#436A more powerful ancient magic, the prince's last dignityAI Model: gemini-2.5-flashChapter 436: More Powerful Ancient Magic, the Prince's Last DignityCaspian stared blankly at the murals on the wall, somewhat doubting if he had made a mistake.The Kings of Narnia were not as great as the legends claimed; they couldn't help him reclaim his throne, nor could they save Narnia."Are you lost?" Aaron jeered."No.""Oh, come on! It's written all over your face, and you still say no."Caspian's expression froze, "Don't lecture me like an elder; I'm older than you.""Compared to me, age is the only thing you have going for you," Aaron said with a smirk, then looked at the wall where two men and two women stood before a throne, Narnia flourishing under their rule."You blew the horn, found yourself four helpers, hoping they would help you through this difficult time.When people lack confidence, they always place their hopes on others. I understand that perfectly, but it's also common for others to be unreliable. At such times, you have to..."Mid-sentence, Aaron's voice abruptly stopped, and he lay directly on the ground."What are you doing?" Caspian asked, looking at Nikabrik with surprise and uncertainty."He's fine; I just made him sleep," Nikabrik patted the scabbard of his sword. "That's how he knocked me out that night.""Why do that?""For you, Prince," Nikabrik said with a meaningful smile. "Your Kings and Queens have failed us, your army is severely damaged, and the rest are doomed.""What do you mean? Congratulations?"Nikabrik looked him straight in the eyes, his voice carrying a hint of temptation, "You want to kill your uncle for revenge, and so do we.You want to reclaim your throne, and we can help you.""You mean?" Caspian frowned slightly. The 'we' Nikabrik spoke of should have nothing to do with the Narnians."You'll know," Nikabrik then walked deeper into the bunker. Caspian hesitated for a moment and followed him.After the two left, Aaron, who was lying on the ground, quietly opened his eyes."Hiss!" Aaron rubbed the back of his head. "It still hurts quite a bit; that bastard definitely wanted to kill me."He had noticed Nikabrik when he arrived, but he pretended not to know and took the blow to find out his purpose.It was only the ancestral potions and the Dragon Slayer magic Crystal modifications that made his physique far surpass ordinary people. Unless Nikabrik had used an iron bar instead of a scabbard, he wouldn't have been knocked out."No, I still need to find a way to improve my physical strength," Aaron thought to himself.As a Mage, even as a human, his physical quality was already abnormal, but it wasn't enough.A Dwarf's scabbard could make him feel some pain, so if it were a more powerful weapon, he would surely be severely injured!Nikabrik led Caspian to the deepest hall, neither of them noticing Aaron following behind them."You have tried ancient magic, but you failed.However, there is a more powerful magic, one that even Aslan was suppressed by for hundreds of years," Nikabrik said.As his voice fell, an eerie growl emanated from the shadows in the hall. Just hearing it made one's scalp tingle.Caspian immediately drew his longsword, "Who's there?"Two black-robed figures slowly emerged from the darkness, one tall and one thin.They walked slowly towards Caspian, the firelight illuminating their faces: the tall one was a ferocious Wolf, and the thin one was a gloomy Vulture Witch."I am hunger, I am craving. I won't starve to death even if I don't eat for hundreds of years. I won't freeze to death even if I lie on ice for hundreds of days. I can drink a river of blood and still not quench my thirst," the Wolf growled, removing his hood to reveal a hideous face. "Speak, speak, who is your enemy."Caspian was startled and immediately pointed his sword at him."What you hate, we also hate. No one hates more than we do," the Vulture Witch said, drawing out her words.Caspian thought for a moment, "Can you really kill Miraz?""A trifle," the Vulture Witch bowed.Hearing this, Caspian fell silent for a moment and sheathed his longsword.That magic horn couldn't help him, so he would try a more profound magic."Let's draw a circle," the Vulture Witchsaid, her dark claws tracing a circle around Caspian on the ground.As she drew the circle, she chanted an ancient spell.Once the circle was complete, she took out a silver-white staff shaped like a short spear and thrust it firmly into the