Morgan's Rebellion

Today is the day of the oath-taking ceremony for the Britain army.

In a base camp over twenty miles from the capital, all of Britain's mobile forces have gathered. On a newly constructed high platform, Leon is distributing rewards to inspire his soldiers to fight bravely against the enemy.

Once the ceremony concludes, the army will cross the strait, land in Europa, and engage Rome in a great battle.

Below the side of the high platform, Merlin watches the continent across the sea with focused eyes. Beside him, Scathach suddenly lifts her head to look at the sky, her brows knitting together as if she has sensed something.

"There is a situation. Rome has already begun mobilizing; they intend to strike first." Merlin speaks up first, his gaze still fixed on the coastline, his expression slightly grave.

A question arises in his mind: why did Rome choose today of all days to launch their attack?

One must realize that today, Britain's forces are gathered in one place, their morale at its peak. It is like a clenched fist ready to strike; why would Rome recklessly throw itself onto the tip of a blade?

He has already seen the deployment of forces on the other side of the sea.

"Was it not said that the mysteries of the continent have faded? Where did the giants and fairies come from? Setting those aside, activating the remains of gods and even bringing out flying warships—isn't this going a bit too far?"

Scathach seems not to have heard Merlin; she remains unmoved, staring instead at the empty sky. "It matters not what Rome is doing now. What is important is above—there is something brewing in the sky..."

Seeing Scathach's strange behavior, Merlin, who had been focused on the recent movements of Rome, had not noticed the situation around him. Now, he too looks up, but at a glance, there is nothing unusual about the sky.

Yet, as he probes deeper with his vision, he sees surging magical power undulating above the clouds, blending into the blue backdrop of the sky. However, the immense pressure permeating the air cannot be faked; it is stifling.

The magical technique is so superb that one would never notice it without careful observation.

An immeasurable amount of vast magical power flows violently, soon covering this stretch of the Britain sky. The magic piles up in layers like a tornado, acting like a mirror that shrouds the entire island.

"This is... Morgan's doing."

Merlin has some understanding of Morgan's abilities and spellcasting, though not much. Now, upon careful inspection, the characteristics of the spell brewing in the sky feel almost identical to the impression Morgan has given him.

It is Morgan's Water Mirror... what kind of chaos is she trying to stir up?

Combining this with the argument between Morgan and the Lion King a few days ago, Merlin cannot bring himself to view Morgan's actions in a positive light. She is undoubtedly planning something detrimental to Britain.

And she chose this special day of all days.

The Roman forces on the other side are already prepared to march, and the great war between the two sides has effectively begun. By deliberately choosing this moment to cause trouble, Morgan has made the overall situation dire for Britain.

"My King, this is bad. Rome has mobilized, and in the sky..."

Just as Leon steps down from the platform, Merlin and Scathach immediately approach him, relaying what they have seen and their suspicions in a few short sentences.

Upon hearing this, Leon's brows furrow, and his expression turns grim.

"Morgan, why would she do this?"

He had a minor disagreement with Morgan a few days ago, but after she calmed down, hadn't she accepted their agreement? That once Leon occupied Europa, he would hand Britain over to her.

Why would Morgan suddenly change her mind today?

"The Roman legions in front, and Morgan's rebellion in the rear!"

No wonder Rome dared to strike today, daring to face the full force of Britain's military might. Lucius must have known all along that Morgan would launch a rebellion today.

Leon's thoughts race, and recalling Morgan's strange behavior that day, he understands everything.

Morgan never believed in the agreement between them from the start. After their argument that day, she had been preparing for this rebellion. By choosing today—the day of Britain's oath-taking—she intends to coordinate with the Roman legions to pincer and annihilate his Britain.

What Leon finds most unbelievable is that Morgan's acting was so good that even he, her bedfellow, was deceived!

He truly underestimated her!

"Scathach, return to the palace and stop Morgan."

Leon makes a swift decision. With Scathach's level of sorcery, she should be able to intercept Morgan, and combined with her spear skills and martial arts, handling Morgan should not be a problem.

He prepares for the worst; even if Scathach cannot take her down, as long as she can stall Morgan, it will suffice.

"Also, try your best to protect Mordred and Artorius. Do not let Morgan take the children hostage."

Even if Morgan is insane, he assumes she would not harm her own children, but as a precaution, Leon still gives Scathach the instruction.

Scathach nods upon hearing this, and her purple silhouette vanishes from the spot.

Leon turns to Merlin and says, "Merlin, continue to monitor Rome's movements. Report any anomalies to me immediately."

"Leave it to me."

In such a critical situation, Merlin does not display his usual playful and frivolous demeanor. He keeps a straight face, trying to make his expression look serious and earnest to match the atmosphere.

"My King, please be careful of the sky. Morgan's magical power is brewing up there. It is likely her Water Mirror spell, capable of launching large-scale attacks on the ground. You must be vigilant."

Leon nods solemnly, taking Merlin's advice to heart, and turns to the group of generals who are still unaware of what has happened to issue his orders.

"Lead your respective soldiers and disperse. Break into smaller units; do not cluster together. The more scattered, the better."

