"Last night, when facing those outsiders, you didn't seem like yourself, Gawain."
In the Holy City, Agravain looked at Gawain with a serious expression.
When facing the outsiders—the Chaldea team—Gawain had displayed an uncharacteristic frenzy, relentlessly pursuing the orange-haired girl.
His terrifying behavior made Agravain wonder if Gawain had turned into a Berserker and gained the Mad Enhancement ability.
Of course, after the Chaldea team fled in panic, Gawain had calmed down, but no one in the city understood why he had gone berserk.
"That girl carried the same aura as the shadow that attacked me before."
With just one sentence, Gawain made Agravain understand the reason.
Two days ago, a shadow had entered the Holy City riding on lightning, effortlessly subdued Gawain, devoured half of his body, and then left.
That humiliating defeat had haunted Gawain ever since. Even though the Lion King hadn't blamed him for it, he couldn't forget the aura of that figure who had caused him so much pain.
Today, during the Holy Selection, he had sensed that same aura on the girl named Ritsuka Fujimaru, which had caused him to lose control and launch a frenzied attack.
"Having a target is good, but losing your rationality will dull your sword."
Although Agravain could understand Gawain's actions, he didn't support them.
Gawain was one of the strongest Knights of the Round Table. If his actions were entirely driven by emotion, preventing him from displaying his true strength, it would be a disaster for the Holy City.
"...I understand."
Gawain fell silent for a moment, not refuting Agravain's words.
Although he knew it wasn't good to be ruled by his emotions, who could guarantee they could remain calm in such a situation?
Today's Holy Selection had ended in failure due to the interference of the Chaldea team—but because Gawain had reported the presence of the shadow's aura, the Lion King hadn't punished him.
Otherwise, given the Lion King's usual strictness, Gawain would have been severely punished today.
The fact that the Lion King had spared him showed that even she was wary of the shadow's existence—after all, someone who could infiltrate the Holy City unnoticed was indeed worth being cautious about.
Just as Gawain left the palace, preparing to continue his patrol, a voice suddenly called out to him from a distance.
"Gawain, you look terrible!"
Mordred's loud voice carried across the street, further souring Gawain's already bad mood.
He turned to look at Mordred, who was approaching, and said helplessly:
"Mordred, you're allowed in the Holy City during the day, but at least maintain the decorum befitting a knight."
Mordred had received the Lion King's blessing of "Rampage," but she was forbidden from staying in the Holy City at night and was ordered to patrol outside.
According to the Lion King, this was because Mordred's wild nature could only be fully unleashed in the wilderness.
But in Gawain's eyes, her rebellious and unruly personality was what made her the most unconventional among the Knights of the Round Table—most of the other knights didn't get along with her because of it.
"Whatever. More importantly, I've made an important discovery."
As expected, Mordred didn't listen to a word Gawain said, completely ignoring his advice. Instead, she laughed and began talking about her discovery.
"I found the Mountain People's hideout. Want to come with me and blow off some steam?"
"...I'll pass. You go ahead."
Gawain was speechless. Clearing out the Mountain People was Mordred's task—what did it have to do with him?
He just wanted to faithfully carry out the Lion King's orders and ensure the safety of the Holy City, so that nothing like the previous incident would happen again.
Speaking of which, the last time he had been ambushed by that shadow, he had also run into Mordred in the square. Now he was encountering her again—could history repeat itself?
Thinking this, Gawain shook his head—how could that be? Mordred's blessing was "Rampage," not "Bad Omen." It wasn't like he'd have bad luck every time he met her...
**Boom!**
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a deafening explosion echoed from the direction of the Holy City's gates.
"What's going on!?"
Gawain's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turned to look toward the gates. What he saw was...
A massive golden ship sailing over the Holy City's gates, crashing directly into the city's barrier and producing an ear-splitting roar.
The noise was like a thunderclap on a clear day, heard by everyone in the Holy City. Even the Lion King must have been alerted.
"What... is that?"
Mordred stared wide-eyed at the golden ship in the sky, unable to hold back a cry of shock.
The only silver lining was that, although the golden ship had slammed into the Holy City's barrier with tremendous force, it hadn't broken through.
After all, the barrier had been created by the Lion King using the Holy Lance. Even a Noble Phantasm couldn't easily penetrate it.
Although they didn't understand why the lightning from before had managed to breach the Holy City, this time, the golden ship had undoubtedly been blocked by the barrier.
...
"Ugh! What a waste! That's the golden flying ship 'Vimana' from the *Ramayana*!"
On the golden ship, Da Vinci looked pained—as a researcher, she valued rare Noble Phantasms like this.
The golden ship beneath their feet was none other than the "Vimana," a golden flying ship Zuke had retrieved from the "Gate of Babylon."
In the original *Fate/Zero* storyline, Gilgamesh had ridden this very ship to engage in an aerial battle with Berserker Lancelot.
Now that Gilgamesh's "Gate of Babylon" belonged to Zuke, this ship had naturally become his property.
Since it wasn't his own, Zuke had no qualms about using it recklessly, deploying it to crash into the Holy City's barrier to see if it could break through.
But the results were disappointing. The Lion King had completed her transformation from human to goddess, and the barrier she had created wasn't something an unactivated Noble Phantasm could easily destroy.
"What's there to regret? It couldn't even break through the barrier."
Standing at the bow of the Vimana, Zuke looked at the Holy City's barrier—although the impact had caused ripples, it hadn't shattered the barrier.
"In that case..."
Seeing that the barrier was sturdier than expected, Zuke decided to stop holding back.
He leaped into the air from the bow of the Vimana, spun around mid-air, and gathered "Ki" into his right fist.
Then, with all his strength, he swung his hammer-like fist down at the barrier!
To be continued…
Advance 100 Chapters are up on my Patreon!
pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus