Warship

"Mother?"

Hearing Morgan's cool voice behind them, the three people before the throne immediately turned around. There she stood in the doorway of the great hall, her familiar black-and-blue figure completely unharmed.

Scathach glanced at Morgan's corpse on the throne. It was giving off wisps of sparkling magical energy that faded into the air, and she understood at once.

"That was a clone, wasn't it?"

"Indeed." Morgan raised an eyebrow, a cold smile appearing on her face. "Hmph. Why would I meet you in person?"

She knew very well how poor she was at close combat. She was no match for the seasoned Scathach or the strong and valiant Gawain—not even for the unremarkable Agravain.

If anyone got close to her, even a common soldier could kill her. Why would she be stupid enough to walk into a trap and face all three of them?

Seeing that Morgan was still alive, Agravain looked surprised, but his face soon returned to its usual deadpan calm.

Gawain, however, was neither so grim nor so calculating. His feelings were more straightforward. When he saw Morgan, the tears in his eyes stopped, then began to flow again. Unconsciously, he wore a heartfelt look of joy. "Mother, you're still alive?"

"What, you're so happy I didn't die? Or were you hoping for another chance to kill me, your mother?" Morgan's voice was ice-cold. There wasn't a trace of affection in her gaze as she looked at her two sons.

She hadn't expected to feel much affection for Agravain. She knew her son was always cold and had never been a good person.

But Gawain's happiness at seeing her alive disgusted her. He'd wept as he stabbed her, without a moment's hesitation. His feigned sentimentality made her sick. If he truly cared about their bond as mother and son, he shouldn't have struck such a deadly blow.

"I..."

Gawain was left speechless by Morgan's accusation and didn't dare defend himself.

Seeing Gawain sink into despair, Agravain didn't want him to lose his fighting spirit with a great battle about to begin. He stepped forward and retorted, "Mother, you were the one who struck first! You weren't a fit mother. You were bent on killing your sons, so we had no reason to care about the ethics of our relationship as mother and sons."

"You betrayed me first!" Morgan was enraged. She gritted her teeth and spoke firmly, yet calmly. "I will never forgive a traitor, even if he's my son!"

After taking a deep breath to steady herself, Morgan looked at Agravain again. This time, there was a trace of admiration and approval in her eyes.

"Agravain, you're the one who hid Mordred, aren't you?"

It was phrased as a question, but Morgan was utterly certain. She wasn't blind. When Agravain had just denied it, Gawain and Scathach's strange reactions had given them away.

Agravain answered without hesitation. "I didn't!"

Seeing how stubbornly Agravain stuck to his denial, Morgan couldn't help but marvel. Her son might be useless at both books and fighting, but he was still quite the talent—he hadn't let his guard down, even at a moment like this, and was still lying through his teeth.

As expected of her son.

"Heh. What a good son you are. Hard-hearted and calculating, willing to lie even when your mother's asking her last question before she dies."

"And you were lying to us too, Mother."

As Morgan's heart-to-heart with her two sons ended, Scathach lowered her guard, ready to abandon her planned ambush. Her tense expression gradually eased, and she put away her spear and walked toward Morgan.

"So the you standing here is a clone too?"

"Heh."

Morgan didn't answer. She merely raised her head proudly.

Her meaning was clear.

"That's impressive."

Faced with Morgan's admission, Scathach couldn't help but admire her superb Magecraft. The clone was so exquisitely made, so lifelike, that even she hadn't been able to tell the difference.

She stopped ten meters from Morgan, her brow slightly furrowed and her eyes bright. She looked around, as if she'd noticed something.

"You said the seal was complete just now?"

As she spoke, Scathach slowly reached out, but her hand was forced to stop in front of her. No matter how hard she pushed, she couldn't go any farther, as if an invisible wall stood between them.

From this, Scathach surmised that the barrier Morgan had painstakingly set up must be powerful enough to isolate space. They wouldn't be able to break through it anytime soon.

"Scathach, I'm impressed you noticed."

Morgan was triumphant and generous with her praise, just as a victor would never deny the excellence of her defeated foe.

"Once you entered this great hall, my real self secretly began setting up the barrier. Fortunately, you cooperated, and the result was just as I expected. The palace is sealed now. Next, I'll banish the entire royal palace to another dimension."

Hearing this, Gawain and Agravain hurried over and reached out. Sure enough, they touched an invisible barrier in front of them.

"You really went to a lot of trouble to deal with the three of us."

