Excalibur's Restriction

"How many of these Phantasmal Species have we killed?"

"Well... I can't say for sure..." Bedivere scratched his head and carefully tried to remember. "But at least five thousand, I'd say."

"Five thousand..." Lancelot's eyes squinted. "Then why do I feel like the number hasn't decreased at all?"

Bedivere was startled, quickly looked around, and then realized that the number of Phantasmal Species around them was exactly the same as before.

"What's going on?!"

Bedivere exclaimed, full of confusion.

He vividly remembered that the initial wave of Phantasmal Species should have only numbered in the thousands. But why did the count remain the same after killing so many?

This was definitely not normal!

Lancelot pondered for a moment.

"I'll go ask Artoria; maybe she knows what's going on."

He wielded Arondight, cutting through Phantasmal Species along the way, reached Artoria, and explained his findings.

"So that's it... No wonder I felt something was off since earlier..." Artoria said while watching the battle and deep in thought.

"Do you know what's going on?" Lancelot asked.

Artoria nodded, looking towards the city in the distance.

"These Phantasmal Species weren't brought here by Vortigern using the power of the Holy Grail. Instead, someone manifested them through their own imagination."

"Manifested?" Lancelot was puzzled.

Arkhan had only revealed the true origin of Crimson Moon to a select few, including Artoria, Morgan, and Scathach. The reason for not spreading this information widely was the fear that it might have negative consequences.

After Lancelot's reminder, Artoria instantly realized that they weren't facing Vortigern but the King of the Moon!

The enemy intentionally manifested Phantasmal Species like Chimera, Mountain Giants, and Dragons to create an illusion, making them believe they were fighting against Vortigern's revived monsters.

Monsters revived by the Holy Grail were limited, but those manifested were infinite. Crimson Moon utilized their ingrained impressions to set up this trap, leading them to make a wrong judgment about the true situation.

When someone's attention was entirely focused on one thing, it was easy to overlook other circumstances, especially in such a fierce battlefield. Few would pay attention to the increase or decrease in enemy numbers, especially for powerful warriors like Artoria. In this intense situation, she would hardly notice the surrounding changes.

However, regular soldiers were different. They could fight intensively for an hour or two, but fighting for ten hours straight was impossible. If Lancelot hadn't noticed the anomaly, they would have fallen into the enemy's trap, trapped in this endless sea of creatures until they were completely overwhelmed!

Artoria always believed that such a formidable enemy would disdain using tactics to win, opting to crush them straightforwardly. But she never expected the enemy's strategy to be so meticulous.

Because of this ingrained belief, she hadn't noticed the signs of the problem. Eating the same mistake twice for a commander was an unforgivable error.

She couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"Lady Scathach, I need your help!" Artoria shouted loudly towards Scathach in the distance. 

"I knew!"

Scathach threw her two crimson spears in her hands, blasting the heads of two Mountain Giants into fragments. Then, with a faint glow, a silver-white spear Gungnir, adorned with intricate runes, instantly appeared in her hand.

Closing her eyes slightly, Scathach immersed her consciousness entirely in the spear. Her aura gradually contracted, like a gathering storm, and when it reached the critical point, she abruptly opened her eyes.

A razor-sharp aura, resembling the spear itself, burst forth, and with all her might, she threw Gungnir toward the royal capital of Northumbria.

It was a spear that tore through space. In an instant, the entire battlefield froze, and all eyes were fixed on the existence of that spear as if the entire world lost its color at that very moment.

*BOOM—!!!*

Gungnir collided with the bounded field protecting the city, and with a thunderous roar, the immensely thick bounded field shattered in an instant!

Artoria rode on her horse, Dun Stallion, charging non-stop towards the royal capital.

The Phantasmal Species, as if gone mad, rushed forward without any regard, trying to stop her.

"Block them!" Morgan's voice echoed through magecraft as she activated countless magic circles, obliterating all monsters approaching Artoria into dust.

The Knights of the Round Table and the Godslayer Knight immediately came to Artoria's aid, holding off the pursuers.

Driven by the Invisible Air, Artoria quickly stormed into the royal capital, but the Anglo-Saxons within the city hurriedly came to intercept.

"I don't have time to waste with all of you!"

Artoria pulled the reins, and her majestic horse reared up, neighing to the sky. Then, to the astonishment of onlookers, its hooves stepped on the void, soaring into the air.

Her eyes were fixed on the distant building situated in the center of the city, also the tallest building in the entire royal capital, a castle. Her intuition told her that her target was there!

Dun Stallion traversed the air, using the power of the Invisible Air, directly smashing through the walls and entering the castle.

It gently landed on the ground, surrounded by a spacious hall. However, there was no light and no one in sight. It was dim and silent, like an abandoned castle that had been desolate for thousands of years.

A stunning woman in a white dress sat high on the throne, her golden eyes devoid of any emotion as she stared down at Artoria.

"Didn't expect you to catch on so quickly... Looks like I underestimated you after all."

Crimson Moon spoke casually while sitting on the throne. Golden hair cascaded down to her waist, crossed long legs, hands supporting her cheeks, her pure gold eyes lazily fixed on Artoria.

"Your tricks end here." Artoria's expression hardened. The Invisible Air, concentrated on Excalibur, unleashed in an instant, forming an invisible cyclone hammering towards Crimson Moon.

Crimson Moon raised her hand casually, her delicate wrist effortlessly blocking the oncoming wind pillar, then effortlessly crushing it by closing her palm.

Artoria's pupils contracted slightly; her long-planned strike was easily thwarted.

Is this the true power of the King of the Moon?

Artoria clenched her teeth with frustration. With her foot on the horse's back, she raised Excalibur and slashed toward Crimson Moon with all her might.

Crimson Moon lifted a hand again, and a golden defensive bounded field materialized, which blocked the sword but broke in the process.

A Divine Construct of the planet, not only imbued with mysterious power but also resilient. Ordinary defenses struggled against its attacks.

But for Crimson Moon with her Marble Phantasm, creating bounded fields was as easy as breathing. If one couldn't hold, she created ten; if ten weren't enough, she made fifty.

Sitting regally on her throne, whenever Artoria swung her sword, Crimson Moon manifested a bounded field, effortlessly blocking every attack.

*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*

Artoria's attacks intensified, fierce as a storm, yet she couldn't breach Crimson Moon's defense even a little.

She considered using the Invisible Air to surprise Crimson Moon, but the latter was prepared as countless bounded fields already surrounded her like an impenetrable fortress.

"The Mighty King of the Moon willingly playing turtle... Don't you feel ashamed for not having the courage to fight back?" Artoria questioned sternly.

"Such a feeble trick, really hard to watch." Crimson Moon's leisurely voice echoed. "Did you really think I wouldn't know your plan? Your sword can only unleash its power in battle, but as long as I don't retaliate, it won't be recognized as a battle, and you can't unleash the sword's true power. Makes sense, don't you think?"

Artoria's pupils suddenly contracted.

"In our previous encounters, you only truly unleashed the sword after I attacked. I bet that's Gaia's restriction on you." Crimson Moon continued. "Don't find it strange; after all, I'm somewhat similar to Gaia. I can guess Gaia's thoughts to some extent. Handing such a powerful weapon to a human comes with risks. Setting restrictions like that is only normal."

Artoria fell silent. She hadn't expected Crimson Moon to discover Excalibur's restriction so quickly.