It wasn't until they saw the White Dragon's massive left arm and dragon wing fall onto the city wall, mixed with a large amount of purplish-black dragon blood, that everyone snapped out of their daze.
The arrogant White Dragon that forcefully fought the entire Knights of the Round Table and completely crushed and slaughtered them from the start, was heavily injured by our King in a single strike?!
That was Vortigern! One must know that in the previous battles, no matter how Gawain and the others released their Noble Phantasms or how hard they tried, the damage they could inflict on Vortigern was merely some insignificant wounds.
"Did I do this?"
Artoria also couldn't believe such damage was caused by her single attack.
She instinctively looked down at the Holy Sword of the Planet in her hand, only to be surprised to find that at some point, the entire blade had been enveloped by a constant light, exuding an incredibly holy and vast aura.
Soon, Artoria noticed it wasn't just that, because her arms and body were visibly coated in the exact same light as the Holy Sword.
"Could it be..."
Instinctively, Artoria thought of a possibility.
"Lily! You succeeded! You have gained the recognition of the Will of the World and now possess the power to save Britain and the world!"
From not far away, Merlin's gratified and pleasantly surprised voice confirmed the speculation in Artoria's heart.
Gazing at the Holy Sword, in a daze, Artoria felt an indistinct voice whispering something softly in her mind.
Although she couldn't hear it entirely, she could make out two words.
Save.
Yes, save. Artoria finally understood why the Holy Sword, which she had previously been unable to resonate with, suddenly acknowledged her when she gave up on resonating with it and chose to help her comrades instead.
Because of 'save'. Because she made it clear that what she wanted to do was never to defeat Vortigern or become a King. What she wanted was to save her comrades, save the people, save all of Britain.
Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory.
The word "Promise" didn't refer to the vow of a King, but the vow to 'save'. As a divine artifact forged by the Will of the World, the meaning of its existence was naturally to save.
Now, Artoria, having understood the principle of saving, was naturally truly recognized by the World and the Holy Sword, becoming a worthy wielder of the Holy Sword.
Just as everyone was feeling elated and joyous over this matter, Vortigern's voice abruptly rang out.
"It seems I underestimated you, Arthur."
Everyone suddenly realized that although the White Dragon was heavily injured, having lost an arm and a wing, he wasn't dead yet. And that eerie black reversed Holy Sword was still in his hand.
At this moment, he was still powerful and dangerous.
The next moment, the remaining Knights of the Round Table who could still fight instantly reacted, pulling back to a certain distance from Vortigern and standing ready with their weapons raised.
Artoria, now under the blessing of the World, also had a stern expression. Her magical energy circulated with the rise and fall of her breath, and her Holy Sword pointed squarely at the massive White Dragon leaning against the city wall.
But what surprised them was that Vortigern, having recovered from the pain of his severed arm and wing, showed no signs of attacking. He merely held the Vile King's sword, his dragon head lowered, looking as if he were in a standoff with Artoria, yet also as if he were listening and perceiving something.
What is he trying to do?
In unison, this doubt arose in the hearts of Artoria and the Knights of the Round Table.
On the other side, Merlin was frowning as he looked Vortigern up and down.
His gaze held an inquiring meaning, light flowing within his eyes.
As an incubus who had lived for an unknown number of years, Merlin had seen too many things and knew many secrets.
Looking at the White Dragon before him, who had clearly suffered a major reversal and fallen into a disadvantage, Merlin keenly sensed that something was wrong with him.
Instinctively, Merlin activated his Clairvoyance.
Although there were limitations to its use, and using it in Britain only allowed him to see present information, if he focused solely on Vortigern, who had now transformed into a White Dragon, he should be able to find the answer he was hiding.
Slowly, as he saw more and more information, the expression in Merlin's eyes shifted from initial doubt and inquiry to growing excitement and pleasure. Finally, the white-haired incubus burst into loud laughter.
"So that's it! So that's how it is! Vortigern, I know the secret you're hiding!"
As his laughter spread, the initially tense atmosphere on the battlefield instantly froze. Whether it was Artoria and the Knights of the Round Table or Vortigern, they all instinctively looked at him.
"Merlin? What did you find?"
Seeing Merlin, who usually presented himself as a gentle older brother, acting so agitated, Artoria instinctively asked.
