บท 218: C218
The mixture of the jet-black "All the World's Evil" and the crimson "Vampiric Evil" formed a new, vivid crimson mud of malevolence.
The mud pulsed and swirled until it transformed into six sharp and deadly crimson swords of evil, which were firmly grasped by six equally crimson hands.
With the ferocity of a demon from the depths of purgatory, it lunged at the Dead Apostles surrounding it.
"Crack, crack, crack..."
Wherever the swords made of "Vampiric Evil" went, they caused a strange phenomenon.
Although the crimson mud created by merging the two evils lacked direct killing power and struggled to penetrate the soft bodies of the Dead Apostles, the "Vampiric Evil" in the swords absorbed their immortality upon contact, converting it into magical energy that flowed back to Shirou. Therefore, their physical forms crumbled while their souls were liberated.
In other words, the swords imbued with the power of "Vampiric Evil" can release the trapped souls from the Dead Apostles, making it a unique and effective attack against them. Similar to how "God Slayer" is particularly effective against "Divine" entities and "Dragon Slayer" excels against "Dragon-kind," the "Vampiric Evil" possesses its own special attack against the concept of Dead Apostles.
The way he deals with Dead Apostles is similar to how the Black Keys do it. The "Vampiric Evil" has had a significant impact on his ability to fight Dead Apostles, similar to how Black Keys are effective against them. It's fair to say that the "Vampiric Evil" has given him a special advantage in combat against these creatures.
Despite its potential, this special attack had its limitations. While it could easily deal with ordinary Dead Apostles, it was nothing more than a pipe dream to use it against True Ancestors or the source of Dead Apostles like Crimson Moon.
Even with this limitation, the "Vampiric Evil" undeniably added to the already EX-level power of the "Evil Flower of Freedom"!
Rather than increasing its power, the "Vampiric Evil" simply made the mud more versatile. It also expanded the range of the types of "Evil" that the innate skill "Evil Flower" could absorb and carry.
The growth that he experienced came at a great cost. The use of the "Vampiric Evil" would subject him to the constant torment of the evil thoughts of the Dead Apostles. Should he succumb to it, he would be transformed into a humanoid vampire, maintaining the appearance of a human but essentially becoming a Dead Apostle.
Therefore, it's crucial to use this power with extreme caution.
Wherever his crimson swords struck, the mindless Dead Apostles lost their concept of existence as vampires, collapsed to the ground, and transformed into ordinary corpses in the soil. The eerie sight was further intensified under the blood moon.
While using the crimson mud also depleted his magical energy, the amount absorbed by the "Vampiric Evil" far surpassed its consumption.
However, this also meant that the Dead Apostles' evil thoughts intensified and relentlessly attacked his soul, like sharp knives. Despite this, his firm will remained unyielding like a rock, impervious to these malevolent assaults.
According to Merlin, Shirou was the vessel of "Evil," carrying seventy percent of the "All the World's Evil" and twenty percent of the "Vampiric Evil." As long as he did not exceed this limit, his indomitable will would prevent the absorbed evil thoughts from affecting him.
It is worth noting that this capacity does not refer to the quantity of the evil, but rather their type. As long as his will remained unbroken, the "Evil Flower" would transform any amount of evil thoughts absorbed into magical energy. However, if he were to exceed his limit with other types of "Evil," it remained uncertain what fate awaited him.
He had no intention of testing his limit and instead focused on the pressing matter at hand: uniting the Dead Apostle faction and launching an attack on Vortigern.
Although he appeared invincible with two types of "Evil," in reality, they only served as a means of restoring his magical energy and did not present a direct threat. His combat power remained unchanged, but he now possessed the special ability to harm Dead Apostles and absorb a broader range of evil thoughts.
So if the Tower of Light were to reappear and unleash the power of the stars, he would be unable to fend it off single-handedly. Withstanding such an attack would require a large-scale ritual, involving a team of multiple magi.
Shirou strode forward, gripping the reins of Dun Stallion tightly as he made his way through the carnage. The crimson mud relentlessly pounded the lifeless bodies of the Dead Apostles, causing them to crumble to the ground and release their souls from their undead shells.
