CHAPTER 6 The Bloodied Saint & the Knight with the Red Shields It had been some time after Emma had been awakened to her new royal path. The group was somewhere within Area Three of the international city of Avalonia in a certain Western-style house with a drawing room filled with fine furniture. “Seriously… Even if it was all a charade, I wish you could have been a bit more lenient on me,” chided a girl shawled in a black robe. She was the one who’d had her head sent flying off by Sir Lamorak in the basement parking lot. Against all odds, she was well and sound as she stood in the corner of the room. “It was a close call. I mean, I almost actually died… Well, I guess we’d need to go to extremes to deceive the eyes of Rintarou Magami.” “Hey, Morgan… Do you know the best way to enjoy a drink?” Sir Lamorak said, sinking deep into a luxurious sofa and ignoring the girl’s objections. She sipped her wine. For a while, Sir Lamorak admired the dim light of the chandelier passing through the crimson liquid in her glass. Her sweet lips kissed it. “…I don’t understand what you’re trying to say. Just what are you trying to suggest with that question?” asked the girl in black, called Morgan, with unimpressed eyes. “Hee-hee… Chateau Latour 1950…I like this one,” the knight whispered to herself. Sir Lamorak picked up the wine bottle that had been set down on the low table with a glass top and looked at that label. “Okay, let’s continue where we left off. The answer is destruction. That’s when a person is the most beautiful and dearest in the world. To pair this destruction with a drink… Now that’s the nectar of gods in heaven… That’s the conclusion I’ve come to.” “…Is that why? Is that why you answered Emma Michelle’s summons?” Morgan seemed exasperated. Sir Lamorak grinned. “Yes. I know Emma’s destruction will be magnificent, especially with all her motley set of disingenuous ideals. She’s a kind girl who won’t ever be able to accomplish her fake goals. Even a Jack this good can’t save her. And I’m supporting her with everything in my arsenal. When she learns the truth, she’ll be at a loss, breaking down in tears from disappointment, sorrow, and despair—unable to accept the facts. Just imagining the sweetness of those tears…deepens the flavor of this wine,” Sir Lamorak said in rapture, tipping the glass to polish it off. Gulp. Her seductive neck constricted. “Aaah… Yes, because of that, Emma is the best King for me. It makes sense for me to gamble everything on her. I couldn’t be present at King Arthur’s destruction, though I put my whole soul on the line for him… ‘This time, I will sear the vision of the King’s destruction into my eyes…and watch it come to pass’… That’s why I fight.” “Ha-ha-ha… You’re out of your mind,” Morgan said with both glee and contempt. “I’m astounded that you would be called a knight of the Round Table who protects faith when you lived a messed-up prodigal lifestyle. And that’s saying something, seeing you’re from the time of legend. Your twisted sense of allegiance. Your love for destruction. Aren’t you supposed to be a Christian? Aren’t you afraid of the wrath of your God, your Father?” “Scared? Why would I be?” Sir Lamorak asked with puzzlement. “I am loved by God—more than anyone in this world,” she said, as though it were fact. She spoke without any hesitation or doubt. “I’m the strongest knight there is. I’ve never lost in a one-on-one battle. I mean, you must know this. A duel between two knights is a holy ceremony granted to us as the will of the almighty God. If God shunned me, if I were to receive divine punishment, I would have lost my place a long time ago. Isn’t that right?” “……” “Yes, I know God loves me because I’ve accrued a thousand victories. Because God loves me, I am promised victory. Because I am victorious, God has forgiven my sins. God is affirming my twisted ways. “Because of that, until my life is over, I will continue to prove God’s love with my sword. “Because I am who I am, I can’t allow things to rest at peace and order. I love destruction and crave pleasure. I’ll continue plunging forward, fighting one thousand battles, resulting in a mountain of corpses and a river of blood. That is chivalry for Lamorak of Gales,” Sir Lamorak said without the slightest hesitation. “Ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha… Rintarou Magami… I mean, Merlin, the peerless soldier and strongest wizard in the world. My dear sweetheart. My beloved. How I have yearned for you, but I could never find an opportunity to fight. If I defeat him, I can prove the love God has for me. For me to meet him in this era can only be God’s will! Aaah, it is wondrous! What a beautiful world! For me to overflow with my Lord’s love, fulfilled. How radiant and sublime!” Like a virtuous child, she smiled, drawing a cross on herself with her left hand and clasping her hands together as though in prayer. “That’s why you responded to my deal when I contacted you in secret,” Morgan said, as though she was almost exasperated with her. “You had me place a Curse of a Changed Heart on Emma to fan the flames of love… You were going to have Emma and Rintarou Magami break up so you would