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

She was still worried about how to get the other person to talk, but before she could come up with a solution, Terena suddenly started babbling on and on.

But… Artoria glanced worriedly at Fina, who was enveloped in light. She didn't hide her feelings, because she understood one thing: the more obvious her worries were, the more smug Terena would be, and the more smug Terena was, the more useful information she might reveal. She understood all of this in an instant, but… her heart still felt heavy.

Although he knew that defeating Terena at this moment might not necessarily resolve her strange condition, he also knew that doing so would put his companion in danger.

Fina...

"...You already know of the existence of the Seven Nightmare Sons. You also know my entire plan. Of the seven, the eldest and third sons have been defeated, but that doesn't matter, because the one about to descend is the strongest of the seven—"

"The fifth son."

Artoria let out a soft breath: "According to Fina, for the Seven to come to the mortal world, there must be 'vessels' that match their respective natures. Like that demonic boar, Fina is also a vessel you chose." Her tone was certain.

Terenas laughed: "Yes. I thought there was no hope, but the little brat was so obedient that she actually came to me on her own initiative... This has been a great help. You know, she is the most satisfactory vessel I have ever had."

"If she hadn't come, between Sir Tristan and King Marco, which of the two was your original choice?"

"Is it important?"

A sneer.

Artoria lowered her eyelids slightly, withdrawing her thoughtful gaze: "So, in your eyes, Fina is even more valuable than these two. The fifth son symbolizes 'the great one,' and even if she is a princess of Scotland, she should not be as valuable as the king of this place."

“A princess is certainly not as good as that. But what if we add the Holy Sword Wielder—” Seemingly pleased to see the astonishment on the person before her, Terena’s expression became even more delightful: “The stronger the vessel, the stronger the power that those beings lurking in the nightmares will possess when they come to the mortal world. Back then, I didn’t hesitate to steal the Star Holy Sword from Avalon right under the noses of Vivian, Nini Anne, and Merlin, just so that the Fifth Son could descend in his strongest form and become my most loyal puppet.”

"But I traveled far and wide and found that no one could wield this holy sword. In the end, the only one who could barely use it was a little girl. So I not only tampered with the holy sword, but also gave her the Wind Mark. Even if she can't truly use the power of this Star Holy Sword, the combination of a half-baked holy swordsman, one of the Nine Witches of the Lake, and a member of the royal family of the mortal world is enough to give the Fifth Son unprecedented power. Once he descends, not to mention you, even the lowly King Vortigern will be no match for him!"

"The ceremony has begun! When the light fades, you will understand with your lives what true power is." With arms outstretched, Terena revealed a fanatical smile: "Or you can choose to kill her, or try to kill me and see if you can stop the Fifth Son's descent. Come, I'll stand here; I won't run away, I won't resist. If you want to kill me, just come at me with your sword. Anyway..."

Her chilling gaze swept over the four people present, some conscious and some unconscious. She smiled sinisterly, seemingly completely unprepared and waiting to be killed. But upon hearing her laughter and seeing her eyes, both Artoria and Royal felt a chill run down their spines.

"...You are about to die."

P.S.: This is a 4,000-word chapter, and I felt it was a bit difficult to break up in the middle, so I decided to post it all at once~

Actually, I felt this part was explained a bit too hastily and rushed. I originally wanted to rewrite it, but then I thought better of it. This part has already dragged on long enough; I don't even know how I got to chapter sixty... I believe everyone is probably not too attached to this fat witch anymore, so let's quickly explain everything that needs to be explained and then jump into the next chapter—that's about it. This part should be finished in a few more chapters~ Remember to vote!

Chapter Sixty-One: A Shocking Turn of Events (Part 1)

The change was sudden. Even as the scabbard glowed, Guinevere sensed something was wrong and was about to let go when the light swept over her even faster. Everything went white, and the surrounding figures were swallowed up by the light, leaving only an endless, terrifying expanse of pale white.

Being in this environment, not only her vision was affected, but also the other senses. Her eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body were all lost, and her connection with the outside world was severed. If she could not still think freely, the girl would almost think that she was already dead.

She wasn't sure how others perceived her at that moment. Perhaps she appeared perfectly normal, or even if she did, neither Royal nor Artoria, who were present, could necessarily save her… Jumping from one thought to another felt like a mere blink of an eye, yet also like an eternity. The initial panic still lingered in her heart, but for some reason, Guinevere's inner peace surprised even herself.

At that moment, I felt as if I had become two people. One of them stood there blankly, eyes vacant and lifeless, body stiff as a corpse. Yet within this "corpse" existed another self, an uneasy self. Fear, doubt, panic, and worry filled my heart, and despite my efforts to suppress them, all sorts of negative emotions surged forth from the depths of my heart like a tidal wave.

