IBHJ 1161

"Shirou—"

One glance from Scathach was all he needed.

He nodded, projecting Rhongomyniad again. Using [Primordial Fairy Arts], he compressed the Holy Lance until it became the Spear of Endless Light.

"Let's go!"

He then turned to Merlin. "Support is up to you!"

"Count on me!" Merlin's face turned serious.

Scathach launched herself at the struggling Hoddmímis, her body blurring into a streak of red.

Shirou raised his palm toward her.

—[Mana Burst]

—[Mana Burst]

—[Mana Burst]!

The triple buffs blazed around Scathach, turning her into a roaring crimson comet.

Then he switched his own triple [Instinct] to triple [Mana Burst], racing after her.

"Hey—" Mordred reached out, but Merlin caught her hand.

She looked up at him.

"They're master and disciple," he said with a smile.

She stared. "Scathach... is Father's teacher?"

Merlin nodded. "And the strongest warrior of the Eternal Kingdom. If she'd been around during Artoria's reign, you might not have..."

He paused, then added with a light smile, "Of course, by strongest, I mean excluding Shirou when he use his records."

"Master and disciple..."

Mordred watched their disappearing forms, then shook her head with exasperation and scorn. "Lusting after your teacher—you really are just a dirty old man."

Merlin raised his hands toward the pair, weaving layers of spells. Their already overwhelming presence grew even more intense.

"To think he could lift Hoddmímis... This power surpasses even Belgemir..."

Skadi rubbed her temples with a sigh as she watched Shirou and Scathach charge toward the massive temple together.

"Going together? How sweet." Skadi's smile was gentle as she raised her palm. "Let's join them."

Divinity from the Age of Gods materialized behind her, and countless natural manifestations blessed Shirou and Scathach, making them shine like fireflies in darkness.

"So this is the light that swayed Merlin to humanity's side?" Ambrosius touched her chin thoughtfully. "Well, if Merlin's in, so am I."

In a flash, Ambrosius shed her borrowed form, revealing her true self—a body of pure quantum information shimmering in the air.

She merged with Tír na nÓg, lifting its constraints from Shirou and Scathach while restraining Galahad's power.

Kama hesitated, then grudgingly cast Beast III's buffs over the pair.

Abigail glanced around before settling her gaze on the fallen Goetia. "You should help too, Goetia."

Goetia: "..."

"Big brother will avenge you, even if you're always against him!" Abigail declared.

Goetia, already beaten half to death by Galahad, nearly choked with rage at her words.

His face darkened as he spat out, "I will never help Eternal King!"

Then he raised his hands, his ten rings blazing with light as they bestowed the Ten Blessings of the Holy Spirit upon Scathach.

"ROARRR—!!"

Galahad's roar shook the air as he hefted Hoddmímis up.

In that moment, Shirou and Scathach struck. One glance between them was all they needed. Her spear pinned down Galahad's right arm while Shirou's strike caught his left.

Galahad was the Emperor's masterpiece—a UO equal to Arcueid, perhaps even more perfect. Against such raw power, skill alone meant nothing. But now, with everyone's support amplifying their strength endlessly, they could finally fight against Galahad.

At last, true mastery revealed itself. Scathach had stepped through the door of impossibility—her spearmanship went beyond any school or system, transcending even life's basic instincts to touch something greater.

Her movements completely surpassed Galahad's perfect artificial mind. Her speed and technique flowed past his calculations like water through fingers, making both his attacks and defenses seem clumsy in comparison.

To those watching, it looked as if she was toying with him.

Everyone was dumbfounded by such sublime skill.

"This is..." Xuanzang watched Scathach in wonder. She knew that her master was one of the strongest Buddhas, who had amazing martial arts; just his [Kalaripayattu EX] alone was beyond measure.

And now, watching Scathach, Xuanzang saw her reaching that same impossible realm!

Yet as Scathach had warned, skill alone couldn't overcome raw power. Though her mastery surpassed Galahad's calculations, she couldn't pierce his armor—and in that gap was danger. But that's where Shirou came in.

