Chapter 33: [33] The Pitch-Black Flower, Blooming in this Dark Wilderness
[As you gaze at the standing Artoria waiting before you, you reach out your hand to her.]
[However, the illusory fingertips once again pass through the girl's body.]
[Whether it's gathering and releasing magical energy or wildly rotating the magnetic field as the ultimate life form.]
[You have tried this countless times, and also attempted to disturb Merlin next to you countless times.]
[But...]
[Cannot touch.]
[You still cannot reach, cannot touch her reality.]
["Damn it, Merlin, you can use the Golden Experience Requiem?"]
[Now you finally understand, the damn incubus has the audacity to be fearless.]
[Ensnared in this miraculous illusion, you seem to be isolated in another dimension.]
[Desperation.]
[Can't do anything.]
[Boredom, annoyance, emptiness, loneliness, fear...]
[In this eerily quiet place where not a sound can be heard.]
[Countless noisy thoughts flood your mind as if in a deathly silence.]
[Gazing at the splendid, unseen flowers blooming around you.]
[You lower yourself, plucking one.]
[This is the only thing you can touch in this world.]
[The flower in front of you is so vivid, lively, and almost perfect.]
[However, you glimpse a flaw...]
[You are well aware that there is no perfect program without any bugs in this world.]
[Naturally, magecraft is the same.]
[But it's just... an illusion.]
[Since it's an illusion.]
[Then, just cut it off, right?]
[Thinking like this, you slowly sit down and reach for your sword hilt.]
[However, when you draw the sword from its sheath, you realize the sword has completely shattered...]
[It seemed like releasing a sword technique that contained the concept of 'deadly' was extremely excessive right now.]
[Even this fine iron sword couldn't withstand such a majestic magecraft. After losing magical energy support, it immediately disintegrated]
["..."]
[You fall silent for a moment.]
[You don't care!]
[No sword means you can't cut?]
[Is a sword such an inconvenient thing?!]
[Thinking like this.]
[You slowly reach for the fallen wooden sword.]
[...The fingertips pierce through.]
[Undoubtedly, you certainly cannot lift this sword in reality.]
[If you can't touch reality, what about imagination?]
[You close your eyes and, in your mind, imagine... imagine yourself slowly gripping this wooden sword.]
[Cutting flesh, cutting souls, no sword in hand, but a sword in the heart.]
[The moment you grip the sword of the heart.]
[It's as if all distractions are instantly cut off by you.]
[With a clear and empty mind, there is no longer Artoria in your eyes, nor Merlin.]
[...This is a trial.]
[A person can only grow by overcoming their weak past self.]
[If you can't even break through this frail illusion, how can you have the qualification, the determination to defeat Artoria's fate!]
[You close your eyes, sit upright, hands slightly clasped as if holding a sword.]
[Downward slash.]
[You swing the first sword.]
[The world is silent, nothing happens.]
[You can't see, and you can't even feel the existence of this sword.]
[But you know, you are still holding it.]
[And so, you devotedly swing the sword.]
[One slash, to another...]
...
The faint light of dawn, the lingering glow of sunset.
The girl's deep green pupils reflect the splendid crimson hues on the horizon.
Immobile.
She stands here, from morning till evening.
The incubus, with a bitter smile, stands by her side, waiting as well.
Today marks the third day.
"It seems... he won't come today, Lily."
Gazing at the remaining glow of the setting sun, the magus speaks softly.
His tone is excessively gentle, almost tender, mixed with an imperceptible sense of guilt, as if afraid to disturb the girl's dreamy expression.
"Ah... Sir Alvin must be very busy."
Artoria turns her head, smiling like a flower.
Upon that bright smile, there is no trace of disappointment.
"Let's go back, Merlin. We can come again tomorrow..."
"You won't wait like this, Lily."
"Then I'll keep waiting."
"Do you think what you're waiting for is Alvin?"
Merlin laughs bitterly.
'Even if you wait another year, you won't get what you're waiting for.'
He dare not say such words.
Merlin has used up half of his accumulated magical energy over the years, and the Noble Phantasm released effect is enough to last for an entire year.
