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

The old man glanced at him, raised his hand as if to strike, but the boy shrank back and quickly raised his arms to protect his head, only his eyes peeking out through the gap: "...It's not a beaver either."

“I…” Perinoa’s fist, which was only loosely clenched, suddenly clenched, and he took a deep breath, but in the end he didn’t strike.

"What an interesting father and son."

Guinevere watched the interaction between the two and chuckled softly. Lily nodded in agreement and then said, "Watch out, it's coming..." As if to prove her point, the ahoge (cowlick) on her head suddenly stood on end—Guinevere almost heard a "pop" sound. She couldn't help but twitch her lips, reaching out to pull Nemia close behind her. The old man also pushed his son a little further away: "You can't help this time, so just stay put!"

“Okay,” Percival replied obediently.

"—It's coming!"

Fisher said in a deep voice.

As soon as the words were spoken, the boulder that had once sunk into the lake suddenly began to float up again. Under the watchful eyes of the group, the boulder, like a dim and lifeless sun, slowly rose to the surface of the water. Starting from the center of the lake, ripples spread out one after another, gradually becoming more intense.

The complete moon's reflection on the water shattered into a shimmering silver light, dazzling Guinevere and causing her to squint.

But in the instant the view narrowed, the boulder suddenly rose into the air, and a huge black shadow broke through the water's surface, blocking the moonlight. It was as if the world had suddenly darkened, and an endless shadow covered everything!

At the same time, a deep roar rang out—as soon as the sound rang out, a visible black ripple rapidly formed in the air, sweeping out in all directions. Although the two sides were still a little distance apart, Guinevere could clearly sense the powerful magic contained in the black ripple. Her scalp tingled for a moment, and she was about to make a move when Fisher stepped forward and stood in front of everyone.

He raised the scepter in his hand high and brought it down—this scepter, symbolizing the power of the sea, was about one and a half meters long, crystal clear, as if carved from a single piece of clean and transparent crystal, without the slightest impurity, and strange light flowed on the scepter, giving the impression that it was not a solid object, but rather condensed from countless water droplets. The head of the scepter was adorned with a pale blue gemstone, and even though the moonlight was blocked by the shadows in the lake, the gemstone itself still emitted a shimmering light, illuminating the surroundings.

Pong!

He slammed the scepter to the ground, and a deep blue shield opened up in front of him, colliding heavily with the sweeping ripples.

The shield trembled violently, its deep blue color fading considerably, while the black magical ripples appeared undamaged, continuing to press down on the seemingly fragile shield that appeared ready to shatter at any moment.

But Fisher suddenly released his grip on the staff, and with a slight downward pressure, the gem at the head of the staff suddenly shone brightly, and several strange symbols flashed across it:

“?——?——?——”

Fisher then pointed forward, and the shield and dark magical ripples in front of him suddenly vanished without a trace. At the same time, a deafening roar suddenly came from afar, and the Earth beneath his feet shook.

"...Transfer magic?"

Lily asked in confusion, but Guinevere couldn't help but pause in surprise.

Of the three runes, she recognized only one, or rather, she recognized one: Algiz, which in runes symbolizes fate, elk, and protection. It is usually used in conjunction with other runes, but when used alone, it is mostly for divination or to set up barriers to defend against enemies.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the other two should also be runes.

As far as she knew, the sea god referred to by the name Trident should be the sea god in Celtic mythology, that is, the great sea god of the Danu tribe, while the runes were created by the Norse god Odin.

Or perhaps Fisher himself mastered this runic magic through some means...

Several guesses flashed through her mind, but the girl knew that this was clearly not the time to think about them deeply. She looked up at the huge black shadow standing in the lake—it was indeed a terrifying monster. Only half of its body was exposed, yet it was already three or four stories tall. Its dark brown fur was covered with many spots of various sizes, and at first glance, it really did look somewhat like the leopard she had seen on television in her previous life.

But what's even more eye-catching is the monster's head.

