"How valiant! Yes, this is how it should be. This is what I expect from the partner I chose! Entertain me further, Son of Man!"
"Gladly... but the price will be your life, Crimson Moon Brunestud!"
Wreathed in emerald light, Shirou became a streaking meteor and charged straight into the King of the Moon's embrace.
A barrage of slashes erupted at point blank range.
Even the mind of a planet could not perfectly evade the optimal path calculated through [Prediction of Causality].
"Alt Schule."
As Crimson Moon raised his arm, the atmosphere across the planet's surface converged and folded around his fingertips.
The pulse of the planet.
Even scientific sensors from the twenty first century would likely have detected nothing.
It was a pulse produced by the magical energy flowing through the world, known as the Greater Source (Mana), or the leylines.
At the King of the True Ancestors' [command], all the magical energy within the planet's surface gathered at his fingertips and was compressed to the highest density visible to the naked eye.
A tornado of True Ether worthy of being called the [Breath of the Planet] swept aside Shirou's entire assault and forced him back.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Both of their breathing had grown slightly ragged.
[Prediction of Causality] consumed an enormous amount of Mana.
Even with Albion's Core supplying him, the circuits within Shirou's body could not sustain such an immense flow of Mana for long.
Crimson Moon Brunestud, meanwhile, wore a smile of excitement and delight, his full chest rising and falling heavily.
"Hmph. If you refuse to attack, then I shall make the next move."
As Crimson Moon Brunestud spoke, golden ripples appeared in the empty space behind him, unleashing countless chains.
Their sheer number was staggering.
A literal [Thousand Chains] closed in around Shirou's position.
"Trace On."
The True Ancestor Brunestud had imagined Shirou being swallowed by his attack, but what appeared before him was an entirely different sight.
The surging wave formed by the thousand chains came to a halt.
From the space behind Shirou, a thousand swords shot forth, matching the chains in number.
A thousand chains against a thousand swords.
Metal fragments born from their scraping, collisions, and violent clashes rained down like a fine shower of glass.
"Oh, I saw this technique during our previous battle as well. Quite a few of those weapons are the same... So they are not disposable?"
The King of the True Ancestors raised his chin with interest.
Just as during their previous battle, where was he producing such an enormous number of armaments from?
An ability equal to my own, [Imaginary Materialization]...
No. I sense nothing resembling it.
Then is he actually a Magus with the Imaginary Number Attribute?
Has he stored those weapons inside an Imaginary Number pocket, within what is hypothetically considered the inner side of space?
Or perhaps, judging by his mention of [Trace] just now, could it possibly be...
Rather than frustrating him, the endless questions only deepened Crimson Moon Brunestud's smile.
"Interesting."
Several swords slipped through the encirclement of the thousand chains and flew toward Crimson Moon Brunestud.
However, the Mana infused blades were severed before they could even reach his skin.
"!?"
Shirou raised his head.
Though he had lost his sight, he seemed to sense something.
Something beyond the limits of his understanding had appeared beside the King of the Moon.
An emotion he could not identify, whether fear or sheer awe, spread from deep within the boy's body.
"What... is that?" he asked involuntarily.
"Hmm? This?"
Crimson Moon Brunestud raised an eyebrow and glanced at the magnificent longsword floating beside him.
"The Magic Sword [Real of the World]. You may call it that."
"..."
Shirou held his breath.
Even in absolute darkness, he could sense that this sword was fundamentally different.
It was unlike every weapon Shirou had ever encountered.
In a single instant, he understood.
He grasped the true power of the Magic Sword known as [Real of the World].
It was the only Noble Phantasm possessed by Crimson Moon Brunestud. It could also be described as a Conceptual Weapon born from the very principle behind his actions.
The resetting of the planet.
The erasure of Human Order.
Once released, [Real of the World] was a Magic Sword capable of directly returning a planet to its primordial state.
That was the true world desired by Humanity's Mother, Gaia, a world no longer subjected to interference from greedy, intelligent life.
The will of the planet itself would become its ruler.
The planet's very existence would become eternal.
"..."
Shirou recalled the first thing Crimson Moon Brunestud had said that day.
Even this moment was nothing more than a diversion before his true work began.
"Crimson Moon, do you intend to become a creator god?"
"I am merely restoring this planet, which humanity has consumed beyond reason, to its original state."
The King of the Moon answered indifferently.
"In your terms... yes, I suppose this would be the cycle of creation. But enough of that. Come, let us continue our battle, Holy Sword Bearer."
"...!"
Crimson Moon Brunestud moved a finger, and the Magic Sword launched an attack on its own.
Its slash did not produce a spatial rift, but a substance that did not belong within Earth's environment.
Glowing crystals spread across the ground and surged toward Shirou.
