Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist

That call was like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of memory—

In the winter of 2016, a purple-haired girl holding Fou smiled at a bewildered orange-haired girl in the Chaldea corridor: 'I am Mash Kyrielight, nice to meet you, senpai~'

In the burning city of Fuyuki, a dying girl pushes her Master away: 'Run!'

I will never abandon you!

From the Grand Temple of Time to Shinjuku Phantom City, from the Salem Witch Trials to the journey across seven Lostbelts... countless moments of life and death flashed through his mind. The phantom image of the Fairy Knight Galahad gradually dissipated, revealing the shield-wielding girl who had always stood guard before her Master.

When Ritsuka tightly embraced her reunited companion, both of their faces were streaked with tears. The oppressive aura of Cornunos grew increasingly terrifying, but at that moment, all they wanted was to feel each other's real heartbeats.

However, the crisis will not stop the reunion—

Within the purplish-black mist, the Creator God fully revealed His terrifying true form. His colossal body, covered in decaying moss, blotted out the sky, and his star-like horns shimmered with an ominous light. As that shadow completely enveloped Norwich, the entire city began to tremble under this world-destroying pressure.

Just as everyone rejoiced at their reunion, Kornunus's body underwent a horrifying mutation. His moss-covered head suddenly ripped open, and countless pale, human hands surged forth from the wound, their knuckles twisted and deformed, their palms revealing bloodshot eyeballs. These proliferating limbs spread like a plague, eliciting desperate screams from the soldiers present.

"Now is not the time to stand still!" Muramasa Senji's angry shout jolted everyone awake, but an even more terrifying attack had already begun—

A gigantic hand covered in slime tore through the air, and Mashu instantly shoved Ritsuka aside. The giant shield collided with the rotting limb, creating a deafening roar. Fairy Knight Lancelot's silver light severed the tentacle in time, but more arms rained down like a storm. Fairy Knight Gawain's greatsword clashed with the rotting limb, sparks flying, and both knights were sent flying backward.

"Forged by a thousand sons, all things return to one!" The old man was engulfed in towering flames, and his newly quenched katana unleashed a sword aura capable of incinerating everything. In the exploding flames, the decaying limbs temporarily vanished, only to regenerate at an accelerated pace in an instant.

"Endless scum!" Senji Muramasa spat.

Mashu's fingers gripping the shield turned slightly white: 'If this continues...'

'It's draining our magic.' The fairy knight Gareth's voice trembled.

Just as despair was spreading, Morgan's voice boomed across the battlefield like thunder: 'In the name of Britain, let us punish this scoundrel!'

A deep blue magic circle bloomed beneath everyone's feet, unleashing a torrent of magical power. Da Vinci's detector beeped joyfully: 'Magic output increased by 300%!'

"Gentlemen!" Senji Muramasa pointed his sword to the sky, "Buy me a moment!"

Kornunos seemed to sense the threat, and corrosive limbs and purplish-black light waves surged forth like a tsunami. Mash and Artoria simultaneously activated their Noble Phantasms, and a pure white fortress and a sea of ​​pink flowers intertwined to form an indestructible barrier.

"All troops, fire!" The Queen's soldiers unleashed a deluge of magical bullets, like a galaxy rolling back.

'Wolf Spear - Berserk Assault!' Gareth's spear transformed into a silver meteor.

"The Pillow Book: The Seasons Change!" Sei Shonagon's incantation summoned the magnificent aurora borealis.

'The Immaculate Lake!' The fairy knight Lancelot's sword unleashed a towering wave.

'The Horn of the Sun!' The holy sword of the fairy knight Gawain burst forth with dazzling light.

'Eternal Freeze Ends!' The fairy knight Gareth's chilling aura froze time and space.

The seven-colored treasures converged into a torrent of rainbow light, and the decaying limbs were reduced to ashes in a dazzling explosion. Kornunos let out a deafening wail, and for the first time, his massive body began to retreat.

