16 [16] You and Your Sword Make Me Laugh

...The tip of the sword trembled.

Alvin could no longer contain himself.

At this moment, he was quite literally experiencing the awakening of his DNA.

It was as if a blond vampire had spotted a deliciously tender little pastry and couldn't wait to indulge.

The bloodline from the White Dragon made it difficult for Alvin to restrain the urge to humiliate the Red Dragon.

Even if it was just sparring, just training.

The pleasure that victory brought, the ultimate ecstasy that made his entire being tremble, was something he wanted to savor.

In short, tormenting someone like Artoria was incredibly exhilarating, aside from such base intentions.

Alvin also aimed to use this battle to crush the girl's confidence.

Abandoned by the Round Table, betrayed by her lineage, close friends going their separate ways, and the nation she valued inching towards collapse...

As someone who had witnessed the entire Holy Grail War, Alvin was well aware of the fate that awaited the girl.

Born from the distorted desire to be chosen as a king, this pure and innocent girl named Artoria, did she not commit grave sins that warranted enduring such tragic outcomes?

Although in one of the alternate endings, she might have eventually found peace.

But pain is pain, no matter how you dress it up, it's genuine suffering. Some people go through life without experiencing hardship, while others spend a lifetime trying to heal pain.

... Why?

Yes, why should he bear a terminal illness, why should he rush against time after crossing dimensions, and who would care about so-called cheat abilities if one could lead a happy and stable life?

All the comforting words about enduring hardships and being given great responsibilities are lies. They are sweet-talking phrases that numb the heart like bitter medicine.

If you feel burdened on your journey, undoubtedly, someone else is ensuring that your years pass peacefully.

Whether burdened by the weight of survival or driven by the expectations of many, people struggle on the thorny path.

In a sense, he and she shared a common plight.

Therefore, with this opportunity for a heart-to-heart confrontation, Alvin didn't want her to fall into the same pitfalls.

If she were to waver in her conviction to become a king, lost in this decay...

For the girl, perhaps it would be a fortunate turn of events.

Clang~

The blades clashed, producing a resounding impact.

Although bearing the bloodline of the Red Dragon, Alvin was acutely aware that Artoria was not his match at this moment.

This wasn't due to differences in aptitude, talent, or attributes.

As the artificially created King with Dragon's blood, Artoria's stats were monstrous as well, especially with the Dragon factor, allowing her to continuously generate magical power just by breathing in this age of gods.

She was strong, very strong, stronger than most of the reputed figures in Britannia.

Her exaggerated physical strength was similar to his, even if she were fully developed, she could be considered a genuine humanoid dragon.

However, unfortunately...

The outcome was decided offstage long ago.

Smack~

The wooden sword in his hand was abruptly knocked away, and the girl's attempt to maintain her sword stance collapsed suddenly. She was even sent flying by this heavy blow, falling into a haystack, looking thoroughly disheveled.

In less than a minute.

The victory and defeat were clear.

His sparring partner was none other than Vile King Vortigern. Although Alvin didn't know who taught Artoria swordsmanship, surveying all of Britannia now, no one could surpass the descendants of the White Dragon in swordsmanship.

Under Vortigern's guidance, Alvin had truly mastered a third of the essence of Vortigern's swordsmanship.

However, the gap in swordsmanship alone wouldn't lead to such a stark contrast. The more important reason was...

"Too fearful."

"In combat, you only defend and never dare to exploit weaknesses. Is this the sword technique of a virtuous saint?"

The girl panted in silence.

Alvin frowned, and his words continued to ruthlessly prick at her heart.

"You aspire to the figure of the Silver Star Guiding the Way, right?"

"Wanting to protect the townspeople, defeat bandits and monsters, and bring clarity to the chaotic era of Britannia."

"But when facing plundering bandits and the demonic dragon Vortigern, do you expect them to kindly put down their weapons, submit to execution, and attain enlightenment?"

Referring to his father as a demonic dragon was a bit over the top in filial piety.

But this thoroughly evil title was quite effective, and since his dad couldn't hear it anyway, Alvin used it as material for his writing.

"Do you still hope that your enemies will have a sudden change of heart and show mercy when facing you?"

"Carrying such a weak mindset, you might as well go home and raise pigs instead of being a knight!"

The sword conveyed his sentiments more effectively than words.

Through this brief clash, Alvin had already discerned the issues that Artoria, who had not yet become a king, was facing at this moment...

Longing for the goodness of people, she was too noble, almost to a pathological extent.

Because she carried the bloodline of the Red Dragon, even when injured, she could easily recover. Thus, she hesitated to use her full strength against the idol she admired.

Always considering others, she overlooked her own position in that bleeding dragon heart.

This inevitably reminded Alvin of Emiya Shirou's similarly pathological sense of justice.

Of course.

If not for harboring such generous determination, she wouldn't be the dazzling King that she was.

However.

The idea of protecting others through self-harm was undeniably twisted.

Alvin wanted to correct all of it.

"You and your sword make me laugh."

The silver-haired youth lifted the sword point expressionlessly, pointing it at the disheveled face of the golden-haired girl. His articulate words rang out like the teachings of a wise man.

"Are you insulting me?! Thinking that I'll show mercy if it's just practice?! If you truly want to show respect, then give it your all against me!"

"T-Thank you for your guidance..."

