[Light Curtain Commentary]
Guinaifen's single sentence not only astonished the people in the footage but also made everyone outside the screen take a sharp breath.
The power of the Holy Lance was plain for all to see. In the hands of the Lion King, it was even more powerful than the Holy Sword wielded by King Arthur in the first viewing.
After all, the Lion King was the deified version of King Arthur. Her Spirit Origin scale and magical energy capacity far surpassed those of the King Arthur from the first viewing. Under these circumstances, the power of the Holy Lance had increased by an unknown number of times.
And yet, even with all that, it was still not enough to annihilate the unknown enemy.
---o---
[Light Curtain Commentary]
Sushang (Cloud Knight): "What happened? Why did Little Gui turn out like that?!"
Detective Conan: "An unknown enemy… Is this the subordinate of the Aeon of Abundance that appeared earlier? Although it's not confirmed yet, this is definitely related to the idol Tawara Touta saw and the immortal demonic beasts."
King Arthur: "Abundance… It doesn't sound like an evil existence, but… the immortal abominations…"
Yanqing, the Future Sword Master: "The Voracity of Longevity and Plague… a group that follows in its footsteps. There aren't many good people among them…"
---o---
[On the light curtain, King Arthur's Holy Lance descended. Although the distance was great, the entire area had surely been turned into a scorched wasteland.]
Under a magical blast of this level, what kind of monster could possibly survive? Could it be a god on the same level as the deified King Arthur?
"Senpai, Miss Guinaifen, she…"
Just as Ritsuka was pondering, Mash's voice came through. Guinaifen's condition had taken a sharp turn for the worse; she was incredibly weak.
"Monk Xuanzang, what exactly happened to Miss Guinaifen… Why did she suddenly become like this?"
Ritsuka turned her gaze to Xuanzang, who was examining Guinaifen, but the latter could only shake her head helplessly. They didn't even know the cause of her illness right now.
"Guinaifen's current state is most likely due to some change in her Spirit Origin."
On the other side of the virtual screen, whenever Ritsuka and her group were in peril, the Doctor would always offer his analysis. And at this moment, the Doctor was not resting either, his fingers constantly tapping on the virtual keyboard, seemingly investigating something.
"Ritsuka, you should know this as well. Guinaifen's situation is somewhat similar to Mash's. Although Guinevere's Spirit Origin exists within her body, she herself is not Guinevere."
The Doctor explained to Ritsuka as he investigated the information.
But just then, Lancelot, who had just joined the team, suddenly felt a jolt. He stared blankly at the fallen Guinaifen.
"Wait… wait a minute, what did you say? This person… is Guinevere!?"
"Hey… this can't be a joke, right?"
Lancelot, who had previously thought this had nothing to do with him, suddenly felt his brain shut down.
If Galahad's appearance had caused his heart to stop, then Guinevere's appearance was meant to send him to his grave.
"Not exactly. Although Miss Guinaifen's real name is also Guinevere, Father, she is not the same person as the Guinevere in your memory. She just possesses the same Spirit Origin, just like me and Mr. Galahad."
Mash shook her head, answering Lancelot's question.
Oh, so that's how it is…
But isn't that the same thing?!
Lancelot's pupils quaked. It didn't matter if the name was different; sharing the same Spirit Origin proved a great deal.
He suddenly looked at Guinaifen, his expression becoming extremely complicated.
What kind of expression was that?
Shock, guilt, regret, and ten thousand other emotions.
How could this be? One of the two women he felt the most guilt towards in his entire life was now right in front of him. For Lancelot to be able to restrain his emotions was already a considerable feat.
It was just… when he thought about his earlier attitude towards Guinaifen, Lancelot couldn't help but gasp.
The current Lancelot wanted nothing more than to slap himself. To actually dare to lay a hand on Guinevere—that was simply audacious beyond measure.
One must remember, Lancelot was willing to betray King Arthur just to be with Guinevere. Now that he had committed such an act, he was naturally filled with endless regret.