But they understand fear.

In a sense, it is proof of being alive.

The Holy Sword had indeed been tampered with—

She suddenly realized.

Looking back, she realized that ten years ago, only she could draw her sword within the palace, which might have been a deliberate act by Terena. She had once suspected this, but Terena's nonchalant attitude and lack of ambition for fame or fortune eventually led her to believe in the so-called chosen one theory. After all, she was a time traveler, so it wouldn't be surprising if she possessed some special abilities... What if all of this was man-made?

If this is a conspiracy.

What could Terenas's purpose be?

According to Royal, her plan was to bring several monsters lurking deep within the nightmares into the world. The prerequisite for their arrival was a sacrifice… Terenas knew of four in total: her eldest and third sons were a demonic boar and a bone bird, both of which had been defeated; the remaining two were the fifth and sixth monsters.

She did remember that the sixth child meant "sweet words," and the fifth child meant "a great person." A corresponding vessel was required as a sacrifice for them to possess a body and come into reality… She only assumed that Terenas had chosen Tristan, the future renowned Knight of the Round Table, the former prince of Ronua, and the nephew of the King of Cornwall—impeccable in terms of background, reputation, and strength, perfectly fitting the definition of "a great person."

Therefore, when discussing the next steps with Al and Royal, the priority was to prevent Terena from harming Tristan.

"but……"

"What if I myself was one of the chosen sacrifices..."

"Isn't that just like home delivery...?"

Thinking of this, Guinevere couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. But it was at this moment that the colors around her suddenly underwent a subtle, almost imperceptible change. Within the previously pale hue, extremely fine black lines seemed to suddenly appear, winding their way from the edge of her vision, weaving into an enormous spiderweb—

Faintly, a sound could be heard.

"...Are you tempted too?"

"It's rare to find a container that fits all of us—"

One voice was high-pitched and shrill, the other soft and feminine, yet they sounded like two young men in their early twenties. The girl couldn't help but listen intently, for she understood that this voice, seemingly coming from a very distant place, might be the only clue she had: "Wait, I know this woman, she's the one who destroyed my vessel last time!"

It was that shrill, piercing voice. After a slight pause, she continued, "And Big Brother, it seems he was also brought back by this guy... Let's just tear her to shreds!"

"Big brother, the vessel I destroyed..." A thought flashed through her mind, and Guinevere had already identified the speaker. If she wasn't mistaken, this should be the Third Son, the one in the forest who was said to possess invisibility and symbolized "swiftness." Sure enough, Terena intended to use her body as a vessel for these monsters to descend into the world, she thought, gritting her teeth inwardly.

Trying to take over someone else's body? It's not that simple!

But for a moment, it seemed that he had no means of resistance.

She could only continue listening: "...Let me kill her!" The shrill voice persisted, followed by another soft and alluring voice, which at first glance sounded like a woman's voice, before replying after a moment: "Back then, you fulfilled your mother's obsession, so we should all give in to you. If I'm the only one who can use this vessel, it wouldn't be so bad for you to kill me and have a quick death."

"If that's the case!"

“‘If it’s just me,’” the latter emphasized, and repeated, “I can’t agree to this for everyone else. You should ask the other two if they agree first.”

"..."

No other sounds were heard. In the brief silence, the surrounding black lines multiplied, spreading into mist and gradually staining the snow-white space. Guinevere instinctively felt that this black mist was not good, but she had completely lost control of her body. Besides thinking and listening to the intermittent conversation, she could do nothing else. A sense of powerlessness surged within her, but she forcibly suppressed it. She had to stay calm; only by remaining calm could she find a possible way out…

"I know, I know! So what if you can glare at people! You can have this woman, okay?" For some reason, a sharp voice suddenly shouted loudly, sounding somewhat like someone who had given up entirely.

"..."

What I saw was now a mixture of black and white.

"Wait, what are you doing!"

Black gradually overshadowed white, becoming the dominant color in the space. The shrill voice rang out again, filled with shock and anger: "You bastard, you didn't say a word, so you were trying to escape!"

"The brothers haven't reached a conclusion yet, are you trying to monopolize all the benefits?" the second-ranked man said in a cold tone.

"I want this person—"

A third voice suddenly rang out, interrupting the other two.

Judging from the voice, it should be a deep, thirty-something man speaking in a strange, difficult-to-pronounce accent, unlike the previous two. Although it wasn't the common language of Britain at this time, it was clearly related to it and could be understood with a bit of difficulty. This third voice wasn't speaking any language Guinevere knew. In both her past and present lives, the more than ten languages ​​she spoke were completely unrelated.

