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

To think you can leave yourself with such a crude obstacle technique... you're underestimating the name Vivian!

But just as this thought popped into her mind, Vivian suddenly heard a soft laugh. The laugh seemed to come from a very distant place, and it sounded somewhat disdainful and contemptuous—it even gave her the feeling of an adult watching a child clumsily wielding a sword, a feeling that was both funny and exasperating.

An indescribable sense of crisis suddenly arose. Almost subconsciously, the woman standing at the bow of the ship had a thought. The magic of the Sea God's Scepter and the power she had taken from the gods brought all the power she currently possessed to its limit. The water mist covering her body instantly turned into an incomparably deep dark blue. Holding the scepter with both hands, she chopped down!

The change in momentum was noticed even by Gao Wen and the other two, who all turned their gazes over. With Vivian's wave, the surging waves and howling winds stopped in an instant, and even the water droplets that splashed up like a rainstorm and the turbid waves that filled the sky were frozen in mid-air.

The scene was as if time had stopped, the waves had subsided, and the fishing boat sped across the frozen sea, drawing ever closer to the colossal beast ahead. Vivian's figure, whose curves had been vaguely discernible before, was now completely hidden in the almost black mist, appearing from afar like a thick, unyielding mass of ink, its surface trembling violently, as if it might burst open at any moment.

"It seems... something's not going well."

Kai was the first to stand up. Lily and Gawain exchanged a glance and were about to speak when suddenly a muffled groan was heard. The solidified "ink" had actually burst open from the middle! The entire small boat rocked, and the stagnant wind and rain came back in. In the midst of the dizziness, a giant wave crashed down on them. Before they could react, the fishing boat beneath them was smashed to pieces. The ferocious sea had finally bared its fangs at them!

"……Miss!"

In an unexpected turn of events, the ship's planks shattered into several pieces, nearly half of which disappeared instantly into the inky black sea. Gawain reacted swiftly, reaching out to grab a larger plank before it was shattered by the waves. He shouted, but the sound was abruptly drowned out by the tide. He looked towards the bow of the ship, but Vivian was nowhere to be seen. Only a sharp, gust of wind lashed against his face, stinging him so much that he could barely open his eyes.

"Miss--"

He called out again, but there was no response. Instead, he heard a slight cracking sound under his feet. Gawain quickly jumped onto another, slightly larger plank. Almost as soon as he leaped up, the original plank shattered into several pieces and sank into the sea. He landed on the second plank, his body swaying slightly, but he managed to stand firm thanks to his exceptional sense of balance. When he looked up again, he saw a wave rising into the air, carrying the scepter that symbolized the majesty of the sea god, crashing towards the other side in the gale!

But in the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of another figure that leaped into the water as the scepter flew up, moving swiftly like a fish. When it reappeared, it was nearly ten meters away, clearly heading in the direction the scepter had flown. But in such turbulent waters, even sea creatures would hide and tremble. No matter how good a swimmer was, how long could flesh and blood endure in such frigid temperatures? Gao Wen's heart sank, but he was helpless. The next moment, the mountain-like figure in front of him suddenly stopped, and then, at an incredibly slow pace, gradually turned around.

On the turbulent sea, the young knight held only a sword, his footing resting on a narrow piece of ship plank. But as he raised his head, he saw two azure flames, flickering intensely, illuminating the depths of his empty eye sockets.

……

"dad?"

Although only half a day had passed, Nimiao felt a moment of disorientation when she called out that name again.

The past and the present overlapped in his mind, making it difficult to distinguish them clearly for a while. One was the powerful god Danu, whose every move could topple mountains and rivers, while the other was a brief period of less than half a month.

There seems to be no comparison between the two, but in the little girl's heart, the latter, the weight of these short days together, is more vivid, warmer, and more reluctant to part than that glorious past that was revered and admired by countless people.

This small act of kindness was enough for her to choose, from the two options Merlin gave her, to continue living as Nemü—a person who was nothing but someone's daughter.

