Chapter 413:

Chapter 413:

Camelot was already in turmoil.

They hadn’t even begun the work to restore the half-ruined castle, and now, a massive fortress had appeared above them; there was no way they could stay calm.

Camelot's citizens trembled in fear, unsure of what to do, and the knights looked up at the fortress with bleak expressions.

The Knights of the Round Table and the senior knights, recognizing the nature of the shrine, wore grim looks.

“The Genesis Shrine's fortress, why has it appeared over Camelot...?”

“What on earth is about to happen now?”

As everyone murmured these thoughts, Gawain, the Knight of the Sun, noticed a man standing atop the still-intact spire of Camelot’s castle.

“King Arthur?”

Hearing Gawain’s muttering, the knights all turned their gazes toward Arthur, standing atop the spire.

“Look, it's the King!”

“The King has returned!”

“But why is he wearing black armor?”

While the fact that Arthur was alive brought hope to Camelot, the knights who recognized the black armor he wore turned pale.

They were not voicing it, but in their minds, they were already imagining the worst scenario.

Their king had abandoned his nation.

Arthur, who was meant to protect Camelot, was now, with his own hands, going to destroy it.

Arthur Pendragon was not unaware of the anxious stares directed at him. He also wasn’t trying to ignore them.

“It was a stage I had been eagerly awaiting, but to think they would make the first move.”

If the Genesis Shrine had acted first, it meant his time was nearly up.

Merlin, Lancelot, Kay, and Gareth also looked up at the shrine with heavy faces.

The sudden appearance of the shrine could only mean they had detected the strange events unfolding in Camelot.

The shrine uses the "Scales" as an excuse to intervene whenever a major event shakes the Mixed Realm.

If the Scales tipped beyond a certain point, the shrine would act on the imbalance. The Salio Empire incident had occurred precisely because the Scales had tipped.

And now, the same was true for Camelot.

Arthur's gaze turned toward a distant place beyond Camelot.

‘Most of the guests I invited have arrived.’

The Divine Spirits of the Mabinogion's Great Army.

Nuada Airgetlám, of the Silver Arm.

Ohad Bres, the Fomorian Half-Blood.

Lu Lávada, of the Supreme Light.

Balor of the Evil Eye.

And besides them, the Great Milesians, the fae of the Issi, and even the druids of the ancient forest.

‘Morgan.’

Morgan Le Fay, the woman he once loved, was also watching Camelot from afar.

Their gazes met across the air. As transcendental beings, they could recognize each other even from afar.

Arthur gave a faint smile and waved at Morgan. Morgan’s eyes trembled slightly.

Arthur immediately turned away from Morgan and addressed his companions.

“Even so, we cannot stop what we must do.”

He had staked everything on this very moment.

The shrine hadn’t yet made a move. However, he knew better than anyone that the moment he opened his mouth to utter the tale of true rebellion, the shrine would act immediately.

The shrine was issuing a warning. It was saying, ‘We know what you’re trying to do, so stop here. Otherwise, irreversible events will unfold.’

The shrine’s erasure of the Salio Empire was already well-known throughout the Mixed Realm. All the great armies had etched into their minds the horror of what happened once the shrine acted.

Camelot was no exception.

This was, without a doubt, madness. A desperate outcry, an act of recklessness by a single being staking their life.

Yet it had to be done.

Someone had to let the truth be known.

“Listen, everyone.”

That’s why he did not run.

Arthur publicly revealed his identity before everyone’s eyes.

“Citizens! And brave knights! I, Arthur Pendragon, have abandoned all honor and glory and taken up my sword as a rebel!”

“What? What does that mean?”

“Your Majesty! What are you saying?!”

Camelot’s citizens shook their heads in disbelief at the claim that their king had betrayed them. Especially Gawain, whose loyalty to the king was exceptional, felt as if the sky itself was collapsing upon him.

Arthur was unconcerned with their reactions. He didn’t have enough time to convince each of them individually.

Koo-goo-goong!

The shrine began to rumble with a deafening roar, as if the shrine itself was expressing its anger at Arthur’s actions.

