IBHJ 1295

The Ideal King drew her power from the Holy Grail. To destroy the Holy Grail, they would need to attack the imperial palace, which meant first taking control of Camelot, the city below. But Camelot was protected by Agravain's Machine God, constructed entirely from orichalcum super-metal.

And the Ideal King's power was simply overwhelming. If she unleashed that power again—the one that gathered the universe's fundamental forces—there was no second Galahad to stand against it. Most worrying of all, even if they somehow defeated the Ideal King, the Beast would surely return to claim his power. Once that happened, everything would be lost.

In this moment, Shirou desperately wished he still had the Arrow of Akasha. Only that arrow could mercilessly destroy all existences without hesitation. Unfortunately, after the Arrow struck him and awakened his [Savior of Mortal], it had disappeared. And even if he'd had it, he probably couldn't have used it anyway. They seemed to be facing an impossible situation.

"I'll handle the Demon King," Kiara said with unexpected seriousness. "You focus on dealing with the Ideal King."

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

"Are you sure about this?" Shirou asked, studying her face. "That's not just Demonic Bodhisattva anymore. The gap between your powers is too great."

Indeed, while Demonic Bodhisattva was a part of this Demon King, the Demon King was not simply Demonic Bodhisattva. Demonic Bodhisattva might have shown restraint toward Kiara, but a Demon King would likely show none.

If Kiara confronted the Demon King directly, she would most likely have her soul erased, her consciousness forever buried within the Demon King's core.

Kiara didn't answer with words. Instead, she looked directly into his eyes with a gaze that was serious and determined.

It was hard to believe how much she'd changed. Shirou remembered when he first met her at the Romanian connection point—her eyes had been full of timidity and fear of the unknown. Now, her gaze shone with resolve.

What had changed her? Nothing external—she had simply learned to face herself. He said nothing more, just nodded his approval.

"Thank you, Mr. Shirou," she said with a smile.

He had been the one who helped her see the brighter side of things. That's why she was standing here now, finally able to face her past honestly.

"The Demon King has fallen into the Fomorian Abyss," Scathach explained. "Shirou, we can't join you this time. We need to head to the Fomorian Abyss ourselves."

Shirou nodded in understanding. Scathach and Skadi knew more about the Fomorian Abyss than anyone. With their guidance, Kiara would have a better chance.

As Kiara prepared to say goodbye, Jeanne called out to her.

"Take this with you," Jeanne said, handing Kiara her rifle. "It may not be much use to you, but it's better than nothing. I wish you success."

Kiara accepted it with a nod of thanks. She left Tír na nÓg with Scathach and Skadi, heading toward the Fomorian Abyss.

Manaka, who had been standing quietly in the corner, glanced at Ayaka in the crowd and looked around for Ritsuka without success. After a moment's hesitation, she silently followed after Kiara's group.

Ayaka turned just in time to see Manaka's retreating figure. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but finally closed it again and shut her eyes.

"Everyone," Shirou clapped his hands to get their attention. His expression was serious. "The final battle is coming, but we still have one major obstacle in our way."

"Agravain?" Arthur asked with a frown.

"We have three days at most. But that Machine God isn't something we can deal with quickly—it's too powerful."

"Why did you reveal Tír na nÓg's secret to them in the first place?" Merlin turned to glare at Ambrosius.

Ambrosius just shrugged. "If all of you together can't defeat the Ideal King, what makes you think I could have done any better?"

"Then why bring out the Holy Grail at all?" Merlin pressed.

"You're becoming more human by the day, Merlin," Ambrosius said with a smile. "Fine, I'll tell you. I wasn't the one who brought out the Holy Grail—people found it themselves. No matter where you hide the Holy Grail, people will always find it. And if they can't find it, they'll create one of their own." He looked directly at Merlin. "What's truly dangerous isn't the Holy Grail itself, but the human heart consumed by desire and obsession."

Merlin was stunned. As Britain's greatest magus, he understood this concept perfectly well. But hearing such a deeply human insight from Ambrosius was strange. Only now did Merlin realize that perhaps Ambrosius had come to understand the human heart long before he had.

Everyone discussed different options but couldn't find a solution for dealing with Agravain. The Machine God-Camelot represented Agravain's complete dedication to protecting the empire. Built entirely from super-metals like orichalcum and enhanced with Galahad's reflective abilities, it was basically a massive version of Galahad's shield!

It also had the Crown of Thorns, which could neutralize all abilities and Noble Phantasms. This was truly a weapon designed to battle enemies from the stars!

If the Eternal Empire succeeded in making its history the main timeline, Agravain would certainly start mass-producing these Machine Gods. Even if the Ideal King disappeared when the Holy Grail's power ran out, the Eternal Empire would become a major cosmic power like the Umbral Star!

But no one was willing to let that happen! They wouldn't surrender their world without a fight!

"Everyone, I have a plan."

At this moment, Aviceborn stepped forward.

…

Mordred ignored the busy meeting hall and went straight to her room. On the way, she noticed Bedivere sitting against the wall, staring at his sword with a distant look.

Seeing his troubled expression, she called out to him. "Bedivere."

He snapped out of his thoughts. "King Mordred."

"What's bothering you?" she asked.

He gave a bitter laugh. "I once thought he betrayed the Emperor, that he was disloyal. But in the end, I realized Agravain loved this empire and this land more deeply than anyone. He turned himself into a robot a hundred million years ago. I worked alongside him all that time, and I never really understood him."

She sat down beside him. "Do you remember anything about his past?"

"No, I can't remember a thing."

"Memories are like sand slipping through your fingers," she said. "The ones you try hardest to hold onto are the ones that slip away fastest. But some truly precious things never disappear, no matter how much you try to throw them away or forget them."

"What kind of things?"

"I'm not sure either. But when my brother patted my shoulder, I understood. Even after becoming a machine, what he refused to give up was my smile." Mordred's face softened. "So I won't stop smiling anymore. And you're the same, Bedivere. Your smile will always be hope for others."

He stared at her, stunned.

Her words sounded familiar.

The Emperor had once said the same thing to him.

Galahad had sacrificed himself to protect Mordred's smile. When the Emperor had spoken these words to Bedivere, what had she felt?

Mordred gave him a gentle smile, stood up, and walked away.