Above its neck, which was five or six meters long, was a wide and flat head. Where the eyes should have been, there was only a narrow slit. Its mouth was huge, but there were no teeth inside. Instead, it had seaweed-like tentacles that it was carrying the boulder in its mouth—which was why the boulder had floated up again—and countless deep red tentacles twisted and turned, reaching out and then retracting.

"Is this the adult Avanko... a fusion of a plesiosaur and a leopard...?"

Guinevere, in this life, is more knowledgeable than the average person, having encountered several kinds of rare and exotic beasts, from the Demon Boar to the Black Dragon. But at this moment, she is probably seeing this kind of unheard-of magical beast for the first time, a beast that seems to only appear in legends and stories.

Before this, she had no idea that such a creature existed.

Guinevere looked up at the broad, flat head, which seemed to be looking down at the humans below—if it could see them—aside from the initial black ripple of magic, the beast made no other aggressive moves, simply standing quietly in the middle of the lake, a few meters away, confronting Fisher, who held the scepter.

In the silence, no one dared to make a move.

"It's said that magical beasts of this level possess high intelligence, with the best among them rivaling humans. I wonder if it lacks the will to fight, or if it's contemplating its next move... Although it's unlikely, I hope we can resolve this peacefully..."

The thought had just popped into my head.

Extremely sensitive to the surrounding air currents, she suddenly realized something was amiss. A faint, almost imperceptible, sweet-smelling odor had appeared in the air. A thought flashed through her mind, and a green light flickered on the back of her hand; Guinevere almost instantly pinpointed the source of the sweet-smelling odor—

Behind the enormous body of the water-seeking beast, the once clear lake water had been stained with a strange green, and as time passed, this green continued to spread outwards. When she looked in that direction, she vaguely saw, besides the green lake water, the strange beast that looked like a beaver from before.

"wrong!"

The moment Guinevere saw the "beaver," she reacted instantly. She raised her arm sharply and swung a hand chop forward. The air condensed, and a pale blue wave of energy instantly formed, slashing forward. At the same moment, Avank, with his snake-neck and leopard-like body, looked up, and a giant rock crashed down from the sky, smashing towards the group of people by the lake. The first to be hit was the white-haired old man!

Perinoa stood still, neither dodging nor avoiding, and with a simple movement, he caught the boulder falling from the sky. His body swayed a few times, and the ground beneath his feet cracked into a spiderweb pattern, but he still stood straight, holding the boulder, and took a deep breath.

On the other side, the others also made their moves. Almost as soon as Guinevere raised her arm, Lily drew her sword with a whoosh, swayed, and stood in front of the girl. The wind blade cut through the air wave and instantly struck the giant beast, but was easily deflected without causing any effect.

Fisher raised his scepter again, and runes appeared one after another in the gem at the top of the scepter. He then swung the scepter down, and suddenly, it seemed as if the whole world had darkened. Avank let out a mournful cry, and the exposed half of its body sank down. Amidst the splashing water, what it had originally hidden behind it was also exposed.

It was an Avank larva that resembled a beaver.

However, its abdomen was now ripped open, dripping with blood, and a thick, pale green liquid was constantly flowing out, polluting the surrounding lake water.

"Deliberately carrying a large rock out of your mouth, so you were trying to distract us... Hmph, you're asking for it!"

At a glance, Perinoa immediately understood. With a forceful pull, the boulder he was holding flew into the air, where moonlight briefly shone in before being replaced by endless shadows. When the boulder fell again, he clenched his fist and slammed it down.

Pong!

Stone fragments flew everywhere, just like a light rain. This huge rock, which could have covered the sky when lifted, was smashed to pieces by the old man's punch!

His arm was also cut in several places, bleeding profusely, but the old man simply shook his arm, brushing away the blood droplets, seemingly unconcerned. Having vented his anger, he reached out and grabbed the spear the three hunter brothers had brought him earlier: "Fischer, go purify the lake water, that beast—"

The old man tossed the nearly two-meter-long spear up and caught it again, grinning to reveal a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.

"I'll kill them!"

P.S.: Recommendation votes are getting fewer and fewer (sigh). Three thousand words and I can't even get two hundred recommendation votes?!

