Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist

Her gaze instantly locked onto a small, discarded, and filthy object at the foot of the desk—a necklace inlaid with gems from the Wind Clan. It was an accessory Aurora never parted with, one of the symbols of her elegance and power.

Melusine's heart sank. A bad premonition, like countless cold, tiny ants, crawled densely up the back of her neck, burrowed into her mind, and gnawed away at her last remaining hope.

She almost stumbled as she rushed over and picked up the necklace. The gemstone was cold, and the bloodstains on it were half-dried, turning a dark brown.

Clang.

The necklace slipped from her trembling fingers and fell into the pool of blood with a soft thud.

Melusin whirled around and charged headlong toward the mansion's gate! The once exquisite decorations, scattered documents, even the unidentified corpses of Wind Clan guards lying on the floor... everything blurred into a hazy background, rushing past the edge of her rapidly receding vision. Her world suddenly shrank, leaving only one frantic thought—

Find her! Confirm if she's still alive!

Everything else didn't matter anymore! She didn't want to! She absolutely couldn't accept Aurora disappearing like this!

However, when she finally broke through the mansion gates and rushed into the relatively open courtyard outside, which was filled with the smell of smoke and dust...

She saw it.

Aurora, who once possessed beauty, elegance, and nobility, the woman she looked up to, followed, and even twistedly loved... now lies in the center of a pool of dark red blood in the ugliest and most humiliating way.

Her once fair and flawless skin was now covered with disgusting, uneven pustules oozing yellowish-green pus, interspersed with purplish-black patches that looked like they were rotting from the inside. Her once-proud right hand was almost gone, leaving only a blurry mass of flesh and bone fragments; her legs were twisted at unnatural angles, her knees a mess. Several plump flies buzzed around, greedily sucking at the wounds and congealed blood.

The most jarring sight was her face. That face, which had once captivated all, that had made Melusin gaze upon it with such fascination, was now swollen and bruised, covered in bruises and cuts, almost unrecognizable. A clear bullet hole on her forehead was horrifying. And those golden eyes, which had always held a captivating glow and a deep, calculating quality, were now wide open and empty, their pupils long since dilated and lifeless, yet seemingly frozen in the last moments of her life—the extreme fear, the helplessness, and… a desperate plea for mercy.

Do not look down.

Until the very last moment of her life, she seemed unable to accept or understand why she had ended up like this.

Melusine stood frozen in place, as if all her strength had been drained away in an instant, her blood frozen, her breath stopped. Time seemed to stretch out infinitely and solidify at that moment. Every detail of this hellish scene before her was like the sharpest icicle, piercing her optic nerves, piercing her brain, shattering the last vestiges of her pitiful illusions.

That...the woman she loved most, and the only one who made her feel that she had a reason to exist...

died.

Because of... my own negligence? Because of my own incompetence? Because I failed to protect her?

"what……"

A very faint sound, as if squeezed out from deep in the throat.

Immediately, the sound abruptly rose, twisted, and cracked!

"Ah ...

A piercing, inhuman scream suddenly erupted, tearing through the deathly silence of the courtyard! Melusin collapsed to her knees, her hands clawing at her hair and cheeks until her nails drew blood, yet she felt no pain. Only the excruciating agony of her heart being ripped apart, utterly filled with the magma of despair, spread endlessly.

"It's my fault...it's all my fault!! If only I could...if only I could have done it sooner...sooner...ahhhhh!!!"

She jerked her head up, her bloodshot eyes staring intently into the void, as if trying to pierce through the barriers of space to lock onto a distant enemy. Her chaotic thoughts and overwhelming grief were instantly replaced by an even more violent and darker emotion—hatred!

"It's them! It must be those foreigners! They...they defiled you! They trampled on you!! Unforgivable...absolutely unforgivable!!!"

His voice trembled and distorted with extreme anger.

"Let's just...destroy it all!!!"

She roared, her body undergoing a horrific transformation. Her petite frame expanded and twisted rapidly, as if inflated! Beneath her smooth skin, hard scales pierced flesh and grew wildly; her spine bulged backward, extending jagged bone spurs and a gigantic dragon tail that gradually took shape; her slender arms and legs mutated, transforming into claws covered in dark scales; her cheeks elongated, her jawbone deformed, and sharp dragon teeth pierced her lips…

The last trace of fairy-like characteristics belonging to the individual "Merusin" is being devoured and covered by a pure, furious, and destructive dragon essence.

