Chapter 45

The spear and the claws of death repeatedly clashed.

Novia slashed at the magic-infused spear, while the black-clad Vampire Species swept his sharp, long scythe-like claws.

In an instant, the two had entered a high-speed realm far beyond normal human capabilities. In just one second, they clashed at a distance of twenty meters, their figures streaking across the carpet, then up the walls, their fleeting afterimages quickly vanishing.

The blades and blades, moving at breakneck speed, sent shockwaves spreading through the surrounding space. Only a moment later, the piercing sound of continuous metal impacts could be heard, but soon, Wolfgang's body, starting from the waist, slid horizontally and fell as if it had slipped.

"Not bad, you are truly a powerful hero."

Then came regeneration and recovery, which is why Vampires are called immortal. His body, which had been cut, could recover in less than the time it takes to take a single breath.

"It's a shame, though. For now, for my ritual, you're out of options, aren't you? Under this grand magic circle created by the Mother of Babylon, no Servant can escape, nor can they survive."

Saying this, Wolfgang grinned widely, revealing his white teeth without any pretense. Twenty spiritual cores appeared around him, and he grabbed them all at an incredibly fast speed, plunging them directly into his own heart—truly activating the Heroic Spirit Core.

"My lord Lycaon, bless me, your descendant from Arcadia, in the name of Wolfgang Faust... Hnn!"

"Heroes on the Throne of Heroes, destroy everything!"

As his voice faded, roars and screams erupted. Crimson phantoms, about three meters tall, howled madly.

These were anti-heroic illusions, their bodies composed of turbulent blood, recognizing Wolfgang Faust as their sole master. Several Servants, devoid of spirit and consciousness, let out hoarse roars.

This was the culmination of his experiments, the materialization of Heroic Spirits in a state where they were not being served.

"Come, Lord of the Daedalus Labyrinth, Oni Musashi, Blood Axe King, King of Persia, Dr. Hyde, Knight of the Lake, destroy to your heart's content! Hahahahahahahaha, rejoice, Guardians, this is the most fitting opening ceremony for you!"

The humanoid Phantasmal Species laughed, a mockery born from the certainty of his eventual victory.

"Hahaha, come and kill me! If you don't kill me here quickly, my existence level will rise!"

On Wolfgang Faust's pale face, his expression was one of enjoyment, composure, pity, and even contempt.

Responding to Wolfgang's command, the inescapable demonic labyrinth's blockade, rapid slashes like greatswords, numerous war elephants, transforming into thousands of berserk crimson storms that suddenly descended, and various Noble Phantasms materialized, all rushing towards him—

"Noble Phantasms? I recall that the older the mystery, the stronger it is."

He simply straightened the hand holding the spear, and the Death's Tide, an endless blue storm of violence, began to swirl around the spear.

Against this Vampire Species, ordinary Servants stood no chance. The reason he had inexplicably absorbed the mana that should have summoned a Servant was perhaps to hand this task over to me.

Novia's mind conjured this thought.

Even in his current state, if he were to call her name, she would surely respond, no matter where she was.

Upon thinking this, the silver-haired youth couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Then, he whispered softly:

"Come to me, Albion."

His words transformed into power. The cross pendant hanging from his chest, emitting a faint silver glow, became a barely visible thread that broke through the magical blockade of the labyrinth and shot straight into the sky, reaching the boundary of the distant horizon.

A thread is something that connects and forms bonds.

However, one point must be noted: while it can make the bonds between people visible, it doesn't mean that without this thread, the bonds disappear.

Invisible bonds, bonds whose very existence is unknown, the thread that provides a path for their manifestation is merely—

Just like in the past, it was a land of light on the horizon, a destination that could be reached no matter what was exchanged for it.

For this very reason, in Wolfgang's bewildered and confused gaze, three complex circular magic circles suddenly lit up on the first, second, and third layers of the labyrinth. Blue light appeared and traversed the first three layers of the labyrinth with unparalleled speed, finally arriving at this location.

"...What is this nostalgic pulsation..."

The silver-haired man, stunned, raised his gaze.

A blue-black dragon, as tall as himself.

This was a figure that, though immensely unfamiliar, was already deeply etched into his memory.

"...Novia? Is that you?"

A human girl's voice emanated from the dragon's maw.

"I've kept you waiting. It's me, Albion."

"Novia, I've been waiting for you! I have so much to tell you..."

As the blue light flashed and the words fell, the exterior of the dragon's blue-black armor began to fade and dissolve, gradually condensing back into its human form from days past.

"I've always wanted to apologize. I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you. I've always wanted to thank you..."

Her fair, soft hands, like those of a human girl, gently touched his face, just as they had a thousand years ago.

"Albion, Albion, I've always wanted to say..."

"I am truly so grateful to have met you."

086: The Dragon Wants to Bathe in Hot Springs Together

In what seemed like an endless ocean covered in blue light, the one person and the one dragon gazed at each other.

"I'm sorry for making you wait so long..."

Novia lowered her head, meeting the Melusine's golden eyes.

"So, we won't be apart anymore, okay? Stay by my side forever, don't leave me again, Novia."

The silver-haired girl cupped his face, then did what she had wanted to do for thousands of years, what she had been anticipating.

And so, before Shion's calm gaze, and in Miss Aika's stunned line of sight—

The lips that had bitten Novia's flesh countless times in his memories now flowed like water, wanting to melt onto his.

Then, the reason for the separation of the dragon's unforgettable kiss was the panicked cry from the arrogant Vampire Species, Wolfgang Faust, who sought monstrous power.

"How is this possible? How?! How could the Sun Magic Circle's seal be broken? It's never gone wrong in so many attempts, how could this..."

"All these Spirit Cores lost their power in an instant..."

"What in the world are you...?"

Wolfgang's face turned deathly pale. Clutching his throbbing chest, he lost all his initial arrogance, becoming utterly terrified.

He couldn't understand. Nothing should have been able to stop him. His existence level was about to ascend. Within this narrowly obtained, modified Sun Magic Circle, he would become a Star Touch, transform into a nature spirit with the power of the Age of Gods returning, and even manifest fantasies in this world.

For this very purpose, he had persevered for so many years in conducting Sub-species Holy Grail Wars, luring outsiders in with blood sacrifice rituals.

Many heroes, who were beings Wolfgang could only look up to in life, were all hunted by him. Whether it was the Lord of Daedalus Labyrinth, the Minotaur, or the King of Persia, Darius III, he had seized their Spirit Cores and controlled them to obey his commands.

It should have been foolproof. This labyrinth had been managed by him for years, with magic circles to gather mana inscribed in every corner. And with the modified Sun Magic Circle in effect, no one could have had higher authority over mana acquisition than him.

Yet, at this moment, the mana here was subconsciously obeying this person's commands, as if by instinct.

And now, when he was only one step away from success, not only had the Spirit Cores inexplicably lost their power, but the Servants he had summoned and controlled had all turned into rapidly dissipating masses of mana.

It was a complete defeat, and how could this not cause the Vampire Species, who considered himself the King of Fantasy, to break down?

The light, originally like seawater, began to shimmer, and vast mana flowed from Melusine to Novia.

He raised his gun once more.

However, the next second, Melusine extended her fair wrist and gently pressed his arm.

"For trash like this, there's no need for you to personally act, Novia."

Then, Melusine turned her gaze forward, towards the Vampire Species who had interrupted her intimate moment with Novia.

Turning around, she put on her mask again and looked at Wolfgang with an icy, chilling expression.

For something like this, just eliminate his existence and his world entirely.

At this moment, the Strongest Dragon of the Age of Gods revealed her power.

Within this sealed space, no color was born, only a breeze brushed past her face.

In this labyrinth, which was a complete enclosed space, a wind was born, signifying that the Dragon's strike was instantaneous and final.

"Don't kill me... Don't kill me... I can serve you, I can obtain Spirit Cores for you... Don't kill me... Please..."

With speed that even Mystic Eyes could barely track, Melusine's sword pierced Wolfgang's heart in less than a second, and from there, it split him apart comprehensively, pinning the demon man's entire body in space, instantly shattering his frozen heart, preventing further regeneration.

"Ahhhhhhh..."

The Vampire Species, who had persisted since the Age of Gods, let out a final, desperate scream, as if vomiting blood and flesh.

His ferocious, unwilling pupils caved in like a withered balloon as his body desiccated. The bloody mana that permeated him withered and rotted in an instant, turning into black ashes.

It had only taken a physical attack to completely shatter the Vampire Species who was about to become the King of Fantasy.

This made Shion, a fellow Vampire Species, unable to help but raise an eyebrow.

Because in this world, the Vampire Species, known for their most tenacious and abundant vitality, had been utterly annihilated with a single blow...

It must have been a sword strike that directly severed his soul.

"Oh, there's another similar one. Should I kill it? Novia."

After decisively killing Wolfgang, Melusine detected a similar presence at the entrance to the next level and asked the silver-haired youth behind her.

"Your Excellency, there's no need. Although I am a Dead Apostle, I only came to witness whether Wolfgang Faust's plan would succeed. I am not one of the schemers, and I purchase my blood rations legally from hospitals. So, although my life is now in your hands, I implore you... Your Excellency, show mercy."

Seeing this, Brad, knowing he couldn't escape, deactivated his magic suppression. He bowed, presenting himself sincerely to them.

However, when he truly saw the face of the silver-haired person not far away, he was slightly stunned, but quickly regained his composure.

Although Novia didn't recognize the golden-haired Dead Apostle, he indeed felt no dissipating Spirit Core aura from behind him, and the person's aura was extremely weak, indicating he wasn't lying.

Therefore, he nodded slightly.

"I am extremely grateful."

Brad first respectfully walked out of the level, then left the now unsealed labyrinth at his fastest speed.

As for Novia, after everything was resolved, he was about to check on Shion and Aika beside him.

At that moment, Melusine reached into his clothes, transferring her warmth to him. Novia instinctively lowered his head.

"Being together like this... I'm happy... Also, Novia, you know, I'm a dragon... so I crave body heat at night... Oh, right, when I came here, I saw a hot spring on one of the levels. Novia, why don't we go take a dip... and warm ourselves up..."

087: Nero: Oh.

Although Novia had no objections to going to the hot spring, and Shion and Aika also agreed.

However, as Melusine dragged Novia towards the hot spring first, she immediately used her abilities to isolate the other two behind her who hadn't yet entered the hot spring.

The result turned out like this—

"Damn, damn it, that dragon..."

Since the hot spring was covered by all sorts of unknown magic, making it impossible to even peek, Miss Aika could only crouch to the side, muttering incessantly.

And the moment she thought of that silver-haired girl who had transformed from a dragon, an extremely complicated expression appeared on her face.

She's shorter than me, yet her chest... it's more developed than mine...

Upon thinking this, Aika, still crouching in the corner, displayed an expression of utter dejection.

Meanwhile, Shion, standing beside her, appeared to be in no such distress. After learning she couldn't enter the hot spring, she calmly began investigating the labyrinth's solar magic array, which was nearing its destruction.

She understood why Melusine intended to soak in the hot spring alone with Novia. After all, dragons typically had such personalities. But for Shion... well, she wasn't in any particular hurry.

As Shion, whose origin was 'Shiyali', she had some understanding of Melusine. After all, she was the one who, a thousand years ago, had returned Melusine's body according to their contract. And it wasn't solely her effort; the Roman Emperor Nero had also lent a hand back then.

For Shion, Shiyali was like Tamamo-no-Mae's Amaterasu – an existence of origin. It wasn't a case of possession, but rather an existence from her distant past.

As she investigated, it seemed the labyrinth's solar magic array had been modified in certain areas. However, with the sub-species Holy Grail's self-destruction, the magic array had also self-destructed, making it impossible to ascertain the specifics at the moment.

But the more Shion looked, the more something felt off. The modification methods bore resemblances to both the Atlas Institute and the Holy Church.

Could it be that the Servant experiment by the Vampire Species, Wolfgang Faust, was under their direction? Were they trying to achieve something?

The purple-haired girl really couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Snapping back to attention, Shion suddenly realized Aika was no longer crouching in the corner. Instead, she was lying on the ground not far from the hot spring, her hands placed on her stomach, much like the legendary Sleeping Beauty.

As Shion drew closer to take a look, she noticed the three Command Spells on Aika's hand being consumed one after another. A blush, akin to an apple, spread across Aika's face.