IBHJ 1176

"What!?" The light of salvation engulfed Lucius as his face froze in shock.

Arthur had barely withdrawn his sword when he felt it—an overwhelming sense of danger that made him snap his blade up into a guard position purely on instinct.

The clash rang out as he blocked a surge of chaotic black light that had torn through his beam attack. Then Lucius appeared before him, completely unscathed.

"Unbelievable," Arthur said. "You're only the second person to survive Excalibur at full power.”

"That's quite an honor." Lucius said. "However, regrettably in this Empire, countless others could do the same."

"Such frightening immortality." A smile played on Arthur's lips. "But this makes it better. Let our swords determine the victor, Sword Emperor!"

"I'm not the person you knew, Heroic Spirit." Lucius raised his blade. "Now, let my sword drink your blood!"

Their battle transformed the battlefield into a storm of black and white flash. Each clash of their blades—the Holy Sword against the Emperor Sword's—sent thunder rolling across the sky.

…

"Arthur will be fine," Shirou said, his fingers drumming lightly on the table. "Lucius may have excellent swordsmanship, Imperial Armor, and eternal life, but the parallel's Artoria is there too. If Arthur struggles, she'll step in. Two Holy Sword users should be enough to give him trouble."

This matchup wasn't random—he'd chosen it carefully after studying the invaders through Gaia's map.

"But knowing their personalities..." Merlin frowned. "Would either Arthur or that world's Artoria agree to fight two against one?"

"You're right about their nature." Shirou looked at his old friend. "But we're not the only ones who've grown, Merlin."

"What do you mean?"

A gentle smile crossed Shirou's face. "People can stay true to who they are while still learning to adapt. Just like how we're no longer the civilization we used to be, they have learned when to set aside pride for what truly matters."

Merlin raised an eyebrow and peered into the distance with his [Clairvoyance EX]. He saw Artoria hiding on the Eastern battlefield, ready to support Arthur at a moment's notice. A smile tugged at his lips. “So even that Artoria has learned to adapt.”

"That's what it means to be alive," Shirou said softly. Like Arthur, who had survived two Shinjuku Holy Grail Wars, and Artoria, who had faced the trials of both Romania and Norse connection points—change was inevitable for those who lived through life and death struggles.

"Eternal King!" Richard the Lionheart interrupted their conversation. He pointed frantically at the strategic map. "This is not good, the Sun King is in trouble!"

Shirou's attention snapped to the Western battlefield, where Ozymandias and his forces had engaged the Spear Apostle, Aife, in what was meant to be an ambush.

He studied the Western battlefield where Ozymandias's forces faced Aife. She was nothing like her Pan-Human History counterpart from the Norse. A hundred million years of tempering in the Eternal Empire had elevated her spearmanship to unimaginable heights. Combined with her eternity and Imperial Armor, she cut through their armies with ease, killing everyone in her path.

Richard's nervousness made sense, as a medieval king, he'd never seen combat on this scale. But Shirou just smiled at his concern.

"Don't worry, Richard. The heroes under the Sun King won't fall so easily." After all, he had specifically chosen warriors known for their resilience—heroes who, like phoenixes, refused to stay down even in death.

Moreover,

"There's still an ace there.”

As if on cue, a purple flash burst through the Empire's forces, heading straight for Aife. Shirou smiled, "Since you're so disappointed in my spearmanship, perhaps my teacher will be more to your liking."

…

On the Western Battlefield...

Aife's crimson spear was about to strike down her target when she sensed the sharp wind of an approaching attack. Drawing on her vast experience, she didn't just defend—she turned the ambush into a counterattack, her spear leaving a trail of red light as it struck.

But...

Metal rang against metal as another spear met hers, matching her strike perfectly. As Aife stared at her blocked weapon, her eyes widened at the reflection in the metallic shaft.

"Scathach?" The name left her lips in surprise.

"You seem quite surprised to see me." Scathach's spear swept forward, forcing Aife back. "According to Shirou, the Empire's version of me fell by your hand—"

She glanced at the nearly-fallen Heroic Spirit behind her, who nodded quickly before retreating. Turning back to Aife, Scathach tensed. Something about her opponent's aura felt off—terrifyingly so.

If her instincts were right, then this meant—

"Hahaha!" Aife's laugh cut through her thoughts, her body trembling with excitement. "That's right! Unbelievable! That boy has done something wonderful! To think I'd get to taste the pleasure of killing you again—!"

Her words dissolved into mad laughter as she launched herself at Scathach, spear thrust forward like a striking snake. But Scathach was ready, pivoting her front foot and bracing her back leg as her own spear shot up to meet the attack head-on. Their spear tips collided with enough force to crack the air, sending sparks flying around them.

Aife immediately twisted her weapon to slide past Scathach's guard, but Scathach responded by stepping into the attack, using her spear shaft to redirect the thrust past her shoulder and bringing her back leg forward, closing the distance between them.

Their weapons became red blurs as they exchanged a rapid series of thrusts and deflections with incredible speed. Aife's spear danced through complex patterns, targeting vital points while Scathach's defense moved with a motion that made each block seem effortless. Neither warrior could gain the advantage as they read and countered each other's techniques with frightening speed.

Scathach's left wrist twisted as she drove her spear toward Aife's left eye, the crimson weapon becoming a deadly arc aimed at one of the few gaps in Aife's defense. But Aife moved as if she'd seen it coming, her body already in motion before Scathach's attack finished forming. She turned her own spear in a tight circular motion, the shaft arcing up to meet the thrust. Their weapons scraped against each other with a piercing ring, steel shrieking against steel as both spears strained under the force.

The clash of skills ended in an explosion that sent both warriors leaping back.

"So you did inherit this cursed technique." Scathach said as she watched Aife's excited laughter.

"And you inherited these cursed memories." Aife's eyes gleamed with bloodlust.

"When Shirou told me, I had my doubts." Scathach shifted into her stance, her eyes growing cold. "Different world lines can create such opposite fates, even Balor couldn't have foreseen that you would be inheriting my path. But know this, Aife—I won't hold back."

"Come, Scathach! Show me what another weak version of you can do!"

Aife's maniacal laughter rang out as she mirrored Scathach's stance, sensing within her rival something she had coveted for so long.

Their eyes met—cold determination against wild frenzy—and the air itself seemed to ripple with the force of their clash. The crushing weight of their auras spread outward, driving everyone else to instinctively flee.

In every way, they stood as opposites. Where one had lost herself to darkness, the other followed the light. Time had worn one down while bonds had made the other stronger. One cursed fate at every turn, while the other found joy in each new meeting. One remained trapped in painful memories, while the other embraced every moment.

Life had shaped them differently. Aife had never known true happiness, but Scathach had discovered beauty in unexpected meetings. She had felt the warmth of friendship, learned to endure painful goodbyes, survived the weight of loneliness, and found joy in every reunion. Now they stood as equals on the battlefield - a queen who had surpassed godhood facing a warrior tempered by millions of years of training.

As their spears clashed, the ground cracked like a spider's web, red and purple light twisting together in their deadly dance.