Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist

Morgan's attacks were like a storm, relentless and unstoppable. The next powerful kick followed, aimed straight for Caster's head!

In that life-or-death moment, Caster's survival instincts and combat experience were finally unleashed! Enduring excruciating pain, she used her core strength to roll sideways in an extremely awkward yet effective manner, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. Simultaneously, using the momentum of the roll, she suddenly exerted force, like a spring compressed to its limit, leaping upwards with all her might, her head slamming into Morgan, who was slightly leaning forward from her missed attack!

"Boom!"

The headbutt landed squarely on Morgan's high nose!

"Ugh!" Morgan groaned, leaning back slightly. A sharp pain shot through his nose, and warm liquid immediately flowed down his nasal cavity, staining his pale lips red.

However, Caster's attack did not stop! She knew that this minor injury was nothing to Morgan; the real killing move lay in the psychological battle that followed! In the instant that Morgan was momentarily slowed by the injury to his nose, Caster threw another punch, seemingly a normal follow-up attack, but within her fist, she had already quietly crushed a hidden summoning rune!

Morgan's eyes flickered slightly, as if he had anticipated the punch's trajectory, and he was about to dodge—

"Now!" Caster's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he opened his palm!

"Om-!"

The dazzling brilliance of the strike did not come from the tip of her fist, but rather erupted directly from her palm! A crescent-shaped blade of light, condensed to the point of being almost tangible, tore through the less than one meter between the two with an astonishing speed far exceeding that of a fist, and slashed straight at Morgan's throat!

"Pfft—!"

The dull thud of a blade slicing into flesh! The light blade precisely cut into Morgan's neck, deep enough to expose bone! A large gushing of crimson blood gushed out like a burst dam, instantly staining her white clothes and chest!

Did you succeed?!

Do not!

Morgan didn't even flinch. She simply raised her free hand swiftly, and a vibrant green healing magic glow, as if alive, covered the gruesome wound. The bleeding slowed and stopped at a visible rate; although the wound didn't heal instantly, it was clearly no longer a life-threatening danger.

And her counterattack has already begun.

"Snapped!"

A crisp snap of the fingers.

Three arc-shaped walls of eerie blue fire, their edges crackling with ominous black flames, suddenly erupted simultaneously from three directions around Caster without warning! The walls of fire rapidly closed, instantly enveloping her in the center! The terrifyingly high temperature didn't come from external burning, but rather acted directly on her body, as if flames were igniting within her blood vessels and internal organs! Caster felt as if her internal organs were being tormented by the raging flames, every breath she inhaled was scalding hot, her vision was distorted by the intense heat, and her skin felt a burning, stinging pain!

"Water Summoning...cough!" She endured the burning pain and tapped the ground with difficulty with her staff.

"boom!"

A thick column of water shot into the sky from beneath her feet, colliding violently with the encircling wall of dark blue fire, bursting forth with steam and hissing sounds, temporarily offsetting the erosion of the flames.

However, aside from the steam, Morgan had already anticipated her response.

The black staff was now in her hand, its tip pointing directly at Castor, whose figure was still blurred in the steam after he had just escaped the flames.

"The tide, engulfing."

There was no rousing chanting, only a calm pronouncement. The staff fell, and a viscous, deep, pitch-black "tsunami," seemingly formed from countless negative emotions and despair, silently but with the power to crush everything, swept towards Castor! It was the black magic that Morgan had painstakingly developed after ascending the throne, combining the dark side of Britain with his own suffering, containing a terrifying power to corrode souls and matter.

An attack pattern never seen before! Caster's pupils contracted, and in a flash, she chose the most clumsy, but perhaps only, method—to withstand it!

The chosen staff was held horizontally in front of him, and icy blue magic erupted with all its might, forming a thick starlight shield!

"boom--!!!"

The black tsunami crashed against the shield, producing a dull thud like a giant beast striking a mountain wall! An unimaginable pressure came over him, and Castor felt as if he were being charged head-on by a mad elephant. His arm bones groaned under the strain, his feet dug deep furrows in the ground, and he was pushed backward continuously!

This heavy blow turned out to be just a feint!

Just as Castor was struggling to withstand the frontal impact and her vision and senses were briefly obscured by the black magic, Morgan's figure, like a ghost, appeared behind her under the cover of the tsunami!

“Very good.” Morgan’s voice was almost close to Caster’s ear, calm with a hint of appreciation, yet more chilling than any threat. “It’s been a long time… no one has made me bleed this much. Caster, your progress has exceeded my expectations.”

Her tone suddenly turned stern:

"—But in battle, no one will warn you of 'danger behind you'!"

"What—?!" Caster turned around in horror, but it was too late!

