Chapter 615
"Shirou... what's wrong?"
The True Assassin frowned and asked.
She noticed that the ends of Shirou's signature red hair were tinged with a dreamlike color—a radiance flowing from the Inner Sea of the Planet.
When the boy who had been facing away turned around, an indescribable unease gripped the True Assassin's chest.
Shirou's pupils turned a deep red, as if they could suck in one's soul.
Although his facial features remained unchanged, his overall aura became androgynous, reminding Assassin of the androgynous Lancer in the forest.
At that moment, the little girl next to the assassin suddenly spoke up.
"Assassin, he's Jester!"
"!!!"
The True Assassin already knew that Dorothea possessed the ability to alter her appearance, so they instantly understood everything.
You've misunderstood it.
"What did you do to Shirou!?"
She shouted angrily at Dorothea.
However, the Dead Apostle disguised as a boy did not show the infatuation he used to have with her; he simply stood respectfully behind Shirou without saying a word.
"Are you the master of this world?"
Crimson Moon ignored the True Assassin and stared straight at Tsubaki Kuruoka.
"Although it is small and fragile, it is still a gentle Fae Village... I never expected it to create a loophole in the modern civilized world."
Humans, no matter the era, have always been such whimsical and imaginative beings...
"...?"
The little girl tilted her head.
"Master of the world," Jester seems to have said something similar before.
He described himself as the "Queen of the World," a figure akin to the protagonist of a fairy tale.
So what does it actually mean?
The young girl couldn't understand the language of those beyond her species, but the other person's next words frightened her:
"From this moment forward, I will destroy the world you created. If you can stop me, defeat me—"
Please do your best to please me, young "True Magic User."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Tsubaki Kuruoka asked, "Brother Shirou, why did you do such a terrible thing...?"
If the world were to end, everyone in the town would...
Upon hearing this, Crimson Moon smiled alluringly.
"You're the one who's going too far, you little human brat."
Do you think that because of your momentary recklessness, so many innocent people have been dragged into danger and implicated...?
"Stop talking!!"
Assassin shouted, trying to stop the other person from revealing the cruel truth.
"... Unpleasant."
Crimson Moon was extremely annoyed that her speech had been interrupted by Servant.
The next instant, Thousand Locks shot out from all directions, piercing through Assassin's hands and feet.
"I'm only allowing you to live for now out of respect for Shirou, so don't get too cocky, you piece of meat."
Crimson Moon said coldly, waving her finger.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"
"Assassin sister!!"
Tsubaki Kuruoka ran crying to the True Assassin, who was hanging in the air with an expression of extreme pain, not knowing what had been done to him.
Dorothea: "..."
"Alright, let's continue the game."
Crimson Moon said calmly.
In the distant past, there was a similar "game".
The King of the True Ancestors once encountered a boy in a village in Europe who was worshipped as a god by the villagers.
The boy possessed the extraordinary ability to communicate telepathically with animals and to manifest human desires.
On a whim, she declared that she would kill all the villagers at dawn—"If you want to live, defeat me with your own desires," and so the game began.
The villagers' desire to "resist death" is both ugly and powerful.
Ignoring the burden on the boy who was responsible for fulfilling these wishes, the villagers kept imagining "powerful mythical beasts" that challenged Crimson Moon.
Although it was only a short one-night stay, it was indeed a good form of entertainment to pass the time.
So... to what extent are you capable of achieving this?
Crimson Moon looked expectantly at Tsubaki Kuruoka and the "shadow" behind her.
"No, no... Please, please, let Assassin go...!"
The girl's heart still resisted the fight.
"It's alright, Tsubaki."
A man's voice rang out in the courtyard.
When Tsubaki Kuruoka turned around, she saw that it was her father who had come out of the house.
Then, the mother appeared behind the father and smiled kindly:
"Tsubaki, don't worry, you won't lose... Everything in this world is your companion."
