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"It is time...to transform into the first delicate dew of spring, to irrigate...this barren land that has endured so much hardship, yet still holds the promise of sprouting life."

"To me, I am simply... a patch of ice and snow left over from the harsh winter."

"In the end, it transforms into dew that nourishes all things... to witness and participate in... the arrival of new life... perhaps this is the best destination."

After he finished speaking, there was no longer any lingering attachment or hesitation.

Kalia resolutely turned around and pushed open the heavy, airtight door leading to the outer deck.

A fierce wind, chaotic magical currents, and the suffocating pressure of Naraku rushed towards her, threatening to tear her frail body apart. But she only swayed slightly before regaining her balance with astonishing willpower.

She knew that what lay ahead was an abyss from which death was almost certain.

But she knew even more that in that direction, the Queen to whom she had sworn to serve, her comrades-in-arms, and the "most important thing" she wanted to protect were fighting.

Dragging his battered, mana-depleted, and nearly exhausted body, Kalia strode forward, heading headlong into the all-consuming dark abyss, towards the core of the final battle, without hesitation... rushing towards it.

Heartblood Cold Lotus - Fairy Round Table Domain, Poem of Eternal Mist

Inside the Naraku Insect lies a dark abyss.

"enough!"

Sherlock Vortigern's voice lost the last vestige of feigned patience and elegance, becoming sharp and violent, like an enraged scorpion.

"Playing these boring tricks with you is a complete waste of my precious time!"

He suddenly waved his hand, not pointing at anyone, but at the void of darkness beneath his feet.

Om-! ! !

An invisible yet extremely violent repulsive force field suddenly erupted from beneath his feet! Morgan's secretly laid Water Mirror Trap, which was intended to bind them, and Liliana's quietly condensed and ready-to-go magic spikes, were instantly shattered and sent flying like fragile glass objects under the impact of this pure and brute force! The shockwave spread out in a ring, like an invisible hammer, slamming heavily into Ritsuka and the three Children of Paradise who had just organized their offensive!

"Well--!"

"Ugh!"

Ritsuka and Mash were the first to be hit, violently thrown back by the blast wave and crashing heavily into the twisted structure of the ship behind them. Morgan, Liliana, and Caster managed to create a thin magical shield at the last moment, but they were still pushed back by the immense force, leaving deep furrows in their wake and almost losing their footing.

However, the attack did not end there.

“Nail them down.” Oberon Vortigern’s icy voice was like a death sentence.

The instant his words fell, four twisted, irregularly sized, jet-black spikes, their surfaces coated with a viscous, shadowy substance, materialized out of thin air in the swirling darkness above the three queens! The spikes, their tips flashing with runes of magic-breaking and binding, shot down towards Morgan, Liliana, and Castor with piercing shrieks!

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft—!"

Four piercing sounds that rang out almost simultaneously, making your teeth ache!

The sharp spikes pierced the vital joints of the three women's arms and legs with unparalleled precision! They weren't random punctures, but rather, at an extremely tricky angle, they pinned their bodies firmly to the violently shaking deck of the Nautilus! Intense pain instantly swept through their bodies. Even more terrifying, the powerful binding barrier attached to the spikes immediately took effect, like the heaviest shackles, not only locking their limbs but also suppressing and interfering with the flow of magic within their bodies! Unless the caster of the attack was defeated or actively dispelled, these shadowy spikes were virtually impossible to remove by external force.

The three groaned, cold sweat instantly beading on their foreheads. They tried to struggle, but only to experience more intense pain in their joints and dizziness from the backlash of magic.

Ritsuka, barely managing to get up from the impact despite the excruciating pain, felt her heart nearly stop at the scene before her. From the brief but intense exchange, she had quickly analyzed the two Vortigerns' formidable weaknesses: they shared almost everything—vision, perception, mana pools, even thought speed and physical reflexes! Sherlock was proficient in various bizarre dark magic and binding spells, while Oberon wielded disgusting insect magic and pure physical destructive power. The two coordinated flawlessly, their minds aligned; if one was attacked or showed an opening, the other could instantly compensate or counterattack, leaving virtually no "blind spots"!

