Aslan had a rough idea of the identity of the young girl before him. The form of the Counter Force that each person saw was different. So, in his eyes, was this what Alaya looked like? Aslan's light-blue eyes stared at the manifestation of Alaya before him.
Admittedly, what Alaya said did make sense. But what choice was made was a matter between Artoria and Mordred. He, however, could not simply do nothing. After all, trying and failing to change something was a completely different matter from knowing you probably couldn't change it and therefore not trying at all!
"The collective will of humanity, Alaya... if it's you, you of all people should understand my thoughts." As the collective will of humanity, it was precisely for that reason that it could better grasp the hearts of people, and more easily sign contracts with their brilliant souls, turning them into Heroic Spirits.
Alaya closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh.
[Is that your choice, then? In that case, allow me to ask you one question. Will you sign a contract with me and become a Guardian? You should understand, I will not allow a variable such as yourself to continue roaming the world. Don't worry, you are different from those other tools.]
With the pinnacle of dragon-kind by his side and his own legends already taking shape, the one before her was destined to become a Heroic Spirit. Even if she didn't recruit him, Gaia would probably pull him into its own camp of Heroic Spirits. Although the relationship between the two Counter Forces was good now, when humanity destroyed the Earth and the Age of Steel arrived, Gaia would surely do everything in its power to stop it. While the Age of Steel was only one of a number of possible futures, it was something that had to be guarded against.
Aslan's mouth twitched. How should he put this? If Emiya were to hear this sentence, he would definitely cry, right? Not only would he cry, but he'd also complain, "What kind of garbage boss is this?"
He definitely couldn't win in a fight. He could only look at the conditions offered and then make a choice. But it wasn't as if Alaya could offer him a terrible deal. After all, the one accompanying Aslan was a fragment of Albion, the Horizon Dragon that was born at the same time as the Earth itself. If, one day, Alaya and Gaia were to stand in opposition, Albion would absolutely be a target for Gaia's recruitment. In that case, Aslan might very well leave with her. As for someone like Emiya, who would never be poached by anyone, what did she have to worry about?
Alaya wore an extremely professional smile. At the same time, seemingly knowing that Aslan's soul possessed modern knowledge, she simply handed him a job offer. The benefits and salary were all written on it. It even listed famous colleagues, with names like Ramesses II, the King of Conquerors, the King of Heroes, Solomon, the First Emperor, and so on, all on the list, though not in the same department. It was like a famous corporation coming directly to a school to recruit. This attitude, these benefits... Aslan had to admit, he had never experienced anything like it!!
But this also immediately made Aslan understand that in the eyes of the Counter Force before him, he was different from other existences. Of course, perhaps among the entire pool of Heroic Spirits, he wasn't the only special one, but at least he was better off than Emiya.
Aslan casually took out a pair of glasses from his Mystic Code. "I see. These are indeed first-class benefits. However... please allow me to refuse." Aslan took off his glasses, a smile on his face. He was waiting for her choice, and at the same time, he was testing the bottom line he could touch.
Alaya sighed and moved out of the way. Since the person before her had not agreed to her recruitment, she could only spend more effort to keep an eye on him for now. At least, without a major crisis, she couldn't make a move herself. As for whether he would change King Arthur's ending, she knew that whether it was King Arthur or Mordred, having reached this point, it was not something they could end just by saying so.
Although Alaya cleared the path, she still used some small tricks. This place was already very far from the battlefield. Compared to a normal army, Aslan arrived about two days late. The scene here was even more dilapidated and bloody than the coast. Bodies had already begun to pile into small hills, and most of these bodies looked as if they had taken their opponents down with them.
There was no longer any place for Aslan's feet to land. He could only avoid the bodies of these soldiers as much as possible, stepping on their broken armor to advance. In the very center of this mountain of corpses and sea of blood, the sounds of fighting continued, but most of the voices were already exhausted. Some soldiers, after killing their opponents, simply collapsed to rest in the blood. And it was possible that these people, once fallen, would never wake up again.
"Have you seen it, King Arthur? Your country is finished! No matter who among us wins—as you can see, everything has been destroyed! Shouldn't you have understood this long ago?! If you had passed the throne to me, this would not have happened! Am I... am I, a homunculus of Morgan, so hated by you?" Mordred stood in the midst of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, spreading her arms wide as she questioned the king before her.
Artoria looked at the knight before her, at her child, and finally said with a blank expression, "I have never hated you. There is only one reason I did not pass the throne to you—you do not have the capacity of a king."
Beneath the helmet of her armor, Mordred's body paused. Her expression then became twisted, and she gritted her teeth. It was that sentence again. Why was it always that sentence? She just... she just wanted to be acknowledged by you!
"Aaargh—!! Arthur!!"
Mordred raised the demonic sword in her hand, preparing to charge at King Arthur. Artoria also raised the holy spear in her hand.
Upon seeing this situation, Aslan gritted his teeth and spat fiercely. No wonder she let him pass. It seemed that Alaya was still hoping that if he were a step too late, everything would be set in stone.
"Supreme Masterpiece!"
At Aslan's call, of the two pendants hanging around his neck, the red, shield-like one began to glow. It then dissolved into particles of magic and assembled on Aslan's back. Aslan immediately leaped up, and the cockpit closed just in time.
Without needing Aslan's command, the intelligent system of the Supreme Masterpiece quickly ejected magical ether, propelling the machine forward, flying directly towards the space between the two combatants.
In the process, Aslan didn't notice that, due to his frantic movements, a decorative pendant that had been hanging at his waist fell off and was lost in the mountain of corpses and sea of blood.
CLANG—!
The demonic sword and the holy spear clashed with the hands of the Supreme Masterpiece. Fortunately, the materials of the masterpiece itself were quite special, and the two wielders of the sword and spear were already low on magical energy. The clash left no marks on the masterpiece's body.