Chapter 54: Without You, It's Very Important to Me (5.5k)
[To make Morgan beg for mercy, you diligently cultivated this fertile land named 'Witch'.]
[Day one, piling.]
[Day two, piling.]
[Alvin, oh Alvin, how could you be so depraved! Where have your determination and will gone? Are you just going to wallow in the witch's gentle embrace, unable to extricate yourself?! This cannot go on!]
[Day three, piling.]
[For three days and three nights, you did not take a single step out of the bedroom.]
[...Even with your A+ endurance, when you walked out the door, you felt a wave of emptiness in your body, your legs weak.]
[You understood a principle.]
[There are only exhausted bulls, never a field that has been plowed to ruin.]
[These few days, you have hardly pulled out. Because you had to contribute essence to your daughter, you could no longer obtain mana replenishment from the witch. The daily amount of irrigation was an exaggerated consumption even for an ultimate life form.]
[The nourished witch's face, in response, became more and more rosy. The pattern on her lower abdomen also gradually lit up, gradually evolving towards a deep blue color.]
[Eat, dote on the witch, eat, dote on the witch...]
[As an outstanding piler of the new era, even sleep time was optimized away.]
[This simple, unadorned, and kidney-damaging peaceful life continued. You felt both pain and happiness, and at the same time, felt that it was even a bit too peaceful.]
[Like... the calm before the storm.]
[Three days later, the one-armed knights of the Round Table finally returned to Orkney like stray dogs.]
[The news that you had slaughtered more than two thousand knights in one battle and cut off one arm of each of the Round Table spread.]
[The whole country was shocked—]
[Like a raging fire on hot oil, the fame of the son of the magic dragon Vortigern instantly resounded throughout the entire island.]
[Your existence became known to the world. The momentum of Alvin Pendragon swept every corner of Britannia. Your brutal fame was unmatched for a time, almost surpassing your old man, the magic dragon Vortiggen.]
[Merlin's prophecy also slowly spread, indicating that this island was facing the crisis of being destroyed by you in the future.]
[This further exacerbated people's panic.]
[The majority of Britain's knightly forces were annihilated by you in one battle. The morale of the various islands and counties was instantly scattered and low.]
[Knowing the deeds of a son of a king like you, the Anglo-Saxon army under the vile king, in response, was filled with passion and their morale was greatly boosted.]
[You have obtained the talent "Tyrant's Disposition".]
[Tyrant's Disposition (A): From Londinium to Orkney, from Britannia to the Fairy Forest, your evil name is known to everyone on this island. You will be able to command your army with greater authority, and the decrees you implement will be more efficient. If your figure appears on the battlefield, it will instantly boost the morale of your side and strike fear into the enemy.]
[Vortigern gradually began to hand over a portion of the army's power to you. He was very pleased to see his son obtain such an evil reputation.]
[He used to always worry that you would be pointed at by thousands, but you directly fast-forwarded. Now your vast and fierce name can stop a child from crying at night in Britain. Now the magic dragon family can be considered complete. What a loving father and a filial son.]
[For some reason, watching your old man introduce you in front of his generals and gradually hand over the power of Londinium to you, you always feel that he has a sense of entrusting his orphan to you.]
["Are you really passing on the throne? You're not going to cash in your chips, are you, Dad?"]
["If you don't know how to talk, you can just not talk, son."]
[Vortigern ruffled your silver hair and gave you a sharp rap on the head.]
[The war on the front line began to heat up. More than half a month had passed, and the prophesied King Arthur who would pull out the Sword in the Stone was still nowhere to be found. Even Merlin was gone.]
[Suddenly losing their backbone, the situation in the various counties of Britain became more and more turbulent.]
[The remaining knights of the Round Table barely organized a line of resistance, but repeated attempts at grafting limbs ended in failure. The concept of death you attached to them burned their right hands' souls. This arm could not be used again.]
[The failure to attach a prosthetic arm not only did not make the Round Table fifty times stronger, but made them fifty times weaker than before. With only one arm, they could no longer form a force, let alone resist. They didn't even know where Artoria had gone.]
[Panic spread. Everyone was looking forward to the return of that king, but hope gradually dimmed day by day.]
