In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

Just as Anan was about to draw his weapon to fight, Melusin suddenly cried out urgently:

"Baghster! Is that you, Bagster!"

He turned his head in astonishment, looking at Melusin, whose face was full of anxiety: "You mean this guy is Bagst?"

Melusine nodded emphatically: "This is what Bagst originally looked like."

It was then that Yanan remembered that the fairy knight Bagst, who had taken Gawain's place, was actually the dog demon who had been declared dead in English folklore.

“Bagust’s condition is very strange.” Melusin looked at those blood-red eyes that were devoid of any rationality, her small face filled with obvious worry. “It is common for people of their race to lose control of their emotions and go crazy, but Baggust is like this now... even more terrifying than when she was at her most insane.”

“It seems the Lion King’s blessing has worked.” Anan’s eyes were fixed on the enormous dog demon.

"But...why?" Melusin frowned, puzzled. "Bagust has always resisted the power of blessings, even confining himself to the Wailing Wall to avoid triggering them, so why is he doing this now...?"

"I don't know, but Merlin probably played a big part in this," Yanan said in a deep voice. He was certain that Merlin was involved in anything like this.

“Merlin…” Melusin gritted her teeth, a hint of hatred in her eyes.

Suddenly, a scorching heat shot towards the two in the sky like a cannonball. Anan and Melusin simultaneously dodged to the side, and a black-red fireball radiating intense heat grazed past them.

Yanan looked down at the dog demon with its mouth wide open, sighed, and said to Melusin, "It seems it doesn't remember you anymore."

Melusine bit her lower lip, looking at those scarlet eyes filled with madness and violence, and her face darkened slightly.

Anan sighed silently in his heart, just as he was about to unleash the Heavenly Fire Annihilation to give the dog demon a quick death, when he suddenly heard Melusin's low voice in his ear:

"Please... let me do it, okay?"

Yanan paused slightly, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Is it really okay? She... is, after all, your friend..."

He didn't want this lonely little girl to bear such a heavy burden. In the endless years that had passed, this friendship was probably one of the few things that could bring her comfort and warmth.

"That's why I'm going to do it myself."

Melusin took a deep breath, her arm armor glowing with magical light, her resolute gaze fixed on the dog demon below:

"I want to... personally end Bagst's suffering!"

Chapter Fifty: Peaceful Sleep

Sensing Melusina's unwavering resolve, Anan remained silent for a moment before nodding: "Then it's up to you."

He stepped back a distance, leaving the battlefield to Melusin.

Melusin looked down at the menacing dog demon below, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, there was no longer any hesitation in them.

hum-

A blade of light formed from gathered magic shot out from the bottom of the arm armor, and Melusin's petite figure, like a streak of light, swooped down towards the massive hound demon.

"Waaaaah—!!"

The dog demon roared to the sky, its crimson eyes, devoid of any other color, filled with extreme madness. Flames surged from its hideous maw, shooting towards the streak of light like a cannonball.

A howling wind carrying scorching heat surged in, and the fireball rushing towards her was reflected in Melusin's eyes. Her gaze was as calm as a still pond as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"brush!"

Like a red-hot knife slicing through butter, the fireball was instantly split in two, and the energy inside surged out, exploding into a dazzling burst of fire in mid-air.

A streak of blue light shot out from the flames, striking the dog demon directly between the eyebrows like a meteor.

"boom!"

Amidst a terrifying, earth-shattering roar, the dog demon, its body wreathed in black and red flames, was suppressed by a force as heavy as a mountain. Its massive body was pressed to the ground, sending up a cloud of flying sand and stones.

At her brow, Melusin, clad in lake-blue armor, stared into those mad, crimson eyes and shouted:

"Bagust! It's Melusine! Can you hear me? I've come to save you!"

Upon hearing the name Melusin, the dog demon, which had been struggling violently, suddenly quieted down. Its huge eyes, from which the pupils were completely invisible, seemed to focus and looked at the petite figure.

Melusine was secretly delighted. Could it be that there really was a chance?

