[FMMIKA] Chapter 214: Artorius vs Space Lion King (III)

At the crucial moment, Artorius abandoned his plan to go down with Lion King.

At the same time, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. If he just lowered his head slightly, he could see that his abdomen had been pierced.

Similarly, at this critical moment, Lion King made the same choice as Artorius.

That was to show mercy.

"What?!"

"How could this happen?!"

"Artorius!"

As many Artorias watched this scene unfold, quite a few were surprised and distracted, leading to a vulnerable moment, and they were ultimately defeated.

Unfortunately, one of them was the local and original Artoria, the last one who shouted Artorius's name. Her concern for her son, whom she had raised, led to her defeat.

Unlike their astonishment, Artorius and Lion King, although surprised, felt relieved.

Unexpected, yet somehow expected.

"Compared to the other silly mothers, it's still more promising to have you as a mother." Artorius managed a forced smile as he said this. Of course, he only referred to the mothers of Servant Universe; his true mother, Artoria, was excluded.

"Yeah, I feel the same way." Lion King replied.

At the critical moment, whether it was Artorius or the Space Lion King, nobility triumphed over selfish desires. Their concern for their family surpassed their personal desires.

"But still, I thought..."

Lion King, looking at Artorius from across, had a slightly surprised expression. "I thought you were the kind of child who would act recklessly without thinking."

Artorius didn't say anything; he just chuckled awkwardly.

Not to mention her, even Artorius himself had thought this way before. He wanted to make all Artoria Species his possessions and do all sorts of interesting things with them.

One of Artorius's honest desires was to have a harem, to include all the cute girls from all over the world, and even from multiple universes.

But when he saw the Artoria Species, his mindset changed.

He didn't need to go through all the trouble of chasing after harems from various universes. He just needed to include all Artoria Species in his harem.

Quantity, quality, and diversity were all-sufficient. He could assemble an entire harem of Artoria Species. Whether in terms of looks or combat skills, they would be the best in the world.

For this, Artorius felt he could lose a considerable amount of dignity, resort to any means, and even go all out.

However, when the choice presented itself, love for the Artoria Species prevailed.

Love overcame desire. It made Artorius choose what was best for the Pendragons.

But at the same time, Lion King's choice was just like Artorius's.

Neither side was eliminated from the battle, and both couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie. There was even a hint of regret.

If they had known, they should have formed an alliance first, eliminated all the others, and then had a final showdown.

But that being said, if they hadn't fought this battle, how could Artorius and Lion King have known each other's true feelings?

"Fortunately, it's not too late now... keep going with my share of the burden, Artorius."

Lion King said to Artorius with a gentle smile. Her injuries were severe, and unlike him, who possessed the Third Magic and could rapidly recover, she couldn't heal as quickly as him. Her heavily wounded state was not much different from being eliminated.

"But I can—" Artorius began, wanting to say he could heal her, but she interrupted him by placing a finger on his lips.

"Keep pushing forward, Artorius." Lion King said, her eyes shining. "I believe in you. After all, you're the man who defeated even me.'"

With those words, she smiled and embraced Artorius, planting a tender kiss on his forehead. This affectionate gesture, like how a mother would do for her child, made him feel a bit shy.

Before Artorius could say anything else, she released him.

"As for me, this is my final charge."

"—"

After saying this, Lion King charged once more.

Instead of accepting Artorius's healing, resting, and then fighting again, she decided to go out in a blaze of glory, taking an enemy down with her. She wanted a direct and efficient conclusion, reducing the number of Artorius's opponents.

And the opponent that Lion King had chosen to go down with her was—

"Hey hey hey?! What?!" Watching as the Lion King charged toward her with unwavering determination, X was thrown into confusion. "Why me?!"

Of course, it was because X was the weakest among the four strongest and god-level Heroines. Lion King also considered defeating XX, Ex, or Z. However, her strength was lacking, and taking both herself and one of them down was likely to fail.

Since it was the final charge, it had to be a cool one with a good chance of success.

'That's why X, you're the one.' Lion King said inwardly with determination.

"Wait, wait, wait?!"

In the heat of the moment, X couldn't think clearly. Just like Artorius, she unleashed a sword light beam, causing Lion King to vanish into the light. Moments later, the beam exploded.

"Phew..." X breathed a sigh of relief. "With this, it should be—ugh!"

The next moment, under X's incredulous gaze, a lance pierced through her heart.

"Dammit, how could... I was supposed to be Artorius's number one..."

With strong regret and resentment, X closed her eyes and was transported out of the bounded field, becoming the first powerful Artoria Species to be eliminated.

At the same time, Lion King, who had just completed her last strike, also breathed a sigh of relief. She then surveyed her surroundings, and those Artorias who had intended to take advantage of the chaos and attack her all instinctively stopped, afraid to engage with her.

Even though everyone knew Lion King had almost no strength left. Until the very end, she could still intimidate her 'sisters' with her majestic presence. She finally wore a satisfied smile and was teleported away.

"How awesome."

Watching Lion King depart so calmly, numerous Artorias couldn't help but sigh with admiration, making her their life's goal.

It was also a form of growth. Some Artorias would grow into XX, while others would grow into Lion King.

Perhaps, that's what life was all about.

"..."

"I will carry your share and continue to fight, Mother..." Artorius muttered as he clenched his fist, watching the scene unfold.

At the same time, after another round of eliminations, there were only around thirty Artorias left on the battlefield. Some of them were heavily injured and barely holding on, with little chance of victory.

The situation was becoming clear.

Apart from Lion King and X, another one of the god-level Artoria Species had appeared. A new round of battles was about to begin.

"Well, let me be your opponent, Artorius." A figure in white said with a mischievous grin as she approached Artorius.

It was Ultimate Heroine Z, and besides her, there were her two temporary sidekicks, Heroine S and Heroine B.