Kuroneko was still staring at the sky that had just gone wild.
The aura of Yuuto's last attack still lingered in the cold air—terrifying and heavy.
Her face was pale.
"W-what… what was that just now, Lady Avalon?" Miku asked, her voice small, a mix of awe and fear.
Lady Avalon smiled faintly.
"That was a technique Yuuto developed himself.
A manifestation… of nature's wrath—Calamity."
Irene, who was usually calm, even spoke up.
"Was that his fae ability?"
Lady Avalon shook her head slightly.
"Not just his fae side. It was a fusion of his fae power and his dragon core. Yuuto awakened the 'awareness of the world' with his fae power, then injected massive mana through his dragon core… until the world responded."
Yamato looked up at the sky, now calm again.
"I-i-is something like that even possible?" she muttered, as if struggling to accept the scale of what she had just seen.
"Yes." Lady Avalon smiled softly.
"Yuuto's resonance with the world has been incredibly strong ever since he received the Genuine Fae bloodline.
Yuuto is now a being of Gaia—a fusion of dragon and fae.
Two races that are born from the world itself."
Kuroneko stared at her seriously.
"That's why you were so sure Yuuto would win?"
Lady Avalon nodded.
"As long as Yuuto is on Earth—or on a world with similar energy—he won't ever lose.
No… more precisely, the world won't allow it."
She continued, her voice calm but firm.
"When Yuuto decides someone is an enemy, the world itself recognizes them as such.
Whether that person is good or evil, a great threat or a small one…
If Yuuto feels bothered or threatened, the world responds."
Everyone fell silent.
"In short, Yuuto has gained the love of the world—and it's immense," Lady Avalon said.
They finally realized that what they had just witnessed… wasn't just an attack.
It was the will of the planet, given shape through one person.
At that moment, Yuuto landed on Belfast's deck.
Sea water splashed gently around him.
The lightning and storms had vanished, leaving behind absolute calm.
"Welcome back, Commander."
Belfast greeted him politely, offering a damp towel.
"Oh, thank you, Belfast."
Yuuto wiped his face and neck, then turned to the others.
But they… just stared at him in silence.
Yuuto raised an eyebrow.
"What's with you guys? Why so quiet? We should be celebrating this victory!"
Miku, who had been holding her breath this whole time, rushed over and hugged his arm tightly.
"Yes! Let's celebrate!
Our adventure is still just beginning!"
Kuroneko walked up, eyeing Yuuto's cracked and charred armor.
"You need to take that armor off first."
"Yeah, yeah…"
Yuuto nodded and started removing Arthur's armor piece by piece.
Once the armor came off, his posture relaxed, hair messy, metal gauntlets still on.
Yamato burst into loud laughter.
"All right! Let's start the party!"
Lady Avalon hopped a little in delight.
"Tonight… we celebrate my student's victory—with a party until late!"
Miku grabbed Yuuto's hand and dragged him toward the banquet room.
"Come on, hurry!"
Irene stood behind them, watching Yuuto's back as he walked away.
Her hand curled slightly into a fist without her noticing.
"…Why did I panic back then?" she murmured.
She still remembered how her body had almost jumped forward to shield Yuuto when he took the Dragon Slayer spell head-on.
That wasn't a logical reaction.
It was… something else.
Belfast followed behind them, and soon everyone went into the party hall together.
They celebrated late into the night.
---
That night was quiet.
The moon hung perfectly round above the Grand Line, casting its light over the glittering surface of the sea.
On Belfast's deck, Lady Avalon stood alone—her white hair swaying gently in the night breeze.
She spoke softly, lost in thought.
"Yuuto's attack earlier… was already at the level of an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.
But I think… it can still evolve into an Anti-Fortress level, if his world-awareness fully awakens."
Footsteps in armor rang out behind her.
Clang… clang…
Lady Avalon turned.
"Oh, Yuuto, how are the others? Are they already asle—"
She stopped.
Not because of Yuuto's appearance…
But because the aura around him was different.
Lady Avalon was very familiar with this aura.
The young man walked closer, his shadow stretching long under the moonlight.
"Merlin. We need to talk."
Lady Avalon smiled slightly.
"Your Majesty.
You finally decided to come out and speak with me."
Standing before her wasn't Yuuto.
It was Arthur Pendragon Prototype, borrowing Yuuto's body for a while.