have the pretext to fight him to the death. You did it not to stray from the chivalric way of the knights. You did it to deeply destroy Emma.” “Yes, that’s right.” “Aaah… I wonder if your reckless plan will really work. Based on how I see it, Emma sincerely loves Rintarou Magami. I wonder if she’ll be able to hate him?” “All will be well. I’m sure it will go to plan,” Sir Lamorak declared with confidence. “Rintarou Magami will certainly reject Emma… Betrayed, Emma will struggle with love and hatred. Rintarou Magami will choose Luna Artur, the one who is like the reincarnation of Arthur. I have faith that there is no other King in his mind, but…the greatest reason of all”—she halted for a breath—“is because I am loved by God.” Sir Lamorak’s words were filled with so much conviction, even Morgan could only sigh. “I don’t understand it. Don’t you love Emma, your lord, from the bottom of your heart?” “Yes, I love her. I would even give up my body, my soul—anything for her.” “Then why are you treating her with cruelty?” “Because…this is the only way I can love someone.” In that moment, Sir Lamorak’s tone dipped slightly lower. “I must have been born deranged. I want to force my love to destroy. I want to destroy with them. I want for us to fall as low as we can go. But I’ve fancied another situation at times… If I was a person who loved normally with a support person who was the same… I’ve wondered what would happen,” she said, as though it was unavoidable. Sir Lamorak smiled faintly, alone. “Sir Lamorak, it seems that we won’t see eye to eye.” “Yeah, I didn’t expect you to be so unyieldingly persistent or noble,” Sir Lamorak said, as if trying to get a rise out of Morgan. For a moment, Morgan’s eyebrows arched slightly. “Oh? Did I touch a nerve? Ha-ha, sorry about that. It’s a joke, Morgan.” “…You didn’t. I have no idea what you mean.” “Right. Ha-ha-ha. As a witch, you’ve driven many men into madness as a peerless temptress… Well, let’s leave the preliminary remarks at that…and get to work soon.” Sir Lamorak glanced at Morgan, who seemed displeased. She put down the glass and stood up. “I think Rintarou Magami should be starting to make his move on Emma right about now. I’ll stop them right in the middle of it.” “What a joke… Well, it’s fine. Sir Lamorak, if you say that you’ll fight Rintarou Magami, that’s enough for me. Our interests align after all.” After that conversation, Sir Lamorak and Morgan started running through the darkness of the night, heading to the church where Rintarou and Emma would be. After that, Rintarou betrayed Emma, and Sir Lamorak intervened before he could go through with his plan. Emma was frenzied, and Sir Lamorak just barely saved her. “What a sorry sight!” That was the first thing Luna said to Rintarou when they reunited. “…Shut up.” Rintarou faced her with crossed arms. He sat cross-legged on the floor and sulked. They were in an abandoned construction site in Area Three, surrounded by other buildings. Around them were crumbled debris, littered wood planks, support beams, and reinforcement bars piercing through the concrete. Luna, Felicia, Sir Kay, and Sir Gawain surrounded the sulking Rintarou. “Bwa-ha-ha! That is what happens when you go off on your own and try to settle a fight all by yourself! See what happens when you get carried away?!” “Oh, shut up! Be quiet.” “You better be grateful to Felicia for sneaking a Guide Pixie into your pocket!” “Yeah, I got the hint! Loud and clear! I was wrong! Thanks so much, Felicia! Is that good enough for you?! Dammit!” He ruffled his hair and scratched at his head. A small fairy had been flying above his head since earlier… Finally, it disappeared, melting into thin air. “Seriously… You’re so reckless,” Felicia said in exasperation, politely sitting on a tarp that covered the building materials. “Mr. Magami… You never even considered going to Emma’s side from the start, did you?” “…Well,” Rintarou confessed, as though the idea had occurred to him. “Emma and I had…bonded slightly in the past. Because of me, Emma got stuck fighting in a battle that she had no desire to be in. That’s why I wanted to give her a quiet send-off. “I understood what Luna was trying to do when she said she was trying to ‘sell me’ and why she accepted a challenge to ‘decide their capacities as Kings,’ too. That was your way of keeping me and Lamorak from fighting, right? Because Luna got that conversation going, Lamorak had to follow Emma’s judgment and directions—because she’s a loyal knight. It’s just in her character. Lamorak’s loyalty to her King runs deep.” “Yeah, that’s right. Your Fomorian Transformation…isn’t actually a good ability, right? It’s the kind of power that eats away at the irreplaceable…like your life, or soul, or sanity.” As though trying to escape from Luna’s sincere eyes, Rintarou turned away. “…Well, anyway, I was thinking I could use this truce as a chance to get into Emma’s head. Luckily, Emma was all over me. I was thinking that I might’ve been able to use that in some way.” ““Oh, that just crosses the line.”” Sir Gawain and Sir Kay both drew away from him. “I’m not going to deny that. But Emma’s stubborn, despite the way