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Legend has it that in the distant era of 14,000 years ago, a time that did not belong to humankind, a time when the primordial concept of divinity still existed.
A great disaster befell the Earth. From beyond the heavens came the vanguard of a force not belonging to this planet, the white giant known as "Sefar." It defeated all the gods and brought endless calamity to the land, nearly destroying the entire prehistoric civilization and plunging the planet into boundless suffering.
Before the civilization on the planet was completely severed, the planet crystallized within its own internal "Inner Sea of Stars" and forged a refined holy sword. With this sword, which condensed the radiance of the planet, it defeated "Sefar" and saved the gods on the planet. This sword is known as Excalibur.
After forging Excalibur, the planet also forged two other holy swords: Excalibur Galatine, which manifests scorching rays of the sun, and Arondight, which currently emits a blue light resembling that of a lake. It is the source of Lancelot's title as the "Knight of the Lake."
Although the most famous among the three divine swords of the stars is Excalibur, which defeated Sefar in the eyes of Shinji and many Type-Moon fans, Lancelot's Arondight is the most practical.
Excalibur and Galatine have a single function, which is to condense radiance and unleash a slash known as the "Light Cannon." Only Arondight has a defensive mode, a humanoid mode, and a light cannon mode (whether against a city or an army), allowing for free switching according to the situation.
The default mode for Arondight is the defense mode, which is always active, regardless of whether Lancelot is in a state of madness. Its effects include raising all Lancelot's parameters except for mana and luck by one level and doubling the success rate of saving throws (ST). In this mode, Lancelot can remain undefeated against high-level enemies of the Knight of the White Day with the bonus of the "Saint's Numbers," earning him the title of the strongest of the Round Table.
As a Berserker class servant, Lancelot has three basic attributes: strength (A), endurance (A), and agility (A+). The "+" does not indicate a higher value compared to a regular A rank, but rather the ability to momentarily burst with double the attribute value.
When the A rank is raised by one level, it becomes EX. However, the EX rank is unique and does not follow the specific standards of the A, B, or C ranks. This signified a breakthrough in this area. For example, if the upper limit of rank A is 100, then 101 is considered EX, and even 10,001 is considered EX.
Although the exact extent of the increase from the one-level boost of Arondight is unknown, it undoubtedly exceeds Gilgamesh's expectations.
The previously seamless Noble Phantasm Array revealed a flaw due to Lancelot's sudden increase in attributes, and without hesitation, Lancelot burst forth at twice the speed, like a high-speed F1 racing car charging towards Gilgamesh.
At this moment, Gilgamesh's expression changed from confidence to astonishment.
This was Lancelot's only opportunity to kill Gilgamesh.
The power of Arondight was immense, naturally requiring a corresponding price. When Lancelot used this Noble Phantasm, it would seal other Noble Phantasms, including Knight of Owner, and consume a tremendous amount of mana. Kariya, who provided mana for him, suffered excruciating pain as if being torn apart by countless blades every second. If it were not for not wanting to embarrass himself in front of Tokiomi, he would have long cried out in agony.
Realizing this situation, Gilgamesh retreated while instinctively projecting more Noble Phantasms to hinder Lancelot's progress.
"Playing this type of trickery... Damn it, damn it, damn it! To deal with a mad dog like you, this king has to get serious."
The Gate of Babylon was fully unleashed, and the trademark ripples spread throughout the entire path, filling the sky and the ground, everywhere.
Various unimaginable Noble Phantasms emerged, turning into obstacles, guarding the King of Heroes, and slaying treacherous knights.
"Oh my, oh my, is this enemy so terrifying? It is two to three times more terrifying than what the person said. But no matter how terrifying he is, there are only two things I need to do—charge forward and swing my sword!"
Lancelot was not dazzled by the light of the surrounding Noble Phantasms, and his heart was surprisingly calm.
At this moment, the only enemy in his heart was hidden within the countless ripples—Gilgamesh.
Since he had already staked everything on this one sword, he should not think about anything else, protect his vital points, close the distance, and swing his sword with all his might!
The armor was shattered.
The handguard was pierced.
The foot armor was pierced.
The valiant "Knight of the Lake" remained indifferent, as if the one being injured was not his own body, as if the blood flow was not his own.
The King's decree of "Achieving Meritorious Deeds."
The Master's wish to "Defeat Gilgamesh."
The only chance was calculated by the person with great cunning.
They all merged into Lancelot's spiritual core and infused into his beloved sword along with his mana.
The gleaming armor was shattered into pieces.
The handsome knight becomes a bloodied figure.
Excessive blood loss caused even his steps to falter.
However, Lancelot did not intend to stop his progress.
As long as he had not breathed his last breath, he would undoubtedly have accomplished his mission.
Closer.
Even closer.
Although Gilgamesh was retreating at full speed, he was unable to match Lancelot's unconventional speed.
Lancelot could already see the surprise on Gilgamesh's face as well as the hesitation deep within his eyes.
Gilgamesh's hands, which had been held in front of his chest all along, finally reached his treasury and pulled out a black, double-handed sword.
"Roar!"
Accompanied by a beast-like roar, Lancelot unleashed all his power.
Raising Arondight High, he brought it down heavily.
The giant sword held by Gilgamesh in his hand seemed as flimsy as paper, split apart by the Arondight in a single strike.
Immediately thereafter, this sword landed on the widened pupils of Gilgamesh's left shoulder.
"Not good, the wound is too shallow!"
The sensation transmitted through the holy sword weighed heavily on Lancelot's heart.
Gilgamesh's golden armor was harder than he had imagined. This sword breaks through the shoulder armor and cuts into the scapula.
At this moment, Gilgamesh completely restrained his disdainful expression. He stared at the only enemy who had managed to injure him with a gaze that was half-admiring and half-angry.
"You are impressive for being able to wound this king. Take this king's praise with you to your death."
Three sharp blades descended from above and pierced through Lancelot's chest and abdomen from different angles.
Suffering from a fatal injury, Lancelot, whose spiritual core started to dissipate, struggled to lift his head. Despite his blood-stained face, his smile did not diminish; it was a determination to face death, without fear.
"It's not just me who's going to die, but you as well."
Gilgamesh felt a sense of unease and instinctively wanted to create distance between them. However, before he could do so, Lancelot had already infused the last remnants of his mana into the holy sword embedded in Gilgamesh's shoulders. It was the mana released from his dissipating spiritual core that was used to maintain his physical form.
An everlasting lake radiance illuminated the hilt of the sword, snapping the interlocking chains at the edge of the blade and vanishing into Gilgamesh's wound along the smooth blade.
"Oh, Aurora, let the ethereal light shine like a lake's reflection beneath the strike—"
"Undying Lake Radiance" mode shifts, to Human mode, True Name release!
"——Arondight Overload: Breaking All Restraints - Overloaded Light of the Lake!"
P.S.: Saint's numerals are a special attribute of Gawain. During three hours from 9 a.m. to noon and three hours from 3 p.m. to sunset, his strength increases threefold, reflecting the sacred Celtic number "3."
P.S.2: In the Type-Moon setting, Gawain's death occurred because Lancelot delayed the battle until sunset, and his strike inflicted severe injury on Gawain. This old wound persisted until the Battle of Camlann, where Gawain was ultimately struck in the old injury by an enemy and perished on the battlefield.
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