Wipe the Floor

From the sky came a reddish beam that seemed to tear the very fabric of space at a rapid pace. It came from the Sword of Rupture—Ea, wielded by the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.

From behind, the Demonic Sword—True Demon Neardark, was completely unleashed by the Sixth Dead Apostle Ancestor, Black Knight Strout.

From the side was Shuten-douji, with the Holy Sword—Dragon Emperor Touch, given by Artorius.

"!!!"

Faced with attacks from three different directions simultaneously, Crimson Moon made the best judgment.

She raised and swung her sword, Real of the World.

It was a sword forged with the concept of restoring the world to its natural state. It released an unparalleled blend of light and magical energy that surged toward Gilgamesh in the sky.

At the same time, her other hand grasped the sword of Black Knight Strout.

With both hands in motion, she didn't forget about the Oni, Shuten-douji.

Rainbow Mystic Eyes!

As the highest-level Mystic Eyes in Nasuverse. It incorporated the functions of multiple Mystic Eyes.

In an instant, Shuten's body seemed as if it would be twisted and sliced, an intensely extreme sensation of fear. Strangely, this feeling didn't make her afraid; instead, it made her feel happy, a strong sense of happiness. She looked at Crimson Moon across from her and felt that she was the cutest being in the world.

How could someone so cute harm her?

But in the next moment, the sword in her hand gave Shuten a new strength, and her smile became even more radiant.

*Stab!*

In this radiant smile, the sword of the Oni pierced Crimson Moon's heart.

"Well done." Crimson Moon praised Shuten.

In the next second, Shuten's body shattered into pieces. Her eyeballs which had been thrown high up gazed at her 'father' with an affectionate and reluctant look. {T/N: I assume this father figure is Artorius from several hints in the previous chapters.}

'Until we meet again.'

The fragments of Shuten's body turned into spiritual particles and disappeared.

Shuten-douji from the Empire side, fell.

"Aozaki Toukooo!!!" Trhvmn shouting Touko's name in anger.

In his furious roar, Touko observed the spectacle from below as her eyes lost their luster and revealed an eerie smile. Clearly, her body was just a puppet.

In his angry shouts, now mixed with embarrassment, Trhvmn looked toward the calm Artorius.

'Wrong, everything is wrong. My calculations and speculations about the Dragon Emperor, about the Empire, were all wrong. I was so confident that I had turned the Empire's Servants to our side, confident that everything was under my control, yet I didn't even notice there were spies so close to me!'

Trhvmn said frustratedly in his mind as he looked at Strout.

'Black Knight Strout. Despite rumors that the Empire killed Altrouge, it's entirely not the case from his behavior! He's not under the King of the Moon's command; he's under the command of Altrouge. His betrayal must have been orchestrated by that Princess.'

Looking up at the sky, the intense battle between 'Sword of Rupture' and 'Real of the World' was ongoing.

Due to all of these distractions, Crimson Moon couldn't suppress Gilgamesh!

'Gilgamesh, although he's dissatisfied with the Dragon Emperor, with his arrogance, he certainly won't join forces with us.'

'Aozaki Touko, Fifth Magic... the empire might not return it to her. But as long as the emperor wants to win her over, the empire has too many cards to play.'

'Finally, Shuten-douji...'

Thinking about this, Trhvmn refrained from continuing his thoughts. But the facts were there. With the Dragon Emperor's lecherous nature, he wouldn't leave such a 'high-grade copper' untouched.

Could he actually believe something so absurd?!

The Dragon Emperor must have already 'refined' her again and again, 'refining' and 'refining' until even the ore residue had been completely 'refined' with nothing left! {T/N: Should be Segs, right?}

In such a case, no matter what he said, that Oni would be...

He was so foolish, to believe even in this! That Oni was obviously on the Dragon Emperor's side from the beginning!

'Damn!'

Thinking like that, the expression on Trhvmn's face contorted.

Trhvmn pushed his terrifying and immense power and momentum to the limit, then the limit, and once again the utmost limit. With an aura almost second only to Crimson Moon's, he charged towards the Dragon Emperor.

At this point, there was no other option but to give it his all! It was do or die!

The Dragon Emperor might have thought he had a winning hand. But now, looking at the situation, his lineup wasn't bad at all! The Black Wing Lord—Gransurg Blackmore, was battling Black Knight Strout. Their speed was so fast it was nearly invisible.

Though Trhvmn held no regard for that uncouth monster, he had to admit that Gransurg's strength was not beneath his own. Taking down Strout posed no problem.

Just as he had anticipated, Gransurg activated his Reality Marble in the next moment. Sinister black crow feathers almost blanketed the sky, enshrouding both him and Strout.

Simultaneously, Merem Solomon released all of his familiars.

Demon of the Right Leg—The King of the Land, a creature with unparalleled proportions.

Demon of the Left Leg—The King of the Sky, a terror in the sky like a flying fortress.

Demon of the Right Arm—Lady Windup, the mechanical puppet with a height exceeding ten meters, armed from head to toe with weapons for killing.

Demon of the Left Arm—King of Rats, also Merem's adviser with a benevolent appearance. But, this familiar was dead as soon as he appeared. But no matter, they hadn't expected anything from him in the first place.

But excluding King of Rats, Merem's other three familiars possessed the strength of top-tier phantasmal species. Each one claimed to have power equivalent to the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, enough to take on a Servant.

The only exception was Roa, the Serpent of Akasha. His habit of holding back his power and being ready to betray at any moment was despicable. Nevertheless, Trhvmn hadn't expected anything from him either.

'We still have the army of the Dead and the environment here favors us. The King of the Moon wields the power of the Holy Grail, while the Dragon Emperor lacks five hundred years of experience. If I fight with all my might, this battle can still be won!' Trhvmn thought optimistically to himself, 'This time, the Dragon Emperor will be outplayed—'

But, his thought got cut off as in the next second and the pupils of Trhvmn contracted sharply.

Because in front of him appeared a fearsome barrage of light beams that blotted out the sky.

Not one, not ten, but a total of a hundred and fifty beams, pure crimson beams, like flames.

Standing at the very forefront of the group of knights clad in alternating red and white armor was a figure wearing a confident and defiant smile, even if she turned to ashes, Artorius would recognize her.

It was his most beloved sister, Mordred.

"This is—!"

*BOOOM!!!*

The red radiance engulfed the White Wing Lord.

He didn't even have time to utter his last words. Under the relentless assault of the empire's most formidable armed force—Knights of Punishment, there was no mercy as he made his exit.

Accompanying him in this departure were Merem and Roa, both fading into the background.

Dedication, Courage, Intellect—none had any use against the might of the empire.

Simultaneously, another hundred and fifty knights joined the battle, their bodies encased in black armor, wielding greatswords, long-handled scythes, halberds, and spears. They reaped the lives of the Dead as if slicing through melons and vegetables.

Their speed was so astonishing that it seemed endless, mowing down the seemingly infinite horde of the Dead, much like the melting of snow under the blazing sun.

However, among them, there was only one figure who trembled slightly upon seeing the Dragon Emperor.

'Lancelot.'

Artorius swiftly recognized the figure, a fleeting expression of compassion passing through his eyes. Yet, the Dragon Emperor refrained from saying anything further.

He simply continued to gaze calmly upon the battlefield.

Trhvmn Ortenrosse—the White Wing Lord and the King of the Dead Apostles, had fallen.

The Reality Marble of the Black Wing Lord, Gransurg, also dissipated rapidly.

Lancelot, donned entirely in black armor, calmly emerged, holding a head.

Another knight in black—Rizo-Waal Strout, could only regard his 'ally' with a vigilant stare, refraining from even a breath. The sudden appearance and the act of unceremoniously annihilating Gransurg to the ground with a single sword strike had been utterly terrifying.

The Dead Apostle Ancestors were totally defeated, and the horde of the Dead wasn't far from total collapse.

Unlike a millennium ago during the Battle of Century, the empire's efforts were vastly different.

Powered armors infused with cutting-edge magecraft and technology. The combination of new magic swords and warriors with centuries of experience resulted in a force that made the vampire army, once formidable, crumble in an instant.

Following that, only Crimson Moon remained on the scene.

"Hmph..."

Still, a cold snort was the sole response from Gilgamesh as he returned his Ea to the Gate of Babylon, having no intention of participating any further.

Similarly idle was Iskandar, who had finally arrived—or rather, Iskandar's army.

Iskandar's individual strength was lacking, but he had cut through the battlefield with this army composed of Servants.

"It's the end, isn't it?"

The King of Conquerors' tone was complex, with a strong hint of envy in his gaze towards Artorius.

"How unfortunate... really unfortunate..." Iskandar murmured disappointed.

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield.

"So, this is what you mean..." Watching herself become alone in an instant, Crimson Moon's expression was tranquil, yet her emotions ran deep. "A millennium of time has led to such tremendous progress for humanity. I was overconfident."

"It's not entirely your fault."

In truth, even Artorius was taken aback by the empire's true capabilities. Now, he finally grasped the meaning behind Agravain's earlier assertion of 'absolute safety.'

Both these knight orders possessed power rivaling the pinnacle of Heroic Spirits. Coupled with the empire's technology, magecraft, and the coordination of elite troops, they were indeed capable of handling 'Crimson Moon' by themselves.

Crimson Moon, Ultimate One of the Moon, one of the strongest beings in the Nasuverse, faced with the empire's level of strength, was similarly feeble.

—The key factor lies in making them drop their guard entirely, make them emerge from their hiding, and come before us. What we must do next is to eliminate them.

—That's the difference between regular and guerrilla warfare.

Unexpected, yet fitting. If the empire, after developing for so long, still lacked such strength, Artorius might have been disappointed.

"So... aren't you coming to accept my challenge?"

As Artorius sighed in his mind, Crimson Moon said and raised her sword once more toward him.

"I am an emperor after all." Rather than directly responding, Artorius spoke thus, "I don't shy away from challenges, but my position demands self-restraint when all of this is unnecessary."

"..."

The words of the Dragon Emperor silenced Crimson Moon. The very next second, she made her decision.