Let's Have a Heart-to-Heart

If that's the case, then this situation is getting a bit complicated.

"... As expected, not only Artoria, the Queen of Britannia, but also the Witch of the Island, can use the true power within the Anchor of the Planet, wielding this gun used to maintain the balance between the two sides of the world."

As he watched Morgan gently wield the black Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad, a symbol of storms and the end, Rovey's gaze grew increasingly solemn.

"Now go and die! Or get out of this world!!"

Just as Merry had said, the Witch before him was a capricious and unpredictable person, completely impossible to communicate with, and she didn't even give Rovey a chance to speak. After finishing her monologue, she swung the black Holy Lance in her hand, unceremoniously summoning a fierce storm that roared directly towards Rovey's location.

"You should leave for now, old man. This is not something you can get involved in."

Seeing this, Rovey's eyes narrowed sharply, and he disregarded the fact that Morgan had already terrified him. Belsack, unwilling to harm the Black Mother he worshipped, kicked him away. He then swiftly raised his finger, controlling his magic to maximize the power of the ritual array beneath his feet, creating a three-layered barrier in front of him, diverting the storm of the Holy Lance.

However, in a mere instant of collision, the ritual barrier, built upon modern Western Magecraft and Alchemy, was naturally unable to completely withstand the Anchor of the Planet's attack. In the blink of an eye, cracks visibly appeared throughout the surrounding barrier after just one impact.

--call out!!

The moment the attacks canceled each other out, a fierce cloud of smoke from the explosion suddenly rose into the underground tomb. Then, the Volumen Hydrargyrum in the thermos cup burst out like a silver serpent, aiming straight for Morgan's fair forehead, closing in on him like lightning.

"Hmm?" Morgan frowned slightly, her gaze locking onto the silver-clad figure attacking her. She then raised her Holy Lance, preparing to shoot it down, but the next moment, Rovey also began to make a new move.

"Michael, Uriel—!!"

He slammed his wand into the ground, and the Philosopher's Stone burst forth with light.

The next moment, the instant he uttered those two names, two angelic figures, one red and one brown, emerged from his right and left sides respectively.

[Double War Gods]!!

And following Rovey's command, the two angels who appeared began to move closer and closer to Morgan's location.

A silver light flashed in Morgan's vision, heading straight for her forehead, while the angelic figures of Uriel and Michael launched fierce attacks from Morgan's left and right sides respectively.

Because Michael was more adept at direct combat, and his Flame Sword was more effective than Uriel's Earth Sword in both attack and range, Michael launched the attack first.

--hiss!!!

The instant the sound of burning filled his ears, Michael swung his flaming sword down from above in one swift motion.

"Hmph, a mere trifle."

Morgan snorted coldly, staring coldly at the two approaching figures.

Neither her facial expression nor her eyes showed any negative emotions such as surprise or fear; they were filled only with her Issei indifference.

Then, Morgan simply swung the black Holy Lance in his hand.

The next moment, a black vortex the size of a water tank condensed on her right side, containing the most violent and terrifying power. This massive energy easily blocked Michael's flaming sword.

This prevented an explosion from occurring.

Not only that, the pitch-black storm that suddenly erupted easily extinguished the burning flames and pushed Michael back a great distance.

As for Uriel on the other side, the instant he swung his Holy Lance, he was struck head-on by the oncoming black light. The powerful force sent him flying a great distance before he crashed heavily onto the tomb floor, barely managing to stop. Even the Earth Sword in his hand was shattered in the clash. The attacking Volumen Hydrargyrum was even more comical; it was repelled by the aftershocks sweeping from Morgan's side before it even got close, finally spilling straight onto the ground.

"Is this all there is to it?"

Morgan glanced coldly at the angel and the modern Mystic Code that had been repelled by the Anchor of the Planet, her eyes filled with disdain. Without uttering any further words, she pointed her spear at the young man before her, preparing to launch a final attack. The next moment, she swung her Holy Lance without hesitation, unleashing countless terrifying magical energy and black magical blades that shot towards Rovey.

Rumble—!!

In a fleeting instant, the magic gathered from the black Holy Lance unleashed a violent storm, instantly destroying most of the surrounding stone walls and the ground with its dark blade. Rovey hurriedly summoned back two angels to defend himself, but realizing the terrifying power it contained—clearly Morgan intended to obliterate the barrier along with it—he abandoned the unrealistic idea of trying to withstand the attack.

" —Raphael."

A cyan figure appeared behind, and then, guided by it, the agile body began to dodge and weave rapidly among the constantly falling black spear blades.

