Or, why don’t you find another savior?

But soon there was no time for Shiomi to think about these things.

The lifeless wilderness was not empty, but ghoul-like humans wandered around here. When they saw Shiomi and the Lion King, they pounced on them.

They have turned into monsters that only know how to kill and prey, but they are still human beings after all.

So when Shiomi jumped off the horse, he said to the Lion King half-jokingly: "I will take care of this, so there is no need to trouble the Lion King to do it himself."

"Then leave it to you."

The Lion King's attitude could not be described as calm or condescending. She took the reins and watched Shiomi fight against the zombie-like humans that surrounded them.

Chapter 38: The Lion King's Parade Part 3

"They are already as good as dead. Even if we show them mercy, we will just let them live in that state for a while longer."

After driving away these people who had transformed into zombies, Shiomi returned to his warhorse.

The ghouls shouted "fresh meat" and surrounded Shiomi like wild animals seeing food, but he drove them away with his red spear.

Apparently these beings still felt pain, and Shiomi's decision to use the gun to deliver a non-lethal blow instead of piercing them directly was exactly the right one.

However, one thing surprised him. After he took the battlefield away from the Lion King, none of these zombies rushed towards the Lion King.

Even if there is magic to cover up cognition, it will not interfere with the special way of perception of "food" by the zombie humans.

The Lion King, who was corrupted by the Holy Spear and became the goddess Longominyad, cannot be eaten.

"So, there is no need to kill them." Shiomi looked at the flawless warhorse and said,

"But when you set foot in the wilderness, you killed all the bandits you encountered." The Lion King pointed out an incident that happened just before they left the ruined city and entered the wilderness. "To you, don't all humans deserve to be saved?"

"I will save humanity, but if we keep those bandits, they will become a threat to other humans." Shiomi met the Lion King's gaze calmly, "So I will not deny or ignore the scum among humans, but I will not deny the value of the existence of humanity as a whole because of this..."

At this point, he added: "After all, the chaotic situation is closely related to the emergence of the singularity, which caused people to be displaced. As long as they are still alive, at least after human calculations, those who have not fallen will have a chance to return to their original state."

"That means repairing the singularity, which you can't do." The Lion King indifferently rejected this possibility and extended his hand to Shiomi.

"You want me to recognize the reality and submit to you again?" Xi Jian joked.

"Sit on it." The Lion King did not respond to Shiomi's joke, "It's not where you want to go yet. If you want to walk on your feet, I won't stop you."

"I haven't told you where I want to go yet."

"East Village. Morgan and his group took the remaining refugees there." The Lion King told him about this.

"Are you going to let me go?"

"That depends on your ability." The Lion King lowered his head and looked down into Shiomi's eyes, "It also depends on Morgan's ability."

She still maintained the gesture of extending her hand, as if she would continue to do so unless Shiomi refused.

Xi Jian knew that this was a response to his action when he left the ruined city, and couldn't help shaking his head: "Again, you are too lenient with me. This will become a fatal flaw in your plan."

He held the hand, and with the Lion King exerting a little force, he jumped onto the horse's back, put his hands around her back, and grabbed the reins.

"Humans will only be tolerant of their own kind who pose no threat to them, and the same goes for gods," said the Lion King.

"That's really harsh." Xi Jian laughed, "Don't you think this is dangerous? I'm just sitting behind you. Even with armor and a divine body——"

"This would be the most efficient way. The fatal flaw you mentioned exists right here, why don't you take action?" asked the Lion King.

"Yeah, why don't you do it yet?" Xijian also felt a headache.

Regardless of whether you can kill it or not, you should try everything.

Even if he couldn't succeed, at least he could make the Lion King's restraints on him ineffective.

"You are confused too." The Lion King thought so.

"No, I just think that rather than defeating you, it is more important to prioritize becoming your ally," said Shiomi.

"There is only one outcome for becoming an ally with me. That is, you will become the guardian of pure human souls and follow me to the end."

"Why don't you consider defeating the Magic King?" Shiomi suddenly asked.

Finally, the Lion King, who was always as steady as a rock when sitting on his horse, looked back at Shiomi behind him for the first time.

