Beneath the blue sky, an ominous, deep crimson light bloomed from the tip of the black sword.
Like a dark, setting sun, the inverted splendor of the Sword of the Rising Sun, Excalibur Morgan, descended with terrifying magical power and pressure upon the smiling white nightmare on the ground.
Voom—
Unlike the grand and holy sound of a released Excalibur, the inverted Black King's Sword emitted a strange hum as it fired its beam of light. This was not only because it represented the darkness that consumes light, but also because its power and existence were rejected by the world, repelled by space itself.
Yet, faced with Souya's "casual strike"—a blow on the level of an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm—Merlin's expression showed not a hint of panic or gravity. The easy, cheerful smile on his lips remained unchanged.
He didn't need to act at all.
"I'm counting on you, Sir Gawain~"
The white nightmare smiled at Gawain. His words sounded like a request, but the malicious glee within was unconcealed.
"Merlin! I'll feed your horse to the dogs!"
Hearing his name, Gawain instantly knew what Merlin intended and cursed aloud. But despite his volcanic rage, under the influence of the illusion Merlin had cast beforehand, Gawain could only roar in helpless fury as his body was manipulated, moving to position himself between Merlin and Souya.
The next moment, the light of the holy sword Galatine shone once more, rising to meet the oppressive black sun from below.
Voom—
There was no explosion, no deafening roar. Though it looked like a clash of two light beams, in reality, one light was being rapidly consumed by the other.
This was the power granted to Souya by his transformation into the White Dragon and the Inverted Sword of the Rising Sun.
Mana Burst (Dark).
Just as Artoria's mana, originally of the Wind attribute, became Light after obtaining the holy sword of the stars, Souya's mana attribute had now been altered to Darkness by the holy sword and the dragon's heart.
Consequently, the beam he unleashed possessed the corrosive and light-devouring properties of darkness. This was the very will of the Tyrant King Vortigern.
Bearing the weight of a dying era, unrecognized by the people, unaccepted by the world, he walked a path destined for solitude, yet he embarked on it without hesitation. On the day he left the royal court to protect and preserve his people, only to find not a single kinsman following him, Vortigern, that withered old man, had already prepared himself to become the deepest darkness.
Fortunately, he was not without a successor.
As a fellow traveler sharing the same fate, Lancelot, the second White Dragon of Britain, was the inheritor of this darkness.
And this Inverted Sword of the Rising Sun was the nemesis of all holy swords and light-based attacks.
Without the slightest resistance, the dark sunbeam of the Tyrant King's sword consumed Gawain's corona of light in a single instant. Its power, far from diminishing, actually increased as it continued its path toward Gawain and Merlin behind him.
Even so, Merlin showed no intention of dodging. When he noticed the beam was about to swallow Gawain first, a flicker of delight sparked in his eyes.
But in the end, the beam did not strike Gawain. At the last possible moment, Souya shifted the tip of his sword, deflecting the attack just enough.
BOOM!
The black-and-red magical energy grazed Gawain's cheek and slammed into the distance, obliterating the buildings there.
Witnessing this, Merlin finally laughed out loud.
"Just as I expected, Lancelot. You just can't bring yourself to harm them, can you?"
Nearby, Gawain, who had been prepared to be killed by Souya, was now gasping for breath, his face pale. Hearing Merlin's words, a complicated light flickered in his eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something to Souya, but ultimately remained silent.
Merlin's words continued.
"Sir Lancelot, what kind of sentiment made you choose not to harm them?"
"Friendship? Affection? Or that so-called conscience?"
"Even if they showed no immediate intention of fighting you, you are still enemies, are you not?"
He sounded desperate to savor the taste of Souya's emotions, his words filled with an undisguised thirst for knowledge.
"Since you are enemies, why didn't you kill Sir Gawain just now? I truly don't understand you, Sir Lancelot."
