C140

The people cheered.

"It's difficult to believe that someone can still shine in such a dire situation... but perhaps that's why Caliburn chose him," Gawain mused, observing Shirou's posture as if he had caught a glimpse of a ray of light.

They say he is a knight of the sun, with the radiance of the sun embedded in his body. Yet, in this moment, Gawain realized that the radiance he had always sought was something he had never recognized in himself.

"Artoria!" Shirou called out.

"Yes!"

"Why are you just standing there? Take command of the troops!"

"Understood, my King!"

Despite the dire situation, my king still trusts me... Artoria thought, feeling a surge of determination. She tightened her grip on her weapon, then drew the Caliburn and held it high. "Listen up, everyone!" she commanded. "The basic strategy remains the same. Some of you will hold off the giants and lure them to the eastern mountains. Others will clear out the Dead Apostles while the rest join in to lure them to the west! The remaining knights will fight this monster with me! Our goal is to prevent it from unleashing that devastating magical attack from earlier!"

"Yes!"

Faced with the threat of annihilation, the army's maneuvering improved significantly. With their prior experience, they quickly lured the giants to the eastern mountains while simultaneously leading the Dead Apostles away.

The battlefield suddenly widened, leaving only the Cath Palug standing amidst their formation, its eyes fixed on them with an intense gaze. However, there was a flaw in Artoria's strategy - they did not possess the strength to engage Cath Palug in battle!

As a Beast possessing the principle of Comparison, Cath Palug had the power to easily overwhelm all of Britain. To defeat it, they needed the Knights of the Round Table. However, the Knights had yet to exist. Their only option was to disrupt Cath Palug's light cannon and find a way to break the barrier before retreating.

Shirou informed Artoria of this crucial information, prompting her to quickly alter her strategy to one of delay and interference. However, they encountered yet another obstacle. The blood-like liquid surrounding Cath Palug was infused with curses and malice, rendering it impossible for them to approach the Beast.

With no other options available, Shirou sought out a secluded spot and secretly poured out the black mud from his pants. In an instant, a tide of black sludge covered the ground.

"Oh my god! What is this now?!" Bedivere couldn't help but exclaim.

The black mud was an embodiment of the world's evil, carrying within it the properties of malevolence and malice. The endless waves of evil thoughts and terrifying curses emanating from it gave people an ominous feeling, akin to that of the thick, cursed blood liquid surrounding Cath Palug.

"This thing is cursed... it's a cursed object!" the Archbishop exclaimed in horror.

To their surprise, the black sludge had no effect on them as it flowed over their bodies. However, when it came into contact with the thick blood-like liquid, it produced a horrific "sizzling" sound.

"Eat eat eat eat eat, humans, food, eat eat eat eat eat!!!"

"Rebellion, terror, destruction... deny, deny, deny... kill kill kill kill kill!!!"

Both evil were in confrontation!

"Sizzle."

White smoke rose from the boundary between the blood liquid and the malevolent black mud.

He skillfully directed the malevolent black mud towards the barrier with the intention of cursing and corroding it in order to create an opening for their escape.

However, his actions triggered a sensitive response from Cath Palug. Its three bloodshot eyes fixated on the black mud, and a faintly angry roar escaped from its mouth.

Suddenly, its body emitted a blood-red light, which gradually intensified until the strong blood light seemed to outshine the blood moon in the sky.

"Not good! It's coming again!" Shirou's heart sank as he saw Cath Palug's imposing aura.

Artoria, Gawain, and others saw the bright light on Cath Palug's body and knew that the same magical attack from earlier was coming again, so they quickly retreated.

That kind of attack was not something that a human body could withstand!

However, at that moment, Shirou raised his hands and projected twelve Caliburn. He imbued them with magical energy, causing them to unleash twelve beams of light that condensed into a single powerful beam. The beam of light struck Cath Palug's face directly.

"Boom boom boom boom boom!!!"

Although the powerful beam of light failed to harm Cath Palug, it caught the Beast off guard and struck its head. A towering column of blood-red light shot up from the Beast's maw, extending towards the eastern mountains.

"Boom boom boom!!!"

The largest 40-meter mountain giant absorbed the attack, resulting in the destruction of its upper body. The cursed blood light corroded its body so severely that it was unable to regenerate.

Cath Palug turned its head towards Shirou, its three bloodshot eyes fixated on him. It emitted a low, angry roar that shook the mountains and forests!

