After a brief commotion—
Whoosh—
Setsuna, along with Gudako, Artoria, and a few others, passed through the teleportation anchor and landed back in Chaldea.
The familiar layout, the familiar architecture.
"Eh? You came here personally?"
Da Vinci nearly jumped in surprise.
For the Fourth and Fifth Singularities, Setsuna had simply sent Gudako and the shipgirls to handle things independently. She had assumed this time would be no different.
"I thought this Singularity sounded interesting. Figured I'd accompany the King of Knights for a change."
Setsuna casually ruffled Artoria's hair.
"Master!"
Artoria puffed her cheeks in protest.
It suddenly hit her that aside from eating and drinking in the capital, she had barely gone out to fight alongside him.
Blame those Angeloids and the absurdly skilled chefs from Totsuki Academy.
She silently justified it to herself.
"Ohhh..."
Romani and Da Vinci exchanged a look. Though they didn't quite understand, having the Commander of the Starsea Empire personally step in definitely eased their nerves.
The later Singularities were growing increasingly dangerous, filled with unknown beings. They honestly weren't sure if Gudako's current team could handle what was coming.
"This time... I'd like to join you as well, Mr. Setsuna. You don't mind, do you?"
Da Vinci asked with a small smile.
"I don't mind."
Setsuna smiled back.
Whoosh—
Romani spread a map and a stack of data across the table.
"Your mission remains the same—to restore this Singularity. The Lion King's birth was the result of an unintended accident caused by the Holy Sword not being returned. We must correct that error—so that she properly disappears..."
Before he could finish, Gudako suddenly brightened and poked Setsuna's arm.
"Wait a sec—since we have the Eternal Snowfall now, can't we just time-travel?"
"If you use the starship to go back to before the Human Order Incineration even began, couldn't you just beat up Goetia and call it a day?"
"Huh?!"
Romani and Da Vinci were both dumbfounded.
Every time they met Setsuna, the Starsea Empire seemed to have invented another incomprehensible technology.
"In theory, yes..."
Setsuna rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Free travel between past and future essentially meant he could prevent problems before they even started.
"But if I did that—who'd give me all the missing Heroic Spirits?"
"...Fair point."
Gudako couldn't deny it. She was certain that once Human Order restoration was done, Setsuna would definitely take the Eternal Snowfall into the Lostbelts for another round of chaos.
Together, of course.
"...Do whatever you want," Romani muttered, giving up trying to comprehend the scale of it all. As long as Humanity was saved, he didn't care how.
Half an hour later—
Everyone stepped into the Rayshift chamber.
[Reverse Summoning System: Activated]
[Commencing Rayshift Sequence]
"5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."
[All Systems Complete!]
[Destination: Sixth Singularity – Holy Round Table Domain, Camelot]
...
With the mechanical chime echoing in their ears, everyone's vision shrank to a pinpoint—then expanded again.
When they opened their eyes, they were standing in the middle of a desert.
Fierce winds whipped across endless dunes, golden sandstorms filling the horizon. Heaven and earth were swallowed by dust and chaos—a desolate wasteland that devoured all signs of life.
In the distance, through the veil of the sandstorm, the outline of a walled city could just barely be seen.
"Ah... looks like we've been dropped in the 13th-century Middle East? Cough, cough—"
Da Vinci covered her mouth as she coughed violently.
Whoosh—
Setsuna raised a barrier, isolating them from the harsh climate.
"All right. First, let's locate the local Heroic Spirits, then deal with the Lion King issue."
Buzz—
The Eternal Snowfall's sensors conducted a full sweep of the world, constructing a detailed holographic map in moments.
The root cause of this Singularity was clear—Bedivere had failed to return the Holy Sword, causing Artoria to remain alive when she should have perished.
Believing that, under Solomon's influence, humanity had lost its future, she resolved to preserve a fragment of mankind as eternal specimens—sealed within the Holy Lance itself.
In the original storyline, everyone had to use countless strategies to help Bedivere return the Sword of Promised Victory—so that the Lion King could finally be released from the Holy Lance's curse.
But now...
Setsuna glanced sideways.
Well, the original Artoria herself was standing right here, holding her "curry stick."
He could already sense this was going to get awkward later.
"Come on, board the ship with me."
He projected a small starship into existence, a compact shuttle descending through the desert winds.
Just as the group was about to board—
Beep—
The ship's AI flagged a strange signal.
Not far away, a girl wearing an orange-and-white short robe trudged through the sandstorm. She wore a straw hat and a cloak, and held a monk's staff in hand.
