"It shattered again and again. Where exactly is the problem?"
Artoria looked distressed as the small alloy knife in her hand turned into golden particles and vanished into the air. Just now, she was using the small knife as a reference to train her Projection Magecraft. she didn't start projecting from Noble Phantasms, but from common sharp weapons. Unexpectedly, she failed time and time again. Drawing 'Dragon Meridian' these past two days had taken Artoria's mana to the next level, allowing her to experiment freely.
But reality gave Artoria a slap. It seemed that without a period of training, Projection Magecraft couldn't be used at all. Before, she had too little mana to waste, but now the lack of training was truly frustrating. She still hadn't drawn the Craft Essence of Zelretch, the Jeweled Sword, which is an absolute mana-replenishing artifact that can draw mana from parallel worlds to refill oneself. She hadn't cared much about it in the game, but in the real world, it was truly a buff, yet she just couldn't draw it.
"master, your brother left a message for you saying he is going to Afghanistan to test weapons. He said he would be back in two or three days and asked you not to worry."
"Has it started?"
Hearing saturday's report, Artoria was stunned, and the small knife that had just taken shape collapsed again. She thought about it; wasn't this the birth of Iron Man? Now things were getting a bit serious. Should she go save him? He was her relative, after all. She hadn't intended to get involved, but when a relative was in trouble, could she really be cold and indifferent while watching him walk into danger? Artoria suddenly became inexplicably irritable.
"What should I do? Save him or not?"
This thought kept swirling in Artoria's mind, making it impossible for her to settle down and train her Projection Magecraft. Unable to sit still, Artoria put on her coat and walked out of her small castle. Declining the car saturday called, Artoria walked step by step through her private estate, looking at the various flowers and trees, wandering somewhat lost among them.
Artoria stopped in front of the largest cedar tree. There was a swing Howard had commissioned, designed in a fusion of medieval noble and Lolita styles. Standing here, Artoria could recall the scenes of Maria holding her, along with Howard and Tony, having a picnic together.
"What are you troubled about, child?"
While relaxing her mind, Artoria suddenly heard a kind voice. A very familiar old man, whom she just couldn't place, slowly walked out from behind the cedar tree and spoke gently as he looked at her with kindness.
"My family is facing a threat of Death. I know that once he gets through it, he will become a superhero, but I'm afraid. I'm afraid of losing my family again."
For some reason, Artoria was able to speak these inner thoughts to this strange old man. Perhaps it was too painful to keep bottled up; by speaking her heart, the pressure on her mind eased slightly.
"You should know that this world is facing a great crisis. Superheroes are born from suffering. Having experienced this disaster, he will surely become a superhero capable of standing on his own."
Hearing Artoria's words, the old man maintained his smile. He walked up to Artoria, looked at her carefully, and nodded.
"I know that, but that's my brother! My only family in this world. I don't want him to be in danger."
"Rest assured, child. He will be perfectly fine."
Before Artoria could continue, a warm palm was placed on her head, interrupting her hesitation. For some reason, hearing this old man's words, Artoria's originally irritable mood calmed down instantly. In her mind, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres standing by the pool suddenly opened their eyes, and their bodies began to radiate light. Correspondingly, Artoria's body also began to emit a golden glow. Slowly, the two figures in her mind disappeared, and a set of black knight armor gradually appeared on Artoria's body in the outside world. A black spear emitting a red light and an ominous aura appeared in Artoria's right hand.
Once the black armor and spear were fixed, the black began to turn into a silver-white. A magnificent and holy aura appeared on Artoria, and then the light dimmed as the armor and spear were drawn into her body.
"Both you and your brother will become the salvation of the world, child. Keep going! Hold onto your heart that wants to protect your family! This world is your new home."
"I will help you."
The old man looked at the unconscious Artoria, smiling as he tapped her little head, and then he vanished. A golden ahoge slowly poked its head out from Artoria's forehead. Everything was so peaceful.
In another place isolated from the human world, a spirited, white-bearded old man was looking at excalibur in his hand with a preoccupied expression.
"King Arthur, is it you?"