Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist

In contrast to the commotion outside and the panic inside, there was an efficient and ruthless advance in another corridor.

Ritsuka had already crushed the magic capsule the moment she stepped through the gate. Black and red karmic flames rose from her body, intertwining with a scorching and ominous aura. Jeanne d'Arc Alter's flames of vengeance and Nobunaga's tyrannical magic merged within her, transforming her into a moving embodiment of calamity. Floating turrets, formed from gunpowder magic, hovered beside her, firing with unparalleled precision, every soldier who attempted to approach turning to charred remains or fragments in the exploding flames. The surging black flames mercilessly devoured any life that dared to stand in her way.

Screams, explosions, the crackling of bones, the popping of flames... all intertwined in this once-peaceful mansion, creating a bloody requiem. Ritsuka stepped over charred corpses and pools of blood, her target clear, heading straight for the deepest core.

Just as she was about to turn into the last corridor leading to the inner hall, a soldier who had been lying in wait for a long time darted out from the shadows like a venomous snake! The poisoned dagger in his hand, with the ruthlessness of a desperate gamble, plunged into Ritsuka's side!

"Well--!"

The cold metal pierced through flesh, bringing a sharp, stinging pain, followed by a burning sensation as the toxin spread. A maniacal grin spread across the soldier's face as he gripped the hilt of the knife tightly, straining with all his might to try and push the dagger deeper, even twisting it!

However, Ritsuka's body only swayed slightly. The excruciating pain seemed to be shut out by some stronger will. She didn't even look down at her wound; her eyes, burning with rage, were fixed on the front, and her left hand suddenly shot out, her five fingers gripping the soldier's wrist holding the knife like an iron clamp!

"Don't—stop—me! You bastard!!"

With a roar, she unleashed astonishing strength, forcefully shoving the soldier away along with the dagger embedded in his abdomen! Immediately afterward, she swung the shotgun in her right hand, the heavy steel butt whistling through the air, and slammed it hard into the soldier's temple!

"Thump!" A dull impact sound.

The soldier's vision went black, and he staggered backward. Ritsuka didn't hesitate for a moment; she smoothly turned her gun and brought it closer—

"boom!!"

A close-range shotgun blast! The soldier's chest exploded like a watermelon being smashed by a giant hammer. He was thrown backward and crashed heavily into the wall, leaving a glaring red stain before sliding to the ground, where he lay motionless.

Ritsuka then bent down slightly, her left hand gripping the hilt of the dagger still embedded in her abdomen. Without hesitation, she yanked it outwards!

"laugh--"

Blood spurted out as the blade was severed, quickly soaking her clothes. The excruciating pain from the wound finally registered clearly in her nerves, causing cold sweat to bead on her forehead and her face to paler. But she merely pressed her burning hand—the flame possessing a strange hemostatic and burning effect—again, and straightened up.

This injury... is nothing.

She must move forward.

The door to the inner hall is just ahead.

-

Inside the door, Aurora was already restless. The shouts, explosions, and screams outside were diminishing and disappearing at an alarming rate. That didn't mean the battle was over, but rather that... the obstacles were being rapidly eliminated.

The fear of the unknown is more terrifying than the known enemy. Finally, unable to resist, she reached out, her hand trembling, wanting to turn the lock, even just to peek outside—

Just as her fingertips were about to touch the cold doorknob!

"Bang--!!!"

A deafening explosion! A hole the size of a bowl suddenly burst open in the center of the thick wooden door! Amidst the flying sawdust, several scorching steel balls pierced through the door panel and struck Europa's outstretched right hand with pinpoint accuracy!

"Aaaaaahh ...

A piercing scream rang out. Aurora's right hand, along with part of her wrist, was almost completely shattered by the force of the shotgun blasts, bleeding profusely and revealing glimpses of bone. A searing pain shot through her body like an electric shock, and she staggered backward, clutching her crippled right hand, nearly fainting from the agony.

