Defeat and victory

The two people on the city wall seemed unconcerned about the battle below, as they had both witnessed Bai Mo's strength and found Boggart's nonsensical behavior utterly boring.

Just as the two had expected, Boggart's battle began.

Boggart: "Come on, let's duel like knights, ahhhhhh!" (Charges forward with confidence)

Two seconds later--

"Ugh!" (A defeated wail)

When he was embedded in the wall, Boggart realized just how vast the difference was between him and the person in front of him. In an instant, he heard the sound of bones breaking in his wrist, followed by his forearm. His entire hand was thus dislocated by Bai Mo.

Then, it was thrown heavily into the city wall like trash. It couldn't even cause the slightest damage, let alone remove a single hair from its opponent's head.

Bai Mo walked into the castle, looked at the White Lion lying on the ground, broke the sword in half, and threw it in front of him.

"It's over, Boggart, but my previous negotiations with you still stand."

"Absolutely not... Ah!"

Bai Mo manipulated the broken blade with Magnetic Field Power and embedded it into the guy's toenail. He was actually surprised at his own patience in the face of this clueless fellow.

"Aaaaaah! I won't give up! I'd rather die than fail! I'd rather die than fail!"

With a loud thud, Bai Mo kicked Boggart hard in the head, sending him spinning through the air. Then, he raised his fist and stared at him coldly.

"Isn't that a failure? Boggart, you turned your act of saving Norwich into a signal of destruction. You could have survived, but because of your selfish arrogance, everyone under your city may perish with you."

Not to mention what happened before, Boggart, your journey has been utterly pathetic.

Bai Mo grabbed Boggart's head with one hand, and with a series of sharp, teeth-grinding cracks, his skull made a series of jarring sounds. Bai Mo's gaze met the lion's face, his eyes filled with nothing but contempt.

"Do you know what the saddest thing is? When you came to Sheffield, you had the opportunity to do better, but you messed everything up because of your ridiculous arrogance."

A complete defeat. If it were any other cowardly fairy, given the same power, status, and resources as you, he could at least have saved his life and, if possible, preserved Sheffield.

"No, no, stop talking!"

"So take all that away, take away your claws and your title, and you're not even worth a pitiful wretch..."

Bai Mo slammed Boggart to the ground like a bag of trash. The powerful grip of his large hand made Boggart's skull crack, and blood stained his mane. But at this moment, these injuries paled in comparison to the words he had just spoken.

Failures may be a constant companion throughout one's life, but none of that matters. Just one success is enough to erase all the previous failures and make them all worthwhile.

But just as easily, a final failure can render all previous efforts a joke.

So he couldn't afford to lose. He lost to Woodwose, he lost to Spriggan, he lost to Barghest. If he failed again, who would be left?

"Foolish fellow, insisting on a tangible victory or defeat, spending his entire life comparing himself to others, yet never even glancing at the victory that is right before his eyes."

An imminent victory? What is this guy talking about?

Boggart struggled to understand, but soon he remembered what Bai Mo had said earlier.

When he was thrown to the floor, unable even to lift his claws, he remembered the person before him and why he had promised to spare his life.

"Because you've shown some kindness to the people of Sheffield, I can make a deal with you."

Yes, is that why...? Ah, yes, at least in this city, in his Sheffield, humans are not treated as slaves. Here, under his rule, humans and fairies are almost equal.

Because he himself had been driven out by his fellow goblins and Norwich, and because humans were not tolerated by Britain, Boggart felt a sense of kinship with humans. Therefore, in Sheffield, goblins and humans were treated as equals.

He recalled the woman named Mash, and why that guy was willing to raise his shield.

"In Sheffield, I could sense a lot, from all the fairies who came with me, and from everyone who lives in Sheffield. I could sense that even though the Queen is gone, many fairies and humans are still suffering."

It wasn't just them, it was the whole of Britain, but at the same time I could see their enthusiasm for living here. Because they were all exiles, they cared a lot about Sheffield and hoped to live here, no matter what the cost.

I think that's enough for me to deserve the title of Child of Prophecy. If the Child of Prophecy is someone who can save everything, then let me go and save them.

The Shield Maiden's resolute words echoed in the dying man's ears. At this moment, as death quietly approached, he realized the victory he had been ignoring all along.

The girl came from the Nameless Forest, and along the way she saw Salisbury Oxford, but in the end, she wanted to protect Sheffield.

This was his true victory, but ironically, he had utterly destroyed it.

A single, pathetic tear rolled down the lion's cheek.

This failed attempt, however, caused the person in front of him to retract the fist they were about to throw.

"Shall we continue?"

"No... I lost."

"Okay." Without saying much, Bai Mo reached out and grabbed Boggart's neck. Boggart slowly closed his eyes, his internal organs screaming in pain.

It's okay, you'll be free soon.

The next moment, Bai Mo unleashed an overwhelming power, and intense pain instantly swept over Boggart's entire body, almost causing him to faint.

Is this guy trying to torture me before he dies?

Boggart screamed inwardly, but the excruciating pain rendered him speechless. He watched helplessly as his body twisted and transformed, his appearance becoming completely different.

The Magnetic Field Power had altered everything about him—his body, his face. Although, due to the fairy, deeper aspects couldn't be changed, it didn't matter. The Fairy Britain didn't have DNA testing, so this was enough to deceive almost all magnetic field experts.

Why... why didn't you kill me?

"As agreed, I'll spare your life. Boggart is dead. From now on, just pick a name for yourself. There should be a secret passage here. Leave. No one will find you. From now on, everything here has nothing to do with you. I'll take the Black Spear and the city wall. As for the humans here, I need your instructions."

Finally, write me an order as Boggart to have the humans of Sheffield come with me, and then I will change your last fingerprint.

There was not a trace of emotion in Bai Mo's words, but at this moment, Boggart lowered his head, hurriedly wrote down Bai Mo's order, and then, dragging his still throbbing hand, left Sheffield through the deserted alley.

Before leaving, he whispered something to Bai Mo:

"I am extremely grateful."