she looks. She’s not the type to listen if I was to talk to her. Emma’s different from Luna, Felicia, Kujou, or anyone who actually has the capacity to be a King. She’s empty. Frankly, she’s the worst type of person to become King. “But even if I was on the receiving end of her grudges, she had to be stopped. Otherwise, she would experience worse. Emma feels like she has an obligation to the people who fed and sheltered her. She’s different from an asshole like me. I don’t want a nice girl heading toward her demise… This isn’t the time to be picky about how we stop her.” Rintarou sighed out of annoyance. “But…I needed a little more time before I could have used the Carved Seal of Control to get Emma to drop out. Lamorak ended up getting in the way… Well, after all the stuff that’s happened, I’m sure there’s another person pulling the strings behind the scenes. They really got me… Shit.” Rintarou suddenly looked at Luna as though he had noticed something. “Actually, Luna…I didn’t think you’d figure it out.” “Figure what out?” “Well…that I didn’t betray you. You saved me just in time because you did, I guess.” “Oh, that’s what you’re talking about. Isn’t it simple?” Luna thrust her chest out and spoke with a grin that anyone would have wanted to smack off her face. “Because in the end, you never called Emma your King even once!” “!” “When we went our separate ways during our situation with Mr. Kujou, you said the same kind of thing. ‘Good-bye. Have a good life, Your Highness… No, Luna.’ But…just now when you left me, what did you say?” “See you. Take care, Luna… I mean… King.” “That’s how it clicked with me somehow. I didn’t really get the reason, but I got that I won in the battle against Emma to see which of us was the most capable King. I knew you’d come back to me right away.” “……” Rintarou turned the other way, looking all bitter and gloomy… Luna went around and looked at his face from above as she grinned smugly. “What? I guess this means you really like me. You want to serve as my vassal? Ah-ha-ha! Gosh! What am I going to do with you? You’re so cagey!” “Uuuuurg…! Shuddup…” They had reached a point where he would end up embarrassed, even if he tried to refute her. Rintarou’s face turned red as he could only go silent. “Aaah. Could you stop acting like a couple of fools already?” Felicia put a damper on things as though trying to say she’d had enough. “So what are we going to do? Emma’s definitely going to hit us back.” “If we stay here, there’s no way to avoid a clash… We’ve got to attack,” Rintarou declared, getting up. “But this time, this whole thing is my personal problem and responsibility… I’ll fix this up on my own, so you all hurry and get lost—” “You’re such an idiot! What kind of King abandons her vassal?!” Luna butted in. “L-Luna…you…?” “I bet you want me to come with you, Rintarou! Right? Don’t you? You do, right? Gosh! I guess I can’t refuse! Cleaning up after a vassal’s mistakes is a King’s duty anyway.” Rintarou was in shock as Luna happily poked him in the cheek. “If Luna refuses to retreat and fights, then I, of course, will fight as well.” Sir Kay nodded in response. “Though our truce is temporary, it is unspeakable for a King to abandon an ally! I will also enter the fight! On top of that, I’m already prepared for it!” Felicia grandly declared. “W-well, Mr. Magami? I owe you for saving my life…but don’t get the wrong idea! I’m not wielding my sword for your sake! I’m doing this for my friend, Luna! This is for Luna!” “Hmph. And of course, my sword will join my liege’s. To be frank, I have some baggage with Sir Lamorak, but as an unimportant knight of the Round Table…I’ll show her some guts.” Standing up in a fluster, Sir Gawain shot them a wide smile. “…Y-you guys.” Rintarou seemed slightly shocked as he looked at those surrounding him. They met his gaze. Eventually, he snorted as though he couldn’t care less and turned away. “So, Rintarou? What’s the plan, technically? We don’t know anything about the abilities of Emma’s Excalibur…and Sir Lamorak is stupid strong,” said Luna. “On top of that, Sir Lamorak’s Rothschild means trouble… You said that it automatically goes into defense mode, and it has the same amount of strength as Sir Lamorak? How’d we end up playing this impossible game…?” Felicia trailed off. “To be honest, I don’t think we could beat Sir Lamorak even if the five of us ganged up on her! Ah-ha-ha!” Sir Gawain chuckled. In that entirely hopeless situation, they all could only smile dryly. “When it comes to Sir Lamorak, our best bet is to have our strongest one in battle face her from the firing line. That would be Rintarou. But…to be honest, I think the two of them are on a whole other level,” Sir Kay added. “Even though we’ve got more in number, if Rintarou and Sir Lamorak were to start fighting, no one would be able to give Rintarou any meaningful aid.” “I mean, even that time we fought Sir Lancelot…the best we could manage was barely a standstill…,” Felicia lamented. “How about we leave Sir Lamorak up to Rintarou, and everyone else will crush Emma? Though, that seems cowardly, too,” Luna admitted. “You think Sir Lamorak would let that happen? She has