Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist

She didn't even make any obvious casting motions; she simply flicked her slender index finger in the direction of the two of them, as casually as if plucking a string on a musical instrument.

"Whoosh—Buzz!!!"

A piercing shriek suddenly erupted! A funnel-shaped cyclone, over three meters in diameter and with its internal airflow spinning at terrifying speed, appeared out of nowhere, as if hurled by an invisible hand, hurtling towards Caster and the village of Qianzi! The trajectory of the cyclone was too fast for the naked eye to follow; only a blurry afterimage and a distorted halo caused by high-speed air friction could be seen. Even more terrifying, as the cyclone moved, the paving stones and broken bricks on both sides of the ground were easily swept up and torn apart, turning into countless deadly dust particles that mixed with the violent airflow, forming a deathly millstone that devoured everything!

Even without any magic theory, one can intuitively feel that any flesh and blood body, as long as it is slightly grazed by the edge of this cyclone, will be immediately torn apart and ground up by the tearing force that surpasses the level of a hurricane, leaving not even a complete fragment of the bones!

Faced with the raging cyclone that was tearing everything apart, Castor reacted extremely quickly, tapping the ground with the tip of his staff. Instantly, a complex pale blue magic circle unfolded and expanded! A semi-transparent, arc-shaped shield, shimmering with starlight, rose from the ground, barely blocking the cyclone's path.

"Swoosh—Boom!!"

The cyclone violently slammed into the shield, producing a teeth-grinding friction and explosion! Starlight flickered rapidly on the shield's surface, and countless fine cracks spread outwards, but it ultimately did not shatter, blocking the deadly tearing force and debris from the outside. The cyclone's energy was exhausted, dissipating into turbulent airflow.

However, the crisis is far from over!

Almost at the same instant the cyclone dissipated, a thick, terrifying bolt of lightning, a bright purple color, tore through the sky from the clouds above and struck down directly at the two of them! Even more bizarrely, the lightning was accompanied by a biting cold wind and dense ice crystals—thunder, storm, and extreme cold, three completely different attack attributes were forcibly combined into a devastating composite strike!

Caster's face paled; maintaining the shield had taken a heavy toll, and he barely had time to construct a defense of equal strength. Senji Muramasa roared, attempting to deflect some of the attack with his sword, but the lightning and blizzard covered too wide an area and moved too fast!

"BOOM—!!!"

The hastily erected second shield shattered the moment it made contact! Caster was thrown back several steps by the aftershock of the explosion, his blood churning. Senji Muramasa's sword aura was also easily crushed, his body covered in frost, and his movements slightly sluggish.

And this is just the beginning.

As soon as the lightning struck, a second, a third... attack of different attributes, including hail, tornado blades, and even high-temperature heat waves, came wave after wave from all directions like an unstoppable tide! Thunder roared, the wind howled, and the light and shadow of ice and fire intertwined and flickered on the narrow street, completely engulfing the two in the frenzied elemental bombardment.

Caster was horrified. She struggled to maintain the crumbling multiple shields, her icy blue eyes fixed on the emerald green figure in the distance who had casually raised a hand, as if conducting a relaxed symphony. She could clearly sense that Sylph wasn't even serious. These attacks, which would throw ordinary Servants into a frenzy or even kill them on the spot, were perhaps just "ordinary" greetings to her.

Based on records and vague perceptions, Sylph's true terror lies in her two domain-type killing moves that symbolize the extremes of the seasons:

'Winter Snow and Frost'—Instantly lowers the temperature within the domain to an extreme cold where life is extinguished, accompanied by biting winds and a blizzard that blots out the sky. The extreme cold not only corrodes the flesh, but also stagnates the flow of magic. Even more deadly is the thick ice mist and frost that result, which completely deprives the user of sight and perception, trapping the enemy in a silent white hell.

"Summer Heat"—the complete opposite of the former, transforms the area into an incinerator, with temperatures soaring to levels high enough to evaporate blood and scorch the lungs. The extreme heat distorts the air, instantly squeezing out moisture, making breathing painful and difficult, ultimately leading to exhaustion and carbonization in extreme dehydration and heat.

That was the true embodiment of natural disaster, a crushing defeat at the level of rules. In comparison, this seemingly ferocious combined attack might just be... a "warm-up."

