IBHJ 1286

He opened his eyes, his gaze now clear and resolute. "But Eternal King has already disappeared along with history; the person standing before you is Fujimaru Shirou! What I seek—what Shirou seeks—is his own future!"

In that moment, Shirou finally resolved the conflict within himself. What had once been hesitation and reluctance transformed into certainty as he chose to break free from the shadow of the Eternal King and forge his own path!

As this decision crystallized, he felt something deep within his soul—a dormant vortex suddenly spinning with violent intensity.

In a flash, as though reality itself shifted between light and shadow, the Incarnation vanished from Shirou's vision. In its place appeared a swirling vortex, similar to what he had experienced during his confrontation with the three Grand Servants. His gaze penetrated through this vortex, revealing a sequence of images:

Two figures appeared before him. One was a middle-aged man with graying hair and a face marked by years of hardship. The other was Ambrosius. Shirou watched as Ambrosius presented the Holy Grail to the middle-aged man, who accepted it with weathered hands, his expression filled with hope as he made his wish.

The scene shifted. Now he saw the same middle-aged man arriving at a manor accompanied by Merlin, who cradled a newborn baby girl wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Then everything disappeared—both the images and the vortex—leaving only the Incarnation standing where the vortex had been.

Suddenly, as if struck by some invisible and overwhelming force, the Incarnation was hurled backward with a thunderous crash, colliding violently with the Tower of Light.

This unexpected turn left everyone stunned, their eyes fixed on Shirou in bewilderment.

Shirou's attention focused on his skill—[Savior of Mortal]!

In that critical moment, he had somehow managed to use the Incarnation's own power against her!

"That's impossible!" The Incarnation emerged from the Tower completely unharmed but visibly shaken. "The Throne of Heroes cannot contain my record! How could you possibly access my power?" Her shock was so complete that she abandoned her royal manner of speaking.

The Throne of Heroes could only accommodate beings up to the level of pre-enlightenment Buddha or legendary figures like the Eternal Emperor. But the Incarnation existed on an entirely different plane—a truly transcendent entity. Even when using the Holy Spirit's power to reach transcendence, she remained beyond normal limits. How could Shirou possibly tap into such power?

"The vortex..." The Incarnation's eyes widened in realization. "It must be that vortex!"

After realizing Shirou could access her power, the Incarnation felt threatened and launched herself toward him with lightning speed. Shirou raised his sword to counter the attack. Although he could tap into the Incarnation's abilities through [Savior of Mortal], the power of a transcendent being vastly exceeded human understanding. He could sense this enormous power but had no real knowledge of how to control it. It was comparable to a three-dimensional person suddenly gaining access to ten-dimensional capabilities—without the perspective of a ten-dimensional entity, how could anyone possibly wield such power? As a result, he could only harness the Incarnation's power for basic attacks and defensive blasts.

Despite these limitations, he managed to hold his ground against the Incarnation for several exchanges. During this confrontation, he made a startling discovery: the Incarnation herself didn't fully understand how to use this power either!

This revelation explained why he, Altera, and the others had previously been able to stand against the Incarnation when they fought together!

Despite the Incarnation's incomplete mastery of transcendent power, she still outmatched Shirou even when he was using her own abilities against her. However, when Scathach, the Witch, and Rhongomyniad joined forces with him, they managed to constrain her movements.

Then, without warning, Apostle Pendragon and Aife—who had been blasted away earlier—returned to the battlefield.

Seizing this opportunity, the Incarnation lunged forward, her movement blurring in the dust-filled air. Her fist connected with Rhongomyniad's chest with a sickening crunch, golden armor buckling under the impact. The shockwave rippled outward, flattening the tall grass around them and sending stones skittering across the uneven ground. Rhongomyniad flew backward, her body carving a deep furrow in the earth before crashing into the remains of a fallen pillar that shattered into powder upon impact.

In the next moment, before anyone could react, the Incarnation pivoted on her heel and tackled Shirou. The air rushed from his lungs as his back slammed against the hard-packed earth. The weight of the Incarnation pressed down on him as she straddled his chest, her eyes burning with cold fury. She raised her fist—a fist that glowed with a pulsing blue light, capable of delivering unimaginable destruction.

This is bad! Shirou's heart raced, pounding against his ribs as blood roared in his ears. His fingers clawed at the ground beneath him, feeling the rough texture of dirt and stone as he desperately channeled the Incarnation's power into a spatial quake to throw her off. Energy surged through his body, making his skin tingle and his hair stand on end as the ground beneath them trembled violently. The spatial quake—powerful enough to tear through time and space—erupted from his body in a visible ripple of distorted reality that hit the Incarnation directly.

To his surprise, she didn't budge an inch! The earth around them shattered and liquefied, rocks floating upward as reality itself warped, yet she remained perfectly still above him, a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth as debris rained down around them. Her weight pressed even harder against his chest, making it difficult to breathe in the already dust-choked air.

"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!" the disaster victims shouted from all sides.

"A king who abandons his people doesn't deserve to be king!"

"Kill him! Kill him!"

Their voices grew louder. Just as Shirou himself had once stated: when a leader can no longer fulfill the expectations of their people, they will inevitably be overthrown. Water can carry a boat, but that same water can also capsize it.

The Incarnation's raised fist never came down. It froze in midair.

"Don't hurt my father!" Mordred's voice suddenly echoed across the battlefield as a beam of light shot from the Tower, striking the Incarnation.

Caught by surprise, the Incarnation was thrown backward by the impact.

Mordred emerged from the Tower, rushed to Shirou's side, and helped him to his feet. "Are you alright, Father?"

"I'm fine," Shirou said, shaking his head. He looked at Mordred with concern. "Why did you come here?"

"I sensed the Grail's aura."

"You shouldn't have come, this wasn't part of the plan!"

"The plan? The plan's already fallen apart!" she retorted. "My approach is simple—I just adapt to whatever happens!"

He was speechless.

"Besides, I brought two people with me," she added.

Two people? He raised his eyebrows, suddenly noticing unusual movement in the portion of Manaka's mud he had intercepted before. Could one of the people Mordred mentioned be—

With a rushing sound, black mud erupted from the ground, forming sharp blades that lunged toward the Incarnation. However, with just a glance from the Incarnation, the mud blades dissolved into particles of pure energy.

"The realm of the transcendent... truly is formidable."

A cold female voice sounded. Shirou turned to see Manaka walking out from the Tower.

Sensing his gaze, she turned toward him, her eyes meeting his. She raised an eyebrow. "A few days without seeing you, and look at the state you're in, Fujimaru."

"You're not looking so great yourself," he replied with a light laugh.

The comment struck a nerve. Though Manaka had been saved when Ritsuka drove back [Manaka Sajyou], her face was still covered in cracks, giving her the appearance of a broken glass figure.

Nevertheless, she regarded him calmly. "I'm not going to waste time arguing with you."

During their time at the South American connection point, Manaka would have immediately fired back with a cutting remark—her dislike for Shirou had been deeply embedded in her personality. But after facing true life and death situations, she had moved beyond such petty conflicts. What remained now were her own will, her genuine emotions, and the shadows of her past. Ritsuka had once told her that while they might not be friends, they were companions. And for Manaka, that was enough.

"Very well." The Incarnation rose to her feet, her gaze sweeping across Shirou and the others. "Everyone who needs to be confined, everyone who needs to be eliminated, is now in one place. You've saved me the trouble of hunting you down one by one."

Without another word, the Incarnation turned and fired a beam of light directly at Mana.

"Let's begin with you, Alaya!"