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

Or perhaps... that inevitable end is coming sooner than expected.

The celestial phenomena he had witnessed during this period appeared before his eyes one by one, causing him to hesitate for the first time. After a moment, perhaps seeing that the highly respected old man had not made a move, and worried that something might have happened, someone came over and tentatively called out, "Teacher?"

That was one of his most prized students. Contanlis looked over, and the complex look in his eyes startled the young man who had tried to speak. Before the young man could figure out what to say next, the old man had already made his decision and slowly rolled up the parchment in his hand.

"...His Majesty is currently busy with the campaign against the Kingdom of Spain. Once the war is over, I have something I would like you to convey to His Majesty."

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. If an astrological reading reveals something unfavorable, an experienced astrologer would often choose a young student to report it on behalf of the emperor to avoid incurring his wrath. If the emperor were to become angry, the astrologer would then step in to persuade the young man to stay out of trouble.

This was a common practice among the astrologers, so the young man didn't ask for details and simply agreed: "Okay. But I wonder what matter my teacher wants me to report to His Majesty?"

"Britain Island..." Knowing that his next words could determine the life and death of many people, Contanlis carefully chose his words: "Britain Island still has a strong divine power."

He said slowly, "I know that Your Majesty is preparing to march north immediately after conquering Spain to recover Gaul and the provinces of Britannia."

"But for now, it seems best to first send people to investigate the truth hidden on that island, and take advantage of this time to unify the other forces and prepare..."

"Preparing for a tough battle."

……

The wind howled, and the world spun around.

Mananan, clad in azure armor, raised his trident high, his blue hair dancing wildly in the wind. An ancient and profound magic circle unfolded at the tip of the trident, expanding and sweeping outwards, instantly enveloping everything around him. Even Blood Raven, who knew nothing about magic, could clearly feel the powerful and despair-inducing force brewing within it.

Needless to say, Drem was also a threat. Avank burst out of the lake, his massive body crashing down like a chariot.

Dreem only had time to block with both hands before his body flew backward like a rag doll, accompanied by a muffled thud, and his hands, feet and spine were clearly dislocated.

But a gust of wind blew by, and the tattered body suddenly transformed into countless blood-red leaves, falling in disarray, only to coalesce again in the next instant like sand and gravel. Dreem randomly raised both hands, and a vine as thick as an adult's arm burst from the ground, lashing out at the Blood Raven like a whip.

The wind howled, and Blood Raven blocked with the axe, involuntarily retreating. His feet carved two deep furrows in the ground. Dreem clenched his open hand, and two more identical vines extended from other directions, whistling through the air, and were lashed out at the unsteady Blood Raven.

But on the other side, the water-seeking beast raised its neck high, bringing with it a series of chaotic and ever-changing shadows. It opened its mouth and let out a silent cry. Black ripples surged out, causing several vines to pause. "Bang—", "Bang—", "Bang—" Three short sounds, and it exploded into a sky full of red mist!

"Damn it!"

Gritting his teeth and cursing, Dreem stared at the azure figure's back. The sound of wind cutting through the air reached his ears, and Blood Raven's great axe crashed down once more. He retreated, and the Water-Seeking Beast's body reappeared before him.

Intentionally or unintentionally, he was forced to retreat by the man and the beast, getting further and further away from his target, Mananan, where the ceremony was taking place. Even if he wanted to kill one of them first, the Water-Seeking Beast's tough skin made it impervious to blades and spears, and the Blood Raven himself was also highly skilled in martial arts. He was naturally not afraid of his opponent in a one-on-one fight, but at this moment, he couldn't help but feel troubled.

If he waited for Manananteng to make a move, he would likely lose his life... He had to make a decision. Thinking this, he gritted his teeth, and suddenly raised his left hand. A sudden, illusory sound of flowing water arose, and everything around him began to slow down. Colors rapidly faded, leaving only black and white in the world!

P.S.: There should be another update later. In recognition of this diligence, please leave some comments. Otherwise, it'll be too quiet and lonely, and your lovely Qingbai will die of loneliness~

Chapter 122 The Tower Reaching the Sky (Part 3)

"Humans, we meet again."

