Half an hour earlier.
Along the streets of the royal capital,
two knights of the Round Table clad in armor were patrolling under King Arthur's command.
Due to the influx of numerous transmigrators into Camelot,
even within the city walls, complete safety could no longer be guaranteed.
However, the mere appearance of two knights of the Round Table seemed to drive away all shadows.
Even those transmigrators with ill intent, or magi confident in their own strength, lacked the courage to face two knights simultaneously.
Especially when one of them was the "invincible" Knight of the Sun—Sir Gawain.
According to legend, Gawain was capable of contending even with King Arthur himself, and the Sun Sword he wielded possessed a power equivalent in magnitude to the King's holy sword.
Yet from earlier, Gawain had been deeply furrowing his brows,
as if lost in thought.
"Sir Agravain, do you feel something strange?" Gawain suddenly asked.
Out of the corner of his eye, Agravain caught his gaze, and replied calmly, "What exactly are you referring to?"
The latter frowned slightly.
"Tell me... why has the King instructed us to pay special attention to only a few specific transmigrators, when all of them share the same origin?"
Although the interrogation of the transmigrators was not Gawain's duty,
he had already learned the names of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower.
And among the list the King had handed him earlier, several names were strikingly familiar,
Names he had often heard from the captured transmigrators.
Kayneth, Reines, and the twin sisters of the Clock Tower—
Aoko Aozaki and Touko Aozaki.
While continuing to scan the streets around him, Agravain replied coolly,
"I have reviewed the list.
All of them are high-ranking members of the Clock Tower.
Perhaps the King believes that instead of trying to block the transmigrators' arrival entirely, it is better to seek a path of cooperation and mutual benefit."
Gawain pondered deeply for a moment,
and finally nodded in understanding.
"The King wishes to alter the current situation… to work together with the leadership of the Clock Tower?"
"Perhaps."
Agravain's voice remained calm and detached.
"But regardless of the King's true intentions, they are not for us to question.
Our duty is to fulfill the tasks His Majesty has assigned to us—l,
nothing more."
Hearing this, Gawain glanced at Agravain, a rare warmth flickering in his heart.
At the same time, he could not help but feel a surge of pride.
After all, Agravain had always been a grim, ruthless man, showing no emotion even when sending soldiers to die, and maintaining an utterly impeccable private life.
It was for that very reason he was known as the "Iron Knight."
When the transmigrators had first appeared, Agravain's stance had been something like—
"Drive them all out.
Leave not a single one behind."
Yet now, even the Iron Knight had learned the importance of compromise.
Seeing this, Gawain couldn't help but smile warmly.
"You've changed, Agravain."
The latter frowned slightly, and said in his usual cold tone,
"Spare me the brotherly speech, Gawain."
Despite his protest, the truth could not be changed..Gawain could indeed be considered Agravain's older brother,
in the most literal sense.
They shared the same "mother."
—Morgan le Fay.
Though several years ago, Morgan had left the royal court on her own,
and since then, neither of them had had any contact with her.
"I wonder how Gareth is doing now..."
Gawain murmured, his gaze softening with nostalgia as he watched Agravain's indifferent expression.
"In Mother's company, she should be safe enough," Agravain said calmly.
Unknowingly, the two of them had already completed their patrol of the royal capital.
"The sky's already dark… Looks like there won't be any further developments today,"
Gawain glanced at the darkening, deep-blue sky, and soon retracted his gaze.
"Let's head back for now. I'll drop by the interrogation chamber later, maybe those transmigrators have information about the people listed on the King's roster."
Agravain gave a slight nod of agreement.
However, just as they turned to leave, Gawain's body suddenly tensed,
as if he had sensed something.
From a nearby alley ahead, an icy, serpentine aura quietly began to leak out.
Startled, Gawain narrowed his eyes toward the dark passage.
This fluctuation of magical energy... could it be...?
Agravain noticed the strangeness in Gawain's expression and asked.
"What's wrong?".
Gawain didn't answer.
He only stared intently at the alley, subconsciously holding his breath.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the Knight of the Sun felt an inexplicable fear creeping up his spine as his heartbeat pounded faster against his will.
After a long, stifling silence,
as if suppressing some deep-rooted dread, Gawain muttered under his breath.
"Mother…"
Boom!
The word struck Agravain like a bolt of lightning, his own heart thudding violently as he whipped his head toward the alley.
"You mean…she's back?"
…
"Morgan le Fay...?"