"Understood!"

Although the officers do not know what is happening, they faithfully execute Leon's orders.

The military order is conveyed and executed immediately; they are as still as virgins and as swift as hares.

Watching the ten thousand or so men in the camp leave in an orderly fashion, scattering in all directions, Leon nods to himself in satisfaction. It seems his military reforms and special training over the past two years have yielded some results; even compared to the discipline of the Yue Family Army, the difference is negligible.

The attack from the sky could fall at any moment, and he does not want the army he worked so hard to build to be wiped out in one go by Morgan's area-of-effect spell.

It was fortunate that Morgan's spellcasting had such a long wind-up, otherwise there would have been no time to evacuate the army.

"Neltharion!"

Leon shouted, and a string of bubbles suddenly emerged from the rippling river, a dark shadow surfacing beneath the water.

As the bubbles grew denser, the shadow became increasingly vivid and massive.

Splash!

The water surface shattered as that majestic figure revealed its full form.

Black-gray scales, sharp twin horns, and a massive body stretching out leathery wings that blotted out the sky. A mere breath generated a vast amount of magical energy, and a slight flap stirred up a hurricane. It took to the air, a powerful tail whipping behind it.

This was, unmistakably, a dragon!

And not just any common wyvern, but a dragon of ancient mystery, possessing a dense and pure bloodline.

"Roar~"

Leon held his lance, leaped onto the dragon's head in one stride, and tapped his foot against the beast.

"Go!"

Obeying Leon's command, the dragon beat its wings, instantly whipping up a gale that churned the atmosphere. Its figure broke through layers of sound barriers and soared into the high sky.

This dragon was the one Leon had discovered in the Spirit Tomb while purging the mages. Although still in its juvenile stage, its immense mystery and bloodline meant that from the moment of its birth, it stood at the pinnacle of the world.

After adapting to the period of weakness caused by the decline of mystery, the dragon thrived. With Merlin's help, Leon had formed a contract with it and named it [Neltharion].

He chose the name as a tribute, hoping it would be as mighty as the "Iron-Chin" he had once seen in a promotional video—a creature whose mere shadow passing overhead could turn the world into a purgatory.

Neltharion usually stayed within the Spirit Tomb, feeding on the mystery within to grow; today was its first public appearance under Leon's command.

Though it was still unaccustomed to the depletion of ether on the planet's surface, a brief manifestation caused no lasting harm. Much like a human holding their breath in an oxygen-deprived environment, Neltharion could endure it for a time before needing to return to the depths of the Spirit Tomb to catch its breath and recover its strength.

Leon had originally intended to use it as a trump card to crush the morale of the Rome army, but faced with such a dire situation, he could no longer adhere to his original plan.

To turn the tide, Leon had to take the field himself, acting as a dragon knight to extinguish this Roman surprise attack.

But before Leon could even close the distance, he saw a yellow-white light flare up in the distance. Even in broad daylight, the radiance was blinding.

Whoosh!

The light flickered, then shot toward him. It tore through atmospheric friction and cleaved the calm sea, sending waves surging backward; in the blink of an eye, it was upon them.

Leon saw it clearly and understood in an instant: this was not mere light, but a surge of magical energy concentrated into a single point, fired like a cannonball.

"Why does everyone use beam cannons!"

The light, carrying an aura of total destruction, struck the ground directly beneath the dragon.

Boom!

A massive roar echoed across the land. Dazzling flames erupted, pushing out layers of shockwaves. Wherever the beam passed, seawater evaporated and the earth melted, turning into a scorched landscape of molten lava. The heat waves rolled out, creating a living hell.

Even from above, Leon could feel the scorching heat rising from the ground.

It was fortunate he had evacuated the army beforehand.

Before he could even reflect on it, Merlin's voice reached Leon's ears.

"My King, please be careful. They are reloading."

Leon looked ahead and saw the yellow-white light igniting once more in the distant sky.

With a firing rate this fast, aren't they afraid the cannons will overheat and break?

There was no time to dwell on it. Leon made a quick estimation and steered the dragon directly into the trajectory of the beam.

He would not let the enemy's bombardment destroy his stronghold; he had no choice but to take the hit head-on.

The lance in his hand bloomed with a rich, golden-red light. Its white casing began to disintegrate bit by bit as magical energy surged and whistled, spinning rapidly along the spiral grooves of the shaft like a running drill.

"Holy Spear! Anchor released!"

Leon unleashed his full power. Golden magical energy surged forth, held in his grip, and he hurled it toward the incoming beam.

Boom!

The radiance of the Holy Spear collided with the enemy beam. It not only blocked the attack but deflected the incoming blast entirely. The magical energy exploded, spreading into a massive sphere of light that kicked up mountainous waves and hurricanes.

As the light of the collision faded, Leon could even see the exposed seabed below.

He retrieved the Holy Spear and noted that one bar of his "mana gauge" had been depleted. The Holy Spear could be released three more times, but he had no idea how many more beams the enemy could fire.

Given the speed of their reload, their energy reserves were likely substantial. Leon could not remain so passive; to break the deadlock, he had to take the initiative.

