Artoria Must Be Lily From The Start (2nd update, 3K)

Yukino Yukinoshita felt that something was strange.

Her life had been pure, always in pursuit of the genuine, the truly correct. Because of this, she had felt a deep repulsion toward everything fake and those who persisted on the wrong path, even going so far as to leave home to live on her own.

Though she hated her family, the advantages provided by her upbringing allowed Yukino Yukinoshita to be willful. At only sixteen, she could afford to live in a high-end apartment all to herself in the heart of Chiba City, where rent was exorbitant. She was a typical wealthy girl, and a beautiful one at that—pure as snow.

Hardly any man could resist such a beauty; they would inevitably want to slide across the floor on their knees, cling to her legs, and beg, "Beautiful rich girl, please keep me, I'm starving!"

Of course, the response Yukino Yukinoshita would likely give was a look one might reserve for non-combustible trash.

However, those were things of the past, because at some point, Yukino Yukinoshita had returned home and begun living a happy, harmonious life with her family once again.

Although, there was always a sense of dissonance to this harmony.

Yet, every time she tried to dwell on it, she would unconsciously skip past those suspicions and continue to immerse herself in the warm atmosphere.

Because it was truly happy, truly warm. Everyone was so real, so concerned for one another, so joyful.

Ah, such a real, beautiful life, a beautiful existence. She wanted it to stay like this forever, never to be separated again.

Looking at her sister Haruno Yukinoshita, her mother, her father, and... and so many, many others. Ah, it was just wonderful that everyone had integrated into this home...

Huh?

In her home, there should only be her sister, her father, and her mother, right? The others...

Where did they come from?

Yukino Yukinoshita felt confused, a dazed look appearing in her eyes.

Then, a person whose face she couldn't clearly see walked up to her, wearing a kind and genuine smile. "Yukinoshita, what are you still doing here? The happy family gathering is about to start, come on over!"

Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita was slightly startled, then revealed a faint smile. "Yes, the family gathering is about to start. I was just overthinking things, I'm sorry."

Then, Yukino Yukinoshita looked toward the place where so many people were gathered.

But...

Her feet remained motionless. It seemed as if...

The last remnants of the girl's reason were preventing her from going over.

Just then, another person appeared beside the girl and grabbed her wrist.

Turning her head, she saw it was her sister, Haruno Yukinoshita.

Facing her sister, Yukino Yukinoshita should have felt immense pressure, as they were two completely opposite types of people. Haruno Yukinoshita, who had been mature since childhood and even participated in the family business, had always been an insurmountable mountain in Yukino Yukinoshita's heart.

But as of now...

Everyone is so happy. There is really no need to dwell on those annoying, unpleasant things.

However...

Sister, why are you smiling, yet it feels like you aren't smiling at all?

It's as if...

You are just like me?

Hmm... how strange...

Where exactly is the problem?

Yukino Yukinoshita looked at Haruno Yukinoshita, and the latter looked back at her younger sister. The two stood there together, neither moving toward the warm, joyful gathering.

It was so warm, so beautiful. Even the scenery was like something out of an anime, bathed in a pink-toned, cozy hue.

A beautiful scene, truly wonderful...

However, if one were to shift the perspective away from the girl's vision and pull it back to the real world.

One could see that inside the Yukinoshita Mansion, where the melody was dark and the atmosphere pitch-black, the sisters stood side by side next to the staircase.

In the living room ahead, a large crowd of people was frantically huddled together.

No, it was no longer a huddle; they had been squeezed into a single mass, quite literally.

With the parents of the Yukinoshita sisters as the core, a large group of people had fused their flesh and blood together, forming a deformed entity with many limbs, many hands, and many human organs.

They—or rather, it—should be called "it" now.

They were concentrated in the center of the living room, already compressed together, yet still continuously crushing inward, as if trying to fuse every piece of flesh, every bone, and every cell into one, inseparable and together forever.

On the scene, besides the Yukinoshita sisters, there were a few others who hadn't walked over, but their trembling bodies proved they wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

That pile of flesh seemed to possess an endless, irresistible attraction.

The entire residence was shrouded in a bizarre, dark-red aura, filling the space like some kind of hypnotic gas. Everything in the house was rotting and eroding under the influence of this aura. Despite it being a place that should have been clean and tidy, it was covered in dust, rotting and stinking, with clear and eerie traces of bloodstains.

"Today, the Yukinoshita family invited their relatives for a gathering. Everyone living, including the relatives from both the wife's and husband's sides, were all in attendance."

"Specific details are unclear, the process is unknown. After seven o'clock tonight, the last person entered the Yukinoshita Mansion, and no one has come out since."

