Pochi-chan, I used to be a princess.

Arash had not anticipated Lancelot's sneak attack and was struck by Lancelot's sword, leaving a hideous wound on his body and bleeding profusely.

Arash stepped back, looking at Lancelot who suddenly appeared in disbelief: "...The Knight of the Lake, Lancelot?! Ugh...!"

Lancelot said calmly, "Although I am wearing this armor, I am actually very good at hiding my form. Sorry, this is the end of it."

Sawamura Eriri shouted in surprise: "Are you kidding me? The Knights of the Round Table actually launched a sneak attack? How despicable!"

Spencer frowned. "What a shame for the British. By the way, Lancelot is French."

Thinking of Lancelot's nationality, Spencer's brows relaxed again.

Sayuri Sawamura held her small folding fan to her lips. "It's okay, dear. King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table are not the same people as the British today. However, after killing Leonardo da Vinci and then massacring the village with Tristan, there's no way Lancelot would join Chaldea, at least in this singularity."

Arash said calmly, "Ha... I just took a hit, it's far from over. Stay with me for a while, handsome."

Lancelot shook his head: "No, you're finished. The enemy is Arash, so using all your strength in the first strike is an absolute rule... Farewell. My sword can only show its true value when facing a powerful enemy like you."

Lancelot raised his holy sword with both hands, and a cyan light emanated from the cut surface: "O Aurora, slash upon the lake. Break all bonds, and the lake's light will surpass all others!"

[A lake-like light slashed at Arash's body, and the extremely powerful force chopped Arash away and threw him off the cliff.]

Tristan witnessed Lancelot's slash from afar on the mountain road, then turned to look at the hastily approaching Chaldeans. "That great archer has passed away... Ah, I'm utterly sad. He was given the opportunity to fight such a master, yet he was defeated by a surprise attack... It's so sad... I can't help but smile. Fate has finally caught up with you."

Tristan plucked his bowstring, a cold smile on his face. "Knights of the Round Table, Tristan. I come to take your heads. Life is unpredictable. Sometimes, meeting means parting, but there's nothing we can do about it. Killing and being killed are the norm in war. Your fate will be to burn to ashes, along with this shabby village."

Mash said sadly, "That's Sir Tristan, under the Lion King... How could he be so cruel?"

Tristan said coldly, "We've dealt with the men remaining in the village. After you're dealt with, it's the turn of the villagers who fled into the caves."

Quiet Hassan angrily demands, "Are you planning to kill everyone...? Why would you go to such lengths...?"

Tristan shook his head and sighed, "So, it's because of you, Poison Maiden. It's all because of you. You poisoned the knights of our fortress, but not for this matter. It was because you rashly acted with them that things turned out like this. My strings only tracked your footsteps. If you had escaped alone, this wouldn't have happened."

Hassan's pupils trembled: "What! It's... me? My... fault?"

Tristan said mercilessly, "Exactly. It's all your fault. You should have confessed everything in that cell and died alone. An ant should be an ant, a slave should be a slave. You should have considered your own worth long ago."

Self-blame and guilt tormented Hassan. She collapsed and screamed, "Ah... Ah, Ah!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka grabbed Serenity Hassan's arm and shouted at Tristan without hesitation, "Stop talking nonsense...!!!!"

Mashu also said to Serenity Hassan: "That's right, don't be fooled, Miss Serenity! Everyone present at the time has been tracked down...! The responsibility lies with us...! We all destroyed this village, so we all have the obligation to defeat this knight!"

Tristan's gaze fell on Mash, his expression gradually becoming stiff, then filled with shock. "This aura... How is it possible? Does that mean that man is here too...? The Heroic Spirit of the Round Table who didn't respond to the Lion King's summons, the only man chosen by the Holy Grail... Well, if this is fate, then use this bow to determine its authenticity. Let me guide you, immature Servant. Let your cries reveal who you truly are!"

Tristan exudes a cold murderous intent. His fingers pluck the strings of the harp, and an invisible blade shoots towards Mash.

[Mashu instinctively raised her shield to block Tristan's attack.]

Tristan's attack continued unabated. His fingers danced on the strings like a harp, and the beautiful music evoked subtle fluctuations in the air.

Hassan Serenity was caught off guard, her arm sliced open by an invisible blow. With a cry of pain, she cried out, "Ouch...! Master Fujimaru, this knight isn't Archer...! It's some other being!"

Mashu explains: "That's staccato...! He plucks the bowstring like an instrument, tearing through the enemy's vacuum with his arrows! But his power doesn't stop there...! He also has the Lion King's blessing!"

Tristan said melancholy, "...Hmm, how sad. Although I had no intention of using the King's Blessing against enemies like you... But this is not a power I can freely control. Even the weak will be mercilessly wielded by this cold blade... Ahhh... I am so sad. I have to send those without the Blessing to Hades again."

