Chapter 51: The Arrogant One (8k)
「The Dark Soul Over The Heaven」
「That Which Burns Within This Everlasting Night」
「Rank: EX」
「Type: Anti-World Noble Phantasm」
「Range: ???」
「Max Targets: ???」
「Life and death, an endless cycle. This is the spiral sword named the Embers of Everlasting Night, which brings both hope and death to all things in the world.」
「The so-called jet-black will is precisely the will to burn oneself completely.」
「The jet-black will, formed by your perseverance, your faith, and your determination, in that dying call, finally obtained a response from the unseen—this otherworldly sword.」
「Everlasting Night is shadow, the Embers are light.」
「Everlasting Night is tranquil death, the Embers are burning hope.」
「You, who wield the Sword of Everlasting Night's Embers, are both the final, fleeting afterglow at the end of this Age of Gods, and the Everlasting Night that brings tranquility and annihilation to your enemies.」
「If the will of the world seeks to stop you,」
「You shall make that will of the world drown in that eternal, silent death.」
「And from death, ignite hope.」
...
A thousand longswords fell like rain, clattering onto the blood-red wheat field.
Grasping the strangely shaped spiral sword, the deep black shadows around the silver-haired youth no longer remained stagnant like mercury, but began to drift like flames.
The disarmed knights... staring at their empty palms, all froze in place, momentarily bewildered.
"Witch... witchcraft, that's all! The son of the magic dragon is at his limit! Everyone, with me, take his head!"
There were still those who were unafraid of death. They charged forward, taking a step into the deep, flame-like drifting shadows.
Then, under the bewildered gazes of the crowd, they fell. Like harvested wheat, they collapsed. The knights died quietly, without a sound.
Within a twenty-meter radius around that person, the layered, drifting shadows were like the scythe of the Death God reaping lives.
All who trespassed on the domain of the magic dragon would die.
Holding this Sword of Everlasting Night's Embers, the half-kneeling dark knight slowly stood up, his dazed eyes examining the blade in his hand.
A holy sword... is it?
This dark, lightless, strangely spiraled form... rather than a holy sword, it was more like a demonic sword.
Su Shu thought for a moment.
"Then, I'll call you Dark Sword!"
The spiral blade suddenly emitted wisps of swirling shadows, trembling and buzzing as if letting out a dissatisfied clang.
"Tsk, not satisfied? Then let's stick with Everlasting Night's Embers... that name sounds like it's been through a lot. Big bro, this flame isn't for passing on."
The trembling of the blade gradually subsided. Su Shu raised his hand, wiped his blood-stained, messy silver hair, smoothing it out a bit. He lifted the sword and walked towards the Round Table knights.
Around him, the piled-up corpses of the knights, immersed in the shadows, began to collapse and crumble inch by inch, as if burned to ashes by flames, turning into black dust and melting into the ground. And the golden wheat fields, which had been stained with blood and cut down by blades, began to sway gently in the wind again,焕发 with a brilliant vitality.
In death, new life is born.
The last splendid afterglow before dusk fell upon the dark knight, making him look as if he were burning.
Watching this soul-stirring, miraculous scene, "You are a... a magic... son of the magic dragon, ahhhh—!!" the knights' last bit of composure finally broke. Their hoarse voices couldn't even form a complete sentence. They turned and began to flee in panic.
But they hadn't run more than two steps.
Su Shu raised his sword. From a distance, he casually swung a slash.
Hiss—
A circle of deep shadow, like a drifting flame, spread out rapidly. Like a gentle wind brushing over the wheat field, it also gently brushed past the bodies of the knights. No cutting, no tearing, and no狰狞 wounds. The knights' steps suddenly froze. Then, they knelt down stiffly on the ground.
They died peacefully and serenely. This was the final mercy Su Shu bestowed upon the warriors.
Watching this battlefield that had become silent in an instant, the knights of the Round Table felt as if something had flowed out from the bottom of their hearts. A sense of empty fear arose spontaneously. Their fighting spirit was wiped away, their bloodlust soothed.
Looking at the dark knight walking towards them with a sword in hand, the expressions of the kneeling Round Table knights were complex and frozen.
Clearly, he was covered in blood. Clearly, his armor was shattered. Clearly, his steps were staggering and unsteady, looking as if he would fall over with a gust of wind. But... they couldn't muster the courage to fight him.
