Chapter 335: Plunder

"This naivety also seals the fate of these two."

"How could the gods dwelling high in the heavens care whether the crawling insects groveling on the ground suffer?!"

"They were born into this world solely to sacrifice everything for the gods!"

Wales murmured to himself, his tone indifferent as he stated the facts he held to be true.

Mentioning Gao Wen brought to his mind the great battle that had taken place within the borders of Britannias.

Gao Wen, fighting two alone, had crushed the joint forces of the God's Knights and the Four Emperors' Big Mom; his combat power far exceeded that of the previous user of the Red-Red Fruit.

Yet at this moment, Wales felt little fear in his heart.

"Fortunately, I am quite adept at dealing with people like this."

Joan remained silent, but her gaze fell upon the longsword beside Wales, her eyes narrowing slightly.

He recognized this sword.

After Arthur's defeat, his corpse had been taken away by Bevil and buried in the Fairy Lake, once inhabited by the fairy tribe; Excalibur, which Arthur had once pulled from the stone, was also sealed away there.

It could be said that only Bevil knew the exact location of this sword.

Now that Excalibur appeared in Wales' hands, it meant...

Joan raised her head to look at Wales, just as the latter's indifferent voice reached her ears.

"Bevil, in the end, has disappointed me."

Wales reached out and picked up Excalibur from the table, his fingertips rubbing against the blade as dried blood flaked off, exposing the silver-white edge.

He shook his head and continued:

"I originally thought that during these years, while he bowed his head to serve me, he would have seen through at least some things."

"What a pity."

"He lacks ruthlessness and cannot achieve the purity Arthur possessed; even though he wielded Arthur's sword, he ultimately lacks Arthur's power."

"If even Arthur, who was once hailed as the Child of Prophecy, could not accomplish it, how could he possibly do so?!"

Wales glanced at Joan with an ambiguous air, speaking with hidden intent:

"Do not disappoint me."

Joan bowed:

"Of course."

"Mm."

Wales nodded, about to wave his hand and dismiss Joan, when he suddenly seemed to remember something and casually mentioned:

"The old site of Avalon you were seeking has been found."

"Because too much time has passed and most information was artificially erased, relevant records are nearly nonexistent; furthermore, the place has long been submerged by seawater, revealing itself only during low tide."

"Thus, it took some time."

"Where?!"

Joan suddenly raised her head, her eyes burning with an intensity Wales had never seen before, causing him to doubt for the first time.

Did this woman truly come seeking immortality as she claimed, or was something hidden within the former Avalon?!

Wales felt a hint of suspicion, but this sliver of doubt vanished completely in the next instant.

Regardless, as long as he could obtain immortality, everything in Britannias would be under his control.

Even if Joan was truly hiding some secret, by that time she would absolutely not be his match!

Thinking this,

Wales calmed his heart:

"Sixty kilometers north, at the Iron Coral Canyon!"

"Good!"

In Joan's eyes lay an unspeakable urgency, yet she still maintained her usual obedience toward Wales.

Clack!

Clack!

Clack!

The crisp sound of footsteps faded into the distance as Joan's figure disappeared from Wales' sight.

Wales had almost forgotten when he first saw this woman, but from that time until now, Joan had always worn this same face.

Time had never left a single trace on this woman; even now, decades later, as Wales' life approached its end,

she remained unchanged.

"Is the lifespan of the fairy tribe truly so long?!"

Wales narrowed his eyes.

He had once believed Joan's goal was the same as his own—to achieve immortality—but now that the path lay before them, there was not a shred of urgency in her demeanor.

"What exactly are you searching for in this country?!"

"It couldn't possibly be loyalty, could it?!"

"Heh..."

Wales sneered, his guard against Joan inadvertently increasing.

However, to perform the immortality ritual, Joan's Soul-Soul Fruit was an indispensable element.

Moreover, Bevil had betrayed him and been severely injured; although he barely escaped, injuries of that magnitude meant that even if he survived, he could pose no threat and could no longer be of use.

At present, the only subordinate he had left to use was Joan.

"Do not disappoint me."

"All I desire is eternal life."

"As for everything else..."

"Under the mighty force of time, it all ultimately becomes nothing but a handful of yellow earth and half a withered bone."

Several hours later.

