IBHJ 1300

"I see the King of Knights didn't join you," the Ideal King observed. "She's still clinging to her principles, I suppose. Though in the end, she'll come to face me with her sword drawn. That's just who she is."

The Ideal King rose from her throne and with a wave of her hand, a damaged Holy Grail and a gleaming Holy Sword materialized before her.

"Here it is—the Holy Grail you've been seeking," she declared. "If you truly want to erase my new history, then come at me with everything you have! Let's settle who rules history the old-fashioned way—with steel and blood!"

Her blue eyes flashed with an intense, cold divine light. This was her absolute bottom line, her unshakable principle—for the sake of the people and world she had sworn to protect, she wouldn't retreat a single step.

Not one step back!

...

The Land of Shadows—Ireland's hidden realm and once the frontline where the Tuatha De Danann stood guard against the Fomorian Abyss, protecting the world from danger. But this former realm of the dead had been completely transformed. What was once a place of darkness and death had become a realm of twisted desire. The grim atmosphere had vanished, replaced by decadent pink bubbles floating through the air. The vengeful spirits that once dwelled here were gone too, replaced by groups of wraiths and specters that radiated a sense of decay.

"I can't believe the Land of Shadows has been corrupted like this," Scathach said with a heavy sigh.

As Queen of this realm, seeing her domain reduced to such a terrible state filled her with complicated emotions.

"We need to get to the Fomorian Abyss," Skadi said, pointing to a well of grudges in the distance.

That well served as a gateway connecting to the Fomorian Abyss—essentially a wormhole linking the two realms. Back in the distant Age of Gods, spirits of the Fomorian gods would pass through that well to invade the Land of Shadows. But they were always defeated and slaughtered by Scathach, only to be reborn in the Fomorian Abyss, creating an endless cycle that repeated for ages.

Fortunately, back then, she hadn't been completely alone. Aife had stayed in the Land of Shadows despite having the choice to leave, sometimes helping Scathach and sometimes challenging her to battle. Those encounters were among the few breaks in her monotonous existence—small moments that helped keep her from losing her mind.

But now, someone in the Fomorian Abyss had transformed it completely, and that corrupting influence had spread to pollute the Land of Shadows as well.

Scathach and the others made their way toward the well of grudges. Kiara and Manaka passed through first. Just as Skadi was about to enter, the air suddenly grew heavy around them. A flash of red light streaked through the air as a spear shot directly at Skadi. Scathach, who was covering their rear, reached out and caught the weapon mid-flight.

"So she really did follow us here," Skadi sighed.

Scathach glanced at the distant figure radiating fighting spirit, then turned to Skadi. "Go ahead. I'll deal with her."

"Be careful," Skadi warned. "In any timeline or possibility, Aife is never an easy opponent."

Scathach nodded.

After Skadi disappeared through the well, Scathach spun the spear and hurled it back. The weapon turned into a red meteor streaking through the air, but was caught easily by a hand in the distance. It was Aife.

Scathach looked at her former companion. "Apostle of the Empire... instead of protecting the Emperor you serve, you come after us? That doesn't seem like the best use of your time."

"Beast," Aife replied simply.

Scathach raised an eyebrow. "I see. So what's happening here falls within your Emperor's expectations. But to prioritize dealing with us in this situation... have you lost your composure?"

"I have never been more clear-headed than I am right now!" Aife declared. And it was true—since killing her Scathach, she had never felt this focused.

She fixed her gaze on Scathach. "I may have forgotten many things, but there's one memory I've never lost. Once, Scathach and I were the two greatest warriors in the empire, but there was only one position for Apostle and Queen of the Land of Shadows. We agreed to settle it with a fair duel before the Emperor. But before that duel could begin, she was possessed by Balor... and I killed her dishonorably."

Her voice grew quieter. "Looking back now, I understand why I went mad—why I always felt so uncomfortable whenever I heard the name 'Scathach.' It was shame, wasn't it?"

"So that's it," Scathach said thoughtfully. "You want to duel with me because of your regret at never completing that fight with your Scathach. You're projecting those feelings onto me and Skadi." She allowed herself a small smile. "Actually, I'm pleased someone wants to challenge me. After I became guardian of the Land of Shadows, few dared to face me. And once they passed through that gate, even heroes who were once my equals never mentioned combat again. The only one who has always pursued my shadow is you... sister."

"Hmph. I have no sister." Aife gripped her crimson spear tightly as the Imperial Armor on her body began falling away like sand, dissolving into clouds of smoke.

Scathach raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You realize where I stand in all this. If you kept the Imperial Armor, you might have had a chance at victory. Without it, you have none at all."

"I am the Queen of the Land of Shadows—a warrior!" Aife proclaimed.

"That's right," Scathach smiled. "But the Queen of the Land of Shadows is me."

She thought to herself that if Shirou were here, he would definitely use the Eternal King's record and find some clever way to trick Aife into fighting bare-handed. A pure warrior's battle—how nostalgic...

Scathach charged forward with her twin spears, straight toward Aife. She was confident that no matter how many years Aife had spent honing her skills, as long as she hadn't passed through that gate, she would be no match. With the Demon King situation growing more dangerous by the minute, she needed to end this quickly!

"I won't hold back!" Scathach called out. "Prepare yourself!"

...

Meanwhile, Kiara and the others emerged into the Fomorian Abyss. This should have been a realm of darkness and shadow, but now a decadent, sickly aura permeated everything. The countless Fomorian spirits had been transformed into mindless slaves of desire, dancing without restraint or purpose. The sight gave everyone an eerie, unsettling feeling—like being trapped in some disturbing dream.

Manaka looked around with a frown. "This place seems fully transformed. So why hasn't she shown herself yet?"

She could sense that Paranirmitavasavartin was complete. The term came from Buddhism—it referred to the realm ruled by the Demon King, the demonic domain that had dominated and corrupted the world before the Enlightened One transformed into Shakyamuni Bodhisattva under the Bodhi tree.

The Lord of Salvation and his servant had used Demonic Bodhisattva as a vessel to create their own version of the Demon King—the great adversary of Buddhism. And naturally, with the Demon King came Paranirmitavasavartin.

This wasn't just a Reality Marble or some otherworld like the Forest of Einnashe. This was something much more fundamental—a basic domain similar to the Pure Land, with enough power to completely envelop the world and planet itself.

The Paranirmitavasavartin had clearly been born and taken form. But as Manaka looked around more carefully, she realized something surprising—the Demon King itself had not yet been born.