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IBHJ Chapter 802
🕑 Added 2024-04-26 02:32:01 +0000 UTCThe Castle of Lord Camelot's strength proved invaluable in repelling the giants' main force. Its impenetrable walls withstood the crushing blows of the colossal enemies, while its enchanted defenses unleashed devastating counterattacks that sent shockwaves rippling through the enemy lines, preventing the giants' main forces from flooding the Castle.
"We can finally breathe again. This feeling is just... amazing!"
"That's our king for you, solving the problem with the world's laws. With this, these giants can kiss their dreams of conquering Pan-Human History goodbye."
"What do you mean by 'with this'? You make it sound like we were on the verge of being conquered. Come on, they're just giants. The king gave us orders to defend the history we created. Even in the face of adversity, we won't let them invade even an inch of our history!"
"Well said!" The knights all nodded in agreement. They turned to Galahad with satisfied expressions and said, "Little Galahad, you did well. You're truly worthy of being a knight who carries on the Eternal Kingdom's legacy."
"No, no, no, uncles, you're embarrassing me," Galahad quickly waved his hand, "It's just that my Noble Phantasm happens to be well-suited for defensive battles. Besides, being able to repel them is mostly thanks to the king breaking the giants' laws. Otherwise, even with my Noble Phantasm, I doubt we would have been able to hold out for long. To be honest, those giants were attacking so fiercely before that I thought they'd break through in no time. I was even ready to suggest that the king try summoning Aunt Artoria..."
At the mention of Artoria, the smiles on the knights' faces fell, replaced by a sorrowful expression.
Many of the knights present found it difficult to face Artoria, as quite a few of them had once been controlled by the Grail and betrayed her.
"I deeply regret that Artoria wasn't summoned. But if I'm being honest, I wouldn't know how to face her. When she was fighting against Attila, I was under the enemy's control and helped destroy the kingdom from within."
"I know, but given her personality, she'd probably forgive us. The king has also given us a chance to atone for our crimes through meritorious service. But we can't forgive ourselves for being controlled by the enemy." The knights lowered their heads and sighed.
Seeing that the knights were once again dwelling on the past tragedy, Galahad knew this wasn't good and quickly said, "Uncles, the past is in the past. Right now, our main focus is defending our world and never letting them invade our world!"
"Don't worry, little Galahad. We're not rookie knights. We all know exactly what to do, how to do it, how not to let emotions get in the way, and how to properly position ourselves. If we can't even manage that, we don't deserve to be part of the Knights of the Round Table."
Galahad nodded. He knew that in that era, the Knights of the Round Table, including himself, stood at the pinnacle of the world. If only things had been different... If Eternal King, the kingdom's founder, had stayed; if Attila's full-scale invasion had never happened; if the Grail incident had been avoided; if the knights hadn't been manipulated into turning against each other... then, after the King of Knights' victory over Attila, the Eternal Kingdom's light would have spread across the continent, creating a magnificent empire.
But there are no ifs in life. It was precisely this combination of coincidences and inevitabilities that made the Eternal Kingdom an eternally incomplete beauty in human history. However, thanks to Mordred's behind-the-scenes activities and his role in inheriting the kingdom after her, the Eternal Kingdom was ultimately remembered. The legend of the Eternal King and the King of Knights endured, and the knights and soldiers who lost their lives in the civil war were able to manifest as Heroic Spirits through Eternal King's Noble Phantasm.
The history they know today is a tapestry woven from the origins and endings of countless gods, great figures, and heroes from all corners of the world, as well as every human being who has ever lived. They couldn't allow such a rich history to be destroyed.
"Stand strong against the giants! We are Heroic Spirits, the guardians of human order. We cannot afford to lose this fight!"
...
Shirou and his companions made their way back to the Chaldea mountain base. As soon as they arrived, he sought out Agravain to get an update on the war.
"The 17th legions have been completely wiped out," Agravain reported, his voice grim. "Galahad's main army at the center managed to hold the line, but our left flank was torn apart, leaving the surrounding area vulnerable. Fortunately, Gawain, Lancelot, and Tristan led another legion to block the breach. As for the right flank, it hasn't suffered any big losses. Overall, we're at a disadvantage in the confrontations, but as long as Galahad's position doesn't collapse, the defensive line will hold."
Shirou nodded. Previousy, the world's laws had been altered by Surtr, and the giant army was incredibly powerful, fighting without fear of death. They were even more terrifying than the frost giants who had conquered dream earth in the past. It was no surprise that so many soldiers had fallen.
Turning to Bedivere, he asked, "Sir Bedivere, what are our military losses?"
During the war, Agravain usually handled the big picture, while Bedivere focused on military equipment, supplies, and casualty counts. The two had their own areas of expertise and worked well together.
Bedivere frowned, reluctant to share the news. This wasn't just a statistic; it represented the lives of their brothers in arms. "We can't calculate the exact numbers yet, but the death toll is roughly around 50,000."
Shirou's brow furrowed. "Has the death toll already reached such a high number?"
"There's no way around it, my king," Bedivere said. "These enemies are nothing like Vortigern's magical beasts or Crimson Moon's Dead Apostles from 1,500 years ago, who didn't care about military tactics. The military skill of these giants is not worse than that of modern armies."
Hearing Bedivere say this, even the usually strict Agravain couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"I know. These are Surtr's soldiers, after all."
"My king, from what you're saying, it sounds like you know that giant."
"We haven't officially met, but we've had our fair share of indirect confrontation. That giant's power might not be as great as Crimson Moon's, but he's more dangerous than Vortigern," Shirou said, his expression turning serious.
In the reset world, the frost giant invasion was all part of Surtr's grand scheme. He orchestrated the entire thing, even going as far as using Hel to take Skadi out of the picture. How could anyone not take an enemy like that seriously?
Sure, his raw power might not match up to Crimson Moon, but it's his intelligence that poses the greatest threat. If there's even a shred of truth to what Sixth Seat's been saying, then this is already Shirou's last reset. If Surtr succeeds in his invasion, there won't be any more chances to start over.
"Listen up, everyone. This enemy is no joke. We need to take this seriously. There's no other way out of this. We have to win!"
The knights in attendance all wore grim expressions, nodding in agreement with their king's words.
Comments
JeanMartin Freites
Quite a lot of exposition in here. And the dialogue with the soldiers did feel a bit unnatural. Also looks like some setup for a confrontation is taking place here. And everyone's really taking it as seriously as they can.
