Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

What the hell is going on?

Wasn't this thing sacrificed to repair the Earth?

Souma found it hard to believe.

After the final battle, the entire Earth had been on the brink of apocalyptic collapse.

To restart the world, he had offered his spiritual foundation, all his Noble Phantasms, everything as tribute—just to exchange for this peaceful, ordinary life now.

Among them, [Avalon], capable of blocking all magical and physical attacks, had been one of the most precious offerings.

Only then could he perform a miracle surpassing magic itself!

"Alaya, was this your doing?"

A guess surfaced in Souma's mind.

After sacrificing everything, all traces of his [existence] had vanished.

The heroic spirits who once fought alongside him had all forgotten him.

But now, Alaya's videos were reviving those lost memories among the heroic spirits, restoring his presence.

In other words, he was being reintegrated into human history, and the spiritual foundation he had sacrificed could return through this.

The phantom of [Avalon] now stirring within him was the best proof of this return.

"Are you trying to make it up to me?"

Souma felt complicated.

Back then, carrying the mission of a savior, he had walked through countless human histories, growing stronger at an incredible pace.

The "Hero of Justice" who fulfilled countless people's dreams had long ceased to be just one person.

He had become the ultimate mythical weapon—forged from the collective beliefs of humanity and the hopes of countless heroic spirits.

A mortal who slew gods!

But all that was in the past. Now, he was just a half-crippled nobody.

Alaya released a video—was it to compensate him and help him return to his peak?

Souma watched the live broadcast, gazing at the King who smiled radiantly on screen, and sighed softly, "Your strongest guardian knight can't protect you now... Might as well let me go home and grow sweet potatoes..."

"You protected me, you protected everyone—why should we enjoy all this while you remain nameless?"

Artoria faced the camera and made an extraordinarily bold declaration.

The previous knighting of the Round Table was not a traditional ceremony—it was more akin to a summoning ritual.

If the other party responded, they could be directly summoned before her.

Unfortunately, that person refused.

But it didn't matter.

Artoria still had a trump card—the scabbard she had implanted in him when they parted.

Historical records about her stated—

Losing the scabbard was the very reason for her death.

She had searched for it endlessly, yet never found it.

After watching Alaya's The Perfect King video, she finally remembered everything.

If the world was likened to a network and the other person to a phone, then the scabbard served as a signal marker for her.

"Found you, Nameless!"

Artoria gazed toward the east.

Faintly sensing that the scabbard was located in Japan.

The exact location could only be found if she went there herself.

The state of the scabbard was extremely abnormal, as if it had suffered catastrophic damage, leaving only the faintest trace of a signal.

An invincible defensive Noble Phantasm capable of even withstanding the King of Heroes' Ea had been reduced to less than one ten-thousandth of its original form.

She couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of brutal battle the other party had endured!

It was enough to destroy the entire planet!

With Avalon itself shattered, the other party must have been grievously wounded, teetering on the brink of death.

A hero who protected humanity and saved the world was now silently licking his wounds in some forgotten corner.

The thought of it was almost unbearable to her.

He deserved to be honored for his deeds—to have the whole world know what he had done!

And so,

Artoria unilaterally and imperiously bestowed the title without even consulting him.

[Knight of the Holy Light]

This title actually stemmed from a phrase he often used in the past—

"By the Holy Light, that evil looks like it's worth a fight!"

Though he shouted holy slogans, his methods were ruthless as he cut down enemy after enemy.

There was nothing remotely "holy" about him.

He was more like an assassin lurking in the shadows.

A true knight who cared nothing for glory!

"Nameless, you once wanted to be a Dark Knight or a Death Knight."

A flicker of reminiscence passed through Artoria's eyes.

Her resplendent golden-trimmed royal robes gleamed as she spoke with absolute confidence, "But what I give you is yours! What I do not give, you cannot take!"

Beside her, Mordred blinked in surprise, feeling as though this was a veiled jab at her.

Wasn't this supposed to be Nameless's knighting ceremony? Why did it feel like she was being scolded too?

Was this an open warning not to covet the throne—or Nameless?

Damn that tyrannical Father!

Just as she suspected, she was using the scabbard to track Nameless's location.

…Fine, she'd just stick close. As long as she was around, they wouldn't get a chance to meet in secret!

"If you'd been this domineering back then, the kingdom wouldn't have fallen to ruin later…"

Souma sighed wistfully.

When they first met, she had already been the perfect martyr.

A blank slate, untainted by worldly desires.

Willing to sacrifice everything for Britain.

Before she drew the sword, Souma had told her that Britain was doomed to fall.

That she would face betrayal, despair, hatred—everything.

Yet, the girl had pulled Caliburn from the stone without hesitation, choosing to shoulder it all.

For the sake of her kingdom, she was willing to sacrifice herself to guide Britain to the "right" ending.

She was a saint.

Not a king!

Now, she had finally shed the self-sacrificing spirit of a saint and grown into a true monarch.

Souma felt as though he had molded the pure white maiden into his own shape.

It was almost… evil of him.

Come to think of it, hadn't Jeanne d'Arc, the pure white saint, also become the Dark Saint under his influence?

No, no!

This wasn't his fault!

He was just a humble Master—what ill intentions could he possibly have?

"I'll be waiting for you to come to me!" King Arthur declared before turning to leave.

The grand ceremony for the new Knight of the Round Table had come to an end.

The people of Britain erupted into celebration, rejoicing over the birth of a new knight.

Given Nameless's strength, if he were to join Britain, the kingdom would surely reclaim its former glory!

"King Arthur is as mighty as a god!"

Roya's eyes sparkled with admiration.

Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed at the king in awe.

Powerful, beautiful, and domineering...

All the most splendid descriptions converged into a king who seemed almost divine.

"She really is like a god..."

Souma nodded in agreement.

After all, this girl had truly been a god for a time!

Ding dong~

Just then, Roya pulled out her phone and exclaimed in surprise, "Alaya has updated again!"

"What, another one?"

Souma gritted his teeth.

This really left him no time to catch his breath.

Are you a donkey from a production brigade or something?

"Eh, this time it's not a full video but a five-minute side story."

Roya projected it onto the LCD screen.

They could see lines of text displayed—

["The Perfect King" Side Story — "The Magus of Flowers"]

[This side story, from the perspective of the Magus of Flowers, recounts the rise and fall of Britain and the events following King Arthur's death!]

***

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