IBHJ 1260

He glared at Manaka. "This mere puppet, using the original Manaka's abilities so effortlessly... I must admit, I've underestimated you."

"I am not a puppet. My name is Manaka Sajyou," Manaka replied calmly.

"You actually believe you're the real Manaka? Hahaha, you're nothing but a copy! A fake! You should know that a fake can never replace the original."

He laughed loudly as if he'd heard the most ridiculous joke, but Manaka remained composed. "I never wanted to replace her. I think, therefore I am. Even if I'm just a constructed personality, from the moment I began to think independently, I became my own person with my own identity!"

He stopped laughing and looked at Manaka with sudden seriousness. "I see. No wonder my Master had no hope for you... In that case, you need to disappear!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a dragon head covered with countless distorted human faces erupted from his abdomen and lunged toward Manaka. She concentrated her power and drew a circle in front of herself, from which waves of dark mud gushed out. This mud tide—formed after Manaka had absorbed the Beasts VI, III, II, and I—appeared ethereal, like pure energy given form. However, as soon as this mud made contact with the dragon head, it solidified and was swallowed whole.

Manaka was taken aback. The Beast's original body had been destroyed by the Enlightened One long ago—how could he still possess such immense power? But when she noticed the faces on the dragon head, understanding dawned on her.

"You've absorbed that abomination!" she exclaimed.

The Beast's cold eyes gave no response, neither confirming nor denying her accusation. But the way he was materializing energy had already revealed what he had done—he had absorbed the abomination that had been sleeping at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

If he had only absorbed that creature, Manaka believed her abilities would still be sufficient to defeat him. Yet the Beast's power was clearly overwhelming hers.

It was obvious that beyond absorbing the abomination, either he or the Lord of Salvation had taken additional measures to strengthen his capabilities!

Using the abomination's power to barely keep Manaka at bay, the Beast diverted some of his dragon heads to devour Arcueid, but they were swiftly cut down by Artoria's Excalibur.

"In that case, you and that irritating Holy Sword will both become part of my power!" He sent several dragon heads lunging toward Artoria.

Manaka wanted to protect her, but the Beast increased his power, temporarily pinning her down.

"Watch out!" Manaka called out—a rare warning from her.

"I understand," Artoria replied, twisting her wrist to slice through one of the approaching dragon heads.

Even without Manaka's warning, Artoria's battlefield experience would have guided her reactions naturally. But this enemy was unlike any other!

He was the mastermind behind Shirou's world falling into reset cycles and the primary servant of the Lord of Salvation. The [Council]'s destruction of the Human Order Foundation, the corruption of Manaka Sajyou into a monster, even the fall of the Eternal Kingdom and the abomination has this guy's traces all over it.

Though Artoria wielded the Holy Sword, her strength wasn't quite equal to Manaka's. Fortunately, with Manaka's help, Excalibur was able to cut through the dragon heads.

But after being severed, the dragon heads transformed into humanoid creatures and began devouring the surrounding Eternal Coffins indiscriminately. Artoria watched this happening with growing alarm.

His main target, however, was Arcueid, who was sealed behind Artoria. If he managed to devour Arcueid and obtain her power, neither Manaka nor Artoria would stand much chance of survival.

Artoria felt her anxiety growing as she tried to figure out what to do. Then she spotted one of the humanoid creatures heading toward the Eternal Coffin containing Morrigan.

"Sister!" she cried out in alarm, cutting through the dragon head in front of her with a single strike. But as she moved to eliminate that humanoid creature, she saw several more dragon heads rushing toward Arcueid.

Artoria glanced between Morrigan and Arcueid, then made her decision. She gritted her teeth, channeled magical energy into her sword, and struck Arcueid's Eternal Coffin.

