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The Almighty Da Vinci!
Her abilities were beyond question. Although the Da Vinci of the Type-Moon world was surprising in terms of gender, her achievements and strength were surely no different from the descriptions in the histories of other worlds.
You must understand, Da Vinci was a once-in-a-millennium genius. Looking at the entire history of the world, you could count the number of geniuses like her on one hand.
Kaguya Shinomiya: "She's clearly lacking materials, yet how on earth did she manage it? It's simply incredible."
Nobita Nobi: "Wow, what an amazing big sister! She's just as magical as Doraemon!"
Detective Conan: "A Desert Skiff, you say? Anything created by Da Vinci's hands would surely become a Mystic Code coveted by legions of magi… The evaluation given by the light curtain is indeed high."
God of Death Aizen: "Interesting. Chaldea possesses such a figure. Could she also have been summoned by Marisbury…?"
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[On the light curtain, as the Desert Skiff moved, Guinaifen, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and the others gradually made their way toward the Holy City.]
[Since Ramesses II had told them to go see it with their own eyes, their current destination was naturally the Holy City.]
[Along the way, Guinaifen and Ritsuka Fujimaru chatted happily, their bond growing at a rapid pace. Even Mash, standing to the side, couldn't help but feel a little jealous.]
[After all, her senpai wasn't like this at the beginning. But ever since Guinaifen had sought her out last night, she had changed in this inexplicable way.]
[Could it be that Miss Guinaifen possessed some kind of charm-like ability that could captivate people's hearts and souls?]
[However… as the camera of the light curtain moved, its focus shifted elsewhere, to a spot on the path Chaldea was bound to take toward the Holy City.]
[There were two groups of people. One side consisted of a single person, while the other… had about forty or so.]
[They were not far from Chaldea's group, so… Da Vinci easily spotted them.]
["That armor… are they knights from the Holy City?"]
["Don't make any sudden moves. The other party's mana intensity is very strong."
[Seemingly having noticed something, Da Vinci spoke thus, pulling out a pile of equipment to conceal the skiff's presence. Her face wore an unprecedentedly serious expression.]
[At the same time, the situation on the other side was also displayed in the video.]
["Damn it, as expected of a Knight of the Round Table, Tristan. I can't compete with him at all. He still caught up…"]
[In the video, the voice of the Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke was filled with unwillingness.]
[As an Assassin, his strength was considerable, but when it came to fighting the renowned Knight of the Round Table, Tristan, he was still far too outmatched.]
[As for this Hassan, it wasn't the first time the audience outside the video had seen one.]
[During the first viewing, the one Kirei Kotomine summoned was the Hundred-Faced Hassan from among the many Old Men of the Mountain, who competed for the Holy Grail as an Assassin in the Fourth Holy Grail War.]
[However, his presence was incredibly weak, mainly because he was far too weak himself. He was instantly killed by Rider, the King of Conquerors, with almost no screen time.]
[Coupled with his villainous appearance and his role as an assassin, he was even less liked by the people.]
[Then, the voice belonging to Tristan rang out. The man's eyes were closed, yet he gave off the impression of seeing everything. "Sadness. I feel great sadness, Old Man of the Mountain."]
["If you were alone, you could have escaped this predicament as easily as turning your hand. And yet, you have accepted your fate."
["To protect those refugees from the holy land behind you, you have willingly remained here."
["You, who are most skilled in stealth and evasion, an Assassin who would stop at nothing to achieve the kill, have now lost your value to protect something so worthless. This truly saddens me."
[As Tristan finished speaking, Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others couldn't help but frown.]
[Tristan's tone was too cold. He evaluated another's life with a kind of high-and-mighty tone. This cold and arrogant attitude was a great departure from the historical records.]
[You see, the Tristan of historical record was a humble and polite man who easily empathized with others. The name "Knight of Sadness" came from his tendency to easily share in the feelings of others.]
[However, while this Tristan spoke of sadness, his tone was filled with arrogance and coldness.]
[This disparity in personality was completely at odds with the historical records.]
