Miracle Summoner

At that moment, everyone on the battlefield keenly sensed the anomaly.

"So hot!"

Heat.

A sudden, indescribable surge of high temperatures arose on the battlefield, causing the air to climb and become scorching.

Involuntarily, everyone turned their gaze toward the sky above the battlefield.

There, a single sun originally hung high.

However, at this very moment, a second sun had descended.

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"

It was the sound of hot winds surging.

A blazing sun slowly rose into the sky, appearing high above, burning intensely while radiating a terrifying heat. The heat rippled in visible waves, pulsating outward in circles, expanding in all directions.

"That is...!?"

Agravain's pupils contracted sharply as he stared at the scene.

"That is..."

Mash, Hassan of Serenity, Bedivere, Jeanne [Alter], and Artoria [Alter] also lifted their heads to gaze at the blazing sun.

Even atop the highest throne of the Holy City, the Lion King, who had been seated motionlessly, raised her head. For the first time, a ripple of emotion appeared on her usually expressionless face.

As a divine being, the Lion King clearly understood what she was sensing.

It was an aura of the purest, most untainted divinity.

"A god has descended."

The sun rose slowly before beginning its gradual descent, bringing with it terrifying heat and scorching winds.

Within it, a three-legged Kinu, its golden eyes adorned with three magatama, flickered in and out of visibility. It beat its wings, and with each movement, waves of heat and ripples of power spread outward.

The Kinu lowered its head, gazing below.

There, the Knight of the Sun, wielding the Holy Sword of the Sun, stood looking up at it.

His forehead was drenched in cold sweat.

At that instant, Gawain's focus had completely shifted away from Rozen.

His body, his nerves, even his blood and cells, were resisting—forcing him to keep his eyes fixed on that sun.

How could he not resist?

He was the Knight of the Sun, blessed by the sun, a warrior who was virtually invincible during the day.

And now, the sun had descended. How could he not revere it, not stare at it?

Yet, the longer he gazed, the more he trembled uncontrollably.

There was only one reason.

Because within that blazing sun, the golden eyes of the three-legged Kinu were staring at him with undeniable coldness and murderous intent.

Feeling that icy gaze, sensing that killing intent, Gawain understood.

"It wants to kill me."

There was no doubt about it.

And he had little chance of resisting.

Gawain instinctively knew—

"If it attacks, I will die without a doubt."

There would be no reversing this outcome.

Even though he was the Knight of the Sun, blessed with six times his normal strength during the day, against the sun before him, he was fated to lose.

It wasn't just a difference in strength.

It was a difference in rank.

Compared to the being before him, Gawain was insignificant.

He was the Knight of the Sun.

But now, the true sun had appeared before him.

How could he possibly have any chance of victory?

"No! I can't just sit and wait for death!"

Gawain roared internally.

Then, he raised the Holy Sword in his hand.

This was a sword whose hilt housed a replica of the sun—the Sword of the Revolving Victory.

Like the Excalibur wielded by King Arthur, this Holy Sword was also a gift from the Lady of the Lake, a sister sword to Arthur's blade.

Though seldom described in legend, this Holy Sword was in no way inferior to Arthur's weapon.

If Arthur's sword bore the blessing of the moon (as Arthur's true name, Artorius, originates from the Greek moon goddess Artemis), then Gawain's sword was blessed by the sun.

Thus, if Arthur's Holy Sword shone with the radiance of the stars, then Gawain's burned with the flames of the sun.

Now, Gawain unleashed the full power of his Noble Phantasm.

"The blade of this holy sword is a copy of the sun itself. Holy sword of the stars, swing once again!!"

Gawain hurled his sword into the air.

The Holy Sword spun as it ascended, becoming a second sun, igniting with raging flames—transforming into a blazing sphere in the sky.

The burning sun descended a pillar of light, as if casting down a sword of flames, and Gawain caught it in his hand.

Tightly gripping the sword, now linked directly to the sun, Gawain poured every ounce of his power into it.

Then, he shouted the true name of his Noble Phantasm.

"Excalibur Galatine!"

A flaming sword, seemingly capable of reaching the sun itself, was swung down with overwhelming force.

BOOM—!

The atmosphere trembled violently.

The sword of the sun, capable of incinerating all in its path, carried a blaze that could consume the world. It fell like a collapsing pillar from the heavens, cleaving toward the Kinu.

This strike held earth-shattering power.

If it were to land, it would not only incinerate everything within a radius of several kilometers but also carve a blackened, scorched trench into the land itself.

This was Gawain's full strength.

But—all he had was courage.

"————!"

The three-legged Kinu let out a cry.

The descending sword, like a celestial pillar, suddenly quivered—

And then, it shattered.

The Solar Sword exploded on the spot, breaking into countless flames that surged toward the Kinu.

The Kinu opened its mouth—

And devoured all the flames.

The Kinu swallowed the power of the Holy Sword of the Sun whole.

No—

It had even swallowed the Holy Sword itself!

"What...!?"

Gawain's face turned pale.

"This... this is impossible...!?"

Even Agravain, watching from atop the city walls, cried out in shock.

"It swallowed the Holy Sword...!?"

On the ground, Artoria [Alter] was equally stunned.

No one could believe their eyes.

But—it was reality.

A mere replica of the sun?

So what?

Before Gawain stood the true embodiment of the sun—the divine being that represented the sun itself.

If Gawain's power came from the sun's blessing, then that power ultimately belonged to the sun.

As the rightful Sun God, the very incarnation of the sun, why wouldn't the Kinu be able to reclaim what was rightfully its own?

Even if it hadn't been the one to bestow it in the first place—it didn't matter.

"—!"

The Kinu let out another cry.

"Whoosh!"

In the next instant, the Kinu vanished from its original position.

The blazing sun transformed into a beam of light, streaking through the sky at unimaginable speed—

Heading straight for Gawain, whose expression had completely changed.

"Splurt!"

The sound of flesh being torn apart echoed.

"Ugh..."

Gawain's face went blank.

A massive hole had been torn through his chest, spilling blood everywhere.

Kinu had ripped through Gawain's torso, emerging from his back.

Beating its wings, it soared back into the sky.

"Thud..."

Gawain's body collapsed, never to rise again.

In a single exchange, the strongest Knight of the Sun had fallen.

The Lion King's greatest asset—had fallen.