--- Arrow 1 ----
A soliloquy.
Sancho:
---We want to live.
We want to draw breath, for our hearts to beat, to breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide.
To long for that, to wish for it, is not evil.
Then, is it evil to betray something to achieve that? Is it evil to flee?
I'm sorry...! I can't do it, I just can't do it!
We cannot win. We cannot fight back. We are of no use.
We ran.
We ran all the way to this Singularity from the Atlantean Lostbelt.
No, that's not right. I made him flee.
He was so scared that he no longer knew what was right, what to do---
Yes, he merely asked. But it's no wonder he did.
There were gods there. There were heroes with the strength of demons there.
A few Servants decided there was no victory to be had there, gave up, and vanished.
While proclaiming they did not wish to waste their time or their magical energy.
There were also those who stood their ground.
And there were those, like us, who ran away.
Using our second Noble Phantasm, we escaped Atlantis with ease.
Our miscalculation was that we wandered into this Singularity right after we made our escape.
We are a rare breed of Servant, one who came here with knowledge of the Lostbelts.
...I do not regret having fled. We would not have contributed anything to the war effort.
I kept making excuses that it would not have made a difference even if we stood our ground here.
---But Chaldea did it. They pulled it off.
They were all splendid, noble, and proud heroes.
Which is why we were not there...
I feel nothing in particular about that.
Because our presence or absence would not have affected the outcome any.
But it was a most shocking event for his grace.
Don Quixote:
I was---wrong.
Sancho:
That is not true.
Don't say that. Please don't say such a thing.
Don Quixote:
I fled.
I could stand against windmill giants, but not against Atlantis.
Why am I a craven old man without a single trace of that savage valor left?
...Servants are summoned in their prime.
But his worship was summoned as an old knight.
And even more importantly,
his mind is that of the devout believer he was right before his death.
At the very end, he eschewed chivalry and withdrew from absurd stories in favor of leading a peaceful life.
How it is interpreted may vary from person to person. But even so, his worship tried to do good until the end.
However, that goodness was the goodness of the mediocre. What was needed now was valor.
I want you to live. I want you to live your life as a person.
...This may differ from the expectations of one summoned as a Servant.
But I believe that is what I am here for.
So I shall betray. Even if it goes against his wishes.
---But there was just one thing I failed to take into account.
I had believed his grace to be good but cowardly, having lost his valor in Atlantis.
But what mattered was neither cravenness nor valor. It was virtue.
His grace, who had been accompanying Lord Vlad, wordlessly moved to do something no one had expected.
Cut back to the battle at the fort, where Roland leaves his and Astolfo's troops to Diarmuid to keep the enemy at bay, while they take care of something else. Astolfo wonders if this is all their just desserts for their deception, but Roland says that as long as they can buy some time here, then Karl's party will be able to make their escape somehow.
Elsewhere, Sancho requests an audience with Constantine. Fifteen hundred soldiers surround them in that camp, evoking a crushing terror. But within one of those people's little body dwelled something far more important. Upon nearing Constantine, Sancho states her purpose, and offers Vlad as a token of surrender. Constantine was willing to negotiate, even though he could easily capture all of them there and then, but he discarded that thought as soon as he heard the name Don Quixote. There would be no point wasting effort on such a weak man. But then, the old man cried out.
Don Quixote:
I am the knight-errant, Don Quixote de la Mancha!
I named myself Karl der Große in the Via Regia Realm and have inherited his will!
...I-I am a Servant of Pan-Human History! I have been summoned to vanquish you!
Mighty emperor, Constantine XI!
I hereby challenge you to a duel!
Those words made Sancho freeze. Not only had her negotiations failed, but it was tantamount to a declaration of war. But Don Quixote vowed not to let a single hair on his princess, his squire, or his friends be harmed. And so, Constantine accepts the challenge to single combat. Sancho moves to stop her lord, but...
Don Quixote:
Don't say it, Sancho! I know, I know damn well!
That this act renders your devotion and your wishes meaningless!
But still, I must not retreat!
Here...I come!
--- Arrow 2 ----
Elsewhere, Holmes has found you and Xu Fu, and reports the situation. However, it's not just Sancho that's the issue, he says. He has also erred. Because of this, Holmes orders Xu Fu to retreat to the Via Regia realm, but she refuses, so Holmes decides to tell her of your own situation as you retreat. But you quickly run into enemy forces, so Holmes just takes the opportunity to explain while you fight them.
He tells her how you are all from pan-human history, and what you're doing here. However, Xu Fu explains that while she might harbor some hate towards pan-human history by virtue of being here, it's just something imposed on them by their Master, and she seems to be under less effect. She kept quite about it to others though, for obvious reasons. She also thinks she's definitely an exception to the rule. Right then, Gordolf sends you a transmission with bad news, more bad news, and even more bad news. He explains to you that don Quixote revealed his impersonation of Karl der Große, revealed himself to be a pan-human history Servant, and even challenged Constantine to single combat.
--- Arrow 3 ----
The duel begins.
Don Quixote is markedly beaten, but he cannot retreat from here. Constantine seems genuinely bewildered why Quixote would have even suggested this, considering how weak he is. This bewilderment is only further fueled when Don explains that it was just on a whim.