This might be because Merlin had tampered with things to some extent, but when the girl saw the figure standing not far away, walking towards them, she subconsciously took half a step forward.

Noticing this, Nimiao suddenly opened her eyes wide. Due to some inexplicable panic, she hurriedly took two steps back, but forgot that there was a cliff behind her. She missed her second step, lost her balance, and was about to fall.

A figure flashed before her eyes, and in an instant, she was in someone's arms. The little girl looked up blankly, her eyes darting around, not daring to look at the person's expression. Time seemed to pass by, perhaps a dozen seconds, or almost a minute, before a soft sigh reached her ears.

What are you doing...?

In her usual tone, Nimiao bit her lip, and after a moment, murmured, "I'm sorry."

Guinevere didn't say anything more. She first gently patted the girl's head, then wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, squatted down, and half-forced to meet the girl's evasive gaze.

Where is Merlin?

"...I don't know. But she probably...went to help."

“I see.” Guinevere nodded, then asked, “Do you know what the situation is now?”

“I know…” In the back-and-forth, Nimiao’s voice no longer trembled and almost returned to normal: “Macha… the god of magic of the Danu tribe, broke the seal on the Wave Beast and then took its body.”

"That big guy?"

"Correct."

"Where are Lily and the others over there?"

Nemia nodded, and Guinevere's expression changed slightly before returning to normal. She supported herself on her knees and stood up.

"This is troublesome. There's no good way to go and help..." The girl muttered to herself, looking at the surging sea with some distress.

It was only then that Nimiao noticed the long sword the girl was carrying on her back—she had seen this sword more than once in another memory.

"The Glory of Nuada..."

"You recognize this sword?" Guinevere lowered her head in surprise. Nemia suddenly panicked and was about to answer when Guinevere suddenly laughed: "Never mind, it seems Merlin has indeed done something again... Tell me later. If she bullies you, I'll help you get revenge."

These words came out casually, like a joke, yet you could hear the seriousness in them. Nimiao responded with an "Mmm".

"Actually... you don't need to go. Although the Wave Beast is powerful, with Sister Lily and the others, plus the two Holy Swords and the Scepter of the Sea God, it's not an invincible opponent... The trouble is that Macha, who occupies that body, is one of the most skilled in magic even among the gods back then. To win, we must first find a way to restrain her..."

"Father, you've gained the Sword of Light's approval. If you want to help them, I have a better way. But..."

"only?"

Nimiao bit her lip.

Do you...believe me?

P.S.: In the last two days of 2018, hurry up and do anything you want to do but haven't done yet, so you don't have any regrets! For example, don't forget to tip Qingbai, vote for Qingbai, give Qingbai monthly tickets and razor blades, and post in the chat and write book reviews to praise Qingbai!

Chapter 142 The Battlefield of Fate

Although the specifics of what happened were unknown, Nimiao's wavering was obvious. In the distance, towering waves surged, and within them, a colossal shadow could be vaguely seen. Even at such a great distance, the astonishing presence of the demonic beast was overwhelming, making one feel suffocated, as if even breathing became difficult.

Guinevere could hardly imagine what kind of courage and determination it would take to confront such a behemoth head-on.

However, this is exactly what some of her friends are doing.

"Believe it or not..."

Nemium's origins remained a heavy burden on their minds. Guinevere and Lily tacitly avoided delving into the matter, treating the little girl they found on the street with indifference. However, this didn't mean they did nothing. Through both overt and covert means, coupled with information provided by Merlin, they had a general idea of ​​Nemium's background, though they didn't say they knew everything.

Judging from Nemü's current reaction, it's highly likely that Merlin has somehow lifted the veil of secrecy, revealing the truth in its naked form.

That's why she asked, "Do you believe me?"

Guinevere didn't miss the fleeting look of evasion and hesitation in the girl's eyes when she asked that question.

