The Forsaken King-Chapter 40: A King Does Not Rise Alone

His eyes were blank and empty. He wasn’t dead, but barely hanging on. Ana managed to make a huge wall out of the ground, trying to buy some time. She tried to heal Sylas, but he barely had any energy left. Keeping the wall up was draining most of her energy.

"I can’t die yet," he groaned. "I have to make sure she doesn’t carry my burden."

His body started to glow with golden light. It surged through his veins like sunlight, coating him in blinding gold.

When he woke up, he was back in Camelot.

But he was sitting at the Round Table.

It was made of wood—old and cracked. Around him, the seats were filled with familiar faces. Faces he hadn’t seen in a long time. But he couldn’t remember their names. Like part of him was missing.

He looked around slowly.

At first—nothing.

But then, a spark lit up inside him. Faint. Flickering.

With each face, it grew stronger.

Lancelot sat at his right, silent and still, feeling shame. Gawain leaned forward—like always, he had a grin forming at his scarred lips. Galahad bowed his head and closed his eyes like he was praying. Kay, Percival, Bedivere, Tristan—they sat there in silence. Soft, gentle smiles. All of them looked at him.

No one spoke. And yet, he felt the warmth of being home. He wondered if this was his "heaven."

He didn’t mind. They weren’t just his knights. They were brothers. Friends. The pieces of himself he’d lost across a battlefield.

Then one of them finally spoke.

"Long time no see, my king."

"Am I dead?" Sylas asked.

Gawain laughed like a child. "You look like shit."

"You can’t die yet, my king," Percival muttered. His voice was gentle.

"I tried... but I failed again." His tone was soft, low.

They all rose up and gathered around Sylas.

"This time," they said in perfect sync, "you won’t die alone. We’ll be with you—every step of the way."

Then the table shattered.

In an instant, the hall was gone—replaced by a battlefield drowning in gold, like his domain. His banners flew around them. Behind him, thousands of warriors he had led stood there. Men and women who had once sworn loyalty to him. Their forms flickered with golden armor that gleamed, weapons in hand, eyes burning like they were ready to serve their king once more.

They stood behind him.

One by one, the names returned. His brothers.

Galahad. Gawain. Percival. Bedivere. Gareth. Tristan. Bors. Kay.

All the people that died fighting for him.

He remembered all their names. How they died.

He realized he didn’t become who he was alone.

It was their belief—every step, every sacrifice—that shaped him.

He had never stood alone.

Not then. Not now.

They walked beside him, even when the others betrayed him.

Excalibur appeared in his hand, and he shouted:

"A king does not rise alone."

The sword started glowing.

The crowd started cheering. Their cheers broke through the domain, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Ana tearing up. He sat up and wiped her tears. His body was completely healed. He turned his head and noticed that Ana had created a wall made of dirt to protect them, and now some of the monsters were trying to climb up, while some broke through it. The slender-looking monster started walking toward them.

He got to his feet. Walked forward without a single word.

Ana watched him, her brows furrowing, eyes wide in disbelief.

He muttered, "Domain of the King."

Excalibur sank to the ground. The ground turned gold. Swords rose out of the ground like gravestones.

"Your king needs you."

He lifted his hand up—and through that, his loyal soldiers rose up, gripping the swords. They wore bright gold armor, helmets. Next to him stood Lancelot and the others—his blood brothers. Friends.

Excalibur rose back up to his hand, and they charged.

It was like a war.

Sylas’s soldiers tore through the puppet monsters. Sylas and the others went for the slender one. They all leapt up, trying to attack it from all directions. It spun its hand—the impact sent them all flying.

As the others were flung back, Sylas blinked low and swept behind it—his blade slicing clean through the back of its ankle. The creature buckled, roaring in pain. It swung its long arms, but Sylas blinked away.

The others leapt up again, bringing their swords down. This time, they all stabbed him.

The beast let out a loud roar that sent everyone flying backward. It started slamming the ground, like trying to call for something. But no use. It couldn’t call out any more monsters because of his domain. The grin it had suddenly disappeared. Its eyes filled with rage, and it finally talked.

"I don’t care anymore," it screamed. "I’m going to take you to her dead!"

