Shadow of the Beautiful World

hum

The silver blade buzzed past Merlin's eyes, splitting the falling snowflakes in two.

On the cold, lifeless ice field.

Merlin's toes touched the ground, and he quickly backed away like a flying raven.

But the dancing silver sword light followed him all the time, like a shadow.

As long as he slowed down a little, the buzzing light would split him in two.

The most terrible thing is that in this world where the temperature has dropped below minus 100 degrees, the speed of the black mist dissipating is extremely slow.

Moreover, Ciri's blade had a special power, even if Merlin dissipated in the mist, he still couldn't escape the pursuit of that blade.

The cold snow was flying in all directions, and the icy wind was blowing, making the visibility of this ice sheet extremely low.

It was difficult for Merlin to precisely pinpoint the position of Ciri who was dodging around and not hiding in the blizzard.

But Ciri also found it difficult to lock Merlin's position.

No matter how sharp the blade is, it is useless if it cannot cut the opponent.

swish

The blade of the sword split apart, and as the white-clothed swordsman moved his wrist, the blade split into dozens of pulsating streamers, smashing the place where Merlin was, the snow in the air, and the invisible space.

The black space rift was swept into a deadly storm by the churning of Ciri's blade.

Like a small black hole, everything around it is involved.

Space is the rule.

That is the foundation for a world to maintain stability, and it is also the most solid thing.

But once the space is broken, those tiny cracks will become the most dangerous and sharpest things in the world.

Even Zhenjin can hardly block the cutting of the shattered space.

But the moment before Ciri's blade flew away, Merlin's hand was placed on the blade whip at his waist, and the shadow rolled around Merlin.

In every shadow scattered by the heavy snow, his aura was completely obscured, and the streamer of crimson power fluttered in the cold world, which was a place where Merlin could hide.

No matter how powerful Ciri is, she is still trapped under the power limit of the Heavenly Father, and it is difficult for her to truly destroy the blessing given by Cytorak.

Cunning fellow!

The white light flickered in the snow, and Ciri stood on the soft snow.

With a flick of her fingers, the sharp blade in her hand was drawn into a sharp line again amidst the light scattered by the buzzing.

The cold wind blew her long white hair, making the white bangs around her eyes flutter.

Her Royal Highness with a scar on her face sensed her surroundings vigilantly. The power of Baishuang remained in this broken small world, which greatly hindered the spread of Xilia's perception.

No wonder Merlin insisted on fighting her here.

That guy knew that his reaction and speed couldn't keep up with the blessing that the blood of the elders gave Ciri, so he used the environment here to offset Ciri's advantage.

But if it's just this, it's not enough, Merlin.

Ciri shouted to the endless snow field:

You should know that in your current state, as long as I hit you with a sword, you will be finished...

Isn't it fine if I don't get hit by you?

Merlin's figure appeared behind Ciri.

Appearing at the same time, there was also a sharp sword light, and the silver sword Vlad arrived behind Ciri almost silently, and when he chopped the falling snow, a deadly sword dance erupted.

In the magic shock, a storm of blades shattered Ciri and the place where she was.

But amidst the wafting white light, Ciri's figure appeared in another place.

I can run faster than light... Do you think you can keep up with me?

Ciri sneered.

hum

The power of crimson exploded, and in the splash of light, 10 Merlins formed from the shape of Aikon appeared in the wind of the snow field.

The moment they appeared, dozens of swaying chains formed like crimson halos and burning magma formed dancing spider webs in the airspace.

Ciri's eyes narrowed, and her figure leaped rapidly under the space ability given by the blood of the elders.

It's like white light spots lighting up in the sky.

Before one light dissipated, another light appeared again.

I don't need to follow you, Ciri.

The ten Merlins said in unison:

I just need to trap you.

boom

Cytorak's crimson shackles were like a group of dancing snakes, under Merlin's control, the flickering chasing Ciri kept interlacing.

It's like a game of cat and mouse.

Ciri said that she could hit Merlin badly with just one blow of the sword, which is true.

But Ciri wasn't good at defense either, if she was hit by Merlin once, she would also be seriously injured.

Merlin, after all, is no longer the mortal she bullied back then.

Unfortunately, you can't trap me!

Ciri's voice turned cold, she tore open the space, swung the blade, and jumped back into the space the next moment.

The phantom evolved from the shape of Aikon was easily beheaded, and one of the red chains flying in the air dissipated.

swish

The second Merlin was pierced through the heart, the third Merlin was drawn into the space storm, and the fourth Merlin was kicked into the opened dimensional rift.

In just a few seconds, there were only 6 phantoms left in the shape of Aikon!

And in that...

There must be Merlin's body.

A cold light flashed in Shirley's eyes, and the next second, she jumped out of the space, but she seemed to be too tired, so she slowed down a bit.

swish

The crimson shackles that bound everything were fastened on her feet, then the second, and the third.

