In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

"Oh dear, your temper is as volatile as ever." Sesshouin Kiara shrugged helplessly. "I came here specifically to deliver information to you, and this is how you treat me?"

“I don’t think you’d be that kind,” Yanan said coldly.

“That makes sense. After all, I am a ‘Demon Bodhisattva,’ and I don’t do business at a loss.” Sesshouin Kihara covered her mouth and chuckled. “So, one day, I will collect my reward from you, but not now.”

Anan's gaze grew increasingly cold, and the Heavenly Judgment in his hand burned with raging flames, ready to strike at any moment.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Honestly, I really don't know what kind of woman can stand a boring man like you." Sesshouin Kiara shook his head helplessly.

But soon, her face returned to that captivating, alluring smile, and she extended two slender, pale white fingers.

"I've come here to tell you two things."

"First, the preparations on Camelot's side are almost complete, the Tower of Radiance has been fully charged, and the Lion King will soon begin the 'Holy Cultivation'. You don't have much time left."

"Secondly, beware of Merlin."

Chapter Thirty-Six: Beware of Merlin

"Be careful of Merlin." Anan's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

“Oh dear, it would be pointless to talk about this. You’re supposed to be the ‘savior,’ so isn’t finding the truth part of your responsibility?” Sesshouin Kihara said with a smile.

Yanan's pupils suddenly contracted. How did this woman know he was the savior?

However, when he saw the playful smile on Sesshouin Kiara's lips, he immediately realized what was going on and couldn't help but curse inwardly.

He'd been scammed by this woman!

Seeing Anan's increasingly gloomy face, Sesshouin Kiara smiled and said, "Alright, don't act like I'm taking advantage of you. It's just an identity. You should know that I'll find out sooner or later, right?"

Yanan remained silent, a sense of annoyance rising within him. He knew this guy was an expert at manipulating people, yet he hadn't been vigilant enough; he had been far too careless.

He squinted at Sesshouin Kihara, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his pitch-black eyes. This woman was far too dangerous; she was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, her cold eyes constantly watching her prey, her tongue flicking out, ready to pounce and kill at any moment.

He had a premonition that if he didn't get rid of this woman soon, endless troubles would be waiting for him in the future.

However, this time the opponent appeared too hastily, and he was not prepared in advance. If a fight breaks out, it may affect the Holy Roman Empire, which is not far from here, and even attract the attention of the Lion King.

At that time, he might be the one in danger.

Should we take action or not...?

"You want to kill me over such a trivial matter? You're not only short-tempered, but you also seem a bit petty." Sensing Anan's murderous intent, Sesshouin Kiara helplessly shrugged, but there was no fear on her face. "Fine, fine, I can't beat you right now. How about we compromise? I'll give you a hint, consider it my bargaining chip for redeeming myself, how about that?"

Although he knew the woman might not have good intentions, Yanan couldn't help but ask, "What hint?"

"Why don't you guess why, out of all the Heroic Spirits that descended before, only that little girl who liked to sing was safe and sound?" Sesshouin Kiara's lips curled into a mysterious smile. "Alright, that's enough hints. The rest of the truth is up to you to discover."

A dark rift unfolded behind Sesshouin Kiara. Before stepping into it, she suddenly turned around and smiled sweetly at Anan:

"Oh, and one more thing, although our positions are somewhat different, I still sincerely hope that you can save this world, Mr. Savior~"

Anan watched expressionlessly as Sesshouin Kiara stepped into the dark rift, and he didn't make a move until the rift closed.

Watching the dangerous woman disappear, Melusin breathed a slight sigh of relief, her tense body gradually relaxing. She turned to look at Anan's cold profile, hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you make a move just now?"

Although that woman is very strong, if the two of them join forces, they might still have a chance to stay.

The burning heavenly fire gradually died down, and the fiery red greatsword dissipated into spiritual particles. Anan shook his head slightly: "It's meaningless."

