There was no doubt. In all the legends that Chen Xiaolian had read about Lancelot, he was a very powerful fellow. At the same time though, by the moral standards of the East, he was a much-criticized figure.
About his powerful aspect, the first was his background. According to the legends, he was the descendant of the Holy Spirit, the eighth generation descendant of Jesus Christ.
That alone made him an epic figure.
Naturally, that was only according to the legends. The real church would never acknowledge this matter.
At the same time, he also held various other identities: The Prince of Spain. However, he became lost when he was a child.
Thus, Lancelot grew up being raised by the Lady of the Lake.
Err… do anyone get the feeling that this is the template for the main character in online novels?
Now that his background had been covered, we shall go into Lancelot’s combat prowess.
When mentioning the name Lancelot, one would be unable to separate that name with King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table.
After Arthur acquired the Sword in the Stone, he became the King. Then, he formed the Knights of the Round Table.
He had a huge round table made and everyone was to be seated at the table as they discuss about everything. The meaning behind this action was equality and justice. There would be no discrimination, no distinction between nobility and the common people!
According to the legends, the Knights of the Round Table under King Arthur’s command had once as many as a hundred and fifty knights.
All of them were heroes with outstanding battle and killing prowess.
Many legends were seemingly attempting to portray this one key point: Lancelot was highly likely the most powerful knight among the Knights of the Round Table.
There were several cases to prove that point. After the falling out between Lancelot and King Arthur, he singlehandedly defeated many Knights of the Round Table. Moreover, in many instances, it was not a one on one battle. Rather, it was one against N number of knights [1]!
The Knights of the Round Table who died at the hands of Lancelot could be used to form a very long line…
From a combat prowess perspective, there was no question that Lancelot was extremely powerful! There were even speculations that Lancelot’s combat prowess might be above King Arthur’s.
However, this extremely powerful fellow did something extremely despicable.
Let’s put it this way, Lancelot was an important person for King Arthur who also placed a great deal of trust in him. It was said that the two of them shared a very close friendship. King Arthur had treated Lancelot as well as how Liu Bei had treated Guan Yu [2]. They were simply the closest of brothers and comrades!
It was such that King Arthur had entrusted Lancelot with the protection of his wife.
Later on… umm, Lancelot did indeed protect the Queen, he did a very ‘good job’.
In fact, he protected her all the way into her bed…
…
Lancelot and the Queen had ***. After they had ***, they became close. He was a very courageous daredevil.
Back then, the knights would participate in contests against other knights. Of course, Lancelot too had participated in them. Additionally, with his mighty combat prowess, it was only natural that he became the champion.
However, every time he won a contest, he would have the handkerchief gifted to him by the Queen in his hand as he performed his salute…
Umm, right in front of King Arthur’s eyes.
Saluting the King and Queen after a contest was a normal thing to do. Thus, in the beginning, no one knew the meaning behind Lancelot’s actions.
But paper cannot cover up fire.
The adultery between Lancelot and the Queen was brought to light.
King Arthur sent over ten knights to capture the traitors. They crashed in while Lancelot and the Queen were together.
When that happened, Lancelot did one thing: Kill!
He killed off many of the knights who had been sent to catch him; he killed those knights that had once been his companions before running away.
Later on, the angered King Arthur had the Queen put to her death. Back in those days, adultery brought the penalty of death. Not to mention, the King was the one to suffer such a disgrace.
… … in the execution grounds, Lancelot broke in under those circumstances to take away the Queen!
This fellow actually succeeded!
His combat prowess was too strong. He took the Queen away and in the process, killed off several Knights of the Round.
This fellow finally escaped with the Queen, from England to France.
To summarize, he stole his boss’ woman, killed his own comrade-in-arms and finally took his boss’ woman with him abroad…
No matter how much of a good-tempered person King Arthur may be, this was unacceptable! As a King, if your wife were taken away, would you be able to endure it?
Thus, King Arthur declared war. He crossed the sea to wage a war against France.
When that happened, Lancelot gave in.
The Pope intervened and Lancelot returned the Queen to King Arthur and performed a sacrament of penance while vowing to never meet the Queen ever again. He left for his native homeland to repent and pray.
