Chapter 246 - 246: The Incubus and the Reaper

This is the world of dreams.

It didn't require Merlin's manifestation or Shirou Emiya's explanation; Mordred, who was herself a foundational piece of this dreamscape's construction, knew this from the very beginning.

And since it was a dream, there was naturally a way to wake up from it. Mordred was no stranger to this; otherwise, having had this dream since she was very young—fantasizing that she could draw the Sword of Selection, only to find she couldn't even touch it—she would have long ago been trapped in this nightmare until the Holy Grail War ended.

She would never have encountered Shirou Emiya and Saber from other parallel worlds, nor would she have entered this dream together with Saber through such a direct magical link, forged by the head-on collision of their Noble Phantasm beam cannons.

But now, Mordred, who should have woken up from the dream, discovered upon reopening her eyes that she hadn't returned to the real world. She remained in the dreamscape.

At this moment, Mordred truly understood the real meaning behind Shirou Emiya's words: that Kairi Shishigou was going to die.

Immediately following this realization, a surge of rage toward Merlin bubbled up within her.

"Merlin! Even joking around has its limits, let me out right now!!"

With that, Mordred roared and charged toward Merlin, intent on grabbing him. But she still couldn't lay a hand on him, leaving behind only scattered petals and the sight of Merlin's body reassembling itself in the distance amidst the dancing flowers. After all, in this dream world, it was home turf for Merlin, who was an incubus. Unless Merlin willed it, almost no one could catch him.

Well, almost...

Whoosh!!

Following a flash of cold steel, Merlin, who had been about to say something, performed a backflip and luckily evaded the scythe swung by [Pseudo-Death 13]. However, the white cloak draped over him wasn't as fortunate; a sleeve was sliced clean off by the scythe.

"You dodged it? I thought that, just like with Mordred, you wouldn't make any effort to evade my attacks," Shirou Emiya said, though he didn't seem surprised despite his question.

Although Merlin possessed [Clairvoyance] that could only "see the present," there was a saying: The present is the future of the past, and the past of the future. In other words, Merlin, who could see events unfolding at every moment, was effectively no different from one who could see through both past and future simultaneously.

Shirou Emiya used [Pseudo-Death 13], and even if Merlin didn't know the exact nature of the Stand, he could guess its general abilities through Shirou's usage. Using the vision provided by [Clairvoyance], he could "see" the various chain reactions caused when the Stand—which should have been invisible to non-Stand users—interfered with reality.

"Hahahaha, Artoria's Master, you truly do love to joke. If I hadn't dodged that last attack, I would have truly died." Merlin, not feeling the slightest bit embarrassed, spoke bluntly. "However, Artoria's Master, your choice is what truly surprises me. I thought you would be like me—unable to bear the thought of Artoria becoming a Guardian of the Counter Force."

Merlin said this with a hint of regret. Within his [Clairvoyance], he could clearly see that Shirou Emiya was not the type of person who would be unwilling to let Saber go. On the contrary, compared to all the other Shirou Emiyas in the numerous parallel worlds, this one—who appeared not to try and persuade Saber—was actually the one who respected Saber the most.

Why, then, would Shirou Emiya shrink back from what seemed to be the "best" option for Saber?

"Well, I truly cannot bear it, but I also do not wish to use your method, Merlin," Shirou said. "It's not just that the current Saber might not be able to accept it..."

At this point, Shirou glanced at Saber. There was no doubt that after hearing Shirou explain that this dreamscape was a Singularity created by Merlin specifically to stop her from obtaining the Grail, Saber had not charged at Merlin with the same reckless aggression as Mordred. It wasn't because she accepted Merlin's plan, but because Saber's childhood had been spent almost entirely with Merlin lecturing her in her dreams. She was acutely aware of Merlin's capabilities and understood the fact that in her current state, it would be extremely difficult to defeat him.

Rather than acting impulsively and being toyed with by Merlin, it was better to do as she had in the past: trust in the Shirou Emiya who had appeared before her once again, and find a way to get out of here.

"Furthermore, it's your method of creating this Singularity, Merlin," Shirou continued. "This is a world of dreams. Regardless of how you managed to graft the paradise of [Avalon] into this dream, it remains Mordred's dream. It is a world that will disappear the moment Mordred ceases to exist."

"Though it seems you intended to use this fact—planning to trap Saber inside while simultaneously finding a way to force Mordred out, effectively destroying this dream world by stripping it of its master."

"Because the moment Mordred's dreamscape dissipates, only the paradise of [Avalon] would remain."

"Saber would then be like the Eternal King recorded in the Legend of King Arthur, returning to [Avalon] after death to fall into a deep slumber."

In simple terms, this was the ending of Saber choosing to abandon her pursuit of the Grail in the Fate route of Fate/stay night. However, in that original ending, Saber chose to let go and drift into slumber gradually through her time spent with the Shirou of the Fate route.

The ending Merlin had chosen for her, however, was to ignore Saber's own will. He intended to forcibly drag her into [Avalon] while she was still filled with the despair and unwillingness regarding the destruction of Britain, merely to sever her contract with the Counter Force.

"Similarly, the existence of Kairi Shishigou, Mordred's Master, must have also far exceeded your expectations, Merlin."

"Even though he has lost all his Command Spells, and technically no longer counts as Mordred's Master... he is still transmitting magical energy for the sake of the battle between Mordred and Saber outside, acting as if he has never given up."

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