Amidst the red moon's eerie glow, he made his way towards the castle at a steady pace. As he walked, the Dead Apostles around him dropped like worshippers.
A furious voice shattered the tense silence. "Who are you?"
The thundering of galloping horses reached Shirou's ears, and a familiar figure emerged before him. It was King Mark, the same man who had once plotted to incite civil war in Camelot.
King Mark glared at him with a mixture of disbelief and anger, his eyes widening as he observed the defeated Dead Apostles around him, unable to comprehend how they had succumbed to single man.
What's happening here?
What is this?
Natural enemies?
Are you kidding me?
Dead Apostles are the true natural enemies of humanity!
Despite King Mark's frustration, Shirou remained calm and composed, his expression betraying no emotion.
"Ah, I see. That's why you were so insistent on bothering me in Camelot. It turns out you're nothing more than a worthless traitor."
King Mark's eyes widened in recognition. "Are you...Arthur?"
"Yes, I am the King."
King Mark scrutinized him from head to toe, his lip curling in contempt. "I can't believe that impostor from before would have the audacity to show his face here!"
"You ignorant fool. I have no time to waste on trash like you. Return to the garbage heap where you belong!"
"What did you just say?" King Mark was stunned. He narrowed his eyes and sneered, "You can say whatever you want, but it's clear that you're the one who's angry. Angry that I pulled you down from the throne!"
"Hmph," Shirou sneered. "Anger is an emotion that only the weak feel for those above them. As for you, all I feel is contempt and pity."
He regarded King Mark with a scornful expression and a gaze filled with pity. In that moment, a sudden surge of anger ignited within the King Mark's heart – an emotion that had long since faded away when he became a Dead Apostle.
"Get out of my sight. I seek your master, not a mere guard dog like you."
Shirou felt an intense desire to kill King Mark.
If it hadn't been for his treacherous act of betraying and murdering the kings at the Barton Fortress over two years ago, Shirou, Camelot, and the kings of Hadrian's Wall might not have failed to repel Vortigern's forces. Without that mess, things probably wouldn't be so troublesome now.
The main obstacle in his road to the throne, and the tough battle against Vortigern that followed, was all due to King Mark. More than two years ago, he became the spark that caused the northern kings and nobles from Camelot to plot against him. Without his meddling, he might have been sitting on the Camelot throne right now, and his initial development plans would have been rolling out smoothly with a full team backing him. That would have made taking down Vortigern a lot less of a headache.
He had endured hardship in Cornwall for more than two years, and a large part of the blame could be attributed to King Mark.
Although he was not an inherently malicious person, he was also not a saint who would respond to animosity with kindness. King Mark had caused him an immense amount of trouble for no reason, and upon seeing him, Shirou's murderous intent erupted immediately.
Despite his strong desire for revenge, he understood that, as a king himself, he needed to take into account the attitude of King Mark's master.
While he was thinking about the bigger picture, King Mark had been seething with anger for a long time.
As a human king, he wouldn't have been able to tolerate such an insult, so as a Dead Apostle, there was no way he could hold back now.
King Mark's eyes glinted with rage, and his four sharp canine teeth were bared as he lunged at him like a starving tiger.
Shirou quickly sidestepped, but just then, the surrounding ghouls closed in on them.
"You have come to the territory of the Crimson Moon as a mere human. You are asking for death!" King Mark laughed menacingly. "Oh, that's right. You, a lowly person, have no idea who the Crimson Moon is, let alone the greatness he possesses!"
"Pathetic," Shirou muttered.
Eyeing the still blood moon and the palace, a flicker of sympathy appeared in his eyes as he turned to the raging King Mark.
"What is that look in your eyes?" King Mark fumed. "Do you even comprehend the noble existence you are facing?" It was like Shirou saw him as some pitiful creature, and it drove Mark crazy.
But was he truly a pathetic existence? Not at all!