She thought for a moment, then instead of answering the question directly, she gently patted the girl's head and rubbed it a little harder. When Nimiao let out a subconscious groan of dissatisfaction, she took two steps forward and reached in to draw the longsword from her back.

A clear, resonant sound.

A gleaming sword appeared in the girl's hand. Its blade was covered in cracks, yet these did not detract from its captivating beauty. The crisscrossing cracks resembled meticulously designed patterns, their shimmering light possessing a breathtaking aesthetic. At first glance, more than a weapon of slaughter, this sword seemed like a finely crafted work of art.

The sword of light, the invincible sword, the glory of Nuada—in the past, people used all sorts of names to praise and sing the praises of this sword and its user, the proud and powerful king who once led his tribe through all kinds of hardships, "Silver Arm" Nuada.

But in any case, Nuada, the Danu God Clan, and even the Sword of Light and the Four Great Treasures all belong to people and things from a long time ago. Today, everything has changed. Only when the bards play their instruments can one find a trace of those long-lost glories in their melodious songs.

At this very moment, the little girl saw the sword that symbolized a legend once again.

Or perhaps—as long as she was still Nemia and not Neman, one of the three goddesses of Danu—this was the first time she had seen Krausolas in person. The sword's appearance was not quite the same as in another memory of hers. The girl remembered that the sword Nuada held was also like a blazing torch, but it did not have the countless cracks she saw now, as if it would shatter into pieces at any moment.

For a moment, she couldn't quite grasp what this difference meant. She simply looked up, somewhat dazed, at the girl who had walked in front of her, then hurriedly looked away the instant the long golden hair came into view. Even when she was with Merlin, her heart remained calm.

But when the other person was Guinevere, the one she inexplicably called "Dad," Nimiao was surprised to find that the first thing she thought of was not why the other person had gained the Sword of Light's approval—she didn't even have that thought. It was as if somewhere in her heart, she had long believed that Guinevere was capable of doing so.

What she cared about and worried about was how much the other person actually knew about the whole thing, and whether they would distance themselves from her because of their memories of Niemann.

The unease subsided only to rise again, and when she came to her senses, Nimiao realized that her body was trembling slightly. She gently bit her lip, wanting to say something, opened her mouth, but in the end, no sound came out.

It was at this very moment.

Guinevere glanced down at the sword in her hand, then turned back to meet Nemia's evasive gaze. She smiled slightly: "So, what method is it?"

The little girl blinked, and suddenly, a surge of warmth rose from the depths of her heart. After a few seconds of silence, Nemia spoke softly, "You've already gained Klausolas's approval, so you should be able to use the sword's inherent power, just like Nuada. And one of Klausolas's abilities is called..."

"The Battleground of Fate".

……

Amidst the wind and rain, a glimmer of light can be faintly seen, stubbornly persisting in this dark and turbulent world, like a solitary lamp in the depths of a long night, weak yet symbolizing the hope that has not yet vanished.

"you……"

Lily stared in astonishment at the woman hidden in the mist before her. Just as she had said before, from childhood to adulthood, because she needed to conceal her gender, she had never been near lakes or rivers and knew nothing about swimming. In the instant the fishing boat was torn to pieces, Lily had already resigned herself to drowning.

Unexpectedly, it was Vivian who ultimately saved him.

The witch's appearance was hardly appealing: even through the mist, at such close range, almost breathing each other, one could vaguely make out Vivian's face—a young woman, probably between twenty-three and twenty-five or twenty-six, with narrow eyebrows and thin lips that made her seem overly harsh and difficult to get along with.

The owner of this face was now pale and swaying precariously. Lily was about to speak when Vivian gently shook her head. She opened her arms and embraced the girl in the white dress. A bubble about two meters square had appeared around them, enveloping the two of them, and they floated on the waves.

"Time is limited, listen to me..."

Her voice was very weak: "I underestimated my opponent... The one inside that body now is very likely not the original body, but..." It seemed that just these few words had almost exhausted her remaining strength. Vivian took two quick breaths, and the waves became more and more violent, and the whole bubble was shaking violently.

