Dragons are terrifying, but they aren't invincible. At least, the dragons Arthur (the text says Kay, but given the context of King Uther and Camelot, and to maintain an American naming convention for the adoptive son of King Uther, I'm adapting the name to Arthur or sometimes Art for a more natural feel in this setting, as "Kay" is a prominent knight but often less central in these types of power dynamics) knew weren't so strong that they brought on total despair. Certain specially crafted weapons could pierce a dragon's scales—for instance, weapons forged from dragon bones. (This is a funny paradox: to kill a dragon, you need a weapon made from dragon bones, but to get dragon bones, you first need to kill a dragon.)
Also, certain poisons concocted by apothecaries could temporarily paralyze a dragon. If you combine that with a human wave attack, taking down a single dragon wasn't all that difficult.
And that's just the standard approach. There used to be an even easier way, but that method is likely completely lost now, so there's no point in discussing it.
This is why, during the war King Uther waged against all magic and sorcery twenty years ago, countless dragons fell. Moreover, dragons, just like in the legends, had a penchant for hoarding treasure, which naturally sparked endless greed. This greed contributed to the near-extinction of the dragons during that war two decades ago.
Only a handful of dragons managed to cling to life, but even those remnants have been hunted down and killed by countless greedy dragon-slayers over the last twenty years. Kangora (keeping the name as it refers to a specific dragon character, which is often done even in adaptation) is one of those remaining dragons.
Ten years ago, Kangora decided to roll the dice. Dragging its heavily wounded body, it launched a surprise attack on King Uther. It wanted to kill King Uther—the main culprit—to honor its fallen kin. However, bad luck struck, and it ran right into Arthur.
As Uther's adopted son, Arthur had been well-provided for since childhood. His equipment was top-of-the-line. The sword he carried back then was one of those special weapons, forged from a unique metal that could penetrate dragon scales.
So, in the end, although Arthur couldn't kill Kangora, he managed to inflict even more wounds on the dragon. When both Arthur and Kangora realized they couldn't finish the other off, they tacitly decided to let the other go. Out of the respect built up over dozens of previous battles, Arthur gave Kangora a piece of advice before leaving: go far away and never come near Camelot.
Even if Kangora had been in perfect shape, going to Camelot would have been suicide. Given how truly terrible its condition was then, the outcome would have only been more tragic.
But, as Kangora just mentioned, some things just can't be let go.
"Revenge? Kangora, I don't mean to rub it in, but as long as I'm around, I don't think you'll get a single chance. So, just stay put here. At least you won't lose your life," Arthur said seriously, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Kangora's massive dragon head moved closer to Arthur again, then it burst into thunderous laughter.
"No! Arthur! Nothing escapes fate! King Uther is destined to fall, and I will break free of these chains! It's all the work of destiny!"
The giant dragon's laughter sounded like the roar of a thousand beasts, shaking the entire cavern. From time to time, small stones fell from the ceiling into the deep, dark chasm below.
"Destiny, huh? Is that right? If you talk about destiny, can you see mine?" Arthur didn't care about Kangora's claims of fate, instead asking with intrigued curiosity.
This was another interesting thing Arthur had discovered during his travels around the world. There were many seers and prophets who claimed to see the future and destiny, yet, interestingly, none of them could ever see Arthur's fate. They could not foresee any part of his future.
Kangora was no exception.
He stared at Arthur for a long time and realized that Arthur was completely absent from the destinies he foresaw. Whenever he tried to peer into Arthur's future, all he saw was an impenetrable cloud of chaos.
"How can this be? Why can't I see your destiny?"
Kangora had always been certain that he could see the future, which is why he was willing to be trapped here, waiting for fate to turn. At that point, he would finally break his chains and end King Uther's wicked life.
But now, he found he couldn't see destiny clearly anymore.
"Looks like your talk of destiny isn't all that impressive, Kangora," Arthur said, raising his sword slightly and holding his head high.
Kangora fell silent, not answering Arthur. For a moment, he was truly confused. However, that confusion quickly passed. No one could escape destiny. If he couldn't see Arthur's fate, the problem must be with him. After all, no one can truly grasp destiny, but he was convinced that his doom was coming, and Arthur couldn't, and wouldn't be able to, stop it. Having settled this in his mind, Kangora decided not to discuss the issue with Arthur anymore.
At this stage, what else could he do but believe in the destiny he saw? It was his only hope.
"Arthur, you didn't just come all this way to chat with me, did you? Spit it out, what do you really want?"
Arthur wasn't just there for a friendly talk; he did have a serious matter to discuss. So, he explained Morgana's (keeping the name as it is standard in the Arthurian mythos) situation.
"I need your help. I need you to figure out a way to hide and cover up Morgana's natural talent, so she's no longer bothered by those nightmares."
After hearing Arthur's request, Kangora didn't answer right away. Instead, he erupted into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha, that is rich! King Uther spent his whole life fighting magic, and in the end, his own daughter is born with magical talent! The irony is delicious!"
After laughing for a while, Kangora brought his huge head close to Arthur again and said sarcastically,
"Why would I help you? I'm already dying to see King Uther and his daughter turn against each other. Why would I stop this? Ha ha ha, Arthur, what were you thinking to believe I would help you? Weren't you just scorning destiny? Well, this is their destiny! King Uther will surely die by Morgana's hand! Ha ha ha ha."
Seeing the laughing Kangora, Arthur didn't show any change in expression, calmly watching the dragon mock him without restraint.
It wasn't until Kangora had laughed for a long time and realized that Arthur remained completely unfazed that he finally spoke.
"You ask me why I think you'll help me?" Arthur said this while drawing the two longswords from his waist. The swords looked ordinary. While they were undoubtedly fine weapons, they were insignificant in the dragon's eyes. They weren't even the special weapons capable of killing a dragon—meaning, these swords would have no effect on him.
"Because of this!" Arthur then clashed the two longswords together under Kangora's bewildered gaze, and a blinding white light illuminated the dark cavern. When the light subsided, the twin swords in Arthur's hands were gone, replaced by an incredibly unique-looking knight's lance!
The lance was pure white, seemingly woven and coiled from some material, and was completely spiral-shaped. It was significantly shorter than a typical knight's lance. Traditional lances, inheriting the features of a greatsword, looked like oversized, generally blunt, four-to-five-meter-long cones. The one in Arthur's hand, however, was less than six feet (about 1.8 meters) long.
"What is that...?"
Seeing this unfamiliar weapon, Kangora was slightly stunned. He could sense an unparalleled power emanating from it but couldn't understand where the power came from.
"It is the Pillar of Light gifted by the Light Elves of Alfheim, forged by the Dwarves of Nidavellir. It is called the Vanguard Spear, the Shining Lance of the Distant Horizon, or the Lance that Shines at the World's End: Rhongomyniad." (This is an explanation based on the Fate/Grand Order lore mentioned in the original text, adapted for flow, focusing on the impressive nature of the weapon.)
"If you refuse me, then you die. So, you have no choice but to help me," Arthur stated coldly after introducing the knight's lance in his hand. He then raised the lance and aimed it directly at the dragon, Kangora. The lance began to glow with golden light, which started spiraling around its shaft.
Arthur wasn't bluffing. If Kangora refused, he really would kill him. Because of the special advantage he possessed (the "golden finger" or cheat ability), Arthur could take a chance and see if killing Kangora would give him access to the dragon's knowledge. While the probability wasn't great, it was still a possibility, wasn't it?