IBHJ 1173

After saying what needed to be said, Arthur walked away.

Alone in the temple, Bedivere stared blankly at the ceiling. "What I truly want... what is it?"

"Amitabha."

Bedivere spun around toward the voice and saw Xuanzang step out from behind a stone pillar.

She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry, Lord Bedivere. This humble monk didn't mean to eavesdrop, it's just that I've been here the whole time, and your talk was too serious for me to interrupt."

"It's fine, Master Xuanzang." He shook his head, then looked at her. "Master Xuanzang, if you were in my place, what would you choose?"

"This humble monk doesn't know," she shook her head. "This monk only knows that the journey to the West must continue."

Xuanzang also left, leaving him even more lost than before.

—Bedivere, you're a traitor! You'll be the one who destroys the Empire!

The angry voices of his friends kept ringing in his head. He shook it, trying to clear them away. No, I must stay loyal! But... loyal to what?! The clash of beliefs made Bedivere grab his head in pain.

"Your Majesty, am I on the right path, or have I lost my way?"

Bedivere clutched his head, letting out an anguished cry. "Someone, anyone, tell me!"

…

Shirou walked out of the temple to find Gilgamesh waiting for him.

"I thought you'd waste half the day talking to that fool again, mongrel," Gilgamesh sneered with arms crossed.

"I might have, if I wasn't leading the alliance now," Shirou replied with a smile.

He paused, then gave Gilgamesh a weary look. "And could you stop copying your younger self by calling everyone 'mongrel'?"

"Copying? That was all me. And what about you - not going to bite back anymore?"

"What can I say? I've grown up," he smiled.

"Hmph. You've just gotten boring, mongrel."

"Oh? Then as alliance leader, my first order is no more foul language from you today. How's that?" he said with a playful smile.

"Want to try enforcing that?" Gilgamesh shot him a threatening sideways glance.

Shirou burst out laughing.

Gilgamesh let out a snort.

Enkidu looked between them, surprised to catch the faint smile on Gilgamesh's face. It had been ages since she'd seen Gil be so genuine with someone.

Eternal King... You are really something.

"But be ready, Shirou. Since the Eternal Empire was born from the Eternal Kingdom, that Emperor is probably another version of you. Many kings have also guessed this point, which is why they accepted you as their leader," Gilgamesh warned.

"I know," he nodded.

The Emperor was both Holy Grail and Holy Spirit, though his exact form remained a mystery. But Shirou was ready to face another version of himself. After all, if Gaia could copy his personality, it wasn't impossible for the Holy Grail to do the same.

Just then—

"BOOM!"

The whole world shook, followed by blaring warning sirens.

Shirou's face hardened. "They've regrouped faster than expected. The invasion's already started."

Gilgamesh stepped aside, pointing to a platform in the distance. "Go, Fujimaru Shirou! Not as the Eternal King, but as yourself - lead us to take back our history!"

Shirou nodded and headed for the platform.

As he walked, Diarmuid, Cu Chulainn, Hassan, Ozymandias, Iskandar... all the Heroic Spirits parted to make way. Under their watchful eyes, he climbed the platform and gazed silently at the heroes gathered below.

Then he drew Caliburn. "Great people aren't born great - they become great through their deeds. Let those who stole our history witness the power of true heroes! Now, let's take back what is ours!"

"Ohhhhhhh!"

The crowd of heroes roared.

"Eternal King! Eternal King! Eternal King!" Richard the Lionheart's voice rang out above the others, shouting with pure excitement.

The other kings stared at Richard like he'd lost his mind.

Shirou was also caught off guard, he definitely hadn't planned this. But seeing Richard's passionate cheering, he couldn't help but smile.

As long as they stood together, they'd win back their history!

"Eternal King!"

"Eternal King!"

Taking Richard's lead, more Heroic Spirits who'd been helped by Shirou joined in the chant.

"How embarrassing," Ozymandias closed his eyes.

"So this is what it means to be a king who understands his people's hearts..." Artoria Pendragon's expression was complex, then she took out her already prepared notebook and made her usual notes.

"Hmph, mongrel..." Gilgamesh scoffed.

Shirou raised Caliburn high and shouted: "Fight for our history!"

"Fight for our history!"

"Fight for our history!"

Merlin watched softly as Shirou held his sword aloft.

"Why are you smiling?" Scathach asked, glancing his way.

Merlin smiled. "You know that old legend about the king sleeping in Avalon until Britain was in trouble? Well, he's finally awake."

…

"Look at how they've transformed Tír na nÓg into a fortress. I must admit, these remnants of Pan-Human History possess more skill than I anticipated." Lucius stood in the Empire's headquarters, his eyes focused on the panoramic view transmitted through the Emperor's Eye. His frown deepened as he continued his assessment. "Not only that, but I'm detecting the presence of thousands of Heroic Spirits. They've clearly been busy summoning allies from parallel worlds."

Morgan gestured toward the silent iron-clad warrior standing nearby. "Their capabilities shouldn't surprise us. After all, they managed to repel even Sir Galahad."

Running his fingers along his chin, Lucius nodded. "While I'm grateful you made it back safely, Morgan, this fortress situation complicates things. Without eternity, we can't simply launch a full-scale assault. We'll need to be far more strategic in our approach."

"And why is that such a problem?" Aife's eyes lit up with excitement. "Isn't this exactly how it should be? A life-or-death battle is what gets a warrior's blood pumping!"

Lucius massaged his temples, feeling a headache building as he cast a weary glance at her excitement.

"Um..." Guinevere shifted uncomfortably within the group, weighing her words carefully. "What if we formed five vertical legions? Four could draw their fire from the cardinal directions while the fifth strikes at their heart?"

"Hmph. What a foolish suggestion," Aife sneered, gripping her spear tighter.

Lucius's smile held a gentle warning. "Princess of Camlann, you might want to be more careful with what you're saying."

Morgan gave Guinevere's shoulder a reassuring pat. "Tír na nÓg actively rejects our presence. While our Imperial Armor can neutralize this effect, any other troops would be instantly expelled. We'd need to enter first and establish formation arrays to counter this rejection."

"Oh! I... I had no idea. Please forgive my ignorance," Guinevere stammered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Just then, the screen flickered to life, revealing Agravain's figure. "The Rainbow Bridge will reach your position shortly. Once it arrives, form five vertical legions. Attack from the four cardinal directions, while Galahad's legions strikes directly at their command center."

"The Rainbow Bridge can synchronize the Empire with Pan-Human History, which would indeed neutralize Tír na nÓg's rejection—" Lucius paused, his eyes drifting to where Guinevere stood half-hidden behind Morgan. A wry smile touched his lips as he noted how Agravain had proposed the exact same strategy as this seemingly naive princess.

"We understand," he said with a nod, before asking another question. "Agravain, will you not come lead us yourself? Given that Bedivere is..."

"Londinium demands more attention than these Heroic Spirits and fairies from Pan-Human History, I have neither time nor patience to deal with a foolish traitor. The Poison of Corruption has already stripped him of his eternity—once you achieve victory, execute him where he stands."

"Should we not bring him before His Majesty for judgment?"

"Such trivial matters are beneath His Majesty's concern. Betrayal of the Empire carries clear consequences." Agravain's tone left no room for debate.

Lucius nodded silently, reflecting on how Sir Agravain's ruthlessness knew no bounds—not even for old companions.

"One more thing, I'm sending additional support for your mission. You may use her power, but watch her closely. If she shows any suspicious behavior or moves against the Empire, kill her without hesitation."

Before anyone could respond, Agravain ended the transmission.

"Sir Agravain never hesitates with these decisions," Lucius sighed, rubbing his temple.

Morgan answered with a grunt. At her side, Aife didn't even look up from polishing her spear.

A soft cooing broke the tense silence as a white dove drifted into their camp, settling on Galahad's armored shoulder.

Aife glanced over. Her spear blazed red as she stabbed at the dove, but Galahad's hand shot out, stopping the weapon with a metallic clang.

"Tch!" she yanked her spear back.

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