"Tristan, Mordred, Lancelot... The Knights of the Round Table under my command have fallen to you one after another. In the end, relying solely on your own strength, you carved a path through the magical barrier of the Tower at the Ends of the World with a single strike..."
Glancing at the dissipating Bronze-Silver Great Tree behind Takumi, the Lion King paused.
If judged purely on raw destructive power, Takumi's [My Arm Shall Carve a Path Through All, Unto the Heavens] would have actually struggled to breach the Holy Lance's absolute defense. But unfortunately for the Tower at the Ends of the World—an existence designed to halt the progression of humanity—it was perfectly hard-countered by the very concept the Great Tree represented: [Pioneering].
As a result, Takumi hadn't needed to exert much effort to blow a massive hole right through it.
"Through all of this, you have proven your strength. However—I will still proceed with activating the Tower at the Ends of the World. Only by defeating me, proving that you possess the power to defeat that Beast, proving that you can reclaim the future of humanity..."
"Only then will you have earned the right to continue moving forward."
The Lion King held the Holy Lance in one hand and the Holy Sword in the other. Within her yellow-green, faintly glowing eyes, there was not a single trace of jest.
Simultaneously, following her words, the rapidly destabilizing Tower at the Ends of the World began to reconstruct itself. The massive hole Takumi had blasted through the magical barrier was instantly repaired.
It was as if she were proving her words were absolute truth.
And at this moment, Takumi finally realized something crucial.
The entity standing before him was not the familiar, blue-clad, ahoge-sporting King of Knights he knew. This was the Goddess "Rhongomyniad" from an alternate timeline—a timeline where the Holy Sword was never returned, and her very existence was eroded and overwritten by the divinity of the Holy Lance. Even with the return of her humanity just now, it could not alter her fundamental nature.
So a fight is still unavoidable, huh...
Staring at the peerlessly beautiful woman before him—a perfect amalgamation of divinity and humanity—Takumi muttered internally, yet the corners of his mouth curled upward into a smile.
But— That's exactly what I wanted!
His fiery pupils, brimming with absolute fighting spirit, locked straight onto the Lion King's eyes. Beneath the radiant light of the Tower at the Ends of the World, his wide, toothy grin practically sparkled.
Facing this unprecedented, impending battle...
His mind surged. The Heart of Fire roared, expanded, and detonated. The flames within his pupils burned with violent intensity...
Until he heard that final, defining sound of crystallization—
CLANG—!
The sound pierced through the magical barrier of the Tower at the Ends of the World, rocketing straight into the heavens and plunging deep into the core of the earth.
[Heart of Fire] — Complete Combustion!
Under the absolute inferno of the fully ignited Heart of Fire, the final lingering fragments of Spirit Origin data belonging to other Servants within Takumi's body were completely incinerated, smelted, and integrated into his own being.
At that exact moment, whether it was Ozymandias within his Pyramid Great Temple or the Hassans cheering as they watched the [Ends of the World] stop shrinking, everyone within the Singularity "heard" that resounding chime strike the very core of their hearts.
Instinctively, and in perfect unison, they all turned their gaze toward the source of the sound, as if celebrating the birth of a profound new existence.
***
[What kind of weapon do you desire?]
The [Heart of Fire] seemed to ask him this question.
Without a single moment of hesitation, Takumi answered with his deepest, truest craving.
[I want the absolute fastest, most overwhelmingly powerful, ultimate offensive weapon—one capable of severing absolutely anything!]
The wish was delivered in full, and the Miracle began to manifest.
A transparent flame—white tinged with gold—violently erupted from the center of his chest. It washed over Takumi's entire body and cascaded across the ground, expanding into the unreachable distance.
The instant the Heart of Fire erupted, the flames swept over his body. All the hidden, lingering injuries that couldn't be easily healed were instantly eradicated without a trace. His slightly overgrown hair ignited, but instead of turning to ash, it transformed into a plasma-like state of fire, dancing and swaying in the wind.
Simultaneously, bathed in the Heart of Fire, the flag he held in his left hand underwent a similar transformation. The ordinary fabric shifted into a plasma state identical to his hair, and every pattern on its surface was outlined by traces of pure flame.
Noble Phantasm Upgrade: [Mon Coeur (A+)] → [Mon Coeur (A++)]!