Outside the city of Avalon.

Within a deserted ruin, Joan of Arc slowly walked toward its depths.

This place had been abandoned for a long time; only a few crumbling walls remained, covered in vines.

Joan of Arc's pace gradually quickened; she stumbled as she walked through it, yet her face bore an expression Wales had never seen before.

Her eyes revealed an unparalleled fanaticism, her mouth splitting open until it nearly reached her ears.

"Heh~"

That ferocious smile tore apart every trace of divine aura surrounding Joan of Arc.

"I said it! Spending decades without finding it—it turns out it was hidden here?!"

"That monster... must also be here!"

At the same time.

High in the sky.

A giant eagle cried blood, its talons twisted, one eye gouged out, yet it still carried its severely wounded master on its back, speeding toward the border of Britannias.

In the blink of an eye, it pierced through the clouds and vanished into the sea of mist.

Whoosh—!

Beville regained a sliver of consciousness, feeling nothing but cold throughout his body.

His awareness was about to blur; his entire body was soaked in blood, one leg torn off completely, exposing shattered white bones to the air.

Such injuries would be enough to kill an ordinary person on the spot.

Yet in his heart, there was only unwillingness!

An indescribable unwillingness!

"It was my childishness that created that monster."

"Now, within Britannias, no one can restrain Wales."

"Even if..."

Before Beville's eyes, the great battle that had erupted within Britannias appeared once more.

He had once believed that the power Gao Wen displayed in that fight was invincible, the pinnacle humanity could reach in this world.

But Wales had shattered his understanding!

"That kind of power is no longer something a human can possess!"

"No!"

"That was the combined strength of everyone in this nation!"

Amidst his low murmurs.

The giant eagle beneath Beville could no longer hold on; it coughed up a mouthful of blood, its body tensed suddenly then went limp, plummeting straight down toward the earth below.

Whoosh—!

The howling wind stung Beville's face; a trace of self-mocking smile curled his lips, and just as his consciousness was about to fade, at the end of his vision, he saw a crimson figure rushing toward him with a roar! "Is this... the Red Dragon?!"

"Arthur?!"

"You fellow, still so naive; even facing me, who killed you, you can still..."

Before his voice finished, Beville completely lost consciousness, falling to the earth together with the giant eagle.

Yet mid-air, he was caught by Gao Wen, transformed into the Red Dragon!

Boom—!

The Red Dragon crashed heavily to the ground; Xiang Keluo and the others leaped down from Gao Wen's back, looking at Beville, whom Gao Wen had gently placed on the ground, their expressions varying.

"It's that group who created a disturbance at the port earlier to abduct Agin!"

Xiang Keluo's eyes narrowed, gaining several degrees of killing intent.

Morgan's face also looked grim, yet she felt a certain satisfaction of vengeance fulfilled:

"The one who truly dealt the fatal blow to Arthur back then was not Wales, but him."

"But this fellow is Wales' trusted aide; why would he be severely injured within Britannias?!"

"Wait, within this country, the only one capable of injuring him to this extent is probably..."

"Wales!"

Just as Gao Wen's voice landed, a massive wave of pursuers surged up from the distant horizon.

Shouts of battle rang out continuously from all sides.

Cavendish and the others immediately acted, engaging the attacking pursuers in battle; within a few breaths, they had completely suppressed them.

With their strength, it would take at most a few minutes to completely slaughter these non-threatening opponents.

Gao Wen's gaze fell upon Beville; after a brief moment of thought, he turned to look at Chopper:

"See if there is any hope of saving him."

"Since this person is Wales' trusted aide, he might know some intelligence we are unaware of."

"The enemy's abilities are unknown, but Wales, as their leader, possesses at least Legendary-level combat power and is highly likely to be an Ability User."

"It is slightly better to be cautious."

Upon hearing this, Chopper stepped forward, briefly examined Beville's injuries, then turned and nodded to Gao Wen:

"The injuries are severe; that leg cannot be saved, but preserving his life will not be difficult."

"Good."

With Chopper intervening, the wounds on Beville's body were quickly brought under control.

The bleeding wounds were sutured, and after the flesh and blood of the severed leg were cleaned thoroughly, it too was bandaged up.