Arthur leaned against the railing, his breathing steady, his gaze sharp but tired.
"I thought you were still sulking because I made you go hunt a Beast first," Lady Avalon said.
Arthur sighed.
"That's part of it.
But what I was really waiting for was that Transmigrator's death."
Lady Avalon looked at him more intently.
"Is there something more dangerous about that Transmigrator?"
"He has someone… backing him. I didn't want that existence to notice me. If I came out, it would definitely recognize my aura.
But that can wait. There's something else I need to talk about first."
Arthur closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
"I—more precisely, we, Sin Pride and Genuine Fae—are not Yuuto's true powers.
We are… seals."
Lady Avalon's expression hardened.
"Because of the void, right?"
Arthur nodded heavily.
"Yes."
"But why would it take seals on your level? The void is dangerous, but—"
Arthur cut her off.
"Someone… or something… has already reached the Root."
The deck felt colder.
Lady Avalon froze.
"…What? They obtained the highest knowledge? Omniscience?"
"Yes. But not just that.
Because the Root was touched by that, the Root formed a kind of 'consciousness'.
An ego. An entity similar to a person."
Lady Avalon was stunned.
Even for Merlin, this was too absurd.
"Impossible… How can the Root have a will of its own?
Then what about those connected to the Root—did something happen to them?"
Arthur gave a small shrug.
"That much, I don't know either.
But that's why we're needed as Yuuto's seals.
The void inside him… has extremely strong resonance with the Root.
If left alone, Yuuto could be taken over."
Lady Avalon stared at him for a long moment.
"So… you're protecting Yuuto so he remains himself.
So he doesn't merge with the Root."
"Exactly.
But after this, I'll disappear.
This is the last of my consciousness.
The same goes for Sin Pride and Genuine Fae.
The seal will become a full seal.
There won't be any 'me' after tonight."
Lady Avalon looked at Arthur quietly.
"I didn't think you'd go this far to protect your kouhai," she said.
Arthur chuckled softly.
"I don't know… I just feel like Yuuto is my younger brother or something."
"Your younger brother, huh," Lady Avalon chuckled as well.
"Oh yeah—there was something interesting I saw in Sin Pride's consciousness," Arthur added, as if suddenly remembering.
Lady Avalon turned to him, curious.
"What is it?"
"There's someone incredibly strong in Sin Pride's memories.
He bears the blessing of the sun…
He doesn't bow to gods, demons, angels, or any other entity.
He's like the true embodiment of Sin Pride."
Lady Avalon gave a low whistle.
"Woah… he must be insanely stubborn. Doesn't listen to anyone, I bet."
"Wrong." Arthur smiled.
"He listens to one woman, even though he's far stronger than her.
Just one person. And that woman controls him with nothing but her words."
Lady Avalon was stunned.
"Who is she?
She must be someone extremely powerful…"
"She's a mage.
And… she has the same name as you.
Merlin."
Lady Avalon fell silent, then smiled in amusement.
"Hah. What an interesting coincidence."
"Everyone with a huge ego always has someone who can handle them," Lady Avalon said, looking up at the moon.
Arthur smiled as well.
But the warmth in that smile faded quickly as he turned his gaze back to the stars.
"Merlin… this is goodbye.
Take good care of Yuuto. And… strengthen his personality.
The stronger his heart, the stronger the seal."
"Very well, Your Majesty.
But how do I strengthen his personality?"
Arthur smiled mischievously—something he rarely did.
"Just plant more sins in him.
Lust, greed, wrath… all the human sins.
As long as it doesn't endanger Yuuto, I'll allow it."
"After this I also need to talk to Yuuto directly," Arthur added.
Avalon nodded and bowed.
"As you wish, my King."
Arthur nodded back.
"Farewell, Merlin. I'll leave the rest to you.
Take good care of my little bro—"
Arthur paused for a moment, then corrected himself.
"…my otōto."
The next second—
Yuuto's body went limp and collapsed.
Lady Avalon quickly caught him, gently pulling him into her arms.
"Don't worry, my King.
I'll take good care of your little brother."
She lifted Yuuto's head a bit, adjusting its position.
Then lady Avalon looked out into the dark night.
"And I already know what I have to do first…" she murmured.
From the edge of the deck, a red-haired shadow slipped away in an instant—
having overheard the entire conversation.