Britannia is crumbling. Structures mimicking human civilization, the corpses of those long gone, and the bodies now claimed by the "Catastrophe"—all of it drifts incessantly, consumed by a single insect. The northern lands scatter like snowflakes, while the southern lands disintegrate like dust. Across 1,440 kilometers, the nightmare worm—headless, torso-less, and composed solely of a mouth and digestive organs—reveals itself, devouring all of Britannia.
The gravity of this Anomaly World is collapsing. Storm Border clings to its hovering position, sustained by propulsion.
Inside the bridge, the Nemo Divided Spirits responsible for each ship department report in near chaos. Even Romani, unable to spare a moment to inquire about further developments on deck, can only keep an eye on the situation through communication devices.
"It's rare I get to see you all one last time. Might I say your attitude is rather poor, Your Divine Majesty?" Oberon elegantly brushed off his cloak, as though he had come merely for sightseeing.
"If it were any other fairy, I might ask if they wished to leave Britannia with us, avoiding vanishing along with this Anomaly World," Shiomi said, standing in front of the others. "But if it's the 'Insect of the Abyss'... that's another story."
At Shiomi's words, Oberon flashed a dazzling smile. "How disgusting. So, you recognized me all along. No wonder you let me stay in Londinium—just to keep me under surveillance, right?"
Behind Shiomi, Barghest and Melusine exchanged confused glances.
To the fairies who had spent two millennia embroiled in constant war, the title "Fairy King Oberon" held little significance. Some fairies, tired of the endless fighting, had retreated to the forests west of the Northern Plains. It was from these woods that Oberon had emerged, hailed as king by the weaker fairies.
Even so, his power had never been enough to influence the "war" between Londinium and Camelot. Seventeen years ago, in the year 2000 of the Queen's Calendar, Oberon had entered Londinium during a rare moment of peace and remained there as a temporary resident. He was one of the few accepted by Londinium after the war.
However, that acceptance had been carefully orchestrated by Shiomi.
"What exactly is his identity?" Artoria had met Oberon once, and she knew that Shiomi seemed to understand the truth behind him, though she didn't press for more information.
"This Britannia, now crumbling into ruin, is nothing but a false island, built upon the bodies of fairies turned to dust and mud," Shiomi remarked, staring at Oberon. "The true Isle of Britannia vanished fourteen thousand years ago. You, however, were born from the destructive will of the 'original Britannia'. You were granted the identity of the 'Fairy King Oberon' as a humanoid device. The monstrous being now devouring the island—larger even than Britannia itself—is your true form: the 'Insect of the Abyss', foretold by the Beast God Priestess."
As Shiomi made this accusation, a round of applause echoed. Oberon smiled warmly, acknowledging the insight.
"Truly perceptive. As expected of His Majesty the God King, who 1600 years ago devoured Cernunnos' corpse and sealed away both the calamity and the 'Insect of the Abyss'. But I must correct one thing: while I am an entity separated from the 'Insect of the Abyss', I am also its true form."
"Sealed... the 'Insect of the Abyss'? Could it be that Shiomi didn't just seal the Beast God's calamity?" Romani asked, a bit startled, yet it made sense.
Given Shiomi's methods, sealing a soul only to bind a dead divine corpse seemed like too much of a waste. But if he had sealed more than just the corpse, everything else started to add up.
"The remains of Cernunnos are both the source of unending calamity and the 'Killing Stone' that seals the 'Insect of the Abyss,'" Shiomi said, her gaze cold as she looked at Oberon. "Unfortunately, to arrange another seal, one must first devour the divine remains. These are two separate matters. Even with my most thorough preparations, I could not resolve the oversight that it must be done in two steps. The minute gap between these two processes became your chance to escape."
However, when Morgan broke Shiomi's seal, she also returned the Beast God's remains to the Great Hollow. Thus, the 'Insect of the Abyss' couldn't immediately burst forth to devour Britannia.
"Truth be told," Oberon continued, "if you hadn't been so reckless—if you hadn't attempted to utterly annihilate Cernunnos in one fell swoop—the outcome would have merely reverted to the previous seal. I would never have had the chance to reclaim my full power."
He spoke as he slowly advanced, drawing closer to Shiomi.
"But I'm curious—when exactly did you realize this?"
"Four thousand years ago, during my investigation of the Great Hollow," Shiomi replied. "The moment I touched the Beast God's remains, I perceived the dual nature of Cernunnos—both the source of calamity and the seal itself."
At that moment, Artoria also understood the true meaning behind Shiomi's words after their chance encounter with Oberon in Londinium: as long as he was present, Oberon could not stir up trouble.
It wasn't that Oberon could accomplish anything in Britannia after Shiomi fell into slumber. Rather, Shiomi, as the seal, not only suppressed the calamity but also restrained the power of the 'Insect of the Abyss,' rendering Oberon utterly incapable of action.
"If he's not Oberon, the Fairy King, then who is he?" Artoria asked.
Turning her head slightly as she watched Oberon standing several meters away, Shiomi smiled with a hint of resignation.
"Didn't I already explain? This man is Britannia's will to destruction—an existence born solely to destroy Britannia. In the past, he defeated your father, Uther Pendragon, in the form of the White Dragon—"
"You mean he's Vortigern?!" Artoria exclaimed, both shocked and suddenly understanding. No wonder this man carried the aura of a dragon.
If he truly was the White Dragon Vortigern of the Lostbelt, it all made sense.
"Thanks to you, having witnessed the White Dragon Vortigern before, I could discern his true form hidden behind the guise of Oberon, King of the Fairies." Shiomi pointed at Oberon. "Indeed, your True Name is not 'Oberon, King of the Fairies' at all. You passively infiltrated this identity, and your real name is—"
"Oberon Vortigern."
As Shiomi spoke, Oberon introduced himself.
His white form dissolved like a dream, vanishing in an instant to reveal his true visage. The pitch-black Destroyer, the planet's doomsday device, humanity's adversary.
"But since I'm not exactly acquainted with you all, I'll skip the reintroduction. After all, I'm only here to see His Majesty, the former God King."