Davidian's Holy Grail War

Both Davian and Artoria are top-tier powerhouses, so their battle is bound to be incredibly intense. Davian had never fought the King so fiercely in his lifetime; this might be a completely new experience for him now.

[No, this kind of battle is beyond my control. Even if I risked physical collapse to activate my Time Control four times faster, it wouldn't be enough. The speed and frequency of their attacks are simply beyond the reach of modern magic.]

Aside from that initial burst of bullets, Kiritsugu is now completely helpless. This kind of battle is simply not for ordinary people to intervene in; any further intervention would only lead to certain death.

He looked at Alice lying there, unable to even open her eyes. If he couldn't intervene in the Servant's battle, then he could only try to get close to her. If he could get near her, there might still be a chance when the Holy Grail appeared.

"It's no use. I'm warning you not to do that. The right way is to defeat me fair and square. The Glorious Eternal Legion doesn't need to be summoned in its entirety. My battle with the Queen is out of respect for her, but I have no such feelings for you. If you try anything reckless, I will immediately summon my comrades to kill you."

During a lull in the fighting, Davian told Kiritsugu Emiya, who was standing there, not to overthink it. This battle was never Davian's limit; he was indeed fighting Artoria at his strongest. But this wasn't his full power, and both of them knew that.

But as time passed, both of them simultaneously sensed a powerful surge of magic, and shortly after, Iskandar's aura vanished. It seems the King of Heroes truly lived up to his name; the moment he made his move, the outcome was decided.

Davidian immediately intensified his offensive, intending to overwhelm Artoria with sheer power. He had caught a glimpse of the small Holy Grail emerging from Irisviel's body out of the corner of his eye; the opportunity was right before him, and if he seized it, he could escape.

Unexpectedly, however, a pure malice flowed from the smaller Grail, and both Davidan and Artoria ended their battle simultaneously. They stared in disbelief at the black sludge flowing from the larger Grail. What was this stuff? Shouldn't it have been a vast, flawless crystal of magical energy awaiting the victor?

"This isn't the real Holy Grail; it's something corrupted, isn't it?" Davidian looked at the black sludge that had already devoured Irisviel. Getting touched by this stuff would be troublesome.

"Emiya Kiritsugu! Is this what you're after?" Artoria couldn't help but feel angry. How could the Holy Grail be like this?

Even Kiritsugu Emiya was stunned; he had never known the Holy Grail had become like this. He had always longed to obtain the Holy Grail to end the endless chain of wars in the world, but reality had cruelly slapped him in the face.

What he pursued has become so corrupted that it's useless to obtain it.

Chapter 184 Land Covered by Sand

Gilgamesh, who arrived shortly after, crossed his arms and smiled as he watched the hole in the sky slowly open. There was only one person who could solve this problem. However, it was uncertain whether that person would be willing.

"Well, this is still useful to you. As long as you obtain this powerful magic, going back won't be impossible. However, obtaining this magic also means bearing this curse. What do you plan to do?"

After hearing Gilgamesh's words, David looked up at the hole in the sky that represented the curse. Black mud, rich in magic and curses, had begun to slowly overflow. Without needing to say more, he had made his choice.

"No need for further words, I am the Lord of Camelot, a hero and an embodiment of human miracles. Now, let me fulfill my duty; if this is merely a curse, then I will resolve it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a white light erupted from his body, piercing the heavens and earth. This powerful aura drew the attention of those present; it was not merely strength, but rather an embodiment of belief and will.

"However, after I leave, you must return to your seat. See you next time, King of Heroes of Uruk. I promised to repay your favor, and I will definitely find a way to do so." With that, Davidan transformed into a firebird formed of light, swallowed the small Holy Grail in one gulp, and then charged towards the hole in the sky. He would use his power to plug the hole.

[It's alright, I can see it now anyway, and you'll repay this favor soon. But until then, Lord of Camelot, you still have your own suffering to endure.]

Gilgamesh watched as the firebird that Davian had transformed into plunged into the void, the immense white light turning the entire Fuyuki sky as bright as day. Ordinary citizens stared in astonishment at the sky, then checked their watches—wasn't it nighttime?

As night fell once more, Gilgamesh smiled at Artoria beside him and uttered his parting words: "Then, farewell, King of the Knights of Britain. Accept your fate peacefully and become a hero on your throne. Forget about the Counter Force as a joke; being a guardian is not your forte."