Constantine:
Why would you undo all that you had built?
You could have obediently turned over Vlad III and gone into hiding.
Your selfish actions are utterly meaningless.
As long as you side with Pan-Human History, I will kill you and your followers.
Don Quixote:
I do feel sorry...for Sancho...
---But I can't give in. It's wrong. I simply cannot give up.
Sancho begs Constantine to stop, and if anything, take her life instead. At this, Don yells and berates her. He never wants to hear her say something like that ever again. And he knows very well that he's no match for the emperor, as evidenced by the narration from his point of view we're treated to.
I must be delusional.
Perhaps I am nothing more than an old man who stole the idea of Don Quixote...
Or perhaps I am nothing more than a phantom, a collection of ridiculous fantasies.
No, no. No, no, no---
If that were the case, then where did that pain come from? Where did that sense of dread come from?
I ran away.
The greatest heroes of legend had gathered together.
Some of them were different from what I imagined.
Among such legends, I felt out of place.
I met true knights. I had dreamt of such a moment.
It truly was the story of my dreams. A dazzling tale of brilliant adventure!
I felt alive! I was a living knight!
---But...
Even they were no match against the gods of Atlantis.
To see the world's greatest heroes disappear before my eyes...it was heartbreaking.
I couldn't do anything. I was powerless.
Her words were enough to move me to tears.
Without thinking, I abandoned chivalry.
And I found myself in this Singularity.
He ran away from his dream, and to run away now would be running away from reality itself. It would be no less than losing, and no matter the fool Don Quixote was, he remained victorious til the end. His ideals revolve around being a good person, and helping others. If he can still stand and fight here, that's what he must do, no matter the opponent. But Constantine will not show mercy, and delivers the final blow.
Everyone was convinced it would end the old man's life, and seal Constantine's victory. But then, in a flash, night turned to day. A brilliant light dazzled all onlooking Servants.
???:
---Man, was that cool.
You don't run away from reality. You confront it.
That's the coolest thing you could do. Not just as a knight, but as a person.
I guess you've earned the name of Karl der Große.
I'll allow it! And if I tell you yes, well, no one out there can say otherwise!
My name is Charlemagne!
Also known as Karl der Große, the father of Europe!
Inspired by the courage and valor displayed by Don Quixote, Charlemagne vows that this battle shall be his to win. He thereby orders Don to take his princess and leave this place. But Don refuses. Having come this far, he must know if Charlemagne is the real deal. Charlemagne simply laughs at this, saying it's a matter of course that a good knight should have a princess and squire by his side, after all. And so, he brandishes his Noble Phantasm.
Charlemagne:
O brave knight, Don Quixote. I, Charlemagne, shall continue your fight
Constantine:
Many invasions have we faced, yet our faith remains unmatched. Never shall we yield. Though we may perish, our homeland remains eternal!
Charlemagne:
The holy light that shall never fade, the glowing colors of infinite changing form! Exemplify these heroics of mine, O mighty knights! Joyeuse Ordre!
Even Constantine recognizes Joyeuse, and thus understands this is the real Karl der Große and Charlemagne. Joan orders Constantine to fall back. There's no point in them lingering here, as the fort has already fallen, but Constantine wants to deal with the pan-human history Servants. Just then, you arrive at the location with Holmes. Joan urges her emperor, who finally agrees to retreat. With a glance at Chaldea, he takes his troops and departs from the battlefield. Bradamante, lingering behind, receives words of encouragement by Charlemagne to stick to the path she's chosen.
With the Restoration realm departed for now, you turn to Charlemagne and ask what the hell is up. He explains that he's here as Karl der Große's proxy. He might technically be the same person, but they're not exactly the same aspects of the person (read Extella Link). This aspect of him is the adventurous Charlemagne that left behind legends in myth. But regardless, with the assistance of his other aspect, he managed to manifest in the Singularity based on a chain summoning from the paladins, but having no master and forcing an irregular summon caused his Saint Graph to become all messed up. As such, he can only really go all out two more times if he's lucky, and even without that, he'll probably disappear in about 48 hours.
The paladins ask Charlemagne why he's even here, and he explains it's to help out Chaldea. The only reason he showed his true power just now was because he was so moved by how cool Don Quixote was. At this, Sancho apologizes sincerely for the trouble she caused, but Vlad is surprisingly lenient and tells her to act as if it never happened. The bigger issue right now is that there aren't many more than about 500 Servants in the Via Regia realm, but regardless, everyone's friends again and Charlemagne joins the group. Sancho also promises that no matter the danger, next time, she won't betray you for Don Quixote's sake.
Charlemagne goes to rally the remaining Servants, explaining that whether they like it or not, without pan-human history they'll all be gone anyway. Holmes asks him if he knows the reason behind rebelling.
Charlemagne:
Hmm? There's only one cause for a rebellion like this.
Getting so angry that you can't stand it anymore.
Unbearable fury you don't need to foster.
Yeah, on those terms, the Restoration Realm channeled their rage in an unbelievably constructive way.
The Servant faction that is the most in tune with their Master's will is, without a doubt---
the Revenge Realm.