the Rothschild. If she was to even give one shield over to Emma for protection, then we wouldn’t be able to place a finger on her.” At Sir Gawain’s remark, Luna was taken aback. “What?! Sh-she can do that?! Isn’t that kind of unfair?!” Luna asked, shocked. “Yes, she can. When Sir Lamorak shows her true worth…it’s actually much more amazing than you’d ever think. She can protect someone else in battle,” Sir Gawain shamefully answered. “L-literally that’s the only thing knightly about her… Anyway, we need to do something about Sir Lamorak’s Rothschild…” Luna nodded in worry, and they all followed suit. “I think there’s a way to break through the Rothschild,” Rintarou said nonchalantly. “““…Excuse me?””” Their beady eyes all gathered on Rintarou. “Hey, hey! Gawain… Why are you acting so surprised? You’ve broken through Lamorak’s Rothschild, right? On the road back from the Surluse tournament.” Rintarou looked at Sir Gawain, tired. “Well…but Sir Lamorak had just battled against dozens of exceptional knights. We launched a surprise attack on her while she was exhausted…and we pitted her four against one, too…” “Ha-ha-ha! You’re an idiot. There’s no way your quack quartet could’ve faced and beat Sir Lamorak’s Rothschild. It doesn’t matter how tired she was,” Rintarou pointed out, mercilessly. “Rintarou Magami! You grate my every neeerve!” Sir Gawain’s face flushed as he stamped his feet. “So…what, Rintarou?” “I have an idea about how we can defeat the Rothschild. But honestly, it’s a risk. I’ve got no idea whether I’m right about this. Actually, no one’s ever actually fought Lamorak fair and square and won. I even question whether Sir Lancelot could have done it.” Sir Lamorak versus Sir Lancelot. In the era of legends, the battle had never been realized. But it was a chilling thought. Rintarou continued with caution. “But if we’re trying to win against Emma, all we can do is bet on it.” “I’m in,” Luna said without hesitation. “Because it’s your analysis, Rintarou. A King has got to believe in her vassal.” “Well, there’s no alternatives, I guess… I’m in, too,” added Felicia. “And? What are we actually doing?” Sir Gawain asked. Everyone believed in Rintarou. They all nodded. “Felicia…Gawain…you all…” Rintarou took in all their gazes and blinked back. “Ha-ha, we’re all…‘friends’ right now, after all,” Felicia added, looking bashful. He flashed them a nice smile. “Well, none of you need to do anything. If you did anything, it’d cause trouble.” “…Huh?” Felicia let out, not totally grasping the picture. “I kind of feel bad for saying this after you’ve gotten all worked up and promised to help, but…you’re all going to be in the way.” “WHAAAAT?! You led us on! You’re telling us you’re not letting us on the team?! Wh-wh-wh-wh-what’s the meaning of this?!” Felicia and Sir Gawain turned unwelcoming eyes to Rintarou. “It’s gonna be one against one.” “Huh?” “Don’t you get it? In Lamorak’s battles…she’s weirdly obsessed with having these duels. She considers her ‘duels’ sacred and inviolable. It’s her pride as a knight. That’s why—” Rintarou smiled with an evil and villainous expression. In vindication, though it wasn’t clear what he was feeling vindicated about. “I’m going to hit her hard… And shatter her.” They were running. They were sprinting through the suburbs of Area Three of Avalonia. Emma and Sir Lamorak dashed at the speed of wind. They flew through the air from rooftops of sporadic buildings. Occasionally, they jumped down into the road, sprinting through the streets, before soaring into the air again. They ran past the building walls and danced through the darkness. “…They’re close,” Emma muttered as she followed the residual aura left by the Guide Pixie. “Yes. But are you sure about this, Emma? Are you sure you want to let me take Merlin… I mean, Rintarou Magami?” Sir Lamorak blatantly asked as they raced through rooftops. “I don’t mind. The result is the same, whether I do it with my own hands or yours.” Emma aimed for the next building, gliding through the air. “But…you love Rintarou Magami, don’t you?” “It’s specifically because I love him that…I can’t forgive him… I detest him…!” Emma shouted, strained. Her eyes were clouded from the effects of the Curse of a Changed Heart. God’s in his heaven. All’s right with the world. Sir Lamorak secretly chuckled to herself. Eventually, the two of them soared through the night in the shadows. That was when something happened. The scenery almost seemed to become enshrouded in darkness as it distorted in place. Their vision was engulfed in deep shadows of the night, and the area around them transformed into a world bathed with sunlight pouring down on them. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” In the same moment, a loud cheer accosted their ears, and they were surrounded by wild enthusiasm. “What is this?!” At the sudden change in their situation, Sir Lamorak and Emma both stopped automatically. They weren’t in the international city of Avalonia anymore. As far as the eye reached, there was a plain that continued to expand. The sun radiated and burned in the sky. Knights on horseback were standing around them in magnificent armor. An audience area circled around them and the knights. Noblemen and women were gathered around them, and the cheers of the general public rose up in excitement and encouragement. Heroic banners billowed in the air from several camps that had been built for the knights. The sparks flying into the air seemed almost like they would never peter out. “…What is this place? What in the world happened?” Emma looked cautiously at their surroundings. “Ah! Oooh! …Ahhh! This is…!” Sir Lamorak was enraptured. She seemed nostalgic when she looked at that scene. “Yo, how do you like it?” “…Emma. You made it.” Rintarou and Luna appeared in front of the two. “…Did you create this netherworld, Rintarou?” Emma asked, interrogating him. Rintarou grinned. “Heh. I can’t stand having a scary group targeting us. We’re doing this without any cheap tricks… Let’s settle this without anyone getting in the way.” “…Just us?” “Yeah, that’s right. Sir Kay won’t make the cut when it comes to battle power. Felicia and Sir Gawain aren’t involved in this case, because this has got nothing to do with them. It’d be better if Luna and I settled this whole thing with you and Sir Lamorak. That’s got to be a relief to you guys, too, right? That’s why I got this netherworld set up.” “Hmm… I don’t know if I can believe that.” Emma glared at Rintarou with steady eyes. “You’re a coward and a traitor. Felicia, Sir Kay, and Sir Gawain are probably somewhere in this netherworld… You must be hiding them so they can ambush us by surprise.” “They’re not here. Those guys aren’t anywhere in this world right now. You should know that, right? You’re a King! Take a good look around…at this netherworld!” he promoted. Emma used her sixth sense. The Curtain of Consciousness that separated the real world and the illusory one had been made temporarily ambiguous at that moment. A Netherworld Transformation spell had been used to create the other world. When it came to the creation of these plains, there was World Fusion Grade. This was an indicator of whether the netherworld had been created from the real world or the illusory one. There were four stages: Assiah for matter, Yetzirah for the formation, Beri’ah for the creation, and Atziluth for the foundation. The netherworld could be closer to the illusory one and become stronger by ascending those steps in that order. If it was closer to reality, physical laws and materiality would dominate. If it was more like the illusory world, psychological elements and spirituality would become stronger. In any event, the only person who could freely enter and exit a netherworld without penalty was the maker of the world. If the enchanter was defeated, the world would immediately disappear. In addition, netherworlds couldn’t be maintained indefinitely. The world wouldn’t allow this major inconsistency to exist. Those were the absolute rules. “…What?!” As she searched the netherworld, Emma was in shock. She compared the makings of the netherworld to the groundwork laid out. “Yetzirah?! I shouldn’t have expected less from you, master… I wouldn’t have expected you to make a Netherworld Transformation at this level! Just making an Assiah requires a first-class wizard…!” This World Fusion Grade made going into and out of the netherworld mostly impossible. Performing a Knight Summons was already impossible, even in an Assiah one. In other words, the humans inside could not escape, and those outside couldn’t trespass in. Emma was the most surprised about something else. “And…there’s no one else here…? There’s no one…except us…?!” Though it looked as though the crowd of spectators and knights were there, they only appeared to have substance. Because of that, the four of them—Rintarou, Luna, Emma, and Sir Lamorak—were the only ones in the netherworld. “What do you think? We’ve burned all the bridges. This is how ready we are. Do you get it now?” “You’re really…intending to settle this with just the two of you…?” “Yeah, exactly. Emma, I’m sorry, but Luna is going to face you one-on-one, and—” Rintarou unsheathed his pair of swords and turned to Sir Lamorak. “I’m your opponent, Lamorak! It’s a one-on-one duel—just like you wanted! This is the kind of place you’d want to settle our battle, being as pretentious as you are!” “…I do like this.” Sir Lamorak was clad in a dark void, and her deranged, flaming eyes deepened in hue. Her entire body was possessed by a euphoria that would have even penetrated the heavens. It ran through her body like a bolt of lightning. “I would never forget it! Like I would ever forget! This! This is it! These are the grounds for the Surluse tournament! This was the peak of my glory when I was enveloped in God’s love. This was where I was fatefully killed by the hand of Sir Gawain and his three cronies as I was on my way home!” She had a special smile on, as though she had gone deranged. She was savage, threatening. “That’s right! This is it! This is the most suitable place for me to take everything back! I’ll defeat Merlin and prove God’s love for me anew! I’ll take back my glory as the strongest! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! You have my gratitude, Merlin! I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you so much I can’t stand it! I love you so much that I want to kill you! Aaah! Merlin! Your blood, your flesh, your hair, your organs, your bones, every last scrap of you is all—all—mine! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” As though she could no longer wait, Sir Lamorak took her cruciform claymore and stuck it upright in the ground like a holy insignia. She put her hands together and kneeled devoutly like a maiden offering a prayer. “Laudamus te. Benedicimus te. Adoramus te. Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Cum Sancto spritu, in gloria dei patris… Let us praise our Lord. Honor our Lord. Revere our Lord. Worship our Lord. Offer our gratitude to our Lord’s great glory. To the Holy Spirit and God, our Father… Amen!” Sir Lamorak got to her feet and unsheathed her weapon, readying herself. Her pure eyes that passionately looked at Rintarou could have been of a maiden’s for her first love. “What devotion… Aren’t you popular?” “I wish somebody would trade places with me… I’m not even trying to cause trouble,” Rintarou replied, looking fed up to Luna, who readied her sword. “Well… Anyway, we’re doing this, Luna!” “Got it! Leave Emma to me!” Rintarou invoked his Fomorian Transformation. Luna readied her Excalibur again and took a step forward. “Hmph, that’s what I was hoping for. I’ll show you exactly how different we really are, Luna,” quipped Emma. “Right, Merlin. Even though you’re the master of this netherworld, you better not scamper off when things get messy. Well, if you do that, I’ll just send over Luna’s head after you.” Emma and Sir Lamorak each faced their opponents. “Luna!” Rintarou encouraged the girl next to him. “Emma is a better warrior than you! But you’re definitely a better King! Overwhelmingly!” “?!” Luna’s eyes fluttered, and Emma scowled unhappily. “I know for a fact you’ll win! There’s no way you’d lose! You better win!” “Heh… You too.” They didn’t even look at each other during this curt exchange. And then, they kicked at the ground and raced forth. Rintarou headed toward Sir Lamorak, Luna toward Emma. They each took on their opponents and faced each other. Sir Lamorak and Emma readied their swords before the big clash. After all the strife, this moment ignited their final battle. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” The crowd screamed. The cheers rose. Rintarou and Sir Lamorak clashed and parried, slicing at each other in their battle to the death. The spectators went into a standing ovation to cheer them on. “Uuuu-rah!” “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” In his Fomorian Transformation, Rintarou swung his right and left swords, bashing them into Sir Lamorak’s claymore, which changed course in the air like a whirlwind. When their blades met, the impact blew through like a storm and gouged into the area surrounding them, rampaging as it went. “Phew.” There was an extremely quick flash. Sir Lamorak’s strike from above was stopped by Rintarou’s left and right swords. But that had been the afterimage. They scorched the ground as they kicked at it at an acute angle and circled each other. Rintarou went around to Sir Lamorak’s back. “Tchhhh!” If he couldn’t get her head, the frosty sword would attack him. However, that horizontal slash that spread like a ripple— “Ha-ha.” Gonnng! The atmosphere sounded as though it had warped. Bits of light flew into the air. Sir Lamorak must have read his next move. She turned around with her claymore and stopped him. “Tch.” Rintarou clucked his tongue. In that moment, Sir Lamorak used the spring in her whole body to swing her claymore in front of her. “Aaaaah?!” Her physical strength was unimaginable. With that force, Rintarou flew horizontally back, blown over like he was a projectile in a slingshot. Wherever Sir Lamorak’s feet hit the ground, pillars of earth rose forth. Sir Lamorak followed Rintarou as he was blown away. She rushed in like a bullet. “Dammit?!” Schwoof! Schwoof-schwoof. Rintarou rolled along the ground and barely righted himself. “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” Sir Lamorak seemed to fly through the air to pursue him, bringing her claymore down without mercy. Promptly kicking the ground, Rintarou flew to the right. Alongside an explosion, columns of dirt burst up, and the claymore bore a gigantic crater into the earth. But by then, Sir Lamorak had already started to pursue Rintarou again. Rintarou instantaneously rolled to the left. With another blast, more clods were sent through the air as her weapon dug into the ground again. And then Sir Lamorak hounded him. “Guh.” Unable to evade her in time, Rintarou crossed his two swords over his head to go on the defensive. “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” Her power was close to a nitrate explosion. Her claymore pushed through the defense of his swords and destroyed it. And she cut Rintarou into pieces. But as sinew sprayed around him, his flesh suddenly melted and disappeared into the air. “Don’t underestimate me.” She had only obliterated a Silhouette. Using that as a decoy, Rintarou quickly came down from above to desperately strike at Sir