Four Years Later

Seven years had passed since Arkhan pulled Caliburn from the stone.

During these seven years, he first completed the conquest of Ganna. Then, using the coronation ceremony, he removed the corrupted nobles and officials within Camelot, clearing the obstacles for reform.

After that, he led his troops north, annihilating fifty thousand allied forces sent from the Northern Kingdoms and even launching a counterattack, occupying Wessex, Sussex, and Kent.

After the counterattack, pressured by the situation at that time, Arkhan didn't choose to push forward but returned to Camelot. On one hand, it was to digest the fruits of war, and on the other hand, to build strength for the final showdown.

Four years had passed since the war that had shocked all of Britain, and Arkhan was no longer willing to delay any further.

Due to the constraints of the times, the reform plans he initially designed were relatively simple, mainly focusing on food production and military aspects. The advantage was quick and significant results, but correspondingly, the following development space would become smaller and smaller.

After the initial bonus period, the marginal benefits of the reform were gradually diminishing. By now, Camelot had basically reached a bottleneck.

But it didn't mean Camelot had become perfect. It still had many flaws, such as the political system, education, social structure, and productivity, all of which needed addressing.

However, these issues couldn't be solved overnight. Some might have even taken thirty to fifty years to see initial results. In the end, Arkhan decisively abandoned them all because time wasn't entirely on his side.

Initially hinted by the System, he guessed that within seven years, the final battle between him and Vortigern would erupt.

At first, he thought what the System meant was that within seven years, Vortigern would undoubtedly declare war on Camelot. But after careful thought, a more terrifying idea occurred to him.

Maybe, the true meaning of the System was that if he couldn't defeat Vortigern within seven years, it would be impossible to defeat him thereafter.

When Arkhan thought carefully, Vortigern had the Holy Grail and the concept of 'The End of the Age of Gods' stolen from Nidhogg. If given seven years, who knew what he might become?

Perhaps, one day Arkhan would wake up, and the world would suddenly revert to the Age of Gods.

If that were the case, all his efforts would have been in vain.

At this moment, Camelot's strength had far surpassed the peak during the reign of Uther. Even if all the allied nations united, they could only end up being stylishly beaten. It was practically impossible to achieve significant improvement in the short term.

Although Arkhan didn't know how far Vortigern had progressed with his plans, he was no longer willing to wait.

With determination, he immediately gathered everyone, calling for a round table meeting.

"War? Alright! I've been waiting for this day! I can't wait to shove Vortigern's head into his fucking ass!"

Kay was the first to express support for Arkhan's decision. After all these years, he was no longer the clueless boy who had just walked out of Tintagel. Now, he was a respected Knight of the Round Table, often leading the charge with the golden sword Claiomh Solais in hand. People even called him the 'Golden Knight'.

However, spending so much time on the battlefield had given him a bad habit of foul language, and after Arkhan's futile attempts to correct him, he couldn't be bothered anymore.

"I agree. From the data we've gathered, Camelot's improvement is diminishing. But it also confirms that we are currently at our peak. Declaring war on Vortigern at this time, I believe, is not a problem."

Next to agree was Bedivere. He had completely shed his past insecurities and weaknesses, radiating his own brilliance. Even among the Knights of the Round Table, he was a prominent figure.

"I'm fine with it."

Next was Artoria. Under Arkhan's long-term influence, she had gradually grasped the true wisdom of being a king. Despite being a woman, she became the Chief Knight of the Round Table.

It was worth noting that, due to the loss of Caliburn's influence, her body had developed to a degree not inferior to Morgan's, much to her chagrin, believing it would be inconvenient in battle.

Meanwhile, Lancelot, the one who became the chief knight in the original story, had finally sworn allegiance to Arkhan, becoming a member of the Round Table, with a position and strength second only to Artoria.

Since even these influential figures had expressed their approval, the remaining Knights of the Round Table naturally had no objections and nodded in agreement.

Deciding to declare war, the next step was to devise appropriate strategic tactics.

Under Arkhan's deliberate guidance, each member of the Round Table had unique insights in this regard. With the addition of master strategists Bedivere and Artoria, the strategy was completely finalized within a month.

After the final strategic meeting, Arkhan let everyone else leave first and kept Artoria behind.

"Teacher, did you ask me to stay for something?" Artoria asked curiously.

Arkhan leaned back in his chair, eyes slightly closed.

"Lily, do you remember how long it has been since we first met until now?"

"Seven years and six months." Artoria replied without hesitation.

"Is that so...? Time has passed so quickly..." Arkhan sighed lightly, looking at Artoria, and chuckled. "I never thought the little girl from back then would grow into such a gorgeous lady."

Artoria lowered her head slightly, her pretty face showing a barely noticeable blush.

"I said back then that I would teach you everything I know and then return the throne to you." Arkhan looked up at the ceiling. "Now, it's about time."

Artoria suddenly looked up, disbelief filling her azure eyes.

"Teacher, are you saying..."

Arkhan raised his palm, and a palm-sized box with intricate patterns appeared in his hand—the item that Ferguson had given him.

The patterns on the box lit up one by one, converging into a dazzling light. After a moment, the box disappeared, replaced by a pristine silvery-white lance with intricate spiral patterns.

"This lance is known as Rhongomyniad—the lance that shines to the end of the world and the key for humanity to ascend to the Seat of Primacy."

"Your task is to take it and kill Vortigern with it."

"And then..."

"Bathe in the dragon blood and be crowned as the king."