"Welcome, volunteers of the Holy Selection," said Gawain, the Knight of the Round Table standing before the second gate, looking at the many locals. "I am Gawain, Knight of the Round Table."
"Our Holy City Camelot is a flawless, pure white millennial kingdom. After passing through this main gate, an ideal world awaits you."
The locals began to cheer.
At Gawain's command, the flames on the wall suddenly flared up, revealing the figure of the Lion King on the wall to everyone's sight.
"Little Daniel, I have a bad feeling," Sanzang's brow suddenly furrowed.
"The number of people who can be led to the end is very limited." The Lion King's voice was slightly altered behind the mask, but it emerged clearly in everyone's ears. "Human nature is corrupt and ugly, therefore I shall perform a screening."
Her outstretched right hand suddenly burst with golden light.
Under the illumination of that golden light, three people in the crowd seemed to be chosen; pillars of golden light shot up from below, enveloping them.
"Souls that will never be defiled, souls that will never be wavered by evil, humans born eternally unchanging and pure for ten thousand years. It is decided that only these three shall enter the city." Leaving these cold words behind, the Lion King turned to leave. "Welcome them, Sir Gawain."
The pillars of light vanished, and the crowd fell into confusion.
Sanzang's eyes widened in shock.
For a moment, they could not understand the deep meaning behind the Lion King's words.
Until Gawain turned back to face them and explain.
"Everyone, it is truly a great pity, but this is for the sake of maintaining future generations." Gawain's face was cold. "From now on, the Holy Punishment shall commence."
Just as Gawain's voice fell, numerous Purification Knights suddenly appeared on the wall where there had been few before, holding their bows high and drawing their strings taut.
"Stop!" Sanzang's eyes glared with anger as she brandished her khakkhara and leapt down from the wall.
She couldn't kill so many Purification Knights all at once, so she could only jump down to block as many arrows as possible for the people below.
She could understand the measure of only being able to accommodate a few people in the Holy City and abandoning the rest, but she could not tolerate the atrocity of killing everyone else.
"Starting now!" While Sanzang jumped down to block the arrows, Daniel on the wall manifested all of Gareth's equipment.
He aimed his lance at the Purification Knights on the wall who were incessantly firing arrows downward and began a fierce charge.
The number of arrows suddenly decreased.
Until there wasn't a single one left.
Below the wall, Sanzang, who no longer needed to block arrows, raised her khakkhara to face the Purification Knights who had begun to show hostility toward her.
"What a pity." Withdrawing his gaze from the now silent wall, Gawain looked at Sanzang nearby. "In the end, we must cross blades."
"I finally understand why Little Daniel insisted on staying." Sanzang looked at Gawain with a solemn expression.
"Ah, I know too. That child is very clever; he must have guessed this would happen long ago." Gawain nodded and raised his sword. "It's a pity; if that child could have endured, perhaps he could have obtained Gareth's seat."
Mash and Da Vinci were currently protecting Fujimaru Ritsuka while trying to find a way to escape.
Among the three chosen by the Holy Selection, the only woman was running around with her son.
As it happened, she was bumped by someone fleeing in the opposite direction, and the child's hand was knocked loose from his mother's grip.
"Luzelde!" The mother stopped and looked anxiously at her son, who lay motionless on the ground, and crouched down to pick him up.
But her wrist was now grabbed by a Purification Knight who had walked up to her; she couldn't touch her son at all.
"Let me go!" Saria tried to break free from the Purification Knight's restraint, but the knight's hand was like an immovable iron plate.
"You have been chosen," the Purification Knight spoke like a programmed robot. "Please move into the Holy City."
"Luzelde! My son!" Saria reached out, trying to touch her son.
"That child was not chosen," the Purification Knight refused. "Your status has been selected; your freedom is no longer yours to control."
"I will obey Her Majesty, the Lion King! I'll do anything! So please! Let this child come with me!" Saria pleaded anxiously with the Purification Knight.
"No exceptions allowed." The Purification Knight was completely heartless. "An ideal soul is not permitted to have human freedom."
With that, the Purification Knight raised his sword and swung it down toward Saria.
"Stay right there and don't you dare move!" A furious voice suddenly rang out from mid-air.
The Purification Knight turned his head to look, and a familiar set of armor appeared in his field of vision.
"How is this possible!" For the first time, a hint of panic appeared in the Purification Knight's voice.
"Gareth..." Bedivere, hiding behind a pillar in the corner, also looked at the familiar armor with a face full of surprise.
But that voice was definitely not Gareth's.
Puchi!
The lance ruthlessly pierced through the Purification Knight's body; the knight couldn't even say a word before dissipating into basic particles on the spot.
"Madam, can you still move?" Flipping up his visor, Daniel revealed his face and looked at Saria. "If you can still move, then take your child, stand behind me, and don't run around blindly."
"Yes! Thank you so much, Sir Knight!" Saria excitedly held her son, who was slowly opening his eyes, and nodded gratefully to Daniel.
Casually lifting his lance, Daniel parried the swords of several other Purification Knights who rushed over, standing with his back to Saria and Luzelde.
"You can call me Daniel or Little Daniel. Also, I am not a knight."
Just as Daniel finished speaking, a sun suddenly appeared in the sky.
"What is that!"
"How can this be! Why is there a sun in the middle of the night!"
Looking at that bright sun, the locals were so frightened they froze in place.
Daniel's brow twitched, and he inwardly cried out in alarm.
This meant Gawain was going to draw his sword and fight for real!
Even the blessing 'Numeral of the Saint' had been activated by him.
"Everyone! Charge out toward the path you came from! You people from Chaldea! Blast that gate open!" Daniel shouted to the locals, who were too shocked to flee and were instead looking up at the sun and chattering incessantly, and to the trio from Chaldea.
"Although I'd really like to know how you know about Chaldea, now is not the time for questions! Mash, go help them! Da Vinci, I'll leave blasting the gate to your invention!" Fujimaru Ritsuka issued commands calmly.
He didn't look at all like the brainless kid from the anime who would jump up to face a Purification Knight head-on.
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