---o---
So this was the Saint Selection Ceremony...
Across the infinite dimensions, even the most faithful believers of King Arthur were now utterly baffled by her actions in the video.
How could this be? Why would the King do this? What on earth had happened to her?
Countless questions arose in their minds, and the change in Guinaifen only added to their astonishment.
The Lion King had specifically named Guinaifen to enter the Holy City. Although she hadn't acted directly, she had dispatched Gawain, an elite among the Knights of the Round Table.
They knew, as Da Vinci had said earlier, that the current Guinaifen and the Chaldean party were no match for this enhanced version of Gawain.
Sushang (Cloud Knight): "Little Gui is in danger!! Damn it, what on earth is that Saint Selection Ceremony? Why is it making such a big deal over Little Gui! What does this Lion King want to do to her?"
On the Xianzhou Luofu, seeing Guinaifen's current predicament, Sushang couldn't help but speak out.
First, a massacre without a word, and now they were making a move on Little Gui. Although the Lion King's order was to bring Guinaifen into the Holy City, who knew what that evil woman would do to her?
Detective Conan: "The Saint Selection Ceremony… Why was the reaction only so great for Guinaifen? And her Spirit Origin… no matter how I think about it, something is not right!"
Otto Apocalypse: "To be able to shock King Arthur, to possess a special Spirit Origin, and to have brothers with the same names as the Knights of the Round Table… Is that so? It can only be this. Guinaifen's true identity… is about to be revealed."
---o---
In the Honkai world, Otto was somewhat surprised. Although he had guessed the answer, it was still a bit astonishing.
In a way, it was no wonder Guinaifen was the protagonist of this viewing. It seemed the light curtain didn't choose people at random.
Emilia: "Huh!? You all already know Guinaifen's identity? But I haven't seen anything yet."
Naruto Uzumaki: "Me too, me too! Is it related to Guinaifen's true name? Damn, I'm so curious!!"
Sasuke Uchiha: "Idiot. What's the use of knowing? In the history of our world, there is no King Arthur or Knights of the Round Table. Besides the King Arthur from the first viewing, which Knight of the Round Table do you even know?"
Eriri Sawamura: "Ugh… Although I know King Arthur and have read her legends, I still can't guess King Arthur's true name…"
---o---
[On the light curtain, after the Saint's Punishment began, the refugees were instantly turned into a river of blood.]
[Faced with this sudden, shocking turn of events, Guinaifen was first surprised, then enraged!]
[A scene like this reminded her of when the Antimatter Legion attacked Planet Camelot. Attacking defenseless refugees was something Guinaifen could never accept.]
[But what good was anger?]
[She was powerless then, and she was powerless now.]
[Her skills might be impressive against ordinary people, but in front of so many Purified Knights and the Knight of the Round Table, Gawain, she was nothing.]
[A deep sense of powerlessness lingered in Guinaifen's heart.]
[For the original Guinaifen, things like the Incineration of Human Order and Singularities were matters of another world, completely unrelated to her.]
[She just wanted to return to the Xianzhou, be a common citizen, and stay out of the affairs of this place.]
[But things were different now. The Lion King had her eyes on her and wanted to slaughter the refugees.]
[No matter who the other party was, no matter who was under that silver-white helmet, no matter what they wanted to do to her, the current Guinaifen would never let them have their way!]
[Clenching her fists, Guinaifen decided to resist to the end, to fight to the death.]
[It was just death, right?]
[Nothing to be afraid of. Sushang and the Xianzhou would avenge her!]
[As the will to fight ignited in her heart, Guinaifen herself didn't realize that the mana within her body was continuously growing. It had already reached the level of an average second-rate Servant, in no way inferior to Lucius or Mash.]
[At the same time, as if by instinct, Guinaifen waved her hand, and a long spear appeared in her grasp.]
["This is…"]
[Staring at the suddenly manifested spear, Guinaifen herself was a little shocked. Wasn't this the prop she usually used for her stage performances?]
[Feeling the faint chill coming from the shaft of the spear, Guinaifen knew that although it looked and felt the same, this was definitely not some performance prop, but a real weapon!]
["Hah—"]
[Guinaifen took a deep breath. Looking at the spear tip that emanated waves of chilling air, a satisfied expression appeared on her face.]
