Huh? Are they all real?...

"I cannot make any promises to you, because I cannot speak for the elves and the sacred tree. However, I still want to plead for your help on behalf of the people behind me."

The girl's gaze shifted from the greatsword she was guarding to the elf.

After a brief moment of gazing, the girl said softly:

"I'm sorry, I can't leave here. I must guard this holy sword; it is my only mission."

The dwarf immediately became anxious and said:

“You just took down a fully grown dragon with a single move. Is it too much trouble for you to leave for a while and come with us to drive away the other dragons? O Origin God, in this short time, who knows how many people a single dragon could kill.”

The elf interrupted him, saying:

"This lord has no reason to help us, nor do we have the right to demand that he abandon his mission. So, son of Turin, please shut up."

"I know, but in this short time, those dragons might have already burned everything to the ground! That's tens of millions of people, or even more!"

"In short, shut up, son of Turin!"

With a roar from the elf, the dwarf reluctantly shut his mouth.

The elf continued to ask the girl:

"Are you truly unable to leave, sir?"

The girl shook her head and said:

“I am the servant of the Holy Sword, and I must guard it until the person qualified to lift it comes.”

"But you did kill that dragon just now, and it looks like you unleashed a sword beam, so can't you take this holy sword with you?"

"That wasn't the light of the Holy Sword; that was just something I did. The power of the Holy Sword is far more than that."

The girl raised her palm, and there, a small golden sword light spun continuously in her hand.

The elf frowned even more and said:

"Then why did you kill that dragon?"

“That dragon and its mastermind offended the holy sword I was guarding. Although I cannot leave, I must teach them a lesson.”

The elf keenly grasped the deeper meaning of those words and said:

"Are you aware of everything that's happening now? For example, why is the outside world like this, and why are the dragons attacking us?"

The girl continued in her reply:

"Yes, the owner of this holy sword that I am guarding has witnessed all of this."

“Back then, a three-headed dragon committed an unspeakable blasphemy in an attempt to ascend to godhood, and all that is happening now is nothing more than a clumsy imitation and reenactment of that time.”

"As for why those dragons attacked you, it's probably because the three of them finally realized how clumsy and inadequate their imitation was, or perhaps they discovered that something powerful was watching them, so they had to race against time."

The elf raised an eyebrow and said:

"Racing against time?"

"Once they start gnawing, they can't stop. Either they die, or they ascend to godhood. The condition for godhood is to complete enough stripping and devouring."

"They are not their own ancestors, and they do not have the same restrictions as the ancient dragons' ascension to godhood, so their needs are not as exaggerated as they were back then. But even so, it is still an exceptionally large scale. After all, this is the ascension ceremony of a three-headed dragon."

The elf asked, puzzled:

"Sir, you still haven't explained what it means to race against time."

The girl raised her head, her gaze seemingly piercing through the ruins above and the chaotic world around her:

"If everything goes smoothly, this world is destined for destruction, but instead they sent a horde of dragons to attack this doomed world. So, I think they must have realized their lack of preparation, or that they were being targeted by something they considered insurmountable."

"So much so that they want to make this part of their ritual as well."

"Simply put, if they want to become gods, they need to devour and extract enough existence from the mortal world. However, your world still exists in the mortal world, although the gods and kings probably do not know of its existence."

"Therefore, if we destroy your world and your existence as well, we might be able to make them ascend to godhood ahead of time."

Perhaps out of dissatisfaction or disbelief, the dwarf sneered:

"You're saying that the kings and gods don't know this world exists? Don't be ridiculous. Those are supreme beings; how could they not know?"

The girl turned slightly to look at the dwarf and uttered a chilling statement:

"So, were your prayers answered?"

All three were speechless and covered in cold sweat. The girl's voice continued.

“You come from countless ages, have countless faiths and countless people, but among so many believers, have any received a response from their own God?”

The girl said earnestly:

"This is a world without God's protection. Although I am reluctant to say it outright, I must tell you that your existence is destined for destruction."

"Because your prayers not only fail to reach the ears of your faith, but they have even forgotten you, for this stripping away is a powerful force that even the Supreme Beings cannot evade."

The elf said urgently:

"You just said they're racing against time, didn't you? Why do you think we're doomed?"

The girl looked at the holy sword before her and said:

"Because I don't think they will fail. After all, their ancestors lost because they desecrated the iron law that must never be desecrated."

"And they offended the sword's owner. Now, they have avoided the folly of their ancestors, and although the holy sword still exists, its owner has long since departed."

Finally, the girl reached out and gently stroked the holy sword:

"A world without divine protection is destined to be unable to resist the 'god' who created this world, and a holy sword without a master cannot be your hope."

At the very end, the elf stood up and said with utmost seriousness:

"What if someone could pull out this holy sword?"

Upon hearing this, the girl couldn't help but look at the elf before her:

“I know what you’re thinking, elf, but it won’t be yours.”

Chapter 317 Arrival (4k)

The elf had already reached the girl, and the girl, who had been kneeling in front of the sword, also stood up.

The elf asked:

Why are you so certain?

"Because you are not human."

"Is this a holy sword that only humans can lift?"

The girl shook her head and said:

"Whether elves, dwarves, humans, or even demons, they can all try to pull out this sword. It is a holy sword left for the future, not a sword specifically left for humans."

The elf didn't think the other person was insulting him, but he really didn't understand what the other person meant.

"Then why?"

The girl looked at the elf seriously and said:

"You may not realize it at all, but you yourself are just an echo of the past. Although you have consciousness and form, you have no life and soul, and this sword is a gift for the future. Only those who live in the present can pull it out."

The girl's words left the elf speechless.

The dwarf, on the other hand, felt extremely uneasy under the girl's immediate gaze.

"What the hell? Are you trying to say I'm some kind of Echo? Don't be ridiculous! I'm a descendant of Elon Ironhammer, I have all the memories of my previous six hundred years of life! I'm definitely not some soulless remnant!"

The dwarf's voice boomed, but the scholar behind him sensed the unease hidden in his words.

Clearly, the dwarf also felt that she was right, but he just didn't want to believe it.

The girl simply said quietly:

“I didn’t force you to trust me; I was just stating the facts. After all, those three blasphemous creatures are not dragons that control time. What they devoured and gnawed at were the traces of your existence in history, not your existence itself.”

Finally, the girl looked at the elf and said:

"Therefore, I advise you never to touch this holy sword, because it is a gift left for the future. However, you, who are echoing history, must never touch it, or you will disappear immediately."

The elf silently retreated.

He couldn't accept all of this emotionally, but rationally he accepted the other party's explanation.

As an elven veteran who had once followed the Eternal King, he knew even more than many angels and even gods later on.

He had also heard of the three-headed blasphemous dragon, and as the girl said, it was ultimately not the dragon of time.

Therefore, he, who comes from the Second Era, is clearly not a living person existing in the current world.

In this silent murmur, the scholar raised his hand tremblingly and said:

"Um, I tried to pull out this sword, why didn't I disappear?"

The girl tilted her head curiously and said:

"Haven't you realized that you're the only living one of the three of you? You, from the Fourth Age, living in the present moment?"

"Is this like this?"

"Of course, so you are the only one of the three who is qualified to touch this holy sword, because it was originally a gift left for you."

At this point, the girl couldn't help but clasp her hands together, raise her head, and chant the words she had once spoken:

"People from the future, I leave my sword behind. If one day you encounter evil and darkness that you cannot resist, then try to draw this sword."

"To guard hope and protect the flame, that is the meaning of this sword's existence."

"To those whose names I do not know but who certainly exist, I sincerely wish you continued progress."

This is a gift left to the future by the true owner of the Holy Sword, and also his last words before his death.

He loved people all his life, and even on his deathbed, he still loved everything he had ever loved.

The girl recounted it only so that they would know why the scholar was able to try to pull out the sword.

But the elf was increasingly astonished.

He initially thought the sword was also called the Holy Sword because there were indeed many Holy Swords in history.

Examples include the Ashigon Sword that slays dragons, the Roald Sword that guards the White Tower, and the wrathful Peder Sword.

However, among all these holy swords, only one owner left behind these blessings.

But how could that be?

How could it be a two-handed greatsword?

The elf looked incredulously at the holy sword that lay silently planted in the ground; it was indeed a standard two-handed greatsword.

So the elf asked with difficulty:

Who is the owner of this holy sword?

The girl closed her eyes and bowed her head toward the holy sword, saying:

"The eldest son, representing hope, and the youngest son, Fen Guofen, who transcends fate, is also the first dragon slayer."

Is it really the Holy Sword of the youngest son?!

One of the four sacred artifacts?

but

The elf could only say, amidst endless astonishment:

"This is impossible!"

Our king has clearly stated that it is a one-handed knight's sword!

“Elf, this is the truth.”

Seeing the other person's calm and confident expression, the elf ultimately said nothing.

He simply lowered his head and asked another question:

“You say you cannot leave here, then can we bring people here to seek your protection?”

"Of course. The Holy Sword exists to resist evil. I am the guardian of the Holy Sword, so naturally I must also fulfill its purpose."