Feints, distractions, picking them off one by one… conventional tactics seemed ineffective against them. And now, three of their strongest fighters were instantly immobilized, Mashu was blocked, and…

A pair of large hands covered in cold, sharp armor emerged from the shadows behind her without warning, gripping her neck like iron clamps!

"Cough—!!" Ritsuka choked instantly, her cheeks flushed red from lack of oxygen, her eyes bloodshot, and a sharp pain spread from her throat to every nerve in her body! It was Oberon Vortigern! He had appeared as close as a ghost without her noticing!

"Mash—!!" She tried to make a sound, but could only manage broken, breathy gasps.

"Master—!!" Upon seeing this, Mashu's eyes widened in fury, and she desperately tried to rush over!

"Oh? That won't do."

Sherlock Vortigern adjusted his monocle and simply waved his hand gracefully and lightly.

Splash!

Several thick iron chains, their edges covered in barbs and gleaming with an ominous black light, appeared out of thin air like living venomous snakes, instantly coiling around Mashu's limbs, waist, and neck! The barbs dug deep into her skin and the gaps in her armor, and as she instinctively struggled, the chains tightened abruptly, the barbs cutting even deeper! Blood gushed from multiple wounds, staining her silver-white armor crimson!

"Ugh—!" Mashu let out a painful groan, but still tried desperately to break free. However, each effort only resulted in deeper cuts and confinement. The chains seemed to be draining her strength and will, tightening more and more.

“Damn it…I can’t move at all…” Morgan gritted his teeth, his purple eyes burning with raging anger and resentment. He looked at Ritsuka, who was being choked, and Mash, who was being tortured by chains, but because his limbs were nailed and bound, his magic was blocked and he could not help her.

“Mash… Ritsuka…” Liliana’s voice was filled with unprecedented anxiety and helplessness. Even the ancient queen seemed vulnerable under the shadows.

“No… if this continues…” Caster struggled to raise her arm, even just to move a fingertip, to draw upon the power of the Holy Sword, but the shadowy spikes piercing her arm seemed to have nailed her soul, making it extremely difficult for her to even concentrate.

Oberon Vortigern relished their expressions of despair, a chilling, insect-like grotesque laughter emanating from his split mouthparts. He released Ritsuka's grip on her neck, but instead used an invisible force field to suspend her in mid-air, like displaying prey about to be executed.

Then, he slowly raised the dark, sharp claw that had pierced Castor's heart and aimed it at Ritsuka's unprotected chest—the location of her heart.

"The moment I crushed your heart..."

His voice was like a cold wind from the deepest hell.

"This is the most perfect and most delightful ending to this long play!"

The claws gleamed with a cold, icy light, and the aura of death was palpable.

"You... are in the way—"

"Fujimaru Ritsuka!!!"

At that moment, everyone's heart seemed to stop beating. Despair, like the deepest icy water, drowned the last hope. Was all the effort, all the sacrifice, going to end so humiliatingly and easily at this moment?

Ritsuka hovered in mid-air, the suffocating pain not yet fully subsided, a chilling premonition of death gripping her soul. Watching the approaching claws, seeing the desperate yet helpless expressions of her companions below, a deep weariness and emptiness washed over her. She stopped struggling, and slowly, closed her eyes, preparing to face her final end.

The melting of ice and snow, like the prelude to spring, gently sweeps across the earth, awakening slumbering life. It is the beginning of the revival of all things, a symbol of hope, and the rebirth of life.

A gentle yet firm voice, seemingly echoing with icy resonance, softly rang out, like a hallucination.

Immediately afterwards—

"Pfft—!!!"

It was the incredibly clear, muffled sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh!

The warm, slightly viscous liquid splashed onto Ritsuka's face and neck.

Strangely, there was no excruciating pain like my heart was being torn apart, as I had expected.

Ritsuka suddenly opened her eyes!

The sight that came into view made her forget to breathe, and her mind went completely blank!

Oberon Vortigern's claws, aimed at her heart, did not pierce her body.

Instead... it pierced through another figure that suddenly appeared in front of her, using its own body as a shield!

Fresh blood was gushing out from that hideous wound, splashing onto Ritsuka and staining Oberon's dark arm red.

It's Caria!

Gareth, the fairy knight who had just been rescued from near death and should have remained weakly inside the ship! At this moment, she somehow broke through the immense pressure of the Naraku Passage and appeared at this most fatal instant, using her broken body to selflessly... shield Ritsuka from death!

