Merlin's Intel

The gap is truly this vast...

A single exchange was all it took for him to be killed.

As his severed upper torso slumped powerlessly to the ground, Lucius ignored the cacophony of the battlefield, his eyes fixed solely on the tall man who had flicked his blade and turned away.

His lips moved, but only a dry, rattling wheeze escaped his throat; he no longer had the strength to speak.

He had assumed that even if he couldn't overpower his foe, he could at least stall for time—especially with twenty thousand soldiers at his command. Once he activated the gods and the secret weapons, he would be able to defeat this Lion of Britain.

It seemed he had severely underestimated his opponent.

As the light faded from his eyes and he slipped into darkness, Lucius felt only that his end—dying on the battlefield, casually struck down by an enemy—was truly too dull.

"His Majesty! His Majesty has been killed!"

"Impossible! How could such a powerful Majesty..."

"It's over! Our army is defeated!"

The Roman soldiers surrounding them watched in horror as their Emperor was cleaved in two; some were in disbelief, others appeared deranged, and some stood completely catatonic.

The Emperor, who in the hearts of the Romans was an invincible force, had been cut down on the spot.

And he had been crushed with such ease.

Every one of Lucius's subordinates, human and non-human alike, was struck by the same thought upon witnessing this scene.

Rome is finished!

Seeing the massive impact of his strike, Leon knew the morale of the Roman legions was on the verge of collapse.

With Lucius dealt with, there was no one left on the battlefield capable of coordinating the various forces or standing against him. Leon felt a slight sense of relief and connected to the communication from Merlin.

While listening to Merlin's report, he split his focus, shouting to everyone on the battlefield: "Lucius is dead! Surrender now, and you shall be spared!"

The massive shockwave of his voice nearly tore through the field, causing all the Romans to waver.

The Fairy creatures flying in the sky were startled, then shouted down to the humans and Giants on the ground: "Soldiers of our army, do not surrender! Think of the fate of the vanguard—even if we surrender, we will not have a good end."

The Giants chimed in: "That's right! You all know what a brutal man he is; how could he possibly leave us a way out!"

Seeing these non-human things speaking, someone on the ground whispered a rebuttal: "But the Lion King didn't make the coastal vanguard surrender either... Now that he's given us a chance, if we don't take it, we might only anger him further! Won't our situation be even worse then?"

"Exactly. You Fairies and Giants say not to surrender because you saw what the Lion King did in Britain and fear for your own survival regarding the ether and the environment, but we don't have those concerns."

This sentiment was echoed by an officer clad in high-grade armor.

"Now that His Majesty is dead, surrendering won't tarnish our honor or glory. But you alien races have no honor to speak of; you only refuse to surrender for your own survival. Don't sacrifice all of our lives for your own sake!"

If Lucius were still alive, they would never have surrendered, whether out of loyalty or honor—but their Emperor had been cut down by the enemy!

They had followed Lucius because they were conquered by his immense martial prowess; now that they had encountered a Lion King even stronger than Lucius, no one would blame them for yielding.

Moreover, who among the Roman soldiers here didn't know of the mutual hostility between the Lion King, the mages, and the fantastical beings like the Fairies? Any clear-headed person wouldn't fall for their tricks.

They weren't stupid enough to throw away their lives helping these non-human things fight an impossible enemy.

If they died for such a cause, they would feel their deaths were worthless.

The Fairies and Giants grew frantic: "Even so, do you think you'll have a good end if you surrender?"

"But if we don't, we will surely be killed!"

Under the crushing pressure of Leon's power, and following his call to surrender, the entire Roman legion split into two factions.

Humans and non-humans, newly joined forces and Lucius's long-time loyalists—the various contradictions that had been forcibly bridged by Lucius's iron-fisted rule were easily ignited by Leon the moment he died.

Leon hadn't expected his call to surrender to have such a profound effect; he had only intended to sap the Roman soldiers' morale.

Killing all twenty thousand of them would be too much effort.

He sighed inwardly, realizing that while Lucius's rise had been rapid, he had buried many landmines within his own regime.

Leon thought again, and the current division and opposition among the Roman soldiers actually aligned with human nature.