This scene made the Witch frown slightly.

"Weren't you very arrogant before? Why are you now like an eel, darting around everywhere? To me, you're more like a fish on a chopping board. I'll pluck all your scales off one by one!"

Morgan spoke, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"..."

"Provocation won't work on me. In fact, it's premature to talk about victory or defeat now."

Rovey easily saw through Morgan's intention to provoke him with words, hoping he would confront her directly. From Michael and Uriel's actions just now, it was clear that Morgan's full power lay within the Anchor of the Planet. In such a fierce battle, without prior preparation, even the Witch of the Age of Gods would find it difficult to unleash truly powerful Magecraft. Therefore, her tactic was undoubtedly to use the power of the Holy Lance to kite him.

Morgan's body was not suited for close combat, and she had never learned any real martial arts. Using the Holy Lance to summon a storm was undoubtedly the best solution. Furthermore, she also used words to try to make herself confront her head-on.

But if I actually did that, I would be a fool.

It's important to know that this place is backed by the Leyline of Bramoakia, and Morgan, who wields the Anchor of the Planet, can receive supplies from the planet at any time. It can be said that he possesses infinite magical power. In addition, his body is only a simulation, so he is not afraid of a war of attrition at all.

If he were to confront her head-on, unless he had a momentary burst of damage, he would be the one who truly suffers in a war of attrition. Therefore, to defeat this Witch, he must start with the Holy Lance in her hand.

Therefore, close the distance first! Melee combat is advantageous to our side!!

"Hmm... You want to get close to me? Don't be so naive, Magus!"

Morgan frowned slightly as he watched Rovey use Raphael's body to quickly close the distance between them.

And at that moment, her movements became even faster. Powerful magic materialized into a jet-black substance, condensing beneath her feet and transforming into a surging tide that directly engulfed the approaching Rovey.

"—Good timing, Four-Colored Barrier."

Concentrating his mind and silently chanting, Rovey let out a soft groan, then summoned the four angels who rushed in front of him one by one, transforming their elemental bodies into four solid barriers to neutralize the power of the spear.

—Boom!!

A deafening explosion suddenly rang out, and in an instant, the four angels who had taken a direct hit from the Holy Lance began to fade into ethereal shapes, barely able to hold on. They were just about to use Rovey's power to repair their bodies and return to the battle.

However, the next moment, Rovey deliberately disbanded them, switching them from angel form to elves. He gathered the four colors of light—red, blue, green, and brown—into the short sword he had been gripping tightly in his palm. Then, he continued forward like a meteor, flying towards Morgan's direction.

As the four colors of light began to converge and intersect, the strange short sword in his hand also burst forth with a dazzling light, and the compressed magical sharpness within it made Morgan frown.

"Guided by the true Ether, let my delusions, the forms I yearn for, converge here...!!"

The four colors of light intertwined as Rovey used his special costume, the [Philosopher's Sword], crafted from four extremely special precious metals and modified Philosopher's Stone magic, to match the four angels and elemental spirits.

Its function is to perfectly contain the four elements of earth, fire, water, and wind, and to compress and converge them, ultimately resulting in a very considerable increase in power.

If one had to put it in perspective, it would be that by enhancing the wand tenfold, this Noble Phantasm, which imitates the greatest Alchemy, Paracelsus von Paracelsus von Hohenheim, is further strengthened and released, allowing it to truly recreate the original Azoth sword—the magic sword of Paracelsus.

This Magecraft trick instantly boosts its power to a level surpassing even Morgan's fully unleashed Holy Lance.

However, it is clear that things are not as simple as they seem.

Because--

"Interesting! Modern Western Magecraft system? I never expected that in this era there would be someone who doesn't pursue more distant mysteries, but instead dedicates themselves to studying this system and Alchemy? Although you're not a real angel or True Ether... I've changed my mind. I've decided to take your soul back and make it part of my collection! Then I'll slowly study your origins and unique characteristics!"

The Witch's face broke into a terrifying smile once more. Her distorted features clashed sharply with her stunning beauty, especially considering she bore the exact same resemblance to Artoria and Gray. However, unlike her twisted expression, her eyes were incredibly beautiful—a pair of extremely unique eyes. While not possessing the Clairvoyance of someone like Merry, they were undoubtedly a special kind of Mystic Eyes. Their appearance was as dazzling as jewels, brimming with demonic power and imbued with the ancient mystery of the Age of Gods.

As he spoke, Morgan raised the Holy Lance above his head.

In an instant, the entire space seemed to distort, with special water droplets rippled in mid-air by magical energy.

