Chapter 31: Fealty of the Assembly of Sages
"It's just that... the fact that you have become the seventh 'Campione' and defeated the 'King of Swords' has reached the ears of the other Devil Kings in the shortest possible time. They are likely already watching your every move in secret. If you truly go through with this, the other Devil Kings might come to challenge you because of it..."
In Princess Alice's view, this new King had only recently become a Campione. The number of Authorities he possessed would surely be fewer than those of the other Devil Kings. From her perspective, a Devil King's strength was determined by the quantity of Authorities they held, so she felt deep inner concern about whether Shirou could resist the others. If the Assembly of Sages pledged fealty to this new King now, they might end up as collateral damage in a clash of titans.
At the thought of this, Alice's heart filled with panic, and her internal turmoil caused a slight flicker in her expression.
Shirou watched the girl before him with calm eyes as she spoke. Even while gazing at that beautiful face—with its thin lips pressed together and a panicked expression that would move anyone to pity—Shirou's eyes remained entirely unchanged, as if he were completely indifferent to the beautiful maiden before him.
Of course, this was partly because the girl was merely an "astral body." No matter how beautiful she was, she wasn't as striking as seeing her true person. Shirou was actually quite curious about how much more beautiful the actual body of the "White Priestess Princess"—whose beauty and power were unmatched in Europe—would be compared to this spirit form.
"Then let them challenge me," Shirou interrupted Princess Alice's words with total indifference.
"..."
Princess Alice wanted to say more, but under the gaze of Shirou's oppressive eyes, she couldn't help but swallow the words that had rushed to her lips.
"When did the decisions of a Devil King become something for the likes of you to refute?"
Shirou gave a cold snort. Not wanting to waste any more time on this matter, he spoke bluntly:
"There is only one choice before you now: fealty to me. Of course, you could choose to abandon this option and pledge yourselves to another Devil King instead. However, I will simply go and kill whichever Devil King you swear your loyalty to. When that time comes, the punishment you will have to endure will be beyond your imagination."
It seemed these people from the Assembly of Sages had never been properly "educated" by a Devil King if they still dared to negotiate terms. If it were Luo Hao or Marquis Voban of Eastern Europe in this situation, they would have made these people understand exactly why a "Godslayer" is called a Devil King.
Shirou's words carried an unquestionable weight, accompanied by a strong sense of threat. Even in her spirit state, Princess Alice felt as if her body had been dropped into an ice cellar.
"I... I understand..."
Princess Alice's small, fair hands tightly gripped the hem of her skirt, completely unaware that she was wrinkling the fabric. Seeing her looking so lost and dejected, Shirou found it rather amusing.
"I will pay you a visit in a few days. By then, 'Black Prince' Alec will likely have heard of my movements and will come over as well. If that happens, you will be just in time to witness a feast of slaying a Devil King."
Upon hearing this, Princess Alice's pupils constricted sharply. She looked at the King who spoke these words with utter disbelief.
"Heh, find it hard to believe?"
Shirou chuckled softly. Then, under the astonished gaze of the blonde girl, he recited all of Alexander Gascoigne's Authorities and the powers they possessed.
"『Lightning Speed (Black Lightning)』, 『The Furies (The Avenging Goddesses)』, 『The Labyrinth』, 『The Faceless Queen』, and 『The Greedy Sphere』... these are all the Authorities he has possessed up to this day. I know the 'Black Prince' Alec inside and out, while he knows absolutely nothing about me."
She felt a powerful sense of self-confidence from his words—not mere bluster, but a genuine belief that he could kill Black Prince Alec. Regardless of whether he could actually do it, Princess Alice, having felt the new King's conviction, couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration.
It is difficult for a person to have absolute belief in themselves, especially when they know the strength of others. Yet this Devil King, even while fully aware of the other Kings' powers, remained so certain. That alone said everything. Moreover, no matter what this King planned to do next, his supreme confidence and the strength he had already displayed acted as a powerful reassurance for her and the Assembly of Sages.
Princess Alice likely never expected that by coming to seek help with the idea of an exchange, she would end up handing over herself and the entire Assembly.
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After Princess Alice's visit, Shirou was in no hurry to head to the Assembly. He first rested at his villa in Naples for a few days. Once the two Noble Phantasms constituting the 「God-Slaying Spear」 were finished forging, he headed directly into outer space. He incorporated
Mercury—which is about 2.5 times smaller than Earth—into the materials for forging
At Shirou's current level, traveling from Earth to the Moon took only 1.3 seconds; roaming within the solar system was naturally an easy task. Although 「Excalibur」 is a "Star-Forged Holy Sword," it never specified how large the planet had to be. Given the power levels of gods in the Type-Moon world, only a handful reached "planet-busting" levels, and those who forged this sword weren't among them. Thus, a planet used for forging would naturally be much smaller than Earth.
However, once completed, the power of this Holy Sword would still be formidable.
After settling these matters, Shirou checked the time required to forge this Star-Forged Holy Sword.
「Excalibur」 Forging Progress: 0.1% (Estimated Time: 215:49:11)
It would take about nine days, and the consumption of magical energy would be higher. Since he already had the God-Slaying Spear, there was no need to keep wasting time here.
On Monday morning, Shirou took Erica and Liliana and boarded a plane directly to London.
London, the capital of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, is the largest city in Europe and its greatest economic center. As a leading global city, London is undoubtedly one of the wealthiest, most economically developed, and commercially prosperous cities in the world, boasting one of the highest standards of living.
As the world's primary financial center, London also controls the pricing of 45% of the world's foreign exchange transactions and commodities like gold, silver, and crude oil. It is also the world's largest center for banking, insurance, futures, and shipping.
The Assembly of Sages, having rooted itself in this city, naturally possessed immense influence and wealth. For this reason, aside from a Devil King, there was likely no one in the world with the capability to look down on them.
「
Excalibur: The Sword of Promised Victory
」
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