Who?
Lucius?
The Roman Emperor from the legends who fought King Arthur, the Sword Emperor Lucius, successor to the Divine Ancestor of Rome, Romulus?
Across the infinite dimensions, the viewers outside the light curtain who knew the name Lucius couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
A man's reputation precedes him.
The Sword Emperor Lucius was undoubtedly one of King Arthur's greatest lifelong adversaries.
And during the first viewing, the power displayed by King Arthur as Saber had surely shaken countless viewers.
The Sword Emperor Lucius would be no less formidable. This was a fierce warrior who had once defeated the invincible-by-day Gawain in a frontal assault and shattered Bedivere's armor with his fists!
You must understand, even Lancelot, the strongest of the Knights of the Round Table in terms of combat prowess, could not defeat Gawain in a direct confrontation while he stood under the sun. He could only blunt his edge and drag the fight until dusk for a chance at victory.
[Dracule Mihawk: "The Sword Emperor? Another legendary grandmaster swordsman? I truly wish to witness this in person. To be called a Sword Emperor at this world's level!"]
[Joseph Joestar: "Hoh? Sword Emperor Lucius... This young man's appearance doesn't match the descriptions in the legends at all..."]
[Detective Conan: "It's more than just a mismatch; it's a world of difference. No matter which epic you read, he bears no resemblance to the Sword Emperor Lucius."]
[Yukino Yukinoshita: "I think so too, but... if King Arthur can be a woman, I suppose it's not impossible for the Sword Emperor Lucius to look like this..."]
[All Riajū Should Explode: "Thinking about it that way... it seems there's no problem. The fictional elements of Lucius's story are already significant, so he doesn't necessarily have to look like the descriptions in the epics..."]
[King Arthur: "No... he... is not Lucius."]
In the Type-Moon World, Artoria gazed at the countless comments in the light curtain's comment section and spoke slowly.
Then, her gaze shifted to the 'Sword Emperor Lucius', or rather... to her final knight, Bedivere.
At this moment, Artoria's emerald-green pupils were filled with confusion and bewilderment.
Why?
Countless questions swirled in Artoria's mind.
Why would Bedivere claim to be the Sword Emperor Lucius? He should know the meaning behind that name.
And... that prosthetic arm... for some reason, my intuition tells me that prosthetic arm has a strong connection to me. But after all, I'm separated by a screen, and Merlin's magic is powerful, so I can only feel a faint sense of it.
Right now, she was more concerned about what had happened to Bedivere.
Though it was hidden deep, in the eyes of that knight... the eyes of the knight she knew so well, was a bone-deep sorrow and regret.
---o---
[On the light curtain, when the name 'Sword Emperor Lucius' was spoken, the group from Chaldea and Nitocris were clearly stunned.]
Perhaps they had never imagined that such a refined and gentle knight would be the legendary Lucius.
The only one who didn't know what was going on was Guinaifen, who was watching the show from the side.
"Lucius...? That name... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before..."
Vaguely, Guinaifen seemed to remember something. On her home planet, long since destroyed by the Antimatter Legion, there seemed to be someone with that name.
But too much time had passed, and she was just a little girl back then. So after thinking for a long time without any result, Guinaifen could only give up on reminiscing.
At that moment, the young man calling himself Lucius looked at Ritsuka Fujimaru and spoke, "It is only because I could not bear to watch any longer that I took the liberty of intervening. Perhaps I am being meddlesome, for which I ask your forgiveness."
"If you do not mind, please allow me to lend you my aid. Please feel free to make use of my sword."
He's not Lucius...
In an instant, both Da Vinci and Nitocris came to the same conclusion.
What a joke!
How could the Sword Emperor from the epic of King Arthur speak to someone with such amicability? Is that something Lucius would say?
Not to mention...
Nitocris looked at the blatantly obvious Holy City Armor on Bedivere, and a fire ignited within her. "Hmph... a mere frail knight, and you dare to speak such nonsense...! Watch as I defeat you all and take you as my slaves!"
