"Boom——!"
On the battlefield, a silver-colored two-headed dragon continued its rampage. Its two ferocious jaws, capable of devouring even space itself, shattered the seventh-layer barrier, causing it to explode like shards of glass.
Under the lead of this twin-headed dragon, the grand army crossed the vast wilderness and entered the region where the Holy Capital stood.
An unstoppable momentum gradually spread across the entire battlefield.
Seeing the Holy Capital, now almost within reach, the soldiers of the Mountain People couldn't hide the excitement on their faces.
They were about to storm the Holy Capital and reclaim their war of faith.
However...
"It should be coming soon, right?"
Riding atop the dragon's back, Rozen made this calm assessment.
At that very moment—
"Buzz——!"
A humming sound, like a trembling resonance, suddenly rang through the air.
"...!"
That sound made everyone present shudder in their hearts.
"It's here!"
Artoria [Alter] was the first to snap her head up.
"It's here!"
Jeanne [Alter] shouted out.
"It's here!"
Bedivere's expression turned grim.
"It's here!"
Even Hassan of Serenity tensed her entire body, sensing a deadly threat.
And then—
The sky brightened.
No, more accurately, the already bright daylight was now overlaid with a dazzling radiance.
That light descended suddenly and without warning.
"Boom——!"
With a thunderous roar, an enormous, dazzling pillar of light fell from the sky, striking the earth below.
Seeing this, the Mountain People displayed expressions of utter terror.
Because they recognized the true nature of this pillar of light.
"The Lion King's Judgment...!"
Yes.
It was the Judgment of the Holy Lance.
With the destruction of the seventh-layer barrier that guarded the Holy Capital, the Lion King finally made her move, unleashing the Judgment of the Holy Lance to devastate the land.
"Such... such an overwhelming magical energy reading...!"
"It has exceeded 3,000,000!"
"Even stronger than the last Judgment that destroyed the Mountain People's village!"
Inside Chaldea, Roman, Da Vinci, and Olga Marie all cried out at once.
The Judgment Light descending from the heavens was even more powerful than the one that had previously annihilated the Mountain People's village, claiming the lives of two Hassans.
With such immense power, if it were to land here, at best, only thirty percent of those present might survive.
The terrifying pillar of light evaporated the atmosphere as it descended, radiating magical energy fluctuations like rolling thunder, crashing down at an alarming speed.
Faced with this—
"Mash!"
Rozen called out.
"Yes!"
A determined shout answered him.
"Boom!"
In the next instant, a figure shot into the sky as if it had shattered the air, soaring upward like an arrow.
It was Mash.
Mash raised her shield high, gazing at the Judgment Light descending from the sky.
But what surfaced in her mind was a different scene—
She saw all those helpless, small figures behind her, all raising their heads and looking up at her.
Among them—was Rozen.
(Senpai is right behind me!)
Yes.
Rozen was right behind Mash.
And since he was behind her, no matter what, she could not allow this light to fall upon him.
(I am Senpai's shield! Senpai's Servant!)
Mash had always kept this firmly in her heart.
So—
"I won't let you fall!"
Mash shouted.
"I will stand on the seat of catastrophe. That which heals all wounds and grudges, our glorious homeland."
The fortress emblem engraved on Mash's shield began to shine.
The Knights of the Round Table could not fail to recognize this emblem.
Because it was none other than the White Cliffs of Britain—Camelot.
The power Mash was about to unleash was the ultimate defense, taking the legendary Round Table at the heart of Camelot and manifesting it as her shield.
Its strength was said to be directly proportional to its wielder's mental fortitude—so long as her heart did not waver, it would never collapse.
Thus, it was an extremely unique Anti-Evil Noble Phantasm, with an unprecedented B+++ ranking.
Now, Mash had awakened it.
"Manifest!"
Mash loudly declared the name of her true Noble Phantasm.
"Now is a Castle of Distant Ideals〈Lord Camelot〉!"
The fortress emblem on Mash's raised shield suddenly radiated with brilliance.
In the next moment, a towering White Cliffs Castle rose from her shield, transforming into an unbreakable, colossal barrier that stood proudly in the sky.
"That is...!"
Standing before the front gates, Gawain's expression shifted.
"Camelot...!"
Within the Holy Capital, where he was mobilizing troops, Agravain's eyes widened.
"It finally appears..."
Riding atop a giant dragon, Bedivere was filled with nostalgia and excitement.
"Hmph!"
Artoria [Alter] gazed at the White Castle and smirked.
The eyes of the Knights of the Round Table remained fixed on the White Castle.
Because it was their former faith.
Because it was their former home.
Now, to vanquish the wicked god and reclaim humanity's future, this White Castle shone at the center of the world.
"Haaahhhh——!"
With the girl's fierce battle cry, the fortress that was once Camelot charged forth, colliding head-on with the Light of Judgment.
"Boom——!"
A thunderous impact resounded through the skies.
The blinding pillar of light crashed down upon the White Castle like a golden waterfall, endlessly striking against it.
Sparks of light scattered like embers.
Shockwaves roared like tempests.
The entire sky was bathed in radiant brilliance.
Yet, the resplendent Judgment Light failed to break through the White Castle's defense, unable to reach the army below.
Before long, the light began to dim.
A force greater than the most powerful of Noble Phantasms—by a thousandfold—had been completely blocked by the White Castle, until it vanished entirely.
The sky returned to its original hue once more.
"Yes!"
The Servants all cheered aloud.
"It was blocked...!?"
Gawain and Agravain were visibly shaken.
"It's been blocked!"
"It's been blocked!"
"The Lion King's Judgment was blocked!"
The warriors of the Mountain People rejoiced.
Heaven have mercy—since half a year ago, as residents of this land, they had lived in constant fear of that light, never knowing when it might descend upon them and bring total annihilation.
Now, the Judgment of the Lion King, a catastrophe beyond reckoning, had been entirely nullified.
As residents of this land, how could they not rejoice?
Mash, holding her still-radiant White Shield, landed on the back of a dragon while loudly declaring—
"Everyone, don't stop! Leave the Light of Judgment to me! I will never let it fall!"
To instill confidence and morale in all, Mash made this declaration.
"Yes!"
A chorus of voices responded in unison.
The army pressed forward.
Rozen did not look in Mash's direction, but he raised a thumbs-up toward her.
Seeing this, Mash smiled with joy.
"Boom——!"
At the same time, the eighth-layer barrier was shattered by the silver-colored two-headed dragon.
The Holy City—was right before them.