Chapter 49: The Shining Tower at the End of the World
Artoria returned to the royal court.
The smile on her face was as if nothing had happened, and her light steps and firm voice continued to inspire this nascent kingdom and all the subjects living in it—work a little harder, just a little harder, and life will get better!
No, to be precise, life had already gotten better, hadn't it?
Although invasions by the foreign tribes still occurred from time to time, brave knights had already been dispatched to the southern border in droves. Lancelot, Percival, Tristan... The King bid farewell to these outstanding knights one by one, promising a grand celebration upon their triumphant return.
At this time, Camelot's, no, the Britons' military strength was unprecedentedly powerful!
Victory in the war was in sight, and even Artoria herself believed that she was only one step away from the true "Ideal Kingdom."
"But how to take this step... is really a big problem!"
"Merlin, is there really nothing we can do about that demonic dragon?"
Only when she was alone, the King, who had reverted to her girlish form, would lie on the table and vent a little of her frustration.
Against the demonic dragon that had merged with the entire island of Britain, ordinary attacks were absolutely useless—even if there was an attack that could completely kill him, Artoria had to carefully consider the consequence of whether it would also destroy the island.
After all, her goal was not to eliminate Vortiggen, but to save this island that was already in a post-apocalyptic state.
"Isn't there a way to directly erase Vortigern's soul without harming his body?"
Here, Artoria was really just asking casually.
But, should one praise the King's keen intuition or her progress in the field of [Mysticism]?
"There is."
The magician answered easily.
He carefully observed the girl's eyes—when those jade-green eyes, which had been filled with confusion and gloom, instantly lit up, he smiled with satisfaction.
"What you're talking about can actually be easily achieved."
"Ah?"
"Just as the saying goes, 'the antidote is always within ten steps'."
"The way to save this island is actually right by your side."
...
The Dragon's Sanctuary, the Mausoleum of Light.
Under Merlin's guidance, Artoria, filled with excitement, rushed here at the fastest possible speed.
"Little dragon, little dragon—"
She couldn't wait to share this good news with her closest partner and comrade-in-arms.
But no one answered her.
"Lord White Dragon God, Lord White Dragon God!"
Artoria thought for a moment and called out in a relatively formal tone to the white dragon who was up to who knows what.
Clang—
This time, the door of the Mausoleum of Light opened.
But the one who came out was not the little dragon Artoria was expecting—but Vena, who had been temporarily left in this mausoleum as the priestess of the White Dragon God.
"My King, welcome."
"Ah, you're asking about Lord God—he went out, said he was going to see an old woman who has lived for who knows how many years."
"By the way, he asked me to tell you not to wait for him, and not to believe that magician's words."
"He will find a way to deal with the matter of the White Dragon King."
"???"
...
The Reverse Side of the World.
While Artoria was still bewildered, Bailong had already met with that "old woman who has lived for who knows how many years."
However, the meeting place was not in the Land of Shadows, but in Bailong's own sanctuary.
"Ah, a secret realm full of the breath of life!"
"You've chosen a good place for yourself."
The goddess of the underworld walked in this secret realm that had been officially named [Avalon]. She felt the breath of life rushing towards her, couldn't help but take a few deep breaths, her face showing an expression of intoxication.
Speaking of which, she had actually suffered from "graduating too early."
When she "graduated" from this world, it was still the peak of the Age of Gods. Gods, fairies, dragons... those phantasmal species still existed on the surface, which meant there were no other secret realms in this Reverse Side of the World for her to choose from.
"If you like it, you can stay here permanently in the future."
Bailong said casually—but this was by no means a false pleasantry.
He didn't need to be polite with Scáthach. They were both beings of the same level, so they could just say whatever they wanted.
"Ah, staying permanently is probably not for me. After all, someone like me is used to places where you can't see the sun all year round—"
Scáthach looked up at the shining "sun" in front of her.
—The Tower of Light standing at the end of the world, the Pillar of Light anchoring the surface of the world, the Holy Spear of the Star [Rhongomyniad].
"Ah, it's this spear!"
Seeing this spear, Scáthach already understood why Bailong had suddenly come to find her.
"What, has the end of the world already arrived?"
...
[Rhongomyniad] was a weapon prepared for the end of the world.
Bailong had actually known this for a long time.
In the original history, Artoria had used this Holy Spear of the Star to kill Vortigern, who had already transformed into a demonic dragon. This directly led to Vortigern's last words, "I didn't expect even Rhongomyniad to be granted. ...A bunch of fools. To defeat a tyrant, you've brought about an even greater destruction."
But the information about this holy spear ended there.
Bailong was very concerned about what "an even greater destruction" meant, but he didn't believe that magician's words.
Although that magician never lied, at a time like this, whoever believed him was being irresponsible to themselves.
So, Bailong found Scáthach—this elder who had lived long enough and knew everything, hoping to get a correct answer from her.
"You're asking me what Rhongomyniad is?"
"Hmm... it's actually many things."
Faced with a student's sincere request for guidance, Scáthach's "Shishou" mode came online again.
"It's an anchor, a pillar, a manifestation of the world's will, and also a powerful weapon."
"But I think, the answer you really want to hear is probably this:"
"This tower is a key."
"A key?"
"Yes, the key to open the end of the world."
"No matter for what purpose—the moment this holy spear is drawn, it means the beginning of the end of the world."
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