Lamorak’s head. But something in the air shifted—accompanied by a blast and bursts of sparks. The Rothschild had been invoked above Sir Lamorak’s head, stopping his sword. “Tch… Dammit! Hah…! Hah…!” Sir Lamorak nimbly jumped away and took her distance from Rintarou. Not much time had passed since the beginning of the battle, but Rintarou’s breath was already getting ragged. “Good… You’re good,” purred Sir Lamorak, stroking the blade of her sword with composure and leisure. “That was excellent, Rintarou. Your attacks are getting stronger with each attempt… My body is getting hotter and hotter… I’d say we’re highly compatible.” She gazed at him with passion, seductively bringing her lips to touch the blade of her claymore. “But…I think you could be better. Much better.” “……” “You’re acting like a flustered kid, like it’s your first time. But that’s not right. If you go all-out, I’m sure you could get me more excited… I’m sure you could make me feel pleasure like never before… Isn’t that right?” Sir Lamorak grinned kindly. “It’s fine. It’s fine, you know. Don’t be nervous. Until you get the hang of it…until you can display more of your power…I’ll be gentle with you. Ha-ha-ha…” “I’m…thankful for that… Cough…” Rintarou steadied his breathing as he readied his swords. “To be honest, I can’t believe I haven’t been able to draw out Merlin’s power yet… If you’re going to wait for me, that’s fine by me… But don’t cry about it later.” Suddenly, Rintarou’s whole body was swelling with a black aura as he disappeared into mist. And then he came striking from the right side. He brought his swords down on Sir Lamorak—leaping ten yards between the two of them in a split second. But Sir Lamorak invoked her Rothschild on her right side, and her claymore met that instantaneous attack that had surpassed the boundary of human reflexes. “…That’s better.” Sir Lamorak smiled in satisfaction and looked at Rintarou from above their crossed swords. “Ha-ha, good! Good. Yes, that’s the way to do it—” “SHUT! UUUUP!” Rintarou drew back his sword and pounced, using every spring in his body to cut at her with his stormy attacks. Made up of dozens of flashes of his sword, the whirlwind went berserk as though to pulverize Sir Lamorak. If his opponent had been a normal person, his prison of blades would have reduced them to mincemeat within a second. “Yes! Yes! There! Harder! That’s it! That’s the spot! Oooh! Yes! …Uumph. Nice. ” Sir Lamorak had a composed smile as he continued to fend him off. When their swords attacked, clashed, or crossed, the audience let out an earsplitting cheer. The place continued to be run by enthusiasm. “Haaaaaaah!” “Hmph!” Luna and Emma were readying their swords as they closed in. “Hyaaah!” Luna was the first to make a move. The flash of silver traced a circle and blew by. Her blade swished from above, fending off attacks at her torso, and spun around to mow down Emma’s feet. The passionate dance of her sword was unconventional—flawless. She left everything to natural talent. “Hah!” Emma had her sword readied at the middle—parrying everything with the most minimal movements possible, regardless of whether the attack was above, below, or aimed directly at her. Her swordsmanship was beyond magnificent. It was almost an art form. “Ugh?!” Konk! Emma took on Luna’s final attack with the body of her sword. Using its momentum, she beautifully returned the tip of the sword, turning the butt of her hilt right around at Luna. Bam! At the same time, she took a sharp step forward. Emma left an afterimage of her small body as she pounced and sank the butt of the hilt into Luna’s stomach. “Hurk!” Luna’s body was blown backward, taking on the brunt of Emma’s counterattack. She rolled clumsily onto the ground. “…Ugh! I hate that sword!” “Hmph… I don’t want to hear that from you, Luna. All you do is flail around with your sword.” As Luna crawled along the ground and cursed, Emma looked down at her with chilled eyes. “My moves were taught to me by my master himself. It’s not as though you could put up any resistance to them.” “Shut your trap!” Once again, Luna jumped to her feet and resolutely attacked Emma. Their battle had been progressing only as this repetitive exchange: Luna tried to dauntlessly attack, but Emma would handle every attempt with finesse. Then, she would use a merciless reversal on the last attack. Luna reacted to the crossing maneuvers by using her animal-like instinct to avoid any fatal wounds, but it wasn’t as though she was escaping without a scratch. She just continued to collect more bruises. “Aaack?!” Again, she was pushed over by another counterattack, thrown back. “…How many times will it take for you to get it? You’re a real dunce, Luna.” Emma looked at her with contempt as she prepared for the next attack. “I’m not—” Like a one-trick pony, Luna jumped up and sped toward Emma. It didn’t matter how often Luna did this; it was impossible. Emma waited with her sword readied. “Hah!” They were both taking a step forward, swinging— This time, things developed differently. As Luna stepped forward, she used her foot to scrape at the ground and vigorously kicked up a cloud of dust at Emma. “Cough?!” As