"... Huh?"
Chun looked up at her mother with surprise in her eyes.
The father responded, "Chun, Mom is right."
The aliens in the city, just like Mr. Black, also want to become Tsubaki's friends.
Those aliens will kill everyone who's angry with you.
This is the world of Chun, where no matter how terrifying the enemy, the mysterious hiding place will protect you.
Let's all work together to defeat the villains who want to destroy the world!
"But... but..."
While the girl was still hesitating, the "shadow" embraced her with its massive, writhing body.
It's very warm and very gentle—not scary at all.
"Mr. Black...?"
Hearing Tsubaki call out the name with peace of mind, the "Pale Rider" did not answer, but simply swayed its body to prevent its Master from being directly exposed to the enemy.
"I... I understand! I will fight alongside Mr. Black!"
The girl gave her answer.
They want to continue maintaining this world.
I want to continue living in my dream.
When the Pale Rider's Master made such a realization------
The girl's hand glowed with a dazzling crimson light.
Dorothea's eyes widened in surprise. "She clearly didn't know how to use it, yet she subconsciously activated the Command Spell...?"
"That's amazing... Tsubaki."
The father's voice trembled.
Normally, someone whose mind is controlled shouldn't react so strongly.
My daughter, Tsubaki Kuruoka, might actually have extraordinary Magecraft!
It is precisely because of this that the Magecraft's body broke free from the constraints of hypnosis.
"If it were you, you would definitely become True Magic User... and fulfill the long-cherished wish of the Kuruoka family...!"
"Wow, you're quite capable."
Crimson Moon muttered happily, "This is more interesting," as she felt the Pale Rider's magical reaction growing stronger.
One after another, strange Shadow monsters began to appear in the garden.
A black monster with a dinosaur-like appearance swung its tail at Shirou, who had become a stranger.
But Crimson Moon blocked it with just one hand.
The next instant, the shadow touched by the King of the True Ancestors's claw turned into scattered dust.
More and more Shadow monsters were created and launched a fierce attack on Crimson Moon.
The roars of the monsters.
The sound of Thousand Locks piercing the air.
The sound of chunks of meat being torn apart.
The sound of the earth being quarried away.
The sounds of war and slaughter mingled with the Moon King's high-pitched laughter, echoing above the Kuruoka family's residence.
On the other side of the barrier city, at the central crossroads.
"I just made a big promise to my idol... but things aren't looking good."
Saber, Richard I the Lionheart King, shielded his Master behind him, confronting the nearly double-digit number of gigantic Cerberus.
Despite being an ordinary person with no knowledge of Magecraft, Sajyou Ayaka's efficiency in supplying magic is astonishing.
Even so, it's impossible to fight against the endlessly multiplying monsters of the Age of Gods.
Moreover, the police force could very well have collapsed before Richard I fell into crisis.
"Calm down. It's all the same anyway; hold your ground while trying to find a breakthrough."
Bella Levitt, the director's adjutant and leader of the "Twenty-Eight Monster," appeared calm, but she was well aware of how perilous the situation was.
Even if we're talking about finding a breakthrough...
Another police officer immediately responded and voiced Bella's concerns.
"But... do we have anywhere to escape to?"
As long as they remain in this world, they will have no safe place.
Bella bit her lip and said, "Now we can only pin our hopes on that boy and Assassin."
"I feel the same way! We really still have to rely on Arthur!"
Saber said excitedly as he swung Cerberus's claws to swat away the approaching attacks.
While he was speaking, the giant beast seized the opportunity to strike with its lower jaw.
The beast's open mouth was far taller than him, but the Saber still managed to dodge the rapid closing of its two rows of sharp teeth at extremely close range.
Cerberus has three mouths.
A guillotine that delivers three consecutive blows in a deadly strike.
Saber dodged the second bite by pushing off with the sharp, wooden teeth, then changed direction in mid-air to avoid the third bite.