[The morale of the various counties of Britain became more and more scattered. The vile king's army was like a hot knife through butter, driving the Celts to flee in disarray, pushing towards the northern border of Orkney.]
[You sat in Londinium, observing the current war situation. The front line of the British camp was now precarious.]
[Sixty percent of Britain's territory had fallen into the hands of the vile king. Vortigern wanted to drive all the Celts out of the center of the island, so that he would have no worries behind him. It seemed that this plan was about to be completed.]
[The Anglo-Saxon army led by the White Dragon is practically at their doorstep. How can they lose?]
[As the final line of defense, Orkney, a dazzling azure brilliance suddenly shot up into the sky, shaking the heavens.]
"The Lady of the Lake has summoned a Gaul named Lancelot to help? He has temporarily taken over the Round Table, and the edge of the Lake's Holy Sword in his hand is almost invincible?"
Sitting on the throne, Vortigern held the battle report from the front line in his hand. The Anglo-Saxon army's siege of Orkney had ended in a great defeat under the brilliance of Lancelot's Holy Sword. This reinforcement invited by the Lady of the Lake was far, far stronger than the now-dejected Round Table knights. His appearance significantly boosted the morale of the British side. Britain's last resistance forces were all gathering towards Orkney. This was the last struggle of the Celts. This archipelago would surely become even more difficult to chew in the future.
Receiving such a result of a great defeat, Vortigern's expression showed no loss at all. On the contrary, a smile appeared on the old man's face.
"Good news, Alvin."
A defeat, yet it's good news? Although Dad is this old, as a magic dragon, he shouldn't be senile.
Su Shu pondered, thinking about the timing of this purple-haired NTR-man Lancelot's appearance...
"—Is it Artoria?"
"That's right. Father deliberately put pressure on the front line. It doesn't really matter how many Anglo-Saxons die," the magic dragon sneered. "Now, even though Orkney is relying on fairies to ask for reinforcements and the situation is critical, the son of the red dragon still hasn't shown up. This means she can't get away."
Vortigern looked up at the top of the castle, his gaze seeming to penetrate the high dome, looking towards the unknown depths of the world.
"The opportunity I, Vortigern, have been waiting and planning for for twenty years... is finally about to arrive. Alvin, you stay in Londinium for these few days and don't move. The most critical moment is coming."
[Vortigern has withdrawn his troops from the front line and is on high alert.]
[Three days later, his words seemed to have come true.]
[A gloomy, overcast sky covered the entire island. A torrential downpour fell from the sky. In your fifteen years, you have never seen it rain so heavily in Britain.]
[You stood at the very top of Londinium, looking out at the land. The field of vision was a vast expanse. With your ultimate life form's eyesight, you could actually only see a few tens of thousands of meters.]
"This rainwater... is strange."
Su Shu stood in the rain. With the cover of the shadows, none of the rainwater could touch his clothes. He raised his hand and gently pinched a drop of water on his hand.
"Such a rich magical energy, Dad..."
"Father was right... you broke the red dragon's son's Sword of Selection. Good job! She must be undergoing the Lake's Trial now."
Vortigern's burly figure stood beside Su Shu. The old man's words made the silver-haired youth slightly stunned.
"The Lake's Trial?"
"The trial held by the Lady of the Lake, Vivian. She is also your cousin's good side." The old man lowered his eyes, glanced at his son, and said softly, "When they were born, they were split in two by the fairies of the Inner Sea, and all the evil in them was poured into Morgan."
"So..." the witch's voice sounded faintly. "—she is the good and popular Lady of the Lake, while I have inherited all the ominous shadows."
Morgan's figure appeared beside Su Shu. She stared at the vast curtain of rain, her tone somewhat mixed.
"I only learned of this after I came of age." Morgan laughed somewhat mockingly. "Alvin... so all the disgust, prejudice, and exclusion I encountered was not without reason—because people would naturally think I had 'evil'."
...Damn it, there's such a thing? It's really making my ghost fire flare up. I really want to start killing. What kind of precious things are these fairies?
"It's alright, I don't care anymore." Pressing down the silver-haired youth's hand that was caressing her face, the witch shook her head. She really didn't care anymore, because having Alvin's love was enough. But this didn't stop Su Shu from secretly remembering this in his heart. He had to get back at them.
