Chapter 289 - King Arthur and Promise..
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In Fuyuki City,
Deep within the cavern of Ryuudou Temple.
The location of the Great Holy Grail.
When Promise and Medusa arrived, the king clad in pitch-black armor, tainted by the black mud, was standing there with the holy sword in hand.
"Hm?"
Noticing their arrival, King Arthur, Artoria, slightly lifted her head, letting out a soft murmur as if puzzled by their presence.
After all, even though she had been corrupted by the black mud as she stood there, the ones she had chosen to protect and wait for here were not Promise but rather Ritsuka and Mash.
However, the confusion in her heart did not last long and Promise quickly provided an answer.
"When I learned you were here, I felt that I should come and see you."
As he spoke, a golden Heroic Spirit Class Card materialized in his hand.
It was not a Heroic Spirit engraved in the Age of the Greek Gods, but rather the one who had ascended to the Throne of Heroes in the now-erased and forever vanished Fairy Britain.
"Whether it is for Artoria Caster, the one who once helped me and was favored and protected by the Goddess of Fate, or simply because of Morgan and Vivian..."
"I should rightfully come and meet you."
As Promise softly spoke these words and took step after step toward King Arthur, who furrowed her brows slightly upon hearing them—
The Promise, who had accompanied Vivian on her pilgrimage in Fairy Britain and forged the Sword of the Stars in the temple within the Star's Inner Sea—
At this moment, he descended from the Throne of Heroes.
The holy sword in his hand burned with intense flames, the fire entwining around his body like a dazzling suit of armor.
It was the divine authority of a god—the forging flames of Hephaestus.
Not only that, when Promise used the Heroic Spirit Class Card to manifest his Heroic Spirit form, an ancient deity also turned their gaze toward him in that instant.
That deity was the one Promise had put to slumber in the Lostbelt of Fairy Britain, the god who had cursed the fairies with poison and maledictions for thousands of years—Cernunnos.
And so, in this moment, Promise naturally received the blessing of that god.
"It's just that, along the way, I had some concerns..."
Promise did not respond to the astonishment on King Arthur's face as she saw the holy sword in his hand and heard the mention of Morgan and the other "her."
Instead, he continued speaking in a voice, that was neither fast not slow:
"Because this was not originally a stage where I was meant to appear. The final destination they are heading toward has already been witnessed by the Goddess of Fate as a miracle born within the future."
"And as long as it is a miracle, it is an existence that can not be replicated"
"And so, I hesitated, wavered, and originally intended to merely watch from the sidelines, to observe how this event would unfold while waiting for another opportunity. However..."
At this point, Promise had already arrived before the King Arthur standing at the heights.
He raised his head and looked at the king in front of him, who had calmed down and was also lowering his head, giving him a scrutinizing look.
"She came."
Promise smiled, not turning back to look at Medusa behind him, and spoke softly:
"She did not bring an oracle, only a single sentence—she is here."
"And so, I have come to see you."
Hearing his words, the corrupted King Arthur remained silent for a moment.
Before, she finally asked in a deep voice, "What is your relationship with Morgan?"
"Friends."
Promise answered without hesitation. Looking at the woman in front of him, he continued, "And in a sense, you could also be considered a friend of mine. It's just... I care about her more."
"Besides, I owe her something... I once destroyed everything she had—whether it was her dreams or the kingdom she had guarded for over two thousand years."
Upon hearing this, not to mention the corrupted King Arthur but even Medusa, who had followed them, couldn't help but cast a strange look at Promise.
No.
You call that friendship?
Your 'friend' must have a really good temper not to have beaten you to death.
Arthur's golden eyes reflected a trace of confusion as she looked at Promise. "So, you came to see me because...?"
"Normally, I wouldn't interfere in matters like this."
As he spoke, Promise raised the holy sword in his hand, pointing it toward Arthur.
The divine flames blazing upon it burned even brighter in that instant.
"The conflict between you and Morgan is indeed complicated. That's why, after today, even if I meet you again in the future, I would normally choose to ignore you. But today..."
He paused briefly before chuckling.
"Well..I just happened to return from that world not long ago. If I want to put my thoughts at ease, the only option is to fight you."
After another brief pause, Promise grinned and spoke. "Coincidentally, your Noble Phantasm is named after Morgan, isn't it? And she, well... she's the kind of person who really cares about things like that."
"Hm."
Hearing this, the corrupted King Arthur did not refute his words. In fact, she nodded quite seriously.
"I know she is like this. That's exactly why I did it—to piss her off."
Hearing Arthur admit it so blatantly, Medusa could only cast an exasperated look at her as well.
But... that's really the reason?
Now that she finally understood Promise's purpose in coming here, as well as why Athena had saved her—Medusa couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief.
Just because of this reason, that goddess had rushed over?
And this man, the most famous hero of the entire Age of Greek Gods, was planning to turn fate into a complete mess because of it?
Normally, Medusa wouldn't even bother thinking about such things.
Or rather, one could say that she wouldn't understand them at all.
But perhaps due to the fact that she had fused with part of Athena's Saint Graph, Medusa now understood exactly what Promise was doing.
And when he spoke those words and revealed his Heroic Spirit form—
She caught glimpses of those fragmented scenes from a world that had been edited out of existence.
In fact, King Arthur, too, had seen something, fragments of knowledge and visions—because the Great Holy Grail still resided within her, and the magical energy of the entire Fuyuki City leyline was currently supplying her.
And so, she also raised the holy sword standing before her.
Looking at Promise, her expression became solemn.
"I will not hold back."
After all, the reason King Arthur was here was to wait for Ritsuka, Mash and others to arrive.
Promise smiled.
"I know."
At the moment his soft words fell, he swung his sword, delivering his "greeting" for the night.
The brilliant radiance of the Star Holy Sword, interwoven with the blazing divine fire, transformed into a pillar of light, surging toward King Arthur!
And in response to Promise's "greeting," she naturally returned the favor—raising her holy sword high.
With the blessing of the Great Holy Grail, she brought it down with all her might!
At the same time...
.
.
.
"Hmm."
Walking along the deserted streets of Fuyuki City, a smile curved on Cú Chulainn's lips as he peered into everything through the mystic power of runes.
"I see... something quite interesting."
"An already edited-out Lostbelt? Looks like my guess was right—that kid possesses the ability to traverse different eras."
"And it's not just Spiritron Transfer—it's more akin to the embodiment of a Heroic Spirit.But what's most important is that the places he walks upon... do not generate Lostbelts or Singularities, because the path he treads is part of true history..."
The will of the planet—whether it be Alaya or Gaia, whether they admit it or not, will inevitably transform into reality.
That was precisely why, back in Fairy Britain, when the Counter Force saw Promise heading there, it panicked and made a desperate deal with the Goddess of Fate, Clotho—allowing her to intervene beyond standard rules.
The main reason for letting Merry go along was even to ensure that everything would go perfectly well.
After all, if Promise had been stubborn enough to force Fairy Britain into becoming true history, it would have been even more troublesome than the destruction of Proper Human History itself.
At this moment, as "Cú Chulainn" keenly sensed the truth behind Promise and murmured these words, he suddenly seemed to have recalled something and couldn't help but freeze.
A memory flashed through his mind—a regret.
A scene he could never forget—
The scene that showed the destruction of the divine realm he once built, Asgard, the kingdom of God in Norse mythology—the collapse of Yggdrasil—Ragnarök.
Yet, the fact that he could perceive this truth about Promise was not surprising.
After all, in Norse mythology, Odin hung himself upside-down on the World Tree for seven days and seven nights.
During those seven days and nights, he was not a Almighty God, but a mere powerless mortal, facing the constant risk of death.
And after seven days passed, he obtained the runes—and at the cost of one eye, he drank from the Well of Wisdom, becoming the God of Wisdom in Norse mythology.
So in essence, Odin was actually no different from Athena—both possessed eyes that saw through everything and absolute wisdom.
Thus...
'The one who walks within fate and rewrites destiny—he will create new histories and realities.'
'That is the true ability of that young man.'
'The Goddess of Wisdom must have realized this, which is why she has always guided him.'
'And if that were truly the case—if he were to arrive in my era, perhaps Ragnarök itself could be...'
Just as Cú Chulainn had these thoughts, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.