ground.Crack! Crack!A bone-chilling cold mist emanated from the staff, and ice quickly covered the ground, spreading forward.The ice connected two stone pillars, forming a tall, thick ice wall. A white figure emerged within the ice wall, becoming clearer and clearer.Nikabrik, the Wolf, and the Witch all curved their lips into a smile at this sight.Soon, a white-haired Witch in a white dress appeared in the ice wall. Her eyes were cold, looking down on all living beings.Gulp!Aaron, observing all this from the doorway, couldn't help but swallow.This Witch gave him a great sense of oppression, almost on par with Lord Voldemort.He had never seen this person, but Narnia was full of her legends, the White Witch who had ruled Narnia for hundreds of years."My goodness, can villains live that long?" Aaron secretly complained. Perhaps the White Witch had indeed died hundreds of years ago, but not completely.Her servants could revive her through special methods, and then Narnia would once again be covered in ice and snow."Wait," Caspian seemed to realize who this woman was, his face changing drastically. He instinctively stepped back, "This is not what I wanted."The Wolf immediately restrained him, pointing his left hand towards the White Witch."Just one drop of Adam's blood can set me free," the White Witch tempted, "I will be at your beck and call, my King.""No."Caspian struggled violently, but he was firmly suppressed by the Wolf.The Vulture Witch sliced his palm with a dagger, and red blood flowed out.The White Witch showed a faint smile, eagerly extending her right hand.Her fair fingers passed through the ice wall and were exposed to the air. Caspian seemed to feel something, his eyes hazy, and his resistance significantly lessened."Can't wait any longer."Aaron thought anxiously. He couldn't defeat a Wizard who was possibly a Holy Mage.Bang!A golden bullet struck the White Witch's hand.The sound of ice crystals shattering rang out, followed by a painful scream.No blood flowed from the White Witch's right hand, but some cracks appeared, which quickly healed."magic," the White Witch said instinctively.The Wolf, the Vulture, and Nikabrik also noticed Aaron, who had burst in."You, how did you...?" Nikabrik said nervously, "Didn't I knock you out?""With you?" Aaron said disdainfully, "You underestimate me too much! If I hadn't willingly allowed it, you wouldn't have been able to get close to me."The Wolf and the Witch immediately roared and charged, the ritual having reached this point, no interruption would be allowed."Nonsense."Aaron scoffed and fired two shots.The Witch was shot in the head, black blood splattering everywhere, but the Wolf, relying on his beastly instincts, dodged the fatal blow."He's mine," the Wolf growled at Nikabrik. "You quickly release the Queen."Nikabrik immediately grabbed Caspian, wanting to give him a final push."Dream on."Aaron immediately aimed, but just before pulling the trigger, the Wolf pounced and stopped him.Howl!The Wolf let out a low howl and engaged Aaron in close combat, giving him no chance to shoot.His arm slashed down rapidly, dark, cold claws thrusting towards Aaron's chest.Aaron raised an eyebrow slightly, dodged the claw with a sidestep, then swiftly extended his left hand and punched the Wolf in the jaw.Bang!The Wolf flew backward, several sharp teeth falling to the ground."You could have died quickly and painlessly, why insist on suffering some flesh wounds!"Aaron slowly shook his head, then shot the Wolf in the forehead.At this moment, Nikabrik had just run into the circle, and half of the White Witch's right arm had already extended out of the ice wall, only a few steps away from the blood on Caspian's left hand."Don't move!" Aaron shouted, pointing his gun at Nikabrik. "Don't move if you don't want to die.""How many bullets do you have left?" Nikabrik asked with a sneer.Aaron paused for a moment. Last night, the revolver had four bullets left.One was used to injure the White Witch's right hand, one to headshot the Vulture Witch, one was dodged by the Wolf, and the last one killed the Wolf.All four bullets were used up. Now, this gun was just a beautiful work of art."Damn it!""If you understand, then don't stop me. We need the Queen's power," Nikabrik said righteously, continuing to pull the bewildered Caspian closer to the White Witch."Stop!"Just then, Peter, Edmund, Susan, Lucy, and Trumpkin rushed in."Don't come any closer!" Nikabrik