"Damn it... we can't get any closer!" Senji Muramasa cleaved a small tornado mixed with sand and gravel in two with a single slash, his breathing slightly heavy. The relentless long-range bombardment had them struggling to keep up, and even closing the distance had become a pipe dream.

Just then, hurried footsteps and shouts came from the other end of the street—it was Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mashu, and Da Vinci who had broken through the North Gate and were heading towards the center!

"Senior! Over here!" Mash spotted Castor and Muramasa trapped in the elemental storm and immediately rushed over.

However, Sylph's emerald eyes shifted slightly, as if she had anticipated their meeting.

"Is everyone here? Well... let's increase the 'rainfall' a little."

She snapped her fingers lightly.

In an instant, the sky (or rather, the area above everyone's heads affected by the magic) suddenly changed color! It was no longer a series of sporadic, compound attacks, but countless enormous "raindrops," each the size of a basketball, condensed out of thin air, carrying astonishing mass and speed, and crashing down on everyone below like a meteor shower!

This was not "rain" at all! Every "raindrop" that hit the ground made a heavy "thump" sound, and the stone slabs shattered and sank instantly! It was practically a saturation bombardment made of liquid boulders!

"Raise the shield!" Mash shouted, immediately raising the giant cross shield high above her head, like opening a giant umbrella to protect Ritsuka and Da Vinci beneath her.

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump—!!!"

The dense, terrifying impacts instantly engulfed the three! Each strike was as heavy as a mountain, causing Mashu's arms to ache and go numb, her shield to groan under the strain, and her feet to sink deeper into the shattered ground with each impact. Even under the shield, Ritsuka and Da Vinci could feel the terrifying shockwaves and the splashing, lethal water droplets.

"Cough... It's so heavy..." Mashu gritted her teeth, veins bulging on her forehead. "Is this really... rainwater?!"

"Mash... hang in there..." Ritsuka shouted amidst the deafening impacts, trying to find a gap to retaliate or move, but under such dense "bombardment," even keeping her footing was extremely difficult.

"In this state... let alone counterattack... even maintaining a defense is a struggle!" Da Vinci analyzed quickly, trying to find the weakness of this abnormal attack, but the lack of information and the continuous pressure made her feel helpless.

Sylph calmly observed the group struggling in the "rain curtain," her voice carrying a clear, unequivocal warning through the roar of the engine:

"It's better to do everything you can to resist this kind of 'rain.' If we don't take it seriously, we'll really be smashed to pieces. His Majesty... probably wouldn't want to see you give up halfway through, would he?"

“We… will not stop here!” Mashu spat out the words through gritted teeth, her azure eyes burning with unwavering determination. She abruptly looked up at Caster, who was also struggling in the torrential rain on the other side, and shouted, “Miss Artoria! This can’t go on! Let’s—fight for our lives!”

Upon hearing this, a resolute glint flashed in Caster's icy blue eyes. She glanced at Senji Muramasa, who was also nodding in agreement beside her, took a deep breath, and slammed her staff heavily on the ground. Brilliant starlight began to gather and rise from around her!

"I understand! Then—"

Her clear, melodious singing voice pierced through the raging rain and thunder:

"This is a harbinger of what is to come! The land of hope, the ruins of paradise—"

"You will hold up the stars without anyone calling you!"

For whom does fate exist?

"Embracing your star of hope!" / "The city of dreams, which will remain unchanged!"

A vast, magical radiance, like the rising sun breaking through the dark clouds, began to stubbornly bloom in this neighborhood shrouded in natural disaster!

In an instant, amidst the raging rain that could crush steel and the lightning that tore through the sky, a pure and flawless light suddenly burst forth!

The light wasn't blinding, but rather possessed a warm and solid quality, rapidly expanding and extending. First to appear were the massive city wall bases, as white as jade, their surfaces shimmering with a faint starlight. These weren't inanimate objects, but rather seemed to "grow" from the ground, connecting and stacking higher as if alive. Then, countless illusory and dazzling starlight and vibrant flower phantoms, like a tide awakened by a spring breeze, surged and spread from the foot of the city walls, instantly covering the ravaged streets and enveloping the Chaldeans.

The realm formed by the City of White and the Sea of ​​Hope is like the only tranquil island in the eye of a storm, or a stubbornly burning bonfire in the long night. It has carved out an inviolable pure land in this landscape of natural disaster dominated by Sylph's power!

"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!"

