IBHJ 1256

As he watched her disappear, his expression became complicated. He shook his head and said softly, "She... really has grown up."

Shirou understood that Ritsuka had deliberately shown that book to help heal and bridge the rift between them. Because of the Beast's influence, she couldn't fully control her emotions, which made her seem impulsive and careless at times. But there was no denying that she could sense what others were feeling. And this was her clumsy attempt at trying to get along with him.

However—

He turned to look at the quiet Kama standing beside him. "What about you, Sakura?" he asked.

"I'm... not Sakura," Kama replied, turning away to avoid his gaze.

He reached out and gently placed his hand on her head. "Do you remember our promise? Even if everyone else gives up on Sakura, I will always, always protect Sakura."

"I..." she looked up at him, feeling something stir within her. Of course she remembered that promise; it was because of those words that she had found the strength to continue living.

"Why did you join the Council?" he asked. He knew Kama was Sakura, but he couldn't understand why Sakura had become Kama. What was the reason behind this change?

"Shiki..."

"Shiki?" he repeated.

"The future I wanted has been blocked by the Human Order... Shiki told me that to get that kind of future, I need to destroy the current order."

He frowned. "But what kind of future are you after that requires destroying the Foundation of Human Order?"

"It's not about my future," she said quietly. "What I want is your future."

After hearing this, he stared at her, speechless. After a moment of silence, he reached out and gently patted her head. "Don't do anything reckless..."

He never would have guessed that Sakura would transform into Kama and join the Council to create a path for his future. But what she didn't realize was that the true obstacle to his future wasn't the Foundation of Human Order at all—it was the Lord of Salvation.

When Kama mentioned "Shiki" again, he felt a strange sense of disconnect. Based on what he knew about Shiki Ryougi, neither version of her—the killer Shiki or the other personality—should be able to destroy the Foundation of Human Order.

If he had to come up with an explanation, it would almost certainly involve the Lord of Salvation. After all, Shiki, like Manaka, had a connection to the Root!

No, that wasn't quite right. Unlike Manaka, Shiki was a personality created from a fragment cut from [Nothingness] using the Ryougi family's secret arts. This made Shiki fundamentally different from Manaka, and somewhat similar to the Arrow of Akasha. Could this be why the Lord of Salvation had taken some kind of action?

The door creaked open, interrupting his thoughts. He turned to see Mana Ryougi walking in.

"Alaya?" he asked with a frown.

"No, I'm Mana," she replied, shaking her head. "Alaya has connected with Gaia now and can communicate with her directly, so she doesn't need to use my body at the moment."

Shirou nodded. After the conquest of Londinium, Alaya and Gaia had finally established a connection. To protect Alaya from being targeted by the Incarnation, Mana had quickly relocated to Tír na nÓg.

"The Emperor actually appeared on the European continent planning to eliminate me first, as a way to destroy Alaya," she explained. "But you encountered her before I did."

Mana couldn't help feeling fortunate about this turn of events. The Incarnation had been trying to eliminate all who resisted, with Mana and Alaya at the top of the list!

Though the steel warriors had lost their human perception and operated purely on instinct, it was these very instincts that had detected the Incarnation's hostile intent, causing them to attack in large numbers. Unfortunately, at the time, no one had understood what the steel warriors' instincts were trying to warn them about.

The Incarnation had planned to eliminate Mana and Alaya first. With its incredible powers and the Arrow of Akasha, they stood no chance of defending themselves. It would have been certain death!

But as luck would have it, the Incarnation encountered Shirou before reaching them.

Perhaps this was destiny.

Because of meeting Shirou first, the Incarnation temporarily masked its deadly intentions. It disguised itself as Mordred and repeatedly tested Shirou, hoping he would disappear so the Eternal King could return. Unfortunately, this was impossible from the beginning.

"Eternal King," Mana said, "we've all witnessed the Emperor's power. I hope you don't mind my honesty, but if she truly decides to come after us, Tír na nÓg wouldn't stand a chance against her."

Shirou knew Mana was right. Everyone here combined wouldn't be enough to defeat the Incarnation—she could overwhelm them all with just one hand. The only reason she had shown mercy so far was because her consciousness hadn't fully integrated yet. Once she completed the transformation from a collective Counter Force into an individual being, the thoughts and feelings of the people in the Eternal Kingdom would no longer influence her decisions.

"We need to increase our fighting strength, especially powerful fighters who can directly challenge the Emperor!" she said urgently.

"Don't beat around the bush, just tell me what you want.”

"I need you to save my mother," Mana said. "The Emperor hasn't destroyed her. I can still sense that she's alive somewhere...!"

She gazed at him with desperate hope in her eyes.

…

It was a black doorway.

She ran endlessly.

Running.

Chasing after figures that kept vanishing before her eyes.

But they were just illusions, one after another. Even when she caught them, they slipped through her fingers like grains of sand.

One disappearing figure after another, one fading phantom after another.

In the end, only a single person remained, weeping.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Then a pair of hands gently lifted her up.

She looked up and saw eyes that burned like fire.

He smiled at her, surrounded by others who also smiled at her, before they all turned and walked toward that distant shore.

"Wait—please wait—!"

She tried to follow them, but couldn't keep up.

Suddenly, a rainbow-colored light flashed across the sky. A sword cut through the darkness, and a girl with determined eyes plunged the blade into her chest.

She fought against it, crying desperately...

But no one answered.

Those people left without looking back.

She cried out in anguish: "Why? Why have you all abandoned me—!"

…

Her eyes snapped open. Seeing the familiar grand palace around her, the wild look in the Incarnation's eyes slowly faded.

She stared at her palm with a frown. "I actually had a dream, and still feel this anger and sadness... So this is what human emotion is like? Such a pointless thing."

She clenched her hand into a fist.

"You're awake, Your Majesty," said Agravain as he entered the room and knelt before her.

"Has Londinium been recaptured?" the Incarnation asked.

"Those rebels from a fallen country weren't worth your concern. We've taken it back. But there's a problem—Alaya and Gaia are now working together."

"That's my responsibility. Until I complete the unification of my consciousness, I can't fully act against them."

"Please, Your Majesty, let us handle Pan-Human History. You only need to continue synchronizing with it as before, spreading your light throughout history. That should be enough."

"Oh?" The Incarnation studied Agravain for a moment before nodding. "That's acceptable, but eternity means nothing when it comes to Mordred, and your power alone won't be enough against them. I'll send a new general to help you."

Agravain raised his eyebrows. "Demonic Bodhisattva has vanished, Your Majesty."

"I know. I never relied on her anyway. I'm sending someone else. This particular being has unfinished business with the Eternal King. They've probably arrived already. You may go now."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Agravain bowed and left, though he couldn't help feeling confused about this new development.