immediately held his sword to Caspian's neck. "Come any closer and I'll kill him.""Do you know what you're doing?" Trumpkin looked at the ice wall, feeling immense pain. He never expected his old friend to do such a thing. "Nikabrik, once the White Witch is revived...""That's still much better than the Telmarine rule," Nikabrik interrupted. "Hundreds of years ago, when Narnia was covered in ice and snow, at least we weren't trapped in the forest, barely surviving.What's more, now the forest is almost gone. If we don't free the Queen, we only have one path: death.""Nikabrik, put down your sword first," Susan pleaded. "This won't solve any problems; on the contrary, it will make the situation even more severe.""No! This is all your fault. You betrayed our trust!" Nikabrik shouted. "Continuing to follow your path will definitely lead Narnia to destruction, and the Queen has the ability to change all of this."The White Witch's lips curved upward, "You cannot fight alone; you need my help.""Do you think we'll believe you?" Edmund sneered, tightening his grip on his longsword. "I still remember how you tricked me back then. After luring me to the Castle, you locked me in a cold cell and constantly threatened me with death.In short, I don't believe a single word you say.""This time is different," the White Witch smiled. "Adam's blood can bring me freedom, but it is also a complex contract.I cannot harm the human who releases me, and I must serve him.Once I violate it, I will be sealed again.""Serve?" Aaron said meaningfully, then pointed at the dazed Caspian. "Like him? Become your puppet?You can't harm them, but you can control their minds. Does the White Witch want to experience the joy of ruling from behind the curtains?"The White Witch's expression froze, but she quickly composed herself. "Of course not, this is merely a side effect of the ritual.""But you can do that," Aaron spread his hands. "You can't fool me. No one is better at finding loopholes in contracts than Gaius.Even if you wholeheartedly submit to the person who releases you, how long will that human live?Once he's gone, Narnia will still be yours to command."Exposed by Aaron, the White Witchsimply stopped pretending. "I did think that way, but how I act will also depend on the kind of person who releases me.Prince Caspian is an excellent leader. Even if I can subtly influence him, some core aspects are difficult to change.During his lifetime, I can only follow his ideas, lead Narnia to prosperity, and at most, only prolong the winter season.""And after he dies?" Peter asked seriously."Winter will naturally overtake summer," the White Witch said very casually. "However, as Nikabrik said, my rule would at least be infinitely better than the Telmarines'.The current impending disaster versus decades of prosperous life and then a relatively lenient rule - I shouldn't need to remind you how to choose!"Peter and Susan hesitated for a moment, unable to deny that the White Witch's words made a lot of sense.Lucy and Edmund looked grim. One was a staunch supporter of Aslan, and the other had been terribly wronged by the White Witch. Both knew that cooperating with her was like playing with fire."We absolutely cannot trust her," Lucy said. "Aslan is the true guardian of Narnia.""Of course, I know we can't trust her," Peter said with a helpless wry smile. "But Aslan hasn't appeared yet. Barely surviving is always better than extinction.First, we solve the current crisis, then we can talk about the future.""Peter," Susan struggled for a while, then said in a deep voice, "Let's listen to them this time. Compared to the White Witch, the Telmarines are a minor inconvenience.""Pretentious!" Aaron pouted and walked towards Nikabrik."Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll kill him!" Nikabrik roared."Let go of Caspian, you can't keep making mistakes.""Shut up, Trumpkin.Your Kings and Queens can't save Narnia. You can't stop me from saving myself, can you!"The two Dwarves' argument did not make Aaron stop. Each step was like a heavy hammer striking Nikabrik's heart."You, aren't you afraid I'll kill him?""Go ahead!" Aaron said indifferently. "For old times' sake, I suggest you go for the throat with one swift strike, so Caspian can die quickly.But be careful with the force of your sword; don't chop off his head. He's a Prince of a country, after all, leaving him a complete body is the last bit of decency."Everyone:...
