Chapter 695

One hit wasn't enough to kill him... The strength is quite high, hmm.

Shirou stomped on the head of the skeleton soldier that crawled to his feet, crushing it.

However, even more bone soldiers were surging towards them one after another.

"Leinys, come behind me."

Shirou calls out to the girl to hide behind him while he confronts the enemy.

The skeletal soldiers, far exceeding the strength expected of undead, seem to have far too little obsession compared to their capabilities.

The vengeful spirits that are reluctant to leave the mortal world are essentially driven by their intense emotions, which are the source of their power.

However, now, facing these skeletons, he could not even sense any spiritual thoughts.

At that moment, Shirou noticed the weapons the skeleton soldiers were holding.

Swords, spears, and bows—they were practically like mass-produced skeletons from an RPG.

"I see."

"Shirou, do you understand what's going on?"

Leinys tried to repel the skeleton soldiers with Magecraft, but her attacks bounced off them.

Shirou said, "These guys are probably not ordinary spirits."

It seems that the surrounding magic was injected into the record tape stored in the space, and the skeleton barely managed to gain a movable form.

In other words, they are the remnants of Heroic Spirit.

Upon hearing Shirou's explanation, Leinys swallowed hard.

If that's the case, then this unusual performance becomes understandable.

Beast-like speed, chillingly honed killing intent and movements.

The description "a failed product of Servant" is more accurate than "a familiar of Magecraft."

As for where they came from, the answer is quite obvious.

"Logos React".

It must have undergone countless experiments during the process of simulating and recreating the mental model of King Arthur.

The thoughts of those experimental creations attached themselves to the skeletons in the Blackmoa Cemetery, eventually forming something resembling the Heroic Spirit Remnants.

In a sense, they can be considered "failures that didn't become Artoria's creations".

"If there are failed attempts, then there must be successful ones."

After all, according to Morgan, the "Logos React" has perfectly reproduced Artoria's mental framework.

The spirit of the former King of Camelot, after being correctly quantified, has probably already taken on a physical form.

Then that individual was probably pulled into this scenario world by the Spirit Calculator along with Shirou and the others.

In the real world, it is a mental model created for the purpose of King Arthur's resurrection plan.

So, what is her purpose (role) within this scripted world?

Shirou had only a bad feeling in his heart.

"Shirou."

Leinys's voice pulled the boy back from his thoughts.

"Ah, is it already over...? Sorry, I was spacing out."

Leinys sighed, "To actually zone out during battle, really..."

"Well, well, as long as the enemies are all taken care of, that's fine."

Shirou waved his hand, looked around, and saw that the skeletal soldiers who had been swaggering just moments before had turned back into skeletons.

Correspondingly, hundreds and thousands of sword blades stand like tombstones commemorating them.

Even when faced with a powerful army composed of the Heroic Spirit Remnants, Shirou calmly dealt with them while still contemplating the situation.

"Shirou- sama's battles are always breathtaking, no matter how many times I watch them..."

"Really? That wasn't even a warm-up."

"That's what makes it so terrifying, really..."

Leinys gazed at the plain of swords and bones forged by a mere boy, a look of lingering fear on her face.

This person is mine... It's so wonderful that they're a human companion.

Even if there was a compatibility relationship, Shirou's strength could only be described as extraordinary, as he annihilated that large army in the blink of an eye.

As failed attempts to Servant, they possess a certain degree of Magic Resistance.

If this army of skeletons had invaded the Clock Tower, it would undoubtedly have caused devastating destruction, but it was now casually destroyed by a mere teenager.

Leinys is not the type of person who admires strength.

She was more interested in observing and enjoying the scenes of helpless mortals struggling desperately in their suffering—that was her twisted personality.

However, faced with Shirou's surreal torrent of power, Leinys inexplicably became agitated.

"What's wrong? Your breathing is so erratic."

Shirou noticed Leinys's panting, and his pupils turned a burning, fiery red.

This is her natural eye color, but it's so striking that she usually hides it.

"... nothing."

Leinys took out eye drops from her bosom, applied them to her eyes, and then closed them.

