Your Past

Arthur silently gazed at the black-haired man opposite him, as if looking into a mirror reflecting someone similar yet different from himself.

'Did I really do wrong?'

A scorching breath circulated in his lungs, and for a moment, he felt as if he had returned to that place filled with fires and smoke, where the heavy sky poured cold rain, drenching his numb heart.

Even though he repeatedly questioned in his heart, he could not find any answers.

His trusted comrades had long disappeared, and the heir he had devoted all his efforts to nurture harbored resentment toward him from beginning to end, even thrusting a sword filled with hatred at him on the battlefield.

Betrayed by many, with his homeland in ruins, the perfect king wandered aimlessly in the world for thousands of years.

'What was all this for?'

Arthur tightened his grip on Rhongomyniad which emitted a hazy light in his hand. In this hazy light, he seemed to see his former self standing before him, eyes silently questioning.

'How did I end up here?'

Fragmented memories surged into his mind, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't piece together a complete picture.

He shook his head, feeling a sense of agitation rising within him for the first time.

'How come, I remember my past now?'

After thinking, Arthur raised his head and looked at Arkhan across from him, his brows slightly furrowing.

"You—"

"It's strange, isn't it? How do I seem to know what's on your mind?" Arkhan's lips curved into a slight smile as he interrupted. "It's simple really, because you've written it all over your face."

"Absurd..." Arthur remarked lightly.

"You don't have to believe me." Arkhan shrugged his shoulders, his gaze suddenly becoming more profound. "But Arthur, have you ever wondered why you're reluctant to recall your past?"

"...It's all just things that have long disappeared, whether remembered or not, they've all turned into dust, vanished into the river of history... I see no point in wasting time on such meaningless things." Arthur's tone remained unchanged.

"Very much in line with your character." Arkhan nodded. "If it were the old Arthur, he would surely say something like—those were mistakes I've made in the past, and every time I remember them, I feel deep remorse and pain. Bearing such heavy sins, I'm not worthy of recalling the past."

Upon hearing that, Arthur furrowed his brow slightly.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Arthur, have you ever thought about how you became the way you are now?" Arkhan asked with a deep gaze.

It was precisely the question Arthur had been pondering just moments ago, and every time he thought about it, he couldn't help but recall the past, leading to a sense of agitation.

"You can't get an answer, can you?" Arkhan continued as he stared deeply into Arthur's eyes. "Everyone has their past, even if they don't want to face it, it's still there... Have you ever considered, Arthur, maybe it's not that you don't want to seek the past, but because... you can't find it?"

"...Looks like my judgment about you was indeed correct, you're quite an eloquent one." Arthur lifted Rhongomyniad, his eyes filled with an unwavering chill. "If you think you can shake my resolve with just a few words, you're sorely mistaken. Let's end this useless probing here. I have no more time to indulge in your word games. Let's settle this with the next attack."

"Since you refuse to acknowledge the fact, I'll have to resort to a bit of violence then." Arkhan raised the Might of An-Utu, its flames raging.

"Split the heavens and tether the earth, anchor of the storm. O light, may you be released from the ends of the world—Rhongomyniad!"

"This is the heavenly fire that burned Sodom, the sword of flame that guarded Eden. Witness the final destruction of the world—Shamash, unleashed! Might of An-Utu!"

===

*WHOOSH—!*

A massive, black silhouette descended from the sky and crashed to the ground, unleashing a whirlwind of force akin to a hurricane in all directions.

*BOOOOM!*

Following closely was a deafening, earth-shattering explosion, shattering the earth upon impact, causing countless fissures to explode open. Chunks of rock and dust flew into the air as shockwaves spread in every direction.

In the immense crater, Melusine, in her noble and graceful dragon form, swayed her dazed head. She had plummeted from several meters high, feeling a bit dizzy from the fall.

Her body was covered in various wounds—some like lightning strikes, others like burns, and some seemed as if pierced by weapons like swords.

Her sturdy scales shattered like paper at a touch, revealing tender flesh underneath, from which blood flowed like a stream, a gruesome sight to behold.

As the pain from her injuries jolted her back to consciousness, fragmented memories flashed through her mind. After a brief moment of confusion, she finally recalled the significance of these memories—they were moments before she was struck down.

When Merlin stepped beyond the Wailing Wall, it was like an ancient beast breaking free from its chains.

Even though Melusine had sensed the danger beforehand, she hadn't had time to retreat.

Three minutes, with just three minutes, Merlin had brought her down. It was at this moment that she truly realized the extent of this woman's power.

Merlin was like a goddess of magecraft, standing in midair, wielding her staff, not even needing to chant as various powerful magecraft poured out like rain.

Despite using the ancient symbols on her body, Melusine could only withstand three minutes under Merlin's relentless assault. It was truly a complete domination of strength, Merlin needing no combat skills, just raw, overwhelming power to subdue her and Nidhogg.

'Wait, where's Nidhogg?'

*ROAAARRR—!!!*

As Melusine pondered that, a piercing, agonized roar suddenly echoed.

Instinctively, she raised her head, and in the vast sky above, Nidhogg, massive as a mountain, seemed frozen like a puppet in midair, impaled by dozens of spears of pure light, resembling Jesus on the cross.

As Merlin stepped through the void, approaching Nidhogg with a hint of disdain and coldness in her violet eyes, she summoned a spear of light over fifty meters long above Nidhogg.

*ROOOAAAAAARRR—!!!*

Melusine roared with anger and desperation, flapping her wings in an attempt to ascend, but her heavily injured body couldn't support such vigorous movement anymore. She barely rose five meters before crashing back down to the ground.

"Die, you insect." Merlin muttered coldly.

With a swift motion downward, the massive spear of light shot forth, piercing deeply into the center of Nidhogg's forehead.

In the next moment, Nidhogg's agonizing roar abruptly ceased, and a plethora of light particles shimmered like a swarm of fireflies, dissipating its colossal body bit by bit into the air until it vanished without a trace.