212 Farewell (II)

Nighttime.

On the spacious bed, Nidhogg, completely naked, nestled in Arkhan's arms.

Her smooth, cream-like skin was covered in glistening sweat, and her stunning face was adorned with a rosy blush. With slightly pouty cherry lips and bewildering black eyes, she exuded a breathtaking charm from head to toe.

Arkhan gently embraced her soft body, astonished by the wild side the black dragon lady had unleashed tonight. Not only was she unusually proactive, but she even went through all those 'wild and bizarre' positions he had previously failed to convince her to try. It was a night of both pain and pleasure.

"Take me with you, okay?" Nidhogg whispered.

"No, it's too dangerous." Arkhan replied instantly while lovingly playing with her silky black hair, his favorite part of hers. "Besides, this kingdom still needs you to take care of it."

"Managing a kingdom is not my thing, I don't understand at all..." Nidhogg sighed. "Moreover, with Lily, Morgan, and Merlin around, does it really matter if I'm here or not?"

Arkhan raised an eyebrow, his hand playfully slapped her voluptuous curves.

"Mhm!"

Nidhogg whimpered, her black eyes now misty, adding to her allure. She glared at Arkhan with a mix of shyness and annoyance.

"Why did you suddenly hit me?"

"This slap is a reminder for you to remember your identity. You are now my wife, the queen of this kingdom. In my absence, you should naturally take over the responsibility of looking after this kingdom since it's your duty." Arkhan explained while gazing at her face.

After some thought, Nidhogg realized it made sense.

"But what if I can't do it well?"

"No, you will do well." Arkhan smiled, a rare tenderness in his eyes. "Because I believe in you."

"Really...?" Nidhogg's eyes lit up, then shyly spoke. "Well, since you put it that way, I promise..."

"I thought you might say something like 'Managing a bunch of uncivilized monkeys is just a trivial matter for this great Nidhogg, I can handle it effortlessly.'~" Arkhan said with a teasing tone.

Nidhogg, feeling a mix of embarrassment and indignation, promptly flipped over, pressing Arkhan beneath her.

'Daring to mock me? Watch how I drain you dry tonight!'

She made a declaration in her mind.

===

In the early morning, Arkhan, dressed and ready, looked at Nidhogg sprawled in bed like a mess of mud, with a hint of fatigue on her face.

Compared to him who was armed with Abyss Flower, Nidhogg challenging him in sex was like asking for trouble.

He placed her arm back under the covers and walked out of the room.

Walking through the long corridor, he arrived at the backyard, summoning Gae Bolg and practicing his spearmanship.

It was a habit Arkhan developed in the Land of Shadows since childhood. Even in the seven years after leaving the Land of Shadows, unless there were special circumstances, he almost always insisted on practicing.

After three hundredth repetition of basic spearmanship, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Your spearmanship hasn't improved at all compared to back then."

Turning around, he looked helplessly at his mother, Scathach, who leaned against a tree.

"It would be strange if I did improve."

When Arkhan left the Land of Shadows, his spearmanship had already reached the pinnacle of the legendary realm, one step away from the mythical realm. However, this step was like the difference between 'A' and 'EX', completely different realms. Many martial artists might not be able to cross this threshold even in their entire lives.

So, not improving in seven years was entirely normal.

Even looking across the world, only Scathach had mastered spearmanship to the mythical realm.

"You have the potential to reach my realm. It's just that you have too many ties that hinder your progress." Scathach said while walking slowly towards him, a crimson spear appearing in her hand. "It seems like it's been a long time since we sparred. Care to try?"

"Right here? Now?" Arkhan glanced around, perplexed.

"Just a simple spar." Scathach said casually, advancing with her spear.

'But with your spearmanship alone, you could kill gods...' Arkhan retorted silently in his heart, wielding his Gae Bolg to meet hers.

As mentioned earlier, though the legendary and the mythical realms were just a word apart, they were a world apart. In less than ten minutes, Scathach had sent Arkhan flying with her spear, the point pressing against his neck.

"Do you know? If I push forward just three centimeters now, you'll disappear completely from this world. Within this range, no matter what tricks you have, I'm absolutely sure I can kill you before you use those weapons. Then I can take your soul back to the Land of Shadows, and you can completely sever ties with this world."

Scathach spoke indifferently as she looked at Arkhan, devoid of any expression.

"This way, you won't have to bear those heavy burdens or play the savior."

"..." Arkhan fell silent.

A gentle breeze swept through the colorful fallen leaves. Following a prolonged silence, Arkhan finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Mother."

Scathach's hand trembled slightly as she heard her son's rejection.

After a moment, her crimson spear gradually dissipated.

The Queen of the Land of Shadows turned around and walked away. Her slender figure revealed an indescribable loneliness and exhaustion.

"Come back alive, foolish son."

===

At high noon three days later, a colossal beam of light suddenly shot up from the location of Camelot's royal palace, connecting to the boundless sky like a pillar linking heaven and earth.

In future chronicles, it will be recorded that in the year 552 AD, King Arthur, the one who brought an end to the Age of Gods, sensed divine grace and ascended to heaven.

But people steadfastly believed this was not the end.

When this land plunged once more into peril, they were convinced that the ruler bearing the name of the 'Chosen King' would descend again, and bring hope to this world once again.

===

Volume 3 ended!