(Kuchiba Hiro's mind raced, recalling scattered stories about the legend of King Arthur.
Behind those seemingly childish myths often lay the most unsightly weaknesses and contradictions of human nature.
The code of the Knights of the Round Table was to never be wrathful or murderous, never to betray, and to reject cruelty. To grant forgiveness, to always lend a hand to ladies, never to threaten a lady's life, and never to resort to force over a dispute of words.
How glorious the code of the Knights of the Round Table was, yet in the stories that followed, Lancelot, as Queen Guinevere's guardian knight, developed feelings for her over time. Upon learning of this, Arthur sentenced Guinevere to be burned at the stake, only for Lancelot to raid the execution grounds and rescue her, directly leading to the splintering of the Knights of the Round Table.
Some interpret this as the knight's code being excessively civilized and idealized, ignoring human animality; the Knights of the Round Table, centered around King Arthur, fell apart because Arthur could not uphold the code. It serves as a metaphor for the consequences of over-pursuing civilization while denying the objective fact of human animality.
Thus, facing Artoria's "chivalrous" persuasion, Kuchiba Hiro decided to no longer dwell on surface-level combat, but to strike directly at that seemingly solid core of the "King." He took a deep breath and, through his visor, threw the first—and most foundation-shaking—dagger in a tone of near-cruel calm:
"Lancelot slept with your wife".
The air seemed to freeze.
Artoria —or rather, Arthur Pendragon —her eyes, once as steady as a mountain and as green as a lake, instantly became like a water surface disturbed by a thrown stone, rippling violently. Her entire body visibly stiffened, and the hand holding the Invisible Sword even trembled imperceptibly.
She blinked her dry eyes twice, her long eyelashes fluttering as if her processor were overloading, trying to understand and respond to this crude and direct accusation that fell completely outside the scope of a "knightly duel".
After a brief, suffocating silence, she actually managed to force back her "King" persona, though her voice carried a trace of nearly imperceptible hardship: "This... this matter was indeed my fault. I failed to notice my subordinate's suffering and the Queen's... feelings. If they truly love each other, I... I bless them."
This response couldn't even convince herself. Beneath that forced calm was a surging undercurrent.
How could Kuchiba Hiro let this opportunity pass? He immediately followed up with a second blow, his tone mocking: "Bless them? Then why did you sentence Guinevere to be burned at the stake back then? Is this your so-called 'forgiveness'? Where in the code of the Knights of the Round Table is 'granting forgiveness' written? Or is it a case of 'the King may set fires, but the Queen may not even light a lamp?' That was her freedom; isn't letting go also a form of love?"
"I... that was... because of the law..." Artoria tried to explain, but her words began to falter and her eyes wandered. She seemed to be desperately searching for a valid reason amidst the vast sea of knightly codes and her own human desires, but every reason appeared pale and weak under the weight of words like "forgiveness" and "love". Her logic was collapsing.
Taking advantage of her mental chaos, Kuchiba Hiro mercilessly threw the third and most vicious dagger, aiming straight at her roots as a "human" and her ultimate failure: "And then there's your sister, Morgan le Fay... a magical union? Incest? You fathered Mordred! Is this the chivalric way you adhere to? And then? That 'son' born of incest, Mordred, eventually rebelled and killed you at Camlann Hill! Your kingdom was completely ruined because of it! What a picture of filial piety and national ruin! Arthur Pendragon!"
"Shut up!!!!"
This roar was no longer the steady and majestic declaration of a "King", but was filled with the sharpness, pain, and fury of someone whose most painful spot had been pierced and all disguises torn away!
The perfect shell constructed by Artoria's identity as the "King of Knights" shattered with a bang under this series of precise and vicious strikes.
Her green eyes were no longer clear and firm, but burned with the flames of humiliation, anger, and madness. She no longer used archaic, refined language, but cursed like an ordinary person driven to a dead end, her voice distorted by extreme emotion:
"That hypocritical bastard Lancelot! Coward! And that shameless slut Guinevere! They... they betrayed me! They betrayed Camelot!!"
She swung her arm violently, as if to disperse the phantom before her.
"King Arthur? Ha! Arthur Pendragon is an utter failure! An idiot who couldn't even protect his own family and kingdom! Knights of the Round Table? Bullshit knightly code! It's all a lie! Shackles! What ideals, what glory—it's all fake! All vanity!!"
She roared incoherently, as if truly becoming that non-existent King of Knights; the grievances, anger, resentment, and self-loathing suppressed under the image of the "Perfect King" poured out like a bursting flood. She denied the legend, denied the faith.
At this very moment, when her emotions were completely out of control and she was fully immersed in the animalistic venting of a "human"—
A miracle —or rather, an anomaly—occurred.
The brilliant silver skirt-armor she wore, symbolizing her knightly identity and power, began to turn blurry and transparent at the edges like snow melting in the sun, then transformed into dots of golden light particles, quickly dissipating into the air.
In the blink of an eye, the majestic King of Knights vanished.
Standing in her place was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl wearing ordinary, even somewhat simple clothes. Her face still bore wet tear tracks and a flush of excitement; her eyes were hollow and dazed, as if she had just woken from a long and painful dream, only to instantly fall into a deeper state of helplessness.
She was no longer Arthur Pendragon, no longer the King of Knights.
She reverted to being "Artoria" —or rather, a real human who had lost the shell of the "King."
Emiya Shirou closed his eyes helplessly.
Meanwhile, Kuchiba Hiro watched all this coldly through his visor. Just as planned. He had successfully used the invisible knife of words to strip away his opponent's most powerful armament without shedding a drop of blood —that indestructible shell of belief known as "King Arthur.")
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