Chapter 21: Glory Lies Beyond the Shore
Surrounded by the roar of the two armies clashing and the din of steel, Shirou strolled through the center of the battlefield as if no one were there, lifting his eyes to gaze at the castle atop the Holy City.
His vision pierced through the castle gates and met the gaze of the Lion King upon the throne.
"I've come, Saber."
As Shirou drew ever closer to the tightly shut gates of the Holy City, a voice laced with rage erupted from the dazzling, chaotic crowd.
"Shirou Orihara—"
The girl's figure struck like a destructive hurricane; everyone who blocked her path was sent flying. Mordred, wielding her Kingly sword with eyes burning in fury, stared fixedly at the red-haired youth in the pristine white tuxedo.
The sword in her hand bloomed with a crimson magical glow, reflecting her anger.
"Die for me!!"
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"How noisy. Agravaine, has the Holy City been invaded?"
Before the throne, the Lion King opened her eyes. Her brilliant yellow-green gaze cast toward the palace exterior, meeting the gaze of a certain someone for a fleeting moment. Her eyes trembled slightly, and she immediately looked away.
Below, Agravaine nodded.
"Yes, my King... The main gate has been breached. The enemy forces have entered the city district, and the other knights are being held back. My King, the 'Sanation' has ended. It is now up to you to decide. We shall open the Tower of the End here and establish the thousand-year kingdom that could not be realized in Britain—a kingdom of ideals that will not be invaded by anyone, nor will it invade anyone else—and we, your servants, will witness the fruits of your labor."
The Lion King nodded and then stood up.
"The waves of the end have reached my throne. Seal the Round Table; this domain shall become a staircase. Camelot will welcome an era of raging storms—in the name of the Storm King, it is time to take everything into my palm."
"As you command."
Agravaine bowed respectfully. "I shall stand guard at the sole passage to the Throne Room. May your martial luck be prosperous, my King."
Having said this, Agravaine walked away with rapid strides.
Standing before the throne, the Lion King looked far beyond the palace, exhaling slightly. She then spoke to herself, as if talking to someone else.
"...What is it about that person that makes you struggle so? Just be quiet and witness the spectacle of the ideal kingdom I am about to create."
The Lion King closed her eyes.
Space rippled slightly, and a brilliant golden radiance emerged, constructing the shape of a Noble Phantasm—the "Rhongomyniad."
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A single point of light ignited at the summit of the Holy City, and then the brilliance began to spread gradually. In the blink of an eye, that point of light had expanded into a wall of light that shrouded the entire Holy City.
Inside the temple of the "Sun King" Ozymandias.
"Lord Ozymandias, the Tower of the End has appeared in the Holy City!"
Hearing Nitocris's report, Ozymandias laughed heartily.
"Hahahaha, as expected! It seems the Lion King is about to make her move as well!"
Saying this, Ozymandias issued his orders.
"Open the eyes of the Great Temple and activate the Light of Dendra! Channel the mana allocated for anti-purification defense into the Great Bulb! I will now use all the reserves of the Great Temple to deliver a super-long-range divine punishment to the Holy City!"
"Yes! Pyramid composite armor—disengage!"
The stones at the top of the Great Temple crumbled away, revealing what had been encased within. It was a blue sphere that looked like a massive crystal ball. Inside it, electrical arcs jumped, and dangerous energy wandered violently within.
"Great Bulb, mana compression acceleration ritual, begin! Keep the output stable from the Hot Sand level to the Dark Night level!"
Nitocris reported: "Lord Ozymandias, everything is prepared!"
Hearing this, Ozymandias stood up and proclaimed loudly.
"That Lion King's Holy Spear—I shall break it with my divine thunder!"
"I can handle the defensive light of sanction; please focus on controlling the Great Bulb, Pharaoh!" Nitocris said respectfully.
"Hmph, I would do that even if you didn't tell me to!"
Having said this with a laugh, Ozymandias's tone became serious.
"All manner of divine punishment is brought down by the Pharaoh. A mere King of men who has entered the divine realm... no, perhaps you have already become an existence equal to a Goddess. However..."
A regal arrogance appeared on Ozymandias's face.
"My name is Ozymandias! King of Kings! Almighty gods, gaze upon my great achievement and despair as you bow your heads. Great Electric Sphere, Amon-Ra, open your eyes! Behold it well—Merry Ammon!"
The top of the Great Temple launched a blue-white pillar of light that pierced the firmament, striking the energy wall of the Holy City like thunderous divine punishment.
"Great divine punishment, impact! But it did not work!"
Nitocris's report followed: "There is a mana barrier on the outer wall of the Holy City; the King's lightning cannot hit the tower!"
"No need to report; I can already feel it. Hah, you are quite well-prepared, Lion King!"
Ozymandias was not surprised by this and continued.
"Then give it two more shots. No, make it ten! Convert half of my Spirit Origin into mana and accelerate the Great Temple!"
The so-called "Spirit Origin" is, in essence, a container.
In a standard Holy Grail War, summoning a Heroic Spirit actually involves calling forth their soul, for which the Holy Grail provides a container—that container is the "Spirit Origin." Heroic Spirits summoned by such means are castrated imitations. It is not that their strength is insufficient, but rather that the capacity of the "Spirit Origin (container)" is not enough to hold their full power, allowing only a portion of their "soul (power)" to be loaded in.
"Spirit Origin Ascension" (Reiki Sairin) is the process of increasing the capacity of this "container," allowing it to hold more of the soul and approach the Heroic Spirit's true strength.
The Light of Dendra was recharged with energy, transforming into huge pillars of light that struck the energy wall of the Holy City one after another. With the tenth consecutive bombardment, the energy wall enveloping the Holy City finally showed cracks.
With the appearance of the first crack, the fissure began to spread rapidly until it connected across the entire barrier, finally shattering like glass.
Seeing this, Nitocris turned back in joy and shouted.
"The Holy City's magic barrier has been destroyed! Oh King, one more strike and the victory will be ours... What!?"
What greeted Nitocris's eyes was Ozymandias, who had already begun to burn.
Seeing this scene, Nitocris could not help but show sadness. Losing half of one's Spirit Origin meant that this "Sun King" was about to...
However, Ozymandias scolded her.
"Turn your head back, Nitocris! Do not concern yourself with me! Glory lies beyond the shore; it is precisely because it is unreachable that I choose to challenge it!"
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