In an instant, the two sides were at odds once again!
Nitocris commanded her Sphinx, re-engaging the group from Chaldea in battle.
This time, however, with Bedivere's intervention, the tide of battle changed. Ritsuka Fujimaru also understood that she could no longer hold back.
And so, Nitocris was almost completely overwhelmed. Even the Sphinx she summoned was destroyed.
During the battle, Da Vinci also noticed Bedivere's right hand.
"That is... that knight's right hand is...! There's no mistake, it's the radiance of the Arm of Silver!"
"It's the divine arm of the Celtic war god, Nuada! That Servant is actually using a Mystery of the Divine Spirit level as a weapon!"
A Mystery of the Divine Spirit level, no wonder he could defeat the Sphinx. Alright, the identity of this mysterious Servant has become even more enigmatic. After all, a Heroic Spirit capable of using a Mystery of the Divine Spirit level could not be simple.
Unlike the group from Chaldea, Nitocris was currently holding her head, letting out a wail, "Awaah, awaah... the Pharaoh's divine beast... the precious divine beast that Lord Ozymandias entrusted to me is gone..."
"And please hear me out, oh newly-awakened Pharaoh. Incarnation of the god Horus, Lady Nitocris," Bedivere said, walking up to Nitocris and speaking with respectful words.
"They did indeed save you. I witnessed it myself. They saw you being taken away by the Old Man of the Mountain and intervened out of a sense of justice. If you still cannot believe it, you can ask the Lancer over there..."
Following Bedivere's words, the three from Chaldea and Nitocris all turned their gazes to Guinaifen, who was watching the show from the side.
"Uhh..." Seeing this, Guinaifen first touched her head, then nodded and said, "Although I only got here after you started fighting, from this situation, it's obvious they saved you."
As the saying goes, the onlooker sees most of the game. Although she, Little Gui, didn't witness the entire process, she could tell a few things from Chaldea's attitude.
Only Nitocris, who had mistaken Mash for a Knight of the Holy City, would refuse to believe them and pursue Chaldea relentlessly.
Seeing Bedivere and Guinaifen explaining on their behalf, Ritsuka Fujimaru also took the opportunity to explain to Nitocris.
She told the panicked Pharaoh everything about their encounter with the Hassan of the Hundred Personas and their battle.
"In summary, that's the situation. So please don't be nervous, and don't misunderstand. We mean you no harm; we've only just arrived here."
After hearing the whole process, Nitocris finally understood that she had misunderstood. Her pretty face couldn't help but flush slightly. "Uh, well, um, I'm very sorry for misunderstanding you. It... it was my mistake..."
After apologizing, Nitocris received no reply. She looked up and saw Da Vinci looking at her with an 'I-told-you-so' expression.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Nitocris couldn't help but sigh. "...Ahem. Alright, I understand! As a special exception, I will host you as my guests!"
"Nameless Lancer, guests from Chaldea, and the Knight of the Silver Arm!"
"Come! The most prosperous ideal nation in this desert. I grant you the honor of entering the Radiant Great Composite Temple!"]
---o---
The Radiant Great Composite Temple!
That name, although its specific meaning was unknown, carried a strong sense of power.
Across the infinite dimensions, the viewers outside the light curtain, seeing this scene, all began to look forward to the story's continued development.
[Emilia: "The Radiant Great Composite Temple? What kind of palace is that? It sounds so strong!"]
[Ramesses II: "Hahahaha, of course! When I saw the Sphinx, I should have known! I never thought it would actually be my temple!"]
[Detective Conan: "How can this be? It's Bedivere?? A knight under King Arthur? No... why would he call himself Lucius?"]
[All Riajū Should Explode: "Indeed, Lucius is King Arthur's enemy, while Bedivere is King Arthur's knight. For him to call himself that, is he expressing his dissatisfaction with King Arthur?"]
[King Arthur: "No... Bedivere would never be such a person. He must have his reasons..."]