His spearmanship, taught by Scathach, meant he knew her techniques like no other. Together, they moved as one, covering each other's openings and leaving Galahad with nowhere to counter.

But Galahad's armor remained unbreakable.

"Tch!"

Seeing Galahad struggling, Morgan knocked Bedivere back with her blade. She raised her staff to target Shirou and Scathach—but an Ether cannon roared through the air as a tear in space opened behind her. She was forced to defend instead.

Zelretch floated down before her while Kama stepped through the spatial tear at her back.

"Morgan le Fay? Fascinating." Zelretch studied the Apostle with a gleam in his eye. "You'd make an excellent magical girl."

"I came as you asked," Kama said flatly.

Morgan tried to slip left, but Abigail materialized there to block her path. Bedivere rose again to cut off her escape to the right.

Looking at the forces surrounding her, even Morgan felt a chill run down her spine.

Where was Agravain? Why had they only sent Galahad? she fumed silently.

Skadi commanded Hoddmímis downward, igniting the nine spheres on the world tree. The surge of magical energy made reality itself shudder.

Sensing danger, Galahad raised his all-deflecting shield.

Shirou caught Scathach's eye. She nodded, then knocked the shield from Galahad's grip with her spear. In that moment, Shirou struck—his spear slammed into Galahad's chest with a thunderous impact, throwing him off-balance and sending him flying.

Skadi seized her chance. After wrapping everyone in divine protection, she brought the massive temple crashing down. Then she clapped her hands together.

Clap!

The nine world spheres on the temple spiraled inside, their orbits collapsing until they merged into one burning point—and detonated.

In that moment, Gaia severed the dimensional space around Galahad, reality folding and twisting as it cut his section off from Tír na nÓg. The pocket dimension sealed tight, trapping him inside.

Then—

"BOOOOOM—!!"

The pocket of reality containing Galahad erupted into nothingness! The explosion consumed everything within its bounds, leaving an empty void where space itself had been erased.

The explosion might not have broken through Galahad's armor, but at least it had banished him from Tír na nÓg.

Silence fell.

Not a sound remained, only that pitch-black void torn in space.

Just as Shirou was about to ask Ambrosius and Gaia to repair the damage, Skadi's voice rang out from above, sharp with panic: "Shirou, get back!"

He turned to see black lightning dancing in the void. Then, somehow, Galahad's hands gripped the edges of the dimensional tear itself. He began pulling himself out of nothingness.

The space Gaia had cut away was pure void—no reality, no substance, nothing that could be touched. Yet somehow Galahad was gripping it.

He emerged from the dimensional void, his black armor in tatters.

Even armor forged from orichalcum couldn't withstand the conceptual blast of nine worlds collapsing.

Yet Galahad, though covered in cracks, showed no sign of weakness. Instead, a terrifying aura poured from him. The fractures in his armor didn't look like damage—they were more like a demon's twisted grin, radiating unnatural horror.

His eyes blazed with darkness as he lunged at Shirou, moving like an unleashed demon.

Skadi reacted first, summoning Gungnir. She hurled it at Galahad, the spear wreathed in lightning like a falling star. But just before it struck, Galahad raised his shield.

"Clang—"

Gungnir bounced off the shield, rocketing back toward Skadi.

And Galahad kept coming, charging at him with unstoppable force.

A flash of purple appeared before Shirou.

Purple hair flowing like silk in the wind as that lithe figure became his shield.

Gripping his spear tightly, Shirou moved to stand beside her.

Scathach's red eyes met his, and he gave a slight nod.

A faint smile crossed her face before her expression turned serious, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she faced Galahad.

For legendary warriors who made their mark in history, life was an endless search for strength and worthy opponents.

Scathach had always searched for an invincible enemy. Her ability to reach that impossible realm was no accident. But just as she and Shirou prepared to fight, Galahad suddenly turned away, rushing at someone behind them.

They were both stunned.

"No!" Shirou spun around and shouted. "Mordred, run!"

Seeing Galahad charging toward her, Mordred froze!