The next moment, facing the charging Rovey and the elemental sword in his hand that shimmered with extreme colors, Morgan's eyes flashed slightly.

Ancient and obscure incantations, along with words and pronunciations that only Age of Gods Magus could understand, spilled from her mouth. Although he couldn't hear them clearly, Rovey genuinely felt an extremely strong sense of crisis at that moment.

"—The Sword of Paracelsus (Sword of Paracelsus)!!"

The demonic sword, brimming with True Ether and four-colored light, fell towards Morgan like a meteor.

The magic surged, the momentum was fierce, and if the powerful flames were to strike down like that, they would surely be able to easily sever her body, and even achieve a more terrifying destructive power than when Hunt the Red Cross before. Unfortunately, it was still a step too late.

—Clang!

Morgan then dropped the black Holy Lance in his hand.

The next moment, endless darkness enveloped the entire world.

Chapter 123 Let's Talk from the Heart

What appeared before my eyes was a desperate situation, pitch black, and a world turned upside down.

As Morgan's finger fell, the engulfing black light surged forth like a tsunami, engulfing the entire world and swallowing his vision.

Faced with this indescribable and unique scene, the concepts of height, speed, spacetime, and physical laws in the real world become meaningless, and all common sense belonging to the original world also loses its meaning.

Its characteristics are like those of the beginning of time.

Rather than being terrifying, it's more accurate to say it's simply too difficult to understand.

Because that darkness was delusion, obsession, madness—the pent-up emotions within this Witch's heart, which, in a mere instant, coalesced into a single negative force. In that instant, immense magic and power accomplished the feat of covering the world.

In just a moment of distraction, Rovey Wei had been transported from the catacombs to another location. Although the surroundings were still dark, they were not the bluestone bricks of the catacombs, but rather dark grass.

He looked up and saw that above him were black clouds, an incredibly murky sea of clouds that obscured the sky, making it difficult to see what was really there.

The world lost its color at that moment; everything in it was oppressive and somber.

The dark clouds in the sky began to thicken and spread, layer upon layer, the murky sea of clouds seeming to swallow the whole world.

In an instant, the whole world, everywhere, gave people an extremely uncomfortable feeling.

No matter how far his gaze is directed, no matter where his fingers touch.

The world remains completely devoid of any light.

The surrounding land, rivers, sky, and even the traces of human civilization have all been stained black by an unknown force.

The beautiful sky above, which humans have always yearned for and which seemed within reach, along with its stars, had lost its color; the vast ocean in the distance was still rolling, but its waves had been silenced as if muted, and one could no longer hear the splashes; the lush grass at one's feet was devoid of any insect chirps or other animals, and even when a breeze blew, it remained quiet.

The world at that moment was as if it had been muted, completely losing its original sound and color, just like...

He looked like he was dead.

All life force and activity vanished, and all color and sound completely disappeared. The world returned to its initial silence. It was so quiet that one could easily hear their own heartbeat.

"..."

Rovey calmed himself and looked into the distance, all the way to the far horizon of this world.

The land was all dark and silent, but there was a kingdom that still stood there, quiet and solemn, just like this dark world.

"Is that... Camelot?"

Upon seeing the familiar appearance of that country, Rovey Wei called out its name.

Since that pristine white city is Camelot...

And this place should be Britannia?

So... what I'm seeing now is a completely dead Britannia? No, it should be the departed Age of Gods. This is probably the last scene of the Age of Gods that Merry spoke of before its demise.

The people living on this land are destined to enter into silence, but it is unknown in what way.

This is what is now called a long sleep, the kind of death that Artoria had longed for, like falling asleep?

'This is really a bit creepy...'

Rovey couldn't help but sigh.

Suddenly...

Are you surprised?

Someone asked.

The voice was very close and familiar.

It felt like a gentle breeze brushing against my face and whispering in my ear.

Upon hearing this voice, Rovey didn't hesitate. He gathered the Rune at his fingertips, and the dazzling red runes transformed into a cross in his hand, which he then flicked away without hesitation.

This time, however, the Hunt the Red Cross did not appear. Instead, it vanished in mid-air, as if it had been muted or silenced.

"..."

Rovey was somewhat surprised.

He glanced at the bright red Rune.

Could the Rune have been drawn incorrectly?

That's impossible.

His runes were taught by Scáthach and are the most traditional and original ones, practically imprinted directly on his soul. They should never fail under any circumstances.

So it is...

"Don't waste your energy. This is the soil of eternal slumber. Magecraft alone cannot break this tranquility."