IBHJ 1163

His ambitious declaration left everyone stunned.

Heroic Spirits were the crown jewels of human history. Each one represented an invaluable, indomitable force of human achievement. Even now, what magi considered the grandest Holy Grail War was merely the seven-versus-seven clash at the Romanian connection point—a conflict between fourteen Heroic Spirits.

Yet here was Shirou, proposing to bring down the entire Throne of Heroes to challenge the Eternal Empire. Summoning every Heroic Spirit across time, region, race, and moral alignment... assembling them into an army to wage war against the Empire...

The scale and tragedy of such a war went beyond imagination.

However...

"There's just one problem," Kama pointed out. "Pan Human History has fallen under the Empire's control. There are no leylines left to summon Heroic Spirits."

"True, the Empire has seized Pan Human History's leylines, but the Emperor's reach hasn't extended to other worldlines yet. Which means..."

Everyone froze before turning their eyes toward Zelretch.

Zelretch snorted. "This old man only agreed to help Gaia transport a few people. I never signed up to help you summon Heroic Spirits from parallel worlds."

The group looked at him helplessly—if he refused, there was nothing they could do to change his mind.

"I'll leave it in your hands then, Lord Zelretch."

"Hey! Fujimaru Shirou!"

Zelretch's angry protest fell on deaf ears as Shirou had already turned away to discuss the modifications of Tír na nÓg with Ambrosius.

He glowered at Shirou's retreating back while Merlin chuckled beside him, giving his shoulder a friendly pat. "There, there. Don't get so worked up."

"Hmph. I really don't like your king! You'll have to become a magical girl to make up for this!" he shot Merlin a fierce glare.

Merlin blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

But before he could protest, Zelretch had already turned and disappeared into the rift.

"Hey! What- what do I have to do with any of this?" Merlin glanced between the spot where Zelretch had disappeared and Shirou, who was deeply engrossed in his discussion with Ambrosius. His eyes welled up with tears.

Who was messing with whom here?

Why was he the one being victimized again?

…

During Ragnarök in Pan-Human History, humanity's ancestors found sanctuary and prospered within a dense forest known as Hoddmímis holt. When Skadi named the new World Tree Hoddmímis, it stood as a symbol of rebirth for the Norse connection point.

In time, Skadi rebuilt the nine worlds with the Goddess Temple as their core. When Gaia dispatched Zelretch to the Norse connection point seeking help, Skadi used the Throne of Heroes to manifest in Pan-Human History.

And so, Hoddmímis Temple became Skadi's Noble Phantasm.

Furthermore, with Gaia lifting reality's restrictions, Skadi could manifest Hoddmímis Temple as a Heroic Spirit—similar to the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon"—without requiring the decades of preparation that Shirou Amakusa Tokisada needed. She could summon it instantly. Clearly, in the face of the Emperor, Gaia had granted everyone significant advantages. Yet even with these boons, the Emperor and the Empire maintained their iron grip on the situation, leaving only the slimmest chance of victory.

While Ambrosius and Merlin worked to reshape Tír na nÓg around Hoddmímis Temple, following Shirou's plan for a three-layered fortress, Skadi had Shirou cornered. She circled him with a bewildered expression on her beautiful face. "How strange. My power and Runes of Wisdom have truly disappeared... It's astonishing, these things wouldn't disappear even if you had become a Heroic Spirit. Yet somehow they're gone?"

"That's not all," he said with a smile at the perplexed Skadi. "The black mud and the vortex have also disappeared."

After driving Galahad away, Skadi noticed her blessing on Shirou had disappeared, so she pulled him aside to examine him.

"I'm amazed you can still smile," she sighed.

"How could I not? Finally seeing you again, if I looked gloomy, it wouldn't do justice to how happy I am." he smiled, then pressed a hand to his chest. "Back then, I thought I'd never see you again in this life. Sneaking away at the last moment wasn't very nice of you, Skadi."