Her outstretched hand tremblingly picked up the fallen wooden sword.

The girl, panting heavily, slowly rose from the ground and once again assumed a sword stance.

Yes, she was well aware of the tremendous power contained within her own body.

The swordsmanship taught by her foster father was already familiar to her.

In the vast land of Britannia, few could instruct her in combat arts.

But, as her foster father accurately pointed out:

Expecting someone with a kind nature like her to lack the determination to kill.

Even the crude wooden sword, reinforced by magical power, would become as hard as iron, sharp enough to cut a person in two. Therefore, in past training, the girl had never dared to exert her full strength.

Now, a defeat without suspense made her realize, she finally had an opponent strong enough to break free from those constraints.

"Sorry for offending you, Sir Alvin."

Both hands holding the sword in a dignified mid-level stance, the girl exuded a majestic aura that swayed the wheat fields like a gust of wind.

However, Alvin stood firm in the midst of this aura, holding the sword high with one hand, facing sideways, looking as if he was full of openings.

She gave it her all, but so what?

It wasn't enough, far from it.

A protective sword meant carrying a burden, far from the carefree and exhilarating swordplay.

Alvin could ruthlessly attack her weakest points, but due to the concern for harming others, Artoria's strikes seemed hesitant and indecisive.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

The sword blades constantly collided with each other.

The girl's wrist holding the sword trembled slightly due to the immense force, and it seemed like her heart was unstable as well.

With the disruption of magical power output, the fragile wooden sword could no longer withstand the violent slashes between the dragonkin.

Crack~

Faint cracks faintly spread on the sword blade, then...

Click~

With a resounding sound.

The wooden sword in the girl's hand suddenly snapped, and the powerless sword tip fell to the ground, breaking apart inch by inch.

The sword broke.

It was an even more insulting defeat than being disarmed and losing the sword.

Standing in the arena.

The girl stared blankly at the broken sword in her hand, looking somewhat dazed.

"A sword that cannot kill, cannot protect anyone either."

Alvin lowered his eyelids.

"Like the name of the knights that you admire, Artorius, your sword is equally boring."

Boring.

It was truly a piercing critique.

These words must have hurt her deeply.

Hoping that she would discard the broken sword and reveal a more lost, confused, and disillusioned... that extremely gratifying expression.

However, the girl's resilience far exceeded Alvin's expectations.

Ignoring the faint traces of blood in the gaps between her fingers.

Her fair and delicate wrist trembled slightly, and the girl picked up a new wooden sword from the ground.

"Again..."

"It's my honor to spar and learn from a strong opponent, please... Please guide me, Sir Alvin!"

"Don't call me Sir..."

"Okay, Sir Alvin!"

"If the path is wrong, persisting in it ten thousand times is a futile act... Today, I will make you understand this truth."

Was it anger at her stubbornness?

No, it was a feeling of self-disgust for being so despicable, wanting her to give up.

Just like the girl finally being able to exert her full strength.

Facing Artoria, his destined rival, besides Vortigern, she was the strongest opponent Alvin had encountered so far.

What followed was the most exhilarating display of effort.

The pressure from each other's momentum almost made the wheat field collapse. However, the girl's figure swayed like resilient reeds, but she remained steadfast.

Resilient and steadfast, huh?

Then, with even greater force, he will completely crush her! If ten thousand are not enough, then a hundred thousand, if a hundred thousand are not enough, then a million!

The battle intent surged, blood pulsated...

The shockwaves around them spread like ripples.

Apart from going all out, Alvin completely unleashed the combat posture of an ultimate life form.

Under the clear sunlight with no shadows to borrow, it did not affect his own skill performance.

Compared to the opponent's stronger force, more exquisite skill, more agile speed, and more dangerous killer moves...

Unilateral domination, a match without suspense.

Boom~

The torrential sword light poured down like a rainstorm onto the precarious sword aura of the girl, once again sending her flying and making her fall awkwardly.

And then...

The next challenge followed immediately.

"Come again..."

Knocked down, she got up.

"Come again."

Blood seeped from Artoria's mouth gripping the sword, she wiped it away.

"Come again!"

Wrist dislocated, sword handle broken, she corrected the joint, picked up a new sword.

"Come again-"

Her silky golden hair lost its luster, and her delicate face was covered in dirt.

However, the deep green eyes of the girl remained as pure and clear as when they first met.

Ah, Artoria...

The purer the flower, the more inviting it is to be plucked.

As if to force her to submit immediately out of anger, Alvin's sword poured down like a torrential rain.

The blades clashed, several times, dozens of times, hundreds, thousands of times...

In such seemingly tireless sparring.

Finally, Alvin saw that her trembling and bleeding fingertips could no longer hold onto the sword.

Click~

The wooden sword fell from her hand, dropping to the ground, kicking up dust carried by the wind.

Under the sunlight, the girl let out a faint and powerless sob.

"Sorry, Sir Alvin..."

Hoo...

Alvin slowly exhaled a breath.

Besides the expected outcome, he also felt a tinge of sorrow.

Well, after being defeated so many times, has she finally realized the absurdity of her beliefs and decided to give up?

With a heart full of despair, this is the first step towards corruption, Artoria.

Thinking this way.

In Alvin's almost sluggish expression...

The disheveled girl sat down in the haystack, rubbing her stomach with a distressed expression.

"I'm so hungry..."