I reappeared in the fief with a stern expression that quickly turned into uncontrollable rage. I completely ignored the messages about the campaign's conclusion and let out a piercing scream that made everyone nearby tremble. Without wasting a second, I ran to the archmage's tower, then to the merchant, and finally into the forest. I lifted Elise over my head without warning and began the return to the same place as before. Naturally, she let out a startled cry, but before she could even ask what was going on, we both vanished from the spot.
The reason? Revenge.
The worst part—the thing that truly ate away at me—was that I hadn't lost because Morgana was stronger. Yes, she was powerful, no doubt about that… but if we laid all the cards on the table, even with her undeniable strengths, I was superior overall. My combined skills placed me among the most powerful individuals in the world—even in this era. What led to my defeat wasn't her raw strength, but the sheer accumulation of her curses. I had endured them for years—countless curses which, even though many were mitigated or neutralized, wore me down little by little. Like drops of water, one after another, until they drowned me.
I may surpass Morgana in raw power, but when it comes to curses… I'm nothing but a child playing with fire before a master pyromaniac. Voldemort is an amateur compared to her. A simple curse in a Defense Against the Dark Arts class is nothing compared to what that witch can unleash.
So this time… things would be different.I wouldn't give her the chance to wear me down again. I wouldn't let her play her game.
…
I returned to the same place, with the same fury… though I was still holding a completely confused alicorn above my head. I was frustrated, defeated… this had probably been the bitterest loss of all so far.
As I began preparing the battlefield, I gave Elise a brief and rushed explanation. I wouldn't give Morgana any escape routes this time. I got to work: rituals, enchantments, runes, positioning artifacts from my suppliers… everything had to be perfectly arranged.
I knew I had a limited window of time before she arrived. I calculated precisely how much I could prepare within that span. And yes, I brought Elise for two reasons: first, because her help would be valuable; and second, because if I happened to find a clue about the mystery of divinity, I wanted her with me from the start. Even if her current power wasn't a match for a witch of Morgana's caliber, Elise was still a valuable asset.
Once the magical matrix was carved into the ground and the materials properly placed, I had Elise channel her magic into the circle. She was my magical battery.
Even though she hadn't yet fully recovered, her mana regeneration was impressive—almost unnatural. While she powered the system, I manipulated the magical currents and adjusted every layer of the ritual. I was crafting a fully enchanted battlefield: our combat arena… my trap.
When everything was ready, I sat in the center, eyes closed, breath steady. Elise had already been transported back to the [fief]. Of course, the [fief] I possess within this campaign isn't like the one in the real world—it's devoid of people, except now for Elise, the only companion I brought this time. And so I waited.
I didn't hide my presence. In fact, I may have amplified it. As I waited for Morgana to appear, I began gathering power within myself. For anyone with sharp senses, the magical disturbance here would be undeniable. However, I also tried to keep it just subtle enough not to raise suspicion too early; I couldn't let that witch sense the trap prematurely. I knew her. We had fought for a decade. I knew perfectly well that at any moment, she could pull a hidden card from her sleeve.
And then, I felt it. A presence that sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. Not because it was repulsive or particularly evil… but because I knew exactly who it was.
She had arrived.
"At last, you're here," I muttered, just as she crossed the boundary of the magic circle.
I knew her so well that I had prepared the field with meticulous care. I designed the circle to be nearly imperceptible, hidden beneath another magical pattern that mimicked a simple ambient energy absorption net. Morgana, curious as ever, didn't notice at first. She felt a faint discomfort, a tingling in the back of her mind warning her of danger… but her interest in me outweighed her caution.
And when she finally realized the truth, it was already too late.
I leapt at her without hesitation, splitting into multiple clones, each executing a different technique. I had suffered enough because of her. Now it was her turn.
Calling it a "battle" would be generous. It was a beatdown.
I had studied every one of her spells, every curse, every gesture. I knew exactly what she could do. Ten years of confrontations had made me an expert in Anti-Morgana. So this time, I went all-in from the very start.
Even when she tried to break the seal limiting her power, she was already wounded in several critical spots. Her advantage was slipping. Her strength, though still formidable, was no longer enough.
It was a long fight, yes, but nothing like the first time. This time, her curses didn't wear me down. And even when she brought out techniques I had never seen before—they weren't enough.
In the end, there was a victor. Me.
Morgana crashed roughly to the ground, magical shackles sealing her wrists, ankles, and neck. I'd had to pull her out of that "Broken Seal" state first, because not even my strongest bindings could've held her then.
She was gravely wounded. A deep cut sliced open one of her sides, so wide her organs were visible, held in place only by the lingering magic within her body. Her survival instinct was impressive, but considering she was one of the most formidable adversaries I'd faced, it didn't surprise me much.
