Kamen Rider Date A Live

"One of Kurumi's abilities—going back in time—requires an immense amount of spiritual energy and time. To achieve Kurumi's own goals, the vast amount of spiritual energy and spirit power within my body are all Kurumi's targets."

"Kurumi's goal is indeed similar to Saber's, but there are subtle differences."

"Kurumi's tragic wish is to use her abilities to go back thirty years and defeat the first spirit to appear in our world. That way, the other spirits would lose their coordinates and calls because of the disappearance of the first spirit, and they would no longer come to our world. In that case, Tohka and the others would not suffer such excessive treatment. It could be considered a good ending... But only Kurumi, Kurumi is the one who is hurt the most..."

"Because once the past is changed, it is equivalent to changing the present and the future. Kurumi herself will also be reduced to nothing due to the paradox of time and space. I don't know if she will retain any memories, but I do know that whether she retains them or not, it is the most cruel thing for Kurumi."

"If you remember, you will meet your own kind while enduring all of this, and know the pain and condemnation that only you understand; if you don't remember, you will completely forget what you have done, forget everything you have paid for this reality... This may be a kind of happiness, but it is definitely not true happiness. Because forgetting all of this is a desecration of Kurumi herself."

"In comparison, Saber, what about you? You just keep repeating the same mistakes. Your wish, like Kurumi's, is based on your own selfish desires, but is what you're doing really the right thing to do?"

"The country you were determined to deny, the country you were determined to destroy—England—is now a prosperous nation, and even the most widely spoken language in the world is English."

"In this world, everyone prays for peace, and nations are thriving. Therefore, there is no longer a need for King Arthur to save us. Things have changed. Do you understand, Saber?"

Shido smiled and looked at Saber seriously.

"The moment you chose to become a Heroic Spirit, you were no longer the savior of Britain, the mythical King Arthur."

"Because of the betrayal of your own children and subordinates, you ultimately met a devastating end... and you regret it."

"You regret the sacrifices and decisions you made in your life, subconsciously believing that they were not worthwhile and were wrong. However, you yourself have not realized this, and you stubbornly use 'saving Britain' as an excuse to willfully pursue the Holy Grail and deny yourself."

"No! I..."

“Rider is right. Right now, you're just a little girl bound by the curse of the ‘royal path.’”

Ignoring Saber's attempts to explain, Shido continued speaking.

"You've never understood the true meaning behind Merlin's emphasis on the importance of the scabbard."

"I just..."

"You keep giving up everything you have to get things that are beyond your reach."

"I just……"

"So, before you died, you regretted it. You wanted the Holy Grail, you wanted to change everything. Not for your country, but for yourself. That's the biggest difference between you and Kurumi."

"..."

Saber fell completely silent. Even the single ahoge (cowlick) on her head, which had always stood upright, drooped limply.

"You who don't know how to protect, even if you go back to the past, you will surely face a similar ending. Moreover, Saber, you have trampled on your most loyal subject."

"?"

Saber raised her head, her ahoge (cowlick) turning into a "?" shape, and looked at Shido with a puzzled expression.

"Do you know who the Berserker of this Holy Grail War is really? His real identity is someone you know best."

"'Knight of the Lake,' that was his title."

"!!!"

Unlike Shido, who was all smiles, Saber's gloomy mood vanished abruptly, her pupils widened unnaturally, and her ahoge (cowlick) turned into an exclamation mark.

With a trembling voice, Saber slowly uttered the person's name.

"Lancelot!"

The 160th King's Feast (Part 9)

The 160th King's Feast (Part 9)

Before continuing the story, let's rewind a bit and look at what happened before that.

...Let's rewind to between the timelines of approximately 148 and 149...

"Hehe, that's the wisest choice, Matou Kariya! But since I've agreed, let's not delay. Let's go to your house now to treat that girl named Sakura. After all, I still have some things to take care of."

Upon hearing Kariya's reply, Shido smiled with satisfaction—his plan had succeeded. This meant another ally. Their chances of winning had increased significantly!

However, just as Shido was urging Kariya to lead the way, Kariya stood silently in the same spot with his eyes slightly closed, as if he were thinking about something.

However, before Shido could ask any questions, Kariya opened his eyes and spoke to Shido with determination.

