In Britain, the Noble Phantasm: Divine Key

"Senior, I will always be with you!" Mashu encouraged.

A smile appeared on Fujimaru Ritsuka's face, and she was about to say something when she suddenly heard a rapid whooshing sound.

She looked up and saw a streak of light falling from the sky; it was Melusin, dressed in lake-blue armor.

Her gaze swept over the crowd, and she strode over to Yanan's side, saying softly, "I'm sorry I'm late."

Yanan looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "...Are you ready?"

"Hmm." Melusine nodded slowly and solemnly, her large eyes seemingly burning with an invisible flame.

"Since that's the case..."

Anan raised his head, his majestic voice echoing in everyone's ears:

"Let's go! Destination: Camelot!"

......

Camelot, the royal palace.

In the dimly lit underground chamber, Merlin, dressed in a white mage's robe, stood silently. On the ground in front of her, an incredibly complex magic circle was radiating a blood-red glow.

The missing Nero lay in the center of the magic circle, her eyes closed, like Sleeping Beauty.

Her brows were furrowed, and her face showed a hint of pain, as if she were having a terrible nightmare.

"Has it finally begun...?" Merlin raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick Wailing Wall, looking across hundreds of kilometers at the massive army marching towards Camelot.

"It was so close..." she sighed softly. In her original plan, Bagst was supposed to help her buy that last bit of time.

The blessing of [Berserk] grants her the ability to grow stronger with each kill. If she can kill ten thousand people, she will be able to fight even against Grand Servants.

She had even prepared guidance for him, but he just ran off without looking back, without even glancing at her, and thus embarked alone on a path that was destined to lead to his death.

Is it to avoid getting tainted by more bloodshed...? What a foolish idea. You're not even human.

Merlin didn't know what Bagst was thinking in the end. She could understand everything, and the world held no secrets for her, but the one thing she couldn't see through was the human heart.

Whether human or fairy, they are no different from dolls in her hands, but there are always some mavericks who will break free of the binding threads and do things that even she cannot predict.

Absolutely... hopelessly stupid.

"...Get the army ready. Under no circumstances should they be allowed to disturb the king."

A patch of darkness emerged from her shadow and coalesced into a tall figure clad in black armor, who bowed slightly and said, "As you command."

Merlin silently gazed at the Sleeping Beauty in the center of the magic circle, his pale purple eyes devoid of any emotion.

At least this time, I will not allow you to get in his way...

......

The rising of a new sun heralds the arrival of a new day, and at the same time, it announces that the countdown to the end of this era has moved forward another step.

But it doesn't matter, from today onwards, the bells of doomsday will forever remain in this place.

A magnificent eight-legged celestial horse stood at the forefront of the army, with a black-haired, black-eyed man riding on it. His silver armor reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight, and his gaze swept across the boundless wilderness, fixed on the glorious chalk city.

Suddenly, a pure white light rose from above the City of Chalk, and a huge figure slowly took shape. He was dressed in holy armor and held a holy spear forged from light. His gaze, as if it were tangible, pierced through his helmet and fell on the crowd.

"The Lion King..." Everyone's gaze instantly turned serious, and they subconsciously gripped their weapons tighter.

The soldiers involuntarily bent over. Even if it was just a phantom, it was still the gaze of the gods, carrying a weight that mortals were destined to be unable to bear.

"Have you come here to deny me?" The Lion King's voice was incredibly calm, yet it resounded in everyone's ears like a great bell.

Many people had already begun to sweat. If it weren't for the group of heroic spirits standing in front of them and sharing most of the pressure, they would probably have already fled in fear.

Before the gods, mortals are ultimately nothing more than ants.

The eight-legged celestial horse stepped forward, and Anahn looked at the enormous phantom, his dark eyes showing no fear or alarm:

"No one has the right to deny the future of humanity, not even God...."

The Lion King's gaze fell upon him, and after a long while, He nodded gently:

"Then prove to me with the swords in your hands that I will be waiting for you at the ends of the earth."

