*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*
Consecutive harsh sounds produced by a sword fiercely grinding against sharp claws resounded.
Above Norwich, Riezel hovered in the air, raising Hermit in his hand to block the terrifying attack that created that piercing sonic boom.
Woodwose swung his claws, which landed on Hermit and scraped violently against it.
Sparks burst between the two, Riezel and Woodwose staring at each other through the rain of sparks, blade, and claws—one’s gaze filled with cold indifference, the other’s with murderous intent.
*BANG!*
In the next moment, a shockwave knocked them both back—one flying violently into the distance, the other dropping from the sky, landing hard atop a building and shattering its roof.
"AAAAAAAARGHHH—!!!"
Woodwose immediately let out a terrifying howl at Riezel in midair that seemed to echo from deep within the planet itself. Not only did it cause this clan head’s body to emit intense heat, but it also shook the atmosphere, sending out waves of sound.
Frightening magical energy surged from Woodwose’s body, sweeping out in all directions like a storm, which not only startled the Sleipnir galloping along the ruined road, forcing it to stop in its tracks and tremble uncontrollably, but also made those who exited the carriage feel a shudder in their hearts and cold sweat appear on their foreheads.
"I-Is that the head of the Fang Clan, the hero who once vanquished the King of the Moss a thousand years ago?"
Da Vinci’s face was full of shock.
"S-So strong!"
Mash’s grip on her shield tightened until her knuckles turned white.
"It’s not good, really not good."
Tristan’s closed eyes opened wide, his handsome face turning pale.
"Why is he here?!"
Even Artoria, who had already witnessed the terror of Woodwose, found her breath catching, her heart deeply shaken.
"Damn it, things are already a mess, and now that bastard Woodwose has to jump in too?"
Oberon couldn’t help but curse.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
In that moment, as streaks of wind-breaking sounds rang out one after another, elite fairies of the Fang Clan appeared and landed around the carriage, surrounding Artoria and the others.
All these fairies were robust and radiated powerful auras.
Even though they were not as formidable as Woodwose, they were far stronger than the Fang Clan guards under Spriggan.
While Spriggan’s guards were generously paid, the Fang Clan’s main settlement was in Oxford, and with Woodwose as their head, the elites gathered under him were naturally of higher quality than ordinary Fang Clan Fairies, far beyond the average fairy.
Needless to say, Woodwose was clearly taking things seriously this time, as the number of Fang Clan Fairies who followed him out was not only large, but even the weakest among them could rival Level 6.
In such circumstances, Artoria and the others grew tense, having no choice but to shift their focus and face the encircling fairies on high alert.
Riezel saw this scene and instinctively wanted to rush down, but before he could, Woodwose moved first.
"Your opponent is me!"
With a low growl, Woodwose crushed the building beneath his feet, shooting forward like a bullet tearing through space, hurtling straight toward Riezel.
*DING!*
Another loud, bell-like clash rang out as Woodwose’s claws struck the raised black sword, sending Riezel flying backward at high speed from the impact.
"You really are hard to shake off."
Riezel spoke calmly to Woodwose through the exploding sparks.
"SHUT UP!" Woodwose roared in anger. "You’ve become Her Majesty’s husband, yet you’re still running away with that country bumpkin girl—you’ve disgraced Her Majesty’s name! Even if you hide in the deepest depths of the earth, I will dig you out, rip out your heart, cut off your head, and wash away the shame you’ve brought to Britain!"
"Shame?"
Riezel couldn’t help but sneer.
"Does Britain even care about that anymore?"
"Which fairy in this country hasn’t done something wrong? Which one isn’t disliked? Even Morgan herself is seen by the fairies as a witch who threatens Britain, right?"
"And you, Woodwose, do you really think you’re innocent? Are you really upholding Britain’s legitimacy?"
"Forget it. Your era is long over. Now, you’re just an old relic being replaced by the Fairy Knights. Do you still think you’re a hero?"
"Wake up—that was all a thousand years ago. You should realize it’s all in the past by now."
Every one of Riezel’s sharp words struck directly at Woodwose’s sore spots.
"SHUT UP!"
Woodwose’s face twisted, his roar fierce and monstrous.
"You, those damned Fairy Knights, you’re all so disgusting I can’t stand the sight of you!"
"I will kill you! And sooner or later, I’ll kill Gawain and Lancelot too!"
"Child of Prophecy? Fairy Knight? I, Woodwose, am the one Britain truly needs!"
