Because of Bedivere's mistake, King Arthur was unable to die, even up until the very end.
And it was precisely because of this that the Lion King was born. She was the soul of King Arthur, forced to wander this world.
Upon learning this truth, the viewers across the infinite multiverse couldn't help but be stunned.
Because Bedivere failed to return the holy sword, Artoria Pendragon, at the moment she should have welcomed death, failed to die, turning into the Lion King of today.
In a sense, the reason this Singularity had reached this point was inextricably linked to Bedivere.
---o---
Light Curtain Commentary—
Bocchi: "S-Something like this actually happened?"
March 7th: "Bedivere... didn't throw the holy sword into the lake because of his loyalty? Then, what state is King Arthur in right now? A ghost? And what's her relationship with the King Arthur we saw in the first viewing? Ahh, I'm getting dizzy."
"Let's All Explode, Normies!": "Something's not right, something is definitely off. If Bedivere didn't throw the holy sword into the lake, meaning King Arthur didn't truly die, then... why did the Heroic Spirit King Arthur appear in the first viewing? Or could it be that one can become a Heroic Spirit even without truly dying?"
Detective Conan: "...No, that's not it. Shouldn't Bedivere have thrown the holy sword into the lake on his final, third attempt after hesitating twice? Why didn't he throw it? What exactly happened during that time? Could it be that Type-Moon's history is different from the one I know?"
King Arthur: "Bedivere... he indeed threw the holy sword into the lake on the third time. In the very end, he completed the task I gave him, but..."
In the Type-Moon universe, even Artoria herself was getting confused at this moment. Was this a parallel world?
Why did the Bedivere who had returned the holy sword become a Bedivere who hadn't returned it? And why did this turn her into the Lion King?
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Could it be... something like an 'IF Route' in a galgame? Meaning, some minor change caused the original history to deviate."
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: "An IF route? Things like that actually exist? You've got to be kidding me, this isn't a game, how can something like this appear?"
L: "There is only one truth. If Bedivere isn't lying, then this is indeed an IF route, one that has deviated from proper human history... an IF route where the holy sword was not returned, and King Arthur did not truly die."
...
[On the light curtain, waking from his painful memories, Bedivere's eyes gradually grew resolute.]
The mutual slaughter within the Knights of the Round Table was certainly lamentable, but no matter the reason, the King was absolutely in the wrong now. The Lion King's choices were undoubtedly mistaken.
Bedivere remained steadfast in this belief. He gripped his prosthetic right arm, looking at Tristan with absolute determination.
"Sir Tristan, what you have experienced is truly sorrowful. But... I have already made up my mind to stand against the King. This time... no matter what happens, I will bring death back to King Arthur, because all of this... is for the King!"
As his words fell, Tristan's expression gradually turned freezing cold. For this sorrow-filled knight, this was a rare expression.
"Is that so..." His face darkened, and the Spirit Origin reaction within his body reached its absolute peak. Once detonated, it would blow up the entire territory of the mountain people along with him.
Seeing himself as nothing more than a disposable consumable, the Tristan who had completely turned himself into a tool would not hesitate in the slightest to detonate the power the Lion King had given him.
However... right at this moment, an accident... occurred.
From the distant earth, a rumbling sound suddenly echoed, like a massive earthquake, tearing the entire ground apart before reconstructing it.
A tyrannical surge of power was seeping into this land, seeping into this apocalyptic realm already on the verge of destruction.
"This... What's going on? An earthquake??"
Mash nearly lost her footing due to the sudden tremor. Bedivere caught Ritsuka Fujimaru beside him, while Lancelot immediately checked on Guinaifen's condition.
But the moment Guinaifen saw Lancelot, her neck stiffened. Relying on the balance she had honed from her acrobatics training, she maintained her footing and immediately hid behind Li Sushang.
This left Lancelot looking incredibly awkward. Seeing the wary look in Guinaifen's eyes, his heart sank to the bottom of the valley. He lowered his head, his hands not knowing where to rest.
Then, Tristan wanted to use this opportunity to leave this place. Although self-destructing would reduce the mountain people's territory to ashes and clear the obstacles for the King...
