"Waaah! It's hopeless!" Okita wailed. "No way my shallow wits can fool that king!!"
"I'm ready for any punishment," Jeanne said, "but not banishment from Chaldea… not leaving Master…!"
"—Hah!" Okita exclaimed. "If we can't fool him…!"
Rubbing my eyes. I stared at the black knight with all my soul.
Something's off. "I can't see anything."
No matter how keenly my vessel's eyes pierced, no clear information came through—! Is he cloaking himself with a Noble Phantasm?!
"For a knight, you're awfully sneaky!" Gilgamesh spat. "You must have a shady past!"
But my vessel warns—
"Don't waste your shots." No time to ponder its meaning.
"Arrrrr—!"
The black knight charged like a heavy locomotive, closing the distance—!
No time to think. This knight's a master—!
Don't waste shots… If I can't fire…!
"—Haa!"
CLANK! Gilgamesh equipped gauntlets and greaves to boost his stats, engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
"Surprised, eh?" he smirked. "Thought I hadn't mastered primal combat? Back in the day, I sparred with that cur daily!"
A battle where I don't know what's coming… My vessel's warning not to fire…
My usual barrages would put me at a disadvantage…!
"I won't let your filthy hands taint my treasures!"
A whirlwind kick sent the black knight reeling.
"King of Heroes!" Mash called. "I've got your back!"
Saved! Thank you, Mash!
"Sharp instincts!" Gilgamesh said. "You'll make a fine bride!"
"Arrrrrrr—!"
Something unbelievable happened. I doubted my own eyes.
The black knight casually picked up a tree branch—
"Uuuuuh—!"
And relentlessly battered Mash's shield with it—!!
"Mash!!" Rikka cried.
"What a thieving cur!" Gilgamesh snarled. "Turning a mere branch into a Noble Phantasm!"
I see it now.
This knight's Noble Phantasm likely seizes anything he grabs, turning it into a Noble Phantasm! Firing would hand him my weapons, gifting the enemy—!
"Stealing Noble Phantasms…" Olga-Marie's voice crackled. "It must come from tales of disarming foes! Only one knight has such a legend!"
"Lancelot…!" she continued. "The Knight of the Lake, Lancelot! That's his True Name!"
"Why's a knight a Berserker?!" Rikka shouted.
"Lancelot's tales are rife with passion and madness!" Olga-Marie explained. "He qualifies as a Berserker!"
"Well done, you two!" Gilgamesh said. "But what about Mash?!"
"Uuuuhh!"
Mash was on the defensive, Lancelot's precise branch strikes overwhelming her.
If contact's bad, I'll select explosive or poisoned Noble Phantasms…!
Then—
"!?"
"—There!"
A blue spark flashed, blinding the area.
It was—
"Okita-san!" Rikka exclaimed.
"Yup, Okita-san's here!" she said. "I'll handle this brute—break the stalemate!"
Okita parried Lancelot's attacks with flawless swordplay.
She charged in on her own?!
"Not some Saber knockoff?!" Gilgamesh said. "You came without orders?!"
"Yup!" Okita replied. "I can't just sit and wait!"
"—!"
"I'm Shinsengumi!" she declared. "My flag of sincerity flies on the battlefield—!"
She leaped, clashing with Lancelot, sparks flying.
"Arrrrr!"
"Haaa!"
Okita Souji, the Shinsengumi's finest swordsman, matched Lancelot blow for blow.
Her teleport-like strikes baffled him—whether it was true swordsmanship was debatable, but…!
"Mash, Gil!" Rikka said. "We can't let Okita-san's effort go to waste!"
Mash and Master stand by me.
I recall… a memory resurfaces.
"When this is over, I'll add Chaldea to my treasures—"
That's it…! That's the way!
"Mash! Master!" Gilgamesh called. "Listen!"
"Huh?!"
"What is it?!"
"It galls me, but this cur's a bad match!" he said. "He grabs my shots the moment I fire—annoying!"
This plan needs their strength…!
"Lend me your power!" he said. "I must crush that skull!"
Not being overconfident or careless isn't just about choosing treasures…!
"Yes!" Rikka said. "Of course!"
"Anything I can do!" Mash added.
Relying on others is a choice free of negligence!
"Good answer!" Gilgamesh said. "Prolonging this puts us at a disadvantage—let's end it fast!"
"My body feels light…!" Okita said. "Fighting like this is a first!"
Using Shukuchi—a supreme skill of movement enabling near-teleportation—she struck unpredictably, raining blows freely.
Her mystical swordplay transformed her into a marvel.
Redeem disgrace with valor! Make up for slacking with work!
If I can help them even a little—!
Lancelot couldn't counter. We've got this!
"No more—cough!?"
Suddenly, Okita froze.
(Not now—!)
Her Weak Constitution—a demerit from the historical image of Okita Souji as sickly—struck at the worst moment…!
"Arrrrr—!"
Lancelot raised his arm hammer, poised to crush her skull—!
(This is it…! Okita Souji, done—!)
Flags are meant to be broken!
"YAAAAH!"
Mash roared, slamming into Lancelot with fierce resolve!
"—!"
"Mash-san!" Okita gasped.
"—Now, Senpai!"
At Mash's shout, Rikka sprinted.
"WOOOOH! A woman's all about guts—!"
She ran full-tilt, using Mash's shoulder as a springboard to leap!
"Master?!" Okita exclaimed.
What's she doing?!
"Change! Combat Suit—!"
Vaulting over Mash and Lancelot, she locked onto Lancelot's back, shifting her Mystic Code!
"Gandr—!"
Upside-down in midair, she fired a Gandr at Lancelot's back!
"Garrr—?!"
A direct hit—his movements froze completely!
"Okita-san, catch me—!"
"Wha—Haaa!"
With a burst of resolve, Okita used Shukuchi to snatch Rikka and escape.
"Now, Gil—!" Rikka shouted.
"Now, King of Heroes—!" Mash added.
Leave it to me!
"Hah!" Gilgamesh laughed. "Overconfident, mad dog? My treasures aren't just locked in my vault anymore!"
He unleashed a hundred gates, all loaded with daggers and short blades.
"Those who fight for humanity's future—they're my new treasures!"
That's right—Mash, Master—
They're my treasures!
"Now, taste it—!Gate of Babylon—!"
Countless daggers pierced the immobilized Lancelot relentlessly—!
"Arrrrrrr—!"
"No carelessness, no arrogance—there's no way you'd bite my hand, mongrel!"
The barrage tore into the ground itself.
As the dust settled—
"…Ar… thur…"
With a final murmur, Lancelot vanished.
"Hahaha!" Gilgamesh roared. "Your debts for your crimes are paid! Never show that filthy face again—ever! Hahahahaha!"
The King of Heroes, laughing so gleefully? Was he that thrilled?
"Mash, Okita-san, we did it!" Rikka cheered.
"Yes!" Mash said.
"…You scared me!" Okita huffed. "Jeez!"
Everyone's safe.
We avenged a grudge from another world… successfully.
I hope I contributed, even a little. That'd make me happy.
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