"You, you are—"
Saber widened her eyes, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.
Archer displayed unparalleled anger.
"Where did this mongrel come from, daring to interrupt my proposal ceremony!"
The knight, dressed in armor as pristine as the surface of a lake, smiled faintly and answered with a deep and gentle voice, "Just a mere traitorous knight."
The eyes of the King of Heroes quickly scanned the man who had suddenly intruded, his face filled with blatant mockery.
"Oh, so you're not a mongrel, just a mad dog. Removing the mask, I see that your courage has grown even bolder."
The man, referred to as a mad dog by Archer, the knight who manifested in the "Berserker" class, ignored Archer's words. He simply gazed at the woman behind him with a look of longing, admiration, and slight intoxication, uttering the title that had been called countless times in his dreams.
"King!"
"Is it really you? My friend, the Knight of the Lake!"
Overwhelmed by shock and excitement, Saber forgot about her situation, forgot about the presence of the enemy, and blurted out the name of the first knight who had followed her for many years.
"So, it was the dog you once raised, Saber. No wonder you're so thrilled."
Archer's sarcasm was once again ignored by the two individuals. Lancelot shook his head at the figure that haunted his soul.
"Please don't use that title anymore. It is a title reserved for a loyal and perfect knight. I, who betrayed you, who once attacked you, am unworthy of that title."
"No, no, you are—" Saber, King Arthur, repeatedly denied, "That was never a betrayal, Lancelot!"
"Oh, King, you're still like this," Lancelot sighed deeply. "You always overlook yourself and wholeheartedly consider others. That's why we, the people, are willing to gather under your banner and fight for you. However, King, do you know that I have always hoped for you to personally punish me? I wanted you to confront me with your anger."
"Lancelot," King Arthur felt an unexplained tightness in her chest.
"If I could be sanctioned by you, if you could demand retribution from me, then I would believe in atonement. I would believe that one day I could find a way to forgive myself. The Queen would probably feel the same."
The voice of the betrayed knight, the man known as the cause of the destruction of the Knights of the Round Table, was soft but weighed heavily in King Arthur's ears. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that no words came out.
"Boring, boring, boring! It's a drama of a traitor seeking forgiveness. How dare a traitor seek forgiveness?"
Archer's face became even more vibrant with anger.
"I will tell you all that those who betray the King deserve a thousand deaths! Saber, let me be the one to punish this traitor for you!"
Once again, Noble Phantasms poured down, more numerous and faster than before. Archer seemed to be venting his fury in this manner.
"King, please step back."
Fearlessly, Lancelot looked at the storm of Noble Phantasms in the sky. He gripped the first sword that came at him with his left hand and seized the second spear with his right hand. The ownership of these treasures, originally belonging to Gilgamesh, transferred to Lancelot the moment he held them—Knight of Owner.
Then, the sword and spear danced, showcasing the martial skills that once surpassed the entire Knights of the Round Table. One after another, the Noble Phantasms were deflected.
Amidst the torrential rain of Noble Phantasms, Lancelot continued to switch between the appropriate weapons for himself. In the end, he wielded two spears in each hand, swirling them like windmills, firmly guarding himself and his King.
"Hmph, mad dog, even if you regain your sanity, haven't you gotten rid of your reckless bad habit? This time, I, the King, will blast you to pieces!"
The ripples of the Gate of Babylon almost obscured the sky, with over a hundred Noble Phantasms aimed at Lancelot.
"Simply increasing the number of Noble Phantasms has no meaning to me, King of Heroes from Babylonia. Your 'Treasures of the King' are undoubtedly powerful, but with just that, you cannot defeat me. With that 'Sword of Separation' in your hand, perhaps you still have a chance to overcome me."
Lancelot's calm expression and confident words made Gilgamesh feel an unprecedented insult.
The insult suffered by the King can only be cleansed by the blood of a bastard.
"Saber, if you don't want to die with this mad dog, stay away!"
Upon hearing Archer's words, Saber not only did not retreat but instead tightly gripped her holy sword, preparing to fight alongside Lancelot, just as they had done many times before.
"My friend, we—"
"No, my King." Lancelot raised his spear, stopping Saber from approaching. "I don't have the qualification to fight alongside you now, and it also violates the agreement with my Master. Like my Master, he doesn't seek the Holy Grail. He only wants to defeat Archer's Master, Tohsaka Tokiomi, with his power."
Tohsaka frowned and looked thoughtfully at the trees along the path, where a man in oversized sportswear stood at the end of his line of sight.
"Matou... Kariya!"
Kariya shifted his gaze away from Tokiomi and turned to Saber. "Saber. Miss Irisviel and Miss Maiya are upstairs, and Assassin is waiting there too. Leave this place to me and Lancelot."
"King, I missed the Battle of Camlann, and I regret it for the rest of my life. Please allow me to clear a path for you this time. If, if you permit, perhaps I can repay a bit of the sins burdening me."
Lancelot lowered his head, kneeling on one knee, making the most solemn request to his King, begging for redemption.
He had learned this from Kariya, an Eastern term called "redeeming oneself by performing meritorious deeds." It was the path of atonement chosen by Lancelot.
Saber looked at Lancelot, at the man who had countless times fought alongside her, whom she had entrusted Guinevere to with her own hands.
She wanted to say, as she had done before, that Lancelot was not at fault and didn't need forgiveness. But Lancelot's attitude was telling her that she couldn't do that. So what should she do?
Just as Saber was contemplating and Gilgamesh's patience was wearing thin, Kariya sighed and spoke up:
"Transgressors should be punished, that is the truth regardless of the era. King Arthur, do you, the selfless and noble king, want Lancelot to continue to be treated unjustly? Do you want him to keep spiraling into madness?"
Those words struck Saber's heart like a bolt of lightning, making her realize what she needed to do.
"Sir Lancelot, I grant you the opportunity to redeem yourself. If you can defeat Archer and stand before me once again, I will pardon your transgressions. My dear friend, I'll be waiting for you above."
Lancelot finally smiled, a hearty laugh escaping him.
"As you command, my King! Lancelot will give his all and fight for you!"
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