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"Impossible! Impossible!" she kept shouting.

"You think this is impossible?" Young Shirou smirked. "Watching you crumble is oddly pleasing, Crimson Moon. I've been looking forward to this, seeing you so utterly defeated. Do you understand now? Taking me on was a grave mistake. Your misplaced bravery will be your undoing."

"No way... this can't be happening," she was panicked, struggling against the black tendrils that reached for her, wrapping tighter and tighter, and eating away at her very essence.

It was like a swarm of nightmarish hands grabbing her legs, coiled around her torso, and even clamped onto her face, pulling her deeper into the all-consuming evil, as if trying to suck her dry of her magical energy.

"You don't even care, do you, Shirou? Doesn't this get to you at all?" she yelled back.

He just smiled. "Who do you take me for? I am the Eternal King."

"So this is it, then? You've truly become a monster, Shirou!" she screamed.

"Hmph. I will verify every event of the past. And as for you, heh..." He sneered. "Just give it up and become my magical energy. That's all you're good for."

"Damn it... damn it... Shirou! Shirou!"

Fighting back despair, Crimson Moon reached out, her hand stretching toward the sky, as if she could touch the distorted face of Young Shirou that hung above her like a dark moon.

"I can't believe I lost... again. But listen up, Shirou, this isn't over! Next time, it'll be my win! Don't forget that! I'll be back, mark my words—and I'm going to take you down!"

With that final cry of defiance, she was swallowed whole by the abyss, broken down and dissolved until she was nothing but pure magical energy. All that was left was her hand, outstretched towards the sky, reaching for the last image of him hovering above in the sky.

"I... I'll definitely come back!"

...

Right outside Fuyuki City Hall, Miyu, Luvia, and the rest of the group looked at Young Shirou with a sense of deep concern.

Ever since that tower of light had vanished, he began emitting this unsettling, blood-red mud. It was almost like a flood, making it impossible for anyone to get close.

Miyu's voice trembled, "Fujimaru-niisan... what should we do?"

Rin turned to Luvia with an urgent look. "Didn't Lady Astraea give you some of her power? You need to do something, and fast!"

Luvia looked just as worried. "What am I supposed to do here? I'm not exactly a goddess or anything!" She clutched a scale, but her face was a mask of panic.

Just then, Merlin rushed out hurriedly.

"What's going on here?" He stared at his king, who was drowning in the blood-red mud. "Why on earth would the King be consumed by his evil?"

Miyu rushed over to him and gave his sleeve a quick tug. "Magus Merlin, you have to do something to save Fujimaru-niisan!"

"I get it, I get it," Merlin replied, his voice tinged with urgency. "I can't just stand here and let the King be swallowed up like this."

He lifted his staff, ready to use his spell, when all of a sudden, the red sea of mud started to shift in a way that took everyone by surprise.

Like some kind of living thing, the blood-red mud suddenly swirled and surged, before rushing back into Young Shirou. Almost instantly, he began glowing with an intense white light.

"Wait... what is this?"

Merlin stopped dead in his tracks, his face a picture of disbelief. "Why is the King's magical energy rapidly recovering like this?"

The light emanating from the king became almost blinding, as if the first morning star had decided to make a personal appearance on Earth. In the midst of this darkness and despair, it was a shocking beacon of hope.

"What's going to happen now?" Miyu and the others couldn't take their eyes off him.

"He's actually growing!" Luvia shouted.

As they watched, the king's form started to expand within that dazzling cocoon of light, the mana around him turning into pulsating waves of bright white light.

It was as if he had become a creature made of light. His radiant glow banished the surrounding darkness, filling the space with an uncanny sense of hope.

The magical energy kept building up, pushing beyond the natural limits of his human form.

Somewhere far away, on the eternal throne, a blank everlasting record started to drift toward him.

And then, with a soft whooshing sound, Young Shirou—or rather, the Eternal King as he should now be called—slowly opened his eyes.

Time seemed to stop. The world held its breath.

In this silent universe, the true sovereign, the being of radiant light who commanded all things, had arrived.

He casually waved his hand, his silver-white cape billowing out behind him. The intense light around him began to fade, slowly revealing his true appearance.

"Is that really Sherou?" Luvia's voice was tinged with disbelief.

Rin shook her head, equally stunned. "He's changed so much. I can barely recognize him."

"The King has truly descended," Merlin murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

Miyu stared at the transformed figure before her, her eyes reflecting the majesty of a true king.

