Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist

-

Meanwhile, the tranquility inside the cabin was shattered by the raging magical currents.

"What's going on?!" Da Vinci slammed his fist on the table, his Mystic Code emitting a bright warning light. "High concentration of Heroic Spirit reaction detected!"

Muramasa Senji gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his knuckles white: 'Not just one... the Spirit Origins of two top-tier Servants are approaching!'

Before Ritsuka could even process what was happening, the sound of something cutting through the air ripped through the night sky. Two missiles, trailing flames, crashed through the window frame. Although Senji Muramasa drew his katana in time, the sword energy he unleashed only managed to cleave one of them.

'Get down!'

boom--!

Another missile exploded inside the building, the scorching blast carrying wood chips that scattered like shrapnel. At that critical moment, a chilling aura swept across the area, and an ice wall rose from the ground, completely blocking the explosion. Ice crystals fell in a flurry, reflecting the solemn profile of the fairy knight Gareth.

'Is everything alright?'

The trembling response was interrupted by new footsteps. The figure slowly emerging from the thick smoke made Ritsuka gasp—it was indeed Diana, but her body had transformed into a mobile arsenal. The composite cannon barrels extending from her elbows gleamed coldly; the breastplate and the fluttering orange scarf created a contradictory aesthetic; her legs were covered in marble-patterned armor; and the U-shaped device hovering behind her hummed, gathering energy.

'Kalia,' Diana's voice crackled with metallic resonance, 'how long can your ice wall hold?'

Senji Muramasa's sword tip trembled slightly: 'It's you again... no, this Spirit Origin reaction...'

Da Vinci's detector emitted a piercing beep: 'Impossible! The spirit origins of two Heroic Spirits... have fused within her!'

Ritsuka's gaze swept over those familiar features, her voice tightening: 'Galatean's sculpted armor... Achilles' chariot scarf... She actually wore the power of a Heroic Spirit!'

Facing Diana, now a fusion of the powers of two Heroic Spirits, Da Vinci and Ritsuka were indeed awestruck by her radiant armor. However, Ritsuka vaguely sensed a familiarity with the way this power was used. As a fragment of his deepest memory was awakened, he blurted out:

'Wait! This pattern... isn't it just like the one we saw in the Candy Fairy Tale Town Singularity? Miss Illyasviel—no, I should say the card fusion technique used by the children! Connecting to Valhalla through a special medium, borrowing the power of Heroic Spirits...'

Da Vinci's expression hardened upon hearing this. While maintaining the defensive barrier, he quickly analyzed: 'Indeed. This is very similar to the power system used by Illyasviel and Miyu Edelfelt. But why would it appear in the British Lostbelt? And why can it draw upon the power of Heroic Spirits from across human history?'

There's only one answer left! Ritsuka clenched her fist.

Their hushed conversation was interrupted by Diana's maniacal laughter. She twisted her neck, the armored joints clanking crisply: 'Oh dear, isn't this the little bastard whose hand I broke? Looks like he's recovered quite well~ I should have just crushed his head back then!'

This provocation pushed the fairy knight Gareth to her breaking point. She strode forward, ice crystals beginning to condense around her: 'You monster, how dare you be so arrogant! If I can kill you once, I can kill you a second time!'

"You think you can take me on so easily?" Diana laughed loudly, the composite cannon barrel on her elbow charging. "I'm not someone you can easily deal with now!"

'Further words are pointless!'

'Wait! That device is dangerous!' Da Vinci's warning was drowned out by the sudden burst of cold air.

Countless blue magic circles inlaid with frost bloomed in the air, surrounding Diana completely. At the command of the fairy knight Gareth, dense ice spikes rained down like a storm. However, Diana merely smiled cruelly, neither dodging nor evading.

Clang—!

A flash of emerald light streaked past, shattering all the ice spikes before they could even touch her. In the blinding light, Diana suddenly appeared behind the fairy knight Gareth, and the heavy compound cannon slammed down with a whooshing sound—

'clang!'