During his time as a human, King Mark had been the king of his people. And now, as an existence superior to humans, he had achieved a great joy that could not be considered pitiful.
King Mark launched another attack at Shirou, his hatred for King Arthur burning fiercely within him.
He was aware that this so-called King Arthur was a fraud, with a humble background and no legitimate claim to the throne. However, Vortigern's scheme had been to create a Red Dragon who would rule over Britain, and Arthur was the chosen candidate.
What a laughable scheme, thought King Mark.
Even with King Uther's death, everyone could have fought against Vortigern's tyranny for a decade, and the kingdom could have prospered without anyone suppressing their freedom.
King Mark couldn't understand where this lowly person had suddenly come out from. And yet, with the prophecy backing him, he had the audacity to sit on their heads and defecate and urinate on their kingdom.
To make matters worse, this insignificant person was spreading his name far and wide, appearing to be quite ambitious!
Over two years ago, it was not just him who had a purpose; almost everyone, including the nobles of Camelot and the northern kings, did not want him to become king. They all conspired against him and worked to bring him down.
During the coronation ceremony two years ago, he was the leader, but others participated in the conspiracy as well!
He succeeded in not only disrupting the coronation ceremony of the intended king but also killing the other kings and collecting their blood samples. However, their plan to collect the blood of the nobles in Camelot was thwarted when Sir Ywain discovered his true identity.
Now, he wanted to kill Shirou and collect his blood sample. It seems feasible since no one in the palace has stopped him so far.
One would think that by being so loyal, the Crimson Moon would value him highly. However, there is one thing he overlooked.
The lack of response from the palace also indicates that the one who turned him into a Dead Apostle did not care about his life from the very beginning!
No.
Actually, they did care about him. Otherwise, King Mark would not have appeared in front of him.
Right now, it seems the main reason King Mark and the ghouls are popping up in front of him is for some sort of test or to collect data. And Shirou has agreed to participate in it.
Shirou held the ominous blood-red sword he had created specifically to combat vampires. Six red hands resembling demons from hell hovered behind him, moving with a speed faster than ever before. They grabbed King Mark, ignoring his cries of surprise, and pulled him in front of Shirou.
Staring at the monstrous face before him, Shirou drove the blade deep into King Mark's gut.
"It's useless! I'm immortal!" King Mark sneered.
"But have you heard of the black keys? Against Dead Apostles, I'm even more lethal than they are."
Vampiric Evil proved effective in conjunction with "All the World's Evil" and "Evil Flower", gradually eroding the concept of immortality that King Mark's Dead Apostle had been built upon.
"No...! No! How can this be happening!?" King Mark's face twisted with horror as he struggled, but the six crimson hands held him firmly in place like a pair of pliers.
Struggling was futile!
"Save me...! Please save me! Lady Altrouge... King Pellinore... my brethren, come to my aid...! Save me...!!"
Horror contorted King Mark's face as he came to the realization that his Dead Apostle concept was being relentlessly consumed by Evil, and his immortality was slowly being contaminated and devoured.
To put it simply, King Mark was gradually reverting from an "it" to a "him." As a Dead Apostle, he was already a corpse that had undergone transformation. Once he changed back to his original state, the body that had been animated and mobile would return to a lifeless corpse.
"Save me...! Please, save me...!" King Mark cried out in terror.
"It's pointless. You may treat humans like garbage, but don't Dead Apostles treat you the same way?" Shirou spoke calmly. "They won't respond to your cries because they're using you to gauge the depth of my 'evil.' That's why, from the beginning, I never felt anger toward you—just pity."
"Arthur... Arthur..." King Mark's voice trailed off as the concept of the Dead Apostle was consumed. The eerie vitality faded away, the healthy skin vanished, leaving behind a body covered in the telltale signs of decay.
This was the true form of King Mark.
Shirou had absorbed the concept of his Dead Apostle, converting it into his own magical energy. He flung King Mark's lifeless body aside and turned to face the palace.
The ghouls around him stood still, their movements clearly being controlled by an outside force.
"Who are you?" a voice demanded.
"I am the King of Men, Arthur."
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