In Singularity F of Fuyuki City, Rozen had already encountered King Arthur.
However, that King Arthur was not the historical King Arthur.
As the legendary ruler of ancient Britain, King Arthur was loyal, righteous, humble, polite, and serious, a king forever celebrated by the people. Naturally, she could not possibly be as cold and heartless as the King Arthur in the Fuyuki City Singularity.
That King Arthur was actually a manifestation of the darker, cold, and heartless side of King Arthur, corrupted by the black mud of the Holy Grail.
Even though she had never fallen into evil in life, in King Arthur's heart, there still existed confusion, inner conflict, dissatisfaction with herself, and lamentations about the world.
The King Arthur in the Fuyuki City Singularity embodied these emotions, leading to the reversal of her ideology.
Similar to how the Black Jeanne in the First Singularity was thought to be the dark side of Jeanne d'Arc, the reversed form of the true Jeanne, the King Arthur in the Fuyuki City Singularity was the reversed state of King Arthur.
Thus, that King Arthur's true name should be — Arthur Pendragon [Alter].
Alternatively — Artoria Pendragon [Alter].
— Artoria.
This was the childhood name of King Arthur.
Therefore, Artoria [Alter] was Artoria in her reversed state.
Perhaps that was what King Arthur envisioned as the "ideal king" all along.
Her goals and ideals remained unchanged, but whereas the usual Artoria would achieve her ideals through self-discipline and righteousness, the reversed Artoria believed that even tyranny was a valid means to achieve those ideals. That's why she utilized the Holy Grail's power to awaken fallen Servants and guarded the Singularity in Fuyuki City, even if it meant aligning herself with evil.
Yet, even in that state, Artoria was strong.
The usual Artoria was adept at suppressing her power, but in her reversed state, she wielded her vast magical energy without hesitation. With the Holy Grail supplying her with nearly unlimited mana, she became fearsome, capable of continuously deploying her Noble Phantasms and unleashing her holy sword. Even the great hero Hercules was no match for her.
Back then, if Rozen had not meticulously planned and leveraged the power of the Greater Grail in the final battle, defeating that King would have been impossible.
And now, that King had reappeared.
Unfortunately, upon seeing this King, Rozen immediately made a declaration.
"No, you are not King Arthur."
Indeed.
She was not King Arthur.
This was not a matter of appearance.
In terms of appearance, she was identical to the King Arthur Rozen remembered, except her body now appeared about ten years older than the King Arthur of the Fuyuki City Singularity. No longer small and youthful, she now resembled a true queen, dignified and tall, exuding the aura of a mature and commanding presence.
But Rozen's assertion that she was not King Arthur had nothing to do with her appearance. It was because of the divine aura emanating continuously from her.
Rozen could feel it — the Artoria before him was no longer human, not even a Heroic Spirit.
She was a divine spirit.
Yes.
A deity.
This fact was evident from the resonating vibrations of the coat Rozen wore and the ring on his left hand.
Thus, the only appropriate title for the figure before him was this:
The Goddess Artoria.
Exactly so.
"How is this possible...?"
Mash couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
"A divine spirit...!"
The members of Chaldea were utterly astonished.
But the other individuals present did not share the same reaction.
"Impudence!"
Sir Agravain suddenly stepped forward, shouting furiously.
"To speak so disrespectfully in the presence of the King...!?"
Agravain was enraged.
However, before the other Knights of the Round Table could react, Goddess Artoria spoke.
"It's fine."
Artoria, her face devoid of expression, spoke calmly.
"It is true that I have become a divine spirit. That is a fact. It is also true that I no longer call myself King Arthur."
For this reason, she referred to herself as the Lion King, a reflection of her self-awareness.
Artoria had transformed into the Lion King; the once King of Knights Artoria had now become a goddess.
Not a single part of this could be denied.
This was the current situation.
Rozen was puzzled.
"Why would King Arthur undergo deification?"
It made no sense.
According to legend, King Arthur could not be considered a purely ordinary human.
Before King Arthur's birth, the Roman Empire had suffered invasions from foreign enemies and began to show signs of collapse and fragmentation.
The Britannic Isles, once part of the Roman Empire's territory, fell into disarray and infighting. One of the Britannic lords, Uther Pendragon, who was defeated by the treacherous King Vortigern fifteen years prior, placed his hopes on the next generation.
Alongside his court magician Merlin, Uther planned to create a ruler who was inherently superior to ordinary humans. By combining the royal bloodline of Britain, the ideology of Britain's Red Dragon, and a noblewoman's lineage to serve as the perfect vessel, they created a child.
That child became the legendary King Arthur.
In other words, King Arthur was born with the heart of a Red Dragon and draconic traits, enabling her to produce mana through mere breathing and blood circulation. She was essentially a magic reactor of a completely different caliber compared to ordinary magus.
Because of this, King Arthur indeed had some draconic attributes, but she absolutely lacked divinity.
However, the Artoria before them not only possessed divinity but had fully transformed into a divine spirit, a goddess.
Why did this happen?
Rozen stared intently at Artoria, trying to discern the answer.
But as Rozen gazed at Artoria, she, too, stared at him.
"I know. You, too, are under the protection of divine spirits."
Artoria spoke in a detached tone, her voice transcendent.
"Though the Sun and Moon are completely unrelated to my divine status, as someone protected by deities, you have the qualifications to speak to me as an equal."
It seemed Artoria had summoned Rozen for this reason.
However, her interest in Rozen was clearly not limited to the divine blessings he carried.
"Chaldea's Master, humanity's last hope, I want to ask you something."
Artoria posed her question.
"Why have you come to this Singularity?"
This was clearly a rhetorical question.
In truth, Artoria probably wanted to ask this instead:
"Do you intend to become my enemy?"
Artoria asked directly.
The tension in the air became palpable in an instant.