Chapter 447
It couldn't be anyone else but that guy.
Crimson Moon Brunestud walked up to Shirou.
He wasn't knocked down by the holy sword, but he was no longer unharmed.
The Moon King's luxurious body was left with a horrifying, deep scar on its front.
Crimson Moon Brunestud had to hold his shoulders, and even standing and walking were quite difficult.
Even so, it still possessed the power to take Shirou's remaining life.
"Foolish man... He clearly had the chance to rule the world with me."
Crimson Moon Brunestud sighed in dissatisfaction.
Then he smoothed out the tattered long skirt and placed Shirou's head on it.
Shirou found it hard to believe: his skin was clearly impervious to even the Holy Sword, yet his thighs were incredibly soft.
"I'm asking you, do you regret it now?"
Crimson Moon Brunestud brushed aside the red-haired youth's bangs and stared at his face as he asked.
"Yeah, so what's the situation...? Maybe you're starting to regret it a little."
"That's not something a savior should say."
Crimson Moon frowned slightly. "Shouldn't we be solemnly rebuking humans for not being able to coexist with evil vampires at a time like this?"
Shirou shook his head. "No, I have no right to accuse you of evil..."
This beautiful planet will one day be destroyed by human desires.
If you were in charge... perhaps that would be the right thing to do.
"Knowing this perfectly well, why do you still resist me?"
Shirou murmured, "Yes, what can I do? I'm human... This is a battle for the survival of my fellow human beings."
"If you were born into this world as a True Ancestor, you would fight for me, wouldn't you?"
Shirou didn't answer; he didn't know what would happen.
"It's about time, so hurry up and finish it," Shirou said, sticking his neck out.
"... Hmph." Crimson Moon laughed.
In their duel, Shirou undoubtedly won.
Crimson Moon Brunestud is no longer capable of invading Earth.
Moreover, in his weakened state, he is being corrected by the world (Gaia) and will soon return to nothingness.
But before he disappeared—he could still do whatever he wanted with Shirou was no longer able to move.
He's trying to turn me into Dead Apostle, isn't he? That was his original purpose in manifesting "Moonfall."
"Turning you into a vampire who can never defy me wouldn't be bad, but I've changed my mind."
"You've changed your mind several times in one day," Shirou retorted.
"Stop being so verbose, stop saying such boring things."
Crimson Moon glared fiercely at the human who was happily enjoying a lap pillow.
"Simply turning you into Dead Apostle won't quell my hatred, so I've made my decision..."
You must be punished even more severely for disobeying me.
"Is that so? Please have mercy!" Shirou pleaded.
"I won't show any mercy."
The Moon King smiled gently, "Come, accept my resentment and my love."
Shirou felt something warm dripping onto his face.
Are these tears? No, these are... blood?
Crimson Moon Brunestud placed his hand on Shirou's face.
When his slender fingers moved away, Shirou's first sensation was the boundless blue.
"!!"
Shirou looked at Crimson Moon Brunestud in surprise and found him peacefully closing his eyes.
Crimson Moon Brunestud removed his own eyeballs and placed them inside Shirou's body.
"Why... why do such a thing...?"
The pure white King of the True Ancestors said calmly, "This is my ultimate punishment for you—"
No matter how many times you are reincarnated, no matter where you are in the future, you will never be able to escape the curse of those eyes forever.
Shirou:"..."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening and understood everything.
The reason why Rita Roseanne invited him to board the train.
The reasons why he was attacked by Nero Chaos and Frolov Al.
And the truth behind the "Boundless Mage's Eye".
Shirou smiled with relief.
"Understood. I will live on for your sake as well, Crimson Moon."
"Is that all you wanted to say, human?"
Crimson Moon looked displeased, her tone tinged with a girlish sullenness.
"...?"
Shirou was puzzled, and Crimson Moon coldly said:
"I'm giving you my eyes, not so you can just admire the sky all the time."
Shirou, finally understanding what the Moon King meant, burst into laughter.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
Shirou raised his hand and touched Crimson Moon Brunestud's cheek.
