Chapter 991: The River of Drakai
"That is the River of Tears!"
Before the wide river, fairies from various clans had gathered.
The frivolous Fairy King wearing a fluffy white cloak and a crown was pointing at the broad river before him.
"Also known as the River of Drakai, the 'Fairy Death Lord'! The banks are hundreds of meters apart at their widest! Once we cross this river, it's only half a day's journey to Norwich! Unfortunately, the only bridge here was struck and destroyed by lightning a few days ago!"
Looking closely, a grand stone bridge spanned the rushing river, but the middle section had completely vanished, leaving only fragments at either end.
Where did such powerful lightning come from?
"What is a Fairy Death Lord, Oberon?"
Da Vinci-chan looked curiously at the frivolous Fairy King.
"A dead Fairy King—that is, a deceased A-Ring!"
Oberon solemnly warned everyone.
"Never underestimate them! Even a dead A-Ring is still an A-Ring! In fact, because they have died and lost all self-awareness, only following their instincts, they become even more troublesome!"
"I see. What about taking a detour?"
"Hmm, that's a good idea! But going around to the upstream bridge would take dozens of kilometers—roughly two days to reach Norwich!"
Oberon grinned brightly, appearing utterly carefree.
"Uh..."
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.
Rather than wasting time like that, it would be better to reach Norwich as soon as possible!
There wasn't much time left before the Great Calamity erupted!
"In that case, why not summon that Fairy Death Lord called Drakai and let this old man cut him down?"
Among the group, a red-haired young man spoke in a mature tone, laughing softly as he offered his confident opinion.
"Muramasa, are you one of those gorillas that act without thinking?"
Grimm bluntly retorted.
"If Drakai were so easy to deal with, how could he have survived until now?"
"However, with our current lineup, it doesn't seem impossible to try!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked around and suddenly puffed up with courage.
The group exchanged glances for a moment.
Among them, the high-tier combatants included Grimm, Muramasa, and Mash—all possessing strength close to or even matching that of the Fairy Knights!
The mid-to-low-tier fighters consisted of Da Vinci-chan, Habetrot, the newly joined Gareth, and the somewhat unreliable Castoria.
Ritsuka herself also had the ability to perform simple spirit summoning, summoning shadow Servants to assist in battle.
Wasn't their combat power overwhelming?
I, Gudako, have never fought a battle with such abundant resources!
Even when I had such opportunities, the enemy's lineup was usually even more stacked!
"Are you sure it's really okay?"
Artoria gazed worriedly at the riverbank not far away.
"Drakai's abilities are very bizarre. One careless move and it's over... Look!"
Hearing this, Gudako curiously turned her gaze toward the riverbank.
At the river's edge.
"D-Drakai! I am a fairy of the Fang Clan!"
A fearless Fang Clan fairy stood trembling by the river, legs shaking uncontrollably.
"Our clan leader Lord Woodwose wishes to present a rainbow-colored hair ornament as a gift to the clan leader of the Wind Clan, Lady Aurora!"
"It's here!"
Following an excited howl.
A beautiful hair ornament came floating down the river nearby, entirely crystalline and translucent, with colors resembling a rainbow—a truly breathtaking sight!
Another Fang Clan fairy stepped forward and picked up the floating hair ornament.
At that moment.
The previous Fang Clan fairy turned and fled!
"Splash!"
But before he could escape, a wave surged onto the shore, encircling him and dragging him into the river.
"Wait! Stop! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Just because my name is Dekai and it sounds a bit like Drakai doesn't mean I should be chosen as the sacrifice! I've shed blood for the clan, I demand to see Lord Woodwo—glug glug glug!"
Before his desperate screams could finish, the fairy was already pulled to the riverbed by the waves.
"To think that Dekai sacrificed himself while we were out finding a gift for Lord Woodwose! Damn it, we will avenge him! The culprit is the Bogey that escaped from Sheffield recently, agreed?"
"Agreed!"
The remaining Fang Clan fairies all voiced their agreement.
Then the group happily left the Drakai River with the rainbow hair ornament.
"How cruel!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka broke out in a cold sweat.
"Must there always be a sacrifice? Is that the rule of the Drakai River?"
"What exactly are you watching?"
Artoria, who had been feeling somewhat sorrowful, was instantly rendered speechless by her.
"It's desire! Desire!"
Gareth jumped out, pointing sternly at the vanished Fang Clan fairy.
She appeared to be a lower-class fairy similar to Artoria, dressed in coarse linen clothes but with a cheerful expression. Overall, she could be considered somewhat cute.
"Drakai materializes the deepest desires in people or fairies' hearts, luring them in before dragging them to the riverbed! To this day, no one has ever been heard to escape from that river!"
"So, when fighting her, we mustn't look at the river surface?"
Muramasa furrowed his brows deeply.
"All these twists and turns—what a hassle!"
Drakai was in the river.
To defeat her, one must approach the riverbank.
But once near the riverbank, objects that lure out people's innermost desires would float up, instantly pulling them into the river depths, never to surface again!
"Those with desires cannot approach! Then I shall go. This body is that of a Servant—I hold no attachments to my past life. Unlike a certain blue weakling, I believe I can withstand it!"
Saying this, Muramasa proactively walked toward the riverbank.
"What did you say? After such words, I cannot stand back! My body contains the power of the God of Wisdom—my heart is already filled with wisdom, leaving no room for desire!"
As if deliberately opposing him, Grimm ran forward competitively.
"Oh no! If those two go together, it'll gradually turn into an internal conflict!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression changed abruptly, and they hurriedly chased after them.
"Wait, Senpai! Don't get close!"
Mash was instantly alarmed and rushed to follow.
"Such trivial desires are nothing to a Master like me who has traversed numerous Singularities and Lostbelts. Watch me overcome them—wait, what? A dozen Holy Grails?!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka's confident tone faltered abruptly, their breathing growing increasingly ragged.
A wave crashed over, and the last Master of humanity vanished.
"Senpai!"
Mash's face turned ashen.
Without a second thought, she leaped into the river and disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Ritsuka! Mash!"
Da Vinci-chan was utterly horrified.
"Damn it! Then I'll just blindfold myself—Whoa! Dinosaur fossils? Actual fossils! You know how it is, artists simply can't resist these things!"
Splash!
Chaldea: Wiped Out!
"Are you all here to be comedians?"
Eiji had just arrived at the scene when he witnessed this suffocatingly absurd spectacle.