First she'd used a clone as bait, then ambushed them once they entered the hall. She'd even secretly set up a barrier powerful enough to sever space. Calling it a painstaking scheme was putting it mildly.

Even though she was trapped, Scathach remained calm, with enough composure to make a quip.

"In war, you divide the enemy's forces so you can defeat them one by one. That's common sense."

Morgan knew next to nothing about warfare, but she'd spent a long time around Leon, and had picked up a thing or two. She might not be fit to command an army, but she could at least make a rough plan.

She'd originally intended to kill the three of them on the spot. The barrier she'd secretly laid was merely a backup, just in case.

Her initial ambush had failed, and though she was confident she'd win if they kept fighting, it would take too long.

Leon could return from Europe at any moment. She had to speed things up.

Now that the barrier around the palace was ready, she would seal the three of them away and drive them off the planet. Then she would return to Britain to prepare for what came next.

"Now you can sit here and wait to die."

After delivering her threat, Morgan turned and walked away.

Watching Morgan's retreating back, Gawain's tear-streaked face grew anxious. He slapped at the invisible barrier and called out loudly to his mother, but it did no good.

Agravain grabbed his shoulder and steadied him. "Gawain, calm down. If it were just the two of us, we'd be done for. But Queen Scathach is here too, isn't she?"

"The queen..."

Gawain looked at Scathach with hope, and she gave him a firm nod.

"I can break it, but it'll take a while. By then, Morgan may have already taken control of all Britain. Be ready for a fight to the death."

Agravain's expression was solemn. "That's fine. Father's outside, and Mother is no match for him. Even if things go badly, they won't get too bad."

"Exactly. Have faith in Father's power," Gawain added, clearly agreeing.

Before Scathach could say anything, the palaces outside began to glow faintly blue. A dim, serene magical light encircled the royal palace and drifted through the air, slowly rising toward the sky.

"Morgan is separating the palace."

As a violent tremor shook the ground, the world before them suddenly blurred into a dizzying jumble.

Once they regained their footing, their vision slowly returned. They looked outside and saw a new world, one impossible to observe with the naked eye or comprehend.

Scathach's expression tightened. Her brow furrowed slightly as she considered it. "Morgan really did send us to a completely different world!"

Seeing Scathach's rare solemnity, Agravain immediately pressed her for an answer. "What kind of world? Will it be hard to get back?"

"Yes. It's troublesome." Scathach took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "This is the reverse side of the world, a realm beyond the reach of the physical world. It can't be observed and contains every possibility. It's the Imaginary Number Space!"

Morgan stood atop the white city wall and looked down at the royal city. She had sent the entire palace into the Imaginary Number Space. Now the royal city looked hideous, having lost nearly half its area. Only a large expanse of brown earth remained, surrounded by the outer walls.

"Next, I'll open Avalon and summon the soul and will of another Britain."

But before that, she had to return to her Magecraft workshop. First, she wanted to see how her son was doing. Second, she needed to retrieve the special body she'd prepared long ago.

The Roman legion's camp on the French coast.

When the smoke cleared, the Lion King's massive figure came into view before the people gathered around.

Leon ignored the soldiers surrounding him and first looked at the warship lying nearby.

He fell in love at first sight.

The warship looked nearly 180 meters long. It was made entirely of some unidentified steel, with a layer of gray-blue paint covering its hull. Its strange, mechanical-looking equipment was completely at odds with the technology of this world.

A turret in the same color scheme sat at the front of the warship. It had probably fired the beams of light from earlier.

To think he'd find something like this in the Middle Ages! Leon loved the Moon World, and had already laid claim to the warship in his mind.

This thing and I are meant to be.

Taking his eyes off the warship, Leon looked at the white... uh, big cat standing at the front.

By human standards, this big cat was breathtakingly beautiful.

Its body was long and slender, its glossy white fur covering its entire form. Soft, short fur wrapped its limbs, making them seem delicate, while its neck and shoulders were thickly furred, perfectly accentuating its curvaceous figure. Only the murderous intent in its crimson eyes gave it a touch of savagery.

"You're the commander of this legion? Since you're one of the Yaling Hundred Species, I'll give you a chance. Surrender or die?"

On his way here, Leon had heard Merlin describe the situation in detail. This white cat Fairy was the most important figure in Merlin's account.

This Fairy was a trusted general of Lucius, appointed commander of the vanguard legion. It was also one of the Yaling Hundred Species, a second-generation Fairy closest to the original Fairies. As a regressor with power to rival the progenitors, it could be said to be a manifestation of the concept of a planetary organ.

