"Even with all my strength, it's still not enough..."
Recalling the feeling of their weapons clashing, Artoria felt a deep sense of defeat. It was like a reef facing the ocean... no, to be precise, her performance against the ocean that was Cang Ye was, at best, like a piece of driftwood. With such a poor showing, could she really leave a deep enough impression on Lamorak and gain his acknowledgment?
Or to ask her heart directly: Could she, as she was now, truly surpass her sister and become the person Lamorak pledged his loyalty to, the one who was most important to him?
Yes, from the moment she proposed the duel, this was the message Artoria had wanted to convey to Cang Ye. She didn't want to just hand over the knight and friend she had longed for for so long to Morgan. Artoria had to prove to Cang Ye that she, Artoria Pendragon, had the strength and determination. She had to show him that whether as a king or as a lord, she would not be inferior to Morgan, and would only be better!
And most importantly, I was here first!!!
A flash of pink crossed the girl's eyes. Her gaze fell upon the golden sword in her hand, the one that had been nearly knocked from her grasp, and she subconsciously ignored the black crack on its surface.
"No, I haven't lost yet. I still have a chance to prove myself."
Artoria gripped the Sword of Selection again, the light in her eyes less one of resolve and more of a burning obsession to surpass someone.
"Fou~"
From a corner unnoticed by either of them, a cheerful chirp from Fou sounded.
"Lamorak! Please give me one more chance! I haven't lost yet!" The girl's plea cut through Cang Ye's jumbled thoughts. He looked with some surprise at the rekindled fighting spirit in Artoria.
"Artorius, but your body..." Cang Ye was confused. He didn't know what the girl was thinking, but he could sense that after their last exchange, her stamina and magical energy were all but depleted. To want to fight even in this state... why? This wasn't a life-or-death battle.
"There are no 'buts,' Lamorak." To his surprise, Artoria cut him off this time. "You know that for a knight, as long as their weapon is in their hand, they have not been defeated. Even if I have no strength left, I still have my spirit."
Her eyes shone with a near-fanatical light. Sensing the change in its wielder's emotional state, the Sword in the Stone, the symbol of the perfect king, began to tremble slightly. It was moaning, protesting. Its purpose was to be a symbol of kingship; every swing was for the king's authority, for the execution of righteousness.
Caliburn, the Golden Sword of Assured Victory, was classified as an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm. But this 'Unit' was not the enemy, but the wielder themselves. Only when the wielder acted righteously, or became a perfect king, could it unleash its true power. But at this moment, this sword, which should have been completely subservient to the one destined to become the perfect king, was rejecting Artoria's use. It did not approve of her current actions. It considered this use, which went completely against the path of kingship and righteousness, to be an insult.
But a sword is merely a tool used by humans. How could its will ever override that of a person?
Artoria gripped the trembling hilt firmly. Black cracks spread across the golden blade at a visible rate. But beneath those intersecting fissures, a brilliant and pure white light began to glow.
"Just one more strike, Lamorak! Just give me the chance for one last strike, and I will definitely make you see and acknowledge me!" Artoria's hands trembled, but her gaze was unusually firm and resolute.
"I understand." Cang Ye said no more. He could feel her determination in her words and her eyes. At this moment, he no longer saw her as the young girl who needed his guidance, who walked forward on a borrowed ideal, lost about the future. He saw her as his opponent, a respectable opponent.
"Give it your all, Artorius. Show me your resolve."
Without further words, Cang Ye responded to her expectation with action. "Spirit Stream: Myriad Forms, full release."
For the first time, Cang Ye used his full power to activate this Noble Phantasm. But he didn't manifest it in its offensive, watery form. Instead, he compressed its power, brandishing his lance to create a tranquil lake, as clear as a mirror, before him.
This was the defensive stance of the Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm 'Spirit Stream: Myriad Forms,' a shield Cang Ye had constructed based on the sacred lakes he had seen and his knowledge of countless defensive techniques. If the stormy rain and flowing water represented the 'motion' aspect of water's ultimate meaning—the power of water drops piercing stone and streams breaking rock—then this lake represented water's 'stillness.'
"The water's heart is like a mirror's face, for a thousand miles without a single flaw."
The calm lake was like a mirror without the slightest ripple. Its clear water represented the ultimate purity that repelled all filth. Legend had it that the Knight of the Lake, Lancelot, was raised by the Lady of the Lake and blessed by her waters, possessing a holy sword famous for its 'indestructible' property, which represented the clarity and tranquility of the lake.
At this moment, with Cang Ye fully activating the lake stance, its defensive capabilities had reached a level comparable to that holy sword, recreating a fraction of its 'indestructible' property: Arondight.
He didn't choose to attack, but to defend. Faced with Artoria's final blow, which contained all her obsession and desire, Cang Ye chose to receive it all, to understand the words the girl wanted to tell him.
Seeing this, Artoria knew he understood her heart. She no longer restrained the Sword in the Stone, which was trembling and trying to break free from her grasp, and poured her final ounce of strength and will into it.
"Go! Caliburn!"
CRACK.
BOOM!
With a crisp shattering sound, the blade of the golden sword in Artoria's hand broke, its light completely dimming. The shattered fragment, mixed with terrifying magical energy and the immense power released by the holy sword's destruction, coalesced into a massive cannon of light that blasted towards Cang Ye's lake of tranquility.
On a nearby street, a newly awakened Merlin, his face swollen like a pig's head, rushed over with Kay. They arrived just in time to see Artoria, holding the nearly shattered Sword in the Stone, facing off against Cang Ye.
"Lily! Don't—"
Realizing what was about to happen, Merlin was just about to intervene when he saw the girl shout and swing down her king's sword, and the already precarious Sword of Selection instantly shattered.
"Still too late..." Ignoring the ugly expression on Kay's face beside him, Merlin watched the scene and let out a long sigh.
Meanwhile, after completely expending its light and heat, the brilliant golden pillar of light slowly dissipated, revealing a figure within, charred black and looking utterly wretched.
Cang Ye looked down at himself, then at the pseudo-Holy Lance in his hand, now reduced to dust. A bitter smile touched his lips. "You've grown up, Artorius."
"Lamorak... I didn't disappoint you." Hearing his words, a smile finally blossomed on Artoria's beautiful face. Then, her body went limp, and she began to fall.
In the final moment before her consciousness faded to black, the girl saw a black shadow flash before her. The figure that had been some distance away was suddenly in front of her, and she felt herself fall into a warm embrace.
[Thus, the tale of how you, alongside King Arthur, subjugated the magical beast Cath Palug and, in your duel with him, shattered the Sword in the Stone, was spread far and wide. The eyes of all Britain were once again drawn to the two of you.]
[And for breaking the Sword of Selection, you were given a new title by the people: 'The King's Nemesis.']
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