Chapter 49: The Avalon That Can Never Be Reached
"It is time. Berserker, fight with all your might."
Although she was somewhat curious about the exact relationship between Berserker and Saber, Lorelei's quality as a magus was exceptional; she quickly brushed aside those useless thoughts and spoke with composed authority.
"Yes, leave it to me."
So spoke Morgan, her cold gaze fixed upon Saber.
"Even if it was merely the scheme of Uther and Merlin, and even if you yourself are without sin, I shall never forgive you!"
Morgan swung the magic spear in her hand, and the surroundings were instantly swept by a piercing, frigid wind. A winter storm billowed up—this was the effect of Morgan's personal skill, "From the Ends of the World."
It was the pride of a Queen who had stood on the brink of death multiple times yet remained standing, reaching the Island at the World's End and successfully returning to Britain. Under normal circumstances, Morgan would not possess such power. This was a skill belonging solely to Morgan as the King of the Lostbelt. It was a vortex of curses powerful enough to manipulate victory or defeat on the battlefield. The winter storm was its manifestation.
"This is...!?"
Seeing this scene, Saber let out a startled cry. Within the howling gale, ice and snow were sealing off everything in the vicinity. A massive void appeared in the sky, like a black hole from which even light could not escape.
These anomalies created by Morgan caused Saber, in her astonishment, to harbor a hint of doubt regarding her identity. She finally realized that the Morgan before her eyes was different from the Morgan in her memories.
Morgan also noticed Saber's startled gaze.
"This is a power you could never hope to reach, my sister!"
With that provocative remark, Morgan raised the staff in her hand and proclaimed loudly:
"Roadless Camelot (The Avalon That Can Never Be Reached)!"
Magical energy converged frantically, creating a vacuum in the atmosphere due to the abnormality, and then, at the peak of the convergence, it was suddenly released! From the deep blue void at the very top, thousands of spears of light gathered and transformed into a net covering the heavens, descending in a chaotic swarm!
"I will never lose to you!"
Saber also immediately raised the Excalibur high, sweeping it toward the horizon.
"Ex——calibur!!!"
A dazzling torrent of light roared out without reservation, piercing the sky and destroying the descending spears of light along with it. Then, under Morgan's eyes—which were widened in disbelief—Saber swung the high-held holy sword down with a crash.
Saber's Noble Phantasm, Excalibur, is ranked A++, which was still a step below Morgan's EX-rank Noble Phantasm, Roadless Camelot. However, Morgan's attack could not defeat Saber because Saber currently possessed the EX-rank Noble Phantasm Avalon, known as the "Ultimate Defense."
The massive torrent of light descending from above was more than even Morgan could withstand, and she was eventually completely engulfed by it.
"In the end... am I to fall by your hand... my sister?"
Morgan looked at the incoming torrent of light with eyes full of complex emotions. In her final moments, she gazed at Saber with a look containing a profound mix of sadness, nostalgia, hatred, and reluctance. Her remaining magical energy turned into a flow of light, passing through Morgan's hand and into Saber's body.
"This is...?"
Within Saber's vision, an image gradually emerged. It was a strange Britain, vastly different from the one in her memories. Morgan's voice echoed in her ears:
"At the very beginning, when there were no companions yet, I was not a Savior, but was called a Witch.
"When I opened my eyes in the Orkney Islands, I inherited knowledge from another version of 'me.' The Morgan of Pan-Human History—even knowing she would dissipate—entrusted everything to me, her Fae Queen.
"I learned of Morgan's fate: a woman who had no place left in Pan-Human History. A woman born as the successor to the Isle of Britain, yet who lost to King Arthur.
"To me, the Isle of Britain was everything. If the Isle of Britain could not be made my own, then nothing had value to me, and value would simply vanish. Such a 'me' was summoned to Britain; seeing the wretched state of the island, I surely would have lamented.
"But at the same time, I thought: 'If it is this Britain, then this time, I can surely succeed.'
"A 'me' with no place to belong would naturally choose to protect a new home. I also bore a mission from the Inner Sea (Paradise), which was to return Britain to nothingness.
"For 'me,' even if this was a Lostbelt, I deeply loved Britain. Thus, I chose to live as 'myself.'"
As Morgan spoke, the images in Saber's eyes continued to shift. The fairies cursed her: "Accursed Witch! Witch! Witch! Calamity has descended, yet only you survived!"
Afterward, to achieve her goal, Morgan ruled over the fairies. She did not kill them, but claimed them as her own. She did not know how many times she had driven away calamities. She did not know how many times she had mediated wars between clans. She did not know how many times she had been cursed as a witch. She did not know how many times her heart had been wounded.
What she loved was this Isle of Britain, this country that served as her home. Her own "Britain," which could never be obtained in Pan-Human History. To build it, she would work hard regardless of the task.
However, after repeatedly considering the means to be taken, she ultimately decided that protecting the fairies was the correct answer. Having trustworthy companions allowed things to be completed more smoothly. She played the role of the Savior; because she felt the fairies would be happy with the name of a Savior, her name became Tonelico.
"I lost Londinium, and my companions left one by one, but it is alright. This time, I finally built an ideal kingdom, a Britain that belongs to me. This is what I lived for, and what 'I' dissipated for. My Britain, my Fairy Kingdom.
"I am a traitor to Human Order; I defied the 'Mission of Paradise' and realized my dream.
"How is my country? It is a beautiful country, is it not? A country like a dream? If that is so, then nothing could bring me greater joy.
"Welcome to the Fairy Kingdom of Britain, Artoria.
"I hope the scenery here remains in your memories forever."
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