"agitω...! It's rude of me to say this, but if there's a problem or something goes wrong with your treatment of Sakura, don't blame me for being ruthless! ...What are you laughing at, agitω!"

Kariya's extremely serious and cold voice brought a smile to Shido's face—because only someone as loyal and righteous as Kariya could become a reliable helper.

"Hehe! Don't worry about it, just call me by my name, Shido, that's all. As for what you're worried about... since you're so worried, why don't you try it yourself?"

As Shido spoke, the belt reappeared at his waist, emitting a series of soft humming sounds. However, unlike usual, the humming sounds were not accompanied by a faint light surrounding his entire body. Instead, a vortex of light appeared in Shido's outstretched palm, slowly rotating to form a sphere of light with a radius of about three centimeters, filled with a sense of holiness.

"I'm not really good at healing. After all, my specialty is fighting, so testing it on you now will greatly increase the success rate of healing that child named Sakura later... However, if the treatment fails on you—the possibility of death is very high. Even so, do you still want to try?"

Shido, with a smile completely at odds with his age, spoke to Kariya. To Kariya, his words were nothing short of a devil's whisper, causing his already wildly beating heart to pound even faster! Kariya had no doubt that his heart might burst at any moment!

And Kariya's reaction to the demon's whisper was...

"I... want to try. It's not just to save Sakura! — It's also... I want to fulfill that promise!"

Upon hearing Kariya's resolute words, Shido showed an expression of admiration. However, as he listened to the end, Shido's consciousness became slightly hazy, and he recalled his own thoughts through Kariya's words.

The promise… you mean that promise, 'Someday, we'll be able to come here and play like before. Rin and Sakura will be best friends again,' right? Seriously! It really is so similar to me, even the promises are so similar… Matou Kariya!

"Hahahahahahahahaha!!!! Matago (Really)! Matago (Really)! I never expected to run into someone like you! How could I not... Hahahahaha!!!"

Shido suddenly burst into laughter, which left Kariya bewildered. However, if someone familiar with Shido were here, they would have noticed that his laughter contained less confusion than before.

"Matou Kariya! After receiving this light, all the disgusting things inside you will die, and this light will also restore your current broken body... However, it won't be without a price."

"cost?"

"You'll find out soon enough. By the way, I should also tell you that the repair process may involve extremely intense pain, since those things inside your body are now almost indistinguishable from your flesh and blood."

Faced with Shido's well-intentioned reminder, Kariya's face, which could only be described as terrifying, revealed a horrifying smile that would make a child cry.

"Hmph! If that kind of pain can compare to the agony of those damned insects gnawing at my heart!"

Kariya's extremely tough words made Shido reveal a strange smile.

"Heh, then I'll wait and see, Matou Kariya."

As Shido spoke, the ball of light in his palm floated up, detached from his palm, and in the blink of an eye, it entered Kariya's body!

"Waaaaah!!"

The moment the ball of light entered Kariya's body, Kariya's entire body began to emit a faint light, making him look like a human-shaped walking light bulb.

When the light from the exploding orb touched the insects inside the body, all of them died without exception. It was as if they had encountered the heavens and earth; they offered no resistance and melted away like snow exposed to sunlight.

The moment the insects dissolved, the dead insects transformed into pure magic power and began to repair Yan Ye's nearly crippled body. At the same time, Yan Ye's face gradually returned to normal, and his originally pale white hair gradually turned back to black.

Although he appeared perfectly normal, Yan Ye was enduring the excruciating pain emanating from his body with an intensity of 300% of his own willpower!

It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts so much ...

Yan Ye roared inwardly, but since he had just said those words, he was too embarrassed to shout them out, so he could only swallow his cries of pain.

Although the light emitted after the sphere of light exploded could kill the insects inside Yan Ye instantly upon contact, the number of insects inside Yan Ye's body far exceeded the range of the light's diffusion. After the insects on the outside disappeared, the insects inside Yan Ye's body began to rampage, frantically gnawing at Yan Ye's body, causing him unbearable suffering.

In addition, as his body began to recover, the meridians and some organs in his body began to repair and grow. The itchy feeling inside his body that made him want to tear his body open to scratch the itch drove Yan Ye a little crazy!

The extreme pain and unbearable itching left Yan Ye unable to laugh or cry. She could only endure the strange, intertwined sensations and silently scream to vent her frustration.

