Chapter 67

CHAPTER 3 Commence the Pivotal Battle They left Logres Manor, advancing to the center of the artificial island where Dark Castle Camelot towered—to Area One of Avalonia. Area One was the so-called center of the city, home to facilities that unified the city’s justice department, governance, and public hospitals. Unlike Area Two with its overcrowded skyscrapers, this district seemed futuristic with its fusion of western architecture and nature… There was the occasional skyscraper and condo, wide highways, and roadside trees and parks to complete its polished look. At the moment, even the city was rife with apparitions, strutting about the streets as though they owned the place. Hell—a city of demons—with all sorts of monsters and ghouls. Those too late in escaping were hiding in their homes, fearful of the procession of apparitions wandering through the town, accepting their nightmare of a situation. “What a sorry state…” In the outskirts of Area One was the Great Caerleon Bridge, the largest drawbridge on the island, crossing the artificial river that bordered Area Two. There were two gothic towers—sixty yards tall—on the 245-yard bridge. Luna was looking at Area One from the upper level of the bridge, suspended between the two towers. “Remember that game where there’s a virus outbreak, and the town turns into a zombieville? That’s what this reminds me of… Sans zombies.” “Sigh… Luna. I can’t believe you’re so laid-back in this situation…,” Sir Kay said, exasperated. Luna ignored her, looking farther into the distance. Sticking up like a sore thumb was Dark Castle Camelot, as if insisting it be seen. After sending a Messenger Pixie to scope it out, they found the castle had appeared over city hall, which had been used as a base by the Dame du Lac, swallowing up the building. In addition to serving as a base, the city hall had hosted the mystical ceremony of the succession battle. Basically, the King Arthur Succession Battle had been meddled with by a third party from the very beginning, and it was now unrecognizable from its original intent. It had all been a grand charade. At this point, it didn’t really matter. “I thought I was mentally prepared…but my head is starting to hurt…” Felicia sighed, standing next to Luna. “Even if we have a plan, it seems irrational to think we can get through the apparitions infesting this place, break into that castle, and fight King Arthur…” “You’re right, my liege. If Rintarou were here…,” Sir Gawain said. “Um, Luna… Do you think Rintarou is okay?” Nayuki asked anxiously. “At the end of the quest, he stayed behind to let us escape, fighting against Balor…who is Merlin’s birth parent. This Balor might only possess a portion of his real power, but he’s still plenty strong…” “…” “Not that I don’t believe in Rintarou…but he’s fighting a suboptimal enemy in a suboptimal location… The enemy is formidable, and the location is deep in Balor’s domain in the netherworld… I’m worried about it… What if Rintarou…?” Luna flipped around to face Nayuki, beaming like the sun. “It’ll be fine! Rintarou will be fine!” She grabbed the hawthorn Celtic cross hanging off her neck and showed it to them. “He’ll eventually make his way back to me. I don’t really know why…but I’m sure he will.” “!” “But I don’t know when he’ll get back. It might be a month. It might be a year… It might be longer than that. But he’ll eventually find his way to us. To welcome him home, there’s something I need to do now—as a king!” Nayuki blinked at Luna… “Hee-hee.” She laughed—calmly and enviously. “I don’t stand a chance against you, Luna…” “Hmm? For what?” Luna seemed confused. “Hee-hee. It’s a secret.” Nayuki smiled. “Luna… Will it be okay?” she asked nervously. “Will what be okay?” “Your Excalibur…of course.” Emma looked at the sword hanging off Luna’s hip. “…Didn’t King Arthur break it?” “Oh, this old thing?” Luna pulled her Excalibur from its sheath and displayed it. It was broken in half, obviously. “Hmm… I guess my range has been cut in half… I might be at a disadvantage for a close-range fight.” “That’s not what I meant…,” Emma said. “An Excalibur is, um…” Luna immediately understood. An Excalibur reflected a King’s psychological state and served as a mirror to their soul. If it was broken, that meant her heart had accepted defeat. In other words, she had lost her qualification to be a King. The same thing had happened