Inside the box was a ring - black, simple and rustic - without any precious stones, just an apparently normal ring. It was made of a material that resembled Obsidian, and its surface showed some irregularities.
However, whether it was Asterion or Dumbledore, they both looked at the ring and showed extraordinarily dignified expressions. From the object, they sensed such a large amount of magical energy that it would make you wonder if the ring was really a ring and not a nuclear bomb.
Asterion took the ring under Dumbledore's calm eyes and examined it with a calm gaze. After a while, he came to the conclusion that the ring was not the ring, at least not the only form of the ring.
Injecting a little magical energy into the ring, Asterion and Dumbledore were surprised when the ring transformed into something similar to a spear, but with two points instead of one. It resembled a trident, but with only two blades.
It was a Bident.
Asterion and Dumbledore looked at each other and saw the surprised looks on each other's faces; they both already had an idea of how Organization R was going to break Merlin's seal.
"That's a Witch God's weapon..." Asterion commented, stroking the shaft of the Bident, he could feel the intense cold that the weapon emanated. It was a frightening cold that didn't resemble something climatic, but a pure feeling of coldness involving death.
"I have to admit, I underestimated this organization." Dumbledore commented while watching the weapon with a glare.
"I never imagined that rats could have something so valuable." Dumbledore wasn't lying in his words, he really wasn't giving much thought to such a secret organization that liked to lurk in the shadows. He even despised such organizations, but now he had discarded that mentality.
Organization R wasn't just a secret organization with an extremely large ego, they had the capital to be arrogant and had even conspired against him and Asterion.
"It looks like we've really pissed them off, I never thought they'd use something so valuable to break the Merlin Barrier. But if you think about it, if their plan works, they won't have to worry about the hatred of three Special Grade Wizards." Asterion said, he ceased the supply of magic and the Bident changed back into a plain-looking black ring.
"According to the crest on the box, we know who this weapon belongs to." He continued as he put the ring back in the box.
Dumbledore nodded, agreeing with Asterion's words, the identity of the Witch God wasn't really difficult to know. In addition to the three-headed Cerberus crest, the magical energy contained in the ring was contaminated with another cold and indifferent energy, it was the aura of death.
Hades, a Witch with an innate technique related to death, is said to have raised an army of Undead so large that it could occupy a quarter of the European continent. With his army, the man was practically unstoppable. Hades was known as one of the most powerful of his time, along with Zeus and Poseidon, making it a trinity, which would later be known as the Age of the Three Kings, at least in Greece. It was a name that brought terror in times gone by, now the weapon of that same being was in his hands.
"I really want to see what their faces look like when they find out they've lost something so valuable." Asterion said, his lips curving into a smile that seemed very amused by the whole situation.
Closing the box, Asterion handed it to Dumbledore, who accepted it without a second thought, the man looked at the wooden box for a while and said. "I'll see if the Seer or the box have any enchantments that the R Organization can use to track or even make the item Apparate on its own."
Asterion nodded and focused his gaze on the rat that had been hiding at Hogwarts; during the time he and Dumbledore had been talking, Morgan had eaten all of Peter's arms and legs. The man was completely terrified. That he hadn't pissed himself was already a great achievement in the eyes of Patriarch Black.
"Hello, Peter." Asterion greeted the man with an icy stare, his red eyes looking at him with a clear sadistic pleasure reflecting in them.
"Help me, I beg you! I don't want to be near that monster any longer." Peter tried to crawl towards Asterion, his voice difficult to hear accurately because of the crying and sniffling. However, his response was a magic-reinforced kick to the face.
Peter's nose was broken and teeth were thrown into the air as the man lost consciousness for a moment before waking up again to a pain in his face. He let out a groan of pain and blood covered his face.
"I beg you not to address my lovely sister like that. And you don't deserve pity or mercy, I'll give you to someone who will love to know you." Asterion spoke, his foot still on Peter's face, prolonging the worm's pain.
"Please let me live, I beg you. I will be your slave, your humble servant." Peter didn't care about Asterion's words, he just went on begging endlessly, making promises as empty as the man's character, although his words were more incomprehensible babble than words.
Asterion snorted coldly and realized that he had lost the bet with Dumbledore. Something the old man noticed and smiled. "I expect ten pounds on my table at the beginning of the day, Asterion." With that said, the man looked disgustedly at Peter on the floor and walked off carrying the box, leaving Asterion and Morgan alone with Peter.
Now alone, Asterion turned his gaze to the huge black dome covering almost the entire cave. The cave was about three kilometers long, which showed the colossal size of the monster inside the seal - Albion, The White Dragon.
