Soon, they reached the Holy City.
Surrounded by majestic white walls, the capital bore no resemblance to the Jerusalem they were accustomed to hearing about. Countless refugees, seeking entry into this utopian world, free from all sins and hermetically sealed from external threats by the will of the Pure White Lion King, crowded at the enormous gates of the Holy City.
"Where are you going?" Da Vinci-chan asked displeasantly when Deadpool, who had been silent since the skirmish with the archer-knight, got out of the car.
"Reconnaissance. Wait here."
Normally, Deadpool would either protest vehemently or crack another joke, but now he answered curtly and disappeared into the crowd.
Ritsuka and Mash, sitting in the back seat, were still replaying that argument in their minds. They had barely managed to escape, catching only Deadpool's head on the fly after his reckless attempt to fight the archer alone.
"M-hmm… Listen, I didn't miss anything, did I?"
As soon as they left Egyptian lands, their connection with Chaldea was miraculously restored. Romani immediately began checking if everything was alright with Ritsuka's group. However, the connection was established in the midst of oppressive silence, and now Romani merely shifted his gaze awkwardly from a somber Da Vinci-chan to Deadpool.
"Nothing special," Ritsuka replied.
"They just had a bit of a… spat," Mash added.
They decided not to report to Romani that Deadpool had rushed into a hopeless battle instead of Mash, almost putting everyone in mortal danger.
"Oh… Alright then. Understood. I won't ask anymore. But more importantly: what's going on? Judging by the coordinates and date I entered, this should be Jerusalem in the thirteenth century."
While Da Vinci-chan remained silent, Ritsuka briefly recounted to Romani everything that had happened since their arrival.
"Hmm. Strange. Even if there was a glitch in the Leifshift, we couldn't have been sent to an era where the destruction of the anthropocentric order is in full swing… It seems this singularity is far more distorted than the others."
"Yes, yes, thank you for the lecture," Da Vinci-chan had apparently cooled down a bit or simply felt relieved that the disturber of the peace was out of sight. She hastily broke the connection with Romani and handed Ritsuka and Mash cloaks. "If this guy isn't coming back, it means he's lazing around somewhere again. Let's take a look ourselves. And put these on so you don't stand out too much."
There was utter chaos at the entrance to the Holy City. Thousands of refugees, hoping for salvation from the horrors of a dying world, had turned the square in front of the gates into a semblance of a marketplace. Everyone mingled here: exhausted people waiting for a miracle, merchants, and those hoping to profit from others' misfortune.
"Oh… I feel so lousy, like I ate a puree of rotten and sprouted potatoes, washed it down with a laxative, and am now dying in agony from suffocation while being turned inside out from both ends."
Deadpool, elaborating on his feelings in excessively nauseating detail, tried to ignore the refugees' sideways glances.
"Fou! Fou!"
Fou, who had been stealthily following Ritsuka's group, jumped onto Deadpool's shoulder and licked his cheek.
"Sigh… Well, fluffy. I don't even understand what I'm doing anymore."
His thoughts were in disarray.
Normally, seeing the archer-knight ruthlessly killing refugees, he would have rushed into battle simply to save the innocent. But when he saw Mash's eyes burning with rage and hatred, something stirred within him. It was as if a stranger whispered to him: "Go and kill that archer."
"Ah, to hell with it! It's not the first time. Hey, you readers out there! Don't get sour like old cabbage because the plot has become too serious. I don't have a split personality into three like my 'comic book self,' right? Fortunately, I'm not that bad a guy. Well, at least not as bad as him. Though he's still a scoundrel."
As he spoke this nonsense into the void, a man wrapped in a black cloak bumped into him.
"Hey, watch it. Shoulder-barging isn't a pleasant activity, you know."
"My apologies. I have urgent business… The 'selection' will begin soon. If you value your life, get away from here, far from the Holy City."
The old man under the deep hood looked emaciated, but his neat black beard and piercing gaze revealed him to be someone who clearly did not belong to the crowd of ordinary refugees.
"Fou! Fo-fou!"
"Quiet, you. Alright, fluffy. Let's go for a walk."
The stranger's words aroused Deadpool's suspicions, but patting Fou, who had licked him, he headed closer to the main gates.
"We've come so far, won't they let us in?"
"The world is collapsing, I want to get into the city at least a day earlier."
"Mom, when we enter the Holy City, will we be safe?"
"Yes. We will definitely get in, little one."
It seemed the time for the "selection" the old man had mentioned was approaching – it was getting more crowded at the gates. Deadpool was literally carried by the human current towards the very gates, where knights in heavy armor stood guard.
"Wow. What a behemoth. Is King Kong living inside there?"
Suddenly, the heavy doors began to open, and the dark night sky flared with bright daylight, as if someone had flipped a switch. The crowd stirred.
