IBHJ 1279

Ayaka nodded, understanding this logic. The Beast was certainly powerful, but it couldn't compare to the Empire's Incarnation. Even a UO would be nothing before such power. If the Empire's Incarnation were present, the Beast would have been defeated a long time ago.

But while the Beast couldn't match the Empire's Incarnation, it had little trouble handling the Apostles. Despite Aife's spear technique rivaling Scathach's, and despite Apostle Pendragon's spells being the finest in the Empire, they were clearly outmatched. Even the normally troublesome [eternity] proved useless against the Beast.

Before long, Aife and Apostle Pendragon found themselves at a serious disadvantage, constantly fighting for their lives.

"Should we help them?" Ayaka asked, turning to the others.

Altera shook her head. "They're all our enemies. Letting them destroy each other works best for us."

"...That doesn't sound like something you would normally say, Altera."

"I am Gaia's guardian, but what I truly want to protect is our history—the one with all of you in it," she replied, looking meaningfully at Ayaka.

While they were talking, the battle had taken a new turn. The Beast had shattered Apostle Pendragon's magical barrier, knocking both her and Aife to the ground. In a flash, two black shadows shot out from the dark giant tree, wrapping around the fallen Apostles like enormous tongues trying to drag them inside.

At that moment, a streak of light cut through the air like a meteor—a divine spear shot forward, piercing through the black shadows that held Apostle Pendragon and Aife, then continued straight toward the Beast!

Some kind of protective barrier surrounded him; with a metallic clang, the divine spear stopped mid-flight. Only then did the Beast clearly see what had attacked him.

"Gungnir... Skadi?" he said, turning toward the rocky area where the spear had come from.

In their hiding place, Altera and the others stared at Skadi in surprise as she revealed their position.

"Kiara is inside that giant tree. Leave him to me—"

Skadi's words still hung in the air as she charged furiously from their hiding place, heading straight for the Beast.

"I guess Lady Skadi couldn't keep her composure after all," Altera sighed, then turned to Kiara and Ayaka with a serious expression. "Kiara is inside that giant tree. Skadi and I will handle the Beast. You two need to deal with the other Kiara."

Kiara and Ayaka both nodded firmly.

"Whatever happens, please remember—we're friends," Altera said earnestly before turning and charging into battle, sword at the ready.

“Altera…” Kiara watched Altera leave. Once, she had only Demonic Bodhisattva, but now she was surrounded by friends who genuinely cared about her.

Jeanne placed a reassuring hand on Kiara's shoulder. "Let's go."

Kiara nodded with determination, then rushed toward the giant tree.

"Kiara? I see... I won't let you interfere!" Just as the Beast moved to intercept Kiara and the others, there was a thunderous boom as a massive hammer carrying the power of lightning crashed down from the sky.

—Thor's Hammer!

A dragon's head shot out from the Beast's sleeve, swallowing the thunder god's weapon. In the next moment, Altera appeared in a flash of rainbow light and slashed at him.

"BOOM—BOOM—"

The Beast became locked in combat with Altera. Their battle released terrifying shockwaves that caused the surrounding ground to heave upward!

While Altera kept the Beast occupied, Skadi reached Aife and Apostle Pendragon, cutting away the black shadows binding them with a sweep of her spear.

"Scathach... are you another Scathach?" Aife looked at Skadi with suspicion.

"Yes. The divine aspect of Scathach," Skadi confirmed, then asked, "I heard from Shirou that you killed the Scathach of the Eternal Empire. Is that true?"

"Yes! I killed her and devoured her flesh. She was too weak, and the weak don't deserve to live. You and that other Scathach are the same," Aife said, her eyes wild with hatred. "I will kill all of you!"

"Is that so?"

Faced with Aife's undisguised hostility, Skadi calmly tossed Gungnir toward her and said, "Before that, let's deal with this monster first. You don't want this creature threatening the Eternal Empire from the shadows, do you? Your spear technique surpasses mine, so I'll lend you this weapon for now."

With that, Skadi turned away and began casting spells at the Beast.

"You dare turn your back on me..."

Aife raised an eyebrow, picked up the spear, and stared at Skadi's unprotected back, murder in her eyes.

"Aife, focus on that one first! That one is a barbarian!" Apostle Pendragon shouted.

"Barbarian? What's that?" Aife asked. "Just hearing that word gives me an uneasy feeling."

"The enemy of the Empire—the enemy of His Majesty. Whatever it is, let's deal with him first!" Apostle Pendragon declared, drawing the Invisible Holy Sword and attacking the Beast with powerful strikes.

Aife snorted dismissively at Skadi's back, then charged forward to join Altera in attacking the Beast.

"How interesting. I never thought that besides that monster Agravain, someone else would remember the history from 100 million years ago," the Beast said, looking at the approaching Apostle Pendragon with surprise. "That monster modified himself to exist beyond time. What about you, Apostle? How did you make your ordinary soul transcend time?"

Apostle Pendragon didn't bother to answer. Instead, she stepped back, drew her staff, and launched an attack at the Beast.

"No need to explain anyway—you'll all become sacrifices soon enough!" The Beast's face showed a triumphant smile. "And you've allowed the core to enter the land of desire. What a foolish mistake. She will only accelerate the birth of the Demon King!"

Skadi frowned. "Demon King..."

....

Meanwhile, Kiara and the others entered the giant tree. Inside was an entire world—a desolate one. Fires burned from the eastern sky to the western horizon, and thick black mist covered the ground.

Strange melodies echoed through the air, like the enchanting sounds of powerful illusions. Bizarre demons and monsters danced overhead, and the entire realm was caught in chaotic celebration.

A barren, demonic otherworld.

"Is this hell?" Jeanne frowned. A strange kind of desire filled the air, and as she listened to those soul-piercing demonic sounds, she felt waves of sadness and grief rising in her heart.

At that moment, as if sensing intruders, the demons dancing to the eerie melodies all turned their heads. Their blood-red eyes landed on the three visitors as they howled and charged toward them.

Jeanne and the others quickly launched a counterattack, caught off guard by the sudden assault.

But to their shock, neither Jeanne's rifle nor Kiara's hands could harm these creatures. Their attacks simply passed through the demons' bodies as if they were made of mist.

These demons and monsters seemed to be phantoms, completely immune to energy and physical attacks—yet their own attacks could actually hurt Kiara and the others.

Even more alarming, Jeanne discovered that her Noble Phantasm—[Luminosité Eternelle: God is Here With Me]—wouldn't activate!

She could no longer hear the Lord's voice!

"What's happening?" Jeanne's mind raced in confusion.

As countless demons and monsters swarmed around them, the sky suddenly exploded with dark light. A massive black wheel appeared, shooting countless black rays downward, transforming all the demons and monsters in its path into pure black spiritual particles that quickly faded away.

The moment these creatures disappeared, their faces twisted into bizarre smiles.

Then a seductive laugh echoed throughout the dark, oppressive world.

The sound was deeply unsettling.

"What... what is that?" Jeanne was shaken.

Kiara listened for a moment and nodded grimly. "It's her voice! She's over there!"

Her gaze fixed on a point in the distance, a black pillar of light connecting heaven and earth.

She could sense it. Demonic Bodhisattva was there!