A cold sensation suddenly touched his face.
Slowly awakening from unconsciousness, the scene before his eyes was somewhat unfamiliar.
First he saw the rusted iron bars firmly locking him inside. Then, instinctively shifting his gaze, Guinevere took in the surrounding scene. The lighting was dim: apart from the iron bars ahead, everything around him was pitch-black, only faintly illuminated by torches on the distant corridor walls. Moss crawled up the walls; the stone floor was cold and damp. Unnamed leech-like insects wriggled from cracks in the stone. A bundle of straw was carelessly stuffed in one corner of his cell, also soaked and crawling with bugs. In another corner barely two steps away lay old wooden buckets and earthenware jars tossed about. Occasionally, he heard water dripping crisply and the rustle of rats scuttling around, all hinting at the ominous nature of this place.
Such a distinctive scene needed no thought: Guinevere immediately realized he was confined in a dungeon. He tried to move closer to peer beyond the iron bars, but discovered he could not move at all—and he heard the clinking of chains around him. Only now did he notice thick shackles on his wrists and ankles, each linked by heavy chains—thick as a bowl's diameter—to the wall behind him.
Stunned for a moment, Guinevere recalled the vision before he blacked out. He remembered clearly: at the gates of Salisbury, he was knocked down by Artoria and forcibly drawn into her party, his mental defenses on the verge of collapse. Then he saw the Fairy Knight Tristan appear behind Artoria with an ominous expression, silently raising a great hammer... And the next moment he regained consciousness here.
"...Damn." His expression grew more complex. He wanted to cover his face, but the heavy shackles prevented that. That vengeful girl really holds grudges. He'd thought that since in the last simulation he had saved her life, and she'd shown no strong hostility, he'd be safe. Who knew the very next day she'd come to strike him, then ambush him without warning...
"And poor Artoria got dragged down with me because I drew Tristan's wrath..." he muttered.
"Where's Artoria?" Guinevere shivered and stood up abruptly. Tristan's hostility toward Artoria seemed even stronger than toward him; if anything befell her, he'd never forgive Tristan, nor himself.
"Artoria? Artoria?!" He called out her name in panic. He knew it was unlikely she'd respond, but overwhelming fear filled his mind. What if she really died? What would he do if Artoria died? If he'd never met her, perhaps he could accept it—but after her confession, if something happened to her, it would be his eternal regret.
After calling her name a few frantic times, he heard a faint voice from the cell next to his: "I'm here..." The moment he heard that familiar voice, Guinevere exhaled in relief, his panic easing slightly. But he quickly thought of other possibilities and urgently asked: "What happened? Why does your voice sound so weak? Did Tristan do anything to you after capturing you?"
As he spoke, his gaze scanned outside the bars. In the corridor, he saw numerous torture instruments scattered about, many stained with dried blood—clearly not unused props. Merely seeing them was enough to fill his mind with dire possibilities.
"Ah?" Artoria's voice sounded briefly confused: "Tristan? That fairy knight Tristan was the one who ambushed me... I only just woke up and know nothing..."
Guinevere began to ask why her voice was so weak, but she sighed directly: "But I'm so hungry... It feels like I haven't eaten for a whole day... I feel so weak from hunger..."
...Hearing that she was only weakened by hunger, Guinevere breathed a long sigh of relief. As long as Artoria wasn't seriously harmed, there was still time to rescue her. But the urgent matter was to find a way to escape.
After thinking for a moment, Guinevere activated the system. As the familiar interface unfolded, lines of text appeared before his eyes:
[Detected that player did not properly exit the system last time; restoring previous interface.]
He froze briefly, then realized he had indeed forgotten something. After using that "memory fragment," the shocking memory of "Norwich's Fiery Calamity" had knocked him unconscious; upon awakening, he'd been immersed in that terrifying memory so completely that he'd forgotten its purpose. After acquiring the memory of Norwich's calamity, he would surely receive a related reward.
[Based on legendary event "Norwich's Fiery Calamity," you gain a related reward.]
[You have obtained the Temporary Noble Phantasm Projection: Flame of Salvation (Celestial Verdict).]
[This instance of Flame of Salvation projection carries the attribute "Salvific."]
[— "Step forward; this is the mark of salvation!"]