Gawain fumbled on the ground, gripped the hilt of Galatine, and tried to stand up, trembling. But that person's shadow had already stopped in front of him. The Knight of the Sun stared blankly and raised his gaze. His last ray of sunlight was completely blocked by that figure.
"I like the things people say when they are about to die," the silver-haired youth's voice was still as ethereal as before, as if echoing from another world. "Because that makes me feel... like I'm alive."
"We've lost. Kill us or torture us as you please. You don't seem like the type to accept our oath of allegiance," Gawain lowered his eyelids. He had never expected to be so calm in the face of death.
"It's just... Gareth is not yet of age. I beg you to spare his life." The one beloved by the sun, the Knight of the Sun, bowed his head deeply, almost burying it in the pool of blood.
"Brother Gawain..." Gareth trembled with fear.
"Still thinking about your law for the protection of minors?" Su Shu laughed. A brilliant and happy laugh. It was just that his blood-covered face, no matter how he smiled, looked somewhat ferocious.
"So, I just came of age today, and the knights of the entire island came to besiege me. This birthday present is really a surprise..."
The Round Table knights stared blankly and raised their heads, looking at the silver-haired youth's face. Only by looking so closely could one vaguely discern the slight childishness in his brows and eyes.
At fifteen... an enemy to the entire world. The dying son of the magic dragon had brought down all of Britain.
"Alvin, your strength is beyond doubt. We are in awe," Gawain said in a low voice. "But even so... it will be difficult for you to win, because fate is not on your side."
"If fate is not on my side, then I will grab it by the collar and beat it continuously, until it no longer dares to stand against me."
As his voice fell, the night brought silence.
Gawain laughed. He coughed and laughed bitterly, full of sorrow. "If it were you, maybe you really could do it... I'm sorry, Alvin."
"Not a very good last word. I hate repentance and the like. Die with a calm heart."
The Round Table knights closed their eyes. Su Shu slowly raised his sword.
But he did not swing it down. Because someone had walked out of the wheat field. She seemed to have gently lifted the veil of the world, walking out from a side filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers. She held the blood-stained Sword of Selection in her hand. The deep purple blood dripping from it reflected a splendid brilliance in the sunset.
Her expression was sorrowful and frozen, her soft golden hair swaying in the wind like this wheat field.
Su Shu had finally waited for her. And she had finally seen—the person before her, covered in blood, like a demon, shrouded in shattered black armor... her senior.
"Alvin... senior..."
"Good evening," Su Shu said. "Artoria."
On his blood-stained face, there was not a trace of a smile. Because he had already realized that at this moment, a smile would only be ferocious. The gentleness that had once made Artoria feel like a spring breeze... was now only indifference. The thick, red color, like blood, dripping down from his armor, from his silver hair, from his face, also made the blonde girl's heart feel as if it were being squeezed.
"Could you... spare them..." Artoria said bitterly. "...even if I... beg you."
"Seeing that the tide had turned, Merlin let you out..." Su Shu's eyelids lowered. "Do you not know that he just wants you to beg me?"
"I know... but—"
"They wanted to kill me," Su Shu interrupted her gently. "If it weren't for your call, Artoria, I would be a dead man now."
"..." Artoria closed her eyes. Perhaps it was because of her inherently good nature that she was pushed onto that throne.
Su Shu suddenly swung down the spiral sword.
Hiss—
A wave of dark sword light rippled out. The Round Table knights all let out pained grunts. Six right arms were cut off in their entirety. The concept of death attached to the wounds almost announced the end of their knightly careers.
"You saved my life, so I only took their right hands... there won't be a next time."
He lowered his iron-gray eyes indifferently, glancing at the blood-stained Sword in the Stone in her hand. On it was undoubtedly... Merlin's blood.
"...Is there anything else?"
Silence. Time froze in the silence.
"Don't go any further," she said, stunned. "...Senior."
"What..."
"You will die, Alvin Pendragon," Artoria said sorrowfully, looking at the blood-covered dark knight before her. "The decline of the Age of Gods is the will of the world, and so is King Arthur's reign, Senior Alvin. If such a crucial historical node is tampered with, in a hundred years, this world will most likely trigger a pruning event, be abandoned, and destroyed."
"I know," Su Shu said calmly, which made Artoria freeze on the spot.
"You know... and you still..."