"You lowborn fairies with mysterious backgrounds, DON’T GET TOO COCKY!"
As Woodwose roared, the heat radiating from his entire body grew even more terrifying, twisting the surrounding air and making his attacks even more frenzied.
*BOOM!*
A storm created by his claws erupted in midair, rushing at Riezel and sweeping out in all directions, slicing through building after building.
*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*
*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*
A translucent light flickered in Riezel’s eyes as he turned into a trail of fire, swiftly retreating. At the same time, he swung Hermit, using the smallest movements and least force to deflect each of the incoming claws.
As the sound of metal clashing filled the skies above Norwich, it drew the attention of countless Moss, who crawled toward the commotion.
Riezel and Woodwose became two streaks of light, chasing and colliding in the sky above Norwich, unleashing countless shockwaves, blade slashes, and claw strikes, leaving destruction in their wake.
Countless buildings suffered as a result—either shattered by shockwaves or destroyed by the collateral impact, collapsing on the spot, with thunderous crashes and clouds of dust erupting in every direction throughout Norwich.
"Riezel!"
Artoria instinctively wanted to rush after him, but she failed to catch up.
*Swish!*
A Fang Clan Fairy suddenly lunged at Artoria from behind, his sharp claws swiping toward her head.
"Watch out!"
At the critical moment, Mash stepped forward just in time and protected Artoria with her shield.
*BANG!*
In that instant, the claws struck the shield hard, but were instantly deflected.
*BANG!*
At the same time, Da Vinci’s mechanical arm attacked and sent the fairy flying.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
Seemingly provoked, the rest of the Fang Clan Fairies darted out silently, charging toward Artoria and Mash.
*Ting-ling-ling~*
Tristan’s harp was finally played, sending countless invisible blades surging toward those fairies.
*Clang!*
*Cling!*
*BANG!*
All the Fang Clan Fairies immediately showed their extraordinary strength, responding to Tristan’s attacks. Some used their claws, others their fists, and some even their fangs to block attacks that should have been invisible.
"Artoria!" Oberon called out, shouting hurriedly. "Riezel’s alright! Let’s worry about ourselves first!"
In his view, there was actually nothing wrong on Riezel’s side, and in fact, the real problem was with their own group.
Woodwose was indeed powerful, since a Returned A-Rei like him was no different from an A-Rei born directly from the Inner Sea of the Planet.
As the Archduke of Exhaust Heat, he possessed the Lungs of the Planet, also called the Organs of the Exhaust Heat of the Planet—an authority from one of the A-Reis that dealt with the waste heat of the planet.
However, since Riezel could defeat Gawain and repel the Beast of Cherishment, who was one of the Evils of Humanity, he should not be at a disadvantage even against Woodwose.
On the other hand, their own group was in a much worse situation.
Oberon himself was basically just an accessory, still needing to look after Ritsuka.
Among the remaining four, Artoria was not particularly strong, Da Vinci was a technical staff, and the only real combatants were Mash and Tristan. Facing so many elite fairies of the Fang Clan, with such a lineup, was undoubtedly extremely dangerous.
"Don’t rush out no matter what!" Tristan said gravely. "I can only deal with about four at a time. If there are more than five, it gets dangerous. If anyone leaves the group on their own, they’ll definitely get surrounded by more than ten fairies at once!"
He simply could not block that many attacks from the Fang Clan Fairies, so they absolutely could not act recklessly.
"I can only handle two or three at most. Any more and I won’t make it."
Da Vinci looked just as serious.
"..."
Mash did not say anything and only gripped her shield tightly, her eyes full of resolve.
Among everyone present, she was probably the only one who could block the attacks from multiple elite Fang Clan Fairies at once, so she absolutely had to take on the main role and protect everyone.
"Riezel..."
Artoria realized how dire the situation was.
She glanced worriedly in the direction of the roaring sounds, then took a deep breath and raised the Staff of Selection.
’That’s right, Riezel will definitely be fine on his own. We can’t have any problems on our side either!’
Artoria thought with resolve, then shouted loudly.
"I’ll strengthen everyone! Let’s break through together!"
Hearing this, everyone nodded firmly, and soon, magical energy began to rise from each of them.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!*
Paying no attention to all this, the fairies of the Fang Clan charged forward once more with a piercing sound.
*BOOM!*
In the distance, Riezel and Woodwose’s battle had also reached a fever pitch, throwing all of Norwich into chaos.