However, the punishment was not over yet.

"boom--!!"

The second shot, almost immediately following the echo of the first, pierced through another spot on the door; this time, the target was her legs, which were supporting her body.

"Snap!" "Pfft!"

A clear cracking sound mingled with the ripping of flesh. Aurora's legs below the knees were severely injured; bones were broken and muscles were torn. Unable to stand any longer, she let out an even more desperate wail, collapsing forward as if her spine had been ripped out, crashing heavily onto the cold, ornate floor.

A sharp pain surged through her entire body, each breath tightening the wounds and causing excruciating agony. Blood gushed from the wounds on her right hand and legs, quickly spreading large patches of dark red across the carpet. She could only barely support her upper body with her still-intact left elbow, utterly disheveled, tears streaming down her face. All her previous pride, cunning, and elegance had vanished, leaving only primal fear and agony.

"pat...pat..."

Clear, unhurried footsteps passed through the hole in the door, over the debris and bloodstains in the corridor, approaching from afar, and finally stopping in front of the broken door.

A figure faintly outlined by black and red karmic flames blocked the light coming in from outside the door, and shadows enveloped Aurora, who was curled up in pain on the ground.

Ritsuka stood there, wisps of smoke still rising from the muzzle of her shotgun. She looked down at the woman at her feet, the woman who had once plunged the Fairy Kingdom into the abyss and tried to take away the person most important to her. Her burning eyes held no warmth whatsoever.

“Aurora…” Ritsuka’s voice was gasping for breath due to her injuries, yet it resounded with unusual clarity in the deathly silent room, “How have you been… cough… ha… you probably never dreamed that I would come looking for you like this, did you?”

Aurora lay paralyzed in a pool of blood, trembling violently from the excruciating pain and fear. She looked up at the figure, covered in blood and wreathed in ominous black flames, her lips quivering, unable to utter a complete syllable: "Fujimaru... Ritsuka... you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ritsuka kicked her hard in the injured side! Aurora screamed and rolled backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily against the cold wall. She curled up in a corner, her moans becoming intermittent.

"I warned you... stay away from us! You bastard!" Ritsuka approached step by step, each step feeling like a blow to Aurora's already fragile nerves. "You actually... you actually dared to lay a hand on the person most important to me! Aurora!!"

The anger had long surpassed the level of gritting teeth; it had transformed into a cold, almost insane magma that threatened to burn away reason. Just seeing that face that once wore a hypocritical, elegant smile, seeing those eyes that once held a condescending gaze and manipulated others, the surging murderous intent and hatred almost burst forth from his body.

Aurora's face drained of color, her lips deathly pale. What did she want to say? Plead? Explain? Threaten? All the words stuck in her throat, leaving only an uncontrollable tremor of fear. Unlike Kera, who still had the courage (or perhaps foolishness) to plead for peace, Aurora knew better than anyone how many irreversible things she had done, knew she had already cut off all her escape routes. Not long ago, she had her strongest "weapon," Melusin, protecting her, but she had personally abandoned that last barrier, leaving it to the darkness. Now, she was alone, like a bird stripped of all its beautiful feathers, naked and wretched, exposed to the predator's claws.

Before delivering the fatal blow, Ritsuka needs to vent, needs to let this body, scorched by rage, touch the very essence of this sin with her own hands.

She threw punches, without any technique, only the most primal force and hatred. Fists, elbows, even gun butts... rained down on Aurora, but more than anything, she unleashed her fury on that once flawless, captivating face.

"Bang!" "Thump!" "Smack!"

The dull thuds of flesh colliding continued. Aurora initially managed screams, but later only painful whimpers remained. Her once-proud face rapidly swelled and deformed, turning a patchwork of blue and purple, her mouth split open, her nose crooked, and blood mixed with tears smeared her face. For this chieftain of the Wind Clan, who regarded beauty as the meaning and power of her existence, the disfigurement was a mental blow that even surpassed the physical pain.

