Chapter 123
Every catalyst had a connection to something, sometimes serving as a symbol for a vessel of power that allowed the mage using it to tap into the great stores of energy outside of their own and harness it, granting them the ability to wield magic leagues above what they were capable of by themselves. In some cases, they could also be used as a focus, a magnifying glass that bent the light onto one spot, letting mana flow into a single spell in a controlled manner instead of running rampant chaotically.
Caster Artoria's staff however, did neither. Caster was born in an age where Mystery and Magic had yet to fade, a peculiar twist of fate allowing the dragon to remain in Britain, unlike the many other Artorias who came existed in a world without dragons, where they themselves were on of the few with the factor of the dragon. Instead, Caster had the natural environment to cast magecraft, which partly contributed to her Territory Creation skill that simulated the mana-rich environment she was native to, so her dragon factor was non-existent. In her own timeline, there were others who had even more accomplished magecraft than her, yet she was still the one chosen to be king.
As a focus, it could be said that the staff did somewhat fit the description, yet it's purpose wasn't to let Caster perform any one spell. Rather, it was a key, unlocking the doors to a great library of magecraft that crystallized into the form of her own personal magecraft, founded on something that did not exist in Solomon's foundation when he single-handedly created modern magecraft. While mages could alter or refine his teachings and create their own unique styles and forms, One's Own Magic was separate from that. Or to be more precise, she didn't have the luxury to use a pre-existing foundation as her base.
The closest magi to emulate this would actually be Flat, and the principle behind their magecraft was similar. However, while Flat created and forgot spells all the time, Caster was able to retain her spells, but she couldn't really create any more beyond a set amount, otherwise she would be unable to properly cast them all due to the limitations of memory and intelligence. Casting a spell required comprehension, skill and ability, and at the end of the day if you didn't remember how to cast a spell, you couldn't just brute force mana and hope it turned out like you hoped.
This was the main reason why magi such as Helena Bathory, or people such as Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, were seen as amazing. They could readily access the base of all magecraft at will and perform great feats, like owning a Magic Crest that contained the knowledge of all magecraft in the world. It was something of a cheat code that they didn't need to learn and study for years before they were able to perform advanced magecraft of a particular branch, instead being able to do so on a whim. They could even combine different aspects, such as using curse magecraft and necromancy together, without ever reading a book about either subject. They would simply have to access the foundation they possessed, obtain a complete understanding of them, and then execute the spell.
In comparison, Kairi Sisigou could do the same, but only after years of studying and experimentation on battlefield after battlefield, and even then the results weren't always what he wanted them to be. Still, he would have the edge on imagining potential innovations and mutations on his own magecraft, since someone who had never studied necromancy before, and someone who had spent their life immersed in it, had a large gap in understanding what it was capable of. Only a true genius would be able to read a cookbook, completely understand and perform the recipes perfectly instantly, then add their own variation on top of that and create their own unique dishes that deviated far from the original, dishes that would prove to be far better than the original recipes.
This meant that right now, Caster had no limitations that shackled the mages relying on the modern foundation of thaumaturgy. Instead, she was free to create her own, and the opportunities were endless.
In the end though, she was something of a meathead, and her magecraft became a direct offensive type, with a sprinkling of other basics that her master had taught her, such as illusion magecraft and Bounded Fields. That wasn't to say it wasn't powerful, but her support skills actually lied more in her innate talents rather than her magecraft.
Pretty much, the only things she could do was impart her blessings on the Saber. But as Berserker was about to find out, that was more than enough.
Is the person fighting at my side?
Yes.
Is she walking on the path that my fate follows?
Yes.
Does she fight for humanity?
Yes.
With those three conditions fulfilled, the blessings Vivian laid on Caster spread to her allies, the staff in the stone Caliburn weaving an enchantment of silent power that gathered the strength of the Once and Future King, instilling spirit into those that stood by her side against the many that would stand against humanity and her kingdom. Where she stood, her kingdom would follow. No matter who she fought, there would always be allies with her, whether they were standing next to her physically or struggling with her elsewhere.
A golden light enveloped Saber, a gentle breeze ruffling her golden hair. Wounds that stung and bit at her resolve faded away on a gentle breeze, the cool caress of soothing comfort lingering on her nape for a brief moment, before she felt it give way to strength that flooded into her body. In that instant, her body felt lighter than it had ever been, her heart surging with hope, though she knew not why. It seemed like her blade felt just that much sharper, the armor lighter, and yet tougher as well.
To Berserker as well, she could feel a shift in Saber. It wasn't simply her morale, but something else well, but her appearance didn't change dramatically after the shower of golden light. All she could say was that she instinctively wanted to shrink backwards, yet there was nothing she could see to suggest her doing so.
When Saber opened her eyes, they were clear, like the pools of water that reflected the moon at night.
A whisper of wind.
A blur of steel and azure silk.
That was all the warning Berserker received, before she blocked the first blow in a sequence of strikes that smoothly flowed into each other, with no gaps or opening to exploit. Well there were actually some that Berserker could spot, but she was being pressured too hard to exploit them. Saber's strength seemed to have increased threefold, her movements sharp and filled with purpose as she seemed to have abandoned fear, advancing on Berserker with such spirit that Berserker was flustered for a moment, parrying the rapid blows that packed almost as much punch as her first one against Berserker earlier.