Chapter 460: Camelot Hill

"Huh, going to the Sword Hill……"

Alice froze for a moment; she hadn't expected this person to be so direct.

She glanced at her good friend beside her and hesitated: "That place should be exactly when the final battle of Britain's downfall ended……"

"After all, Saber also said she still remains on that battlefield, right?"

"……"

"……"

"……Right……"

Artoria took a gentle breath and nodded with a somewhat heavy mood.

Some things are simply nightmares one doesn't want to face.

So at many times, she also consciously avoids thinking, recalling, pondering; it's hard to say whether she would forget that world's matters, or if it's subconscious avoidance.

Because of that scalding blood, that earth dyed red, that ominous twilight sunset.

And the enemies she herself slew, corpses piled like mountains, blood flowing everywhere.

They were both her later enemies and her former subjects…… yet because they launched a rebellion, they were beheaded by her own hand with the Holy Sword, pierced by the Holy Lance.

Those miserable cries……

That splattering blood……

That aura as if even the wind had turned crimson……

Like a curse, whenever she recalls it, it's like scattering thoughts, endlessly revolving around the girl's mind.

Vivid before the eyes, that is how it is.

"It should be at the moment the war ended, yet hadn't completely ended……"

Xia Zhi looked at Artoria, as if through Causality Vision he converted certain information into visual reception, then said casually.

"Her current state is at the brink of death but not yet dead……"

"Strictly speaking, she is only able to be summoned like a Servant because of the Contract signed with the Counter Force……"

"But actually, she still isn't a Servant——or rather, still isn't a Heroic Spirit."

Because……

A Heroic Spirit can only ascend the Throne after death, an existence transformed from a hero whose great achievements became legend after death, becoming an object of belief.

And a Servant is the summoned aspect of a Heroic Spirit, a copy or avatar of the Heroic Spirit.

So, since the person hasn't even died yet, how could she possibly be summoned as a Servant?

At most one can only say——

Because of Artoria's special nature, the Counter Force pre-reserved a Heroic Spirit seat and establishment for her in advance.

"So that's how it is, I always found it strange back then, why Saber couldn't undergo Spiritualization……"

Alice suddenly realized, then muttered softly.

Other people's Servants can all undergo Spiritualization, letting themselves become invisible, turning from a Materialized body into a mass of conscious magical energy, convenient for movement and lowering the turn-back rate.

——At the same time also able to save on magical energy usage……

——Counting as entering a kind of "power-saving mode" in a certain sense……

But Artoria just never used this move, always acting in a Materialized state.

Is it that a king should be upright and openly crush all enemies head-on?

Or perhaps……

Tactics require maintaining one's optimal state at all times?

After all, in Spirit Body state, a Servant's interference power with the Mortal World also weakens; Materialization during combat is considered the advantageous side.

So choosing such tactics, there seems to be a certain rationale to it as well.

Just……

Didn't expect it to be entirely because of Artoria's own special nature.

If she, strictly speaking, is still a living person, then naturally she cannot restore her own body into a mass of conscious magical energy.

——Of course, this refers to the previous situation.

As for now, Artoria doesn't need Spiritualization, and can completely achieve Nasverse.

Under someone's Reinforcement upgrade and a series of technical supports, the current her fundamentally shouldn't appear on this Servant track at all.

A thorough Dimension Reduction Strike.

An absolute gap that a mere Grand Saint Graph cannot make up for.

"Then…… should I go over? Saber."

Thinking for a bit, the wife asked softly, inquiring cautiously about Artoria's opinion.

She wanted to go over and see, to help take care of her good friend, but also worried that going over at this time would touch upon the fragile side Saber doesn't want others to see.

——At this critical moment, Saber perhaps doesn't wish for others to see her losing composure, especially those close to her.

——This psychology, like many people, they don't want family and good friends to see their wretched side.

Xia Zhi knew long ago, presumably it can't escape his discerning eye either, and handling this matter originally required him to personally take action.

So Saber should be able to accept it, won't feel anything amiss……

But if I go over, she might think of this point……

——That is ultimately the Knight King's most heartbroken time, also the lowest point of her life.

At this time, the wife feels she should be understanding, giving Saber enough understanding and respect.

"……"

"……"

"Alice, you'd better not go……"

As expected, the golden-haired girl fell silent for a moment, a trace of conflicted hesitation flashing through her emerald eyes, but in the end she still shook her head.

"Oh, well then——"

Hearing this, the madam nodded, not looking very disappointed: "Then I'll wait here for you to return…… By the way, when do you plan to set off?"

That last sentence, she asked it after turning her head to look at the young man.

"Anytime, as long as Artoria is prepared……" Xia Zhi gave an answer very neatly.

Traversing parallel spacetime, roaming through different histories.

And also the many, many complex and mysterious domains — things that in the past were incomprehensible, unexplainable, unthinkable — for the current him, are all far too simple.

——No preparation needed at all.

——No need to do any kind of prerequisite at all.