When she spotted the enormous craft projected above the desert, her eyes widened. Abandoning her original route, she began running toward them—half sinking into the sand with every step.
"Hey!!—"
"Please wait!!! Who are you?!"
The girl climbed over a sand dune, waving her arm.
"I sensed a massive energy fluctuation just now—it might have been... huh?!"
Up close, she could finally see the ship's structure clearly.
Sharp, sleek, and impossibly futuristic—it was nothing that could exist in this world.
"Heroic Spirits? No, that can't be right. You're not native to this world either... but you're not with the Lion King, the Sun King, or the Mountain People. Then who in the world are you?"
She stared at Setsuna, trying to make sense of it.
"And you are?"
Gudako blinked, curious.
The newcomer had black hair and violet eyes. Her short robe barely covered her, revealing an incredibly voluptuous figure, with just enough cleavage showing to make everyone pause.
Underneath the robe—she was clearly wearing a bikini.
Her golden, intricately patterned thigh-high boots shimmered in the sun. And in her hand, that staff was impossible to miss.
"..."
Sensing no hostility, the girl composed herself and introduced confidently:
"I am Xuanzang Sanzang! Guided by the Buddha's will, I have manifested in this realm! Uh... my class is Caster!"
"And you are...?"
"Huh???"
Everyone except Setsuna froze in disbelief.
"Wait, you're that Tang Sanzang from Journey to the West?!"
Harbin gawked.
"That's me."
Whoosh—
She pulled up a holographic image of the Journey to the West depiction they all knew.
"That's you, right?!"
"That's not me. I'm Sanzang."
"...Then what about Sun Wukong?"
"She's been summoned separately into this Singularity—a neutral Servant."
Setsuna calmly explained.
"..."
The Eastern shipgirls looked dumbfounded. The Type-Moon interpretation of history never failed to shock them.
They simply couldn't reconcile the image of this black-haired, 36D bombshell with the monk they grew up reading about.
"What kind of busty demon monk is this..." Gudako muttered under her breath.
"Did the Buddha approve of this design?!"
"Cough—don't worry about it. It's just the anime aesthetic."
...
"Ah, if only I'd had such a convenient mode of travel on my pilgrimage."
As she boarded the starship, Xuanzang Sanzang sighed sincerely.
"...What, you planning to speedrun the Eighty-One Tribulations too?!"
The shipgirls were utterly speechless at the sight of this 36D Sanzang.
Seriously—how did this woman even make it through the Kingdom of Women in the Type-Moon version of history?
Harbin's mind was already filled with weird images she didn't want to acknowledge.
"So, you're Masters from another world? Here to correct this world's distorted history?"
Having roughly grasped the situation, Sanzang looked toward Setsuna.
She had originally been a neutral Servant in this Singularity, not deeply involved in its events—only sensing that something was wrong. When she detected the immense energy surge from the Rayshift, she'd come to investigate.
"Of course."
Whoosh—
Setsuna projected a holographic map before them.
"The Sixth Singularity was warped by the existence known as the Lion King. Because Bedivere failed to return the Sword of Promised Victory, the King of Knights lost her humanity and became the Lion King."
"This place was originally a war between two native factions. When the Lion King appeared with her Round Table Knights, they crushed the locals utterly. Oh, right—Ramses II and Nitocris should be here too."
"The Lion King believes humanity is doomed. Using the Holy Lance, she recreated Holy Camelot and began her so-called 'Selection Ritual,' choosing worthy humans and sealing them inside the lance as specimens—to preserve them through the apocalypse."
"Our task is simple—deal with the Lion King, then collect the other Heroic Spirits."
The Eternal Snowfall's AI performed a complete scan of the Singularity, marking all major energy sources and anomalous signatures.
Xuanzang was among them, alongside Nitocris, the Queen of Magic, and the Hassan of Serenity.
Unlike the original Chaldea team, who had to wander around gathering intel to uncover the truth, Setsuna—being a "New Game+" player—already knew everything about each Singularity's cause and structure.
Meaning, he could skip most of the setup and go straight for the core issue.
A speedrun, essentially.
"Turning people into specimens and sealing them inside the Holy Lance... sounds like the Project STIGMA. Guess the Lion King was ahead of her time."
Gudako scratched her head.
"The Project STIGMA's purpose is to preserve humanity until civilization can be reborn someday. But the Holy Lance thing... yeah, that's just turning people into collectibles."
Setsuna snorted softly.
"Also, have you noticed? This Singularity isn't stable. Outside this region, the surrounding space is nothing but chaos."
"Tch..."