Fortunately, the pain didn't last long, only about a minute, before the light on Yan Ye disappeared, and at the same time, Yan Ye's entire body underwent a complete 180-degree transformation!

His body, which had shrunk due to the constant pain caused by the worms inside his body, completely relaxed. His lifeless white hair returned to its vibrant black color, and the mutated left side of his face returned to its original appearance, transforming Kariya from a strange-looking goldfish-like man (Kariya: ...) into a kind older brother.

As for Kariya's current state, Shido, who had already anticipated it, whistled and said in a teasing voice.

"Hey! You look much better now than when you were half-dead! Your body has mostly recovered, right? Use the remaining pure magic power left behind by those dead insects to help us in this battle."

"By the way, let's call Berserker out. By the way, tell him about his specific abilities and real name. As an ally, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

When Shido asked him a question, Kariya, who was immersed in his recovery, came back to his senses and was happy with his decision. Since he could recover like this, Sakura would definitely be fine!

With this wish in mind, Kariya, who no longer had any pursuit of the Holy Grail, no longer cared about Zouken's existence. He readily called out Berserker and told Shido Berserker's true name and specific abilities.

Upon learning Berserker's true name, even Shido was speechless for a long time before he came to his senses. He couldn't believe that the dark figure in front of him, whose body was filled with negative energy, was actually Lancelot, the greatest Knight of the Round Table of King Arthur, who was known as the "Flower of Knights," the "Knight of the Lake," and the "Knight of the Round Table."

"Masaka (No way)... This dark-skinned guy is actually Lancelot..."

Recovering from his shock, Shido walked over incredulously, looked Lancelot up and down, and patted him on the shoulder. And in that instant...

"Wang...she did nothing wrong!!"

The mournful roar of a handsome purple-haired man was deeply imprinted in Shido's heart!

Chapter 161 The King's Feast (Part 10)

Chapter 161 The King's Feast (Part 10)

“Bingo! Saber, you’re right. Berserker’s true identity is your knight, Lancelot.”

Shido's affirmation made Saber turn pale, and the expressions of those sitting around her also changed, clearly surprised by this twist of fate.

Shido didn't say anything about the situation, but calmly asked Saber.

"Saber, what are your thoughts on Lancelot? If you don't mind, please tell me."

Shido's words made Saber, whose face had turned pale, pause for a moment, and she involuntarily began to recall Lancelot's story.

Without a doubt, Lancelot is an excellent knight! Even his combat ability surpasses mine! If the title of 'King of Knights' is won by strength, then the 'King of Knights' would not be me, but Lancelot.

He possesses the same holy sword as himself, the supreme sword "Excalibur," which he received from the elves—"Aroundight."

Lancelot was, at that time, a unique and admired "perfect knight." He was a flower blooming atop the perilous peak of chivalry. His image and demeanor were the treasure of all knights who aspired to be like him.

He once concealed his identity and disguised himself to participate in a horse race to protect his friend's reputation. Even when he fell into a trap and faced the enemy's sharp blade with his bare hands, he won with just a tree branch thanks to his superb martial arts skills.

Lancelot and Guinevere are in love—a fact that even brings Saber some comfort. Because she is heterosexual and not a lesbian, although she is nominally married to Guinevere, she cannot give her happiness. This has always been a source of great guilt for her.

After learning that Guinevere had fallen in love with Lancelot, and that Lancelot had also fallen in love with Guinevere, she herself intended to secretly try to bring them together and help them find happiness. However—this had one condition: that no one would find out.

But fate sometimes likes to play tricks on people. Lancelot and Guinevere's relationship was unfortunately discovered, forcing them to stand on opposite sides.

And it was this initial event that led to the subsequent series of events. Whether it was Lancelot's rescue of the execution ground or sending pursuers afterward—morally speaking, no one was wrong, but it was precisely because everyone was right that tragedy ensued.

But what am I supposed to do now? Lancelot has become a berserker! What could have caused that noble knight to become something no different from a beast? Could it be hatred for me... or is this perhaps the only way it is? Is it because of me, this incompetent king, that you are so desperate?

Lancelot. Only you. I hope you can understand me. Because you are the knight people dream of.

I hope you'll agree; my approach is absolutely correct...

“Your Majesty, she is not wrong.”