"Now!" Senji Muramasa leaped into the air, a phantom of the wasteland appearing from the void. Countless fragments of swords coalesced into a divinely crafted weapon, piercing through cause and effect. "With this, sever karmic ties—Muramasa Tomokari!"

A crimson blade flashed, and Kornunos's body shattered like glass. Pure flames erupted from within, burning away all the filth. As the last wisp of black mist dissipated in the morning light, the millennium of calamity finally came to an end.

Summoning - Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist

As the calamity subsided, the nauseating, writhing purplish-black filth that had hung over Norwich gradually dissipated. This industrial center, once known as the "Iron City" of the Fairy Kingdom, was no longer what it used to be. Ever since Queen Morgan ordered the concentration of all the nation's industry here, countless towering chimneys had sprung up like a steel forest, relentlessly belching thick smoke day and night. The once dreamlike pink sky, indistinguishable from other regions, had faded into a permanent grayish-brown under the corrosive effects of year after year of industrial fumes. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur and metal scraps, and the streets and buildings were always covered with a thin layer of black ash. Yet, even this filthy scene seemed ordinary and almost "friendly" compared to the all-consuming purplish-black sky brought by Cornunos.

The remains of the Creator God were ultimately reduced to ashes in the pure flames of Senji Muramasa, which purified all things, leaving only a lingering smell of burnt remains in the air. On the battlefield, the fairy knights were directing the Queen's army soldiers in an orderly and efficient manner: some were helping surviving citizens escape from the ruins, carrying the wounded, and clearing the streets; others formed cleanup squads, carefully searching for and eliminating those lucky survivors of the Moss, who were still trying to infect the innocent. Fujimaru Ritsuka silently watched all of this. Although not a single fairy citizen cast a grateful glance at them, he felt that this was enough—being able to stop the disaster and protect lives was the best reward in itself.

"So, is this the end of the story...?" Ritsuka murmured to herself, her tone filled with exhaustion and a hint of bewilderment after the great battle.

“Senior…” Mashu stepped forward, her voice low and filled with worry, “Next…we really are going to have to deal with Her Majesty the Queen…”

Ritsuka didn't answer immediately, only letting out a barely audible sigh. The crisis was over, and the next mission was self-evident: to confront Queen Morgan, who ruled this Lostbelt. But… was this truly the right thing to do? After the battle, he shared his experiences of being separated with Mash. Their reunion felt like the gears of fate, after many twists and turns, stubbornly meshing together once more. They met the friendly fairy knight Gareth, encountered Artoria Caster, reunited with Gareth and Sei Shonagon from the Pan-Human History, and that…

"Eh~ So you're a fairy too? How cute! I thought Mashu was always carrying around a super exquisite plush toy!" Sei Shonagon's eyes lit up as she curiously approached the weaving fairy Habertrot.

“Hey… that’s such a rude way to put it…” Habertlot hugged her spindle, her little face full of helplessness.

"Well, that's just how Noko is when she gets excited." Gareth from Pan-Human History laughed and smoothed things over, then couldn't help but bend down and carefully lift the 50-centimeter-tall Habertlot from the ground with both hands. "But speaking of which, she really is so small, like a little doll."

Indeed, Habertrot, held in Gareth's arms, was about the size of a doll. At that moment, she was puffing out her cheeks, trying to put on a serious expression, but to others, this only made her look even cuter.

"Let me go, Miss Gareth! This is so rude... I don't like being held like this..." Habertlott protested, waving her little hands.

"Ah... I'm so sorry!" Gareth finally realized what was happening and quickly and apologetically placed the pouting Habertlot back on the ground.

Just as this brief and lighthearted interlude occurred, on a dilapidated rooftop not far away, Morgan quietly observed everything below, a faint smile seemingly playing on her lips. She slowly raised her hand, and instantly a massive and complex blue magic circle appeared in the sky, its light swirling and containing immense magical power. However, at the very moment the ritual was about to begin, she seemed to suddenly change her mind; with a slight movement of her fingers, the enormous magic circle vanished silently into the gray-brown sky, like ripples on water after a pebble has been thrown in.