"—So... if it is fated, I must accept it? On what grounds?" Su Shu calmly asked her back. "If the will of the world wants me to die, should I offer my neck to be slaughtered? Should I stick out my neck to make it easier for it to cut?"
The silver-haired youth raised his gaze and looked at the setting sun. The night was rising, the sun was dimming. The everlasting night was coming, and the embers of the watch had not yet been lit.
"I just... want to live a happy and peaceful life with the people I cherish. I also hope that those kind-hearted good people can also have a peaceful and happy life on this island. Just this simple wish... is also to be... antagonized by this world. So, I choose... to say, to hell with it."
His voice trembled slightly. The spiral sword in his hand also rippled with layers of shadow.
"—If the will of the world wants to disturb my peaceful life, then I will make the will of the world fall into a dust-eating loser! I will pull off its head! Pierce its spine! Nail it to a cross! Let it be blown by the wind and drenched by the rain, until fate is struck down, until the shackles are broken! Because... I was originally such a villain full of evil... wasn't I?"
He was still the same, speaking sharp, heart-piercing words. He was still the same, his posture and will were so admirable.
Faced with his still-sharp question, just like in the old days, the dilemma still made it difficult for Artoria to answer.
"Besides, Artoria... with the decline of the Age of Gods, the race you cherish will eventually die out. The desolation of this island will swallow everyone in Britain—you had already foreseen that ending when you pulled out the sword, hadn't you?" Su Shu said in a low voice.
She is really, really stubborn... so stubborn that it's infuriating. I have clearly... used every means to try and hold her back. Yet she still walked towards that tragic loneliness.
Frustration. Su Shu felt frustration for this stubborn person before him. She was willing to sacrifice herself for the continuation of humanity. That was the hope of the people that the girl named Artoria carried, which ultimately pushed her onto... the throne where she would die alone.
"You want to protect the future of this world, but if you can't even protect the present, what future is there to talk about."
The response to such an irrefutable statement was...
"—You're wrong, senior..." Artoria forcefully gripped the Sword of Selection. "I don't want to protect the world."
The girl's resolute words, spoken with a clear voice, made Su Shu stunned for a moment.
She raised her gaze. Those deep green, lake-like eyes were, as always, clear and pure.
"I only want... to save you, Alvin."
As her voice fell, it was as if the sound of the wind had also ceased.
Su Shu stared at her, stunned. Silently and frozen, he stared at her in a daze. He had never thought that he would hear from Artoria's mouth such an unexpected, such a shocking answer.
The Round Table knights all looked up at the king's back in disbelief. Those postures, that brilliance, that admirable resolve... was it all... a disguise?
In front of this person, she had finally taken off the mask she had never taken off in front of anyone. The real, "Artoria."
"Do you still remember the teachings you once gave me?" Gazing at his stunned face, she said, word by word, slowly, "You told me that people live to be at ease, didn't you? You told me that before becoming a king, one must first become a person, didn't you? No one wanted me to be a person, everyone wanted me to be a king. Only you, senior. You... let me be... a person—"
"So, I worked hard to learn to be a person. So, I found my own 'peace of mind'."
"That is you, senior..."
"—it is you, Alvin."
The girl named Artoria tightened her grip on the Sword of Selection in her hand. The deep green lake seemed to be surging, rippling with layers of sorrow.
"I don't want to continue the world... I don't want to protect Britain. I don't care about the joys and sorrows of those people! I don't care if they laugh or cry! The continuation of the race has nothing to do with me! I want to save you, Alvin... Alvin Pendragon. It has nothing to do with the world. I just want to save you alone. As long as I die, in accordance with the will of the world, die alone like that... even if the Age of Gods declines, I know you will definitely be able to live on! The world will no longer target you! You will no longer be subjected to so much hostility! You don't have to break the shackles, strike down fate! You can live on safely and have the peaceful life you desire! Just let go of my hand, senior..."
"—Let it go, and let me die alone..."
The finally vented emotions made her tremble. Not only her body was trembling, but her voice was also trembling, just like the strings of her heart that had been stirred.
A tragic melody, incomparably sorrowful, began to play. It was the music played by the tearful and heartbroken Tristan, with his remaining left hand.
"Ah... a painful tone, a mournful melody, what a desperate and beautiful emotion. In this world, there is no more tragic scene than the one before my eyes."
