Black Dragon Body, Awaken!

Arkhan clenched his fists, feeling the surging power coursing through his body, a hint of ecstasy appearing on his face.

"This... is this the power of the legendary Dragon of Despair?"

Arkhan muttered, then summoned his spear, Gae Bolg, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

*Crack!*

Gae Bolg instantly snapped in half!

This spear had been personally crafted by the Queen of the Land of Shadows from the toughest bones of sea creatures called Curruid. For sixteen years, Arkhan had sparred with it countless times against Cu Chulainn, and it had never shown even a hint of damage. Yet, with a light squeeze of his hand, it broke!

"At the very least, my physical strength has reached an 'A' rank." Arkhan exclaimed, casually using Rune to restore Gae Bolg to its original state.

The awakening of Nidhogg's power had brought him immense benefits. It was not just an increase in various physical attributes; it was an all-encompassing improvement.

He could clearly feel pure magical energy flowing continuously from his heart, and with every movement, he could unleash an immense amount of magical energy.

Now, he could use a normal attack as if it were a special move, just like Artoria. From now on, he no longer needed to envy her terrifying magical energy regeneration efficiency.

Moreover, due to Nidhogg's nature, his magical energy possessed a strong death attribute. If the opponent's life force wasn't strong enough, they might die from just a touch.

In other words, every one of his attacks carried a certain instant death attribute.

"How does it feel, experiencing the power of this body?" Nidhogg's voice echoed in his mind.

"It's truly an incredible power." Arkhan sincerely nodded.

"Hmph, good to know." Nidhogg snorted triumphantly, "What if I told you that what you've awakened now is only half of the power?"

Arkhan's eyes widened in astonishment.

Such incredible power and it was only half?

"I told you, this scale houses one-tenth of my true power. Did you really think it was just that?" Nidhogg said somewhat discontentedly.

'Just one-tenth?' Arkhan sighed inwardly, maybe this was what being a big shot was like.

"This body is already flooded with power, so I've temporarily sealed the remaining half. I'll release it gradually in the future, so you don't have to worry about not being able to handle it." Nidhogg explained.

Arkhan nodded, and a playful smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

"I never expected you to have such a kind and soft side, Nidhogg."

"Wo-Wordy!" Nidhogg replied indignantly. "I just want you to help me rescue my true body, that's why I'm helping you! Stop making nonsense assumptions, you uncivilized monkey!"

"Could you stop calling me that all the time? I do have a name, you know. I'm Arkhan."

"I don't care! You're still an uncivilized monkey in my eyes!"

Arkhan rolled his eyes. If it weren't for the fact that this fellow had just helped him awaken the power of his body, he would have used Fenghuang Down to put her in her place.

Arkhan's expression slightly changed as he heard the rapid footsteps outside the door.

In the past, he wouldn't have been able to achieve this level of hearing without the assistance of Rune, but the awakening of the Black Dragon Body greatly enhanced his five senses.

Now, he could even predict his opponent's actions by observing their movements, a skill known as 'Battle Intuition'.

'Battle Intuition' wasn't as comprehensive as Artoria's 'Intuition'; in fact, it was quite similar to 'Eye of the Mind'.

Perhaps the only difference was that one was achieved through exceptional talent from birth, while the other was honed through countless battles and experiences.

However, without a doubt, both were powerful combat auxiliary skills.

*BOOM!*

The door was forcefully kicked open, and a few familiar figures squeezed in.

Artoria, Kay, and Yulina.

"Teacher, are you okay?!" Artoria's face showed concern. "A powerful surge of magical energy erupted from this direction a moment ago! I was worried you might be in danger!"

"I'm fine; I was just experimenting with some magecraft..." Arkhan replied with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Artoria's eyes held a hint of doubt. Her innate 'Intuition' was telling her that her teacher might be hiding something.

"Lily, everyone has their secrets, and constantly prying can lead to others being upset." Arkhan chuckled. "It's part of the wisdom of an ideal king."

'The wisdom of an ideal king...' Artoria's eyes brightened slightly as she nodded seriously. "I understand, Teacher!"

"See, I told you..."

Kay muttered, sitting on a nearby chair, however...

"Wha—Gahhh!" 

The moment he touched the chair, it instantly turned to dust and scattered, causing Kay to fall to the ground with a painful cry.

"My ass..." Kay winced as he rubbed his rear, looking puzzled at the dust beneath him. "What happened to this chair?"

Arkhan cleared his throat and said, "That was just a small magecraft I was experimenting with."

"I see..." Kay mumbled, brushing off the dust and standing up.

On the other hand, Yulina had a peculiar expression on her face.

Unlike Artoria and Kay, she was a Dead Apostle highly sensitive to blood and life. From the moment she entered this room, she sensed a powerful and pure death energy around the room.

The source of this power was her master, Arkhan.

Because of her ability to consume magical energy, Yulina was certain that this was not a result of magecraft. 

The essence of this power had far surpassed ordinary magical energy and was approaching the level of 'rules'.

However, Yulina chose to remain silent, feeling even more awe for Arkhan deep in her heart.

Although she didn't know where this power came from, one thing was certain—her master had become even stronger than before.

===

Two days later, the residents of Tintagel received uplifting news from the servants of Ector's estate.

After days of slumber, the new king had finally awakened!

At first, people doubted the authenticity of this news until the appearance of the great mage Merlin confirmed its truth.

At the same time, Merlin also brought the new king's first command.

"All knights currently in Tintagel are invited to gather at Ector's estate for a meeting."