IBHJ 1317

A series of loud cracks filled the air as the Imperial Palace shuddered and began to collapse around them.

Shirou tucked away the Black Bow and turned to the group. "The Eternal Empire is falling apart. We need to get out of here now!"

Everyone nodded and rushed away from the crumbling palace. Mordred was halfway out when she realized Shirou and Artoria weren't moving. She spun around, shouting, "What are you two doing? Come on!"

"Go ahead, Mordred," he called back calmly.

"Fine, but you better be right behind me!" she yelled before racing after the others.

As her figure disappeared into the distance, he turned to look at the distorting palace as it broke apart. Then he shifted his gaze to Artoria. "Artie!"

She nodded, her eyes still fixed on the disintegrating palace. In her heart, she whispered a silent goodbye to the Eternal Kingdom.

She closed her fingers around the wooden bracelet—the only remaining trace of the Ideal King's existence. After a moment, she looked up at him, her expression resolute. "Let's go, Shirou."

He smiled gently. "Yes."

Together, they turned and walked away. A soft breeze brushed past them, carrying what felt like a whispered farewell. A single leaf detached from a nearby tree, drifting further and further on the wind until it finally broke apart like melting snowflakes.

As they reached the ground, the world around them started changing. Every trace of the Eternal Empire faded away as the pan-historical landscape began to reappear. Modern skyscrapers, cars, construction sites, and busy shopping districts materialized slowly. The mechanical army dissolved, finally freeing the human souls that had been trapped inside.

"The Council is gone!" Mana Ryougi shouted, her face bright with excitement. "The Eternal Empire and Sixth Seat are history! The Foundation of Human Order is healing itself—everything and everyone is coming back! We actually won!"

They really had won. Everything that had been stolen by the Council, the Ideal King, and the Eternal Empire was returning. In this desperate fight for Human Order, they'd pulled off the impossible!

The Heroic Spirits celebrated alongside them, though with a bittersweet edge. This victory meant that Chaldea and its summoned heroes had served their purpose—soon the contracted Heroic Spirits would have to return to the Throne of Heroes. But that was okay. A good ending was worth the pain of saying goodbye.

People lost themselves in celebration, already talking about throwing a massive party to mark their victory. The air buzzed with happiness, as if the world had suddenly become perfect again.

But then—

"It's not over yet," Shiki cut through their joy, her voice calm but firm. "I'm still the leader of the Council and the vessel of the Lord of Salvation. As long as I'm here, you haven't truly won."

The celebrations stopped abruptly as everyone snapped back to reality, turning toward her with wary expressions.

Shiki stood calmly as everyone's cautious stares settled on her. Mana's lips parted, her eyes filled with a deep, unspoken grief.

Shirou's brow creased as the reality of their situation sank in. Shiki had gone through a mutation that couldn't be reversed—there was no way to save her now. The only reason she still had her mind intact was because the Ideal King's Eternal Cage had blocked her connection to the Root. But now that she was gone, the Eternal Cage had crumbled away with her.

Who could possibly help her cut off her connection to the Root now? No one. Not even Shirou had that power anymore. With the Ideal King's disappearance, all his records of her could no longer be used.

"If you want, you could use this instead." A hand appeared, offering a delicate wreath to Shiki.

"What's this...?" she asked cautiously.

"It works just like the Eternal Cage and Crown of Thorns, but 'Eternal Cage' sounds way too harsh, don't you think? So I made it into something nicer—just a simple wreath."

Shiki looked up to find Witch Artoria, smiling down at her. The witch gently placed the wreath on Shiki's head. Immediately, the twisted voice that had been clawing at Shiki's mind went silent.

She stared at the witch, stunned. "You're—"

The witch just smiled and waved it off. "No need for thanks. I'm just a softie who hates seeing sad endings." With a playful wink, she turned to Merlin and held out an ornate staff. "I should probably give this back to you, Merlin."

"I knew it looked familiar! This really is the prophecy staff that sneaky Ambrosious took from me!" Merlin grabbed it and began stroking the staff like it was a lost pet, even planting kisses along its length. "My precious baby~"

Seeing his creepy behavior, Mordred quickly stepped away, putting as much distance between herself and the bizarre magus as possible.

Merlin suddenly seemed to realize how weird he was being. He cleared his throat and quickly regained his composure. "You've given back my staff, but what will you use as your weapon now?"

"I'll go back to using my sword, of course." The witch smiled as she drew the blade at her waist—a holy sword that glowed red like a rose in full bloom.

"That sword—it can't be—"

"Yes," she said, her eyes darkening briefly before her smile returned. "It's Morgan's sword—my sister's sword. And now it's mine too."

Shirou walked over and nodded knowingly. "So you've remembered everything then, Emperor of the Eternal Empire."

At those words, everyone who didn't know the truth gasped, staring at the witch in shock.

Witch Artoria was the Emperor of the Eternal Empire? How was that possible?

Why would the Emperor of the Eternal Empire fight alongside them to destroy her own kingdom?

The witch laughed softly at their confusion. "Yes, I remember everything now. Strange, isn't it? I helped you tear down my own empire, and honestly I don't feel bad about it—I feel free. Compared to her, I was never really cut out to be a ruler."

Shirou glanced at the red sword. "If you have Morgan's sword, then what happened to her?"

The witch fell silent, just holding the blade with a solemn expression that said everything words couldn't.

He nodded, understanding without needing to hear it spoken.

"She was my sister..." the witch finally said, her voice soft. "But I never really understood her pain until it was too late." She turned to look at Artoria with a genuine smile. "You have a good sister too, King of Knights."

"Yes," Artoria nodded firmly. "I really do have a good sister!"

The witch smiled softly as she pulled out her treasured notebook from her pocket and handed it to Shirou. "Here, this is for you."

He took it, looking confused. "I thought you said your travel diary wasn't finished yet and you wouldn't show it to anyone?"

"I only need to write the ending now," she said with a gentle smile. "So I'm leaving that final chapter to you. And just so you know—I love happy endings, so make it a good one, okay?" Her eyes sparkled with quiet humor.

She turned to leave.

"Wait—where are you going?" He called after her.

The witch looked back over her shoulder, her smile turning wistful. "Everywhere. Unlike her, I'm the wind—a free spirit. A breeze that no one can catch or hold down."

And just like that, she was gone. Like the Ideal King before her, she walked away and didn't look back.