Feeling how weak the hands around his throat had become, Mozo paused and frowned slightly.
"Is it worth it?"
The elven master craftsman snarled, his face twisted with fury.
"Humans without faith or soul… vile and ignorant! Cough… cough… Just stop… and get out!"
But no matter how strong his will was, his dying body could no longer hold on. The moment he finished speaking, his strength gave out. If he hadn't instinctively leaned against Mozo, he would have already collapsed onto the ground.
Mozo hesitated for a brief moment. Then, under the elf's furious yet weakening gaze, he reached toward the statue and took down the crown resting upon it.
Even so, the radiant patterns on the crown did not fade. The Golden Legion remained fully active, continuing their relentless assault on Count Hahn in the underground hall.
Realizing he could no longer stop him, the anger in the elven master craftsman's eyes slowly faded, replaced by desperation and pleading.
"Please… I beg you… don't… don't desecrate the King… And even if you… wear it… you still won't be able to stop it…"
Mozo felt an inexplicable heaviness in his chest. He let out a long sigh.
Then, under the elf's gaze that turned furious once more, he placed the crown upon his head.
In that instant, a miracle occurred.
The silver crown rapidly transformed into pure gold. The emerald patterns upon it shone with dazzling brilliance.
The confusion in the elven master craftsman's eyes deepened… then turned into realization… and finally into terror.
Mozo suddenly felt the weight on his body lighten. The elf had released him.
Then, with utmost reverence, the elven master craftsman dropped to his knees and spoke his final words:
"Please forgive us… and welcome… your return…"
Mozo crouched down and softly said to the lifeless body before him,
"I never blamed you."
Then he stood, looked down at the Golden Legion, and issued a command in the tone of a king:
"Sleep, my warriors."
In the next moment, within the underground hall, Count Hahn—who had already begun manifesting his mythical form as the Tree of Life—watched in shock as the powerful Golden Legion climbing his massive roots suddenly lost all momentum.
They froze.
Then, one by one, they reverted into their original forms—metallic cocoons. Through the cracks in their shells, the crimson glow that powered them began to fade and cool.
After observing for a moment, Count Hahn finally dispelled his mythical form, shrinking from the towering tree back into his human shape, his expression filled with uncertainty.
Just as the man in black had predicted, he had been forced into a desperate corner. The Golden Legion, the pinnacle of elven craftsmanship, had evolved after countless destructions, eventually gaining the capability to kill him.
Against such an undying enemy, his only choice had been to unleash his mythical form, hoping to contain them underground.
At the very least, it could be explained as an earthquake, and it would prevent these monsters from reaching the surface and slaughtering civilians.
But what he couldn't understand was why they had suddenly shut down at the last moment.
After a brief pause, Count Hahn took out Judas's Silver Coins again.
This time, instead of using them immediately, he pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall.
This was the activation condition of Sealed Artifact 1-141, Judas's Silver Coins—a drop of high-sequence blood. The higher the sequence, the more times it could be used.
The previous uses had already been exhausted.
As for the Golden Legion, their activation cost had long been paid back in the era they were forged. Otherwise, Mozo in the present would never have been able to afford the price of activating something equivalent to Sequence 2.
This time, over a hundred silver coins were tossed into the air.
When they fell, only two remained.
One represented humanity.
The other… was the coin of the Twin Sacred Trees, the same one that had appeared before.
A human stopped this disaster? And it has something to do with the Twin Sacred Trees?
Staring at the vague revelation, Count Hahn arrived at this conclusion.
Judas's Silver Coins could not be interfered with even by true gods. But their flaw was equally obvious—their answers were always frustratingly obscure.
Meanwhile, in the Cromwell City above ground, the continuous earthquakes caused by Count Hahn's battle forced even the residents of the Old District to flee their homes despite the curfew.
Under the uneasy aim of soldiers' rifles, the terrified citizens gathered in open spaces as the ground trembled beneath them.
The soldiers themselves hesitated. In the end, they stopped enforcing the restrictions and instead began guiding the civilians toward safer areas. Near the outskirts, troops were already organizing evacuations beyond the city.
Amid the chaos, some residents noticed something strange.
Despite it being nighttime, the flowers in gardens and along the streets were blooming.
Even flowers that should only bloom in other seasons were rapidly growing and blossoming.
It was a bizarre sight.
Even during the earthquake, it drew gasps and whispers from the crowd.
After the tremors subsided, discussions about the abnormal blooming only grew louder.
But since nothing as shocking as a legion of golden warriors appearing had occurred, most people treated it as a strange but natural phenomenon.
Especially after several respected professors stepped forward alongside officials to explain it as a normal effect of the earthquake, no one suspected the involvement of supernatural forces.
Back in the circular chamber, after issuing the command to sleep, Mozo removed the crown.
As he did, the golden crown gradually lost its luster, fading back into a dull, stone-like pale color.
Without hesitation, Mozo placed it back onto the statue.
Then he walked toward the unconscious girl leaning against the wall.
Only now did he realize, with surprise, who she was.
Catherine Windsor.
The only daughter of the Grand Duke of Windsor.
And if the supernatural truly existed…
Then Mozo strongly suspected that this Grand Duke Windsor was the very same one from three hundred years ago. Even if not, he was likely still alive.
But that wasn't the most important part.
The most important thing was that the Grand Duke of Windsor had once been the most steadfast leader of the anti-Cromwell faction in the Empire's political arena.
And also the most loyal royalist.
Because of that, he was likely the most powerful noble in the Empire today, second only to the Queen.
And Mozo…
He had once been Cromwell.
The greatest rebel against the crown.