Amid wave after wave of rising sacred hymns, the crumbling World Tree gradually burst with dazzling radiance. Golden streams of light, like countless stars filling the sky, flowed together above Avalon Island among the roots, as though a thousand rivers were pouring into the sea.
Divine might gathered, growing stronger and stronger.
At the same time, for some unknown reason, an unprecedented sense of crisis filled the White Giant's heart. Every cell, every particle of spirit, seemed to tremble with an indescribable dread.
"Don't even think about it!"
Marduk did not dare sit there and bind himself by inaction. He threw back his head and roared, the stellar rings around him blazing. His fist, like a falling sun, raised waves ten thousand zhang high across the Sea of Nothingness.
"Laaaa!"
Yet at that very moment, an arm interwoven with gold-blue star patterns cut across the blow by force, stopping that unmatched fist dead.
Impossible! Impossible! That thing had clearly lost its Star Core. How could it still move?
Marduk stared at Sefar, the Velber vanguard, whose giant body had miraculously reformed before him. Even as its arm shattered, it stubbornly stood in his way. His eyes filled with disbelief, and rage spilled openly across his face.
Then, as a song filled with trembling and hope drifted from the unremarkable waves, Marduk dimly saw one... two... ten... a hundred... a thousand golden streams of Ether gathering toward Sefar, pouring into her body and forming a slender yet unyielding support.
"O Supreme Eternal Heaven, thank you for your blessing, for sending down the warrior of the gods.
Altera, eagle of the steppes, our undefeated king.
Your sharp sword overwhelms all dark and evil spirits..."
On the shattered ark, the Huns, old and young supporting one another, knelt and bowed before Altera, their King. Yet the rite they performed was a gesture of reverence for life itself.
The supreme god of heaven, they had never seen. The beautiful heaven was, in the end, nothing more than a mirage.
The light before their eyes was their faith. It was their Eternal Heaven.
The Velber vanguard of today was no longer a cold weapon, but the new god of the Huns.
A swarm of ants! Damn you, damn you, damn you, damn you!
Faced with this variable he could neither understand nor predict, Marduk spread his arms in fury. His rage was so great he wished he could pour it all at once onto the battered ark and the collapsing World Tree.
"You think you can stop me? Get out of my way!"
Never!
Velber's remaining left arm gripped the rainbow-colored light sword and held it across the attack. Its chest, long since hollow after the Star Core had been torn out, was beating more fiercely than ever.
No. I hate the thought of everything ending here. I do not want to reach the end knowing nothing but the sword.
I want... I want to ride a horse at full gallop, to become a gust of wind racing across the grasslands...
I want to raise soft, fluffy sheep. One, two. No, a whole flock! I want to herd them across the pasture by day and hold them as I sleep at night...
I want to eat the food that person makes, and someday, I want to make something delicious myself!
I want... I want to know what "love" is, what "beauty" is. I want to wear a bride's dress and live out an ordinary life. And the groom...
Her shining eyes looked back. That gaze, thick with emotion, passed over her people on the ark and settled on the miraculous light blooming upon the lonely island.
"Why? Why? Why? Why do every last one of you insist on standing in this King's way? Unforgivable! Unforgivable!"
Marduk, held tightly in place, watched the bands of light on Avalon Island grow ever brighter, and he was nearly driven mad.
In the end, that storm of light tore Velber, no, Altera, full of holes. Her giant body collapsed completely.
A slender, tiny figure fell with the crumbling fragments toward the pale Sea of Nothingness.
"Curse Layer: Black Sky Abyss!"
At the critical moment, a sharp cry rang out. Tamamo-no-Mae moved all nine tails at once, interlacing her fingers and casting a spell that fixed the falling little figure in midair. At the same time, she stepped across the void, scooped up the tiny silver-haired girl with one arm, and held her against her chest.
My disciple is not yours to discipline!
"You're courting death!"
At Marduk's command, dozens of swords of light pierced through the air, converging on Tamamo-no-Mae, who had stepped into the forbidden zone. With nowhere to brace herself, the demon consort felt every hair stand on end.
"Rise, my skyscraper!"
At that moment, a crimson curved greatsword plunged into the Sea of Nothingness. Standing by the water's edge, the Rose Emperor rested one hand on her sword and raised the other high, her smooth chin tilted proudly upward.
