I, Guinevere, am going to crush you, you curry stick, today!

In previous battles, she had discovered that these Shadow Spirits also interacted with the outside world through sight, hearing, or similar principles. That was why the "invisibility" effect of the Wind Mark could work on them. At this moment, the divine sword shone brightly, and her body made subtle adjustments in the air with the help of the wind. Like a flying squirrel, she swept over the heads of those corpses and flashed her sword at Leodogran, who had not yet fully raised his head!

clang!

With the two swords clashing, even though she didn't think the attack would work, Guinevere still clicked her tongue inwardly when she saw that her sword had actually been blocked.

Shadow Spirit raised her sword with her left hand to parry, and then thrust out with her right hand. However, she used the momentum in mid-air to retreat, and as she dodged, her free hand, with its sharp, black gauntlet like a dragon's claw, pressed against the forehead of the corpse beside her.

The blade grazed the armor, and the figure floated in the air like a butterfly free from its pull. Under the influence of the gust of wind, the surrounding leaves were still spinning. Guinevere's body also spun halfway around in that instant, grabbed the corpse's head, and pulled it to the side. Cathy Palug did not miss this opportunity, immediately pulling away from those cold hands and leaping onto the tree branch above her head.

The snow-white down was now stained with blood and dust, making it look much more disheveled than when it first appeared.

It ran forward.

The girl caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of her eye and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, the strange cat was clever enough not to waste her good intentions—now it was her turn.

As soon as she landed, the swords came straight at her. Guinevere's eyes turned cold. "Clang! Clang!" She deflected the two swords that were closing in on her with two swift movements. But in front of her, behind her, and from all directions, countless groups of corpses were staggering closer and closer.

In a one-on-one situation, although this Shadow Heroic Spirit with dual swords is extremely troublesome, she is confident that she can remain undefeated with the help of the Dragon Armor. However, now that she is surrounded, if she is entangled by these countless corpses, even the real Fafnir would probably be bitten a few times and have her skin peeled off. Moreover, she has no particular fetishes and does not want to play a human pyramid game with these corpses...

"They actually beat me to it. These young people these days." Not far away, the old man chuckled. "But it's fine this way. If I had come, I might have accidentally hurt that little cat..." Watching the surging tide of corpses and Guinevere, who had exchanged swords with the shadowy figure several times in the blink of an eye and was trying to retreat, he flipped his bow, reached out and drew an equally large arrow, nocked it on the string, and was about to release it.

The original purpose of this trip was to find an opportunity to capture Leodogran, which is now obviously impossible. However, the fact that he was able to unexpectedly save Cathy Palug, whom he had met once before, is not a bad outcome.

Perinoa, thinking to himself, was preparing to clear a path for the girl with his bow and arrows when suddenly, a strange power began to spread from the direction Cathy had run off in—

He turned his head sharply and saw a circle of pale green light visible to the naked eye, spreading across the forest like a gentle breeze, nourishing everything silently—an incredibly gentle aura.

But as the green light spread, starting from the outermost edge, a Pictish corpse suddenly twitched. At that moment, it seemed as if something left his body. Then came the second, the third, and so on. Wherever the green light passed, these "resurrected" dead fell one after another, as if they were facing death once again. In the blink of an eye, none of the hundreds of corpses gathered nearby were still standing. They all lay on the ground, their expressions peaceful, as if they were asleep.

The heavy, oppressive feeling that had been weighing on this forest all this time has vanished without a trace.

The two combatants were also affected by the green light—Guinevere felt her body lighten, and the power of the evil dragon seemed to have met its nemesis, quickly retreating back into her body. Her black dragon armor also disappeared. She was startled and subconsciously held her sword in front of her, taking several steps back before looking at the person in front of her.

But upon seeing that one look, she was suddenly stunned.

The black mist surrounding Leodogran was gradually dissipating, as if sunlight were shining down, revealing his slender and tall figure. But unlike the previous times, the man's gaze was no longer cold and empty, like that of a dead object.

In those eyes, the girl did indeed find something familiar.

Several guesses flashed through her mind in an instant, but she dared not confirm them, fearing disappointment. She hesitated, her eyes darting around. The tall, thin man simply looked down at her. After a moment, he released her, letting the short sword clatter to the ground. He hesitated, seemingly wanting to reach out and touch the girl, but frowned when he saw the blood on his palm.

"Fina..." In the end, she could only sigh, "You're still so impulsive."

"Father...Father? You've regained consciousness?" Guinevere opened her mouth, still somewhat incredulous.

“I was conscious the whole time… but I could only watch it all happen. You should have been ruthless and killed me the first time we met… that way, maybe fewer people would have died.”

Shaking his head, Leodogland turned to the other side: "In any case, thank you for your help, Mrs. Henney."

"Thank your daughter. She helped Cathy, and I'm just returning the favor on her behalf."

A mature and gentle woman's voice rang out. At the same time, a soft voice followed, calling out, "Fu-Fu-Fu! Fu!"

Guinevere also looked over.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have intervened." The voice was gentle and soothing, yet possessed an air of nobility. With just those two short sentences, the girl had already imagined a graceful and haughty noblewoman, the strange cat nestled in her lap like a docile pet…

The rustling of the wind, the sound of footsteps that seemed a little too heavy for a woman, and then Guinevere finally remembered what the name Leod Gren had just called her meant.

Mrs. Henney, the mother of Cathy Palug.

At that time, this name was known to everyone in Britain.

Its owner is a... demonic boar with snow-white fur, powerful magic, and an extremely long lifespan.

……

P.S.: I thought I wouldn't make it... Remember to vote!

Chapter 209 A Sudden Turn of Events

Although they are all called demonic boars, unlike their bloodthirsty and belligerent kin who have not yet shed their animalistic instincts, the Heneven enjoys a very high reputation in human society because of their gentle and indifferent nature.

Many farmers even regard it as the god of harvest, and worship it every year. The oldest festival has a history of more than 300 years, which shows how long its lifespan is.

According to legend, Hennessy existed long before the gods roamed the earth and once accompanied them, thus gaining profound wisdom and magical power that was unmatched by ordinary people.

Whether the rumor is true or false, as a long-lived and unassuming powerful being, Henevin was worthy of the respect of any mortal king, and even those extraordinary beings who could summon wind and rain and possess unfathomable supernatural powers would often politely address her as "Madam" when they met her.

Guinevere herself had participated in a rural festival where people danced around a bonfire and shared food, which was no different from other festival celebrations.

But now that she saw the real thing appear, she suddenly remembered that everyone seemed to be praying to "Lady Henives" for a good harvest in the coming year while also feasting on wild boar meat... Although she knew that demonic boars and wild boars were actually two different concepts, and that beings like Henives who had lived for so long could hardly be described as demonic boars, the girl still couldn't help but feel a little strange.

On the other hand, she was also filled with a strong sense of absurdity. Learning of the approaching zombie horde and attempting to capture Leodogran with Perinoa was inherently risky. Before the operation, she had made up her mind, considering the worst-case scenario—being forced to kill her own family if necessary—and had privately rehearsed it several times… But from just now until now, after a series of unexpected events, with the appearance of a cat and a pig, her father had actually recovered.

This was certainly a good thing, but for the girl herself, it was like punching cotton with all her might, leaving her feeling empty and indescribably uncomfortable. Fortunately, none of the other people and non-humans present seemed to notice her subtle feelings, which saved Guinevere from further embarrassment.

Leodogran had been hesitating about whether to pat his daughter's head, but this interruption made him abandon the idea. He turned around and bowed to the plump white pig, his body covered in blood but still exuding elegance: "Whatever the reason, your help is a fact, and Leodogran will repay this kindness."

Henney snorted: "Son of man, if you are truly sincere, why not repeat what you just said using your worldly title?"

Leod Ogren and the King of Scotland represent completely different things. The middle-aged man smiled upon hearing this: "You can see through my little schemes. But in Lady Henney's eyes, what difference is there between a human being and a kingdom? They are all just fleeting clouds, dust that will eventually vanish."

Save your glib tongue. I do have a problem, but neither you nor your kingdom can help.

During the conversation, Paci, who had been lying on its back, suddenly jumped towards Guinevere, perhaps feeling bored.

The girl was about to reach out to catch it when a white shadow flashed past, and the small figure disappeared again.

His hands froze in mid-air, a moment of bewilderment, then he heard footsteps approaching; it was Perinoa walking towards him. Henniven's gaze also turned towards him.

Guinevere initially thought the other person was looking at the old man behind her, but then she realized that the gaze was actually fixed on the sword of light at her waist.

"If you wish to repay this debt, then try to deal with the current problems in the North. You may not have noticed yet, but the aura of death is growing stronger on this land. The life force of humans, beasts, and even nature itself is constantly waning."

“I don’t yet know what the purpose of the person behind this is, but it is obvious that if we continue to let the situation deteriorate, my child and I will also be dragged into it,” Henwin said calmly.

The girl exchanged a glance with Leodogland, and saw in his eyes a worry and caution no less than her own.

The middle-aged man sighed: "For the past few days, I have been imprisoned in my body by some inexplicable force, and can only watch helplessly as 'myself' continues to kill... the people of Scotland, and the few remaining Picts. Even without you, Mrs. Henney, this is a problem we have to face."

"Besides, this young girl came here specifically to resolve this issue. She knows more about this than any of us do—you might even need to consult her."

Perinoa shook his head, his messy, graying hair swaying back and forth, as he spoke while patting the girl's back repeatedly.

But he forgot that Guinevere was not protected by the Dragon Armor at this time, and he slapped her so hard that she stumbled and almost fell, and he quickly went to help her up.

Seeing this, Leodogrand couldn't help but smile wryly. It had been less than half a year since Guinevere left Scotland. He wondered what had happened to her. Not only had she met the elusive King of the Islands, but she had also acquired all sorts of strange things: a majestic yet ominous black armor, a cracked sword that was clearly no ordinary weapon, and her obviously improved swordsmanship. All of this filled him with surprise and, at the same time, a sense of satisfaction.

She truly is my daughter.

But a memory from the past suddenly flashed through his mind, causing his gaze to sharpen slightly, and his initial surprise was tinged with a strange feeling.

Leodogran hid his feelings very well, and it seemed that no one present noticed. However, that fleeting memory fell into the eyes of a white dove in mid-air.

Inside the holy site.

Musashi was slightly taken aback when he saw the water mirror reflecting the purple-haired woman's palm suddenly shatter, turning into a shower of droplets.

Turning his head, he saw that Neof's eyes were flashing, and she looked as if she had learned something amazing, her face full of astonishment. Although Neof seemed to be a carefree and uninhibited person, Musashi, who had met many people over the past few days, naturally understood that she was actually the type who was very shrewd and did not easily reveal her emotions.

This was the first time she had ever seen such obvious and genuine emotion on the purple-haired woman's face.

"what happened?"

Hearing Musashi's question, Neof snapped out of her daze and suppressed her shock: "It's nothing. I just... learned a little bit about something incredible."

Musashi thought for a moment and laughed: "Out of politeness, I shall probably restrain my curiosity and not ask you what this 'amazing thing' is."

“Then you are very polite.” The purple-haired woman shook her head and smiled. The genuine astonishment she had shown vanished instantly, replaced by her usual relaxed demeanor. “Actually, it’s not a secret. We saw Guinevere as a child in the memories of that Scottish king…”

Her smile suddenly took on a sly glint: "The little princess was so small then, so very small... still nestled in a warm swaddling cloth. You know, babies, after eating and drinking, often can't avoid that..."

"I see." Musashi feigned sudden realization. "It is indeed something extraordinary. But is this all there is?"

“If we answered yes, you certainly wouldn’t believe it. But in fact, all we saw was this: Leo Dogland taking the wailing little princess from someone else… that’s all.”

Her tone remained as light and cheerful as ever, but suddenly Neof's appearance shifted, transforming from a purple-haired woman in a bodysuit into an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman. Before Musashi could ask, she explained, "We can't maintain one appearance for too long; we have to change it regularly… Well, with Mrs. Henney here, we shouldn't have to worry about Guinevere and the others. Let's look at the other side…"

As she spoke casually, she sketched runes with her fingers, and the illusory water mirror reappeared. Seeing that Neof was trying to change the subject, Musashi wisely did not pursue the matter further.

As for the claim that she needs to change her appearance periodically, nobody believes that. Aside from the pigeons and the purple-haired woman, she hasn't seen Neoph transform into a third form these past few days.

If we don't count the giant pigeons that are a meter tall.

But the reason for Neof's surprise must be genuine. What exactly did she see in Leodogran's memories to elicit such astonishment... and considering her subsequent actions, could it be related to the original purple-haired woman whose appearance was borrowed?

The thought flashed through her mind, but before Musashi could think any further, the image that appeared in the water mirror made her turn pale. She forgot about her injuries and subconsciously struggled to get up from the bed.

At the same time, the water mirror that Neof had just conjured shattered again. Amidst the splashing water, she turned her head, her expression ashen: "That was... the monster that once defeated us—"

……

"So, young child, you believe that all of this was done by Nieman?"

After listening to Guinevere's explanation, Henriven did not show any surprise, but simply asked in a calm tone.

This unexpected reaction startled the girl slightly. Without waiting for Guinevere's reply, it paused for a moment before continuing, "The power to turn the dead into the living does indeed come from what you say, but have you ever considered that if these dead are able to act because of Neman, then how did Neman himself awaken?"

"You mean, besides Neman, there are other people behind this?" Guinevere asked hastily.

"Not necessarily. But a long time ago, I had the privilege of seeing the living Danu people. At that time, Niman, although known as the Goddess of Death, did not possess the power she has now... She was more adept at controlling her own and others' minds."

A leaf slowly drifted down, and Heniwen watched it fall to the ground bit by bit: "Of all the things I know, only the Eye of Barol can possess such pure and powerful death energy."

"As far as I know, Nieman was so obsessed with the Eye of Barol that he spent a long time trying to create a similar fake..."

