Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist

Ritsuka glared at Keira, her voice trembling with anger: "Keira! You lied to us! When we first met, you kept saying that Queen Morgan was cruel and heartless... But in reality, the most cruel and despicable ones are clearly you! Her Majesty Morgan is not..."

"Save your naive lectures, Fujimaru Ritsuka." Koala impatiently waved her hand to interrupt, the corners of her mouth widening into a cruel smile. "You have no room for argument or struggle anymore. Now, all that's needed is a clean and swift execution, sending you to hell to reunite with that brat... That's the most fitting end you deserve!" Her eyes flashed, and she abruptly waved her hand:

"Get started! Don't dawdle!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers closest to the station raised their sharp blades without hesitation. The cold tips of the blades were aimed at Ritsuka's head and back, and with resolute killing intent, they stabbed down fiercely!

The scent of death was palpable.

Ritsuka's pupils dilated suddenly, her heart nearly stopping. Caught between the instinct for survival and despair, she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut. Only then did a chilling, bone-chilling fear pierce through her raging rage, jolting her back to reality—what had she done? Completely consumed by anger, she had charged into enemy lines alone, without any plan, without any backup… reckless, foolish, practically suicidal!

Is this really how it's going to end? To die on this unfamiliar, cold street?

"Pfft!"

The dull, teeth-grinding sound of a sharp weapon slicing into flesh reached my ears with crystal clarity.

However... the excruciating pain that I had expected did not come.

Ritsuka trembled and opened her eyes extremely slowly.

The sight that came into view made her gasp for breath.

The Wind Clan soldiers who had been surrounding her, raising their knives to stab her, now stood frozen in place, their faces contorted with disbelief and astonishment. A thin red line, as fine as a hair, rapidly expanded on their necks or chests, and then blood gushed out like a fountain! They didn't even have time to scream before their eyes glazed over, and they collapsed like felled stalks of wheat.

Among these fallen bodies, a figure stood as firm as a rock.

His white cloak fluttered slightly in the still-strong wind, and his bright red short hair was like a flame leaping in the darkness. In his hand he held an ancient longsword, its blade gleaming, with a few drops of viscous blood slowly sliding down its tip and dripping onto the ground with a soft "tap, tap" sound.

It's Senko Muramasa.

He turned his head slightly and glanced at Ritsuka, who was still lying on the ground. In his eyes, which had witnessed countless chaotic scenes, there was no blame, only a hint of helpless understanding. He casually flicked his sword to wipe away the remaining blood, then reached out and pulled the still somewhat dazed Ritsuka up from the ground.

“Silly child,” his voice was low, carrying a reproach that was unique to an elder, a mixture of concern and sigh, “you really never give this old man a moment’s peace of mind.”

"Grandpa?!" Ritsuka steadied herself and looked at him in surprise. "How could you... wait!"

Her gaze instantly swept past Muramasa's shoulder, locking onto the back of the crowd—Kera, who had been so arrogant just moments before, now had all color drain from her face, her eyes filled with terror as she watched the lightning-fast reversal. Seeing her strongest reliance (her soldiers) shattered in an instant, she barely hesitated; her wings of light unfurled, and she turned to flee!

"Stop! Koala!" Ritsuka shouted, her actions faster than her thoughts! She darted forward, bent down to grab the shotgun that had fallen to the ground, and before she could even say another word to Muramasa, she was already like an arrow released from a bow, chasing after Koala in the direction she had fled!

Muramasa stood still, watching the girl's relentless and stubborn pursuit, without immediately following. He merely shook his head slightly, a faint, almost indulgent smile curving his lips.

He raised his hand, his voice not loud, yet it clearly pierced through the chaos of the street and the sound of the wind, reaching Ritsuka's ears:

"child--!"

Ritsuka, who was running ahead, paused almost imperceptibly.

"—Do whatever you want!"

Muramasa's voice carried a power that cut through all hesitation.

"don’t worry,"

With a flick of his wrist, his longsword appeared horizontally in front of him. His gaze swept over the remaining soldiers, who were slightly agitated by their leader's escape but dared not advance. His tone was calm yet undeniably authoritative:

"I will always be here to support you."

Muramasa's words didn't make Ritsuka turn back, but they acted like a powerful stimulant, precisely injecting into her resolute steps. As she ran, she flicked her right hand, and a magic capsule shattered at her fingertips!

call--!

A torrent of scorching magical energy instantly enveloped her entire body, flames erupting from beneath her feet, creating a powerful propulsive force. Ritsuka used this momentum to forcefully push off the ground, her figure soaring into the air, briefly breaking free from the constraints of gravity, and hurtling towards the low sky like an arrow released from a bow!