My body reacted because I was too excited...

Even Leinys, who usually makes plenty of lewd jokes, would never say such a thing.

"Is the air here uncomfortable? It must be hard to adapt to the atmosphere of the Age of Gods."

"I already said it's nothing."

"Oh, then let's keep going."

"Um."

"Leinys, would you like me to hold your hand?"

"..."

The blonde girl ignored the boy's attempt to strike up a conversation.

If he were to hold her hand right now, she would surely succumb, Leinys had a premonition.

This is by no means a mundane development like falling in love; rather, it's a simpler instinct—being conquered by the power of the man beside her, her body becoming unable to disobey him any longer.

"I might actually be a masochist deep down, "Leinys secretly thought.

Having dealt with the skeletal army, the two continued their exploration deeper into the cemetery.

Shirou and Leinys were also surprised to find such a vast and expansive space beneath the village.

Along the way, they did not encounter any significant enemy attacks.

Occasionally, a few skeleton soldiers would block the way, but Shirou sent them back to dust without even lifting a finger.

After walking for about five minutes, new figures finally appeared.

A dignified figure, clearly different in appearance from the skeletal soldiers, stood high above, observing them.

"Huh...?"

Leinys looked surprised.

The girl was similar in build to Gray, whom they were searching for.

Although they are similar in size, the aura and atmosphere they exude are completely different.

That was the proud figure of a Queen, leading a multitude of shadow Heroic Spirit.

Because she wore a metal mask, her true face could not be seen, but her hairstyle, with an elegant updo at the back of her head and a color that was a mix of gold and silver-gray, was very distinctive.

Leinys turned to look at Shirou and saw that he had a very complicated expression on his face.

The masked girl's posture was almost identical to that of Artoria in Shirou's memory.

"You've come, my king."

There was no sound.

However, Shirou felt that she was saying this in his mind.

"... Gray, where did you go?"

After Shirou asked that question, a voice similar to Artoria's echoed again.

"That girl is gone. You're too late."

"What do you mean by being a step too late!?" Leinys shouted.

The masked girl did not answer her question.

Because the answer was simply too obvious.

After entering the Blackmoa Cemetery, Shirou and Leinys had been searching for Gray's presence—through her Magic Crest "Add".

Now, they have finally traced the source of the Holy Lance's aura to the masked girl before them.

"Add" has been found.

Gray, however, could not be found.

Therefore, the only explanation is that Gray has already been killed by her.

Or perhaps— Gray has already been "taken away" by her.

Shirou stared at her and asked, "What's your name?"

"I have no name. I am the 'ideal' of the Miko of the King, just as Gray is the 'reality' of the Miko of the King."

The masked girl looked around at the surrounding skeletons and spoke.

Clad in sturdy armor, she resembled a general commanding an ancient battlefield.

"I was certainly no match for a true Miko in the past, but I was at least their queen, so I called myself the Corpse King."

But that name is now a thing of the past.

If you find it inconvenient not to have a name, then just call me Artoria.

Now I am qualified to proudly announce my name to the King.

"My name is Shirou Amamiya, not King Arthur you're looking for."

Shirou said.

Although he didn't know how effective it would be, he was determined to try to disrupt the other side first.

However, the girl remained unmoved.

Beneath that chilling metal mask, she appeared as a sorceress who looked down upon the world.

She spent long, long years underground as the Queen of the dead, and unlike Gray, whose mind was not yet mature, she was not easily swayed.

She said calmly, "Your real name means nothing to me... In any case, the reason I was born is to exist for you."

As she said this, she took off her mask.

There's no need for further confirmation; it's a beauty that's exactly the same as Artoria's.

The woman before him was Artoria the Miko, a witch created to assist King Arthur, the witch Morgan, who was his nemesis.

"Three years ago, you prevented my fusion with Gray during the ceremony, and then forcibly took her away from the village."

The Artoria the Miko recounts a past unknown to Shirou.

Three years have proven that Gray was indeed incapable of fulfilling her duties.

That's why she came back to me, seeking to reconnect with me.

Shirou:"..."