"I...have nothing left to lose...cough...let's just...destroy everything...!!!!"

The last vestiges of reason and consciousness were utterly extinguished in the roar.

"Roar! Ro ...

A deafening roar, carrying endless grief and a will to destroy, exploded forth! A colossal dragon, covered in dark scales and with eyes burning with mad fury, appeared atop the ruins of the Wind Clan's territory! It roared to the sky, its sound waves scattering the rubble and shaking the earth.

Immediately, the enormous dragon wings that blotted out the sky suddenly unfolded and flapped heavily!

A sudden gust of wind arose, stirring up dust and smoke! A colossal dragon soared into the sky, carrying boundless hatred and flames of destruction, hurtling straight toward the sky that had been stained an eerie pink by chaos and blood.

[The Calamity of Flame - Confirmed!]

As the first fairy knight was "disasterized," the ancient being hidden deep within the fairy kingdom's ley lines and at the bottom of the giant pit seemed to be startled by the dragon's roar filled with resentment and destruction, or rather... catalyzed by the "seeds" that had already been planted.

Two thousand years of long slumber had long since instilled in this colossal being, bearing the name "Cornunus," an instinctive sense of "hunger" and "constraint." It was time... for this stiff shell to stretch its muscles.

Earlier, the "Pearl of Extreme Evil," which had quietly slipped from Bavanshi's pocket and fallen into the abyss, now emitted, like embers thrown into dry wood, concentric purplish-black ripples invisible to the naked eye yet capable of disturbing the very essence of things. These ripples touched the massive, jagged, forked antlers, as large as the roots of an ancient tree, and the thick layer of rock dust and moss, accumulated over countless years, clinging to them began to peel away in a soft rustling sound.

hum...

A deep, almost imperceptible tremor, yet capable of reaching the very depths of the soul, came from the earth's core.

Immediately afterwards, from the depths of the giant pit, two crimson lights suddenly shone—two enormous eyes, burning with hellfire, opened abruptly in the absolute darkness!

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!

The earth groaned in agony. The entire royal city of Camelot, like a small boat on a stormy sea, began to rock violently from side to side and toss up and down! Cracks appeared in the sturdy city walls, the towers groaned under the weight, and the decorations and furniture inside the buildings collapsed and shattered!

In the temporary room in the palace where the wounded were being housed, Morgan, Liliana, Castor, Mashu, and Leonardo da Vinci, who had just recovered from his injuries but was still unconscious, were violently thrown up like gourds during the sudden, violent shaking, and then slammed heavily onto the floor and walls!

"Ugh!"

"careful!"

"What's going on?!"

Mashu, battling the dizziness from the impact, used her shield to support herself, her voice filled with shock and disbelief: "An earthquake?! No... this kind of vibration..."

Before she finished speaking——

"Splash!!!"

A huge stained-glass window on one side of the room, along with part of the wall, was smashed to pieces from the outside by an unimaginable force! Amidst the flying dust and debris, a thick, slippery tentacle covered with writhing suckers and eerie purplish-black patterns, like a giant python emerging from its cave, barbarically reached into the room with a foul stench. At its tip, a sucker-like mandible filled with sharp teeth opened, and it lunged at Mash, who was closest to it, with lightning speed!

"Danger!!!" Liliana's shrill shout was almost simultaneous with the tentacles breaking through the window!

Golden magical light burst forth from her palm, and a complex and exquisite defensive magic circle, like the strongest shield, intercepted the tentacles and Mash at the critical moment!

"clang--!!!"

A deafening metallic clang erupted! The magic circle trembled violently as the golden light clashed fiercely with the surging purplish-black energy on the tentacles, scattering blinding sparks and a teeth-grinding scraping sound! The massive shockwave blew away all the remaining debris in the room!

Taking advantage of the brief stalemate, Liliana moved like lightning, instantly covering several meters, grabbed the still somewhat dazed Mash, and retreated rapidly to the side and back!

"Snap—!!"

The defensive magic circle held for less than two seconds before shattering under the even more violent pressure of the tentacles! The unhindered tentacles slammed into the spot where Mashu had just been standing, creating a deep crater in the solid stone floor!

And this is just the beginning.