Indeed, it went even further; Chopper also took the opportunity to treat the injuries of the giant eagle nearby, barely saving its life, though whether it would ever fly again would depend on its fate.

By the time Beville regained consciousness, several hours had already passed.

Feeling the intense pain coursing through his body, he finally realized he had not died.

And those who had saved him were Gao Wen and his party!

Looking at this familiar face before him, Beville almost thought he was seeing Arthur from years past.

He could not help but speak out to warn them:

"Perhaps you intend to save this nation, or perhaps you have come with other motives, but none of that matters."

"If you do not wish to die, leave this country with all speed!"

"Arthur could not contend with Wales, and neither can you contend with Wales... *cough-cough*—!"

As he spoke, Beville coughed violently several times, his hand filling with scarlet blood.

His injuries were too grave; the fact that he could preserve his life at all was merely a stroke of luck.

"Are you threatening us?!"

Gao Wen's brows furrowed slightly.

"No!"

Beville offered a miserable smile:

"Consider it advice to you."

"After all."

"For a knight, repaying kindness with gratitude is also a creed that must be strictly observed."

Morgan sneered:

"So piercing a monarch's heart with a sword is also a heartbeat that a knight must strictly observe?!"

The familiar voice caused Beville to startle; turning his head, he saw Morgan standing beside Gao Wen.

"Eldest Princess..."

Beville's breathing abruptly halted; he slowly lowered his head and closed his eyes, like a prisoner awaiting execution.

Morgan gripped her dagger tightly, her breathing becoming increasingly rapid, yet she still strove to suppress the fury in her heart as she spoke in a lowered voice:

"You grew up alongside Arthur, cultivated swordsmanship together, killed enemies together, earned the title of knight together, and were conferred honors together by Father, my lord..."

"I hope there were hidden circumstances behind what happened back then."

"And not that you completely betrayed your own faith."

Her voice fell.

Silence descended upon the surroundings.

Beville remained silent for a long time before slowly raising his head; yet he did not look at Morgan, but instead gazed at Gao Wen and said:

"Do you truly intend to make a move against Wales?!"

"Ah."

Gao Wen nodded:

"Ajin is my subordinate and also a user of the Bone-Bone Fruit; Wales will inevitably make a move against him, and I cannot allow my subordinate to go to his death."

"In other words, I am determined to kill Wales!"

"Even if it means killing over eighty percent of this nation's people?!"

Gao Wen's expression turned to shock, while Morgan beside him likewise froze on the spot, pressing further:

"What do you mean?!"

"*Cough-cough-cough*—!"

Beville coughed several times, terror evident in his eyes:

"In recent years, the Church of Tianjue has developed rapidly; over eighty percent of the people within Britannias are believers of the Church of Tianjue, and many among them are even fanatical devotees."

"By rights, Wales has already mastered this nation and furthermore has slaughtered the former Wang Zu to near extinction; he does not need such tyrannical methods to govern this country, yet he has still chosen this approach."

"What do you think is the reason?!"

"Sheer slaughter or evil?!"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"In that fellow's eyes, everyone is merely a humble crawler upon the earth; unless absolutely necessary, he is not even willing to glance at them."

"So how could he possibly derive satisfaction from their suffering?!"

"What he needs is faith!"

"Extremely devout, extremely fanatical faith!"

As he spoke, Beville's face grew increasingly flushed.

Guilt, unwillingness, fear, self-reproach...

Various complex emotions flashed across his face, ultimately transforming into anger—extremely violent, extremely uncontrollable anger:

"That fellow is a user of the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan Type, Angel Form!"

"The strength of his power depends on exactly how many people regard him as a god; the more fanatical the believers, the more powerful the faith they can bring him."

"It was only after staying by his side for several years that I gradually caught a glimpse of the truth."

"According to his own words, his ability is 'Sharing'—to share his own power with his believers."

"But what he didn't say is that this sharing can also work in reverse!"

"He can directly share the power of his believers to bolster himself, and even share his own injuries with them!"

"The population of this country is nearly ten million; the simple superposition of strength alone has already reached an absurd figure!"

"Not to mention that he can also share the injuries he sustains with his believers."

"No matter how severe the injury, once shared into ten million parts, it becomes negligible!"

"Though this ability is called sharing, its essence is plunder—plundering from the believers!"

(End of Chapter)