Alvin is right.
He is indeed afraid.
Lily is destined to become a king.
Otherwise... the quantum timelock will detect the deviation of the world line... and then lead to the erasure of this world.
Unfortunately, but also to save the world.
So, despite the guilt, Merlin cannot release Alvin.
"If Vortigern comes, what will you do?"
"It doesn't matter."
The girl smiles faintly, her calm voice devoid of fluctuations.
"If Vortigern comes, I will question him about where Sir Alvin is."
"You can think like that, after all, you are the Red Dragon, favored by world, and can find opportunities in any chaotic world."
His tone becomes slow and solemn.
"...But Kay, Ector, and those townspeople, what about them?"
Merlin knows better than anyone where Artoria's weakness lies.
She is most vulnerable to this... moral coercion.
"..."
The girl fell into silence.
Along with the smile on her face, it slowly dissipated.
She closed her eyes and gently opened them.
The brilliance that was brewing in her deep heart suddenly dimmed.
At this moment...
"Cough... cough!"
Merlin suddenly covered his chest, a painful expression on his face, and he coughed up a pool of black blood.
"Merlin?!"
Artoria panicked.
"What happened to you?"
"My true body... is being hunted by Morgan, your sister."
Merlin said with a bitter smile.
"...She cursed me. I'm sorry, Lily, but when I approached Londinium, she accidentally noticed me."
"Ah?! Why didn't you say something so important earlier!"
"...I didn't want you to worry, Lily."
Merlin weakly spoke, hoarse.
Yeah, why didn't he say it earlier?
Because, it's fake~
After all, he was an incubus, how could he cough up blood.
But, oh, being hunted is true!
That crazy woman has already turned the land of fairies upside down. Ah, it's really terrifying~
But finding oneself is not that easy.
Merlin is very proficient in his illusion skills. Right now, he is running just as fast with his mind split in two.
The incubus's exquisite acting.
Not to mention Artoria, if Alvin is still watching, he might believe it too.
"Hurry up and run... Lily, I can't hold on much longer."
Merlin trembled, took out a handkerchief, and tried to wipe the black blood from his mouth.
The concerned girl directly took it and began to clean the bloodstains for him.
"My true body is restraining her in the land of fairies. You also know what title your sister holds, right?"
"If she catches up to me here, then... cough... cough!"
Merlin's weak voice stopped abruptly, interrupted by a fit of coughing, but the meaning was already clear.
... The Unknown Witch.
About his half-sister with the same mother but different father, Artoria has already heard countless evil deeds. The consequences of being caught here... are simply unimaginable.
With guilt towards Merlin.
With worry for her adoptive father and brother.
Artoria finally took a last glance at his sword, lying on the ground.
Slowly, expressionless.
In the end, she withdrew her gaze.
"Let's go, Merlin..."
The girl's voice vanished in the wind, unexpectedly...
Click~
The wooden sword on the ground suddenly broke.
"!?"
Artoria turned around abruptly.
However, at this moment, Merlin's large sleeves happened to brush across her field of vision.
In this split second.
The cracks on the sword's blade were instantly smoothed out by the magus using an illusion.
"What's wrong, Lily?"
The weakened incubus questioned, feigning ignorance.
He glanced at the wooden sword on the ground.
In those slightly narrowed, gorgeous, and mysterious purple eyes, a trace of incredible surprise emerged.
Even though it was just a brief moment.
He... actually broke free from the constraints of Avalon.
'How much more surprise can you bring me, Alvin?'
Too bad.
Whether it's Vortigern or you, it won't change the ending of this story.
Looking at the sword on the ground, showing no signs of damage.
The golden-haired girl lowered her eyelids dimly.
"No, nothing...
"Maybe it's just... my illusion."
...
[Artoria has left.]
[You gaze at the girl riding a horse, accompanied by Kay and Merlin, embarking on that journey of asceticism.]
[Their figures quickly disappear at the edge of the horizon.]
[You did not follow her.]
[You know that with Merlin, the magus of flowers, you cannot possibly keep up with her footsteps.]
[Her departure did not cause even the slightest ripple in your emotions.]