[Had history embellished his character, or were those refugees actually a group of unpardonably evil people?]
[The light curtain's camera shifted to Mash. The young woman's expression was tense, and she looked somewhat pained. "It seems two different parties are in a standoff. One side has only one person, while the other has over forty. But the others are all refugees. Only the Assassin has any real combat strength."
["But…"]
["I don't know why, but… when I see that red-haired knight, I feel a sense of discomfort. My chest… it hurts a little…"]
[As Mash's voice fell, the expression of Lucius, or rather, Bedivere, standing beside her, grew even more complex.]
[He knew why Mash's chest hurt. Or rather, the one truly in pain was not Mash, but the knight who was manifested within her.]
[In fact, it wasn't just that knight. Even Bedivere himself felt heartbroken seeing this scene.]
[At that moment, Da Vinci, wearing her scanner-goggles, looked into the distance with a very grim expression. "Let's not make any sudden moves for now. We'll observe the situation. That Tristan is indeed an Archer. Moreover, his Spirit Origin scale is strange. He's not an ordinary Servant!"]
["A Spirit Origin of this scale… is incredibly strange. His strength must be at least ten times that of a normal Servant, right? What is going on?"]
["Wait, he seems to have some kind of… blessing on him?"]
[Guinaifen: "A blessing?"]
[Da Vinci nodded. "That's right, a blessing. Not the kind of blessing ordinary people give each other, but a blessing bestowed by a deity. This sort of thing was called a Divine Blessing during the Age of Gods!"]
["A famous example would be the various heroes of ancient Greek mythology who obtained all sorts of abilities from the gods. That is a 'blessing'."
["Without a doubt, this must be the work of that deified Lion King. It seems Ramesses II was right. The Pure White Lion King has already transcended humanity and ascended into a true deity."
["Moreover…"] Da Vinci's face was stern.]
["Judging by the strength of this blessing, this is likely not something an ordinary deity possesses. Even from a divine perspective, this Lion King is not a deity that ordinary gods can compare to. She is, at the very least, a high-ranking god!"]
[Da Vinci gave an extremely high evaluation. The yet-unseen Lion King had made Da Vinci tense to the extreme.]
[She truly didn't know how Ramesses II had managed to fight against an enemy of this level up to this point.]
[Then, the scene switched back to the standoff between the Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke and Tristan.]
[The Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke spoke in a deep voice, "You speak of value… You mean, compared to them, I have more value?"]
[Tristan kept his eyes closed, his tone cold and flat. "Yes. Even my bow would have to put in some effort to strike you."
[The Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke: "Is that so…"] After a pause, she suddenly said, "In that case, let's make a deal!"]
["I know who you are, the renowned 'Knight of Sadness' from history, a man of noble character among the Knights of the Round Table, a knight who truly walks the path of chivalry."
["Therefore, I will offer my life here. In exchange, I hope you will let these people go. They are just a group of harmless refugees."
[Tristan was taken aback, then whispered, "What a noble person. To protect those worthless people with your own life? Even I must feel admiration for that."
["However, it is a pity. The order I received is to pursue to the end. Retreat is not permitted. So I am sorry, but this deal will not be made. Until I capture you all, I will continue to be here."
[Hearing this, the Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke spoke again, "To follow the king's command, you cannot make a deal that violates that order?"]
["Then, let's change the terms of the deal—your right arm and legs."
["In exchange for my head, for the next day, you will not be able to move your legs, nor will you be able to move your right arm. After time is up, you can continue your mission."
["Though my head is of little worth, for just this, the price should be fitting enough, wouldn't you agree?"]
[Tristan frowned slightly. "This… What kind of… No, if it's like this, you…"]
[His attitude showed reluctance and an inability to accept, as if he were truly moved by the Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke's noble spirit of self-sacrifice.]
[Seeing this, the Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke revealed a faint, relieved smile and interrupted Tristan, "Then, I shall take it that you have made a promise. Since that is the case, my apologies."