In fact, he hesitated for less than half a second before deciding to take action against Sesshouin Kihara, and even the Calamity was already poised to strike.

However, just to be on the safe side, he still planned to use Yu Duchen's mental abilities to interfere with the opponent first, and then deliver a fatal blow.

It was this cautious action that led him to discover some clues.

The Sesshouin standing in front of him showed absolutely no fluctuations of spiritual power!

Every living thing will inevitably generate spiritual power, even a small flower or blade of grass is no exception.

But he couldn't sense any spiritual power from that Sesshouin at all; it was as if she were just a cold, lifeless stone standing there.

Anan didn't believe that Sesshouin was strong enough to block Yu Duchen's exploration. The only explanation was that the one that appeared before wasn't her at all.

It could be a doll, or it could be a stand-in.

As for the real Sesshouin herself, she was probably hiding somewhere, quietly observing the situation.

Anan believed that the true Sesshouin should be hiding in 'All Desires of This Moment'.

When Sesshouin appeared just now, he did indeed sense the aura of a demonic bodhisattva. Neither the doll nor the substitute could possibly imitate that aura. The only explanation is that the real Sesshouin was actually nearby.

Through the perception of space by the Thousand Realms One Vehicle, Anaen did not detect any spatial disturbances nearby; everything seemed so natural.

The only exception was the dark rift that appeared along with Sesshouin earlier, which was the entrance to 'All Desire at This Moment'.

It was precisely because Yanan realized this that he did not choose to take action.

Firstly, she was worried about alerting the enemy, and secondly, she wanted to avoid revealing too many of her methods so that Sesshouin would be on guard.

Even a centipede with a hundred legs will not fall down when dead. When facing such a dangerous enemy, you must ensure that you can kill him with one blow. Otherwise, even if he is left with only one breath, he will definitely cause endless trouble.

In his previous life, Yanan had witnessed countless instances of people being killed while barely alive, and he certainly didn't want to become one of them due to carelessness someday.

Melusin didn't quite understand what Yanan meant by "meaningless," and thought he meant that even if the two of them worked together, they couldn't defeat the other.

This made her a little unconvinced, and she puffed out her cheeks, saying, "I'm very strong. Although that woman is also very strong, I'm a dragon!"

Yanan chuckled and reached out to ruffle the little girl's hair.

Melusin paused slightly, her face turning bright red.

This was the first time someone had ever touched her head...

Yanan was also a little embarrassed. Although Melusin looked very young, she was actually almost his ancestor. So he had never touched Melusin's head like that before. This was a subconscious action. By the time he realized it, it was too late.

But I must say, it really feels pretty good...

He coughed lightly, pretending nothing had happened, and moved his hand away, saying, "Of course I know you're strong, but that woman was just a substitute. Even if you killed her, it wouldn't make a difference."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Melusin's eyes. It was unclear whether she had heard Yanan's explanation or not; she simply gave a soft "hmm."

To escape the awkwardness, Anaen quickly changed the subject, saying, "By the way, Melusin, do you remember what Sesshouin said about Nero earlier?"

Merlin's attention was indeed diverted, and she frowned slightly, asking, "You mean why Merlin singled out Nero?"

“That’s right.” Anan nodded. “If I remember correctly, Tristan, Gawain, and you were in charge of hunting Servants before. Why did you hunt the other Servants but let Nero go?”

“Well… I’m not really sure either.” Merlin shook her head. “The three of us were just following Merlin’s instructions. She told us to capture those Heroic Spirits, and so we went. As for why Nero was the only one spared… she didn’t explain it to us.”

"Is that so?" Yanan frowned slightly.

“However, once when I was passing through the hall, I overheard Tristan complaining to Merlin that many refugees had fled to the Holy Roman Empire, making it increasingly difficult to find the Chosen Ones. He suggested that she should just lead a group there and raze it to the ground,” Merlin recalled.