Adorned in ash-grey armor etched with a crimson dragon, and a silver cape rustling gently in the wind, he was a sight to behold. A Caliburn hung at his side, and he held the holy lance Rhongomyniad in his hand. His aura flickered with a silver light, commanding both awe and reverence.

His hair was as black as night, slicked back in a striking style. With sharply angled eyebrows and keen, piercing eyes, a certain intensity hidden within, his lips were thin and slightly pursed. His overall features were finely chiseled. Standing tall and lean, he exuded a commanding presence that rendered him cold, aloof, and completely untouchable. Like a hawk in the night—solitary yet majestic—he radiated an aura that bordered on the divine.

The soldiers couldn't help themselves; they dropped to their knees, overwhelmed with emotion. Tears streamed down their faces as they shouted, "Your Majesty!"

"My king," Merlin echoed, lowering his staff and taking a knee, his own face glowing with uncontained excitement.

This was different from the gentle young king. This was the Eternal King, the true ruler who commanded all things, now standing before them.

Breaking through the barriers of time, this Eternal King, who had been in slumber for fifteen hundred years, was once again standing in front of humanity.

The crowd erupted into cheers, their faces flushed with an almost frenzied excitement.

The outpouring of emotion and reverence around them left Miyu, Luvia, and Rin feeling uneasy, almost as if they'd stumbled into some kind of intense, fanatical cult.

Shirou tightened his fist, feeling the surge of magical energy flowing through him. The very air around his palm seemed to whisper of his newfound authority over all living things.

He quickly assessed his own magical energy level.

— [Magical Energy: A+++]

A cold smile flickered on his otherwise stern face. So that wretch turned out to be somewhat useful after all, he mused.

At the same time, he could feel the many facets of the Eternal King's legacy melding into his own being.

Centuries of human storytelling had created various aspects of his character: sacred king, ultimate ruler, mighty conqueror, herald of new eras... All these elements were now part of him, shaping who he was. And that was fine, because they were all facets of his true self.

With a sweeping motion of his cape, he glanced briefly at Merlin, then turned his attention to the crowd that was worshipping him. In a voice filled with authority, he declared, "Rise, everyone!"

"Your Majesty...!"

The soldiers stood as one, tears pooling in their eyes as they looked upon him with awe and devotion.

The King, awakened from an eternal sleep, was back!

Shirou's eyes shifted, landing on a woman with golden hair. "Luvia, give me Astraea's Divine Core."

"Huh?" she blurted out.

He gestured toward the scale she was holding. "Her Divine Core is in that scale. Give it to me."

She was still trying to wrap her head around what was happening, but something in his voice—almost like a heavenly melody—compelled her to act. Before she even knew what she was doing, she had already handed over the scale.

After a moment, she snapped back to reality, realizing what she had just done.

Was there some kind of bewitchment in his voice? She was a whirlwind of disbelief and wonder.

She tried to take another look at the Eternal King but quickly averted her eyes, overwhelmed by an odd blend of awe and reverence. Now, even saying "Sherou" felt wrong, let alone meeting his gaze. And she sensed she wasn't the only one feeling this way.

Miyu had similar sentiments. The man before her was both awe-inspiring and untouchable, yet he emanated a light that irresistibly drew her in. It was a perplexing mix of feelings.

Ruby let out an almost disbelieving sigh. "So, the King's finally woken up, huh?"

Miyu leaned in, her voice tinged with confusion. "Woken up? What do you mean, Ruby?"

"The Eternal King," Ruby clarified, "is the one who's been sleeping in the Throne of Heroes but is still mad respected by all the other Heroic Spirits. So, it's not a bad thing that he's awake. We're pretty much in safe hands now."

"Wait, wait, Ruby. Are you saying that Fujimaru-niisan isn't himself right now, but he's this Eternal King you're talking about? But people have called him the Eternal King before too, haven't they?" Her voice was soft but filled with confusion.

"No, no. Shirou is the Eternal King, but the Eternal King is also just a part of Shirou... Ugh, it's complicated. Blame him—no, wait! Blame me and my clumsy way of explaining. Anyway, the man in front of you is still your Fujimaru-niisan, got it?"

Ruby paused for a second before adding, "Think of it like he used some transformation magecraft to power up into this stronger version of himself."

"Ah, okay..." she glanced briefly at him before looking away, her eyes dropping as she tried to digest this information.

...

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