Chapter 99: Charlemagne
What struck their eyes was a heavy, pitch-black volcanic landscape, with treacherous, rugged roads.
Scorching winds swept across, nearly making it impossible to breathe.
Eikou thought to himself: So this is what they call the volcanic area.
Completely different from the flat highway track before, this place was filled with steep and rugged terrain, not only was the road bumpy, but the temperature was also frighteningly high, with hot winds blowing straight into their faces, nearly suffocating them.
The environment could be said to be extremely harsh.
"The difficulty of the racecourse has completely increased, testing both the physical strength and willpower of the racers…"
In just a few short minutes, Eikou was already drenched in sweat from the heat.
Thick black smoke erupted from that mountain, like a ferocious and vicious black dragon covering the sky.
Meanwhile, the thrust from Gawain's Noble Phantasm unconsciously began to slow down.
[You have arrived at the new track, the volcanic area.]
[Due to losing the sunlight's radiance, you and Gawain have lost 「Numeral of the Saint」.]
[Your strength has been drastically reduced.]
Great, the worst-case scenario had happened.
The Knight of the Sun had lost the protection of the sun!
"Gawain, Gawain, don't you have that skill,"
Eikou muttered, shaking his shoulder,
"What was it again, the skill that can directly turn the battlefield into 『sunlit』… (Note: Nightless Charisma)"
"I don't have such a skill."
Gawain regretfully shook his head.
"Damn it, so you're the Gawain that never cleared strengthening quest!"
Eikou instantly grew restless as if his heart were on fire, yet had no idea what to do.
"Could it be that now we have to rely on Tristan's Noble Phantasm… or, call out Jeanne Alter?"
No, that won't do!
Tristan's Noble Phantasm wasn't even one that could accelerate speed, and more importantly, if they used his Noble Phantasm here, what would they do in the next battle?
As for Jeanne Alter, that was even more impossible, how could they let someone of the France Class participate—it would be no different from forcing her to betray France Class. Furthermore, her fighting style was completely different from Lancelot's, just one glance would immediately give her away.
Fine then, perhaps for now this is the only option…
The distance with the two frontrunners was still more than ten kilometers, they could only make up for it gradually.
Meanwhile, Finn – who was commentating before the projection screen – couldn't help but sigh.
"Oh oh, what a pity, after working so hard to shorten the gap, Team Eikou's pace has once again stalled…"
"That being said, this race has already gone more than halfway, yet the current situation is still hard to predict…"
"Wait a second, the team Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne has encountered an unexpected situation! Bradamante, out of impatience, fell head over heels and got injured in the leg, forcing her to withdraw, and their substitute member is…"
"It's Saber, it's the young Charlemagne!!"
"What, Charlemagne, right as he appears, doesn't hesitate at all to activate his skill, releasing his true-name Noble Phantasm, 『Joyeuse Ordre』!"
"This Charlemagne, at first glance, may seem like the passionate and valiant type, but his judgment is extremely smart and clear. Upon entering the stage, he immediately assessed that his team was falling behind, and at once released his Noble Phantasm, using that Quick-type Noble Phantasm to surge forward in pursuit!"
"…Charlemagne's Noble Phantasm has incredibly high parameters (EX), its explosive power is so strong that even I am astonished. Combined with the fact that he already has the advantage in speed-racing, the explosive power is not only three times that of Gawain, it's even double!"
"This is bad, for Team Eikou this is truly disadvantageous! The ones ahead haven't been caught yet, and now enemies from behind are surging forward again. Let's see how he will deal with this!"
...
Suddenly.
As the mana output of Excalibur Galatine grew weaker and weaker.
Eikou felt the sound of a violent explosion behind him, along with a fierce gust rushing in.
He saw that the team Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne, which had been left far behind, was now surging in like a storm, closing in rapidly.
Thirteen majestic swords arranged into a circle, a pair of blue luminous wings spread wide, that brilliance nearly filled Eikou's entire sight.
That was the kingly majesty of Emperor Charlemagne!
Eikou cursed inwardly: damn, why does this look exactly like Gundam's funnels!
And those thirteen swords, just like Gundam's funnels, burst forth with mana no less than Gawain's Holy Sword Galatine, closing in at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The one riding at the very front, on that bicycle, was a handsome young man with a straight posture, like a hero stepping out from a script, his black hair streaked with a few strands of white.
That was none other than the class president of France United Class — Charlemagne!
Perhaps also one of the strongest within this Class.
"Haha, Mochizuki Eikou, isn't it!"
Charlemagne looked toward their team, smiling as he spoke,
"Just now, I had the chance to watch your livestream in the waiting area. Your way of fighting was truly interesting, being able to push my three friends to that extent! But, this is as far as you go. With your current speed, you'll never be able to catch up to us anymore!"
Eikou paid no mind to his words.
Just as Charlemagne had said, after losing the protection of the sun, Gawain's thrust could no longer compare to the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne.
At this point, not to mention Baobhan Sith and the others, they couldn't even match up to the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne anymore.
"No, no way, there must still be something I haven't thought of…"
He quickly calculated countless possibilities.
If there was a method, there was indeed one, but whether it would succeed or not was hard to say…
"That is then…"
He took a deep breath, then somewhat nervously shouted out loud:
"Charlemagne, class president of France Class, how about… we form an alliance! You guys give us a ride for a stretch, how about it!"
"What?"
Charlemagne himself, upon hearing this out-of-nowhere proposal, froze, wondering if his ears were deceiving him.
In terms of Class stance, their two Classes were like water and fire, mortal rivals between Britain – France. In terms of the situation, the Twelve Paladins had already gained an overwhelming advantage.
In terms of personal connection, this was their very first meeting, and moreover, as enemies.
"Sorry… I can't think of any reason why I should ally with you."
"Then let me make the reasoning clear for you,"
Taking advantage of the fact that Charlemagne hadn't yet left him too far behind, Eikou hurriedly spoke:
"The reason is very simple,"
"No matter how far you leave us behind right now, there are still at least two more teams up ahead that you'll have to deal with. You and your teammates have already unleashed your Noble Phantasms, the necessary skills have already been used. Even if Roland hasn't released his Noble Phantasm yet, he's a drunkard to begin with, it's hard to say how much use he'll be."
"What awaits you next will be a fierce battle, those girls will face you together, but!"
"If our two teams form an alliance, then the chance of taking the lead will be much higher. So how about it, Charlemagne, you carry me for a stretch, and then I'll let Tristan's Noble Phantasm help you deal with the enemy. Isn't this quite a worthwhile deal?"
"So, do you want to team up with us or not!"