—Boom! Crash!
The sound of massive boulders crashing into the city echoed like thunder. Enchantments, explosives, and oil ignited in succession, turning the surroundings into a chaotic quagmire of fire and dust.
"You morons! Don't flinch, move in teams of five! You're not going to die just because you get hit by a rock!"
At the lowest section of the ramparts, Mordred—who was leading the secondary forces rather than the front line atop the walls or Gawain's elites at the gate—was tasked with suppressing the attacks launched by the trebuchets outside and quieting the chaos within the city.
The Gift she had received was 'Insight.' While her ability to analyze and command the grand tactical situation was inferior to Agravain or the military strategist Constantine, her Charisma made her the most suitable for resolving immediate crises and organizing the evacuation of soldiers and citizens.
"Sir Mordred! A stone golem has appeared near the residential district!"
"Those lunatics... tell the Enforcement Knights to handle it! The bombardment is heaviest toward the central district! And what are our own trebuchets doing?!"
"Most of our defensive weaponry on the walls has been destroyed by the enemy's siege cannons!"
"...Damn it, the Master of Chaldea should have wrecked that siege tower by now! You there! Take units one and two, gather the defensive equipment and wreckage, and get up to the wall!"
"At once!"
At 그 moment, accompanied by a horrifying scream, a corpse clad in armor—crushed into a pulp by a boulder or a magical bombardment—fell to the ground. Through the gap created in the defensive net, dozens of magical shells and boulders came flying in.
"Those bastards... they really think the Round Table is some low-class rabble!"
And then... red lightning began to crackle along Mordred's sword, Clarent.
Magical energy was charged, and charged, and charged even further, until a crimson light filled the plaza.
"Get lost, all of you!!!"
It was not a True Name Release of her Noble Phantasm, but a simple burst of prana.
They say the ratio required for a defender to win a siege is 1:5. But currently, the enemy numbered one million, while Camelot barely exceeded ten thousand.
The only reason Camelot could endure and fight in a 100:1 battle was the existence of these exceptional Heroic Spirits.
"Sir Mordred!"
"Huh? You're supposed to be with Gawain! Why are you here?"
"We detected a massive prana surge in the plaza and came to support! Since the enemy is focusing on destroying the interior of the Sacred City rather than the gates, he told us to assist..."
"I've got this, so tell him to piss off! Or go to the Triple Walls and help that Emperor!"
"Understood!"
Crying chimeras were sliced apart, and the degraded golems created by magic circles on the fallen rocks were returned to dust.
There were no civilian casualties in the town within the gate, solely because the knights were perfectly holding the line...
"Phew... I wonder if it's okay up on the wall. That Master... her magical energy capacity is pitiful!"
"Sir Mordred! The armory near the residential area is on fire!"
"Oh, for fuck's sake...! Send the 6th unit to put it out! I can handle this area alone, so move your asses!"
The encirclement held by the Enforcement Knights was being strained, and the frequency of falling shells and boulders gradually increased.
Though she knew their strength, Mordred found it difficult to hide her inner worry.
'...Damn it, is everything okay up there?!'
*
And atop the ramparts.
Mordred's concerns were, unfortunately, hitting the mark.
...At least halfway.
"Do not retreat a single step!"
"Hail Camelot!!!"
Unbefitting the title of the Pure White Sacred City, the top of the wall was stained with all sorts of colors.
And the color that occupied the largest portion... was undoubtedly the crimson of blood.
Heads were severed, those climbing the walls were burned and fell, and others were cut down by swords or pierced by spears.
"Archers, aim for the enemy main camp! Spearmen, push back the ladders and skewer those coming close! Hold your positions!"
"Shield-bearers to the front! Another volley from the trebuchets is coming!"
Every three to five minutes.
Boulders and cursed chimera bodies were launched at regular intervals.
The shield-bearers intercepted them, the archers pulled their bows to eliminate the operators of the trebuchets, and the spearmen stepped forward to repel those ascending the ladders.
The Enforcement Knights fought without wavering. Even for Ritsuka, who had witnessed many group battles, the sight was nauseating, but these manufactured 'dolls,' though they possessed emotions, did not retreat out of fear. These elite products of the Lion King’s miracle were holding back even the fanatical Crusaders who fought like madmen.
And then there was one other factor hindering the invaders.
"Emperor Constantine! How fare the Triple Walls?"
"No issues here, for Sir Percival is filling the gap magnificently!"
The Triple Walls—the invincible fortress of history that had allowed itself to be breached only once.
Since a fragment of that fortress had been manifested here, it was only natural that the dozens of attempted breakthroughs had all failed.
"Ten minutes have passed! Stand ready! Their bombardment is coming!"
"...I shall take the lead."
"Sir Lancelot?"
"If more of our defensive weaponry is destroyed by this bombardment, it will be difficult to repel the next assault."
Lancelot spoke as he drew Arondight.
Siege weapons reinforced by magecraft, Ottoman fortress cannons used to shatter the Triple Walls... These were lethal strikes that no ordinary human, nor even a magus exhausting their Crest, could withstand. While they couldn't destroy the wall itself, the destruction would fall like a calamity upon those atop it and the village beyond.