Dense, drum-like "raindrops" and violent lightning relentlessly bombarded the snow-white city walls and the flowing starlight barrier, producing deafening roars. Each impact caused the surface of the walls to shimmer, and the illusory petals to sway and shatter, only to be quickly replenished by new starlight and flowers. The walls trembled slightly under the continuous assault, and tiny cracks occasionally appeared on their surface, yet they remained as solid as a mountain, showing no sign of collapse.

What sustained this miracle was Caster's unwavering focus and the collective faith of her companions. It was not merely a battle of magic, but a manifestation of determination and hope.

In the distance, Sylph's emerald eyes gazed at the struggling expanse of hope. The playfulness and scrutiny on her face gradually faded, replaced by a calm expression that bordered on approval. She nodded gently, as if she had seen what she wanted to see.

Then, she raised her hand, her five fingers slightly curled up.

An unbelievable scene unfolded—the seemingly endless, violent attack was abruptly severed at its source, as if by an invisible giant hand. The densely falling "raindrops" suddenly slowed and disintegrated in mid-air, transforming into harmless fine raindrops; the ferocious lightning, like tamed silver snakes, writhed and retreated into the clouds; the howling wind rapidly weakened, transforming into a gentle breeze; even the oppressive dark clouds that blanketed the sky visibly thinned and dissipated…

In just a few breaths, a long-lost clear sky with a dreamy pinkish-purple hue appeared above the central district of Camelot. Sunlight (perhaps some kind of magically simulated natural light) shone through the thin clouds, illuminating the dilapidated streets and the majestic, pristine white city walls.

The silence of escaping death spread.

“That’s enough.” Sylph’s voice broke the silence, clear and calm. “That’s enough.”

"...Huh?" Fujimaru Ritsuka almost thought she'd misheard. She steadied herself by holding onto Mash's arm, her face filled with astonishment and confusion. It's over? What kind of battle was this? From beginning to end, they'd been the ones enduring a relentless barrage of attacks, unable to even get close to their opponent, let alone retaliate. And now, their opponent was casually saying, "That's enough?"

Sylph offered no explanation, nor did she glance at them again. Her gaze seemed to be fixed on the deeper parts of the royal city, where there were those she had to "settle" with. She simply turned away decisively, just as Kalia had done before, and strode off along the streets, now unusually "clean" from the aftershocks of the battle, towards the inner city. The crisp sound of her heels striking the cobblestones was exceptionally clear in the sudden silence, fading into the distance.

They left behind a wide road leading directly to the heart of the royal city, with no further obstacles, and the Chaldeans looking at each other in bewilderment.

-

Meanwhile, Camelot Westgate.

The atmosphere of battle here is completely different from the intensity of the battle in the central district; it even seems somewhat... eerie.

Percival's remnants of Manchester and the allied forces of the Royal Clan practically marched through the West Gate's defenses. The anticipated impenetrable defenses did not materialize.

The fairy knight Gawain Bagst, the canine fairy renowned for her bravery and loyalty, stood alone, arms crossed, leaning quietly against the shadows inside the city gate. Her massive body was like a silent statue, her crimson eyes calmly watching Percival's troops file in before her, penetrating deep into the royal city, without offering any resistance or even mobilizing a single soldier.

As Percival passed by, their eyes briefly met. Bagst's gaze was complex, containing scrutiny, a certain knowing calm, and perhaps even a faint hint of...relief? She didn't speak, and Percival didn't linger. They understood each other implicitly, or rather, there were things more important than fighting here at that moment.

Only after the last member of Percival's troops disappeared around the street corner did Bagst slowly straighten up. She looked up at the towering Jade Throne Tower in the center of the royal city, and her lips seemed to twitch very slightly, as if she were smiling, or perhaps sighing.

“That’s about it… This is about it.” She murmured to herself, her voice deep but tinged with weariness. “Morgan… Now it’s up to you to make your own ‘choice’.”

“I have… done my duty.” She repeated the word, as if confirming something, or as if saying goodbye.

"Heh..." A low, ambiguous laugh escaped her throat, her crimson eyes narrowed slightly as she gazed into the distance, as if foreseeing some chaotic future. "It seems that the final 'feast'... won't end so easily."

She took one last look at the empty city gate passageway, turned around, and her heavy footsteps echoed as her imposing figure slowly disappeared into the deeper shadows of the royal city, as if she had never been stationed there at all.

Royal City Showdown – Lancelot, the Fairy Knight – Fairy Round Table Realm, The Poem of Eternal Mist

Central Plaza, before the final barrier leading to the Queen's throne.

