[After an hour of flying, you arrive above Edinburgh.]
"Gawain, get out here!"
Soaring straight over the city walls and stopping above the Central Cathedral of Edinburgh, Melusine raised her voice and shouted furiously.
She couldn't take it anymore. Not even for a second! Sure, she knew the rumors she'd heard were probably heavily distorted, passed down and twisted countless times by drunken lips...
But still! There's no smoke without fire. If such gossip existed, something must have happened... Melusine already knew how the other Children of Prophecy felt about her Yser and her Guinevere. All of them clearly had thoughts about her beloved.
If that's the case, then maybe—just maybe—they really had done something unspeakable to Guinevere...
No. No! Just imagining it made her feel like her entire world was cracking apart. Her balance faltered in midair.
Her beloved Guinevere, defiled by those women, again and again? Just the thought made her want to scream!
The pressure in the air around her dipped even lower as her fury surged, and she shouted again, even louder:
"Gawain! Nochnare! And Artoria! All of you, get out here, now!"
At that very moment, within the cathedral below, hearing the familiar aura and the thunderous shouting from above, Bagst's expression turned grim.
"She's come right to our doorstep... Is Lancelot really this impatient now? Does she know Artoria and the others aren't here? Or did she get some new powerful item and thinks she can take us all on?"
After a moment of thought, Bagst analyzed the situation.
"No matter what, since she's come to us, we'll have to teach her a proper lesson." Nochnare snorted coldly. "Marching onto my turf like this? That bastard Lancelot really thinks I can't handle her?"
"Pass my orders. Magic Phantom Riflemen, squads one and two—prepare for combat. Await my command."
"I'll deal with her personally."
With that, Nochnare marched forward, heading out of the cathedral. Bagst hesitated for a moment before following, keeping her presence hidden and maintaining a slight distance in silent vigilance.
Because of this, to Melusine above, only Nochnare appeared from the cathedral. She raised her head and glared upward.
"Hmph. Lancelot, what are you doing here? Coming all alone—are you tired of living?"
"Spare me the small talk."
Melusine's face was ice-cold as she cut straight to the point.
"Hand over Guinevere. Now!"
She shouldn't have said that name.
The moment Melusine mentioned Guinevere, Nochnare snapped.
"Oh, really? You must think so little of me." Seeing Lancelot so brazenly demand Guinevere, Nochnare practically fumed.
"Was losing Guinevere in the last simulation not enough for you? You want her dead again?! And you even come to my face to demand her back?! Do you think I'm made of mud?!"
"I'm not—" Melusine instinctively started to explain—but then stopped herself.
Why bother? The woman in front of her was a rival—a possessive, domineering rival who'd been vying for her Guinevere. If something had happened to Guinevere, Nochnare would definitely be involved.
This damn woman—what's the point in talking to her?
"I've got nothing to say to you."
Melusine scoffed coldly.
"Where's Guinevere? Tell me now, or don't blame me for what happens next!"
"Great! Great! Wonderful!" Nochnare laughed in disbelief, her fury boiling over. She pointed at herself.
"You've got the nerve to talk tough on my turf?"
"All units! Squad One—Flame Formation! Squad Two—Thunder Formation!"
She raised a finger toward the airborne Lancelot, her voice sharp as ice.
"Shoot this arrogant bastard full of holes!"
As her command echoed out, a dense hail of gunfire erupted across Edinburgh. Bullets poured in from every direction, encircling Melusine in a storm of lead.
At first, Melusine barely reacted. These were just Magic Phantom Rifles—she'd faced them before. While deadly against normal fae, they were hardly a threat to her.
Or so she thought.
She glanced casually at the incoming bullets—no big deal. She was a proud dragonkin, with immense endurance. A few bullets wouldn't even scratch her...
—Wait a minute. Why were there so many bullets?
Wasn't the rate of fire a bit too fast?
Hadn't these guns always had slow reload times before?
