In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

This is utterly disrespectful!

But he couldn't resist his curiosity and secretly glanced at the black weapon again. For some reason, he felt that the weapon had a strange magic that made him want to get closer.

It would be great if I could hold it in my hand and examine it more closely...

If we could snatch it...

Even Karls himself didn't notice that his eyes had been filled with greed.

"Don't look, if you don't want to become a monster."

The familiar voice echoed in his ears, and Karls froze for a moment, as if suddenly awakened from a dream. He involuntarily took a few steps back, his eyes filled with lingering fear.

If it weren't for Yanan's timely reminder, he might have already degenerated into a monster driven by desire!

Such evil! This is a weapon that should not exist in the world!

Anan examined the katana in his hand. Its black blade was shrouded in an ominous aura, as if it recorded all the negative emotions in the world. Just by looking at it, one would unknowingly lose all intellect and degenerate into a monster driven by instinct.

Of course, as the holder, these powers have no effect on him.

This is the twelfth Divine Key, the Key of Corruption: Jizo Mitama, forged from the core of the Herrscher of Corruption.

Just as Karls thought, this was a weapon that should never have existed in the world. Humans, stripped of their rationality by fear, committed unforgivable crimes. The sins of countless people led to the birth of this Divine Key. Tens of thousands of years of sealing did not eliminate it, but instead accumulated enough anger to burn the world.

Anan, who had only intended to test the power of Jizo's Soul, was suddenly shaken.

He was acutely aware that this monster, possessing the strongest [corruption] power, had been freed from his cage, and if he did not restrain it, one day it would surely unleash another world-destroying frenzy.

Tens of thousands of years of anger and the sins of countless people are not things that are easy to bear.

"It seems I can't just take out this Divine Key so casually anymore," he thought to himself. "But right now..."

He glanced around at the two-legged dragons, continuously channeling magical power into the Jizo-Mitama, causing flames, deeper than the night sky, to burn on its slender blade.

The mythical creatures of the Age of Gods possess keen senses. The moment they sensed danger approaching, they flapped their wings without hesitation and rushed away from the black-haired, black-eyed boy.

But like Kars just now, what they are doing is nothing but meaningless things.

"cut!"

Black flames, accompanied by a ghostly howl, surged from the blade, instantly staining the bodies of the two-legged dragons. No matter how much they flapped their wings or rolled on the ground, the flames never went out.

—This is not fire at all, but erosion that targets life.

The dragons howled in agony. Their once-proud and powerful vitality had become a source of their suffering, and the excruciating pain of falling into an abyss constantly eroded their senses.

After an unknown amount of time, the black flames gradually died down, and the dragons' bodies remained miraculously intact, showing no signs of burning. But anyone who saw them at that moment would instinctively have the thought of "death" flash through their mind.

—Their [life] has been completely [eroded].

Chapter Six: Artoria Pendragon

"So...so strong..."

Karls' eyes were filled with horror.

To annihilate more than a dozen bipedal dragons in an instant is something even the most powerful knight cannot do.

Only the power of the gods could create such an incredible ending.

Yanan and Kars together collected the bodies of the dead knights; almost none of them were intact.

If you're lucky, you might only lose an arm or a leg; if you're unlucky, you'll basically be a pile of mud, unrecognizable from your original form.

"They were all loyal warriors who sacrificed themselves to protect others. For a knight, this is the highest honor," Karls said in a deep voice.

Yanan clenched his fists. This was the first time so many people had died in front of him. Besides anger, he felt even more sorrow.

Although he possessed the Key of Creation, the Black Abyss White Flower, he was unable to resurrect these dead people.

The Black Abyss White Flower possesses miraculous regenerative abilities; it can revive even those with broken hearts as long as they can still breathe. However, it is utterly useless against those who are already dead.

“Take them back. The bones of heroes should not be buried in the wilderness.”

Karls nodded, when suddenly he heard a cacophony of voices around him.

"This is it!"

One by one, people carrying torches emerged from the jungle. Leading the way was the young knight who had just gone back to fetch reinforcements. The moment he saw Kars, his previously anxious face was instantly filled with immense joy. He completely ignored Yanan beside him and rushed straight to Kars.

"Uncle Carls, I'm back! I've brought reinforcements! Don't worry, we're here, you'll be alright!"

Karls opened his mouth, his expression seemingly surprised, but then a hint of relief appeared in his weathered eyes as he patted the young man's head:

"It's alright, Dane, the God has saved me."

"My Lord God?"

The young knight was taken aback for a moment before realizing that there was a black-haired, black-eyed boy standing next to him.

"Ah! Did you save Uncle Kars? Thank you so much! I will always remember this kindness. If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know! Although I'm only a novice, I will do my best, even at the cost of my knightly honor!"

Dane solemnly performed the knightly salute to Anahn, his slightly immature face full of seriousness.

"It was just a small favor."

Yanan smiled, then suddenly noticed that blood was seeping from Dane's boots.

Carls clearly noticed this as well, his brow furrowing slightly as he said, "Dane, your foot..."