"Look! A knight is coming!"
"Oh-oh, it's a Knight of the Round Table!"
A young warrior in snow-white armor, with fair hair and green eyes, emerged from the gates with a steady stride. The refugees greeted him with jubilation; some fell to their knees, some prayed – for them, he was a true messenger of God.
"Knight of the Round Table? One of those lackeys of King Arthur?"
Deadpool had heard something about them, so he stared at the young man with curiosity.
"Refugees! I am Gawain, the Knight of the Sun. I am part of the Round Table of the great Lion King and am blessed with his gift – the 'Blessing of Eternal Day.'"
Gawain introduced himself politely and with dignity, calling for silence from the jubilant crowd.
"The King of Lions and I are aware of the hardships you have endured to reach the gates of the Holy City. Therefore, we will now conduct a 'selection' of those worthy of entering. For those who do not pass the selection, a 'sacred punishment' will be carried out."
Deadpool felt a bad premonition. The "selection" made sense – you couldn't let everyone in at once, order was needed. But the word "punishment" struck a discordant note.
At that moment, pillars of light erupted among the refugees.
"Oh-oh-oh…"
"It's started!"
The crowd held its breath, but the beams picked out only three people. No other pillars of light appeared. The knights, at Gawain's command, led the chosen ones inside.
"The selection is now concluded. The remaining refugees are declared sinners, unworthy of the Lion King's choice. Proceed with the sacred punishment."
"Are you out of your minds?! Are you serious?!"
Only three. Out of hundreds of thousands of people, three were chosen, and the rest were sentenced to death. Stunned by the absurdity of Gawain's words, Deadpool drew his pistol.
"R-run!"
The knights standing behind Gawain drew their swords and spears. In the same instant, hundreds of thousands of people fell into a panic, and the square turned into a bloody mess.
"Out of the way! Let me pass, you idiots!"
Deadpool tried to break through the surging crowd, but then Fou on his shoulder barked furiously, looking in one direction. Deadpool followed its gaze.
"Rushid! No! Please, you can't leave the child! Take him too!"
"It is not permitted. Only those chosen by the Lion King are allowed entry. Those not chosen face punishment."
"Mom!"
A boy named Rushid cried, clinging to his mother, who had passed the selection. The woman begged them to take at least her son, but the knights were unyielding. In the midst of this argument, the radiance surrounding her body suddenly extinguished.
"Change in results… Accepted. Selection canceled. It seems your soul is full of sin. Proceed with execution."
"I beg you! At least the child…"
The knight's cold visor knew no mercy. Deadpool, sensing something was wrong, lunged with all his might through the crowd of refugees, trying to make it in time. But the knight's sword, meeting no resistance, had already drawn a bloody diagonal in the air.
"Mom…"
"Rushid… Mom… it's nothing. You must… definitely… live…"
The mother collapsed, her blood staining the ground. Rushid screamed, clinging to her cooling body. But the knight, long past compassion, merely swung his sword over the child.
"This is sacred punishment."
At the moment the blade began to fall, a familiar silhouette flashed in Deadpool's vision.
"Hey! Kid!!"
Ritsuka, with despair on his face, flew towards Rushid and pulled him close. He covered the boy with himself, becoming a living shield, just as his mother had done before him. But the knight's sword did not stop.
"Hey! Do you hear me! Bastard! Stop it!"
A sudden flash – and the knight was cut in half.
"Fou… Fo-o… Fot-fo-o!"
Deadpool and Fou froze in astonishment.
The knight was struck down by Mash. In her hand was a sword, apparently taken from another opponent. She was breathing heavily and intermittently, and her gaze resembled the one Deadpool had seen during the battle with Hassan of the Cursed Arm.
"Damn it!"
His worst fears were confirmed. Realizing there was no time to lose, Deadpool jumped and rushed towards them, stepping directly on the heads and shoulders of the people gathered.
"Ma… Mash?"
Ritsuka shuddered with an unknown fear, looking into her glassy, empty eyes. It seemed she had completely lost her mind: breathing heavily, the girl frantically looked around at the approaching knights. A bloodlust emanated from her – so thick and burning that Ritsuka had never felt anything like it before.
"I will kill you…"
With that whisper, she lunged forward and threw her shield at the formation of enemies. The heavy steel embedded itself in the knight's flesh, and Mash, lunging after it, finished him off with a single kick, then swung her sword, decapitating those nearby.
"So… fast."
Deadpool knew she was strong as a demi-Servant, but her agility now exceeded any stats. And this combat style… despite being a Shield Servant, she acted extremely aggressively. And most importantly… she, who had never held anything but a shield, was now wielding a sword with virtuosity.
"Emergency. Emergency. Losses in Sector B of the Walls of Lament. Enemy classified as alien. Round Table shield found in possession.