Senji Muramasa's katana was just in time to block the cannon barrel, the flying sparks illuminating his solemn face: 'A sneak attack is not the act of a gentleman, little girl.'

"Not bad for your reflexes, Japanese swordsmith," Diana scoffed, suddenly increasing the pressure on her sword. "But that's about it!"

"Oh? How about this move!" Senji Muramasa slashed his blade, unleashing a crimson shockwave centered on him. The scorching blast pushed Diana several meters away, leaving scorch marks on her pristine white armor.

'Hmph, trying to tickle me?' Diana lightly patted her armor, dust swirling in the moonlight. 'Without those two monsters in my way, who can stop me now?'

"Oh no..." Leonardo da Vinci finally found an opening to explain, "The Galatea she fused with possesses the blessing of the 'Statue Maiden,' being both a living being and a sculpture, with extraordinary defensive capabilities and self-repairing abilities. And Achilles' 'Hero's Everlasting Flower' further grants her a near-immortal blessing. Right now, she's probably the most defensively powerful enemy we've ever encountered!"

'Enough with the nonsense!' Diana's figure suddenly blurred, and the next second she had broken through the defenses and reached Finch. A spear ejected from the composite cannon thrust straight at her—

"Don't even think about it!" Fairy Knight Gareth's ice shield timely parried the spear. Artoria Caster simultaneously unleashed four light wheels to launch a pincer attack.

'A mere trick!' Diana easily shattered the light wheel, and the U-shaped launcher on her back instantly lit up. Five lasers and a barrage of missiles simultaneously locked onto the group, and a rain of death was about to engulf the entire area!

Senji Muramasa's eyes widened in fury, his katana drawing a fiery arc: "Spiral! Shatter everything!"

Where the blade passed, the air twisted into a visible spiral of air, and missiles launched in its path detonated one after another, bursting into a series of fireballs in the night sky.

Almost simultaneously, Sei Shonagon opened the book in her hands and softly recited: "【The Pillow Book - Spring Dawn】!"

In an instant, palm-leaf fans painted with the scenery of the four seasons spun in the air to form shields, hydrangeas bloomed with a soft halo, and layers of Japanese-style screens rose up—these mental landscapes inspired by "The Pillow Book" built an elegant yet sturdy barrier around everyone. Laser beams struck the screens, splashing colorful ripples, and the shockwave from the explosion was cleverly deflected by the palm-leaf fans.

"A mere trick!" Diana shouted, and the cannon in her elbow was charged again.

Senjimura pressed forward, his spiraling sword energy sweeping out like a tornado, shredding the remaining attacks. He stood with his sword held horizontally, the tip pointing directly at Diana: "Your opponent is me! Stay away from those youngsters!"

"You old bones?" Diana sneered, the U-shaped device on her back humming. "Perfect for testing the performance of our new equipment!"

She leaped into the air, the combination cannon transforming and unfolding to reveal its internal rotating barrel. A dense hail of bullets rained down, and Senjimura's katana danced in a circular formation, the blades colliding with the bullets and sparks flying.

"Hey, what's all the noise about in the middle of the night..." Oberon rubbed his eyes and came out of the inner room. When he saw the wooden house that had been blown to pieces and Diana in her armor, he was instantly wide awake. "It's you! It's only been a few days, how did you become such a mess!"

"Oberon!" Senji Muramasa shouted urgently while parrying bullets, "Get everyone out of here! You know the terrain!"

"Understood! Everyone, follow me!" Oberon reacted immediately, and phosphorescent flames flew out from his sleeve as a guide.

-

Deep in the forest, the battle intensified. Senji Muramasa fought and retreated, keenly observing his opponent: Diana had a brief recharge interval after each shot, and the accuracy of the combined cannons decreased during rapid fire. The dense forest should have restricted her movements, but she cleverly used the tree trunks as gun mounts.

