svetikya Chapter 124 The Knight's Redemption
Chapter 124 The Knight's Redemption
"Clang!!!"
The golden Star Sword and the street lamp, wreathed in dark demonic energy, collided violently on the narrow street.
A terrifying magical storm raged outwards from the two of them, tearing the hard asphalt road surface apart like a spider web.
The windows on both sides of the road shattered into countless flying shards of glass in an instant.
"Hooray! Arthur...!!!"
Berserker let out a roar like a beast crying blood, and through the narrow slit in his helmet, a scarlet, menacing light was fixed on the petite girl before him.
He held nothing back, unleashing his monstrous strength amplified to its extreme by the berserk attribute, transforming it into a barrage of attacks like a raging storm.
Each strike carries terrifying kinetic energy capable of easily shattering a war chariot.
That was the skill that Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake, had honed through countless trials in his lifetime, but now all that remained was pure destructive desire and endless sorrow.
If it were Artoria a few days ago, facing her former most trusted knight transformed into a demon wielding his sword against her, her heart would have instantly collapsed.
He even fell into extreme self-blame, thinking, "I destroyed Britain, I drove him mad."
But now, there was not a trace of confusion or wavering in Artoria's emerald eyes.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Faced with Berserker's ferocious attacks, which could instantly shred an ordinary Servant, Artoria did not retreat a single step.
Her feet were firmly planted on the ground, as if rooted to the spot, and the immense magical power she released made her silver armor shine like a dazzling star.
A deafening metallic explosion ripped through the night sky!
The golden holy sword and the black and red street lamps were locked together tightly.
The two extreme magical forces clashed violently at the point where the weapons clashed, creating a visible hemispherical shockwave!
The violent shockwave uprooted the trees on both sides of the street.
Despite failing to land a hit, Berserker did not pause for a moment.
Using the force of the recoil, he twisted his wrist at an extremely strange angle, and the heavy street lamp turned into a pitch-black afterimage in mid-air.
Horizontal sweep, diagonal slash, thrust, upward slash!
Like a violent storm, or mercury spilling onto the ground, Berserker's offensive, imbued with extreme madness and sorrow, completely enveloped Artoria.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Sparks flew wildly under the night sky, but Artoria did not back down; her eyes were clear as a mirror.
With each collision, Artoria seemed to feel the heavy, mournful sound emanating from the streetlight.
That was Lancelot's regret that spanned a thousand years.
"I know... Lord Lancelot."
Artoria parried a powerful downward slash, her golden hair whipping wildly in the storm.
She stared directly into those scarlet eyes, her voice piercing through the roar of magic, clear and tragic:
"You are consumed by guilt for betraying the king, and you crave punishment, you yearn for me, as the King of Britain, to bring you down in judgment."
However, in my lifetime, I only saw you as the perfect knight, but I overlooked your suffering as a human being.
My presumptuous forgiveness became the final straw that pushed you into the abyss of madness!
"Roar!"
Seemingly stung by Artoria's words, Berserker let out an even more piercing roar.
The streetlight in his hand was completely swallowed up by the dark resentment.
He leaped high into the air, like a falling black meteorite, with the power to cut through everything, and slashed down at Artoria!
This was a fatal blow imbued with the berserker's absolute obsession.
"I will no longer run away, nor will I torture you with that cruel forgiveness."
Artoria took a deep breath.
At this moment, she shed the shackles of being a "perfect king who doesn't understand people's hearts" and truly shouldered the weight of being human and the responsibility of being a king.
"Since this is the punishment you crave..."
Artoria did not release the true name of the beam cannon of Excalibur, because it was not for destroying the enemy, but for a sacred duel between a king and a knight.
She compressed and concentrated all the golden magic power within her body onto the blade without reservation.
The brilliance of the holy sword pierced the night sky of Fuyuki City at that moment, like the most dazzling first ray of dawn before sunrise.
"Then, in the name of Artoria Pendragon, Queen of Britain, I hereby sentence you to liberation!"
Just as Berserker's devastating attack was about to land...
With her absolute understanding of the Round Table Sword Technique and her unwavering resolve to face death, Artoria took a step forward.
She took the force of the falling streetlight with the armor on her left shoulder. With a "crack," the silver shoulder armor shattered, and blood splattered.
But at the same time, this also allowed her to completely penetrate Berserker's mid-line defense!
"laugh!"
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
Only the dull sound of a sharp blade precisely piercing through flesh and spirit origin.
The golden Excalibur, like an unstoppable ray of light, pierced Berserker's black breastplate with unerring accuracy from bottom to top, penetrating his soul core.
The fierce wind on the slope stopped abruptly at that moment.
All the rampaging black magic dissipated as quickly as the tide receded.
Berserker's tall figure suddenly froze, and the street lamp in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, its black and red hues dissipating into spiritual particles.
The crimson light on the helmet flickered twice before finally going out completely, revealing a pair of human-like purple eyes hidden beneath the helmet.
Those were Lancelot's original eyes.
Gone was the frenzied turbidity and resentment, only endless clarity and deep weariness.
"Ahhh..."
Lancelot let out a very hoarse, yet relieved sigh.
His powerless body slumped forward, and Artoria stepped forward, firmly supporting the former First Knight of Britain with her shoulder.
"My king..."
Lancelot's voice was soft, with a slight tremor of weakness.
He looked at the blonde girl so close to him. Her beautiful eyes no longer held the coldness of superiority, but were filled with human sorrow and perseverance.
"You've finally... decided to punish me yourself..."
A relieved smile appeared on Lancelot's lips.
That nightmare that haunted him his entire life, that guilt that suffocated his soul.
At the moment the holy sword pierced his heart, he finally received complete redemption.
"You are a great knight, Lord Lancelot, always have been."
Artoria felt the weight on her shoulders gradually lighten, and, fighting back the stinging in her eyes, spoke in the gentlest yet most resolute voice:
"I have severed all your sins, whether it be the destruction of Camelot or the grudges of the past... all have ended with this one sword."
"Really...that's great..."
Lancelot's body began to transform into countless golden spiritual particles.
He slightly raised his head, as if he could see the Kingdom of Camelot, where everyone used to sit around a round table and laugh in the sunlight.
"You truly are... the most outstanding king..."
With these words that have transcended a thousand years, Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake, completely disintegrated, turning into a shower of golden light that vanished into the night wind of Fuyuki City.
Berserker Lancelot exits the stage.
On the slope, only Artoria remained alone.
Kariya Matou had already left after summoning Lancelot, having completed his repayment to Arthur.
Artoria stood quietly, watching the golden specks of light gradually fade away.
A gentle breeze ruffled her blood-stained silver armor, and her eyes, having endured this profound grief, had become unbreakable.
Meanwhile, in the study on the second floor of the Tohsaka residence.
Standing by the window, Arthur took in everything that was happening on the mountainside.
When I saw Artoria take the initiative to step forward and pierce Lancelot's spirit core without hesitation...
A genuine smile of appreciation and satisfaction appeared on Arthur's face.
Arthur turned around and looked at the heavy iron gate of the Tohsaka residence.
There, Lancer, wielding two magic guns, one red and one yellow, had already stopped in the darkness.