---o---
[On the light curtain, on the way to the Great Temple, the group encountered quite a few demonic beasts. But with the help of Mash and Bedivere, these beasts were nothing more than a disorderly mob.]
"Sigh, I never thought there would be demonic beasts even around the temple. It's truly unbelievable."
Watching Mash and the others fight, Nitocris sighed helplessly. The more this happened, the more it proved... that this world was not far from its end.
"Demonic beasts? These strange creatures look a bit like the offspring of the Sand King mentioned in books."
The Sand King, Tayzzyronth, had once inflicted indelible damage upon the cosmos. Guinaifen still recognized such a famous entity.
Oh no, don't tell me I've traveled to some corner of the cosmos ravaged by the Swarm.
You have to know, even though the Aeon of Propagation had fallen, there were still countless Swarm creatures roaming the interstellar space. The bugs on some planets had yet to be completely eradicated.
Thinking of this, Guinaifen couldn't help but gulp. But... she still raised her phone to take a picture.
There was no point in thinking so much. It was better to find more symbolic elements to let the Xianzhou lock onto her position.
Besides, ever since her phone mutated, the camera's pixel count had gotten higher and higher, which made Guinaifen, who already loved taking pictures, even happier.
At that moment, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Da Vinci noticed Guinaifen, who was taking pictures.
They rubbed their eyes in disbelief, then Ritsuka Fujimaru walked over to Guinaifen's side and said cautiously, "The thing in your hand, could it be... a phone?"
How should she put it? Ever since entering Chaldea, Ritsuka Fujimaru had practically never seen a phone again.
Chaldea had more advanced and convenient communication methods. This thing was not needed. Even in the world of magi, the use of smartphones was minimal.
But to see such an item, which only existed in modern human society, in the hands of a stranger, a Lancer... the sense of incongruity... was a bit too strong!
"Huh... is taking pictures not allowed here?"
Silently putting her phone away, Guinaifen looked at the cautious Ritsuka Fujimaru. Even a streamer like her didn't know how to respond.
This wasn't some rare item. Why did Ritsuka Fujimaru look like she'd seen a ghost?
"No, no, it's just that I was surprised to see the thing in your hand. It's a bit rude, but, nameless Lancer, may we know your true name?"
Seeing Guinaifen's action, Da Vinci promptly came over to explain.
Because the Saber of the Silver Arm had concealed his name, the group hadn't asked for Guinaifen's name either, just treating her as an ordinary Servant.
After all, the magical energy fluctuation on Guinaifen's body was very small, almost non-existent. Even Ritsuka Fujimaru's magical energy was slightly stronger than hers.
If not for the Saint Graph showing she was a Lancer, they would have thought Guinaifen was an ordinary person.
Hearing Da Vinci's words, Guinaifen also relaxed and replied, "My name is Guinaifen. 'Gui' as in cinnamon wood, 'nai' as in 'is', and 'fen' as in fragrance. It's the Xianzhou name that Sushang gave me."
"Guinaifen?" Da Vinci touched her chin. Even with her vast knowledge, she couldn't figure out which Heroic Spirit this was.
And... a Xianzhou name?
Xianzhou... what is that? It sounds like a place, but is there a region on Earth with that name?
Her speaking style sounded a bit like the accent of that mysterious ancient Eastern country.
And... since she had a Xianzhou name, it meant she had another name, which she was just not using.
That name must be the one that could prove her true identity.
Da Vinci thought to herself. Although she still had many doubts, since Guinaifen didn't bring up her other name, it wouldn't be polite for her to keep asking.
After all, they had only just met. Chaldea aside, Guinaifen's vigilance was not low.
Although she had been talking and laughing along the way, Guinaifen always maintained a sense of caution and distance.
Perhaps it was due to something she had experienced in the past, which was why she didn't open up to people so easily.
Ritsuka Fujimaru might have noticed this, which was why she had been actively talking with Guinaifen. Mash, on the other hand, was completely oblivious and was just happy that Guinaifen and Ritsuka had become friends so quickly.]
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