It must be said, the Lion King had indeed been preparing for this battle.
Using the Holy Grail, she laid down layers of barriers around the Holy City.
She modified and created a large number of Knights, enhancing the combat power of the Holy City.
All of this was the doing of the Lion King.
Naturally, within her ow Castle, the defensive forces would not be any weaker than outside.
At the very least, while the number of Knights guarding this place was not as large as the main force outside, their numbers were still considerable.
Moreover, these Knights were far stronger than the ones outside, possessing power on par with proper Servants.
Clearly, these Knights had been meticulously adjusted, specifically to serve as the Royal Guards tasked with protecting the Castle and the Lion King.
Against these Royal Guards, Rozen and his group inevitably faced some obstacles in their advance.
After all, the Royal Castle had limited space—not only was Rozen unable to summon his Beast Vassals freely, but even Artoria [Alter] couldn't unleash her holy sword at will.
However, this was not a major issue.
"Boom—!"
Amidst the explosion-like sound, raging flames ignited on the Royal Guards, blowing them to pieces.
"Charge!"
At some point, Rozen had moved to the front of the group, charging forward with his eyes burning like fire—his pupils transforming into blazing eyes.
With the power of his Mystic Eyes, he blew away the incoming Royal Guards one by one.
As for those charging from outside his field of vision, they too were sent flying.
"——————"
Rozen suddenly clapped his hands together, unleashing an astonishing surge of jutsuryoku.
"Boom—!"
A jutsuryoku-formed shockwave spread outward with overwhelming force, blasting away all the charging Royal Guards.
Under such circumstances, Rozen and his group never stopped running.
Leaving aside Mash, Bedivere, and Artoria [Alter], in the past, if it were Rozen, he would have long since exhausted his stamina from this kind of non-stop sprinting. If it were the weak-bodied Rozen from his distant past, he would have collapsed from exhaustion by now.
But now, with the blessings of the Sun and the Moon, Rozen's body was enhanced threefold, his stamina recovery rate also tripled. Furthermore, although the Foreign Mana didn't improve his physical endurance, it dramatically increased his body's potential, granting him extraordinary recovery ability. Running alongside Servants like this, Rozen could not only keep up but was doing so effortlessly.
Then…
"The throne room is just ahead!"
Leading the charge and guiding the group upward, Rozen spoke up as they reached the very top of the Royal Castle.
"…!"
The group's expressions tensed as they lifted their heads to look ahead.
A majestic and imposing door stood at the deepest part of the hall, growing ever closer as they sprinted forward.
The Royal Guards had unknowingly been completely defeated, leaving none behind—now, only Rozen and his companions remained here.
They stopped before the Grand Door.
A heavy silence filled the air.
"..."
Mash tightened her expression, gripping her shield firmly in silence.
"..."
Artoria [Alter]'s eyes flashed coldly, black winds swirling around her body, making her look almost menacing.
"Finally…"
Bedivere gazed at the door with an extraordinarily complex expression.
His eyes carried excitement, fear, terror, and ultimately—only endless bitterness and a sense of relief.
The Knights of the Round Table had arrived at Camelot's highest point.
They had arrived before the Throne.
In the past, this was where the Round Table gathered.
In the past, this was where King Arthur's audience hall stood.
Now, there was only one person inside.
No, it would be more accurate to say—only one Goddess remained.
"You must be extremely careful!"
Roman's voice came through the communicator.
"The opponent is a Goddess, a Divine-level existence, and she possesses Rhongomyniad and three Holy Grails. Even the Mage King wouldn't dare challenge her recklessly. If you don't come up with a proper strategy, this won't be a joke!"
Even Da Vinci sounded unusually serious.
"Defeat the Lion King, reclaim the Holy Grail, and the Sixth Singularity will be restored—the Tower of the End plan will be thwarted. Everything depends on you now!"
Even Olga Marie couldn't help but interject.
This showed just how much expectation, anxiety, and apprehension filled this moment.
Among everyone, Rozen was the calmest.
Yes, the calmest was Rozen.
Although Artoria [Alter] appeared to be the calmest on the surface, Rozen knew very well—this time, even this dark tyrant, who had fallen into the shadows to uphold order, couldn't keep her emotions entirely steady.
Because…
The person behind that door…
Has always been Artoria herself.
Even though the one inside was no longer King Arthur, nor even human—she was still Artoria Pendragon.
This fact was undeniable.
The group's gazes collectively turned to Rozen.
Without hesitation…
"Let's go."
Rozen spoke with absolute composure.
The servants all nodded.
Then, Mash stepped forward, reached out her hand, and pushed open the Grand Door.
In the next moment, a bright and vast hall revealed itself before them.
At the same time, a surge of immense divine aura rushed out like an invisible tidal wave, enveloping the entire space as though it sought to claim the heavens and earth.
"Ugh…!"
Artoria [Alter], Mash, and Bedivere all changed expressions involuntarily.
The overwhelming divine aura felt like it was about to crush them completely—so fearsome, so powerful.
"Fwoosh…!"
Flames ignited around Rozen's coat, scattering fiery embers into the air.
"Buzz…!"
The delicate ring on Rozen's left hand trembled.
An equally astonishing divine aura rose from Rozen's body, pushing back the encroaching divine force.
Because of this, a voice, as though descending from the distant heavens, resounded in the hall.
"So, you have finally arrived here, humans."
The one who spoke these words…
Was the Goddess sitting upon the Throne.
She was the center of the divine aura.
She was the master of this place.
Her star-like eyes gazed down upon them from above, exerting an unimaginable pressure.
"…Lion King…"
A bead of sweat dripped down Mash's forehead.
"Hmph…"
Artoria [Alter] coldly stared ahead.
Bedivere saw her as well.
Then…
"Ah…"
He trembled slightly, squeezing out a voice from his throat.
It was as if he was struggling to suppress the emotions welling up in his heart—the nostalgia, the reverence, the sorrow.
But Bedivere's gaze never wavered from Artoria.
"That… is the current… King…"
Unconsciously, Bedivere gripped his silver arm.
A dazzling radiance, no less brilliant than Rhongomyniad, flickered within it—unnoticed by all.
As if recognizing its true master.