Deeper in the alley, when Kayneth finally deduced the woman's name,
Reines instinctively glanced toward the alley entrance, her gaze falling upon the enchantingly beautiful woman.
"That's Morgan?!"
Looking at her, a chill ran down the noble girl's spine.
The blank expression on her face gradually melted away, replaced by—
Shock, awe, and utter disbelief.
In Arthurian legend, Morgan le Fay's depiction was scant and fragmentary.
But to modern magi, her name was anything but obscure.
From what Reines knew, her friend Gray had some kind of connection with both King Arthur and Morgan le Fay herself.
Never had she imagined that not only would she meet Morgan in person—
but under these circumstances.
The alley was gripped by an unnatural, suffocating silence.
At this moment, even someone as prideful as Kayneth had lost his voice.
His throat bobbed unconsciously as he swallowed hard, the mercury at his feet squirming as it attempted to reconsolidate.
Yet this time, he made no move to attack.
Because he knew...
There was no chance of winning—
none whatsoever.
If this woman truly was Morgan,
there was simply no path to victory.
"Reines..."
After a moment's silence, Kayneth lowered his voice and whispered,
"When you find an opening... run."
"I—"
The latter lifted her head, about to retort, but under Kayneth's sharp glare, she bit back her words, lowering her head instead.
However, there was a stubborn unwillingness in her eyes.
Though she didn't hold any particular affection for her elder brother,
her pride would never allow her to abandon him and flee.
And yet, facing the woman in front of her, a being who seemed more like a witch than a human, Reines could only feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
"From the looks of it, you don't intend to cooperate with me."
Morgan let out a soft sigh, her voice tinged with quiet amusement.
"And even after learning my name,
you still dare entertain fantasies?"
She smiled coldly.
"Should I say you underestimate me?
Or is it simply that you modern magi have no understanding whatsoever—
of what true power from the Age of Gods really means?"
As she spoke, a staff silently materialized in her hand.
The mana in the air instantly became restless, an oppressive force bearing down so heavily that it was hard to even breathe.
Cold sweat broke out across Kayneth's forehead, his complexion turning ashen.
Only now did he fully realize—
Morgan hadn't even been serious yet.
The witch standing before him seemed almost divine, her presence alone suffocating in its intensity,
even though she merely stood there, staff in hand.
A tremor ran involuntarily through Kayneth's fingers.
And then—
In the next instant, he overcame his fear and jerked his head up sharply.
The Volumen Hydrargyrum completely activated, and a torrent of mana flooded into the mercury!
In a split second, a vast tide of silver rushed toward Morgan, only to erupt like a firework the moment it drew near!
"Reines, what are you waiting for?!
RUN!!"
Reines, frozen in shock at the overwhelming scene before her,
suddenly snapped back to reality at Kayneth's low roar.
If their opponent had merely been a magus from the Age of Gods, he might have felt he still stood a chance.
But this was no ordinary enemy.
Her name alone had already decided the outcome of this battle.
Sure enough, as Reines turned and sprinted toward the alley's exit, a darkness deeper than the void itself silently expanded outward from Morgan le Fay.
The shadows swallowed the mercury whole, until even the mystic code Volumen Hydrargyrum was dyed black.
Reines tried to take another step,
only to find with mounting horror that she could no longer move.
Was this the true power of Morgan?
What does she want...?
Why is she targeting me?
A flood of frantic thoughts surged through her mind, and just then, from within the spreading gloom,
the enchantingly beautiful figure of Morgan stepped forward, graceful and unhurried.
"Relax," She said in a soothing tone,
"I have no particular interest in you.
I merely wish to ask you a few questions."
She smiled faintly.
"But to avoid the possibility of any lies…
I'll have to ask you to come with me."
As she spoke, Morgan reached her hand toward Reines.
"Reines!"
Kayneth whipped his head around, but all he could do was watch helplessly as that hand stretched toward his sister.
Yet at that very moment—
BOOM!
A sudden disturbance erupted!
Just as Morgan's hand was about to brush against Reines, a burst of golden light erupted from the darkness,
forcibly wedging itself between Morgan and Reines like a blazing wall.
Along with it came a voice, bright and resolute, like the very embodiment of sunlight.
"Agravain! Get them out of here, now!"
Startled, Reines instinctively looked up.
When she saw the man standing before her, she almost blurted out his name:
"Gawain?!"
Indeed, the one who had rushed to the battlefield was none other than Gawain,
along with Agravain, who had been patrolling the royal city just a short while ago.
Looking at the figures, a faint hope rose in Reines's chest.
