IBHJ 1311

"This is too much..." Arcueid winced, still clutching her stomach. "I really don't get it. Why are we fighting? You're the counter force of the Eternal Kingdom, and I know you don't actually want to hurt us. We should be on the same side, so how did we end up like this?"

"Only you would say something that naive..." The Ideal King let out a soft sigh.

"What's so naive about not wanting to hurt friends?" Arcueid shot back, her voice rising. "I don't see the problem with that!"

"Friends?" A hint of emotion flickered across the Ideal King's face. "Thank you for seeing me as human, for thinking of me as a friend. But unfortunately, that's not what I am. I'm a counter force."

Her gaze wavered for just a moment before settling back into that unsettling calm. She stood there alone, somehow looking dignified even while facing all of them.

"You're trying to resist my new history," she continued. "You want to destroy everything I'm protecting. I can't allow that."

Even Arcueid finally understood the truth—this conflict wouldn't end until one side fell. She bit her lip in frustration. Why was the world filled with so many situations where no one had any real choice? It had been the same with her and Roa, the same with Crimson Moon and Artoria, and now the same with the Ideal King and Pan-History.

So contradictory. So painful.

Maybe if she'd just stayed locked up in the Millennium Castle forever, she wouldn't have to deal with all this pain and frustration. But then again, she'd have missed out on so much—the joy of meeting Shirou, the happiness of making real friends, the thrill of going on adventures together. Was it worth it? She thought so, even now.

The Ideal King raised the Holy Grail with both hands. The cup began to emit a blinding holy light as invisible waves of energy started changing the very foundation of all history.

"She's subverting the Quantum Time-Lock!" Arthur shouted, his eyes wide with shock. "It's already this far along. We can't afford to hold back anymore—everyone, give it everything you've got!"

The Ideal King looked over at the approaching crowd, her mind stirring just a bit. All six basic forces emerged at once, transforming into that endless halo that pressed down on everyone around her.

Shirou was only talking to her to buy everyone some breathing room. And maybe she was answering his questions because she was getting ready to alter the Quantum Time-Lock.

"Once I override the Quantum Time-Lock and merge it with the Eternal Empire, the framework for our new history will start taking shape," the Ideal King said.

Light and shadow began to cross and swirl around her. One, two... then countless human figures with blurry faces appeared, with her standing at the center. These were the people of the Eternal Kingdom. The Grail had corrupted them all. Their physical bodies were gone, but their records couldn't move on. So she'd gathered them up.

"You'll all be reborn soon," the Ideal King told them earnestly. "Then you can finally have that beautiful life you've been waiting for."

The human figures turned to each other, quietly talking among themselves. As the Ideal King watched their blurred faces, something unexpected happened on her cold, emotionless face—a smile appeared. It was like watching ice slowly melt.

Sixth Seat was supposed to be the Grail. It should've been able to strip away the Ideal King's power, but he was somehow countered by her. The Grail—half of Satan itself—should've corrupted her will, but instead, she made it her tool. Even the Akasha Arrow, which couldn't be controlled by transcenders or even Shirou, the rightful heir to the Vortex, she wielded effortlessly.

She was flawless.

And her perfection came from one source.

From these people.

The Ideal King closed her eyes, her mind drifting back to what she'd witnessed, what she'd always longed for—that celebration when Britain was finally unified, that incredible feast where everyone gathered together.

At that banquet, people wore nothing but genuine smiles. No sadness. No worries. Nothing but joy.

It was probably the happiest day in that entire stretch of history. All she wanted was to make sure every single day in this new timeline would feel exactly like that one perfect moment. That was her duty as the Ideal King, as a Counter Force.

But then—

"Just let it go," came a voice from among the blurry figures.

The Ideal King's eyes snapped open. She stared at the figure who'd spoken, completely stunned. "What did you just say?"

"Let it go," another voice echoed.

"We're already dead," added someone else.

It was like a dam breaking. Suddenly everyone started speaking their truth, no longer hiding how they really felt.

"Yes. Let it go."

The Ideal King's cold mask cracked. She couldn't keep her composure anymore. "I... I can bring back the kingdom soon. Why... why would you tell me to let it go?"

"Because we're already dead," someone explained.

"That's right. Our real selves are gone. We're not souls or actual people—just memories. So please, let it go. If some of us have already been reborn out there, wouldn't creating this new history just kill our reincarnations?"

"No! You're not dead at all!" The Ideal King shouted, desperately denying it. "You're still alive! If you're really dead, then what am I even seeing right now?"

"What are we? Probably just regret. We couldn't do anything. Couldn't help at all. We ended up helping destroy the kingdom, and now we're even standing against our king and the Knights of the Round Table... So just let it go."

Someone sighed softly. "You've also... been through a lot. Let it go. Don't let us keep holding you back."

The Ideal King's eyes shrank. "That's not what you're supposed to say!"

No—no—

This wasn't how things were supposed to go!

Let it go?

If she did that—if she actually did that—wouldn't it make everything she stood for completely meaningless?

All she had left was this...

This obsession. This stubborn refusal to give up!

"Mordred... Mordred..."

The Ideal King whispered the name, suddenly realizing something. Earlier, Mordred had used her Grail to connect with these people!

Just then, Mordred's slender fingers twitched slightly. She blinked back to consciousness, touched her head, and sat up. Noticing the Ideal King muttering her name, she asked, "Were you calling me, Ideal King?"

The Ideal King whipped her head around, glaring at Mordred. Through clenched teeth, she demanded, "What have you done?"

"I just... admitted I was wrong and tried to make amends." Mordred got to her feet, looking the Ideal King straight in the eyes. "I freed them from the Grail's corruption."

"Freed?" The Ideal King's eyes narrowed dangerously. She turned quickly to see the human figures slowly fading like smoke. "No—!"

She reached out desperately to grab them, but even with all her transcender powers, her hands passed right through them. Like trying to catch the moon's reflection in water.

"Is that all it took?" she cried out. "Just because she apologized, you forgave her? All that hatred and anger that kept you in this world for thousands of years—was it really that shallow?"

"What Mordred did was right, even if we couldn't bring ourselves to forgive her before. But... it's time to let go. We aren't souls or real people anymore—just memories. What really kept us here wasn't the Grail at all, but our own bitterness and anger. Mordred helped us forgive ourselves. Maybe you should forgive yourself too, Counter Force..."

One by one, the figures of the people faded away into nothing.