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

"Um...is he alright?" After a long while, Guinevere turned around cautiously and pointed in the direction where the man had been knocked away.

It was only at this moment that she finally saw the person in front of her: a tall woman with long purple hair and fiery red eyes. Although she was not wearing a hood, she was wearing a tight-fitting bodysuit like other Picts. The fabric clung to her skin, perfectly outlining her exquisite curves.

"Don't worry, he shouldn't die from this. It'll just teach that idiot a lesson."

The smile on his face, the gentle tone of his voice like a spring breeze, yet the words he uttered sent a chill down the girl's spine. For a moment, it was as if she saw a faint, ghostly phantom behind him…

“But that fool did do one right thing at least, bringing you both here. Welcome.” This time, her smile seemed a little more genuine. “We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

"A long time? In other words, you knew I would be here all along?" Musashi noticed her choice of words and couldn't help but ask.

"Of course. Miyamoto Musashi—from the moment His plan began, we saw your presence in our destiny. Just like the princess here. To stop His plan and prevent the impending destruction, you are both indispensable links."

The purple-haired woman looked at Guinevere, a hint of a strange smile in her eyes: "Let's start with a brief introduction. We used to be one of the four great tribes of Pict, but now we are just guides here. You can call us Neof, or any other name you like."

"And this place is the sanctuary of the Picts, and also the earthly paradise forgotten by the gods."

Its name is Tirnano.

"The Land of Immortality".

……

P.S.: Here's a 5000-word post! Monthly votes coming soon! Recommended by: [Name of author/platform]

P.S.:

Second installment of the series: "The Strongest Sword Saint, Okita Souji, Reports!"

Synopsis: "Souji, why do you want to become a sword saint?"

"because I like it."

"like?"

"Yes, I like it. I like the feeling of holding a sword, the beauty of exploring the way of the sword, the feeling of encountering strong enemies and challenging powerful opponents, and the naked clash of spirit, energy, power, and skill between swordsmen that transcends status, power, and strategy..."

This is the story of a genius swordsman named Okita Souji who gradually becomes the strongest sword saint.

He's a sword saint, not a comedian!!!

P.S.: This is a crossover anime/manga series. Ms. Okita's image may be subtly altered due to the influence of many works such as Sword and Zen, Kenshin, Berserk, and Shinsengumi.

P.S.: This book is a yuri (lesbian) story; please do not read if you are not into this genre.

Chapter 185 Tragedy in the Shadows

At the end of the long ladder, a golden palace rises above the clouds.

The tall woman with flowing purple hair smiled and said, "This should be the first time we've been able to talk to outsiders so calmly. First of all, thank you for saving Jia'er and Twenty. Oh, Jia'er is that fool who can't even tell the difference between Babel and Tirgano, and as for Twenty..." She placed her hand on the child's fluffy blue hair and patted it gently, "This is this child's serial number."

"Serial number?"

Guinevere already found the name Twenty a bit odd; even according to the order of siblings, the number seemed rather high. Now, hearing the other person mention it in a tone that hinted at something, she couldn't help but ask, "What does it mean?"

The purple-haired woman did not answer immediately. Instead, she turned around, took the child's hand with her other hand, and slowly walked towards the palace above, accompanied by the tapping sound of her oak staff: "Come with us."

Although the stone steps were suspended in mid-air, each step was only half a meter apart. With the skills of the girl and Musashi, this distance was easy for them, as if they were walking on flat ground. As they climbed the steps, they listened to the purple-haired woman say, "Although we have been fighting for many years, I think the outside world's understanding of Pickett is not as deep as the understanding of you here."

"Indeed it is."

“Then it seems we need to start from the beginning. The Picts were originally composed of seven large tribes. And each tribe could be further subdivided into eight to ten smaller clans…” The leisurely tone revealed crucial information about this behemoth in the north, information that countless scholars had been craving: “We usually refer to each other by the names of our places of residence, namely Sutherland, Buken, Angus, Vaff, Chinlos, Gore, and Mendis.”

"After being defeated by your king... I think it was named Uther, Angus and Chinlos were severely weakened and were soon annexed by other tribes. The civil war that broke out over the territory lasted for about half a year, eventually resulting in the formation of two kingdoms..."

Although both are named Scotland, which may lead to some misunderstandings, in reality, the territory of Scotland at this time was only about half or even less than that of later times. The southern border was defined by the River Trench, the city of York, and Carlisle, which was about 100 miles from York. To the north, it was under Scottish jurisdiction, while to the south, it belonged to King Vortigern.

