IBHJ 1164

Having spent plenty of time teasing Skadi back in the Norse connection point, Scathach had become quite adept at making her escape.

Shirou smiled watching their antics. Even Kama's stern expression softened a bit at the sight of his smile.

"I'll take Goetia to the temple for treatment first, Eternal King."

"Ah, thank you, Kama."

As she turned to leave, his attention drifted from the two women. He lowered his gaze to stare at his palm.

The vortex, black mud, runes of wisdom, Eternal King's records, Skadi's blessing...every external power had disappeared and could not be restored. Skadi had just tried, and her blessing could no longer be applied to him as a permanent enhancement.

Why was this happening? Ambrosius might know, but Shirou didn't ask.

Because deep down, he sensed the answer.

This had to be the Vortex's doing.

He might not understand what the Vortex had done, but he knew he could only move forward. From the hands of the Lord of Salvation who controlled the past, from the Emperor who held the present in an eternal grip, he would reclaim the future—not just for himself, but for everyone who had built this history together.

"I'm counting on you, Zelretch." he said silently in his heart.

The Emperor now controlled all of Pan-Human History. Gaia was pushed out beyond the solar system, while other UOs were stuck in the South American connection point.

The Emperor's grip on Pan-Human History was absolute!

Summoning Heroic Spirits needed leylines, but with every leyline in Pan-Human History under the Emperor's control, bringing Heroic Spirits into this world was impossible. This was why Shirou had sent Zelretch to summon them from other worlds.

But the plan wasn't going smoothly. After the Emperor's declaration, even though many worlds were still unsure about the Emperor's true nature, Chaldea and the Council had become hated outcasts everywhere. Any members of Chaldea and the Council still traveling through other connection points found themselves living as unwanted outsiders.

So Zelretch, with his unique ability to cross parallel worlds, began planting seeds of doubt among magical factions in worlds where his reputation held the most weight. The Romanian connection point was one such place.

At the Clock Tower...

"Lord Zelretch wants to use the leylines for Grand Summoning to summon Heroic Spirits and challenge the Emperor. What are your thoughts on this, gentlemen?" Lord Barthomeloi, head of the Clock Tower, asked solemnly as she looked over the assembled Lords.

The other Lords exchanged glances, each holding their thoughts but reluctant to speak first.

Lord Barthomeloi turned her attention to the youngest faction leader. "Lord El-Melloi II, what's your opinion on this?"

El-Melloi II let out a weary sigh, adjusted his glasses, and spoke: "Whether Lord Zelretch using the leylines for such massive-scale Heroic Spirit summoning would permanently damage the Root, that's a minor concern we can calculate. The real question is if Lord Zelretch's actions can help us understand what the Emperor truly is. And whether it puts our own existence at risk."

With El-Melloi II breaking the ice, the other Lords began to nod and voice their thoughts.

"The surface nations are already on edge. Some countries are using this chance to form alliances, trying to bypass nuclear weapons restrictions to build their own bombs. Whether that could threaten the Emperor is questionable, but it would definitely upset our careful balance."

"True... both the magical world and the surface world are in complete chaos now."

The Lords spoke freely, sharing their views on the Emperor and Zelretch.

Lord Barthomeloi tapped the table, deep in thought.

Then El-Melloi II asked: "Lord Barthomeloi, has the Wandering Sea given any word on this matter?"

At El-Melloi II's question, Lord Barthomeloi looked up and nodded. "Yes."

"The Wandering Sea actually responded?"

"This is unbelievable!"

The Lords couldn't hide their surprise.

"They only said five words: 'It's none of our concern.' Then went right back to their research," Lord Barthomeloi said.

"That's just like them," El-Melloi II sighed. "What about the Atlas Institute?"

"Like us, they're running around in total chaos like headless chickens."

"Not even Tri-Hermes can calculate anything?"

"No."

"That's not good." El-Melloi II sighed again.

Lord Barthomeloi kept quiet about the Atlas Institute.

In truth, she was holding something back. It wasn't that Tri-Hermes couldn't produce a result. The result was simply too terrifying.

Just one word.

-- Termination.

The Atlas Institute's calculation of Termination wasn't new—it had existed since the Institute's founding in Egypt's Age of Gods. The world would ultimately face termination.

And this wasn't just the small world of humans, or even just Earth. It meant all worlds. This was why Atlas Institute was created. Generation after generation, passionate alchemists poured their lives into crafting weapons to fight against Termination. In doing so, they created Atlas's famous Seven Superweapons with each capable of destroying the world.

The irony was almost funny. To resist Termination, they ended up making seven weapons that could terminate the world themselves. But even with these weapons, Atlas Institute's calculations showed they still couldn't stop termination.

After the Emperor's proclamation, Tri-Hermes showed Termination drawing closer with each day, this was what had thrown the Atlas Institute into chaos. But Lord Barthomeloi simply couldn't say this.

"So, do we approve or reject Lord Zelretch's request?" Lord Barthomeloi asked again.

This was the real question. And at its core, it was about how to view the Emperor.

Is he... a friend or enemy?

Of course, did Lord Barthomeloi and the others even have the power to refuse Zelretch's request?

The answer was -- yes.

While the Clock Tower's raw strength might not be impressive, this world wasn't helpless.

At the very least, one of Atlas's Seven World-Destroying Superweapons—the Black Barrel—was now in Lord Barthomeloi's possession.

Even a replica of the Black Barrel had let Mash destroy Lostbelt gods in a single strike, and the original held enough power to shoot down Aristoteles.

It was the pinnacle of countless alchemists' wisdom, Atlas Institute's ultimate creation built across ages to fight Termination, and the shield that protected this world and humanity.

And now, this Black Barrel was in Lord Barthomeloi's hands.

This was what gave her the confidence to say no to Zelretch.

But the heart of the matter wasn't about Zelretch, it was about understanding who the Emperor truly was.

Should they side with Zelretch, or with the Emperor?

This was about choosing sides.

Whether it was Lord Barthomeloi, the other Lords, surface world leaders, or ordinary citizens... they all felt, to some degree, that how they saw the Emperor would shape the world's future.

So even the Lords had to step carefully.

"I--"

Before El-Melloi II could finish speaking, the Lords' conference door burst open with a bang. An elderly man walked in, smiling at Lord Barthomeloi. "Greetings, Queen of the Clock Tower, Lord Barthomeloi."

"Who are you?" Lord Barthomeloi stared at the old man in confusion.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the head of Romania's Yggdmillennia clan, Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia."

"Ah? The head of the Yggdmillennia clan that turned its back on the Clock Tower and made its own faction." The Lords raised their brows in recognition.

"Those were just the foolish games of youth, and thankfully Lord Barthomeloi was kind enough not to purge our Yggdmillennia clan."

"It wasn't mercy," she replied calmly. "The Yggdmillennia clan's magecraft has proven invaluable to the Clock Tower. Neither of us has reason to maintain hostilities."