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IBHJ Chapter 227
🕑 Added 2023-04-25 23:15:49 +0000 UTCShirou and Arcueid raced northward on Dun Stallion, the wind whipping past them as they made their way to the defensive line. Before Guinevere regained consciousness, Shirou had already instructed Merlin to hasten to the northern defensive line ahead of them.
Merlin's strategic importance lay in his eyes, or more precisely, his Clairvoyance. With the ability to see everything on a global scale, he had a god's eye view - an invaluable asset in times of war. So, Shirou knew he couldn't afford to let Merlin leave the front lines for too long, given his crucial role. As soon as he awakened Arcueid, he sent Merlin back to the front lines.
Despite Merlin's resentful expression, he obeyed Shirou's command without a word.
It's worth mentioning that over the past two years, Merlin's emotions had become quite rich and varied. However, Shirou was unsure whether these emotions were truly Merlin's own or simply copied from others.
"How are you feeling, Arcueid?" Shirou asked as he controlled Dun Stallion, with Arcueid sitting behind him, holding onto his cloak for support.
"I'm okay, but I won't be able to fight at full strength. Ro-... Shirou," Arcueid instinctively wanted to call out Roa, but a phantom pain in her scalp made her quickly change her mind.
"I'm sorry... I needed your power as soon as you woke up," he apologized, his tone soft and remorseful. In front of Arcueid, who hailed from the same era, he was simply Fujimaru Shirou, not the mighty King Arthur.
"It's alright. You said it yourself - in order to go back, we need to defeat that... thing. Helping you is helping myself, so use my power as much as you need," she reassured him with a bright, sunny smile.
Despite finding herself inexplicably transported to the unfamiliar fifth century, abandoned by her once-relied-upon "Gaia," and rudely dragged out of a dream by Shirou while still weak and recovering, Arcueid maintained a smile on her face and readily agreed to help him without any grievances. She was so bright and cheerful.
"Just one thing though! Absolutely no more pulling my hair! Otherwise, I'll be really angry!" she said firmly, her expression serious.
Shirou nodded in agreement, holding the reins of the horse.
It was only natural - even if he wanted to, grabbing Arcueid's hair was no easy feat. The Arcueid in this world had short hair, and he wasn't particularly interested in short hair anyway.
But was this really the same Arcueid he knew?
When he first discovered he was in the fifth century, he had panicked and been troubled for a long time. In contrast, Arcueid seemed unfazed by their situation. She was like a curious little girl, eagerly taking in the new world around her.
Perhaps this was the composure befitting a True Ancestor Princess. Despite knowing they were in an era when the Crimson Moon still existed, and being the best vessel for the Crimson Moon's reincarnation, Arcueid remained remarkably calm.
Speaking of which, there was still a piece of the Crimson Moon residing within Arcueid's consciousness - a Crimson Moon from the 20th century, always watching over Arcueid's body. Should Arcueid ever give up her identity as "Arcueid" and release her vampiric impulses, this body would belong to the Crimson Moon from the 20th century.
However, Shirou had yet to encounter that Crimson Moon from the 20th century. But as he thought about it, there was another Crimson Moon in this 5th century...
The timeline was in chaos!
Perhaps this world was a parallel universe, Shirou thought to himself. During the Fourth Holy Grail War, he had interacted with Artoria. If this was the same world, his actions would have left a significant mark on Artoria's life, and she should have recognized him. However, she didn't seem to know him at all. In fact, during the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Artoria he had encountered even pointed her sword at him.
This strongly suggested that this was indeed a parallel world.
As for the Artoria who had mistakenly called him "Guinevere" during the Fourth Holy Grail War, Shirou could easily understand the confusion. After all, Guinevere bore a striking resemblance to him.
But that was all in the past. Their destination was just ahead, and instead of dwelling on such thoughts, it was better to focus on the task at hand: defeating Vortigern!
That remained their primary objective for now.
Shirou rode towards the front lines on his horse, where the attacks from the magical beasts were unrelenting, fierce like a raging sea. The fortress, built by humans, stood tall like a mountain, holding back the waves of enemies.
But even with the protective shield of the fortress, war remained war. People were still getting wounded or killed in the battle.
Through the cracks in the fortress, soldiers continued to fire their weapons, but some were being bitten by the magical beasts while shooting, and others were being dragged out of the cracks by brute force.
These soldiers were being crushed into pieces, their flesh and blood scattered everywhere. Despite their injuries, however, they fought on with unwavering determination. Some even managed to launch a final attack on the ravenous beasts outside the fortress before being devoured.