However, the next moment, the mad hatred and anger in the dog demon's eyes intensified, and black and red flames rose from its body, the scorching heat mercilessly baking everything, as if it wanted to burn the entire world to ashes.

Yanan instinctively took a step forward, but after hesitating for a moment, he ultimately pulled back.

Melusin gritted her teeth. The black and red flames completely enveloped her, but were blocked by her magical armor. However, the terrifying heat still brought extreme pain to her body. The surrounding air was as thick as flowing magma, and every breath filled her throat with a burning sensation.

Besides the terrifying temperature, a constant stream of negative emotions was washing over her heart like a tidal wave. She had to hold onto her inner clarity and avoid being captured by these negative emotions, or she would completely turn into a mad beast.

The dual torment of body and mind brought immense suffering to Melusin, but she persevered and refused to back down an inch.

"So... this is the pain you've been burying deep in your heart all this time?" She stared into those bloodshot eyes filled with madness and wildness. In her blur, she seemed to see that familiar figure letting out a furious howl, with tears of blood streaming from his eyes.

These dark and blood-red flames are both her rage and her tearful accusation against the world!

She was furious because in this vast world, there was not a single land that could accommodate her people, and they were even being driven to extinction.

She was in agony because, for the sake of her people's survival, she had to sell herself to the devil, staining her hands with blood, just to gain a sliver of hope.

She harbored hatred because her friend had died at the hands of the enemy, and this was the only way she could avenge her friend.

For a long time, Bagst has been under tremendous pressure. The hope for the continuation of her race and the madness deep in her blood have tormented her, and she has rarely been able to enjoy true peace.

She could only overcome these pressures with unwavering willpower, like pressing down on a spring, forcibly suppressing them.

But this time, the deaths of his two friends, Tristan and Melusin, became the last straw that broke the camel's back. The spring, no longer restrained, leaped to its highest point, and the madness that had been suppressed countless times erupted completely at this moment, along with all the negative emotions that had been accumulating, turning into a raging inferno.

The fairy known as Bagst, even though she was covered in wounds, only molten iron-like fire could flow from her wounds and the corners of her eyes, because she had already drained all her blood and tears. Now, what filled this hateful and ugly body was only endless flames of rage!

This flame will never be extinguished until this unjust world is destroyed, until her soul and body are burned to ashes!

This is a side of Bagst that she never shows to outsiders, and only at this moment, only Melusin, who is willing to risk being burned to ashes to get close to her, can truly understand this suppressed pain and madness.

The girl stared intently into those eyes and said, word by word:

"If... you are truly in so much pain, then I... will personally end your suffering!"

"Roar!!"

A black light, seemingly devouring everything, burst forth, and an elegant and noble dragon displayed its unparalleled form. She spread her wings and soared high into the sky, overlooking all living beings from the highest point of the clouds.

A vast amount of magical power, like a surging river, flowed continuously from the dragon's heart. The mysterious runes engraved on the dragon's body lit up one after another, like a sky full of stars in a clear night sky, exuding an ancient and distant aura.

Three consecutive magical matrices unfolded behind her, their intense radiance almost obscuring the dragon itself, as if another sun had appeared in the sky.

The surging magical energy churned wildly in the surrounding air, and the chaotic optical phenomena created a series of dreamlike and mesmerizing scenes. In this dreamlike scene, a huge beam of light burst out from the magic matrix, and the flowing flames, like a meteor falling from the sky, crashed towards the ground.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!

It was a deafening roar, like thunder exploding, that echoed throughout the entire world for a long time. With the beam of light traveling at extremely high speed and covering a huge area, the dog demon had no way to avoid it and could only choose to take the hit head-on.

It opened its mouth, and scorching flames gathered like a tide. The next moment, a pillar of fire shot into the sky and collided with the pillar of light.

The collision of the two stirred up a terrifying magical turbulence. After a brief stalemate, the lightning descending from the sky finally triumphed over the evil fire rising from the earth, and the light flames crushed the flames all the way back.