The silver-haired youth looked up at his old man, Vortigern. "You said 'opportunity' just now... is the Lake's Trial related to this rainwater?"
"Heh..." Vortigern let out a sneer. "Vivian wants to bring out that Star Holy Sword from the fairy lake and lend it to the son of the red dragon. The Star Holy Sword is a divine armament forged by the world, destined to belong to King Arthur. As for the purpose of taking it out... it goes without saying—it is naturally to cut off this magic dragon's head."
Faced with this blatant hostility from the world, the old man's face was indifferent, with only disdain.
"In other words, the Sword of Promised Victory..." Su Shu knew that this was Saber's famous weapon.
"How can a divine armament be taken out so easily? This torrential rain, rich in magical energy, is the manifestation of the fairy lake's turmoil..." Vortigern looked up at the gloomy and oppressive sky.
The haze covered everything, the downpour was like a waterfall. Just ask this vast land, who rules over it?
Vortigern laughed just like that. He had never laughed so brilliantly, so happily.
"—And this is also the weakest moment of the barrier of Britain's Inner Sea of the Planet! The twenty years I, Vortigern, have been dormant and planning, was for this very day!"
Facing the torrential curtain of rain, standing at the very top of Londinium, the magic dragon that devoured light suddenly spread its arms.
Boom—
In the city of Londinium, a surging crimson blood light shot up into the sky, shaking the heavens. In the distant, vast curtain of rain, five similar blood-red lights that also pierced the sky suddenly shot up!
A thick, blood-red color slowly flowed over the land—it was the blood of the Celts and the Anglo-Saxons that had seeped into the earth over the years of constant struggle.
With Londinium as the center, an incomparably huge, blood-red magic circle that covered more than half of the center of the Isle of Britain was slowly taking shape.
Countless people in Britain looked up at the blood light that shot up into the sky in the rain, a strong sense of unease rising in their hearts.
"A national-level transmutation circle... old thing, you really know how to give people a surprise." Morgan looked at this scene with great astonishment. She had never thought that Vortigern was still hiding such a move.
"I see... I see! For more than twenty years of continuous warfare, you only drove away the Celts, deliberately dragging out the battle line back and forth. I was originally wondering how you were going to pull out that Star Anchor, because you were being repelled by the Inner Sea of the Planet... now I think I understand."
"That's right. My British body is being instinctively rejected by the Inner Sea of the Planet." Standing in the rain, Vortigern let out a disdainful sneer at the world. "My, Vortigern's, spirit is not even allowed to cross into it. But, do you think you can stop me like this? Weak, too weak—"
"The Lake's Trial has begun, the fairy lake is in turmoil, the rainwater of True Ether is seeping into reality. At this moment, it is the weakest moment of the barrier of Britain's Inner Sea of the Planet! And in the blood... is contained the soul..."
"I spent twenty years carving this national-level transmutation circle, which can confuse my spiritual foundation, allowing me to deceive the barrier of the Inner Sea of the Planet and let my spirit seep into it!"
"Spirit..." Su Shu looked at Vortigern with astonishment. "Dad, are you going to abandon your physical body?"
"That's right. The white dragon's body is rejected no matter what. But so what if I temporarily abandon my physical body? I, Vortigern, can suppress the Star Anchor with just my spirit!"
In this torrential curtain of rain, the national-level transmutation circle that covered the land took shape. A blood light surged out, dyeing the rainwater of Londinium a crimson red. The crimson fell, as if the world were bleeding. It was the pain that the magic dragon that devoured light had made the world feel.
Bathing in this vast expanse of blood, the old man raised his hand and gently ruffled the silver-haired youth's head.
"Londinium is temporarily entrusted to you, Alvin. I have always been most at ease with you. Wait for Father to return with the Holy Lance, and the return of the Age of Gods will be at hand!"
"Father..."
The burly old man stood in the blood rain, his eyes as if they had lost all their brilliance. The next moment,
"Keng—!!!"
A sonorous dragon's roar resounded, like a thunderous roar, shaking and sweeping away the gray and gloomy clouds.