Artoria's expression turned uneasy.
"Master, how could I ever do something so horrible...? I—"
"The Lion King's got divinity but no humanity. You, on the other hand, are just a food-obsessed knight. Totally different."
Setsuna gave the ahoge king a head pat.
"In any case, let's go meet the Lion King."
"Can I help in any way?"
Sanzang asked curiously.
"If you need me to fight, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve..."
"..."
Setsuna paused to think.
"The Five Elements Mountain Palm of the Tathagata? Forget it. If you could actually summon the Enlightened One, then we'd have something to talk about..."
"Just sit tight. Maybe give Ritsuka Fujimaru a lesson in Buddhist ethics—see if you can improve Human Evil's moral compass."
Whoosh—
The starship ascended smoothly into the air, gliding toward a distant city.
...
Beyond the endless desert.
A massive silver-white city stood tall against the barren earth.
Its architecture was unlike the mud-brick structures typical of the Middle East—clean, pristine, and gleaming, as though it had been transplanted straight from a fantasy world.
The outer walls stretched hundreds of meters high, enclosing the city completely.
Inside, majestic towers rose skyward—grand even by modern standards.
Banners bearing the insignia of the Round Table fluttered from the towering gates, as countless armored knights stood in solemn formation atop the walls.
Outside, rows upon rows of crude tents stretched endlessly into the distance.
Refugees, clothed in rags, gathered there—fear and hope mingling in their eyes as they gazed upon the radiant Holy City.
They had all come seeking salvation.
Clank—
With a deep, echoing rumble, the massive gates slowly opened. Heads bowed low, the crowd began climbing the long staircase, watched in silence by the knights above.
Upon entering the grand hall of the castle—
A knight clad in gleaming silver armor stood on the dais.
"Welcome, those who have volunteered for the Holy Selection," he declared.
"I am Sir Gawain of the Round Table."
"Our Holy City of Camelot is the flawless, pure-white kingdom of a thousand years. Through these gates lies the ideal world."
"Whoa—"
The crowd murmured in awe and excitement.
"Pray for the King's mercy."
Fwoosh—
Flames burst to life along the castle walls.
From the shadows emerged a figure in silver armor and a white cape, stepping forward to stand above them all.
Golden hair, sky-blue eyes, and a crown glinting upon her head—her face resembled Artoria's, yet her expression was cold, detached, utterly divine.
"The number of those who may reach salvation is limited," the Lion King said icily.
"Human nature is corrupt and degenerate. Therefore, I shall enact a selection."
"Only those whose souls are unstained, unshaken by worldly evils, and eternally pure since birth shall be permitted to enter the Holy City."
"..."
The refugees exchanged confused looks, assuming this was merely a test to prove their worthiness.
Clack—
She raised her hand. Three beams of light swept through the crowd, illuminating three chosen individuals.
"I require only these three. Retrieve them, Sir Gawain."
Without another word, the Lion King turned and left.
"Yes, my King."
Gawain faced the crowd once more.
"Everyone else, I offer my deepest condolences—but this is for the sake of humanity's preservation."
"Now, for those not chosen... commence the Holy Punishment."
"Ah? Wait—"
Before anyone could react—
Swish, swish, swish—
A storm of arrows descended from the walls, a rain of death unleashed upon the defenseless refugees.
The Purging Knights showed no mercy.
Aside from the three chosen, all others were deemed worthless.
Screams filled the air as chaos erupted.
Some tried to flee, only to find the gates had already closed. Those who resisted were cut down in an instant.
"The Selection is complete. None may leave alive," Gawain said calmly, his expression devoid of emotion. He had performed this massacre many times before.
Each Selection only yielded a handful of 'worthy souls.' The rest were simply part of the process.
A woman in tattered clothes clutched her child, trembling as she begged for mercy.
The knight before her showed no hesitation as he raised his blade—
Until—
"Stop!!!"
A sharp voice echoed across the heavens.
BOOM!!!
A blue light streaked down from the sky, crashing into the castle.
Within seconds, a single figure carved through the Purging Knights, felling them with blinding precision.
"How dare you... this is an insult to the very spirit of knighthood!!"
"...Huh?"
At first, Gawain thought an enemy had breached Camelot's gates. But when he focused on the intruder, his breath caught.
Golden hair. Blue eyes. Silver armor over a royal-blue dress. A radiant sword gleaming with divine light.
Even after countless years, he could never forget that face.
The King of Knights—Artoria Pendragon.
"Wait—"
The entire Round Table froze in disbelief.
Who the hell was this? What was going on?