"Even with such a stunningly beautiful woman right in front of me, I'm only focused on admiring the sky..."
This is extremely rude of me, please allow me to apologize.
"That's more like it. Remember my beautiful face..."
Crimson Moon Brunestud nodded arrogantly, a satisfied expression on his face.
"Lie down, don't move. This is the final farewell."
Shirou roughly understood what was going to happen next, so he obediently closed his eyes with a hint of anticipation.
"... Chirp?."
Crimson Moon Brunestud bent down and kissed him.
"Then goodbye, human... Next time we meet, I'll make you mine."
Even though they knew they would never meet again, they still said those words.
After that, the Moon King's body rapidly disintegrated, turning into a stream of light and disappearing without a trace.
Shirou, ignoring the pain as he fell back to the ground, touched his left cheek with a bewildered expression.
It was a kiss on the cheek, not on the lips...
Crimson Moon, you're even more innocent than I imagined.
--
Volume 6: Chapter 294 A Love Affair with a Certain Doll (Queen Morgan of Winter Makes Her First Appearance!)
"What are you grinning about, my husband? Are you that happy just from being kissed by that guy?"
"?"
Shirou looked up in the direction of the sound.
"Ah... Morgan!"
The Fae Consort landed lightly beside him.
Shirou propped himself up with his shattered body and rushed over to hug him.
In the final battle just now, he destroyed his eyes along with their circuits in order to fight against Crimson Moon.
At that time, Shirou had already mentally prepared himself for never seeing anything again.
Shirou's joy at being able to see Morgan's face again was palpable.
"Ugh... not in a place like this...!"
Morgan had originally planned to make a few sarcastic remarks about the inexplicable ambiguous atmosphere between Shirou and Crimson Moon, but once he was hugged, he was speechless and could only turn his face away in embarrassment.
"I just can't do anything with you."
"The war is over," Shirou said.
"Um."
Morgan seemed completely unconcerned about Crimson Moon being beaten by her husband, simply nodding dismissively.
Shirou thought to himself, "Maybe she already knew how things would turn out today."
Morgan was Magecraft of the same caliber as Merlin.
Even without the Clairvoyance at the highest position, glimpsing a corner of the future is no challenge for her.
Your eyes...
Morgan gently stroked her husband's cheek, her expression turning slightly uneasy.
What now appears on the boy's face are a pair of crimson eyes that shimmer with iridescent light.
After her ambition to invade Earth was thwarted, Crimson Moon did not turn Shirou into Dead Apostle, but instead gave him her Mystic Eyes.
This is the final curse (gift) from the King of the True Ancestors before his death.
No matter how unwilling Shirou is, he must live on with the eyes of Crimson Moon Brunestud.
However, there is a problem here that the arrogant Moon King never considered.
That is, his gift (the Mystic Eyes) is not something that Shirou can bear in his current state.
The so-called "Mystic Eyes" is a magical organ attached to Magecraft, capable of activating spells that generate magic independently.
That is why it can be removed or transplanted independently.
While the Mystic Eyes can also be inherited through family bloodlines, high-ranking Mystic Eyes are often products of something akin to genetic mutation.
Each pair of Mystic Eyes possesses unique abilities, making them more akin to special Magecraft Crest that can adapt to different bloodlines.
Compared to ordinary Magic Circuits, the Noble Color is akin to celestial motion.
Even among ordinary people who are not destined to Magecraft, a very small number will become users of the Mystic Eyes.
However, the magical power and spells generated by the Mystic Eyes are not necessarily balanced.
This is the difference between Crimson Moon's Mage Eye and Albion's Heart.
The latter is Mana Core that continuously provides magic, while the former is a double-edged sword that drains magic.
In severe cases, the Mystic Eyes will activate spells on their own and forcibly extract energy (od) from the Magecraft's own Magic Circuits, which is known as going out of control.
If it gets to that point, it's hell.
The Mystic Eyes affects not only the physical body, but also the mental realm.
Countless Magecraft have gone mad because of the "demonic" nature of the Mystic Eyes itself.
If Shirou in his youth or prime, it would be fine, but he is now middle-aged.