Jackpot.
It was definitely a jackpot.
Although Rozen couldn't possibly increase his strength threefold like Gawain—whether it was the mana within his body or the mystery at the level of divine, both were forces that even gods couldn't easily interfere with—the enhancement of various aspects was still considerable.
The abilities of Thought Acceleration, Thought Partitioning, and Virtual Ether had all been tripled. Was there even a need to explain how much this benefited Rozen?
Thanks to this, Rozen's Mind's Eye could now unlock even more effects—an immense gain.
So, even if his overall strength hadn't increased exactly threefold, it had at least doubled. And in areas where the blessing could be amplified, the enhancement was indeed threefold—a staggering boost.
"With the addition of the holy sword of the Sun, and with my body strengthened so much, my weakness in close combat is now covered."
Even though Rozen's close combat could never surpass his magic, he was satisfied.
He lifted his gaze and looked at the holy sword before him, burning with the flames of the sun. He reached out and grasped it.
"Boom!"
With a casual swing, the Holy Sword instantly left a fiery arc in its wake.
Black robes scattered sparks as the blade of the sun blazed.
At that moment, Rozen's presence outshone even the Knight of the Sun himself.
Then, as if responding to his thoughts, the Holy Sword of the Sun—Galatine—immediately dissolved into flames and vanished.
A Noble Phantasm was a materialized miracle, a crystallization of thoughts, a noble fantasy weapon constructed upon the framework of human imagination, much like magecraft.
Thus, unless it belonged to a special category, a Servant could summon and dismiss their Noble Phantasm at will without needing to carry it around physically.
Even Mash didn't summon her shield when she wasn't in combat.
Now that Rozen possessed Galatine, his Noble Phantasm naturally had the same characteristic—it could be used at his discretion.
"Being a swordsman from time to time isn't bad."
As one of the absolute top swordsmen in VRMMOs like SAO and ALO, Rozen had no aversion to swords; in fact, he was quite pleased.
The only downside was that Galatine wasn't a one-handed sword but a two-handed one.
However, reality wasn't a game, and with Rozen's current physical capabilities, wielding a two-handed sword with one hand was entirely feasible.
Of course, he had to remain mindful that this sword was also an extension of Kinu's power. As long as Kinu's summon was maintained, he could keep using it. But that was actually an advantage—
After all, this way, he never had to worry about losing the holy sword. Even if it were lost, Kinu could call it back at any time.
"From now on, Galatine is my melee weapon."
All this time, Rozen had lacked a proper sword. In close combat, he always relied on conjuring weapons with Metal Element Talismans—nothing worthy of serious recognition.
That problem was now perfectly solved.
Even so, at the end of the day, this was reality. Rozen wasn't truly a swordsman.
"Now then..."
Rozen gazed ahead.
The gates of the Holy City were now within reach.
With Gawain defeated, Rozen's forces advanced unimpeded, charging straight toward the Holy City with overwhelming momentum.
"Senpai!"
Mash called out to Rozen, ever ready to counter the Light of Judgment.
"Master!"
"Master!"
"Master!"
Hassan of Serenity, Bedivere, Jeanne [Alter], and Artoria [Alter] all called out Rozen's name.
Rozen suddenly grinned.
"Go!"
Rozen shouted toward the sky.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
There, the silver twin-headed dragon roared, ignoring the incoming volley of arrows as it dived toward the gates of the Holy City.
In an instant, the twin-headed silver dragon reached the gate.
"Boom—!"
With an explosion-like impact, the gate was shattered by the dragon's fangs.
The gates of the Holy City crumbled.
"Oooooooohhhhhhh—!"
The Mountain People erupted into ecstatic cheers.
---
"…The gate has been breached?"
From atop the city walls, seeing the scene unfold clearly, Agravain muttered to himself, falling silent.
"L-Lord Agravain...! What should we do...?"
"What do we do!?"
"The enemy is breaking through!"
The knights around Agravain were plunged into panic.
Originally, the Holy City was considered an unshakable fortress—not only did it have three layers of formidable defenses, but it was also protected by numerous Knights of the Round Table. The idea of an invasion was so absurd that no one had even entertained it. Everyone had unwavering confidence in its security.
But now, the main gate had fallen, the Holy City's knights were being pushed back, the King's Light of Judgement had failed, and even the strongest knight, Gawain, had been defeated.
Wasn't that enough to instill fear?
Agravain's gaze swept coldly over the panicked knights around him.
"Leave a third of our forces to continue shooting and delay the enemy's main and vanguard troops. Do not let a single one into the city!"
Agravain had not given up. His voice remained as icy and ruthless as ever as he issued his orders.
"Everyone else, deploy immediately! Summon all remaining forces guarding the Holy City and the Royal Palace! Slaughter every last fool who dares to invade Camelot!"
With that, Agravain turned around.
"This time, I will take to the battlefield as well."
He drew his sword from his waist.
"You think you can conquer Camelot?"
"You think you can eliminate the Knights of the Round Table?"
"You think you can defeat our King?"
"Fools—every last one of you!"
Agravain's expression twisted with fury.
"I will not forgive you!"
"This country, this ideal city—there is no place for you here!"
"Die, invaders!"
With that, Agravain led a vast force into battle.
The last of the Round Table had finally made his move.
---
At the same time, before the gates of the Holy City, Rozen and his companions dismounted from their dragon steeds one by one.
"Senpai!"
Mash rushed to Rozen's side.
"We've finally made it..."
Bedivere stared at the castle before them, his grip tightening.
"Now I've got you by the throat, Lion King."
Artoria [Alter] sneered.
The servants gathered around Rozen.
Then...
"Leave this to me. You all go ahead."
Jeanne [Alter], gripping her cursed banner, stood before the shattered gate with her back to everyone else. Her voice was casual and unconcerned.
She knew that someone had to stay behind—without a commander, the rear forces would be thrown into chaos, and the Knights of the Holy City would flood into the city, disrupting Rozen's confrontation with the Lion King.
"I'll stay too. Please trust me, Rozen-sama."
Hassan of Serenity appeared beside Rozen, smiling gently.
Both of them understood that in the battle against the Lion King, their roles were not as crucial.
Only Rozen and the remaining Knights of the Round Table needed to face the Lion King directly.
Letting them stay behind was the best choice.
Rozen didn't say much.
"I'll leave it to you."
With that, he turned away without hesitation and dashed into the Holy City.
"We entrust this to you, Miss Jeanne! Miss Serenity!"
Mash followed closely.
"Our gratitude to you both."
Bedivere bowed before quickly moving forward.
Artoria [Alter] glanced at Jeanne [Alter].
"Don't die, you posion-tongued witch."
Artoria [Alter] remarked.
"Same to you, idiot king."
Jeanne [Alter] sneered.
With that, Artoria [Alter] charged into the Holy City.
Now, only Jeanne [Alter] and Hassan of Serenity remained, facing the oncoming Knights of the Holy City.
"You will not pass this point."
Hassan of Serenity gripped her weapon tightly.
"Now, taste the flames of the Dragon Witch!"
Jeanne [Alter] grinned wickedly.
Blazing flames and toxic miasma erupted simultaneously—
Like an explosion, they engulfed the battlefield.