Having taken off all the masks, the feelings revealed. The son of the magic dragon of Britain, the pure white and innocent knight princess. She stood so close to him, yet seemed so far away.
Facing the silver-haired youth before her, the "peace of mind" she had hoped to obtain, she said, word by word, almost like a plea, "Senior... Alvin Pendragon. You will die. Don't... go on..."
For the first time, Su Shu felt his own foolishness. He was truly... a foolish person.
He had clearly been properly maintaining the distance between friends. Since when did it become like this? Without any warning. Numb and slow nerves.
Ah...—perhaps, it was because he was originally so despicable.
That's right. He had originally wanted her to fall like this, had originally wanted her to be so deeply mired. He had originally wanted to defeat her, defile her, insult her, and abuse her—wasn't this his original thought? Wasn't this what he had originally wanted to see?
Artoria, she had clearly fallen. Just to save one person, she had chosen to become a king. Perhaps, this was the unforgivable sin committed by the villain full of evil named Alvin Pendragon.
"I don't want to deceive you, and I won't deceive you, Artoria," Su Shu said softly. "So, I refuse. I refuse to let go of your hand, I refuse to let you die. This is something I cannot compromise on, no matter what."
Yes. This was also the most tragic confrontation in this world. He wanted to save her, so he had to strike down the fate of Britain. She wanted to save him, so she had to protect the future of Britain. They stood on opposite ends of a scale, in a light and a night where they could reach out but not touch each other, watching and accompanying each other, until death do them part.
"Cough... cough cough—Even if you want to bring back the Age of Gods, it's not that easy, Alvin Pendragon..." The always-silent, wounded Agravain, while vomiting blood and coughing, said with a complicated expression, "If you want to save our king, unless you can find a way to peacefully get through the desolate years of the decline of the Age of Gods, otherwise, Britain will still fall to the invasion of foreign enemies, and the king will still die alone in endless slaughter...—Do you... already have a plan to solve this?"
"No, I'm still looking." Su Shu shook his head gently. His tone was calm and frank. "I haven't succeeded yet, and I can't even say for sure that I will succeed."
"Then, for that slim probability, are you willing to face the enmity of the world..." Using his remaining left hand to support himself on the ground, Gawain stood up, trembling. "You will die, Alvin Pendragon. Today's siege is just the beginning... Even if we of the Round Table are not your enemies, as long as you want to continue the Age of Gods, this world will target you more and more fiercely in the future—there will be heroes stronger than us, much stronger, who will emerge one after another... they will all want to kill you."
"Then let them come and die. If my sword wavers in the slightest, then I am not worthy of striking down fate." Su Shu's tone was flat. "No change that can overturn the world is achieved overnight. But if you don't try, it will never change."
"Do you know how difficult your path is, Alvin? Even if you succeed in bringing back the Age of Gods, and True Ether continues, and Britain is still favored by the gods, but you will still have to face an even more serious problem..." Percival, the oldest and most faithful knight of the Round Table, said with a hoarse voice, "—The gods... are real... Since the beginning of the Christian era, the connection between gods and men has been severed. The lingering gods are now mostly bound in the Inner Sea of the Planet, unable to escape. But if the Age of Gods returns, they will also slowly return. The gods demand the faith of humans. For the gods, humans are incomparably weak creatures... they look at humans, perhaps, like they look at tools or toys they've casually made. Would you have pity, have affection for your tools? At that time, a single whim of the gods could throw the human race into turmoil. If they want to destroy humanity, it's just a matter of a thought! The Age of Gods is gone and will not return. Next is the age of humans... This is the sorrow of us Celts, but it is also a fact we must face..."
Yes, the return of the gods. This was even more troublesome than the world's targeting. Those guys who stood high in the clouds, who had once ruled humanity for thousands of years, if they returned, how could they be willing to let go? With the experience of failing once, they would definitely carry out an even more brutal rule than before. Over the heads of humanity, hung a dark cloud called "God."
Su Shu fell into silence. Just when everyone thought he was finally feeling the pressure, the dark knight spoke softly. "You're wrong, Percival. As long as there is desire, as long as there is ambition, a god is just a slightly stronger life form. As long as it's a living thing, it can be killed."
Su Shu didn't know what the setting of gods in the Type-Moon universe was, but so what if it were the four gods of Chaos? The four gods of Chaos also had to fear the brilliance of the Emperor.
