Chapter 442
"!!"
Guinevere's eyes widened.
She avoided Morgan's gaze, her expression like that of a child who had done something wrong, and lowered her head in embarrassment.
Shirou stepped forward, shielding his beloved wife behind him, and said, "Morgan, isn't it inappropriate to eavesdrop on our conversation tonight?"
"I wasn't eavesdropping," Morgan said calmly.
Shirou asked, "How did you know what Guinevere said last night without eavesdropping?"
"I've set up a barrier in Camelot, so any bad things said about me will reach my ears."
"Ah...?"
Shirou and Guinevere were completely dumbfounded.
She truly lives up to her reputation as the witch who rules the dark side of the White Chalk City. She should probably be more careful with her words and actions in the future.
Shirou and Guinevere looked at each other with their heads down, then exchanged knowing smiles.
Morgan told Guinevere to go to the restaurant first, Shirou stayed behind, saying he had something to discuss.
"Last night Mordred came to me to protest, accusing me of seducing her Father King and causing you to lose your fighting spirit against the enemy."
Well...
"What are you planning to do next?" Morgan suddenly asked.
"I want to live a life of constant intimacy and affection with Morgan and Guinevere!"
--I simply can't bring myself to say such spineless thoughts.
"If this continues, sooner or later this island will fall into the hands of vampires."
The Fae Consort gazed at the night sky and murmured, "Are you going to continue sitting here waiting to die, my husband?"
Morgan is right.
Even if it's just to prolong this fabricated, blissful time, I must defeat Crimson Moon.
This is something only I can do.
This was something he had done before, though Shirou didn't know exactly how he had done it.
Even with the Holy Sword of the Stars and the heart of the Dragon of the Crown, can humanity defeat the Moon King?
"Of course! You're my savior!"
For some reason, Jeanne d'Arc's face appeared in my mind.
The Saintess, who didn't have time to say goodbye during the Holy Grail War, was greeted by a smiling young woman from Orléans who saw herself as a hero. She said, "You can definitely do it."
"... Understood."
Shirou looked at Morgan and nodded.
"I'll take down Crimson Moon."
Beneath a sky tinged crimson by moonlight, two figures faced off.
The location is Orkney, the northernmost island of Britain.
This is a battle that will be elevated to legend, a foundational war that will determine the Human Order of humanity.
On one side is the King of Britain, who guards the edge of the planet; on the other is the Moon King, who drifted down from the moon.
If Shirou is defeated, humanity's history as the primate will come to an end.
The details of this decisive battle are known only to those who experienced it firsthand, and few records have been left behind, making it a myth, just as the story suggests.
Prior to this, the Knights of the Round Table of Britain and the vampires under the command of Crimson Moon had already engaged in several large-scale battles.
The Knights of the Round Table, led by Galahad, Mordred, and Artoria, played a crucial role in resisting the vampire invasion, and countless True Ancestor died by their swords.
However, the Knights of the Round Table's struggle was over.
What followed was a battle between kings that no one could interfere with.
Shirou, far from the comforts of the Queen Consort, is undergoing rehabilitation while the Knights of the Round Table are fighting off the vampires.
If I want to defeat Crimson Moon, I'm not good enough as I am now; I must become more pure.
As a savior, the first thing one should abandon is the human heart.
Regain your iron will.
To become a sword that exists solely to kill invaders.
Although Shirou did not regain this part of his memory, he seems to have lost to Crimson Moon once.
In that battle, he adopted the same strategy he used against the Roman Empire —that is, to take the initiative and launch an attack.
Shirou, believing it unacceptable to allow the Shirou to cross the sea, traveled to Gaul and joined forces with the remaining Europe powers to challenge Crimson Moon.
The result—a crushing defeat.
With the sacrifice of his subordinates and the help of his teacher, Shirou barely managed to escape back to Britain.
This defeat made matters worse for the already depleted Knights of the Round Table —even Merlin failed to return to Camelot.
We can't afford to lose anyone else.
Artoria, Mordred, Galahad —they are the hope for Britain's future.
Morgan... she was the only woman Shirou could rely on after Merlin's disappearance.
Shirou did not want anyone to die before him, so he challenged the enemy king to a one-on-one duel.
The defeated fugitive who had once fled has now challenged Crimson Moon's faction to a duel again. They must be laughing loudly at this moment.
That's alright, Shirou decides to defeat Crimson Moon with his own strength.
Unexpected... no, actually it wasn't unexpected.
Crimson Moon accepted Shirou's challenge to a duel.
