Excalibur – The Sword of Promised Victory
The most powerful Noble Phantasm wielded by King Arthur, Artoria Pendragon.
It is regarded as the symbol of Arthur's supreme authority—the sacred sword that stands at the pinnacle of all holy swords.
The blade emitted a golden, divine radiance, so sacred that anyone who looked at it would instinctively feel a sense of shame and reverence.
A sword like this was something that ordinary mortals had no right to touch.
Swish—
However, the moment Cao Ye touched the Sword of Promised Victory, the golden holy radiance disappeared instantly.
In its place emerged a deep, suffocating darkness.
The original colors of gold and blue transformed into black and crimson.
The once sacred holy sword had now reversed into a dark demonic blade.
Sword of Promised Victory (Excalibur Morgan)
Although the color and appearance were somewhat different, it was still another aspect of Excalibur.
Because the sword was created through the coexistence of the Fairy of the Lake, Vivian, and Morgan, the blade possessed both good and evil attributes.
The Black Aurora Sword.
No longer restraining the wielder's magical power, the sword unleashed all of it.
The magical particles it emitted were no longer light—
They had become darkness that devours light itself.
"Did it… get corrupted?"
Looking at the sword in his hand, Cao Ye felt a bit speechless.
He had just been celebrating obtaining King Arthur's legendary beam sword.
And now it had immediately turned dark.
But thinking about it, this was perfectly normal.
He carried within him All the World's Evil.
Any Excalibur bound to him would inevitably become corrupted—just like the corrupted King Arthur in the black mud of the Holy Grail War.
Still, while holding Excalibur, Cao Ye could clearly feel the terrifying power contained within it.
Excalibur functioned as an amplifier that converts and magnifies the user's magical power.
And the degree of amplification was beyond imagination.
As an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm, it naturally possessed the destructive power to obliterate an entire fortress in a single strike.
Back when Cao Ye watched Fate, he remembered clearly that after Artoria was corrupted—
Her combat strength skyrocketed.
Compared to when she fought alongside Shirou, the difference was like a boss monster versus a small mob.
As expected:
"Corruption triples power, purification cuts it to seventy percent."
A timeless rule.
Swish—
The next moment, the Sword of Promised Victory vanished from Cao Ye's hand.
Unlike ordinary weapons, Noble Phantasms do not possess fixed physical forms.
They materialize according to the wielder's will.
It was incredibly convenient—and there was no need to worry about wear and tear.
At this moment, Cao Ye was extremely excited.
He had completely forgotten about the other reward he obtained—Jewel Magecraft.
Right now, there was only one thought in his mind:
He wanted to test Excalibur's power.
Lying on his bed, Cao Ye tried to fall asleep so he could wake up early the next day.
But with something weighing on his mind, sleep simply wouldn't come.
The harder he tried to sleep—
The more awake he became.
"No way."
"I have to test it."
"Otherwise I won't sleep at all tonight."
He jumped out of bed, quickly put on his clothes, and headed out.
His destination was clear:
The Dungeon.
The Dungeon had no time restrictions.
It was open 24 hours a day, and anyone could enter at any time.
"Lady Freya, Cao Ye just left for the dungeon."
"Don't worry about it," Freya replied calmly.
"He just leveled up."
"He won't be able to hold himself back."
"I just didn't expect he couldn't even wait a single night."
Freya didn't care much.
After leveling up, a person's vessel—their capacity—improves dramatically.
Their overall strength increases significantly.
In such circumstances, it was normal to want to test one's new power immediately.
Ottar, however, remained silent.
But inwardly, he was extremely surprised.
Only one month had passed, yet Cao Ye had already advanced from Level 1 to Level 2.
And according to Freya—
He had defeated the Floor Boss Goliath while still Level 1.
Even Ottar himself had never achieved something like that.
As expected, a goddess's judgment was never wrong.
If someone like Cao Ye were recruited by another Familia—
Especially the Loki Familia—
Then in the future, the Freya Familia might face a dangerous rival.
Meanwhile, Cao Ye had already entered the Dungeon.
He ignored the weak monsters of the upper floors and headed straight for the lower levels.
BOOM!
While he was moving through the tunnels, a massive boulder suddenly flew toward him.
Cao Ye rolled aside and dodged the surprise attack.
Looking in the direction the rock came from—
A white figure stepped out of the cave.
A massive body standing four to five meters tall.
Covered in silver-white fur.
A humanoid posture.
Its identity was obvious.
Silverback Ape.
One of the monsters that appeared in the middle floors of the Dungeon.
"Silverback Ape?"
Cao Ye recognized it immediately.
In the original story, Bell Cranel had once been chased through the streets by this exact monster.
Later he received Hestia's Knife and, after a difficult battle, finally defeated it.
ROOOAR!!
The Silverback Ape roared at Cao Ye.
Its huge hands grabbed another boulder and hurled it at him.
BOOM!
Cao Ye dodged again.
As expected of an ape-type monster.
It even had the intelligence to use thrown weapons.
"Perfect."
"I'll use you to test the sword."
Cao Ye raised his right hand.
A flash of black light appeared.
The darkened Excalibur materialized in his grasp.
The moment he held the sword, a powerful aura erupted from his body.
ROOOAR!!
The Silverback Ape charged toward him.
Magic Release—Activate!
Cao Ye activated the skill.
Under the amplification of magical power, his physical abilities increased dramatically.
Then he rushed forward to meet the monster head-on.
If he wanted to test the sword—
Then he needed a real battle.
Slash!
The Silverback Ape's thick fur and flesh were cut open as easily as tofu.
Aside from Excalibur's special properties, its rank as an A++ Noble Phantasm meant its sharpness was unquestionable.
A mere middle-floor monster like a Silverback Ape was nothing in comparison.
BOOM!
In pain, the Silverback Ape retaliated.
It swung its massive palm toward Cao Ye.
But Cao Ye dodged.
Slash!
The next strike came immediately.
The black blade flashed.
The Silverback Ape's arm was severed cleanly.
Blood sprayed across the surrounding rocks.
Yet not a single drop stained the blade.
The sword remained the same—
A bottomless black darkness, like an abyss.
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