Chapter 43: Volume 1: Chapter 43: I ■ all, therefore I shall ■■ all
Dragon flames scorched the earth, leaving only a few cries of anguish on the entire battlefield. Artoria tore off her still-smoldering deep blue cape. Seeing the White Dragon about to descend after this attack, she immediately charged forward again with Gawain.
To be honest, Artoria didn't know how to gain the Holy Sword's recognition, how to unleash its power. But she understood that if she didn't defeat the White Dragon before her at this moment, all their efforts would be in vain, and everyone's hopes would be dashed. She was born to be the King of Britain, and now she was the King of Britain. As king, she must respond to the hopes of the people and "expel" this shadow of Britain from the island!
The Holy Sword of the Stars in her hand gradually grew brilliant, accompanying the roaring of the girl's heart, as if countless Aether particles were slowly converging upon it. But Artoria did not notice this. She merely went forward, ever forward! Constantly dodging the White Dragon's attacks, constantly swinging her sword to cut through the White Dragon's scales, constantly advancing! Even at this moment, with the White Dragon before her already raising the Holy Lance, its magic fully gathered, she still did not flinch. She instinctively paused, took a step, raised the Holy Sword of the Stars high, and instinctively cried out that name.
"Gareth, tell me the direction and distance."
On the mountaintop, Aozaki Rin held a colossal bow. The magic mask on his face had almost completely shattered when he was knocked away earlier, his young face resolute and serious. The golden-haired girl standing behind him, though she had already anticipated what the boy intended to do next, still had an incredulous look in her eyes.
But Gareth did not remain stunned for long. Gazing at the distant battlefield, at the grotesque White Dragon raising its Storm Lance high, she answered nervously, "Southeast direction, roughly... ten kilometers."
"I understand." The boy nodded, listening to the dragon's roar from afar. He drew Durandal from his waist, using it as an arrow, and nocked it onto the bowstring. His seemingly slender figure pulled back the colossal bow, his unfocused golden eyes "watching" the White Dragon on the battlefield.
However, this level of power was not enough; it could not stop the Holy Lance that the White Dragon was about to thrust. Aozaki Rin adjusted his breathing, his body slightly tensed, his golden eyes seemingly swirling with mysterious patterns. Simultaneously, in his subconscious, a magnetic, deep, and majestic voice he had never heard before suddenly resonated.
[Yes, just like that. That is the power you possess, why restrict it?][All things are equal, all things shall be destroyed. O beloved Son of the Goddess.][Yield to the yearning of your heart, and speak those words—]
Like a spell, or perhaps a prophecy. The boy unconsciously parted his lips and uttered that phrase.
"—I ■ all, therefore I shall ■■ all."
—Boom!
The unleashed Holy Sword shot forth like a burst of light from the mountaintop!
But rather than an arrow shot, it was more like a thrown spear. Golden light shimmered on the blade, leaving a golden trail in the air, as if tearing through space itself. The white behemoth instinctively sensed a fatal danger, but before it could react, the golden light pierced directly into its head!
Its long neck arched backward, letting out a tragic roar. The Holy Lance in the White Dragon's hand involuntarily turned upwards, towards the sky. And beneath its feet, the girl, like the center of light, powerfully swung the Holy Sword in her hand.
"—Ex—calibur!!!"
Particles of light surged like a torrent, rushing straight into the sky at that moment!
Within the roaring magical torrent, a storm that seemed to shatter the atmosphere also rose from the light, piercing through the dark clouds above. The entire sky suddenly cleared.
"Gareth, the sword, did it hit?" Aozaki Rin gasped slightly. For some reason, he felt that for a moment he had been dominated by instinct, unable to recall the details. He could only anxiously ask the girl behind him.
However, Gareth seemed to be frozen in place. It wasn't until the boy called her several times that she snapped back to reality, apologizing repeatedly. Looking at the slowly collapsing White Dragon after the light disappeared in the distance, she replied, "It-it hit! Mr. En! And, the White Dragon has been defeated by the King!"
Gareth's expression was somewhat agitated. Although she didn't know what had happened, and though she seemed to have heard the boy say something when he launched the sword, recalling it now, it was as if she had no memory of it at all. These illusory feelings didn't matter. What mattered was that they had finally defeated the White Dragon, finally drawing the curtain on this war.
"Is that so? That's good..." Aozaki Rin let out a heavy sigh of relief, a rare wave of exhaustion washing over him. But he knew he couldn't rest yet. Until he confirmed his adopted sister's condition, he couldn't completely relax.
So, he asked Gareth to find a sturdy horse. Aozaki Rin mounted it and galloped back towards the original battlefield. The lingering rays of the setting sun generously bathed the battlefield, as if staining it with a blood-red hue.
Artoria, Holy Sword in hand, walked step by step towards the White Dragon, which was entirely scorched and prostrate on the ground. She saw a longsword impaled in its head, its breath already weak. Gawain silently followed behind her.
"It's all over, Vortigern."
"...Yes, it's over. But, it's enough." The White Dragon spoke in human tongue, its hoarse, deep voice, which should have echoed across the sky, now barely audible. Its massive golden dragon eyes looked towards the air beside the girl. Unbeknownst to them, the white-robed magus already stood there, his face devoid of emotion.
"...My mission is complete. Now, I merely need to wait patiently."
"Artoria, you are indeed no longer a 'tool,' but that only makes it more pathetic. You will ultimately be unable to protect what you cherish, and finally spend your life in regret. How pathetic, how... helpless..."
Reflected in the dragon's eyes was the boy galloping on horseback in the distance. The White Dragon slowly closed its eyes, its body gradually burning into ash and scattering into the air.
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