Chapter 1129 The True Mission of the Fairy of Paradise
As far as the eye could see, there were beautiful flowers.
Though deep underground, warm light filled every corner.
The grassland was covered with endless blooms, and the nearby hills and rivers presented a scene of gentle tranquility.
This was the Inner Sea of the Planet.
Surrounded by boundless light, beneath their feet lay a flower-covered meadow.
It seemed as if all war, discord, and disagreement ceased to exist here—everything had reached the perfect utopia.
"Wow! That was really dangerous!"
"I never expected the gatekeeper to be the lingering consciousness of Albion's Dragon..."
"So that's what 'only the innocent may pass' actually meant?"
Several people crossed through the gate and arrived at the luminous place.
Gudao, Mash, and Muramasa all wore deeply moved expressions.
Just moments ago, they had suddenly encountered the gatekeeper at the entrance to the Inner Sea of the Planet. To their surprise, the gatekeeper turned out to be the lingering consciousness of Albion's Dragon, giving them quite a fright.
Fortunately, they successfully passed the trial it presented.
It turned out that "only the innocent may pass" didn't refer to original sin or wrongdoing, but rather to what one intended to do going forward and where one's heart desired to go.
The planet's land of hope would only open its doors to those who demonstrated reliability and strength.
No wonder Merlin had specifically named only them.
"For Muramasa and this Artoria, this must be your first time meeting. Welcome to the Inner Sea of the Planet!"
The dreamlike, illusory Merlin vanished.
Immediately after, the physical Servant Merlin appeared before the group.
At his greeting, the five of them finally stepped into this legendary land.
"What a beautiful place!"
As the peaceful scenery imprinted itself on their vision, Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"This is amazing! Is this Avalon? It feels like no matter what happens on the surface, this world remains completely unaffected!"
Sensing the atmosphere that brought incredible tranquility to the heart, Mash marveled in awe.
Artoria gazed at this world in silence.
Muramasa watched Artoria as she did so.
Eiji kept his head lowered, lost in thought.
"Mash is right. Even if doomsday ravages the surface, this Inner Sea of the Planet won't be shaken in the slightest. This is a world where no evil exists—the place of eternal spring. It's the planet's own workshop, meant to guide both Earth and humanity toward a universally happy ending!"
Merlin explained with pride.
"However, this is merely a projection of the true Inner Sea of the Planet within this Lostbelt world. It doesn't qualify as the real Inner Sea of the Planet, especially since there's no Garden of Avalon, no lake surrounded by fairies, and the magical energy density isn't particularly high."
So that's how it was?
Both Gudako and Mash showed astonished expressions.
Such a beautiful and peaceful world was actually just a projection of the true Inner Sea of the Planet?
Even the projection possessed the charm to cleanse one of worldly cares—what must the real Inner Sea of the Planet be like?
It made one yearn with anticipation!
"Is this the place from which Artoria was sent to the surface?"
Muramasa shifted his gaze, looking out into the distance.
"It doesn't seem particularly special... Since the Fairy of Paradise has returned, shouldn't you finally reveal the true mission of the Fairy of Paradise?"
The true mission?
Gudako and Mash both froze, casting complicated glances in this direction.
"Although Artoria should have understood long ago, I'll say it once more."
Merlin glanced at everyone's varied reactions and nodded slightly as if satisfied.
"The true mission of the Fairy of Paradise is to correct the errors committed by this Lostbelt world - that is, to eliminate the divergence point between this world and Pan-Human History."
"Simply put, it's to reforge the Holy Sword!"
Not a Noble Phantasm born from Heroic Spirit fantasies.
But the genuine Holy Sword belonging to the humans of this era!
Artoria's true mission is to forge the Holy Sword of this era, right here!
"What will happen after the divergence point disappears?"
At that moment, Eiji suddenly spoke up, abruptly questioning Merlin.
"This world will disappear, I suppose."
The answer tossed out from Merlin's mouth left everyone present stunned.
"And that's only natural, isn't it? This divergence point only appeared because the Holy Sword was never born in the first place. Once this divergence is corrected, this Lostbelt world will completely lose its anomalous nature, and will naturally be pruned as a pruning event."
"The previous Fairy of Paradise, Vivian - that is, Morgan - desperately wanted to obtain her own Britain and couldn't bear the fate of this Britain disappearing. That's why she betrayed her mission, allowing this Lostbelt world to linger on for thousands of years."
If Morgan had decided to accept this mission from the beginning...
This world wouldn't even have become a Lostbelt, but would have been pruned and vanished over six thousand years ago.
But the Fairy of Avalon Morgan from Pan-Human History, having experienced defeat at the hands of King Arthur, desired to obtain this Britain.
And the Fairy of Paradise Morgan in this world, having spent a happy childhood with the Rain Clan, also decided to protect this Britain.
The two sets of memories merged together, perfectly aligned.
The desire to obtain this Britain took root in her heart like an obsession.
And she worked toward that goal for six thousand years!
"Wait a moment, Mr. Merlin!"
Mash looked at Merlin with an expression of disbelief.
"Are you saying you want Artoria to personally destroy her own world?!"
"Exactly."
One might have expected him to phrase it more delicately, but Merlin admitted it outright without hesitation.
"After all, could the situation get any worse than it is now?"
He spoke as if completely unconcerned about Artoria's feelings.
And... he wasn't wrong.
If we let the Cursed God continue its rampage unchecked, within just two hours, this Britain would be completely submerged in curses. Within days, the tide of curses would likely cover the entire surface.
By that time, not only this Lostbelt world, but even Pan-Human History would be doomed!
Not even the Alien God, the Beasts, or the Grand Servants could prevent such an outcome!
All of humanity would reach a Bad End.
Mash was immediately left speechless.
Even someone as naive as her couldn't refute Merlin's brutally honest words.
"I don't really mind, actually."
Artoria instead smiled peacefully.
"Having lived on that island for 16 years, I can hardly find any reason to keep that place lingering on... Really, even just one or two reasons to fight for would have been nice."
She laughed mockingly.
It was unclear whether she was mocking the decaying island or her own cowardice.
If the destruction of that long-overdue island could save Proper Human History, Artoria would probably agree without hesitation.
Though she was an inhabitant of this world, making such a choice left Artoria with complicated feelings.