In a world known as the Void Illusion Sea, a jet-black dragon wing spread out wide, blotting out the sky. Under the awe-inspiring power of the dragon, the ugly dragon-bird monsters scattered and fled. Even the human-faced vines, which were of unknown whether they were dead or alive, were broken off by the flap of the dragon wing and fell around the castle with a crackling sound.

The deep roar of the dragon echoed out, and Guinevere faced this astonishing scene without feeling any fear—which made her feel somewhat incredulous—only a chill ran down her spine.

The reason she has been running around all this time, including coming here now, is to lift the curse imposed by the other party. She never expected to have reached the most crucial step.

The evil dragon suddenly appeared on its own.

In that instant, the girl felt four gleaming words rise from the depths of her heart: "All efforts in vain." Her emotions were indescribably complex. But the next moment, a deafening roar, like thunder rumbling through the clouds, filled the air. The dragon, with only one wing exposed but already dominating the battle, spoke: "Don't worry, I have no intention of intervening."

Gray mist emanated from the crack in space, as if a giant golden vertical pupil was looking down at her from within: "Now that this power has been given to you, it is yours. Whether you use it or discard it is your choice. I will neither stop you nor assist you."

"But you must not forget our agreement. I spared your life not out of pity or sympathy, but so that you could find a way to wake up from this nightmare and free me and my brothers from this eternal torment and endless regret."

"But you're just too slow, it's incredibly frustrating—"

The fog grew thicker and thicker. Before anyone knew it, the ghastly red that filled the surroundings, like dried blood, was replaced by a dense, dark gray. As far as the eye could see, it seemed that only he and the pitch-black dragon wings above his head remained unchanged; everything else had vanished into the gray fog.

"This place is neither reality nor illusion, but a peculiar realm between the two. Your entry here signifies that the authority of the Pearl of the Illusion is also open to you, though not as powerful as Elaine's, but certainly not enough to keep you outside the castle."

"The reason you have no way in is because you thought you couldn't get in from the very beginning. Did that woman named Terena, who was your mentor in magic, never tell you even something as simple as this?"

Although Fafnir's tone was unfriendly, Guinevere couldn't detect any anger in her words. She looked around and found that even the castle itself had vanished without a trace.

But after a moment, the mist gradually dissipated, and before the surroundings became clear again, the dragon wings suddenly retracted, disintegrating back into the original gray mist without leaving any trace. The spatial rift also slowly closed. At the last moment, the dragon uttered a few short syllables in a difficult and obscure tone.

It wasn't Dragon Language, nor was it the language commonly used on the island of Britain today, nor was it the Chinese language she had used for over twenty years in her previous life. For a moment, Guinevere couldn't remember what language it was.

She understood the meaning of those words in an instant.

"Be careful."

The gray fog completely dissipated.

The girl was no longer outside the castle, but in the familiar corridor that she had seen three times and visited twice.

Before them stood the very door that imprisoned "Fisherman King" Perez and Elaine. A colossal magic circle, composed of seventy-two smaller magic circles, loomed like an insurmountable barrier.

"Was it because I'm so inefficient that they specifically sent me here...?" I couldn't help but twitch the corner of my mouth: "Is this what they call tsundere?"

However, this feeling of being given instructions was really strange... I didn't expect Fafnir to suddenly appear and help me out of nowhere. Although I no longer had to try to climb walls, Guinevere's feelings became more and more complicated.

She took a step or two back, looked back out the window, and saw the same Red Moon Wasteland as always, with dragons and birds circling around, as if Fafnir had never appeared.

"The authority of the Pearl of the Illusion is also open to me... Is it because I feel there's no way in that the castle gates remain tightly shut? If so... the need for the Ring of Solomon to open this door is the rule of this world. Elaine was probably the one who set the rules, and she is also the most steadfast follower of those rules..."

"In that case."

Guinevere let out a soft breath and tried placing her hand on the door. If these magic circles were merely decorative, opening the door wouldn't require any other key; a simple push would suffice.

She exerted force.

With a creak, the giant door slowly opened, and in the deep darkness, the figure of Elaine sitting in a chair was seen first. Then, the disheveled old man squatting in the corner seemed to hear the sound of the door opening and slowly raised his head.

A pair of eyes, devoid of pupils and whites, resembling a swirling mass of soft red rubber, stared straight at them.

……

Tear!

With a piercing sound of clothes being torn apart, dragon wings, identical to Fafnir's but much smaller, suddenly unfolded behind the girl. A tickling sensation ran down her forehead, and two horns emerged. Several shimmering black dragon scales appeared on her exposed arms.

However, after not transforming for a while, she suddenly felt that this appearance was something she hadn't seen in a long time. She lightly clenched her five fingers, and when she released them, they had turned into the shape of dragon claws.

"Ho... ho ho..."

Seemingly oblivious to Elaine, who was closer, the "Fisherman King" stared intently at Guinevere, making strange noises from his throat, whether he was crying or laughing, it was hard to tell.

"According to Merlin, it should be about time for him to appear..."

The girl recalled the female magician's instructions in her mind, while her eyes were fixed on the Fisherman King in the corner, who looked like a wild beast.

The two pairs of eyes facing each other seemed to spark a few sparks in the pitch-black darkness.

But in the next instant, the illusory flames suddenly took shape, and in the darkness, a light was rising slowly between the two.

It wasn't firelight, but—

Starlight!

……

Many people are destined to be unable to sleep this night.

Gawain placed his beloved sword on the ground, leaned against the wall opposite the inn, and drowsiness washed over him, causing him to yawn. He then changed back into his silver-white armor, a gift from King Lothar when he came of age. This armor was sturdy and heavy, and usually required five or six servants to barely move it.

Therefore, he learned to put on and take off his armor by himself a long time ago, otherwise it would be too stuffy to have five, six, seven or eight people around him all the time.

The green cloak he wore was a gift that Gahoris and Gareth had bought together, and he treasured it. It was said that Guinevere had also helped the two of them a little, for example, by deciding on the color of the cloak—it was unclear why Fina had such a strong prejudice against green.

It looks really good...

Gao Wen has yet to find the answer to this question. Leaning against the wall, he leisurely tilted his head back, and the bright moon hanging high in the sky came into view. The clear moonlight always made people feel exceptionally calm.

Most of the people in the town should have left by now. When Merlin said this, everyone understood that it meant the entire town might become a battlefield or even be destroyed.

That's why the female magician made him stay here.

Although Kai is intelligent and adaptable, his actual combat skills are only above average. Lily has a good foundation but lacks experience, and Merlin himself seems to have other things to do.

After counting, although Gawain lost the saint's blessing at night and was slightly weaker than during the day, he was still the strongest among those present. Moreover, he possessed the holy sword...

"That is--"

My thoughts were in turmoil, but I was brought back to reality the instant a tremendous magical force appeared in the distance.

Gawain's expression turned solemn as he straightened up. The wind blowing through the alleyway billowed his cloak high, making him look like a general about to go into battle. Even though he wasn't on horseback, the aura he exuded was that of a seasoned veteran.

But he simply turned his head and looked at the distant sky.

At that moment, from North Wales to the southernmost part of Britain, from Scotland to the Kingdom of France across the sea, tens of thousands of people awoke from their dreams, or perhaps never slept at all, and were thus fortunate enough to witness this seemingly mythical scene.

Directly above Plymouth.

Beneath the starry sky, a pale blue magic circle suddenly appeared, centered on a certain point, and continued to expand with each rotation. Ten miles, a hundred miles, a thousand miles, ten thousand miles—everyone watched as this magic circle grew larger and larger, almost occupying the entire sky within sight.

Wherever the azure light passed, the clouds were pushed away, revealing a pure and unblemished night sky. Countless stars shone brightly, and moonlight shone down, creating a scene as quiet as a captivating poem. The azure magic circle spun again, and the tiny specks of light, like countless fireflies, gathered towards the center of the circle.

A beam of light was formed.

It also resembles a giant white tower, soaring into the clouds and reaching the sky.

With each rotation of the magic circle, more light flowed in from all directions, and the tower's appearance became increasingly clear. What was initially just a mirage-like phantom slowly took on a tangible form from the flowing light—

The holy sword vibrated in his hand for a moment, as if it were an illusion, but then the vibration became more intense. Even with Gawain's strength, he felt as if he was about to break free.

He understood why, so he didn't choose to suppress it with brute force, but instead drew his sword with a clang.

A dazzling light swept across the sword's edge, illuminating the surrounding darkness—the light of the blazing sun.

Victory in the cycle, the sword of the great sun.

……

A second ray of light rose in the town.

From a distance, it looks like the light of a lighthouse guiding ships through a storm, swaying precariously as if it might go out at any moment, yet exuding the most stubborn persistence.

As the magic circle rotated once more, the light was drawn towards the solitary white tower suspended in the sky—

On the sea.

A bright moon and a tall tower stand quietly.

P.S.: Second update! Remember to vote, everyone! I haven't even gotten 200 recommendation votes in a whole week (crying).

Chapter 123 The Tower Reaching the Sky (Part 4)

"Do you see that tower?"

High on the cliff, the crimson leaves that once formed from the headless corpse have long since vanished without a trace, yet a faint scent of blood seems to linger in the wind, lingering in the air for a long time.

A bright moon, a white tower standing in the sky, and below, winding roads. The townspeople, with their families and luggage, are heading in the same direction. The black dots, like ants, number in the hundreds and thousands, endlessly.

Two figures, one tall and one short, stood on the edge of the cliff, like silhouettes emerging from the darkness, exuding a sense of alienation from the world. Merlin pointed, and the girl beside him looked up, her scarlet eyes flashing with an inexplicable light. She unconsciously tightened her grip on Merlin's small hand: "Is that... the Tower of Radiance that Daddy and Sister Lily are looking for?"

Thirty years ago—

The female magician didn't continue the girl's story, but changed the subject: "Thirty years ago. At that time, I was learning my craft under a respectable teacher. I either had a vague understanding of many things, or I had never even heard of them before... It wasn't until this tower appeared that I learned some... very interesting things."

“Have you heard of Tuhaddanan?” She lowered her head and glanced at Nimiao, unsurprisingly seeing a blank look on the other’s face: “A long, long time ago… in an era when the gods still roamed the human world, there was a race of gods who took the goddess Danu as their mother goddess. That was Tuhaddanan.”

"This tribe originally lived alone on a deserted island in northern Ireland, without communication with or knowledge of the outside world. But because the tribe's sages predicted that the island would sink in seven years, in order to escape their fate of extinction, they built a huge and sturdy ship and left the island."

"It was a perilous and long journey. Even the goddess Danu perished in a battle, and the 'God of War' Nuada succeeded her as leader. Seven years later, Nuada led his tribe to Ireland. They failed to negotiate with the Fairberg tribe, which occupied Ireland at the time, so the two sides fought for four days. Tuhaddanan won the battle, but at the same time lost their leader."

Nemia was puzzled as to why Merlin would bring up a mythological story that was so distant from the present and seemed to have nothing to do with the current situation. However, she didn't want to interrupt him and could only listen quietly.

The female magician's calm voice rang in her ears. As she looked up at the towering pylon that seemed to pierce the clouds, formed from radiant light, a vague, unfamiliar memory seemed to slowly well up from the depths of her mind...

……

A second ray of light rose slowly in the distance, and then, attracted by the azure magic array, merged into the white tower, gradually revealing the specific shape of the giant tower that was originally shrouded in a layer of dazzling light.

The long line of people moved forward, but at one point, the people at the very front stopped.

The guards responsible for maintaining order watched as the torch in their hands suddenly flickered a few times before being abruptly extinguished. However, the flame did not disappear; instead, it transformed into tiny specks of light that flew towards the tower in the sky.

Even without the flames, the surroundings remained as bright as day. The guard turned around and saw the same thing behind him—torches and oil lamps were going out one after another, and countless points of light rose into the air. The flickering light reflected on people's faces and bodies, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, as if they were in a dream, a wonderful and indescribable feeling.

The children in the group cheered, and some of the bolder ones even tried to reach out and catch the firefly-like lights. However, they saw the tiny lights pass straight through their hands, causing another commotion, followed by a woman's sharp shouts.

The guard shook his head: "They're really energetic." He had already called two colleagues over to restore order.

Although the guard, with his limited knowledge, did not know exactly what had happened, he had no doubt that he would think back on this night again and again in the future—for most people, what they saw and heard that night was the most thrilling thing they had ever experienced in their ordinary lives.