"Ah... this..." Dane scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "I was running too fast and accidentally cut my foot on a rock. But it's okay, I'm a knight, this little injury is nothing."

As if to prove himself, he patted his breastplate twice, a slightly silly smile appearing on his face.

"Sigh...you child..." Kars was both touched and heartbroken. Not knowing how to express his feelings, he could only sigh.

"You're no mediocre player. Having a heart that wants to save others already makes you a qualified knight."

Anan patted Dane on the shoulder, and a warm white light gathered in his hand, instantly merging into Dane's body.

The young knight instantly felt the pain in his feet ease considerably, and his body seemed to undergo some changes, as if he had inexhaustible strength.

He turned his head with a slight sense of unease and saw the old knight nodding at him with a smile, which gradually calmed his somewhat anxious heart.

“Such powerful life force…” A deep, resonant voice suddenly sounded in Anan’s ear, “Are you an ancient fairy from the Age of Gods?”

He turned his head and saw a tall knight walk out of the crowd. Although he looked a bit old, he still exuded the aura of a lion. His armor and weapons were much more exquisite than those of the others around him.

"This is Sir Hector, our most powerful knight in Tyrebil," Dane introduced from the side, his face beaming with pride.

Anan nodded and smiled, "You misunderstand. I'm not a fairy, just someone passing by..."

His voice stopped abruptly as he stared, slightly taken aback, at the small head peeking out from behind Sir Hector.

Her long, pale gold hair, deep blue eyes, and exquisitely beautiful face made her look less dashing and more innocent and naive than he remembered.

"Just an ordinary person..."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Artoria Pendragon...

I never expected that we would meet under these circumstances.

At this moment, Artoria was undoubtedly still a long way from becoming that dashing knight king, but the kingly demeanor was already beginning to show in her.

Facing Anan's gaze, she didn't shy away like most girls would. Instead, she stepped forward confidently, pointed at the two-legged dragon nailed to the tree, and looked intently at Anan:

"Did you kill this two-legged dragon all by yourself?"

Yanan raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly.

“That’s not all, little Al.” Kars stepped forward, a proud expression appearing on his weathered old face. “Besides this two-legged dragon, there were its companions, more than a dozen two-legged dragons in total, all of which were destroyed by the god alone.”

“Karls, look at you like this…”

A look of surprise appeared on Hector's face. Kars' appearance reminded him of when he first met Kars twenty years ago.

"Isn't it amazing? I feel like I could kill a dragon with one punch right now," Karls laughed loudly. "This is a gift from the gods."

The townspeople who followed carried torches and found the corpses of the two-legged dragons that had died. The bizarre way they died filled them with fear. Coupled with the miracle that had happened to Kars and his account, the people looked at Anan with deep awe. Some even knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

At this time, Britain was still at the end of the Age of Gods. Although the gods had not appeared in the world for a long time, legends about them were still passed down among the people.

"Are you really a god?" Artoria asked Yanan with curiosity.

Yanan glared at Kars, then turned away and said helplessly, "Don't listen to his nonsense. I'm just an ordinary person who's a little special."

“I see.” Artoria nodded and extended her hand to Anahn. “You’re not one of Taylor’s people, are you? If you don’t mind, you can stay at my house for a while.”

Anan gazed into those clear, lake-like azure eyes, a slight smile curving his lips as he grasped Artoria's hand:

"Then I'll take my leave."

Chapter Seven: True Power

The faint morning light shone through the window, casting a pale golden glow on Anan's face. He frowned slightly, opened his eyes, straightened up, stretched lazily, and looked out at the garden with a smile on his face.

"It's another beautiful day."

He skillfully made the bed, did a quick wash, picked up the quill pen and notebook from the table, and went outside.

He has been in Taylorbill for almost half a year, and at Artoria's invitation, he is now temporarily staying at the home of her adoptive father, Sir Hector.

He distributed the corpses of the bipedal dragons to the families of the fallen knights. Although they were only sub-dragons, bipedal dragons still had extremely high value: their scales could be used to make armor, their claws could be used to make weapons, and their diluted dragon blood, when mixed with herbs, could be used to make medicinal baths, which were effective for both laying a foundation for children and strengthening their bodies.

That's why slaying dragons is such a profitable business. Even if you don't find the treasures the dragons have collected, the dragon's body alone is a huge treasure.

Most of those knights were the pillars of their families, with elderly parents and young children to support. In this era of low productivity, a family without an adult male would soon fall apart and end up in a miserable state.

However, this money should help them get through this most difficult period.

But this left Yanan completely penniless.

He still wanted to continue slaying dragons, but he didn't know if those two-legged dragons had sent some kind of signal before they died, or if there were any traces left at the scene.

In short, within a hundred miles of Taylor Bill, there is no dragon to be seen, not even a magical boar.

Fortunately, thanks to his arithmetic and literacy skills, he now works as a governess at Sir Hector's mansion, earning a considerable monthly income.

Upon entering the hall, Artoria, dressed in a simple long dress, was enjoying breakfast. Next to her, a young man who looked about the same age as Anaen was grimacing and brandishing a knife and fork, struggling with the steak in front of him.

"teacher."