Or, why don’t you find another savior?

Ash gently played with the golden dagger in his hand. "Erosion. But it's not the one kept by this village."

The Second could see that the magical power emanating from the "Gold Invasion Blade" in Ash's hand was undoubtedly something of the Noble Phantasm level.

Judging from her reaction, this should be something that will not be of much use in the Holy Grail War, so she has never taken it out.

Every time the dagger was flipped, the blade would reflect a dazzling light, which was thrilling to watch. Some instinct in her body was warning her to be careful with the dagger.

Even though Gray knew that Ash didn't intend to aim it at the girl who was to become King Arthur's vessel.

"To be honest, when I went to find Belsac Blackmore today and talked to him about what we were going to do, I learned a very shocking truth from him." At this time, Shiomi said lightly, "That is, this village has been secretly divided into two major camps since a long time ago."

"Huh?" Gray was stunned.

"These two factions have completely different beliefs and missions." Shiomi squatted down and examined the skulls on the ground. "One side is the Blackmore clan from Belsak. They are magicians responsible for transporting souls. They have lived in this village since before the Christian era. This is also the origin of the village's name."

At this point, he turned his head and looked at Gray with a wry smile, "As for the other faction, they are those who pray for the resurrection of King Arthur. They have always believed in King Arthur and the Black Madonna."

Gray felt a little sad.

During the fifteen years that she lived in the village, the villagers had all been very nice to her. She had never felt that this village of no more than a hundred people was not a united group.

"Ah, but Gray doesn't need to be depressed. Although they are divided into two factions, most of the villagers do not belong to either side. Although the villagers are now committed to resurrecting King Arthur, the gravekeeper will also regularly select successors from among them. At the same time, there are also fanatical believers of the Black Madonna among the villagers. The gravekeeper's mission and the resurrection of King Arthur are not absolutely contradictory, so the two sides will keep their distance and coexist while suspecting each other's secrets." Shiomi sighed, "As for the Holy Church, it was after discovering the belief of the Black Madonna that it took advantage of this belief to take root in the village as it was the same as the Madonna of its own religion."

So strictly speaking, in addition to the two originally opposing factions, there is also a third party that joined in the middle.

The three parties secretly spied on each other and used this as a means to establish roots in the village.

"It's a pity that you were able to win over two of the factions." The Second sighed. He was not good at political struggles, and this aspect was always handled by Lanis, who was much younger than him.

In comparison, Kenneth, who could manage two subjects and deal with political struggles, made the Second Emperor admire him even more.

"Politics, to put it bluntly, is nothing more than winning friends and reducing enemies." Shiomi smiled slightly, "But considering what we are going to do, the gravekeepers and the church are willing to see it happen, but the remaining faction will definitely not agree."

When he said this, he turned around and looked at the dagger in Jian's hand.

"However, the information that Belsak and the Holy Church told me did not include the existence of this dagger," said Shiomi.

Ash lifted his hood and put the dagger back under his cloak. "I learned it from someone else."

When she said this, she glanced at Gray, and Shiomi guessed the answer immediately. Before noon, Ash went to Gray's house for a short visit, and he must have gotten some information there.

In fact, the old woman, who is the head of the village, does keep the same dagger, but it was left to the village by the Black Madonna for use in the resurrection ceremony that will come one day.

What was in Jian's hand belonged to her.

This may be the thing that is passed down from generation to generation between two people who are the same but not the same person.

No matter which side you are on, you will have similar things.

"'Golden Blade' was originally made to cut off 'Mistletoe'. It can not only deal with living people, but also cut into the gap between the body, mind and soul." Ash said, "The dagger kept in the village is to be used to pierce Gray's body when her body is completely synchronized with Altria, and separate the soul and spirit."

In this way, only the empty shell of the body will remain, which can contain the imitation spirit that has been prepared long ago. Finally, as long as Altria's soul touches the body, it will naturally complete the incarnation and resurrection.

But at that time, the girl named Gray will disappear from the world.

