In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

"Tell me, who's the fool?"

Chapter 41 Four-pack cheese sandwich

A chilling killing intent swept over her from behind like a storm, and extreme fear, like the claws of a demon, instantly seized her heart, even causing her to lose control of her body for a moment... This suffocating feeling, where one could feel death approaching infinitely just from the aura alone, was something she had only ever experienced with the King!

At that moment, intense fear and regret filled Tristan's heart. She never expected that this guy would be this strong.

A crimson feather drifted down from the sky, like a butterfly fluttering in the air. The struggle, despair, and desperate madness in Tristan's eyes vanished instantly, leaving only an empty blankness, like a puppet that had lost its self-awareness, standing silently in place, waiting for death to come.

A spatial rift opened, and Anahn emerged from it, wielding the Abyss. His pitch-black eyes flashed with icy killing intent as he thrust directly at Tristan's heart.

He had originally planned to use the Feather of Dust to explore this guy's memories and try to discover Merlin's true purpose, but now he has changed his mind.

Cú Chulainn could die, and he had to die, but what he couldn't tolerate was the arrogant way this guy manipulated Cú Chulainn, taking pleasure in the latter's suffering and even taking pride in it.

"You're not qualified to insult Cú Chulainn." Yanan looked coldly at the pretty woman in front of him, and without any hesitation, the Black Abyss in his hand drew a perfect arc in the air like a crescent moon. "Die, you piece of trash."

However, at that moment, a sharp screech suddenly came from afar, as if something was approaching him at an extremely fast speed.

Yanan frowned slightly, temporarily altering the trajectory of the Black Abyss, and collided with the oncoming object.

clang!

A crisp explosion rang out, sending out a visible shockwave. Hei Yuan remained completely still, while the flying unidentified object was instantly deflected and embedded straight into the soil.

It was just a simple wooden arrow, with spiral wood grain marks still remaining on its shaft. The primitive craftsmanship gave it a rustic beauty, making it more like a work of art crafted by a skilled artisan than a weapon.

Yet this seemingly ordinary arrow flew from thousands of meters away at a speed comparable to sound, nearly piercing Yanan's head.

Anan turned his head and looked in the direction from which the arrow had come. Deep in the lush, dense forest, a figure as agile as a wild beast stood on a tree branch, holding a sky bow as tall as a man, aiming straight at him.

She was a valiant female hunter, dressed in a green dress, with long, pale golden hair like a lion cascading down her back, cat ears trembling slightly on her head, and eyes as green as a lake that showed no emotion.

Atalanta, the Greek huntress.

After being captured, she became the sixth seat of the Knights of the Round Table in Camelot—Gahoris.

Anan frowned slightly. According to the intelligence they had gathered, Atalanta should be thirty kilometers away at this time. How could she suddenly appear here?

"Roar--!!!"

A wild, unrestrained roar, like that of a wild beast, resounded as a tall, rugged figure leaped up the broken rock face. His massive body was as agile as an ape, and in the blink of an eye, he reached the summit. With a single step, he shattered the solid rock and leaped high into the air, his heavy axe mercilessly crashing down on Anan's head.

Yanan narrowed his eyes slightly, choosing not to take the hit head-on, but instead instantly retreating.

Rumble—!!!

The massive axe, weighing hundreds of kilograms, crashed down from the sky with tremendous force, creating a deafening roar. The surrounding trees and rocks were overturned by the shockwave, creating a crater several meters deep.

"Cough cough..." Tristan, who was also thrown by the blast wave and crashed into three trees and two rocks, struggled to his feet. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, feeling the waves of pain coming from all parts of his body, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"You stupid ox! Can't you see I'm still right there?! Do you want to kill me?"

Wearing a bull's head mask and sporting jet-black bull horns, the berserker, nearly three meters tall, glanced at her and let out a disdainful snort.

The monster bearing the name of lightning—Asterius.

However, he is more famous for his nickname—Minotaur—than for his real name.

Like Atalanta, after being captured by Camelot, his perception was altered, and he became the eleventh seat of the Knights of the Round Table.

Logically speaking, he should be dozens of kilometers away, just like Atalanta; he shouldn't be here at all...

Splash...

