. Yet their posture and presence made it clear—none were weak.
Fortunately, despite their numbers, they didn't attack all at once. Instead, they chose the honor of duels—challenging Lloyd in pairs, one after another.
This style of combat, paired with their unmistakably NPC-like precision...
"The backyard, huh?"
Lloyd muttered the words with mild annoyance as he drew his weapon, his expression turning serious.
"So, who's first?"
At his question, the Round Table Knights exchanged glances. Eventually, one whom Lloyd didn't recognize—likely the weakest among them—stepped forward.
Then—
Slash.
Before they could even clash, Lloyd's twin-bladed sword had already pierced straight through the knight's chest.
He flicked the body aside, lifted his gaze to the others, and spoke evenly.
"Alright. Next."