"Everyone, support each other! If it is hard, lend a shoulder, ask for help! Everyone must survive no matter what!"
Responding firmly to Hassan's encouragement, the group continued their escape.
"Everyone, it's okay!"
"We have the Old Man of the Mountain with us!"
"Think later! Run, run!"
Running across the scorched earth, moving away from the abominable Holy City.
"Just a little more... Mu!?"
Hassan sensed an anomaly and rushed to a parent and child.
"Are you safe, noble lady?"
"I-I'm sorry... I'm dragging everyone down..."
The woman's exhaustion was severe. She had given all her meager food and water to keep her child alive.
"Mom, are you okay...!"
"I'm okay, I'm okay... Rushd, as long as you are here... I am okay..."
"..."
"Hanam... no... perhaps your voice is just similar... but please, if something happens to me, take this child..."
"—I am not impressed, making such arrangements in front of your child."
Hassan immediately hoisted the parent and child onto his back, wrapping them with the multi-purpose cloth Hassan.
"What will become of the child left behind? Survive no matter what. You are the only one who can pour love into a child so young."
"—Khhh... Yes...!"
The refugees nodded, stopping to watch the scene.
"—Now, everyone! Hardship will surely be rewarded! Run, run——!"
"—Yes. That is right. There is hope on your path. There is a future on your path."
A mysterious boy with purple hair muttered slowly.
"Nuh——!?"
"That is fine. Advance. At the end of the path, there is the sun, and it will surely warm you. Please, do not lose your way, may you obtain the sun's blessing."
Walking slowly, he positioned himself at the very rear of the refugees.
"—Protect the path we tread, O Lord."
He raised his hands high——
"『The Ten Plagues (Moses Ten Disasters)』——"
Chapter XX: The Silver Meteor
('The refugees have escaped to a safe place! It's okay now, Ritsuka-kun!')
Ritsuka leaked a sigh of relief through her helmet at Roman's words.
[Thank goodness...!]
"Retreat immediately! Their reinforcements are inexhaustible; fighting them head-on will only get us pushed back!"
Nodding to Emiya's words.
[Everyone!! We're retreating!!]
Raising her voice, she conveyed the will to retreat to everyone.
And then.
[Daaaaaaaaaaah!!]
She slammed her palms onto the ground, permeating pitch-black mud into the entire area.
"!?"
"What, my body is sinking...!?"
It transformed into a pitch-black hole that swallowed, crushed, and broke the Knights instantly, neutralizing them all together.
"—Is there a rule that my juniors must master techniques like final bosses?"
[Come on, let's go Emiya! With Mash and everyone...]
('This is bad, Ritsuka! Servant reaction headed your way! —It's the Round Table!!')
Along with Marie's report.
"Drop dead————!!!!"
Mordred, a Knight of the Round Table receiving the Blessing of 'Rampage', blew Ritsuka and Emiya away together—!
[Guh——!]
"Are you safe, Master!"
Neutralizing the powerful blow with leg armor, she had Emiya catch her body to decelerate.
"Tch, stupidly hard. I didn't intend to kill you, whoa!?"
Immediately sensing the Holy Sword's strike, she jumped back. The place where Mordred had been was gouged out.
"Knight possessing the Blessing of 'Rampage', Mordred. We did not come to fight this time. Sheathe your sword."
The Knight King immediately protected the two, and Mordred laughed ferociously.
"Hah, like I can shut up after being made a fool of this much! 'When the abominable Wicked Dragon comes from a distant foreign land, the pure white unity will crack, and the Tower of Oracles will collapse'—that's the prophecy handed down! That cool—no no, tacky armor! The Wicked Dragon is definitely you!"
[It seems so...! The amazing thing is this power, I'm just an ordinary maiden!]
Ritsuka, Emiya, and the Knight King braced themselves.
"Is that so! Then—die here!! Taking your head might clear my mood a little!"
Raising Clarent high.
"Blessing! Let me exceed my limits!!"
Kneading magical energy of terrifying power that creaked and scraped her Spirit Origin, she made Clarent shine—!
"—If you will not retreat... Master, here again, one of the Round Table..."
The Knight King readied her sword, Archer projected his bow.
[Sorry, fighting the Three Knight Classes, and Round Table at that, I'm not sure if I can match—]
"—No! Your place to die is not here!"
Simultaneous with a sharp shout.
"『Flash, O Silver Arm (Dead End Agateram)』!!"
A silver meteor ran through, temporarily severing Mordred's 'Blessing'——!
"—!"
The Knight King opened his eyes wide.
"You are—"
"Tsk... Who is it! Do you want to die!!"
Mordred twisted her body to avoid a fatal wound, but the magical energy she had kneaded was scattered.
"Hurry! I will handle this!"
[You are—!?]
Without looking back, he raised his right arm high.
"—A sinner. —However, right now... I am one who takes up the sword for righteousness! My Lady!"
"You... bas... tard... Who is this incompetence! To tear through my Gift...!"
"Mordred, you have no right to rebuke them! Yes, you absolutely cannot rebuke those who stood up out of righteous indignation!"
