What Morgan had snatched away was Marduk——the genuine article.
Gilgamesh preferred a combat style of firing Noble Phantasms, but she was not a king foolish enough to simply throw her treasures on the ground.
What she projected were copies of Noble Phantasms reproduced with magical energy. The ones Berserker had struck back were also all fakes made of magical energy.
Even if they were fakes, they were undoubtedly her treasures. That was why Gilgamesh had been enraged when the knight consumed by Mad Enhancement wielded her weapons as he pleased.
While Gilgamesh fundamentally used copies, there were Noble Phantasms she did not.
Her favored weapons were always the genuine articles. Treasures for which using a copy would be an act that wounded Gilgamesh's pride, for example, [Chains of Heaven - Enkidu] or [Sword of Rupture - Ea], belonged to this category.
These two Noble Phantasms were treasures acknowledged by Gilgamesh. That was why she had named them after her one and only friend and the god of the heavens.
Conversely, there were cases where she didn't use copies despite not acknowledging the treasure, and [Original Sin - Marduk] fell into this category.
This sword, the progenitor of demonic swords, was a weapon of both love and hate for Gilgamesh.
It was a weapon named after a complex bond she couldn't resolve even in life.
The original owner was certainly Gilgamesh, but because it was a weapon she had taken back almost by force, Gilgamesh was quite reluctant to use it.
The lingering resentment between the two was another reason.
The reason she had deliberately attached "Original Sin" to its name was so that Gilgamesh would not forget her own mistake; the complex and subtle emotions she held for this sword were difficult to explain.
However, apart from these complex feelings, the sword's performance was in a league of its own compared to other Noble Phantasms.
Marduk, the man-god and war god created by Gilgamesh, had waged a great war of conquest wielding this sword.
As more blood stained the sword and Marduk's fame grew, [Original Sin - Marduk] became stronger and stronger.
In the present age, due to numerous legends and the tales of nomadic peoples who worshiped Marduk, it had reached a level of power just below that of the [Sword of Rupture, Ea].
Assuming the Noble Phantasms were not fully released, [Original Sin - Marduk] was far more powerful.
Gilgamesh drawing Marduk to subjugate Berserker was proof of her resolve to kill him without fail,
and for Morgan, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"You fiend…! Did you think such vile thievery would work before a king?!"
Just as Morgan had thought, Gilgamesh was not one to be trifled with.
She had succeeded in snatching [Original Sin - Marduk], but immediately after, chains shot out from all directions and bound her arms tightly.
Being a fae, Morgan possessed no divinity and was not subject to the special attack of [Chains of Heaven - Enkidu]. However, she could not escape the bondage due to the powerful physical force of the chains themselves.
With only her arm sticking out of the water mirror in a situation where she could neither advance nor retreat, it was as if she were asking for it to be cut off.
In the end, she had no choice but to reveal herself. Morgan teleported her entire body out of the water mirror.
The Chains of Heaven were immediately released.
Appearing in an instant before Gilgamesh, in the sky above the wharf, Morgan drew everyone's gaze.
Who was that Servant? What was the true name of the master of magecraft who had so easily stolen a Noble Phantasm from Archer?
Saber's eyes widened. It was an unmistakable face.
"…Morgan?"
"Tch."
She didn't mind her true name being revealed, but of all people, it had to be King Arthur.
For the Morgan of Proper Human History, she was an object of love and hate.
As the Lady of the Lake, she had given the sword to her, yet she tormented King Arthur countless times to become the ruler of Britain herself.
Morgan was a fae born with the mission to be the King of Britain, but Artoria had stolen that position.
The red dragon born from the scheme of Uther and Merlin, Artoria Pendragon.
The Morgan of Proper Human History had been driven mad by hatred and anger.
If the Morgan of Proper Human History had been summoned, the Saber and Caster camps would have likely been eliminated side-by-side on the very first day of the Holy Grail War.
"Do not misunderstand. I am not the witch you know."
"What do you mean by that? There is no way I wouldn't recognize that aura. Morgan. What are you plotting now?"
The Morgan from the Lostbelt had no interest in Artoria Pendragon.
It wasn't that she had none at all. As long as Morgan's and Saber's raisons d'être clashed, Morgan was bound to continue despising King Arthur.
However, the Morgan from the Lostbelt had achieved her dream. Having established her own Britain, the Fae Kingdom, Morgan no longer needed to hate King Arthur.
The only hatred that remained was an endless negative emotion inherited from her Proper Human History self.
But Morgan could handle it appropriately. 6000 years of experience had changed even her fundamental nature.
What was the priority? Knowing there were more important things than tormenting Artoria and being able to address them first—that was the Morgan of the Lostbelt.
