Chapter 246. Conclusion (1)
When Merlin regained consciousness, the first thing he felt was a strange sense of wrongness.
I’m still... alive?
Every spell placed on his body had been broken, and he had taken Kang Yujin’s [Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder] head-on.
His physical damage should have exceeded the limit.
He should have disappeared.
“You look terrible, Merlin.”
“Morgan le Fay...?”
At the woman’s voice beside him, Merlin turned his head.
The A-rank Constellation ‘Lady of the Ideal Land,’ Morgan le Fay, was looking down at him.
She had shared a deep connection with Merlin while alive.
But in the present, she acted alongside the Knights of the Round Table, which placed her on the opposing side.
“Were you the one who restored me?”
“Yes. With the magic I learned from you.”
“Then...”
Merlin raised his head and looked around.
Kang Yujin and the other Contractors were there.
So were several Constellations.
“I see.”
“I’ve been taken prisoner.”
Merlin let out a long sigh.
Jason spoke while watching him.
“Merlin. What are you going to do now?”
“I’d like you to pass on a message through the Apostles stationed throughout the city.”
“There’s no point continuing the battle.”
“Then...”
“Yes.”
“I lost.”
“Tell the other Constellations to stop fighting as well.”
With a strained voice, Merlin admitted defeat.
“Tch. Things were just getting good.”
The S-rank Constellation ‘Invincible Hero,’ Achilles, tossed aside the spear in his hand.
Several Constellations around him were wounded and breathing heavily.
Achilles, however, didn’t have a single wound on his body.
“It can’t be helped.”
“Merlin has requested that the battle end.”
The S-rank Constellation ‘Monster-Slaying Hero,’ Perseus, who had been fighting alongside him, also put away his weapons.
“You don’t have any objections, I assume?”
“This is enough for us.”
“Wouldn’t you agree?”
Theseus, who had been fighting Perseus, said that.
Odysseus and Orpheus beside him nodded.
“Even with Theseus here... we somehow managed to hold out against Achilles and Perseus.”
“Seriously.”
Even though Odysseus and Orpheus were also S-rank Constellations of Greek origin, their direct combat power was far below Achilles and Perseus.
But Odysseus had built his entire strategy around enduring for as long as possible, while Orpheus used music to disrupt their opponents.
Thanks to that, they had managed to keep both enemies tied down without suffering catastrophic losses.
“In the end, this means your strategy of holding us here for as long as possible worked, Odysseus.”
“That’s right.”
“If even one of you had broken away to help Merlin, there’s no telling how the battle would have ended, Achilles.”
After exchanging those words, the two comrades from the Trojan War looked at each other and grinned.
“So what happens now?”
“Do we all gather somewhere for a postmortem?”
“Leave that to the leadership. The Nameless King, Merlin, and the rest.”
“I’m exhausted. I just want to return to the Spirit Realm.”
“Hmm. Fair enough.”
Achilles nodded and looked toward the clear sky beyond the ruined wall.
“I don’t particularly like the outcome...”
“But being able to cut loose in the Material Realm like I did when I was alive was satisfying enough.”
“Now I understand why you people enjoyed fighting Pandemonium down here.”
“If you’re interested, join us next time.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Looking up at the sky, now clear after the rain...
Achilles wore a bitter expression.
“What do you think, Arjuna?”
In a wilderness whose terrain had been transformed by their fierce battle, the S-rank Constellation ‘Golden Hero,’ Karna, spoke.
“Merlin has declared an end to the battle.”
“But we could ignore that.”
“Let’s stop.”
Arjuna, who had been locked in a deadly one-on-one battle with Karna, lowered his bow and shook his head.
“I was already ignoring my lord’s intentions by insisting on fighting you.”
“I can’t be stubborn any further.”
“I see.”
“Then I’ll do the same.”
“Anything beyond this point would be entirely personal.”
Karna nodded in understanding.
“I succeeded in carrying out Merlin’s order to keep you occupied.”
“But it is regrettable that we couldn’t settle things.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“We should be satisfied that we were able to fight without restraint.”
“I suppose so.”
After that brief exchange, the two reached out at almost the same time.
They shook hands.
And so the two rivals born of the same mother ended their rematch after thousands of years.
“Damn it...”
Mordred lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily.
Every other Knight of the Round Table was also collapsed across the road.
“You fought well, knights.”
The S-rank Constellation ‘Greatest Hero,’ Heracles, spoke while sitting on a nearby railing.
“You completely restrained me, the strongest warrior.”
“You have every right to be proud.”
“Don’t make me laugh.”
“Maybe if it had been one-on-one. But this was all of us against you...”
“The result might have been different if King Arthur were here.”
Heracles stood as he spoke.
“Next time, bring your king with you onto the battlefield.”
“No thanks.”
“The Nameless King is our lord now.”
“I see.”
“My mistake.”
A faint smile appeared on Heracles’s lips.
“Our faction lost the war.”
“But it was a satisfying battle.”
“Hey. Where are you going after saying that?”
“I’m not used to it, but I suppose I should deal with the aftermath of defeat.”
With that answer, Heracles headed toward the city.
“I also have something to say to my Contractor.”
─ So... Merlin’s faction really lost?
─ The Nameless King’s side won, right?
─ I can’t believe Kang Yujin actually took down Merlin.
─ Kang Yujin didn’t do it alone!
─ Exactly. The Nameless King’s scheme worked.
─ If Merlin had known the Nameless King was still alive, he never would’ve let Kang Yujin get that close.
─ It was the combination of the Nameless King and Kang Yujin that won this!
“Yes, everyone! Merlin has declared surrender, and every Constellation has stopped fighting!”
After the battle ended, Number 49 raised her voice toward the Constellations watching Constellation Tube.
“The fighting was fierce across multiple fronts, and several battles ended without a clear winner!”