"Found an opening!" Just as Diana stepped onto a thick tree branch and prepared to leap, Senji Muramasa slashed his blade, a sword aura precisely severing the branch. In the instant of losing her balance, three burning katanas arrived in a triangular formation.

Diana hastily raised her cannon to parry, the scorching blade energy leaving burn marks on her armor. In that instant, Senjimura leaped into the air like a cheetah, his legs clamping down on her neck like iron pincers—

"Successful!"

Using the momentum of his descent, he slammed Diana hard into the ground. With a deafening roar, leaves flew everywhere, and the ground cracked in a spiderweb pattern. Diana was trapped deep in the crater, and sparks flew from the seams of her armor.

"The game is over!" Senjimura raised his sword to strike, but then heard a strange writhing sound coming from the forest. Two purplish-black tentacles burst from the ground, striking at his face with lightning speed. In his hasty retreat, a wound was still slashed open on his abdomen, and the eerie purplish-black toxin immediately spread through his flesh as if it were alive.

“Heh…” Diana swayed as she stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. “Even if you’re not a citizen of Britain, being corrupted by the Calamity Toxin means certain death.” She pointed triumphantly to the enormous shadow that was gradually appearing in the forest. “A gift I specially prepared before coming here—this is a specially bred giant Morse. Before you are completely devoured, enjoy watching those girls’ skulls shatter!”

Accompanied by a nauseating writhing sound, the three-meter-tall Moss revealed its true form, its body flowing with viscous black mud, and countless tentacles dancing wildly in the air. Senji Muramasa felt an excruciating burning pain from the wound in his abdomen, but he still forced himself to stand up, and his katana once again ignited with an inextinguishable flame.

"Mere flesh wounds! Get out of my way, monster!"

He roared and charged forward, his blade flashing like a crescent moon. The fierce strike cleaved Moss in two, spraying foul-smelling black blood like rain. However, the shattered body split into dozens of smaller Moss, writhing and surging in from all directions like a tide.

"This is never going to end!" Senji Muramasa gritted his teeth, sheathing his sword and ignoring the nauseating sight behind him. "I have to catch up with that woman!"

By this time, Oberon had led everyone through the dense forest and was nearing its edge. After Leonardo da Vinci briefly explained the situation, Oberon looked solemnly at the battlefield behind him, which was engulfed in flames, with only one thought in his mind: he had to get everyone out of the Autumn Forest alive.

Oberon looked back anxiously, the sounds of explosions and falling trees echoing through the forest. 'Damn it, just how many more strange and unusual pieces of equipment does that madwoman have? Mr. Muramasa...can he really hold on?'

'That Japanese kid?' A familiar voice suddenly came from the back of the group, making everyone freeze. 'Hehehe...you don't need to worry about him—'

"What?!" Everyone turned around in astonishment. Diana, who should have been held back by Senji Muramasa, had somehow caught up with them, and her armor still bore fresh slash marks.

In a flash, Diana charged forward like a cannonball, her shoulder armor slamming into Artoria and Ritsuka, who were walking at the front. Her elbow cannon swept towards Oberon and the fairy knight Gareth. The four were scattered by the unexpected impact. Diana's visor locked onto the fallen Artoria and Ritsuka, and the combination cannon transformed once more.

"Freeze!" The fairy knight Gareth spread his arms wide, and a chilling aura swept out, covering the vegetation in his path with frost.

However, the armor around Diana rippled with a light that seemed to flow like water the moment the chill touched it. 'A futile struggle!' She grinned maliciously and accelerated, the sharp blades that popped out from the front of the combination cannon pointing directly at the two embracing figures.

'That's enough—go to hell!'

Artoria and Ritsuka instinctively closed their eyes, awaiting the fatal blow.

'clang--!'

The clang of metal on metal was deafening. A crimson sword aura pierced the air, striking Diana's wrist guard precisely and swaying her off course. Senji Muramasa appeared like a ghost, his katana slashing down with the force of a mountain splitting.

'Ambush a lone child... third-rate scum!'