Hmph! Who dares trample over my perfect accompaniment?
Hum!
In an instant, a golden stage like that of a magnificent theater burst from the water, splitting the waves as it rose. It caught Tamamo-no-Mae, who held little Altera in her arms, and shielded them securely within.
By the time Marduk violently smashed through that hard shell, by the time he crushed the two cowering figures inside, a fox tail in his palm had turned into dust of light and scattered on the wind.
Illusion magic! Damn it!
Toyed with again and again, the White Giant had almost burned away all reason in his rage. Abandoning every flashy spell, he relied on pure power alone, treading across the waves of the Sea of Nothingness toward the World Tree and the lonely island, charging forward through the surf.
Heretics, enemies, ants, gods. Do not even think of struggling. All of you will die by this King's hand! Sink into this eternal divine punishment!
The burning sky, the burning fist, drew closer and closer.
The giant god of flame swore to burn everything away and create new life from the ashes.
"If, after attaining supreme Bodhi and becoming fully enlightened, the Buddha-land where I dwell is complete with immeasurable, inconceivable merit and adornment, there shall be no hells, no hungry ghosts, no beasts, no crawling or flying creatures.
All sentient beings, including those from the realm of Yama and the three evil paths, shall be born in my land, receive my Dharma, and all attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. They shall never again fall into evil paths. If this vow is fulfilled, I shall become Buddha. If this vow is not fulfilled, I shall not take supreme enlightenment."
At that moment, Sanskrit chanting suddenly arose. Boundless starlight gathered, and a golden halo, brilliant as a lotus, tightened around Marduk's body.
The White Giant struggled with all his might, yet for a time he could not break free. Shock spread plainly across his face. His hateful gaze turned far away, toward a place in the east.
At the same time, beneath a lush Bodhi tree, a man in gauze robes sat upon the ground, his bearing gentle, clear, and wise. His earlobes hung to his shoulders, his head bore the ushnisha, his dark hair was tied up, and his hands formed a lotus mudra. His deep eyes seemed to have seen through the whole vast universe, filled with compassion for all beings in this fleeting world.
A single thought arose, and the Sanskrit chant followed.
"When I become Buddha, all sentient beings in the worlds of the ten directions who are born in my land shall possess bodies of radiant true gold, pure, upright, and alike in form. If there are differences in appearance, beautiful or ugly, I shall not attain enlightenment.
When I become Buddha, all sentient beings born in my land shall know their past lives through immeasurable kalpas. The good and evil they have done, they shall clearly see and hear. They shall know the past, future, and present throughout the ten directions. If this vow is not fulfilled, I shall not attain enlightenment.
When I become Buddha, all sentient beings born in my land shall gain the wisdom to know the minds of others. If they cannot fully know the thoughts of sentient beings in countless billions of Buddha-lands, I shall not attain enlightenment.
When I become Buddha, all sentient beings born in my land shall gain free mastery of divine powers and Paramita. If, in a single thought, they cannot pass through countless billions of Buddha-lands, traveling everywhere and making offerings to the Buddhas, I shall not attain enlightenment.
When I become Buddha, all sentient beings born in my land shall be free from discrimination, their faculties serene. If they are not certain to attain perfect enlightenment and realize Great Nirvana, I shall not attain enlightenment.
When I become Buddha, my light shall be immeasurable, shining throughout the ten directions, surpassing the Buddhas, surpassing the light of the sun and moon by thousands upon millions of times.
When I become Buddha..."
All sentient beings suffer, and must awaken to True Suchness.
Beneath the Bodhi tree, the Enlightened One chanted the forty-eight great vows, his voice spreading through the cosmos and revealing boundless compassion and protection for all beings of the world.
Upon the pale Sea of Nothingness, golden light shone brilliantly. Dense Sanskrit characters gathered into forty-eight small heavenly wheels shaped like petals, each filled with immense vow-power.
As the chanting grew clearer, a lotus-shaped halo covering the entire domain formed above the White Giant's head, surrounded by the forty-eight small heavenly wheels. Under a pressure of billions of tons, this god from beyond the heavens sank as though into a mire, unable to advance even an inch.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The stellar rings around the White Giant blazed with surging light. In an instant, a thousand fists merged into one. Wherever that edge passed, even the golden heavenly wheels could not withstand all of its Authority, and the small petal-like heavenly wheels shattered one by one.
At that moment, the figure seated beneath the Bodhi tree seemed to sense it. He trembled violently. His golden body, which understood the principles of heaven and earth and was nearly indestructible, began to show visible cracks under the repeated strikes of the god from beyond the heavens.
Even so, the Enlightened One remained seated with his head bowed, his chant never ceasing, using absolute resolve to save all beings from suffering.
In the Sea of Nothingness, the spirit particles peeling away from Sefar, the Velber vanguard, and the lotus-shaped golden halo flowed toward that lonely island like a thousand rivers entering the sea.
As heaven and earth resounded, the great Ages of Gods lit with sparks like countless stars. Countless Divine Spirits, humans, and monsters sang sacred hymns as they burned away like candles, turning into the purest spirit particles and flowing toward that utopia that held all beautiful wishes, the final hope built by all. Avalon!
Still trapped in the golden halo and unable to break free, the White Giant felt his heart tighten, and an intense sense of danger lingered over him.
"Get out of my way!"
Marduk, face twisted in rage, roared like a trapped beast.
At the same time, on Avalon Island, beneath the glow of countless stars, a murmuring voice echoed beside Samael's ears.
"All things in the world, all fate, are in your hands. They chose you. More than I, more than he, you are qualified to reforge this planet and become God Above!"
Bathed in radiance, the serpent smiled faintly, unmoved. His eyes were calm as he gazed at the pale world and solemnly murmured.
"God Above is not what I seek. The strongest is entrusted only to this sword!"
Then Samael gripped the hilt with both hands, raised the blade high, and spoke in a clear, resolute voice.
"I declare: This battle is a battle for survival!"
"Accepted!"
The lives barely surviving within the calamity answered as one.
At the same time, the Sea of Nothingness churned violently. The Spear of the End, anchoring the edge of the world and flashing with interwoven inscriptions, plunged diagonally into the White Giant's left shoulder with lightning speed. The spearhead passed through his body, pouring the hatred and resolve of this world into the god from beyond the heavens and forming an unseen restraint.
"This battle is a battle against one stronger than ourselves!"
"Accepted!"
The warriors who had given everything for survival placed their hope in this.
Immediately after, before Marduk could react, a second Spear of the End engraved with an oath struck from another angle, sealing the movement of Marduk's right hand.
"This battle is not one that turns against the path of gods or the path of humanity!"
"Accepted!"
The gods and humans who had walked together looked at one another and nodded.
"This battle is a battle in pursuit of truth!"
"Accepted!"
The living stood within the World Tree, gazing at the pale sea, and declared their own existence.
"This battle is a fair battle!"
"Accepted!"
Descending into the mortal world as a Star of Despair, rising in resistance as a Star of Hope, each side pouring everything into the struggle to decide its own fate. That was fairness, and the heroes cried out with passionate conviction.
Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!
With the dull sounds of blades entering flesh, four more Spears of the Storm tore free from their anchors and rose, weaving a cage to bind this god from beyond the heavens.
"This battle is a battle to subjugate evil!"
"Accepted!"
A god had fallen and become a demon. Countless lives had perished because of him, and the victims gnashed their teeth.
"This battle is a battle fought alongside brave ones!"
"Accepted!"
A brave one was not someone strong, but the unyielding will to rise in resistance beneath calamity. As far as the eye could see, companions stood everywhere.
"This battle is not one that raises the sword against the good!"
"Accepted!"
"This battle is not fought for selfish desire!"
"Accepted!"
"This battle is a battle of noble honor!"
"Accepted!"
To preserve civilization and survive disaster. This shared selfish desire of all beings was the loftiest justice of this world, the purest good. The noble and the humble reached the same understanding.
In the blink of an eye, five more Spears of the End answered the summons and pierced into the White Giant's body.
"This battle is not a battle against Elementals..."
On Avalon Island, Samael glanced toward the center of the lake and murmured.
"Accepted!"
The fairies who had poured their hearts and blood into forging this sword danced lightly. Though they were mischievous, they would ultimately be remembered by all.
Pfft!
The final Spear of the End pierced sideways, pinning Marduk in place like a massive crucifix and completely sealing the movement of this thing from beyond the heavens.
The malice constantly flowing into his body was actually causing him to form an inseparable connection with this shattered world.
Marduk stared at the Holy Sword of the Planet on Avalon Island as it absorbed the infinite light of the stars. Fear flooded his heart. He struggled with all four limbs, his face twisting as he roared madly.
"Impossible! Impossible! This King is perfect! Supreme above all! Omniscient and omnipotent! I am a god from beyond the heavens. Nothing on earth can threaten this King!"
"Soon, you won't be."
Samael's expression did not change. He raised his hand, turned to the final page of the Book of Destiny, and set down his fingertip.
"The genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.
I am the First, I am the Last. I am the Beginning, I am the End. I am Infinity, I am Possibility!
I am the friend of Solomon, I am the Root of David, I am the Bright Morning Star.
Behold, I come quickly. My reward and punishment are with me, to repay each according to what he has done.
Let the unjust remain unjust. Let the filthy remain filthy. Let the righteous remain righteous. Let the holy remain holy.
For your sin, be anointed and sealed with the mark. Eternal life is granted through death, and forgiveness is here in this moment.
Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, sin shall be washed clean.
And by this, the world shall be immersed and reborn!"
In an instant, the shattered half of the Stone Tablet of the Holy Covenant rose from the Sea of Nothingness. Sacred words from the Gospels and the Book of Revelation of the New Testament were carved into it, letter by letter.
At the same time, the angels gathered around Marduk, who had been restrained and twisted, shed their grotesque mutations. Their cruelty and coldness were washed away, and points of light gathered into figures of light and shadow with the forms of ordinary living beings.
One by one, radiant human figures crossed their hands over their chests and sang sacred hymns, guarding the new covenant as it sank toward the pale sea.
"The Lamb shall return. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"
For a moment, the cruel, bloody old covenant within Marduk dimmed further and further, splitting into countless streams of light that drifted away.
"No! No! I am perfect! I have already ascended to God Above!"
Marduk struggled in terror, but no matter how he called out, the cracked Star of the Demon Broom only trembled a few times. It could no longer attune or resonate with him, sealed as he was within the twelve Spear of the End branches.
"Congratulations. You are once again one of the gods of the earth..."
Samael bared his teeth in a fierce grin. As the Holy Sword of the Planet condensed its radiance to the utmost, he turned and looked around.
Behind him, the World Tree had burned away completely. Those figures, almost reduced to nothing within the flames, bore neither resentment nor regret.
The Ancient Serpent's lips moved slightly as he faced the White Giant struggling in despair, murmuring without sound.
The gods have made their bodies kindling, raising fire for me to light the road ahead. Then I shall be the one to forge a new paradise from this moment on.
At that moment, Samael's expression turned solemn. He softly spoke the final oath, and matching patterns appeared across the sword.
"This battle is a battle to save the world. Accepted!"
The Ancient Serpent asked and answered himself, his gaze open and calm. The golden sword in his hand shone like the Milky Way, its majesty seeming to pierce through the darkness of the universe.
"Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory!"
As the oath was sealed, the golden torrent slashed forward, surging endlessly and swallowing all things.
"No! I am perfect! I am perfect! How could this King lose to you, you damned... serpent..."
In that instant, the White Giant bound upon the cross crumbled and melted away like ice before the sun.
Boom!
A cross-shaped band of light exploded like a nova, its power rushing straight into the clouds. The Star of the Demon Broom above was finally shattered under the torrent, and its fragments, large and small, were swept into the depths of the vast universe by the unstoppable flow of light.
"Clang!"
With a clear ring, the Holy Sword of the Planet stabbed into the rocky ground. The chosen wielder of the Holy Sword collapsed into the dust, staring blankly at the pale world.
Is it snowing?
The man raised his hand and caught the spirit particles drifting down from the sky like snowflakes. Watching the "snowflakes" melt into the sea, where faint ripples seemed to spread, the corners of his lips rose.
The consciousness of that all-knowing, all-powerful God had completely vanished, while his spirit particles would scatter across the world and become the Thaumaturgical Foundation of the earth.
In a sense, he had fulfilled his lifelong wish to reforge this planet, had he not?
"Hum!"
At the same time, the Book of Destiny in the Ancient Serpent's arms floated into the air. Without wind, its pages rustled and turned on their own, and golden runes peeled away from the paper, drifting in every direction.
Samael sat quietly with his sword as support, gazing out around him.
Time passed in silence. Light and shadow shifted without a sound, and the scarred surface of the planet began to change beyond recognition.
On the first day, the sky closed, the stars lit, day and night were divided, and the four seasons began to turn.
On the second day, the waters were divided above and below, the oceans retreated, and the continents appeared.
On the third day, the creatures of the earth and humanity revived, and fortresses rose.
In just three days, the earth, islands, mountains, rivers, oceans, forests, fortresses, animals, plants, humans, and all other traces nurtured by the planet were carved once more upon its surface beneath the imprint of golden light patterns.
On the fourth day, as the first ray of sunlight fell upon Avalon Island, a deep, shadowed figure emerged from the center of the lake and came before Samael, speaking calmly.
"Let go. Do not continue. After this divine war, the surface has already been shattered beyond repair. Even if you exhaust yourself trying to mend it, this is the limit of what the earth can hold."
"The Age of Myths will eventually fade, and the age of heroes has already dimmed. It seems everything was inevitable."
The Ancient Serpent slowly opened his eyes and looked at the Book of Destiny in his hand, where the ancient epics of the Ten Ages of Gods had been inscribed. His fingertips brushed over the familiar names carved upon it, and he gave a quiet sigh.
"Rather than worrying about that, you should worry about yourself."
Gaia was silent for a moment. Her expression was complicated as she looked at the figure seated with his sword as support, a threadlike flame reflected in her eyes.
If his former power had been the light of the stars, then his current state was nothing more than a candle in the wind. Even if it did not go out, it was doomed never to shine brightly again.
Using the gods as kindling, forging the sword with the stars, and taking all things as the steps to carry one person to God Above, then wagering everything on annihilation while waiting for the slow rebirth of the world.
Only by then, everything would be different. All would begin again.
That was the answer that should have been destined.
Yet in order to preserve the embers of the gods and engrave the memories of heroes, this man had chosen to give up the shortcut to becoming God Above. Instead, he used the concept of the serpent that had endured across the Ages of Gods as a medium and swung that sword.
The price was giving up his divine status, his divine authority, and his divine power.
The serpent was everywhere, but in the end, it could only become a shadow in the dark.
"It doesn't matter. Even if I regress to my original state, I ate the Herb of Immortality, so I'm still undying and immortal. Starting over alone is better than making everyone start over. I wouldn't be used to that."
Samael laughed lightly, teasing. As Gaia stood there in a daze, he rose with the sword as his support, lowered his head, and looked toward the center of the lake connected to the Inner Sea of the Planet. A magnificent, dreamlike sight reflected in his eyes, and he could not help murmuring in a low, emotional voice.
"The utopia that can heal all sorrow and soothe every wound. Its name is Avalon."
Then the Ancient Serpent turned and handed the Book of Destiny to the Spirit of the Stars, a faint reluctance in his gesture.
"The earth is no longer suited for the gods and Heroic Spirits to recover. Take them away, to the true utopia."
Gaia paused, then looked up at the Ancient Serpent with a faint, sorrowful gaze and reminded him.
"But you will never be qualified to enter that land."
The utopia isolated from the world allowed only the sinless to enter.
The precious blood of the Lamb had soaked the world, washing away all past filth and sin so that old friends could enter that paradise in a pure state and sleep. But he himself inevitably bore sin, and he was not permitted to step into that beautiful realm.
"I know..."
Samael answered with a faint smile, without the slightest regret or resentment. From the moment he made his choice, he had understood his own end.
"I cannot enter, but they will awaken one day. One day, they will come out. Even if it takes a thousand years, ten thousand years, I will wait."
The Ancient Serpent looked at the Book of Destiny in Gaia's hands. His gaze was firm, and he spoke that vow with absolute certainty, his eyes full of tenderness.
"The threats this world faces are far from over."
Gaia seemed to think of something. She lightly bit her lip, lifted the Book of Destiny, and spoke solemnly.
"I will use this as a wedge to establish the Throne of Heroic Spirits, remove potential crises, mend the broken surface as quickly as possible, and accelerate the convergence of the spirit particles."
"Mm. A wise choice. Although the Star of the Demon Broom has been destroyed, the crises this world faces go far beyond that."