to Emma in the past. “But it doesn’t seem like you’ve been disqualified, Luna…” “Huh. You’re right. Sir Kay and Sir Galahad would have disappeared if I wasn’t a King… I don’t have a clue. Why hasn’t anything happened?” “Y-your guess is as good as mine…” Sir Galahad seemed amused. “Ah-ha-ha. Luna, you’re exactly like King Arthur.” “I am?” “Yeah. King Arthur’s Excalibur—his first one, the blade that selected the king—was broken by King Pellinore, an enemy at the time. But that sword wasn’t important to the king, I think, because he’d won…by surviving for the next fight.” “…” “In the end, King Arthur got the strongest sword… His second one: the Slashing Sword.” “Hmm? Well, whatever.” Luna looked at her halved sword. “I guess I’m shocked. We’ve fought together for all this time… And I don’t think I’ll be able to use my Royal Road anymore.” That was the worst news of all. Even though Luna’s sword had complex prerequisites, the Steel Sword of Camaraderie could deal the biggest blow of all the Kings’ swords. Broken in two, it lost that ability. She knew her enemies wouldn’t let her charge up her attack…but losing her best trick was a tough blow. “Well, I’m sure things will work themselves out.” Optimistic that way, Luna put her sword away in its scabbard. “You should be worried about yourself, Emma. Are you sure you’ll be all right? Can you fight with that sword?” She turned back to the girl. Emma held an Excalibur, an exact replica of King Arthur’s sword. This was Nanami Kuonji’s Royal Road, the Steel Sword of Final Retaliation. The sword embodied an episode where Arthur had entrusted his Excalibur to Sir Bedivere to sink into the lake, knowing he was nearing his end after suffering a fatal wound on Camlann Hill from Sir Mordred. When this Royal Road was invoked, Nanami Kuonji would be sent to the shore of a lake in a netherworld and put to sleep. In exchange, she could entrust King Arthur’s Excalibur to someone other than herself. Of course, there were disadvantages. The Slashing Sword would disappear after it was used three times, and Nanami Kuonji would resurface in the real world, exposing her defenseless to the enemy. This reflected the story of Sir Bedivere, reluctant to sink Excalibur into the lake. The knight had lied to King Arthur twice before returning the sword the third time. Nanami Kuonji was a young, powerless girl who had unfortunately been forced into the King Arthur Succession Battle by fate. She didn’t even know anything about it before, and she’d been able to survive until now by taking refuge in the netherworld using her Royal Road. She would entrust the sword to her Jack, Sir Percival, and devote herself to escape. “To put it bluntly, we’re shorthanded. I think it’s huge that Nanami entrusted you with the Slashing Sword so you can be back in action, Emma,” Luna said. Just by possessing the Excalibur, Emma received a boost to her physical capabilities. For a girl with already good swordsmanship, this was more than enough to allow her to fight. “But you can only use the Royal Road three times… Well, two times, since we don’t want to abandon Nanami on the battlefield. If we go over that…” “It’s all right… Nanami is prepared,” assured her Jack, Sir Percival. “We can’t continue to run. She realized she needed to do something herself…when she saw you, Luna.” “I’ll use my power to honor the small amount of courage that Nanami mustered for this critical battle. I’ll make sure to protect her,” Emma stated. There was nothing more to be said. “…All right then. Lend me your strength, Emma and Nanami!” Luna smiled placidly, nodding. “Ugh. What’s with you…? Why are you running the show, Luna Artur…?!” Misha seemed frustrated. “It’s like you’re the leader or something…!” “Not ‘like.’ I am the leader.” Luna thrust a finger out at her, flashing a revoltingly smug smile. “Soooorry, Misha. Seems I have a royal magnetism that can’t be suppressed. Sorry for stealing the show. I guess natural-born leaders are just propped up by those around them. It’s like I end up at the center of attention without trying. You’re unlucky that you were born in the same age as someone brimming with potential… Sucks to be you!” “I-I’ll remember this…! When we’re done with this fight, I’ll make sure to give you a sound beating…! We’ll settle who’s on top—once and for all!” “Fine by me. I’ll let you challenge the king.” “I wish you’d drop your attitude!”