IBHJ 1160

A spear.

A blood-red spear.

"That's..."

Merlin's eyes went wide with recognition.

Shirou stood motionless, staring at the spear.

"CRACK CRACK CRACK—"

Spider-web fractures spread through the earth holding Galahad as he began to break free.

Then the world went dark.

As if a massive shadow had fallen over them, everything dimmed at once.

Everyone looked up and was dumbfounded.

Such a shocking change even made Morgan stop and look up in astonishment.

"W-what is that?"

A colossal temple hovered in the sky, appearing from nowhere.

It was breathtaking, grand and ancient, with an enormous tree growing from its center. Nine massive fruits hung from its branches, each one as vast as a small world. The majestic structure fell toward Galahad like a falling star.

"RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—!!"

As it descended, the temple's sheer mass warped gravity itself. Even before impact, the ground began to tear away, pulled upward by its overwhelming force.

Yet Galahad simply spread his arms and caught the massive structure, holding the full weight of it above him.

"Impressive, he's able to support the weight of nine worlds."

A familiar voice drifted down from above, elegant and slightly amused.

Through the shifting haze, Shirou looked up to see a graceful figure silhouetted against the sky.

"CRACK CRACK CRACK—"

Galahad pushed against the temple's weight and emerged from the earth bit by bit.

Mordred slid through the ground to his side and, fighting dirty, turned the earth beneath him semi-solid to rob him of his footing.

But Galahad didn't even flinch. His legs transformed into massive channels of magical energy, releasing powerful waves as he continued to hold the temple high.

Mordred watched the surges of energy with a bitter heart. She felt helpless and angry at what they'd done to him. Even if this was just a Galahad from another world, her kind and loyal sworn brother should never have become this thing!

"THUD!"

"THUD!"

"THUD!"

Step by step, Galahad rose, lifting the temple's weight.

Suddenly, a massive ring of light blazed to life in the sky.

"Is that... a gate?"

Abigail was startled.

She sensed it was like her 'gates', but somehow different.

"It's him!" Merlin's face lit up with recognition.

The massive light ring opened like a channel to infinite power, unleashing pure magical energy in endless waves.

"Drawing mana from parallel worlds? Such arts exist? And it surpasses even the Empire's entire magical reserves?" Morgan was stunned. As the Empire's foremost authority on magi, she knew this was beyond mere spells, this was True Magic reaching across parallel worlds.

Endless mana from countless worlds poured down like a cosmic waterfall, turning the temple into an unstoppable force. In one crushing moment, it drove Galahad downward.

As the temple slammed into earth, reality itself seemed to pause.

Then—

"RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—!!"

The world fractured. The very concept of solid ground shattered, opening dark holes in the fabric of space.

The devastating storm ripped apart the land for hundreds of miles, throwing countless fairies into the wind.

For one brief moment, the very rules holding the mystic world together became visible, shimmering in the air like stardust.

"Galahad was actually...!" Morgan was frozen. Sir Galahad—their symbol of invincibility, peace, and eternity, the Empire's unbreakable wall—had fallen!

"This enemy is beyond anything we've faced before!" She clenched her fists.

A blade flashed beside her. She saw Bedivere and leapt back, her eyes burning with rage. "—You traitor!"

Bedivere answered only with his sword, striking in silence.

Through the dust, Shirou watched a figure retrieve the crimson spear that had struck down Galahad. His face broke into a smile. "Shisho!"

"Hmm. Are you calling for me, or for Skadi, Shirou?"

Scathach emerged from the swirling dust with crimson spear in hand. Her red eyes held a playful glint as she looked at him.

"Whoever you think I mean, that's who I mean, Shisho," he replied with a grin.

She sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. "How cunning."

He smiled, "Welcome back, Shisho."

"I'm home, Shirou." A gentle smile softened Scathach's beautiful face.

Kama: "..."

"Huh? What's wrong, Kama?" Abigail, still riding high from Galahad's defeat, noticed her strange expression.

"It's nothing," Kama shook her head.

Shirou turned back to Scathach, drinking in the sight of his mentor after so long. "You've grown even stronger, Shisho. Even Eternal King is no match for you now."

"No," Scathach said softly. "Skill alone can't bridge the gap in raw power. You know this better than anyone. Look—"

She held out her spear. As he studied it, he saw strange runes etched into her Gáe Bolg.

"Are those..." he paused, considering. "The Runes of Wisdom?"

She nodded. "Yes. Skadi enhanced my spear with these runes, and more—she carved in the very concept of the Nine Worlds."

After a moment, she smiled. "Now I finally have a proper weapon. Won't be as easy to capture me as it was 1,500 years ago when you, Merlin, and everyone ganged up on me."

She shot a glance at Merlin in the distance, then winked at Shirou. Merlin rubbed his nose awkwardly while Shirou smiled, remembering how she'd been captured in the Eternal Kingdom era after being surrounded by Merlin, Morgan le Fay, and the Knights of the Round Table.

"How's Skadi?" Shirou asked.

"My, moving on to someone else already? You're hurting your Shisho's feelings."

She made a show of dabbing at invisible tears.

"Your hair looks even more beautiful, Shisho."

Scathach's fake tears turned into a twitching smile. She pointed up with a pout. "She's up there, controlling Hoddmímis."

Then she gave him a reproachful look. "I see my sweet, respectful student Shirou is gone forever."

"Just like my death-seeking teacher is gone?" he countered.

Their eyes met, and they both broke into warm smiles.

That shared smile held everything—their strange bond, the pain of separation, and the warmth of reunion.

Suddenly Mordred burst from the ground, clothes covered in dirt, and glared at them both. "Yeah, yeah, I know you old flames are thrilled to see each other, but save the lovey-dovey stuff! This fight isn't over!"

"O-old flames?"

Scathach looked completely lost. She pointed at Mordred. "Shirou, this child must be..."

He cleared his throat. "My daughter with Artoria."

"Ah..." She nodded, turning to study Mordred with her crimson eyes. A warm smile spread across her face. "She's as adorable as Artoria."

"Ugh—!" Mordred threw up her hands. "Would you focus? I said this isn't over!"

As if proving her point, the fallen Hoddmímis began to vibrate with an ominous hum. Then, against all odds, Galahad started to lift the massive temple, fighting against the streams of endless magical energy pouring from parallel worlds!

Scathach's eyes widened. "Hoddmímis already carries the weight of the Nine Worlds, and now it's powered by Second Magic... Incredible! This strength must be comparable to Arcueid's, wouldn't you say?"

He agreed, "He's the same type of being as Arcueid.”

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Mordred's voice rose with frustration.

But Scathach kept her eyes on him.

"I see why this has been such trouble. This Galahad is similar to Greek gods. Parallel worlds really are fascinating," she mused.

"They are," he nodded.

Mordred was exasperated. "That's exactly why I've been—"

Scathach turned and softly patted her head. "No need to worry so much, little one."

Mordred's face went blank. Then Shirou squeezed her shoulder. "It's all right now, Mordred."

"Indeed, everything's fine," Merlin chimed in.

Mordred's expression grew even more confused.

She'd never met Scathach before, but...

What was going on with everyone?