"Arcueid! If you don't wake up right now, I won't play with you anymore!" she shouted as she unleashed Excalibur. The beam engulfed the coffin for several long seconds before a loud crack could be heard. The coffin suddenly shattered, sending Arcueid flying through the air. She tumbled across the ground before crashing hard into another Eternal Coffin, the impact jolting her awake.

"Owww! That really hurt!" she winced, rubbing the back of her head.

Artoria barely had time to feel relieved seeing Arcueid awake before she spotted a dragon head charging toward her. "Look out, Arcueid!" she yelled.

"Huh? Is that Artoria? Wait—what IS that thing?!" Arcueid quickly rolled to the side, then turned to see the dragon head devouring the Eternal Coffin she'd just been thrown against.

"Don't let it bite you! If that thing eats you... you'll be completely destroyed!" Artoria called out urgently.

"I'm not really sure what's happening here," Arcueid said. "But this place... it gives me a really bad feeling."

Arcueid brought her hands together, and suddenly an overwhelming surge of magical energy filled the area, drawing everyone's attention.

"What are you doing?" Artoria asked quickly. Being closest to Arcueid, she could feel the terrifying pressure more clearly than anyone else.

"This place feels wrong," Arcueid replied simply. "So I think it's best to just completely destroy it."

"Wait, stop—!"

It wasn't just Artoria who shouted—even Manaka and their enemy tried to stop her.

But they were already too late.

“Moon Fall!"

…

Meanwhile, in space...

The Incarnation suddenly opened her eyes and looked down at Earth below. She noticed a faint cluster of light flickering in the atmosphere, which rapidly expanded into a massive asteroid plummeting toward the planet.

"Moon Fall? Is that Arcueid's Moon Fall? She's awake?" The Incarnation stared in disbelief. Without hesitation, she took a quick step forward and appeared directly in front of the falling asteroid before delivering a powerful kick.

A thunderous boom echoed as an incredible force concentrated at a single point erupted. The moon, formed entirely of magical energy, was instantly knocked away.

The enormous asteroid transformed into a meteor, breaking through the atmosphere and flying toward the edge of the solar system. When it collided with the Empire's barrier, it exploded in a brilliant flash that momentarily illuminated the darkness of space.

The Incarnation's expression darkened. In an instant, her body transformed into a beam of light as she rushed toward the Imperial Palace.

She knew someone was tampering with the Eternal Coffins. Anyone who dared touch those coffins—no matter who they were—would be completely destroyed!

…

"Eh? what happened to my Moon Fall?" Arcueid looked around in confusion. She was certain she'd used it, but somehow lost the mental connection to the moon she'd created.

"What were you thinking using that right now?" Artoria snapped. "You'll bring that child back here!"

"Child? Who are you talking about?" Arcueid asked, tilting her head.

Artoria sighed and turned to look around, suddenly noticing something. "Where did the Beast go?"

"It ran away the moment it sensed the Emperor's presence," Manaka explained.

Artoria fell silent for a moment, studying the damaged Eternal Coffins scattered around them.

"You need to get out of here quickly, Manaka," she said urgently. "When that child returns and sees what happened to this place, she'll be furious. You and Arcueid should leave immediately."

Manaka nodded, then asked, "What about you?"

"I'm staying here."

"But why?"

Artoria's expression softened with a hint of sadness. "What that child is trying to do… I once wanted the same thing, but now it's erasing our history and hurting innocent people. It won't receive the King's approval, nor will it gain anyone's support. So whatever happens next, I at least want to be here and see it through to the end..."

"Then I'm staying too," Arcueid said with a smile. "I don't really understand what's going on here. But leaving Artoria alone in a place that feels this wrong isn't what friends do."

Artoria felt touched by her words.

That was just like Arcueid. She could be stubborn and sometimes seemed a bit clueless, but her heart was always in the right place. She was straightforward and completely genuine.

"I appreciate that, Arcueid. But it's too dangerous here. You should go with Manaka—"

Artoria stopped mid-sentence, her expression suddenly changing. "She's back!"