Between heaven and earth, the phantom of a majestic white dragon soared straight up, straight into the nine heavens.
"In all the trials... you have made the most correct choice. Your aptitude simply amazes me, Artoria."
On a vast and quiet lake surface, filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers, as if isolated from the world, the Lady of the Lake, Vivian, stared at the blonde girl before her, her beautiful and flawless face couldn't help but show a moved expression.
Artoria, she had passed all the Lake's Trials with the momentum of a hot knife through butter. Various trials, various questions, various choices of human nature, she had almost handed in a perfect answer sheet.
Even... when Alvin's illusion confessed his love to her, faced with such a heart-wrenching inner demon, she did not hesitate for a second, directly swinging her sword down and sweeping it into a broken shadow.
"I don't need to know if that's an illusion," she said indifferently, her tone flat. "I only know that the Alvin who can be defeated by me like that is not him."
Shocking...
She both understood the human heart and possessed divinity. And the resolve she showed was so eye-catching...
"You are undoubtedly already an extremely outstanding king, Artoria. I acknowledge that you have the qualification to hold the Star Holy Sword."
The lake water spread and shook. A noble holy sword slowly rose up and was held in the palms of the graceful Lady of the Lake.
"However, before I bestow it upon you, you must answer one last question...—The sword and the scabbard, which do you think is more important?"
The answer to this question actually didn't matter. No matter how she answered, Vivian would bestow both the sword and the scabbard upon her. This was essentially a psychological test. The sword meant struggle, the scabbard meant protection. If she chose the sword, it meant she had the determination to open up everything. If she chose the scabbard, it meant she had a people she wanted to protect. The answer to this question could let Vivian understand the heart of the king before her, so as to give her some targeted advice.
However...
"—Neither is important."
She did not take the sword, nor did she take the scabbard. The blonde girl's unhesitating, resounding answer made the Lady of the Lake's mouth slightly agape. She had thought of countless answers. Choose the sword, choose the scabbard, explain her reasons, and even follow human greed and choose "I want them all."
But...
"You said..." Vivian, in disbelief, confirmed again, "what?"
"The sword and the scabbard are both not important."
Vivian was dumbfounded. She glanced at the nightmare magus squatting by the lake. What the hell did you teach the son of the red dragon?
The blind nightmare showed an incomparably complex expression. Sorry, I don't know, Vivian. Because... I can no longer be her teacher.
"Then..." Vivian couldn't help but ask, "—then what is important, Artoria?"
"Not having this ridiculous ceremony is very important to me."
Artoria clenched her palm. Walking onto the fairy lake, the awakened her realized Merlin's inducement. But the Lake's Trial had already begun, and she had no reason to retreat. She wanted to make that person face his own resolve. She wanted to prove that she could also strike down fate. She wanted to save Alvin from the path to hell.
"The fact that I will become a king is not something that can be decided by the recognition of a sword," she said loudly and resonantly. "Rather—if the sword recognizes me, who is destined to become a king, can it embody its value as a sword!"
Without any lingering attachment, Artoria, without taking either the sword or the scabbard, directly turned around and walked back towards the lake shore.
The nightmare stood up in shock. "Lily, you can't do this... you can't do this—!"
"None of your business."
She was leaving. She had already proven her resolve to become a king, and that was enough.
Alvin Pendragon, he was right. If you are prepared to fight against fate, then there is no need to fear death. She would use her own hands to turn around the sad future of Britain.
Stunned. Vivian stared almost blankly at the blonde girl's retreating back. Even though the Lady of the Lake was calm and composed, at this moment, she also felt an indescribable shock.
It was not the sword that had rejected her. It was she who disdained to pick up the sword.
What a... king!
Om—
The sword and scabbard in Vivian's hands suddenly let out a tremor. The Star Holy Sword flew straight into the air and floated beside Artoria.
And she... didn't even bother to glance at this sword.
The Lady of the Lake stared, silent and frozen. Staring at that divine armament, the Star Holy Sword, like a pug, fawningly following behind its master.
"Alvin, I'm going to save you."
Her figure disappeared into the mist on the lake shore.
——————————
Let's just casually do ten thousand words.
Wait, who is Wan? I command you to come up and be bent over by uncle!
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