On the surface of the world, within the Singularity...
With the Lion King having withdrawn the Holy Lance, the once-majestic Camelot City had vanished completely, leaving only the ruins of Jerusalem it had once covered.
Since the Holy Grail was in Guinevere's possession, the Singularity could be maintained until she chose to return it.
From this perspective, Ritsuka had shown immense trust in Guinevere by entrusting the Holy Grail to her.
Beating her wings against the setting sun, Guinevere slowly descended from the sky. She was still grumbling about the Lion King's expulsion and lamenting that, after returning the Holy Sword, she would temporarily lose her connection with Lia.
Still, knowing Lia was within her, her mood remained quite good.
"Senpai, Ruler looks so beautiful when she smiles, especially with those three pairs of chicken wings on her back."
Below Guinevere, numerous Servants and the Mountain People had gathered, awaiting the outcome of the battle between gods.
As for the remaining Enforcement Knights, they had been sealed within the Tower at the End of the World along with the Lion King. Cut off from their mana supply, they had already collectively returned to the Throne of Heroes, vanishing even before Guinevere appeared.
"Mash, watch what you say! Everyone, Mash doesn't mean any disrespect! She's just hallucinating from hunger!"
To most of the Mountain People, who were unaware that the six-winged girl in the sky and the Lion King shared the same origin, she was simply the angel who had defeated their tyrannical ruler—the angel who had saved them.
Jerusalem, angels, and the teachings of the Lord spreading through this land... Guinevere's current appearance could be said to have won a massive number of believers for Him, repaying the favor of borrowing His power.
Amidst the clamor of the Mountain People, Guinevere landed. She immediately realized what they saw her as and understood that if she didn't handle the situation, Mash—who was also a savior—would be treated with hostility.
"Silence, all of you! Go and take as much food as you can carry, and return home. The Lion King has sealed herself away to reflect. From now on, you will rule this land yourselves."
To the Mountain People, Guinevere's words were the promise of an angel. They performed their most solemn rituals of respect, prostrating themselves before departing.
However, just as they were about to kneel, Guinevere—still unaccustomed to being worshipped by so many—grabbed Mash and Ritsuka and fled the scene at supersonic speed.
Flying swiftly, she soon arrived outside the Sun King's "tomb"—the ancient, magnificent pyramid.
Unlike in the game, Guinevere had confronted the Lion King shortly after the Shell of the Holy Lance was raised. This meant the Lion King couldn't spare the energy to unleash Divine Punishment on the Sun King while he was attacking the Shell.
This left the Sun King alive, though he had grown somewhat transparent from excessive mana consumption.
"Sun King, Ozymandias! Later, I will hold a banquet in the East Village. You and Sanzang are to come! After the banquet, I will return the Holy Grail so this Singularity can be repaired!"
No response came from the towering golden pyramid, but Guinevere knew he had heard her. She continued:
"As for Nitocris, she won't be returning here for now. I'll take her directly to the East Village. And thank you for your earlier assistance.
"The King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon, and the Queen of the King of Knights, Guinevere Pendragon, hereby formally express our gratitude to you, Sun King Ozymandias."
Because Guinevere held the Holy Grail, the Chaldea team didn't have to vanish immediately after reclaiming it, which would have prevented them from properly bidding farewell to everyone in this Singularity.
The reason Guinevere planned to return the Grail only after the banquet was, of course, that she also wanted to say her goodbyes properly—and hopefully meet the First Hassan one last time.
Merely observing wasn't enough; she couldn't fully comprehend the First Hassan's swordsmanship. She wanted to experience it firsthand.
This was the end, after all. It wouldn't matter if she died. Dying by the First Hassan's blade—Guinevere certainly didn't think there was any shame in that.
After Mash and Ritsuka followed her in expressing their thanks, the Sun King finally formed a face from sand and nodded. Guinevere then spread her wings once more and rejoined the procession of Servants and Mountain People already heading toward the East Village.
Perhaps due to Serenity's invitation—and their shared experience of bathing together—Nitocris had surprisingly agreed to come along instead of secretly returning to the desert alone.
When Guinevere landed with Mash and Ritsuka and told them about the banquet, not only did Touta roar with laughter and hoist his rice sack high, but all the Mountain People erupted in cheers. The Servants, meanwhile, scattered in all directions, beginning their first—and last—hunting competition in this Singularity.
Soon, night fell. Bonfires blazed throughout the East Village, and men, women, and children bustled with excitement. Guinevere stood once again on the threshing ground, continuing to instruct the Mountain People in swordsmanship.
Her swordsmanship remained as precise and deadly as ever, always targeting fatal weak points. The techniques she taught were exactly what the surviving Mountain People—those who had already put their training to the test and lived to tell the tale—craved above all else.
"Instructor, are you really leaving?"
"I've told you before, there's no need to be so sad. Once we vanish from this land, no memory of our existence will remain, neither in your minds nor in the history of humanity.
"By tomorrow, it's uncertain whether you'll even remember the sword techniques you're practicing so hard right now."
Such was the journey to restore the Human Order: fix the Singularity, return history to its proper course, and in that proper history, no trace of the restorers would remain.
The thought brought a pang of melancholy to Guinevere, yet she taught the Mountain People even more sword forms, and they practiced with even greater determination.
They believed their minds would remember nothing, but they hoped their bodies would retain the memory.
This memory persisted late into the night, until they had no strength left, and until the banquet everyone had been preparing finally began.
Tawara Touta provided an endless supply of rice, the Sun King brought wine and fruit, and Guinevere, using the flames of her skill [Execution], demonstrated her barbecue techniques for a full two hours, cooking all the game the Servants had hunted that afternoon.
Her culinary skills, once praised by the Round Table Knights in her lifetime and by Irisviel von Einzbern in the previous Holy Grail War, now earned the admiration of the Mountain People and Servants gathered here.
Was it the aroma of wine? The scent of rice? Or the fragrance of grilled meat?
Whatever the reason, Guinevere and the others spotted the Hassan of Intoxicated Smoke—thought to have been beheaded by the First Hassan—and the First Hassan himself, cloaked in black and resembling an ordinary old farmer.
He ate meat, drank wine, and sampled the fruit. After tearing his gaze away from the Sun King's booming "Hahahahahaha!" laughter, his eyes settled entirely on Guinevere, who had approached him.
"When you traveled back to Camelot with Tristan, you glared at me. You showed none of this respect then."
"That was only because—"
"Hmph. Don't bother making excuses if you didn't recognize me back then. Guinevere of Proper Human History, the one who deceived the Human Order's script and ensured the King of Knights survived Camlann Hill. I am equally curious about you. In the time we have left..."
"Let's fight!"
Having just been interrupted, Guinevere cut him off in turn. She beckoned only Mash and Ritsuka, and the four of them—Guinevere, Mash, Ritsuka, and the Hassan of Intoxicated Smoke—made their way to the deserted temple where the First Hassan lived in seclusion.