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

While there were various anxieties, whether about the future or fear of unexplained changes, once bathed in the holy light of the tower, everyone's hearts were strangely calmed down.

"...So beautiful." Someone whispered, and the guard turned around and glanced at the tower—it was indeed beautiful.

The thought flashed through his mind. He put away the torches that had lost their purpose, pressed his hand on his sword, and continued to lead the long column toward the villages and towns in the north...

……

"In the final battle that decided the fate of Ireland, Nuada fought one-on-one with Slay, a warrior from Fairberg. Although Nuada won, Slay severed one of his arms. According to the tradition of Tuhaddanan, a person with a physical disability cannot become king. Nuada abdicated the throne because of this rule, and Blaise succeeded him as king."

"But Blaise was not a good king. He was cruel and ruthless, plunging the southern tribes of Tuhadda into a long period of darkness... Nuada, who lost his arm and the throne, was eventually healed by the god of medicine, Tiankat, and received the Silver Arm to replace his arm, thus defeating Blaise and regaining the throne."

"...Bress did not stop there. With half-Furmer blood, he successfully persuaded the Furmer king, Barol, who possessed the Death Eye, by arguing about the ownership of four secret treasures of the Irish island and the Danu tribe."

"A massive war broke out between the two tribes in the land of Itura, resulting in countless deaths on both sides. In particular, on the side of Tuhaddanan, the war god Nuada and his two wives died under the evil eye of Balor."

Seemingly tired from speaking, Merlin let out a soft breath, paused for a moment, and then, as if to give the little girl some time to think, said, "But for some gods, death is not the real end. They always have various ways to escape death, and even if they do die, they often prepare other backup plans to resurrect themselves."

"Thirty years ago, many magicians fought around the Tower of Radiance. The battlefield was littered with corpses and rivers of blood. At least thirty schools of magic were lost as a result. But what's laughable is that those self-proclaimed wise guys never realized that they were just tiny pawns on a chessboard."

"But the real chess players, from beginning to end, are only two people."

"Nimiao, why don't you take a guess—"

On the cliff, the wind howled, lifting the hood of her head and revealing a full head of silver hair that danced wildly in the wind. The female magician held her wooden cane in one hand, while the other hand, which had been holding the little girl's hand, was now released and placed behind her back, before she gently grasped it.

Who are these two people?

……

The Holy Sword trembled more and more violently, as if it might fly out of his hand at any moment. Gawain grabbed it tightly. At this moment, the entire sword in his hand was shrouded in a dazzling light, like a shrunken sun, making it impossible to look directly at it.

Gao Wen only glanced down at his sword briefly before looking up at the inn in front of him.

Even though the outward appearance remained calm, he sensed that the inn was like a terrifying beast lurking in the depths of darkness, something brewing within it, about to erupt.

……

On the third floor of the hotel, in a room with the doors and windows tightly shut, sat a blonde girl with her eyes closed, breathing shallowly, as if asleep.

There was no one else around, and no lights were on; the room was completely dark, not even the light from the white pagoda outside could penetrate. Then, at some point, one of the small pouches she wore at her waist suddenly emitted a glow—

A flash of white light, and the spell cast on the bag instantly failed, returning it to its original size. The contents inside scattered everywhere: pots, clothes, snacks, fruits, various currencies from different regions, and so on. Amidst the chaos, the scattered sword fragments seemed to be bound by some invisible force, slowly rising into the air and piecing themselves back together.

In just a few breaths, it had transformed into a long sword, cracked yet gleaming.

It plummeted downwards.

It stopped in front of the girl.

……

P.S.: There should be more updates later, remember to vote!

Chapter 124 The Tower Reaching the Sky (Part 5)

An ethereal sea, an ancient castle, a secret room.

Guinevere gazed silently at the white-haired figure—more like a mindless beast than a human, arching its back and baring its teeth in an attempt to intimidate.

But that was all. Even though the old man looked extremely aggressive and could pounce on him at any moment to bite his throat, he remained curled up in that dark corner, not daring to take a single step out.

With the Sea Mystery and the Treasure now combined, and Elaine no longer in control of this space, what the opponent fears is no longer the Sea Mystery Pearl.

She knew what the other person was afraid of. Because—the girl looked away, no longer meeting the old man's gaze, and instead looked at a faint light that had appeared between them at some point.

The light was so dim that it seemed like a candle about to be extinguished in the wind, or a solitary lamp in the long night, faint yet warm enough to comfort the heart.

Merlin's words before his departure came to mind: "The Tower of Glory. When people hear this name, they will inevitably think of it as a tall tower. But in essence, it does not, nor does it need to, have a fixed and unchanging form."

"For example, a ray of light can be firelight, lamplight, or starlight, depending on the medium it is carried. But in the end, once all other external elements are removed, light is simply light."

"Similarly, the planetary anchor was originally just an ethereal concept known only to a very few. It could be anything in this world, but at the same time it was not anything tangible, which is why it could not be known or touched."

"Until thirty years ago, a guy who wasn't completely dead started to promote the existence of the Planetary Anchor for his own purposes, calling it the 'Radiant Tower.' By changing the public's perception, he made the originally intangible thing take shape, so that even ordinary people could see and touch it."

"The Void Illusion Sea is different—"

Elaine lost all five senses, and within this space, only she and the "Fisherman King" could perceive this light.

The old man glared fiercely at the light suspended in the air, which swayed and shifted as if being swept by an invisible storm. Several times it almost condensed into a concrete shape, but at the last moment it exploded with a bang, turning into specks of light, and instantly returned to its original state.

Whether it was the struggle of Pelles's remaining will or the "nightmare monster" sensing danger trying to seize control of the situation, Guinevere couldn't tell, but she didn't need to.

She simply took a step forward.

The old man suddenly let out a strange "hoarse" roar from his throat, but then shrank back into the corner, trying to hide himself in the darkness.

As Guinevere gazed at the slightly swaying light before her, the image that flashed through her mind was that of a sword.

It was an incomparably magnificent sword—its hilt was forged from gold, and its cap was inlaid with beautiful gems. Even in the darkest of nights, the blade, engraved with Elvish script, would radiate the most dazzling light.

She had been with this sword for a full ten years.

The snow-white blade reflects the image of the little girl who was once afraid just to hold a long sword, and how she trained hard under her father's scolding, sweating profusely and gritting her teeth, growing step by step from a weak fledgling into the graceful young woman she is today.

When he came to his senses, this sword had become the only connection between his past life and this life.

Excalibur, perhaps only she herself knows what this name truly means, what it carries, like everything else that cannot be spoken to others. Only occasionally, in the dead of night, when she draws the sword in her hand, in its clear light, does she recall the past, until the first light of dawn, letting out a barely audible sigh, then a smile, returning her to the reality of "Guinevere".

Because of Terenas's schemes, this sword, which did not belong to her, truly impacted her life.

And this moment.

Everything is about to get back on track.

The light before her suddenly flickered, then burst into flames, the light and shadow intertwining and extending, gradually transforming into a strange yet familiar sword under the girl's gaze.

"what--"

Centered on the holy sword in mid-air, the previously teetering light suddenly burst forth, instantly illuminating the entire secret chamber.

The old man, huddled in the corner, suddenly let out the most miserable roar he had ever heard. Wisps of black smoke began to emanate from the parts of his body that were illuminated by the light, and his expression became twisted and terrifying, as if he were enduring some unbearable pain.

The old man bent over and lunged forward recklessly, as if he wanted to do something to the holy sword that was suspended in mid-air, but he was immediately forced back to his original position by the omnipresent radiance.

The light is still spreading.

Wherever it touched, walls and doors silently crumbled, revealing corridors and windows outside. But these also began to disappear as soon as they were exposed to the white light. In the blink of an eye, the entire castle vanished, replaced by a flowing, snow-white radiance that enveloped everything around it.

In mid-air, the Star Sword made a "humming" sound and flew back to Guinevere on its own.

Like the old man, the girl was emitting wisps of black smoke from the areas of her body exposed to the light. The color of her horns, wings, and dragon scales faded over time, but she felt no pain, only a tingling sensation similar to the healing of wounds.

Seeing the holy sword fly over, she looked up in surprise, only to see it circle around her twice, then come closer and rub its blade against her cheek.

Swish!

A few strands of hair that had unfortunately landed on the sword's edge snapped off and floated in mid-air. Seeing this, she was momentarily at a loss for words, but looking at the white expanse around her, she looked down at her wrist, where black smoke was rising—at this moment, about two-thirds of her hand was still in the shape of a black dragon claw, with only a few scales gone, revealing the girl's original skin.

"Strange feeling..."

He couldn't help but mutter something, not expecting any response. But then, an old voice suddenly rang out: "You..." The voice sounded like that of a traveler who had died of thirst in the desert, so hoarse it was unbelievable. It was only barely discernible that it belonged to an old man.

And in this place, there is only one elderly person, or rather, only one other person besides her who can speak.

Guinevere looked ahead and saw the ragged, disheveled old man struggling to his feet, his hands supporting him on his knees. Unlike the previous eerie environment, in this space filled with light, the once sinister and terrifying figure seemed to have become much gentler.

But the change in perception was probably more due to the change in the other person himself—when the old man shakily raised his head, his eyes, which were originally filled with blood red, had returned to normal. Although the whites of his eyes were still bloodshot, the inhuman madness could no longer be found in his blue pupils.

"You..." Even something as simple as speaking seemed like torture to the old man, but even so, he frowned and struggled to squeeze out a voice: "Quick... my strength is limited..."

The old man took two unsteady steps forward and pointed at the holy sword with his withered, claw-like fingers: "Don't... worry about me, the corruption is too deep, I... can't save you."

"The tower's power is limited... Quickly use that power on yourself... otherwise, all your efforts will be in vain... Hurry!"

……

P.S.: A second update as promised!

I was planning to update three times a day, but after working hard these past few days, my average daily subscriptions have dropped below 700 and are now heading straight for 650... I think I'll pass on that idea (sigh).

Chapter 125 The Tower Reaching the Sky (Part 6)

Wow! Wow!

As the dreamlike sound of flowing water rang in his ears, the fierce fighting behind him suddenly stopped, as if something had abruptly descended upon this space. The originally vibrant colors around him gradually faded, and everything turned into pure black and white. Mananan looked down at his armor, which was also turning from deep blue to pale white, but his face remained expressionless.

He simply lowered his raised right hand and put it behind his back.

The gem on the trident suddenly burst forth with seven-colored light, shining brightly—this was the only color that did not belong to black and white at this moment—then a hexagonal shield appeared, blocking a heavy punch that was swinging towards them with a "bang".

Dreem let out a beast-like growl, his eyes bloodshot. Whether it was from the pain of punching the shield or the shock of his supposedly sure-fire ambush failing, it was hard to tell. He leaped back, narrowly missing the Blood Raven's great axe. The middle-aged woman and the Water-Seeking Beast, however, seemed to be petrified, standing motionless in place, as if time itself had stood still for both of them.

His bleeding right hand hung limply at his side, his left hand clenched into a fist as he stared at the shield in front of him, seemingly hesitating whether to make another move.

It was at this moment that, from the direction of the distant town of Plymouth, a majestic pillar of light, as bright as the sun, suddenly rose from the ground and shot straight into the azure magic circle that covered almost half the sky.

As the light appeared, the radiance surrounding the tower dimmed slightly, making the tower's outline clearer. At the same time, the Poseidon's Halberd trembled, almost slipping from his grasp, but Mananan suppressed the sudden impulse by exerting force in his hand holding the halberd.

"There's still one last step left."

In the blink of an eye, the armor on his body had completely lost its color, and even his fingertips began to gradually turn into a bloodless pale white. This being, who had briefly appeared in the world through Fisher's body and the Trident of Poseidon, raised his head, glanced at the phantom of the giant tower above, and slowly turned around: "I knew long ago that arm was related to another world, but I never expected that you could influence, or even replace, the real world so briefly—"

"Shortsighted as you are, of course you couldn't have thought of this."

The answer he received was not from Dreem himself, but from the voice of a woman who gave the impression of a noblewoman. The innkeeper raised her left hand, and the flesh in her palm split open, revealing two "eyeballs" and a mouth with gleaming white teeth.

The teeth clashed, producing a monotonous clicking sound: "Mananan, no matter what, we all share the same blood. Even you, who chose to turn away, can still guide you into this world if you change your mind." The woman's voice paused. "A paradise where there is no suffering or aging—isn't that our lifelong dream?"

"An unrealistic dream will always remain just a dream."

Mananan replied.

"And if this scene before you is the answer you've finally found—" His gaze swept across the surroundings: the blood crow about to swing its great axe, the enormous water-seeking beast, the trampled weeds from the previous battle, the broken branches, pebbles, and dust stirred up by the aftershocks… finally settling on the lake's surface, where the ripples remained perfectly still. The reflection of the towering structure above was not visible in the black and white water.

"The death of Mother Danu was utterly worthless."

"Damn-"

These words seemed to have completely enraged the other party. The woman screamed, and without Dreem making any move, the surrounding air suddenly became hot, and everything in his vision began to distort and shake.

boom!

A tiny flame appeared out of nowhere and exploded amidst the woman's angry shouts, transforming into a fireball the size of a washbasin. The two were only a few steps apart, and as soon as the flame appeared, a wave of intense heat rushed towards them. The next moment, the fireball split into nine and hurtled towards Mananan!

The latter neither dodged nor evaded, but swung his trident downwards, driving the tip deep into the ground. With a pull, three powerful jets of water shot out from beneath his feet, colliding head-on with the fireball. Amidst the hissing sounds, white mist filled the air, and the figures of the two appeared and disappeared within it.

"I am going to kill you!"

The woman spoke through gritted teeth, while Mananan remained expressionless, simply holding his trident horizontally, his attitude self-evident. But the next moment, the attention of both sides suddenly fell on another place—in the direction of the distant town, the pillar of light belonging to the Holy Sword of the Sun suddenly flickered, as if it had been disturbed by something. The light was still bright, but it was a few degrees dimmer than at the beginning.

The next instant, almost right next to the beam of light, another dazzling beam of light shot into the sky!

Looking at the beam of light, Mananan suddenly opened his eyes wide. Dreem, like a puppet on strings, trembled violently twice. With an incredibly bizarre movement that defied the rules of the human body, he twisted his left hand into an impossible angle and raised it high. Several crisp cracking sounds rang out, and the "eye" in his palm spun around, taking in the two beams of light from the direction of the town.

"This is...! How is this possible? Wasn't the Sword of Certain Victory already—"

His voice was filled with disbelief.

……

Why don't you guess who those two people are?

On the edge of the cliff, high above, a few small stones rolled down with the vibrations, stirring up a little dust.

Merlin had almost her entire left foot on the edge of the cliff, her body swaying precariously as if she might fall at any moment. But she just smiled faintly, holding a wooden staff in one hand and letting go of the little girl she was holding with the other, carrying her on her back, and gently patting her own back twice.

Nimiao looked up at her.

The bewilderment in her eyes had been replaced by another emotion.

"Thirty years ago, after I learned about the rumors about the Tower of Radiance from my teacher, I had a vague feeling that things were not so simple. Out of curiosity, I tried to investigate. I never expected that I would actually catch a big fish in the end."

She smiled slightly: "After some investigation, I finally discovered that those who spread those rumors about the Tower of Radiance, trying to incite conflict among people, were actually followers of a certain deity. At first, I thought they just wanted to use this rumor to divert everyone's attention so they could do something sneakily in private. But it turns out that I underestimated them. Those followers—or rather, the goddess herself who was hiding behind the scenes, using divine pronouncements to command these followers—wanted to achieve some purpose through the Tower of Radiance."

"That goddess, who should have been dead to the point that her bones could drum, wants to be resurrected."

"This is no easy task. After all, in other places, the age of gods has ended, and even in Britain, where the aura of the divine age still lingers, there is a group of 'self-righteous' people: prophets skilled in divination, druids who have inherited the magic of the four city-states, and that behemoth lurking on the other side of the sea—it is probably because the goddess is wary of that legendary fighting technique that can kill angels with bare hands that Her Majesty is so cautious. Otherwise, although the druids are troublesome, they would not leave a god who is proficient in this art truly helpless."

"In any case, after a long wait, the goddess finally saw the day when the Roman Empire withdrew from Britain. With the Saxons in the south, the Picts in the north, and the island's ruler Uther defeated by Vortigern, the situation was chaotic, perfect for someone to fish in troubled waters. Spreading the news of the Radiant Tower served two purposes: firstly, to use people's understanding to fixate on the shape of the planetary anchor, and secondly, to incite conflict, keeping the islanders preoccupied with their own problems. If it weren't for a genius's sudden inspiration, people might not have discovered this terrible threat until the goddess truly awoke."

When she mentioned "a certain genius," the female magician raised her chin with a smug look and brushed a few strands of hair that had been ruffled by the wind from her forehead with her fingers: "Unfortunately, I discovered her plan in advance and successfully stopped that goddess before things became irreversible. Alas, I really wanted to use the word 'murder' to describe this, but the existence of a god is just too illogical. I originally thought that dividing the goddess's power into nine parts, entrusting each part to nine people for safekeeping, and hiding her body in the inner sea of ​​the star would be enough to put my mind at ease."

"I never expected it, I never expected it... that the Goddess could still manipulate the power that had been separated to a certain extent, using words to incite infighting among the Nine Witches, attempting to merge the scattered power back into one, and achieve another form of resurrection... By the time I realized it, Terena, who had been used as a pawn by you, had changed from a somewhat awkward good girl into that kind of person, and the most important Star Sword had fallen into the hands of the little Scottish guy."