"Screw rustle..."

"Crash..."

A chilling rustling and writhing sound came from all directions! Cracks appeared in the walls, ceiling, and floor... More and more bizarrely shaped tentacles broke free of the building's constraints and surged into the room! They were no longer simply octopus tentacles, but twisted and mutated. Many tentacles had human hand-like structures growing from their ends or middle sections—five distinct fingers with sharp, black nails, even unconsciously grasping at the air! A thick, nauseating scent of Morse mixed with a deeper, more calamistic power, like a tangible poisonous miasma, permeated the entire space.

Morgan and Liliana exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity and certainty in each other's eyes. The plan... had been disrupted; one of the worst-case scenarios had unfolded ahead of schedule.

"Take them away!" Morgan shouted, rushing without hesitation to the inner part of the room—where Leonardo da Vinci was being jolted awake from a brief slumber by the violent tremors, weakly trying to sit up.

Liliana understood and pushed Mash toward the relatively safer doorway: "Cast! Follow Mash and get out of here quickly!" She took a deep breath, and holy and powerful magic began to gather around her.

Ignoring the several writhing tentacles with their claw-like ends reaching for her, Morgan bent down and carefully but swiftly hoisted Da Vinci onto her back. Perhaps it was the scent of fresh blood that stimulated these monsters, or perhaps it was the lingering magical energy emanating from Da Vinci that attracted them; the previously scattered tentacles seemed to have found a more specific target, instantly becoming even more ferocious. Like a school of sharks attracted by blood, they turned and pounced on Morgan and Da Vinci on her back, swarming, coiling, and slamming them down!

"Fan! Get down!" Liliana's voice carried an unquestionable tone of command.

Suddenly, a brilliant light shone from her hand, and a holy spear, with its ancient and beautiful design and flowing with seven-colored light, appeared out of thin air! At both ends of the spear, energy as white as a sun corona and as pure as flames rapidly gathered, compressed, and extended! In the blink of an eye, the holy spear seemed to transform into a torrent of light that condensed the power of destruction and purification!

Liliana gripped the guns in both hands and spun around rapidly, as if dancing!

"Holy Lance, cleanse the filth—!"

With a clear and resounding shout, a huge, perfect, and dazzling arc-shaped light blade, centered on Liliana, swept out in all directions like the sharpest halo of light! Wherever the light blade passed, space seemed to be scorched and slightly distorted!

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft—!!"

A series of dull thuds, like sharp blades slicing through rotten wood!

Those tentacles that lunged at Morgan, regardless of their thickness or whether their ends were suckers or human hands, were cleanly severed the moment they touched the purifying halo, as if a hot knife were cutting through butter! Dark purple blood and viscous, foul-smelling tissue fluid gushed out from the severed wounds like fountains, splattering everywhere!

Morgan had already crouched down, holding Da Vinci, the moment Liliana spoke. The light blade grazed almost her back, the scorching heat causing her golden hair to curl slightly.

With the tentacles severed, the forces that supported them as they broke through walls and breached barriers became disordered. The palace buildings, already structurally damaged by earthquakes and monster attacks, finally reached their limit.

"Crack—Boom boom boom boom—!!!"

The load-bearing structure let out its final groan, and the dome began to collapse massively along the arc slashed by the light blade! Huge stones, wooden beams, and decorations cascaded down like a waterfall! Smoke and dust billowed into the sky!

"Cough! Cough cough! Quick! Over here!" Caster waved his hands anxiously at the door.

Ignoring the choking smoke and falling rocks, the group scrambled and stumbled along the still-partially collapsed corridors and passageways, finally reaching the stone bridge spanning the moat. Looking back, the Camelot Palace, once a symbol of Morgan's absolute authority, was now reduced to a cloud of smoke and ruins, accompanied by continuous booming sounds.

"Mash! Did you hear me?! There's no time to explain!" Director Goldrov's trembling voice suddenly blared from the communicator on Mash's wrist. "Immediately! Initiate the spirit particle transfer! Lock onto the Nautilus! Quickly!"

Communication has been restored? It seems that with the awakening of "Cornunos" and the changes in the ley lines, the originally solid barrier of the Fairy Kingdom has indeed developed a huge vulnerability.