After all, to him this is just as natural as leisurely rising from a comfortable seat, then easily pushing open that room's door.

Does this require any preparation? Does it require observing and calculating beforehand, coming up with some targeted plan?

The answer is naturally no.

"Oh oh, then Saber……"

The madam nodded repeatedly, then looked toward her good friend's direction.

Artoria stood in place, tightening her fist, as if recalling something, a trace of struggle and conflict flashing between her brows and eyes, complex emotions surging in the depths of her gaze.

After half a moment, she slowly loosened her hand, gently took a breath, her voice thin as a drifting thread:

"Then let's go——"

That's right.

Although now that it's come down to it, she instead feels a bit timid.

But continuing like this isn't a solution either; in the end it's something that must be faced.

And…… and……

After crossing this step, it is Britain's rebirth, Master has already promised her……

Just like a long-pursued wish is about to be realized, this prospect so beautiful it's unreal makes the Knight King's maiden heart involuntarily pound with jumping.

Just this point alone is enough for her to muster the courage to take this step.

"Actually it's nothing, no matter how shocking that scene is, you should be used to it by now, just grit your teeth and endure through it……"

Speaking discordant words of comfort, the Nascent Soul cultivator rapped his knuckles on the table case before him.

He stood up with a smile, gently extending his slender finger, casually drawing a stroke at his side.

The void was cut open.

Like frozen yellow butter meeting a red-hot iron wire.

With absolutely no obstruction or stickiness whatsoever, it was split by the fingertip's trajectory into clearly distinct mirror surfaces.

Within the mirror surface, profound-colored light flowed, dim and deep, chaotic and inexplicable, appearing bizarre and strange, unknown where it led.

"Actually Alice can go take a look too, after all that side is also a world line you originated from, want to go back to Winter City for a look?"

He casually opened the channel, then turned back and asked with a smile: "Can also call Ilya over, go back and reminisce about childhood."

"No need, thanks…… There's nothing worth reminiscing there……"

Alice revealed an awkward yet polite smile——

"Moreover right now, hasn't the Einzbern family already been remodeled into a fully automated doll factory? I just heard Rin and Sakura say yesterday that the current dolls still aren't enough……"

She doesn't want to go back to Winter City at all.

Presumably Ilya is the same, after all that place was never warm.

"Production capacity is actually sufficient, mainly their plan wasn't calculated well, didn't control costs properly……"

The young man let out a low laugh.

Then, he turned around, looked toward Artoria's direction, waved his hand calling: "Let's depart—— Come, grab my hand."

"……"

"……"

The golden-haired girl took a deep breath, as if relieving some kind of pressure.

Facing the hand Master extended, she directly grabbed it, then nodded forcefully, gesturing that she was prepared.

The young man spoke no more, pulling the girl, directly stepping a stride into the void's mirror surface.

The spacetime vortex's light flourished greatly.

After swallowing both their figures, it rapidly annihilated, as if space was repairing itself.

The mirror surface's breach quickly shrank to the size of a needle tip……

Finally, completely dissipated and vanished.

"……"

"……"

"My my, they've gone……"

The silver-haired doll lady tilted her head, then sighed: "Hope everything goes smoothly……

——————

——————

The setting sun's sky is a stretch of blood red.

As far as the eye can see, the land is also a stretch of blood red.

The corpses covering the ground all once believed in a girl, supported her as King, together singing songs of triumph.

They split into two factions because of a traitor's scheme, hated and killed each other, and then fell together on this battlefield.

This is King Arthur's place of death, the Hill of Camlann.

When she returned here from a dream across spacetime, Artoria gazed at this desolate scene in a trance.

—Her cheeks were still stained with tear tracks mixed with blood.

—The long spear in her hand had pierced Mordred's heart; the rebel's body slid off the spear and breathed its last.

Everything was the same as the moment the contract was formed, without any change.

This prison will forever confine her in stagnation within it.

In the flow of time that has lost meaning, in an instant equal to eternity, this scene will torture her forever, until the day she obtains the Holy Grail.

This is the Counter Force's contract.

In other words, as long as Artoria does not obtain the Holy Grail, no matter how many times, she will be pulled back to this timeline.

"That was before……"

Someone said this gently, as if to deny the foundation of this existence.

Artoria came to her senses in a trance, raising her head to look beside her.

Indeed……

There are still some things that are different……

That tall figure stood beside her, one hand firmly gripping her hand, forcefully pulling her body which had almost lost all strength.

Indeed……

Not an illusion……

Those things experienced before, the encounter in Fuyuki City, the meeting with Master, the peaceful life in the Fairy Kingdom……

These were not a very, very long dream she had in the midst of endless despair and dead silence.

It was real.

This truly is…… wonderful.

In an instant, it was as if new vitality had been poured into a parched heart hollowed out by emptiness and despair.

Artoria trembled as she used all her strength to stand up from the blood-stained hill.

In this moment——

History was forcibly bent by a certain great will.

(Chapter End)