"What a bad way to do it! It would be better to just make a wish to the Holy Grail and bring King Arthur back to life." Shiomi was shocked and scolded him slightly, "I really don't know how Altria will react when she sees this."

"Of course he will refuse. He has given up the desire to save Britain and has gone to Avalon." Ash lifted the hem of his cloak slightly to check if it was stained with mud. "Why would he need such a meaningless second life?"

Gray felt very strange listening to the conversation between the two.

When they spoke directly of King Arthur himself, they always addressed the king as Altria.

Indeed, there was a rumor in the village that King Arthur was a woman.

But... when these two people mentioned it, it was as if they were mentioning an old acquaintance who had fought side by side with them.

This is incredible, Gray thought to herself.

"That being said, things have come to this point. If we want to end it, it's up to you." Xi Jian stood up and looked at Ash. "Anyway, the only thing that can be confirmed is that the legend of the Black Madonna circulating in this village is about the witch Morgan. So the person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it."

Ash just sighed casually, "That was the original plan. The masked girl carrying Altria's spirit went deeper. If we go forward, we won't be able to retreat unscathed unless we make a final decision. Gray, are you aware of this?"

"It's over..."

Gray took a deep breath.

By this time, she gradually understood the purpose of being arranged by Mr. Belsac to follow these guests.

The guests intend to end the village’s thousand-year-old heritage here.

That means—

"I will try my best to accompany you till the end."

Then, Gray gave the answer.

Chapter 16: Underground Temple

On the ground, in the village.

Although today is the day when traveling merchants enter Blackmoor Village, the originally quiet village suddenly becomes lively.

Only one person noticed the unusual movement underground.

The head of the village who is responsible for keeping the "Invasion Gold", an old woman respected by the villagers as Grandmother.

She heard the noise coming from underground. Only this hunchbacked old woman, who had lived for more than a hundred years, realized that it was not an ordinary sound, but the movement of the temple.

So, under her leadership, some fanatical believers who had not been attracted by the bustling merchants rushed into the cathedral church.

Although Sister Ilumia said in advance that she would prevent the villagers from breaking in, in fact, faced with the violence of numbers, the agent disappeared from the church with the priests and communicators of the church.

The old woman had no concern for the church members who hid in the dark and observed all this.

She was more concerned about what was happening in the underground temple.

"Where is Magdalena?"

The old woman made a clear voice, and the villagers surrounding her gradually made way.

Then, Gray's mother, Magdalena, was brought in.

"Grandmother..." Magdalena knelt on the ground.

"Where is Gray?" the old woman asked.

Although she was kneeling on the ground and being held down by women from the same village, she remained calm.

"Go where she should be."

"You have violated your duty and allowed the king's body to move freely." The old woman angrily slammed her cane on the floor, making a voice full of anger. "Confess now, and there is still time to forgive your sins."

Magdalena lowered her head, looked at the floor so close to her, and spoke quietly:

"The Black Madonna will visit this village again and give us new revelations."

The villagers suddenly became agitated.

The Black Madonna is a legend that is so old that it cannot be any older. No one has ever seen the Black Madonna in person. They simply adhere to the teachings passed down by their ancestors and guard the true secrets of the underground temple.

"You mean the Black Madonna?" The old woman's deep eye sockets flashed with fanatic light, "If that's the case -"

As she spoke, she turned around, raised her hands and looked towards the Black Madonna.

"If the Black Madonna comes here, it means that time has come! From now on! The Holy Church is our enemy! Destroy them, just like we defended our independence in the past. Roar, this land is our holy land that cannot be violated. That's right! Now we can sing loudly without any scruples. We have been looking forward to the return of the king since the distant legendary era!"

Then the old woman's expression became solemn and gentle.

"Swear to the Black Madonna! Please, once again, show us the way!"

Behind him were the villagers singing in unison.

Only the Black Madonna was looking at them with the same expression as always.