It raised its head and stared at the Lion King, who had revealed his true form. Its eyes trembled in terror. It had heard the Lion King was huge, but seeing him in person was still shocking.

And then there was the powerful aura he exuded, as if no one else mattered, and the boiling killing intent he unleashed without restraint. He was clearly a savage beast, ready to devour anyone in his path.

It would never be a match for him!

The moment it saw the Lion King, it made its judgment. Even with the entire army behind it, they would never be a match for him!

But even if it stood no chance, its pride and loyalty to the emperor would never allow it to do anything dishonorable.

So when faced with the Lion King's choice, it took up a fighting stance and extended its claws, white lightning crackling around them.

"I refuse! My only lord is Luc—"

It didn't finish speaking. The giant figure rushed toward it at such speed that all it could see was a blur. A flash of cold light passed, and suddenly its body felt lighter.

The world spun around in its vision. From the corner of its eye, it saw the headless body standing in place, blood spraying from it.

Then, before it could even process what had happened, flashes of razor-sharp light filled its vision, one after another, dense and relentless.

"If you won't surrender, then die."

Leon shook the blood from his sword. A mist of blood hung before him as chunks of flesh fell to the ground with wet, sickening thuds.

The high-ranking legion commander had been beheaded in an instant. To show just how highly he valued the Yaling, Leon chopped up the Fairy's head and body, mincing them into tiny pieces.

The soldiers and Mages around them stared in disbelief as the enemy killed their strongest commander in an instant, leaving such a gruesome mess. They couldn't help holding their breath.

They were finished.

Leon paid the ordinary soldiers no mind. Instead, he looked toward several Giants nearly as tall as the warship.

"What about you? Will you surrender to me? Those who surrender will be spared."

Giants were a rare sight in this day and age, especially on a continent where Mystery had all but vanished. It seemed Lucius had a few tricks up his sleeve to get his hands on them.

If the Giants were willing to surrender, Leon planned to let them roam freely in the Spirit Tomb during peacetime, then deploy them on the battlefield during war. They would be practically invincible weapons of destruction.

The Giants recovered from the shock of their commander's death. After exchanging glances at Leon's words, they tightened their grips on their weapons and refused through gritted teeth.

"We are—"

The horrific fate of the Fairy was now repeated with the Giants.

Flashes of cold light filled the air. In the blink of an eye, not a single Giant remained in the camp. Only a mountain of flesh and an overwhelming stench of blood were left behind.

"Forget it. I don't have time to listen to you ramble right now."

After shaking the remaining blood from his sword, Leon couldn't help thinking that Lucius really was capable. He certainly knew how to inspire loyalty.

When Leon turned with his sword in hand and looked at the surviving soldiers and Mages in the camp, nearly all of them were on the verge of collapse.

They trembled before Leon's might. They couldn't even think of resisting. Their hands shook so badly they could barely hold their weapons, and many had already wet themselves. The smell of urine mixed with blood was unbearable.

As they watched the Lion King approach one step at a time, an officer in fine armor managed to stumble forward before he could go no farther. His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground.

"Your... Your Majesty, the Lion King, we're willing to—"

"Don't say something so cowardly as that you're willing to surrender. Your commander refused to yield even in death."

Leon's lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile. His white teeth gleamed with a chilling menace, making everyone's hearts pound with fear.

His words made the soldiers feel as if they'd fallen into an abyss, their hands and feet turning cold.

Leon was in a very foul mood.

He needed to let off steam!

A short while later, blood ran across the ground, staining it a deeper shade.

The entire camp was now a wreck, with body parts scattered everywhere.

Leon looked around the camp, seeing no one else. He let out a breath and relaxed.

That unrestrained fight had allowed him to release all the pent-up emotions weighing on him. He felt much more refreshed.

He climbed aboard the warship he'd been longing for and took a quick look around. He couldn't help feeling satisfied with how precisely he'd attacked.

The warship had a hole more than twenty meters wide in the middle, nearly cleaving it in two. The most important parts, the engine room and the turret, were almost completely intact, and the other damage was minor too.

It should still work after a few repairs.

"Neltharion, stay here for a while and help me guard this warship."

"Roar~"

At Leon's words, the dragon flew to the side of the warship and rested an arm on its hull, spreading one wing to cover it.

Leon was quite pleased with that.

He'd just received a message from Merlin: the Roman Emperor Lucius had learned that the camp had been wiped out and was coming to face him in person.

"Lucius..."