Her cheeks flushed at his words. Looking back, slipping away at the last moment had been rather underhanded. Perhaps she deserved his gentle teasing.

But her heart had been in turmoil then, and she truly hadn't known how to face him.

Besides, the Norse world had still needed her.

While Skadi was lost in her embarrassed thoughts, he added: "You know what they say about people getting craftier with age—that must be about you, Skadi."

Quickly!

Instantly!

All her embarrassment and joy at their reunion disappeared, replaced by an overwhelming urge to shove Shirou face-first into the dirt!

She glared at him, face red with indignation: "...I'm not old!"

This was absolutely unforgivable!

She was a beautiful, forever seventeen-year-old maiden in her prime!

"And... don't bring up that incident again!"

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you." He stood up and gave her a warm smile. "Welcome to Pan-Human History, Skadi."

At those words, her lips curved into a wistful smile. "Pan-Human History, huh..."

Shirou knew he'd touched a tender spot, but it had to be said.

"My, my, that one over there is barely clinging to life, perhaps we could pause this reunion of old flames?" Scathach gestured toward the thoroughly beaten Goetia, smiling knowingly at Shirou and Skadi.

Goetia nearly choked, what did they mean he was barely alive? And why was he being dragged into this?

"Reunion of old flames?" Skadi turned to her with complete bewilderment.

Scathach nodded, gesturing first to Mordred in the distance, then to herself. "Mordred just said the same about Shirou and me, but I think you two are a much better fit."

"Shisho," Shirou gave her a helpless look, "Mordred was just joking. Playing matchmaker doesn't suit you."

"Who's playing? Shirou, you should know that back in the Norse world, Skadi wrote poems about you every night. One went something like 'My wind carries my affection, flying to the one I cherish'..."

Before she could finish, a beam of light shot toward her. Scathach's wrist flicked with a metallic clang, deflecting it.

He recognized it instantly. It was Gungnir.

Skadi was practically steaming with rage and embarrassment as she glared at her. "Stop making things up! I spent every day rebuilding the world—I had no time for poetry! And I would never write such sappy, awful poems! I'm a warrior!"

"Oh? My mistake then. Must have been someone else. I remember another one that went 'Birds fly past the seaside, my eyes gaze into the distance, thinking of that person from before'—such a sappy, awful poem indeed. Wonder who wrote it? Oh, and there's another one—"

"Ahhhhh--! I'll fight you to the death!" Face blazing red, Skadi summoned Gungnir and charged at her in blind fury.

One look was all Scathach needed before she took off running.

Though she could probably hold her own against Skadi in a real fight, she was simply having too much fun teasing her.

"The legendary Queen of the Land of Shadows Scathach, and the Goddess of the Norse connection point Skadi... Is... is this their true nature?" Kama pointed at the pair, looking at him with growing uncertainty.

"Don't ask me, this is my first time seeing this too." he crossed his arms in an "X" across his chest, refusing to comment.

But thinking about it, it made sense. Whether it was her personality or the influence of Norse divinity, Skadi had always been rather naive and innocent at heart. It explained everything, how she had taken over the Norse world even using her own divinity to create the blue fruit tree to extend the world's lifespan. And more than that, how she had stayed behind at the dying Norse connection point, trying to rebuild it piece by piece.

If she weren't so naive, could she have accomplished all that?

Simply put, Skadi was just an honest person.

Coming across such a genuinely honest person, someone with Scathach's sadistic streak couldn't help but tease her a bit. After all, during the Eternal Kingdom period, the young and beautiful Scathach had particularly enjoyed teasing Guinevere—though that was partly because Guinevere herself was naturally submissive.

The old Scathach would never have been this lively, though. But after receiving Shirou's 'loving care,' this current Scathach had shed her former gloom and was experiencing something of a second youth.

"!"

Scathach froze mid-step, her brow furrowing. "I have this unpleasant feeling someone's thinking about my age."

She glanced around suspiciously, but seeing an enraged Skadi still charging toward her, she quickly turned tail and ran again.