Youthful and radiant, filled with hope, the Star Maiden set off on her own adventure, her bearing like that of a pilgrim.
That was the impression she gave everyone. She looked nothing like someone about to fight, but more like an idol preparing to perform.
Compared to the blue-clad King Arthur everyone knew, her posture seemed less disciplined, giving people an uneasy feeling.
At least Baal and the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad found the image utterly baffling. She looked lovely, but hardly suited for battle.
However, the moment Artoria said, "I'm going in," she pushed off the ground and dashed into the house ahead like a gust of wind.
The whole thing was over in the blink of an eye. The house was more than a hundred meters from where she started, and Artoria covered the distance in just three seconds.
Though she was nowhere near as fast as King Arthur had been the night before last, she was still far beyond the abilities of an ordinary human.
For a moment, the members of the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad even felt a little dejected. If we have someone this extraordinary, what do they need us ordinary people for?
Fortunately, the professional soldiers quickly collected themselves and continued to follow Artoria's orders, securing the perimeter and waiting.
Inside the Yukinoshita Mansion, the Yukinoshita Sisters were at their breaking point.
Though the two girls had remarkably strong wills and hadn't succumbed right away like so many adults, they were still only ordinary girls.
Unable to resist the Mystery's influence, the two finally joined hands and, struggling with every step, made their way toward the dreadful mass of flesh.
Their steps were so labored that anyone who didn't know better might have thought it was difficult to approach the mass. In truth, their last vestiges of will were resisting its pull.
The two girls were smiling, but tears flowed from their eyes despite themselves.
Combined with the scene around them, their expressions made everything seem all the more eerie and hellish.
At last, the girls reached the mass of flesh. Slowly and with great difficulty, each raised her free hand. The grotesque mass also extended numerous hands, as though welcoming the two girls.
Hand in hand, the sisters each reached out with their other hand and touched the already twisted hands.
But the instant they made contact, a dazzling sword flash streaked past, severing every arm the mass had extended.
At the same time, a pure-white Maiden Knight rushed out, wrapped an arm around each girl's waist, and pushed them toward the corner, putting distance between them and the terrifying mass.
The girl who had suddenly appeared was none other than Artoria!
The hellish scene before her had given her quite a fright.
Fortunately, during her dream training that night, King Arthur had also trained her to withstand situations like this.
So although she had been startled, Artoria didn't lose her composure. Before long, anger welled up inside her.
Artoria knew that the twisted mass of flesh before her was made up of people. Not long ago, every one of them had been an ordinary, living person.
But now, they could no longer be called human. They had become a completely twisted monster.
Artoria's sudden appearance provoked the mass. Its heads—or rather, the places where mouths still remained—spoke in different voices, letting out terrifying cries as if their vocal cords had been stretched and twisted.
And they weren't just mindless shrieks. They seemed to be saying something.
"Destroyers! Intruders!"
"Home! Family! Protect!"
"Kill, kill, kill! Those who destroy our home must die!"
"Home, home, home, home!"
"Ahhh~ Our home!"
Everything they said had to do with home, as if Artoria were a heinous intruder, the root of all evil who had come to destroy their happy family.
Yet that only made Artoria feel sadder and more heartbroken, and filled her with even greater anger.
The girl immediately thought of how deeply these people must once have loved their families. But the wicked Mystery had twisted that love into something terrifying, turning it into calamity and madness.
The justice-loving girl burned with fury, her hatred and hostility toward the Mystery reaching its peak.
Then the mass of flesh suddenly lost its human shape. Its arms stretched out like tentacles that could grow without end, reaching for Artoria.
Faced with this attack, Artoria didn't hesitate just because the creature had once been human and was an innocent victim.
She was young, but she had already made her resolve. She had also done her homework before coming here: she knew that those directly corrupted by the Mystery couldn't be saved. They were no longer human, but monsters controlled by the Mystery—enemies of humanity.
If such beings truly still retained their human consciousness, they must be suffering terribly. Destroying them was the only way to set them free!
At least, Artoria had no way to restore these unfortunate people to their former selves. So she could only save them in her own way.
Magic surged through the girl's body. As it flowed, she swung the dazzling Sword in the Stone in her hand, and it burst into golden light.
Clang!
With a crisp chop, every attacking arm was severed beneath the golden radiance.
Moreover, the instant they were cut apart, the severed parts were affected by Artoria's magic and vanished into nothing, as if purified by the golden light.
Mystery's bane!
This was the planet's boundless fury toward the Mystery, given form through Fantasy Power—a power designed to counter the Mystery.
The extraordinary beings created by Su Yun, who had inherited everything from the Planetary Will, naturally wielded power that countered the Mystery. Their very existence represented the irreconcilable opposition between the two sides.
Under the influence of this power, the mass of flesh lost its ability to heal rapidly, even from grievous wounds. The severed parts were incinerated by Artoria's magic, and the golden glow of magic covered the wounds left by her blows, keeping them from showing any signs of healing.
Seeing this, the girl didn't hesitate. She continued to attack, chopping, thrusting, and striking just as before, golden light flashing again and again.
There was no doubt that her movements were clumsy and her attacks weak. Compared to the battle-honed skills and terrifying destructive power King Arthur had shown in the Light Screen images, she was a novice with a solid foundation but far less experience and skill.
Even so, her power was terrifying. She easily sliced apart the monstrous mass of flesh. To her, this thing that was so horrifying to humans was no harder to cut through than a pile of tofu.
In the flashing light, the people fused together were severed from one another, then vanished amid the radiance.
As their heads were severed and purified, one by one they displayed human expressions, as if for that instant they had regained their awareness as people.
Some looked pained, some terrified, some bewildered, and some furious. Others wore expressions of gratitude and relief.
Their reactions all pointed to the same thing: at least in their final moments, under the influence of the Fantasy Power representing the Planetary Will, they had reclaimed their humanity.
Artoria saw it all. A trace of sorrow flickered in her eyes, and her hatred for the Mystery grew even stronger.
When Artoria finally cut down the barely recognizable heads of the Yukinoshita couple, who formed the core of the mass, the monster could no longer hold together. The power of its existence on the Mystery's side reached its limit, completely suppressed by magic, and it vanished in the golden light.
It seemed the crisis was over.
But in truth, it wasn't.
At that moment, a picture frame fell from the core embedded within the mass of flesh.
It was quite old-fashioned, and inside it was a Family Portrait.
Looking closely, it was a photograph of the Yukinoshita family.
Artoria took a look, then froze. The photograph suddenly blurred, and then it changed.
The Yukinoshita family disappeared. In their place was Artoria herself, and then the figures of others began to appear—the family members she cherished.
The first to appear was a beautiful woman who looked almost exactly like Artoria, with long silver hair and a black dress.
She was none other than Artoria's elder sister, Morgan Pendragon!
At the same time, a wave of mental pollution rushed straight at Artoria. She couldn't help feeling the urge to pick up the frame, hold it close, and invite all her family and loved ones to come join her, so that they could live together happily and harmoniously.
Never to be parted again.
Before you continue