[Aegis] switched back into Pyra Form, cutting down the incomprehensible substance.
The autonomous Magic Sword [Real of the World] continued its assault.
Its unending slashes dissolved the laws governing the planet's surface, transforming the battlefield between Shirou and Crimson Moon Brunestud into an alien environment.
Shirou skillfully switched between Mythra and Pyra, managing to block most of the attacks, though some still left shallow wounds across his body.
"Splendid. I find myself wanting to make you mine more and more."
"Spare me your pointless nonsense!"
Shirou launched himself from the ground and attacked Crimson Moon Brunestud, who stood high in the sky.
Anyone who had watched the entire battle would have noticed that Shirou's movements were now several beats slower.
The King of the Moon no longer needed to make any serious effort to defend against an attack of this level.
With a single thought, space distorted.
Spacetime rifts formed a square cage around Shirou.
[Prediction of Causality].
Before the inescapable cage of light could fully take shape, Shirou abandoned his original course and moved around it.
He swung the white and gold greatsword wreathed in light, but Crimson Moon caught the blade in his bare hand before it could strike him.
"Answer me, human. Why do you resist me so fiercely? I have already permitted you to live."
"Crimson Moon, I have never cared what happens to my own life."
"Such nobility... My partner has no need for something so unnecessary."
"That's exactly what a vampire like you lacks."
"Hmph..."
Crimson Moon Brunestud's alluring lips curled upward.
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
Still gripping the blade of [Aegis], he swung his slender arm with tremendous force.
Caught off guard and completely unable to match Crimson Moon's strength, Shirou lost his balance and was hurled violently toward the ground.
"Urgh!"
Covered in wounds, Shirou crashed into the bottom of a deep crater.
Everything had returned to where it began.
"Son of Man, I have changed my mind."
Crimson Moon Brunestud silently gazed down at the red haired young man lying on the ground like a discarded rag.
"As I thought, persuading you is impossible."
"I told you to give up from the start."
"Heh. Even that stubbornness is among the charming qualities I find so endearing..."
A fleeting tenderness crossed Crimson Moon Brunestud's beautiful face as he slowly and elegantly raised a hand.
"As a human, you will never understand how wonderful it is to become my partner."
"In that case…"
"Though it is somewhat regrettable, I have decided to kill you once before making you mine."
"When that time comes, you may repent before me to your heart's content for your past foolishness and ignorance…"
"Rest assured. I shall forgive my partner's immaturity."
"You're finally going to kill me? You should have done that from the beginning."
Shirou smiled upon hearing those words.
He struggled to rise from the ground while Crimson Moon Brunestud waited in silence.
"Come, King of Humans. I shall make you an existence that will never perish."
"An immortal species that gets dizzy from a little sunlight? No, thank you."
[Aegis] gradually dissolved into particles of light within Shirou's hand, and he once again grasped the Holy Sword of the Planet.
The King of the Moon stood proudly in the sky and spread his arms wide.
The surface of the earth was stained an even deeper crimson.
Something was coming.
Along the shore at the edge of Britannia, the seawater began to boil.
The ground beneath Shirou's feet started trembling violently.
As impossible as it seemed, the planet's crust was undergoing a catastrophic transformation.
RUMBLE—!!!
The distant mountain ranges writhed. Far from the battlefield, the island of Britannia and the Eurasian continent began shifting wildly without any discernible pattern.
The earth split apart, rivers collapsed, mountains were reshaped, and lava erupted.
Continental plates shifted as inexplicable changes swept across the landscape. The planet's surface became a vast, boiling cauldron of darkness, churning with chaos both tangible and intangible.
What was happening!?
Above the Pure White King, an enormous crimson moon appeared and slowly descended toward the planet's surface.
It was the greatest possible manifestation of [Imaginary Materialization].
[Moon Fall].
The King of the Moon hurled a celestial body measuring 3,476 kilometers in diameter and weighing 73.5 quintillion metric tons toward the surface.
"Sing in the hell of creation, O ominous and calamitous Crimson Moon."
...
The entire world had entered its final countdown.
All the destruction until now had been nothing more than a runaway reaction caused by the gravitational collision between Earth and the Moon.
To the Earth, it was merely insignificant friction. To the fragile humans living upon its surface, it was hell itself descending upon them.
The sky collapsed, and the earth split apart.
Everything in creation, tangible and intangible alike, was gradually torn asunder under the influence of the descending crimson moon.
The star-filled canopy of heaven was ripped open with ease, exposing the black essence of the cosmos beyond. Energy, heat, and the laws of physics were all crushed in that instant and rendered meaningless.
Mountains, plains, basins, hills, canyons, flash floods, and lava. Tectonic upheavals repeated themselves in every possible combination within mere seconds. Life appeared utterly powerless before the final landscape of a dying planet.
