Chapter 4: The Holy City of Camelot
Bors, Percival, Lamorak, Geraint, and Kay—these five Knights of the Round Table refused to assist the Lion King.
Gawain, Mordred, Lancelot, Agravain, and Tristan chose to assist the Lion King.
With this as the starting point, the once-unified Knights of the Round Table split into two factions.
"Everyone, wake up! The King is no longer the King—she has fallen into a god!"
Bors roared with all his might. Perhaps describing it as "falling into a god" felt somewhat dissonant, but this was the most truthful sentiment felt by Bors's faction.
By the time Bors came to his senses, it was already too late. Although he informed his fellow Round Table knights of the situation, only half were willing to resist the Lion King alongside him. Furthermore, all the armies at the disposal of these allied knights had already been integrated by the King; they had no capital for rebellion.
They had originally intended to wait and see, but after witnessing the King massacre the people who were culled, and after sensing that she was no longer the King they once knew—but rather a god-like, cold-blooded, and ruthless existence—these five Knights of the Round Table resolutely raised the flag of rebellion.
"Do you truly intend to assist the King in committing such heinous acts?! Have you all forgotten the oaths you once made?!"
Yet, Gawain's faction seemed as if they were under a spell; not one of them was clear-headed.
The Round Table of the Knights of the Round Table represented the initial will of the people; the King and the knights were sovereign and subject, and in private, they were also dear friends. Perhaps because the "dining table" was no longer in their hands, this spirit of chivalry was put to the test.
Seeing friends stray onto the wrong path, one should naturally offer words of persuasion. If they would not listen, the only choice was to strike them until they were clear-headed.
Unfortunately, the King's power was too immense. Having become a deity, the Lion King essentially transcended Heroic Spirits and was far beyond what the Knights of the Round Table could contend with.
The thoughts of humans and gods could not be reconciled.
Because of the King's change, huge disagreements arose with many knights who held fast to their creeds.
The most serious point was the method of holding the "Selection."
Those who were selected were fine, but those who were not, without exception, were all executed—the so-called "Purge."
Because letting these rejected refugees leave could lead to them harboring resentment and becoming members of a resistance army, the Lion King decided to eradicate them all to leave no future trouble. In the eyes of a deity, this was highly rational, but to the Knights of the Round Table, who were among the most upright even within humanity, it was utterly devoid of humanity.
The Lion King's inhumane method was equivalent to stifling the refugees' last glimmer of hope for survival, as all lands other than the Holy City of Camelot were barren and no longer suitable for human life.
The only other place capable of sustaining life in this desert was the territory of Ramesses II, but that Pharaoh would only shelter his own Egyptian subjects. Although the Old Man of the Mountain also wanted to help the refugees, their own situation was equally arduous; even though they did their utmost to help, they could not assist everyone.
Therefore, for those rejected, this world was equivalent to the apocalypse.
Faced with an outcome that meant certain death regardless of what they did, it was hard for anyone to remain rational and not envy the lucky ones in the ideal kingdom.
Thus, the Lion King decided that rather than having these people reveal the ugliness of human nature when the time came, it would be better to grant them release directly.
From a deity's way of thinking, this was the best method.
Gareth, one of the Knights of the Round Table, could neither bear to watch the King drive the people to a dead end nor wished to participate in the act of regicide by Bors and the others, so she ultimately died in the fulfillment of her duty.
"We swear here!" — Bors, Percival, Lamorak, Geraint, and Kay swore in unison toward the cold-faced Lion King.
"I swear to treat the weak with kindness; I swear to bravely fight against tyranny; I swear to combat all wrong; I swear to fight for the defenseless; I swear to help anyone who asks me for help; I swear not to harm any women; I swear to help my fellows; I swear to be sincere to my friends; I swear to be loyal to the spirit of chivalry unto death!"
As those oaths fell, those eyes that were once filled with longing for the spirit of chivalry became as dead and desolate as cold ash.
The group of knights, who had been kneeling on one knee, stood up and launched an attack against their King and their former Round Table comrades. From this moment on, they became bitter enemies.
However, as the King's Holy Spear appeared, and the light of the spear swirled and surged, sweeping through everything like a storm of light, these five rebel knights were obliterated in that tempest of radiance.
"The Holy Sword is lost, my King is gone... the Round Table is riddled with cracks. King of Knights, is this your choice? Your once-noble spirit of chivalry is weeping in agony for your atrocities..."
The defeated knights wore bitter smiles, their eyes full of sorrow as they looked at their King, their bodies gradually turning into particles of light and returning to the Throne of Heroes.
From then on, only five Knights of the Round Table remained at the King's side.
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The traveler is lost in the yellow sands, looking out, the sky hangs low.
At nightfall, Shirou and the others finally approached the Holy City.
Looking out, the majestic city of Camelot had already appeared in their field of vision.
"The Lion King, huh... I wonder what she has become..."
Shirou pondered what he should say once they met.
However, after speaking, Shirou felt that he must first suppress the divinity within Saber.
"Bedivere should have arrived here by now as well."
While Shirou was speculating, Gudako, who was beside him, saw the city and her eyes lit up; she charged forward excitedly.
"Ahhh! Finally found it!"
"Senpai, slow down!"
Mash hurriedly trotted to catch up.
As a Demi-Servant, Mash's body was much stronger than Gudako's, and she easily caught up with her.
As they approached the Holy City, they stopped and gazed blankly at the city.
The capital of the Arthurian Dynasty—the Holy City of Camelot!
The towering city walls, nearly 150 feet high and almost capable of piercing the sky, stretched straight and extended for tens of kilometers.
Above the huge and heavy walls, dense and intricate defensive magic runes flickered with pale purple light, emitting an awe-inspiring, massive pressure.
Before the main gate of the city, which was built of holy white Almi stone and featured Gothic spires, patch after patch of Knights of Resolution, dense as an ant colony, were divided into hundreds of units to maintain security outside the city.
The targets of their vigilance were the large-scale refugee tent facilities that had been set up along the walls on both sides of the main gate.
The refugees gathered outside Camelot were all there to participate in the "Selection," and the so-called "Selection" meant that those who were rejected in the selection would undoubtedly be annihilated.
However, because no living person had managed to pass the news out, there would inevitably be a continuous stream of refugees coming to participate in this "Selection," where heaven and hell were separated by a single line.
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