"According to the investigation, there should be seventeen people inside. The specific situation is unknown. Thermal imaging, perspective tools, and other equipment cannot probe the interior. It is classified as an isolation caused by a Mystery."

"The current internal situation is unknown. It is impossible to confirm if there are any survivors. After conducting a big data investigation, no data on this Mystery was found. It can be determined as a newly born Mystery. How it was specifically generated is unknown and requires further investigation."

Outside the Yukinoshita Mansion, Baal quickly and concisely explained the situation to Artoria. As the liaison and an elite investigator, she had been dispatched alongside her to serve as Artoria's assistant.

This information had been relayed from headquarters, where Murata Himeko was leading the Emergency Operations Department to maintain the most efficient logistical support for those on the front lines.

After listening to this, Artoria pondered for a moment and asked, "Then, how do you usually conduct operations?"

Hearing this, Baal's expression remained unchanged as she replied, "According to the director's instructions, this operation is to be decided entirely by your will, Miss Artoria. Our past experience involves using the strength of ordinary humans to confront Mystery, which is not suitable for dealing with an Extraordinary. Therefore, if you have a battle plan, you can state it directly, and we will act as your support."

The elites of the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad showed no emotional fluctuation at this, not finding it the least bit inappropriate to take orders from a young girl.

Because obeying orders was their duty, and furthermore, during the battle to eliminate the Songstress the night before, Artoria had displayed extraordinary power far beyond that of a mortal.

In the face of such power, the terrifying Songstress was like an ant, whereas humans facing the Songstress were merely lambs waiting for the slaughter.

In such a stark contrast, any sense of pride or arrogance became meaningless.

In short, when dealing with Mystery, an Extraordinary is far more professional than a mortal, and leaving professional matters to professionals is a lesson humanity has learned through countless blood and tears when facing Mystery.

Hearing that she was to determine the battle plan herself, Artoria immediately felt a headache, as she had absolutely no experience.

Baal was not trying to make things difficult for Artoria; she had already informed her of the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad's combat style and specialties while on the plane, and had even provided potential courses of action the squad might take in such a situation.

It must be said that the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad lived up to their professional reputation; in such a situation, the most standard approach was—to hold position.

This was not cowardice, but a matter of preserving lives for when they were truly needed.

Although they were an elite squad that did not fear sacrifice, they would not throw their lives away needlessly. When the situation of a target was completely unknown, the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad—or indeed any other special operations unit—followed the common directive of holding position until sufficient intelligence was gathered.

This was the tragedy of ordinary people; without extraordinary power, humanity was always this passive when facing Mystery.

Artoria understood this, and she further understood that no matter how absurd her orders might be—even if she ordered the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad to act as human shields—the squad would execute them.

If she were a selfish and cowardly Extraordinary, she might truly have sent the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad to act as bait.

But Artoria was not that person. She thought of King Arthur, and after putting herself in his shoes and guessing how he would act, she reached a decision.

"Then, I will go in and resolve the Mystery myself! Until I confirm it is safe for you to enter, you are to hold your position outside."

The group was stunned, and even the members of the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad looked taken aback. They had, after all, already prepared themselves to act as bait.

Yet, Artoria intended to go in alone.

Baal: "But... Mystery is dangerous."

Artoria looked directly at Baal: "That is precisely why an Extraordinary like me needs to face the most terrifying Mystery head-on."

Baal: "...I understand. We will wait outside."

Artoria nodded and smiled: "Don't worry! I will be fine! After all, my past life was King Arthur."

"Though I still don't have much of a real sense of that, even now..."

As she finished, the girl's voice trailed off into a self-deprecating mutter, lacking confidence.

The next moment, the girl set off. Simultaneously, a white halo suddenly bloomed from her body, and her attire began to change.

When the transformation ceased, the girl's clothing had turned into a suit of pure white female armor, featuring a pure white dress that left her arms and underarms exposed, her ponytail tied back with a black ribbon.

The pure white skirt swayed slightly in the night breeze, and together with her hair, it revealed an ethereal and refined temperament, possessing the holiness and nobility of a lily.

In the girl's right hand appeared a knight's sword, exquisitely crafted with distinct engravings and inlaid with jewels.

The entire design of the sword was filled with an artistic flair, making it look more like a work of art than a weapon.

This sword had undoubtedly never appeared before, neither in the Light Screen nor in the real world.

Yet, for some reason, the moment they saw the sword, everyone present knew its true name!

Caliburn!

It was also...

The sword that accompanied King Arthur's growth, representing the beginning of King Arthur's legend—the Sword in the Stone!