Boom—
The earth trembled, the world wailed.
The shining spear of the end was thrown out by Souya in the form of light. In the vast sea of clouds, it transformed into an infinite chalk-white tower, and then, with a brilliant light and a huge potential energy, it smashed into the center of Londinium like a divine punishment. The next moment, the tower's body continuously sank, like a divine-age shield machine, breaking through the earth's crust and heading for the Albion Spirit Tomb deep underground.
At that time, this tower at the end of the world would follow the passage dug by the Albion dragon all the way down, until it broke through the world wall between the surface of the world and the Inner Sea of the Planet. Finally, it would bring the basic True Ether to maintain this island, and thus continue the Age of Gods in all of Britain.
And Souya's final task was to protect Rhongomyniad from being interfered with by anyone before it completely broke through the world wall.
"The Star Anchor..."
Looking up at the huge white tower that was deeply inserted into the earth like a nail of the world, Merlin's eyes were full of confusion. As the omniscient and omnipotent great sage, he naturally knew that if Vortigern wanted to continue the Age of Gods, he had to pull out Rhongomyniad and make Britain fall off from the rules of the world. It was just that he had originally thought that his plan was to deal with all of them before going to pull the anchor. After all, as the pillar of the world, the time and energy required to pull out the Star Anchor was terrifying.
But now, why was the Star Anchor in Lamorak's hands? And why could he use the Holy Lance? And how did he pull out the Star Anchor without his perception? And...
Thinking of this, Merlin moved his gaze from the giant tower and finally landed on the young knight who was still standing not far away. Compared to all these things, what he wanted to know more now was why it was him, a small incarnated fairy, a despicable knight, whose position in fate was so insignificant, yet why would he, at this final moment, jump onto the stage as a supporting role and become the protagonist who stole the show.
I really want to know why... this accident, this variable, this path that is completely different from the records of fate...
Thinking of this, a trace of probing excitement and anticipation gradually appeared in his bewitching purple eyes. As the knower and promoter of the script, he would not deliberately change and manipulate fate. But at the same time, his nature as a nightmare made him very much long for and look forward to some fun happening. If it weren't for the fact that there was still a part of human factor in his bloodline that allowed him to control his own heart, the current Britain would have long since become a paradise to satisfy his interests.
And now, this Souya who had suddenly stood up and was holding the Star Anchor, this variable that had transcended fate, had finally stimulated the desire in his heart.
Without any hesitation, even though he had just used his Clairvoyance, but in order to probe his truth, Merlin still, regardless of the damage to his eyes, raised the effect of his Clairvoyance to the maximum.
But, even though it had reached its limit, the life of the knight named Lamorak that was presented in his eyes was still the same as he had glimpsed countless times before. An unexpected birth, a knight of Morgan, the experience of hunting Avanc, and the destiny of breaking the Sword in the Stone and joining the Round Table Knights, and finally, after everything had settled, being killed by his own colleague, falling into a predetermined tragedy.
No matter how he analyzed, no matter how he deduced, the result was the same. There was not a single time where he could see the scene of him holding the Holy Lance, standing before all of them.
But how could this be?! How could a person's fate be completely different from the records! Unless, unless...
Suddenly, Merlin thought of something. An incredible light flashed in his eyes, but it could not hide the pleasure and anticipation within.
"You are definitely not Lamorak! Who are you, who on earth are you! Tell me who you are!"
"Hehe."
Looking at his crazed appearance, Souya, imitating Vortigern's appearance, also returned a sneer. "Merlin, you think you can see through everything, spy on and grasp fate, but this also destines you to be shackled by those eyes. I am no one. I am Lamorak, a knight of Morgan, the Lion of Britain, an accomplice of the vile king, and..."
At this, as if he had sensed a complicated, numb, and yet expectant gaze, he couldn't help but pause for a moment. He knew who the owner of that gaze was, and also knew what she wanted to hear. But with things having progressed to this point, he could not respond to her expectation.
"And, the one who will continue the Age of Gods."
