Shinji Matou at Your Service

The Sword of Promised Victory emitted its light.

That light was pure and intense.

It was the same light that had once illuminated an era of chaos, darker than night itself.

This light was the collective wish of all warriors—no, of all living beings on the planet—transcending past, present, and future. It was also the final struggle of the planet itself.

This was a brilliance that even the King of Knights, who had wielded the holy sword for over a thousand years, had never witnessed before—surpassing any previous use of the sword.

This was the true power of the first holy sword forged by the planet. If unleashed to its fullest extent, it could likely shatter the very stars in the sky. Even the small portion that had leaked out made everyone acutely aware of their insignificance.

Upon seeing this familiar brilliance, the massive figure of Sefar—the Giant God of Destruction—finally came to a halt.

"The light... that once... destroyed me... unpleasant, but... necessary. Holy Sword Bearer, I hope... you can... wait a little longer... until I complete... my purpose... before destroying me. I... like... this planet... and don't want to... destroy it."

"I believe you," Artoria nodded without hesitation, sensing the pure heart hidden beneath Altera's massive exterior.

"Please be quick—I can only suppress it for a few more seconds."

"Thank you!"

The giant god's face lit up with joy as she poured all her strength into charging at Kirei Kotomine.

Kirei, too, was running for his life, dashing down the mountainside mere moments after fleeing the altar. Even though he had lost half his body, he could already see the light of victory ahead. Sensing the presence of an external enemy, the speed at which the planet's holy sword had filled with energy was terrifying—its radiant glow had already become tangible.

"It's my victory! The planet stands with me!"

Kirei screamed in ecstatic triumph.

"No!"

The giant god cried out in anguish, her eyes blinded by the flood of light.

At the critical moment, a hand suddenly grasped Artoria's wrist, forcibly diverting the trajectory of her sword just as it was about to swing down.

Though the deflection was slight, it was enough to prevent the giant god from being destroyed. She lost only an arm and a portion of her body—far from enough to kill Sefar.

She was still alive.

"What are you trying to do, my foolish sister?! Do you want the planet to be destroyed?"

Altrouge gritted her teeth in frustration as she returned.

"Sister? Hehehe... has my absence been so long that you've forgotten the feel of my presence?"

As she regenerated the arm that had been melted by the holy sword, the figure in white forcefully snatched the Sword of Promised Victory from Artoria's left hand and flung it far away. The pure white True Ancestor turned around, revealing a pair of beautiful eyes that were neither the vibrant red nor the dazzling gold often associated with her kind. Instead, they shimmered with a brilliance that surpassed the Mystic Eyes of Distortion and the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—a magnificent rainbow light.

This was the ultimate form of the concept of Mystic Eyes, a form that existed only in legends.

"!!!"

"You..."

"You are—"

Altrouge, Strout, and Blood, three ancient Dead Apostles, gasped in unison. Even Solomon and the Primate Murder reacted with the utmost seriousness as if facing an enemy as dire as the Giant God of Destruction herself.

"Crimson Moon, correct me if I'm mistaken."

At the moment she spoke, reality shifted. Her modern winter attire was replaced with an elegant white gown, and her short, chin-length hair grew visibly, extending down to her waist.

Overhead, the clear, mirror-like full moon was dyed blood red. The Crimson Moon's owner stretched out her hand toward the distance, and Kirei, who had just reached the road, was instantly enveloped by an irresistible force and dragged back to stand before her.

"Impossible! You... didn't you die? You were destroyed by the Second Magician!"

Kirei struggled as he shouted.

"You've been repeatedly reviving using a piece of my power—why would I be so easily erased? Kischur Zelretch wasn't particularly skilled in dealing with souls."

The Crimson Moon let out a chuckle as she used marble phantasm to continuously create wounds on Kirei's body.

"Every True Ancestor is one of my potential vessels for reincarnation. As long as the True Ancestors exist, I cannot truly perish. Your so-called immortality is just an imitation of me."

"How is she...?"

The giant god, spared from destruction by the holy sword, returned to her original position, drawing power from the ley lines to repair her body as she spoke.

"Are you referring to the owner of this body?"

The Crimson Moon paused, then smiled.

"I'm surprised. Aren't you supposed to be her enemy? I didn't expect you to care about her."

"How is she?"

The question was repeated.

"She, like you, voluntarily gave up the form she had always clung to. If she hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to revive so quickly. Originally, according to my calculations, my true resurrection wouldn't have occurred until the end of this planet—when the planet returned, and I reclaimed the Demon Sword: True World. Humans are truly a fascinating species. First Kischur, and now this young man named Matou Shinji."

The Crimson Moon couldn't help but sigh in admiration. She had left a part of herself in every True Ancestor, meaning she was aware of the state of each one.

Arcueid was her youngest daughter, the vessel she had pinned the most hope on. From the moment Arcueid was born, she had been watching her closely.

She watched as Arcueid was educated by the True Ancestors to become an executioner.

She watched as Arcueid was manipulated by Roa and driven mad.

She watched as Arcueid tasted blood for the first time.

She watched as Arcueid developed her own emotions.

She watched as Arcueid was awakened by a human man.

She watched as Arcueid, influenced by that man, became entangled in feelings of love.

She watched as the man helped her suppress her bloodsucking impulses—at that time, she had truly wanted to kill that man. By doing so, he had indefinitely prolonged the time before her resurrection. It was at that moment she believed she would have to wait until the end of the planet to fully return.

But fate took a different turn. The thief who had stolen a portion of her power had made a miraculous reversal, bringing Arcueid back to the state she had been in when she first tasted blood—the state closest to the Crimson Moon's soul.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Crimson Moon began to converse with Arcueid. She told her, "Give me your body, and I will fulfill your wish—to truly kill the one responsible and avenge him." That was why Arcueid had been hovering in the air, doing nothing—she had been contemplating this offer.

And in the end, Arcueid had agreed. In a sense, she was just like Altera—both were pure-hearted, both were innocent and stubborn, and both were willing to sacrifice everything, including their lives, for the people they cared about.

Majestic, resolute!

That was why Altera had transformed into the Giant God, and why Arcueid had relinquished herself, allowing the Crimson Moon, the origin of all True Ancestors, to take control.

Though the body was the same, the difference in power and control between the two was immense. More importantly, like Altera, the Crimson Moon was an outsider, unaffected by the Counter Force.

It must be noted that just moments ago, Arcueid had been resisting Gaia's call while simultaneously battling Altrouge and the others.