Chapter 1134: The Concept of the Holy Sword
A forge resembling an ancient garden stood solitary at the center of the wilderness.
The group arrived at this forge in complete silence.
"This is the chosen land, and at its heart lies the Furnace of the World," Merlin guided them.
"By placing the Fairy of Paradise within it, the concept of the Holy Sword will be confirmed. At that moment, the Holy Sword of this era will be born, and every world shall be saved."
"But, in that case..." Fujimaru Ritsuka hesitated.
Even after sacrificing countless companions thus far, she could never grow accustomed to such things.
To achieve victory, someone must inevitably be discarded.
Could a victory built upon such sacrifice truly be considered a victory?
Mash, standing beside her, wore a similar expression.
Artoria glanced at her blankly.
Then, she broke into a smile.
"It's alright. I've actually known this outcome was inevitable for a long time, so I've already prepared myself mentally. This way, both Britain and Pan-Human History will be saved. Isn't that wonderful?"
She offered her usual smile.
Not the fabricated smile she showed the villagers of Tintagel, but one born of her own will—a smile that genuinely wished to save Britain.
Her words left Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash unable to refute.
But Eiji was an exception.
In that moment, Artoria's smile overlapped with Cnoc na Riabh's from 2400 years ago.
That ephemeral expression, as if her very place in the world had been stolen, proliferated in his mind like bamboo shoots after rain.
"Merlin, I have a question for you."
"What is it?"
"Is reforging the Holy Sword truly only about eliminating the divergence point between this Lostbelt and Pan-Human History?"
Eiji cast a sharp gaze toward Merlin.
"Why do you ask?" Merlin raised an eyebrow, smiling as he inquired.
"Ultimately, this Lostbelt will disappear sooner or later. Whether we eliminate the divergence point or not, the outcome remains the same. And if the purpose of eliminating the divergence point is to weaken the Cursed God, with you and me here, there's no need for such measures, is there?"
Eiji articulated his suspicions step by step, with logical reasoning.
If he and Merlin joined forces, he refused to believe they couldn't defeat the Cursed God!
Gudako, Mash, and Muramasa also grew pensive, turning doubtful glances toward Merlin.
"Indeed, you make a valid point," Merlin agreed with Eiji.
The Cursed God was undoubtedly fearsome, but if Eiji launched a preemptive strike before the tide of curses erupted, it might be possible to defeat it head-on.
Ultimately, the reforging of the Holy Sword felt too abrupt, and its purpose remained unclear. They had only trusted the plan because Merlin proposed it.
"In that case, there's no need for Artoria to sacrifice herself, right?" Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes lit up as she hastily interjected.
"No, that won't do either," Merlin promptly shattered her hopes.
"Honestly, I'd rather not say this, but since you've already noticed, I won't hide it any longer."
"The reason for having Artoria reforge the Holy Sword isn't about the Cursed God at all. It's to confirm the concept of the Holy Sword on present-day Earth!"
Gudako and Mash exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions clearly showing they didn't understand what was being said.
"Think carefully—what remains on Earth now?"
Merlin wasn't impatient, instead gently guiding the two.
"Basically nothing is left."
Mash shook her head.
"That means?!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly caught on.
"Correct, nothing remains."
Merlin nodded.
"No humans remain, no civilization remains—the oceans, mountains, and land have all been bleached away. This means all concepts have vanished."
Yes.
This was the fundamental reason.
On the bleached Earth now, nothing remained.
Continents, oceans, the world's highest peak—everything had been erased in the bleaching.
This included humanity and civilization.
And concepts themselves originated from thousands of years of human civilization.
In the universe, concepts don't exist. In imaginary number space, concepts become extremely faint. In the Inner Sea of the Planet, concepts become distorted.
This is because concepts exist only where humanity exists! With humanity gone, naturally no concepts remain!
Naturally, the concept of the Holy Sword was also erased.
The one who carried out this series of actions called themselves the "Alien God."
As everyone knows, the Holy Sword possesses extraordinary special offensive power against external threats to Earth!
This inevitably leads to the speculation: Was the Alien God's purpose in bleaching the Human Order to erase the Holy Sword from its roots, eliminating the only thing that could threaten it from this planet?
Naturally, to counter the Alien God, the concept of the Holy Sword must be reestablished on the Earth's surface!
"Ultimately, the meaning of reforging the Holy Sword isn't to weaken the Cursed God, but to reestablish the possibility of defeating the Alien God. That is the true purpose."
Merlin revealed the truth.
"This... this is too much!"
Mash immediately showed indignation.
"Isn't this forcing Artoria to sacrifice herself for our world?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression also turned grim.
If it were for the sake of this Lostbelt world, at least it would be a worthy death.
But the purpose of making Artoria sacrifice herself was actually to save their own world!
Forcing someone to such extremes was just like the Fairies—utterly disgusting!
"So, I didn't plan to tell you."
Merlin spread his hands, looking completely innocent.
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash simultaneously glared at him, as if not mentioning it meant it wouldn't happen!
Merlin truly is Merlin!
Scum!
"Artoria!"
At that moment, Muramasa suddenly cried out in alarm.
Everyone turned to look, just in time to see a graceful figure stepping into the cosmic furnace ahead that resembled a starry sky.
Without any hesitation.
Without giving anyone a chance to stop her.
This young girl chose self-sacrifice in the most considerate way.
Within the cosmic furnace, invisible flames gradually ignited.
These weren't literal flames, but rather conceptual flames that slowly enveloped Artoria's figure. Using her experiences and Spirit Origin as materials, they confirmed the revival of a new concept.
"Tch!"
Muramasa's face instantly became extremely agitated.
"Merlin, let me ask you! We just need to confirm the concept of the holy sword has been established, right?"
"Well, theoretically that's correct, but in this era we can't find anyone capable of forging a holy sword anymore. If we could directly forge the holy sword here, that would be the ideal outcome."
"Hmph, I see!"
Muramasa was momentarily stunned, then broke into silent laughter.
"Now it's time for this old man to show his skills! Forging divine weapons has always been my specialty!"
Watching Muramasa laugh triumphantly.
Eiji's eyes gleamed with intensity.