From the Past to the Future

It's unclear whether the giant's heart was powerful enough, or whether Arthur's own strength was simply formidable.

Before the "Copper Pot Roasted Giant Offal" was finished, Arthur's injuries had fully healed.

He had originally shattered into a crackled porcelain vase, but now his body has been restored to its original state.

Even so, Arthur's expression remained calm and composed.

He was silent when he was fighting, silent when he was charging, silent when he was victorious, silent when he was in pain, and now, after recovering, he remains silent, as still as winter.

After giving his evaluation and advice to Iver, he fell silent.

It seemed that he had nothing to say except for preaching and teaching.

After finishing his meal, he wiped his greasy mouth with his right arm. Arthur got up and went to the window.

Arthur stared out the window with his cold, silvery-gray eyes, watching the torrential rain of blood, like an inverted river, staining the waters of Avalon crimson.

"In the future, I will protect this land."

Suddenly, Arthur spoke up, "But sometimes, I wonder if this is a mistake."

He did not turn around to look at Iver.

But Iver knew this wasn't just him talking to himself. Arthur —or rather, the embodiment of the "Silver Crowned Dragon"—was speaking to him.

Iver did not respond immediately, so Arthur continued, "A promise made must be kept, and a promise kept must be honored. Power is built on trust, and power without trust is like a force that is not feared."

"But if the initial direction is wrong, even a king should change course. Someone should always bear the responsibility of turning the tide, just as someone should always pay the price for deciding the direction."

Iver remained silent.

Arthur finally turned around and looked at him.

He wasn't looking at Sir Hellerchein, but rather as if he were looking through him and seeing something inside.

"You're very good."

Arthur said, "He can be the King of Avalon."

"... Then there's no need."

Iver finally spoke, "Perhaps my child will one day sit on the throne... but I will not. I will always be the knight she loves."

"It should be noted: Knights do not seize the throne."

This is one of the proverbs left behind by Lancelot I, the first monarch of Avalon.

"—nor is he bound by the throne."

Arthur then recited the second half of the proverb.

He gave Iver a long, deep look.

Those silver-gray pupils evoke images of a snowy winter, a frozen lake, or the silver-gray of a sword blade.

You still have a chance.

Arthur began, "But after the wedding, it won't be. When you make a vow, your words become a shackle."

The meaning of "Silver Crowned Dragon" is very clear.

Iver can still seize Isabel's throne—an act he even approves of. But once Iver swears at the wedding that he will not betray Isabel, this act will be considered a breach of oath.

The wedding ceremony is one of the candle-lighting rituals, while the wedding ring and vows belong to the realm of the Silver Crowned Dragon. Once spoken, the words cannot be taken back, witnessed by at least two Pillar God.

Iver simply shook his head. "If you truly love her, you don't need to wait for the candlelight to witness the wedding, where every word is a promise."

"...Yeah."

Arthur remained silent for a long time, then shook his head slightly. "I don't understand what love is."

Iver looked up at Arthur with some surprise, but Arthur simply looked back at him calmly with indifferent eyes.

"Everyone is the Constant Self, everyone is the Serpent Father. But I am different—I only have the Serpent Father aspect, and I have lost the Constant Self."

"... Is the side of you that you Constant Self also found in another person?"

Iver asked instinctively.

He immediately realized he'd been a bit too talkative as soon as he asked the question.

Fortunately, the Silver Crowned Dragon was indeed aloof and not easily angered.

Arthur completely disregarded Iver's disrespect and unexpectedly answered seriously, "That's right, there is no gain without loss."

"I can offer all this for my great cause, what are you willing to give up?"

Iver paused for a moment, then did not answer immediately.

Arthur sighed, "Think about it carefully."

"I'll wait for you to come back."

But the next moment, the scene before Iver's eyes suddenly vanished—

He wasn't inside the Pankerde Temple of Kastenning Pankerde, but outside! Iver was still circling in the air on his winged horse, not yet charging towards the temple. And the temple was still intact, and it wasn't emitting that strange ripple.

"... What's going on?" Iver exclaimed in surprise.

Is it an illusion?

He looked at the Night Demon beside him.

Night Demon shook his head. "No, Master. I also have that memory... the memory of Arthur."

After a moment's thought, Iver understood. "I get it..."

He recalled that at the beginning of the Promotion Ritual, the Lord of Scales and Feathers had said: Hellerchein is a born prophet who can obtain fragments of the future from his dreams.

The "Arthur" he had just seen was "the future in Hellerchein's eyes"! Perhaps Kastenning was still alive at this moment, or perhaps the Pankerde were already living here. But Arthur had clearly not been captured and brought here yet.

I don't know when it started, but I've fallen into the illusion of knowing the future.

Or rather...

This Promotion Ritual was not a "brutal stitching together of two eras" by the Lord of Scales and Feathers, but rather that Hellerchein was able to travel between the present and the future through illusions!

He was going to die eventually.

Just as he foresaw the future... he would eventually die in Avalon and beheaded, creating the history of "Beheading Valley".

But his death will destroy the Giant Kingdom Arctos.

In other words...

Iver must experience real-life death while completing his promotion mission...