"No...! That's it, Tristan...!!!!!!"

Bedivere hurried over, dragging his sick body. Seeing Tristan's behavior, he sternly rebuked him.

Tristan said in astonishment, "...Another person. How could this happen... It's like a dream. I never thought you'd show up on this battlefield, and even oppose us. Ahhh... I'm so sad. One step away from burning everything to ashes. What a pity. Ahhh... This is so sad."

Bedivere angrily demanded, "Sad? Nothing could be more sad than what you've done. A man like Sir Tristan actually murdered and burned down the defenseless villagers...! Has the dignity of the Round Table reached rock bottom? Or is this what the King wants now?"

Tristan said coldly, "Foolish! As a Knight of the Round Table, wouldn't you attack innocent villagers? Knight Bedivere. That's a huge misunderstanding. It's your fault. In Britain, our merciful King did advise us not to pursue the matter further, but he never issued a ban... You only see the King's bright side. Therefore, you cannot understand the true terror of that lord. How many times do I have to say, 'The King does not understand the human heart'?"

Chapter 231 The Strongest Round Table

[“Tristan!”]

Bedivere exuded a strong murderous aura and angrily charged towards Tristan, the silver light of his right arm flashing with a sharp sword energy.

Tristan stood there calmly, his fingers hooking the strings and striking out sharp blades of sound.

[The sonic blade and sword energy collided. Bedivere's right hand shot up, and he felt the sharp aura coming from the front, twisting his body and quickly dodging.]

[Fujimaru Ritsuka loudly warned: "Look carefully, Bedivere!"]

Tristan wore a sorrowful expression, lamenting Bedivere's murderous intent. "...this rage, this sword energy... I never imagined that you, who used to be so gentle, could unleash such murderous intent... It seems that right arm is a very powerful Noble Phantasm. Judging by this, I can't show mercy... I never imagined that I would have to personally, with this bow, kill the knights who were conversing around the same round table... Kill the knights who had fought side by side against so many powerful enemies... This sorrow and pain may never heal. Can you reconsider, sir? The thought of piercing you, binding you, and severing you... My heart feels as if it's being torn apart. Ahhh...!"

Bedivere said sadly, "...I feel the same way. Although you've always been a pessimistic person, when we fight side by side, no one can match our tacit understanding like you do. Whether it's defense, offense, or anything else."

Tristan said melancholy, "Yes, that's right. We... were once friends. I'm right, Lord Bedivere."

Bedivere's eyes revealed a resolute expression as he held his gleaming silver arms across his body. "Of course, and precisely because we're friends, I can't forgive you. If what you did had the Lion King's permission, I would have stepped over your corpse and questioned the Lion King!"

Tristan sighed, "How sad! Nothing could be sadder than Sir Bedivere's wish to see my king as he is now. Even I, known as the Son of Sorrow, cannot bear to see you. Therefore, I have no hesitation in killing you here. Saving a friend from tragedy is part of friendship."

[The sound of the harp rang out, and countless invisible strings flew towards the Chaldeans. Bedivere, relying on his experience fighting Tristan, swung his silver arm and shattered the vacuum blade shot by Tristan.]

Tristan showed a surprised expression, but his playing speed was getting faster and faster. His five fingers plucked the strings, and the vacuum blade flew towards Bedivere's limbs. Bedivere's arms danced with a silver light, shattering the vacuum blade.

Mash stepped forward to protect Bedivere, raising her shield to block the vacuum blade. Bedivere took advantage of a gap in Tristan's shooting and rushed over, swinging the silver blade and injuring Tristan.

Blood splattered, but Tristan's expression remained unchanged. The radiating strings entangled Bedivere's arm, and a vacuum blade slashed at Bedivere at close range.

Mashu rushed forward, her shield shattering the Vacuum Blade, knocking Tristan back repeatedly. Bedivere broke free from the restraints of the strings and attacked Tristan alternately, leaving tragic scars on his body.

[However, no matter how serious the injury, it would not last even a second on Tristan's body. Tristan's body displayed a strong self-healing ability. The scars that were destroyed in the previous second were restored to their original state in the next second.]

【On the contrary, Bedivere showed a painful expression on his face, and his arms began to tremble.】

Tristan said calmly, "...the sound of burning flesh and bone...this is...utterly humiliating. I don't know how you acquired this silver arm, but this power is too much for you...Besides, even if it were, this power wouldn't work on me. It's a complete waste of effort."

Chitanda Eru said in surprise, "They are so powerful! Is Tristan such a powerful knight?"

In Chitanda Eru's impression, Tristan's most famous story is his love story with Isolde.

