This is a Maiden's Resolve X The Manifestation of the Mysterious Body

Youthful, beautiful, and full of hope, the Maiden Knight set out on her adventure like a pilgrim embarking on a sacred journey.

To the onlookers, the girl's demeanor felt exactly like that; she looked less like someone heading into battle and more like an idol preparing for a performance.

Compared to the King Arthur in blue armor they were familiar with, her current appearance lacked a certain rigor, leaving people feeling somewhat uneasy.

At the very least, Baal and the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad felt this image was beyond critique—while she looked lovely, she didn't seem suited for the business of fighting.

However, the moment Artoria declared, "I'm going in," she stomped her foot and charged into the house ahead like a gust of wind.

The entire process ended in the blink of an eye; she covered the hundred-plus meters from her starting point to the house in a mere three seconds.

Although her speed was far from the level King Arthur had displayed the previous night, it was still far beyond what any ordinary human could achieve.

For an instant, the members of the Nine-Tailed Fox Squad felt a sense of dejection, wondering why they, as mere mortals, were even needed when such an extraordinary being existed.

Fortunately, these professional soldiers quickly adjusted their mindset, continuing to execute Artoria's orders by maintaining a perimeter and standing by.

Inside the Yukinoshita Mansion, the Yukinoshita Sisters were reaching their limit.

Though both girls possessed incredibly strong willpower and had not succumbed immediately like many adults, they were, after all, only mortal girls.

Unable to resist the influence of the Mystery any longer, the two walked hand-in-hand, step by agonizing step, toward that horrific mass of flesh.

Watching their difficult gait, an outsider might have thought they were struggling to approach the mass, but in reality, it was their remaining willpower desperately resisting the creature's pull.

At this moment, smiles graced the girls' faces, yet tears streamed down their cheeks uncontrollably.

This sight, combined with the surrounding scene, appeared incredibly eerie and hellish.

Finally, the girls reached the mass of flesh and slowly, laboriously, each extended their free hand. The grotesque mass extended multiple arms in response, as if welcoming the two girls.

The sisters held hands as they reached out with their other hands, making contact with those twisted limbs.

Just as they touched, a brilliant flash of sword light swept through, and every arm extended by the mass was severed.

Simultaneously, the Maiden Knight in pure white rushed forward, extending her arms to scoop the two girls up by their waists, pushing them toward the corner of the room to put distance between them and the terrifying mass.

The girl who had suddenly appeared was none other than Artoria!

Seeing the hellish scene before her, the girl was truly startled.

Fortunately, during her dream training that night, King Arthur had also trained her to withstand such sights.

Thus, although she was shocked, Artoria did not lose her composure, and a surge of anger quickly ignited within her heart.

Artoria knew that the twisted mass before her was composed of a group of humans, and not long ago, these people had been living, ordinary individuals.

But now, they could no longer be called human; they had become a thoroughly twisted monster.

Artoria's intrusion also agitated the monster. Its head—or rather, the area where mouths and lips remained—emitted various sounds at once, a horrific howling that sounded as if vocal cords were being stretched and torn.

And it didn't seem to be mere howling; it was speaking.

"Destroyer, intruder!"

"Home! Family! Protect!"

"Kill, kill, kill! Those who destroy the home must die!"

"Home, home, home, home!"

"Ah, ah, ah~ our home!"

Everything they said revolved around the concept of home, as if Artoria were a heinous invader, the root of all evil destroying the harmony and happiness of their family.

Yet, this only made Artoria feel more sorrowful and aggrieved, fueling her rage even further.

The girl immediately realized that these people must have once loved their families deeply, but the vile Mystery had twisted that love into something grotesque and terrifying—a calamity of madness.

The righteous girl was burning with fury, her hatred and hostility toward the Mystery reaching its peak.

Then, the mass of flesh suddenly shed its corporeal form, its arms lashing out like infinitely growing tentacles to grab Artoria.

Facing such an attack, Artoria did not hesitate because they had once been innocent human victims.

Though young, the girl had long since steeled her resolve. She had done her homework before coming and knew that those directly corrupted by the Mystery were beyond saving; they were no longer human, but monsters controlled by the Mystery—the enemies of humanity.

If such beings still possessed human consciousness, they would surely be in immense pain, and destroying them was the only way to grant them release!

At the very least, Artoria lacked the ability to restore these poor souls, so she could only save them in her own way.

Magic surged within the girl's body, and the magnificent Sword in the Stone in her hand danced with that power, blooming with golden light.

Clang!

Accompanied by a crisp, slicing sound, all the incoming arms were shattered under the golden radiance.

Furthermore, the moment they were severed, the affected parts were influenced by Artoria's magic, vanishing into ash as if purified by the golden light.

Mystery Suppression!

This was the planet's own boundless rage toward the Mystery, constructed from fantasy to serve as a countermeasure.

As an extraordinary being shaped by Su Yun, who inherited the entirety of the Planetary Will, her power naturally carried the ability to suppress the Mystery, representing the irreconcilable, life-or-death opposition between the two.

Under the influence of this power, the mass of flesh, which could normally heal rapidly even from severe wounds, lost its regenerative ability. The severed parts were catalyzed by Artoria's magic and turned to ash, while the gaps in its body were coated in a shimmering golden magic, preventing any sign of healing.

Seeing this, the girl did not hesitate, continuing to hack, slash, and thrust in the same manner as the golden radiance bloomed incessantly.

Without a doubt, the girl's movements were quite unrefined, and her power was not great; compared to the tempered combat techniques and terrifying destructive force displayed by King Arthur in the Light Screen, she was nothing more than a "newbie" with a solid foundation but lacking in experience and skill.

Yet, even as a newbie, her power was terrifyingly immense, easily slicing through the horrific flesh-mass monster. What was nightmarish to humanity was no harder than a block of tofu before her.

Amidst the shining radiance, the fused individuals were severed from their connection and disintegrated into ash within the light.

As the heads of these people were severed and purified, each one revealed a human expression, as if they had regained their human consciousness in that very instant.

Some were in pain, some fearful, some bewildered, some angry, while others displayed looks of gratitude and relief.

Such expressions proved one thing: at the very last moment, under the influence of the fantasy power represented by the Planetary Will, they had reclaimed their identity as humans.

Artoria took all of this in, a flash of sorrow crossing her eyes as her hatred for the Mystery deepened.

When Artoria finally struck down the heads of the Yukinoshita couple, which represented the core of the flesh-mass and were no longer recognizable as human, the monster could no longer hold on. The power belonging to the Mystery reached its limit, was completely suppressed by her magical energy, and thus vanished into ash within the golden radiance.

It seemed the crisis had ended.

However, the reality was far from it.

At this moment, a picture frame fell out from the core part embedded within the flesh-mass monster.

The frame was quite antique, containing a family portrait inside.

Taking a closer look, it was none other than the Yukinoshita family.

Artoria stared at it, then froze, for the photo suddenly blurred at that moment, and then it changed.

The Yukinoshita family vanished, replaced by Artoria herself, and others began to appear—photos of the family members Artoria held dear.

The first to manifest was a beautiful woman with silver hair and a black dress, bearing a nine-tenths resemblance to Artoria.

This person was none other than Artoria's sister, Morgan!

At the same time, a wave of mental corruption surged directly at Artoria, compelling her to pick up the frame, hold it to her chest, and invite all her family and loved ones to come over so they could all live together in harmony and happiness.

The kind that would never be separated.