The battlefield narrowed.
Not physically—Camelot still burned, steel still clashed, magic still tore the sky apart—but for a single, suspended moment… everything focused.
On us.
King Arthur stood tall amid ruin, armor scorched, breath heavy, yet unyielding.
In his hand—
Excalibur
Radiant. Untouched.
And then there was me.
Shadows curled around my body like a living storm, violet energy dancing across my skin, the distant pulse of the Holy Grail echoing through my veins.
"Stand down, Morgana," Arthur said, his voice cutting through the chaos. "It doesn't have to end like this."
I laughed softly.
"It already has."
He moved first.
Arthur surged forward with explosive speed, Excalibur blazing as it carved a golden arc toward me—
I vanished.
A shadow portal snapped open—
—and I reappeared behind him, my hand already glowing with condensed violet energy.
I fired.
The blast struck his back—
—or should have.
Arthur twisted mid-motion, Excalibur intercepting the attack as the blade erupted with light, splitting my spell in half.
The force still sent him skidding across the ground.
He didn't fall.
"Good," I murmured.
I raised both hands.
Shadows answered instantly.
Dozens of portals opened around him—
—and from each one, spears of solid darkness shot forward, striking from every direction at once.
Arthur planted his foot.
Excalibur flared.
A burst of golden light exploded outward—
And every spear shattered on contact.
He charged again.
This time, I didn't retreat.
I summoned Skathe-Hrün into my hand and stepped forward to meet him.
Steel met shadow.
Excalibur struck—
—and I blocked.
The impact cracked the ground beneath us.
A shockwave erupted outward, throwing nearby soldiers from their feet as power collided against power.
Arthur pressed forward, his strikes relentless, each swing of Excalibur faster and stronger than the last.
He wasn't holding back anymore.
Neither was I.
I spun the staff, deflecting one strike, then another, before slamming it forward into his guard.
Purple energy detonated on impact—
Arthur staggered—
And I followed.
A kick to his chest.
A blast of magic at point-blank range.
A wave of shadows erupting beneath his feet to drag him down.
He broke free of it all.
Excalibur flared brighter.
He cut through the shadows like they were nothing.
My magic recoiled from the blade, burned away by its light.
Interesting.
Arthur lunged—
His sword aimed directly for my heart.
Time slowed.
Not metaphorically.
Actually.
The world froze.
Everything—soldiers, flames, falling debris—stilled in place.
Only I moved.
I stepped calmly to the side.
Tilted my head slightly.
Studied him.
"…Predictable."
Time resumed.
His blade passed through empty space.
I was already behind him.
My hand pressed against his back—
And I unleashed everything.
A concentrated explosion of shadow and Grail-enhanced energy detonated outward, the force tearing through his armor and sending him crashing across the battlefield, smashing through stone and debris before coming to a stop.
Silence followed.
Brief.
Fragile.
Then—
Arthur stood again.
Slowly.
Painfully.
But he stood.
Blood dripped from his armor.
His grip on Excalibur tightened.
"You always were stubborn," I said.
He looked at me—
And smiled.
"And you always underestimate me."
The light changed.
Excalibur didn't just glow anymore.
It burned.
Golden fire surged along the blade, expanding outward, forming a radiant aura around Arthur himself. The ground beneath him cracked under the pressure of the power building within him.
I felt it immediately.
This…
Was different.
He raised the sword.
"FOR CAMELOT!"
And brought it down.
A massive arc of golden energy tore through the battlefield, wide enough to split the army behind me, powerful enough to erase anything in its path.
I responded instantly.
Both hands forward.
Everything I had—
Shadow.
Magic.
The Grail's power.
I met it head-on.
Purple collided with gold.
The impact was apocalyptic.
The ground shattered.
The air screamed.
The sky itself seemed to fracture under the force of the collision.
For a moment…
We were equal.
Then I pushed harder.
My power surged.
Deeper. Darker. Stronger.
The Grail answered.
And the balance broke.
My magic overwhelmed his.
The golden wave shattered—
And my power slammed into him.
Arthur was thrown back, crashing to the ground, Excalibur slipping from his grasp as the light around him flickered violently.
I stepped forward slowly.
Victory.
At last.
I raised my hand, shadows gathering for the final blow.
And then—
I hesitated.
Just for a moment.
Because even now…
Even broken…
Even defeated…
Arthur was still trying to stand.
"…You really don't know when to stop," I said quietly.
But my hand didn't lower.
Because this wasn't about him anymore.
This was about the crown.
And I intended to take it.