"As a result, Merlin did not agree," Yanan said. This was an easy conclusion to draw, since Camelot had not attacked the Holy Roman Empire at all so far, not even a single probing attack.

Melusine nodded her little head: "Merlin said at the time, 'It's not the right time yet, she can't meet that woman for the time being.'"

Anan raised an eyebrow slightly. From this, it seemed that Merlin wasn't incapable of dealing with Nero, but rather unwilling.

Is she afraid of something?

Anan shook his head. Although Nero possessed imperial privileges and extraordinary abilities such as resurrection three times, how could she possibly stand against the entire Camelot on her own?

Merlin is clearly waiting for an opportunity, and when that opportunity arrives, it will probably be the time for her to make her move against Nero.

A sudden, inexplicable thought arose in Anahn's mind: Could it be that Merlin was waiting for "Saint Bachelor"?

But logically speaking, completing the "Saintly" is the Lion King's ultimate goal. If that time comes, what would be the point of Merlin attacking Nero?

Unless, Saint Bahamas is not their ultimate goal...

Anan rubbed his temples. Sesshouin Kiara's arrival this time made him feel that the dark secrets hidden behind this world were probably deeper than he had imagined.

In particular, Sesshouin's words, "Beware of Merlin," cast a shadow over his heart.

The woman didn't even mention the Lion King, but instead singled out Merlin. Did she think Merlin was more dangerous than the Lion King?

Yanan had always felt that Merlin of this world was shrouded in a huge fog, something he couldn't see or understand.

She is like an invisible giant hand, manipulating the trajectory of this world at will; her figure seems to be visible everywhere.

Such an enemy is the one that Yanan is least adept at dealing with, because apart from herself, no one knows what her purpose is or how many tricks she has up her sleeve.

And now it seems that they have very little time left.

Yanan took a deep breath and flew towards the Holy Roman Empire like a shooting star.

In any case, they must prepare in advance!

Card 37: Take the initiative and defeat them one by one.

Upon returning to the Holy Roman Empire, Anaen immediately summoned everyone to Nero's palace and relayed the news that Sesshouin Kiara had told him to everyone.

Of course, to avoid causing any unnecessary trouble, he did not mention Sesshouin Kiara's identity as a "beast".

The sheer volume of information left everyone momentarily overwhelmed and disoriented.

Nero, in particular, never imagined that the reason she was able to survive was because Merlin didn't want to see her for the time being.

"Could it be that something unpredictable will happen after His Highness Nero meets Merlin? Like how potassium metal burns when it comes into contact with water?" Leonardo da Vinci said, half-jokingly and half-guessing.

“That’s unlikely,” Roman said via the virtual screen from Chaldea. “There is no information showing that Merlin and Nero were ever connected. One was active from 37 to 68 AD, and the other was active around 500 AD. The time difference is too great.”

Nero nodded in agreement: "In my time, the country of Camelot didn't even exist, let alone Merlin."

"I understand!" Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly slammed her hand on the table, drawing everyone's attention.

"Senior, what do you understand?" Mashu asked curiously.

“It must be because Merlin is scared!” Fujimaru Ritsuka said confidently. “Just like in the manga, when the protagonist is cornered, he suddenly transforms and beats up the villain. Prince Nero might even become a ‘Super Nero’ or something.”

"What is this 'Super Nero'? Your words make me think that His Highness Nero is going to suddenly turn into light or something," Roman retorted mercilessly.

However, when he saw Nero's thoughtful expression, his face stiffened. Could it be that he could really transform?

“‘Super Nero’...that’s a good idea. To become something that surpasses Rome? Maybe I can try it sometime in the future, after all, I am the supreme emperor.” Nero said with a confident look on his face.

It was just an idea after all... Roman breathed a sigh of relief. He had been imagining what Nero would look like in his gigantic form.

Everything else is fine, but the problem is she's wearing a dress, and it's semi-transparent at that...

“I suspect Merlin might need Nero to accomplish something, like a formation,” Anahn said.