C431

Shirou looked out at the strange humanoid creatures gathered around the area, his face surprisingly calm. Despite the unsettling sight of countless ominous figures descending from the sky, he didn't seem bothered by any actual danger they might pose.

Close to a thousand of these humanoids had formed a circle around this location. In contrast, the soldiers he had stationed here numbered around 1,500.

As the eerie figures advanced, the soldiers tightened their grips on their swords and weapons, promptly launching a counterattack.

However, these strange beings possessed an odd sort of immortality; unless their bodies were completely obliterated, they couldn't be put down for good.

Shirou buffed his soldiers with [Mana Burst (C)], empowering them so they could crush and eliminate these strange humanoids. However, the black rain from above continued to pour down, morphing into even more of these eerie figures.

It was an endless rain.

His concern wasn't for himself; he worried about others.

These humanoid creatures weren't targeting him; their target was everyone in Fuyuki City.

"What should we do, my king?" Merlin looked at him and asked.

Shirou's eyes shifted to the dormant colossal creature in the sky, and he responded with determination, "I'm taking the offensive!"

"Attack that thing? It could awaken," Merlin warned.

He shook his head. "No. I'm going to wipe out all of these humanoid forms!"

He summoned the Tower of Light.

The Tower of Light, a bridge between heaven and earth, bathed the land in its brilliance.

He placed his hand on the tower, linking his own will with its light.

In that moment of connection between his will and the tower...

He saw the dynamics of the land.

Darkened figures descended from the sky, spreading out across the vast expanse of land.

Artoria, Arcueid, Illya, Gil, and the soldiers under his command fought with unwavering courage, cutting down their enemies. But against the expansive land of Fuyuki City, their efforts were but a drop in the bucket.

In other corners, eerie humanoids relentlessly pursued and slaughtered the people.

"Someone, please..."

"Help us..."

"Don't... don't kill me...!"

"What have I done wrong?"

The land was permeated with anguish and stained with blood.

However, this time around, there was no Holy Grail capable of restoring what had been lost.

The calm and familiar city had suddenly transformed into a nightmarish prison of blood.

His hand clenched, and a seething anger took root within his heart.

In response to his fury, the Tower of Light began to pulse, its radiance matched only by the ferocity of a thunderstorm.

"Zla, zla!"

A brewing force of nature, thunder and storm began to rise.

The Tower of Light gathered its energy, and in the blink of an eye, thunder and storm merged, their roar echoing through the heavens.

A cascade of brilliant starlight, infused with a wrathful will, surged upward like a blazing shooting star, a sight of extraordinary splendor.

Artoria caught sight of it.

Arcueid's gaze fixed upon it.

Illya, too, looked at it.

Even those entrenched in despair couldn't help but notice.

And those bewildered by their situation also saw it.

Countless people saw it.

A gleam of light piercing through the boundless darkness.

Gil looked at the shining light, furrowing his brows. "Are we attacking? Are you awakening that thing now? Eternal King, is this the outcome you want?"

However, in the next moment, he couldn't help but freeze.

The moment the brilliant starlight reached the sky, it exploded with a thunderous 'boom,' just like fireworks. It fragmented into countless stardust particles that rained down upon the earth.

"Someone help me... save me..."

Countless people began to cry out in terror.

The falling starlight was bound to bring immense disaster, or so the people thought. But this starlight seemed to possess consciousness of its own. It didn't strike randomly but precisely targeted the eerie humanoids that were wreaking havoc across the land!

"Boom, rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!"

The inky black humanoids in front of Artoria and the others were completely wiped out.

Illya and the rest saw the humanoids before them obliterated.

And up ahead, the way was now open for Rin and Luvia.

"Path's all clear!" Rin shouted.

"That light... Shirou," Luvia's gaze locked onto the Tower of Light. It was shining brightly amidst the endless darkness. Slowly, her hand clenched.

Luvia pointed at the tower and yelled, "Let's go, our target is there!"

"Got it!"

The strange humanoids that had been strewn across the landscape were mostly wiped out by the cascade of starlight.