Ahead, Kera was frantically flapping her pink wings, trying to create distance as she fled in panic towards the Wind Clan's fortress. Hearing the commotion behind her, she turned around in terror, her eyes meeting Ritsuka's cold, deep gaze, illuminated by the flames.

Ritsuka steadied herself in mid-air, raised the shotgun with one hand, and calmly calculated the lead as the muzzle moved slightly with the swaying flight path of the Kera.

"boom--!"

The gun muzzle spewed out flashes of light and smoke, and dense steel balls shot out in a fan shape, tearing through the air!

"Ugh!" Kera screamed as several steel balls struck her left wing simultaneously, shattering the structure of her light wings instantly. Her magic became chaotic, exploding into a cloud of smoke and dust mixed with light fragments and feathers. Her body lurched, and her flight posture immediately went out of control, swaying violently and plummeting through the air like a kite with a broken string.

The excruciating pain contorted Kerla's face, but her survival instinct overwhelmed everything. She gritted her teeth, ignoring the tearing sensation from her left wing, and frantically flapped her still-intact right wing, trying to maintain altitude and continue struggling toward the fortress.

"Still trying to escape?"

A cold glint flashed in Ritsuka's eyes. She subtly adjusted her magical thrust, her body arcing through the air, instantly closing the distance to Koala's side and rear. The shotgun rose again, its dark muzzle this time firmly locking onto the last remaining right wing, which was desperately flapping.

"Get down here, Kerla!"

"boom!!!"

The second shot was crisper and more deadly.

"Pfft—!"

The steel ball mercilessly tore through the fragile wing membrane and shattered the supporting skeletal structure. The right wing exploded in mid-air, spraying blood and shattered sparks, completely losing its function.

"Do not--!!!"

Kera's screams stopped abruptly. Having lost all lift, she plummeted straight down from several meters in the air like a heavy stone!

"boom!"

Dust billowed. She crashed heavily onto the hard ground with a dull thud. Excruciating pain exploded from every limb and bone; the clear cracking sounds of bones breaking came from her left leg and right arm, and her forehead was split open, warm blood immediately blurring half her vision. Those wings, once symbols of the Wind Clan's elegance and speed, now hung limply at her sides like two tattered rags, swaying slightly with her trembling body.

She struggled, trying to prop herself up with her uninjured arm, but the excruciating pain from the fracture and the weakness from blood loss made each attempt feel like carrying a thousand pounds, her steps faltering like that of an elderly person. Blood flowed continuously down her broken forehead, twisted arms, and leg wounds, leaving intermittent dark red trails behind her.

Just then, a shadow fell over her.

Kerla trembled and raised her head very slowly.

What came into view was a pair of cold eyes looking down at her, and—a dark shotgun muzzle almost pressed against her forehead.

"Where do you think you're going, you coward?" Ritsuka's voice was soft, but it pierced Koala's eardrums like an ice pick. "Without your subordinates, without your wings, where do you think you can run to?"

The gun barrel was pushed forward again, and the cold metallic touch made Kerla shudder.

“I’ll make you understand soon enough,” Ritsuka said, each word dripping with hatred, “what the consequences will be if you try to harm the people most important to me. You deceived us, you used us, and now—it’s your turn to experience it for yourself.”

"You...you're going to kill me? You..." Kera's voice trembled violently, her teeth chattering. She instinctively raised her still-functioning arm and futilely shielded her face, as if that could protect her from the impending destruction.

"You think I wouldn't dare?" Ritsuka tilted her head slightly, her eyes unwavering. "This gun is enough to make your head explode like a watermelon. Any last words, Koala?"

A last message? Kera's mind went blank. In the eyes of that foreign girl she had once scorned, whom she considered "weak and naive," she saw undisguised murderous intent, boiling rage, resentment at betrayal, and a... a resolute determination to destroy everything. She had never been threatened with such a direct, cold death. The extreme fear nearly made her lose control of her bladder; the instinct for survival overwhelmed all pride and calculation.

"Um... Fujimaru Ritsuka..." Her voice was hoarse, choked with sobs, and incoherent. "It's not too late... We can talk! I didn't mean it... Those were Aurora-sama's orders! Please... please let me go! I'll do anything! Please...!"

“Yes, it wasn’t intentional.” Ritsuka repeated her words, her tone full of sarcasm. “Your ‘not intentional’ means sending an assassin to aim a poisoned arrow at Leonardo da Vinci’s heart? Sorry, whatever you say now… is useless.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Ritsuka did something that almost made Koala's heart stop—she slowly put away the deadly shotgun and hung it back on her waist.

Was she saved? A wave of relief, almost like a collapse, had just washed over Kera, before it could even manifest as a single expression...

Ritsuka's hand, moving with lightning speed, reached to the other side and drew the compact, shorter-barreled submachine gun. The muzzle wasn't even fully raised; it was merely tilted slightly—

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two quick but deadly shots.