Then.
The King of Britain and the Moon King, accompanied only by a small number of subordinates and troops, faced off at Orkney, at the edge of Britain.
"Good for you, Holy Sword Wielder. I'll commend you for your courage alone."
A pure white figure standing proudly in the sky.
That was the Calamity Moon that plunged the world into the abyss, Brunestud.
The strongest opponent Shirou has ever faced, the final enemy who shattered the immortal legend of the undefeated king.
Although he appears to be female, his inner personality seems to be male, and his unparalleled beauty makes no attempt to conceal his arrogance as a transcendent being.
The King of the True Ancestors looked down at the red-haired humans from his superior position.
"Thank you for accepting my challenge," Shirou said, tilting his head back.
Crimson Moon Brunestud smiled happily.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it. It's just some fun before creation."
The aftermath of creation, huh...?
For Crimson Moon, conquering the world and exterminating humanity was nothing more than a boring and simple game.
In this game, Shirou, who inherited the strongest heart on Earth, is one of the few beings who can arouse even a slight interest in him.
That's why the extremely arrogant Moon King gave Shirou a second chance and was willing to accept his challenge.
"Don't let me down... Just give it your all, son of man."
With this announcement, the white figure vanished into the red sky.
The next second, a crushing pressure, enough to shatter the earth, came crashing down.
Crimson Moon appeared before Shirou as if Space Transfer, slowly raising her arm and slashing down with her fingertips that could tear everything apart.
"!!"
Shirou never drew the Invisible Air from the beginning, but instead used the Golden Sword of the Holy Sword to meet the attack.
Using all his skills, plus Albion's powerful heartbeat, he barely managed to block the attack.
Despite the initial shock, their foothold crumbled instantly.
Crimson Moon Brunestud continued his attacks.
What was just a casual, ordinary attack (claw strike) to him was a deadly combo for Shirou; a slight misstep could result in his decapitation.
The collision of the sword blade and the fingernail created countless shockwaves that easily destroyed the landscape.
What a horrifying sight it must have looked like to outsiders!
There is probably no other human who can engage in close combat with Crimson Moon like this.
Through repeated parries, Shirou patiently waited for his chance to counterattack.
Crimson Moon Brunestud squanders his strongest physique, doesn't understand human swordsmanship, which is Shirou's only chance of winning.
The eyes Shirou currently possesses...
According to Morgan, it appears to be called "Eagle Eye" and can be classified as a subspecies of "Clairvoyance".
The specially "enhanced" pupils were dyed a deep blue by magic, resembling the eyes of an eagle soaring high in the sky.
When Shirou concentrates his magic into his eyes, he can drastically enhance his vision and spatial awareness.
With his extensive experience accumulated from countless battlegrounds, Shirou is able to deal with Crimson Moon's ability to predict the future.
Then, after countless clashes, Shirou finally got his chance to counterattack.
After deflecting a well-placed attack, Shirou dragged his nearly broken body and thrust it toward the Moon King's heart.
However--
Just before the holy sword pierced his body, Shirou's consciousness was enveloped in red moonlight.
Their eyes met inevitably.
Crimson Moon Brunestud's eyes flashed an ominous red, and countless chains surged from all directions, piercing through Shirou's body.
The gleaming silver chains trapped Shirou inside like a sturdy cage.
Crimson Moon Brunestud activated the Mystic Eyes.
The next instant, Shirou was punched in the stomach.
The chains crumbled like glass.
The red-haired boy flew backward like a cannonball, and Crimson Moon quickly followed with an excited laugh.
With his five fingers spread wide, he grabbed Shirou's face and, just as Shirou felt his skull about to be crushed, slammed him to the ground.
"Ugh...!!!"
My consciousness was cut off for a split second.
When Shirou regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a pit tens of meters deep, covered in wounds.
Shirou, thrown out as a flying projectile, created a giant crater on the ground resembling the aftermath of a nuclear bomb.
"Is that all you've got, Holy Sword Wielder... You've really disappointed me."
Crimson Moon Brunestud cast a threatening glance at him.
Shirou collapsed to the ground, vomiting blood. "What a joke..."
In that case, it wouldn't even be considered a fight; it would just be one-sided manipulation.
After just one exchange, Shirou experienced firsthand just how vast the difference in power between the two was.
The ultimate Ultimate ONE.
The Moon's Head and Executor, Type- Crimson Moon Brunestud.
If the story of this blue planet ever comes to a complete end, then the final boss who brings about that end will surely be him.