Tristan and Isolde, Romeo and Juliet, these are the two most famous love stories in Europe.

Oreki Houtarou said calmly, "If it's a legend, it's said that Tristan taunted Lancelot and Guinevere during a tournament. King Arthur was furious and challenged Tristan, but was defeated. Tristan then fought Lancelot to a draw. Palomedi, the Knight of the Round Table who defeated Gawain, was also defeated by Tristan."

Chitanda Eru was even more surprised: "So Gawain isn't the most powerful of the Knights of the Round Table?"

Fukube Rishi smiled and said, "Although Gawain is very famous, his strength is not among the top three of the Round Table. His brother Gareth, Palermoides, Lanmaroc, Tristan, and Lancelot are all better than Gawain in the Arthurian legend."

Chitanda Eru nodded in confusion: "In other words, this Tristan has not been strengthened, but weakened?"

Oreki Houtarou said, "Based on the strength Gawain displayed, he has indeed been weakened."

Mashu exclaimed in astonishment, "The enemy Servant is still alive...! Even after inflicting so much damage on him... he recovered instantly!"

Tristan looked around. "Hmm... Sir Lancelot has already come down the mountain? I did ask him to deal with that archer... but I didn't expect him to actually engage that one person. ... He's still stubborn, but never mind. The outcome won't change... Well, I don't have that much time. You'll all disappear here anyway. Let's end this useless resistance!"

[At this time, Sanzang, Tawara Tota, and Curse Arm Hassan all rushed over and together they suppressed Tristan.]

Mashu exclaimed in surprise, "Everyone...! You're all here...!"

Sanzang smiled and said, "Well, we've cleared out all the nearby scum! Sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Tristan said unhappily, "What a bunch of losers! They can't even contain a Servant of this caliber... I don't need any puppets. It seems I need to further improve the performance of the Knights of Justice."

Sanzang scolded, "You are dreaming! There is no way you will escape unscathed!"

Hassan the Cursed Wrist angrily said, "Knight of the Round Table, Tristan. You are the only one I will never forgive, no matter what...!"

Tristan said coldly, "We are no different, Old Man of the Mountain. The King will never forgive you, for if you had not resisted, his purpose would have been achieved long ago. The time has come. Please look up to the western sky. Accept your retribution with regret."

Everyone looked up at the sky. From their perspective, a golden light descended from the sky. A massive pillar of light landed on West Village, transforming the entire village into a crater.

Togashi Yuta exclaimed in shock, "So strong! Isn't this too strong? He doesn't even look like he's from the same world as the others!"

Although the hand-to-hand combat of others is also very powerful, they can usually only destroy things within a few dozen meters at most. This beam of light fell and directly swallowed up an entire village. With such powerful people, it would be meaningless to have a large number of people!

Tristan said coldly, "This is the Lion King's judgment. The Purifying Pillar of the Holy Lance, Longomyniad. How sad... There is no reason, no words. Existence itself is beautiful, yet it is so sad... As you can see, the tiny mountain village has disappeared, and it goes without saying that this village will be next. Be purified without a trace left."

Bedivere shouted in shock and anger, "Are you not crazy?! Then... could that be what King Arthur did?!"

Tristan said solemnly, "Of course! How can one enforce justice without a clear mind? To leave no one alive, our king has issued a holy decree! How can punishment be tainted by personal feelings? That king has finally completely abandoned the people!"

【Bedivere was distraught and speechless.】

Tristan said calmly, "...In five minutes, the King's judgment will fall upon this mountain. Farewell, Lord Bedivere. I don't think we'll see each other again."

[After saying this, Tristan turned and left, leaving behind a large number of Knights of Justice to hold back the Chaldeans.]

Sanzang knocked over a Knight of Supremacy with his staff and said angrily, "Jie Di... this is the final check, right? What's the point? It's not Wukong's clone, it's so dense!"

Tawaratota yells, "Enough of that! Instead of complaining, why not take action first? We can't do anything until we take care of these guys!"

Roman panicked, "Confirming the high-density magic reaction in the sky! Everyone, get out of there!"

[Cursed-arm Hassan shouts: "...How can we leave here...But Serenity, you should know exactly what we should do!"]

Quiet Hassan said firmly, "Yes! Even if we die here, we must rescue Master Fujimaru!"

Everyone gave their all, and finally defeated the Knights of Justice before the Holy Inquisition arrived.

[At the same time, a golden vortex appeared in the atmosphere, and the clouds were also reflected in gold, spinning along with the golden spear.]

Roman shouted in panic, "Directly above, the observed magic power value is over 3000000! Uh... because the highest-level Noble Phantasm's firepower is 1000 to 3000. Anyway, it's incomparable heat! Everyone, retreat quickly...! We'll be burned to charcoal!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka frowned and asked anxiously, "Where are the villagers...!?"

