[Light Curtain Commentary]
Detective Conan: "Honkai Energy… Come to think of it, the first viewing didn't seem to fully explain what Honkai Energy is, only that its dangers far outweigh its benefits."
L: "Correct. Even the Lobster Doctor from the Honkai world only said to think of Honkai Energy as an omnipotent power that can do anything, but that only makes it more incomprehensible."
Otto Apocalypse: "It's not that she didn't want to explain, but for those who don't know, a thing like Honkai Energy is very difficult to explain."
Mei: "Yes. In a sense, humanity, until the very end, never truly understood what kind of power the Honkai was."
Elysia: "Oh my, why focus on that? Honkai Energy is just a type of energy, albeit a harmful one. Instead of this, isn't it better for your health to watch more of the footage~"
---o---
[On the light curtain, Lancelot retreated without looking back, but this was not an act of escape.]
For a knight like Lancelot, you could insult his personal morals, but you could not insult his honor as a knight.
To flee in a duel between knights would be a great shame. Lancelot was no coward who clung to life; he would not stoop to such a level.
"It is a pity. In my current state, I am unworthy of the name 'knight.' If it were the past, we could surely have had a heart-stirring, unrestrained battle."
After pulling away, Lancelot raised the greatsword in his hand, his voice low and his eyes filled with regret.
To be able to fight against a master of the sword like Li Sushang was, for Lancelot himself, a form of enjoyment. What's more, Li Sushang was a rare beauty. To fight a woman whose swordsmanship far surpassed his own, and a stunningly beautiful one at that—in the past, this would have been the ultimate pleasure. At least in Lancelot's heart, aside from the King and Guinevere, very few could compare to Li Sushang in terms of looks.
He sheathed his sword, and then drew it once more. This time, the moment Arondight was drawn, all of Lancelot's parameters were enhanced, and his body began to radiate a faint blue light.
The surge of magical energy had already completely surpassed Mordred's Noble Phantasm from before. Clearly… Lancelot was about to unleash his own.
At this moment, seeing this scene, the viewers outside the light curtain all held their breath. In the first viewing, Lancelot had only ever spoken a few lines from beginning to end. It was either "Aaaargh" or "Arthur," and his only Noble Phantasm used was 'Knight of Owner.' Although he carried Arondight, he had never released its true name.
It was unknown whether it was because Kariya Matou's magical energy was insufficient, or because a Berserker-class Lancelot was simply incapable of releasing Arondight.
In any case, to be able to witness Lancelot's Noble Phantasm here was sure to enhance the viewing experience.
Then there was Li Sushang. Lancelot was the strongest in the Round Table, and the power of his Noble Phantasm would surely be stronger than Mordred's and Gawain's. It would likely be on par with, if not superior to, the unreleased Excalibur.
How would Li Sushang deal with such an attack? It was known that aside from her debut strike that looked like an ultimate move, Li Sushang's other techniques hadn't seemed quite so grand.
An existence like Li Sushang, enlightened in the Way of the Sword, must surely have an ultimate move akin to a Noble Phantasm. The viewers outside the screen were incredibly curious about this. They just didn't know if Lancelot had the ability to force out Li Sushang's ultimate move.
Just like that, under Li Sushang's equally curious gaze, Lancelot's expression turned grave, his eyes filled with a majestic light, as if he were an invincible knight on the battlefield.
The magical energy behind him was nearly tangible as he chanted in a low voice, "I swear to my king, upon the name of the Round Table!"
The surging magical energy condensed upon Arondight. The space around its blade twisted, and Lancelot held the sword before him, its edge pointing upwards, allowing the waves of magical energy to wash over his face.
"Reach the end, transcend the limit. O King of a Distant Land, witness this light!"
As he chanted, Lancelot's voice grew louder and louder. Then… a brilliant azure light suddenly erupted from the body of Arondight.
Like the surface of a lake, it shimmered in the moments just before dawn.
"Arondight Overload: All Fetters Severed!"
As his voice fell, Lancelot leaped forward, bringing Arondight down upon Li Sushang.