[Detected player already holds another projection of the same Noble Phantasm; upgrading accordingly: NP rank C → B, unlocking more permissions.]
[Temporary Noble Phantasm Projection: Flame of Salvation]
[— "For the one I love, I am willing to offer my life."]
[— "Step forward; this is the mark of salvation!"]
[Noble Phantasm Rank: B]
[Because this is still a low-power projection, its effective rank is reduced.]
[Anti-Person Noble Phantasm / Anti-Army Noble Phantasm]
[A legendary armament from a distant universe, able to manifest "divine" authority, reputed to hold the greatest destructive power.]
[It is said when its power reaches its limit, only the light of a dying star can rival it.]
[This projection has two base forms: firearm and sword. Both are now unlocked; the wielder can use them as dual-projected guns by making a handgun gesture, quickly projecting the firearm form in hand.]
[In firearm form, shooting requires no ammunition but consumes the user's stamina; once stamina is exhausted, further shots consume life force directly.]
[Shots deal Fire attribute damage; the damage scales with the sum of the user's base attributes; higher attributes yield greater power. Charging increases power but also increases stamina cost.]
[As this is still a projection, in low-power sword form it can attach some attribute to a physical sword, greatly enhancing its attack power and adding Fire attribute damage—but at the cost of vast stamina, and repeated use consumes the wielder's lifespan.]
[Full activation transforms the wielder's sword into "Flame's Draw" form, consuming 100% of the wielder's life to summon the projection for a single slashing strike. The strike's power scales with the wielder's Strength and Endurance; minimum effect is anti-army, theoretical maximum anti-nation. Further rank upgrades require enhancing the Noble Phantasm further.]
[Using Flame's Draw twice will remove this Noble Phantasm.]
[Current projection attributes held: "Sacrifice," "Salvation."]
[As the wielder obtains more Flame of Salvation attributes, the NP's rank will increase and unlock more permissions.]
[Before the wielder consumes this temporary NP in reality, they receive two uses of the NP per simulation.]
"Fuck." Guinevere murmured after reading the reward. He had thought this fragmented Flame was the end—but it could still be upgraded? Firearm form unlocked, uses increased from one to two—did that mean he could start wreaking havoc soon? No—if he attempted that, he might lose his own life first. Better to hold off.
Rather, he should consider his remaining single summon. Nervously exchanging his thirty Saint Quartz fragments for four Saint Quartz, he immediately spent three for a single pull. Given his imprisonment, he needed any potential help now.
[You consumed Saint Quartz x3 for a single summon.]
He clasped his hands, praying: "Please, all gods—Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Jade Emperor—help me. I don't need more offense; give me survival or healing means."
Luckily, the deities Guinevere prayed to were generous and accepted his mercenary prayer. A flash of golden light appeared, and a gold-backed card showing a chainsaw-headed youth clutching a pull ring before his chest and wailing to the sky materialized.
[Congratulations: You have obtained the Noble Phantasm: Contract Heart of Chainsaw Boy.]
["Everyone wants a chainsaw man's heart—does no one want Chainshao's heart?"]
[Noble Phantasm Rank: C]
[Anti-Person Noble Phantasm]
[This is the heart of a certain boy fused with a demon through a contract amidst chaotic events. A portion belongs to the human boy; another to the demon he contracted with.]
[Upon acquisition, the wielder automatically forms a contract with the chainsaw demon, gaining part of the chainsaw man's heart ability.]
[A pull ring appears on the wielder's chest; pulling it instantaneously heals all current injuries, with a chance based on the wielder's status and skills to trigger a temporary transformation.]
[In transformed state, the wielder gains the "Demon" trait: all base attributes increase fully, gains major damage bonus against Demons/Fiends/Otherworldly, and can rapidly heal by consuming fresh blood.]
[All these skills vanish once the transformation ends.]
[The wielder also gains a Contract Gauge: each time the wielder performs actions fitting the chainsaw man's image, the gauge increases; at 100%, it resets and grants one more NP use opportunity.]
[Current Contract Gauge: 0%]
[Noble Phantasm Uses: 0]
"Holy shit!" Guinevere's eyes widened. "This skyrockets things?!" Though strength in simulation is illusory, in reality Guinevere's luck was off the charts.