"Defeat the Magic King? How are you going to defeat the man who has accomplished the great feat of burning human nature?" The Lion King asked the key question.

“Well——” Shiomi did not immediately run out of words.

"The Cursed Red Spear, the Power of Life, and Gungnir. With these conditions, more than 90% of the Heroic Spirits cannot be your opponent." The Lion King said, "But with only these, how can you deal with the Magic King's Light Band?"

At this moment, in the sky of this singularity, one can still see the light bands that exist in every singularity.

Each ray of light contained within it is powerful enough to rival the Sword of Promised Victory.

The Magic King's light bands number in the billions.

"It would be nice if we could have the same number of 'Swords of Promised Victory'." Shiomi shrugged and joked, "Although it's unrealistic."

"What is that?" the Lion King suddenly asked.

“…You ask me what that is, shouldn’t this thing be—” Xijian stopped talking halfway.

He realized that he had been ignoring a problem for some time.

Why does The Lion King exist?

She had only held the Holy Lance as her main weapon for ten years during her lifetime, and did not possess the qualities to become a goddess.

"Should what?" Although the Lion King had no expression on his face, he clearly conveyed his ignorance.

The Lion King who doesn't know about the existence of the Holy Sword...?

Shiomi covered her face and fell into thought.

"No, nothing." Shiomi realized that the holy sword might be the key to unlocking the mystery of the Lion King's identity.

The Lion King stopped asking questions, no doubt thinking the matter was unimportant.

"Let's get back to the topic just now." Shiomi put aside the question for the time being and said to her: "Not only that, I have something that may be the key to dealing with the Magic King."

"What is it?" The Lion King kept looking back.

She saw Shiomi's expression and immediately knew what he meant.

"Isn't it something you don't want the Magic King to know, but at the same time the Magic King cannot know?" The Lion King turned his head and continued to look in the direction the horse was heading.

Shiomi laughed. "No matter what, your criticism is valid. But I will not give in even if we are enemies that you do not intend to fight. We will complete the repair of the seven singularities and then reach the location of the Magic King."

“It is also a human vice to be determined to start a losing war.”

"Sometimes, there is only a thin line between vice and virtue. It is too early to draw a conclusion now." Xijian said calmly.

After saying this, he shook the reins, squeezed the horse's belly, and urged Don Starlion to speed up and cross the lifeless wilderness.

It won't be long before Shiomi discovers the real reason why the Lion King agreed to this trip.

Chapter 39: Differences

Leaving the lifeless wilderness, there are the winding and rugged mountains.

The Holy City built a Round Table Fortress in the southern part of the mountain area near the desert as a frontline fortress for the expedition against the mountain people.

The Lion King, who was traveling with Shiomi, deliberately avoided the Round Table Fortress.

The mountain road was steep and difficult to walk on. After entering this area, one could only dismount and walk. Standing on the cliff and observing from afar, one could see a large number of solemn knights entering the Round Table Fortress.

"It looks like we're going to continue using military force against the mountain people?" Xijian used dry branches to stir the fire, and the burning flames jumped a little higher.

The skin of the baked river fish makes a sizzling sound.

This was a flat area on the mountainside. He lit a bonfire in a sheltered place, intending to rest here until dawn before continuing on his journey.

"We'll know soon enough." The Lion King's answer was ambiguous. "If you want to know the full picture, keep going."

"No, just rest here." said Shiomi.

Although the Lion King looked like he needed no rest at all, he wasn't that tired.

If Morgan had already led others into the village of the Mountain People, then the movements of the Round Table Fortress must be within her sight.

It is impossible to conceal the existence of a large-scale troop mobilization by escaping the sight of the enemy without an assassination corps that is proficient in concealing their aura.

Morgan should have already started preparing for the battle.

Before the Lion King and I arrived there—

"Are you planning to delay time? To avoid my presence on the battlefield when both sides are fighting?" The Lion King revealed Shiomi's thoughts.

Xi Jian pinched his chin, not panicking at all: "If you don't want to miss the opportunity, you are welcome to leave me behind and go ahead at any time. Anyway, this is outside the Holy City, without the power of the Tower of the End, and in the wilderness far away from Camelot, you can't use the Command Spell to forcibly transfer me."