"Morgan." Approaching the barrier, Asterion spoke in a calm tone.
Morgan understood her master's intentions and opened a breach in Merlin's Barrier, which proved not to be necessary in the first place. When Dumbledore's Barrier opened, Merlin's Barrier appeared and Asterion could see a large crack in the dome.
"When the core of Hogwarts exploded, it hit this place too, causing the barrier to crack. That's why Albion was able to force its influence on Luna." Asterion muttered as he crossed the Barrier without any problems.
It didn't prevent people from entering, but it did prevent Albion from escaping. Perhaps Merlin himself never imagined that anyone would have the courage to enter the White Dragon's cell.
As soon as Asterion stepped inside the barrier, he ignored the gigantic dragon and focused on the sword proudly stuck in the dragon's head. It simply looked like a perfect, flawless work of art. The sword's blue enamel was a symbol of royalty while the sword itself shone with a golden glow of hope and determination.
"Excalibur." Asterion muttered, staring at the sword. With the sword in hand, he wasn't worried about re-establishing the monarchy in England. Believe him when he says that England was one of the most superstitious countries on the planet.
Especially in the Wizarding World, where luck and misfortune were tangible and even accessed by a clever Potions Master. With Excalibur in hand, Asterion would have almost zero percent resistance from the English Witches and Wizards. The only ones who would resist was parliament itself, but he could get around that after the Third Wizarding World War, making him even more popular.
Suddenly, Asterion snapped out of his trance, feeling a gaze fall on him. Raising his gaze, he saw a pair of golden eyes staring at him coldly.
"Before you speak, I'll fulfill my own wishes on my own, I don't need a seemingly useless Djinn." Asterion spoke, his voice tinged with a strong sarcasm towards the owner of the draconic golden eyes.
Albion wanted to roar, to vent and express his anger. Three times! The three times he had met humans he had been scorned, teased and treated with contempt. He was the damned White King, Albion, the King of Camelot, a being who was considered a God in the eyes of all the races on the planet!!!
"I haven't introduced myself, but I'm Asterion Black, future king of these islands and your probable assassin." Asterion didn't mind Albion's gaze and commented, looking curiously at the gigantic white dragon before him.
Ancalagon looked exactly like Albion, the only difference between them being the absence of forelimbs, which his dragon didn't have.
Albion, who heard Asterion's words, looked at the human cub with surprise, then let out an arrogant laugh full of contempt.
"False King, you'd better go back to sucking on your mother's teats. You haven't yet reached the strength of a Witch God, and you're far from it. It would take more than the bite of a mosquito to hurt me." He spoke, his voice thick and powerful, but undeniably filled with a prestige that only belonged to a real king.
Asterion showed no reaction of anger at Albion's words, as the dragon said, he really didn't have the strength to kill a being of that level, but the only reason humanity was able to persevere in the face of all human evolution was because humans could kill beings much larger than themselves!
"We'll see about that in the future, Your Grace, but I'll have to say goodbye for now, World War III is approaching." Asterion commented, his smile sending shivers through Albion's body. He had never seen a human with such intense and determined eyes in his entire life,
Watching the human cub's back disappear, Albion wasn't angry. On the contrary, he was excited, for the first time after being sealed away, he saw the chance to fight someone worthy again.
"Asterion Black..."
Gradually closing his eyes, he muttered to himself, finally closing his eyes. "World War III... the Aspects of Existence must be celebrating the ever-closer end of the world."
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Author's Thoughts: I'll go deeper into the Witch Gods and the Aspects of Existence in the next Arc, which happened in just a few chapters!!!
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 220 - The Last Moment Before Chaos (1), Chapter 221 - The Last Moment Before Chaos (2, Chapter 222 - The Labyrinth of Cnossos (1), Chapter 223 - The Labyrinth of Cnossos (2), Chapter 224 - The Labyrinth of Cnossos (3).
Next Chapter of the Third Volume: Chapter 225 - A Dark Day (1), Chapter 226 - A Dark Day (2), Chapter 227 - A Talk Between Two Monarchs (1), Chapter 228 - Preparations for War (1), Chapter 228 - Preparations for War (1), Chapter 229 - Preparations for War (1), Chapter 230 - The French Battlefront (1), Chapter 231 - The French Battlefront (2), Chapter 232 - The French Battlefront (3), Chapter 233 - The French Battlefront (4), Chapter 334 – Battle Between Special Grade Wizards (1), Chapter 335 – Battle Between Special Grade Wizards (2).