"Get on, Irisviel! Watch out!"
Saber shouted in alarm.
From afar, she saw a monster open its maw of fangs and pounce on Irisviel.
At that instant—
A kind of "light" that absolutely did not belong to nature illuminated the blood-red forest.
The hideous monster vanished in an instant within that "light."
"...Huh?"
Artoria stopped in a daze, half-opening her mouth without being able to say a word.
Irisviel turned back in shock and vaguely glimpsed a human figure within that "light."
The figure was covered in black robes, with only a white skull mask visible on its face—
Shirou Amamiya had returned once more, transformed into an undead.
"...Assassin!?"
Irisviel stared in surprise at the black figure who had saved her.
For an instant, she mistook him for an assassin, but immediately rejected the thought.
He was not Assassin.
Not because Assassin was already dead, but for another reason.
Anyone could understand it at a glance.
Even Irisviel, a princess who had lived sheltered in the inner chambers, could tell at once how extraordinary the sword in the black figure's hand was.
How noble was the "light" coiling around the blade, and how ominous was the magic power boiling within it.
"Uh... How is this possible..."
Saber paid no attention to the monster's tentacles binding her legs again. She merely stared blankly at the long sword in the black figure's hand.
Of course Saber would be shocked.
Shirou thought to himself.
After all, this was the sword that had been bestowed by the witch at the "beginning," then stained with my color at the "end," and given the witch's name—
The Sword of Promised Victory (Excalibur Morgan).
"..."
The pitch-black aurora of the Reversed Holy Sword easily stole Artoria's soul.
She simply felt that it was more beautiful and dazzling than anything else, and could no longer tear her gaze away.
"What? You're the King of Arthur?"
"Uh... How is this possible..."
Saber stared incredulously at the scene before her.
At the instant Irisviel encountered danger, a pitch-black aurora descended from the heavens.
It belonged to a youth whose appearance could only be described with the single word "shadow."
He wore Assassin's attire from head to toe, his features concealed beneath a bone mask.
He appeared before Irisviel and, with a casual swing of the aurora blade, cut down the otherworldly monster in one stroke.
The severed half of a tentacle crawled over from the ground, attempting to climb up the youth's leg—but he mercilessly crushed it beneath his foot.
"Uh..."
Saber was so astonished that she could not speak.
With black robes and a white mask, he should have been Assassin no matter how one looked at him.
But that was not right.
He was not Assassin.
He could not possibly be Assassin.
Because Saber knew the truth of the demonic sword the youth wielded better than anyone.
Even though it had been dyed black, she could never mistake it—
That was the Holy Sword of the Lake (Excalibur), which had accompanied her throughout her life and crossed countless battlefields by her side.
However—
This holy sword, which represented Camelot's glory, now emanated the aurora of the tyrant who had once ravaged Britain... the Aurora of the Tyrant King.
Saber spoke with a trembling voice: "Wait, that sword of yours is..."
When she stopped viewing that black radiance with hostility, she realized that it was actually so beautiful.
Shirou did not look toward her. He merely slew monsters while speaking in a low voice.
"Don't get distracted."
"!!"
That warning finally brought Saber back to her senses. She tore away the tentacle wrapped around her neck and crushed it in one hand.
Caster, who had been immersed in euphoria, flew into a rage upon seeing the black youth's intrusion.
"Who are you!? Are you here to interfere with Jeanne and me?"
Although Caster had lost an arm to Shirou only a few minutes ago, he failed to recognize him at all.
That was because Shirou had asked Lady Avalon to attach a perception-obscuring spell to him. It caused strange waves to radiate around him, like an image out of focus, leaving his outline forever hazy and indistinct.
In a sense, this was also a skill similar to a certain Berserker's "For Someone's Glory."
Of course, Shirou's main reason for concealing himself was to guard against Tokiomi Tohsaka and the others. He did not want to reveal himself too early.
Shirou pointed the dark blade at Caster and replied coldly:
"There's no need to concern yourself with my identity. I'm merely an insignificant shadow that has already passed away—
I have descended here to punish an evil heretic like you."