After reporting to the commander, the knights reorganized: shield bearers stood in front, archers behind.
"I'll kill…"
Mash's eyes, having lost all sparkle, turned crimson. Leaving a bloody trail, she charged, bending unnaturally and dodging the flying arrows. However, one arrow still found its mark, embedding itself in the arm holding the shield.
"Mash!"
Ritsuka stared in horror at the fletching sticking out of her forearm.
But Mash didn't even flinch. She threw aside the shield and, with a single lunge, pulled out the arrow. Blood spurted like a fountain, her arm looked disfigured, but the moment she tensed her muscles, the wound instantly closed.
"The arm… healed?"
Ritsuka froze, deeply shocked. This scene seemed frighteningly familiar.
"Incredible. I aimed right for the elbow…"
The knights were no less stunned. Mash, possessed by a murderous rage, intercepted a spear from one of the enemies and began to hack at them, wielding two weapons at once. Forgetting her shield, she parried blows, tore and chopped apart anyone who stood in her way. When weapons broke, she resorted to her fists, crushing heavy armor as if it were paper.
"Sir Gawain! This knight… she is unusually strong."
"Away. This is not an opponent you can handle. And yet… what a familiar feeling. But this bloodlust… what is this at all…"
Gawain emerged through the ranks of warriors, drawing his blade.
Seeing him, Mash crouched low to the ground like a wild beast. Through strands of soft lilac hair, already soaked in blood, the scarlet light of her eyes gleamed.
"Die…"
With a wild roar, she leaped, unleashing a barrage of sword and spear attacks on Gawain. But the knight of the sun blocked all the onslaught with a single movement.
"You have gone mad with anger, Shield Knight. One who is meant to protect takes up a sword. You are deprived of this right. How can you call yourself a knight who protects their master?!"
Gawain felt only disgust for the creature that moved like a beast. He noticed that after the prolonged fight with his subordinates, her movements had become heavier.
"You are unworthy of the title of knight!"
With force, he threw aside her weapons and delivered a powerful punch directly to Mash's exposed abdomen.
"Kha!"
Gasping with a cough and blood, Mash flew backward, tumbling several times on the sand. Trembling all over and leaving bloody stains on the ground, she tried to get up.
"Your resilience is undeniable, I admit. But I, Gawain, the Knight of the Sun, possess the greatest defense among all members of the Round Table. Accept your punishment as a warrior who has lost honor and pride!"
Gawain assumed a fighting stance. Mash reached not for her shield, but for her sword, which had been broken during the last clash, with a trembling hand.
"Mash! No!"
Ritsuka was pierced by a feeling of acute panic. She… she might die!
"Prepare yourself!"
As Gawain lunged forward, Ritsuka, in despair, raised his right hand with Command Seals, intending to summon her.
"Hrr-raa-a-a-a!"
She also lunged forward, letting out a beastly cry.
At that moment, there was no clang of steel.
Instead, a wet sound of tearing flesh was heard, as if a blade had been deeply plunged into a carcass of meat.
"A-a…"
A familiar back appeared before Mash's eyes. The sword in her hand pierced the red Servant's chest through and through. And from the other side, the tip of Gawain's blade stopped a millimeter from her forehead.
"Hey, Mash. That's enough."
A familiar voice sounded faintly in her ear. The crimson in Mash's eyes began to dissipate. Realizing what she had done, the girl froze, and the rage on her face turned to horror.
"Alright, that's enough."
Deadpool, with an unperturbed expression, took Mash's hand, which was convulsively gripping the hilt, and forced her fingers to unclench.
"Kid!"
Without taking his eyes off Mash, Deadpool called out to Ritsuka, who was standing some distance away.
"Mister… Pool…"
Mash's eyes filled with tears, and she collapsed senselessly into the arms of the master who had rushed to her side. Ritsuka, repeatedly calling her name, together with Rushid, caught the unconscious girl.
"Find Da Vinci. I'll handle it here."
"But Wade…"
Deadpool gave him a look of such undisguised malice that Ritsuka faltered.
"Get out of here if you want to live. Quickly."
Ritsuka, without a word, slung Mash over his shoulder, took Rushid's hand, and left the battlefield.
"Stop! Don't even think you're getting away…"
Gawain, noticing the fugitives, wanted to give chase, but his path was blocked by a red fist. A dull thud – and the knight recoiled. Thanks to the Lion King's Gift, he felt no pain, but the sheer audacity enraged him.
"Listen here, you Roland's mountain gorilla. I've got a gift for you. Here, take it."
Deadpool, with exaggerated politeness, rummaged in his pockets and extended his hand to Gawain.
"Go fuck yourself, you goat."
Deadpool's gift was a proudly extended middle finger.
"Take it! You overgrown mommy's boy!"
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan