More Powerful Ancient Magic, the Prince's Last Dignity

Caspian stared blankly at the mural on the wall, wondering if he had made a mistake.

The kings of Gunnarnia were not as great as legend portrays; they could not help them reclaim their throne, nor could they save Narnia.

"Are you confused?" Aaron teased.

"No."

"Come on! Your feelings are written all over your face, and you still say you don't."

Caspian paused for a moment. "Don't act like an elder and lecture me. I'm older than you."

"Compared to me, age is the only thing you can boast about," Aaron smirked, then looked at the wall where two men and two women stood before the throne, where Narnia was thriving under their rule.

"You sounded the horn, found four helpers for yourself, and wanted them to help you get through the difficulties."

When people lack confidence, they often place their hopes on others, which I completely understand. However, it's common for others to be unreliable, and in those situations, you have to..."

Aaron's voice abruptly stopped halfway through his sentence, and he lay flat on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Caspian asked Nicabir with a look of surprise and doubt.

"He's fine, I just let him sleep." Nicabir patted the scabbard in his hand. "That's how he knocked me unconscious that night."

Why do this?

"For your sake, Your Highness," Nicabir with a meaningful smile, "Your king and queen have failed us, your army has suffered heavy losses, and the rest are doomed."

What do you mean? Congratulations?

Nicabir into his eyes, his voice carrying a hint of seduction, "You want to kill your uncle for revenge, and so do we."

"If you want to reclaim the throne, we can help you."

"Who do you mean?" Caspian frowned slightly. Nicabir's "we" should have nothing to do with the Narnian.

"You'll find out." Nicabir then walked deeper into the bunker, and Caspian hesitated for a moment before following.

After the two left, Aaron, who was lying on the ground, quietly opened his eyes.

"Ouch!" Aaron rubbed the back of his head. "It still hurts. That bastard definitely wanted to kill me."

He had noticed Nikabuli when Nicabir, but he pretended not to know and took a beating to find out his purpose.

In other words, the medicine prepared by his ancestors and the modification by the Dragon-Slaying Magic Crystal made his physique far superior to that of ordinary people. Unless Nicabir used an iron rod instead of a sword sheath, he really couldn't be knocked unconscious.

"No, I still need to find a way to improve my physical strength," Aaron thought to himself.

As a mage, or even as a human, his physical abilities are already abnormal, but that's still not enough.

Even the dwarf's sword sheath could cause him some pain, so if he were to use a more powerful weapon, he would definitely be bleeding from his head!

Nicabir led Caspian to the deepest part of the hall, and neither of them noticed Aaron following behind them.

"You've already tried Ancient Magic, but you've failed."

"But there is an even more powerful magic, which even suppressed Aslan for several years," Nicabir said.

As soon as the words were spoken, a strange, low growl came from the shadows in the main hall, enough to send chills down one's spine just by hearing it.

Caspian immediately drew his Longsword. "Who's there?"

Two figures dressed in black robes slowly emerged from the darkness, one tall and the other thin.

They walked slowly toward Caspian, the firelight illuminating their faces; the tall ones were ferocious wolves, while the thin ones were shadowy Vulture.

"I am hunger, I am thirst. I can go for years without eating and I will not starve to death. I can lie on the ice for days and I will not freeze to death. I can drink the blood of a river and I will not quench my thirst." The wolf growled and took off its hood, revealing a ferocious face. "Speak, speak, who is your enemy?"

Caspian was startled and immediately pointed his sword at him.

"What you hate, we hate too. No one hates more than us," the Vulture Witch said in a drawn-out tone.

Caspian pondered for a moment, "Can you really kill Miraz?"

"It's nothing," the Vulture Witch said, bowing.

Upon hearing this, Caspian remained silent for a moment before sheathing his Longsword.

If that Magic Horn can't help him, then he'll try a more advanced kind of magic.

"Let's draw a circle," said the Vulture Witch, her dark claws tracing a path around Caspian.

She drew circles while chanting ancient incantations.

After she finished drawing the circle, she took out a silver staff that resembled a short spear and slammed it into the ground.

Click! Click!

A chilling, forest-colored aura emanated from the staff, and solid ice quickly covered the ground and spread forward.

The ice connected the two stone pillars together, forming a tall and thick ice wall. A human figure in a different color emerged from the ice wall and became clearer and clearer.

Nicabir, the wolf, and the witch all smiled slightly at this scene.

Soon, a shaved witch wearing a shaved ice dress appeared inside the ice wall, her eyes cold and indifferent to all living beings.

Gollum!

Aaron was observing all of this from the doorway, couldn't help but swallow hard.

This witch gave him a great sense of oppression, almost on par with Voldemort.

He had never seen this person before, but her legends were everywhere in Narnia; she was the witch who ruled Narnia for centuries.

"My goodness, how can the villain survive so long?" Aaron thought to himself. Perhaps the witch did die a few years ago, but she wasn't completely dead.

Her servants can resurrect her using a very special method, at which point Narnia will once again be covered in ice and snow.

"Wait." Caspian seemed to realize who this woman was, his expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously took a step back. "This is not what I want."

The wolf immediately seized him and pointed his left hand at the witch.

"I will be freed with just a drop of Adam's blood," the witch tempted. "I will obey your every command, my king."

"No."

Caspian struggled violently, but was pinned down by the wolf.

The Vulture Witch slashed his palm with a dagger, and red blood flowed from it.

The witch smiled and eagerly extended her right hand.

Slender fingers pierced through the ice wall and were exposed to the air. Caspian seemed to sense something, his eyes glazed over, and his resistance lessened considerably.

"We can't wait any longer."

Aaron thought anxiously, he couldn't possibly defeat a Warlock was suspected to Saint Mage.

A golden bullet struck the witch's hand.

The sound of ice crystals shattering rang out, followed by a painful scream.

The witch's right hand did not bleed, but instead developed some cracks, which quickly healed.

"Magic," the witch said instinctively.

The wolf, the Vulture, and Nikabrik also noticed Aaron breaking in.

"You, what happened?" Nikabrik asked nervously. "Didn't I knock you out?"

"You think you can get close to me?" Aaron scoffed. "You underestimate me! If it weren't for my own will, you wouldn't be able to get near me at all."

The wolf and the witch immediately roared and killed Guo. The ritual had progressed to this point, and no one was allowed to interrupt it.

"Nonsense."

Aaron scoffed and fired two shots.

The witch was shot in the head, black blood splattering everywhere, while the wolf, relying on its wild instincts, dodged the fatal blow.

"Give him to me," the wolf growled at Nikabrik. "Release the Queen now."

Nikabrik immediately grabbed Caspian, wanting to give him a final push.

"Don't even think about it."

Aaron immediately took aim, but the wolf pounced on him just before he could pull the trigger, stopping him.

Awoo!

The wolf let out a low howl and engaged Aaron in close combat, giving him no chance to fire a shot.

His arm slashed down swiftly, his dark, cold claws piercing Aaron's chest.

Aaron raised an eyebrow, dodged the claw by sidestepping, and then swiftly extended his left hand, punching the wolf in the chin.

The wolf was sent flying backward, its sharp teeth falling to the ground.

"Why suffer physical pain when you could have died a quick and painless death!"

Aaron slowly shook his head, then shot the wolf between the eyebrows.

Just as Nikabrik ran into the circle, the witch's half right arm had already extended out of the ice wall, only a few steps away from the blood on Caspian's left hand.

"Don't move!" Aaron shouted, pointing his gun at Nikabrik. "Don't move if you don't want to die."

"How many bullets do you have left?" Nikabrik a cold laugh.

Aaron paused for a moment; he still had four bullets left in his revolver from last night.

The first shot wounded the witch's right hand, the second shot hit the Vulture Witch, the third shot dodged the wolf's shot, and the last shot killed the wolf.

The four bullets were used up perfectly, and now this gun is a fine work of art.

"Damn it!"

"If you want to understand, don't stop me. We need the Queen's power," Nikabrik said defiantly, continuing to pull the bewitched Caspian closer to the witch.