To the north, the area north of the Forth and Clyde Rivers originally belonged to the Picts. Due to the victory of the Allied forces many years ago, this border line was expanded considerably. However, the Picts were not truly weakened in that battle, and Leodogran did not dare to advance his troops further, lest he push too hard and provoke a fierce counterattack from the enemy.

This is why, although the Picts were far less powerful than in their heyday, they still occupied a large area of ​​northern Britain. It is also why Guinevere was only slightly surprised when she heard the purple-haired woman say that the Picts' power had been divided into two independent kingdoms.

"...Of course, since you outsiders have demonstrated enough power to defeat us, none of the tribes are willing or dare to break off relations. At least until they launch a counterattack, they need to maintain a facade of harmony. That's how it should have been..."

The purple-haired woman sighed softly.

The surrounding clouds and mist suddenly thickened, and some wondrous scenes gradually emerged from them. Guinevere lightly leaped forward, landing on the stone step in front of her, and curiously turned her head to look over.

"One day, a 'guest' arrived in one of the kingdoms."

Although the people and scenery formed by the condensed mist were all blurred, it was still possible to make out that several people were talking inside a house. The figure sitting in the center and the attendants on both sides were all Picts wearing masks and tight-fitting clothes. Only the person standing in the very center, speaking eloquently with his hands outstretched, was dressed differently.

She was a plump woman, wearing a long robe and adorned with many rings and ornaments.

Guinevere recognized the woman at a glance.

“Terena…”

She muttered to herself, her feelings quite complicated.

The purple-haired woman continued, "This person claims to be a divine messenger, sent to help the Picts reclaim everything that was taken from them. Her strength is such that even the tribe's shamans are ashamed of themselves, and she claims that anyone who worships her deity can obtain this power—everyone."

“Heh, we’ve always believed that the Picts are the true people favored by the gods, compared to you outsiders. That’s why that ‘divine messenger’ didn’t have to exert much effort to quickly gain the trust of the Great Chief and several clan leaders.”

There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice: "These are all clever people. So they rejected the 'divine messenger's' proposal and did not inform the other country of this news. Instead, they planned to forcibly annex the other country after they gained power. And the 'divine messenger's' request was very simple. From beginning to end, she only asked the Picts to do two things."

"To find the lost holy land—Tirnanor. And... to offer something to please that noble god. The kingdom's leaders initially thought the focus was only on the first thing: Tirnanor, the land of youth, the legendary abode of the Darnu gods after they left the mortal world... the true kingdom of the gods. The second thing was just an add-on. Ha, how foolish..."

After the snicker, the air fell silent for a moment. Guinevere could easily imagine that whatever pleased that "noble deity" was definitely not a good thing.

When the purple-haired woman spoke again, her voice was somewhat hoarse: "To put it bluntly, they were sacrifices. At first, it was just some acorns and fruits, then cattle and sheep... It wasn't any different from the sacrifices everyone usually made. So everyone was happy to do it. Later, the requirements gradually became strange... While keeping the cattle and sheep awake, peel off their entire skin, hang them upside down for three days and three nights, until they bleed to death, and use magic to keep them alive so they wouldn't die easily... Cut the roots of the saplings and watch them weaken day by day until they wither completely."

"Soon afterward, the same thing happened to people."

“What…” Guinevere, though somewhat prepared, still blurted out in surprise, “You…you…could it be…” The word remained unspoken.

Musashi remained silent, but his gaze turned cold.

“…They did it.” The purple-haired woman was somewhat dazed. “Even now, we still can’t understand why they would do what that ‘divine messenger’ said without hesitation. No one questioned such an incomprehensible thing… First, they took prisoners, and when the prisoners were all used up… there weren’t many to begin with, so they turned to their own kind who were dying from illness or serious injury. Since they were going to die anyway, they might as well make their deaths more meaningful…”

“When there are no more people like that, the next ones will be the weak who cannot contribute to the tribe… When we noticed the situation here, most of the people in such a large country were dead, and only the brave and strong warriors survived… These ‘survivors’ then disappeared into the darkness.”

"Several powerful tribes, a kingdom that could rival your Scotland, simply vanished."

"Another kingdom noticed the anomaly and sent scouts to investigate, but they only discovered countless strange hands lurking in the darkness, as well as shadowy figures with superb martial arts skills... Although it is not entirely accurate, we prefer to call them Shadow Heroes."

“Shadow Heroic Spirit…” Musashi seemed to have encountered Heroic Spirits in previous worlds. He repeated it in a low voice, thought about the shadowy figures he had encountered, and nodded: “That’s quite fitting.”

"Shadow spirits and monstrous hands roam the entire forest, and many people are attacked and killed day and night. The people of another kingdom pondered for a long time and finally found a way to solve the situation—or rather, they found a refuge from these monsters before they were all wiped out. That is here, the legendary holy land of Tirnanor."