He has already figured out the principle of how the Lion King uses the Command Seals to control himself in reverse.

"You're going to delay me yourself."

"That's understandable, but to be honest." Shiomi looked at the bonfire, "Camelot must be guarded by someone, and Gawain, who has the blessing of 'Nevernight', is naturally the best choice. Mordred has been transferred to another place by you, so the only Knights of the Round Table who can go to the front line to participate in the attack are Lancelot, Tristan, and Aggiven."

His eyes reflected the burning flames, and pointed out the situation on the front line of the Camelot Army.

"The Chaldean team split into two groups. Only Morgan, Scathach, and a master went to the Mountain People." The Lion King pointed out calmly, "The Mountain People have limited manpower. This level of resistance alone is not enough to become an obstacle."

Shiomi really wanted to ask if the Lion King underestimated Morgan and Master, but she immediately guessed that the Lion King must have a backup plan.

So the Lion King's sudden promise to go out for a walk with him was obviously not simple.

"I see. You plan to take me to the front line of the battlefield under the pretext of a secret tour, and watch my companions being annihilated with my own eyes, so that I will completely give up and follow you." Xi Jian understood.

He wouldn't blame the current Lion King for being a little too cruel.

For her, who had been corrupted by the Holy Spear and had long lost her human heart, ordinary moral accusations were meaningless.

If he starts talking, the Lion King might even debate with him.

But if it were someone else, even the few remaining Knights of the Round Table, if they showed a slightly disobedient attitude, they might have received the same punishment of the Holy Lance that Mordred received.

"That was just one of the goals. The subjugation of the mountain people was originally part of the plan. This work would have been carried out regardless of whether Chaldea arrived here or not. The West Village has been destroyed, and now only the East Village remains."

The Lion King revealed this in full, apparently having reached the point where even if it were leaked out it would not pose a threat to her plan.

Shiomi didn't ask any more questions about the matter. According to the speed at which he and the Lion King were moving, they would probably set out early tomorrow morning and would soon arrive near the East Village.

The village still exists today, and it must be protected by the Servants, which is why the crusade of the Knights of the Round Table has been delayed until now.

He picked up the fish that was roasting over the campfire.

That was the prey caught from the river flowing through the mountains. Shiomi wanted to have a few bites of real food before going there.

After picking up one of the fish, Shiomi handed the other grilled fish to the Lion King.

Although he took it, the Lion King had no intention of eating it, he just held it.

Shiomi was not sure whether he lost the desire to eat after becoming a god or he had no interest in such simple food.

There is no reason to ask for something back once you give it away, especially if it is food.

After he finished his meal, he leaned against the rock, closed his eyes and began to take a nap.

On a night in the desolate mountains, the wind was blowing past her ears and the temperature was moderate, and Shiomi soon fell into sleep.

However, this sleep did not last long. Around the second half of the night, an explosion was heard from a distance.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

The momentum of the campfire had died down. In the dim campsite, the Lion King did not sit opposite him. Instead, he walked out and stood on the side of the road on the cliff, looking quietly in the direction where the sound came from.

"It has already begun," said the Lion King.

Shiomi stood up from the stone where he was standing and walked towards the Lion King. He glanced at the fish that was skewered on branches and was being roasted. It was stuck back to the edge of the campfire. There were one or two bite marks on the fish.

"It seems that I won't be able to sleep peacefully until the second half of the night. The time for you and I to part ways is approaching." Xi Jian raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.

"The outcome is yet to be determined. In the final analysis, you have already signed a contract with me. Now that you are bound by the Command Seals, you are still my captive (Master)." The Lion King looked at Shiomi and said, his voice calm and majestic, not allowing for any rebuttal.

"But only for now..." Shiomi stretched out her hand and approached the Lion King's cheek.

She watched him in silence, but he simply raised his hand and wiped away the stains on the corners of the Lion King's mouth from trying to eat the fish.

"I want to talk to you, but that's Altria Pendragon as a human being, not Longominiad, the goddess here."

Looking at the flawless face again, Shiomi sighed with some regret.

"There is no difference between the two," said the Lion King.