"My only business right now is with the Archer here. I care not whether you duel with Lancer or cooperate with Rider."
"What is that… Are you truly Morgan?"
"I told you. I am not the witch you know."
The wharf was in an uproar due to Morgan's sudden appearance.
Rider, quite naturally, wanted to fight Morgan, while Waver wet his pants due to the battle between Heroic Spirits that surpassed all imagination.
Saber was so confused that her complex emotions showed on her face. Her Master (the fake one) worried for her, waiting for her hidden husband.
As for Berserker, he had ceased his actions.
His Master's order to attack Archer had lost its effect the moment he fainted. Berserker gained the right to act on his own.
The first thing that entered his sight was Saber.
Berserker's obsession with Saber was unparalleled. Except, perhaps, for the just-appeared Morgan.
What should he do? Berserker remained silent. The conclusion he eventually reached was to withdraw from the battlefield. If his Master died, he could not continue the Holy Grail War.
Berserker, who had been the eye of the storm, fled the wharf just like that.
What was surprising was that Archer let him go.
Archer's anger towards Berserker was mere child's play compared to the killing intent she was radiating now.
Gilgamesh glared at Morgan as if to kill her. As long as Morgan held Gilgamesh's treasure, she looked ready to chase her to the ends of the earth and kill her.
"Have you finished your little chat? It is time to die, adversary of the beast."
"It seems you are still trapped in a world of fantasy."
Morgan took out her staff. Gilgamesh responded with 500 gates.
"It won't be like yesterday, mongrel."
"A king lacking in learning, I see. You would never pass the Fae Kingdom's immigration screening, even in death. You will regret it to your very core."
The curtain rises on a full-scale battle. Everyone expected it, and no one doubted it.
However, a restriction came from an unexpected place.
In an instant, Gilgamesh closed all her gates and snapped her head in a certain direction.
The quick-witted magi realized that the Tohsaka mansion lay at the end of that direction.
"Tokiomi… How dare you… How dare you stand in my way?!"
Grasping the situation, Morgan put away her staff.
"It seems the master is smarter than the dog."
"You fiend!"
The waves in the sea crashed in reverse. Gilgamesh's roar, imbued with magical energy, crushed all the containers lined up on the wharf.
Waver Velvet's eardrums, too, would have burst if Rider hadn't protected them.
Saber's fake Master also had to be protected by the knight.
"A small dog always barks the loudest. Unlike your words, you have no substance, King of Heroes."
"...."
The coercive power of the Command Spell bound Gilgamesh. Despite Morgan's one-sided taunts, Gilgamesh could not react.
The order Tokiomi had given with the Command Spell was not to get provoked by Morgan's taunts.
It was such an inflexible command that even firing a single treasure from a single gate would be considered getting provoked.
Tokiomi was an excellent magus, and the binding of the Command Spell exhibited outstanding performance.
Gilgamesh ground her teeth. She knew better than anyone that she had to remain calm to save face.
"Hmph. Well, this worked out. I could not bestow it upon him in person, but I suppose I can use you as a messenger. Make sure you deliver it to Marduk."
"Do you think I would be provoked by that? I will place another magical enchantment on this Noble Phantasm, so it will not move according to your will."
Her plan to track Marduk's location using the Noble Phantasm was immediately seen through.
Gilgamesh was not intimidated. She bluffed with all her might.
"Do as you please, witch… But you must know, yes? The moment your vile nature is revealed, you will never be able to stand by the beast's side again. You will regret for the rest of your life not maintaining your childhood form."
"I don't know who is talking to whom. I have much to say, but time is short, so I will say just one thing."
Morgan sneered at Gilgamesh.
"I'm sorry, but Kyle loves me."
"…What?"
"A fool like you, who knows neither the joys of a woman nor how to please a man, will never understand. Kyle truly loves me and always wants to be by my side."
Gilgamesh felt as if she had been struck on the head with a stone.
What was that? That bold declaration.
It was a confidence that Gilgamesh could not even imagine.
Even she, a being made of confidence and pride, did not have the conviction that she could be loved by Marduk.
She could only put forth the one-dimensional logic that because he was hers, he must be subservient to her.
But Morgan had a conviction that Gilgamesh lacked.
She believed without a doubt that Kyle cared for her as much as she cared for him.
A two-way street. Unwavering faith.
"If I steal this sword, do you think he will blame me? Or… do you think he will worry that I might have gotten hurt?"
"Th-that's…!"
Morgan left the speechless Gilgamesh behind and vanished.
"Look forward to tomorrow. I plan to formally welcome him."
The telepathic message, coming from somewhere, replayed in Gilgamesh's mind for a long time.