"You go on ahead, I'll be right behind you."
Standing at the base of a section of the city wall, Takumi whispered to Bedivere beside him.
In the original game's storyline, breaching the Holy City's gates required a massive convoluted effort and a whole bunch of gimmicks just to finally force their way inside.
But honestly, that was just an excuse to let a bunch of useless cannon fodder inside to "help." For proper Servants, wouldn't it be easier to just... not use the front door?
The Holy City's walls didn't have a ceiling, and they weren't impossibly high. No matter how you looked at it, simply jumping over the wall was the superior tactical choice.
Clearly, both Takumi and Bedivere shared this exact sentiment.
Hearing Takumi's words, Bedivere nodded. Without a moment's hesitation, he leaped upward, kicked lightly off the surface of the wall for a mid-air boost, and successfully vaulted over the battlements.
Landing silently atop the wall, Bedivere kept his profile low and vigilantly scanned his surroundings. Finding the area completely deserted, a sense of unease crept into his heart.
However, given the urgency of the situation, Bedivere didn't dwell on it. He turned his head, intending to signal Takumi to follow him up.
But the moment he turned his head, he violently flinched upon realizing Takumi was already standing right next to him.
Bedivere was genuinely startled.
When did he get up here?
Bedivere looked back and forth between the ground and Takumi's current position in sheer disbelief.
"No one's here?"
Ignoring Bedivere's reaction, the first thing Takumi did upon landing was survey the pitch-black walls and the buildings within the city. He couldn't help but furrow his brow.
Even if these structures were forged by the Lion King wielding the Holy Lance, surely they still needed night patrols, right?
Not only were there no visible guards in a city this massive, but there wasn't even a single proper streetlamp lit. It practically had "IT'S A TRAP" written in giant neon letters across the sky!
"Something's wrong. Prepare for combat."
Takumi warned Bedivere, his grip tightening around his Holy Flag.
Having already sensed that something was off, Bedivere didn't hesitate. He tensed his muscles, fully preparing himself for an impending battle.
—Though truthfully, neither of them ever believed this would be easy.
The two of them leaped down from the city wall in succession.
The moment their feet touched the ground within the city, they both looked straight ahead in unison, their expressions turning incredibly grave.
Because... the sun had risen.
Right directly in front of them.
In little over a second, blindingly bright light flooded the entire section of the wall and the street they were on, making it look as if time had instantly rewound to high noon.
Simultaneously, a booming, full-bodied roar echoed out.
"[Sword of Revolving Victory (Excalibur Galatine)]!"
Having clearly prepared this ambush well in advance, Gawain instantly unleashed his Noble Phantasm.
A wave of blistering heat exploded outward in all directions, instantly filling the entire street. A torrent of incandescent light cascaded toward their position like a flash flood. The terrifying heat washing over them was so intense that even the stone paving beneath their feet began to involuntarily melt. It felt as if the light intended to swallow them whole.
[Mon Coeur]!
Watching the A+ Anti-Army Noble Phantasm rushing straight for his face, Takumi decisively swung the flag in his hand. The golden-glowing fabric unfurled in the wind.
Despite activating his defense reactively, Takumi's speed was still vastly superior to Gawain's premeditated strike. Before the pseudo-sun's scorching rays could reach them, a dome of protective light had already firmly encased both Takumi and Bedivere.
The two Noble Phantasms collided.
The superheated torrent of light crashed against the protective barrier like a raging tide. Although it completely failed to breach the defense, the blinding radiance still forced the two inside to squint their eyes.
Seconds ticked by. Both of them could feel the power behind Excalibur Galatine rapidly diminishing. Without continuous mana supply and repeated releases, the initial torrent of light quickly lost its momentum and bite.
However, just as both of them were preparing to counterattack the moment the Noble Phantasm's blast faded—
A purple silhouette suddenly tore through the superheated light. Wielding a longsword that radiated a chilling, azure gleam, the figure lunged toward Takumi at breakneck speed.
"[Chaining the Unbreakable Lake Light (Aroundight Overload)]!"
Good lord! It really is one trick right after another!
Seeing this seamless, back-to-back Noble Phantasm assault designed to offer absolutely zero reaction time, a cold light flashed in Takumi's eyes.
Opening with two high-powered Noble Phantasms proved exactly how seriously the Knights of the Round Table were taking Takumi. If it had been any normal Servant, they would already be dead and buried by now.
Unfortunately for them, Takumi belonged to the abnormal category.
Showing off a technique-based Noble Phantasm release right in front of me—
Facing the Unfading Light of the Lake that was barely three steps away from reaching him, Takumi's flag-spear blurred. He sharply adjusted the angle of the spear tip and thrust forward, piercing the air and kicking up rings of white shockwaves. The spear traced a flawless, straight line through the air, striking the flat of Aroundight's blade with absolute precision.
CLANG!
—You would've been better off just using its standard AoE beam!
To Lancelot's utter shock, Takumi's rapid, pinpoint spear thrust forcefully deflected his already-swinging longsword right off its trajectory.
Flawless timing, overwhelming strength, and a deliberately induced, violent vibration transmitted straight through the blade—Lancelot found it physically impossible to redirect his sword's momentum. He could only watch helplessly as his Noble Phantasm grazed past Takumi and struck empty air.
VMMMM—!
A bottomless, blue-glowing trench was instantly carved into the ground beside them.
Lancelot's Noble Phantasm was normally a standard "beam-cannon" type. However, his method of deploying it was entirely unique.
Instead of releasing the magical energy as a massive wave of light, he contained it within the blade and only liberated the energy at the exact moment he severed his target. It was a release method heavily reliant on pure swordsmanship.
Admittedly, this was undeniably the most efficient way to concentrate the maximum destructive power of the Noble Phantasm onto a single target. But here lay the critical flaw:
How could such a narrow, pinpoint attack possibly hit Takumi?
And if an attack doesn't hit, no matter how powerful it is, it's completely meaningless.
No wonder Tristan and Mordred died by his hands so quickly...
Lancelot thought, a mix of shock and admiration swirling in his mind.
In just a single exchange, Lancelot had already intimately experienced the suffocating pressure Takumi commanded.
He also instantly understood why Agravain had devised such a hyper-cautious combat strategy.
However, while the execution was slightly off, his primary objective had been achieved—disrupt Takumi and prevent him from assisting the other person who had come with him.
From the corner of his eye, Lancelot glanced to his side.
There, a towering figure had already planted himself firmly in front of Bedivere.
***
Lancelot, however, was completely unaware that the shock currently rocking Gawain's heart was no less intense than his own.
Why is it you...?
Looking at the familiar yet foreign former comrade standing before him, the shock in Gawain's eyes practically spilled over.
He never in his wildest dreams expected that his assigned opponent tonight would be a former brother-in-arms.
But Gawain was, after all, an existence whose iron will verged on pure stubbornness among the Knights of the Round Table. The shock lingered in his eyes for only a fraction of a second before being entirely replaced by blazing fury.
Possessing the blessing of [Nightless], Gawain's strength was permanently tripled, regardless of the time of day.
And bolstered by this massive buff, Gawain threw a devastating punch straight at Bedivere.
Faced with this sudden assault, Bedivere—whose reaction speed couldn't compare to Takumi's—only had enough time to raise his "Silver Arm" defensively in front of his chest.
An uppercut.
BAM!
That was the sound of Gawain's fist slamming into the silver arm.
WHOOSH—!
That was the sound of Bedivere being launched through the air...
Bedivere was literally sent flying by the sheer kinetic force of Gawain's single punch!
He traced a long arc through the sky, crashing into a distant cluster of buildings in the blink of an eye and completely vanishing from Takumi's line of sight.
Seeing this, Gawain didn't hesitate. Pushing off the ground with terrifying force, he launched himself high into the air like a human cannonball, giving chase in the exact direction Bedivere had fallen.
The radiance of the sun followed him like a loyal shadow. With his departure, the initial battlefield plunged back into the darkness, illuminated only by the pale moonlight once more.
***
From the sidelines, Takumi had naturally noticed their clash. Anxious to help, he immediately tried to bypass Lancelot to pursue them. But right at that moment, several chains radiating an ominous, black-and-red magical energy materialized from thin air. They slithered like vipers, wrapping tightly around Takumi's wrists and ankles, locking him firmly in place.
Simultaneously, a chilling voice echoed through the air:
"I will not allow you to assist him. Until Gawain disposes of that nuisance, you will obediently remain exactly where you are..."
Agravain, his expression as perpetually gloomy as ever, slowly stepped out from the shadows. In his hand, he held a length of chain identical in material and design to the ones currently binding Takumi.
Unlike Lancelot, whose focus was entirely consumed by executing his attack, Agravain—much like Gawain—had clearly seen Bedivere.
The moment he laid eyes on Bedivere, Agravain's instincts screamed danger. Especially when his gaze snagged on that bizarre, inexplicable prosthetic arm—alarm bells had practically shattered in his mind.
As one of the few Knights of the Round Table who actually possessed a functional brain—and a ruthlessly dark heart at that—he was never hesitant to assume the absolute worst intentions of others. No matter how you looked at it, that arm was definitely not something simple!
However, Agravain also felt a surge of relief. He was thankful he had assigned Gawain to that side—a knight completely invincible under the sun, possessing an unwavering will, and absolutely, unquestionably loyal to the "King."
If it had been that unpredictable wild card Lancelot, who knows what kind of disaster would have unfolded.
Back to the present.
Following Agravain's words, a massive swarm of Enforcement Knights rapidly poured out from every alley and corner, completely encircling Takumi.
