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"Princess Guinevere, how did you know about that secret passage?" When Asher and Guinevere arrived in Leodegrance's territory, Asher led his horse to a sheltered spot, patted its head, and turned to Guinevere behind him.
"My father used to dislike me wandering around. I was always obedient, diligently learning etiquette in the palace. But sometimes, I'd secretly use the excuse of going out to play to escape the attendants' sight and go search for treasures in nearby forests or mountain paths." Guinevere smiled as she walked towards the palace. "But you know, there were no treasures at all."
"No, that's not right. Escaping secretly from that kind of environment to explore and adventure on your own, that in itself is a treasure," Asher said. Guinevere was slightly stunned, then turned to look at the young man, and suddenly smiled, "You're right."
The two soon stepped in front of the palace. Asher's gaze fell upon the tragic scene at the palace entrance. "King Marco's target really was here!" Even though he was mentally prepared, Asher was still shocked to see the palace gate covered in bodies. He strode into the palace, his gaze sweeping around.
After not finding Artoria or Lancelot, he decisively left the palace. Undoubtedly, they had already been moved elsewhere by King Marco. But in such low visibility due to the rain, if they were also leading an army, their movement speed would undoubtedly be much slower. They could still catch up now.
"Princess Guinevere, let's go," Asher said to the girl standing in the rain. But Guinevere still didn't move, just quietly gazing at the desolate palace, her face devoid of emotion. Her white dress clung to her body, drenched by the rain, but she showed no sign of distress, appearing like a white ghost lingering before the palace.
"Princess Guinevere?" Asher called out again. Guinevere snapped out of her daze, turned to Asher, and nodded seriously, "Let's go." It was impossible for them to take the mountain path in the rain, so they would likely leave via a forest trail. Such places were difficult to navigate at night, so they could definitely catch up if they pursued them.
But when Asher and Guinevere returned to where they
had tethered the horse, as soon as they mounted it, the horse knelt on the ground. The journey had already exhausted it, and it had reached its limit. "No choice then. Is there a stable nearby?" Asher turned to ask.
Guinevere nodded. "I'll take you." But she took one step and then stopped again. Asher also stopped. Because, in the distance, a white steed was galloping towards them, and soon stopped in front of Asher.
"Stallion..." Asher looked at the white horse in front of him. "Are you here to pick us up?" The white steed turned around, signaling Asher to mount. Asher got on Stallion and extended a hand to Guinevere. "Let's go, Princess Guinevere." Guinevere hesitated, then reached out her hand, murmuring, "Is this a knight and a princess?" Asher pulled Guinevere onto the horse's back and tugged the reins. "I suppose so." Stallion galloped towards the palace exit. As they left the palace, Asher saw the arriving army at the gate, led by Gawain and Agravain.
"A group stays behind to attend to the casualties. The rest, follow me," Asher said, and the white steed had already vanished from sight.
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In the dimly lit environment, a group of people was transporting the prison cart through the forest. The rain had significantly lessened, which was good news for them. It meant they could reach their destination faster.
King Leodegrance coughed violently in the cage. His body, already frail from old age, had been drenched in the rain and was now naturally suffering from a cold. "I fought alongside King Uther in my youth, but in my old
age, I've become like this. What a tragedy."
King Marco shook his head and sighed, putting on a show
of compassion, then looked behind King Leodegrance and scoffed, "But you should be thankful. The others aren't so lucky, you know? They've been dragged along by us this whole time."
King Leodegrance, amidst his coughing, followed King Marco's gaze. His eyes widened in an instant, and he gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, angrily exclaiming, "King Marco, you'll get your comeuppance!" There were a few of his personal attendants, and also those princes and princesses.
Without exception, they had all been dragged along by horses the entire way. Those with good stamina might have been able to keep running at first, but later, they were doomed to be dragged.
"That's truly terrifying, but you should thank me," King Marco said with a laugh. "If it weren't for me, these people would have already been killed in the palace."
"That's enough. Loose lips sink ships, don't you understand, King Marco?" Vortigern glanced at King Marco, his tone flat.
"Sorry," King Marco closed his mouth, but felt a bit unconvinced. He naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to completely obey Vortigern. If anything, they should be considered partners. Vortigern would achieve his revenge, and he, in turn, would gain vast territories. This was the oath Vortigern had made, and he wasn't afraid of Vortigern breaking it. Once an oath takes effect, it's impossible to violate, even for the Usurper King.
"Lancelot seems to be fading fast. Is he alright?" King Marco said, looking at Lancelot in the prison cart.
"He avoided fatal injuries. If he can't even withstand this much, Lancelot wouldn't be hailed as Britain's strongest knight," Vortigern snorted. "Don't underestimate him."
"What about King Arthur's court attendant? Has she given up already?" King Marco then looked at the blonde girl in another prison cart. The power she unleashed in an instant had truly shocked King Marco. If Vortigern hadn't intervened in time, he might have been burned to a crisp.
Vortigern merely glanced at Artoria, then averted his gaze. "Increase the speed," he commanded.
As their pace quickened, the others paid less attention to the people in the prison carts. Artoria quietly opened her eyes in the dimness. Her weapon had been taken, and Lancelot was severely wounded, but this didn't mean there was no hope. At the very least... at the very least, she had to deliver the news of Vortigern's return to Asher. ...And, she still wanted to see Asher again.
No matter what, she had to escape from here. The handcuffs Vortigern used weren't a special variant like Morgan's. They seemed to have some magic-restricting effect, but the effect wasn't as obvious. As long as she could break the handcuffs and the cage in one go, there would be a chance to escape. The only ones to be wary of were Vortigern and the elf, but the elf wasn't here now.
Artoria wasn't sure if the elf was hiding in the shadows,
but its injuries hadn't healed, so it probably couldn't maintain a combat state. There was only one chance to escape, and she had to seize the moment.
The light of Rune magic quietly gleamed in the dimness. A faint cracking sound came from the handcuffs, but it was immediately masked by the sound of the army moving and the rain. The handcuffs were successfully undone by Artoria.
With a surge of momentum, she raised her finger, and a burst of fire erupted, shattering the cage in an instant. As long as she entered the forest, in the rainy night, with the cover of the trees, the chances of escape were high.
However, almost at the instant the cage shattered, a hand grabbed her wrist from behind. Artoria had anticipated the possibility of being discovered as well.
She decisively unleashed an ice spike, piercing the person's arm. She then shot into the air, surging towards the forest.
"Feigning weakness to a strong opponent, making them complacent, is indeed a good idea, but you've chosen the wrong person." King Marco blocked Artoria's path. The elf appeared from the darkness, its sharp claws thrusting towards Artoria's abdomen. Even though she reacted extremely quickly to evade the attack, her abdomen was still grazed, and a spurt of blood splashed out. "Don't even think about escaping," King Marco said, drawing a dagger and blocking Artoria, who was trying to retreat.
At that moment, the elf's sharp claws viciously struck towards Artoria. Artoria bit her lip tightly. Even though she wanted to avoid the attack, the attendants on both sides were already eyeing her, so she could only watch helplessly as the sharp claws approached.
"Stop." Someone suddenly spoke. As he spoke, the elf's movements halted abruptly. Artoria looked at the man who spoke, somewhat surprised. It was Vortigern.
"I admire your courage," Vortigern slowly stepped
forward. The elf and King Marco all retreated. The somewhat aged man looked down at Artoria and suddenly showed a gentle smile. "I want to give you a chance, a chance to escape."
"Lord Vortigern" Before King Marco could finish, Vortigern interrupted him and continued, "There are about two hundred people here, every single one of them an elite among elites. I will send fifty of them to duel you one by one. If you defeat fifty, I'll let you go, how about it?" "Actually, you have no choice," Vortigern hooked a finger at a nearby attendant. "This is just an entertainment show, to give my soldiers some excitement." "Alright, now begin your performance." He snapped his fingers. They formed a circle, and an attendant first walked into the circle.
"Come on, we're completely different from a little girl like you who only thinks about romance. Please be careful holy shit!" As soon as the attendant smiled, a fist came flying at him, sending him sprawling backwards.
"Damn it, what's with this guy's strength?!" Someone nearby exclaimed. Vortigern narrowed his eyes, looking at the second and third people who fought Artoria. This was the power of the Red Dragon, a product created jointly by King Uther and Merlin.
At this moment, Artoria was like a ghost, effortlessly dispatching twenty-odd attendants. The power of her Red Dragon body was fully activated.
"Let's go!" The remaining dozen or so attendants rushed towards Artoria with shouts. They seemed to have forgotten Vortigern's earlier words. Being defeated by one woman was a great humiliation. They had to stop this farce no matter what! Artoria took a step forward, splashing water on the ground. The attendants' forward charge paused for half a second with her step. The next moment, Artoria charged forward herself. Although her body was already tired, under the blessing of the runes, her speed remained high. She arrived in front of the crowd, raising her head slightly.
Boom! A flash of lightning, and pillars of ice crashed down from mid-air, instantly sending the dozen or so people in front of her scrambling, clutching their heads.
This was the first time she had truly unleashed her power. She didn't need to fight so desperately in training, and when training with that person, she often got distracted. But this wasn't training. If she wanted to see
that person, she had to give it her all to survive.
The surroundings were silent. The laughter from earlier had quietly ceased. The attendants silently watched the girl. Rain lashed against her face. Although she looked disheveled, it only added to her captivating charm. Who said this was just a pretty face, a little girl who only thought about romance? Can your little girl fight fifty at once?