"The only thing that can counter my spells and the Scepter of the Sea God... is an equally mysterious being, that is, a being similar to a deity."

With a few brief words explaining the destruction of the fishing boat, Vivian, disregarding whether Lily could understand, took a breath and spoke rapidly: "What's here isn't my true body, but an avatar I created using the power of the goddess. So before this body completely collapses, rather than letting this power dissipate or be used by the enemy, it's better to let it play a final role..."

She spoke so quickly and urgently that Lily couldn't find a single opening to interject or ask a question. Suddenly, the mist before her eyes swayed again, and abruptly, the witch's entire body shattered like a broken reflection. The bubbles surrounding her contracted and expanded like a heart, expanding and contracting repeatedly. Lily felt a strange power surge into her body, and before she could react, light blue lines rapidly took shape. In the blink of an eye, a nearly transparent teardrop pattern appeared on the girl's forehead!

……

If she had to describe it, what she was experiencing at that moment was an absolutely wonderful feeling.

A bonfire suddenly igniting in the freezing cold of sub-zero temperatures, the first ray of sunlight breaking through the sky in the continuous drizzle, or a piece of refreshing and sweet pickled radish after eating a lot of greasy food... like rain after a long drought, like withered trees coming back to life, as if in an instant, a door that was originally tightly closed opened, and everything became completely different.

The once icy seawater now carried a strange warmth, making breathing easier and the resistance that had previously made her unable to move vanish without a trace. Lily looked at Vivian, who had completely disappeared from sight, and with a thought, the newfound power within her felt incredibly gentle and effortless. With a single thought, a buoyancy surged forth, lifting her, half-submerged, to the surface—

And thus, it firmly established itself.

Standing in the wind, it felt as if I were walking on flat ground.

"This is……"

With a sense of novelty, she raised her hand and touched her forehead. Although she couldn't see it, she could feel something new there—like the green leaf mark on Guinevere's hand. The girl, who was extremely sensitive to magic, immediately determined that the new power within her was quite similar to her companion's wind mark, almost certainly of the same origin.

Is it the power of the gods?

Lost in thought, a sudden shout snapped her back to reality. Looking up, she saw a gleaming silver light amidst the raging waves. Gawain, sword in hand, channeled magic, extending the blade to nearly twenty meters in length before slashing forward with deadly force. The darkness obscured her vision, limiting her to only a few meters around her. Therefore, even though she could see Gawain, she couldn't pinpoint the monster's location—or perhaps it was simply too enormous, making it harder to pinpoint the enemy's position as the distance closed.

The next moment, the Sword of Reincarnation transformed into a dazzling rainbow light and swept out. A deep roar echoed amidst the raging wind, and a giant wave, as large as a city wall, suddenly crashed down. For a brief instant, Lily also saw the majestic azure figure behind the crashing wave. The magical beast roared to the sky, and a huge circular magic circle suddenly unfolded in front of it, blocking the powerful strike of the holy sword.

Instead of shattering or causing a massive explosion as expected, the blazing magic struck the transparent magic circle, then gradually tilted to the side. Only then did Lily realize that the magic circle was actually composed of countless smaller circular magic circles, each with a slightly different angle, like a hand reaching out, gently yet firmly guiding this incomparably powerful strike, changing its angle little by little.

A few breaths later, a loud boom was heard, and the entire sword light was redirected in another direction, landing on the empty sea in the distance, stirring up huge waves and white mist, but the demonic beast was completely unharmed.

A single blow that would easily defeat a hundred men on the battlefield couldn't even touch the enemy.

Lily watched this scene in silence.

The fingers gripping the sword hilt were bloodless from gripping it too tightly.

……

P.S.: Happy New Year everyone! In the new year, make the most of every day and don't let yourself have any regrets~ Like forgetting to vote for Qingbai today, not subscribing to Qingbai's updates right away, forgetting to give monthly tickets and swords, it seems like it's been a long time since I gave a reward, and so on, etc., etc. In order to avoid leaving such regrets, now, right now, immediately! Vote! (clenched fist)

Chapter 143 Shining in the Farthest Places (Part 1)

Faced with such a renowned and ferocious beast, no one would have the naive idea of ​​killing it with a single attack. However, Lily still felt a sense of frustration when she witnessed Gawain's powerful, sun-like strikes failing to even get close to the beast's body before easily knocking it aside.

Even Merlin—she believed that with Merlin's abilities, there were definitely many ways to avoid Gawain's attack, but it was impossible for him to do it as effortlessly and casually as the monster before her. This wasn't a matter of superior or inferior skill, but rather that the magical power that mortals could control and wield was insufficient to achieve such an effect. The magical power mobilized the instant the magic circle appeared was enough to burst any magician of flesh and blood apart.

Only those ancient fantasy species, breathing true ether which is no different from poison to ordinary people of this era, and ancient ferocious beasts with inconceivably strong physiques, can mobilize such a vast amount of magic power without backfiring on themselves.

This is why, in the eyes of most magicians, the spells used by those fantasy species often seem extremely crude. Even the dragons at the pinnacle prefer to exhale a scorching or icy breath rather than weave a complex spell. It's a very simple principle: when you can easily crush a bunch of ants with a single step and have no further needs, why would you bother to spend time and effort creating a more efficient and aesthetically pleasing method of killing?

It's not that it's impossible, but that there's no need to do it.

But this moment.

The magic spell cast by the roaring beast, a defensive array composed of dozens or even hundreds of tightly interlocking circles, had such intricate and complex steps that it would leave even the world's top wizards speechless and sweating profusely.

This feeling... is like a powerful wizard possessing the body of the giant beast before you.

"I underestimated my opponent... The one currently inside that body is very likely no longer the original self, but..."

Recalling Vivian's last, fragmented words, Lily's face paled. She was almost completely soaked, her white dress clinging tightly to her body, revealing her still somewhat immature figure. Her hair clung to her cheeks, with a few strands even sticking to the corners of her mouth, and her lips were pale, almost bloodless, pressed tightly together.

He held a sharp sword tightly in his hand, with a golden scabbard hanging at his waist.

Its slender figure, seemingly fragile enough to break with a gentle breeze, stands upright on the turbulent, dark sea, its back straight like a long spear pointing towards the sky.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, you mustn't be afraid..."

Thoughts flashed like lightning. Although the process of thinking about these various ideas seemed lengthy, in reality, the entire process, from the capsizing of the fishing boat to Gao Wen's sword striking empty air and creating a thousand waves, all happened within half a minute.

Lily spoke quickly, her voice, though not very loud, was drowned out by the surrounding wind and waves, and she herself could not even hear it. But whether she heard it or not was irrelevant at this moment. The next moment, she closed her eyes, her heart pounding powerfully, and her magic transformed into a rushing torrent. Dozens and hundreds of invisible threads crisscrossed, gradually weaving a set of silver armor onto her body.

"Real steel is just too cumbersome. Plus, it requires help to put on, making it completely unsuitable for someone like you who needs to conceal your true identity. So I specially modified an existing magic for you... This is a magic that only you, Artoria, can use. It's unique. How about that? I'm so good to you, aren't I? Heh, hahaha..."

The magic itself was nothing more than a very simple magical barrier, but after Merlin's modification, the ridiculously low amount of magic consumption resulted in a set of armor made purely of magic, with excellent defense and without hindering movement in any way.

In this world, there may be many people who can use this magic, but apart from her, who possesses the heart of a dragon and whose magic power is inexhaustible as long as her blood circulates, there is probably no one who can maintain this magically woven armor for a long time.

Because from the very beginning, this was not created for humans, but for the Fantasy Species—the dragons that stand at the pinnacle of the Fantasy Species.