That's right, there was no flashy beam of light, no magnificent special effects. Lancelot's Noble Phantasm was not an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm like Mordred's, nor an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm like King Arthur's. It was an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm.
A Noble Phantasm released against a single person. While it might not match Excalibur in terms of grandeur, its power against a single target was even greater.
"Arondight Overload" was the strongest Noble Phantasm Lancelot could unleash. If even this couldn't solve Li Sushang, then he was truly at his wits' end.
However, as Lancelot's strongest attack, he himself was full of confidence in this move. It might not be able to kill Li Sushang, but injuring her was not impossible.
"Arondight… If I take this sword head-on, even I will have a hard time."
Gazing at the approaching sword, a trace of seriousness appeared in Li Sushang's eyes. This was the strongest attack a knight could unleash; she had to treat it with respect.
However… if she were to directly use Jianshen, Lancelot would probably perish along with his sword.
The power of Taixu Jianshen… never mind Lancelot, even the King Arthur currently in the Holy City would have to weigh her options carefully, not daring to take it head-on. After all, this King Arthur did not have that invincible scabbard on her.
"Since it has come to this, this young lady shall respond with a blow of equal measure."
With a thought from Li Sushang, the longsword in her hand vanished completely. This couldn't help but leave the viewers outside the screen stunned.
Even if she looked down on Lancelot, wasn't putting away her sword going too far? Wasn't she afraid of failure?
But soon, no one continued that line of thought.
Li Sushang's eyes were closed, her hand forming a sword seal as she took a deep breath. Then… a faint golden sword qi appeared between her brows.
"The divine is the pinnacle of change."
As Li Sushang's voice sounded, the viewers outside the screen could also tell that she was about to unleash a big move.
But since she was enlightened in the Way of the Sword, why did she have to put away her sword? What kind of existence was this strike of hers?
Across the infinite multiverse, all who saw this moment held their breath, their eyes fixed on the Li Sushang in the footage.
Especially Yanqing, Dugu Qiubai, Mihawk, and others who were similarly proficient in the Way of the Sword. They saw a kind of intent in Li Sushang's form.
An intent named "sword."
The so-called Way of the Sword has ten thousand variations, but the sword itself is merely a vessel.
With spirit, the sword is formed; from the heart, the sword qi flows.
As Li Sushang's thoughts stirred, several golden sword shadows materialized around her.
Then, the sword shadows merged into one, forming a golden greatsword born from heart and spirit.
"The marvel that defines all things, yet cannot be defined by form."
"Sword Ki of the Supreme Void—Divine Soul!!"
With a low shout, the golden greatsword seemed to cleave the sky. Under the rising sun of dawn, it transformed into a golden Xuan Bird and, with an irresistible power, pierced directly through Lancelot's body.
The Knight of the Lake's eyes were filled with shock as he stared at the nearly invincible strike.
That's right, the victor had been decided. There was no clash of magical energy and Honkai Energy, no exchange of sword qi, not even a simple collision. The outcome had already been revealed.
He had lost. A complete and utter defeat, without a shred of doubt.
The moment that golden Xuan Bird pierced his body, Lancelot felt his spirit suffer a violent impact. The immense power nearly turned his fragile spiritual body directly into dust.
As the Xuan Bird was about to strike, a flashback of his life had already begun to play in his mind.
If not for the Lion King's blessing, if not for the fact that this sword held no killing intent and was meant only to defeat him, he would have likely been pulverized long ago.]
---o---
Across the infinite multiverse, upon seeing this scene, many masters of the sword couldn't help but stand up.
Marvelous, simply marvelous!
Swordlessness is superior to having a sword. Formlessness takes form. Who on earth created such a technique? It was simply divine.
---o---
[Light Curtain Commentary]
Otto Apocalypse: "Wonderful, truly wonderful. It's been many years since I've seen this move. But now, it seems she has become even stronger, hahaha."
Ximen Chuixue: "Enlightened in the Way of the Sword… Li Sushang, so this is a true sword… To know the Way in the morning, one can die content in the evening."