"You must find it strange that we refer to ourselves not as 'I,' but as the plural 'we,'" the purple-haired woman smiled. "Because we were never a single individual to begin with."

"The people of Danu used to be able to enter and leave Tirnanor freely, but even if lowly mortals know the location of Paradise, they cannot go there alone; they must have a guide to enter Paradise."

"Just like Osin and Neover?" Guinevere had heard this legend in her previous life, and when the purple-haired woman mentioned the name Neover, she immediately remembered it.

“You are indeed learned,” the purple-haired woman chuckled. “Indeed. But unfortunately, most of the powerful druid magicians belong to that now-vanished kingdom. The three tribes that make up that other kingdom, mainly artisans, scholars, and researchers, despite discovering the entrance to Tiranano, have none who could serve as guides—”

"And so we were born."

"Thirty-seven druids, having abandoned their bodies and merged their souls into one, finally became guides, enabling them to lead the remaining members of their people into Tirananor and escape the calamity. Unfortunately... it was a little too late."

She spoke calmly, but Guinevere and Musashi did not respond. In the silence, a chill could be felt, as if the coldness penetrated to the very core of one's being.

The purple-haired woman finally stepped onto the last stone step, placed her hand on the main gate of the magnificent palace, turned around, and smiled slightly at the two of them.

Perhaps because of what she had just said, the girl suddenly felt that her smile was very sad. She said softly, "Now, there are a total of 323 people left in Tirnano, and two teams of 14 people are out scouting. Adding Gal and Twenty, these... are all the survivors."

“If you don’t mind… Your Highness, we would like to take you and your friends to meet them… to see them.” There seemed to be a hint of trepidation and a hint of anticipation in their eyes.

The girl bit her lip; no one could see her expression from beneath her helmet.

She remained silent and nodded.

Chapter 186 I'm Back

“We want to take you and your friends to meet these survivors…to see them.”

The purple-haired woman, Neof, placed her hand on the door but didn't push it open immediately. Instead, she turned around and quietly looked at the girl in black armor. Seeing her nod, she smiled slightly: "Twenty, after you leave here, your two older sisters won't understand you anymore. Take this opportunity to thank them first."

"kindness!"

The child nodded vigorously, flashing a bright smile: "Pink sister, black sister, thank you for saving me and Uncle Jia'er!"

After realizing what he was saying, Guinevere discovered that he was actually a very polite child. However, she wasn't usually thanked so sincerely, and for a moment she felt a little embarrassed: "It was nothing, no need to thank me..."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Just be careful, you might not be able to save yourself next time you're in danger." Musashi simply waved his hand casually, as if he were used to it.

The child responded, and Neo patted his head: "Go find Xiao Jiu and Seventeen to let them know you're safe. They've been so worried about you that they haven't been able to sleep for days."

"Okay." The child stuck out his tongue. As Neof pushed, the palace doors in front of them slowly opened, radiating a dazzling array of seven-colored light that was blinding. Twenty darted inside and vanished without a trace.

"Is this also a portal?" Guinevere asked.

Niove nodded: "The Golden Palace in the Clouds is the center of Tirnano and the only door that allows one to choose their own destination. In the past, the people of Danu could freely travel to and from the entire territory of Tirnano from here, but unfortunately, we only have five other doors that we can use."

"You've already seen two of them: the only entrance to the outside world and a buffer zone in case of enemy invasion, guarded by the most elite warriors of the three tribes. The other two doors lead to the training ground and the residential area, respectively. As for the last one, although we have put it into use, we don't know why we can't get to the other side of the door."

“As we just mentioned, most Picts believe they are the truly beloved race of the gods, compared to outsiders. This belief stems from arrogance and conceit, but this arrogance has its origins…” She paused, then beckoned to the two of them: “Let’s leave that topic for later; there are more important matters at hand. Please come with us; there’s someone we intend to introduce you to…”

“A single person?” Guinevere was taken aback. “Isn’t he a surviving Pictite?”

“There are priorities.” Neof smiled. “Almost the entire forest has fallen into His hands. We and the last three hundred or so Picts who managed to escape with their lives are absolutely no match for Him. Therefore, we must find new help… But at the same time, we also understand that it is extremely difficult to persuade the enemy to let go of their hatred.”

These were the words the young girl had intended to utter, but Neof said them first. Indeed, if what this "guide lady" said was true, the North was facing an unimaginable crisis, and the so-called noble deity most likely referred to Neman. He had been manipulating Terena's plans in the North for many years, and his target was certainly not just the Picts.