[You only regret not bidding her a proper farewell.]
[But, since there was no goodbye, it doesn't count as farewell.]
[You are very clear that you will meet again.]
[You still sit on the wild field of the wheat farm, seemingly swinging the sword endlessly.]
[In this space, you have no food to consume, surviving solely on breathing magical energy.]
[If you do nothing, the constitution of the ultimate life form can keep you alive for more than ten years without dying.]
[However, you continue to swing the sword with a clear mind. This is a burdensome task for both the mind and body.]
[One day, two days...]
[One week, two weeks...]
[In this endless sword-swinging, your body gradually weakens.]
[In this silent and desolate tranquility, a chaotic noise faintly hums in your ears. It is not from the outside but from your heavily burdened mind.]
[You have collapsed on the ground more than once, bleeding from your seven orifices, and then, relying on the constitution of the ultimate life form, tremblingly climbed back up...]
[You continue to swing the sword.]
[Not enough, it's still not enough...]
[To shatter that thing called 'fate,' even as the ultimate life form, you are far from qualified.]
[Your vision gradually turns pitch black, extreme fatigue prevents you from seeing anything.]
[But you still swing the sword.]
[Tremblingly... swinging the sword that seems to not exist.]
[How long have you been swinging it?]
[Ten thousand times? A hundred thousand times? Or a million times?]
[You've almost lost count.]
[So, you start counting.]
["41, 43, 47, 53..."]
[You count prime numbers in your mind, trying hard to maintain your already precarious sanity.]
[Just like your determination, prime numbers are something that cannot be split or shaken by anyone.]
[In this endless counting, although your body is already unbearable, you gradually calm down.]
[Your heart has never been so calm. In this empty and pitch-black wilderness, you seem to have found a sanctuary called 'void.']
[The so-called 'void' is also 'peace of mind.']
[Living in this world, one relies on things called 'happiness' and 'peace of mind' to sustain life.]
[So, what is happiness? What is peace of mind?]
[You ask yourself this way, and then, in an instant, you get the answer.]
[Happiness is 'picking up,' and peace of mind is 'letting go.']
[If you want to pick up, pick up. If you want to let go, let go.]
[Even if it's destined, so what? Everything is an illusion, so what?]
[If it's fate, shatter it!]
[If it's a delusion, turn it into reality!]
[Those who are awakened are always happy. Use anything useful, pierce through anything obstructive! You are the ultimate antagonist with full evil, and antagonists are often best at subverting.]
[In pursuit of your own happiness and peace of mind.]
[From now on, nothing can shake your will.]
[The brain is about to explode and crack, nerves are about to completely collapse, but your nature as a 'prime number' remains unshakable. In the endless pain, your spirit and determination gradually approach the touchable... reality.]
[You seem to see, on this pitch-black and lightless wilderness, the path that belongs to you.]
[The so-called dark will is also the will that completely burns oneself.]
[Facing this vast world.]
[You swing the final sword...]
The night sky was cloudless, adorned with brilliant stars.
Suddenly, without any warning, a shattered sound resonated in the void.
A deep, dark flower, unexpectedly spread and bloomed on the empty grassland, exuding a mesmerizing charm.
A silver-haired youth, his eyes closed, slowly emerged from the cluster of flowers.
He was naked, with skin so pale it seemed almost translucent. His exceptionally beautiful and otherworldly face possessed a captivating allure.
Alvin casually pulled a piece of shadow, draping the stars and night sky over himself.
Named the ultimate life form, the son of the White Dragon, he gradually opened his eyes.
Burning.
In those iron-gray pupils, it seemed like tumultuous black flames were burning.
No more hesitation, no more wandering, and absolutely no confusion.
[You have awakened the talent 'Dark Will.']
[Dark Will: Born from your perseverance, your determination, and your beliefs. The White Dragon's son unfurled his full wings, and all of Britain will bow beneath your feet. Your will won't waver anymore in pursuit of your goals. Like this land, extending from your hands. You gain near immunity to mental interference.]
[You will shatter the so-called ridiculous 'fate' that binds that girl!]
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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