C465

Crimson Moon was taken aback. Instead of panicking, Shirou was actually laughing. Even more, he was openly taunting her. This unexpected behavior made her start to feel a bit uneasy.

She had been hidden within him for ten years, and over an extensive period of fifteen hundred years, she had come to deeply understand the darker aspects of humanity. The elite were particularly detestable, so much so that she found them indescribable. Words couldn't capture the depth of their corruption. And Shirou was no different from those elites; he was dirty through and through.

An unsettling feeling grew in her heart. She yelled, "You're only bluffing! All you do is talk, Shirou!"

With her shout still echoing, she swung her demonic sword straight at him.

Sure enough, facing him, someone who had once plotted to take her down, she couldn't keep her cool. Was he hiding some ace up his sleeve that could turn the tables? 

He really got under her skin!

The sinister red light shot toward him. It wasn't flashy or overly dramatic; just a pillar-like surge of blood-red moonlight, a strike that went beyond any need for flair.

Artoria tightened her grip on the holy sword she held. 

The sword glowed, its light like a celestial bridge connecting heaven and earth. She opened her mouth in a silent scream and a burst of light rocketed toward Crimson Moon.

White light met crimson light in mid-air, the clash resonating with an immense force. Rather than dissipating, the energies collided head-on. At the center of the impact, the energies swirled, forming a chaotic and destructive pocket of entropy. This singularity morphed into a void, sucking in all the surrounding energy.

Crimson Moon's expression tightened. By rank, her weapon should have the upper hand, but it was still a work in progress. Just as she'd suspected, her unfinished demonic sword couldn't best Artoria's holy sword—yet, Artoria's weapon couldn't completely overpower hers either.

She shot Shirou a look, clenched her teeth, and lunged at him.

Maybe he was right all along. Maybe she had made a foolish move by not taking him out earlier due to her desire to seize the Invisible Vortex he had. His relaxed demeanor now was certainly unsettling her.

Artoria's eyes were cold as ice as she rushed forward, her holy sword aimed mercilessly at Crimson Moon.

"Stay out of this!" Crimson Moon yelled, raising her demonic sword to parry the incoming strike.

Artoria's gaze was colder than ever, a chill Gray had never sensed before. It was as if she was facing an entirely different person.

When the holy and demonic swords collided in mid-air, the resulting clash was anything but ordinary. Artoria alone might not have the power to directly confront Crimson Moon, but the real contest was between the two legendary swords.

Despite fighting Artoria, Crimson Moon's eyes remained locked onto Shirou. When he began to smirk, a wave of panic washed over her. In response, she activated Marble Phantasm, summoning a horde of fearsome magical beasts that charged at him from every direction.

Yet Galahad and Attila moved to intercept the magical beasts. Astraea also emerged from among the crowd, shielding those she was responsible for while taking on the attacking magical creatures.

Not to be outdone, Crimson Moon summoned a barrage of massive meteorites, aiming them directly at Shirou. But as they descended, the meteorites vanished into what looked like spatial rifts.

It was clearly the work of Imaginary Numbers Space. A woman, trapped within that space by a formidable being, was doing everything she could to meddle with the real world.

A slight twitch appeared at the corner of Crimson Moon's mouth, while Shirou's smile deepened.

Deep within him, in the space of "All the World's Evil," countless black hands slithered out. They grabbed the fragments of Crimson Moon that had previously been absorbed, pulling them deeper into his soul. There, a vortex resembling chaos was gradually spinning.

Whether it was the [Wisdom of Mortal], the [Heroic Mortal]. or the [Leader of Mortal], they all drew from this vortex. It was his core power source, known as [Mortal Awakening]!

Wielding her demonic sword, Crimson Moon managed to push back Artoria, even as she continued to summon an endless stream of magical beasts. She fought on multiple fronts—engaging the crowd while also sometimes slashing her demonic sword toward him.

"You're just bluffing!" she shouted.

With a cold smile, Shirou channeled the fragments of Crimson Moon that he'd previously absorbed, pushing them forcefully into the vortex deep within his soul.

Crackle, crackle...

The vortex whirred into motion, warping and breaking down the information contained within the fragments. Though he didn't fully understand it, this vortex was his wellspring of power, silently bearing witness to all his achievements. Every time he attained greatness, pushing the boundaries of his life to new heights, this vortex came alive, creating new entries in his record and bestowing upon him astonishing powers.

If transmigrators were said to have a secret weapon, a cheat of sorts, then this mysterious vortex was undoubtedly his cheat. It was the cornerstone for his boundless growth!

[Mortal Awakening] was something he couldn't control, but when it evolved into [Mortal Awakening - Emperor], he could somehow direct it, albeit reluctantly. By inserting records that could complete the Eternal King's unfinished Imperial legacy and using the records of others to fill in the gaps, a brand-new Heroic Spirit emerged, one that had never even existed in the Throne of Heroes.

This new entity couldn't be recorded or exist until [Mortal Awakening - Emperor] was activated, giving birth to an Emperor.

High above, the crimson moon took on an even deeper shade of red. As if powered by some immense new force, it totally eclipsed the black mist that had been enveloping the world.

The crimson beam of light from the demonic sword, initially targeted at Shirou, suddenly veered off course as though it had been forcefully redirected by an unseen power. With an abrupt shift, it shot upwards into the sky, ultimately disappearing into the void.

"How can this be?" Crimson Moon's voice was laced with disbelief. It felt as if her authority had been usurped!

At the spot where Shirou had stood, a crimson glow pulsated, almost as if signaling the emergence of a new crimson moon.

thud, thud, thud...

Emerging from that crimson glow, an emperor began to walk out slowly.

This Emperor was undoubtedly Shirou, but he had undergone a dramatic transformation after activating [Mortal Awakening - Emperor] with Crimson Moon's fragments. His jet-black hair had turned to golden locks, and his once-black eyes now mirrored the crimson of the Moon King's, gleaming with an unsettling light.

He was adorned in blood-red armor, with its dragon motifs transformed into lunar patterns. He radiated a brilliance as deep as the blood moon in the sky.

With those crimson eyes, the Emperor stared coldly at Crimson Moon.

"My... my authority..." she stuttered, her eye twitching uncontrollably as she stared at the Emperor.

She was the King of the Moon, its ruler, its ultimate authority. Yet, the moment this Emperor appeared, she felt as if her control over the Moon had been split, as though part of her power had been divided.

Plundered!!

And the thief was none other than this Emperor, who had calmly emerged from the crimson light.

'What in the world is going on?' she thought, disbelief flooding her mind. This was an unprecedented situation she had never encountered or even heard of before!

But she knew this might be his trump card, and there's no way she would give him enough time for it to take effect!

With a sweep of her demonic sword, she unleashed an attack aimed at the Emperor.

Boom, boom!

A light that seemed to transcend dimensions itself streaked across the space between them, hurtling toward the Emperor.

Unimpressed, the Emperor let out a cold snort and casually raised his hand, giving it a dismissive wave.

The blood moon became even more unsettling, and the light from Artoria's holy sword shone brighter than ever. However, something strange occurred with the crimson beam of light from the demonic sword. Just as it was about to strike the Emperor, it veered off course and headed straight back toward its own wielder!

Crimson Moon looked genuinely shocked. She narrowed her eyes, and the crimson beam of light altered its path yet again, zooming up into the sky until it vanished.

"So it's true," she said, glaring at him, her expression turning grim. "You really did steal my authority, didn't you, Shirou?"

The Emperor just gave her a cold smile.