“Everyone must be wondering why I’m doing this. But I cannot explain it with words. Instead, keep your eyes wide open and watch closely. The final banner I raise is not only against our Camelot.”

Arthur drew his sword from his waist.

A brilliant golden radiance enveloped the sword, dispelling the shadows cast over Camelot.

“...”

Seeing Merlin’s face, almost on the verge of tears, Kay fell silent.

The others felt the same. Arthur had made his decision, and now, no one could prevent his end.

Kay clenched his teeth and glared at Arthur.

“You reckless younger brother.”

“And who are you to talk, you troublesome elder brother?”

Arthur responded with a smirk to Kay’s outburst.

Though they were half-brothers, this farewell was enough between them.

Suddenly, Merlin’s magic burst forth, forming a vast magic circle. The circle quickly spread over Camelot, beginning to transport citizens and knights beyond Camelot’s borders.

Columns of blinding light shot up throughout Camelot, as citizens were transported out one by one.

At that moment, the Elohim began to move.

“They’re coming!”

“The transfer isn’t complete yet!”

Merlin shouted urgently. With so many citizens still within Camelot, even he couldn’t transport them all in such a short time.

Meanwhile, an Elohim raised its spear, aiming it toward the ground.

The faces of the citizens and knights who had yet to be transferred turned pale.

At that moment, a wave of golden light surged over the Elohim. The citizens who hadn’t yet evacuated cheered.

“It’s Excalibur!”

“The king is protecting us!”

The Elohim struck by Excalibur dissolved into particles of light.

However, Arthur’s expression, after swinging his sword, was far from pleased.

There were many Elohim left unharmed, and the shrine continued to send forth Elohim in real-time.

‘Even with Excalibur near its maximum power, this is all it did.’

The Elohim’s gaze eventually turned toward Arthur.

They realized that if they didn’t take down Arthur, he would continue to interfere with their mission to erase Camelot. Their target immediately shifted.

Yu-hyun approached Arthur’s side, issuing a warning.

“King Arthur, drawing attention like this is good, but it seems far from enough to buy sufficient time.”

“That’s nothing to worry about.”

Arthur replied, sensing an approaching presence speeding toward them from afar.

“Just in case, I called for a fixer in advance.”

“A... fixer?”

This was Yu-hyun’s first time hearing the term ‘fixer’ in the Mixed Realm.

“There are such people. Those who take requests and resolve them in the Mixed Realm. They’re commonly referred to as mercenaries, but while mercenaries lack organization and tend to leave a mess, fixers handle everything neatly and professionally.”

The fixer Arthur spoke of had just arrived on the scene.

A distant flash of yellow light reached right next to Arthur, stopping abruptly.

‘A carriage?’

It was a massive golden carriage radiating a brilliant light.

Soon, the carriage door opened, revealing a figure.

“Are you the client, Arthur Pendragon?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

The one who emerged from the carriage was a small, blond child. Yet he spoke down to Arthur naturally, and Arthur responded respectfully.

Yu-hyun recognized the figure stepping out of the carriage, his eyes widening.

“Oello?”

“Huh?”

The one emerging from the golden carriage was none other than Oello, one of the five Kings of Story in existence.

Yu-hyun had never imagined encountering Oello here, and Oello himself looked just as surprised to see Yu-hyun.

Several familiar figures peeked out from inside the carriage behind Oello.

Yu-hyun immediately recognized them as well.

“Celine? Alisha? And even Deputy Celestina?”

These were his former colleagues from the now-defunct Celestial Corporation.

They, too, recognized Yu-hyun and widened their eyes.

An unexpected, sudden reunion.

However, the current situation was far from one where they could indulge in the joy of seeing each other again after so long.

“Everyone, stay focused. Don’t forget why we came here.”

Oello frowned, his words bringing immediate seriousness back to the faces of the fixers.

They reaffirmed their duty.

Oello glared at the Elohim floating in the sky, then declared the purpose of his arrival.

“Oello, the fixer, here to assist with the evacuation of Camelot’s citizens.”