NOVEL WEB Chapter 39: Chapter 39: The World's Best Gift
"Walking out of the spiral staircase of the basement, everything you had just seen and heard felt like a hazy dream."
"You laughed and joked with your old man and the witch, yet the atmosphere in the banquet hall remained somewhat stagnant and silent."
"He had understood your faith, he had understood your resolve, but he still couldn't accept it. What father could watch his own child walk down such a dead-end road, becoming an enemy of the world?"
"But Vortigern knew he couldn't stop you, this stubborn young man whose wings had grown strong. A bitter, fatherly smile was on his face as he closed his eyes in silence."
"Old people just don't have the appetite. You had cooked this meal yourself, yet your father couldn't even eat."
"You beckoned with your hand, and a broken wooden sword instantly flew through the air. With a casual wipe of your hand, you smoothed over the cracks in an instant."
"It was the one you often used when you practiced swords with Vortigern as a child."
"You had treasured it well."
"If an old man has a poor appetite, why not get some exercise?"
"You raised the tip of your sword and pointed it at your old father, Vortigern."
"Faced with your provocation, Vortigern gazed at the mottled marks on the wooden sword and let out a chuckle."
"It seems you truly lack discipline... otherwise, it wouldn't have come to this. Then today, your father will properly discipline you, Alvin!"
"The light of the candles instantly dimmed and vanished."
"The light-devouring demonic dragon slowly stood up—"
"Perhaps, your father should never have taught you the sword in the first place."
The imposing old man stood in the training grounds holding a wooden sword, his hands hanging naturally at his sides. His aura, as deep as an abyss, was completely restrained, as immovable as the earth itself.
"There's no medicine for regret in this world, Dad."
Su Shu held his sword high with one hand, turning his side to face Vortigern, looking as if he were full of openings.
"Using the stance I taught you, you still think you can beat me? You're too arrogant, boy. Aside from reinforcing my weapon, your father will teach you a lesson without using any magical energy."
"No magical energy? So overconfident for an old man. Arrogant or not, you'll know once you try, Dad."
"Then I shall test your mettle, Alvin."
His voice fell.
The Vile King Vortigern took a step forward.
BOOM—!
It was an incredibly light and casual movement, yet it suddenly produced a heavy roar.
This step seemed not to have landed on the training ground, but to have struck a person's very heart.
Gravel exploded outwards. The imposing old man's figure instantly vanished from the spot. In the same instant, a slash so ferocious it created a sonic boom suddenly chopped toward the silver-haired youth's neck...
—And then, it passed right through!
Vortigern had only struck Su Shu's afterimage.
Without warning, the sunlight in the training ground was suddenly devoured. In an instant, it was as if night had fallen, plunging into a scene of dim and deep gloom.
"'Light Devour'? Good son..."
Seeing this, a look of admiration appeared in Vortiggen's eyes.
This was a technique that even he, the White Dragon, had only finally mastered at the age of sixty, after sitting in the polar night and coming to an understanding.
The light-devouring demonic dragon—it was from that time that his fame had begun to take shape.
"Come! This alone is not enough to defeat your father—!"
"The flower of the Instant Prison Shadow Kill that blooms even under the sun..."
Accompanied by a low, chanting voice, eight figures split off in an instant.
The silver-haired youth's figure suddenly divided, and in a flash, he slashed at Vortigern from eight directions simultaneously. The lethal, silent sword light in his hands was as dark as night, as thin and sharp as a shadow.
The interplay of light and shadow made each of his figures look incredibly real.
The ultimate speed of an Ultimate Life Form allowed Su Shu to switch between real and false in an instant.
This was the Instant Prison Shadow Kill...
—A fleeting moment of beauty named death, woven from both illusion and swordsmanship.
But... such a cheap trick was far from enough to deceive the demonic dragon who also bore the name of Light Devour.
Recognizing the true body in a split second, Vortigern suddenly raised his sword and slashed at the figure he was sure of. In an instant, layers of airwaves were discharged, and a sharp sonic boom erupted again—
Swish—
Even without using magical energy, even with just his physical body!
The demonic dragon's current ferocious strength, as mighty as the earth, was absolutely not something an immature Ultimate Life Form could shake!
However...
Su Shu did not dodge at all. Facing this ferocious airflow and slash, his sword light went straight for the weakest joint in the demonic dragon's defense.
Watching his own sword tip get closer and closer to his son's brow.
Closer and closer—
At Su Shu's speed, if he wanted to dodge, he could definitely create a prolonged stalemate, yet he still, still had no intention of evading!
He wanted... to trade injury for injury—!
His heart trembling slightly, Vortigern suddenly deflected his sword, the descending blade crashing directly into Su Shu's sword.
...This was an opening!
Hundreds and thousands of dark sword lights erupted suddenly, like a black rose blooming silently.
CLANG—!
A teeth-grinding explosion of sound. The figures of the two crossed past each other.
The witch watching from the attic was so nervous she almost held her breath, staring at the result of this father-son battle.
Hiss...