Chapter 104 Three Treasures United

Outside the town, the moon is reflected in the lake, but within the moonlight, there is a faint, ghastly green hue, emanating from the "beaver's" corpse and spreading outwards. Wherever it passes, it seems to sprout green algae on the lake's surface, accompanied by a subtle, exotic fragrance.

Even if you don't know the true nature of this green color, the scenery in front of you is quite pleasing to the eye.

As the "green algae" spread, several dead fish floated up on the surface of the water, their bodies initially intact. However, in less than a minute, their flesh began to rot, falling off piece by piece and being swallowed by the "green algae." In the end, only the complete fish bones remained, swaying and drifting away into the distance.

"This poison... is more terrifying than I imagined."

Guinevere stood by the lake, her right hand vaguely holding a wisp of misty water. Gazing at the gruesome sight of the fish carcass, its flesh torn apart, she gasped in horror: "If someone accidentally drank this poisonous water..."

"No need to drink it, just touching it would probably kill me... It seems I underestimated the danger of the Water-Seeking Beast's transformation."

"Fortunately, it's not too late." The girl paused, then turned to look beside her. "There's no time to hesitate. While Lily and King Perinoa can still hold that monster back, let's purify the poison as quickly as possible."

After saying that, he frowned first: "I didn't expect the Water-Seeking Beast to be so troublesome after its transformation..."

As far as the eye can see.

Just then, Lily took a few steps back, took a short running start, pushed off the ground with all her might, gripped her sword with both hands, and unleashed a powerful slash that landed squarely on Avank's slender neck.

But a sharp, clanging sound, like swords clashing, rang out. The longsword scraped against the fleshy neck, sending sparks flying. Avank threw its head back and let out a scream—in this form, it no longer emitted the deep, loud bark of a dog, but a sharp, piercing sound, as if a needle had pierced its brain, causing indescribable discomfort.

Lily seemed to be momentarily dazed by the sound, but her amazing magical power worked once again. At the last moment, she suddenly turned to the side, narrowly avoiding the curved, flat head that was about to collide with her. At the same time, she raised her hand and with a few swift strokes, severed the deep red tentacles that were wrapping around her from Avank's mouth.

Then, after judging the direction, he lifted his foot and pushed off, using the momentum to somersault and land on the lakeside. He immediately picked up his sword and went to meet the enemy.

The water-seeking beast missed its first attack, and coiled its long neck again, about to shoot forward once more, when suddenly, a spear, accompanied by an astonishing sound of wind being cut, whistled and pierced through from the opposite direction!

"brute--"

The spearhead pierced the dark brown fur, sending sparks flying once more. Perinoa took a deep breath and suddenly roared, "I'm watching you—"

The sound was like thunder, spreading in all directions. The old man's hands were stained with blood, and his white hair was flying wildly. With the strength of one man and one spear, he gradually made the huge body, which was three or four stories high, lose its balance and fall towards the shore.

"—How hard is it!"

boom!

Dust billowed, temporarily obscuring the view, making it impossible to see the situation clearly. Guinevere shook her head: "Although it should be alright for the time being... but after all this fighting, it hasn't even suffered the slightest scratch. This can't go on. Even if it's just stalling for time, this guy is so big, if we're even slightly careless..."

“Something’s strange.” Fisher, who had also been observing the battle, turned his gaze away and said with a serious expression, “The Trident of Poseidon should be able to deal with it.”

“Then let’s do it. According to Princess Elaine, once the Pearl of the Illusion merges with your scepter, she will naturally sense it, and at that time, the last treasure, the Ring of Solomon, will return to its original form.”

After Guinevere finished speaking, she couldn't help but glance at the treasure Elaine had given her.

Despite its name, the Pearl of the Illusory Sea doesn't look like a pearl at all; perhaps it's hidden in the mist...

Fisher was about to nod, but he looked back and forth between his scepter and the jewel held by the girl, and hesitated: "You really... can that so-called Tower of Radiance really lift the curse on Father?"