On the other hand, they also need to defeat the Supreme Heaven in the "future"! This is not just Hellerchein's personal history, but rather the history of Hellerchein and the Round Table Knights that overlaps!

"... In that case, we need to finish our tasks here as soon as possible."

A sense of urgency arose in Iver's heart.

Because I don't know when... maybe when the Supreme Heaven is caught by a straight hook, I won't be able to complete the rest of the task.

Just then, Iver's ears twitched slightly, and he heard angry shouts from afar.

—There's a fight going on!

Iver had an idea and sent Pegasus flying over.

As Dragon Knight, Hellerchein should be a transcendent being at the peak of the Fifth Level. He is clearly over five hundred years old, so he is most likely a Inheritors.

Perhaps it was the effect of inheritance that enhanced his five senses. In the pouring rain, even Fifth Level superhuman would find it difficult to hear the sounds of battle from afar at this distance—yet Hellerchein possessed the ability to "hear screams of agony."

He uses this power to save others!

Pegasus turned and ran, quickly covering the three-kilometer distance. Only then, seeing the towering flames in the distance, did Iver finally realize the source of the sound.

That was a battle between Lizardman warriors carrying heavy loads and giants engulfed in flames.

It was less of a battle and more of a one-sided massacre.

The Lizardman warrior possessed immense strength—he was faster than the Grand Guardian, his swift and agile power born for slaughter. He was undoubtedly Fifth Level Transcendent.

There's just one difference.

The Grand Guardian wields weapons of gold rank, while the Lizardman warriors' weapons can only be described as "remnants."

It could not survive the giant's raging flames and was burned to ashes, not even worthy of being called a dagger.

The giant's long-handled metal axe was engulfed in flames, and his body was also ablaze with intense fire.

He looked like a giant scarecrow burning brightly—the long-handled axe in his hand was as light as a sickle.

As they fought, uncontrolled flames spread everywhere. A mist of blood, carrying a pungent odor, rose from the rain of blood.

That's Oligan, my most trusted right-hand man.

A sad, hollow whisper rose from the depths of Iver's heart.

Just as Iver arrived, the giant easily defended against the attack of the reddish-brown Lizardman warrior.

It wasn't a martial skill—but rather, flames that appeared out of thin air condensed into a lava shield, blocking the attack from the flying Lizardman warrior.

Then, horizontal columns of lava erupted!

It traced a parabola, blasting the Lizardman warrior far away onto a distant mountain.

—Lava Reflection Shield! Iver knew this mechanic all too well. If an attack was attempted at the wrong time and resulted in a critical hit, the Lava Reflection Shield would knock the opponent directly out of the arena! This mechanic, this appearance... it was none other than "Wildfire Giant" Utgarda-Loki!

That's exactly what Cardinal Loki originally looked like!

"Be careful, Master."

Night Demon became serious and stood in front of Iver: "He is Sixth Level."

... It's actually the Sixth Level?

Iver felt a pang of unease, but then he understood—it made sense. Given the extent to which the Supreme Heaven protected their own, what the Pope had, his Patriarch should also have.

"I'll go save people first."

Iver said quickly.

The inner monologue he had been hearing earlier sounded as sorrowful as if Oligan had just died on the spot... but Iver could see clearly that Oligan was still alive at this point.

That's a Fifth Level warrior! A warrior with thick skin and tough flesh!

Back in the days when "Warrior" classes still existed, this was undoubtedly the number one main tank!

He was merely struck by lava and flew two kilometers before crashing on a mountain... He could definitely be saved as long as he received timely medical attention! Even though this wasn't a mission Path of Transcendence — Iver just couldn't bear to hear this tone of voice, saying that he could only watch people die while he was powerless to do anything about it.

Yulia was also given a death sentence in the same way back then.

Iver believed that... in another timeline, in the timeline where Iver chose to become an archbishop, he must have embarked on the path of dedication for the same reason.

Unlike Arthur, who was indoors before, Oligan was flown up a mountain!

Being in the mountains means there are trees here!

The Night Demon hadn't even done anything to secure the aggro—the giant, though his expression was furious and his eyes crazed, seemed to possess a clear rationality. His gaze lingered on Iver for only a brief moment before focusing directly on the Night Demon.

The Night Demon flew out, her hands clasped together. Countless shadowy hands emerged from the void surrounding her.

Utgarda-Loki did not attack directly.

He simply raised his hands and shouted in the ancient Giant Language: "Great, Supreme Heaven!"

"May Divine Punishment descend upon the enemies who killed your people—"

There were no rituals, no prayers, no sacred artifacts. Not even any magical power was consumed.

With just a shout, the sky, stained red with blood, suddenly split open—

It was as if the dark clouds that the Night Demon summoned to bring blood rain were suddenly torn apart by some greater force.

Suddenly, a huge, golden-red gap, resembling an "eye," appeared in the sky.

It resembles a setting sun, or a deep wound cut open by a knife, revealing the bone.

Right in the center of that "eye" was an angry gaze directed at the Night Demon.

The next moment, a tremendous rumbling sound came from the sky—

From the center of that eye, countless burning giant meteors were projected, descending with a thunderous roar that covered the entire battlefield!