"Stop."

Just then, Peter, Edmund, Susan, Lucy, and Tumnus rushed in.

"Don't come any closer." Nikabrik immediately placed his sword against Caspian's neck. "If you come any closer, I'll kill him."

"Do you know what you're doing?" Tumnus stared at the ice wall, his heart aching. He never imagined his old friend would do such a thing. "Nikabrik... once the witch is resurrected..."

"That's still much better than the rule of the Telmarine," Nikabrik. "Hundreds of years ago, when Narnia was covered in ice and snow, at least we weren't trapped in the forest and barely surviving."

Moreover, the forest is about to be destroyed; if we don't rescue the Queen, we're doomed.

"Nikabrik, put down your sword first," Susan advised. "This won't solve anything; on the contrary, it will only make the situation worse."

"No! It's all your fault. You've betrayed our trust!" Nikabrik shouted. "If we continue down this path, Narnia will surely be destroyed, and the Queen has the power to change that."

The witch smiled slightly, "You cannot fight alone; you need my help."

"You think we'd believe you?" Edmund sneered, gripping his Longsword tightly. "I still remember how you tricked me, lured me to the castle, locked me in a cold cell, and threatened me with death all the time."

In short, I don't believe a single word you said.

"This time is different," the witch laughed. "Adam's blood can give me freedom, but it is also a complicated contract."

I cannot harm the human who released me, and I must serve him.

If I disobey, I will be sealed away again.

"Serve?" Aaron said meaningfully, then pointed to Caspian, whose eyes were lifeless. "Like him? To be your puppet?"

"You can't harm her, but you can control her mind. Does the witch want to experience the pleasure of eavesdropping?"

The witch paused for a moment, but quickly regained her composure. "Of course not, this is just a side effect of the ritual."

"But you can do it." Aaron shrugged. "You can't fool me. No one is better at finding loopholes in the contract than Gaius."

Even if you wholeheartedly submit to the person who released you, how long can a human live?

"Once he's gone, Narnia will still be your domain."

Once Aaron saw through her act, the witch simply stopped pretending. "That's what I really think, but how to do it depends on who releases me."

Prince Caspian is an excellent leader. Even though I can influence him subtly, some of his fundamental nature is difficult to change.

Before him, I could only follow his ideas and lead Narnia towards prosperity, at most extending the winter season a little longer.

"And what happened after he died?" Peter asked seriously.

"Winter will naturally outweigh summer," the witch said casually. "But as Nikabrik said, my rule is at least countless times stronger than that of the Telmarine."

Given the current annihilation, the decades of comfortable life, and the relatively lenient rule to follow, I don't need to remind you which to choose!

Peter and Susan hesitated for a moment, unable to deny that the witch's words made a lot of sense.

Lucy and Edmund looked grim. One was a staunch supporter of Aslan, and the other had been badly tricked by the witch. They both knew that cooperating with her was like asking a tiger for its skin.

"We absolutely cannot trust her," Lucy said. "Aslan is the Patronus of Narnia."

"Of course I know I can't trust her," Peter said with a helpless bitter smile. "But Aslan hasn't shown up yet. It's better to prolong our lives than to wipe out our race."

We must resolve the current crisis before we can talk about the future.

"Peter," Susan hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Let's listen to them this time. Compared to the Thames witches, the Telmarine are just a small problem."

"Pretentious!" Aaron curled his lip and gave Nikabrik look.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill him!" Nikabrik shouted.

"Let Caspian go. You can't make the same mistake again."

"Shut up, Tumnus."

"Your king and queen can't save Narnia, but they can't stop me from saving myself!"

The argument between the two dwarves did not stop Aaron from walking; every step felt like a hammer blow to Nikabrik's heart.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill him?"

"Go ahead!" Aaron said nonchalantly. "For the sake of our past acquaintance, I suggest you kill him with a single blow and let Caspian die a quick death."

But be careful with your sword; don't cut off his head. He's a prince, after all; leaving him with a whole corpse is the last bit of dignity he deserves.

Everyone:...