In the blink of an eye, Ciri was like a flying insect caught by a spider web, trapped in place by a chain made of crimson flames.

Aha, fell into the trap!

The 6 Merlins pulled the crimson chains, trapping Ciri in place, and their figures danced their sharp blades, stabbing Ciri from six directions.

Ciri, who was trapped in the crimson net, squinted her eyes.

Come closer, come closer...

she said softly.

Ha! Moths to the flame!

The space power of the swordsman in white exploded at this moment, as if blasting the entire sky above the snow field out of thin air.

Among the dense black cracks visible to the naked eye, the crimson chains that bound her were thrown into the shattered space.

Those Merlins sensed something was wrong.

They wanted to escape, but it was too late.

The space shattered by Shirley was like a whirling storm, pulling and throwing the 6 Merlins into the dark storm that was swirling with wind, and they were smashed to pieces in the next instant.

wrong!

Ciri, who landed on the ground, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

Among the 10 illusions, there is no Merlin's body...

Wait, who said that the shape of Ikon can only split into 9 phantoms?

Shilia's complexion changed drastically at this moment.

She had been misled by the way Merlin had always acted.

Merlin likes to split into 9, but it doesn't mean he can only split into 9!

She was cheated!

Merlin is still here!

It's just him stalling for time!

swish

Ciri turned her head abruptly, at the end of the crimson streamer, at the highest ridge of this icy world.

Merlin was standing there, holding a bottle of black stuff in his hand.

The moment Ciri raised his head, Merlin was drinking down the viscous thing in one gulp, and there were already several empty bottles piled up at Merlin's feet.

Metal onium!

Ciri recognized that thing, and the metal onium in the bottle was collected by herself from other abandoned worlds and given to Merlin.

That was his last card.

clang

Ciri's figure appeared before Merlin's eyes in the stream of light. The long sword in her hand slashed obliquely, but was blocked by Merlin's silver sword Vlad.

Sparks flew.

You are crazy!

Ciri looked at Merlin's eyes with black halos in the dark red pupils, she gritted her teeth and said:

Those metal oniums will poison you...

Look at me now, Ciri.

Merlin threw the bottle in his hand to the ground, and he felt the foreign elements rushing through his veins.

He said:

If you can't kill me, neither can metallo...

This world has been broken, and its gravity is very unstable, which also means...it can be used by me!

dang lang

The silver sword in Merlin's hand was shattered by Ciri's long sword, but the shattered blade was not knocked into the air.

Those sharp swords revolved around Merlin under the control of the abnormal gravitational force rising from Merlin's body.

Ciri wanted to jump away from this place, but with Merlin's fingers lightly lifted, a terrifying weight like a small world pressed on her body, making her movements slow like a tortoise.

swish

In the flash of white light, Ciri used a burst of power to escape the area of ​​the gravitational burst.

Under the feet of Merlin, this shattered world frozen by hoarfrost was completely shattered under the bombardment of the abnormal gravity that erupted.

Merlin, who drank a huge amount of metal onium, is like the new core of the world fragments, and he exudes extreme attraction in all directions.

Those forces are at his disposal, the gravity of this world, in which he has become incarnated.

I remember... something like this.

Merlin recalled the feeling when manipulating the Berserk Armor before, and he waved his fingers lightly.

The abnormal gravitational force that was converged in the body spread out, and an out-of-control domain with intricate internal gravitational forces opened up without any rules at all.

The deadly sword light spread out in the form of light spots in front of his eyes, as if Ciri who had fallen into the mud could feel that thousands of forces were exerted on his blade, as if the blade had life.

The blade was bouncing away from her hand.

The sharp blade touched Merlin's forehead, and it should have chopped off his skull the next moment, but the uncontrollable force pulled the blade and slid down Merlin's face.

Blood splattered...

I won!

Merlin said softly.

Under his control, the howling broken blade grazed Ciri's body like a storm of sharp blades.

In just one second between cutting back and forth, Ciri's hand holding the sword was cut open by the sharp blade.

Blood splattered everywhere, forcing her to give up the long sword in her hand.

Of course, it just looked miserable, and Merlin wasn't mad enough to kill his friend with his own hands.

Snapped

The orange light on Ciri's body also shattered the next moment.

The white-clothed swordsman gritted his teeth, reached out and grabbed Merlin's collar, and she said viciously:

You're lucky this time...

After losing his temper, Ciri took the handkerchief from Merlin and wiped the blood off his face.

She looked at Merlin's bloody cheek and said:

What are you going to do next? You can't beat Cassandra.

She is a demigod. She has been studying the knowledge of the Isu for 2,400 years. Most importantly, as a gatekeeper, Cassandra is immortal.

Ciri regained her sanity and said worriedly:

Immortal in the true sense, no matter how powerful you are, you can't kill her.

That's my problem.