The crisp sound of chains echoed from the depths of the forest, and a sharp spike, like a venomous snake poised to strike, suddenly sprang forth, heading straight for Yanan's head.

Yanan's gaze turned cold, and he swept his sword horizontally, sending the spike flying.

However, the next moment, the chains seemed to come alive and pounced on him again, clinging tightly to the Black Abyss, as if trying to snatch the weapon from his hands.

"Humph!"

With a cold snort, Yanan pulled hard, and the chain instantly became taut. The immense force was transmitted along the chain to the other end, directly throwing the owner of the chain out of the depths of the forest.

It was a remarkably sexy and mature body, a tall and alluring beauty with long purple hair that reached her ankles, and an undeniably stunning figure beneath her black dress. The blindfold covering her eyes added to her mysterious charm.

The moment he was flung away, the blindfold slipped off, revealing a pair of light purple, snake-shaped vertical pupils that stared straight at Anahn.

To her surprise, the outsider simply closed his eyes and refused to make eye contact with her.

—After seeing Atalanta and Asterius appear, Anahn was certain that the remaining Heroic Spirit must also be nearby.

Gorgon goddess Medusa.

Medusa possesses the highest level of magical eyes, which can unconditionally petrify objects with low magical power levels. This is a rather domineering skill and the source of her being called "the basilisk monster that can turn everything it sees into stone."

Due to Nidhogg's bloodline, Ananon's magic level is as high as A+, which can largely resist the power of the Mystic Eyes. However, if he is careless, he may also be petrified.

So he simply closed his eyes and avoided making eye contact with Medusa, so that those demonic eyes wouldn't have any effect on him.

With her magic eye malfunctioning, Medusa had no choice but to release her chains and retreat backward.

She dared not try to imagine the consequences of being pulled into close proximity by this terrifying man.

Yanan casually tossed aside the chains, closed his eyes, and "looked around".

In his perception, three rather obvious magical signals were gathering around him, forming a pincer movement, while another one, a kilometer away, locked onto his aura.

Clearly, this was a long-planned conspiracy, an ambush specifically targeting him.

Chapter 42 The shrewd hunter often appears in the guise of his prey.

On the Gobi Desert, the scorching sun relentlessly bakes the earth. Large swathes of exposed bedrock and boulders stretch across the surface, interspersed with a few withered plants, listlessly stuck in the rough sand and gravel. Occasionally, a whirlwind will rise, sending a column of yellow sand slowly into the air, adding to the inexplicable desolation.

This once desolate wilderness has now become a battlefield interwoven with blood and fire. Holy Roman Empire warriors clad in crimson rose armor clashed with the charioteers of Camelot, the clanging and clashing of their weapons echoing through the air, their roars of battle resounding through the heavens. Both sides charged forward recklessly, almost everyone covered in a thick layer of blood, their eyes filled with a striking red of carnage.

On one side are knights who are loyal to their beliefs and resolutely carry out the king's orders; on the other side are natives who have lost their homes and are forced to become displaced. Both sides wish they could kill each other. The string of reason is easily broken, like a raging fire that, when doused with alcohol fueled by hatred and anger, quickly spreads like wildfire.

The only two people who are truly clear-headed on the battlefield right now are Mashu and Fujimaru Ritsuka, but even they are caught in a deep state of confusion.

Mashu remained in combat stance, clad in purple armor, holding a black shield, her light purple eyes fixed straight ahead as if there were something there.

However, there was nothing there, only a cloud of air, a void.

The only unusual thing was the scattered broken stones all around, lying messily on the ground like a child's carelessly tossed building blocks.

However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that almost every stone was cut in two with a single stroke, the cut surfaces being incredibly smooth and clean. The stubborn bedrock, weathered over thousands of years, was easily sliced ​​open like tender tofu, making it hard to imagine what kind of immense force could cause such terrible damage.

"...Senior, did you...see that just now?"

"Yes!" Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded solemnly. "I can see it very clearly."

After gathering accurate intelligence from their spies, they led their army on a non-stop journey from the Holy Roman Empire, traveling for a full day and night, and finally successfully encountered their target here—Asterius.

This monster, once bearing the name of lightning, was their companion, working alongside the eccentric loli goddess to restore the sea, which had been disrupted by time and space, to normal.

