Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 1042: I’m the One Who Decides!

Denying human history.

Denying humanity.

Denying Noble Phantasms.

Denying human belief.

This is the very essence of the Dead Apostle's existence. It's also Roa's and Fabro's greatest trump card, allowing them to cause trouble for Servants wherever they go. While the suppression effect against Servants isn't as exaggerated as it is against humans wielding Noble Phantasms, Dead Apostles are monsters known for their regenerative abilities. This advantage is often enough to tip the scales in their favor.

Of course, the incident with Senji Muramasa was an exception. The Unlimited Katana Works wasn't a Noble Phantasm, but real swords forged on the spot, making them unaffected by the Dead Apostle's concept. This allowed him to thoroughly defeat Roa, who had been limited in power, leaving him in a far worse state than even Araya Souren in his Vajra Form.

In contrast, when facing Matou Shinji, who had received his Noble Phantasms through a Servant, this conceptual suppression was at its peak.

"The concept of the Dead Apostle nullifies the Noble Phantasms you possess. And in close combat, you can't defend against my Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. You should know what that means, right?"

Roa seemed very pleased with Shinji's current expression, laughing mockingly.

"It's unfortunate, but a frog can never kill a snake. That's why you'll never be able to kill me—this is the end for you, Matou Shinji."

With that said, Roa finally began to move his feet.

The air around him had already been filled with negative energy. Now, he just needed to complete the final step: transforming all that negativity into death!

However, just as death was about to become a reality, and before Roa could step into range for his dagger to strike, something unexpected happened. At the very moment when victory seemed assured, Roa's knees suddenly buckled, and he collapsed to the ground in pain, clutching his stomach and groaning in agony.

"Ugh... Urgh... What is... happening...?"

"Ara, did you get a stomachache?"

A playful voice echoed above the suffering vampire. Roa looked up, and sure enough, it was Matou Shinji, the Azure Knight whom Roa had just sentenced to death.

The expressions on their faces had reversed, like a dramatic twist in a play.

The fear on Shinji's face had vanished without a trace. His eyes and expression had returned to their earlier look of disdain and contempt.

Roa, on the other hand, had lost his smug confidence and now wore a look of shock and horror.

"My body... it's melting... What did you do to me? I was sure I'd nullified your spear."

Through the gaps between his hands, Roa could vaguely see an unnatural red glow rising from his abdomen. It was warmer than blood, a red that resembled the warmth of sunlight. This red glow melted through his coat and soon burned a hole into his stomach.

"Want to know?"

Shinji asked with a mocking laugh.

Not only had their expressions swapped, but it seemed their roles were about to switch as well.

"Well, normally, I'm not in the habit of explaining my abilities to my enemies. But since you were so kind to explain things earlier, I'll make an exception this time. You did indeed nullify my Noble Phantasm, but what's hurting you isn't the Noble Phantasm—it's the concept of the sun contained within it."

"Concept extraction?"

Roa's face darkened even further.

"Exactly. The essence of a Dead Apostle's nullification of Noble Phantasms lies in denying human history—in other words, denying humanity's belief systems. The reason you can't nullify a Heroic Spirit is that their power comes not only from human belief but also from their strength and efforts."

As Shinji spoke, he pointed to Iskandar, who was fiercely battling Fabro in the distance, then gestured toward Faker, who was receiving treatment at the edge of the battlefield.

"All of those heroes who are remembered throughout history achieved incredible feats before ascending to the status of Heroic Spirits. Their Noble Phantasms, too, are formed from both their concepts and the faith bestowed upon them, which elevates them. You can deny the blessing of belief, but you can't deny the inherent concept. And it's that concept that is causing you harm. I'm particularly skilled at extracting and applying these concepts."

It seemed that some force was drawing the scattered spirit particles of the Undying Blade back together, gathering above Shinji's outstretched fingers.

This time, the golden spirit particles didn't coalesce into the form of a spear or a bow, nor did they take on any physical shape. Instead, they simply formed a golden orb of light, radiating the warmth and brilliance of the sun.

"Roa, you were too confident, relying too much on the Dead Apostles' advantage over Noble Phantasms. If you hadn't been so arrogant and taken my spear head-on, how would I have had the chance to attach the sun's concept to your body? Do you get it now? I've been cooperating with your nullification all along."

"So... you knew all along...?"

Roa's face turned ashen. He couldn't even meet Shinji's gaze. The sun's concept, attached to his body, was not only burning his abdomen but had started to spread to other parts of him. Shinji didn't rush to finish him off, patiently waiting for the sun's concept to further take root.

"Of course. I've fought Dead Apostles before—not just the Forest of Einnashie and The Night of Wallachia. But for certain reasons, only those two unfortunate souls are known to the outside world. From the beginning, I've been aware of the Dead Apostles' ability to suppress Noble Phantasms."

Because so much time had passed, many had forgotten. Shinji's first encounter with a Dead Apostle Ancestor was in early 1999 when he walked into a trap and faced the so-called King of Dead Apostles, one of the oldest Dead Apostles, The White Wing Lord. That encounter had nearly cost him his life. It was only thanks to the secret assistance of Zelretch that he escaped alive.

If he hadn't known about the Dead Apostles' suppression of Noble Phantasms beforehand, he wouldn't have survived until now.

"I told you, I know you better than you think! Do not underestimate a professional Dead Apostle hunter, vampire!"

Shinji raised his hand higher into the air, and the golden sun floating above his fingertips rose with it, eventually hovering right over Roa's head.

"You think you're my natural enemy? Who decided that?"

"You think a frog can't kill a snake? Who decided that?"

"You think I can't kill you? Who decided that?"

With three rhetorical questions, Shinji swung his hand down, and the sun erupted into the blinding light, illuminating the battlefield under the night sky as if it were broad daylight!

"—The one who decides is not you. It's me!"

"Roa!"

At this moment, Roa's allies finally realized something was wrong and shouted in alarm as they rushed to save him. But their efforts were blocked by Iskandar and Gray, who intercepted them with overwhelming force.

As for Shinji, he no longer hesitated and unleashed his decisive blow.

"CRUEL SUN!"

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The sun fell.

"YAAAAGHHHH!!! AAAAAHHHH!!!"

Roa's screams were bloodcurdling. Though it was just a single attack, the pain it brought him was far worse than the dozens of times he had been killed before. The boy, whom he had viewed as prey, had succeeded in etching his name into the deepest recesses of Roa's soul, alongside the name of that pure white princess!

"MATOUUUUUUU SHINJIIIIIIIIIIII!!!"

PS; Estarossa: The scene feels familiar.