Merlin collected the dissipated gravity around him, bent down, and tried to pick up Ciri's sword.

But when the fingers touched the hilt, the hilt collapsed with the sound of metal twisting, as if being hit by a heavy hammer.

Merlin retracted his fingers in embarrassment.

He drank too much metal onium, and he was like the core of a world at this time, and the power emanating from those metal onium activities could even make the earth fall apart.

Of course, metal onium is terribly toxic, and even the state of the power of the three phases cannot offset the erosion of the element.

If Merlin could not release those elements in time, he would soon die from poisoning.

Don't tell Elsa.

Merlin said to Ciri:

I don't want her to get involved in this.

Elsa will go crazy if you die.

Ciri struggled against the heavy gravitational pull from Merlin, she said:

Have you ever thought about that?

I thought about it.

As the snow fell, Merlin said:

So I won't die, I still have too many things I can't let go of.

Let's go then.

Ciri waved open a rift.

She said to Merlin:

Ms. Cassandra is waiting for you outside the gates of Atlantis.

Um.

Merlin stepped into the crack, and the next moment, he appeared in a dark and damp place.

This seems to be an underground area, and the ground is forged from some special metal.

There are strange giant stone pillars around the area, and at the end of this area, two sculptures of Poseidon, the sea god, hundreds of meters high, stand on both sides of the gate.

Statues guarded the closed black stone door.

Around the stone gate, there are walls composed of azure halos, just like a fish tank that wants to wrap the entire sea.

In that shining blue light, there is a looming city.

It was an underwater city, like a ruin, and around the ruins, there were fish-like creatures swimming back and forth.

very beautiful.

That's Atlantis...the last vestige left on Earth by the Forerunners.

Ms. Cassandra's figure sounded behind Merlin, and the demigod in a lady's suit didn't seem to want to fight.

She came out of the darkness and stood beside Merlin, looking at the gate of Atlantis in front of her, she said:

It is also the last gift left by the civilization of the first era.

Does it have any connection with the current Atlantis?

Merlin asked.

Yes, I have.

Ms. Cassandra replied calmly:

Before the collapse of the first era, the ancestors of those Atlanteans lived here. They also had a sea emperor who ruled the world. He was a direct descendant of Poseidon and one of the highest bloodlines of the forerunners.

collapse?

Merlin suddenly remembered the history books of the people in the sea that he had read, and he said:

Great fall?

Yes, the Atlanteans called it the Great Fall, a terrible catastrophe.

Cassandra said:

There are still some terrible things sealed in that city, which is the power that destroyed the civilization of the first era.

I have been tasked with guarding it for 2,400 years, and there were many other watchers before me.

The demigod lady raised her hand, and the golden light that had been covering her palm was shining, and in the beating of the orange lines, a pure golden cane appeared in her palm.

There are two snakes twining around the top of the staff, and on the top of the staff, there is a decoration shaped like an eagle with spread wings.

The moment that thing appeared, a torrent of life force spread like a sea.

Like the sunshine pouring in all directions, the wounds on the exhausted Merlin healed quickly with every breath.

It's yours!

Ms. Cassandra stroked the scepter in her hand. After a moment of silence, she threw the Scepter of Two Serpents in her hand to Merlin.

She took a step back, and her ageless face quickly dissipated, as if the suspended time in 2400 years had returned at this moment.

Her breath became old and weak almost instantly.

Merlin took a step forward and hugged the aging demigod in his arms.

He looked at Cassandra, wondering why the demigod would do this.

This is the scepter of Hermes. As long as you hold it, you will live forever...at least in this world.

Cassandra grabbed Merlin's hand with her last strength, and she said with difficulty:

I saw...

I saw them, among the stars, and you were right, Merlin...

We are just quicksands in dreams, playthings of the gods, humbler than dust...

I will set you free!

Merlin squeezed Ms. Cassandra's hand, and said in a deep voice.

like an oath:

It all started with me, and it will end with me. Everyone will be free to truly live in this world... I promise! No one will interfere with it anymore!

Um.

Ms. Cassandra, whose face was already full of wrinkles, nodded, and she struggled to show a smile.

Smoke and dust like ashes flew over her body, like a flame igniting a long-dead tree.

She whispered to Merlin:

I lost...

I am going home...

Snapped

The orange light on Ms. Cassandra's body shattered at this moment, representing the fall of the last enemy Merlin had to defeat.

But there was no joy in his heart.

In his arms, Ms. Cassandra disappeared completely in the drifting smoke, just like a ghost wandering the earth returning to her homeland, and her last moan was still echoing in the smoke.

It was ancient Greek, and it seemed to be praising the ancient gods.

Merlin, who held the Hermes scepter in his hand, looked at the smoke and dust in his hand. He stood up, raised his head, and looked at the shadow above his head.

He said softly:

Your evil tricks are over...

You lose!

I...

Won!