But soon, all these emotions transformed into a simple one: worry.
After all, Guinaifen was still lying on the ground. This was no time to be thinking about such things.
"That person from Chaldea, what exactly happened to Guinevere? You didn't use any torture on her, so why did she become like this?"
Pushing aside all other thoughts, Lancelot looked towards the Doctor on the other side of the virtual screen.
But the Doctor's fingers were still moving nonstop as he investigated the data, sighing to Ritsuka, "There's too little information; it's hard to determine anything. But… this is definitely related to Guinevere's Spirit Origin and Guinaifen's otherworldly identity."
The Doctor on the screen hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he held his tongue.
"No, for Guinaifen, for Ritsuka and the others, this would be too cruel. And I don't know what Lancelot would do for her. At the very least… I have to wait."
The Doctor's inner voice sounded. He didn't say anything more, but instead, in a guiding manner, taught Ritsuka some emergency recovery measures for Guinaifen.
"Cough, cough…"
Finally, with everyone's efforts, Guinaifen slowly opened her eyes.
And just then, on the distant mountainside, a ray of light suddenly appeared.
Because it was dawn, the light was not as dazzling as it would be in the dark of night, but under the fluctuation of magical energy, it was still very distinct.
Furthermore, not a single person present was ordinary. The Hassans, with their extremely sharp senses, quickly noticed those traces of magical energy. One must know, although the Hassans were weak in strength, their magical senses were top-notch. What's more… this kind of magical trace was their very own communication signal!
"That's… the territory!!"
"What happened? Have the Holy City's knights gone to the land of the mountain people!?"]
---o---
[Light Curtain Commentary]
Guinaifen: "N-no way, we're already miserable enough. We don't get much spotlight, and now we have to face something hopeless out of the blue? I'm not going to die, am I?!"
Sushang (Cloud Knight): "Little Gui, don't say that! You're alive and well right now, aren't you? But this light curtain footage is really… targeting Little Gui a bit too much!"
L: "This Dr. Romani seems to know quite a lot. His identity is definitely not as simple as it seems."
Detective Conan: "Something seems to have happened on the mountain people's side. It's highly likely that Tristan is carrying out his mission. It seems Agravain really did plan everything out, wanting to completely wipe out the mountain people."
---o---
[On the light curtain, the scene shifted to the village where the mountain people resided.]
Miserable screams, cries of agony, and roars of anger sounded continuously.
Flames and blood appeared in ever-increasing amounts.
The Purified Knights were slaughtering the refugees who lived here, who were now facing a most brutal massacre.
Old people, children, men, women—all were targets of the hunt. They acted like killing machines, carrying out their orders.
Even with a Heroic Spirit like Arash guarding them, the village was still engulfed in a sea of flames in a short time.
The people could only retreat continuously under Arash's protection, praying that they could leave after the knights' slaughter was over.
But how could that be possible?
Amidst this slaughter, the distant and crisp sound of a zither could be heard from time to time.
Looking closely, a handsome knight in silver armor, with long red hair and closed eyes, was killing people with the weapon in his hand.
It was a magnificent long metal bow, with several silver strings, turning the longbow into a harp.
The man plucked the strings, producing a crisp and pleasant melody, but what accompanied it were blades of air that reaped human lives.
Effortlessly, refugees were killed from a distance, and each time, a swath of them would die. A large number of Purified Knights gathered there, surrounding the western village and leaving the refugees with no escape.
The refugees who put up a desperate resistance were powerless under his harp-bow.
This person was none other than the "man of sorrows" among the Knights of the Round Table, Tristan.
As a sharp blade in King Arthur's hand, Tristan had abandoned his own emotions, becoming a perfect killing machine.
After Mordred had found the village's location, Tristan had set out, leading his troops to infiltrate the village and carry out the slaughter while Ritsuka and the others were away.
Agravain's earlier statement that Tristan was on his way was just a simple lie to deceive Lancelot.
Tristan's mission, from beginning to end, had only been one thing: the complete annihilation of the mountain people.