He glanced at the Britain land below. A thought crossed Leon's mind, and he ultimately decided to abandon Britain. He would let the enemy bombard it while he seized the opportunity to fly across the strait and slaughter the enemy.

He refused to believe the enemy could wipe the island of Britain off the planet in such a short time.

"Neltharion, go! Kill them all, leave no one alive!"

At Leon's shout, the dragon beneath him let out a high-pitched roar. A single beat of its wings broke through several sound barriers, and in the blink of an eye, they were far from the island.

The wind whistled past his ears. Standing atop the dragon's head, Leon watched the light flare up ahead once more. He did a quick mental calculation and realized that he was currently in the enemy's targeting trajectory.

He had clearly changed his course.

Leonardo realized in an instant that the enemy's target had been him from the very beginning!

They wanted to decapitate him before the war even started, leaving the island leaderless and in chaos, allowing Rome to seize the opportunity to launch an invasion and conquer Britain in one fell swoop.

As for that first beam of light that struck the earth, it must have been a test of their trajectory.

Upon realizing this, Leonardo's expression darkened.

What to do? Should he release the Holy Spear, or take the hit head-on?

If he released the Holy Spear, Leonardo wasn't sure if he would be able to use it later in the war. If he ended up needing it then, only to have wasted it on this attack, he would regret it to his dying day.

But if he chose to take the hit, his own hide was thick enough to endure it, but Neltharion beneath his feet had only just been born. The dragon was tender and delicate; if it were injured, his heart would ache beyond measure.

"Roar!"

Seeming to sense Leonardo's hesitation, Neltharion let out a low moan.

Though Neltharion was still young and could not speak, its intelligence was sound; it understood human speech and could clearly see the situation.

Leonardo understood what it meant and immediately agreed, "Fine! Let's do as you say!"

Having received Leonardo's affirmation, the dragon banked and flew straight up toward the sky.

They narrowly dodged an attack, and once the man and dragon crossed through the clouds, they were never fired upon again. It seemed the enemy's beam cannon could not fire at a vertical angle.

Leonardo felt much more at ease. As Neltharion ascended rapidly, he felt the temperature drop and the air grow thin. His limbs stiffened, but fortunately, he could still move.

The giant dragon beneath him also began to fly slower, its movements becoming sluggish. Neltharion's mouth glowed with flames of burning mana; it swallowed, gulping down the scorching heat to warm its belly.

With that, Neltharion felt its entire body begin to warm up.

At this altitude, Leonardo could already see the curved horizon in the distance, the beautiful blue planet lying beneath him.

There was no time for sentiment. Leonardo turned toward the ground, mana blooming from the Holy Spear in his hand.

"Holy Spear, Anchor Release!"

That was right—this was Neltharion's battle plan: fly to the edge of the firmament and hit the enemy with an orbital strike!

Leonardo fully agreed with this proposal. He could only say that Neltharion was truly his pride and joy; it was simply excellent. It was far superior to the little sword that Red Archer held in his arms.

"Merlin, tell me the exact coordinates of the enemy's battery."

At such an altitude, the air was surely thin, yet Leonardo felt little suffocation. Almost without delay, Merlin's voice rang out beside his ear.

"Coordinates for the enemy warship battery are 51.02, 2.35. Confirmed. Repeating—whoa~"

After noting the coordinates, Leonardo ignored Merlin's final exclamation for the moment.

The Holy Spear in his hand was fully released. The fact that the enemy battery could not fire vertically was a great advantage for him, meaning they could not effectively organize a defense.

Even if the enemy battery could fire vertically, it wouldn't matter; their beam cannons still couldn't stop his Holy Spear!

Considering that flying warships were rare, Leonardo intentionally reduced the area of destruction to preserve the specimen, shifting the focus to the Holy Spear's piercing depth.

The fully released Holy Spear no longer possessed its previous broad, magnificent form. Under his control, the spiral light was pulled thin and long, much like the Pseudo-Caladbolg that Red Archer would fire as an arrow.

"Go!"

The Holy Spear shot out. Leonardo looked down, watching a golden trail of light pierce through the clouds and vanish into the sea of clouds below, leaving no trace behind.

"Merlin, how did it go?"

"My King, the target has been successfully downed, and the damage to the warship is minimal."

Merlin's answer made Leonardo nod to himself. It seemed his aim was quite accurate.

It felt like solving a difficult math problem all on his own, and a rare sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart. However, he did not dwell on it. Remembering Merlin's earlier gasp, he immediately asked, "What happened just now?"

"My King, please don't be surprised when I tell you this..." Merlin paused, preparing Leonardo before continuing, "Just a few seconds ago, Morgan's Water Mirror magecraft erupted. She fired dozens of Holy Spears at once, destroying all of Britain's ironclad warships, trains, and factories."

"What? Holy Spears?"

Upon hearing this news, Leonardo's brain buzzed as if struck by a heavy blow. The self-satisfaction that had just filled his heart vanished in an instant.

His face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth, roaring.

"Morgan! Give me back my navy!"