Dugu Qiubai: "Swordlessness is superior to having a sword. Is this not the path I walk? But… the mastery I achieved in my forties, she has already learned at such a young age, and she has far surpassed me. A natural-born Sword Embryo, enlightened in the Way of the Sword… truly a wondrous woman…"
Dracule Mihawk: "Eastern sword arts, or perhaps, otherworldly sword arts. Heh, compared to someone like this, what right do I have to call myself the world's greatest swordsman? What on earth is the sword art she uses?"
Miyamoto Musashi: "Subarashii! How cool! To think there is such a master of the Way of the Sword! I really want to have a match with her!"
Fu Hua: "Shenyun… The divine is the pinnacle of change. A sword without a sword, with spirit the sword is formed, from the heart the sword qi flows, through enlightenment the spirit is perfected. Having no form, it needs no body. This sword fills all space; this sword is space itself. Therefore, it is everywhere and all-penetrating…"
Wants to Drink Mei's Sister Juice: "Class… Class Rep, what are you talking about? I can't understand a single word. My… my brain is about to grow."
Raiden Mei: "Class Rep, surely you don't also know the sword technique Li Sushang used?"
Fu Hua: "…No, I just happened to see the sword technique Li Sushang used in an ancient text and was moved by it."
---o---
[On the light curtain, Lancelot's defeat was without question. Recognizing this, he knelt on the ground, his eyes devoid of spirit.]
The blue magical energy belonging to Arondight had already vanished from its blade.
Lancelot had lost. But Li Sushang had not delivered the killing blow. Instead, she had shown mercy and spared his life.
"What a complete mess." Seeing this, Agravain's mood soured. He secretly retreated to the back of the Purified Knight army.
On the battlefield, Lancelot was still replaying that move, Shenyun, in his mind.
"To win with no sword against a sword… have I lost? But… why…"
Knowing he had lost, Lancelot accepted reality. Although he was the strongest Knight of the Round Table, he was not a sore loser.
He just didn't understand why Li Sushang had let him live. That last blow, logically, could have destroyed him, body and soul. Even if the King were by his side, she probably wouldn't have been able to save him in time.
He raised his head to look at Li Sushang, wanting an answer.
Li Sushang crossed her arms and looked at Lancelot.
"Hmm… who knows? Maybe I didn't want to make Mash sad, or maybe I didn't want a certain someone to get their way."
After speaking, she sighed. Lancelot was stunned, and then he looked towards Mash, whose attitude had clearly changed.
Sad? For this enemy of hers?
Not only was Lancelot puzzled, but Ritsuka, Guinaifen, and even Li Sushang herself were also perplexed.
Mash's reaction since Lancelot had agreed to fight Li Sushang had been this way. Although she had hidden her emotions well, the moment she saw Lancelot release his Noble Phantasm and Li Sushang release Shenyun, she could no longer maintain her composure.
And Li Sushang had clearly chosen not to kill Lancelot for this very reason. After all, these knights were not Honkai Beasts that had to be killed. Although they had committed unforgivable sins, she should wait until she understood their reasons for saving the world before making a move.
"Se… Senpai! Can I go up there for a moment?" Mash suppressed the inexplicable anger and emotion in her heart and said to Ritsuka beside her.
Ritsuka had clearly never seen Mash like this. She was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Ah, as long as Miss Sushang agrees."
Then, under the watchful eyes of all the Heroic Spirits, Servants, and Purified Knights, Mash dragged her shield forward.
"Sir Lancelot…" Mash's voice carried an irrepressible anger. "Please do not be so outrageous!"
BOOM!!!
Lancelot, who had no power to resist, was sent flying by a single shield bash from Mash.
Although he wasn't injured, it gave him a familiar feeling, making his eyes widen in disbelief.
"Wait, you are…"
Before Lancelot could call out that name, Mash's furious voice followed, "How dare you!"
"And you call yourself King Arthur's most beloved knight!!!"
Mash leaped into the air and, in another aerial dive, amidst the shock of the bewildered crowd, smashed Lancelot brutally into the sand.]
---o---