Realizing the situation was beyond salvage, 'Saber' quickly opened a line to Acheron.
"Something feels off. That other Lord Ravager is far too compliant. Even if another one of Celenova's avatars took over, why was it the other Lord Ravager who broke free first?"
To Celenova, the Legion was her own flesh and blood; another Lord Ravager was merely a colleague.
There was no world where a remote connection would prioritize a coworker over one's own Legion. It wasn't as if she could just fold a new colleague into her own personal army and seize control of them.
Still, 'Saber' hadn't expected to finish off the new Lord Ravager in one go. At the very least, suppressing Celenova's Legion and gathering intelligence had been a success.
"I'm going to need some time to dig through Celenova's memories."
'Saber' decided to spend a moment unearthing whatever secrets were buried in Celenova's mind. She returned to the trapped Lord Ravager and pressed her palm against Celenova's forehead.
Power belonging to the Path of Remembrance began to invade Celenova's consciousness.
Although Celenova tried to resist, she couldn't hold out for long before 'Saber' successfully pried out the answers she was looking for.
"Damn... this new Lord Ravager really is actually a summoned entity. No wonder your coordination was so seamless."
Despite having just been pinned down and handled at 'Saber's' whim, Celenova's mood brightened considerably upon seeing the look of genuine surprise on 'Saber's' face.
"So long as I am here, you will never be able to kill it."
Celenova admitted she had underestimated 'Saber's' capabilities.
After all, who could have guessed that someone could not only walk multiple Paths but also serve as an Emanator for several Aeons at once?
But if 'Saber' intended to nip this new Lord Ravager in the bud, Celenova would never allow it!
"..."
'Saber' had to concede the point. Between the mechanics of a summon and Celenova's troublesome avatar ability, every future encounter would likely mean facing two Lord Ravagers and a massive Legion.
To truly slay the new Lord Ravager, she'd need to pull in at least one or two more high-level combatants.
However, most people at that level were preoccupied with their own affairs.
They couldn't just wander the cosmos like 'Saber', striking whenever an opportunity arose. Furthermore, they weren't necessarily willing to risk their lives against a Lord Ravager.
For instance, 'Saber' was on good terms with Jing Yuan, but asking him to drop everything to hunt a Lord Ravager... that was clearly asking too much.
Cyrene and Demiurge would certainly be willing to help, but Amphoreus was currently swamped with the chaotic aftermath of the experiments they'd run at the space station.
They wouldn't be free anytime soon.
'Saber' and Acheron did their best to wipe out the remaining Antimatter Legion in the area.
While they were at it, they scattered the surviving Borisin as well, leaving only the enslaved Foxians behind to wait for the Xianzhou Alliance to retrieve them.
As for the Claretwheel Temple, she and Acheron took a brief look from the outside before sending a message to the Land of Light.
They requested someone be sent to collect the group of pacifist monks. Such cleanup work wasn't for them.
And so, 'Saber' took Acheron and the now-captured Celenova back toward the space station via starship. Even though the risk was low, she had no intention of letting an enemy ride her Phase Flame express.
However, during the return journey, they stumbled upon an Antimatter Legion fleet of unknown origin invading a relatively small civilization.
"That's your Legion, isn't it, Celenova?"
"Not mine. I would never dispatch such a weak force to act on its own."
Celenova glanced out the window and denied it flatly.
While she was indeed expanding everywhere to bolster her ranks, she wouldn't split off such a pathetic squad, especially not without an avatar to lead it.
Ghost only knew whose fleet this was; it certainly wasn't hers.
"So there's no avatar of yours down there? A pity."
'Saber' gave a small sigh. After sharing a look with Acheron, she ignited her Phase Flame, leapt from the ship, and charged straight into the Antimatter Legion!
Golden sword-light, like sunshine tearing through a hazy sky, ripped through the Legion's blockade in a single stroke, bringing a flicker of hope to the besieged civilization.