[As her voice fell, she gave Tristan no more time to respond. She believed in the character of this famously noble knight from history.]
[And so, at this very moment, she swiped a dagger swiftly across her own neck.]
[Although she was an Assassin, she was still a Servant. Her strength and speed far surpassed that of an ordinary person.]
[Under this act of self-sacrifice, a clean "line" appeared on the neck of the Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke. At this final moment, relying on her Servant's body, she spoke her last words to the refugees.]
["Run! My brethren, go north! The Hassan of the Cursed Arm will take you in…"]
[As she struggled to finish her last words, the head of the Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke fell from her neck and dropped into the desert. Her body, at the same time, dissipated into pure mana.]
[Seeing this, Tristan, who continued to keep his eyes closed, frowned slightly. It seemed as if he could 'see' everything. This was why he had kept his eyes closed all along. Since his debut, no matter what happened, he had not opened his eyes.]
[Those who didn't know might think he was blind, but the Tristan of historical record was not.]
[Elsewhere, the refugees were horrified and grief-stricken. Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others, who had heard the conversation through Da Vinci's long-range listening device, couldn't help but feel a surge of respect for the Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke.]
[Bedivere said in a low voice, "Although he is an Assassin, he is a truly noble person. To sacrifice himself to protect a group of refugees with whom he has little connection… even if he is not a knight, such a spirit can be called the spirit of a knight."
["If nothing unexpected happens, those refugees will be safe. Tristan… as an Archer and a knight, is without a doubt a noble person."
["With how the situation has developed, even with an order from the King… from the Lion King, he will honor the agreement and let the refugees go."
[The others heard this and nodded, also letting out a sigh of relief.]
[Although the process was unsettling, the refugees being able to escape was a good thing. Even if they didn't know why Tristan was intercepting refugees, in a hellish and disastrous environment like this, fewer deaths was always a good thing.]
[The refugees also came back to their senses at this time. Seeing the dissipated form of the Hassan of the Intoxicated Smoke, they showed expressions of grief and gratitude. Then, after looking at the unmoving Tristan, they began to run north, bypassing him.]
[It seemed Tristan was truly going to let them go.]
[In terms of the result, it wasn't ideal, but in a certain sense, it felt complete and worthy of respect.]
[However, at this moment, the atmosphere around Tristan suddenly changed. He then said in a low voice, "To actually cut off your own head and use words to place a curse on my knightly honor. With this, as a Knight of the Round Table, I have no choice but to abide by the agreement."
["Beautiful, very beautiful!"]
["But—"]
[Suddenly, his tone shifted, and he looked up towards the refugees.]
[Then, he raised his left hand, which held several harp strings, a weapon in the shape of a bow.]
[Then, while his other fingers held the body of the bow, he plucked the strings with his index finger.]
[In an instant, mana erupted. Accompanied by the crisp sound of the harp, over a dozen blades of air burst forth, in a flash, they sliced through the group of refugees who had already run some distance away.]
[The refugees stopped in their tracks. Then, one by one, their bodies were split in two from various angles, turning into corpses.]
[Tristan's speed was so fast that he had already acted while the refugees were still celebrating their survival.]
[Perhaps this was the final mercy of this knight—not to let the refugees feel too much pain before they died.]
[In an instant, Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others were stunned. The people across the infinite dimensions were also stunned.]
[This turn of events was too sudden. So sudden that no one had time to react before the forty-plus refugees had all been cut down, turning into corpses that dyed the desert red.]
[And it was only then that Tristan spoke the rest of his words.]
["If you truly wanted to restrain me, you should have made it so I couldn't even move a finger. Besides, I no longer have the right to speak of the knightly spirit, nor do I need it. All I need to do is carry out the mission given to me by my King, by any means necessary."
["Assassin, your actions were meaningless. Just as I said from the beginning, the moment you tried to save someone, you became worthless."
[As his voice fell, this Knight of the Round Table, who had completed his massacre, dematerialized and departed.]
[In the desert, the red of death spread, painting a heart-stopping picture of death amidst the blowing sand.]]
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