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IBHJ Chapter 138
🕑 Added 2023-03-06 22:53:11 +0000 UTCTristan's sudden fainting left Shirou unable to perform his song, leaving him feeling dejected. He had a rare desire to sing, but unfortunately, his audience had fainted before he could even begin.
Under the strange and bewildered gazes of the King Mark's soldiers, Shirou dragged the unconscious Tristan back to his camp.
Over the next three days, Shirou spent his time memorizing the names of the lower-ranking officers and attempting to engage Tristan in conversation about music. However, for some inexplicable reason, Tristan began to avoid him at every turn and refused to play his harp in the forest at night.
One night, when Tristan attempted to sneak out and play the harp, he caught sight of Shirou and immediately fled the scene. This behavior left him puzzled and wondering what could be causing Tristan's sudden avoidance of him.
During this period, he went to find Kay to bring him back. However, when he found him, Kay was lying amongst a pile of women, completely intoxicated and unresponsive. Shirou was filled with both envy and jealousy, but as a brother, he knew he needed to exercise some discretion. He couldn't be a third wheel, could he?
Without hesitation, he turned around and left. However, he was unaware of the hope that had filled Kay's heart upon his arrival. It was as if he had seen an angel who could rescue him from his troubles. But when Shirou left without a word or a second thought, Kay's hope vanished, leaving him with a sense of despair. It felt like the gates of heaven had closed, and he had been thrown back into the depths of hell.
An old lady next to Kay blocked his view and spoke with a smirk, "Dear Sir Kay, we will take good care of you."
Kay's response was immediate and filled with despair, "No--!!!" Tears streamed down his face, leaving his eyes empty and hollow.
...
Shirou intended to search for Merlin, but he had disappeared without a trace. For the time being, he had to put his search on hold.
Three days had passed, and the army began to march.
In preparation to defeat the Dead Apostles, the Archbishop had distributed nearly a thousand black keys to the army. Almost every legion had been equipped with them.
Black keys were a unique form of exorcism equipment used by the Church. Though they didn't possess any significant physical destructive power, they had a remarkable effect on the Dead Apostles, as well as most spirits and phenomena.
Shirou was surprised to find out that black keys existed 1,500 years ago.
After consulting and discussing the strategy following the scout's report, the decision has been made to launch an attack.
After the strategy had been decided, Shirou made a solemn declaration, "There can only be one commander on the battlefield! If any of you have any objections, please voice them now. But once we're on the battlefield, you must obey Artoria's commands. If anyone interferes with her command, don't blame me for being rude!"
He had never fought in a battle or had any experience commanding troops. However, throughout history, the worst thing that could happen in a war was sudden changes in orders and inconsistent coordination. For this reason, he made his declaration in advance, hoping to avoid any confusion or interference with Artoria's command on the battlefield.
The knights nodded in agreement. They all recognized Artoria's strength and military strategy, and as long as they were not being sent to their deaths for no reason, they were willing to follow her commands.
His words also touched Artoria deeply. She felt a great deal of trust and vowed to command the battle well.
The army set off, rushing towards the mountains to the west of Caerleon Castle. According to intelligence, the mountain giant was known to roam in the western mountains, while the workshop was believed to be located in a mine within the mountains.
The army was divided into five groups, forming a fan shape as they rushed into the western mountains. Before long, they caught sight of a colossal figure shaped like a rock standing in front of them.
"Is that the mountain giant?" Shirou frowned, studying the colossal figure. It stood approximately forty meters tall, truly deserving of the name giant.
The sight of the mountain giant served as a reminder to him that this was not just a world from 1,500 years ago, but a magical world from the end of the Age of Gods, populated by fairies and giants alike.
"Wait! This is--?!" He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
As soon as the army entered the vicinity of the mountain giant, bright red sigils appeared on the ground. There was no doubt that some sort of magecraft had been activated.
The next moment--
"Crackling!!"
The massive stone figure started to stir!
Artoria assumed command of the troops and issued her orders. She instructed the heavily-armored soldiers carrying shields to encircle the mountain giant, while directing the archers to provide cover fire from the rear.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Swords rained down upon the mountain giant like a swarm of bees, producing a cacophony of clanging sounds upon impact. The giant, in a fit of rage, retaliated by attacking the armored troops that encircled it.
It was an overwhelming force!
But the people of this era hailed from the end of the Age of Gods and, on average, possessed superior qualities when compared to those of later generations. Lamorak's armored troops, under his command, were especially durable and formidable.