The blonde girl seemed to tear the heavens asunder as she descended upon the capital city. With a single strike, she appeared to cleave the dark sky in two.
The Antimatter Legion—fearsome entities whispered of as demons—were reduced to ash beneath her blade.
The local army, which had long since fallen into despair, erupted into thunderous cheers and prayers at the sight of this divine warrior descending from the stars.
Clearing out the Legion was trivial for 'Saber'. She hadn't initially cared much for the civilization she'd saved on a whim—until she learned its name was Camelot.
"Your world is called Camelot? And you're the Lord Protector of this realm?"
'Saber' looked at the middle-aged man she had just barely snatched back from death's door, her interest suddenly piqued.
"Cough... yes. And these are my two proudest children... cough... Arthur and Morgan."
"You should probably go sleep in a medical pod. I'd hate for you to survive the battlefield only to die from talking to me."
'Saber' hurried the Lord Protector off to recover.
As for the siblings, Arthur and Morgan... 'Saber' looked at them with great curiosity. Their orange-tinted hair and golden eyes were a dead ringer for Guinaifen.
"Small world. My homeland was also called Camelot. I was the King there, and my title just happened to be King Arthur. Though, in my case, Morgan was my older sister, not a younger one."
Arthur and Morgan froze. They exchanged a look, then turned confused eyes toward this powerhouse from beyond the stars.
Was she for real? Could such a coincidence actually exist?
Morgan asked tentatively, "Then... did you and your sister have another ten younger siblings or something?"
"No, nothing like that. But my sister and I did have a child named Mordred."
Clang!
The weapon in Arthur's hand slipped, hitting the floor with a heavy thud.
"Mordred?! A... child?! Sister... wait, no, that... is that right?!"
While he knew two women could certainly use scientific methods to produce a child, wasn't that a bit... much? And the name was Mordred!
He could stomach the first half, but the second half truly broke him—Mordred was his and Morgan's youngest sister!
How did their "one big happy family" dynamic turn into that in another Camelot?
Morgan's face flushed bright red.
She looked at the handsome girl before her, thinking that since this King Arthur was more dashing and powerful than any man, perhaps being infatuated with her wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
And as a young woman herself, taking care of her tiny sister Mordred did feel a bit like raising a daughter sometimes.
Even so, hearing such a shocking "fact" left a look of utter bewilderment on Miss Morgan's face.
Seeing their reactions, 'Saber' felt her mischievous side thoroughly satisfied. This was too much fun.
If they knew that in another Camelot, King Arthur and Guinevere were King and Queen, and that Guinevere fell in love with Lancelot... poor big brother Arthur would probably lose it completely.
He'd likely charge home and hang Lancelot up for a beating.
After all, based on the situation, the current Guinevere—or rather, Guinaifen—was likely only a few years old, while Lancelot was probably already an adult.
The mere thought of it made 'Saber' want to burst out laughing.
However, considering the ethics of that particular mess were a bit too extreme, and seeing how close these twelve siblings were, her conscience won out over her desire for a laugh.
She decided not to share the weirder details.
Just then, Morgan was the first to realize something. "Um, if I may be so bold... in your homeland, is a female King allowed to marry her own sister as a Queen Consort?"
At the very least, that definitely wouldn't fly in this Camelot.
Not because of technology, but because it was morally unacceptable for a King to marry his sister. It was bad for the image.
'Saber' shook her head at Morgan.
"No, it wasn't allowed. I was a King in disguise as a man, and because of that, I couldn't have an heir with the Queen. My sister used certain... means... to create a child."
"Oh... I see. I can understand that, then."
Both Morgan and Arthur let out a collective sigh of relief. Thank goodness. That reason was normal enough to be reassuring—at least it wasn't some forbidden romance or soap opera drama.
Relieved, Arthur suddenly became curious about what kind of woman this King Arthur from another world had married.
"Um... may I ask? Who was your Queen?"
"..."
'Saber' had a complicated expression as she looked at Arthur.
