Yukino Yukinoshita felt that something was strange.
Her life was pure, and she had always pursued what was real and what was truly right. So she was deeply averse to her family, which was entirely false and kept heading down the wrong path. She had even chosen to leave home and live alone because of it.
Although she hated her family, the privileged life it afforded her let Yukino Yukinoshita do as she pleased. At just sixteen, she could live in a luxury apartment of her own in central Chiba City, where rents were sky-high. She was a rich girl through and through, and a stunningly beautiful girl as pure as snow, to boot.
There were almost no men who could resist a girl like her. They'd be unable to help sliding over on their knees, grabbing her leg and begging, "Beautiful rich girl, please keep me! I'm hungry!"
Of course, Yukino would most likely respond with the same look she'd give a piece of noncombustible garbage.
But all that was in the past. At some point, Yukino had returned home and started living happily and harmoniously with her family again.
Though there was always something off about that harmony.
Whenever she tried to think too hard about it, she would unconsciously skip over those suspicions, then sink back into the warm atmosphere.
Because it was truly happy and warm. Everyone felt so real, cared for one another so much, and was so happy.
Ah, this real, beautiful life, this beautiful existence... She wished it could stay this way forever, with no one ever parting again.
She looked at her older sister, Haruno Yukinoshita, their mother and father, and... so many others. Ah, everyone had become part of this family. It was truly wonderful...
Huh?
Shouldn't her family only consist of her sister and their parents? Who were all those other people...?
Where had they come from?
Confusion clouded Yukino's eyes.
Then, someone whose face she couldn't make out came up to her, smiling with genuine warmth. "Yukino, what are you still doing here? The family gathering is about to start. Come on over!"
Yukino was slightly taken aback. Then she gave a faint smile. "That's right, the gathering is about to start. I was overthinking things. I'm sorry."
Then Yukino looked toward the place crowded with people.
But...
Her feet wouldn't move, as though...
The last vestige of the girl's reason was stopping her from going over.
Just then, someone else appeared beside her and grabbed her wrist.
She turned and saw her older sister, Haruno Yukinoshita.
Yukino should have felt immense pressure around her sister. The two of them were polar opposites, and Haruno, who had been mature from a young age and had even taken part in the family business, had always seemed like an insurmountable mountain to her.
But now...
Everyone was so happy. There was no need to dwell on those troubling, unpleasant things.
But...
Sister, why are you smiling in a way that doesn't feel like a smile?
Just like...
Me?
Ugh... This is so strange...
What, exactly, was wrong?
Yukino looked at Haruno, and Haruno looked back at her little sister. The two stood together, neither moving toward the warm, cheerful gathering.
It was so warm, so beautiful. Even the scenery had the cozy pink palette of an anime.
What a wonderful scene. It was just perfect...
But if one pulled away from the girl's point of view and looked at the real world...
In the Yukinoshita Mansion, shrouded in darkness and gloom, the sisters stood shoulder to shoulder beside the stairs.
In the living room ahead, a large crowd was packed tightly together.
No, they weren't merely crowded together. They had fused into one mass, in the literal sense.
Centered around the Yukinoshita sisters' parents, a large group of people had merged into a mass of flesh, forming a malformed thing with countless legs, arms, and human organs.
They should be called "it" now.
The creatures filled the middle of the living room, crushed together, yet still pressing into one another. It was as though they wanted to fuse every piece of flesh, every bone, every cell together, until they were indistinguishable and would never be separated again.
Aside from the sisters, a few people at the scene still hadn't gone over to them, but their trembling bodies proved they wouldn't hold out much longer.
That heap of flesh seemed to exert an endless attraction.
The entire residence was shrouded in a strange, dark-red aura, filling the place like some kind of hypnotic miasma. Under its influence, everything was rotting and decaying. The house should have been clean and tidy, but instead it was covered in dust, stank of decay, and was marked with clearly visible, eerie bloodstains.
"Today, the Yukinoshita family invited their relatives to a gathering. Everyone who was alive attended, including relatives on both the husband's and wife's sides."
"We don't know the details or what happened. After the last person entered the Yukinoshita Mansion sometime after seven tonight, no one came out again."