Under the extreme destructive power, the dog demon's massive, hill-like body was completely torn apart, and the black and red flames wrapped around its surface gradually extinguished, disappearing without a trace like willow catkins in the wind.

On the scorched earth, the aftershocks of magic gradually dissipated, leaving only a huge crater.

The dragon descended from the sky and landed in the center of the deep pit. In a flash of black light, Melusin returned to her human form.

She walked forward step by step, looking at Bagst lying at the bottom of the pit, her eyes filled with indescribable complexity.

"I always knew that this day would come."

Even as life was slipping away, Bagst's voice remained as calm as ever. He looked up at the azure sky above, as if admiring some rare and beautiful sight.

"Actually, this is the first time I've felt that the sky is so beautiful. Being able to see such a sight before I die is the last bit of mercy this world has left me."

"I'm sorry, Bagst." Melusin lowered her head, making it impossible to see her expression; only two glistening tears could be seen sliding down her white chin.

Bagst turned to look at her, a rare smile appearing on his face:

“There’s no need to feel guilty, Melusin. To die at your hands is the best ending for me.”

"I'm actually very happy to see you're still alive. This world hasn't been kind to me, but I hope that from now on, you can continue to live well and see the beauty I've never seen in my place..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, as if in a dream, and her dreamy eyes slowly closed.

"This time, I can finally... get a good night's sleep..."

Chapter Fifty-One: The Final Battle!

Bagst's death dealt a tremendous blow to Melusin, especially since she herself had taken the action to end her friend's life.

She took Bagst's body back to the Holy Roman Empire and buried it on a mountaintop. She stayed there for a day and a night without eating, drinking, or sleeping, just standing silently in front of the tombstone, like a solidified stone.

At Anan's command, no one disturbed Melusin, allowing her to quietly accompany her friend on his final journey.

At dawn on the second day, as all things came to life, Melusin's body, which had been frozen for so long, finally moved. Dew dripped down her soft hair. She raised her head and looked at the tombstone in front of her, engraved with the name "Bagust":

“I’m leaving, Bagst,” she said softly, looking up at the sky. “You and I have always known that Merlin’s actions are not just; she is leading the world into an abyss. But for various reasons, we all ultimately chose to stand by and even aid and abet her. But now, it is time to atone for the mistakes we have made.”

"Rest assured, Bagst, from now on I will bear the burden of your mistakes and sins."

After taking one last deep look at her friend's tombstone, Melusin turned around and strode down the mountain.

......

On the city wall, Fujimaru Ritsuka looked down at the swarming soldiers below, then turned to look at the mountaintop, her face filled with worry as she asked, "Will Miss Melusin... really come?"

"Well, who knows? He was a friend after all." Da Vinci shrugged. "If I were to find out about Roman's death someday, I'd probably be heartbroken for a long time too."

"Hey! Why am I dying?!" Roman shouted through the screen.

"Don't worry about it, it's just an example. Besides, doesn't it just prove how deep my feelings for you are?"

"Tch...you bastard..." Roman curled his lip.

Watching the two bicker, Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled slightly, her tense and uneasy heart relaxing a little.

"Don't be so nervous." A calm voice came from the side. She subconsciously turned her head and saw a handsome male face. "Even without Melusin, we will definitely win this battle."

“Mr. Yanan…” Fujimaru Ritsuka stared blankly at Yanan.

“You are Chaldea Masters who have crossed five singularities to get here. Even if there were challenges that were more difficult than this, you would have overcome them successfully, wouldn’t you?” Anaen smiled gently. “Believe in yourselves, and believe in your companions. Ritsuka, no matter what, we will always be your strongest support.”

Fujimaru Ritsuka paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping over Mash, Da Vinci, Atalanta, Medusa, and Asterius. She took a deep breath, her expression gradually hardening: "You're right, Mr. Anahn. No matter what, we will defeat Merlin and the Lion King and save this world!"

“Oh right, this is the Fujimaru Ritsuka I know~” Da Vinci smiled.