Mordred had always been quick-tempered. Provoked by Gawain, she couldn't hold back any longer. Without hesitation, she poured her magic into the Clarent, and under the sword's amplification, she continued to charge it, accelerating continuously. In the end, crimson lightning surged forth.
Antigonus' men had just regrouped with Leonatus when they were engulfed by the roaring red lightning, turning into charred remains along with their spears.
The faces of two veteran generals turned grim at the sight, but they knew this was no time for sorrow, nor could they stop their assault.
"Second brigade, third brigade, follow up!"
"Spread out and charge!"
The sacrifice of the first brigade had not been in vain. They had sacrificed their lives to probe the nature of Mordred's Noble Phantasm—a linear, beam attack. It was extremely effective against dense formations like the Macedonian phalanx, but once the troops spread out, its effectiveness would drop significantly.
At the same time, Perdiccas also began his assault. The cavalry on both flanks spread out in a single line, surging forward like a wave. He too had seen through the weakness of Mordred's Noble Phantasm and made adjustments accordingly.
However, Mordred wasn't the only knight in the Camelot. As the cavalry maneuvered, two more figures appeared by her side.
They were King Arthur's most trusted aids, the two strongest knights of the Round Table.
Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake.
Gawain, the Knight of the Sun.
The former asked, "Will you go first, or shall I?"
"Of course, it's me first. After all, the sun is shining," the latter replied, tossing the holy sword in his hand high into the air.
At its highest point, the sword unleashed an endless torrent of light, its brilliance rivaling the sun scorching the earth above.
Then, the second sun fell, grasped by the knight clad in silver.
"My holy sword is the embodiment of the sun. Under the king's command, I will burn all on the surface to the ground. The blade of this holy sword is a copy of the sun itself. Holy sword of the stars, swing once again! Excalibur Galatine!"
Just as the knight boasted, this holy sword contained a semblance of the sun. Like the Excalibur, it was forged by the stars themselves. Its sharpness was second to none, and under the blazing sun, its destructive power was terrifying.
More importantly, unlike Mordred's Clarent or Artoria's holy sword, the release of Excalibur Galatine was not a concentrated beam but a fan-shaped, horizontal sweep.
It was the bane of cavalry!
The light of the sun swept across the desert like an avalanche. Wherever it passed, men and horses fell, and even the sand that had withstood the sun's heat melted into colorful crystals.
Excalibur Galatine proved its might, worthy of being called a sword forged by the stars.
Strangely, after unleashing such an attack, the wielder of the holy sword was not satisfied. A deep and somber expression appeared on his otherwise flawless face.
"There's still half of them left? What's going on?"
Sure enough, as the power of the sun slightly diminished, Perdiccas, clad in light armor, leaped out of the flames. He led the remaining cavalry in a continued charge, his disregard for death earning admiration from all who witnessed it.
"Could it be, brother, that you were just too greedy?"
Gareth teased with a smile.
"No, Excalibur Galatine certainly has that level of destructive power. I know it better than anyone after having faced it multiple times," Lancelot shook his head. He had once fought Gawain from dawn until dusk, and no one understood Gawain's strength better than him.
"There must be something—"
"Look over there!"
Agravain suddenly pointed into the distance, toward the main camp of Iskandar. There, a group of people clad in special robes, holding golden scepters, were praying.
Finally, Merlin spoke: "That is the priesthood of Amun. Amun is the Egyptian sun god, and Iskandar can also be considered a Pharaoh of Egypt."
It all made sense now. During Iskandar's time, the Age of Gods had not yet ended. Priests could still communicate with gods and borrow some of their powers. Using the sun god's authority to cancel out the power of the sun was not impossible, especially when Excalibur Galatine released the power of the sun.
"Then leave the rest to me. Reach the edge of the world and go beyond its limit. O distant king, witness this light! Arondight Overload!!"
With Lancelot's declaration, the third star-forged holy sword also shone. Its light did not belong to this world; it was a shimmering, rippling radiance, expanding outward in concentric circles.
Though it wasn't as blinding, nor did it have the overwhelming presence of other Noble Phantasm releases, it gave off an illusion of being harmless. But once touched, one would realize the terrifying lethality hidden beneath its gentle glow.
In the blink of an eye, more than half of the cavalry who had survived the solar sword perished.
This was the true usage of Arondight, the manifestation of a star-forged holy sword's power, a legit anti-army Noble Phantasm, and Lancelot's most frequently used technique during his lifetime—a testament to the strength of the Knight of One.
After clearing the remaining cavalry, the Knight of the Lake exhaled softly. "That should do it."
"Don't let your guard down. This level of loss means nothing to the enemy. The real challenge lies ahead."
"The true champions of the enemy are about to emerge."
Just as Percival and Bors warned, although Tristan, Mordred, Gawain, and Lancelot had caused over a thousand casualties, the King's army numbered in the tens of thousands. This loss wasn't even a tenth of their forces, and so far, not a single general had fallen.
As they spoke, the army of over ten thousand began to advance. The sheer number was overwhelming, and even with Artoria and the Twelve Knights of the Round Table unleashing their Noble Phantasms, they could not wipe out the entire force in one strike.
What's more, the enemy had its champions, warriors strong enough to rival the Knights of the Round Table. Some among them even caused Lancelot and Gawain to feel considerable pressure.
In the past, they had only faced enemies that were simply crushed. Now, this was a real war. Alexander the Great and his companions were finally getting serious, giving it their all.
They intended to completely crush the Knight King and her knights, not just physically, but also in spirit.
The knights remained fearless. They no longer fought individually but formed small teams according to their habits in life, supporting and cooperating with one another to resist the oncoming flood of the enemy.
As the charge continued, the main forces of the Conqueror King finally moved. Iskandar himself, along with Faker and Hephaestion, advanced together.
At the same time, Artoria and Merlin finally left their original position, leading the Twelve Knights as they leaped down from the city walls.
Then, Galahad raised the entire Camelot high into the air and, in the next moment, smashed it down with force.
The fourteen of them could not defend this Camelot alone, so they chose to attack—charging forward with Camelot itself!
At last, the battle had reached its fever pitch.