Now that things have come to this, asking such questions is utterly pointless. Although he himself knew this, the bewilderment and anxiety deep within him never disappeared when he thought of that figure who willingly plunged into endless darkness.

If we don't change things, everything might become irreversible.

But what if, after making changes, you find that the result is not as good as you imagined?

"I don't know," the girl replied. "Just as I don't know whether Merlin's words are true or false, what the Tower of Radiance is, or whether it can truly lift my dragon curse. I can't even be absolutely certain that the thing possessing the Fisherman King is one of the seven monsters from my nightmares. All I can do is roll the dice—"

While Yu Xin was keeping Lily in check, Guinevere spoke rapidly until the very end, when she suddenly paused, looked up, and stared unblinkingly at Fisher: "And now, the dice have been rolled."

There was a moment of silence.

Fisher closed his eyes, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just whispered something that Guinevere didn't hear clearly. She only saw him open his bloodshot eyes, and the struggle in his eyes disappeared in the next moment: "Come on."

Say it.

He slowly released his right hand.

The scepter did not fall; it remained firmly in place, and within the gem at the top of the scepter, four runes flashed in sequence:

“?——?——?——?”

Guinevere also looked at the gem and suddenly felt that as the runes appeared one by one, the power within her that belonged to the fifth son, Fafnir, seemed to be affected and became more active.

If it weren't for the fact that the dragon's power had been frequently out of control these past two days, and that it had developed some resistance to it, it might have grown horns and wings again, and even transformed on the spot.

I really wish there was a gadget that allowed me to control whether I transformed or not, preferably a belt, but a phone or a ring would also work...

Feeling helpless, she couldn't immediately determine whether the force affecting this power was the Scepter of the Sea God itself or the four runes.

After the four runes disappeared one after another, Fisher drew the same four runes in the air with his finger, chanting at the same time:

"If fate decrees it, what is destroyed will reappear here; the light of the sun is the final gift from the gods before their departure—"

The voice just fell.

The scepter suddenly shone brightly, almost transforming into a small sun, its intense light so intense that the two people couldn't open their eyes.

Guinevere was about to block it instinctively when her right hand suddenly felt lighter. She forced herself to look up and saw a hazy mist, as if drawn to the light emanating from the scepter, gradually merging into the glow around it!

……

"He's finally made up his mind. What a... silly older brother..."

The crimson full moon seemed to never change, the gloomy ancient castle, and the ugly dragon bird circling outside the window, occasionally emitting unpleasant cries.

Elaine stood by the window, stretched out her hand, placed it on the glass, stared blankly at the gold ring on her middle finger for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "If anything goes wrong, I won't be able to hear even such an awful cry anymore. Thinking about it that way, I suddenly find you all kind of cute..."

She gazed at a dragon-bird perched outside the window, its dark yellow vertical pupils widening in return. The two stared at each other, human and beast locked in a silent battle of wills. Elaine shook her head and sighed, "I'm sorry, I still can't find you cute. But it's alright this way, because... I really have nothing left to hold me back."

She smiled again.

Having lost the Pearl of the Illusion, Elaine was no longer shrouded in mist, revealing her true form.

The face was almost identical to that of the girl sitting in the chair, except that the eyes were still there.

Those were a pair of clear, beautiful, and expressive eyes.

"If fate has already decided, things that were once destroyed will reappear here."

She gently untied the ring and respectfully held it above her head with both hands, as if offering it to the crimson moon: "The sorrowful one named Solomon chose to cast hope and redemption into the water—"

As Elaine spoke, the ring gradually floated into the air, and the warm light emanating from it brought a long-lost sense of warmth to the gloomy castle corridor.

"please……"

Clasp her fingers together in front of her chest, Elaine lowered her head deeply, closed her eyes, and murmured in a voice only she could hear, amidst the dragon bird's hoarse and unpleasant cry:

"Please... save me..."

The glistening teardrop from the corner of her eye disappeared into the light emanating from the ring.

next moment.

Everything returned to darkness, silent and still.

……

P.S.: I'm writing this in a good flow, so I'll update with an extra chapter!

Chapter 105 Sea God