Each syllable was exceptionally slow, as if deliberately stretched out, and there was even a rumbling echo between the words, like a muffled thunderclap in the ear—yet the girl understood the sentence immediately.

Not only that.

A word suddenly popped into her mind, a term that astonished her.

……

Dragon language.

……

The fog gathered ahead, gradually taking on a clear shape.

The first thing to appear was a pair of enormous wings covered in jet-black scales. They were thin and bony, as if there was no flesh underneath, and they were supported by bones alone. The skin exposed between the scales was a lifeless dark gray. With a gentle flap of these wings, a gale swept out, and countless cracks appeared in the white space that had not yet been soaked.

Then came the gleaming, sharp claws.

A large head with several horns.

On the left side of her head, a tightly closed slit twitched slightly, then slowly opened, revealing an unfocused eyeball glowing with a dark red light. Just a fleeting moment of eye contact with that eye, and Guinevere felt as if her mind were frozen, her thoughts slowing to a crawl.

But the girl persisted in staring directly at him, unwilling to look away or even blink—she had a feeling that if she turned her gaze away for even a moment, the next moment would be one of utter despair. Meanwhile, deep within Guinevere's heart, a turbulent storm was brewing.

Emerging from the black mist, what appeared before her was a dragon.

A giant dragon that should have been extinct for hundreds of years.

"Oh?"

Seemingly having discovered something, a gleam of interest flashed in his dark red eyes: "Little fellow, it's quite interesting that you managed to get here alive..."

Whether it was a misperception or not, for a fleeting moment, Guinevere seemed to detect a hint of disbelief and astonishment in the other person's words.

"...No, you are—"

P.S.: Tomorrow is the start of a new month. It's also the last month for this book on the new release charts. I'll try to get perfect attendance this time; if I can, I'll cast my monthly vote or something~ I'm not aiming for a high ranking, just good stats will do~

Chapter Sixty-Two: A Shocking Turn of Events (Part Two)

Inside the deserted village.

From the moment the girl unsheathed her longsword, the light emanating from the scabbard engulfing her, to the moment a burst of flames erupted inside the hut, from which the two combatants rushed out, all of this happened almost simultaneously. Terena shrieked, the marks on the back of her hand flickering, and she once again conjured twin swords of lightning and fire. But both Artoria and Royal understood that the key to this battle was no longer with the witch.

"This is a real headache..."

Royal took two or three steps back, still shielding the unconscious Bedivere behind him, spear slung over his shoulder, brow furrowed as he stared at the slender figure shrouded in black mist before him. He didn't know what had happened, but the silvery-white light from before had mostly transformed into pitch-black mist, vaguely revealing the girl's body, standing there motionless.

He knew nothing about magic and naturally couldn't think of any way to help. He could only silently pray to God to protect the pretty little girl who had a beautiful smile and keep her safe... He glanced at Artoria next to him and was surprised that the boy's expression didn't change at all. Then he noticed the boy's fingers holding the sword. His knuckles had turned white, probably because he was using too much force.

It turned out to be the case.

He is really patient.

With a smirk, Royal's gaze returned to the girl. The black mist gradually coalesced, forming a pair of dark gray wings behind Guinevere. Although the true dragons had long since vanished, wyverns, as a subspecies and familiar, still roamed Britain. Royal, having fought those formidable aerial enemies many times, recognized at a glance that these wings bore a striking resemblance to those wyverns.

The middle-aged man's heart sank. He was about to make a move, but Guinevere remained rooted to the spot, her eyes closed, seemingly asleep, quiet and still. But the jewel-encrusted sword was nowhere to be seen.

The wings formed from black mist suddenly spread open, and the skin on the girl's forehead twitched, from which two long horns protruded. Blood streamed down her cheeks, leaving red marks on both sides like tear stains.

At the same time, her hands and feet were also revealed—her arms were still human-shaped, but from the knees down, they had turned into a pair of sharp claws covered with black scales—the girl's current posture was like a composite of a human and a two-legged wyvern, which was chilling.

“We can’t wait any longer…” Royal had experienced countless battles, big and small, throughout his life. Even though he had considered the two as friends along the way, since the situation seemed beyond repair, he would not be bound by this sentiment. He gritted his teeth and shouted, “Altos, don’t let Terena get away!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand, and the spear tip pierced the air, thrusting towards the girl whose eyes were still tightly closed.

"Now! If you want to live, cover my escape!" As if she had been waiting for this moment, Terena threw her twin swords at Artoria. At the same time, the shadow beneath her feet kept wriggling, as if it had turned into a small swamp. In the blink of an eye, the witch's ankles and the edge of her robe were already sinking into the "swamp".