Initially, facing his overwhelming power, the Romans had assumed they were doomed, but his offer of surrender had reignited their hope for survival.

At such a critical moment, the will to live displayed by humans is terrifying; they would not hesitate to strike down even their own comrades in the same trench if they stood in their way.

Furthermore, although they were all subjects under Lucius, their differences in race, interests, and power meant they were never true companions sharing a common fate.

Leon had already heard from Merlin about Lucius's trump card... and he didn't have the leisure to slowly wear these Roman soldiers down.

"My King, have I disturbed you?"

Merlin could see the situation on the battlefield and was already certain of Leon's victory.

"It's fine. Continue."

As Leon listened to Merlin's report, he decided to add more pressure to the Roman soldiers who were wavering toward surrender.

He immediately shouted to the Romans: "Those who surrender shall be spared! Those who do not, shall be executed without mercy!"

As he spoke, Leon gripped the Holy Spear, his leg muscles tensing, and with a burst of power, he leaped instantly in front of a Giant who was loudly shouting his refusal to surrender.

The Giant tried to raise his weapon to defend, but his speed was not even a fraction of Leon's. The Holy Spear in his hand easily pierced the Giant's skull.

The sound of bone and flesh tearing echoed clearly across the noisy battlefield. Leon pulled out the spearhead, blood spraying and staining his body an even deeper crimson.

BOOM!

The Giant's corpse crashed to the ground. Leon stood atop the remains, grinning hideously at the assembled Rome soldiers, once again flaunting his peerless martial might without restraint.

"One last time: do you surrender, or do you die?"

"We surrender! We surrender!"

Facing Leon's murderous gaze, several high-ranking Rome generals scrambled forward, half-sliding and half-crawling to the front of the Giant.

Ignoring the thoughts churning in the generals' minds, Leon simply waved his hand.

"Dispose of anyone who refuses to submit."

As if receiving a divine decree, the generals immediately commanded their troops, turning their blades toward the remaining Fairy and Giant forces.

As for whether they were using this opportunity to eliminate political rivals and opponents, Leon could not care less.

While commanding the captives, he listened to Merlin's report. By the time it concluded, his brows were deeply furrowed, his expression turning thoroughly grim.

A black spear?

How could it be a black spear!

Leon knew of this item—one of the seven world-ending weapons from the Atlas Academy. Crafted from the Fifth True Element, it was a conceptual armament capable of forcing the Fifth Imaginary Element to self-destruct, known to the world as 'Heavenly Longevity'.

How could the alchemists of the Atlas Academy lend such a thing out? Even a replica could cause irreversible damage to the world if handled carelessly.

He had underestimated the mages of the continent. Even with a contract, whoever could procure a black spear from the Atlas Academy was no ordinary person.

Beyond that, Leon sensed an undisguisable weakness in Merlin's voice, lacking his usual vigor.

"Merlin, judging by your voice, are you injured?"

At these words, Leon heard Merlin pause slightly before admitting it.

"...I sustained some injuries. I was detected by that Artificial God while infiltrating. I intended to probe its trump cards, but I ended up grazed by an attack from the black spear."

To go hunting for an enemy's trump card only to be blindsided by it—Merlin's admission genuinely shocked Leon.

"An attack from the black spear... are you alright now?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Fortunately, I sent a phantom body; my true self only suffered minor collateral damage."

Leon felt a wave of relief and his tone returned to its usual calm: "As long as you're fine."

Leon couldn't help but be tense; at this moment, Merlin was of utmost importance to him. That pair of eyes alone was an unparalleled treasure.

Never mind how Gilgamesh and Solomon might disdain him; those two were in a league of their own. Merlin's Clairvoyance was top-tier, capable of seeing everything in the current world. To Leon, it was a full-map hack—how could he not value it?

Not to mention that Merlin had taken this risk for his sake. Though Leon maintained his basic vigilance and wariness, his underlying concern was genuine.

"Wait, didn't you say your true self came to the continent? How did it become a phantom body?" Leon caught the discrepancy in Merlin's words and asked immediately.

The moment he asked, he heard a pfft from Merlin, as if he were spitting blood, followed by a fit of violent coughing.