He projected another twelve Caliburn swords around himself, and shouted at Gawain and the others who were stunned, "What are you waiting for? The black mud is keeping the cursed blood liquid busy. Interfere with it! Disrupt it! Don't let the Beast continue to fire its light cannon!"

Although Gawain and the others were initially unsure of what the "light cannon" was, they quickly grasped the gravity of the situation. Drawing their swords, they surrounded Cath Palug without approaching it. They stood watchful, ready to launch an attack at a moment's notice if they suspected that the Beast was preparing to unleash its light cannon again.

However, Cath Palug paid no heed to the Knights and instead, directed all its attention towards Shirou. Its three bloodshot eyes glared at him with malice and killing intent. The Beast's massive body moved with lightning speed, charging directly towards him!

As Cath Palug charged towards Shirou, the black mud extended two massive hands that grabbed its abdomen. Countless black hands then began to wrap around Cath Palug's body, attempting to hold it down.

However, as a three-eyed monster, Cath Palug was not to be underestimated. The Beast's strength was formidable enough to tear apart the black mud arms with ease, and it continued to charge towards him.

Gawain and Lamorak attempted to intervene, but Cath Palug paid them no heed. It swiped them aside with its silver tail, slamming them heavily into a stone wall. With a sickening "pu" sound, they both spewed blood from their mouths.

As Cath Palug continued to charge towards him with boundless power, Shirou's heart pounded with adrenaline. Clenching his teeth, he directed the twelve Caliburn swords around him to unleash another fusion beam towards the Beast.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom!!!"

The beam erupted with a deafening roar of light! However, Cath Palug withstood the full force of the fusion beam and continued to charge relentlessly towards him!

Shirou desperately commanded countless hands and swords made of the black mud to attack Cath Palug, but they proved futile against the Beast's formidable defenses. The curse of evil had no effect on Cath Palug, and the grasping black hands could not impede the Beast's movements!

Despite being ineffective against Cath Palug's defenses, Shirou's attack managed to momentarily slow down the Beast's movement. This provided a narrow window of opportunity for him to evade Cath Palug's charge by a hair's breadth.

Feeling slightly relieved, he braced himself and prepared for Cath Palug's next assault. However, the Beast no longer had Shirou in its sights. Instead, it had found a new prey by its side.

The new target was a golden-haired girl clad in a gray cloak, who claimed to be a magus. Shirou, however, recognized her as his dear older sister, "Morgan Le Fay."

As a famous witch, she must have a way to turn the situation around, right? However, the reality was far from his expectations. Her body was trembling, and she emitted a sweet yet fearful scent.

The power of Cath Palug blew off her hood, revealing her lovely face. It was not Morgan Le Fay. It was...

"Gareth!"

Gawain struggled to rise to his feet, but the ferocious blow from Cath Palug had left him winded and weakened.

"Brother...brother..." Gareth trembled with fear. She was a girl who had devoted herself to the study of magecraft on the advice of her mother, Morgan Le Fay. However, in the face of imminent death, she felt a palpable terror wash over her.

As Cath Palug opened its mouth, ready to consume the girl, a white figure flashed by. It was Artoria, who rolled over with Gareth in her arms and shielded her from harm.

She tightly gripped the hilt of Caliburn, her eyes fixed on Cath Palug. Her delicate face was etched with determination, and her blue eyes radiated a sense of unwavering resolve.

Gareth gazed in awe at Artoria's profile, marveling at the girl's beauty and bravery. As she looked upon her, a long-buried dream began to sprout in Gareth's heart. She had once admired her brothers for their knightly spirit, but her own dream had been drowned out because of her gender. Now, however, it was blooming once again.

In that moment, Gareth knew that the path of a magus that her mother had encouraged her to follow was not the right one for her. She longed to be a knight, a noble knight, just like this Princess Knight before her!

"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" Cath Palug howled, and its body shook violently, turning into a shade of blood. It opened its giant bloody mouth and prepared to devour Artoria and Gareth.

Shirou rushed towards Cath Palug, with the evil churning behind him. At this point, it no longer mattered whether he revealed his trump card or not. The most important thing was to survive.

As the evil surged within him, he readied himself to project a mountainous greatsword to slay Cath Palug. However, to his surprise, the monster, which had originally been aiming at Artoria and Gareth, turned around and swallowed him whole as soon as it sensed him approaching.

"No! My King!" Artoria cried out in sorrow as she helplessly watched Shirou being devoured.

...

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