Morgan's long legs swung up like steel whips, delivering a fierce side kick that landed squarely on Caster's lower back, sending her flying like a ball into the still-undissipated black magical tsunami ahead!

"what--!!!"

Indescribable pain instantly overwhelmed Caster! The power of dark magic invaded her body simultaneously like countless cold, poisonous insects and scorching hot irons, tearing at her flesh, burning her nerves, and eroding her magic! Her vision was instantly covered in blood, and warm liquid gushed uncontrollably from her eyes, nose, ears, and mouth—blood flowed from all seven orifices!

"Ugh... Ahh!" Her survival instinct ignited with her last strength as she struggled desperately, trying to break free from the viscous dark magic, and staggered to the ground. Ignoring the blood and grime covering her face, she swung a sharp slash in the backhand, attempting to force back Morgan, who might pursue her.

Morgan simply shifted slightly to the side, easily dodging the attack. Immediately following, a precise and swift whip kick landed squarely on Caster's side!

"Oh!"

Caster flew out again like a kite with a broken string, smashing through the glass window of an empty restaurant. He rolled and came to a stop amidst the sounds of shattered tables and chairs, his body covered in new wounds, leaving long trails of blood on the clean floor.

Morgan slowly approached and stood outside the broken window, looking at Castor struggling to get up inside. There was no smugness in his icy blue eyes, but rather a hint of scrutiny and... barely perceptible expectation.

"What's wrong, Caster?" Her voice came through the broken window. "Your strength... shouldn't be limited to this. My previous attacks deliberately avoided your vital points. But what about you? That blade of light just now, if it had been anyone else, they would probably be decapitated. What are you still hesitating about?"

Inside the restaurant, Castor propped himself up with trembling arms, wiping away the blood that kept spilling from the corner of his mouth. His icy blue eyes, peering through his disheveled hair, were fixed on Morgan outside the window. The flames inside him had not been extinguished by his serious injuries; instead, they burned even more intensely.

“Of course… no, Your Majesty…” Her voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally clear, each word seemingly squeezed from her chest, “I… never… said I would admit defeat!”

The moment she finished speaking, she gripped the Staff of Choice tightly in her hand and slammed it into the ground!

"Buzz!"

A huge halo, shimmering with complex runes, suddenly lit up beneath Morgan's feet! It turned out that his earlier disheveled state, injuries, and even his seemingly reckless resistance were all part of a deliberate act of feigning weakness to distract Morgan!

The halo suddenly contracted, transforming into several dazzling chains of light that instantly wrapped around Morgan's legs and arms!

“What…?!” A genuine surprise flashed in Morgan’s eyes.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Castor, enduring the excruciating pain throughout his body, unleashed all his remaining strength, rushed forward, and delivered a flying kick infused with magic, slamming it into Morgan's temporarily restrained chest!

"Boom!"

Morgan was sent flying backward by the powerful kick, crashing into a stone pillar on the street before coming to a stop. But she didn't fall; instead, she adjusted her posture in mid-air, performing a clean backflip and landing steadily.

Almost at the same moment she landed, the air between the two seemed to freeze.

A shared magical energy, yet carrying entirely different auras, rose simultaneously from the two of them. Countless magical spikes, with incredibly sharp tips and shimmering with icy blue and dark purple light, appeared in the air around them like a living thicket of thorns, their tips facing each other, radiating a dangerous aura of mutual destruction.

This is a magical costume unique to the "Children of Paradise," a manifestation of their fundamental power, and also symbolizes... a kind of inheritance and an end.

Without a word, without hesitation, in the next heartbeat, the two launched their final attack simultaneously—not aimed at each other's vitals, but rather choosing positions that best "confirmed" each other's resolve and strength.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two muffled thuds, almost simultaneously, of sharp blades piercing flesh, echoed clearly across the suddenly silent battlefield.

An ice-blue spike pierced Morgan's right shoulder blade.

A dark purple spike pierced Caster's left shoulder socket with equal precision.

Both men deliberately avoided fatal blows, yet both were enough to inflict severe damage, bringing real, deep-seated pain.

"Tick...tick..."

Crimson blood beads slowly gathered and dripped down the smooth surface of the awl, splashing into tiny, dazzling blood flowers on the cold ground.

The spikes began to slowly dissipate, turning into dust.

The two stood several meters apart, breathing heavily, their clothes stained crimson with blood. Their eyes met in mid-air, a gaze that held pain, exhaustion, a complex emotion finally acknowledged, and an indescribable resonance that transcended victory or defeat.