"Spare...spare me..." she finally managed to squeeze out a weak breath from her swollen lips, her eyes unfocused and filled with pleading.

"What?" Ritsuka stopped moving, panting. The wound in her abdomen was tearing with pain from the strenuous activity, but she seemed oblivious to it. "You want me to spare you?... Cough... Why should I? What... who do you think you are? You..."

“Cough…no…please…” Aurora’s voice was broken and weak.

Ritsuka stared at her for a few seconds, her eyes unwavering. Suddenly, she reached out, her fingers like iron clamps, and gripped Aurora's slender neck tightly!

"Uh...ha..." Aurora's eyes bulged out instantly, her face turned from bluish-purple to dark purple, and she futilely scratched at Ritsuka's arm, kicking her legs weakly.

However, just before Aurora was about to suffocate, Ritsuka suddenly let go of her hand.

"Cough cough...cough cough cough!!!" A large amount of air rushed into her lungs, and Aurora curled up on the ground, coughing so hard that it felt like she was coughing up her internal organs.

“Killing you would be too easy for you, you bastard.” Ritsuka coldly watched her struggle in a disheveled state. The pain in her abdomen made her frown slightly, but her mind was unusually clear. “That’s right… I should let you experience a more ‘suitable’ feeling.”

She thought of Morse, of the curse that dragged fairies into ugliness, madness, and eternal torment. For a fairy who revered beauty and built her existence upon the envy and admiration of others, what could be a crueler punishment than watching herself fall into that ugliest, most detestable form?

"Where...where are you taking me?! No...no...no!!!" Aurora seemed to realize something and let out a scream of extreme terror.

Ritsuka didn't answer, but roughly grabbed Aurora's long, golden hair, which was stuck together in strands of blood, and dragged her along like a bag of garbage, mercilessly heading towards the mansion gate. No matter how much Aurora cried, begged, or struggled, no matter how her fingernails dug into the floor, she couldn't make that hand loosen its grip.

Outside the mansion gate, Caster and Muramasa were already waiting. Caster held an inconspicuous pottery jar in his hands, his face somewhat pale, but his eyes unusually firm. Muramasa stood silently to the side with his arms crossed, his sharp gaze sweeping over the surroundings.

Seeing Ritsuka dragging the barely recognizable Aurora out, Castor took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The moment Aurora looked up again as she was being dragged and her gaze fell on the earthenware jar in Castor's hand, Castor unhesitatingly poured the thick liquid inside, which emitted an ominous purplish-black mist and a foul stench, all over Aurora!

"Sizzle—!!!"

Like boiling oil poured onto snow, Aurora's once fair and smooth skin, now riddled with wounds, instantly blistered and emitted wisps of smoke! The purplish-black patches, like the most virulent mold, spread and seeped into her body at a visible speed! The burning, bone-deep pain, and the agonizing sensation of her skin being eroded and becoming hideous, caused Aurora to let out a scream of unbearable agony, a scream far beyond what any human could utter!

"Aaaaaaahh ...

She frantically scratched her skin, trying to stop the spread of the ugly patches, but only managed to tear off pieces of skin covered in purplish-black rotting flesh. She saw her carefully maintained hands become like withered trees, and her smooth arms crawling with disgusting pustules and black spots... At that moment, her mind completely collapsed.

And just as she was losing her mind due to extreme pain and fear, screaming and rolling in vain—

Ritsuka raised the submachine gun in her hand, the muzzle less than half a meter away from Aurora's forehead, which was contorted in pain, streaked with tears and covered with purplish-black spots.

Her eyes were eerily calm.

"boom."

A crisp, short gunshot rang out.

All of Aurora's screams, struggles, and the nauseating purplish-black process of decay came to an abrupt halt at that moment.

