Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist

"Senior!" Mashu's voice broke the silence. "Da Vinci has obtained crucial information: the Sixth Lostbelt has surfaced."

"Understood, I'll head to the command center now."

Since the end of the Chinese Lostbelt, Chaldea has been using Captain Nemo's Nautilus as a temporary base. On Earth, which is gradually becoming a blank slate, only this submarine, capable of penetrating the imaginary dimension, is the ideal dwelling. It not only protects against the corrosive effects of the blank slate but also withstood the world-ending attack launched by the king of the Indian Lostbelt. Now, the Nautilus is quietly approaching the British Isles; the time for landing has arrived.

Inside the command center, Director Goldruff, who was analyzing data with Leonardo da Vinci, temporarily put aside his work upon meeting the two.

"You've come at the right time. Next up is the British Lostbelt. Are you mentally prepared?"

"Ah, perhaps I should say I was prepared a long time ago," Ritsuka replied calmly.

“Please wait a moment, Mr. Goldruff,” Holmes interjected. “You’ve forgotten to explain the dangers of this Lostbelt? That’s a gross oversight on the part of the Director.”

Under the detective's rebuke, the portly chief lowered his head in embarrassment. Da Vinci and Nemo had no choice but to explain on his behalf.

"Listen carefully, Ritsuka," Da Vinci said gravely, "every word that follows is crucial. We've detected something amiss since we observed these islands last week. This is on a completely different level from any Lostbelt we've experienced before."

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Ritsuka listened attentively.

"An unknown magical power permeates the island," Nemo continued, "something that instruments cannot detect. We speculate it might be a collection of some kind of curse. More importantly, this Lostbelt lacks the Imaginary Tree. Look—"

The captain projected the image onto the main screen: at the northernmost point of the British Isles, where the Imaginary Tree should have stood, only a massive stump remained. The stump had long since withered and decayed, the magical energy completely gone; it was nothing more than a pile of rotten wood.

'What's going on...' Ritsuka murmured, 'How can a Lostbelt exist without the Tree of Illusions?'

"The Imaginary Tree is key to creating a new myth," Holmes analyzed. "This Lostbelt itself is heresy. The magical barriers surrounding the archipelago alone—"

"In short," Leonardo da Vinci concluded, "I must go this time. The troubles here require my personal assistance to resolve."

"But Leonardo da Vinci," Matthew said worriedly, "what about the Nautilus's communications and monitoring?"

'It's alright, Nemo will handle it. Now, it's time for us to go.'

Meanwhile, in the royal city of Camelot, Queen Morgan was reviewing documents. The parchment contained the Fairy Kingdom's tax revenue data for the previous quarter. A horse-headed soldier entered the hall to report:

"Your Majesty, the assassin still refuses to speak, and we have tried everything to no avail."

'I told you not to torture him excessively. If he dies, we'll lose crucial intelligence about ???'

"Your Majesty is wise; we did not use severe torture, and he is still able to converse normally."

'Very well, I'll interrogate her myself. Don't let her come along; that child always disrupts interrogations. She's more troublesome than my daughter; make sure to keep a close eye on her.'

"Yes, sir!"

Camelot's dungeons lie deep underground, perpetually permeated with a damp, musty stench. Unlike other prisons, it is sparsely populated, holding only assassins who sought to kill the Queen. In the deepest, most filthy cell, Thousand Sons Village is tightly bound by magical ropes, his body chained by heavy iron chains. Despite being tortured and covered in wounds, he still displays disdain upon seeing the Queen:

'Oh? Her Majesty, so busy with state affairs, would deign to come here? Perhaps you're waiting for me to regain my strength before taking your life?'

'Is your body still able to move like a normal person?'

'Thanks to you, I can't even move a finger now. So, what brings you here? Your expression has given you away.'

Seeing that the other party had seen through his intentions, Morgan nodded slightly:

'Senji Muramasa, if I'm not mistaken, did ??? send you on this assassination to exploit the resources of the British Lostbelt for their own ambitions? Or, if not, to plunge the world into a crisis after my death? Your presence here means that despicable worm has come too?'

These words almost perfectly predicted ??? and Senko Muramasa's scheme. It was as if the entire future had been foreseen, and the countermeasures had been arranged long ago. Senko Muramasa couldn't believe that this woman's prophecy had seen through their entire plan.

'Unbelievable... No wonder that woman called you the son of her ex; the name certainly lived up to its name. So, you also foresaw their arrival?'

"That's right. Today, three [Foreign Magicians] will land on the Mist Sea of ​​Britain. After staying in the Fairy Kingdom for two months, they will come to the royal city to attack me—"

'Oh? Since you foresaw this, why didn't you take action? Were you just going to sit and wait for them to come knocking on your door? The King of the Lostbelts is completely unprepared?'

Morgan remained unmoved by the mockery. She coldly stared at the bound swordsmith:

'There's no need. I will wait until they are strong enough, until they are qualified to stand against me, before I set foot in Camelot. And I know that one day you will escape this place.'