Outside the barrier, the Chaldea members were already dumbfounded, holding their breath. This duel, from beginning to end, was swift and decisive, devoid of flowery language or superfluous movements. Every exchange was brutal, every collision brimming with the resolve to fight to the death, yet maintaining a cruel "tacit understanding" and "restraint" on the verge of certain demise.

Morgan slowly straightened up, her icy blue eyes fixed intently on Caster, who was also covered in wounds but stood ramrod straight. After a long while, a very slight, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of her blood-stained lips. It wasn't a smile, but a heavy, complex emotion mixed with weariness, relief, and final acceptance.

"……very good."

Her voice was soft, yet it clearly pierced through the smoke and blood that filled the air between the two.

“Cast. It’s…ready.”

Castor's eyes widened slightly, his knuckles white from gripping the Staff of Choice, and the sharp pain in his shoulder continued, but something in his heart quietly settled with those words.

"His Majesty……"

Morgan did not respond to her soft call. His gaze swept over the tense Chaldea members outside the barrier before returning to Caster. His voice regained its usual calm, but no longer carried the previous coldness and oppressiveness:

"Your 'trial' ends here. I will...not interfere any further."

She paused, as if she had unloaded a heavy burden, or as if she had personally handed over something even heavier.

"As for this Lostbelt... Britain's ultimate fate is up to you... to decide."

As she finished speaking, she raised her hand and gently wiped away the remaining blood from her lips. Immediately, a healing, emerald-green light, full of vibrant life, gently bloomed from her palm, like the warm sun of early spring, quickly spreading and enveloping herself and Castor opposite her.

As the light shifted, the shocking wounds on their bodies—torn flesh, bruises, and puncture wounds—stopped bleeding, healed, and smoothed out at a visible speed. In just a few breaths, apart from the bloodstains and tears on their clothes, their skin had returned to its smooth state, as if the fierce, almost mutually destructive battle they had just fought was merely a vividly realistic illusion.

The icy blue and dark purple spikes completely dissipated into the air.

The two "Children of Paradise" stood silently a few meters apart. A fateful duel that spanned two thousand years and diverging paths had come to an end.

The Queen of Winter has declared her "defeat".

The reign of the Fairy Queen, which had lasted for two thousand years and was sustained by an iron fist and solitude, symbolically came to an end at this moment.

***

Meanwhile, far away in the luxurious yet cold hall of the royal clan, the crystal ball clearly reflected everything that was happening atop the royal tower.

Aurora leaned gracefully against the velvet-covered couch, toying with a crystal glass in her hand, a cold smile playing on her lips, as if she were watching a meticulously crafted drama with a perfect ending. Nocnarria stood beside her, her beautiful face etched with undisguised greed and excitement, her gaze fixed on Morgan's "defeat" figure in the crystal ball, as if she could already see herself crowned and seated on the throne.

When Aurora saw Morgan say "It's up to you to decide" and heal each other's injuries, a triumphant glint flashed in her eyes. She slightly turned her head and gave Lipcan, who was standing to the side, a look.

No words were needed. The former chieftain of the earth fairies, emaciated as a skeleton, understood immediately, gave a sinister laugh, and strode towards a corner of the hall.

There, the fairy knight Tristan-Bavanshi lay curled up on the ground like a discarded rag doll. She had long been tormented by the abuse and the curse within her body, and was on the verge of death. Blood still seeped from the severed part of her right arm, her cheeks were so thin that they were unrecognizable, her eyes were unfocused, and only the faint rise and fall of her chest proved that she was still alive.

Lipkaner stretched out his withered, claw-like hand and mercilessly grabbed Bavanshi's disheveled hair, dragging her off the ground like a piece of cargo. Bavanshi let out a barely audible whimper of pain, but she didn't even have the strength to struggle.

“Come on, little princess.” Lipkan’s voice was like sandpaper scraping. “It’s time to take you to see… your ‘great’ mother in her final moments. I suppose she would be ‘happy’ to see you as you are now.”

He dragged the barely breathing Bavanshi step by step toward the core area of ​​the royal city. Aurora and Nocnarria exchanged a smile, a smile filled with their determination to seize the power they were about to obtain, and a cruel anticipation of the ultimate fate of Morgan and her daughter.

Almost simultaneously, an "official letter," instantly transmitted throughout Britain via magic, exploded in the senses of all the fairies like a stone thrown into water, carrying undisguised "joy" and impatience:

Good news! The Winter Queen has been defeated atop the royal city! A new era for the Fairy Kingdom is about to begin!

The new Queen's coronation will be held solemnly in Gloucester Cathedral in three days!

All citizens of the Fairy Kingdom are cordially invited to attend and witness history together, celebrating our new beginning!

Defeat, Melusin - Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist