Afterword

This was the first time Mordred had ever seen her Master, whom she remembered as having a gentle personality, display such a wild and unrestrained expression.

However, since he is so confident, then his Servant—

Naturally, the Master must also be given the same level of trust.

"That thing? I don't even need to lift a finger. My Master can handle it all by himself!"

Under Heartless's astonished gaze, Mordred spoke with extreme arrogance.

"Hmm..."

Looking at the "Demon Forest" that still stood tall in front of her, Olga Marie's face showed a look of unwillingness.

Did that magic Magecraft just now not work?

--Of course not.

If Olga Marie had targeted a castle earlier, that castle would probably have been razed to the ground long ago.

However, their current opponent is [Forest of Einnashe's son], the direct descendant of the highest-ranking Dead Apostle among the [Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors], who was ranked "seventh".

"--Just a little bit more."

Olga Marie muttered under her breath.

The Magecraft was aimed at the core of the [Son of Forest of Einnashe], but the opponent instinctively retracted all the branches at the first moment, and withstood the attack.

Although it didn't have a fatal effect, the endless stream of demonic branches that had previously appeared like a Forest of Einnashe from [Einnashe's son] had disappeared without a trace.

It has clearly been affected to some extent.

"I'm sorry, I'm just too useless."

Olga Marie looked away with a disappointed expression.

If we could perform that level of Magecraft again right now, we could definitely obliterate this "enchanted forest" in front of us.

However, Olga Marie, whose mental energy was already exhausted, was unable to recreate the grand Magecraft she had performed before.

More importantly, if they don't take this opportunity to eliminate the opponent now, then once [Forest of Einnashe's son] recovers, they will likely face an even more ferocious counterattack than before.

After all, a wounded wild animal is at its most dangerous.

"No, that's enough."

Shirou casually cut off the branch that was hurtling towards Olga Marie from afar and shielded the girl behind him, saying this.

"Leave the rest to me."

Olga Marie frowned as she looked at the guy with his back to her.

The girl acknowledged Shirou's strength to a certain extent. After all, someone who could safely escape from the [Son of Forest of Einnashe] must be quite formidable.

However, this does not mean that he possesses the strength to kill [Forest of Einnashe's son].

Don't make any rash moves.

In response to the girl's warning, Shirou smiled.

"Although I'm not a particularly powerful Magecraft, far inferior to my father... if the opponent is a heartless filth like this, then protecting you shouldn't be a problem."

"You bastard..."

However, Shirou no longer paid attention to Olga Marie cheeks were already flushed.

His attention was entirely focused on the [Son of Forest of Einnashe]. During the previous delaying efforts, Shirou had already realized that this [Demon Forest] was something no human could overcome.

But in this body, I am Magecraft.

Therefore, it is only natural that the fighting style adopted is not its own, but something created and derived from Magecraft!

"Trace on--!"

Shirou silently recited the incantation to open the Magic Circuit, and the knowledge taught by the old man in his dream gradually surfaced in his mind—

Ignite the furnace called the Soul.

Disregard the process and pursue the result.

Forging is not simply about hammering and heating.

Iron and fire.

Mind and body.

Willpower and awareness.

Obsession and belief.

The cause without form is forged into an inevitable result. The thoughts, ideals, moral beliefs of the forger are fully infused into it, tracing back to the source and exploring its essence.

Burning reveals true meaning, hammering forges true knowledge, and solidifies its truth.

Knock on the heart, tremble the soul and flesh, and temper it with an inextinguishable fire.

Therefore--

"Based on bone;"

Use thought as fire;

Turning daydreams into a forging hammer...

Words become the fuel that ignites the furnace, and magic and intention become the raging fire within it.

Scalding hot and painful, as if flames were being pierced into my internal organs.

The boy's body formed a tall and invisible furnace at this moment.

Olga Marie, who had retreated to a distance from the others, stared in astonishment at the boy who had just been so "arrogant" in saying he would protect her.

Even though they were now quite a distance apart, they could still feel the scorching heat that seemed to evaporate the air and the soul-shaking knocking sounds.

What is he doing?

No one answered the girl's question; everyone held their breath, watching the boy's every move, eager to know what would happen next.

