Chapter 1119: The Second Catastrophe
"Have you identified what that is?"
"No, it's impossible. There's something within those flames—all magical devices sent to that area immediately lose response upon arrival, barely managing to transmit back some imagery before failing!"
Little Da Vinci's expression turned grim.
"I called you here to ask for your opinions."
"Should we go rescue the fairies of Manchester?"
She looked at the group, particularly focusing on Fujimaru Ritsuka as she sought her input.
"We're going!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka answered without hesitation.
"Barghest already kept her promise and fulfilled our agreement! How can we unilaterally break it now?"
She was right.
Barghest had gone easy during the Camelot battle, allowing them to enter the city easily.
She had already honored her pact with Chaldea—Chaldea absolutely must not break their word!
"I knew you'd say that."
Little Da Vinci sighed helplessly, spreading her hands.
"Emotionally, I disagree with you going. No matter how you look at it, the situation at the Great Pit is more severe. I didn't even want to inform you about this matter, but I'd definitely get scolded by you afterward..."
So, even knowing they couldn't afford distractions now, she still called Gudako over.
Besides, Chaldea never goes back on their word!
"Since we've reached a conclusion, I won't stop you."
Holmes approached, sternly advising the group.
"Listen carefully—your objective is singular: extinguish the fires in Manchester. Once that's accomplished and the fairies there are safe, withdraw immediately! After we resolve the catastrophe at the Great Pit, we'll head straight there to rescue them!"
"One more thing—we can't allocate too much combat power there. Nobody knows what's happening at the Great Pit, so we must maintain sufficient forces here!"
"That's why I specifically called Eiji over."
Little Da Vinci interjected with a sweet smile.
"Could you please accompany them?"
Manchester might be dangerous too.
Among them, Eiji possessed the strongest combat ability. Most importantly, he could create clones—able to respond to multiple locations simultaneously. Given current circumstances, he was an exceptionally valuable and undeniably the strongest supporter!
Chaldea's strength lay in always finding powerful allies when needed!
"Mind if I hang you from a streetlight when I get back?"
Eiji glared at Little Da Vinci with a teasing smile.
"Aw, don't say that! Everyone relies on you!"
Little Da Vinci stuck out her tongue, deliberately acting cute with an "ehe~".
"Um, what about me?"
Artoria finally pointed at herself with a confused expression.
"Sorry, Castor! Actually, I used your room's broadcast to call Eiji over. You can go back and rest now. Keep it up!"
Little Da Vinci gave her an earnest cheer gesture.
Artoria responded with an awkward yet polite smile.
"Depart quickly! Time is of the essence!"
...
Manchester.
It was once a town with an idyllic atmosphere. Eiji had visited several times and held a more favorable impression of this city than Sheffield, which emphasized mutual assistance between humans and fairies.
Yet, in just a few days, it had been engulfed in a sea of flames.
Not a single intact building remained in the entire city.
"Master, I find it difficult to say this..."
Standing high in the sky, overlooking the land.
Tristan's expression grew strained.
"But judging by this devastation, it seems unlikely there are any survivors."
Gudako fell silent as well.
The flames stretched for over ten kilometers, enveloping the whole of Manchester without leaving a single gap, as if someone had deliberately targeted this city.
The air temperature within the city exceeded a thousand degrees, making it utterly uninhabitable for humans.
Standing on a mobile platform made of a lightsaber, Gudako couldn't even descend.
"Perhaps this is for the best."
Eiji crossed his arms, a sarcastic smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"Now there's no need to help the fairies migrate. Isn't that something to celebrate?"
"Mr. Eiji, that kind of statement is a bit..."
Mash's face showed a hint of resistance.
"No, Lady Mash, I believe Lord Eiji's perspective is correct."
Tristan, however, shook his head.
"Haven't we already seen through the nature of fairies? Hastily assisting them with migration would only harm the humans of Pan-Human History. While this outcome is inhumane, I too believe it is a favorable turn of events for us."
The most gentlemanly among them now regarded the devastation with a sense of relief.
Initially, he had been quite supportive of the deal with Barghest.
But after witnessing the inherent flaws of the fairies in Camelot, he had come to regret that decision.
Fortunately, whether by divine intervention or some other means, it seemed most of Manchester's fairies had perished.
"But we can't assume the fairies of Manchester are the same as those in Camelot, can we? We've all been here and seen with our own eyes that the fairies here are peace-loving..."
"That may not be the case."
Eiji smirked, interrupting Mash.
"If you were to jump down now, you'd likely see many humans who weren't burned to death but were slain by weapons. Care to take a look?"
He pointed at the burning city below, his laughter dripping with irony.
His vision was exceptionally sharp, surpassing even Tristan's.
Thus, he could see clearly.
Before the flames erupted, this Manchester had undoubtedly experienced a tragedy identical to that of Camelot!
Mash was stunned.
She recalled their previous experiences in Camelot—after the battle, they had inspected the basements of the fairy mansions, which fully corroborated Eiji's claims.
The sheer weight of that realization left her speechless.
"Lord Eiji, is the sea of flames... moving?"
Suddenly, Tristan spoke up, his voice filled with astonishment.
Following the direction he indicated, a long tail of flames was clearly visible on the ground, as if some creature were dragging the fire along.
"Has it not gone far yet?"
Eiji narrowed his eyes.
He remembered the night he first obtained the dream authority and came to Manchester, and the long, heartfelt conversation he had with Barghest under the cover of darkness.
"A thousand years ago, the King of the Great Calamity, Mors, was defeated by Lord Woodwose. Before dying, he left behind the curse of the black hound that devours fairies... Six hundred years later, a fairy bearing the black hound was finally born within the Fang Clan."
At that time, Barguest's expression was inscrutably dark.
"Lord Woodwose's rejection and persecution of me isn't solely due to my appearance differing from other fairies of the Fang Clan. More importantly, I possess an instinct to devour—an instinct that drives me to consume those I love."
"Your Highness, if someday I should fall to the curse of the black hound... for the sake of this nation, I beg you to show mercy—and end my life."