Shirou's Return from the Fae Kingdom

"Irisviel! Watch out!"

Saber shouted in alarm.

From a distance, she saw a monster with a mouth full of fangs lunging at Irisviel.

In that very instant--

A "light" that absolutely did not belong to nature illuminated the blood-red forest.

The grotesque monster was annihilated in an instant within that "light."

"...Huh?"

Artoria stopped in her tracks, stunned, her mouth half-open, unable to speak.

Irisviel turned her head back in shock, catching a glimpse of a figure within the "light."

The figure was covered in a black robe, with only a white skull mask on its face--

Shirou Amamiya, returned once more as an undead.

"...Assassin!?"

Irisviel looked at the black silhouette that had saved her in surprise.

For a moment, she mistook him for an assassin, but immediately dismissed the thought.

Not Assassin.

Not because Assassin was already dead, but for another reason.

Anyone could tell just by looking.

Even Irisviel, a sheltered princess, could see at a glance how unusual the sword in the black figure's hand was.

How noble the "light" wrapped around the blade was, and how ominous the boiling magic power upon it.

"Ngh... How is this possible..."

Saber, without regard for the monster's tentacles binding her legs again, simply stared blankly at the long sword in the black figure's hand.

It's only natural to be surprised, Saber, Shirou thought.

After all, this is the Excalibur Morgan, "first" gifted by the witch, "finally" colored by me, and named after the witch.

"..."

The pitch-black aurora from the inverted Holy Sword easily captivated Artoria's soul.

She simply felt it was more beautiful and dazzling than anything else, making it impossible for her to look away.

Volume 1, Chapter 056: Huh? You're King Arthur?

"Ngh... How is this possible..."

Saber stared at the scene before her in disbelief.

The moment Irisviel was in danger, a pitch-black aurora descended from the sky.

It was a boy whose appearance could only be described as a "shadow."

He wore Assassin's attire from head to toe, his face covered by a bone mask.

He appeared before Irisviel and, with a mere gentle swing of his aurora blade, dispatched the otherworldly monster in one cut.

The severed half of a tentacle crawled from the ground, attempting to climb onto the boy's feet--he crushed it without mercy.

"Ngh..."

Saber was too astonished to speak.

With his black robe and white mask, he looked like Assassin no matter how you saw it.

But it wasn't right.

He wasn't Assassin.

He couldn't be Assassin.

Because Saber knew better than anyone the truth behind the magic sword the boy wielded.

Even if it was dyed black, she would never mistake it--

It was the Holy Sword of the Lake (Excalibur), the sword that had accompanied her throughout her life, crossing countless battlefields together.

However--

This Holy Sword, representing the glory of Camelot, was now emitting the "Aurora of the Tyrant King," which had once ravaged Britain.

Saber's voice trembled as she spoke, "Wait, that sword of yours is..."

When she no longer viewed the pitch-black light with hostility, it was such a beautiful thing.

Shirou didn't look at her, merely continuing to slay monsters as he murmured in a low voice.

"Don't get distracted."

"!!"

This warning finally brought Saber back to her senses. She ripped off the tentacles wrapped around her neck and crushed them in her hand.

Caster, who had been immersed in ecstatic joy, flew into a rage at the intrusion of the dark-haired youth.

"Who are you! Are you here to interfere with Jeanne and me!"

Although Caster had lost an arm to Shirou just minutes ago, he didn't recognize him at all.

This was because Shirou had had Lady Avalon cast a cognitive obstruction spell on him, causing him to emit an unusual fluctuation. It was as if his image was out of focus, his outline always blurry and indistinct.

It was similar to a certain Berserker's skill, "Glory Not For Oneself."

Of course, Shirou's main reason for hiding his presence was to guard against Tokiomi Tohsaka and the others; he didn't want to reveal himself too early.

Shirou pointed the dark sword at Caster, responding with a cold tone:

"You don't need to concern yourself with my identity. I am merely an insignificant, deceased shadow--

Now, I have descended here to punish you, a heretic."

"What did you say..."

Caster's eyes widened, and his already pale face became even whiter.

"You said you are... an envoy sent by God from heaven?"

Shirou: Huh?

"Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible! That an angel would descend to earth, that God would intend to punish me! Such a thing is absolutely impossible!"

Caster frantically pulled at his hair, shaking his body from side to side, letting out hysterical shouts.

"Jeanne's death has already proven that God's divinity is nothing but a vain illusion. There is no such thing as salvation in this world. The prayers of lambs cannot reach heaven, and human wickedness cannot be justly judged! God's majesty, God's love, God's judgment—they never existed from the beginning! They don't exist anywhere... or so it should be!"

"..."

Shirou looked speechlessly at Irisviel beside him. She shrugged helplessly.

"I understand."

Caster suddenly became unusually calm, as if a switch had been flipped.

He widened his eyes like bronze bells and gritted his teeth, saying, "I understand completely.

God still wants to lay claim to Jeanne's soul, which is why he sent you to interfere with my good deed."

Shirou: Huh?

"Jeanne has just been resurrected, and you and your God have appeared like lingering spirits, intending to make her a puppet under your control once again!

Ahhh! Wuwuwuwuwu! How shameful! How tragic!

How utterly despicable, don't you agree, Jeanne!"

Facing Caster's impassioned question, Saber's serene face remained unmoved.

"The God and angel who once abandoned you have now appeared before you, resurrected! How brazen!

Unforgivable! I, Gilles de Rais, will never allow you to defile her soul again!"

Shirou rolled his eyes: "Getting all passionate, huh? Who exactly 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, emitting a strange crimson pulse as he rapidly flipped through its pages.

Hundreds of monstrous creatures proliferated from the ground, their writhing tentacles filling almost the entire forest as they lunged towards Shirou and Irisviel behind him.

Just then, a golden flash pierced directly through the grotesque horde.

It was Saber.

She unleashed a small-scale blast from her holy sword, forcibly tearing open a path and seizing the opportunity to return to her Master's side.

"Saber!"

"Are you alright, Irisviel?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, thanks to..."

Irisviel looked at the dark-haired youth in front of her, unsure how to address him.

"Um, may I ask who you are..."

"We can talk later," Shirou said faintly, his back to her.

Irisviel paused for a moment, then quickly nodded. "Ah, yes, I understand!

Saber, can you still fight?"

Artoria glanced at the inverted holy sword in the dark-haired youth's hand, a strange sense of rivalry igniting in her eyes. She nodded resolutely.

She took a step forward, standing beside Shirou.

"Just to be sure, you're not the angel he was talking about, are you?"

Shirou stared at Caster, who was holding position behind the horde of monsters, and retorted without even twitching an eyebrow:

"And are you the saint this lunatic mentioned?"

"Of course not."

"Then I can rest easy."

Following that, the two of them almost simultaneously gripped their swords with both hands, assuming their respective stances.

"Unknown Demon Sword wielder, thank you for saving my Master just now. As you can see, Caster doesn't seem inclined to let you leave easily. Would you mind fighting alongside me for a moment?"

Saber invited, her expression unwavering.

Shirou's response to this was--

"Don't slow me down, Holy Sword wielder."

Upon hearing this, Saber didn't get angry. Instead, she broke into a knowing smile.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the forest--

Saber deactivated the "Wind King Barrier," revealing the Holy Sword of the Lake housed within its magnificent and noble scabbard.

Irisviel blinked in confusion. "Saber? What are you doing?"

Without hesitation, Saber drew her sword and tossed the scabbard to her Master behind her.

"Irisviel, please hold onto this for me for a moment."

"Huh... Ah! Okay!"