IBHJ 1284

Ignoring Mana's calls, Shiki turned her back and gradually vanished into the endless white space.

Mana clenched her fists and pounded against the invisible barrier, creating a dull thud. This single line created by the Empire's Incarnation separated not just two people, but two worlds and two hearts.

Shirou turned to Scathach. "Can you break through this wall, shisho?"

"No, even if I had Skadi's divinity, I still couldn't break through this," she replied, shaking her head.

She could sense the Empire's Incarnation's power within this invisible wall—the terrifying strength of a transcender.

"What about you?" she asked the witch.

The witch immediately shook her head. "No way I could break through this! You're giving me way too much credit."

Mana hit the invisible wall a few more times, then took a deep breath to calm herself.

She turned to face Shirou and the others. "Let's go."

"You're giving up just like that?" he asked.

"There's no way to save someone who's imprisoned themselves," Mana said firmly. "The longer we stay here, the more danger we create for Pan-Human History. I can't be selfish about this."

Shirou nodded. There were many things he wanted to ask Shiki about, but if she didn't want to talk, there wasn't much they could do.

Just as they were about to leave, a voice suddenly echoed through the pure white space—

"Leaving already? That wouldn't be very hospitable of me."

The witch's face immediately went pale. "It's the false Emperor!"

With a sharp cracking sound, the doorway the witch had cut open began closing rapidly.

"This is bad! The door's closing—the false Emperor is trying to trap us here!" Mana shouted.

"Run!" he yelled.

But before they could reach it, the door sealed completely shut.

"Move aside, let me try again!" the witch said.

She drew her sword and slashed down with all her might, but this time it was as if she were striking empty air. Nothing happened.

The witch stared in disbelief. "That's impossible! I cut through this space before..."

Shirou suddenly understood. His eyes narrowed as he said, "You opened that door for us, didn't you, Counter Force!"

Silence.

The Incarnation's voice echoed from above. "Of course. If the Eternal King wants to observe the criminal who would destroy the world, how could I deny your curiosity?"

"So everything's going according to your plan?" he asked dryly.

"How else could one be called Emperor?"

Shirou's expression turned mocking. "Really? Then where were you when the Beast was stealing the eternity from your citizens? Just watching?"

The Empire's Incarnation fell silent.

"I will deal with them after I complete my synchronization with pan-human history!" the voice finally replied.

"The people of my kingdom still care for you, which prevents me from acting against you directly. However, I can keep you here forever. Sleep well, everyone. When you wake, a new world—a pure land free from sorrow—will await you."

With that, her voice faded away.

Shirou frowned. This was bad—they were completely trapped!

They might not be restrained by the crown of thorns, but this [Eternal Cage] was unbreakable. Even Scathach with stacked buffs couldn't crack this dimensional prison.

"What do we do now? We're stuck here!" the witch asked, her voice rising in panic.

"Why are you so worked up? If we're trapped here, you won't get pulled into the war between Pan-Human History and the Empire. Isn't that what you wanted?" he asked.

"I didn't want to be part of the war because I value my freedom! I'm like the wind—I want to see everything life has to offer, not be locked up in here like a dead fish!" the witch replied frantically.

"I'm really sorry," Mana said regretfully. "This is all my fault..."

She felt terrible—if she hadn't insisted on coming to the fortress to save Shiki, they wouldn't be in this mess.

"No, don't say that. I also had my own questions for your mother. But it looks like she has no interest in talking to us," he said, folding his arms.

Mana let out a heavy sigh.

"For now, let's figure out how to get out of here," he suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement. But no matter what they tried, the [Eternal Cage] remained sealed tight.

Suddenly, a calm voice cut through the silence—

"This is the mental manifestation of the Counter Force. The purer its mind, the stronger this place becomes. Your random attempts will never get you out!"

"Who's there?" Mana cried out, startled.

The witch froze—that voice sounded strangely familiar.

"Shirou, is this...?" Scathach looked at him in surprise.

He nodded, his expression turning serious.

The voice spoke again: "Follow me!"

A glowing line appeared in the white space, stretching toward the endless distance.

Clearly, someone was trying to show them the way out.

But—

"Why should we trust you? You won't even show yourself... that's way too suspicious!" the witch said.

Shirou and Scathach, however, had already decided to trust the voice and were running toward the direction it indicated. Shirou even turned around to call out to the bewildered witch and Mana: "Come on, keep up!"

"Seriously..." The witch didn't know what to say. Since Shirou had chosen to trust this mysterious voice, she figured she had no choice but to go along with it.

He reached the end of the glowing path, where a crack had already formed.

"Go in," the mysterious voice instructed. "The exit is through there."

"But why—"

Before the witch and Mana could voice their concerns, Shirou and Scathach shared a quick look and jumped into the crack without a moment's hesitation.

"If you're a friend, just say so! I can't stand all this cryptic stuff!" the witch grumbled helplessly before jumping in after them.

Mana turned around, looking back toward the distance. She wanted one final glimpse of the woman who had given her life but also destroyed everything she held dear—her mother, Shiki. But all she could see was endless white nothingness.

Disappointment flickered across her face as she turned and jumped into the crack.

There was a flash of light and shadow. Shirou felt everything go dark, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a devastated world consumed by fire. All around him were collapsed buildings and ruins. Flames spread everywhere, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of burning.

It looked like the end of the world!

"Wait—"

His eyes locked onto something in the distance—a burning, decaying statue. Despite its deteriorated condition, the distinct features of the carved face made it instantly recognizable as his own statue!

A statue from the era of the Eternal Kingdom!

"Shirou, this is the Eternal Kingdom!" Scathach exclaimed.

He nodded gravely.

This was indeed the Eternal Kingdom—specifically, its royal capital, Camelot!

Suddenly, figures began emerging from the rubble and ruins around them. Ragged, dirty people crawled out from the debris. Their faces were filled with suffering, but the moment they saw Shirou, their expressions transformed. Their eyes lit up like they were seeing the sun itself.

"It's the King!"

"The King has returned!"

"The King has awakened from eternal slumber!"

"He's come to save us!"

People cried out excitedly, then began stumbling toward him.

They reached out their hands—muddy hands, calloused hands... Shirou even noticed one hand that had only a pinky finger left.

They grasped at him desperately.

"The King has returned!"

"Oh King... we've missed you so much!"

Shirou stared at them, dazed, as if he'd been transported back to ancient times.

"Stay alert! These are consciousness fragments of the kingdom's people that make up the Counter Force—they're not real!" the mysterious voice warned.

Shirou snapped back to reality and tried to push these people away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Those eyes were too sincere, too filled with hope…