“But Director…we have too many people here…” Mashu quickly glanced at her companions—Morgan, Liliana, Caster, and the pale-faced Da Vinci whom Morgan had carefully placed down. “We need to move the load…”

"No time for that!" A slightly immature yet exceptionally decisive voice cut through the communication. It was Captain Nemo. Through the image, you could see him staring intently at the main screen on the bridge, his small face filled with seriousness. "Land is no longer a safe zone! Gather together immediately! I will expand the evacuation area to the maximum! Hurry!!"

"Understood!" Mash didn't hesitate any longer and immediately turned to the group, her tone urgent but clear, "Everyone! Gather around me quickly! Stay close! Chaldea needs to urgently move us to a safe area!"

Morgan and Liliana exchanged a glance, offering no objections, and quickly led Da Vinci and Castor to Mash's side. The group stood closely together, their eyes warily scanning the still trembling earth and the direction of the giant crater in the distance, from which terrifying roars and writhing sounds continued to emanate.

The stone bridge swayed uneasily beneath my feet, and from the ruins of the distant palace, a new, even larger shadow seemed to slowly rise from the smoke and dust…

The blue light particles surrounding Mashu suddenly became brighter and denser, like a miniature nebula vortex, enveloping the group of people gathered together. Suddenly, their feet lost their footing, and a brief feeling of weightlessness and slight dizziness from the spatial displacement washed over them. The next second, they found themselves standing on a solid, metallic deck.

Inside the Nautilus's cockpit, lights flickered, and alarms sounded low and rhythmic. The air purification system was operating at full capacity, attempting to dispel the trace of decaying and calamistic air that had seeped in with the transferees.

Ritsuka, Senko Muramasa, Percival, and Kalia, who had been transferred up sometime earlier, had all arrived and were now gathered in front of the main observation screen, their expressions uniformly grave. When they saw Morgan, Liliana, Mashu, Caster, and Da Vinci (placed next to the emergency medical unit) appear, they immediately turned their concerned gazes towards them. But then, everyone's eyes were involuntarily drawn to the view from the high-altitude perspective that filled the entire main screen, and they could no longer look away.

That is the ultimate nightmare that is etched deep into the soul and will be unforgettable for the viewer for the rest of their life.

The area where Camelot's royal city is located has now been transformed into a boiling cauldron of chaos. The bottomless crater that once swallowed Bavanshi is now expanding and writhing violently, as if it were alive. And a colossal outline, beyond the limits of imagination, is slowly but irresistibly "squeezing" its body inch by inch out of that abyss.

The first thing that catches the eye is the pair of iconic, intricately intertwined horns, like those of an ancient, desolate forest. Each fork is comparable to a mountain peak, its surface covered with a rocky texture and moss-covered grime. Beneath the horns lies an indescribable head—or rather, a mass of flesh covered in pale white hair, barely discernible as facial features. The hair is not soft, but stiff and withered, like the vegetation of a dead tundra, swaying slightly in the wind (or perhaps its own breath), exuding a chilling sense of death. The so-called "facial features" are nothing more than a few deep fissures constantly oozing a viscous, purplish-black liquid, and the occasional flashes of dark red light, like flowing lava, from the depths of these fissures, barely enough to suggest eyes and a mouth.

Most repulsive of all was its body. At the roots of its entire body, covered in a ghastly white coat, each hair follicle resembled a tiny abscess, constantly oozing and dripping a viscous, purplish-black substance exuding a strong Morse aura and calamity. This "filthy blood" flowed like a waterfall down its mountain-like body, dripping onto the edge of the giant pit and the surrounding earth. Wherever this filthy blood touched the soil, rocks, or even the ruins, it immediately began to mutate and swell wildly, as if thrown into a highly toxic petri dish, rapidly "growing" enormous, distorted Morse beings that howled with incomprehensible blasphemous cries! Like cancer cells ripped from their mother, they were restless from birth, indiscriminately destroying and devouring everything that remained around them.

With each long, deep breath of the monster, it stirred up the surrounding air currents, creating a terrifying vortex of visible, purplish-black spores. The already crumbling palace ruins collapsed and shattered further under the wind pressure from these breaths, like sandcastles, being swept into the air currents and scattered haphazardly into the distance.

Then, it seemed to sense something.

The piece of flesh, which could barely be called a "head," rose upwards at an extremely, extremely slow, suffocating pace.