To put an end to my longing.

Focus your attention.

A jumble of emotions.

At last...

It is described through art and craftsmanship!

A long sword without any accessories or inscriptions appeared in Shirou's hand.

[Untitled]

That was a realm reached only after countless touches, countless understandings, and countless attempts by the boy. It was a realm that could only be touched by those who had built countless swords and blades, and whose foundations were piled high with sword mounds.

And extend from this [base]...

Extension

Extend!

From the inside out, the boiling magic calmed down as if quenched in cold water.

Until--

From the formless beginning, it condenses into the tangible end!

At this point--

Though the sword bears no inscription, it is the strongest weapon in itself!

Master once said-

"Things without intention, even after a thousand hammerings and forgings, are nothing more than slag left at the edge of the furnace."

With his gaze fixed on the enemy ahead, Shirou suddenly spoke.

His body groaned from the overload, the sweat from the heat evaporated instantly, and his vision blurred. Even so, Shirou's voice remained calm.

"Then, can you, who are but remnants, even hear the [Sword Pulse]?"

"..."

Without response, how could a mindless monster know human wisdom?

However, the powerful sense of crisis perceived by their biological instincts still made this demonic forest restless and uneasy.

"Take this!"

This is the strongest sword strike I've ever unleashed!

The next second, the blade light, seemingly capable of piercing through everything, tore apart [Forest of Einnashe's son] and also ripped apart all of everyone's senses.

As a result, Shirou's next words were completely drowned out by the violent roar.

"Mine, ▋▋▋▋▋!!!"

(End of this volume)

PS2: There's also an afterword and a few (?) side stories at the end.

(Above)

Chapter 374. Epilogue

"I'm so glad to finally meet you, my dear brother."

When Reines, who was waiting in the Lord El-Melloi II's office, saw the Lord El-Melloi II enter with his disciple Gray, a fox-like smile appeared on her lips.

"--What was the outcome of the meeting with the previous generation?"

"..."

Ignoring Reines's teasing, the Lord El-Melloi II slumped into a chair inside his desk. From his movements, Reines could clearly sense a weariness in him.

This was Reines' first meeting with the Lord El-Melloi II since his return from the Rail Zeppelin. However, Reines never expected that the Lord El-Melloi II would treat her with such an attitude.

This feeling of losing control made Reines uneasy, so she cast an inquiring glance at Gray on the other side.

What happened?

But Reines didn't expect Gray to respond with a shake of her head.

But that makes sense. Even Reines herself felt a little uncomfortable with the aura surrounding the previous generation, let alone Gray. The Lord El-Melloi II should have left her in the waiting room.

"However, we ran into Miss Olga Marie on our way here."

However, Gray then seemed to have thought of something and whispered in Reines' ear:

"Olga Marie... the successor of [Department of Astromancy) ]...?"

As the unsung leader of El-Melloi, Reines had naturally heard of the name. However, before she could even process some of her thoughts, she was interrupted by the Lord El-Melloi II—

"Don't make wild guesses. I was just explaining to the teacher what happened on Rail Zeppelin [Rail Zeppelin]."

The Lord El-Melloi II, struggling to sit up from his chair, rubbed his temples and explained to the two ladies.

However, Reines remained skeptical of the Lord El-Melloi II's explanation.

If it were truly as my elder brother said, if it were simply a matter of stating the problem, why would he show such an expression? I know, my elder brother's nerves and stomach have long since become incredibly resilient under the training of his disciples.

On this point, Reines consistently refused to admit that she had "colluded" with Flat Escardos and his gang. In her view, everything she did was out of "love."

However, the Lord El-Melloi II had no time to pay attention to Reines's thoughts. His mind was still preoccupied with what his predecessor had told him—

After telling the previous generation about the events they experienced on the Rail Zeppelin, the previous generation, after a brief silence, unusually brought up his encounter on the Rail Zeppelin ten years ago.

It's important to know that the previous generation always kept this matter a closely guarded secret.

However, after Kayneth explained the situation in its entirety, the Lord El-Melloi II understood... Why had something that should have been an honorable achievement been buried in history?