Chapter 1011: The Broken Prophecy
The colossal curse-hand, like summer snow under scorching sun, was instantly enveloped by golden radiance, gradually dissolving into the light particle by particle.
Golden light pierced through the heavens, shooting straight into the clouds!
Amid deafening roars, it erupted into pure magical turbulence!
The rain clouds spanning dozens of kilometers were swept away completely.
The gloomy sky became a thing of the past as amber clouds emerged before countless fairies' eyes, breaking through the long siege.
"...Did we win?"
"We really won! The Great Calamity has been defeated!"
"Wonderful! My forge, my jewelry shop—they're saved!"
Fairies wept and cheered simultaneously, celebrating with unrestrained joy.
Humans joined their ranks as survivors embraced one another, tens of thousands expressing their post-calamity relief in their own ways.
Everything appeared so harmonious.
Artoria stood there in a daze.
She had witnessed everything—the resistance and efforts of everyone had been in her sight from beginning to end.
"Such powerful, yet warm light..."
She opened her palm, catching the golden light particles drifting down from the sky.
In that moment, her emotions became profoundly complex.
Countless words condensed in her chest, yet she didn't know how to voice them.
—Don't give up before you've even tried.
These words burned themselves deeply into her mind like a brand.
The figure charging toward the monster represented an ideal Kanata—just witnessing it filled one with yearning.
"Thank goodness!"
"We're safe!"
Fairies who had collapsed rose one after another, cheering for the hard-won victory.
Gareth shook his head as he got up, tilting it curiously at Artoria's transfixed expression.
"Milord, what are you looking at?"
"Gareth... I've seen a figure worth chasing!"
Artoria chuckled softly.
In the manor.
Eiji let out a deep sigh of relief.
Though both body and spirit felt completely drained, he immersed himself in the rare joy and satisfaction alongside the refugees in the courtyard, just like them.
With this, he should have delivered a satisfactory answer to her, right?
"Grimm, are you alright?!"
The sound of Da Vinci's voice made Eiji's focus sharpen.
"What's wrong?"
He turned to see Grimm's blood-covered face.
Blood flowed incessantly from his right eye, rendering his visage terrifying while staining his chest garments crimson.
"It's nothing, just that common Nordic thing."
Despite losing an eye, Grimm remained composed.
He stopped the bleeding with runes, casually producing an eyepatch to wear—transforming into a one-eyed man in the blink of an eye.
As if he had been prepared all along.
"One can't gain great wisdom without paying a price. Just like in the myths, I've paid with my right eye. It's nothing special. Norse mythology is that kind, right? The type where you become stronger after losing an eye!"
He appeared completely unbothered, remarkably philosophical.
This eased some of Eiji's guilt.
Dealing with the Great Calamity had involved much of his personal motives—had he harmed his comrades because of it, that would have been his fault.
"Cernunnos, though a deity, ended up in such a state..."
Grimm's gaze shifted from what lay before him, looking toward the distant eastern coast where the clouds had cleared.
"Mercy, too, can be a sin!"
He pondered this inwardly, savoring the bitterness that came from the wisdom of a god.
No matter.
One eye remained; there was still one more sacrifice to be made.
"Really? The prophecy actually changed?"
Oberon stared wide-eyed at the happy ending before him, his expression full of disbelief.
"Hmm?"
Little Da Vinci tilted her head, drawn by his words.
"Oberon, what do you mean the prophecy changed?"
"Didn't we successfully resolve the Calamity just as the prophecy foretold?"
Eiji also furrowed his brows.
Could there still be some unforeseen turn of events?
Surely, that thing earlier wasn't the true form of the Calamity, was it?
That would be utterly ridiculous!
If that were really the case, he might as well consider giving up!
"It's true that we resolved it... but the problem is, there are hidden verses in the prophecy!"
Oberon's expression shifted several times before he finally let out a helpless sigh.
"Considering Artoria's feelings, I didn't want to bring this up now. But perhaps I've been too indulgent toward her. Since the prophecy has already been broken, there's no need for me to hide it any longer!"
"The prophecy isn't fourteen verses—it's eighteen!"
"'When the iron town and the sea of coal repel the Calamity, the pilgrimage shall be welcomed.' The next line should be—'Though the harbor returns to the shore, the Calamity travels to the distant skies!' This is the hidden Verse 8.5!"
Hearing this, the group exchanged uncertain glances for a while.
The harbor returns to the shore?
Did that mean Norwich would be destroyed in the Calamity?
"The remaining three verses are Verse 9.5: 'The round fortress burns to ashes, the water bell appears in the world'; Verse 10.5: 'The sinner confesses their crime, the executioner's blade falls'; and Verse 13.5: 'The Child of Prophecy fulfills their duty, bidding farewell to their original home.'"
Oberon gave a wry smile.
"Because they were all very ominous prophecies, the fairies long ago stopped singing them."
This was completely unexpected.
It turned out there were verses in the prophecy that the fairies had discarded.
If the left eye twitches, it means wealth is coming today!
If the right eye twitches, it's just superstition!
Typical double standards.
"Still, since it's not an absolute future, there's no need to worry too much about it."
Eiji remained noncommittal.
After all, he was a demonic being!
Outside of fate, beyond cause and effect—even future sight couldn't perceive his future. He was an unexpected intruder from the start.
His arrival had already altered the original prophecy to some extent.
Where the outcome would lead from here was already beyond prediction!
"I agree with Eiji. If everything were predestined, wouldn't that girl's journey up to now be meaningless?"
Muramasa nodded in agreement.
He was already a departed soul—whatever happened didn't matter to him.
But Artoria was a living human being in the present. There was no reason for her to be bound by prophecies. The more ambiguous such things were, the more they could reflect the meaning of one's existence!
"Perhaps I was overthinking it."
Oberon pondered this, his expression gradually softening. There was some truth to those words.
But why did the prophecy change in the first place?
This was something Oberon couldn't help but dwell on.
"Pei Pei has gone to deal with the refugees, let's go help too!"
Little Da Vinci nodded in agreement, then cheerfully suggested.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, the sacrifices during this great calamity were kept to an absolute minimum.
Not only was the city left intact, but even the number of fallen fairies was small. This should count as successfully raising the reputation of the Child of Prophecy and their companions, right?
Next, the matter of opposing the Queen could be put on the agenda!
"Wait, it's not over yet!"
Just then, Grim suddenly spoke up.
His gaze sharpened as he looked toward the distant sky.
Following his line of sight, everyone turned to look, and then they all gasped in astonishment.