A round of applause suddenly erupted. Vortigern clapped as he walked towards the heavily panting Artoria. "Much more impressive than I imagined. Congratulations, you've defeated forty-nine people." "Now, defeat me, and you can leave." Vortigern tossed Artoria a longsword. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. Ten breaths. If you can last ten breaths against me, I'll let you go."
Artoria stared intently at Vortigern. There wasn't no chance. Although most of her stamina was depleted, there was still a chance. As long as She suddenly lifted her foot, kicking the longsword upwards, and Artoria grabbed the blade, surprisingly slashing at Vortigern.
Vortigern magically caught the hilt of the sword in
mid-air, then smiled. "A sneak attack won't work on me.
Don't take me for some small fry, you fool!" As his voice fell, he raised the longsword in his hand. The sword seemed to have a will of its own in his grip. A strange attack, accompanied by immense pressure, surged
towards Artoria.
"One breath," Vortigern said. Artoria barely managed to block the attack with her longsword. A heavy oppressive force swept over her. "Two breaths." He cut down again, and blood splattered in the rain. Artoria staggered back a few steps. The healing power of the runes quietly enveloped her wound. Vortigern's eyes gleamed slightly.
"What an interesting ability. After this, I hope you can tell me how to use it. Of course, if you don't want to tell me, I'll go find King Arthur." "If I lock him in a cage and interrogate him slowly, he'll surely teach me."
"Vortigern!" Artoria's voice was filled with rage, rebuking the Usurper King's name. This was the first time she had shown such fury. The potential of the Red Dragon seemed to be ignited once more. She held no holy sword, nor the Lance of the Vanguard, yet that ordinary sword was clearly devouring the Red Dragon's magic. The next moment, a scorching pillar of light pierced through the darkness. It was a heat sufficient to evaporate the standing water on the ground and the falling raindrops.
"Although not a king, she still possesses such power?
Indeed, you are the true King Arthur," Vortigern's eyes finally showed surprise as he praised the golden light.
Artoria remained silent. She took a step forward, swinging the sword in her hand. The dazzling light completely enveloped Vortigern. The sword broke,
turning into dust.
Darkness completely swallowed that dazzling brilliance. Vortigern was such an existence; any so-called brilliance would be completely devoured by his darkness, even the king's radiance. Moreover, she was not a king now.
Vortigern stood with his hands behind his back in front of Artoria, sighing, "It took you quite a while to block that attack. Congratulations, it's been ten breaths." "You win."
Artoria didn't know what happened, only felt a sharp pain in her internal organs. She looked up at Vortigern. In her blurry vision, she saw the man smile and say, "Just kidding." "How foolish are you to trust an enemy?"
Artoria collapsed onto the ground.
"She's a truly dangerous woman," King Marco said with lingering fear.
"And there's more than one woman like that," Vortigern said, looking at Artoria as he finished speaking. He suddenly smiled. "But with her, our chances of conquering Britain will increase significantly."
"Why are you so obsessed with her?" King Marco couldn't help but ask.
"Her value is greater than all of yours combined," Vortigern said flatly. "That woman could extract my vital blood for a little one, so I should be able to do the same." King Marco hesitated for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"For example... like this," Vortigern raised his longsword and cut Artoria's arm. A stream of blood splattered, but the girl didn't utter a sound, gritting her teeth and enduring it. Vortigern bent down, extended a finger, smeared it on the blood, and licked it, clucking and shaking his head.
"What I want is vital blood, but unfortunately, I don't know what method that woman used to extract my vital blood back then." "In any case, she's very useful, and that's enough." Vortigern averted his gaze and turned to walk towards the horse resting nearby. "Secure her first. She won't be able to resist again for a short period."
"Should we break her limbs?" King Marco asked. "This woman's strength is terrifying. If we just keep her imprisoned like this, there might still be trouble."
Vortigern glanced at King Marco. "Do as you please, just don't kill her."
"Understood, she's a very important test subject you're looking for," King Marco said. Vortigern glanced at King Marco again. "The person I'm looking for isn't her, but until I catch that fake king, she can serve as a test subject. It would be troublesome if she died."
Artoria stared intently at King Marco approaching her.
She felt very tired, and her vision was somewhat blurry.
Even biting her lip tightly couldn't clear her mind. She could only watch helplessly as that hand approached her.
The rain suddenly paused.
"Who?!" Vortigern sharply turned his head, but no one answered him. Instead, the next second, King Marco suddenly let out a heart-wrenching scream. A red spear pierced through the rainy night. King Marco's outstretched hand, along with the red spear, was nailed to a large tree behind him.
"The person you're looking for is me, right?!"
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