Chapter 51: The Onslaught of Severus!

Lord's Mansion.

As soon as Duncan voiced his plan, Severus objected, "No! That's too risky!"

"You now carry the entire burden of Britannia on your shoulders alone. Scandinavia is the domain of the Norse gods. What will you do if an unexpected crisis arises?"

The Raven Queen, Triss, knew much more.

Knowing that Duncan elevated his strength by defeating powerful foes, she pondered for a moment before saying, "I am going with you."

Duncan influenced the fates of millions of lives.

Equally uneasy, the Raven Queen intended to accompany him personally. Even if the avatars of the Norse gods descended, she could meet them head-on, at least buying Duncan a chance to escape. Lately, she had sensed Diana's power awakening as well. In the twilight of mythology, everyone shared a ceiling of power. As long as it was not some transcendent existence (such as a dragon), she could still put up a fight against ordinary deities descending through mortal vessels.

(Deities possessing mortals to descend was currently the only feasible method, akin to summoning a divine spirit into one's body.)

As long as her vow of chastity remained unbroken, the Raven Queen, Triss, stood as the sole chosen champion of the ancient Roman and Greek pantheons.

However, Duncan considered matters more deeply and said in a low voice, "No."

"You must stay behind to hold the fort while I am away."

"I know what I'm doing."

"If things ever get out of hand, I can retreat at any moment."

If you can't beat them, call for backup.

The Raven Queen possessed a physical constitution only slightly superior to an ordinary mortal, a fact Duncan knew better than anyone. She could not cast magic constantly; instead, Duncan operating alone allowed him the freedom to advance or retreat at will.

He had already carved a bloody path through Valhalla.

Unless he lost his mind and attempted to eradicate Odin's Viking Sanctuary, the Norse gods would likely prioritize winning him over, especially since the Valkyries all shared profound ties with him.

Duncan's strength surpassed its previous limits. Armed with the Bow of Nodens, if he couldn't win, he would run—who could possibly stop him?

The Raven Queen whispered, "But those Germanic priests..."

"I'm afraid they might plot against you."

Duncan patted the back of her hand and said, "Rest assured, I'm not that afraid of witchcraft. I'll just try to steer clear of them."

A powerful soul brought high spell resistance, and spellcasting required distance. Killing ordinary sorcerers was truly not difficult for Duncan, and some spells didn't even match the range of the Bow of Nodens.

This time, his goal was 'Regeneration'!

After the Duke of Tintagel was injured, he vanished. King Uther had taken a heavy blow, and rumor had it he hadn't shown his face in a long time, remaining in seclusion to heal his wounds.

While Duncan was immensely strong, he also feared injury.

Furthermore, the intelligence brought back by the scouts mentioned other supernatural monsters, some legendary creatures capable of immunity to virulent poisons. Many of these unique abilities were desperately needed by Duncan.

The Raven Queen eventually compromised, murmuring softly, "Then be careful in all things!"

How could any danger compare to charging across a battlefield amidst ten thousand troops?

Leading his guards to take the enemy general's head from a million-strong army carried a risk no less than challenging a legendary giant.

Supernatural monsters of this era could still be cut down.

Even centuries later, in a certain island nation, powerful swordsmen could still rely on famed blades to slay demons and monsters. In the East, cultivators finished that work to the point where everyone was fighting over achievements, but in the island nation's chaotic era of rampaging demons, a powerful warrior cutting down a few mountain goblins or lesser spirits was hardly a rarity.

You could simply view them as the mountain spirits and wild monsters from strange tales.

To Duncan, the fairies of Avalon seemed as fragile as the local spirits of mountains and rivers.

If he were willing to bestow official state sanction upon the faith of Avalon, he could directly resurrect the mist-shrouded Avalon, turning it into the core religion of Britannia. Perhaps the blessed sanctuary of mist-shrouded Avalon could even expand further, recovering to the strength of its glory days.

Night deepened.

Severus's figure stepped into the ritual stones of Avalon, and the Druidic priests guarding the sanctuary respectfully bowed and retreated.

Waves of mist emerged.

In one of the pools surrounded by ritual stones, Severus poured clear spring water. Soon, an ancient Celtic language resonated, echoing through the nearby forest and carried like the wind to far more distant realms.

Forest lakes responded, the spirituality of nature condensing into the shape of female wood-sprites, much like the Naiads of ancient Greek mythology.

A hazy phantom emerged within the mist.

The fog formed the alluring silhouette of the Lady of the Lake, though she seemed capable of condensing only a vague form in the real world. She asked softly, "What is it..."

"Guardian."

Severus had revived the ancient Celtic faith. Relying on Duncan's formidable strength, his status within the Druidic order had risen dramatically, making him the worldly guardian of the Avalon faith.

Of course, he was not the only guardian.

Looking at the Lady of Avalon before him, Severus gazed respectfully and said, "I wish to ask the Guardian Fairies for an item."

The Lady of Avalon's form wavered, as if the signal was poor, and she whispered, "What item?"

Severus looked up and said in a deep voice, "The Spear of Gae Bolg!"

The legendary Spear of Greed.