Amidst the cold slaughter, Tristan spoke, "How sorrowful. Fleeing, screaming, resisting—all are futile."
"In this world destined for destruction, the King has already bestowed upon you the most merciful end. You should accept it with gratitude. Why must you engage in this useless resistance now? It will only increase your suffering."
"How truly sorrowful…"
He spoke of sorrow, but his tone was cold, his cadence flat. Coupled with the endless killing at his hands, he didn't seem sorrowful at all. The feeling he gave off was more like a passive-aggressive taunt.
Then, on a high ground in the distance, another troop that had arrived midway was silently watching the slaughter below.
Mordred gazed at the burning mountain village below and let out a snort of displeasure. It seemed she was not fond of this kind of massacre.
With this much time, she would rather go and fight that woman named Li Sushang.
However, this rebellious knight did not interfere or stop it, because this was all the King's order. Even though the one who was ordered was Tristan, as a knight of the King, she absolutely could not interfere in this matter.
"Slaughter, sin, it all means nothing. But that Agravain, that guy is really getting more and more out of line!"
Muttering these words, Mordred continued to silently watch the situation below. Her eyes were cold and manic, seemingly brewing with a great deal of negative emotion.
Because Mordred had chased them to the land of the mountain people and had fought them. Although she had ultimately been defeated due to Li Sushang's appearance, a defeat was still a defeat, and she should rightfully accept her punishment.
But… just as Mordred was cheering with joy to return to the Holy City to accept her father-king's punishment, she was refused entry.
Mordred was not allowed to enter.
This made Mordred frown, ready to act out. But just then, Agravain's cold voice came from the city gate, "Mordred, I am aware of your failure. I am not surprised by it, because failure is the only useless thing you have to contribute."
Hearing this, Mordred instantly exploded. "Agravain, you bastard!!!"
However, Agravain continued to speak coldly, "You need not be angry, because your failure is already known to the King."
Mordred's anger was instantly extinguished. After a moment of silence, she asked loudly, "How will Father-King punish me?"
Agravain: "The King will not punish you, because the King's assessment of you is nothing more than a useful tool. Therefore, even if you fail, the King will not have any punishment for you."
In that instant, Mordred's eyes widened as if struck by lightning. She then lowered her head, her fists clenched tightly, her teeth gritted.
This intense humiliation and unwillingness almost made one think that Mordred was about to perform another round of "fatherly love and filial piety" on the spot.
It couldn't be helped. The Lion King's actions were too heart-chilling. She completely disregarded Mordred's existence.
One must know, Gawain had been assigned to the city wall by King Arthur for failing to guard the Holy City. Mordred had clearly wanted to receive such a lesson as well, but she was completely looked down upon by King Arthur.
Victory or defeat, King Arthur did not care.
However, after brewing in this emotion for a while, to the surprise of the viewers outside, Mordred relaxed her body and looked up, speaking to Agravain with a nonchalant expression, "Oh, so that's how it is… I'm not surprised at all. After all, this is Father-King's will."
"So, Agravain, what do you plan to do? Punish me in Father-King's stead?"
Agravain looked down at Mordred from above. "For the current you, punishment is meaningless. I will not do something so pointless."
"Since you have failed, then find a way to make up for that failure."
"The King has already located the group of rebels in the northern mountains. Sir Tristan has already set out, leading a hundred Purified Knights to the northern mountains to bestow the King's 'grace' upon those rebels."
"So, we're going to start slaughtering the mountain people? Am I going too?" Mordred raised an eyebrow, then shouted, "Alright, alright! I get it, I get it! I will complete Father-King's mission with all my strength. I will not fail again this time."
Mordred waved her hand, speaking nonchalantly.
But Agravain just shook his head and said in a low voice, "The empty mountain people can be handled by Sir Tristan alone. You have experience fighting that mysterious girl. Therefore, your mission is to join Sir Lancelot in eliminating all of the King's obstacles."]
---o---