At this juncture, the most correct and reasonable course of action is undoubtedly to unite all forces that can be united, including the Picketts, Orkneys, the Scots, and other nobles of all ranks.

But this is easier said than done. The two sides have been at war for years, with rivers of blood flowing and hatred running deep. Guinevere could easily imagine that even if she went back to report this news to her father, the King of Scotland would most likely choose to exterminate the remaining Picts first before considering the threat of Neman—provided that Leodogland believed her claim that a god in the north was plotting something.

Putting herself in the other person's shoes, if someone suddenly came up to her and said, "A very, very evil god is going to be resurrected, let's go kill him!"... she would only think of that person as a lunatic. Considering Leodogran's proud and confident personality, he would probably react similarly, so she needs to think of a way to persuade him first.

Lost in thought, she heard Neov say, "But it seems the gods haven't completely abandoned us yet." A faint smile finally appeared on her face as she said this: "In your outsider terms, about half a month ago, we noticed some strange things happening in the Great Forest—after becoming 'guides,' our perception of nature has become much more acute. That's why, even though the Great Forest is now teeming with His minions, we were able to barely evade His surveillance and send people out to investigate."

After offering an explanation, Neov steered the conversation back on track: "Our scouts spotted your army near the border. They were numerous, and their leader carried a banner that was half blue and half red with a white lion lying in the center—"

"Sky and war, the roar of the white lion... this is the royal banner." Leodogran's grandfather, whose hair turned white at only twenty, likened himself to a lion, and the banner's design was his creation, passed down through generations. Guinevere, upon hearing this familiar description, paled instantly: "Only two people are qualified to use this banner—my brother, or my father..."

The two had already shared their secrets along the way. Musashi already knew that Guinevere was the second daughter of the King of Scotland, but she had traveled between different worlds and had seen all sorts of important figures. So she wasn't too surprised to hear this. She just asked the girl to sign her name, thinking that she might need it sometime. Even if she didn't need it, it would be nice to have it as a souvenir.

Incidentally, Guinevere also asked for the great swordsman's autograph, but compared to Musashi, her intentions were more "utilitarian": after getting the autograph, she might be able to glean some first-rate martial arts skills or peerless sword intent from the other person's handwriting, just like in martial arts novels... Of course, it was mostly a joke.

Hearing the girl's murmurs, Niove shook her head: "We don't know whether the king or the eldest prince is leading that army. According to the scouts, the Scots seem to have realized that something bad is happening in the forest and are preparing to investigate."

"To be honest, the commander of this army must be a meticulous person. His troop deployment and formation are all based on stability and are impeccable. I think he could retreat safely even if he faced the army of one or even several tribes."

"Unfortunately, they were completely unaware of the state of the Great Forest and ran headlong into its minions... those endless, monstrous hands reaching out from the darkness, and dozens of shadow spirits. The battle lasted from dawn until noon, and the Scots were almost completely wiped out. The commander rallied the remaining troops, preparing for a breakout. But we were afraid of being noticed by Him, so we didn't see the end and therefore don't know the final outcome..."

Neof paused. "Our scouts brought back one of the wounded warriors, who, according to you, should be a knight. He doesn't trust us. If it were you, Your Highness, you should be able to put him on his guard... He's badly injured and needs to rest."

The palace gates opened, and she stepped inside. Her voice came from within the seven-colored light: "And you, you must also have many things you want to ask him."

……

"Look."

"She's arrived—"

After uttering that seemingly random sentence, the squirrel suddenly jumped off the pink-haired girl's shoulder, wagging its large tail, and scurried out of the room.

"what……"

The girl seemed startled as well, her expression flustered. She took two steps in the direction the squirrel had gone, but it had already vanished without a trace. Several other children ran past her and chased after it outside. She was a step behind, hesitated for a moment, and finally turned back.

“Ah, ahhh—”

"I don't understand what you mean by going back and forth like this!" Now that he was fully conscious, the pain all over his body was becoming clearer, and coupled with the frustration and unease of losing his left leg, Peden's tone involuntarily became much more irritable.

The girl opened her eyes wide, took a step back, and met his clearly frightened gaze. He couldn't help but click his tongue.

The squirrel said they were Picts... What a joke! Aren't Picts all monsters with iron ball-like hoods and weird bodysuits, devoid of blood and tears? How could such a cute little girl be...?

"Ah, ah ah ah."

The pink-haired girl pointed to her mouth, then to her stomach, and made a gesture as if she were putting something into her mouth. Peden suddenly realized, "You're asking me if I want to eat something?"

"Oh!" The girl nodded hurriedly, as if pounding garlic.

"Wait, you can understand me?"

"ah!"

Another nod.

"Oh dear!"