IBHJ 1174

Guinevere looked around at the group, thinking these four Apostles were all rather odd.

A ripping sound rang out from outside the tent. As they stepped out, seven massive tablets crashed down from the sky before them—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. Their light grew brighter, twisting together until it formed a rainbow bridge that stretched into the void, its end disappearing into the unknown.

"Greetings, everyone!" From behind the tablets emerged Demonic Bodhisattva, beaming at the Apostles. "I'm your new colleague, and a devoted follower of His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor."

"A Beast?"

"Former Beast, to be precise," she corrected with a smile.

"Just don't get in our way."

"I wouldn't dream of it," she said with a sweet smile.

‘De-demon!’ Guinevere stumbled backward as she met the woman's gaze, struck by something sinister radiating from her presence. No... not sinister exactly. It was more like... benevolence twisted into something unspeakably wrong.

Demonic Bodhisattva noticed Guinevere's reaction and turned to her, lips curving into a gentle smile.

"Coo coo..." The white dove flew away from Galahad's shoulder.

…

"What do you see, Gaia?"

"This is everything within my range." Gaia revealed a sweeping view of the Inner Sea of the Planet through her senses.

"That—" Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed as he saw it: a rainbow bridge cutting through the Inner Sea like a blade, reaching straight into Tír na nÓg.

"It resembles the 'path' Surtr created," Skadi said after studying it carefully. "The Empire has made their own path to cross dimensions and boundaries."

"Like Moses and the power of the Holy Spirit." Ozymandias crossed his arms. "They plan to strike Tír na nÓg by crossing directly through the Inner Sea."

"The real question isn't how they'll cross," Iskandar mused, rubbing his chin, "but what they'll do once they're here."

"We should strike first!"

"What's your take, Eternal King?" All eyes turned to Shirou.

Shirou stood before the glowing map, the others gathered around him like stars around the moon. But he seemed lost in thought, his hands at the table as he stared intently at where the rainbow bridge landed on the map.

After assembling his forces, Shirou had divided them into five legions. He appointed renowned rulers as commanders and famous tacticians among the Heroic Spirits as their deputies, forming a strategic council.

This council wasn't filled with pure intellectuals like Holmes. Instead, he had chosen those with real battle experience, military insight, and proven skill in warfare. These were rulers and heroes who had led armies to victory.

That's why they were now gathered in this camp, each voicing their thoughts on the coming battle.

Shirou listened to their various opinions before speaking. "We must remain cautious. We're still in a defensive position, let's observe their next move before acting."

Some rulers nodded at his words, but the more aggressive kings frowned. "How can we take back our history if all we do is defend?"

Shirou looked at the ruler, noting how several of the more aggressive kings made no effort to hide their frustration. "Tír na nÓg is our final fortress," he said seriously. "If we lose it, we lose everything. I know you're all eager to take back what's ours, but we can't afford any risks right now. We need to move forward carefully, one step at a time."

He paused before continuing, "I understand you have different views on this. But since you've chosen me as your leader, I'm asking for your trust. I will surely guide us to victory and glory."

Just as Gilgamesh opened his mouth to speak, Richard the Lionheart cut in.

"Eternal King is right—we should trust him!" he declared passionately. "Surely you've all heard the legends. This is exactly the kind of situation where Eternal King shines! Yes, as rulers we should question everything, but right now, we need to put our faith in him!"

"Tch!" Gilgamesh shot Richard an annoyed look. Something about that guy really got under his skin.

The aggressive kings backed down at Richard's words, though they grumbled, "Not all warriors will be as patient as we are."

"I know," Shirou nodded. "That's where we'll need your influence." He turned to Richard with sincerity. "Thank you, Richard."

"No, no—please, you don't need to thank me, Eternal King!" Richard stared at him with star-struck eyes.

"Haha..." Shirou laughed nervously. If he was being honest, Richard's sparkling gaze made him a bit uncomfortable.

Since when did he have such an eager fanboy? And a king, no less?

Little did he know that throughout history, he'd had many royal admirers. It was precisely why many of the rulers in the room remained quiet.

The Great Conqueror, Holy King, Sleeping Eternal King—each title had been given to him in reverence.

…

"Richard must be over the moon right now."

"How could he not be? He's finally fighting alongside the king he looks up to. He's always calling Eternal King our great ancestor."

Robin Hood and William Marshal shared a knowing smile. In the distance, they watched as streaks of light rained down from the rainbow bridge like falling stars.

"The curtain's finally rising on this war." They exchanged glances and rose to their feet.

...

Shirou stood up. "They're attacking from all sides... It's probably a distraction. Their real target must be our command center." His eyes narrowed. "It's time we made our move. First things first—we take down that rainbow bridge!"

He split his forces into four legions, putting them under the command of Iskandar, Gilgamesh, Ozymandias, and Arthur.

These four were the perfect choice to lead—rulers whose leadership and battle sense were beyond question. The situation wasn't ideal though. Since the British Isles had synchronized with the Emperor, they couldn't summon any Heroic Spirits from the Eternal Kingdom, including Artie. And Altera hadn't made it here yet. Those two would have made perfect commanders, even if they were sworn enemies.

Still, they had to win with what they had.

Getting Heroic Spirits to work together was always tricky as their personalities often clashed. But if anyone could keep them in line, it was Shirou. After all, managing people with difficult personalities was what he did best.

Shirou carefully paired each commander with their troops. He put the oddball Heroic Spirits under Iskandar the King of Conquerors, knowing his easy-going nature could handle them. The more agreeable ones went to Gilgamesh the proud King of Heroes. The diplomatic types were assigned to the equally proud Ozymandias. And the royal troublemakers went to Arthur Pendragon, whose gentle patience made him perfect for managing difficult personalities.

Shirou himself would command them and monitor the overall war progression from the command center.

Before they moved out, he used his ability to hand-pick three skills from his pool for each Heroic Spirit, choosing ones that best matched their fighting style, Noble Phantasms, and natural talents. The Casters then added their own buffs to strengthen everyone further.

There was just one downside—unlike Shirou's skills, the Casters' buffs couldn't stack. They could only apply one of each type. It was a shame, but they'd have to make do.