"If, to a god, a human is just a created tool... the noose is an instrument of execution invented by humans; war is a slaughter carried out among humans; domination is a social relationship shaped by humans. Then, just as people fear the noose, fear war, fear domination...—the gods should... also fear me."
Stunned. Everyone stared blankly at the dark, lightless knight before them. He was like a black hole, absorbing everyone's reason.
What... what an arrogant person.
Ultimate silence. A deathly silence as if eternally separated. The annihilation before the origin of the universe.
No one could say another word.
Except for the sudden sound of that gentle, always-like-a-spring-breeze, but which made Su Shu feel disgusted, voice.
"You are, perhaps, the most arrogant person in this world, Alvin-kun."
Merlin's illusionary clone appeared on the battlefield. At this moment when the dust had settled, he was finally willing to come out.
"Interesting... you are so interesting—" The development of events had brought the nightmare ultimate pleasure. There was no sign of distress from the failure of the siege. His expression was as joyful as ever. Savoring the determination, savoring the anger, and also savoring the fear of the people. In this battle, the complex emotions of those knights were like a delicious delicacy, allowing Merlin to have a good meal.
A nightmare is such a creature. The more fragrant the emotions it smells, the more pleasant its mood becomes.
"To be able to break through even such a desperate situation, Alvin-kun, you have given me too many surprises!—That kind of love! That kind of pity! That kind of world-saving feeling... Do you know? Alvin-kun, you are gradually falling into the abyss called 'BEAST'... All people will see you as an enemy of humanity! Everyone will take pride in killing you! This... destines your future to be an incomparably tragic death!"
The nightmare laughed out loud. Alvin was already very interesting. Coupled with such delicious emotions, it would be a shame not to savor it properly. Anyway, Merlin had decided not to show his true form in front of him from now on. So what if he could see through illusions? As long as his main body was hiding in the fairy forest, Alvin couldn't kill him.
As Alvin grew like this, the world's counterattack would become more and more intense. Grand... no... perhaps, several Grands would descend from the Throne of Heroes to subjugate this beast. At that time, the sight of this person before him struggling to survive, just imagining it for a moment, already made the nightmare feel a pleasure that trembled his very marrow.
"Thank you for your blessing, Merlin. As expected, another clone... You don't really think that showing yourself as a clone means all is well, do you? You call me arrogant, Merlin. You, who are not human, are as arrogant as ever... In other words...—You bastard, you still dare to appear before me!"
The dark knight gripped the hilt of his sword.
"Be annihilated. I grant you the everlasting night called death—"
The spiral sword in Su Shu's hand suddenly spun dazzlingly, instantly transforming into a long spear that was entirely black. A deep, shadow-like black flame flickered at its tip.
The moment the nightmare's clone saw that spiral, a dazed expression froze on its face. Its body also went numb, unable to move even a finger.
"This... this is..." It forced out the words with great difficulty. By the time its nerves reacted,
Squelch—
That strange and inexplicable spiral long spear had already been thrown by Su Shu, instantly piercing through its eye socket. This illusion... did not shatter, nor did it scatter into a sky full of petals. Instead... deep purple blood splattered from the wound.
Immortality? The body of a nightmare? The flames of a Lord of Cinder are best at burning immortal wandering souls. Through the connection of the clone, death is bestowed upon the main body. This was the attack of the Sword of Everlasting Night's Embers, which burned the very essence of the soul.
"Guaaaaaah—!!!!"
The magus's clone clutched its eye and let out an incomparably shrill scream. The nightmare's main body, hiding in the fairy forest, also let out an incredulous and miserable howl. From its originally magnificent eye socket, deep purple tears of blood slowly seeped out.
Su Shu had bestowed upon him the darkness called everlasting night. He no longer possessed that miraculous clairvoyance. Even his normal vision was almost completely taken away. He... was completely blind.
"A pity. With just an illusion as a medium, the connection between the clone and the main body is still too weak." If Merlin's true body had appeared here, then... one strike would have pierced his heart.
It wanted to touch the burning sensation, but could not get rid of it no matter what. The illusionary clone screamed and collapsed on the ground, like a shrimp boiled in hot water, its body arching and convulsing.
"Now, do you personally feel my arrogance, Merlin... So what if you're a nightmare... Even if it's a god, I'll kill it for you to see."
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