She had heard of Gawain's tales and so she knew that he was a knight known for his unwavering righteousness.
Even though they were technically "transgressors," and not aligned with Gawain's cause, at least they stood a better chance with him than in Morgan's clutches.
Yet that hope faltered almost immediately.
Because she saw the man hailed as the "Knight of the Sun" now standing tense,
his face grim, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he faced Morgan.
Even now, despite the many years since Morgan's departure from Camelot,
this witch remained an indelible nightmare in Gawain's heart.
And it was not a strange sight.
After all, she was Morgan.
Throughout the long years, there had only been two people who did not fear Morgan le Fay.
One was her younger sister,
Arthur Pendragon—the King of Camelot.
The other…had already died by Arthur's own hand many years ago.
"Come with me, quickly,"
Agravain said in a low voice.
Yet just as he prepared to retreat with the two, a figure suddenly blocked their path at the mouth of the alley.
A girl, holding a large sword,
stood smiling in front of Agravain.
"Did you forget about me, Brother?"
Seeing her, Agravain's eyes narrowed slightly.
"..Gareth. So you're here as well."
"You've grown."
He remembered—
The last time he had seen Gareth was years ago, when Morgan had not yet left the royal court, and Gareth had still been a small child.
Now, she had blossomed into a maiden in the prime of her youth.
"You don't seem to have changed much," Gareth said cheerfully.
Agravain slowly drew his sword.
"It's been a long time…but I don't have the luxury for reunions now.
Move aside."
"I'm afraid I can't do that,"
Gareth replied sweetly.
"If you try to take them away,
Mother will be very, very upset."
"You know what happens when she gets angry, don't you?"
For a moment, the old fear of Morgan le Fay surged up from the depths of Agravain's heart.
His expression shifted slightly, but quickly, his eyes hardened with cold resolve.
"If you refuse to step aside…
then don't blame me, Gareth!"
For Agravain, rules were absolute.
Even facing the witch who once haunted his nightmares, he would raise his sword without hesitation.
By all accounts,
Agravain's strength was not the most overwhelming among the Knights of the Round Table, but he was certainly not someone a mere fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl could hope to defeat.
Or at least, that was what he thought.
As Agravain lunged forward with his blade, he saw Gareth draw a dagger from her side.
Her lips moved, chanting something under her breath, and in the next instant, the dagger transformed, into a massive, pitch-black scythe.
A scythe so dark, so sharp, that it seemed made to reap souls themselves.
Agravain's pupils contracted violently.
"Rhongomyniad's Shadow?!"
As someone who had once served under Morgan, Agravain knew all too well what Gareth now wielded in her hands.
This was one of Morgan le Fay's modified mystic codes, a weapon even Agravain and the present Gawain had reason to fear.
Those struck by Rhongomyniad's Shadow would suffer wounds not just to their flesh, but to their very spirit and soul.
The moment Gareth revealed this weapon, Agravain's instincts screamed danger and he immediately tried to retreat.
But he was too late.
As Agravain had charged forward, Gareth had already swung the soul-reaping scythe.
Seeing this, Reines' heart lurched.
She raised her hand, manipulating her mercury puppet in a desperate attempt to block the blade for Agravain.
Yet like a hot knife through butter, the scythe cleaved through the puppet without resistance, then came slashing down toward Agravain!
CLANG!
A flash of dark gold streaked through the air.
Sparks erupted from Agravain's body as the tremendous impact forced him back a step.
Gareth stared in disbelief. "Impossible...?!"
Rhongomyniad's Shadow was lethally sharp to begin with, let alone after Morgan's enhancements.
Yet the scythe had failed to wound Agravain.
After a stunned pause, Gareth slowly lifted her gaze. "So you came prepared too, Agravain—"
And then, her words died abruptly.
"...A mystic code?"
Unnoticed until now, a thin white membrane now encased Agravain, pulsing with a soft glow.
It had been this barrier that intercepted the scythe's edge at the last possible instant.
That alone might not have shocked Gareth.
But unless her eyes deceived her, this mystic code was unmistakably...
"Where did you get this?" The question spilled from Gareth's lips before she could stop it.
Having spent years at Morgan's side, she knew exactly why her mother had come here today.
And that was precisely why she understood the terrifying significance of what Agravain now possessed.
It was then that Gareth suddenly realized, the sounds of battle from the alley had gone eerily silent.
She looked up sharply—
Only to see Morgan herself staring in their direction, her voice barely a whisper as if speaking to a ghost:
"...Dragon's Scale?"