Oberon Vortigern was also briefly stunned by this sudden turn of events, and a hint of astonishment seemed to appear on his inhuman face.

"Just... offering yourself up for no reason?" He quickly regained his repulsive coldness, trying to pull his claws out of Kalia's body. "However... this is just a trivial 'interlude.' If you're willing to seek death, I don't mind... killing one more..."

However, his movements suddenly froze.

Blood kept spilling from the corner of Kalia's mouth, her face was as pale as paper, and her life was rapidly slipping away. But her ice-blue eyes were unusually bright, fixedly and calmly... locked on Oberon Vortigern's empty "eyes".

Deep within her pupils, a phantom image of a snow lotus—slowly blooming, pure and flawless to the extreme—was reflected.

At the same time, an indescribable, chilling cold, seemingly capable of freezing even the soul, suddenly erupted from the wound that pierced through Kalia's chest!

The chill didn't spread outwards, but rather traveled along Oberon Vortigern's arm, like a living, venomous ice serpent, flowing upstream! Instantly invading every joint, every inch of his armor, every cell in his arm!

"Varied……?!"

Oberon was shocked and tried to pull his arm back immediately, but it was too late!

The frigidity and speed of the cold air far exceeded expectations! In just an instant, his entire arm, along with half of his shoulder and chest, was covered with a layer of crystal-clear ice that exuded an aura of absolute zero! Moreover, the ice layer was spreading across his entire body at an alarming speed!

Even more bizarrely, the blood gushing from Kalia's wound did not drip downwards, but instead transformed into countless scarlet, life-like serpents of cold air in the air, ignoring physical barriers and coiling around Oberon's neck, head, and even the insect wings on his back!

This is my... final...

Kalia's lips moved slightly, and his silent thoughts, along with his last bit of effort, were poured into this burst of power.

【—Heart's Blood, Cold Lotus!】

"Crackling sound—!!!"

A chilling, rapid freezing sound rang out!

Oberon Vortigern's ferocious body, except for his head which could still turn slightly, was completely frozen in less than a second by the crimson ice mixed with blood! He was transformed into a bizarre ice sculpture! Inside the ice, one could even see the calamity energy beneath his black carapace, constantly trying to surge but being quickly frozen!

This sudden, extreme freezing power, originating from the very life essence of Kalia, had an impact far beyond Oberon!

Sherlock Vortigern was not spared either! Several crimson icy streams shot out from the deck beneath his feet like ley lines, instantly freezing his legs and welding them to the metal deck! He tried to raise his casting arm, but found that his arm was also quickly covered with frost, making his movements stiff and slow!

As Sherlock was disrupted and bound by this sudden freezing power, the magic he maintained became momentarily disordered and interrupted!

The shadow spikes that pierced through the three children of paradise had their surface runes flashing intensely before rapidly fading and dissipating as if they had lost their support!

The barbed chains binding Mashu seemed to have lost their source of magic, loosening and dissipating into black mist!

Restraint—Release!

"Damn it—it's not over yet!"

Even with his legs welded to the ground by ice and his arms covered in frost, Sherlock Vortigern's face still wore a twisted and insane smile, his eyes burning with a vicious, desperate light.

"This level of restraint...you can't be so naive as to think...you've already 'won', can you?!"

His voice suddenly rose, becoming sharp and filled with destructive fervor, as if chanting the final eulogy:

The curtain has fallen!

The end of all things! The withering of all things!

So, let this long farce continue...

Let this end completely!

【Cheers, at the end of the world!】

Noble Phantasm: True Name Release! This is Sherlock Vortigern's ultimate technique: transforming all information about himself that has been "recognized," "recorded," and "understood" by the outside world—whether it's his shrewd calculations as a cunning businessman, his behind-the-scenes conspiracies, or his true nature as a world-destroying worm—into pure, destructive magical power and detonating it all at once! Its purpose is to utterly shatter the very foundation of the entire British Lostbelt, resetting it to "zero," turning it into a meaningless "Sea of ​​Nothingness"! [Everything is like a bubble, as if everything should never be real]—this is precisely the absolute negation of existence itself contained within this Noble Phantasm!