—Even the grotesque burn scars that had stubbornly clung to Takumi's body since the beginning finally began to change.
The ugly, scarred skin cracked and peeled away like a shattered husk, instantly devoured by the flames. Fresh, pristine flesh and blood were born from beneath the "shell"... In the span of a single second, every scar on Takumi's body vanished, replaced by smooth, fair skin with a healthy, rosy hue.
Skill Acquired: [Handsome Youth (B)]!
However, Takumi paid absolutely no attention to the physical changes his body was undergoing. His entire focus was captivated by the unextinguished "flame" burning brightly over his heart.
Takumi reached out his right hand and grasped the "flame."
In that instant, his hand closed around something. It was a smooth, perfectly contoured hilt that felt unimaginably comfortable in his grip.
Having a strong premonition of what it was, Takumi tightened his grip and pulled.
SHIIIING—!
Accompanied by the crystal-clear chime of drawn steel, a longsword roughly three feet and six inches long was drawn directly from the "flame" in his chest, tracing a beautiful, lethally sharp arc through the air.
Looking at this Noble Phantasm—which gave him an incredibly strong sense of déjà vu—and feeling the terrifying power pulsating within it, a power that felt as if it could shatter absolutely anything, Takumi held the blade vertically in front of his face.
My face is back to normal?!
A wave of intense joy washed over Takumi.
Reflected in the mirror-like surface of the blade, Takumi saw his face. It had not only returned to its original state but had actually become even fairer and far better-looking than before.
He also saw his hair—now a white-gold, plasma-like state of fire—and his pupils, which had been entirely replaced by two clusters of brilliant, glass-like flames.
Combining these features didn't make him look eerie or bizarre in the slightest. On the contrary, it bestowed an aura of profound sanctity upon him, making him look exceptionally striking.
Looking at himself, as if reborn from the ashes, Takumi hesitantly reached up and touched his own face in disbelief, almost terrified that everything before him was just a fleeting dream.
As someone whose face wasn't originally a disfigured mess, how could he possibly not care about his appearance?
He cared a lot! He desperately wanted his face to look a bit better!
Especially since the women he had developed feelings for were all so unbelievably gorgeous...
After pinching and rubbing his cheeks a few times and confirming this was all completely real, Takumi finally let out a smile of absolute, unadulterated relief.
Shifting his attention away from his restored appearance, Takumi looked down at the second Noble Phantasm in his right hand. For a moment, his heart fluttered with excitement.
Nearby.
The Lion King, who had been standing quietly and watching this entire process unfold, sensed Takumi's rising eagerness.
"You have acquired a new power. Shall we test it?"
The Lion King spoke with a soft smile, lightly flourishing the Holy Sword, Excalibur, in her hand.
"Ah? Is that okay?"
Having completely spaced out from sheer joy and accidentally ignored her for a while, Takumi scratched his head awkwardly.
With the [Heart of Fire] reaching its complete state and its abilities strengthening, Takumi finally comprehended the deeper, hidden motive behind the Lion King's actions.
The Lion King truly meant what she said: if Takumi couldn't defeat her, she would undeniably reactivate the Tower at the Ends of the World. But her actions were also a deliberate push—a final nudge to help Takumi's [Heart of Fire] achieve its complete awakening.
After all, the progression of Takumi's flame was glaringly obvious to her divine eyes. Faced with a situation where such a "delicious fruit" was on the absolute verge of ripening, she couldn't help but want to see just what kind of brilliance this already mesmerizing flame could unleash.
And the result... naturally far exceeded her expectations.
Not being particularly adept at dual-wielding, the Lion King drove the Holy Lance into the ground. Gripping Excalibur with both hands, she assumed a combat-ready stance.
"Why not?"
The Lion King gestured for Takumi to attack.
"Umm... Alright! Here I come!"
Takumi gave a token hum of thought before charging forward with a massive, ecstatic grin, his newly forged second Noble Phantasm raised high.
He didn't activate his ultra-high-speed state. He just ran forward normally, and swung his sword normally.
Seeing this, the Lion King cooperatively raised her own sword to parry.
A second later, the two similar longswords clashed. A blinding, concussive explosion of light erupted instantly, completely swallowing both their silhouettes.