I'm sorry, Lily.
Feeling that gaze become painful, sad, and even tinged with a trace of despair, his heart ached slightly.
And Merlin, upon hearing his words, immediately sneered. "A knight of Morgan? An accomplice of Vortigern? And the one who will continue the Age of Gods?" He said with a smile, as if he were pointing at something, "In that case, your so-called joining the Round Table Knights was, from beginning to end, for the sake of Vortigern's plan, right? And your allegiance is not to Lily, but to Morgan."
As if he hadn't seen Artoria's head lowering more and more beside him, and the ugly expressions on the faces of the Round Table Knights who had already gathered around, Merlin added fuel to the fire with a grin. "So, you have betrayed and deceived everyone at the Round Table. You are truly as despicable and cunning as the vile king and the witch."
He did not answer his question, or rather, he simply did not know how to refute him. He just remained silent, without saying a word. But this did not stop his eyes from becoming colder and colder, and the surrounding air pressure from becoming lower and lower. Clearly, he had already developed a murderous intent towards Merlin.
And Merlin naturally also sensed the murderous intent in his eyes. But he didn't care, and instead smiled and said, "What? Are you angry because I exposed your lies and want to kill me to vent your anger? Ah, you really can't take a tease, Sir Lamorak~"
As if to anger him, Merlin deliberately emphasized the word 'Sir'. Before he could answer, he continued with a smile, "But, you can't do it at all, Sir Lamorak."
As he spoke, he looked at the Round Table Knights who had already been awakened by him and had deliberately let them hear the truth. "Vortigern was still too confident in you. He actually only thought of killing me and not any of the Round Table Knights. This leads to the fact that you, Sir Lamorak, will have to face the highest combat power of all of Britain, the Round Table Knights."
Seeing that all the knights had gathered here, Merlin no longer hid it and raised his arms to them with a smile. "Then, all you knights of the Round Table, I believe you have also heard that Lamorak, who should have been your comrade, has personally admitted that he is in league with the vile king and the witch. Everything he has done, including his appearance when he was with you, was all a disguise to backstab you at this decisive moment. Then, since things have come to this, there is no need to suppress your anger, no need to abide by your morals. Towards this traitor, draw your swords, everyone!"
But the response he received was not the public outrage and the knights' verbal abuse of Souya that he had imagined, but a silent silence. Not a single response, not a single echo. In his perception, there was not even a single trace of malicious fluctuation coming out.
"You guys?"
Subconsciously looking up at the Round Table Knights, Merlin was stunned to find that they were not looking at Lamorak, but were all looking at him with disgusted eyes.
Oh, so there was a malicious fluctuation, it was just that the target was not Lamorak but myself.
"Compared to Sir Lamorak, who backstabbed us because of his position, you, who took this opportunity to stir up our emotions and conflicts, should be even more despicable, right!"
The one who spoke was Gareth. As the youngest, and also the most shy and innocent knight of the entire Round Table, at this time, she was the first to stand up and refute Merlin. And as if a switch had been flipped, with Gareth's words falling, all the Round Table Knights released their malice towards Merlin.
"Gareth is right. The one who is truly the most disgusting and loathsome is you, Merlin!"
As Gareth's older brother, and of a similar age, Gaheris, who was not much older, also echoed his sister's words.
"If Sir Lamorak has been deceiving us all along, then how are you any better, Merlin! From Vortigern's words, it can be seen that you have been deceiving our king from beginning to end!!"
The knight most loyal to the king, Bedivere, said thus.
"Although Lamorak is indeed as I had thought before, with ulterior motives, but Lord Merlin, this is ultimately an internal matter of our Round Table Knights. As a court magus, you seem to have no right to interfere."
Agravain patted the dust off his armor. As the most just and impartial knight, although he used honorifics, his tone held no respect for Merlin at all.
"I believe in Sir Lamorak. He must have his reasons for doing this!"
Percival's expression was firm, his tone certain, just as his trust in Souya's character was.
"I hate the way you talk, so I want to beat you up, Merlin."
This was the 'Flower of Knighthood', the Knight of the Lake, Lancelot.
"Ah, I am so sad..."
This needs no further explanation.
"Eh eh eh?"
Hearing the Round Table Knights' verbal abuse of him, Merlin did not show any anger at all. He just looked at the knights with confusion, not understanding why they were like this. I clearly didn't do anything wrong. The one who should be condemned the most is Lamorak, who has committed an act of betrayal and is at odds with their goals. But why are they scolding me? Do I still know too little about the hearts of these human beings?
Thinking of this, Merlin cast his gaze on Kay and Gawain, who had not yet spoken.
"Sir Gawain..."
"Don't call my name, you are not worthy!"
Among all the people, Gawain's disgust for Merlin was the most severe. As Souya's 'brother', his older brother, Gawain felt that no matter what his little brother had done wrong, he was still his little brother. And in this world, there was no older brother who would not protect his little brother. If he didn't protect him in front of outsiders, then who would?
"Also, give me back my sword!"
With Gawain's call, the next moment, the Caliburn in Merlin's hand finally, as if it had had enough, fiercely broke free from his hand and, as if fleeing from some disgusting thing, quickly flew back into Gawain's hand.
"Brother Kay..."
Merlin then turned his gaze to Kay. If he was surprised by the condemnation of Gawain and the others, then for Kay and Artoria, he believed that they would definitely be on his side. But the next moment, Kay's answer made his smile freeze.
"Merlin, I don't care what that bastard Lamorak did. But you shouldn't have deceived Lily and made her sad. In this, you two are the same."
Kay said with a calm expression, but everyone present could feel the coldness and anger in his words. This Kay, who was usually unreliable but was an even better person than Percival, and was also loved by everyone, was angry.
"Lily, you have to believe me..."
Hearing Kay's words, Merlin subconsciously looked at the girl beside him who had been lowering her head all along. He wanted to pull her hand, but was reflexively avoided by the latter. Involuntarily, Merlin was stunned.
"Merlin, you have always treated me as a tool, a tool for the sake of the world, for the sake of fate, a tool called the 'perfect king', right?"
Artoria asked softly. Although she was still lowering her head, and her tone was very light, it rarely made the nightmare, who should have been without any waves in his heart, feel a little suffocated, as if his heart was being pressed.
But, how is that possible?
Merlin fell silent, the smile on his lips finally disappearing.
"...Let's end it, Merlin. Let everything end. Let the Age of Gods continue. I'm really... tired."
Saying this, Artoria finally raised her head, but there was no longer a single ray of light in her eyes. That deep green forest seemed to have already arrived at the winter of all things withering, becoming dead silent and without light.
She did not look at Merlin, nor did she look at anyone else. Instead, she stared fixedly at Souya, who was not far away, silently watching all this, his eyes so complicated that they seemed to be about to overflow.
The girl's lips moved a few times. She wanted to say something, but suddenly found that she no longer had the ability to speak to him.
But at this very moment, Merlin's voice sounded again. But this time, his tone had become very helpless and melancholy. "Oh my, all of this is really too sad and painful."
The nightmare said thus, but a smile appeared on his lips again. But this smile no longer had any joyful meaning, but was strangely calm. "You are right, Lily. It is indeed time to end all this. As long as Lamorak is killed, all this will end, right? You won't hate me, you won't be sad, and the whole of Britain will return to the right track of history and will not be pruned. As long as Lamorak is killed, everything will be fine, right?"
!!!
Hearing his words, Artoria's heart suddenly tightened. She subconsciously withdrew her gaze and looked at him, but found that the other was also looking at her with a calm face.
"Merlin!"
She was about to speak, but then, a pinkish-purple light flashed in his eyes. Then, he raised his right hand and gently snapped his fingers. The next moment, with the crisp sound of the snap, the movements of the Round Table Knights who had originally surrounded him all paused. Then, everyone took out their weapons and turned to face Lamorak.
"What's going on!"
Feeling his body acting on its own, and all his magical energy gathering towards the Caliburn in his hand, Gawain's expression suddenly became terrified.
No, it can't be...
"Merlin, what the fuck did you do to us? Why can't we control our bodies!!!"
Kay roared loudly. He tried to forcefully reverse his body to grab Merlin's collar, but found that it was all in vain, because his hands had already automatically drawn the precious swords at his waist.
And the other knights were the same. Whether it was Lancelot or Tristan, they all uncontrollably took out their weapons and began to charge up their Noble Phantasms at Souya.
"Enough, Merlin!!!"
Seeing this scene, a vein popped on Artoria's forehead. Her eyes were almost blood-red, and she roared at him almost like a roar. But before she could make her next move, she was caught off guard and made eye contact with him, crashing into a sea of pink and purple flowers. The next moment, the girl's expression suddenly became bewildered, and her eyes also became empty and without spirit.
"Rest assured, Lily. I won't let you make a move."
Merlin chuckled lightly. He reached out and touched her cheek, his tone doting. "You just need to watch, in that illusion where you can't touch the truth, watch me kill Lamorak. At that time, you will still be the perfect King Arthur of Britain. After everything is over, you will return the holy sword, and then come back to Avalon with me. There, you and I will be master and disciple forever."
After speaking, Merlin turned his gaze to Lamorak, the smile on his lips widening again. "After so long, you should be able to move now, Lamorak. In that case, are you ready to be killed by me?"
Sensing that Rhongomyniad had finally entered the underground ley line and no longer needed him to provide magical energy, Souya slowly raised his arm and pointed at him, his eyes and words filled with murderous intent. "I will kill you, you damn, disgusting nightmare."
"Heh, what a boast."
Hearing his words, Merlin immediately sneered. He looked at him with a mocking face and said, "You? The you of now, without the Holy Lance, without Vortigern, and even your magical energy is almost depleted. On what grounds will you kill me? On what grounds will you fight against the Round Table Knights, who have been blessed by me?"
As his voice fell, the bodies of all the knights once again bloomed with the aura of illusion. Then, the previous blessings of 'Sleepless', 'Innocence', 'Sure Hit', and so on returned to their bodies.
"Hehe."
To this, he just sneered, and then, in front of him, he took out an item, a sphere surrounded by a blood-red crystal. Seeing this thing, Merlin's brow immediately twitched slightly. He seemed to have realized something.
Then, with a thought from him, the blood-red crystal instantly melted, revealing the spherical object wrapped inside, a huge, slowly beating white heart.
"The heart of the Albion dragon! Lamorak, what are you doing?!"
With just one glance, Merlin had recognized what that thing was. But just as he was about to stop him, he had already taken a fierce bite. In just five breaths, the dragon's heart had been completely swallowed by him. At the same time, a powerful and strange aura instantly burst out from his body.
The depleted magical energy was quickly refilled. The deep blue eyes turned into golden vertical pupils. The heart beat violently, like thunder. As if he had sensed something, the 'Queen's Citadel' on his body quickly retracted into his body, replaced by countless white scales and a huge pair of wings that drilled out from his back.
Slowly extending his hand, which had completely turned into a white dragon's claw, with his summons, a black longsword flew over from a distance and landed in his palm.
The black holy sword, or the vile king's sword.
At the same time, a cold, mechanical voice sounded out.
[Ding, you have obtained the skill 'Dragon Reactor (A)'.]
[Ding, you have unlocked the Noble Phantasm 'Excalibur Morgan'.]
The white dragon's wings flapped. Unlike Vortigern's complete dragonization, his dragonization was a half-dragon, half-human form, both like an angel and like a pale demon. But even if the form was different, Merlin's perception still clearly told him. This was the second white dragon after Vortigern.
He looked down at the nightmare like a king. His face, covered by scales, was like an iron mask. Without many words, he raised his sword and pointed at Merlin. The next moment, a red and black dawn suddenly burst out.
-------
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