However, such factors were of little importance to a knight like Lancelot.
To him, they were merely attacks to be cut down.
"Wait a moment."
A girl stepped in front of Lancelot.
"...Master of Chaldea, step back. I recognize your courage, but this attack is—"
"I know. But I think it's better if Mash blocks this."
"...Senpai?"
"We should save Lancelot's Noble Phantasm for later, Mash... Block that attack!"
"...Understood, Senpai!"
It unfolded.
A defensive wall infinitely broad—perhaps even taller than the Triple Walls themselves—stretched out to protect the Enforcement Knights.
Colliding boulders were shattered into pieces, and cursed chimeras fell into the moat or onto the ground, crushed along with nearby ladders.
"This is..."
Mash raised her shield high.
A final, massive fortress cannon shell impacted her shield, but the violet-haired girl strained with all her might to shrug off that massive destruction.
"For it is the foundation of Human Order!!!"
Another wall—a pure white rampart—manifested.
It was her Noble Phantasm, which lacked a True Name and was currently called by the tentative name 'Lord Chaldea,' given to it by the Director and Karma.
At that moment, as the final boulder from the enemy's trebuchets was deflected, the Emperor raised his sword.
"Now! All units, fire! Archers, focus your aim on those trebuchets and fortress cannons!"
Arrows as thick as bamboo poles rained down, and simultaneously, the Enforcement Knights guarding the gate charged out as one, their voices rising in a resonant cheer.
The enemy's bombardment had been nullified without causing damage, and a perfectly timed volley of support fire followed.
It was a counter-attack ordered by Gawain at the gate using his own authority.
"Good! If we pursue and sweep them all up now—"
"No, we must abandon the pursuit. We must be satisfied with having crippled their means of attack for now."
At Lancelot's words, Ritsuka looked at him as if he were being absurd.
"Why? It's better to finish them off properly right now!"
"...It is meaningless."
"How so?!"
"Hmm..."
Lancelot looked back at the Master as if he were the one who couldn't understand.
And it wasn't just Lancelot.
"Lancelot! Don't you know the Master can't use magecraft properly?"
"Ah! Ah... hmm, my apologies."
It was Mash who came to Ritsuka's aid.
"Indeed, that explains it. Since you command such magnificent Heroic Spirits, even those of us who know the circumstances can easily mistake the situation."
Emperor Constantine approached and spoke.
He lightly stroked Ritsuka's face and massaged near her eyelids a few times.
"W-what are you do... huh?"
"Can you see clearly?"
"Whoa! My vision seems incredibly bright!"
"You must restrain your use of prana. Since you lack Magic Circuits, it is taxing your physical nerves as a substitute, and they were on the verge of overheating. I have calmed them slightly. Despite my appearance, I have some skill in the healing arts."
"You're amazing, Emperor!"
"It is nothing... regardless, check with farsight magecraft. Do you see?"
"Hmm? See what..."
And Ritsuka... saw it.
Beyond those fleeing forces that had abandoned their siege engines...
"What... is all that?"
"What do you think it is? It's the same enemy as the ones we just defeated."
"Mordred..."
"I told you, we've fought this battle over twenty times already. Surely you didn't think the Knights of the Round Table were unable to defeat those weaklings and that's why this has dragged on so long?"
"..."
"We have won over twenty times. But the enemies never seem to decrease. How many do you think died in today's battle? 500? 1,000? If Sir Gawain's Enforcement Knights performed well, they might harvest over 2,000 enemy heads."
Killing 2,000 out of 5,000 should technically mean the annihilation of a unit.
"But the enemy is one million strong. Even if we crush enemies of that scale twenty more times, we only account for about 40,000. And how many Heroic Spirits are among them?"
"This is..."
"Yes. It is a battle without end."
Camelot was invincible, and they were winning.
"Even Sir Mordred cannot protect every civilian. The interior of the Sacred City is being continuously damaged."
"The fatigue of the troops isn't the main issue, but those bastards charge in with a sort of madness-enhanced zealotry. Frankly, the problem is that even we get tired and exhausted eventually."
"Above all... we cannot fight like this for eternity. There is another Singularity remaining, is there not?"
"..."
"The King and the Round Table... the Heroic Spirits can survive. But what meaning is there if those fanatics conquer Jerusalem and kill everyone? This is a battle to protect those subjects."
However, victory felt hollow.
"...We need support. A decisive means to completely overturn this meaningless war of attrition."
Clang! Clang!
The bells rang, and Gawain's Enforcement Knights, who had been pursuing and slaughtering the enemy, returned.
"They are coming, Master. You should step back for now. Since two Heroic Spirits have used their Noble Phantasms, it is dangerous for a Master to remain up here."
"...Gareth."
"Master, please step back. We will handle this area."
Ritsuka bit her lip and descended from the ramparts.
At the same time Mordred moved her to the residential area, cheers erupted from the walls and the gate with a deafening roar.
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