***
Following a brief, almost choreographed spar.
Takumi was staring at the [Sword of the Heart] in his hands with the exact same expression as a collector who just received a brand-new, ultra-rare figurine in the mail. He treasured it to an almost absurd degree.
It couldn't be helped. Compared to a spear, Takumi genuinely preferred swords. Furthermore, the flag-spear was fundamentally designed for defense; it didn't mesh well with his offensive spear techniques at all. If he hadn't been forced into it, he never would have used the flag-spear as his primary attack weapon.
However, perhaps because the Holy Sword, Excalibur, was literally right in front of his eyes when his [Sword of the Heart] was forged, its design was remarkably similar to Excalibur. Moreover, trace elements of its design bore a striking resemblance to Siegfried's greatsword, Balmung.
As for why it lacked any visual cues from Rama's Brahmastra... could Takumi admit that he actually thought Brahmastra's design looked kinda ugly?
Nearby, the Lion King watched with a gentle, indulgent expression as Takumi—who was finally displaying the childish excitement appropriate for his actual age—fawned over his sword. The unreadable light in her eyes seemed to grow even more pronounced.
Through their brief exchange, the Lion King had already grasped a fraction of the [Sword of the Heart]'s power. It was undeniably an ultimate offensive weapon capable of securing absolute victory. And more importantly, Takumi was likely the only existence capable of truly drawing out its full potential.
"Takumi. You have proven your strength. As promised, I shall abandon the manifestation of the Tower at the Ends of the World."
Finished speaking, a trace of almost imperceptible anticipation flickered in her eyes.
"However, I have one presumptuous request. Would you... become my First Knight of the Round Table?"
The Lion King extended her hand toward Takumi.
"The First Knight of the Round Table?"
Hearing this, Takumi finally tore his eyes away from his sword and looked at the Lion King in utter confusion.
"Correct. The very first. Not a Knight of the Round Table serving the King of Knights, but a knight serving me—the Lion King, the Goddess Rhongomyniad."
The Lion King nodded, her tone absolute and certain.
Was the current Lion King still Artoria?
Yes, but also no. Her deceased body had been hijacked by the divinity of the Holy Lance, but the return of the Holy Sword had forcefully anchored her lingering humanity. At this moment, the Lion King's ratio of divinity to humanity was roughly eighty-to-twenty.
She was not the Artoria or King Arthur that humanity knew; her existence leaned far closer to the state of the Goddess Rhongomyniad.
Therefore, the Knights of the Round Table who had originally sworn fealty to King Arthur were naturally not her knights.
"I understand what you mean... but am I really qualified to be a knight?"
Takumi pointed at himself, his tone laced with hesitation.
It wasn't that he deified the title of "Knight" or anything; he just felt that titles like "The First Knight of the Round Table" carried an insane amount of pressure. Not to mention, this was being the personal knight to a literal Goddess.
"If even you lack the qualifications to be a knight, then I fear there is no one left in this world who is qualified."
The Lion King chuckled softly.
"Umm... do we need to do some kind of ceremony?"
Blushing slightly from the high praise, Takumi asked.
"Simply hand your sword to me."
"Oh."
Obediently, Takumi carefully handed his newly acquired [Sword of the Heart] to the Lion King.
Following her instructions, he knelt on one knee and held his hands up in a posture ready to receive the blade.
The Lion King merely performed a symbolic gesture, raising the sword high and speaking a few brief words before gently placing the [Sword of the Heart] back into Takumi's hands.
"Rise. My First Knight, and my only Knight."
The Lion King spoke softly, reaching out to help Takumi to his feet.
"Uh... is that it? It's over?"
Feeling the ceremony was a bit too simple and lacked the grand, flashy flair he had imagined, Takumi sheathed his sword and scratched his head.
"Of course not. Since you are my first knight, it is only proper that I bestow upon you a gift, or perhaps, a reward."
As she spoke, the Lion King's eyes flickered, and her throat involuntarily bobbed as she swallowed.
"A reward?"
What kind of reward?
Takumi was confused.
The Lion King only smiled, remaining silent as she stared at him.
Seeing that perfectly timed wisp of confusion appear within Takumi's beautiful, glass-like fiery pupils, the Lion King suddenly felt her heart skip a beat.
This pure, unadulterated flame... just looking at it made her feel as if her own heart was being wrapped in a warm, gentle fire. It was truly a flame that made it impossible for man or god to look away...
With a soft sigh of marvel, the Lion King leaned down without a moment's hesitation.
Wait, is the reward a Blessing? Like, the Protection of the Ends of the World? —MMPH!!!!!
Briefly blinded by secondhand, yet entirely accurate lore, Takumi only registered a wave of sweet fragrance washing over him before the Goddess's beautiful face "slowly" closed in on his.
Finally realizing the Lion King's true intentions, Takumi's eyes shot wide open. His absolute first instinct was to activate his high-speed movement and bolt.
But looking at the Lion King's flawless, immaculate face and her half-closed eyes, Takumi, as if possessed by a ghost, forcefully planted his feet and stayed exactly where he was.
The next second.
A moist, incredibly soft sensation pressed against his lips. The faint, sweet scent of her breath filled his nose...
Blessing Acquired: [Protection of the Ends of the World (B)]
Playfully slipping her tongue out to lightly trace the stunned boy's lips, the Lion King finally pulled back, her expression carrying a hint of reluctance.
"This level of Blessing is the utmost I can bestow upon you. I hope it will aid you in the future."
Takumi didn't hear a single word the Lion King said. His entire being was still completely short-circuiting over the sensation of that kiss. It took a full two seconds for him to finally snap back to reality, his face instantly turning the shade of a boiled tomato.
It wasn't just the sheer embarrassment of being kissed by a woman he had feelings for; it was also intense frustration at his own utter lack of self-control.
Seriously, why the hell is it so hard to control myself?!
Takumi smacked his own forehead, his eyes full of deep regret.
—Though honestly, if the Lion King had just taken off that chest armor first, it would've been perfect. That thing really digs into your ribs...
"Hmm? Shall I remove my chest armor and do it again?"
The Lion King smiled warmly. As she spoke, her hands moved to unfasten her breastplate.
Truth be told, even for her, wearing full combat armor during a moment like this was a bit cumbersome.
"No, no, no, no! It's fine! No need!"
His face now practically glowing red, Takumi frantically waved his hands, exerting every ounce of willpower he possessed to suppress the overwhelming urge to scream "YES!"
Dammit, why is this Goddess so incredibly sweet?!
"Um, there are still people waiting for me outside, so... I should probably head out first?"
Flustered, Takumi pointed toward the exit of the tower, his voice thick with nervousness.
"Go. The Tower at the Ends of the World will collapse shortly. Once you retrieve the Holy Grail, this Singularity will come to an end."
Although she still felt a bit unsatisfied, the Lion King spoke with magnanimous grace.
Simultaneously, she thought to herself with a hint of amusement: Even though his mind is full of wild thoughts, he is surprisingly pure and innocent in person...
***
[Sword of the Heart (EX)]
Type: Anti-Unit / Anti-Mind / Anti-World Noble Phantasm.
The ultimate offensive Noble Phantasm, reflecting a mind that seeks to [Sever] all things. Perhaps it can even tear through space and sever the world itself.
Status: Currently being polished.
This sword was not meant to manifest this early. It merely utilized the awakening of the [Heart of Fire] to prematurely assume a physical form; therefore, it is currently a half-finished product.
Its refinement can be accelerated through combat.
Every swing of this blade is a direct strike upon the enemy's psyche. Thus:
[Those with hesitation in their hearts cannot cross this sword.]
[Those with flaws in their hearts cannot cross this sword.]
[Those defeated by this sword shall forever struggle to muster the will to fight its wielder again.]
Skills Acquired: [Divinity (D)]:A composite divinity derived from Romulus-Quirinus and Vishnu. Smelted by the complete Heart of Fire from the residual Spirit Origin data left in Takumi's body. Because they were merely residual fragments, the rank is exceptionally low.
[Handsome Youth (B)]: Permanently fixed by Takumi's intense desires. His appearance leans slightly juvenile; he is undeniably an exceptionally beautiful youth. (However, perhaps because his desires were too intense, his physical appearance has been completely and permanently locked into its current state. Even his height, which previously still had plenty of room to grow, has been permanently locked along with it...)