C141

Arthur is dead.

He was swallowed by a monster that devoured him whole, leaving behind a pool of blood. The onlookers stood frozen, their expressions displaying utter disbelief and shock.

Some people found it difficult to accept this harsh reality. A person of such magnificence, the one who was foretold to vanquish the White Dragon and ascend the throne, the one who brought light to those in the midst of terror, had perished so suddenly!

Gawain, Bedivere, Lamorak, Tristan, and even Gareth were unable to reconcile themselves with this truth. However, it was Artoria who struggled the most to accept this reality.

"No! My king! My king!" The words escaped Artoria in a desperate and self-condemning cry. She simply could not bring herself to accept the reality of the situation.

The king whom she had pledged to serve, the one who had imparted so much wisdom upon her, and had helped her unlock the emotions that she had sealed away, was slain right before her very eyes.

As a knight, she had vowed to protect the king until the very end. Nevertheless, in the end, the king was devoured by a beast in order to protect her. What a cruel and ironic twist of fate.

As a knight, this was an immense failure on her part! Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, and the searing ache in her chest was what people called grief?

The young woman who had repressed her emotions for a decade and a half was at a loss to comprehend the intensity of her overwhelming feelings. The agony was suffocating and made it difficult for her to breathe.

The king...was no more. The king who had placed unwavering faith in her, the king who had entrusted her with his sword, the king who had desired to bestow upon her the emotions of a regular human being, had perished so abruptly. All because of her own shortcomings, because she had failed to protect him, he had passed away just like that.

"Drip, Drip."

Unfathomable emotions surged within her, and the anguish in her heart caused tears to stream down her face involuntarily.

"Why are you crying, Artoria?" Someone asked.

"The king... the king, he..." she trailed off, unable to continue.

"Uh...the way you say that, it's as if I'm already gone. It's really uncomfortable..." The other person responded.

She suddenly jerked her head up, her eyes blurred by tears, and found herself staring at a dark-haired boy who seemed quite troubled.

The boy reached out and gently wiped away her tears, speaking in a soothing tone, "I'm still alive and well, so don't cry anymore."

"My king..." Her tears began to flow once more, and the young woman's voice was laced with regret. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I failed to protect you properly. As your knight, your sword, I..."

"Crying again." Shirou wiped away her tears with his hand, his tone gentle but tinged with helplessness. He continued, "If you keep crying like this, your face will be all puffy and red, and that won't look good."

He leaned in closer to her and whispered, "As my knight, you must remain strong! If you continue being weak, it will only make me a laughingstock!"

"Yes!" Upon hearing these words, she brushed away her tears and rose to her feet.

Her king had always placed his trust in her. How could she allow herself to remain in such a pitiful condition and cause him to lose face?

The Archbishop approached them, appearing incredulous, and asked him, "A...Arthur, weren't you supposed to have been swallowed by that beast?"

"No, Archbishop. I vanquished and slew that Beast!" Shirou declared triumphantly, casting his gaze over Gawain, Bedivere, Lamorak, Tristan, Gareth, and Artoria. He exclaimed loudly, "Listen, everyone! I am Arthur, the Red Dragon of Britain, the king who reigns over the land of Britain! That abomination has been vanquished and slain by my hand!"

The people gazed at him with disbelief. It was hard for them to fathom how someone who had been devoured by a monster could emerge unscathed from its belly!

The blood and mud in the vicinity were receding and vanishing from sight. They flowed from the ground towards Shirou's feet, then secretly entered his body.

No one was sure what had transpired, but there was no denying that the blood and mud were dissipating, and the monster had disappeared as well.

Shirou had emerged victorious in his battle against the creature!

"Arthur! Arthur!"

"Arthur! Arthur!"

...

The soldiers erupted into cheers, even Bedivere and Gawain couldn't help but shout out his name. To vanquish a beast that was invincible against ten thousand men was a feat that only an unparalleled hero could accomplish. It was a triumph that warranted the loudest of cheers!

Shirou lifted his arm triumphantly, standing tall with his head held high like the sun, basking in the admiration of the crowd. However, his moment of glory was short-lived as he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

A strange voice sounded in his ear, "Fuu-!"

A small silver-colored creature crawled out of Shirou's collar and perched on his shoulder, nibbling at it.

Ouch...!