That was only the ideal scenario. Not to mention anything else, Lancelot and Mordred, who also possessed Blessings, still had a chance to escape after the magical explosion if they were desperate to survive.
He had only chosen self-destruction earlier because there was no other way. Now that he had a chance to escape, he naturally chose to retreat.
But right then, Arash, who had been keeping a close eye on Tristan's movements, charged forward. Although he was an Archer, no one would doubt his close-combat capabilities given his robust, muscular physique.
"Knight, after committing such a massacre here, you still think you can leave?"
Arash knew deeply the power of Tristan's harp-bow, so his first priority was to restrain Tristan's hands, making it so he couldn't move even a single finger.
Facing the charging Arash, Tristan simply couldn't ignore him, but he reacted swiftly, dodging the strike.
He plucked a string, and a silent blade of sound shot towards Arash's neck. Clearly, he intended to kill with a single blow.
Arash's Spirit Origin was already severely shattered; there was absolutely no chance of his survival after taking this hit.
To be honest, as the origin of the word "Archer," and with his own legendary feats, if summoned normally, Arash would definitely not be much weaker than Tristan. But alas, the current Tristan possessed a powerful Spirit Origin and the Lion King's Blessing.
Because of this, it was impossible for Arash to dodge this attack.
But just then, a figure suddenly appeared.
"Heave-ho!" A greatsword directly cleaved the blade of air apart. Mordred stood there as if nothing had happened, wiping her nose and resting her greatsword on her shoulder, speaking with a bratty tone.
"Hey, hey, you think you understand self-sacrifice better than I do? I don't see you having that kind of resolve, especially when your Spirit Origin is already breaking down."
Seeing Mordred's figure, Arash breathed a sigh of relief and smiled faintly: "Ah, true enough, but I think I can still hold on a little longer."
Clearly, for whatever unknown reason, Mordred had seemingly chosen to stand on their side. This was naturally something that made Arash happy.
Although this knight had caused quite a disaster, as long as she was willing to protect the people of the mountain, then definitely more refugees would survive because of it.
"Sir Mordred..." Seeing Mordred's figure, Tristan sighed. He placed his fingers on the bowstring, ready to continue taking action.
But right at this moment, Mordred's voice rang out again. "Sir Tristan, before we continue fighting, maybe you should care about that massive tree first. Speaking of which... it really is spectacular. Even in the Age of Gods, where mysteries were everywhere, there probably wasn't a tree this huge. It looks like it connects heaven and earth."
Following Mordred's voice, Arash, Tristan, Ritsuka Fujimaru, Guinaifen, and everyone else looked toward the source of the tremor.
In the next moment, what entered their eyes was a scene that shocked the entire infinite multiverse and everyone present.
In the distant horizon stood a tree that seemed to connect heaven and earth. Its impossibly thick trunk sprouted endless branches and leaves, radiating an astonishing life force.
"What is this? It's exactly like the magic beanstalk from the fairy tales."
Seeing this astonishing sight, Da Vinci immediately regained her energy, carefully assessing this shocking giant tree.
However... hiding behind Li Sushang, Guinaifen, upon seeing the giant tree, had a look of utter shock surface on her face.
Wait a minute, this look... it seems a bit off.
A giant tree appearing out of thin air, combined with that intense life force, and the immortal monsters Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others had mentioned earlier...
A shocking suspicion suddenly arose in Guinaifen's heart. Although she had never seen it with her own eyes, she had heard descriptions that were exactly the same. But because she wasn't certain, she turned her phone camera toward the giant tree, took a picture, and posted it to the forum.
---o---
Light Curtain Commentary—
With the appearance of the giant tree, the audience across the infinite multiverse was shocked, but they also harbored many doubts.
It should be known that ninety percent of this Singularity was a desolate, uninhabited desert. How could a tree this massive grow here? It completely defied logic.
Detective Conan: "Growing a giant tree in a desert, who did this? Whether it's the Lion King or the Sun King, they shouldn't have the ability, nor the reason to do this, right? Could it be related to that idol statue from before?"