“Never mind…” Morgan muttered to himself, his voice so soft that only he could hear it. “It’s too hasty to do this now. Perhaps… we should invite them to Camelot first.”

With her mind made up, she leaped lightly from the rooftop, landing silently before the crowd like a falling leaf. The previously slightly noisy atmosphere cooled abruptly with the queen's arrival, and an invisible pressure spread out, making the air seem heavy.

“Your Majesty…” Artoria Caster and the fairy knight Gareth bowed their heads almost instinctively to show their respect.

Senji Muramasa crossed his arms, a slightly mocking smile on his face: "Oh? So you regret letting me go back then?"

Upon hearing this, Morgan let out a cryptic chuckle: "Heh—why don't you think that if I really intended to capture you, how could you have remained unharmed until now?"

"Hmph, so you've seen through everything all along? Including the fact that I've long since stopped serving 'the other side'?" Senji Muramasa raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, you woman, just how unfathomable are your thoughts..."

“Oh? It seems you understand much better than you appear, Muramasa.” Morgan’s tone was calm and even. “My prediction has come true. You have ultimately chosen to follow your own ‘right path’ rather than be manipulated by others.”

This cryptic conversation left Ritsuka, Mashu, and Da Vinci utterly bewildered. However, it could be inferred that before their encounter, Muramasa Senji and Morgan must have had some unknown contact or agreement, which might even have influenced Muramasa's earlier decision to fight Cornunos. Ritsuka and Da Vinci, though filled with doubt, wisely remained silent—asking questions rashly before the situation was clear was never a wise move.

“In conclusion,” Morgan turned his gaze to the Chaldea members, “I must thank you all for everything you have done for the Fairy Kingdom, the foreign magician Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash Kyrielight, and ‘the omnipotent’ Leonardo da Vinci.”

“This is just what we should do,” Ritsuka replied cautiously.

“There are many things that cannot be discussed here,” Morgan said firmly. “Come with me to Camelot’s palace.”

"Yes, Your Majesty," Da Vinci replied outwardly, but inwardly alarm bells were ringing. (Hopefully, this queen isn't up to any tricks... The magical reactions within her are too abnormal; if we were to oppose her now, we would have no chance of victory...) With her exceptional observation and analytical abilities, Da Vinci could clearly "perceive" that Morgan possessed a vast, unimaginably complex magical circuit system, its complexity and mystery far exceeding the scope of human historical understanding, and seemingly closely connected to some more fundamental existence. At this moment, she could only suppress all her vigilance and speculation, her face remaining impassive.

“Lancelot, Gawain, Gareth,” Morgan turned and ordered the three goblin knights, “lead our distinguished guests to Camelot. I must go ahead to prepare for negotiations with the council and the clans. The rest is up to you.”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the three fairy knights replied in unison, their voices echoing across the silent ruins.

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous mobile luxury mansion near Norwich Harbour, a pair of eyes were peering through the window at the main characters and fairy knights who were about to leave in the direction of the dock.

At the window, a man in a dragon-patterned robe, his long hair styled in a long braid, wore a playful smile. His features were handsome and refined, yet his perpetually narrowed eyes added an air of enigmatic mystery. Beside him stood a female magician in a pure white robe; the large sapphire at the tip of her staff shimmered with an eerie light, reflecting in her deep eyes and enhancing her enigmatic aura.

"The show's over, isn't it our turn to take the stage?" the man suddenly spoke, his voice laced with mockery. "It would be quite interesting to let that arrogant witch experience an unexpected 'surprise'."

“The time is approaching.” The woman’s voice was cold and her gaze sharp. “But before that, I must obtain what I deserve—the ‘thing’ that she summoned here.”

