A dead end. An unsolvable dead end.
If this matter were made known to the world, perhaps people would work together to find a way to overcome the difficulty. But it was far more likely that, amid the panic of countless people, the Age of Gods would fade even faster. Before a solution could be found, they would all die.
Britain at this moment was like a tightly sealed iron house with no exits. Inside the iron house lay many sleeping people. It would not be long before everyone suffocated to death due to a lack of oxygen.
And Vortigern was the one person who had awakened in such a situation.
If he shouted to wake people up, it would only bring them unnecessary suffering before their inevitable death.
If he didn't shout, even if he ultimately failed, the final outcome for the people would simply be greeting their predestined death in ignorant slumber.
To perceive the suffering of destiny amidst ignorance, to abandon one's beloved family, friends, kin, and even everything else, solely to bear and shoulder that endless despair and pain alone.
This was Vortigern Pendragon, the Vile King, the White Dragon who swallowed and digested the light of despair alone.
Hearing Vortigern's narrative and comprehending everything this white-haired old man bore, Souya's heart was heavier than ever before.
At this moment, he held no devaluation or contempt for the elderly man before him. There was only respect for the one who gathered firewood for the masses, and sorrow for the future of this land and his Queen Morgan's royal authority.
Souya suddenly understood what Vortigern's state of mind must have been back then, when he realized they were likely the same kind of people and took the trouble to try and recruit him.
He also understood why Vortigern had called him a 'colleague' back then.
It was the excitement and emotion of an old man who had borne all solitude, walking on his path, upon seeing one day that he actually had a fellow traveler.
For a moment, both of them fell silent.
Their hearts hid thousands of words and thoughts, but facing the current situation, they did not know where to begin.
If nothing unexpected happened, in all of Britain, besides Merlin—that incubus devoid of humanity—only he and Vortigern were the two people who knew everything.
Thinking this, Souya instinctively raised his wine glass and downed the liquid in one gulp.
After a long while, when Souya looked up again, his eyes no longer held the spring water-like luster they usually did.
That boundless azure had been tainted with profound darkness.
"Can this tragedy of an ending truly not be rewritten?"
He spoke again.
This time, there was obvious unwillingness in his tone.
He was the person who awoke in the iron house alongside Vortigern. His love for this land and the people he cared about on it was no less than Vortigern's.
Precisely because Souya clearly knew that his love, compared to Vortigern's love for all Celts and Britain, was too narrow and selfish. But for that very reason, he was even more unwilling to give up, even more desperate to know a method to change destiny.
After all, that was Morgan's ideal; it was the lifelong pursuit of the woman he deeply loved, the woman who was about to become his wife.
Seemingly sensing the change in Souya's eyes, the gaze Vortigern cast upon him was no longer cloudy amber, but gradually tinged with a faint pale gold.
He looked at Souya, his tone calm.
"The ending is predestined. We cannot rewrite it."
"However."
Before Souya could reveal an expression of despair, Vortigern instantly changed the subject, making him look up again.
"We cannot change the ending, but we can delay the time of its arrival."
"Delay... the time?"
Hearing Vortigern's words, Souya was instantly stunned.
But he quickly understood what Vortigern was talking about.
"You mean, temporarily anchoring the Age of Gods to the surface of Britain? To thereby delay the arrival of destruction?"
"Yes. But what I want is not to anchor the Age of Gods 'temporarily', but to drag it out on Britain until all the remnants of the Age of Gods meet the end that rightfully belongs to them. Only then will it stop."
Receiving Vortigern's affirmative answer, Souya's breath hitched.
It took him a long while before he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.
"Can it be done? Trying to preserve the Age of Gods to the maximum extent without violating the rules of the world... can such a plan truly succeed?"
Facing Souya's questioning, Vortigern did not give a lengthy explanation. Instead, he stood up.
"Whether it can be done or not, this is our only path, our only method."
"Lamorak, I can feel your affection for my niece. I imagine you would not want to see her face that kind of ending alone, or even fall into a worse tragedy because of your inaction, would you?"
Hearing Vortigern's words, Souya abruptly raised his head, glaring fiercely at Vortigern.
But the latter, as if turning a blind eye to it, spoke slowly.
"If you want to avoid all of this, follow me. Once you see those things, you will understand the feasibility of my path."
With that, Vortigern tossed a few gold coins onto the table and strode away.
His pace was steady, without the slightest intention of looking back, as if he did not care whether Souya followed or not.
After all, he had already walked this path for a long time. Even if Lamorak had not appeared, he would not give up.
It was not until he finally returned to the front of his castle that Vortigern looked back.
Behind him was Lamorak, clad in black and blue armor.
Involuntarily, a smile tugged at the corners of the old man's mouth.
[You followed Vortigern into his castle.]
[Only after entering did you discover that this massive black castle was entirely empty and dimly lit. The only resident was Vortigern himself.]
[Just like the path this old man chose, his life was equally solitary.]
[Under Vortigern's guidance, you walked into a secret chamber at the very bottom of the castle. Opening the chamber door revealed a spiral staircase leading deep underground.]
[On the steps of the spiral staircase, you felt an aura of desolation mixed with the scent of the Age of Gods surging upwards.]
[You faintly guessed what lay below.]
[Walking down the long and dark spiral staircase, you arrived in a massive karst cave located beneath Londinium.]
"Is this Londinium's underground leyline?"
Looking at the countless bizarre stalactites surrounding them, densely packed like human blood vessels and emitting a luminescent green glow, Souya had a sudden realization.
He instinctively tapped into the magical energy within his body, attempting to perceive his surroundings. Sure enough, he sensed the dense magical energy permeating the air. However, when Souya tried to see if he could absorb it, he unexpectedly felt an eerie aura from the magical energy's feedback.
That aura was desolate and deathly still, like death itself, like a wraith.
Forced by necessity, Souya had to abandon that portion of magical energy.
Seeing this scene, Vortigern merely smiled and then said,
"To be precise, it is the underground leyline connecting all of Britain."
"So, is this leyline what you wanted to show me?"
Taking a look around, Souya placed his hand on a nearby stalactite covered in luminescent green.
After examining it carefully, Souya frowned.
Although he was not a magus, his lover was Morgan, the person with the highest Magecraft attainment in Britain today. Under her influence, Souya had a sufficient understanding of the fundamental magical energy of the Age of Gods.
"Your Excellency Vortigern, if you wish to rely on this leyline to anchor the Age of Gods, it seems somewhat unrealistic."
Souya rubbed the smooth, glowing green patterns on the stalactite and spoke slowly.
"The True Ether in this leyline is practically non-existent. In another year or two, it will probably dry up completely. It is fundamentally insufficient to retain the entire Age of Gods."
"I know. Given that the True Ether in the air today has mostly returned to the Inner Sea of the Planet, relying on the leyline to accomplish the preservation of the Age of Gods is naturally impossible."
Vortigern smiled at Souya, his eyes shining with a strange luster.
"Therefore, what I actually want to show you is something else in this cave."
"Do you know, Lamorak? This underground leyline actually goes by another name: 'Spirit Tomb Albion'."