Suddenly overwhelmed by the barrage—now enhanced with Nochnare's fire-aligned magic—Melusine started to realize something was very wrong.
These weren't the same Phantom Rifles she remembered.
Hadn't the system mentioned something about "automatic firearms"? So this was it?
Caught in the storm, with her surroundings saturated by bullets, even dodging was pointless. After taking dozens of hits in seconds, Melusine let out a pained howl as her armor was quickly torn apart.
It figured—this was Guinevere's invention, after all. Each simulation, the guns only grew stronger. And now... they could actually hurt her.
But if Nochnare thought this was enough to take her down, she was gravely mistaken.
"SEYA!"
Chanting under her breath, Melusine crossed her twin swords in a flash. A brilliant golden light burst forth around her—her invincibility skill triggered.
All bullets now passed harmlessly through her body, unable to cause the slightest damage.
She was just about to chain into another "Seya Slash," charging toward Nochnare, when—
—WHAM!
A violent blow struck her cheek from the side, knocking her metal mask flying and sending her spinning off balance, dazed.
"What the...?"
Before she could recover, another brutal hit slammed into her abdomen, making her stagger again.
What was happening?
She was in her invincible state. How could she still be taking damage?
Even as she struggled to process it, more blows landed, making her wince in pain.
Only then did she notice that the attacks bypassing her invincibility were glowing with a blue aura, not red. And these bullets—they weren't like the others. Larger, longer, stronger. And far fewer.
"Hmph… You really thought the only thing Guinevere left me in the last simulation was the Auto Phantom Rifle?"
Nochnare suddenly laughed coldly.
She hadn't just recreated the base weapon. In preparation for Lancelot's return, she'd brought another design from Guinevere's blueprints to life: a special firearm known as a "Sniper Rifle." She named it "Guini Type I."
Though it lacked the auto-fire speed of the "Will Type I," its range and power far surpassed it—perfect for taking down high-value targets like Lancelot.
She had held it back last time, saving it for now.
And unlike the fire-enhancing buff on her other troops, her elite snipers were empowered with Thunder Formation—imbued with Invincibility Piercing.
"Since you figured it out already—fine! ALL UNITS! Thunder Formation! FIRE AT WILL!"
The purple barrage thickened. Seeing it coming, Melusine's expression darkened, then hardened.
She gave up on dodging entirely and pushed her speed to the max, diving straight at Nochnare. Take out the leader—classic tactic.
But just as she rushed forward, a shadow darted below. Bagst stepped in front of Nochnare, greatsword raised high. A blow imbued with the Silence debuff—"Unyielding Charge"—was ready to strike.
Seeing this, Melusine abandoned her charge and immediately veered away, fleeing out of Edinburgh.
—This wasn't working. Not here. Not now.
[Your attempt to force Nochnare to reveal Guinevere's location has failed. You decide to change tactics.]
...Stealth and infiltration it is, then.
Grimacing from the sniper-inflicted bruises, Melusine thought bitterly.
If she could sneak into Edinburgh, even if she didn't find Guinevere, she might still find a chance to catch Nochnare off guard...
...............…
Meanwhile, back in Edinburgh, Nochnare and Bagst barely had time to celebrate driving Melusine away before a watery screen suddenly appeared before them.
Through it leapt Artoria, face bruised and battered—somehow looking even worse than Melusine.
She was on the verge of tears.
"Help! Nochnare! Baggy! HELP US!"
"We're in Orkney, and this trial is insane! We can't beat it!"
"Nochnare! Baggy! Come help us clear it!"
[After repelling Lancelot, you receive a call for aid from Artoria.]
[You were going to decline—until you heard that Guinevere was struggling with the same trial.]
[Upon learning that completing the trial grants an extra reward to all participants, you agreed to help.]
"Shadow Yser? The man Queen Mab once loved?"
"Hmph! Don't worry. I'm coming—he won't be leaving in one piece!"