"Still thinking about that 'good-for-nothing'?" The man raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Miss Nightmare, have you forgotten? He was summoned when that woman was at the height of her power, and was even promised a share of the throne—"

"Shut up!" The woman's voice suddenly turned cold, and the gem on her staff gleamed slightly. "She is not worthy to rule Britain, whether in the history of humankind or here!"

The man was unfazed by her intense reaction and instead chuckled softly. He calmly took out a photograph from his pocket. In the photograph, the fairy knight Bedivere was dressed in military uniform, with a dignified posture and a solemn expression. To anyone, he appeared to be a noble and loyal knight.

“It seems…” the man gently placed the photo on the windowsill, pointing his finger at the person in the image, “it’s time for our pawn to play its final role.”

As if summoned by a spell, a figure silently appeared in the shadows of the room. It was the knight in the photograph—Bedwell. However, she was worlds apart from the radiant image in the photograph: her once gleaming silver armor was now covered in grime and dried blood, and her emerald green lining was tattered; her once flowing silver hair was now greasy, tangled, and disheveled; in her only exposed blood-red eye, the former sharp killing intent had been replaced by endless weariness and emptiness; the scar left on her face by Fujimaru Ritsuka was still conspicuous, forcing her to still wear the eyepatch. She staggered, moving like a walking corpse, to the two of them.

"Oh dear," the man feigned surprise as he looked her over, "How did the fearsome 'Lake Calamity' Kelby, who once struck fear into the hearts of everyone in the royal city, end up like this? Are you still reluctant to take off this armor? Do you still fantasize that as long as you wear it, you will still be a respected knight in the Fairy Kingdom?"

Faced with this sharp mockery, Bedwell—or rather, Kelby—simply hung his head and remained silent, as if all his edges and vitality had been worn away.

The man chuckled, his tone suddenly turning cold: "However, leaving the royal city and choosing to cooperate with me was the wisest decision you've ever made. After all, your lovely 'little offspring'... you ultimately can't bear to part with her, can you?"

"No...!" Kelby, who had been silent all along, suddenly looked up, a violent panic welling up in his remaining eyes. "Please... don't..."

"Oh~ Don't worry, I understand." The man interrupted her, his tone flippant yet carrying an undeniable threat. "As long as you behave, the child will naturally be safe and sound. Hehehe..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly reached out and, with an insulting force, pressed his hand down hard on Kelby's filthy silver hair. Her body trembled violently, but she dared not struggle, only closing her eyes in humiliation and silently enduring this trampling. Perhaps no one in the entire Fairy Kingdom would have imagined that she, who had once been one of the six knights under the Queen's command, would fall to such a lowly and miserable state.

With the help of teleportation magic and the escort of fairy knights, Ritsuka and his companions entered Camelot, the most prosperous capital city of the Fairy Kingdom.

This city was unlike anything they had ever seen before. Exquisite luxury and elegance were its dominant themes; intricately carved white buildings lined the streets, their golden decorations gleaming luxuriously in the sunlight. Every resident was dressed in haute couture gowns or sharp suits, adorned with exquisite jewelry—yet, not a single human was to be seen. The inhabitants were all of noble blood—fairies, elemental spirits, demons, and orcs—whose gazes were filled with undisguised scrutiny and whispers. As Ritsuka, Mashu, and their group passed by, whispers rippled through the streets. The appearance of Senji Muramasa, who had once assassinated the queen, nearly drowned out the sound of the marching soldiers.

"Looks like someone still remembers this old man." Senji Muramasa stroked his chin, his tone relaxed. "If I had known this would happen, I should have made a bigger commotion back then."

"You madman!" The fairy knight Gawain gripped his sword hilt tightly, his golden eyes blazing with fury. "The crime of assassinating His Majesty has not yet been settled. Don't think that defeating Cornunos will atone for your sins!"

"Oh?" Senji Muramasa raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you'd like to experience being cut back to your original form again?"

This provocation made Gawain tremble with rage, but because the procession was moving, she could only suppress her anger and maintain her knightly composure. Ritsuka and the others exchanged bewildered glances, completely clueless as to what had happened between the two.

'I have a feeling...' Ritsuka muttered to herself.

'It seems there's some kind of grudge between them,' Sei Shonagon said, leaning closer.

"It's best not to get involved now," Leonardo da Vinci advised softly, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings warily.

Passing through the central avenue paved with glazed bricks, the procession, led by bronze-cast horse-headed soldiers, ascended the royal city atop the highest point of Camelot. Similar to Camelot in Pan-Human History, this castle features a classic fan-shaped structure, predominantly white and blue, with a blue banner of the Knights of the Round Table hanging every three windows. Unlike the other castles, this one clings to a steep mountainside, resembling a silver crown overlooking all living beings, showcasing supreme royal power.

The palace's interior was even more luxurious than its exterior. Polished marble floors were covered with gilded carpets, crystal chandeliers illuminated every corner, and exquisite sculptures and works of art lined the corridors. Amidst this opulent splendor, the group was led to Morgan's audience chamber.

Morgan, now dressed in a dark-patterned robe, sat regally on the blue-black throne, her expression indifferent. Surrounding her sat a diverse group of fairy councilors, their magnificent attire and sharp gazes forming the backdrop of the kingdom's power center. Among these dignitaries, Ritsuka and Mashu immediately spotted the bespectacled, bearded man standing in the corner.

"Oh dear?" Beryl Gat raised his voice dramatically, breaking the silence of the audience hall. "Isn't this that good-for-nothing little brat and her shield-wielding bitch? How dare they show their faces in Camelot today? Has the sun finally risen in the west?"

'Beryl!!!'

Ritsuka and Mashu shouted in unison, their faces instantly flushed with anger. The tragedy of Olympus was still vivid in their minds—the image of that man with that repulsive face plunging a blade into Kirshtalia Wodim's chest remained an unhealed wound in their hearts.

The Altar of Zeus at Olympus (Fifth Lostbelt, three months ago)

Kirshtalia knelt on one knee, looking down in disbelief at the blade piercing his chest, blood slowly dripping down the edge. He struggled to lift his head, gazing at his former comrade-in-arms:

'Beryl...you...why...?'

Beryl Gat leaned closer, a chilling grin spreading across his face:

'Sorry, Kirshtalia. You're of no use to me anymore. Saving humanity? Don't be ridiculous! You're as naively innocent as that piece of trash Kadoc. I really don't know how Ophelia and Hinako Akuta chose to follow an idealist like you...'

Kirshtalia's breathing grew weaker and weaker, but she still managed to say, "Our Group A... has endured so much suffering... to save humanity... are you really going to...?"

"Give me a break!" Beryl abruptly drew his blade. "What 'partners of justice,' what 'savior,' it's all bullshit! That lord and I have a much grander plan. As for you and Debit, that's it."

'Kardok...could it be that you also...'

'That piece of trash?' Beryl sneered, wiping the blood from his knife. 'Don't worry, Ashiya Dōman will take good care of him. Now, you may leave first!'

***

These unforgettable memories flooded back like a tidal wave. Ritsuka and Mash could never forget how Beryl cruelly betrayed and murdered Kirshtalia Wodim at the altar of Olympus. The captain, who had always thought of the history of humanity, had fallen at the hands of this selfish scoundrel. Even more infuriating was that he had uttered arrogant words, subjecting the already severely wounded Kadoc to the utmost insults.

Mashu's fingers turned white from the force as she gripped the shield's handle tightly, as if she were about to rush forward and smash that ugly, stubble-covered face to pieces.

"I don't seem to have invited you into my court, Beryl Gat." Morgan spoke slowly from her throne, her voice as cold as ice. "Do you dare to act so presumptuously here because of my daughter's protection? Even if it costs me, I will not allow you to defile my royal court."