Chapter 1098: I Am Okita Souji
"Anyway, it's a good thing you're not dead. Alright, stop spacing out here. Quickly notify the rear and join up with the first team!"
Old Man Muramasa patted his shoulder with deep relief.
"Having that sentiment is enough. I believe Artoria can see it too."
...
"Is everyone alright?"
"Thanks to your well-wishes!"
Soon, the members of the first and second teams gathered together.
After looking around at each other for a moment, everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
They had repelled two overwhelmingly powerful Fairy Knights without losing a single person—it could truly be called a miracle!
This way, they could preserve their strength to the maximum extent to face the Queen, that final big boss!
"Help! Help me!"
At that moment.
A terrified cry for help suddenly reached everyone's ears.
The bewildered group curiously turned to look in the direction of the voice.
They were the vanguard spearheading the advance. The rebel army's main force had just broken into the city not long ago and was still behind them. So where was this cry for help coming from up ahead?
Unexpectedly, a female fairy appeared before everyone.
Her face was full of terror as she glanced back behind her, continuously running forward while looking over her shoulder.
The tightly shut doors along the way had nearly driven her to despair. Only when she saw Gudako and the others did she snap back to reality, overjoyed, and hurriedly ran toward them.
"Madam, may I ask what has happened to make you so panicked?"
Her attire was somewhat luxurious, but she should just be an ordinary high-ranking fairy.
Tristan remained vigilant. He silently stepped forward, shielding Gudako behind him, while gently inquiring in a soft voice.
His gentle and exceedingly patient demeanor was very much like a prince's.
The female fairy immediately felt much safer and quickly hid behind him.
"Help! There's a monster!"
"A monster that kills every fairy it sees!"
A monster that kills every fairy it sees?
Hadn't they already made a three-part agreement with Knocknarea and Bogart not to harm ordinary residents?
Could it be that some soldier in their army was disregarding military law?
These were the thoughts that surfaced in everyone's minds.
However, the outcome would greatly surprise them!
Emerging from around the street corner was someone familiar to every one of them!
He wore a hooded cloak, with sunglasses and a face mask obscuring his features.
But they had seen that outfit hundreds of times already!
In his hand, he held a gleaming silver sword, walking step by step toward them.
"Such a strong smell of blood...!"
Tristan couldn't help but gasp sharply.
An astonishingly thick scent of blood lingered around him. Even from dozens of meters away, the metallic odor violently assaulted Tristan's nostrils!
The air was thick with the stench of blood!
It was hard to imagine how many people he had killed!
"It's him!"
The female fairy peeked out from behind Tristan, pointing at the cloaked figure as if she'd seen a ghost.
"He kills every fairy he sees! Kills every fairy he sees! Talking to him is useless—he's completely unreasonable! Many fairies I know have been killed by him. They were all just ordinary fairies—why did he have to kill them all so cruelly?!"
Everyone exchanged glances.
To their great surprise, they all seemed somewhat indecisive.
Because in their hearts,
Eiji had never been someone who enjoyed indiscriminate killing.
Yet the pungent scent of blood clinging to him couldn't be fake, and with this female fairy as a witness, it didn't seem false either...?
"Hey, Eiji, is what she said true?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't hold back. She stepped forward, looking at the cloaked figure as if seeking confirmation.
If anyone claimed Eiji had committed mass slaughter, she'd be the first to disagree—
"Yes."
Eiji replied succinctly.
Gudako was instantly stunned speechless.
"So... it's actually... true...?"
Even after experiencing numerous betrayals, she never thought Eiji would become their enemy.
During their usual interactions, she'd vaguely sensed it—while Eiji had many minor flaws, when it came to major principles, he was always the clearest-headed one.
Now you're telling me he slaughtered indiscriminately? It felt like her entire worldview was shattering.
"Mr. Eiji, why did you do that?"
Mash couldn't restrain herself either.
As someone who had lived with Eiji for half a year, she absolutely couldn't accept that he would do such things!
"That's right! What exactly did we do to make you slaughter us so mercilessly? We were just law-abiding fairies...!"
The female fairy finally seemed to gain confidence, stepping out from behind Tristan and glaring indignantly at Eiji, as if suffering some unbearable injustice.
I was just doing what everyone else was doing!
If everyone was doing it, then surely I could too!
Why did I deserve to be killed?
She didn't notice.
When she spoke these words, Artoria's expression suddenly changed.
She looked at the female fairy with disgust, then stepped away as if avoiding a venomous snake.
Simultaneously.
"Gush!"
In an instant, the female fairy froze.
She looked down and suddenly saw a blade protruding from the center of her chest.
" Mere fairy, don't reason with me."
A girl wearing a spring-green haori leaned out from behind her.
Her face, as if covered in frost, was as cold as an executioner's.
"It makes me sick enough to vomit!"
Eiji didn't make a move.
Okita Souji did.
Her blade had pierced through the fairy's chest from behind in the blink of an eye, before anyone could react!
"Lord Okita?"
By the time Tristan tried to protect the female fairy, it was already too late.
He, Muramasa, and the others stared in disbelief at Okita Souji, who had killed without apparent reason, utterly stunned.
The female fairy panicked, clutching her chest, but the blood wouldn't stop no matter what. Warmth and strength drained from her body.
Soon, she collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Her body transformed into a large piece of rotten wood.
"Lord Okita, why did you do this?"
Tristan couldn't comprehend it, staring gravely at Okita Souji.
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash only froze for a moment before recovering.
Grimm remained expressionless throughout.
Artoria, meanwhile, wore a look of grim satisfaction.
"At this point, there's no need to hide anything anymore."
The one who answered was Eiji from the other side.
"Okita Souji has never been to this Lostbelt, and there has never been a human or Heroic Spirit named Okita Souji here."
A gray mist suddenly emerged, enveloping Souji.
His figure writhed like an illusion, and under the stunned gazes of Tristan, Da Vinci-chan, and Muramasa, transformed into an identical copy of the person opposite him.
"The one who left a doppelganger as Okita Souji by your side to protect you all along—was me."
Replacing the vanished Okita Souji...
...was the phantom-like Eiji.