In an instant, the 'Chains of Heaven' wrapped around Ritsuka's body, retrieving her far into the sky, her body ascending to the heavens.
[Whaa——!?]
"Eh, hya, wah——!?"
Because she had grabbed the mysterious Knight in the spur of the moment, he was dragged up into the sky as well.
"Wh-Wait——!"
The moment she was distracted by Ritsuka and the others, the Knight King instantly slipped into her guard.
"Gahaa——!!!?"
Delivering a severe front kick to Mordred's stomach, blowing her far back and slamming her into the main gate.
Seeing Mordred slammed so hard her body almost embedded itself, vomiting blood, the Knight King immediately mounted Dun Stallion.
"We are withdrawing. The objective is achieved."
"Understood. —Good grief. I wish the Counter Force would learn from the Master's command style."
Emiya returned to Chaldea sarcastically yet proudly.
"Fly, Dun Stallion."
Urging with her legs, the beloved horse ran through the sky, returning to the Vimana.
"Yo... u... Wait...——...!?"
Mordred gasped.
—The sky was dyed crimson.
Despite being night, the entire sky was dyed an eerie blood color. A dull crimson like blood splattered on a canvas.
"What...!? Is it them!?"
Looking, the Chaldea forces were retreating immediately. Was this something they didn't know about? Mordred deduced.
—And then, 'It' fell.
"Guh, buwah... !?"
It was rain. It was unmistakably a rain of blood.
'Rain of Blood' pouring from the crimson sky. It invaded the Lion King's territory without exception, falling with tremendous force.
"What, what is this——!"
Mordred opened her eyes wide at the further transformation.
"Guh!?"
Through her helmet, there was a buzzing sound. It violated her ears like a gruesome symphony.
"—Khhh."
She saw 'It' and gasped.
It was 'Gnats' and 'Horseflies'. Calamity insects that suck blood and bring plague.
Insects too horrific to speak of, violating the land and scattering death, appeared, multiplied, and eventually covered everything before her eyes hideously.
"What, what is this...! Damn it, retreat! Enter the Holy City! Hurry!!"
Rounding up the Knights who 'had not been fighting Ritsuka and the others', the Knights took refuge in the Holy City.
—While that calamity poured down, the Lion King's territory became a place where humans could not tread.
Rain of blood fell, gnats and horseflies flew about everywhere, frogs jumped, locusts and plague spread.
If one took a step in, their body would immediately be eaten away by calamity, leading to death.
Only 'Around the Holy City' did the horrific calamity continue to pour down, refusing all who approached.
—It is said that the Knights and the people of the Holy City who witnessed it muttered:
'God's calamity has fallen.'
—The Holy Selection will likely never be held in this Singularity again.
For no one will approach the Holy City anymore——
Epilogue: The One-Armed Knight
"Nice! Nice Gil! I thought I was gonna die!"
Ritsuka and the mysterious Knight landed on the Vimana.
"Umu, talk later. We will get caught in the calamity. We are leaving."
"Yes, thank you very mu—"
The mysterious Knight expressed his thanks.
"Wait—!?"
And just like that, with the sound of burning flesh, he collapsed face down...
(—You seem to have spent a truly whimsical and long journey. Your body has perished, your soul burned out, operating only on spirit. Is this what they call the fool's determination?)
—My King?
(That scumbag... giving a parting gift is fine, but his follow-up is terrible! Connecting a burning prosthetic arm to muscles and nerves, what was he thinking!)
Gil admired, while Fou was angry.
(Air, there was an empty capsule. Choose one for him.)
—Y-Yes! Um, he is...
"—He is not a correct Hero. Princess. —For now, please trust me and the King, and heal him."
The Knight King spoke to the 'Soul.'
—Y-Yes!
The mysterious Knight was immediately thrown into the 'Truly Sumani (Sorry) Capsule'——
"...How kind you are. —'Bedivere'."
A single tear rolled down from the Knight King's eye as he muttered to no one in particular——
[Refugee Camp]
"Cursed Arm!? ...No, the Cursed Arm at Chaldea...! Good that you are all safe...!"
"The relay base was fortunate. We must thank those who built it here. —You did well, Jack."
"Ehehe..."
"Food, water! There's plenty! Drink, eat! Sing! Wahahahaha!!"
"—Cursed Arm. I have a request. Can you guide everyone from Chaldea to the 'Village'?"
"—A battle?"
"Indeed. I will mediate between Lord Iskandar and everyone. I will surely secure cooperation."
"—Understood."
"Then, Mom and I will go too!"
"Yes! Please let us repay everyone's kindness!"
"...Saria, Rushd..."
"...I understand. I will ensure your safe delivery."
"Fuhahahaha!! I am the Shining Refugee! Nefertari! Serve them! And serve them more!"
"Yes, Ramesses. May the blessings of Astarte be upon you all——"
[Wasteland]
"Is this good enough? You mustn't go near it, everyone."
"Nooow then, where shall I go next? ~♪"
Gyate! Gyateee!
"Mumu? The scent of trouble! Let's go check it out! It'd be funny if I ran into Ramesses though!"
-------------------------------
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