"Who would have thought the tower of light could be used like this..." Gil's expression carried a mix of emotions.

One couldn't help but be amazed.

Turning the pure starlight into a benevolent blessing that spread throughout the land.

The magnitude of the effort behind this accomplishment was truly remarkable.

How immense was the difficulty in achieving this?

It's hard to put into words. It's beyond explanation.

Anyone can unleash a single magical strike. Take Artoria's linear Excalibur or Gawain's radial Excalibur, for example.

But in this moment, the king had transformed a single beam of light into countless stardust particles, controlling them with unparalleled precision to target numerous enemies at the same time.

Not a single strike strayed from its course!

It wasn't a rough bombardment; it was a meticulously calculated attack, and each blow found its mark!

Genuinely breathtaking!

However, at this very moment, the sky continued to be filled with an unending horde of malevolent humanoids.

Shirou persisted in controlling the Tower of Light, unleashing torrents of starlight that burst forth into countless stardust fragments, erasing each and every humanoid creature!

The sky was shrouded in annihilating darkness, yet the earth gleamed with the light of hope.

This sight, akin to a myth reborn, stood as a clash between heaven and earth.

Absolutely mesmerizing!

Countless people found themselves captivated.

What could possibly outshine the splendor of this spectacle unfolding before their eyes?

"What are you all gawking at!?" Shirou's voice boomed as he reprimanded his soldiers who had become entranced by this display.

"My King..."

All eyes turned to the monarch standing beside the Tower of Light.

The King was bathed in the light of the stars.

"I'll hold the sky. Return to your posts and carry out your duties!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The soldiers shook off their trance and went back to their tasks.

Shirou remained tethered to the Tower of Light, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on the expanse above.

—Why are you still here, the one with whom I forged a promise...?

The planet's will questioned him.

He didn't respond, but another presence within him reacted to the planet's inquiry.

—Because he is the king of humanity, Gaia.

Without a doubt, this presence belonged to Crimson Moon.

A chuckle could be heard; he was very delighted. After being suppressed by Shirou for so long, he had finally found a chance to break free.

Shirou's body began to emit a crimson mud-like substance.

A throbbing headache gripped him, as if a thousand thorns were piercing his very soul, inflicting excruciating pain.

Even his precise control of the Tower of Light wavered. This lapse allowed a handful of sinister humanoids to breach the perimeter of starlight.

"Don't you dare disrupt me at this crucial moment, you mongrel!" Shirou roared, his unyielding will pushing back against Crimson Moon's influence.

—Impossible! How can you still suppress me under these conditions? You... you monster!

The blood-red mud around him started to pull back and gradually disappeared into his body.

But things weren't getting any better.

Due to Crimson Moon's interference, the starlight defense line had been breached and a horde of creepy humanoids managed to slip through.

This caused him to channel even greater mental and magical energy into creating an offensive net, which proved to be a substantial test of his mental and magical resilience.

And right at that moment—

"Brahmastra, cover the earth!"

A surge of magical energy roared from a distance, and the light emitted by the Excalibur, which was also gleaming in the distance, merged seamlessly, obliterating the horde of eerie humanoids that had breached the defenses.

"What's going on...?" Shirou was taken aback.

——She's started to make her move. You must leave this place quickly, Guinevere...

The planet's will grew fainter by the moment, until it eventually faded away.

"Is Alaya also taking action now?"

Shirou didn't feel relief. Instead, the weight on his shoulders grew even heavier.

Over fifteen centuries ago, when he confronted the White Dragon Vortigern and Crimson Moon, Alaya had stayed passive. However, this time, she was stirring.

Could this imply that Alaya had genuinely concluded that this being posed an immense threat and danger to human history, to the very existence of humanity?

His gaze remained locked on the colossal dormant dragon head in the sky. "Could it be that this entity is the real cause for why King Gilgamesh and King Solomon's Clairvoyance couldn't see beyond 2004?"

He was not certain, but the pressing priority was to evacuate all the people from this city, which was on the brink of being isolated and obliterated by the planet!

...

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