Mashu said sternly, "That's right, we can't be the only ones running away...! Let's go meet up with the villagers fleeing to the cave!"

"No, neither of these options is possible. Whether I run away or save them, I'll be wiped out. It was obvious from the start, wasn't it? If they get serious, this will be the inevitable outcome."

The sudden sound infuriated Hassan of Curse Arms. He shouted sternly, "Who are you?! Stop pretending to know everything! Reveal your true form, Lord Arash...!?"

[As soon as he finished speaking, Hassan of the Cursed Arms spotted Arash coming down the mountain road.]

[Arash, covered in blood, stumbles over.]

Chapter 232: A Meteor

Arash laughed heartily, "Oh, sorry, I lost my temper. I was easily defeated and fell to the bottom... Sigh. You boasted that you could hold out for two days, but ended up in such a miserable state. Complain, complain, and reprimand, all you have to say."

Mashu said worriedly, "Mr. Arash... your injuries... have already..."

Sanzang scolded him, "What nonsense are you talking about? If anyone wants to scold you, it should be for your current state! Did you come back with a body like this? Sit down now! I have to recite the sutras and teach you to cherish your body!"

Arash laughed, "Haha, I'm so grateful, but I'll enjoy it later. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, but I finally got this chance to redeem my reputation."

[Fujimaru Ritsuka shouted with a heavy expression: "Arash...?"]

Arash laughed. "Don't look so sullen. While this applies to everyone, it doesn't suit you. And by the way, a fruitless and tragic annihilation wouldn't suit you either. So, I'm going to give it my all. You guys should retreat to the cave. The survivors are in your care. Don't worry, the impact won't reach the cave. It's just that it's a little inconvenient for you to act nearby."

Bedivere seemed to sense something and asked sadly, "Sir Arash, even...even you would do such a thing..."

Arash said cheerfully, "I'm sorry, Sir Bedivere. I've been giving you so much advice, but it turns out I'm one of a kind. Really, there's nothing you can do about nature. A Heroic Spirit who doesn't aspire to be powerful has to die like this. They complete their mission and end their lives. It's like winning the game but losing the outcome. Am I right, Sir Bedivere? And you've gone even further than I have. You've already reached your limit. It's incredible that you're still standing."

Bedivere bowed his head to Arash and said respectfully, "...You are too kind, Arash. I haven't yet...made the same progress as you..."

Arash sighed, "Amazing! I didn't expect you were the only one who hadn't noticed. My awareness pales in comparison to your loyalty. Bedivere, you could have rested. No, you should have rested a long time ago. But you still brought out something like that, abandoning your only remaining happiness... Let me be clear, there's only one more time before it ends. So, this arm can only be used for the ultimate goal you decide on."

Hikigaya Hachiman's gaze fell on Bedivere's arm and speculated, "Is that the arm? If he uses it again, Bedivere will die?"

Yukinoshita Yukino said calmly, "Arash's Meteor Ichijo is a self-destructing Noble Phantasm. Arash claims that the two are similar, so Bedivere's Noble Phantasm is naturally a chronic suicide type."

Hikigaya Hachiman rubbed his temples. "Why do all these heroic spirits like to self-destruct? Seriously, isn't it better to be alive?"

Da Vinci, Arash, and Bedivere—three heroic spirits, all self-sacrificing—how many more are there? How many lives will be needed to pave the way for humanity's salvation?

Bedivere said sadly, "You already knew... my purpose... all the sins I've committed."

Arash said casually, "I'm a clairvoyant after all. When it comes to insight and comprehension, I'm not inferior to anyone... Enough of the small talk. Thank you for taking care of me all this time! Sir Hassan, take everyone to the cave!"

Hassan of the Cursed Arm said solemnly, "Yes, leave it to me. Farewell! The best ally I've met here!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka showed a rare panicked expression and looked at Arash: "Wait!?"

Before he could finish his words, Hassan the Cursed Arm grabbed Ritsuka Fujimaru's arm and took him to the cave for shelter.

Mashu and the others said goodbye to Arash with heavy hearts and ran into the cave.

Arash looked up at the spear of light spiraling through the sky, a carefree smile on his face. "Alright, everyone, stand down. Now it's time to go one-on-one with that thing overhead."

"Hmm, a worthy opponent. It's finally your turn to show your skills, Master Arash."

[A sudden sound from the side startled Arash. He turned around and saw Tawara Tota sitting on the ground. He took out a wine dish, poured some wine on it, and drank it all in one gulp.]

Arash asked in surprise, "Wait, why are you still here? Not only are you sitting on the floor, but you're even drinking some wine!"