'！！'

"Don't worry, I won't pursue you. After all, you're an indispensable guide on their path to becoming stronger—I've said what I needed to say. Now, take care of yourself."

Escorted by his entourage, Morgan left the dungeon. Senji Muramasa remained perplexed. The intelligence reports had never mentioned Morgan possessing such powerful precognitive abilities. This was completely unexpected. Perhaps from the moment he planned the assassination, Morgan had foreseen everything, which was why he feigned ignorance, awaiting his arrival and even forbidding the Knights of the Round Table from intervening.

'This woman... is not simple. This can't go on... she must be plotting something!'

Meanwhile, in the Queen's bedchamber, Morgan retrieved a crystal ball from an obsidian-encrusted cabinet. As her fingertip traced its surface, magical runes rippled outwards, revealing an image of the British Isles—a foreign ship, not belonging to the Fairy Kingdom, was breaking through the waves, only a kilometer from the Misty Sea. When she realized the landing crew were not fairies but otherworldly humans, a cold smile curved the Queen's lips.

'Just as I expected.' She whispered, gently stroking the crystal ball. 'Then, foreign magicians, can you withstand the trials of Britain? But first... you must emerge alive from this sea of ​​fog.'

***

On the west coast, the Nautilus lay silently anchored. As it approached the island, the surrounding scenery was like a dream: the azure sky transformed into a beautiful pink glow, the drifting clouds shimmered with golden light, and the clear waters near the shore gradually turned a dreamy pale pink, forming a distinct boundary with the surrounding seas. If one didn't know this was an Lostbelt, this scene would be as enchanting as a fairytale.

'Something's been off ever since I stepped in here...' Ritsuka murmured, gazing out the window.

"Relax," Leonardo da Vinci waved his hand dismissively, "at least for now, there seems to be no immediate danger."

Mash gripped her shield tightly: 'Spirit Origin Exoskeleton is functioning normally, Senpai, let's go!'

Captain Nemo's voice came over the loudspeaker: 'Spiritual transfer initiated—may good fortune be with you.'

After a dazzling white light, the three appeared on a beach near the sea. But the beach before them was beyond their comprehension: an eerie gray fog enveloped the area, reducing visibility to less than twenty meters, and further in, it became as thick as ink, as if it would devour all light.

'There's something wrong with this fog...' Da Vinci fiddled with the detector. 'Why is even the basic reading—' Before he could finish speaking, the instrument's pointer began to spin wildly, and with a piercing 'click,' the screen went completely dark.

Holmes's intermittent warning came through the communicator: 'Magnetic interference...modern equipment...malfunction...evacuate immediately...something...approaching...' Electronic noise eventually swallowed up all the signals.

"Mr. Holmes!" Mashu called out anxiously, but received only a deathly silence in response.

Ritsuka suddenly became alert: 'He just said there was something—'

'careful!'

The sea suddenly exploded, and several water blades pierced the air. Mashu rushed forward, and the collision of the giant shield and the sharp blades created a deafening roar. The enormous impact caused her to stagger backward.

"Mash!" Ritsuka and Da Vinci exclaimed in unison.

On the Nautilus, Nemo gasped, staring at the wildly fluctuating data on the screen: 'Servant reaction detected... Berserker! This value is too abnormal!'

Even the usually composed Holmes broke out in a cold sweat: 'Not just an ordinary berserker... her spirit origin is resonating with the entire sea! All parameters are beyond the calculation range!' No matter how he called, the communication channel was filled with static.

On the beach, Ritsuka helped Mashu up from the ground. The tactical goggles on the girl's forehead were shattered, and blood was streaming down her cheek.

'Don't move, I'll treat you right away!'

"Watch out!" Da Vinci's warning arrived simultaneously with the second wave of water blades. Ritsuka grabbed Mash and rolled to avoid it, as the sand and gravel kicked up by the explosion poured down like a torrential rain.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, a strange liquid was flowing from the sea onto the beach. Instead of seeping into the sand, it clung to the ground, emitting a sticky whisper:

'These bugs shouldn't have come... I originally intended for you to die painlessly...' The liquid gradually outlined the silver-haired female knight's silhouette, her pale armor and emerald green skirt swaying in the mist. 'Since the shield maiden ruined my plans... I'll just have to torture you slowly.'

Ritsuka's pupils contracted sharply—that armor clearly belonged to the Silver-Armed Knight from her memories.

'You're Bedivere from this Lostbelt?'

"Oh?" The female knight tilted her head and chuckled. "Since you recognized me..." She suddenly appeared behind Finch, her slender fingers gripping the genius's throat. "You should understand how foolish it is to resist."

"Da Vinci, my dear!" Mashu attempted to charge, but was restrained by an invisible force field. Blood flowed backward from the wound on her forehead, condensing into a trembling bead of blood in the knight's palm.

