"The origin and essence of magic."
Ancient One regarded the attentive Artoria with satisfaction. Artoria had accepted the invitation; being taught by a Sky-Father-level powerhouse was a rare blessing. With a clone handling matters in New York, Artoria moved into the room next to Ancient One's in Kamar-Taj. Determined to teach her, Ancient One still had plenty of time before Doctor Strange's accident.
"Your abilities are unusual, and that weapon even I find dangerous. In time your achievements won't be inferior to mine. For now, focus on mastering your own power. Rune magic isn't suited to you; I recommend honing various techniques instead."
That was Ancient One's assessment. Under her guidance, Artoria quickly untangled problems she had failed to solve on her own. A true expert could clear things up in a few words. Still, she wondered what had happened to this world's mages—shouldn't they chant spells? Why was everything Ancient One taught about close-quarters combat?
Yet when she recalled the Heroic Spirits in FGO, she swallowed her complaint. A mage who charged in swinging a sword—*Merlin—was bad enough; an Assassin who fired eye-beams while wielding a great-shield and sword—King Hassan—was worse. And the worst was the one who flipped through a grimoire, recited a line, then hacked away with an axe—Gilgamesh Caster*. Archers weren't archers; every last one excelled at dual-wielding or bare-handed brawls.
"Fine, let's just declare the whole worldview broken."
A Lancer studying magic had no room to criticize. Fortunately, one Assassin knew a bit about sorcery—the Queen—so Artoria didn't feel quite so ashamed. Sorry, Master… I've let down the Lancer class.
"Sigh~!"
Looking at Artoria, who was suddenly moaning without cause, the Ancient One felt like scratching her head. Unfortunately, she had no hair. Overall, she was very satisfied with Artoria's performance; she had great talent and studied seriously, she just didn't like to use her brain much. If she were a bit more diligent with her mind, she might even become a Great Mage. However, she was still a bit anxious for Artoria. The day of her own Death was approaching, and she had to pass on some skills to Artoria within these next year or two. As for future matters, she could rest easy entrusting them to Mr. Stephen.
As a natural-born mage, she wasn't worried about Mr. Stephen's future. Stephen was destined to don the red cloak and become the Sorcerer Supreme. This position of hers would definitely belong to Stephen; his talent was undeniable.
"Next, I will explain the application and operation of magic power to you. Listen carefully, Artoria. We're heading to the training ground next, so get your weapon ready."
"Alright, Teacher Ancient One."
While Artoria was in the midst of her happy yet painful studies, New York had already fallen into complete chaos. People began marching in the streets, demanding the resignation of those incompetent fools. This was exactly what Artoria had instructed Saturday to do. Thanks to that Helicarrier recording, which Artoria had edited, combined with the numerous internet troll accounts Saturday created to post 'insider information' online, everyone realized they had nearly been bombed by their own people while they were in New York. In an instant, people began pouring out of their homes to protest.
"Yoshi! This is exactly the effect I wanted."
The clone looked down from the window of her office building at the dense crowd flowing passionately toward the White House. This was precisely the result Artoria desired, and the effect was looking quite good—extraordinarily good, even. Now that there was evidence, the people at least wouldn't hate the heroes because of the malicious guidance from those above. At the very least, the politicians had now become targets for everyone's scorn, allowing Artoria to vent her frustrations.
"Artoria, I have new results for that thing you wanted."
"Alright, I'll be there right away."
Withdrawing her attention from the outside, the clone received a call from Maya. After hearing Maya's news, the clone quickly headed to the laboratory. During this time, many things had been sidelined due to the Battle of New York, and Artoria's game company was no exception. Under Artoria's intentional incitement, people were now furiously demanding explanations. Currently, only the potion released by Artoria and Maya together was completely viral. On this battlefield, many people survived because of that potion. Maya had been in the lab all along and was unaware of the situation outside.
"Thank you for your business, here is your change."
"..."
This was a small town in the United States. Although there weren't many people, it was well-equipped and located next to a vast forest, making the town seem somewhat isolated from the world. The clerk had worked here for two years and had never seen such a beautiful woman. However, due to his loser personality, he didn't dare look at her for too long. Her gaze made him a bit fearful; it was a look that treated everything like ants. He respectfully handed over the change, not daring to say another word.
Silently taking her money, the beautiful woman remained indifferent to everything around her, as if everything in her eyes was no different from a stone. Neither the admiring gazes of the men nor the envious looks of the women could cause a ripple in her indifference. Walking out of the convenience store, the woman took out a cigarette she had just bought. Her rosy lips lightly held the cigarette, and with a gentle swipe of her finger across the tip, the cigarette was lit. It was clear this woman was no ordinary person, yet her aura kept everyone from getting too close, so not many noticed her extraordinary nature.
With a cold gaze and temperament, she had come from a Villa in the nearby forest, which was some distance from the small town. To be honest, she hated this world because the person she loved was no longer in it. Even the corpse had been taken away by that Old Bastard, causing her heart to freeze completely.
For so many years, she had been bitterly searching for a way to bring the dead back to life, but unfortunately, all attempts had failed.
Exhaling a cloud of smoke, a bitter smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Even if this world is beautiful, I cannot live on without you! Dear sister, this world cannot do without you! Thinking of this, a single tear fell from her eye. She opened the beer she had just bought and finished it in one gulp; this had been her norm for many years. She tossed the bottle into the trash can. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly saw the images playing on a television through a glass wall. It was the Avengers' brilliant performance in New York. She smiled disdainfully; such power was still insufficient in her eyes.
But in the next moment, a golden figure appeared, making it impossible for her eyes to leave the screen. It was Artoria appearing on the battlefield in her Spirit Gear. Her eyes widened, and she swayed slightly as if drawn in. That was such a familiar figure, such a familiar face, such familiar armor.
"Arthur, is it you?"
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