Artoria neither dodged nor evaded, letting the two longswords of thunder and fire come crashing down on her, only to disintegrate and cause no damage. She then strode forward and, before Terena could defend herself, slashed with her iron sword.

On the robe, several overlapping magic circles appeared instantly at the point of contact with the sword, but they only lasted for less than a second before the sword's edge. With a "rip," Terena screamed as the sword slashed diagonally into her, and blood splattered everywhere!

She sheathed her longsword, ready to thrust again, when suddenly a startled and panicked scream reached her ears. Artoria's hand holding the sword trembled slightly, and the thrusting blade missed its mark.

Is it... Fina?

Although she knew she shouldn't be distracted, she couldn't help but look to the side. She saw Royal's spear stopped in front of Guinevere, less than an inch away, but the spear tip seemed to be stuck in an invisible wall. Even though the middle-aged man's arm veins were bulging and he was obviously using all his strength, he still couldn't move it an inch.

The girl's eyes were already open.

His eyes, however, were no longer their original sky blue, but a dark red that exuded an ominous aura, like dried blood, contrasting with the bloodstains on his cheeks, creating an indescribably eerie scene. His dark red pupils were wide open, looking back and forth between his feet, now transformed into dragon claws, and the spear that Royal was thrusting at him, and he opened his mouth.

"—"

He seemed to be trying to express something, yet what came out was a strange, low tone with echoes. Royal could swear in the name of God that this was no sound a human could produce; it was more like the cry of a winged dragon. Ambiguous, yet not quite.

"you……"

Seeing her like this, Royal was also a little puzzled. He sheathed his spear, but only uttered one word. Suddenly, the girl raised her hand and covered her mouth: "—?—!"

A few sparks flew from between her fingers, and a sense of potential pressure and crisis rushed over her. The middle-aged man had just raised his spear when the girl suddenly let go, her cheeks puffed out, her gray dragon wings spread wide, and her dark red eyes suddenly stood upright, revealing a cold light: "—" When she opened her mouth, bright red flames spewed out!

The spear spun rapidly, blocking the surging flames at the last moment. Royal's feet were firmly planted on the ground, but he was still forced back several meters by the breath attack. Stones shattered and flew out from under his feet, leaving two deep trenches. When the flames finally dissipated, he flipped his hand, and the spear was deeply embedded in the soil. He swayed a few times and said, "This power... little brother!"

The first half of the sentence was a sigh, but the second half turned into a gasp of surprise. After using her fire breath to force herself back, Guinevere, who had become a half-human, half-dragon, did not continue to attack. Instead, she turned around, stomped hard, and spider web-like cracks appeared under her feet. She also leaped into the air, spread her wings in mid-air, and actually rushed towards Artoria!

Hearing Terena's cry for help, Royal was filled with worry and anxiety. He had just taken a powerful spit head-on to protect Bedivere, and now he was barely able to stand, unable to do anything but call out to warn her. He watched helplessly as the girl descended from the sky, her eyes meeting Artoria's for a moment. The latter abruptly sheathed her sword and stepped back, seemingly abandoning the fight and allowing her to rescue Terena.

But... this is indeed the most rational choice. Guinevere is already quite strong. Even if we don't know her current state, just from how she blocked his spear with some kind of technique and then retaliated with a breath attack, the strength she displayed in just this defensive and offensive maneuver was enough to make Royal feel extremely troubled.

His previous injuries hadn't healed, and he'd been struck squarely by the lightning summoned by Terenas; he was now too weak to fight. Even if the boy was strong, asking him to fight two enemies simultaneously was simply too much of a stretch…

It seems we won't be able to keep Terena this time...

Having figured this out, Royal couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.

"Hehehe, what a pity, you still can't kill me in the end. I'll settle this score with you slowly in the future—" In contrast to him, the witch finally breathed a sigh of relief. Half of her body was now submerged in the shadows, and she was only one step away from successfully escaping. However, under the fierce attack of the blond boy in front of her, she had little confidence that she could safely complete this last step.

Seeing that everything was proceeding as planned, and that his pawn had almost crippled Royal in one move before rushing over to provide support, he felt much relieved. His gaze towards Artoria then turned more resentful.

Once you fall into my hands...

"—"

A dark shadow descended from above, accompanied by the sound of flapping wings. Terena reached out, preparing to take it away. As expected of the vessel she had placed the greatest hopes on, the fifth child had already displayed such power upon its arrival. It seemed that once it became familiar with this body, and with the opportunity she had created, it could wield the Star Sword. Not only these few, but even the lowly king Vortigern, Vivian, Merlin, and others would be no match for it…