It had to be said, King Arthur possessed a godly level of tolerance. He actually chose to accept the proposal. Additionally, for old times’ sake, he also forgave Lancelot!
According to the legends, King Arthur was indeed such a kind of person, one with kindness, integrity, love, loyalty and courtesy.
King Arthur brought his army back with him to his kingdom, but he did not kill his Queen. He had even intended to re-marry her. However, due to her feelings of guilt, she refused and chose to enter a monastery to repent for her sins.
Next, a drama occurred.
Due to the emergence of traitors, King Arthur was killed in battle.
Thus, the reign of this legendary King came to an end.
So, what did Lancelot do?
He ran back to England from France and to the monastery to find the Queen. The meaning behind his action was: Welp, since your husband is dead, you might as well come with me!
Truth be told, back when Chen Xiaolian had read up on that part, he felt that this so-called strongest Knight of the Round Table should have been titled the most thick-skinned one…
Thankfully, the Queen was one who could still feel shame. She refused Lancelot and said: Our sins have triggered a war, leading to the deaths of so many lives. This is an immoral matter. Let’s not meet one another ever again!
Err… did you people think that this was where Lancelot’s thick skin came to an end?
Nope, not yet.
This powerful Knight of the Round Table expressed his disappointment and replied to the Queen: Then, let’s end this with a farewell blast… ah, wrong, let’s end this with a farewell kiss, let’s just have one good kiss. How about it?
The Queen furiously refused his suggestion: Don’t you even think about it!
The time that this incident occurred… it wasn’t even that long after the death of King Arthur, who had been a good King toward Lancelot in life!
His bones had yet to turn cold!
Later on though, something more interesting happened.
The Queen later died from illness.
During the funeral, following the final wish of the Queen, she was buried together with her husband, King Arthur.
Lancelot, who attended the funeral, chose to fully repent.
He vowed to become a monk for life, to spend all his years praying and repenting for his own sins.
Outrageously, this final sacrament of penance from Lancelot gained him the forgiveness of the Holy Spirit and he was allowed through the pearly gates of Heaven…
A fellow who committed such a despicable act actually managed to ascend…
And thus, the legend came to an end.
Son of a bitch!
…
That was pretty much the sum of all of Lancelot’s legends. He possessed a high level of battle strength; however, he committed such a despicable act. In the end, he repented and spent all his life as a monk, praying and repenting.
As someone from the East, Chen Xiaolian’s standards made him feel that… this person was not worth pitying even after a hundred years of death.
The problem was, a living and breathing Lancelot was standing before Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian found that he was unable to defeat this fellow…
Weakness…
What is this fellow’s weakness?
Throughout Lancelot’s life, his weakness was naturally that Queen… … this fellow was simply the type who would put ‘hoes before bros’!
For the sake of his love of a woman, he would lower himself to any degree!
King Arthur had placed so much trust upon him. But when he seduced his wife, he didn’t even blink.
In order to *** escape and in order to rescue the Queen from the court, he killed the knights who were his former colleagues. He killed cleanly without so much as a frown!
After King Arthur forgave him, he performed a sacrament of penance before King Arthur.
However, the moment King Arthur died, in the blink of an eye, he had run over to harass King Arthur’s wife!
Let’s put it this way, this fellow was the passionate type. For the sake of a woman, he could abandon all sense of morality.
If so… his weakness…
Chen Xiaolian suddenly got up.
He looked at Lancelot.
“Lancelot,” Chen Xiaolian said with a strange smile on his face. “I have a question I want to ask of you.”
Lancelot held his sword with both hands while directing the tip of the sword toward the ground. He threw a furious and cold gaze at Chen Xiaolian. “Shameful thieves! What do you have to say?”
“Shameful? Thieves?” Chen Xiaolian deliberately laughed out loud. “At least I did not steal my own bro’s wife.”
Following those words, Lancelot’s handsome and masculine face appeared to have been lashed by an invisible whip! An expression of rage and pain flashed across his originally cold and indifferent expression.
Confidence swelled within Chen Xiaolian!
“You… you’re humiliating me!” Lancelot raised his long sword and pointed the tip of the sword at Chen Xiaolian.
“I am simply stating the facts,” Chen Xiaolian said coolly. “All right, let’s not talk about this. I am curious. You being here in this chapel, was it simply in order to protect this sacred artefact? From what I know, this Sword in the Stone’s hilt was secretly hidden here by Queen Anne.”
“The Sword in the Stone’s hilt has always been preserved within the Tower of London,” Lancelot coldly replied. “Back then, I had repented for my sins. In order to atone for my sins, I swore to have my soul protect the Sword in the Stone forever! To protect this kingdom’s sacred artefact!”
Chen Xiaolian put on a façade of him thinking. Then he said, “Can I understand this situation as such… you feel remorse over the sins you committed back then. Thus, in order to atone for your sin of betraying King Arthur, you voluntarily stayed here to protect this Sword in the Stone?”
“That is right! King Arthur is a great king! A true warrior! I feel remorseful for the sins that I committed back then! In order to protect the sacred artefact that he left behind, I am willing to eternally…”
Lancelot was speaking in a solemn and loud voice.
However, without waiting for him to finish, Chen Xiaolian abruptly let out a sigh. He put on an expression of lamentation on his face.
“Is that so… that is truly… a pity.”
Chen Xiaolian uttered those words, interrupting Lancelot’s words of righteousness.
“You… what did you say? What is pitiful?” Lancelot sneered. “What would a despicable thief like you lament for? Are you lamenting for your previous crimes? As I have said before, just hand over the sacred artefact and repent here for a hundred years. Then, I shall spare your lives. Otherwise… with me here, you can forget about leaving this chapel!”
“Is that so?” Chen Xiaolian deliberately spoke slowly. As he spoke, he observed Lancelot’s eyes. “Even… even if it means sacrificing Guinevere’s life?”
Guinevere!
That was the name of King Arthur’s Queen. She was the one that Lancelot was obsessed with his whole life.
Sure enough, the moment he heard Guinevere’s name, Lancelot’s face underwent a massive change!
“What did you say!!”
Shua!
The tip of his sword was raised to point at Chen Xiaolian and a brilliant glow of holy power shone out from the sword’s edge.
“Don’t you dare mention this noble and holy name with your dirty mouth!” Lancelot roared out furiously. “If you dare speak of her again, I will personally drive this sword through your mouth!”
Noble and holy name?
Chen Xiaolian eyes twitched.
“Enough… what I meant to say was, are you willing to sacrifice Queen Guinevere’s life?”
“You… what nonsense are you spouting?”
Chen Xiaolian leisurely pulled out something from his personal system.
It was a black coloured fragment that appeared like a crystal.
Demon Soldier Fragment!
“Look here,” Chen Xiaolian said with a faint smile.
Lancelot’s eyes suddenly narrowed. He stared at the Demon Soldier Fragment in Chen Xiaolian’s hand. “I can feel the evil powers of dark magic! You dare befoul this sacred place with that evil item?! You… there can only be death for you!”
Chen Xiaolian spread out his palm.
He could feel a formless holy power descending down from all directions upon the item in his hand!
Under such circumstances, the Demon Soldier Fragment became like block of ice that had fallen into a melting pot. It rapidly dissolved and a mass of black coloured mist spread out before dissipating into nothingness.
“What I want to say is… I am a dark magus that can use dark magic,” Chen Xiaolian said slowly.
Lancelot frowned as he looked at Chen Xiaolian. “Dark magus? You wicked bastard!”
“Let’s not go into the discussion of bastards.” Chen Xiaolian forced himself to smile as he thought to himself: As long as you don’t doubt me, that is fine.
“Let’s make a deal.” Chen Xiaolian did his best to show a straightforward expression toward Lancelot. “As you know, there are many wondrous things about dark magic. It can do many things that are forbidden… those are all things that the forces of light could never accomplish. Those things are things that The Lord in your heart will never allow.”
After saying that, Chen Xiaolian deliberately revealed a wicked expression and said, “For example… resurrecting the dead.”
“!!!”
Lancelot suddenly raised his head. He stared at Chen Xiaolian with a pair of shocked eyes.
“Now, the question becomes… do you still love that woman? Do you wish to resurrect her?” Chen Xiaolian’s tone of voice contained a sense of wondering.
“… … …” Despite Lancelot’s efforts to keep any emotions from showing on his face, Chen Xiaolian was able to notice that the hand Lancelot used to hold his sword was lightly trembling.
“Despicable dark magus! You are trying to deceive me!” Lancelot glared back and shouted. “You think you can trick me with such a stupid and despicable lie?”
“You can say that I am trying to trick you.” Chen Xiaolian shrugged his shoulders with a relaxed attitude. Then, he said, “But… if you don’t try, how would you know if I am actually lying?”
After saying that, Chen Xiaolian deliberately sighed. He then said with a gentle tone, “Just think about it… the beautiful, the noble and holy Queen Guinevere. She would be able to return to life. She can return to this world… she could stand before you, alive. You would be able to cast your gaze upon her face, hear her voice, feel her breath…”
“… … you… … you…” Lancelot’s face became distorted and his pair of eyes turned bloodshot. It appeared that he was having an internal struggle. “But… … don’t try to deceive me! I have heard of your dark magic before. Your so-called resurrection of the dead will only transform mortals into a terrifying lich!”
Chen Xiaolian was surprised for a moment. Then, he secretly chuckled: Gotcha! I am not afraid of you doubting me. I was only afraid that you won’t even think about it and disregard my words.
It’s good that you are doubting me. The fact that you doubt me means that you are tempted oh!
“Oh, did you say lich?” Chen Xiaolian deliberately put on a show of him thinking. “That is indeed so. In most cases, the resurrection of the dead would end with the dead transforming into a lich, a being that is neither dead nor alive… but, even as a lich, she could still be resurrected to appear before you, isn’t that so? I can give her the perfect body! Even if she is merely an undead being, she would still appear as a living being before you, wouldn’t she?”
Chen Xiaolian continued his attempts to lead his astray, “Additionally… quite the contrary… if she were to be resurrected as an ordinary person, she would fall sick, grow old and die in the end… even if she could live for decades, she would still grow old and you would end up losing her again… just think about it, oh mighty knight, Lancelot. You possess holy powers, the power to live on for eternity. If Guinevere were to be resurrected as an ordinary person, you would not be able to stay with her forever… she would die in the end.
“When you think about it… becoming a lich is not that bad, isn’t it?
“At the very least, she would be able to live a very long life.”
Ka!
The ground beneath Lancelot’s feet was trampled to the point of cracking up! At that point, it was clear that he was facing a huge internal struggle. His emotions fluctuated and he could not control his powers from leaking out!
Chen Xiaolian could feel it. The holy power throughout the entire chapel was fluctuating wildly.
White coloured holy light flashed across the surface of the surrounding pillars and walls.
This fellow’s emotion… was in a state of chaos!
Finally, after what seemed like only a few minutes and yet, also like eternity…
Lancelot widened his crimson coloured eyes and stared at Chen Xiaolian. “What are you trying to say? What do you want?”
He struggled to point his sword at Chen Xiaolian and stepped forward!
“If you want to take away the sacred artefact, then… forget it! I will not make a deal with a despicable dark magus like you! I… I will not betray King Arthur again!”
“Eh, since you’ve betrayed him so many times before… what’s the harm in doing it once more,” Chen Xiaolian said slowly with a smile. “All right… don’t be angry. I am not asking you to let us take the Sword in the Stone away… besides, you are not that stupid, are you? What if we are trying to trick you? What if we take the Sword in the Stone away and not resurrect Guinevere?
“Right? I know you are worried about that.
“You see, I am a reasonable fellow.”
Chen Xiaolian smiled and took the initiative to take several steps forward.
There was not much distance between him and the tip of Lancelot’s sword!
…
Lun Tai and Bei Tai exchanged glances. Bei Tai stared without making any noise while Lun Tai silently shook his head.
They secretly exchanged words using the guild channel.
“What is Guild Leader doing?”
“Err… it seems like Xiaolian is trying to deceive the tin can.”
…
“Out with it! What is it you intend to do?” Lancelot furiously swung his sword! With a boom, a beam of holy light slashed out and a row of benches beside was shattered into wood chips.
A gale blew up as a result. Yet, Chen Xiaolian remained motionless as he stood there.
“It’s simple. Let’s make a deal. I can return the Sword in the Stone to you, right now in fact! However… we do not want to stay here to repent for a hundred years.
“By using dark magic, I can help you revive Guinevere.
“In return, you must release me and my companions!”
Lancelot stared blankly.
Those conditions were no doubt very tempting.
His biggest quandary lied in the safekeeping of the Sword in the Stone’s hilt. He had sworn an oath to protect the sacred artefact here. If they had asked to take away the Sword in the Stone’s hilt… perhaps Lancelot would have a difficult time compromising.
Or maybe he would. After all, for the sake of that woman, he would do anything.
Still, Chen Xiaolian was not willing to take that risk. Thus, he came up with a much lower selling price.
“We’ll return the Sword in the Stone to you and you let us go right this moment,” Chen Xiaolian said coolly. “This condition is a very good bargain for you.”
“… … how can I trust you?” Lancelot’s words nearly burst out of his mouth.
Success!
Chen Xiaolian forced back the mad feelings of joy in his heart. He deliberately revealed an indifferent expression and said in a low voice. “You don’t trust us? Then, how do we trust you?
“In the event that we return the Sword in the Stone to you now but you choose not to let us go, what do we do then?
“So… I thought of a very good way!”
Chen Xiaolian raised his hand and said, “Make an oath! Swear upon your honour as a knight, swear upon The Lord that you believe in, swear it!”
Swear?
Lancelot froze a moment.
“Make the oath! Lancelot, swear that after we return the Sword in the Stone to you and resurrect Guinevere, you promise not to hurt us or make things difficult for us and also allow us to leave…
“You see, there is no loss for you in this deal!
“Because, the contents of this oath states that we must help you resurrect Guinevere before we leave.
“So, there is no need for you to worry about us trying to deceive you… because we are right here. If we try to renege on our promise, you can just force us to stay here… it’s not as if we could beat you, right?”
Lancelot was seemingly lost in thought.
That is true… only after they return the Sword in the Stone and resurrect Guinevere will they be allowed to leave.
If they cannot do it… then, I will make a move against them. This is not a violation against the oath.
It does seem like… there is no loss for me!
Chen Xiaolian slowly spoke up, “I am asking you to make the oath simply to ensure that we would be able to leave. I have no choice but to admit, your strength is too much. We are no match for you. That is why I must ask you to make the oath. Only then, would we be able to be at ease when returning the Sword in the Stone to you and help you resurrect Guinevere.
“After completing those tasks, we will leave.
“Just think about it… there is really no risk for you here.”
“You would believe my oath?” Lancelot looked at Chen Xiaolian.
“This place is a church and you are a knight,” Chen Xiaolian said slowly. “With your honour and identity as a knight, swear in the name of The Lord that you believe in… I will trust an oath such as this.”
“A despicable dark magus would actually believe in an oath made in the name of The Lord, what a laughably ironic situation!” Lancelot sneered; the struggle within his eyes became more intense…
At long last, he took a deep breath and shouted, “Very well! I will trust you! However, you had better not try to deceive me!
“After I make the oath, if you fail to resurrect Guinevere… I will kill you all!”
Chen Xiaolian smiled and made a ‘go ahead’ gesture.
…
“What is Guild Leader trying to do?”
“Don’t be noisy! Observe the situation!”
…
“I am Lancelot, loyal Knight of the Round Table serving under King Arthur, the Lion of Britain, Knight of the Lake, the eighth generation descendant of Jesus Christ, the eternally devout!”
Lancelot turned around, knelt down before the statue of Christ in the church, and spoke loudly.
“I kneel here before The Almighty and swear upon my honour and identity as a knight!
“If, if these thieves can resurrect the noble Queen Guinevere and return the Sword in the Stone…
“Then, I am willing to forgive them for their sin of stealing and allow them to leave immediately!
“I will stand by this oath of mine and never renege on them!”