Merlin swallowed the rising blood and suppressed his injuries: "Cough, cough... My King... if you wish to see me again in the future, please... acknowledge that I am a phantom body."

"Fine, fine, I remembered wrong. Merlin, you sent a phantom body this time, and your true self remained in Britain."

As soon as Leon said this, Merlin's injuries visibly began to mend.

Once his breathing smoothed out, Merlin wiped the blood from his body with a light touch and exhaled a turbid breath.

"Phew, my King, thank you for your understanding."

Though Merlin's tone remained weak, it was much improved. Leon realized that Merlin had been using illusions to deceive the world, thereby mitigating the severity of his own wounds.

At the same time, Leon was stunned that Merlin would reveal such a thing to him!

He could have said nothing and avoided the secondary damage. By telling him, if Leon had harbored any malicious intent, Merlin would have been severely wounded, if not killed.

Yet, he still said it...

Leon fell silent for a moment, his expression softening, his features losing their rigid tension as his pursed lips relaxed: "As long as you're fine."

Setting that aside, Leon shifted his focus to another matter: "That so-called Artificial God—have you scouted it out, Merlin? What kind of thing is it? What are its capabilities?"

"On that, I saw everything clearly."

Merlin's tone was much lighter, filled with confidence.

After all, he hadn't suffered such heavy injuries for nothing; the trip had yielded results.

"The Artificial God's body is composed mostly of the remains of Greek gods. Its processing circuit likely contains algorithms from the great Zeus, with smaller portions consisting of fragments of Valkyries from the North and ancient vanguard units."

"As for power, the mages created a near-infinite energy crystal installed in its chest. Its detection system is precise and has a wide range. As for the black spear... it is embedded in the palm of its right hand."

"To assemble this Artificial God, the mages of the continent have emptied most of their coffers."

The great Zeus?

Leon instantly recalled the massive mechanical head from the Lostbelt and asked in confusion: "Didn't those gods return to the Inner Sea of the Planet? How could there be remains left on the surface, let alone Zeus's processing circuits?"

Seeing that Leon was not surprised by the nature of those gods, Merlin didn't find it odd and continued his explanation: "The gods of Greece were mechanical bodies that descended from the cosmos onto the planet. Upon arrival, they were worshipped as gods, so they chose to survive as the planet's deities."

"Later, when the Age of Gods faded, those gods sought the qualifications to return to the Inner Sea of the Planet. They replaced parts of their cosmic-forged bodies with materials from the planet—much like the Ship of Theseus. These replaced parts are the remains of the gods."

Leon nodded, fully understanding. In other words, this Artificial God was entirely composed of mechanical artifacts from the cosmos, merely stitched together by the mages of the continent.

He instinctively looked down at the hilt of the Holy Sword of the Stars, one hand tracing Rune Script after Rune Script in the air above the crossguard.

A mere god is not worth mentioning.

"Where is that god now, and how long until it reaches this location?"

"The testing phase is complete, and it is departing from Rome." Merlin compared the distance between the two points and calculated the approximate time in his mind. "It should arrive at your battlefield in about half an hour."

"Good, that is more than enough time."

Leon looked at the holy sword in his hand; he would have to head out to meet it.

"Merlin, keep an eye on Britain for me, and deal with Morgan's movements in the meantime."

"As you command, my King."

As soon as Merlin finished speaking, he cut the connection.

Leon immediately issued an order to the group of captive generals kneeling beside him: "I have no time to deal with you right now. Maintain your current formation, and I will make other arrangements when I return."

"By your command, Your Majesty!"

Ignoring their obsequiousness, Leon gripped his spear and sword, sprinting in the direction Merlin had indicated.

He was going to take down that so-called Artificial God!

About ten minutes later, Leon looked at the sky ahead, which was pitch black and filled with thunder and lightning, the air thick with the atmosphere of an impending storm.

From afar, aided by the flashes of lightning, Leon could vaguely make out the massive figure moving through the sky.

"Heh, so this is a god?"

Leon tightened his grip on the holy sword, just about to leap forward and deliver a heavy blow.

At that moment, he received another communication from Merlin.

After listening briefly to Merlin's words, Leon's expression turned slightly puzzled.

"Merlin, what do you mean when you say Britain has stood up?"