Only the enormous Crimson Moon hanging above billions of lives continued to shine with an eternal, despairing radiance.
Crimson Moon Brunestud stood proudly in the sky, indifferent to the apocalyptic scene surrounding him. His gaze remained fixed on a single person.
Amid this horrific hell, only one man had shown no trace of despair from beginning to end.
As my partner, that much is only natural.
Even as Crimson Moon thought this, Shirou's composure still left him puzzled.
What do you intend to do?
Son of Man, surely you do not believe that Holy Sword of the Planet, forged by the fairies, can contend with my [Moon Fall]?
Of course it can!
Shirou's resolute expression said as much.
An unprecedented surge of Mana erupted from the young man, despite his body already being at its limit.
This is...
Only now did Crimson Moon Brunestud realize that Shirou had been holding back all along.
This was the Nameless King's full power.
A human who had consumed the heart of a Grand Dragon was himself a Transcendent Being who surpassed both True Ancestors and Dead Apostles.
Crimson Moon Brunestud's arrogance had caused him to overlook that fact. No, Shirou had deliberately encouraged him to underestimate him.
His purpose had undoubtedly been to prepare for this next attack, the one in which he would stake everything.
So what?
The King of the Moon did not believe he could lose. There was no reason for him to lose.
The crimson celestial body continued its slow descent. Nothing could stop it now.
No weapon, concept, or Magecraft in this world could prevent the moon from falling.
And yet...
Crimson Moon's elegant brows furrowed slightly.
Where was this unease coming from?
Opposite him, Shirou raised the golden, radiant sword from the lake high above his head with both hands.
He drew a deep breath.
Finally.
He had finally reached this point.
Shirou had no memories of the past.
He had merely inherited the body of his previous life, along with incomplete fragments of memory. He had no idea how someone was supposed to fight a monster on Crimson Moon's level.
The fact that he had lasted this long was already the result of equal parts effort and luck.
But that struggle ended here.
All the necessary conditions had been met. What came next was something Shirou knew very well.
It was the fragment of memory that had flooded into his mind the first time he used this technique.
Shirou Amamiya clearly remembered the final moment when he defeated Crimson Moon Brunestud and [Moon Fall].
"Holy Sword, draw."
Distorted starlight erupted from the young man's palm and scattered in every direction.
Just as Crimson Moon believed, no weapon in this world was capable of defeating him.
In that case, Shirou would summon power from other timelines.
Golden phantoms resonated, overlapped, and accelerated around the Holy Sword in Shirou's hands.
They were Holy Swords of the Planet drawn from infinite parallel worlds, manifesting for the third time in answer to the call of fate.
Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of phantom Holy Swords overlapped until they formed an explosive blade of light too unstable to retain a fixed shape.
Amid a thunderous roar, Shirou unleashed the strike that had shot down the moon in his memories.
"[Unlimited Excalibur Works]————!!!"
For the first time, bewilderment and shock appeared on Crimson Moon Brunestud's elegant face.
It was only natural.
This was a realm even he, a celestial mind, had never known or encountered.
[Magic].
It was not a law of the planet, but a truth humanity had imposed upon the universe.
It was the embodiment of a consumer civilization, something fundamentally opposed to Crimson Moon Brunestud's very Principle of Existence.
The King of the Moon had never understood it, had never wished to understand it, and had condemned it as heresy.
Now the absolute ruler would fall to his own arrogance and shortsightedness.
The ultimate radiance condensed from infinite Holy Swords cleaved the celestial body manifested by Crimson Moon in two.
The moon, already entering the atmosphere, shattered into countless pieces, but Shirou gave those fragments no opportunity to cause collateral damage.
The starlight that had been gathered into a single beam scattered once more.
For every fragment of the moon, another ray of light separated from the whole.
Billions of Holy Sword flashes annihilated every piece of [Moon Fall] in midair.
The crimson moonlight that had shrouded the planet's surface for years vanished with it.
This was the correct history forged by the Savior, Shirou Amamiya.
Now he had reclaimed it.
"..."
As the sky returned to its true appearance, Shirou breathed a sigh of relief before collapsing heavily to the ground.
He could no longer move so much as a finger.
It was a little regrettable, but it seemed this was as far as he would go.
He heard footsteps approaching.
It could not be anyone else.
It had to be him.
Crimson Moon Brunestud walked over to Shirou.
The Holy Sword had not brought him down, but he was no longer unscathed.
A horrifyingly deep wound had been carved across the front of the King of the Moon's magnificent body.
Crimson Moon Brunestud had to clutch his shoulder, and even standing or walking had become difficult.
Even so, he still possessed enough strength to take what remained of Shirou's life.