On the silver-haired youth's face, a dripping bloody gash quietly bloomed, and a thick red color slowly seeped out.
"Did Alvin lose..."
Morgan sighed. She was not surprised by this result. After all, his opponent was... the Vile King Vortigern.
The light-devouring demonic dragon had suppressed Britain for a full twenty years.
How old was Alvin now? He was still a few days away from his fifteenth coming-of-age ceremony!
In fact, to be able to fight the Vile King head-on was already a monstrous feat that "genius" was not enough to describe.
"I lost..."
The old man's slow voice made the witch pause.
Clatter.
The wooden sword in Vortigern's hand suddenly exploded, shattering into a pile of powder in an instant, and was lightly blown away by the wind.
"You held back. It was an unfair victory for Alvin."
Yes, Su Shu had done it on purpose.
From the very beginning, he had never intended to cause damage to his opponent, but had aimed at destroying his father's weapon.
He was gambling.
Gambling that Vortigern would deflect his sword.
Gambling on a father's gentleness toward his son.
And so, he won the bet.
As Su Shu said... it was an unfair victory.
If this had been a life-or-death battle on the battlefield, he could never have won.
As the Vile King, the demonic dragon Vortigern, without his sword, was perhaps his strongest true form.
His hands were natural Noble Phantasms, an extension of the land of Britain. A casual strike infused with magical energy was the roar of the Vile King's hammer, capable of making waterfalls and rivers flow backward.
However, this was a "sword duel."
With the sword broken, he had naturally lost.
"So what if it was an unfair victory? A loss is a loss.
"Alvin, you only had this one chance, and you seized it."
Yes.
If they were to do it again, Vortigern would never fall for the same trick.
Su Shu had grasped that single, fleeting glimmer of victory.
With great emotion, the old man's voice showed no trace of frustration from his defeat.
On the contrary, looking at the silver-haired youth before him, his previous gloom seemed to dissipate, his heart's knot untied.
He had lost, but he had witnessed Su Shu's will.
To seize a sliver of life from endless death.
That was indeed an unshakable, worthy resolve.
This was the best gift Su Shu had given him.
With a son like this, what more could a man ask for?
"You've grown up, boy."
Vortigern said softly, his body standing tall and straight, as if the earth had once again risen majestically from him.
"Your father acknowledges that you can now stand with me. You have the right to walk this path.
"I will not stop you anymore, Alvin. Do what you want to do. This old, decaying body of mine will give you my full support.
"But..."
The imposing old man walked up and gave the grinning boy before him a hard flick on the forehead.
"Guh—!"
Su Shu clutched his head in pain, seeing stars.
"Don't you ever do that again! If I hadn't held back, your head would be blooming right now."
He patted his face and shook his head for a while.
The silver-haired youth let out a long breath, his vision finally clearing up a bit.
"It's fine, just a small wound."
He smiled, wiping the blood from his face with his fingertips.
Under the effect of his Ultimate Life Form constitution, the狰狞 wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The smile on the old man's face faded.
"Alright, alright, I know I was wrong! Dad, next time, definitely next time..."
Su Shu said hurriedly.
He was always one to humbly accept criticism and never repent.
Next time for sure.
Looking at his imposing old father, he was still a head shorter than him. Well, I'll probably surpass him in a few years.
Su Shu raised his hand and gently, he ruffled his old dad's frosty white hair.
This time, the old man accepted it calmly.
"When are you passing the throne to me?" Su Shu asked.
"Get lost!" Vortigern scolded with a laugh.
"Then I'm off."
Su Shu prepared to get lost quickly.
Better to go have an in-depth exchange with Morgan. Can't get any gold coins out of this old man.
He looked up at the witch in the attic, her face flushed.
At this very moment...
A sharp eagle's cry came from the sky.
Vortigern raised his hand, and a magnificent eagle with beautiful wings landed on his arm, a rolled-up cloth tied to its claw.
A secret letter from the front lines.
"Report! The great sage Merlin has announced in Orkney that the time has come. The king-selection ceremony will be held in Essex in seven days. The people are in an uproar! Awaiting Your Majesty's decision."
After reading it, Vortigern crumpled the letter into dust.
He looked at his son with a half-smile.
"Seven days from now... isn't that your birthday, Alvin?"
"I see."
Su Shu raised his eyes and looked at the bright sunlight in the east.
That golden wheat field and her soft golden hair seemed to sway in his mind.
The silver-haired youth smiled.
"Merlin.
"How nostalgic...
"He's truly given me... the world's best gift."
Vortigern grunted.
"Such a grand ceremony, it goes without saying that knights, both famous and unknown, from all over Britannia will gather in Essex...
"—How many troops do you want, Alvin? Your father will give you an entire legion."
"No need, Dad."
Facing the bright sunlight, the child of the White Dragon gently raised his hand.
He squinted his iron-gray eyes. In his feather-like pupils, a black flame seemed to be burning fiercely.
Su Shu opened his five fingers.
Slowly, he slowly crushed the sun...
—and held it in his palm.
"I alone am enough."
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