The phantom vanished, and the heavy steel gate opened. A tall figure clad in jet-black armor led thousands of righteous knights as they surged out, like an endless tide crashing towards them.

"It's up to you now," Yanan said in a deep voice.

The men nodded solemnly and led the Holy Roman Empire's army in a charge forward.

The war has begun.

The red and white tides collided, like ice cubes falling into a pot of boiling oil, producing a violent reaction instantly.

The sounds of fighting, roaring, and howling filled the air, creating a deafening symphony that instantly brought the atmosphere to a climax!

No understanding is needed, nor is any hypocritical kindness required. This is a battle for survival and the future, a battle for loyalty and faith. From the very beginning, there has been no possibility of reconciliation between them.

Then let's fight! Let's vent our anger with blood and fire, and decide the future of the world with swords and blades. The victor will have everything, while the loser... will lose everything!

Both sides were completely bloodthirsty, charging forward with the belief of dying, and even when their comrades fell beside them, not one of them chose to retreat.

In terms of scale, the Knights of Purification from Camelot undoubtedly held an absolute numerical advantage, but with the addition of various Heroic Spirits, the battle situation surprisingly reached a strange balance.

Atalanta drew her bow of the heavens, and each arrow took the lives of several righteous knights.

Medusa moved across the battlefield like a ghost, her demonic eyes radiating the strongest light ever seen, turning every righteous knight she gazed upon into a gray stone statue.

Asterius, wielding a giant axe, charged through Camelot's ranks like a heavy tank. Neither swords nor arrows could inflict any effective damage on him. Instead, countless chaplain knights were instantly sliced ​​through like fragile paper by his sharp axes, with blood and bits of flesh falling like rain.

......

Yanan, riding his eight-legged winged horse, watched for a while before turning his gaze away. That was not his battlefield; he had more important things to do.

He gazed once more at the towering Wall of Sighs, where atop it stood a figure clad in a white robe, holding a staff, her beautiful face devoid of joy or sorrow, her pale purple eyes fixed upon him.

“Merlin…” Yanan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Just as he had thought, from the very first moment they met, this woman gave him a very dangerous feeling.

"However, you're not my target either..."

"Roar!!"

A mighty dragon roar resounded, and a noble and elegant black dragon descended from the sky, its copper bell-like eyes fixed on Merlin, flashing with uncontrollable rage.

“Merusin…” Merlin looked at the black dragon and said calmly, “So you chose betrayal… No wonder Bagst died so easily. If you had done it yourself, she certainly wouldn’t have resisted.”

Upon hearing Bagst's name, a hint of crimson appeared in his enormous, jet-black dragon eyes, and the runes engraved on his dragon body emitted a powerful surge of energy, making his aura even more ferocious.

"Are you angry? Looks like I guessed right." A slight smile played on Merlin's lips as his voice, like a devil's whisper, echoed in Melusin's ears. "How does it feel to kill a friend yourself? Or is that dog demon just an insignificant existence to you?"

"Roar--!!"

The jet-black dragon roared furiously, its dark eyes almost filled with raging flames.

“Calm down, Melusin,” Yanan hissed, frowning. “She’s deliberately trying to provoke you!”

"Heh, do you really think all that you've done has any meaning?" Merlin chuckled. "Humanity will eventually face destruction, it's just a matter of sooner or later. Since that's the case, why not preserve some idealistic souls and leave a glimmer of hope for the future? We will recreate the eternal Camelot at the ends of the earth. This time, the King will accompany them as their guardian forever. Isn't that a good thing?"

“Camelot that will never fall…” Yanan frowned deeply, as if deep in thought.

"Give up, humans," Merlin said calmly. "You still have room to change your minds before the end comes."

Anan did not respond. Instead, he raised his hand and waved it, and a massive dragon of despair, as large as a mountain, suddenly appeared in the sky, casting endless shadows on the earth.

Even Melusin, who was already enormous, appeared somewhat petite in front of Nidhogg. Her ancient and imposing body exuded an indescribable majesty, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at her.

“Nidhogg…” Merlin murmured, “No wonder Melusin chose to betray him without hesitation…”

Nidhogg and Melusin let out a deafening dragon roar, their wings fluttering slightly as they swooped down toward the figure standing on the chalk wall.

Merlin's pale purple eyes reflected the swooping black dragon, yet her expression remained as calm as still water. She took a step forward, the surging magic billowing her robes, the staff in her hand radiating a bright light, her slender body exuding an aura no less imposing than a thousand armies, seemingly forming a formidable balance of power with the two legendary dragons!

A flicker of emotion finally appeared in her eyes, a chilling killing intent solidified like frost, and then she spat it out coldly:

"You're courting death!"

Chapter 52 Facing the Lion King

The towering Wall of Sighs stands silently on the earth, watching over the war that will decide the future of mankind in the wilderness. Inside, the pure white chalk city remains peaceful and serene, like a legendary paradise, keeping all cruelty and turmoil at bay.

Although they didn't know what was happening outside the city, the residents of Chalk City still had a sense of impending doom. Some were looking forward to it, while others were uneasy. But when they thought of the figure sitting on the throne, their worries gradually subsided, and they stayed quietly at home, waiting for the final outcome.

The vast city was eerily calm at this moment.

The chalk palace, located in the center of the city, was also quiet at this time. All the guards had been transferred to the battlefield outside, making this magnificent palace feel empty.

Even so, the danger level of this palace has not decreased at all, because the greatest threat to this palace has never been those righteous knights, but the supreme king who sits on the throne and overlooks the world.

If anyone tries to take advantage of this chaos to profit from the situation, it only proves that he is either an absolute fool or a true strongman.

Invisible ripples vibrated in the air, and then a pitch-black crack as tall as a person silently opened. A man with black hair and black eyes walked out of it, looking up at the sacred and magnificent palace.

He gazed at it quietly for a while, then looked away and strode into the palace.

Indeed, the one who has descended here is Yanan—and the one on the battlefield outside is merely a phantom he left behind using Feather Dust.

This was a tactic Anan had devised before the war began—to have everyone distract Merlin on the battlefield while he infiltrated Camelot to rescue Nero and assassinate the Lion King.

To be honest, it was a crazy plan, so crazy that it was met with strong opposition from everyone as soon as Yanan proposed it.

The Lion King's power is undeniable. Even sitting in the royal city, he can still launch precise strikes comparable to space-based weapons from hundreds of kilometers away. Even Melusin admitted that even if she exerted all her strength, she would still be unable to escape defeat in front of the Lion King.

Faced with such a powerful opponent, even knowing that Anahn was a Grand Servant, the group still couldn't feel at ease.

But Yanan knew very well that this was the only way they could win at the moment.

Through his observations over this period of time, he has gradually uncovered the darkness shrouding the surface of this world, and the truth of the world has begun to take shape in his mind.

Merlin, the Lion King, the Knights of the Round Table, Camelot... all of this is just a disguise put on by someone to cover up the truth... This is far more than just a singularity; the truth is far darker and more despairing than anyone can imagine.

Knowing this, Yanan ultimately overruled all objections and resolutely passed the plan.

Even Merlin probably didn't expect that Anahn would come up with such a wildly imaginative plan and actually put it into practice.

It's worth mentioning that the successful implementation of this plan is actually largely due to her – when Merlin rescued Tristan, Ananen took the opportunity to leave behind a spatial coordinate, and it was through this coordinate that he was able to enter Camelot unnoticed.

The entire Camelot was fortified by Merlin's defensive spells, rendering any spatial magic ineffective—but Merlin's mastery of the spells was somewhat diminished because his attention was drawn to Nidhogg and Melusin, which gave Anan a chance to exploit the situation.

This is the most crucial part of Yanan's plan—no matter what, Merlin must not be allowed to discover that he has infiltrated Camelot.