The Spirit Origin that manifested within Guinaifen was actually Guinevere's?
Across the infinite dimensions, aside from the viewers who had already guessed it, the rest were all wearing expressions of utter disbelief.
And even for those who had guessed, their feelings at this moment were incredibly complex.
[Bootheel, the Galaxy Ranger]: "Well, I'll be a son of a gun! How can there be such a coincidence in the world? The same Camelot, the same Guinevere... For Pete's sake, so Guinaifen didn't transmigrate to save the world, but to find her family, right?"
[Detective Conan]: "You're wrong. At most, only Guinaifen feels like she's looking for family. The Knights of the Round Table certainly don't see her as kin. But fortunately, the Type-Moon history seems to have cleared the name of the Guinevere from the common legends. Judging by the attitudes of the Lion King and the other Round Table Knights, we don't need to worry about Guinaifen's safety."
[Sushang, the Cloud Knight]: "But this is still ridiculous, isn't it? Just because her Spirit Origin is the Type-Moon world's Guinevere, they're going to treat Little Gui as a completely different person? Little Gui is Little Gui, and no one else!"
[Guinaifen]: "Shang-shang... you're so right!! I'm with you!!"
[Sunday]: "Alas, there's no other way. Based on the current information, Guinaifen has no right to explain. Although we still have many doubts about the Spirit Origin, there is no question that, even if their appearances and personalities are completely different, it can still prove a Servant's true identity."
---o---
[On the light curtain, amidst Guinaifen's complicated feelings, the refugees continued their journey.]
By now, they had almost reached the mountain range and would soon be able to enter the territory of the people of the mountains.
Having come this far, they were essentially far away from the Holy City. Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others breathed a small sigh of relief.
For the sake of a few refugees, the knights of the Holy City wouldn't go so far as to chase them all the way out here.
However, just at this moment of "safety," a sudden barrage of countless arrows arched through the sky from two kilometers away, flying towards the refugees.
The volley of arrows was imbued with sufficient magical energy. As dense as raindrops, it gave the refugees and Ritsuka Fujimaru's group no chance of survival.
Fortunately, there were four Servants on the scene. The undisguised magical energy was detected the instant the arrows appeared, and even Guinaifen and Ritsuka Fujimaru immediately turned to face the direction of the attack.
Mash, moving even faster than the sound, had already acted.
"Watch out!"
Then, she dashed forward and deployed the cross-shaped shield in her hands!
"Imaginary Noble Phantasm, a pseudo-deployment of the Foundation of Human Order!"
Although this was not the true form of the shield she held, it was more than enough to block the downpour of arrows.
"..."
At this moment, the screen shifted to a knight on another small hill. He watched silently as Mash deployed her defensive Noble Phantasm, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
This knight was tall and imposing, mounted on a fine steed and holding a longsword. Behind him followed several hundred Purified Knights, all similarly mounted on warhorses.
Clearly, this was the Knight of the Round Table sent to hunt down the Chaldea party. The legendary Knight of the Lake, a knight whom the countless universes had already seen before—Lancelot!
During the first viewing, due to the influence of the Berserker class and the old magus's spells, Lancelot was irrational from beginning to end and had no outstanding moments.
Furthermore, with his pitch-black armor and the aura of a dark knight he exuded, most of the audience outside the light curtain had never even gotten a clear look at his face.
But now, the Saber-class Lancelot had appeared, and it truly changed the impression many viewers had of him.
How should one put it? In terms of appearance alone, Lancelot's handsomeness was in no way inferior to the "Prince Charming" Gawain.
His resolute expression and tall stature gave one an immediate sense of security. It was no wonder Guinevere had fallen for him.
At that moment, upon seeing his sneak attack fail, Sir Lancelot spurred his horse forward, charging directly toward Chaldea and Guinaifen.
The several hundred Purified Knights followed his lead. The imposing Purified Knight regiment, led by the towering Lancelot, was a truly magnificent sight. The very desert ground trembled under the thunder of their hooves.