Amidst the cheering crowd, Shirou whispered, his voice barely audible, "Got it, got it... I couldn't beat you, and you spared me. Please don't bite me, it really hurts...! I swear, I'll make it up to you with something tasty later, alright? Just, please, no biting!"

"Fuu~!"

The small silver creature scratched its fur near its ear with its hind leg, and then let go of his shoulder.

"Your Majesty, what is this small creature?" Artoria regarded Cath Palug with a wary gaze. Having once lost a king had made her more cautious about anything that approached the king.

He took a moment to think before responding, "Oh... This is Fou, a little helper who assisted me in subduing the Beast."

"Fuu-!" Fou lifted its head and looked at them with an expression of pride.

"Ah...I see," she hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.

He looked at the small silver creature before him.

No, it was more appropriate to call it Fou at this moment.

This silver creature that he called "Fou" was one of Cath Palug's forms. Cath Palug, who possessed the principle of "comparison," was a creature that could mimic various forms depending on the person it mimicked.

For example, the three-eyed cat just now was a Beast that mimicked an unknown Dead Apostle. And the silver creature right now was mimicking Shirou. To be precise, it was mimicking the Fou from his memories of Chaldea.

"Fuu-!"

Fou's gaze was intense, as he stared straight into Shirou's eyes. Suddenly, a voice echoed from deep within Shirou's heart, "Remember the promise, 'vessel.' Show me something good."

Shirou nodded. To be frank, he was somewhat taken aback by how events had transpired. When Cath Palug had swallowed him, he believed it was the end for him. However, as someone who possessed the "Evil Flower," he ended up accepting and acknowledging the evil that Cath Palug replicated and it was then contained within him.

It was identical to the "All the World's Evil," which left him feeling slightly bewildered. He meticulously examined his list of skills, flipping through several pages in fear of discovering a skill such as "Authority of the Beast." Thankfully, there was none. The mere thought of it frightened him, as he was afraid that he might transform into a "beast."

Shirou shook his head to clear his mind before turning his gaze towards Artoria. "Artoria, I entrust the command of the battlefield to you."

"Understood!" she replied.

With that settled, he strode towards the abandoned mine.

She quickly stepped in front of him, her voice laced with concern. "Your Majesty, are you planning to explore the mine alone?"

He turned to face her, his expression serious. "Take care of what I've entrusted to you, Knight Artoria!"

She hesitated for a moment, her gloved hand tightening into a fist. Her blue eyes showed both worry and determination as she replied, "I understand, Your Majesty."

"I'm not strong enough to protect the king," She bit her lip before taking command of the battlefield.

Shirou had Gawain and the others stay with Artoria while he rushed into the mine. It was pitch black inside, but a faint, blood-red light flickered in the depths. He wasted no time and quickly advanced forward. When he arrived at the center of the mine, he found no one there. Instead, he saw a strange, blood-red magic circle that was glowing and activating on its own.

He glanced at Fou perched on his shoulder and asked, "Fou, do you know who left this here?"

"Fuu~!"

--"Fou? Although it's not my real name, I don't hate it. This is a magic circle left here by my original owner for storing food reserves." The voice in his mind made it clear that Fou was speaking.

He furrowed his brow and asked, "Your original owner left this magic circle for storing food reserves? Who is your original owner?"

"I don't know what it's supposed to be," Fou admitted, its voice uncertain. "I was just imitating it from the beginning."

He frowned, "When did you come here?"

"I don't know," Fou replied with a shrug. "In that form, I don't care about anything."

He sighed, feeling helpless. It seemed that he couldn't get any more clues from Fou.

He turned his attention back to the magic circle, the black mud surged out of him, swallowing and cursing it.

"By the way, human," Fou interrupted, her voice suddenly serious.

"What is it?" He asked, looking at the small creature.

"Fuu~!" Fou scratched the hair near her ear with her hind leg and spoke directly into Shirou's mind. 'Although you are a 'vessel,' there is a limit to what you can bear. Be careful not to become like us by accepting too much evil.'

Shirou furrowed his brows as he thought about it. He had been wanting to ask for a while, but it wasn't until now that he finally voiced his question. "I've been wanting to ask, what exactly is a 'vessel'?" The term had first been brought up by Merlin, and he was still unsure of its meaning.

"I don't know," Fou replied honestly. "All I know is that you are a 'vessel.'"