Next, Lancelot’s voice spread out through every corner of the chapel.
Chen Xiaolian stared at his back and the corners of his mouth curled into a faint sneer.
He could feel it. As Lancelot began to make his oath, each word he uttered was followed by an increasingly turbulent and intense fluctuation of the holy powers within the chapel.
When Lancelot uttered his final sentence: “I will stand by this oath of mine and never renege on them!”
Something strange happened!
…
Dang!
Dang!
Dang!
The bell atop the chapel suddenly rang out by itself all of a sudden!
The bell rang by itself!
The profound sound coming from the bell seemed to contain a strange power originating from a certain somewhere.
The smile on Chen Xiaolian’s face became more evident.
Ka ka… … ka ka… …
Within the chapel, upon the surface of the walls and the pillars, the originally abundant amount of holy power suddenly fell back like the receding tide!
The walls and pillars of the chapel that was enveloped by the holy power suddenly revealed traces of cracks.
Lancelot stood up. He could feel that the holy power was receding!
He looked around in surprise. He observed the walls and saw the cracks appearing one after another!
The sword in his hand, which had been radiating with the light of holy powers…
Upon the surface of the sword tip, the holy light gradually turned dim!
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!”
Chen Xiaolian suddenly raised his head up and laughed.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! That is truly the case! I am simply a genius! That is indeed his weakness! Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
“You… why are you laughing?!!” There was shock in Lancelot’s eyes and he pointed his sword tip at Chen Xiaolian. “You despicable dark magus! What kind of wicked dark magic did you use?”
“You fool!” Chen Xiaolian retorted loudly. By then, he had retrieved and raised his Fearless War Axe. Staring at Lancelot, he said, “I did not use any dark magic at all… truth be told, this senior actually do not know how to use black magic at all! Can’t you feel it? Your Lord has abandoned you!”
“Aban… abandoned?!” Lancelot became startled.
Chen Xiaolian pointed straight at his nose and shouted aloud, “You are the real disgraceful betrayer, Lancelot!
“Back then, King Arthur treated you like a brother. However, you ended up *** his wife! That is the first time you betrayed him!
“Later, King Arthur chose to forgive you and you swore an oath that you would leave his wife forever. However, moments after King Arthur died, you came knocking on the door and harassed his wife! That was your second act of betrayal!
“After Guinevere died, you took an oath to repent and protect King Arthur’s sacred artefact… thinking that you had repented, The Lord granted you with holy power to protect you.
“However, just now, you had betrayed King Arthur once again!
“You still desire Guinevere! You tried to have her resurrected!”
“But, I haven’t done it… you are the one who deceived me… I, I have yet to resurrect Guinevere!”
“A fool is indeed a fool!”
Chen Xiaolian shouted, “There was no need to truly resurrect her! The moment you bore that thought in your heart, that in itself is a sin!
“You made that kind of oath before The Lord, to resurrect King Arthur’s wife so that you may take away someone else’s wife.
“Holding such a filthy thought in your heart and making that kind of oath before The Lord…
“Every word you said is a sin! Every word you said is an insult to King Arthur!
“Your despicableness, your shamelessness, your sins, in that moment, all of them were exposed to The Lord.
“Such a shameless sinner, it was only natural for The Lord that you believed in to abandon you!”
Chen Xiaolian laughed and raised his axe. Then, he shouted, “Lancelot, I am not a dark magus! I simply wanted to trick you into making the oath! You were moved by greed and you bore a wicked thought in your mind. Your Lord will never protect you!
“As for you…
“Pei!
“What piece of shit Lancelot, what piece of shit knight!
“You are just a shameless base person!”
Chen Xiaolian had already popped a Healing Beast Blood into his mouth.
“Bring it on, Lancelot! Now that you no longer have the protection of holy powers, let’s see if this senior can’t kill you, you degenerate scum!”
Hearing those words, Lancelot screamed, “I will kill you, you despicable villain!”
He raised his long sword. This time though, the dazzling holy light shining off his body rapidly faded away!
Lancelot stood there. Despite his mighty and muscular stature… after losing the blessing of his holy powers…
He was nothing more than… a tin can!
…
…