IBHJ 1364

“In the mythic era,” she continued, “it was just like anywhere else—bloodthirsty gods, twisted monsters, ancient chaos. What really makes this land different…”

She glanced toward the distant mountains.

“…is the role of humans.”

"Humans?" Morrigan blinked.

"Exactly." Hinako's grin widened. "In every other mythology, gods are supreme. Humans grovel, pray, sacrifice whatever the gods want. But in this place If a god tries to wipe out humanity, humans strike back first. The whole foundation of our myths is defiance."

Morrigan's eyebrows shot up. "That's... actually incredible?"

"Take the ten Golden Crows," Hinako continued, warming to her subject. "They weren't monsters—they were legitimate sun gods. Ten suns burning everything to ash. Anywhere else, people would've prostrated themselves and begged for mercy." She mimed shooting a bow. "But in this place, Hou Yi shot down nine of them. Only left one alive because, you know, no sun means everybody dies."

"Or Yugong and his mountains. Two massive peaks blocking his village's path to the outside world. Most cultures would've built a shrine and prayed for divine intervention." Hinako shrugged. "But this guy grabbed a shovel and swore his family would dig through them, generation after generation, until the job was done."

"But the best example?" Hinako pointed directly at the water spirit. "This little troublemaker thought she could waltz in here and play havoc like it was some kind of game. Instead, she got her ass handed to her by the locals and sealed away for eternity."

"Please..." Wuzhiqi clutched her stomach. "Can we stop talking about this? I'm getting sick..."

She really did regret everything. With her power level, she could've steamrolled through other mythology without breaking a sweat. But no—she had to pick this place with its nightmare difficulty. Just thinking about those humans made her head pound.

The worst part was all ten judges of the Mountain Court were fellow evil gods from the mythic age. Not one of them had been sealed by other deities. Every single one had been taken down by some terrifyingly determined human from this land's ancient history.

Even now, if someone offered to free her, Wuzhiqi wouldn't take it. She was too scared. Sure, the mythic age was over and this land's mystery had faded to almost nothing, but who knew if those ancient heroes had left descendants?

"Now that you mention it..." Morrigan tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That attitude really does remind me of Shirou."

Whether it was Hou Yi refusing to accept ten suns, or Yugong refusing to accept impassable mountains, that same stubborn spirit ran through all these stories. That same impossible determination to fight back against fate itself.

Wuzhiqi suddenly perked up, apparently recovered from her mythological trauma. "Hey, Hinako. You mentioned earlier that you met the Black Emperor and Bai Ze at our connection point, right? And they gave you some kind of seed?"

"Yes." Hinako nodded.

"So where is it now?"

"Safe with a friend."

Wuzhiqi's eyes lit up with misHinakof. "Wait. The infamous human-hater Hinako actually has friends? I’m shocked."

Hinako's expression could've frozen hell over.

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up." Wuzhiqi raised her hands in surrender, though she was still smiling. "But seriously, guard that thing with your life. I don't know Bai Ze personally, but that guy doesn't hand out gifts for fun. Whatever it gave you, it's important."

"I figured." Hinako's voice turned serious again. "Right now, we need to hold this position no matter what happens. And you better not slack off, or I swear I'll burn your whole temple down."

"Geez, so violent." Wuzhiqi scratched her head. "How about I call in Wukong? He's achieved enlightenment now, so even one of his clones would be stronger than me."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as Hinako stared at her coldly.

Wuzhiqi deflated like a punctured balloon. "Never mind. Forget I said anything." She slumped against the nearest wall. "Life is suffering..."

…

Artoria rested her hand on Mordred's shoulder. "Mordred."

Mordred looked up at her, then turned toward the swirling vortex that dominated the sky above them. ‘I'll be waiting for you to come back, Father.’

Everyone scattered to their positions.

As Mordred laid out her attack plan against the Beast, Mash stepped forward. "What about me? Where do you need me?"

"You have something really important to handle, Mash." Mordred's voice was serious, almost gentle. "Help clear out the creatures that broke into Fuyuki City. I'm counting on you for this."

"Right..." Mash nodded, but her face fell.

Mordred had tried to make it sound crucial, had put real conviction in her voice. But Mash wasn't stupid. She knew what those words actually meant.