Seeing this, Takumi furrowed his brow and slowly surveyed his surroundings.
The chains binding him, the Enforcement Knights glaring at him like starved wolves, Lancelot—who had already reset his stance and was staring him down—and Agravain, who was quietly harboring intense hostility toward him.
I really did get surrounded, huh...
Thinking this, Takumi took an entirely expressionless step forward.
Agravain reacted as if he had just seen a ghost, his eyes bulging out of his skull.
Because the moment Takumi took that single step, the chains Agravain had used to bind him reacted as if they had been locked onto empty air, instantly clattering to the ground in a useless heap.
(Note: Binding-type abilities and Noble Phantasms are completely ineffective against Takumi!)
On top of that, there was also—
[A Hundred Meters of Scorched Earth, Crimson Hell]!
To make sure I don't accidentally catch Bedivere in the crossfire, I'll keep the radius tight this time too.
Takumi raised his eyes and looked forward.
FWOOSH—!
The explosive roar of combusting air abruptly detonated. Agravain and Lancelot's vision blurred for a split second as a wall of blistering heat slammed into their faces. In an instant, the world had been transformed into a superheated, orange-red inferno.
The only ones still capable of standing were the two Knights. The Enforcement Knights, completely unable to withstand the agonizing heat, were already writhing and rolling frantically across the burning ground.
"...If you truly believed that sending a swarm of mobs who don't even qualify as Servants would make a difference, then by all means, keep trying."
Amidst the chorus of agonizing wails, Takumi's voice drifted clearly into the ears of the two Knights, who were staring at the scene in sheer horror.
Within an actively burning, superheated fire-field, one needed a defensive capability roughly equivalent to B-Rank [Magic Resistance] just to barely function normally. The Enforcement Knights may have been heavily armored, but they obviously didn't meet that standard. After rolling on the ground a few times, they went completely still.
Lancelot's [Magic Resistance] clearly met the standard. What was truly surprising, however, was that Agravain—a character who wasn't even officially implemented in the game—apparently possessed B-Rank Magic Resistance as well...
So, is the [Magic Resistance] skill just standard-issue gear for the Knights of the Round Table?
Having easily broken out of his encirclement, Takumi whipped his flag, intending to continue his pursuit and regroup with Bedivere.
But from the corner of his eye, a sudden speck of light flared atop the city wall.
PEW!
A piercing beam of light shot straight for his face. Takumi barely managed to dodge it by tilting his head. The beam slammed into the ground, blasting a deep crater into the stone.
Smoke and dust plumed upward, only to be instantly incinerated by the ambient heat. But in that fleeting moment, an azure sword-light slashed toward him from his flank, forcing Takumi to swing his flag to parry.
CLANG—!
The weapons clashed and parted instantly, but the battle was far from over.
A massive swarm of bizarre, twisted, black-and-red magical energy constructs—mimicking the forms of the Enforcement Knights—suddenly materialized from nowhere. Seizing the opening, they brandished their weapons and swarmed Takumi's position en masse.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
The artillery emplacements on the city walls showed no signs of stopping either, unleashing a relentless barrage of suppressing fire down upon him.
"I will absolutely not—let you leave this place alive!!!"
Having manually taken control of the Holy City's automated artillery and forcefully inflicted the "Mad Enhancement" status upon himself, Agravain roared with everything he had.
Clearly, Agravain had entered a state of absolute desperation.
All the traps and preparations he had laid out—originally intended for Lancelot, but repurposed here for Takumi—had essentially been burned to cinders by Takumi's single fire spell. Agravain, who was never renowned for his raw combat prowess to begin with, had no choice but to improvise on the spot and decisively activate his Mad Enhancement.
[Radiant Flame: Crimson Sky]!
Several massive pillars of fire abruptly erupted from the ground surrounding Takumi. In a single blast, the encroaching shadowy constructs were incinerated and violently launched high into the air.
Takumi stood completely still in the center of the inferno, holding his flag with one hand. His gaze turned icy cold as he stared at the two Knights of the Round Table, who clearly had zero intention of letting him pass:
"Since that's how it is, I'll just have to kill you both before I go—"
The next second, Takumi—having fully activated his ultra-high-speed state—ignored the Holy City's automated artillery raining down around him and charged straight at the two Knights.
—And because of this, the two of them finally understood just how utterly terrifying a serious Takumi truly was.
***
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, after a brief and completely pointless verbal exchange, Gawain and Bedivere had also locked themselves in a brutal melee.
With [Excalibur Galatine] in hand, Gawain casually unleashed massive, sweeping waves of superheated light with every strike. For a time, the destructive scale of their fight was nearly on par with Takumi's.
Naturally, there was absolutely no room for low-level mobs like the Enforcement Knights to intervene.
They could only stand far, far away and stare at each other in bewildered silence.