[Although she didn't know what had happened, the her of this moment no longer needed anyone's protection!]
["My apologies for interrupting you, my lady."
[Just as Guinaifen was about to charge in with her spear and fight the Purified Knights to the death, a voice suddenly interrupted her.]
["Would you be so kind as to accompany me to the Holy City?"]
[The speaker was Gawain. The Saint's Punishment could be left to the ordinary Purified Knights. He was appearing here mainly because he needed to guard the main gate of the Holy City.]
[But now, the King had given him an order, so as a knight, he had to fulfill his duty.]
[Before Guinaifen could speak, Ritsuka Fujimaru stepped in front of her.]
["Impossible! Little Gui will not go with you!"]
["Senpai!"]
[Following Ritsuka's move, Mash also raised her shield to block Gawain's path. In an instant, the two sides were at a tense standoff.]
[Hand Guinaifen over to the Lion King? Who knew what would happen?]
[Given the Lion King's current state, who would feel at ease letting Guinaifen go see her alone?]
[So, the moment she heard Gawain's words, Ritsuka retorted. As an ordinary person, she stood directly in front of Guinaifen to protect her.]
[This moved Guinaifen deeply. The reflection of Ritsuka's figure in her eyes seemed to overlap with that of Sushang.]
[Back then, Sushang had also shielded her just like this.]
[Gawain looked at the group, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "Is that so? It seems there is no room for discussion."
[At that very moment, Gawain drew the longsword in his hand. Instantly, mana surged.]
[The silver-white knightly sword ignited with blazing flames, and its vast fighting spirit pressed down on the group with terrifying might.]
[Instantly, everyone felt as if they were being stared down by a primordial beast. The instinct for survival, originating from their very being, was frantically warning them.]
[They would die!]
[This was no joke. There was no chance of victory!]
[Just as Da Vinci had said, they had absolutely no chance of winning.]
["Ritsuka! You're being too reckless!!"] Standing beside Ritsuka, Da Vinci's tone carried a hint of admonishment.]
[If they had been decisive just now and fought their way out of the Purified Knights' encirclement, they would have had a chance to escape.]
[But now that they were facing Gawain, escaping wouldn't be so easy.]
["Da Vinci-chan…"] Ritsuka knew that her actions had endangered her companions, but she truly couldn't bring herself to abandon Guinaifen and flee alone.]
["Leave with Mash, now!"] Da Vinci sighed and said to Ritsuka beside her.]
[As the Last Master of Humanity who had experienced five Singularities, she should make the appropriate choice!]
["We have no time! Once the Purified Knights finish their massacre, we really won't be able to escape!"]
[Da Vinci continued to add. She believed that Ritsuka knew what to do, because in every crisis, Ritsuka always made the most correct decision.]
["No, Da Vinci-chan. Now is not the time to retreat!"]
[Unexpectedly, Ritsuka shook her head and refused, having not the slightest intention of leaving.]
["Ritsuka…"] Da Vinci was a bit confused. Gawain's target was Guinaifen. This was clearly the best opportunity. All she and Lucius had to do was stall for a little more time.]
["This is the territory of the Holy City. Who knows how many more Purified Knights and Knights of the Round Table are in the vicinity? Besides…"]
[Ritsuka glanced at Gawain. The terrifying intensity of the mana on his body was suffocating.]
["As long as Gawain wishes it, he can keep all of us here. Since that's the case, we might as well concentrate our forces and fight it out here."
["A rather good idea!"]
[Hearing Ritsuka's words, Gawain praised her.]
["Though we did not dispatch reinforcements during the previous Saint Selections, this time is different. The King seems to value her greatly."
[Gazing at Guinaifen, Gawain's voice was incomparably cold as he announced the death sentence for the rest of them.]
["It all ends here. Apart from that woman, all others who have disturbed the gates of the Holy City are guilty of a crime punishable by death."
["I, Gawain, Knight of the Round Table, will act as the one responsible for the Saint's Punishment and execute you."
[After saying this in a tone of passing judgment, Gawain had already raised the knightly sword in his hand.]
[The burning knightly sword seemed capable of incinerating all of creation.]
[It contained an endless power, like the most terrifying judgment in the world.]
[He had yet to make a move, but the terrifying pressure was already making it difficult for Ritsuka and the others to bear.]]
---o---
[Light Curtain Barrage]
Guinaifen: "Little Gui… Please, you absolutely cannot let anything happen to you."
Detective Conan: "Ritsuka Fujimaru? Although she's only in her teens, both her intelligence and emotional quotient are far beyond that of a normal person. As expected of the Last Master of Humanity."
Emiya Kiritsugu: "Even so, the difference in strength is too great. It's not something that can be easily overcome. The current Chaldea has been forced into a desperate situation."
King Arthur: "Gawain under the sun… He's not an opponent to be taken lightly."
---o---
[On the light curtain, Gawain, from a great distance, suddenly swung the holy sword in his hand. The flames coiling around the blade instantly erupted, transforming into a wave of fire that swept directly toward the group—and his direct target was everyone except Guinaifen!]
[Seeing this, Mash, holding her shield, immediately stood in front of everyone, blocking the engulfing flames with her shield.]
[But even so, the scorching flames burned Mash's cloak, causing it to catch fire in multiple places.]
[Faced with this situation, Mash decisively threw off her cloak, revealing her true form.]
[And because of this, Gawain saw Mash clearly. He was slightly taken aback, then understood something and muttered, "So that's it. You entrusted your power to this young lady…"]
[From the moment he saw the shield, Gawain had felt a sense of familiarity. Now, seeing the armor on Mash, he recognized the Heroic Spirit manifested within her.]
[While Gawain was momentarily stunned, Da Vinci had already circled around to his left. A golden steel gauntlet was now on her left arm, and at this moment, she fired it at Gawain.]
[The gauntlet shot out a white trail of flame, flying toward Gawain like a missile.]
[Faced with this attack, Gawain's reaction was simple. He didn't block it with his weapon or simply dodge. Instead, he raised his left hand and, at the crucial moment, violently grabbed the astonishingly fast gauntlet arm, then threw it back toward Da Vinci.]
[Da Vinci was shocked. "Are you kidding me? What level of strength is this? Are you a Berserker!? Whoaaa~~"]
[Boom~!]
[Da Vinci dodged at the last moment, but the gauntlet crashed into the ground beside her, instantly exploding with the force of a cannonball, sending her flying.]
[It was at this moment that Lucius arrived. From behind Gawain, his knightly sword struck directly.]
[And then…]
[Ting!]
[A crisp metallic clang rang out. Lucius's body trembled slightly. It was a full-power strike, yet he suffered the recoil from the block.]
[Gawain's body, however, did not move an inch. His right hand held the holy sword, its blade blocking Lucius's attack. His expression was indifferent as he said, "A very clever choice, to attack me from behind while I am engaged with an enemy. If it were anyone else, you might have succeeded."
[Clearly, because Lucius was still wearing his mask and cloak, Gawain did not recognize his true identity.]
[Of course, this might also be related to Bedivere being a relatively weak, "third-rate knight" among the Round Table.]
[It was also at this time that Gawain suddenly raised his left hand to his other side.]
[The next moment, with a thud, the long spear in Guinaifen's hand was caught firmly by Gawain, unable to advance an inch.]
["Guinaifen… is it? To avoid injury, you should just obediently wait on the side!"]
[As he exerted force with his left hand, Gawain actually flung both the spear and Guinaifen away.]
[It seemed that even with her newfound power, Guinaifen was no match for this Sun Knight.]
[Seeing this, Mash charged forward with her shield, but she was firmly held back by Gawain.]
[It was clear that everyone from Chaldea was giving it their all, yet Gawain remained completely at ease.]
[The triple power under the sun, and a Spirit Origin enhanced dozens of times over, had made Gawain nigh-invincible!]
["This shield… it really brings back memories. To have to fight against this shield truly makes one feel helpless."
[Gawain looked at Mash and said in a deep voice.]
["But I have long been prepared for this."
["Then, girl who holds this shield, do you have the resolve to bear it?"]
[Gritting her teeth, Mash looked up at Gawain. She said nothing, but the unknown Servant within her body was constantly exerting its power, continuously enhancing her abilities within the range Mash could bear.]
[It seemed he wanted to use this method to protest Gawain's actions, to protest the actions of the Lion King.]
[And at this moment, Gawain naturally saw this as well.]
["…This is all a choice for which there is no other way." He said after a moment of silence.]
[Then, he flung both Mash and Lucius away.]]
---o---