--------

Following the direction the girl with the golden mask left, everyone tracked down.

But after entering the road at the other end of the big hole, they found that there were many winding roads and barriers that deliberately led people to get lost. But these could not stop Shiomi and Ash.

After turning around the winding underground roads, a space that was wider than the previous large hole appeared in the sight of several people.

There were shadows of several buildings in the space. Shiomi raised his hands, and several stars rose to the top of the large hole, illuminating the space.

A stone religious temple appeared before everyone, looking ancient and solemn.

"There is a tomb hidden underground?" The Second was shocked by the sight before him. He muttered to himself and took a step forward, "Or... is this the real cemetery?"

Everything before this was just a protective measure.

Whether it is the army of skeletons or the tunnels that are like a maze that you can’t get out of once you enter.

All of this is done to prevent anyone from setting foot here without any permission.

"Belthak also mentioned that there is a temple underground, but he has never seen it either." Xijian said, and suddenly noticed that the reaction of the person next to him was a little strange. He lowered his voice and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's a bit strange, my magic affinity is increasing." Ash looked at his hands, "Is this... the protection brought by faith?"

In fact, as soon as you enter the village from the ash, you can feel that the Dayuan here is very friendly to you.

The reason is simple. The village believes in the Black Madonna, which means they believe in Morgan.

Regardless of his origins, Ash is the genuine Morgan.

The villagers' faith will naturally be returned to Jian without their knowledge - as long as the villagers still believe in the Black Madonna here.

But... such a strong rise in magic power is a bit abnormal.

"Could it be that—" Xijian raised his head and looked towards the top of the big hole.

You can't see outside from here, but you can feel the flow of the great source.

"The villagers are praying to the Black Madonna." Ash came to the same answer.

Gray turned around in surprise, "But today...is not Sunday. The church is closed."

And what is most puzzling is what Jian said.

She said the villagers' faith was passed on to her.

Why would a mere guest from outside benefit from the village's beliefs?

"That can only mean that—" Shiomi suddenly stretched out her hand, and a rope made of magic wrapped around the waist of the Second, "The village has discovered that we are here!"

He pulled with his hand, and the Second World changed direction and flew backwards.

Before El-Melloi II could question Shiomi why he did this, a skeleton soldier fell from the sky and slashed the ground with a long sword, leaving a deep groove in the ground.

"that is……"

Although he was dragged backwards, the Second did not roll on the ground. His body flipped in the air and landed steadily on the ground.

This is not the second generation's ability, but Shiomi's skill.

Behind the skeleton soldier, dozens of skeleton soldiers came out of the temple. Standing at the top of the temple steps was a girl in a golden mask. She was wearing solid armor and holding a gun wrapped in dark magic in her hand. There were many protruding spikes on the gun.

"Black...Longominyad..." Gray murmured. She knew exactly what the gun was.

Suddenly, Jian spoke.

"Hold my coat for me. I'm the more suitable person to handle this matter." Jian reached out, unbuttoned the cloak, and threw it to Shiomi neatly.

The light woven from magic wrapped around her body, and when the magic gun returned to her hand, Morgan's clothes had changed.

With a cool and majestic appearance, he reappeared in the world after nine years.

"There are three people holding Longominyad, but none of them is the real body." Ash pointed the magic spear at the masked girl, "What a unique development."

Chapter 17 'Spirit'

As soon as he finished speaking, Jian disappeared from the spot.

The sonic boom sounded a beat late, causing Grey's ears to ache.

The next moment, Jian broke through the formation of the skeleton soldiers and arrived in front of the masked girl.

The blocking skeleton soldiers flew into the air helplessly and broke into pieces.

The magic spear collided with the masked girl's dark Longominiad, and the situation was at a stalemate.

The skeleton soldiers who were not hit immediately rushed forward and tried to attack Jian to rescue the masked girl, but were pierced again by the magic spikes that emerged from the ground.

"Why are you here?" the masked girl asked, her voice sounding like she was gritting her teeth.