Despite his ubiquity, Kay's death is not a frequent subject in the Arthurian canon. In Welsh literature, it is mentioned he was killed by Gwyddawg and avenged by Arthur. In Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Alliterative "Morte Arthure", he is killed in the war against the Roman Emperor Lucius, while the Vulgate Cycle describes his death in France, also in battle against the Romans. According to Malory's Book 5, Kay does not die in the war against Rome, but rather survives and later is part of a party sent to try and retrieve Excalibur's sacred scabbard, prior to the Battle of Camlann. He is also among the few people who survives the battle of Camlann, although it is ambiguous as to how he does so; in later interpretations it is suggested that he never participated in that battle.