Having said that, he vanished from this world. In retrospect, his participation in this Holy Grail War was certainly worthwhile; the connections he forged will naturally help him in the future. Witnessing such a miracle was also quite an experience.

Artoria breathed a sigh of relief; it was truly all over now. But before she left, she had something to say to her Master, to Kiritsugu Emiya:

"Kiritsugu Emiya, I understand your gaze, and I understand your pain. But accept everything in this world with equanimity. You cannot eradicate the evil in this world, nor can you sever the chain of endless war. It is precisely because of malice that the existence of goodness has its meaning. Human nature is inherently evil, but it is the goodness that confronts this evil that reveals the nobility of humanity."

After Artoria finished speaking, she said no more and directly dissolved the contract, returning to the hill. She would then accept her fate with equanimity.

Lord David, may your journey have a good ending, and may you find your king.

Meanwhile, David had already entered an endless time tunnel. To be honest, this time his journey was much more difficult than before. Back then, the white-haired magician had used extraordinary magic to throw David out of the world.

But now, Davidan has only managed to force his way back by relying on the lion helmet as a karmic connection and the immense magical power of the Holy Grail.

This kind of forceful brick-throwing tactic is tantamount to suicide; he would never have done it without the resurrection ability of the eternal phoenix.

As for the problem of the Greater Grail, let future magicians solve that. All David can do now is eliminate the harm manifested by this Holy Grail War; he can't let that black mud actually burn Fuyuki.

At this moment, in the singularity of Jerusalem, the incomparably beautiful queen summoned her former subjects. Before doing what she desired, she was willing to grant these people a choice: whether to fight against her or to submit to her, the choice remained with them.

One by one, Knights of the Round Table appeared within the summoning circle, standing silently before him awaiting his command. When the last Knight of the Round Table stood upon the earth, the king… or perhaps the god, prepared to reveal his entire plan.

But just as she was about to speak, a hole opened in the sky, and a large bird of light flew out and landed in front of her. The light faded, the armor dissipated, and David stood up straight.

He quickly grasped the situation. The Queen might have changed her mind now; she had summoned the Knights of the Round Table and was preparing to carry out her plan. So, what he had to do was...

He knelt on one knee and presented the helmet, which had been split in two: "My king, after 1,500 years, I stand before you once more. I offer you this loyalty, and I will fight for you."

That familiar voice stirred the dwindling emotions within the goddess, and her expression wavered. Humanity surged forth at that moment, nearly overwhelming her divinity, but the current Davidian was not enough.

The divinity of those fifteen hundred years still prevailed; though her eyes held emotion, it was only directed at Davidian.

The others were also shocked. Unlike those who had been summoned, their lord had come alone. And what was this all about crossing 1,500 years of time?

“David, my friend, my knight, my sword, my irreplaceable confidant. These past fifteen hundred years must have been filled with countless hardships. I have truly received your heart.”

The voice was filled with the Lion King's emotions as Artoria, and in response to Davian, she reached out and placed her hand on the lion helmet.

Her magic repaired the helmet, and the Lion King put it on without hesitation and began to announce his plans.

Upon hearing her plan, the summoned Knights of the Round Table all showed expressions of shock and indecision, but the Lion King still gave them time:

"I have gathered you all here because this plan needs you. But I also know that this goes against your beliefs. Will you follow me, leave me, or raise the flag of rebellion against me? Give me your answer at sunset."

David took it all in stride, and before the crowd dispersed, he pulled his only son aside.

"Return to your seat! You are the only one who cannot participate in this matter. This is not the lord's order, but your father's request. Gareth, my daughter."

Everyone present, except for the Lion King and Gareth himself, showed expressions of shock.

Chapter 185 The Unjust War

Everyone who heard this showed a deep look of surprise. Gareth was actually Davidian's daughter? This was the first time they had ever heard of such a thing.

Even though it was the first time they'd heard it, they immediately accepted the fact. No reason was needed; they'd always felt the two were like father and daughter. Now, it was simply a matter of blood ties.

“Father! Why? I should have stayed here and fought alongside you.” Gareth was puzzled; she was somewhat stubborn in this regard.

Since David could declare himself his daughter in front of all the heroes of the Round Table, she naturally wanted to stay here and fight alongside her father.