She had intended to skip this part, yet here he was, bringing it up himself. Beside him, Morgan's interest was also piqued by her brother's question, and she looked over curiously.
"You really want to know?"
"Yes, yes!" Morgan nodded vigorously. She was dying to know which noble lady of Camelot her brother would end up with.
But soon, the smiles vanished from Morgan and Arthur's faces.
'Saber' said softly, "Due to a political marriage, I wed a young girl named Guinevere."
"Guine... wha—?!"
An image of his mischievous little sister popped into Arthur's head, his mind filling with question marks. Morgan's expression shifted instantly from "gossiping" to "indescribable."
Great. So no matter how they sliced it, it all circled back to their own family. This was too abstract. How did their siblings end up with so much drama in another Camelot?
Morgan instinctively thought of her other siblings, wondering what they were like in that other world.
But her common sense told her it was better not to be curious. Otherwise, she might hear something even more explosive.
She had wanted to mock her brother mercilessly, but with the actual King Arthur standing right there, Morgan bit her tongue.
Instead, she began making faces at Arthur. Being the eldest, he immediately caught her drift and unceremoniously smacked the back of her head.
As the younger sister, she had some nerve mocking her elder brother. Clearly, she hadn't been scolded enough!
Having been smacked, Morgan behaved herself and apologized to 'Saber'.
'Saber' then suggested she wanted to see what this world's Guinevere was like.
The two hesitated but eventually agreed. Mostly, it was because the power 'Saber' had displayed was simply too overwhelming; as long as the request wasn't outrageous, it was better to indulge her.
And so, inside a grand mansion, 'Saber' met a tiny Guinevere—or Guinaifen—who was only a few years old.
Arthur went to explain the situation to the other siblings while Morgan stayed by 'Saber's' side as a companion.
Upon seeing Guinevere, Morgan knelt down and said with a mischievous grin while stroking the girl's head, "Look at this big sister here. In another world, little Guinevere is going to marry her."
"...Does that mean I'll be with the big sister later?"
The small child couldn't possibly understand the weird things her eldest sister was saying.
Only the exhausted eldest brother rushed over and, under the bewildered stares of the other siblings, gave Morgan another smack on the head!
"Stop saying weird things to a child!"
"Hehe~" Morgan rubbed her head and stuck out her tongue, not daring to cause more trouble.
'Saber' didn't tease the little girl. Guinaifen was too young; if she were in her teens, a few jokes might have made her turn bright red and give an interesting reaction.
But this tiny tot?
If you told her she'd grow up to be your wife, she might actually start seriously contemplating how to be a good bride.
That reaction had its own charm, but 'Saber' felt it lacked a certain "kick." She merely played with the child for a moment before stopping.
As she left, she dropped one suggestion: "If you don't know what to do when you grow up, you could try visiting the Xianzhou Luofu. It's a very interesting place."
Guinevere listened blankly, simply committing the beautiful name "Xianzhou Luofu" to memory.
Arthur and Morgan, however, felt a bit more conflicted. They were students of politics under their father.
Although their technology was advanced and they had touched the edges of the galactic stage, they had never truly ventured out. Their vision was confined to the internal affairs of Camelot.
But witnessing the senseless, terrifying power of the Antimatter Legion, followed by the staggering display from this King Arthur from beyond the stars, made the two young people realize how vast and exciting the galaxy truly was.
They couldn't help but wonder if they should follow in their father's footsteps or try their luck out in the universe.
As for what would happen to this family now that she had interfered, 'Saber' was curious but not overly concerned.
Would Guinevere still go to the Luofu, meet Sushang, and take the name Guinaifen? If she did and still met Sushang, it meant the two girls were destined to be friends. If not... then so be it.
The friendship between a short-life species with a century-long lifespan and a long-life species who lived for nearly a millennium always carried a heavy scent of tragedy.
Perhaps missing that encounter wouldn't be such a bad thing for either of them.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL