Chapter 195: White Dragon Vortigern
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
A resounding dragon's roar suddenly echoed from afar, resonating through the heavens and earth.
As a massive shadow cast over the land, Artoria instinctively looked up.
In the distant sky, a gigantic white dragon, resembling a mountain, hovered in the void. Its icy scales reflected dazzling light, and its lantern-like golden dragon eyes focused on her.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure descending, her breath caught.
"Vortigern?!"
The White Dragon, with a body length exceeding three hundred meters, hung alone in the sky, casting an endless shadow of darkness. The dragon's golden vertical pupils gleamed with a cold luster, and even a mere gaze could evoke endless despair.
Artoria tightly gripped Rhongomyniad and Excalibur in her hands as her expression turned extremely grave.
Though lacking any evidence, her intuition told her that the massive creature up there was none other than Vortigern!
But that man had changed way too much!
Vortigern gazed at the spot where Crimson Moon disappeared, a mysterious feeling flickering in his golden vertical pupils. He fell into silence for a moment, then lifted his head, emitting a resounding dragon roar.
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
Accompanying the roar, a visible white glow radiated from his dragon body, rapidly expanding outward.
Artoria, the closest to the dragon, was instantly enveloped in this white glow. However, she suffered no harm; instead, she felt relaxed all over, and the circulation of magical energy within her body accelerated, giving her a sensation of breaking free from constraints.
But instead of happiness, her complexion paled in an instant.
Having once traveled through the Norse Realms, she immediately recognized the nature of this power.
True Ether!
This was an energy that only existed in the Age of Gods!
In the era when gods were still active on the Earth, True Ether was like air and water, the foundation and source of all life.
However, with the decline of the Age of Gods, True Ether gradually withered, leading to the extinction of the creature from the Age of Gods.
Nowadays, except for some secret realms detached from the world, True Ether had long vanished from the present world. This signaled the imminent end of the Age of Gods.
And now, at such a time, Vortigern had brought True Ether back to this land.
A strange intuition suddenly arose in Artoria's heart—Vortigern probably intended to spread this energy across the entire British Isles!
For creatures from the Age of Gods, True Ether was the foundation of survival. With her being the carrier of Red Dragon Factor, such an environment was like giving her wings. However, for the people born in this new era, this energy was nothing short of the most potent poison!
If Vortigern succeeded, probably not even one in a million on the entire British Isles would survive!
No, it couldn't be allowed. It had to be stopped!
Artoria threw Rhongomyniad into the distance. The originally meter-long lance shaft swelled in the wind, instantly transforming into a tower of light over thirty meters. Storms mixed with thunder emitted by the tower turned into artillery fire, rushing toward Vortigern in the sky.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
Terrifying artillery fire struck him, creating deafening thunderous sounds. His dragon scales were shattered, his flesh turned pitch black, and golden blood flowed down like a stream.
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
Vortigern roared in pain, his golden vertical pupils taking on a hint of ferocity. He unleashed a magical beam from his mouth, howling towards the tower of light.
The peak of the tower shimmered with azure light as a storm surged forward, colliding with Vortigern's magical beam. However, the latter effortlessly broke through, striking the tower and causing it to tremble slightly, dimming the radiant glow around it.
"It can't be?! Rhongomyniad isn't enough?!"
Artoria's expression turned grave as she raised Excalibur, initiating liberation.
A surge of golden light rushed forth, converging on Excalibur, creating a formidable force with breathtaking velocity, distorting space, and displaying unmatched power.
Yet, there was still a significant gap from the previous Excalibur's fully liberated form, equivalent at most to a fourfold release.
"Gaia..." Artoria gritted her teeth, a sense of helplessness in her heart.
After all, Vortigern and Crimson Moon were different entities. The former wasn't an extraterrestrial enemy but aimed solely at restoring the Age of Gods.
In a way, it was what Gaia most desired.
At a time like this, Gaia didn't completely restrain Excalibur, and allowing it to release four restraints was a reasonable compromise.
Gaia probably thought that no matter who won in the end, they wouldn't be at a loss.
Taking a deep breath, Artoria composed herself and raised Excalibur solemnly.
"Sheathed in the breath of the planet, a torrent of shining life! Let us end this! Excalibur—!"
*BOOOM!*
Over ten meters thick, a sword beam surged towards the sky, directly aiming at Vortigern's head. The latter's eyes flashed with a cold edge, lowering his head to release another dragon breath, colliding with the brilliance of the holy sword.
*BOOOM—!!!*
In the center of the clash of energies, fluctuations created a chaotic black hole, swallowing everything around, resembling a gateway to the abyss.
Simultaneously, storms and thunder gathered once again. The tower of light unleashed a whip of light, tearing through the sky and striking at Vortigern. Where the whip passed, it left a long black line—a spatial crack torn open by Rhongomyniad's power.
The thirty-meter-long whip, like a sharp knife, flashed across Vortigern's neck.
*ROAAARRR—!!!*
*BOOM!*
Vortigern roared as his massive dragon head was severed, crashing onto the earth with a resounding thud. His golden vertical pupils gradually lose their luster.
"Is it... over?" Artoria blinked in confusion, a surreal feeling washing over her.
"No, it's not."
A familiar voice chimed in from the side. Countless colorful flowers descended from the air, converging into a white-haired, handsome man holding a staff.
"Merlin? Weren't you supposed to be guarding Camelot? Why are you here?" Artoria questioned.
"If I didn't show up, this world would be toast..." Merlin chuckled helplessly. "Haven't you noticed anything strange?"
'Strange?'
Artoria pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized something.
The True Ether hadn't dissipated!
Surveying her surroundings, she found that the white glow caused by Vortigern hadn't faded either; it continued expanding outward.
"What's going on? Didn't I defeat Vortigern?" Artoria exclaimed in shock.
"Take a look over there." Merlin raised his staff, pointing behind Artoria.
Following the direction, she saw that the severed head of Vortigern, which had been disconnected from his dragon body, had somehow reconnected. His golden dragon eye was gradually lighting up, unmistakably showing signs of resurrection.
'Immortality...' Artoria's pupils contracted.
"It's more than just immortality..."
As if guessing her thoughts, Merlin sighed and started to explain.
"Using the power of the Holy Grail, Vortigern reversed the concept of 'The End of the Age of Gods' stolen from Nidhogg into 'The Beginning of the Age of Gods' and merged it onto himself, creating that body."
"Now, he's completely linked to the concept of the Age of Gods itself, the stronger the influence and power of the Age of Gods, the stronger he becomes. The more powerful he is, the higher the restoration speed of the Age of Gods."
"This is the last counterattack of the 'Gods' against 'Humanity', the concept of the Final God—White Dragon Vortigern."
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