But now, they can no longer see that kind face or hear that familiar voice; all that awaits them is a furious roar and a heavy giant axe.

Although the birth of Asterius was a tragedy, it did not prevent it from becoming a notorious monster in Greek mythology. In terms of fame, it even surpasses some of the gods.

This results in it gaining increased fame wherever it goes after becoming a Heroic Spirit, and its strength even becomes greater than before.

Apart from Melusin and Anan, almost no one could suppress this terrifying monster, but the two of them had been assigned to deal with the more troublesome Medusa and Cú Chulainn. In addition, Leonardo da Vinci was not good at dealing with this kind of brute force opponent, so the heavy burden of fighting Asterius fell on the shoulders of Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Fortunately, their goal was not to defeat it. As long as they could hold it off until Anan or Melusin finished off their opponent and arrived, their mission would be successfully completed.

At first, things went very smoothly. They successfully diverted Asterius's attention and prevented him from rushing into the crowd and wreaking havoc.

After gaining Galahad's approval, Mash became increasingly adept at controlling the power residing within her body. Although Asterius's attacks were like a storm, with each strike displaying inhuman violence, she still tenaciously held on, and the broken stones were traces left from the previous battle.

But just a minute ago, a sudden change occurred. A pitch-black rift suddenly opened behind Asterius, swallowing his nearly three-meter-tall body without leaving a trace.

This is also why Mashu and Fujimaru Ritsuka were confused. They couldn't understand why their opponent would suddenly disappear when they were fighting so well.

This wasn't a magic trick; they witnessed Asterius vanish right before their eyes, and there was absolutely no magical reaction around them, proving that he was indeed not there.

"I've found it!" Roman's voice came from the virtual screen. "I know how Asterius disappeared just now."

"Doctor, what exactly happened?" Mashu asked hurriedly.

"Someone just cast a spatial teleportation spell at Asterius's location. Judging from the traces of the spell... it originated from Camelot!"

Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka exclaimed in unison, "Merlin!"

“It must be her.” Roman nodded. “Only a great magician like her could perform such magic from this distance.”

"So, Merlin discovered our plan and pulled Asterius back to Camelot?" Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed regretfully. "Sigh... then all our efforts have been in vain?"

Mashu was also somewhat downcast, even though they had almost managed to keep Asterius alive.

"Don't be so disappointed. Our enemy is a renowned magician, after all. It's normal for accidents to happen..." Roman, who was about to comfort Ritsuka, looked at the data displayed on the screen, jumped up from his chair, and stared wide-eyed like saucers. "What's going on!?"

Roman's sudden action startled Mashu and Ritsuka: "What's wrong? Doctor, what happened?"

“I just traced the location of that spatial passage and discovered…” Roman seemed to have thought of something terrible, cold sweat dripping down his forehead, “That passage doesn’t lead to Camelot at all!”

"Not Camelot?" Mash and Ritsuka were both taken aback, exchanged a glance, and asked in unison, "Then where is he now?"

Roman did not answer, but instead projected an image onto the virtual screen, showing that Asterius was now sixty kilometers away from them.

"Isn't this... Cú Chulainn's location?" Ritsuka tilted her head. Why did Merlin teleport Asterius to Cú Chulainn's location?

Besides, she remembered that Cú Chulainn was under the care of Mr. Anahn, so wouldn't sending him there like that be tantamount to suicide?

However, the next moment, as if she had thought of something, her face turned pale instantly.

Before she could even ask, Mash, standing beside her, asked in a slightly trembling voice, "Doctor... besides Asterius, who else is there?"

“Besides Asterius, there are three other magical signals there that are completely different from those of Anahn,” Roman said with difficulty.

Mashu's face turned deathly pale.

"We've fallen for their trap!" Roman slammed his fist on the table, his face extremely grim. "Their target from the very beginning was Yanan!"

.......

High in the sky, Melusin, clad in lake-blue armor, streaked across the heavens like a shooting star, leaving a long trail of clouds behind her. Her tender face was covered with frost-like coldness, and her whole body exuded a chilling killing intent.

"Merlin..."

.......

The cliff top, as if cleaved in two by an axe, was now only half-sectioned, with jagged rocks, cracked earth, and broken trees, resembling a scene of desolation after a disaster.