Samael nodded. His vertical pupils narrowed slightly as thoughts surged through his mind, and one ominous phrase after another emerged from where they had been buried.
The human evil that burns away human history, the forbidden descending garden of Salem, the roots of fantasy that bleach the world...
Earth really is as disaster-prone as ever.
"You shall guard the tombs of the gods, guide the heroes, and bring enlightenment to humanity..."
Just as Samael's thoughts began to wander, the Spirit of the Stars, already at the limit of her endurance, solemnly entrusted the man before her with this heavy duty.
"Stop! I don't have time! I'm already in this state, and you still want me to work? Do you have any humanity?"
The Ancient Serpent rolled his eyes and refused without hesitation.
"That's enough. We're not close, so don't come bothering me unless you have to."
Then Samael reminded her over and over with a look of open disdain, pushing Gaia toward the center of the lake and preparing to send her off.
But just as they were about to part, the Ancient Serpent seemed to remember something. He curled his finger and summoned the Holy Sword of the Planet from Avalon Island.
Hum!
As Samael's fingertip lightly brushed the inscription along the sword's spine, a small cluster of pure white light emerged from the blade. Inside, a tiny figure curled up like an infant could faintly be seen.
Before Gaia could react, the Ancient Serpent stuffed the ball of light into the Spirit of the Stars' arms, leaving her stunned. She murmured instinctively in confusion.
"What is this?"
"A crystallization of humanity's self-will. Somehow, an accident was born within the Holy Sword. You look pretty bored all by yourself, so I'm giving you something to raise."
The Ancient Serpent blinked and answered casually with a smile, though his expression was deeply meaningful.
"Oh, right. You can call her Alaya..."
Watching the Spirit of the Stars sink into the Inner Sea of the Planet with the milky-white light in her arms and a bewildered look on her face, the Ancient Serpent's lips curved into a pleased smile, his eyes full of anticipation.
The days ahead should be much more interesting...
The morning sun rose, casting warm light over Avalon Island. Bathed in sunlight, the serpent stretched lazily. He glanced at the world that had been nudged back onto the right track, then looked down at the empty surroundings. Finally, he could not help turning back toward the World Tree that no longer existed, and a hollow melancholy rose in his chest.
Am I alone again?
But at least... it is finally... over...
The Ancient Serpent let out a relieved breath. His taut nerves slackened, and endless weariness surged over him. Step by step, he moved toward the center of the lake like an old man nearing the end of his life.
Finally... finally... I can have a proper sleep...
Only this sleep... may last a little longer...
The figure by the lake wore a faint smile as he fell into the blue water.
Perhaps there, he could hear the laughter of old friends and come close to the hearts of those who had known him best.
As the water covered the Ancient Serpent's body, the Holy Sword held tightly in the man's hand gave off a faint glow, forming a coffin-like film of light over its master.
The sun gradually rose, and long-lost light spread across the earth. Everything, like an unreal dream, gradually faded from the memories of most humans.
In a daze, a legend of uncertain truth began to spread among the people.
God destroyed the world in the first three days, created it in the next three days, and rested on the seventh...
Rustle...
Amid the faint rustling of the bushes, a purple-haired girl in a white robe emerged from the forest and looked around in confusion.
"Sister!"
Only when two children came running excitedly toward her along the mountain path did the purple-haired girl suddenly remember. This was Bethany, on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Her home.
"Mary, Lazarus, why are you here?"
"Mother told us to pick wild herbs together. We need to gather a lot so we can cook dinner tonight."
Her little brother and sister, cheeks flushed, tugged at the purple-haired girl's fingers and answered in a lively chatter.
"All right. Stay close behind me and don't run off. There might be beasts in the woods."
At the purple-haired girl's warning, the two little ones obediently nodded.
"Sister, what's that around your neck?"
As they walked, however, Lazarus's eyes stuck to the pendant on his sister's chest, and he could not help asking curiously.
"This?"
The purple-haired Holy Maiden removed the pendant, opened her palm, and answered with a smile.
"It is a cross. The cross that washes away all sins and brings the world new life."
"Can I wear it?"
Seeing his sister speak so solemnly, Lazarus could not help wanting it.
The purple-haired girl immediately closed her hands, clutching the cross tightly in her palm. Then she knocked the reckless little boy on the head and answered with a soft huff.