she tried to protect her eyes from the rising debris, Emma turned her head slightly to the left. “Got ya!” In that second, Luna had created a blind spot. She turned to the right, sharply driving her sword in. Skkkkt! Metal against metal shrieked on impact. Luna’s sword floated by Emma’s right side as a Rothschild defended her. “That shield again?!” Bwoosh! It was time for Emma’s counterattack. There was a flash from the side, and Luna jumped back in a fluster. Sure enough, it seemed Sir Lamorak had given Emma one of her Rothschilds. When Luna occasionally took Emma by surprise, this shield would defend against her attack each time. The battle progressed to Luna’s disadvantage. “That’s why I’ve told you that it’s impossible. Even if, by chance, you find an opening, I have Sir Lamorak’s Rothschild. There is no chance of you winning.” “Y-you’re so annoying! What’s with you? Acting high and mighty when you’re just borrowing someone else’s power!” Luna howled with impatience. “Do you hear yourself? A vassal’s power is her master’s strength… In other words, that is the difference in our abilities as Kings… Isn’t that right?” Emma fixed a cool gaze on her. “…Is this all you amount to, Luna…?” “…—Ngh?!” “How…could Rintarou Magami choose you when you’re obviously weak…?! There’s something off about this entire situation… There’s something absolutely wrong with that…!” Emma gripped her sword tighter, as though she couldn’t stand it anymore. “I’m absolutely stronger than you! As a swordswoman! In our abilities as King! I should absolutely be better than you! But…but then why—?” “…You don’t know when to shut up. You’re so annoying…,” Luna barked back, using the back of her hand to rub away the blood that trickled from the corners of her mouth. “If that’s true, hurry up and prove it by beating me… I dare you to try. I’m still here, you know. I’ve gotten the brunt of your sword, but I’m still alive and kicking! Have you ever considered that you’re the one who doesn’t amount to much?! I mean, that’s all you can muster after getting all that training from Rintarou? Come on!” “Wha…?!” “Aaaaaah! Seeeriously! If you didn’t have that Rothschild, I would obviously be winning! Well, Rintarou will do something soon, right?! I mean, my vassal is amazing, after all!” Luna provoked, readying her sword high above her head. She was already battered. Be that as it may, she was in high spirits. It was almost like she didn’t believe that she would be defeated by Emma—or that she was inferior in the slightest. “Okay. C’mon. When you lose that Rothschild’s protection, that’s when you’ll fall.” “…You’re all bark and no bite!” Emma steadied her weapon again, fed up by the harassment. She let the battle flag on her hilt billow and readied it at a low position. “Okay… Now I’m going to make sure you acknowledge your defeat! In fact, that’s all I want! I won’t stop until you’ve declared you’ve been defeated and kneel to me of your own will!” “What in the…?” Luna answered, mocking her— Suddenly, the thick and heavy aura rose from Emma’s entire body. At the same time, her sword flared, coiling with crimson flames. The flames swelled, and heat prickled Luna’s skin. Luna scowled. And then, Emma declared: “Royal Road.” “And that was how King Lot had been defeated at the end of the intense battle. “The eleven rivaling kings of Britain were defeated by King Arthur’s army. “The ten surviving kings captured by King Arthur cried out in sorrow. “‘King Arthur is terribly angry. It was as though we were battling in a horrific fight against a demonic deity. It was as harrowing as the pits of hell. “‘Aaah. We who opposed King Arthur will most certainly be slayed, and none shall remain.’ “‘We will die just as that fearless man of valor—King Lot.’ “‘Oh, how we have been fools.’ “However, King Arthur, in his magnanimity and greatness, called the ten remaining kings to him and said unto them, ‘I will forgive you.’” John Sheep, LAST ROUND ARTHUR, THIRD VOLUME, ELEVENTH CHAPTER “My Excalibur—the Steel Sword of Compassionate Guidance!” Emma boomed, thrusting out her sword. The tip released a crimson flash that pierced the center of Luna’s chest. There was something abnormal about what happened. Luna was sure she had jumped to the side fast enough to evade that flying flash of red, but she had still been pierced by the sword. “Uuuuurgh?!” With no the time to question anything, Luna was sent flying back by that impact, and she rolled along the ground. “…Don’t worry. My sword isn’t meant to kill anyone.” Emma turned her blade around and readied it again. “My Excalibur is a guiding one. It is stern to those who are wicked and hostile. At times, it is severe, as though burning you at the stake, but if you repent and submit, it will subside. My sword is the embodiment of King Arthur’s compassion—and the importance and depth of it when he added people to his following… Though releasing a single attack with its true inscription won’t take your life, there is never a way to avoid a strike from it.” “Ugh! Gah…! Cough…!” Luna held her chest, which had been shot through by the crimson flash, crouching as she broke into a cold sweat.
Chapter 28
36 min read