Black Dog

Thanks to Nero's long-standing good governance and the pressure from Camelot, the Holy Roman Empire, like a finely tuned instrument, shifted into wartime mode.

Military restructuring, logistical supplies, and personnel assignments—all proceeded smoothly.

So far, the Holy Roman Empire had produced over 1800 sets of magical armor, enough to meet the equipment needed for all soldiers. This was largely thanks to Arkhan providing technical guidance and finding those ore deposits; otherwise, they might not have even half of what they needed.

With these magical armors, the soldiers finally had the qualification to confront Camelot's knights. Relying solely on ordinary human physical strength, no matter how skilled they were, would be like delivering oneself to the slaughterhouse.

According to the intelligence gathered from Melusine, Atalanta, and Medusa, there were approximately three thousand knights of Camelot at the present moment. Though the Holy Roman Empire soldiers numbered nearly half of Camelot's knights, they could bridge this gap with Servants.

After all, the gap in strength between Camelot's knights and Servants was far greater than that between the ordinary people and Camelot's knights. If it weren't for the limitations of magical energy, almost every Servant could single-handedly fight in a small war.

With everything prepared, Arkhan decided almost immediately.

In two days, they would launch a decisive battle against Camelot!

===

On a barren hill, roughly twenty meters tall, Barghest had been on the move for a day and a night.

Gazing at the sizable city in the distance, shrouded in armor, Barghest clenched her hands tightly, making a creaking sound.

"Humans, do you really intend to exterminate us completely?"

Taking a deep breath, Barghest's gaze gradually hardened. She reached up and grabbed the horn on her head, then pulled down hard!

*Crack!*

Intense pain instantly shot through her nerves, her face contorted sharply, and her vision was gradually overtaken by a sticky, blood-red hue.

The blood seemed to seep into her eyes, occupying all her pupils and eye sockets, exuding a wild and frantic energy.

"Hahh... Hahh..."

She tightly covered her heart, which was pounding like a drum while breathing heavily. The crimson color and sticky sensation felt like a blazing fire igniting her from the inside out. Her blood boiled like magma in her veins while her body temperature skyrocketed, distorting the surrounding air.

*Whoosh—*

In the next second, crimson flames tinged with pitch-black fire burned fiercely on her body and the fairy letters covering her armor were incinerated in an instant.

Bathed in flames, Barghest seemed like a demon breaking free from hell, stepping into the mortal realm!

This power didn't belong to her, nor was it the form she least wanted to face.

Nevertheless, driven by revenge, survival, and persistence, she chose to embrace this power, willingly selling her soul to the devil, even if it meant facing an endless abyss ahead!

"Feel... the fairy's rage!"

Barghest lifted her head, unleashing a roar of defiance and anger toward the vast expanse of sky.

Pillars of red smoke billowed into the sky, carrying with them her deeply buried resentment and a heartbreaking plea for the fate of the fairy race!

*BOOM!*

Raging black and red flames exploded like a compressed balloon at its breaking point, engulfing the entire hill in an instant.

===

"That is..."

Standing at the peak of a mountain, Atalanta could see billowing black-red flames that resembled pillars supporting the sky, and smoke of blood and fire burning everything in its path from afar.

Feeling the overwhelming and suffocating aura, her wild and beautiful face momentarily tensed. Without any hesitation, she took out an arrow and shot it into the sky.

After a few seconds, the arrow burst like fireworks before a light green magical flame bloomed in the air like flowers.

Inside the imperial palace, as Arkhan and the others discussed strategies, the sound of the crisp explosion made their expression change slightly.

"Something happened!"

Arkhan was the first to react and quickly dashed out like the wind, with Melusine closely following behind him, their speeds matching.

As they arrived outside the palace, they saw the panicked residents and soldiers trying to maintain order on the streets. They looked into the distance where the raging black-red flames caught their eyes.

"What is that?" Ritsuka showed signs of astonishment.

Even from this distance, she could feel the formidable power of the flames.

"Ritsuka, Mash, you two stay here to maintain order in the empire. The rest of you, assist as needed." Arkhan calmly gave an order. "Melusine and I will go and assess the situation. No one is to leave the city without my permission."

*BOOM!*

With that, Arkhan and Melusine streaked away like two shooting stars toward the direction of the flames.

Two to three minutes later, Arkhan and Melusine stopped about fifty meters away from the black-red flames. From this angle, the scale of the flames was even larger than they had imagined, resembling a burning volcano.

The scorching wind tore through the air like red-hot steel, and the black-red flames burned silently, surging like waves. Rings of fire rippled outward one after another, bringing unbearable heat.

Arkhan frowned slightly as he stared at the massive flames.

The extreme heat didn't affect him, but what bothered him was the madness, hostility, and anger buried deep within the flames.

These negative emotions fueled the flames, almost as if they were alive rather than mere fire.

Arkhan rarely saw such extreme negative emotions, comparable to the power of one of his Divine Keys—Jizo Mitama.

Clearly, this was not a natural occurrence, but something artificially created.

Arkhan glanced at Melusine beside him and noticed her unwavering gaze fixed on the flames as if she had seen something unbelievable.

Seeing this, his heart couldn't help but stir slightly.

"Do you know what this is?"

Upon hearing his question, Melusine turned to him, hesitating.

"I've never seen it, but... this power feels somewhat familiar to me..."

Unfortunately, before Arkhan could ask further, the black-red flames suddenly changed.

All the flames rapidly contracted inward, as if alive, forming a slightly blurry outline.

"That is..."

"?!"

Arkhan and Melusine's pupils contracted simultaneously.

In just a few breaths, the outline became clearer.

It was a massive black dog, resembling a mountain, with fur reminiscent of flames trembling lightly on its surface, and magma-like fiery red lines covering its body.

Its ferocious mouth was full of sharp fangs, with blood-like liquid flowing between them, corroding the ground into blackened pits, while its blood-red eyes were completely covered with madness and rage.

Arkhan tensed his body, his eyes showing a hint of alertness.

This black dog was perhaps the most powerful entity he had encountered since coming to this world.

Moreover, it was clearly not friendly.