"Not this one. If you want one, I'll make one for you later. But before that, you have to learn to pray with me."
"Pray? To who?"
"To someone very great. Someone truly remarkable..."
As the three siblings chatted and laughed, they gradually disappeared into the mist of morning.
Time flowed on, and the years turned. On Avalon Island, the plants withered and flourished again and again, while life upon the earth changed wave after wave.
Only the water by the lake remained uncorrupted and unchanged, reflecting the eternal river of stars.
"Splash..."
After an unknown span of time, the clear sound of water broke the long silence. Amid the rippling waves, a graceful figure struggled to drag a "coffin" covered in lake-bottom plants, shells, barnacles, and other growths.
Thud!
At last, the heavy prize was dragged onto the grass of Avalon Island.
Next step, wake him up...
How should I wake him up?
The graceful figure looked at the heavy object wrapped in a mud shell and tapped it curiously. Then, with ill intent, she raised the horned end of her wand, eyes flashing as she calculated the best angle and position to strike.
Crack!
Just as a certain rod-shaped murder weapon was raised high with power gathered behind it, the thick mud shell suddenly split open. Soft light swept the fragments aside, and a spotless figure sat up from within, moving his stiff shins. When he looked at the visitor before him, his eyelid twitched and his brow furrowed slightly.
"Who are you?"
The graceful figure calmly hid the raised wand behind her back and spoke with an elegant, light laugh.
"Vivian, the Garden Fairy..."
"Gaia sent you?"
"Yes. The Mystery Convergence is almost complete. Only the final gap remains to be stitched closed. Lady Gaia said you could help me complete this mission."
"So it really is because of that mess in Britannia."
The man clicked his tongue, looking rather displeased, as though he had been woken up in a bad mood.
"Forget it. I'm awake anyway. I was born to work myself to death, so I might as well finish this job before going back to sleep."
After adjusting for a moment, he sat up from the ground with a helpless sigh, cracking his stiff joints.
"Since we're going to be companions, may I ask what I should call you from now on?"
Vivian, the Garden Fairy, blinked her dreamy purple eyes and asked with a smile.
"You can call me..."
The man pulled out the Holy Sword of the Planet and paused for a moment. Under the starlight, his black hair turned into scattered gold. Then he turned back to look at his collaborator, the corners of his lips lifting in amusement.
"The Nameless Swordsman, Arthur. As for you, I'll call you Mari."
"Mari? Why?"
The graceful figure was stunned and asked in surprise.
"With that rotten-to-the-core personality of yours, do you even need to ask?"
The man gave an irritated huff. As he looked back, his snake-like vertical pupils clearly reflected the form of a mixed-blood dream demon with white hair, purple eyes, pointed ears, and a smiling face.
Well, what an interesting fellow. Looks like this trip won't be too boring.
Vivian, or rather the magical girl Mari, watched the handsome man full of mysteries drape himself in a blue-and-white cloak and set off. The corners of her lips rose in delight as she followed closely behind, smiling as she waited for the fun to begin.
Faint ripples spread across the lake. The small boat carrying the two of them moved without wind, cutting through the mist and sailing toward the opposite shore.
As they crossed the water and stepped onto the solid soil of Britannia, Samael's deep eyes looked far into the distance, and a ripple of joy stirred in his heart.
Dear Ahoge King, here I come!
Afterword
Phew, that wasn't easy. After all the stumbling along the way, I finally managed to finish it. I wonder if everyone is satisfied with the ending?
Come to think of it, this volume had the most Ages of Gods woven together, required the most research, had the messiest timeline, and was the hardest to connect and make self-consistent. I'm truly thankful I managed to finish it, and I'm also grateful to the readers for your continued support.
If possible, I'd still really appreciate a follow-up subscription and some support. The current follow-up numbers are miserable, only five or six hundred, while there are 800 full-subscription readers in the group...
Also, I'll announce the plan for the upcoming plot.
Some readers said the Scandinavian volume had too little content for wives Skadi and Scáthach, so I'm considering writing a few Scandinavian interlude chapters first, then starting the Ahoge King side story.
Would that be okay?
If I have time over the next few days, I'll also fill in the censored chapter gaps for the Medusa Triplets.
Finally, thank you all again. Please help save this poor child. Subscribe and support it. Compared with works from the same period, the numbers really are awful.