IBHJ 1309

Back at the Imperial Palace, Shirou and the others were locked in a brutal fight with the Ideal King. She was just too damn powerful. Even though she'd only become a false Holy Spirit by using the Holy Grail's power, she was still a transcender through and through. Despite Shirou and all these other incredible beings attacking together, she was holding everyone off with just two Holy Swords.

Shirou had just activated Shiki's record with [Savior of Mortal] and was about to jump back into the fray when a message from Skadi came through, transmitted by her [Runes of Wisdom].

—The Demon King's been destroyed. Sixth Seat has disappeared, but watch out! He might come back and steal the Ideal King's power!

The Demon King's disappearance was definitely good news. But Sixth Seat was essentially the Grail, and the second the Ideal King showed any weakness, he'd take back the Holy Grail—the source of her false Holy Spirit power. As this thought crossed Shirou's mind, he glanced up, ready to rejoin the battle—only to find the Ideal King had already taken down everyone who'd surrounded her.

Shirou just stared, speechless.

That was way too fast, wasn't it?

How was that even possible?

The Ideal King stood there holding both swords, her eyes fixed directly on him. "Your turn, Shirou. Come."

He hesitated for a moment. "The Demon King and Sixth Seat are gone."

"And?" The Ideal King's voice was cold. "What difference does that make?"

"Your power comes from the Holy Grail, and Sixth Seat is the Grail. You're his next target," he warned.

The Ideal King just smiled. "Who says I wasn't always his target?"

As she spoke, he noticed black mist seeping from her eyes. The Holy Grail floating around her pulsed with the Beast's malice. Without hesitation, the Ideal King raised her hand and knocked her sword hilt against her own head. Instantly, all the black mist disappeared.

"If I can't handle one measly Beast, how could I possibly protect my kingdom?" she asked simply.

He realized the Ideal King had been Sixth Seat's real target from the beginning. But she was just too powerful. Even as a false Holy Spirit created by the Holy Grail, she easily kept Sixth Seat in check. That's why Sixth Seat had created the Demon King in the first place!

"What's wrong? Can't bring yourself to fight me?" The Ideal King studied Shirou's hesitation. "You can't possibly be afraid of me. If you were, you wouldn't be Shirou Pendragon." Her eyes narrowed. "I get it now—you're worried about damaging this body, aren't you? Fine then, I'll temporarily set this body aside."

The moment she finished speaking, Mordred's body changed. Those blue eyes instantly went dark and lifeless. The Grail appeared beside her, and a snow-like cluster of spiritual particles emerged from Mordred's body. Under the Holy Grail's light, the particles took shape, forming a girl about the same size as Mordred—maybe 5 feet tall or so.

"I knew it..." The words slipped out of Shirou's mouth the second he saw her face.

The girl had dark golden hair tied up neatly, with a face that was beautiful yet somehow childlike. Her dark golden eyes gazed at him calmly as she gripped two Holy Swords. There was something about her—a loneliness that reminded him of a lion separated from its pride.

"So it really is my parallel world counterpart..." Saber muttered through gritted teeth.

Shirou stared at the girl's face—identical to Saber's. It made perfect sense now. The Ideal King, carrying all of King Uther's hopes, wasn't Mordred at all. It was Uther's daughter—King Arthur, Artoria. Or more precisely, the Ideal King was the ultimate form that Artoria or King Arthur would have eventually become. But across countless possibilities, Morgan le Fay's jealousy had always gotten in the way of Uther's dream.

In most worlds, whether as Arthur or Artoria, they all died with regrets on that hill of swords. But the Eternal Kingdom was different from all those other worlds. Thanks to Shirou stepping in, thanks to the birth of the Eternal King, Morgan le Fay had actually ended up working together with Artoria instead of against her.

The Island's power combined with the Ideal King's vessel, all boosted by the Holy Grail's strength. Weirdly enough, Uther's dream of an Ideal King had come true—just from a completely different angle. That's how the Eternal Kingdom's counter force—the Ideal King—came to exist.

But—

"I should've realized sooner. Mysterious Heroine X..." Shirou muttered under his breath.

The Ideal King's appearance instantly reminded Shirou, with his knowledge from another world, of one of the most powerful beings in the Type-Moon universe: Mysterious Heroine X Alter from the Servant Universe.

That game-breaking character who, just like Thanos, could snap her fingers and wipe out half the universe.

The Servant Universe was supposed to be just a parody world—it didn't actually exist among the countless connection points. But something about the Ideal King's form kept making him think of Mysterious Heroine X Alter.

"Mysterious Heroine X? What are you talking about?" The Ideal King fixed those calm, dark golden eyes on him. "Anyway, I've separated from Mordred's body now. Come, Shirou."

He hesitated, his fiery gaze locked on the Ideal King. "If you're really the Ideal King, then who's the true Emperor of the Eternal Empire?"

"The Witch of Avalon, of course," the Ideal King replied simply.

"I knew it," he said, then asked, "But didn't you kill the Emperor a long time ago?"

"I did," the Ideal King acknowledged. "But Morgan had a backup plan. When she stabbed the Emperor, she deliberately avoided a fatal blow. She even left a magical mark on her. So when the Emperor fell from the Imperial Palace, Morgan found her immediately, kept her alive, and hid her away in Camelot. What Morgan didn't see coming was that I'd take not just the Emperor’s status, but all her memories and experiences too."

So that explains why Apostle Pendragon was acting so weird, Shirou thought to himself. "If you knew what she was up to all this time, why didn't you stop them?" he asked. "You're not supposed to show mercy to anyone outside the 'Eternal Kingdom'... Wait a second—"

Suddenly, a memory clicked into place.

He remembered the Ideal King had spoken something along the lines of her hoping to become friends, rather than enemies while disguised as Mordred. He also recalled the Witch mentioning how Apostle Pendragon had tried to recruit her as an Apostle before.

He suddenly understood and exclaimed in surprise. "You wanted her to become you!"

"As expected of Shirou," the Ideal King said with admiration in her eyes. "You figured out my plan so easily."

Her expression shifted to one of disappointment. "Unfortunately, you won't stand on my side."

She glanced at the Holy Grail floating nearby. "The Holy Grail's power is almost gone. As a false Holy Spirit, I'll disappear when it does. I wanted her to take my place—to become the new Counter Force that would keep this new history alive." Her voice softened. "That's why I looked the other way when it came to her. Morgan pretty much figured out what I was up to, and to keep her sister alive, she had to take care of her—this sister who'd lost her past—exactly the way I wanted. But unfortunately—"

"Unfortunately, she ran away," he cut in. "She escaped from that protection circle Apostle Pendragon set up, and she also rejected you."

"Exactly." The Ideal King paused, her calm gaze fixed on him. "I know what you're thinking, Shirou. But dragging this out won't help you. My synchronization process has been running this whole time!"

He clenched his fist.

"I understand you way too well, Shirou," she said softly.