Her body stiffened abruptly, then she fell straight backward, crashing heavily to the cold ground. Those once beautiful eyes, brimming with allure and cunning, were now wide open, their pupils completely dilated and dim, frozen in the extreme pain and disbelief of her final moments, her eyes wide open in death. The pustules and black spots had stopped spreading, but they had utterly destroyed her original appearance, presenting a hideous, distorted, and repulsive image of death—like the final retribution for all the evil she had committed in her life, starkly etched onto this lifeless shell.

"..." Caster stared at the scene before her, the empty ceramic pot slipping from her hand and shattering on the ground. She remained silent for a few seconds before hesitantly looking at Ritsuka, who had put away her gun and was slightly panting. "Why... did you have to fire that last shot, Ritsuka? She was already..."

Ritsuka didn't answer immediately. She looked down at Aurora's mangled corpse, then looked up at the sky, stained dark red by fire and smoke. After a long while, she spoke calmly in a slightly hoarse voice:

"It's nothing... I just don't want to see that face again. No matter what it becomes... that's all."

"Are you alright, child?" Muramasa stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the blood-soaked patch of her clothing, still slowly seeping blood, his brow furrowing. "Your injury..."

"Let's go quickly." Ritsuka interrupted him, her voice revealing deep exhaustion, but also a sense of relief and exhaustion. "I don't want to stay here for another second."

She glanced at Aurora's body one last time, then turned and took a few unsteady steps, but with unusual determination.

“From this day forward, Aurora… will cease to exist.” She murmured to herself, as if speaking to her companion beside her, “And no one… will ever again be able to hurt Da Vinci, hurt Mashu, hurt the people we care about like this…”

As those words left her lips, it was as if a bowstring stretched to its limit had suddenly snapped open. Only then did she belatedly feel the sharp, intense pain from the knife wound in her abdomen, causing her vision to blur slightly. But at the same time, something heavy yet real was slowly being pulled away from her heart.

Looking at the two corpses behind him, representing the core of betrayal and conspiracy respectively—Kera and Aurora—a strange feeling spread through him.

So, this is... what it feels like to be completely at peace?

[Is this the "victory" we've longed for?]

The World of Calamity - The Fairy Round Table Realm, The Poem of Eternal Mist

"...Lady Aurora?"

A faint, tentative, and uneasy voice echoed in the narrow, claustrophobic cell. Melusin pressed her cheek against the cold door and whispered, as if the woman outside who had abandoned her there could hear her.

"Are you... still angry? I know I was wrong... I really do. Next time, next time I will definitely... defeat the First Queen. Please... give me another chance, forgive me one more time, okay?"

There was no response. Outside the door was an absolute, chilling silence. Even the sound of her own breathing was amplified in this deathly stillness, sounding abrupt and lonely.

She hesitated, then finally placed her hand on the cold doorknob. She turned it gently.

"Tick."

A clear, almost piercing dripping sound.

A viscous, dark red liquid slowly gathered at the lowest point along the curve of the brass doorknob, then dripped down, leaving a small, ominous puddle below. In the silence, the sound was ethereal to the point of being eerie, yet heavy enough to strike straight to the heart.

Melusine's fingers froze. A smell mixed with rust and a certain sweet, rotten odor filled her nostrils.

She slowly pushed the door open.

A deathly silence, like a tangible tide, surged in and instantly engulfed her. The corridor was empty, yet filled with a heavy sense of emptiness, as if life had been completely ripped away. This feeling… was very similar to, very similar to, the immense and unfamiliar loneliness she felt long ago when she first struggled to crawl out of the dark, cold “swamp” that had given her birth. But now, this loneliness was deeper, carrying a rusty chill that climbed up her spine.

She stepped out of the cell. Her footsteps echoed softly on the floor, emphasizing the deathly silence around her.

Then, she saw it.

That once opulent and exquisite office, which belonged to Aurora, was now a scene of carnage. Blood. Blood was everywhere. Splattered on the wallpaper, spilled on the carpet, and smeared on the edges of the furniture. The strong, sweet, and pungent smell in the air was almost nauseating.