Chapter 15: The Path of Kings!
This was the inherent pressure of a "Godslayer," an existence entirely different from that of mortals. Anyone who witnessed such a being would feel their limbs grow heavy from the sheer weight of that aura.
The Grand Masters of [Old Lady] and [Whelp] were two elderly men. Although they were excellent magi, their bodies were aged; standing at death's door, they could hardly withstand this pressure. On the other hand, Paul Blandelli, the Grand Master of [Copper Black Cross], had only recently entered middle age and remained physically robust. His personal strength was the highest among the gathered leaders, allowing him to barely endure the crushing atmosphere.
As Shirou paced slowly, scrutinizing the crowd, the "Purple Knight" pinned to the wall continued to sway. His tenacity for life was impressive, but unfortunately, he lacked the sense to recognize the situation, so Shirou had no intention of letting him live.
Looking at Paul Blandelli and the golden-haired girl, Erica, who were both kneeling in a knight's salute of fealty, Shirou spoke in a flat tone.
"Compared to that 'Big Ben' over there, you two aren't quite as stupid. However, if you think this alone is enough to earn my forgiveness, you are being far too whimsical."
Hearing these words, Paul, Erica, and the Grand Masters of [Old Lady] and [Whelp] all began to break into a cold sweat.
Shirou continued to gaze at them, his blue eyes flickering as if tiny sparks of lightning were dancing within them. His invisible momentum pressed down so hard that several Grand Masters found it difficult to breathe.
"Of course, I am not a completely unreasonable 'King.' The troublemaker among you has already been pinned to the wall and cleaned up like the trash he is. I intend to give the rest of you a chance. As long as you can pass my ordeal, I will grant you an opportunity to atone for your sins."
The Grand Masters' eyes lit up at the mention of a "chance," but their expressions quickly turned nervous. Although the King intended to give them an opportunity, the ordeal that followed would certainly not be easy to pass. They were about to witness exactly what kind of test a Devil King would devise.
In the next instant, pitch-black mist began to spread out from Shirou, acting as the epicenter. In the blink of an eye, the entire meeting hall was transformed into a realm of darkness where one could not see their own hand in front of their face.
Several Grand Masters hurriedly used magic to ignite flames in their hands to provide light and restore some vision, while also casting spells on their eyes to enhance their night vision.
As soon as his sight was restored, the Grand Master of [Whelp] looked around in shock.
"Strange... why has the round table in the middle disappeared?"
Trinid, the Grand Master of [Old Lady], realized the truth. "Could it be... is this the King's Authority?!"
Once Trinid mentioned it, the other three immediately felt that this must be the case. Paul Blandelli tentatively took a few steps outward, only to find that where the walls should have been, there was only emptiness. Continuing further, he felt no physical obstacles at all.
"It's as if we've entered another dimension... Is this the power of a King...?"
Watching her uncle's exclamation, Erica also took a few curious steps and cried out in surprise, "This isn't the original hall at all... we are in another boundary that we know nothing about!"
The Grand Masters stared in shock at the area covered by the thick black mist. After confirming that this was not the venue they knew, they didn't dare wander aimlessly. The areas shrouded in black fog felt like a dark abyss, filled with endless unknowns. No one knew if they could ever walk back out once lost inside. Or worse, if some terrifying entity existed within this boundless darkness. The void reminded them of demons, hell, and the realm of death, filling the Grand Masters with dread.
Watching them cautiously observe the surrounding fog, Shirou had to fight back the urge to laugh, nearly causing himself internal injury from the effort.
This place was indeed another space. He had transferred the Grand Masters into Unlimited Blade Works.
After slaying the "Black Dragon" Nidhogg and grasping divine authority, Shirou's attributes had increased significantly. He no longer needed to chant incantations to deploy his Reality Marble.
In truth, his annoyance had mostly dissipated after killing the "Purple Knight," but to establish his majesty as a "King" before these leaders, he still needed to subject them to some hardship. Forgiving them too easily might leave them in fear, but it might also give them the fluke-like mentality that they could make mistakes without facing severe punishment.
That would not do.
Although this was Shirou's first time being a "King," he had learned much about kingship from observing the "King of Heroes" Gilgamesh, the "King of Conquerors" Iskandar, and the "King of Knights" Artoria. A King should be an existence that encompasses both purity and corruption; he can be tyrannical, but he can also be wise. Just as Gilgamesh had both the side of a tyrant and a wise king, so did the others.
In contrast, Kusanagi Godou from the original Campione! series was a Godslayer who allowed himself to be manipulated like a puppet. He was even subjected to a "test" by magic
associations—a ridiculous reason to force him into combat just so the Grand Masters could observe his authorities. It was a tragedy for a Godslayer to be defiled to such an extent.
A grand "Devil King" should live more freely and wantonly than anyone else. To have divine authority yet be used as a tool by others was simply embarrassing. In Shirou's view, only Marquis Voban and Leader Luo Hao in this world were qualified "Godslayers" who fit the criteria. No one dared to defy their authority; no one dared to harbor a hint of disrespect. The mere mention of their names would cause people to tremble from the bottom of their hearts. That was a "Devil King."
Of course, those two were Devil Kings who had lived for centuries. They didn't make everyone submit overnight; they gradually revealed their peerless power and their principles as Kings until no one in the magic world dared to be disrespectful.
"It is only natural that you would fear the 'King of Swords.' After all, he is also a Godslayer. I wouldn't care if you simply chose to pledge loyalty to him. However, you made the worst possible choice."
Shirou looked at the trembling Grand Masters and the golden-haired Erica with a calm gaze and continued.
"You saw that [Bronze Black Cross] pledged loyalty to me, so you decided to target them. You even tried to pressure them into joining your side, intending to unite against me after swearing fealty to the King of Swords. That is the reason you have offended me."
Of course, the culprit who started the trouble was currently hanging on the wall, experiencing the most agonizing death as the blood slowly drained from his body. As for these other Grand Masters, they were generally much smarter than the Purple Knight, knowing to pull their heads back like turtles in the presence of a Devil King.
Shirou had no intention of killing all of them. After all, if he truly wanted them dead, he wouldn't waste his breath talking. If these people died, he would have almost no one left under his command. If there was no one to even gather intelligence, it would be a massive headache. Since he didn't plan to kill them all, a slight punishment to leave the sensible ones behind would suffice.
As Shirou thought this, something massive stirred within the dark domain. Accompanied by the mist being churned by a colossal object, the surrounding black fog became even more chaotic.
"Wh-What is happening!?" Trinid, the Grand Master of [Old Lady], cried out.
He and the Grand Master of [Whelp] looked in horror at the unknown entity churning the fog. Through the massive displacement of the mist, they could feel that the entity was inevitably enormous—at least twenty meters in size!
Only Paul Blandelli managed to maintain a somewhat calm expression, though his heart was filled with vigilance and shock. Standing beside him, Erica tried to stay composed, but at only
fourteen, she had never seen a "Heretic God" or any truly massive spectacle, so her mental fortitude was still maturing.
As they stared fearfully into the fog, the range of the disturbance suddenly expanded. Then, reflected in their shrinking pupils, a massive silhouette emerged.
"Wh-What kind of creature is this?!"
Trinid stood dumbfounded. He searched desperately through all the knowledge he had accumulated in his life for a creature that matched what was before him, but he found nothing.
Then, more of these creatures began to reveal themselves from the black mist.
At that moment, Erica seemed to realize something.
"I know! The god the King slew was the 'Black Dragon' Nidhogg of Norse mythology. Since this is the King's Authority, these are likely the venomous snakes that followed Nidhogg in gnawing at the roots of the World Tree!"
Hearing Erica's words, the other Grand Masters suddenly understood and cast admiring glances toward her. Standing beside Shirou, Liliana's eyes also lit up with realization.
"As expected of Erica, to figure it out so quickly!"
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