The first bullet pierced precisely into the center of the kneecap of Kerla's right leg, which was supporting his body, while the second bullet almost simultaneously pierced the same spot in his left leg.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

Unimaginable pain instantly overwhelmed Kera! It was a complex pain of shattered bones, torn ligaments, and violently destroyed nerves! She let out a shrill scream that was not human, her legs could no longer support her, and she collapsed forward like a lump of mud, then completely slumped to the ground, her body convulsing violently from the excruciating pain.

In that instant when her face contorted in pain and her consciousness began to fade from the shock—

Ritsuka's submachine gun was steadily adjusted to the last few millimeters.

"puff."

The third soft sound was even fainter than the first two.

A bullet entered through Kerla's slightly open mouth, which seemed to want to scream or beg for mercy, and pierced her skull diagonally upwards, exiting from the back of her head with a mixture of red and white blood.

Kera froze instantly; all her screams, convulsions, and even breathing ceased in that instant. Her eyes, wide open in fear and pain, quickly lost all their luster, becoming empty and lifeless. Like a machine suddenly unplugged, she collapsed to the ground, silent and still. Dark red blood mixed with other fluids gushed from the wounds in her head and the bullet holes in her knees, quickly forming a puddle beneath her.

Ritsuka lowered the muzzle of her gun, gently blew on the slightly warm barrel, as if merely brushing away a speck of dust. She didn't even glance at the rapidly cooling corpse on the ground.

She turned and sheathed her submachine gun. Her gaze had already passed over the bloody execution ground and landed on the towering yet sinister Wind Clan fortress in the distance.

“I should have killed you long ago, Kera.” She muttered to herself, her voice devoid of any triumphant joy, only a cold sense of utter dejection. “Enough with the nonsense… Do you really think I’ll have even the slightest bit of pity for you?”

Her words faded into the blood-stained wind. She strode forward, stepping over rubble and dust, continuing towards her final destination without looking back.

-

The towering, magnificent yet ominous gates of the Wind Clan's territory were almost within reach. Ritsuka's pent-up resentment and chilling killing intent had reached its peak, like volcanic magma compressed to its limit, awaiting a destructive eruption. If the madness and depravity currently spreading throughout the Fairy Kingdom had a tangible "malignant tumor," it would undoubtedly be the woman behind that gate—Aurora.

The faintest footsteps sounded behind her, unmistakably. Ritsuka didn't turn around, yet she knew who it was. Senji Muramasa and Caster had quietly arrived a short distance behind her. They didn't stop her, nor did they offer any words of comfort; they simply stood silently, like two solid shadows. They, too, were fully aware of Aurora's true nature and crimes.

This silence itself is a form of silent support and understanding.

Ritsuka took a deep breath; the cold air couldn't extinguish the flames in her heart. She knew that the two people behind her were merely her support at this moment, and that this reckoning had to be carried out by her own hands.

Without further hesitation, she reached out and placed her hand on the heavy door, which was carved with intricate wind patterns.

"crunch-"

The door was slowly pushed open a crack.

"Hey! Who goes there? Stop right there—" A Wind Clan guard inside the door turned around alertly and shouted.

Before he could finish speaking...

"Bang--!!!"

The deafening gunfire brutally shattered the false tranquility of the territory. The flashes and steel pellets from the shotgun at extremely close range instantly blasted the guard's head, along with his unfinished question, into a mass of flying blood and flesh! The pungent smell of gunpowder and the strong stench of blood immediately filled the air.

The loud noise, like a boulder thrown into a stagnant pool, instantly startled the depths of the territory.

In the lavishly decorated inner hall, Aurora, reclining on a soft sofa and sipping red wine, suddenly trembled in her delicate wine glass, spilling the crimson liquid onto the hem of her magnificent dress.

"What's going on?! What was that sound?!" She sat up abruptly, her usual elegance and composure vanishing, replaced by a look of surprise and disbelief.

A soldier scrambled in, his face filled with terror: "It's terrible, Lady Aurora! That...that foreign magician! She's broken in!"

"What?!" Aurora jumped to her feet, her voice shrill with shock and anger. "Where's Kelra?! Didn't I order her to deal with that woman?! Why is she still here?!"

"N-no, we don't know! We haven't seen Lord Kelra return!"

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" Aurora roared, her beautiful face contorted with fear and rage. "Stop her! Now! Right now! Don't tell me you can't even handle a mere human!"

The soldiers retreated in panic. Aurora, however, could no longer maintain her composure. She paced back and forth in the expensively carpeted hall, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt. Elegance and poise were gone; her face was now filled with panic, fear, and disbelief. How could this be? She had deployed so many troops, with Kella personally leading the charge… How could Fujimaru Ritsuka still be alive, and even have infiltrated her heartland? This was the ultimate mockery of her meticulously planned scheme!