The strong stench of blood permeated the fortress, causing Shirou to inwardly exclaim, "This isn't good!"
Amidst the chaos of battle, he had overlooked a crucial detail. Although Arcueid was a special True Ancestor, she still had the primal urge to drink blood. Normally, it was not a problem, but the overwhelming smell of blood could trigger her and cause her to attack Shirou and the others.
If that were to happen, it could potentially attract more enemies rather than reinforcements - it would be inviting a wolf into the henhouse!
Shirou's mind was filled with cold sweat, and he quickly turned to look at Arcueid. To his surprise, her expression appeared perfectly normal, which was rather puzzling.
"Do you not want to drink blood?" Shirou asked with concern.
"Not really," replied Arcueid, a hint of confusion in her voice. "Why do you ask?"
He furrowed his brow. He couldn't understand how such a rich and intense aroma of blood failed to arouse her urge to drink.
Wait a minute!
This is...
"Blood... fresh blood..."
Initially, Shirou didn't pay much attention to the Vampiric Evil, which had been operating on its own. The incessant temptation of the evil resonated in his mind, and the immense malice it produced was absorbed and transformed into magical energy.
As it turned out, Arcueid did experience vampiric impulses, but to some extent, they were absorbed by Shirou's malice.
Wait a minute...
If that's the case, wouldn't it be considered cheating if Arcueid were to unlock her power restrictions and unleash her full strength?"
As the realization set in, he proposed, "Why don't you try unlocking your vampiric impulses, Arcueid?"
"What? I don't have any vampiric impulses!" she replied in a panicked tone, clearly averse to the idea.
"If you're lying, at least learn how to control your expressions. Unlock them and let's see."
"I don't know what will happen," she hesitated.
After some contemplation, he suggested, "Don't unlock them all at once. Instead, try unlocking them gradually and see how far you can go before the vampiric impulses take over."
She nodded, and gradually, her power began to increase. As her red eyes transformed into a golden hue, a greedy and violent expression took hold in her gaze.
"Stop! That's enough!" he called out, bringing a halt to her ascent.
With her vampiric impulses in check, she regained control of her power.
"How do you feel?"
"It's strange... I was able to unlock half of my power, but the vampiric impulses didn't seem to affect me," she replied, looking puzzled.
With only half of her power left to suppress her vampiric impulses, Arcueid unlocked an additional 20% of her power. Previously, she would have been overwhelmed by the vampiric impulses if she had left only 50% of her power to suppress them.
However, to her surprise, she felt no impact from the vampiric impulses.
Shirou nodded in understanding.
The Vampiric Evil was still absorbing Arcueid's vampiric impulses, but it was clear that it could not absorb them completely. Its influence was limited.
To put it simply, in her normal state, Arcueid could only utilize 30% of her strength. If she were to push beyond that limit, she would be unable to control her vampiric impulses and eventually succumb to them, becoming possessed by the Crimson Moon within her. However, when she was with Shirou, she was able to exert 50% of her strength while keeping her vampiric impulses in check.
It was clear that their abilities had become complementary.
Shirou was able to utilize Arcueid's vampiric impulses to restore his magical energy, while Arcueid was able to utilize Shirou's Vampiric Evil to mitigate the effects of her own vampiric impulses. This allowed her to avoid going berserk or even falling under the control of the Crimson Moon.
"I never thought something like this could be possible..." Arcueid's eyes brightened, revealing a pure and sunny smile.
She was overjoyed that she had managed to overcome her vampiric impulses, but she was unaware of the king's gaze, as he scrutinized her from head to toe.
For someone who had a pure heart, even when the sky was grey, it was still sunny. Arcueid felt that the king's gaze was very pure and was also happy for her.
However, as Merlin rushed over and caught sight of the king's gaze, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach.
That scrutinizing look was all too familiar to him. The king had used it on many people before, including himself, Agravain, and Guinevere.
It was not an admiring gaze, but rather a calculating one.
Merlin groaned inwardly. 'Oh no, my stomach hurts again,' he thought, looking visibly uncomfortable.
At that moment, the king turned his gaze to Merlin and issued an order. "Merlin, contact Artoria immediately. Transfer the overall command of the north to Gawain and have her return as soon as possible!"
Merlin was taken aback and frowned, questioning the king's decision. "Your Majesty, wouldn't it be more efficient for Lily to lead the attack against the Picts in the north? Why summon her back?"
"Because I have a better use for her now," the king replied, his gaze once again fixed on Arcueid. A smile crept across his face, and he couldn't help but feel pleased.