Leading the group of refugees, Ritsuka Fujimaru could do nothing but watch helplessly as Lancelot approached.
Closer, he was getting closer!
Aided by the horses' speed, Lancelot and his Purified Knights appeared before the group in no time.
However, the knight did not rush to attack. Instead, he stared at Mash, his eyes glinting slightly.
"Nameless girl, what is that shield in your hands? Why do you possess it?"
Lancelot's question naturally drew everyone's attention, and Ritsuka and the others turned their gazes to Mash.
But what they saw was unexpected...
Mash's body was trembling slightly. Mash, who was always humble and polite, who treated every Heroic Spirit with respect, even those of the enemy, now had a fire of rage ignited in her heart!
It was an anger tinged with contempt, as if the person standing before her was not Sir Lancelot, but some hated enemy of hers.
"That is none of your business, Sir Lancelot!"
The girl's voice rang out. Although she didn't know how she recognized him the moment she saw him, the contempt and anger in her heart made her respond subconsciously.
This isn't my adorable Mash...
Seeing this, Ritsuka Fujimaru's jaw dropped. In her memory, Mash had never been this angry before!
They had been through five Singularities already; when had Mash ever shown such an expression?!
In contrast, Da Vinci looked from Mash to Lancelot, nodding thoughtfully.
As for Guinaifen, she watched Lancelot with a pained expression.
While she wasn't as agitated as Mash, she could feel the Guinevere Spirit Origin within her body begin to stir the moment Lancelot appeared.
It was the exact same reaction she had when she first saw the Lion King. It seemed that fighting Gawain hadn't elicited this response. Only these two individuals could agitate Guinevere to such an extent.
Fortunately, Lancelot's gaze was not on Guinaifen at the moment, but on Mash, his expression one of confusion.
Even if they were enemies, there was no need to speak with such harshness.
It was as if he had committed some terrible crime.
Shaking his head, Lancelot cast aside his extraneous emotions and his expression turned cold. "You are unwilling to answer? It matters not. You will all die anyway, so your answer is of no importance."
Then, Lancelot dismounted directly from his horse. "However... out of knightly principle, I can grant you a fair opportunity. A chance for the few to fight the many."
"Come, travelers from a foreign land, let me witness the strength of your swords!"
---o---
What's wrong with Mash?
She acts like she's on explosives the moment she sees Lancelot.
It wasn't just Ritsuka Fujimaru; even the audience across the infinite dimensions was a bit baffled.
Although they had only just met her, Mash had indeed left an impression of gentleness and humility on many viewers.
But the Mash in the video now was a complete departure from that impression.
[Utaha Kasumigaoka]: "What's wrong with Mash? I've never seen her act like this."
[Detective Conan]: "It's because Lancelot attacked the refugees without hesitation. No, wait... Tristan did something even worse before, but Mash didn't have such a strong reaction."
[King Arthur]: "Sir Gawain recognized that shield, yet Sir Lancelot did not? It's no wonder Mash is so angry."
[Guinaifen]: "As I thought, is Mash a being similar to me in the video? But the influence of her Spirit Origin seems to be much deeper than mine."
---o---
[On the light curtain, with Mash having ended the conversation, the Chaldea party squared off against Lancelot.]
Come to think of it, Lancelot's strength should be on par with Gawain's during the day. Since they were able to hold their own against Gawain for so long, they should be able to do the same against Lancelot.
Ritsuka Fujimaru thought this to herself. If they could just hold out for a little while and let the refugees reach the mountain people's territory to get reinforcements, they might still have a chance to win.
But very quickly, reality completely shattered Ritsuka Fujimaru's plans.
Because...
Lancelot was too strong!
With one blow, Bedivere was sent flying.
With another, Mash's shield was kicked away.
Then, after dodging a sneak attack, Lancelot sent Da Vinci flying with a single sword strike, taking her mechanical arm with her.