Diana hastily raised her cannon to block, but the immense force of the strike penetrated her armor and went straight to her internal organs. She was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, the golden armor on her chest shattering to reveal the writhing energy veins beneath.

"You bastard..." she coughed up blood as she got up, "Why can I still move?"

Senjimura twirled his sword, eerie black blood seeping from the purplish-black wound on his abdomen as he moved: 'Hmph, who knows?'

'grandfather!'

'Mr. Muramasa, your injury...'

Ritsuka and the fairy knight Gareth exclaimed in unison. The old swordsman, however, nonchalantly flicked the blood from his blade: 'A swarm of Morse is approaching from behind. We can catch up later!'

Seeing this, Diana stomped the ground, her armored thrusters spewing blue flames as she tried to escape. Senji Muramasa wouldn't let her get away; he thrust his katana into the ground, sending flying dirt obscuring his vision, and simultaneously leaped into the treetops in hot pursuit.

"Wait..." Ritsuka stopped the hesitant fairy knight Gareth, "What exactly is Grandpa's injury...?"

The fairy knight Gareth watched the receding figure among the treetops, her nails digging deep into her palms. In her long memory, no one had ever survived the corrosive influence of Morse—those ever-spreading purplish-black lines were silently devouring the old swordsman's remaining time.

Deep in the dense forest, Senji Muramasa's katana transformed into a continuous curtain of blades, each strike precisely slicing through the seams of Diana's armor. Sparks rained down, the old swordsman's onslaught like a storm, forcing Diana into a relentless retreat.

'Damn it...!' Diana frantically raised her combined cannon to parry, her armor already covered in cuts of varying depths. Senji Muramasa suddenly changed his move, his blade flashing out like a venomous snake, precisely positioned against her neck.

"Why...why can you still move!" Diana screamed, feeling the cold blade against her neck.

Senji Muramasa's wrist tightened slightly, the blade drawing another fraction closer: 'I am something that should never have existed, neither human nor demon. How could this twisted body fear mere filth?'

With a sudden burst of force, the combined cannon was violently deflected. A flash of cold light, and blood gushed from Diana's neck like a fountain. She staggered to her knees, her bloodied fingers futilely pressing against the wound.

'I will remember this humiliation...' she coughed up blood, her figure gradually turning into black mist and dissipating, leaving only a crimson stain on the ground.

When everyone rushed over, they saw Senji standing there, sword sheathed. Surprisingly, although the wound on his abdomen had not healed, the curse had indeed stopped spreading.

"Don't worry, I'm still very healthy." He turned around with a smile, but was tightly embraced by Ritsuka and Artoria on either side.

'Idiot...' Ritsuka buried her face in his chest, her voice choked with sobs, 'Why did you do something so reckless...'

Artoria, unusually vulnerable, said, 'I'm sorry... please let me stay here for a little while...'

Senji Muramasa sighed softly, sat down on the ground, and embraced the two girls: 'Silly children, it's only natural for elders to protect their juniors.'

Leonardo da Vinci examined his wound with concern: 'But the curse of Morse...'

"It's alright." Senjimura waved his hand. "Perhaps the protective spell that woman left inside me when I left Camelot is working."

The fairy knight Gareth, performing a healing spell, couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "You are truly an unprecedented exception!"

Oberon leaned closer enviously: "Could I have a little of that ability?"

"Dream on." Senji Muramasa glared at him. "You're always making Artoria angry; I'll be the first to object."

"Huh?!" Oberon looked at Artoria with a wronged expression. "I wasn't that mean, was I?"

Artoria gave a soft hum: 'Mr. Muramasa is right!'

Amidst the laughter, Senji Muramasa's expression grew serious: "Let's get down to business. That woman's weakness is her neck."

'The neck?' Leonardo da Vinci mused. 'Achilles' weakness was clearly his heel...'

"The weakness shifted after the fusion," Senji Muramasa explained. "She's fully armored except for her neck. But to hit that..." He shook his head and smiled wryly, "I was mostly lucky that I succeeded just now."