"Okay," He sighed, his frustration mounting. Since Fou was imitating him, he knew she wouldn't lie to him. Fou rarely deceived anyone in the true sense.

As they spoke, a faint sizzling sound filled the air, growing louder and more intense with each passing moment.

Shirou's black mud destroyed the magic circle with a sickening squelch, the corrupt energy disintegrating the intricate sigils etched into the ground.

Suddenly, his body began to convulse violently, as if an electric current was running through him. He let out a strangled cry as a massive, otherworldly intent descended from the magic circle onto him.

It was neither good nor evil, but it exuded a palpable sense of hunger and desire. From a certain perspective, it felt like a predator eyeing its prey.

The intent lingered on his body for what felt like an eternity before finally dissipating, leaving him panting and covered in cold sweat.

"What... what was that?"

"That... that was that thing," Fou answered, her voice hushed.

"What thing?" Shirou demanded.

"I don't know," Fou admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "All I know is that it took on a human form, and according to your human classification, it was a woman."

Shirou's mind raced as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. Fou had imitated other party to became the three-eyed cat monster, but this felt different. This was something else entirely.

He began to piece together what he knew. "Dead Apostle, obsession with blood...?" he mumbled to himself, deep in thought.

As he continued to ponder, a name suddenly popped into his head. "Wait...could it be Eclipse Princess of Black Blood, Altrouge Brunestud?"

The very thought made his blood run cold. If it was indeed Altrouge, then they were dealing with a powerful and dangerous enemy.

Altrouge Brunestud, like Arcueid, was created by the Crimson Moon to potentially serve as a vessel to prevent being influenced by Gaia or Alaya. However, unlike Arcueid, Altrouge is a hybrid of a True Ancestor and a Dead Apostle, and her unstable nature made her an unsuitable vessel.

Altrouge was created before the Crimson Moon was destroyed by the Second Magic, which means it was possible for her to exist in this era.

While the White Beast is associated with Altrouge in the Nasuverse and mimics her as the Primate Murder among the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors, there is a discrepancy. If Cath Palug is truly mimicking Altrouge, it should take the form of a silver canine Primate Murder, not a three-eyed cat. Therefore, the entity that Cath Palug is imitating as a three-eyed cat must be something else.

In this world of the 5th century, Dead Apostles, the 27 Dead Apostle True Ancestors, and Alaya all existed. As Shirou contemplated a terrible hypothesis, he felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. "No... could it be the Crimson Moon?"

He turned to Fou and asked, "Fou, did anyone ever call the thing you're mimicking the 'King of the Moon,' the 'Crimson Moon,' or something similar?"

"I don't know," replied Fou, "I wasn't paying attention."

Shirou let out a deep sigh and rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

The timeline in the Nasuverse indicates that Arcueid was born in the 12th century, while the Crimson Moon was destroyed by the Second Magic in the 7th century, wiping out its physical body.

However, it was currently the 5th century!

This meant that it was the active period of the Crimson Moon, and Shirou felt a sense of suffocation as he broke into a sweat.

The ancient era was too dangerous. He needed to quickly defeat Vortigern and return to the present!

After destroying the circle, he stepped out of the mine. By this time, Artoria had already commanded her troops to clear the battlefield.

When she saw Shirou emerge unscathed, she breathed a sigh of relief and rushed over to him, saying, "My king, I have not dishonored your name!"

"Well done! You truly are my knight, you're amazing!" Shirou beamed as he patted her shoulder.

Artoria, however, felt a pang of shame and lowered her head. "No... no," she murmured, "As your knight, I am still far from adequate."

She had nearly failed to protect her king earlier, and the thought weighed heavily on her. As the king's knight and sword, she knew she was still lacking in many areas.

Shirou strode past her and climbed onto the platform. The soldiers instinctively turned to him, waiting for his words.

Under the collective gaze of the soldiers, he spoke with a loud and clear voice, "Rejoice, my fellow warriors! Today, we have triumphed over the terrifying beasts and emerged victorious. This is our moment of glory! Let us bask in the light of our hard-earned victory!"

"To our victory!"

"Our victory!" The soldiers echoed his words, their voices ringing loudly across the battlefield.

The magic circle had been broken, and the red moon disappeared without a trace. Instead, the brilliant sun hung high, showering Shirou with its warm, golden light. He looked like a glowing, otherworldly being to everyone who gazed upon him.

...

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