Chương 33: Reality Marble

"Um...?"

Artorius tilted his head, gently touching the oozing wound, and looked at Morgan with a puzzled expression.

"I'm really sorry, Your Highness." the witch responded, wearing a pleased smile.

"Compared to obeying your commands like a slave and constantly worrying about your heartless abandonment, this is much simpler."

Artorius pulled out the dagger. As one of the legendary dragon species, his regenerative abilities should have healed the wound instantly.

But this time, it didn't.

Not only did the wound fail to heal, it even festered.

Ah, before that, Artorius was wearing beautiful noble clothes, a combination of blue and silver, reinforced with magecraft to surpass ordinary fine plate armor. Yet, it was pierced effortlessly by the opponent's dagger.

The mage who crafted the clothes had boasted to Artorius, vowing its imperviousness. Was he not afraid of Artorius, so he cut corners and compromised on the clothes' quality? Or maybe he wasn't as skilled as he boasted?

Perhaps neither was the true reason.

The real reason was the woman in front of Artorius named Morgan le Fay. Her strength was unreasonably powerful.

"Poison..." Artorius said to her.

"Yes, that's right."

Artorius felt no pain from the wound. Instead, there was a slight numbing sensation, confirming Morgan's methods.

"Are you trying to kill me? It wouldn't benefit you either." As if the poison had taken effect, Artorius said while covering the wound, slowly taking two steps back. Then he sat down on an apparitional chair.

Despite his composed expression, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and the muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably, evidence of his pain tolerance.

"Why the sudden change of heart? What benefit do you gain from dealing with me here?"

"You can guess..." Morgan replied, maintaining her distance from Artorius. Simultaneously, a black mist appeared around her, rapidly transforming into a fully armored battalion of knights.

With the clanking of gears, even larger puppets appeared... followed by stone gargoyles and bipedal wyverns in mid-air.

These creatures almost overcrowded the once-empty hall.

They were ferocious, malevolent, and exuded an unrestrained sense of terror.

It seemed that Morgan had brought out all her resources, sparing no expense to capture Artorius.

"Hehe..." Artorius chuckled softly, then unsheathed his sword. "Do you really think you can defeat me with these weaklings, Morgan?"

"You won't know unless you try, right?"

As her words fell, the monsters, puppets, knights, gargoyles, and bipedal dragons all ferociously lunged toward Artorius, baring their fangs and claws. It was as if they wanted to tear the Dragon Prince apart.

Of course, they wouldn't actually kill Artorius.

Morgan's plan was to render Artorius defenseless in this battle; that would be enough. It was sufficient for her to execute her other plan.

Though it was an impulsive and recently devised plan, in an instant, Morgan's desire reached its peak.

"Well, you're really cruel, Aunt."

Artorius had no choice but to stand up, swinging his sword and slaying all the creatures rushing towards him.

His swordsmanship was extremely refined, a fusion of martial arts and military sword techniques, forming a style unique to him.

Such swordsmanship was suitable for dueling both single opponents and multiple experts, as well as sweeping through armies. The elegance of his swordplay and the ferocity he displayed in battle as a dragon stirred Morgan's heart.

"Yes... yes... you're right." She responded cheerfully to Artorius, saying, "After all, I am a witch, my dear nephew!"

While in her mind, Morgan thought repeatedly, 'I must have this boy! I must have this boy!'

"Hmph! A witch, huh?" Artorius snorted.

'I'm going to take this boy home and raise him!!!' Morgan said obsessively in her mind.

In the next moment, Artorius released his grip on his wound.

As he gripped his sword tightly with both hands, his magical energy surged rapidly, fueled by the Dragon Magic Core until it reached its maximum capacity.

With his rapid manipulation of magical energy, the temperature within tens of meters around him suddenly dropped, as cold as death. In an instant, all the monsters approaching Artorius were frozen, transformed into lifelike ice sculptures.

Suddenly, the area around Artorius became a desolate place of pale silver and icy blue. This absolute silence, the overwhelming cold and frost, spread rapidly from him to the surroundings. Even Morgan felt a sense of dread from this terrifying reserve of magical energy.

"Wait, what is this?!"

It exceeded her understanding—Even the highest-ranking dragons, the highest-ranking magical beings, including Artoria, the Red Dragon of Britain, or the White Dragon Vortigern, who bestowed Artorius with great power, did not possess such immense magical energy.

Moreover, he was being affected by her poison, which she had carefully prepared, originally meant for her 'adorable' sister.

If it weren't for her 'adorable' sister already possessing Avalon, a scabbard capable of withstanding any harm, Morgan would have already celebrated her victory by now.

But...

"You really underestimate me, Aunt."

Artorius smiled, and the presence of the Dragon Prince continued to rise. In his hand, Clarent flickered with a dazzling and ominous blood-red light.

"Don't you ever hear an idiom of 'Don't judge a book by its cover'?"

As Artorius uttered those words, Morgan's castle had already transformed into a frost domain belonging to the Dragon Prince.

It was the reflection of Artorius's will, his 'Reality Marble' known as 'Frost of Deathly Silence'. It was a technique obtained through relentless battles and constant victories against the mad Germanic armies, as he led his army through the icy landscapes of Europe.

"I have been making progress and getting stronger you know..."

The frozen sculptures of the creatures shattered in an instant, turning into debris on the ground. At the same time, the warmth within Morgan's body was also taken away.

'My body, I can't move!' Morgan wanted to scream, but found her voice had been stripped away as well—her sense of touch, hearing, sight, in her current state, was utterly vulnerable.

In a state of utter horror, Morgan, one of the most famous and powerful witches of her time, was subdued by Artorius Pendragon instantly.