Although the mountain giant was able to push them back and knock them down, the heavily-armored troops were successfully impeding its movements. The strategy of encirclement and killing the giant gave Shirou a sense of deja vu.
Now that he thought about it, wasn't this the same tactic Iskandar used with his "Army of Kings" to encircle and kill Spartacus?
It seems that during the end of the Age of Gods, people commonly used a particular strategy of surrounding giants with their troops.
Suddenly, the circle on the ground emitted a blood-like red light, and the soil beneath churned as countless soldiers dressed in silver armor emerged from the ground, as if rising from the dead.
The eerie soldiers looked at the living soldiers as if they were staring at a delicious meal, emitting spine-chilling howling noises.
Bedivere gazed upon the undead soldiers with a somewhat melancholic expression. It was clear that these undead soldiers were the Camaral troops who had been transformed when he led the army to attack the mountain giant.
Shirou comforted him by placing a hand on his shoulder and said, "Look up and face them directly. It's time to let them rest."
"Your Highness Arthur..." Bedivere raised his head and gazed at Shirou's profile, then nodded heavily before turning his attention towards the undead soldiers.
Archbishop cried out, "Undead soldiers have emerged! Switch to black keys to combat these monsters!"
Artoria altered her strategy and instructed Lamorak to lead his troops in distracting the mountain giant, while the remaining soldiers were dispatched to arm themselves with black keys and clear out the undead soldiers.
Archbishop and his followers also joined the battle against the undead soldiers.
In contrast to the soldiers, the Archbishop and his followers from the Church were notably more proficient and effectively purified the undead soldiers one by one. With the undead threat neutralized, Artoria ordered another army to act as the spearhead, directly tearing open the battlefield.
It must be acknowledged that she possessed innate military strategy talent, meticulously analyzing the characteristics of each corps and incorporating their unique features into her tactics. What was particularly crucial was her commanding presence, which was truly awe-inspiring. Her orders were issued with such an imposing manner that it was difficult to resist, which is why she had acquired a B-rank "Charisma" skill after being summoned as a Servant.
The army had systematically torn apart and controlled the battlefield, gradually creating a path that led directly to the mine.
Artoria transferred command to Bedivere, her deputy, and stated, "Sir Bedivere, the next command is in your hands."
"I will not fail your trust!" Bedivere firmly replied.
At this juncture, Tristan, Lamorak, Gawain, and the Archbishop all broke away from their respective troops and assembled in front of Shirou and Artoria.
A large-scale circle, the mountain giant, and the undead soldiers had all appeared, leaving only an unknown monster yet to be revealed. Undoubtedly, that monster was stationed inside the mine.
The mine was too narrow to accommodate the entire army, so as per the pre-war plan, the strongest knights would form a spearhead team and penetrate the mine, slaying the monster, destroying the magic workshop, and dragging out the magus responsible for creating the undead soldiers.
In reality, it was Shirou who proposed this idea, and he was eager to participate in the mission. However, he was persuaded by Artoria to remain behind, as the king couldn't afford to risk his life. Nonetheless, he felt that she was underestimating his abilities.
Maybe because he had yet to showcase his true strength. Using the Evil Flower to absorb a year's worth of human evil from various cities, he had accumulated an enormous amount of magical energy. Although he could no longer recklessly waste magical energy as he did before, his strength still rivaled that of a exceptional Servant, not to mention his other skills.
The situation in Fuyuki, where magical energy was always limited, was similar to Shirou's current predicament. He needed to conserve his magical energy by shifting from wasteful to efficient use.
This shift towards efficiency had both positive and negative consequences, depending on the situation. On the one hand, the wasteful approach involved mindlessly using magecraft without much thought or skill. On the other hand, the efficient approach required a focus on skill and combat experience, which forced him to train and improve his abilities.
In the long run, this change was ultimately beneficial for his growth as a magus.
Moreover, thanks to the power of the "Evil Flower," Shirou could still accumulate a significant amount of magical energy even without engaging in frequent battles. This meant that if he were to fight against Artoria, who had only recently learned Mana Burst, she would most likely not be a match for him.
However, since the image of the black mud was inconsistent with Arthur's character, he agreed with her proposal and decided not to participate in this elite combat unit. He acknowledged that the thinking of people from ancient times and the modern era was different.
He believed that power itself was neither inherently good nor bad, but rather that the morality of those who wielded it determined its nature. However, this perspective was not shared by people from ancient times, who commonly regarded the color black as an omen of evil and viewed any display of cursed power as a manifestation of wickedness.