Defeated and incapacitated for nearly hours, but it still wasn't enough to settle the score for everything she'd done to me. I quickly dropped my pants and began to defeat her in another way, and this time, the defeat would be absolute. [Ecstasy] and [Sexual Arts] were about to work overtime.
Thus, the moans of pleasure from an agonizing being powerfully echoed, tearing through the silence of the forest.
...
—Several days later—
I watched the inside of Morgana's witchcraft tower with curiosity. It was a fascinating sight, especially since the only other magical tower I'd known was the Archmage's, which had been "generated," not physically built like this one.
The tower wasn't particularly beautiful, but it had its own charm. Perched on an island ruled by Morgana herself, she also had a main palace with its own labs. But for truly profound research, she came here.
At that moment, Morgana was absorbed in refining a potion, her face serious, completely oblivious to my presence as I surveyed the place. Our fight had been devastating for her, a defeat that came at an extremely high cost, and she still needed to recover from it.
I sat down, allowing myself the strange indulgence of watching her work, of simply contemplating her. She was undeniably beautiful, even with the obvious pallor on her face. It was a luxury, after so much conflict, to be able to observe her up close without the constant fear of an ambush. For me, it was a pleasant moment. For her, however, the astonishment was overwhelming: a stranger who wasn't really a stranger had defeated her... violated her... and now found herself forcibly allied with him.
Yeah, we were "good" now, or something close to it. After beating her, while breaking her pride... and other things, I sealed a [Blood Pact] with her. She was incredibly important, and during my ten-year struggle, I'd learned so much about her—enough to know I could get what I wanted without killing her. Besides, I don't like killing women. But I couldn't just let her go; I knew her vindictiveness well, and if I did, history would repeat itself. The pact was my best solution. Of course, I had the upper hand then: she was not only weak and threatened with death, but the pleasure practically destroying her brain didn't help her reject my demands. I'm grateful I did it after defeating her, because even in that state, the pact's cost was astronomical. I can't imagine what it would've cost at her peak.
Now, we were in a peculiar alliance. Once she was free, she discovered how powerful and undeniable our pact was, and her disposition changed radically. It was surprising how quickly her attitude could become malleable in the face of consequences.
She grew curious about me: the reason for my attack, how I knew her methods so well. Her demeanor became natural, even somewhat flirtatious when communicating. It was... surprising. It seemed that now that we'd both agreed not to harm each other, the dialogue flowed—or at least, as fluidly as it can between two people with fifteen hundred years of difference. If I hadn't learned the language during my previous attempt, I might not have even managed to complete the pact with her.
Our journey here was a constant exchange of information. Knowing we couldn't betray each other, I didn't hesitate to confess the truth: that I was from the future, that I'd traveled to the past before, and that we'd been enemies for ten years, and I'd returned for my rematch. The loud, proudly mocking laugh she let out when she learned she'd already defeated me—despite her being the one who'd lost now, with my fluids oozing from her and having literally bitten the dust—was... chilling and utterly revealing of her personality.
Anyway, getting back to the reason for this alliance—and the fact that she's hot and my urge to fuck Morgana Le Fay herself had absolutely no influence—I knew she possessed the information I needed. Yes, in fact, some of her powers, and particularly that "Broken Seal" that intrigued me, had to do with gods and divinity. It was gratifying to know that ten years of struggle hadn't been in vain and that the decision to make a pact with her was the right one.
Of course, she wasn't the foremost expert on the subject either. It seems that even in this era, information about gods is scarce, though not as much as it would be in my future. I hoped that what I could learn here would suffice for my plans.
For now, all I could do was wait. Although I craved answers, I let Morgana take her time to recover. She had some books on the subject, but I didn't want to risk making mistakes due to my lack of understanding of the era's writing or simple unfamiliarity. So I'd wait for Morgana to sort out her issues before starting my direct learning with her.
But, looking at her there from behind, with that tunic highlighting her bouncing ass... I couldn't hold back. I approached her from behind. I noted that her potion work was so good that she could probably continue with only a little difficulty.
She could only let out a surprised yelp and shoot me a furious glare when she felt me tear her tunic and enter her abruptly, but even then, she did nothing more than huff and concentrate to prevent my "intervention" from ruining her work.
Yeah, the pact's clauses were very much in my favor, and non-aggression wasn't the only thing I got from it...
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Hey everyone, sorry for the delay—my recovery took a couple of weeks longer than expected because the situation was a bit more complicated than initially thought.
But I'm back now. Next week, I'll publish two chapters, and I'll keep increasing until I'm back to normal.
Thanks so much for your patience and support so far. Love you all, my beloved readers!