Finally, the last one remaining, Guinaifen, was no match for him at all. He grabbed her by the neck and lifted her with one hand.
Ritsuka Fujimaru's pupils constricted in shock. "Hey, hey, are you kidding me? H-How can he be this strong?"
Wasn't Lancelot's strength supposed to be about the same as Gawain's during the day?
How could they put up no resistance at all? Did Gawain hold back? That shouldn't be possible!
The gap in power was like that between a frog and a vampire; there was simply no comparison!
As Ritsuka stood there in shock, Bedivere climbed up from the ground, his expression grim as he gripped his knightly sword, already prepared to use his silver arm.
Clutching the sharp pain in her side, Mash also stood up, facing Lancelot with her shield in hand. A complex emotion flickered in the girl's exposed left eye, along with a hint of barely perceptible pain.
"So this is... the strongest Knight of the Round Table."
The difference in strength was too great, far greater than the pressure she felt when facing Gawain.
Was it because he wasn't holding back? Or was his blessing just as monstrous as Gawain's?
Ignoring the others who had gotten back on their feet, Lancelot, still holding Guinaifen by the neck, looked at the group before turning back to her and saying, "My lady, please do not make any unnecessary movements. Although I do not wish to harm a lady, the man I am now is but a sinner atoning for his crimes. I no longer have the right to call myself a knight."
The implication was that if Guinaifen continued to struggle, he would act without regard for the code of chivalry.
Guinaifen, choking, said, "Cough, cough... If you kill me, you might regret it."
This seemingly threatening act did not faze Lancelot in the slightest. He merely let out a cold snort as the pressure from his hand began to increase.
Under this pressure, Guinaifen was on the verge of suffocating and stopped struggling.
Seeing Guinaifen cooperate, Lancelot eased his grip and turned his gaze back to Mash.
"She's a beauty, but for some reason, I feel no interest in her at all. In fact, there's a strange feeling... And this woman in my hand, she's not my type, but there's a strange pull... far more attractive than that mature woman with the mechanical arm over there."
The people he met today all felt very strange, giving Lancelot himself a feeling that he couldn't bring himself to kill them.
It felt as if, once he struck, something terrible would happen.
Taking a deep breath, Lancelot turned his emotionless gaze to Bedivere. A fleeting complexity flashed in his eyes before they returned to a state of calm. "It has been a long time, Sir Bedivere."
"To be honest, I was very surprised to see you just now. I never thought that you, who did not answer the King's call back then, would appear here in this manner."
Bedivere remained silent for a moment before finally responding, "It has been a long time, Sir Lancelot. Meeting you under these circumstances is not a pleasant matter."
Lancelot shook his head, his expression serene. "This is a helpless fate, just like the choices we made back then, which led the King to bear such misfortune."
"My foolish choice led to the fracturing of the Knights of the Round Table. This is my sin, an evil that can never be repaid. Therefore, the me of today is but a sinner, loyal to the King."
"Likewise, Sir Bedivere, you too are a sinner. You prevented Sir Gawain's holy punishment and did not stand with your fellow Knights of the Round Table, choosing instead to be with these sinners."
"Sir Bedivere, I am very confused. With what state of mind do you stand here now?"
"Why are you, who did not answer the King's call, here now? What are you here for?"
Bedivere fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice, "As you said, I am a sinner. But it is not because I stopped Sir Gawain's holy punishment, but because of other matters. I have my own way of atoning."
"Sir Lancelot, the King's current state is wrong. Therefore, I will correct this mistake."
Lancelot narrowed his eyes. "You... intend to harm the King?"
Bedivere's expression grew somber. "King Arthur should have found peace long ago. Her era is over. To continue living is nothing but endless pain, so—"
"I will once again commit a grievous sin and grant the King eternal rest!"
"...Is that so..."
Lancelot whispered softly. The next moment, he tightened his grip on his longsword. A terrifying magical energy erupted instantly, and a boundless killing intent pressed down on them.
---o---