"Move again," the fairy knight chuckled, toying with the blood bead, "and I'll drain this girl of her blood." She whispered close to the writhing Leonardo da Vinci, "As for you... I'll slowly tear apart every magical circuit in this body."

Ritsuka stood frozen in the thick fog, her fingernails digging deep into her palms. Communication was cut off, her companions were held captive, and the salty sea breeze, carrying despair, filled her throat.

Deep within the royal city of Camelot, Morgan sat on his throne reviewing documents from various regions, with goblin knights standing silently on either side. A flurry of footsteps shattered the silence, and a horse-headed soldier stumbled into the hall.

'His Majesty……'

'What's the commotion?' The Queen's fingertips remained on the parchment scroll.

'The border of the Misty Sea detected magical fluctuations from the fairy knight Bedivere, along with three otherworldly reactions not belonging to this place…'

Morgan abruptly rose, scattering documents across the throne like fallen leaves. A chilling glint flashed in her silver eyes, and she commanded in a deep voice:

'As expected, still so disobedient. [Name omitted], stay behind to organize the documents. [Name omitted], set off immediately and bring that disobedient child back—I will decide the matter myself.'

"Yes, sir!"

At the edge of the foggy sea, the fairy knight Bedivere looked down at Ritsuka, who had lost her will to fight, and a cruel smile appeared on his lips.

'It's time for this farce to end.' A crisp snap of fingers pierced the thick fog.

Ritsuka suddenly coughed violently. The blood sphere floating in the knight's palm abruptly deformed, transforming into three grotesque dark red spikes. With a whooshing sound, the spikes instantly pierced through the bodies of the three girls. The muffled thud of flesh tearing echoed on the beach, and the splattered blood, like blooming spider lilies, dyed the pure white sand a shocking crimson.

Bedwell casually tossed Leonardo da Vinci into the surging waves, his military boots slamming heavily onto Ritsuka's trembling back.

'Since you crave pain,' she leaned down and chuckled, 'then savor this generous gift—'

Her body felt utterly alien, her limbs limp and powerless. On the misty beach, the sand and stones emitted a nauseating, fishy stench, a strange odor constantly assaulting her brain. Ritsuka tried to move, but couldn't even lift a finger—the fairy knight Bedivere's crimson spike had pierced her abdomen. In the excruciating pain, she could clearly see the dark red crystal deeply embedded in her abdomen.

A hundred meters away, Mashu lay silently in a pool of blood. Her once indestructible spirit core exoskeleton was now shattered, her beautiful purple eyes had lost their luster, and blood was seeping from her forehead and the corners of her lips. Da Vinci, thrown into the sea, lay in a state of unknown fate. What could Ritsuka, critically injured and on the verge of death, do?

'Mash... Da Vinci...' Her consciousness faded, 'I can't take it anymore... my strength is leaving me... is this how it's going to end...?'

Her vision was swallowed by blood, and her senses were slowly slipping away. The foreign magician named Fujimaru Ritsuka fell defenselessly on the coast of Britain.

***

In the forest a kilometer away, the fairy knight Bedivere, having just dealt with the invaders, was strolling leisurely. She deliberately kept the bloodstains on her face and hands, both as a display of her victory and as part of her peculiar fetish—the smell of blood always brought her unparalleled pleasure.

Suddenly, an unseasonably cold wind swept through the forest, instantly covering the vegetation with a thick layer of frost. In the sudden drop in temperature, a blonde girl holding a staff emerged from the icy mist. Although she was slender, she possessed radiant blonde hair and eyes as clear as amethyst, and her long brown and green dress made it difficult to associate her with the identity of a knight.

'It seems you still disobeyed His Majesty's orders.' The girl's gaze swept over the bloodstains on the other person's body. 'Look at you...'

"Oh dear," Bedivere raised an eyebrow dismissively, "I was just waiting here and dealt with three intruding magicians."

'What? No wonder His Majesty is so furious—'

'What's going on? I cleared away the intruders for Her Majesty, why is she angry? Wait... could it be...?'

Upon hearing Morgan's anger, the previously arrogant fairy knight immediately wilted, her face drained of color. Her current anxious demeanor was a stark contrast to the cruelty she displayed when slaughtering foreigners.

"Don't expect me to plead for you this time," the blonde girl sighed. "If you want to at least have a decent burial, go back and beg for forgiveness immediately."

'I...I'll go back right away!'

An hour later, in the Camelot Throne Room.

Morgan sat cross-legged on the throne, awaiting the return of the disobedient.

'Your Majesty, the fairy knight Bedivere requests an audience.'

'Let her in.'

Everyone in the entire royal city knew how terrifying the Queen's wrath could be. At this moment, Bedivere was completely different from her arrogance at the Mist Sea. She lowered her head and hesitantly moved to the throne, even her breathing was extremely soft.

"I've said it before," Morgan's voice was calm and even, "I despise disobedient children. Why go to the Sea of ​​Fog?"