"What did you say..."
Caster's eyes widened enormously, and his already pale face turned even whiter.
"You said you're... an envoy sent down from heaven by God?"
Shirou: Huh?
"Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible! An angel has actually descended to earth, and God intends to pass judgment on me!? That's absolutely impossible!"
Caster frantically tugged at his hair, swaying from side to side as he let out hysterical screams.
"Jeanne's death already proved that God's holiness is nothing but a false illusion! There is no salvation in this world! The lamb's prayers cannot reach heaven, and humanity's wicked deeds cannot receive just judgment! God's majesty, God's mercy, God's judgment—they never existed from the beginning! They exist nowhere... or so they should!"
"..."
Shirou silently looked at Irisviel beside him. She helplessly shrugged.
"I understand now."
Caster suddenly became unnaturally calm, as if someone had flipped a switch.
His eyes bulged like bronze bells as he ground his teeth and said, "I understand everything completely.
"God still wishes to meddle with Jeanne's soul, so he sent you to interfere with my good deed."
Shirou: What?
"Jeanne has only just been resurrected, and you and your God have already appeared like lingering ghosts! Your purpose is to turn her into a puppet controlled and manipulated by you once again!
"Ahhh! Waaaah! How shameless! How tragic!
"How despicable this is! Don't you agree, Jeanne!?"
Faced with Caster's impassioned questioning, Saber's serene face remained utterly unmoved.
"The God and angel who abandoned you once have now appeared before you after your resurrection! How utterly shameless!
"Unforgivable! I, Gilles de Rais, will never allow you to defile her soul so wantonly again!"
Shirou rolled his eyes. You're really getting worked up, huh? Which one of us is the villain here?
"Jeanne, please remain calm. I will... I will definitely free your soul from God's curse!!!"
The Grimoire in Caster's hand seemed to respond to his roar. It pulsed with a strange red light as its pages flipped rapidly.
Hundreds of monsters multiplied out of the ground. Their writhing tentacles nearly filled the entire forest before surging toward Shirou and Irisviel behind him.
Just then, a golden flash tore straight through the hideous horde.
It was Saber.
She fired a small-scale Light Cannon from the holy sword, forcibly ripping open a path, then took the opportunity to return to her Master's side.
"Saber!"
"Are you all right, Irisviel?"
"Y-Yes, I'm fine. Thanks to..."
Irisviel looked at the black youth before her, unsure what to call him.
"Um, may I ask who you..."
"Save your questions for later."
Shirou spoke calmly with his back to her.
Irisviel froze for a moment, then quickly nodded. "Ah, yes. I understand!
"Saber, can you keep fighting?"
Artoria glanced at the Reversed Holy Sword in the black youth's hand. A strange competitive spirit kindled in her eyes, and she nodded resolutely.
She stepped forward and came to a stop beside Shirou.
"Let me ask this, at least. You're not the angel he was talking about, are you?"
Shirou watched Caster, seated behind the horde of monsters, and asked in return without even moving his brows:
"Are you the Saintess that madman mentioned?"
"Of course not."
"Then I'm relieved."
The two of them then gripped their swords with both hands almost simultaneously and assumed their respective stances.
"Unknown Demon Sword Wielder, thank you for saving my Master just now.
"As you can see, Caster does not seem inclined to let you leave easily. Would you be willing to fight alongside me for the time being?"
Saber extended the invitation with her usual unwaveringly stern expression.
Shirou's response was—
"Don't hold me back, Holy Sword Wielder."
Rather than becoming angry at those words, Saber smiled knowingly.
Suddenly, a fierce wind swept through the forest—
Saber dispelled the Wind King Barrier, revealing the Holy Sword of the Lake sheathed within its ornate and noble scabbard.
Irisviel blinked in confusion. "Saber? What are you going to do?"
Without hesitation, Saber drew the sword and threw the scabbard to the Master behind her.
"Irisviel, hold on to this for now."
"Huh... Ah! All right!"
Before you continue