"Could it be... No, it can't be, can it? Sir Lancelot, as someone who shouldn't even exist in this era, have you truly developed what they call 'feelings' for the people here?"
One question after another was thrown out. Merlin looked expectantly at the figure floating silently in the air, seemingly lost in thought.
To his disappointment, however, even with his provocative tone, Lancelot showed no sign of losing his composure or answering his questions.
What is he planning?
He isn't attacking, nor is he answering my questions. Could he truly be lost in thought because of a few words from me?
As this idea formed, Merlin seemed to realize something. Subconsciously, a light flowed in his eyes. He used his Clairvoyance on Souya again.
This time, however, he didn't try to peer into his fate, knowing such a destiny was veiled and meaningless.
As his Clairvoyance (Present) activated, he finally understood the meaning of Souya's actions.
"I see. You're stalling for time, aren't you, Lancelot?"
"Is it because Rhongomyniad's anchoring takes too long, or is it that you still haven't mastered and adapted to this body?"
With that, Merlin chuckled and looked at Souya, and this time, he finally saw a change in his expression.
"Hah..."
Letting out a soft sigh, feeling that he had now somewhat adapted to this body, Souya finally stopped suppressing the disgust and malice he felt towards Merlin.
"Spying with those disgusting eyes again, Merlin? You're as repulsive as a sewer rat."
The massive dragon wings slowly spread to their fullest extent. Souya extended his left hand towards Merlin in a grasping motion.
"I admit it. As you said, I don't want to attack Gawain and the others. But that doesn't mean you, hiding behind them, can rest easy."
As his words fell, Souya clenched his fist.
Light Devour!
In the next instant, it was as if the world's light was devoured by some indescribable darkness. Everyone present, including Merlin, felt their vision go dark for a moment, as if their sense of sight had been stripped away. When everything returned to normal, they were stunned to find that Souya's menacing figure had vanished from its spot.
The moment Merlin realized Souya was gone, a chill ran down his spine. Subconsciously, Merlin tried to use magic to escape. As a master of High-Speed Divine Words from the Age of Gods, he needed only to slightly open his mouth to cast such a spell.
But he quickly realized something was wrong.
He couldn't move.
As if his body had been eroded by darkness, Merlin felt a chilling cold envelop him, and even his consciousness grew sluggish.
Then, Souya's voice sounded from behind him.
"Beating you is as easy as breathing."
"Ah!"
With a scream from Merlin, the black holy sword in Souya's hand flashed with a dark light. In a single moment, it swept across Merlin's eyes, obliterating the Clairvoyance that could see through all the world.
This was Souya's final gift to Merlin before killing him.
The next moment, Souya's hand moved, and the inverted black Sword of the Rising Sun unleashed hundreds, thousands of black streaks of light. As the sword gleams intertwined, Merlin's body was torn to shreds like a withered flower.
Was he successful? Is Merlin really dead?
Seeing this, the Knights of the Round Table were all stunned, and then complex emotions erupted in their eyes.
But they soon realized things weren't that simple.
Because they still couldn't control their bodies, and the illusion cast upon them remained.
"..."
Souya silently watched the petals from the dissected illusion flutter to the ground and instantly wither. Among the petals was a splash of purple blood.
"So hard to kill..."
Sighing again, Souya finally understood the feeling Vortigern had when trying to kill Merlin. It was as nauseating as a Darius being kited endlessly by Karma.
Just then, Souya noticed the Knights of the Round Table, who had surrounded him at some point, and in the distance, the great Celtic army marching towards them.
Beneath the layers of silver armor were countless purple eyes and eerie smiles. Everyone seemed to have the same face, the same smile, the same nauseating look. The nightmare's faint laughter seemed to drift on the air.
There were still three hours until Rhongomyniad was fully anchored into the Inner Sea of the Planet, and only four hours until Souya's dragon transformation ended.
Before then, he had to hold off all the Knights of the Round Table and this army of tens of thousands.
-------
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