Chapter 1083: Woodwose's End
There are many types of gardens.
Gardens of sweet dreams, gardens of gloom, gardens of despair, gardens of the innocent... and so on.
Among them, the garden of the innocent held a swindler Eiji was quite familiar with. He had long been sharpening his blade, waiting for that fellow to emerge so he could deliver a fierce strike!
The garden of despair, as the name implied, was a chilling garden that stripped away warm deceptions. It could continuously erode and erase the prisoner's inner self, serving as a form of self-inflicted mental torment.
Morgan also possessed various gardens stored within her throne.
"Two gardens have been stolen," Morgan said, lowering her head and casting an inexplicable gaze at Baobhan Sith, who looked anxious for approval.
"If you didn't steal them, then who did?"
Morgan fell into deep thought.
She tilted her head slightly, glancing curiously at Eiji.
"If I wanted them, I'd just ask you directly," Eiji shrugged.
True enough.
Morgan nodded.
Given their relationship, there was no need for secrecy.
Moreover, with Eiji's abilities, he had no use for her magecraft.
So, the one who would need to utilize her barriers and happened to know where she hid the gardens was likely—
"Report!"
Just then, a panicked voice came from outside the door—the scribe.
"Speak."
"We've just received word from Oxford—it has fallen!"
"What was Woodwose doing?"
"Well... Lord Woodwose... has fallen in battle..."
The hall fell into silence.
The abrupt news stunned everyone.
"Didn't we tell him to retreat to Camelot if the situation became untenable?" Eiji frowned, his face full of surprise.
"I did instruct him so," Morgan nodded, her expression showing no trace of sorrow.
"Something must have happened for this to occur... Was there any other news from Oxford?"
"Yes, soldiers also reported sightings of the Lord of Gloucester—Muryan. It seems she has allied with the rebels."
"I see."
Morgan let out a sigh.
"Woodwose always carried guilt over the fall of the Wings clan. Muryan's appearance must have made him abandon any thought of escape."
Given Woodwose's strength, escaping wouldn't have been difficult.
The Queen had even given explicit orders for him to withdraw if necessary—no fault could be found from a pride perspective.
Yet Woodwose chose to fight to the death.
This was his penance for the Wings clan.
To die once, as atonement.
"It's of little consequence," Morgan said indifferently, gently stroking the throne beneath her.
"As long as this throne remains, Woodwose can be revived."
Indeed.
This was the most broken aspect of the Fairy Kingdom, and Morgan's most brilliant magecraft!
To single-handedly control the reincarnation cycle of the entire Fairy Kingdom—it could only be described as breathtaking.
Morgan's reaction might seem callous to ordinary people.
But in truth, she trusted Woodwose's loyalty completely.
It's just that when one's power reaches such heights, even capable of manipulating reincarnation, one naturally loses that reverence for life itself.
"However, reincarnation takes time. At the very least, we likely won't see him again before the decisive battle with the rebel army."
Morgan added.
This didn't really matter.
After all, for the current Fairy Kingdom, it wasn't as though everything would fall apart without Woodwose.
In Morgan's heart, she had always believed she could handle all the troubles within the kingdom entirely on her own.
And now, with Eiji by her side, there was even less reason to fear anything!
"Mother."
Baobhan Sith's voice rang out.
"Is it just my imagination, or does my head feel a bit heavy, and my body seems unable to move…"
"Baobhan Sith?"
Morgan's gaze sharpened.
Below the hall, Baobhan Sith remained kneeling.
But her eyes had inexplicably lost focus, her body swaying unsteadily before she collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Baobhan Sith!"
Morgan's expression instantly changed.
It was a look of deep worry and shock—one that even Eiji had never seen on her face before.
...
The land before the gates of Oxford had been scorched into barren earth.
Woodwose stood there.
His body was as rigid and unyielding as a pillar holding up the heavens.
Yet, his eyes had already lost their light, and not a trace of life remained in him.
A gaping, bloodied hole pierced straight through his chest.
Percival stood before him, holding a blood-stained spear, silently mourning.
In the end,
Woodwose had not lost.
Even when they all charged at him together, unleashing their divine powers in a chaotic dance of blades and the relentless twang of bowstrings, they had still failed to defeat the Lord Heat Vent head-on.
The Lord Heat Vent's power consumption was abnormally immense, and with Muryan's domain suppressing him, he exhausted all his stamina and magical energy in just one minute.
In the end, Percival's spear pierced through his chest.
"I didn't lose to you—I lost to myself!"
Even in his final moments, Woodwose glared at him defiantly.
Guilt toward Spriggan had driven him to his death.
Insufficient magical energy and stamina were the direct causes of his demise.
"You truly did not lose to anyone, Father."
Percival lowered his spear and bowed to Woodwose's corpse.
Though Woodwose had not raised him, it was Woodwose who had taken him away from the human pasture, granting him freedom and cherished bonds.
This Fang Clan leader,
though arrogant and prideful, also had admirable qualities.
"We've already investigated."
Da Vinci Lily ran back, her expression downcast.
"The Oxford Bell was indeed destroyed by Woodwose before the battle began!"
This move had caught everyone completely off guard.
They had come to attack Oxford specifically to ring the bell.
But Woodwose had pulled the rug out from under them, destroying their primary objective beforehand!
Glancing once more at his corpse,
one could almost see the lingering mockery on his face!
"What do we do now?"
Muramasa spread his hands, looking helplessly at the others.
"While it's true we shouldn't worry too much about the prophecy, ringing the bell did make Artoria significantly stronger. Her blessings can multiply the Round Table Army's strength—not being able to ring the bell is a huge loss!"
"My current power is already enough to cover the entire Round Table Army. Even if there's no bell to ring, I don't really mind, you know?"
Artoria blinked, smiling carefreely.
After growing stronger several times, her confidence had only continued to soar.
"Hey."
But at that moment, Habbycat suddenly interrupted them.
"Look there."
Hearing this, everyone turned to look in the direction Habbycat was pointing.
She was pointing directly at Woodwose's corpse.
From his body, a dense golden light was radiating.
Percival stared in astonishment, thinking Woodwose might be experiencing a final rally before death, and instinctively tightened his grip on the Select Lance.
However, Woodwose ultimately did not revive.
Within that light, his body gradually lost its form and eventually transformed into something else.
"A bell—?!"