You're too weak. You'll just get in the way.

She didn't argue. How could she? It was true.

Even though she held Galahad’s Shield, she lacked the unyielding will that Galahad possessed—his conviction to protect even as a machine. She couldn’t draw out the true power of that shield.

People should work within their limits. She'd accepted that reality a long time ago. So why did her eyes sting like this?

You're too weak. You don't deserve to carry Galahad's shield.

The Beast's words came rushing back, cutting through her like a blade. Shame burned in her chest. She looked down at the shield in her hands and whispered, "I'm sorry, Mr. Galahad. With me... your shield is just going to waste."

A massive crash shattered her thoughts.

Mash's head snapped up. A white beast, easily twice her size, was charging straight toward a woman clutching a baby to her chest. The woman had frozen in terror.

"Move!"

Mash's body moved before her mind caught up. She threw herself between them, shield raised high. The beast slammed into the shield with bone-jarring force, but the shield held. The impact sent vibrations up her arms, but she planted her feet and pushed back.

The beast stumbled backward, snarling.

Mash glanced over her shoulder at the woman, who was still paralyzed with fear. "You need to run. Now!"

"I—thank you—" The woman's voice shook, but she turned and ran, baby pressed tight against her chest.

The white beast circled back, eyes locked on Mash.

This time when it charged, Mash was ready. She caught it with the edge of her shield, using its own momentum to spin it around before driving the shield down hard. The beast crumpled beneath the impact and didn't get back up.

Mash wiped sweat from her forehead. At least she was somewhat useful.

But only just.

"What are you doing out here, Mash?"

She spun around to find a blonde girl watching her from a few feet away. The girl wore sleek black combat gear that looked both practical and elegant—somewhere between modern tactical wear and something out of an old legend.

"Miss Manaka!" Mash's face lit up with surprise.

Manaka Sajyou. She'd been visiting the forest cabin for months now, always checking on Ritsuka when she thought no one was looking. She'd asked Mash to keep the visits secret, which only made Mash more curious about her. Over time, though, those brief conversations had grown into something like friendship. Manaka always seemed to know exactly what to say, no matter how complicated things got.

"I stopped by the cabin earlier." Manaka's voice was calm, but there was concern underneath. "Nobody was home, and it looked like there'd been a fight. What happened?"

Mash explained everything—the Beast, the vortex, how everyone had split up for the attack. When she finished, she stared down at her shield and asked quietly, "Miss Manaka... do you think I'm useless too?"

"Useless?" Manaka glanced at the crushed remains of the white beast, then back at Mash. "Hardly. You just care more deeply than most people do."

"But I'm supposed to be Senpai's Servant, and all I do is hold her back. Everyone else is fighting the real threat while I'm..." She gestured helplessly at the destruction around them. "I really am just dead weight, aren't I?"

Manaka studied her for a long moment. Then: "Mash, would you like to come somewhere with me?"

"Where?"

"We're going to get Ritsuka back."

Mash's eyes went wide. "But nobody knows where the Beast took her! Even Gaia can't track her!"

"Gaia can't, but that doesn't mean I can't." She tilted her head slightly. "So... will you come with me?"

Mash opened her mouth, then closed it. She looked down at her feet. "I'd just slow you down too, Miss Manaka..."

"I didn't ask if you'd slow me down. I asked if you wanted to come."

"I..." Mash's hands clenched into fists. "Of course I want to! She's my Master, my friend—how could I not want to save her? But I can't—"

"No buts." Manaka reached out and took one of Mash's hands in both of hers. "Wanting to go is enough."

Mash stared at their joined hands, then up at Manaka's face. Her expression was so warm, so certain. "But why would you want me there? There's nothing special about me."

"You know what, Mash?" Manaka's voice grew softer. "Sometimes a gentle heart can unlock power that no amount of strength ever could. Your kindness isn't a flaw—it's what makes you irreplaceable."

Mash felt something tight in her chest loosen at the sincerity in Manaka's voice. Tears started building behind her eyes, but she was smiling too. "You're really kind, Miss Manaka."

She brushed a tear from Mash's cheek with her thumb.

"I'm really not."