Chapter 1115: If There Is an Afterlife
In the sky.
The Albion Dragon transformed into a hypersonic fighter jet, effortlessly breaking through two, then three times the speed of sound, rapidly reaching five times the speed of sound, and its velocity continued to soar!
The initial strike caught Eiji off guard.
But now prepared, he immediately adjusted his posture, using an advanced force-redirection technique to channel all the impact into the ground. Although dozens of residential buildings were shattered, he emerged unscathed.
Immediately after, the Albion Dragon soared into the sky, flying at an incredibly fast acceleration under the sunset-like sunlight.
"Truly terrifying speed."
Eiji stood up from the rubble of the houses.
The sight of the soaring mechanical dragon drew an unreserved admiration from him.
In this fairy kingdom, absolutely no one could match her divine speed!
But unfortunately.
"When your advantage is divine speed, facing me means you have no advantage left!"
Eiji mobilized the blood throughout his body.
Ten pitch-black bat wings burst forth from his back!
The power of the seventh Familiar allowed him to instantly break free from gravity's constraints, his body levitating into the air.
Then, with a gentle flap of his wings—
"Boom!"
After taking off, he instantly surpassed five times the speed of sound!
His figure resembled a hypersonic missile, shooting toward the mechanical dragon in the sky like an arrow released from a bow!
A distance of several thousand meters was covered in merely the span of a breath!
The mechanical dragon was wholly focused on increasing its speed when it was abruptly startled by his sudden burst.
It was as if he had predicted her flight trajectory, attacking from below and to the side. By the time she realized, it was too late—he struck her abdomen with astonishing force!
The mechanical dragon let out a mournful cry.
Its body tilted, sent flying several thousand meters away, its soaring speed abruptly interrupted.
"Hum—!"
After stabilizing itself, the mechanical dragon roared, scattering the atmosphere.
As if its engines ignited, bluish-white flames erupted from its tail, accelerating it once more as it charged headlong toward Eiji!
"Phew... this speed is really hard to handle!"
Eiji, having crashed into the mechanical dragon, also came to an abrupt halt.
Mid-air with nowhere to redirect the force, just one collision made him feel as if all his bones were about to shatter.
Fortunately, the True Ancestor blood inherited from Arcueid immediately boiled, the scorching blood instantly healing his injuries. From the outside, not even the slightest trace of damage could be seen!
Seeing the mechanical dragon accelerating and charging toward him, Eiji curled his lips into a smile.
A dozen or so gem-like crystals suddenly materialized in front of him, layering to form a natural shield.
"Boom!"
Like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day.
Under the intense impact, the mechanical dragon was sent flying backward!
Eiji, however, seemed completely unaffected, not even moving an inch.
Most of the crystalline shield in front of him shattered, but it was restored in the blink of an eye.
Its magic-inflicted tearing claws were incredibly powerful—this shield, derived from the first Familiar, could theoretically withstand attacks from a True Ancestor's Familiar, yet she had torn through most of it!
"Does it still have its sanity?"
Eiji gazed distantly at the mechanical dragon soaring in the sky.
He extended his hand, channeling magical energy into it. Golden particles gathered, forming a golden light-sword over a hundred meters long.
"No, it seems she's completely controlled by resentment, leaving only her combat instincts!"
The mechanical dragon crashed headlong, battered and bruised.
But the next moment, she adjusted her posture and roared once more, diving toward Eiji!
Even though she couldn't possibly shatter all the shields, she continued to crash, spin, and dive, leaving countless thunderous echoes across the sky.
Her demeanor showed no trace of rationality.
Driven solely by lingering hatred, she would not rest until he was dead.
The Fairy Knight Lancelot, the dragon fairy born from the Albion Dragon, Britain's most beautiful Melusine, had been utterly consumed by the curse.
Transformed into a calamity!
Eiji let out a sigh.
His resolve solidified.
"Roar!"
The massive mechanical dragon charged again.
Bluish-white flames erupted from its maw!
The temperature of those flames surpassed tens of thousands of degrees, effortlessly burning through layer after layer of shields, rapidly closing in on Eiji.
"Boom-crack!"
At that moment, bluish-white lightning surged forth.
The lightning collided head-on with the flames, the two forces wrestling, contending, and canceling each other out. Light and heat turned the surroundings into a lifeless zone, yet neither could gain the upper hand in the short term.
Simultaneously.
Eiji swung the light-sword in his hand.
"See you in the next life."
Like a hot knife slicing through butter.
The light-sword, enveloped in a silvery-white magical glow, swept past the mechanical dragon, which was recklessly focused on its assault.
A seemingly effortless diagonal slash.
Cleaved the mechanical dragon's body from shoulder to waist in two.
The mechanical dragon's charge came to an abrupt halt.
Its body split along the diagonal line, slowly falling freely toward the ground.
Under this single strike.
Not only was the mechanical dragon itself destroyed, but even the resentment of the northern fairies surrounding her was severed and dispelled.
After all.
A mechanical dragon whose only advantage was speed could never have been a match for Eiji from the very beginning.
With ample magical energy, no one could possibly surpass his speed!
Only at this moment.
The mechanical dragon's crimson eyes returned to a clear blue.
The rationality obscured by hatred finally resurfaced.
But by then, it was already too late.
The last thing reflected in her eyes was the figure of a man bathed in sunset-like radiance, resembling both a demon and a god.
He watched her fall, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.
She had known all along.
Unlike her pure disdain for Aurora, Eiji's repeated mockery stemmed from his disappointment in her, his frustration at her self-destructive actions.
That mocking tone was actually meant to provoke her, to make her abandon Aurora—someone unworthy of such devotion.
But she had failed to live up to his expectations.
In the end, it could only culminate in this outcome: being struck down by his blade.
"Ah... if only it hadn't been Aurora who pulled me from the murky swamp back then... how much better it would have been..."
With that thought.
Melusine's consciousness faded into darkness.
Just as he had said.
There was no saving her in this life.
If there is a next life, she hoped to love someone truly deserving of that love.
If... such a person truly exists.
On the ground.
Gazing at the Albion Dragon falling from the sky, Percival remained silent for a long time.
"Farewell, sister... my beloved."
On the other side.
"Hey, Eiji!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka waved vigorously, trying to catch the attention of someone in the sky.
Thinking her voice might not carry that far, she had Mash deploy her Noble Phantasm. A massive fortress appeared on the ground, which indeed drew Eiji's attention.
Eiji slowly descended from the sky and landed in front of the group.
Soon after.
"Vroom——!"
With the powerful roar of an engine approaching from afar.
A snow-white aerial warship sped rapidly through the distant sky.