"According to our investigation, there should be seventeen people inside. We don't know their exact situation. Thermal imaging, X-rays, and other equipment can't detect anything inside. We've concluded that the Mystery Domain is blocking them."
"We don't know what's happening inside or whether anyone is still alive. Our big data search found no record of this anomaly, so we can conclude it's newly emerged. We don't know how it came to be and will need to investigate further."
Outside the Yukinoshita Mansion, Baal quickly briefed Artoria on the situation. As the liaison and an elite investigator, she had also been sent along as Artoria's assistant.
The information had come from headquarters. Murata Himeko was currently leading the Emergency Operations Department in providing the frontline team with the most efficient logistical support possible.
After listening, Artoria pondered for a moment and asked, "Then how do you usually conduct an operation?"
Baal answered without changing her expression. "The department head's orders are that this operation will be conducted entirely according to your wishes, Miss Artoria. Our past experience has been based on using ordinary people to fight the mysterious. It doesn't apply to the supernatural, so if you have a plan, please tell us. We'll support you in the field."
The elite members of the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad showed no reaction. None of them thought it was inappropriate to follow the orders of a young girl.
Following orders was their duty. Besides, in the battle against the Songstress two nights ago, Artoria had displayed supernatural power far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Before her power, the terrifying Songstress had been no more than an ant, while humanity had been a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
In the face of such a stark contrast, any pride or stubbornness was meaningless.
Put simply, the supernatural were far better equipped to deal with the mysterious than ordinary people. Leave specialized work to the specialists—that was a lesson humanity had learned through countless tears and bloodshed.
Hearing that it was up to her to decide on a plan, Artoria immediately felt a headache coming on. She had no experience.
Baal wasn't trying to put her on the spot. On the plane, she had already explained the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad's combat style and strengths, and outlined the course of action they might take in this kind of situation.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Squad truly deserved its reputation as a professional unit. In this situation, the most standard response was simply to hold position.
That wasn't cowardice. It meant saving their lives for when they were needed.
They were an elite squad that didn't fear sacrifice, but that didn't mean they would throw their lives away. When the target's situation was completely unknown, the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad—or any other special operations team, for that matter—would hold position until they had gathered enough information to act.
That was the sorrow of ordinary people. Without supernatural powers, humanity was forced to be this passive when facing the mysterious.
Artoria understood this, and she knew her team would carry out any order she gave, no matter how outrageous—even if it meant sending the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad in to act as bait.
A selfish, cowardly supernatural might really have sent the squad in first.
But Artoria wasn't like that. She thought of King Arthur, imagined what she would do in her place, and made up her mind.
"Then I'll go in and deal with the anomaly myself. Stay outside and hold position until I confirm you can enter."
Everyone froze. Even the members of the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad looked stunned. They had already prepared themselves to be sent in as bait.
But Artoria was going in herself.
Baal said, "But... the mysterious are dangerous."
Artoria looked her straight in the eye. "That's why a supernatural like me has to face the most terrifying anomalies."
Baal replied, "...Understood. We'll wait outside."
Artoria nodded with a smile. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. After all, my previous life was King Arthur."
"Though I still don't really feel like that's true..." The girl's voice trailed off into a self-deprecating mumble.
The next moment, she set off. A white glow suddenly shone around her, and her clothes began to change.
When the transformation stopped, she wore pure-white female armor, including a white dress that left her arms and underarms exposed. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail with a black ribbon.
The white skirt fluttered in the night breeze, along with her hair, giving her an ethereal air and the holy, noble grace of a lily.
A beautifully crafted knight's sword appeared in her right hand. It was covered in intricate patterns and set with jewels.
The entire sword was so artistic that it looked more like a work of art than a weapon.
There was no doubt that this sword had never appeared before, either in the Light Screen's images or in the real world.
And yet, for some reason, the instant they saw it, everyone knew the sword's true name!
Caliburn—the Sword of Promised Victory!
In other words...
The Sword in the Stone, which had accompanied King Arthur's growth and marked the beginning of her legend!
I'm adjusting the word count today and aiming for over 6,000 characters. Challenge rules: keep switching back and forth.
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