Vortigern didn't say anything either; he merely looked at Merlin, who seemed to think he had grasped everything, with calm eyes.
Facing Artoria's question, Merlin naturally had no reason to hide it.
He pointed at Vortigern while laughing and said:
"We've all been deceived by him, Lily. Just as my prophecy foretold, Vortigern hasn't completed the dragonification process at all! The him right now isn't the true, complete White Dragon of Britain!"
"What?!"
Hearing Merlin's words, Artoria, Gawain, and the others all froze.
They instinctively looked at Vortigern's figure, which looked exactly like a White Dragon, then recalled Merlin's words. Bewilderment and confusion appeared on their faces almost instantly.
But Merlin didn't care about this. He merely looked at Vortigern with a smile, recounting his joyous mood.
"I'm right, aren't I, Vortigern? The you right now is merely a defective product created by devouring the corpse of the Dragon of Albion. Such a version of you might inherit a portion of Albion's power, but similarly, you will also inherit its death."
"In other words, even if we do nothing, you will die on your own."
At this point, the smile on Merlin's lips widened again.
"Because I suddenly broke my vow, you didn't hesitate to devour Albion to strengthen yourself, solely so you could kill all of us before you die, correct? Vortigern, I must say I admire your ruthlessness and decisiveness. As a human King, you are truly terrifying, but..."
Merlin smiled joyously, the incubus's eyes unable to hide his smugness.
"Destiny is irreversible, and the Will of the World cannot be changed. My prophecy will not be wrong. Victory belongs to me, the Great Magus Merlin!"
"Therefore," Merlin said, looking at Artoria with a smile. "We can declare our victory, Lily."
Artoria's pupils shrank slightly, and she was just about to say something when Vortigern's sneering voice interrupted her.
"So, do you truly think you have won? Incubus."
In an instant, everyone's gaze gathered once again on the White Dragon, who had stood up at some unknown point.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the hand Vortigern used to hold the black Holy Sword moved.
Only this time, he didn't choose to swing the black Holy Sword, but thrust it heavily into the ground.
The next moment, as a black halo rippled from the Vile King's sword, a ring of black light instantly used the earth as a medium to spread out in all directions.
"Watch out!"
Gawain yelled out almost reflexively.
But the speed of the halo was simply too fast. In just a few breaths, it had swept over the bodies of Artoria and the Knights of the Round Table, spreading across the entire battlefield.
But to Artoria's surprise, this black halo seemed to cause no damage after passing over her body. She merely felt a chill run through her, and then nothing else.
It was as if this move of Vortigern's was merely a bluff.
Instinctively looking down at the ground, what met her eyes were flowers that had completely withered for some reason.
Instantly, Artoria realized something.
"Merlin!"
Almost the exact moment everyone hurriedly defended against the halo, Vortigern's massive body erupted with a speed unsuited for his frame. With the force of a sudden thunderbolt, he flashed in front of Merlin, his remaining dragon claw grabbing the latter in one fell swoop.
"Ah!"
Feeling the pain transmitted from his body being crushed by immense force, Merlin couldn't help but let out a scream.
"Heh."
Looking at Merlin, who had just been delivering a victory speech but was now held in his grasp, a look of mockery surfaced in Vortigern's golden dragon eyes.
"Incubus, even if everything you said is correct—I did indeed devour Albion, and I truly will not live past half a day—do not forget: right now, I am not dead yet, and I am still stronger than you."
"Furthermore, even if I am to die, I can take any one of you with me."
"Cough cough... Lily..."
Ignoring Vortigern's mockery, Merlin struggled while looking at Artoria, trying to signal something to her with his eyes.
"Merlin! I'll save you right now!"
Almost instantly, Artoria raised her Holy Sword high. The light and magical energy covering her body poured into the Holy Sword of the Planet without reservation.
The next moment, the scorching gold and magical energy emitted a dazzling light, hurtling rapidly towards the White Dragon.
But, even if a beam of light was light, it was ultimately too late.
How long does it take for a person to crush a mosquito in their hand?
"Die, Incubus."
Crack—
Accompanied by the crisp sound of bones shattering, the figure of the white-robed Magus fell to the earth like a broken ragdoll, collapsing amidst the boundless, withered sea of flowers.
At the same time, the beam of light gathering all of Artoria's power arrived, piercing straight through the chest of the White Dragon Vortigern.