Hashirama Senju: "What a shocking sight. The life force entwining this tree is simply staggeringly powerful. Even my Wood Release wouldn't amount to a thousandth of it..."
Ruan Mei: "Life... the power of the Abundance? This is my first time seeing such a spectacle."
Galactic Baseballer (Stelle): "The power of Abundance... as expected, it's the work of an Aeon, or at least the subordinates of an Aeon. After all, if it were really the Aeon Themselves, the commotion wouldn't be this small..."
...
[Following the anomalous changes in the Singularity, the light curtain's camera shifted to another location.]
That was Guinaifen's second home, the place that had appeared at the very beginning of the fourth viewing—the place she had transmigrated from.
At this moment, the street where Guinaifen had vanished was cordoned off tightly by the Cloud Knights, layer upon layer.
After all, a living person suddenly vanishing into thin air in Xianzhou territory... if word got out, where would the Xianzhou Alliance put its face?
However... due to the existence of the Xianzhou forums, the news of Guinaifen's disappearance/transmigration seemed to have already spread.
"Master Diviner, it's been several days, and there are still no clues or news. If this continues, I'm afraid..."
Following the voice of a lowly Cloud Knight soldier, the camera turned to a beautiful, loli-like girl with pink hair.
Exquisite attire, twin-tail loops, and aside from her petite stature and somewhat pessimistic "slimes" on her chest, there was nothing to nitpick about her.
Obviously, she was the superior of these Cloud Knights, the primary person responsible for investigating Guinaifen's disappearance case: The Master Diviner of the Xianzhou's Divination Commission... Fu Xuan.
"Has this seat not already said it? This case is of extraordinary significance to the Xianzhou. You must know, if nothing else, those folks at the IPC are just waiting to laugh at us. If we cannot find Guinaifen, how can the Xianzhou Alliance stand neutrally in the cosmos?"
Fu Xuan looked at the Cloud Knight before her. Her short stature nonetheless exuded a commanding presence that made him sweat profusely.
The Master Diviner... is truly imposing.
"Continue the search. This seat simply does not believe that someone could kidnap a person on the Xianzhou and not leave a single spiderweb or horse track behind!" (TL Note: Chinese idiom meaning 'clues' or 'traces')
Issuing the command, Fu Xuan began her divination, attempting to locate Guinaifen through computation.
But the result was naturally the same as a few days ago—nothing.
Then, right at this moment, another Cloud Knight rushed over. He looked a bit panicked as he held up a Jade Abacus and rushed toward Fu Xuan's position.
"Master Diviner, Master Diviner...!" The Cloud Knight's voice was filled with panic, as if he had encountered something terrifying.
"Look at you, panicking like this. As a Cloud Knight of the Luofu, you should remain calm in the face of all matters. Why are you in such a fluster?"
Fu Xuan frowned and scolded the Cloud Knight. But the Cloud Knight didn't reflect on his behavior in the slightest; instead, he said urgently, "No, it's not that! Master Diviner, we've discovered traces of the Abundance in the world where Guinaifen is currently located!"
"What!?" Hearing the Cloud Knight's words, Fu Xuan was stunned. After all, the place Guinaifen was at was somewhere even the Lux Arrows of The Hunt couldn't reach, yet... traces of the Abundance had appeared there.
"It's from that forum, right? Let this seat see." Fu Xuan took the Jade Abacus from the Cloud Knight's hand. Her expression changed slightly, and her pupils contracted.
Then, as if confirming something, Fu Xuan immediately ordered the Cloud Knight beside her: "This matter is of extraordinary importance. Quickly, go report to the General!"
"Yes!" The Cloud Knight took the order and left the area, not even waiting to retrieve his Jade Abacus from Fu Xuan.
Fu Xuan, meanwhile, silently stared at the picture on the forum.
She muttered under her breath: "The Ambrosial Arbor? No, this doesn't look like the Ambrosial Arbor. It looks more like something created in imitation of it. Is it those disciples of the Plagues Author? Or someone else with ulterior motives?"
"Tch, no matter what, I'm afraid a great battle is unavoidable..."
---o---