"Gravity has vanished around the Singularity—the end of the world is approaching!"
As Romani's tense voice rang through the spiritron comms, everyone could feel the weight of the situation.
At that very moment, a cold, emotionless female voice descended from the white tower floating above the Holy City:
"Camelot collapses, an age of upheaval dawns. In the name of the Storm King, I shall seize all under my control."
"The Tower at the End… Could something like that truly exist in Proper Human History?"
Bargast's eyes widened as she looked up at the colossal white tower slowly rising into the heavens, surrounded by countless floating islands.
"If so, then we must find a way to reach it, correct?"
"Seems that way… Hmph, I'll admit, Proper Human History's Artoria really does carry a kingly air."
Nocknare nodded in reluctant admiration as she gazed at the figure standing atop the white tower.
"But that thing's so high up—how are we supposed to get there?" Mash finally spoke up from behind them.
"That's… something we'll need Melusine to figure out. Wait—look! Isn't the Lion King staring right at us?" Bargast suddenly exclaimed.
At the same time, atop the high tower, the Lion King lowered her gaze toward them, raising her hand. Above the second squad, a massive golden spearhead appeared, vast enough to blot out the sky.
Just as she was about to strike, intending to obliterate Bargast's squad with the Holy Lance, a familiar scene unfolded again: a starry water-mirror spread beneath her target, and from it emerged a gigantic azure spear of magical energy, slowly thrusting upward to meet the golden lance.
The Lion King, however, was unsurprised.
"Oh? As Agravain predicted, Sister has come to stop me once more."
She shook her head slightly, speaking with cool detachment:
"But alas, this is my domain."
At her thought, the white tower beneath her feet began to shift, gliding through the air until it hovered directly above Bargast's floating island.
Golden radiance erupted from the spire, spreading downward until the base condensed into a massive, drill-like point.
"I suppose I learned something useful from the Sun King after all."
With that, the tower ceased its hovering and plummeted straight down toward the island below.
"What the—? Has the Lion King gone mad? She's using the Tower at the End itself as a weapon?!"
Melusine's eyes widened as the island shattered instantly under the impact, breaking apart like glass.
"There were people on that island! Was it Bargast? Or Guinevere?!"
The thought that Guinevere might have been on the destroyed island made Melusine panic. She immediately turned toward Romani's flickering projection beside Mash and shouted:
"Hey! Can you hear me, you bookworm from Chaldea? The link isn't cut, right? Tell me, how's Guinevere? Is he safe?"
On the other end, Romani was clearly overwhelmed with work:
"Wait—don't panic. I'm still confirming the squads' statuses… Second squad has lost contact. First squad? Any injuries from the quake just now?"
"That doesn't matter! Just tell me how Guinevere is!" Melusine demanded again, her voice rising.
Before Romani could answer, she cut him off:
"Forget it, I'll just fly to him myself—"
Even as she spoke, mana flared from her wings and she shot into the sky.
Seeing her take off, Romani paled:
"No, wait! Guinevere's fine—I was just about to patch him through to you—"
But it was too late. His words didn't even reach her ears. Driven by worry for Guinevere, Melusine had already become a streak of light, leaving her island behind.
Moments later, two knights—one clad in white, the other in violet—stepped onto that same floating island.
"The flying one's gone. Only two Servants remain here, and their mana signatures aren't strong," Gawain observed.
"Good. Let's eliminate them quickly, then move on," Lancelot replied, casting a sidelong glance at him. "Remember, Gareth isn't truly your sister—she's from another world. Don't hesitate. If you can't bring yourself to strike, I'll finish her after I deal with my own opponent."
His calm gaze fell upon the girl with the massive shield.
Meanwhile, on another floating island, Guinevere—unaware of Melusine's rash departure—was still speaking firmly into comms:
"Tell Melusine to stay put, no matter what. The islands have split us apart, and the second squad was attacked. I trust Bargast to handle herself, but the situation is dire. Melusine is our only flier—she must remain with the first squad until the situation demands otherwise. She's their strongest Servant—if she leaves, the rest could be wiped out instantly."
"Uh… about that…" Romani wiped sweat from his brow. "You might be too late. She already left to find you. She should be there soon."
