Nimue shook her head, saying nothing more. She placed her hands together, cradling them as if holding her heart, and a ball of blue-white light blossomed between them. The light grew from dim to blinding, making it impossible to keep one's eyes open, but it soon faded, leaving a magnificent golden chalice in Nimue's hands.
She presented the cup to Kay.
"This is the Chalice of Life. For centuries, this chalice has been protected by powerful magic, and thus it contains the secret of life itself. Once Arthur drinks the holy water within, he can be resurrected from death."
Kay glanced at the Chalice of Life. He didn't take it but shook his head and said, "I don't trust you. Tell me how to use the Chalice; I'll handle it myself."
Nimue replied with a hint of sarcasm, "You change your tune fast. Just a moment ago, you didn't want us to be enemies, and now you're putting up defenses?"
"...I'm sorry, but the moment you decided you absolutely must have the Niamed Crystal, we became adversaries. Arthur's life is on the line, and I cannot afford to be careless." Kay felt no embarrassment. He was never a sentimental person, and since they were destined to be enemies, he would take every necessary precaution. Besides, Kay knew how deceptive Nimue could be; without this caution, who knew what trouble she might cause later?
Faced with Kay's frankness, Nimue had little to say. She reached out her left hand into the air, and a scroll appeared. Nimue handed both the scroll and the Chalice to Kay.
Kay, in turn, handed the crystal over to Nimue.
Upon receiving the Chalice, Kay immediately opened the scroll to study its instructions. Nimue hadn't pulled any tricks with the directions; not only that, she had given Kay the complete details on the Chalice's function and usage. Based on this, Nimue hadn't lied about her original offer.
Nimue was simultaneously checking the authenticity of the Niamed Crystal. Kay, of course, hadn't tried to deceive her.
After confirming the crystal was real, Nimue breathed a sigh of relief. After expending so much effort, she finally had her hands on this treasure. Now, all that remained was the crypt beneath Camelot. Once she released what was buried there, King Uther's doom would be sealed.
Thinking this, Nimue glanced at Merlin. She found it strange that fate had given her the power to destroy Camelot, yet still seemed to emphasize that this boy and Arthur must not die.
However, Nimue quickly pushed the question aside. Destiny was unpredictable, and no one could grasp it entirely. She had no personal stake in these two young men, and she didn't care what happened to them.
Nimue then refocused her attention on Kay.
She saw Kay still looking at the scroll, seemingly lost in studying its secrets. Nimue wasn't worried, though, because she knew there was more drama yet to come.
But this time, she miscalculated.
After a long pause, Kay finally looked up. He stared at Nimue with a complicated expression.
"You lied to me, Nimue. I thought we at least had a basic level of trust. But you still deceived me."
"Oh? How exactly did I lie?" Nimue remained unperturbed.
"This scroll tells me that to use the Chalice, a sacrifice is required! For one person to live, one must die! But you just told me that the price for saving Arthur was the Niamed Crystal!"
Nimue smiled. She laughed and said, "You are wrong. I did not lie to you." She then pointed to the Chalice of Life. "The Niamed Crystal was exchanged for the Chalice of Life. The Chalice of Life can save Arthur. As for the price the Chalice itself demands, that has nothing to do with me."
Kay fixed his gaze on Nimue, then slowly a small smile spread across his face. "Word games won't work on me."
Nimue ignored Kay's veiled threat and confidently retorted, "And what are you going to do about it?"
In Nimue's view, the Niamed Crystal was hers. Kay had lost his leverage and had no choice. She was more interested in seeing who Kay would sacrifice to save Arthur.
According to the Chalice's rules, Kay could only sacrifice himself or someone close to him. The rule of exchange was strict; he couldn't simply find some unrelated person. A sacrifice is the matter, energy, or self-denial expended to achieve a goal. The emphasis was on the person paying the cost; something that didn't belong to him couldn't be counted as the price.
"You're right, what choice do I have?" Kay shrugged honestly. He knew that saving Arthur would require a sacrifice; it was unavoidable. But that didn't mean Kay would meekly accept this insult. "But I can make sure you leave with nothing! MERLIN!!!"
Merlin had completely disappeared from Nimue's mind since her conversation with Kay started, acting like a little ghost on the sidelines. Nimue hadn't paid him much attention. But when Kay shouted his name, Nimue instantly realized she was in trouble.
Unfortunately, it was too late. The moment Kay called Merlin's name, Merlin unleashed the spell he had been secretly preparing. Golden light flashed from Merlin's eyes, and the Niamed Crystal in Nimue's hand was yanked away by a powerful magical force.
Nimue was about to reclaim the crystal when Kay dashed forward. His twin longswords slashed toward Nimue's chest and abdomen in a crisscross pattern.
Nimue could feel the power of the Dragon's Breath on those two swords. Even she would be gravely injured if struck by the Dragon-Slayer blades. She had no choice but to concentrate on blocking Kay's assault first.
A reddish glow emanated from Nimue's pupils, and a transparent shield materialized in front of the two swords.
"Clang!"
The swords hit nothing visible, yet they rang out as if striking solid steel.
Just as Nimue blocked Kay's attack, Merlin, having secured the Niamed Crystal, immediately launched his own offensive. He first used a magical force field to shove Nimue back, preventing her from concentrating on defending against Kay.
The instant Nimue's protective barrier disappeared, Kay seized the opportunity to launch a rapid barrage of attacks, forcing Nimue to address him, preventing her from simultaneously dealing with both his and Merlin's attacks.
Under Kay's relentless pressure, Nimue was unable to focus on anything else. Merlin, meanwhile, began reciting his most powerful enchantment. It was an enhancement spell that gave a weapon unstoppable power—Merlin had only recently learned it and had never used it in combat.
$$\text{Egdananwealdgafeec!}$$ (This is the enchantment Merlin uses in Merlin Season 1, Episode 5, when Lancelot kills the Griffin.)
As the incantation concluded, a faint blue magical glow enveloped Kay's longswords. With the boost from this powerful spell, the force of Kay's twin blades increased exponentially. Nimue's defenses couldn't hold against the enchantment's power, and she was quickly forced into a frantic retreat!
Her magic seemed weak and ineffective against Kay's energized blades. Normally, with a chance to focus, she could easily break Merlin's spell. Unfortunately, Kay's attack speed was simply too fast. His twin swords moved like a torrential storm, the offensive waves building one after another, giving Nimue no chance to catch her breath.
And as if things couldn't get worse, Merlin delivered another cheap shot.
Merlin didn't know many spells, and most were little more than parlor tricks—fine for mischief, but useless against a serious enemy. Yet, one of those very simple spells brought down a sorceress of Nimue's magnitude.
Merlin, slyly hidden behind one of the stones of the Stonehenge-like structure, secretly cast a spell. It was a basic tripping charm, the worst possible outcome being a sprained ankle.
Normally, a thousand such spells wouldn't affect Nimue, but she was completely focused on dealing with Kay and paid no attention to Merlin. She took the bait.
The mighty Sorceress Nimue tripped and fell flat on her face.
By the time she scrambled to get up, Kay's twin swords were already crossed at her neck. She lost. And she lost in the most ridiculous way imaginable.