An unprecedented emptiness. The square, which should have been heavily guarded, was now deserted, as if deliberately cleared out to welcome this final and most special gatekeeper.

Fairy Knight Lancelot - Melusin.

The title itself is a symbol of the pinnacle of British military power. Her petite frame contrasts sharply with the terrifying power she embodies. With sheer strength and speed, she surpasses Sylph, who can manipulate the weather, and Kalia, who can freeze everything. She is a living calamity that makes all who know of her tremble.

At this moment, this "strongest" was leisurely sitting on a broken stone step at the edge of the square, her silvery-white dragon tail swaying gently, as if enjoying the tranquility before the battle. Seeing the Chaldeans and Percival's troops finally converge here, her brown eyes lit up slightly, showing no sign of solemnity, but rather a pure and dangerous excitement.

She raised her hand and removed the mask that covered half of her face, revealing a delicate face with strange eyeliner. The corners of her mouth curved into an almost innocent yet chilling smile.

"Wow... I didn't expect you guys to actually make it this far." Her voice was clear, yet had a metallic quality. "Even that Sylph guy couldn't stop you? Heh... All you can do is stir up some wind, rain, and ice. You're really lacking."

She gently twisted her neck, making a soft "click" sound, and lightly jumped down from the stone steps.

"Then let me... personally 'test' you all to see just how much you're really worth!"

Before the words were even finished, the attack had already arrived! There was no time for anyone to react, not even a glimpse of her arm movements—two cold, sharp lights shot out from her sleeves, two strangely shaped, perfectly curved silver-white blades! It wasn't a throw; with a seemingly casual horizontal arm swing, the resulting gale-force wind, like a super-compressed typhoon wall, swept towards Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka at the forefront!

"Ugh—!" The two felt an irresistible force slam into them, their feet instantly leaving the ground. They were sent flying backward like leaves in a storm, tumbling several meters away before barely managing to brace themselves with their weapons or arms, their blood churning.

Melusine's figure had already disappeared from the spot.

The next instant, she appeared like a ghost before Percival, who was standing ready for battle. Without charging, without warning, it was just a seemingly effortless side kick; the small sole of her boot imprinted on the shaft of Percival's crossed Holy Lance—

"Bang!!!"

A dull, heart-stopping impact rang out! Percival felt as if he had been struck head-on by a battering ram charging at full speed. The overwhelming force caused excruciating pain in his arms, instantly shattering his blocking stance. He was thrown backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a pile of broken bricks and stones, filling the air with dust.

“…Sister,” Percival coughed up blood, struggling to sit up, looking at the petite yet terrifying figure, his voice bitter, “you still…show no mercy at all.”

"Sister?!" Ritsuka was taken aback, but then it dawned on her—this Percival from the Lostbelt had a different background and network of relationships than those in Pan-Human History. Now was not the time to delve into those things!

Seeing the overwhelming power displayed by Melusin, Ritsuka knew that conventional methods would be futile. She took a deep breath, and the black and red flames of rebellion surrounding her suddenly subsided, replaced by a dazzling, pure golden light! Within the light, her attire rapidly transformed into a silver-blue armor that blended the features of Artoria and Mordred, and in her hand appeared the gleaming holy sword—Excalibur!

With all her magic and willpower poured into the sword, Ritsuka roared and unleashed a brilliant slash at Melusin, who seemed oblivious to her presence!

However, the sword light had just left the tip of the sword—

"puff!"

Ritsuka was struck as if by a heavy blow, staggering backward and almost falling. She looked down in horror to see a smooth, deep slash across her silver-blue armor, the inner lining neatly cut open, revealing her unprotected skin! A chilling fear instantly washed over her—just a moment ago, Melusin's attack had already struck, so fast she hadn't even sensed it! If her armor hadn't absorbed most of the force, she would have been disemboweled!

At the same time, Muramasa and Caster launched a pincer attack! The two exchanged a glance and pounced from the left and right sides simultaneously! Muramasa's katana blazed with scorching white flames as he thrust it straight at Melusin's ribs; Caster's staff condensed into a sharp magical cone interwoven with frost and starlight, aiming straight for her back!

Faced with this coordinated attack, Melusin didn't even turn around. She simply let out a short, mocking laugh.

"Innocent."

She stretched her arms out to both sides with a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive—

Clang! Bang!