Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

In the hotel suite's living room.

After [Rhongomyniad] radiated its brilliance, everyone present could only stare in stunned silence.

This was the anchor that stabilized the world, a weapon powerful enough to effortlessly reduce all of Fuyuki City to ashes.

"Go ahead. I'll allow you to rephrase that." King Arthur held the lance, her voice eerily composed.

Boundless majesty descended upon them.

In that moment, those present felt as though they were facing the same terrifying pressure as when they had stood before the Lion King.

Lofty as a deity, capable of annihilating the world with a mere gesture!

Gawain's eyes lit up. "Here we go—another challenger for my King!"

Just last night, Mordred had challenged King Arthur, only to be effortlessly subdued by her.

And now, here came the second challenger!

The Knight of the Lake, Lancelot—one of the two greatest Knights of the Round Table, often regarded as King Arthur's right-hand man.

Yet it was this very knight, so loyal in appearance, who had stolen away Queen Guinevere and defected to Britain's sworn enemy, France.

And now, he dared to set his sights on Nameless!

Gawain nearly couldn't resist giving him a thumbs-up. "You truly are a Grand Suicidal Master. Even I, Gawain, must bow to your audacity!"

Naturally, King Arthur had no interest in women—her marriage to the queen had merely been a cover for her identity.

She had treated Guinevere as a sister, and even after the betrayal, she hadn't been overly angered.

But Nameless was different. He was the one who had accompanied and protected the King since childhood!

Back when she was about to don the crown, Nameless had warned Artoria one last time:

"Let me remind you once more. Once that crown is placed upon your head, you will no longer be human. All mortal desires will mean nothing to you. You may face betrayal, hatred, enmity… suffering beyond measure!"

Nameless had tried to stop her.

Alas, the King still drew the sword from the stone and placed the crown upon her head.

From then on, she walked the path of the perfect king, devoting everything to Britain.

And now, having descended upon the world in her Servant form...

Gawain once overheard the King softly sighing to herself—

"Once there was a sincere love placed before me, but I did not cherish it. Only after losing it did I regret it—the greatest pain in this world is nothing more than this."

"If fate grants me another chance, I would say to that person…"

Then, the words trailed off into silence.

But the King stood in the cold wind, closed her eyes, slowly placed the crown upon her head, and once again transformed into the flawless sovereign.

All sentiments of love and longing were left behind as mere memories.

However.

Yesterday, when Mordred suggested she marry Nameless to forge an alliance between China and Britain—

The King immediately removed her crown, intending to pass the throne to the other.

Even now, she still hasn't put the crown back on!

At this thought, Gawain suddenly felt a surge of excitement—

No, concern!

Could it be that the King is finally pursuing her own happiness?

Under the gaze of all present—

Lancelot, clad in an unbearably embarrassing, eye-searing purple catgirl outfit, stood tall and composed.

He met the King's gaze and declared, "Your Majesty, for the sake of Britain's stability and peace, to prevent another Battle of Camlann—my daughter Mash is the best choice!"

For his daughter, he might even defeat the divine Lion King, let alone the ordinary form of King Arthur!

"You really…"

Mash stared at him in disbelief.

For her happiness, for her forgiveness, he dared to openly defy the King.

In that moment, she felt a flicker of emotion.

He truly was the most devoted father!

BOOM!

Light erupted from the holy spear.

A golden pillar shot straight into the heavens!

Under this dazzling assault, the space above them was utterly obliterated.

A golden halo bloomed across the sky, transforming into a brilliant firework, impossible to ignore.

The only relief was that this was the top floor of the hotel—no one was above them.

Everyone gaped at the scene.

This was the first time in history that King Arthur had lost control!

To unleash a Noble Phantasm without permission in a foreign land was tantamount to outright provocation.

The last one to provoke Qin Shi Huang—the United States—had its submarine sunk with a single strike, forever resting in the depths of Fuyuki Bay!

And yet.

To everyone's astonishment, China's Celestial Court defense system remained completely inactive!

Gawain took a deep breath. "Could it be that our King had already informed China in advance?"

This was serious.

It meant she was about to transform into the Lion King and unleash carnage!

Then—

Footsteps echoed from afar.

The Dark Saint strode forward, laughing as she approached. "Hah! Arthur, I never thought I'd see the day you'd lose your temper like this!"

France and Britain had been enemies since ancient times.

And the two of them were, in a sense, rivals in love.

Jeanne d'Arc had long despised the other's saintly demeanor.

Now, witnessing her sudden outburst—was she about to fall into darkness as well?

The King's saintly blue eyes fixed on her. "This has nothing to do with you."

Under that gaze, Jeanne suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure, as if facing a deity.

"Tch. Have the Lion King's memories influenced you? Are you trying to become a god again?" Jeanne showed no fear.

Seeing her flawless rival finally break composure filled her with indescribable satisfaction.

"The Spring Festival has arrived. I merely wished to set off some fireworks."

With that, King Arthur turned and walked away, her cloak billowing behind her until she vanished from sight.

After her departure—

Lancelot suddenly collapsed to the ground, his legs giving way: "That scared me to death!"

"..."

Mash was at a loss for words.

"Mash, your father did all this for you!"

Lancelot got up from the ground, flexing his strong and burly physique, "Come on, feel free to touch!"

"Stay away from me!!!"

Mash instantly retreated in defeat.

That tiny bit of emotion she had felt vanished instantly.

Without hesitation, she turned and ran, not daring to stay a second longer.

She ran all the way back to Chaldea!

This father was too terrifying—if only he could be a gentle mother instead...

...

Meanwhile.

Souma walked onto the balcony, staring blankly at the golden fireworks blooming in the distant sky: "The light of the Holy Lance? What's going on?"

That familiar golden radiance was unmistakably the power of the Holy Lance.

Could King Arthur be using this method to wish China a happy Spring Festival?

"Not bad, King Arthur is quite thoughtful," Qin Shi Huang replied with a smile.

She had already sent notice earlier, saying she would release the Holy Lance's power once.

Now it seemed the memories of the Lion King from 1,500 years ago had influenced that so-called perfect king, making her far more prone to anger than before.

A ruler who couldn't even control her temper—and still calls herself the perfect king?

Ridiculous!

I am the true perfect king!

Gilgamesh also wore a pleased smile: "Fireworks, huh? I can collect some fireworks fees later."

Daring to pierce through the top floor of his grand hotel—she better be ready to pay hundreds of millions in repair costs.

"What fireworks?"

Roya glanced over dismissively.

She tossed out a card: "Here, a six!"

If she could swap this K for a J in her hand, she could instantly win. Too bad she couldn't!

Roya shook her head.

But no matter—as a top-tier Landlord player, she could easily clean these two out.

You probably don't know what it means to win everything with just one dollar.

There's only one word for it—

Gambling God!

"Hurry up, hurry up! I'll pour you some black tea—come on, speed it up!"

Roya urged impatiently.

These two were way too slow.

With seventeen cards, can you even beat me?

If you can beat me with that, I, Roya, will eat this table right now!

And then.

She stared dumbfounded as the golden man beside her dropped a Joker.

After she passed, he instantly played all sixteen remaining cards.

[Plane!]

???

Roya gaped at him in shock.

This luck is just too much—I refuse to believe it!

As a Landlord champion, how could she possibly lose to these two?

Next round, she was the landlord again.

But then Qin Shi Huang opened with a double Joker and instantly played all his remaining cards!

???

Roya was completely shaken.

By the third round, she was still the landlord!

But every time, she could only play one hand—never getting a second turn!

"...This is bullying!"

***

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