If he were to openly use the black mud, it would likely result in the immediate collapse of Arthur's character. Furthermore, the Archbishop, who holds him in high regard, would most likely turn against him.
After carefully weighing the pros and cons, he decided against joining the elite combat unit.
"I will offer you the victory, my king!" Artoria said earnestly.
"Go, my knight!"
Artoria led Gawain, Tristan, and the others towards the mine where the workshop was located.
However...
"Crackle crackle crackle!!"
The area was once again shrouded in magic circle, and the blood-red light around them grew even more intense. In an instant, the world around them transformed, and the clear sky was now stained a deep shade of red.
Shirou frowned. This kind of magecraft, with its invasive effects on the world, was approaching the level of a Reality Marble.
"Whoosh!"
The sound of rushing water filled the air, and he sharply turned his head towards the mine. His eyes narrowed as he quickly shouted, "Get back!"
The soldiers didn't quite understand what was going on, but those who were rushing towards the mine had already started to scatter. Even before Shirou warned them, they had already sensed the terrifying power that was heading their way.
In the next moment...
"Splash splash!"
Thick blood gushed out from the mine, destroying everything in its path. Even the undeads, upon touching it, melted and dissolved into the thick, red liquid.
"What...what the hell is this!?" Jordanus was so shocked that he was at a loss for words. He had never seen or heard of anything so terrifying in his life!
The Archbishop quickly retrieved dozens of black keys and fired them at the thick, red liquid. The black keys were known for their exorcising abilities, but upon touching the blood, they were cursed and almost instantly dissolved into it.
Next, he pulled out numerous exorcism garments, including the shroud of Saint Peter that he had brought with him from the Holy Church when he became the Archbishop. However, without exception, they were all useless against the thick, red liquid. In fact, they were even contaminated by the blood and started to melt into it.
"What...what is this?" The Archbishop was full of shock.
The soldiers around them repeatedly retreated and dared not come near the thick, red liquid.
Shirou stared at the thick, red liquid, his eyes twitching. He could sense that it was something different, yet the same as the All the World's Evil. It was cursed and filled with an inexplicable type of evil.
As the blood emitted a strong sense of evil, he could hear its eerie voice saying, "Eat, eat, eat, human, food, eat, eat, eat..."
It was born from human evil and had transformed into a type of non-human evil that viewed humans as nothing more than food.
Thud thud thud...
Terrifying sounds emanated from the mine, causing people to look towards it in fear. A great sense of dread, like a dark cloud, enveloped everyone's minds.
In the next moment...
"Meow meow meow meow meow!!!"
At first, it sounded like a cat's cry, but it quickly became clear that it was actually a deafening roar coming from the mine.
In the pitch-black darkness, three bright lights flickered.
In the next moment, a giant silver-white beast emerged from the mine. It had the body of a lion and was about three meters in size. Its fur was bristling, and it had three eyes and an extremely terrifying face. Its three eyes were filled with blood vessels, and they were full of malice.
This was a three-eyed cat monster!
"Meow meow meow meow meow!!!"
In the midst of the thick blood liquid, the three-eyed monster tilted its head back and let out a long, eerie howl. Despite its silver body resembling a string of pure silver, it only instilled terror in those who witnessed it.
As Shirou looked at the three eyes of the cat monster, he felt a shiver run down his spine. It wasn't just due to its imposing presence or the fear that filled his heart, but rather an instinctual response. As if, as a 'human', he was hardwired to be afraid of this three-eyed monster!
Shirou wasn't the only one who felt this shiver - the Archbishop, Gawain, Tristan, Lamorak, Bedivere, and even Artoria, all experienced the same instinctual response.
The Archbishop trembled, clearly shaken by the unprecedented fear he was experiencing. Never before had he encountered such a terrifying dead apostle!
"This...this is the White Beast!" Shirou's voice quivered as he spoke. The blood liquid, akin to All the World's Evil, the curse, the malice...there was no mistaking it, this was indeed the White Beast!
Undoubtedly, the body of the three-eyed monster belonged to Cath Palug - the infamous White Beast, known for its evil habits as a dead apostle.
In other words, it was Fou!
However, at this moment, this White Beast was far from the harmless Fou in Chaldea. Instead, it had taken on the form of a monster that mimicked the bloodsucking habits of dead apostles, posing a significant threat as a true disaster in human history!
Shirou's lips felt dry as he spoke, "Merlin, I can't believe you would stoop so low as to set me up like this! You've really outdone yourself this time."