Sylas knew who he meant.

Lilith.

"She is still recovering because of you," it growled.

The beast lunged. The soldiers got in its way. It just wiped them away, slamming anyone who got in its way. It was like a bull.

But it didn’t reach him. They moved before it could get near him. Lancelot drove his blade into its side. It fell to its knee.

Then Galahad followed, driving his sword through the monster’s foot—pinning it to the ground.

Gawain pierced the other foot, anchoring it completely.

The creature’s long hand slammed down, trying to rise.

Tristan and Percival moved next. Together, they stabbed through its palms—nailing both hands into the dirt.

The beast roared, thrashing—trapped.

One by one, the golden soldiers stepped forward.

They raised their blades, then stabbed—each sword sealing it tighter.

Until the monster could no longer move.

They shouted, "My king, it’s your turn!"

Sylas stood last, Excalibur in hand.

He didn’t flinch.

[Belief Gauge: 100%]

He didn’t need others—because he had his people.

He was no longer alone.

Excalibur exploded—

A blast of golden light tore the air apart.

Once again, Excalibur became pure energy. Its true form.

He stepped forward slowly. The battlefield fell into silence. Even the air stopped moving.

"This blade almost killed her," he whispered. "Let’s see what it does to you."

He raised the sword.

Everything went still.

No wind. No sound. Just empty.

Then—

"Caliburn..."

The name itself carried weight—like the final promise of a dying god.

A golden arc split the world in half.

Light tore through the darkness—cleaving the ground and everything in its path.

His domain broke, and the attack left a massive beam blast—deep, red, and still burning.

No one spoke.

The gold faded. The battlefield smoked.

Only Excalibur remained—dim, but still warm in his hand.

[Soul Core Fragments Collected: 100 / 400]

"His current skills"

{[System Notification – Excalibur Evolution Complete]

Weapon Equipped: Excalibur

Current Rank: B

Mana Output: B

Combat Rank: B

Overload Scaling: Active

Weapon Evolution: Phase III Complete

• Excalibur now grows stronger over time

• Second Form Unlocked: Domain Ascension

• Caliburn revealed when Belief Gauge reaches 100%

[Active Skill: Domain of the King – Phase III]

Duration: 150 seconds

You create a battlefield shaped by your will.

• Summon replica swords from memory (one use per sword)

• Enemies suffer reduced speed and reaction time (Dominion Pressure)

• Enemy buffs are suppressed

• Gold fog covers the ground; ancient banners rise

• You may blink to any summoned sword within the domain

• Loyal subjects no longer need to be within the domain to receive buffs

• New: Summon fallen warriors who once fought under your banner—clad in golden armor, bound by honor and memory

[Passive Skill: Absolute Sword Sense]

You can draw out 200%+ of any weapon’s potential, including hidden traits and overload states.

[Passive Skill: King’s Blessing – Upgraded]

Permanently raises the combat rank and base stats of any loyal subject by one tier.

• Only applies to subjects who have received your blessing

• Once blessed, they are forever marked by your authority

• If loyalty breaks, all buffs are stripped and the subject is paralyzed for 60 seconds

[Passive Skill: King’s Authority]

While Domain is active, all loyal subjects below your level temporarily match your rank.

• Applies only to those who accept you as king

• If loyalty breaks, they are paralyzed for 60 seconds

[Divine Blessing: Lake’s Grace – Enhanced]

Source: The Lady of the Lake

Condition: Excalibur Drawn + Domain Active

While Domain is active:

• Attack power and speed increased by +75%

• All allies inside the domain gain +60% to all stats

• You may blink to any summoned sword still present on the battlefield

[Ultimate Skill Unlocked: Final Oath – Caliburn, Blade of Promise]

Caliburn is the true form of Excalibur, revealed when the Belief Gauge reaches 100%.

• Unleash a single, unstoppable final strike

• Power scales with Excalibur’s current rank

• After use, Caliburn reverts to Excalibur

• Belief Gauge resets to 0%

• All Domain abilities are disabled until restored

• Attack consumes all remaining energy

[Soul Core Fragments Collected: 000/400]

[Next Weapon Rank: A]}