This was what she had heard from Nemium. As the original first-in-line vessel, Nemium inherited most of the memories of this Goddess of Death, so her words were quite credible. After saying this, Heneven remained noncommittal, only wagging its tail: "Perhaps so, or perhaps there is another reason. You can search for the real reason. As long as death has not threatened my children, I will not truly participate in this battle."

“Of course. But if you, Mrs. Henney, ever run into any trouble, you can always turn to us for help. Scotland will always be your ally—” Leod Gren continued.

"Nothing lasts forever in this world, but I will remember your promise, son of man. Now, return to your own land and do your best to stop death."

Henwin looked at the girl again: "And young child, you must know that everything has a price. What you drive will also lead you to death. You can choose to accept it completely, or destroy it while there is still time, instead of using it like this and fantasizing that you will not have to pay any price."

“The matter was already settled, but since you saved Paci, I’ll lend you another hand.” It stretched out its front paw and gently pressed down. The fallen leaf suddenly emitted a soft light, then gently floated up and stuck to Guinevere’s forehead. In the blink of an eye, it melted into her, turning into a tattoo-like pattern.

The girl reached out and touched her forehead, finding it smooth and without any abnormalities. As the pattern, somewhat similar to the Wind Mark, appeared, the restless dragon power within her seemed to calm down considerably.

While she was still wondering what had happened, Leodogland realized that Henriven had no intention of harming her. Although he didn't understand what had happened, he still thanked her on behalf of his daughter, saying, "Thank you, Madam."

Guinevere, realizing what was happening, quickly thanked him as well. Henriven seemed to smile slightly: "You can continue to use this power, but you must always be mindful of your emotional fluctuations, especially anger—the more intense the anger, the easier it is to resonate with it. And what happens after complete resonance, I suppose I don't need to elaborate further."

Those who bear the curse of the dragon will eventually become the dragon themselves. This was something Merlin had warned about many times before, and the girl understood, so she nodded: "I understand."

"Young child, I hope you can still keep your true self when we meet again. That's all I have to say. I'm taking Paci with me now. Take care of yourselves."

After speaking, the legendary boar slowly turned around and took a few steps back in the direction it came from. Cathy Palug jumped down from some tree branch and climbed onto her mother's back. The cat and the boar slowly disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Once their figures had completely disappeared, Leodogland slowly shook his head and exhaled, "I didn't expect even Lady Henneyen to be paying attention to this. I thought that even if all of Britain were destroyed, it would still continue to live in seclusion..."

"Simply put, we've gained a very powerful ally, isn't that a good thing? You, you're always thinking about random things, that's why you're still so thin no matter how much meat you eat!"

Perinoa raised his enormous hand, but before it could strike, the middle-aged man dodged to the side, causing him to miss. The two exchanged a smile, and Leodogland looked at the girl beside him: "Fina, this time..."

Before he could finish speaking, Guinevere offered her head to him without waiting for him to raise his hand. Leodogran was slightly taken aback, but then smiled and ruffled her hair, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."

The girl squinted and chuckled.

Knowing the seriousness of the situation, the father and daughter did not exchange any more pleasantries. Although he was very concerned about what Guinevere had encountered on her trip, Leo Grant still planned to find out at another time. This would also give him a reasonable opportunity to spend more time alone with his daughter—although outsiders might not think so, he had always valued this.

"And there is also King Lauperinoa."

"Why are we being so polite between us!" the old man waved his hand. "You've always had a plan. What should we do next?"

Leodogran seemed to have considered this question beforehand, and immediately replied, "Our immediate priority is to return to the Wall of Antony and inform everyone of the current situation. Then..."

"This is no longer necessary."

These unexpected words interrupted the middle-aged man's speech. The three of them looked up and saw a white dove descending from the sky, which was one of Neof's clones.

"What did you say was unnecessary?" Guinevere asked, but the old man beside her was focusing on something else: "Hey, little pigeon, why didn't you croak this time?"

Nioph the pigeon ignored Perinoa's question and looked directly at Leodogran. Though her expression was unreadable, her tone was more serious than ever: "The Orkney's royal city barrier is still intact, but it probably won't hold for much longer. And your city wall has been destroyed. We only saw the horde of corpses spreading into your kingdom, a vast and countless force—"

"How is that possible? The Antony Wall is..."

The middle-aged man frowned.

But he was interrupted before he could finish speaking: "Nothing is impossible—the enemy we face is a genuine god. If you don't believe me, you can go back and see for yourselves, but the most important thing now is to find a way to stop those corpses and shadow spirits before your people are slaughtered. Otherwise..."

Niove said coldly, "You may become a king who has lost his country."

P.S.: I'm really sorry for the two-day delay~ But I've managed to revise the outline a bit, so it shouldn't be too boring... Well, actions speak louder than words, so please remember to vote and don't abandon this project~