Over three hundred years ago, the spear wielded by the Celtic mythological figure Cú Chulainn—it was also a legendary demonic spear, possessed by a demigod hero.

The weapon wielded by Beowulf was called the Giant's Sword, likewise a legendary weapon.

Duncan wielded the Bow of Nodens, but to be honest, the Oathkeeper sword had become somewhat low-tier. At least in Severus's view, Duncan needed a far more powerful melee weapon.

At this time, the Sword of Promised Victory had not yet been born, and the Druids knew nothing of its existence.

Therefore, seeing Duncan's insistence on risking a journey to the Norse regions, Severus wanted to procure a handy weapon for him, preferably a legendary melee weapon.

Severus more or less knew that Duncan could elevate his own power through slaughter and combat.

"What?!"

The Lady of Avalon wore a shocked expression, her mist-woven alluring form swaying as if communicating with other presences nearby, before she replied helplessly, "The Spear of Greed is in Ireland."

"Over three hundred years ago, it was wielded by the demigod Cú Chulainn."

"That weapon is not in our hands."

"Besides, that demonic spear is ominous; its wielder is bound to suffer a curse!"

You guys are truly useless!

Disappointment painted Severus's face. He had expected the fairies of Avalon to possess weapons from Celtic mythology, never imagining they lacked even a demonic spear used by a demigod.

Put that way, the ancient Roman and Greek pantheons of the Raven Queen, Triss, were actually far more pitiful, leaving behind almost no divine artifacts whatsoever.

Though Duncan favored swords, his spearmanship was equally astonishing.

The Lady of Avalon inquired about the sequence of events, quickly falling into deep contemplation. With a troubled expression, she said, "Avalon does still possess one powerful weapon."

"However, it is not yet fully forged."

"Its scabbard..."

"Is still being nurtured in the deepest depths of Avalon!"

You have goods?

Then why didn't you say so earlier!

Severus immediately stated, "A scabbard isn't strictly necessary!"

So what if it lacked a scabbard?

At worst, he could find some high-grade leather and craft one. With the island of Britannia being so vast, could they really fail to make a scabbard?

Severus declared he would go hunt a bear and use its hide to fashion a scabbard if he had to.

The Lady of Avalon's expression grew even more helpless as she slowly explained, "The most powerful aspect of this sword is its scabbard, nurtured by the primordial laws at the deepest heart of Avalon."

"It is a mighty creation comparable to the majesty of gods."

"Without the scabbard..."

"This sword is merely an ordinary divine weapon, and moreover, it is unfinished. The spirits of Avalon are bestowing their blessings upon it; it requires more power of oaths."

If not for the recent resurgence of Avalon's faith, they would not even have been able to continue forging the sword.

Once completed at last, this weapon would still require a powerful wizard for its final blessing!

The original target chosen by the fairies of Avalon was the legendary wizard Merlin, but he demanded ownership of the holy sword, intending to hand it over to a designated person of his choosing. The fairies of Avalon had almost agreed, considering it the final desperate gamble of the Avalon faith.

Yet later, as Duncan rose to prominence, they altered their thoughts somewhat.

Powerful wizards were not limited to just one!

Wasn't the Raven Queen, Triss, by Duncan's side also a powerful legendary wizard?

Merlin, by contrast, became the second choice.

Prophecies and the like were too illusory; Duncan's might, however, was plain for all to see.

With the Raven Queen's formidable magic, she was fully capable of supporting that sword in inscribing the final 'Oath', which was why they were currently awaiting an opportunity—waiting for Avalon's faith to gradually recover so they could infuse the most primal laws, completing the ultimate scabbard with the conviction of the utopian realm, ensuring that the true king would never bleed to death.

This was the final holy sword forged by the mist-shrouded Avalon through faith.

As long as the legend of this holy sword endured, they would never truly perish!

To render this holy sword even more mighty, the guardian fairies of Avalon even slowed the forging process, awaiting the further condensation of the power of faith to infuse the law-power mastered by all guardian fairies into it.

In the future, this sword and scabbard would form the final line of defense for mist-shrouded Avalon.

As long as the Sword of Promised Victory endured, Avalon would never fall!

Faced with the immense pressure brought by the Church, the guardian fairies of Avalon were likewise seeking a means to sustain their own existence.

So you still have nothing?!

After all that talk.

The Spear of Gae Bolg—none. The Sword of Promised Victory—not yet forged.

Severus cursed inwardly, ultimately returning empty-handed.

The guardian fairy in the mist watched Severus's departing back with an expression bordering on grievance: stop trying to fleece Avalon alone.

We've already brought out our last resort, the Bow of Nodens.

Isn't the Norse pantheon still around?

At least go fleece something from them!

Mjölnir?

Tyrfing?

Why didn't you go ask for Odin's Gungnir? That's even better than the Spear of Greed!

Mist-shrouded Avalon was merely a minor religious faction.

How many legendary treasures could guardian fairies possibly possess? A single Sword of Promised Victory had practically drained them dry!

If you're so capable, go raid Ireland!

Celtic mythology contained more than just mist-shrouded Avalon; those divine artifacts simply couldn't fall into their hands.

The Spear of Gae Bolg had vanished centuries ago.