David Ann simply shook his head. Looking at his daughter, he unusually revealed his bias in front of everyone:

“Gareth, there is no glory in this matter. Whether it is raising the flag of rebellion against the Lion King or pledging allegiance to the Lion King, it means that there will be a bloodbath, a bloodbath within the Round Table.”

At this point, Gareth understood.

“My daughter, you are pure, you should not be involved in this, so please listen to my request as a father, return to your seat, you should not be involved in this matter.”

His words threw a cruel truth at the heads of all the Knights of the Round Table present, or rather, they revealed what they were unwilling to say.

Yes... there will inevitably be a massacre, even among the Servants. The massacre within the Round Table is unacceptable to those who still have reason.

Gareth's face showed sadness and pain, but even that sadness and pain was pure.

Davidian also lamented the situation in his heart. If Bedivere hadn't made that mistake in the first place, things wouldn't be like this now.

But it's pointless to blame Bedivere now; things have already come to this point.

"Think it over carefully, Gareth. You don't need to rush." ​​Davidian gave Gareth the same amount of time as the others, and they really didn't need to rush.

With a complicated expression, Gareth walked away to the distance to join the other Knights of the Round Table. Now, only Davian and Artoria, who had become the Lion King, remained on this desolate land.

The two men stood side by side, watching the Knights of the Round Table talking in small groups in the distance, awaiting their fate.

“It’s like a farce, don’t you think?” Artoria said, and David thought about it and found that it was indeed true.

This has become a farce.

Thinking about all this, David couldn't help but say, "Actually, I was also surprised that you made this decision, but now that I think about it, 1,500 years have passed. We've all changed, haven't we?"

"I can't even remember why I became who I am now; it's just that after a long journey, because the Magic King's humanity was burned away, I suddenly decided to do whatever I wanted. David, don't you think this is too cruel?"

Perhaps it was a sliver of humanity stirred by Davian's call that allowed the Lion King to ask such a question at this moment. But Davian simply shook his head, indicating that it was nothing to worry about.

"We did everything we could in our previous lives, but now this body is no longer the same as the one we once were. You said that the entire world's thousand-year history has been burned away by the Magic King, so what's wrong with doing whatever we want in this place without heaven or earth? If it's wrong, let it be wrong."

This could be described as extremely irresponsible, but neither Artoria nor Davian felt there was anything wrong with it.

If they want to do it, then they should do it. If they do something wrong, then someone will naturally cross countless time and space to correct everything. At that time, doing what they should do will be enough.

Agravan was already walking towards them; it seemed he was the first to reach a conclusion. David smiled; this was exactly what he had expected.

Agnes Caufield always makes choices very quickly, just like when he broke up with Morgan.

"My King, Knight of the Round Table, Agrave, once again pledges my loyalty to you. Even if I perish, this loyalty will never fade." Agrave knelt on one knee and swore his loyalty to the Lion King, who nodded.

Agravan remained kneeling there calmly, while the Lion King and Davian awaited the next person to pledge allegiance.

The wait wasn't long for either of them; Gawain arrived. Like Agravan, he knelt on one knee, offering his loyalty to the Lion King.

Finally, Tristan, Lancelot, and Mordred arrived. David looked at the setting sun and the other Knights of the Round Table who had already gathered there.

Everyone has made their choice; it's time to deliver the verdict.

Gareth and Kay stood by, waiting to see how things would unfold. Davidian would show them the end of this farce.

Because he drew his sword.

"This is my reward for your loyalty. Very well, you have remained loyal to my lord, to King Arthur. Percival, Bos, Gahoris, Palamedes, King Perinoa. I, Lord Camelot, will personally escort you back to the Throne of Heroes."

Those he called out one by one drew their weapons, and Davidian nodded to each of them, indicating that they should not hold back.

Flames erupted across the battlefield, and the Phoenix Armor clung to David's body. He charged toward the crowd, determined to end this civil war within the Round Table himself, without letting the other Round Table members get involved.

In Gareth's eyes, Davian in this fight was completely different from the past. He didn't mind getting injured, and even enjoyed trading injuries with others.

One Knight of the Round Table after another fell to his sword, even though several other Noble Phantasms struck Davian and obliterated him.

But the next moment he instantly appeared beside others and shattered their spirit cores with the flames of the phoenix.