"…What?!"
Guinevere's expression twisted in disbelief.
"No way—she was that reckless?"
"Eh? Senpai, why are you so worked up?" Ritsuka blinked at him. "Even when the second squad's island was destroyed, you didn't look this worried…"
"That's because I know Bargast can survive a fall from that height. I trust her. But Melusine? This is different. This is a stupid, self-inflicted risk."
"Still, with her mobility, she can fly back and forth between us in no time, right? That means she can support any squad as needed!" Ritsuka reasoned.
She looked up—and quickly spotted the streak of light speeding toward them.
"See? Melusine's already here."
"Exactly. That's the problem."
Guinevere followed her gaze, frowning deeply.
"Her mobility is too advantageous. If we thought of that, Agravain surely did too. And remember—she's already revealed her power to the Knights of the Round. With the battlefield deliberately set on floating islands, of course they'd prepare a countermeasure."
As if on cue, a beam of light suddenly fired from the soaring Tower at the End, streaking straight toward Melusine.
She reacted instantly, veering aside, but the golden beam bent midair, locking onto her.
Too late. The beam engulfed her completely. When the light faded, she was gone.
"The same beam that recalled Gawain and Lancelot earlier… A teleportation ray?" Guinevere's brow furrowed darkly.
"Ugh! Does she always have to screw up the moment she's on our side?" Artoria snapped.
"We can't just leave her!" Ritsuka cried. "Let's go save Melusine!"
"No, not yet. She may be reckless, but she's hard to kill," Artoria shook her head. "Right now, Mash and Gareth are in real danger. We should focus on them first."
"…Too late, I fear."
Guinevere sighed, gazing at the floating island drifting steadily closer.
"Prepare for combat. Looks like they plan to bog us down with sheer numbers."
The next instant, their island crashed into another. Stone crumbled between them as Purification Knights swarmed across the gap, flooding toward the group.
"Hah! Numbers mean nothing to me! Watch me blow them all away!"
With no hesitation, Mordred raised her shining blade high, bellowing as she invoked its name:
"Roar, Clarent!"
"Clarent Blood Arthur—Rebellion Against My Glorious Father!"
But nothing happened.
Her sword remained inert—like a mere iron prop.
"Wha—? My Noble Phantasm didn't activate?!" Mordred sputtered.
"What's going on?" Artoria asked, startled.
"I… I don't know—wait! Damn it, now I remember!" Mordred smacked her forehead. "Before the battle, Agravain insisted we all hand over our Noble Phantasms for inspection. He must've tampered with mine!"
"A preemptive seal? So the moment you betray him, your weapon shuts down… He must have suspected you would defect. No—he simply trusted no one, and tampered with everyone's weapons alike."
Guinevere rubbed his chin, then chuckled ruefully.
"This child… I'll admit, his foresight impresses me. Not flawless, but close. Thorough enough to be called watertight."
"Which means Melusine is in deep trouble now."
Elsewhere, within another floating island, inside the barrier of a fortified magic circle, Melusine staggered to her feet, clutching her head.
"Ugh… My head's spinning. Where… am I?"
Her answer came immediately from another figure present.
"A ward crafted by my king herself, its inner defenses reinforced beyond measure. Even you will struggle to escape. The barrier's small, restricting your flight—within this space, you cannot rise beyond my reach."
Agravain slowly stood, drawing his sword.
"As your grave, it will suffice."
"Hah?" Melusine scowled, giving him a dismissive glance. "You? Weren't you just a bureaucrat? You think you can face me alone—uh…"
Her words trailed off as she noticed the mass of purple-armored knights behind him, radiating power.
"…Bringing a pack of small fry doesn't make you my equal."
"Small fry…? Hmph. Is that what you think?" Agravain sneered.
"I see it clearly. They're all berserkers. But even so, that's hardly enough against me."
Melusine's tone was confident.
"True. Berserk rage alone wouldn't suffice." Agravain nodded lightly, then his voice hardened.
"But what if we all bore blessings? Anti-Dragon. Anti-Faerie. Anti-Knight. Anti-Lancelot. Stacked upon one another in abundance."