"Foolish man... You had the opportunity to rule the world alongside me."
Crimson Moon Brunestud sighed in displeasure.
Then he smoothed out his tattered long skirt and rested Shirou's head upon his lap.
Shirou found it strangely fascinating. Crimson Moon's skin was so tough that even the Holy Sword could barely wound it, yet his thigh was remarkably soft.
"Tell me. Do you regret it now?"
Crimson Moon Brunestud brushed the red-haired young man's bangs aside and stared at his face.
"Well... Who knows? I suppose I regret it a little."
"That is hardly something a Savior should say."
Crimson Moon's elegant brows furrowed.
"At a time like this, should you not be condemning me with righteous indignation, declaring that humanity and an evil vampire can never coexist?"
Shirou shook his head.
"No. I have no right to condemn you as evil…"
"One day, this beautiful planet will probably be destroyed by humanity's greed."
"If you ruled it instead... perhaps that would be the more correct outcome."
"You understand that, yet you still chose to resist me?"
Shirou murmured, "Yes. I'm human, after all... This was a battle for the survival of my own kind."
"Had you been born into this world as a True Ancestor, you would have fought for me instead, would you not?"
Shirou did not answer.
He had no idea what he would have done.
"It's about time. Finish me quickly."
Shirou exposed his neck.
"...Hmph."
Crimson Moon smiled.
There was no question that Shirou had won their final battle.
Crimson Moon Brunestud no longer possessed the strength to invade Earth.
More than that, in his weakened state, he was being corrected by the World, Gaia, and would soon be reduced to nothingness.
But before he disappeared, he could still do whatever he wished with Shirou, who was now incapable of moving.
He is going to turn me into a Dead Apostle.
That had been the purpose behind manifesting [Moon Fall] in the first place.
"Turning you into a vampire who could never disobey me would not be a bad outcome, but I have changed my mind."
"You've changed your mind several times today," Shirou remarked.
"Silence. Do not say such tedious things."
Crimson Moon glared fiercely at the human who was happily enjoying his lap pillow.
"Simply turning you into a Dead Apostle would not be enough to ease my resentment, so I have decided…"
"You must receive a far harsher punishment for defying me."
"Is that so? Please go easy on me," Shirou pleaded.
"I will do no such thing."
The King of the Moon smiled softly.
"Come. Accept them, my resentment and my love."
Shirou felt something warm drip onto his face.
Tears?
No, this was... blood?
Crimson Moon Brunestud placed a hand over Shirou's face.
When his slender fingers drew away, the first thing Shirou perceived was an endless expanse of blue.
"!!"
Shirou stared at Crimson Moon Brunestud in astonishment and saw that his eyes were peacefully closed.
Crimson Moon Brunestud had removed his own eyes and placed them inside Shirou's body.
"Why... would you do something like this...?"
The Pure White King of the True Ancestors answered calmly.
"This is the ultimate punishment I have bestowed upon you."
"No matter how many times you are reborn, and no matter where you may find yourself, you will never escape the curse of those eyes."
"..."
Shirou froze for a moment.
Then understanding dawned on him, and everything fell into place.
The reason Rita Rozay-en had invited him aboard the train.
The reason Nrvnqsr Chaos and Vlov Arkhangel had attacked him.
And the truth behind the [Mystic Eyes of the End].
A relieved smile appeared on Shirou's face.
"I understand. I'll live on for both of us, Crimson Moon."
"Is that all you have to say, human?"
Crimson Moon looked displeased, his voice carrying a hint of girlish petulance.
"...?"
Shirou was confused, and Crimson Moon said coldly, "I did not give you my eyes merely so you could stare at the sky."
Finally understanding what the King of the Moon meant, Shirou burst out laughing.
"I'm sorry. My apologies..."
Shirou raised a hand and touched Crimson Moon Brunestud's cheek.
"To have such a peerless beauty right in front of me, yet remain preoccupied with admiring the sky…"
"That was terribly rude of me. Please accept my apology."
"That is more like it. Make certain you remember my beautiful face..."
Only then did Crimson Moon Brunestud nod haughtily, looking satisfied.
"Lie still and do not move. This is our final farewell."
Shirou had a general idea of what was about to happen. With a trace of anticipation, he obediently closed his eyes.
"...Mwah❤."
Crimson Moon Brunestud leaned down and kissed him.
"Then farewell, human... The next time we meet, I will make you mine."
Even knowing they could never meet again, "she" still said those words.
Afterward, the King of the Moon's body rapidly disintegrated, transforming into a stream of light before vanishing.
"..."
Shirou fell back onto the ground. Ignoring the pain, he touched his left cheek with a dazed expression.
She actually kissed my cheek instead of my lips...
Crimson Moon, you're even more innocent than I thought.
***
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