IBHJ 1153

"Ector is... dead?" Aife stared at Agravain through the light screen, stunned.

"His fate star has fallen. His death is confirmed."

"But how?" Aife was bewildered. "I thought only His Majesty's poison could break Eternity."

"We don't know," Agravain shook his head. "That's why I called you back first."

Lucius's brow furrowed. "Does His Majesty know?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"His Majesty wants the mystic realms destroyed," Agravain said.

"Destroyed? You mean..."

"Yes." his voice was cold. "They harbored our enemies and let an Apostle die. His Majesty won't tolerate the fairies any longer. Tír na nÓg, Avalon... every mystic realm in the Planet's Inner Sea must be destroyed!"

He added, "But they can kill us now. Don't do anything rash until I figure out how they broke our eternity."

Lucius nodded while Aife rolled her eyes, clearly bored.

"Hmm... where's Morgan?" Agravain glanced around, finally noticing her absence.

"Just now figured that out?" she smirked. "She probably got herself caught. That's what she gets for playing swordsman when she's a mage."

Lucius tensed. "This is bad. If they can kill us, and they have Morgan... Things could get ugly. Let me go get her. With the Imaginary numbers sword, I can slip away even if things go south."

"No," Agravain cut in. "It's too dangerous. Let him handle this instead."

"Him?"

Lucius and Aife spun around as a black mechanical figure stepped out of the shadows.

Even the smug Aife broke into a cold sweat at the sight of the mechanical figure. "When did His Majesty let him out?"

"Just now."

"If you're sending him..." Lucius eyed the black figure. "Agravain, you're definitely not just trying to save Morgan—you want to wipe out everyone in Tír na nÓg in one sweep. Sir Galahad shouldn't be wasted on small tasks like this!"

"They can kill Apostles now. They have what it takes to bring down the empire, and that traitor Bedivere is with them..." Agravain snapped. "They're worthy of facing Sir Galahad. This has to be done. Go, Sir Galahad! As the Empire's Wall, destroy any threat to our realm!"

Red lightning flashed in the black figure's eyes.

"EAAAAAA—"

Rainbow flames erupted from the ten thrusters on its back as it shot forward, becoming a black streak that warped time itself. In an instant, it tore through space, racing toward the untouchable land.

No armies needed. No backup required. It alone would be enough.

A single warrior to crush any threat, any enemy that dared stand against them.

Lucius knew it. Aife was sure of it.

How could they doubt?

This was the Emperor's own creation, the empire's ultimate shield—the Empire's Wall, Galahad!

As Galahad disappeared, Agravain switched off the screen and turned to the empty throne, bowing. "Sir Galahad has made his move, Your Majesty. Everything will be settled soon. You can rest easy."

From the vacant throne came a voice:

"Mordred alone cannot be forgiven!"

…

No one saw it coming—not even Mordred herself—that she could break the Eternal Empire's eternity.

The empire's eternity was supposed to be absolute. Watching that unshakeable truth crumble left everyone reeling. No wonder Aife and the others retreated, the Apostles must be in chaos.

But while Aife and Lucius managed to flee, Morgan wasn't so lucky. She ended up in Kama's clutches.

"So you guys can break an Apostle's eternity now. You already kill Ector. Pretty interesting turn of events, wouldn't you say, Hope?" Despite being trapped in Kama's mud, Morgan kept her composure, shooting Bedivere a mocking smile.

Bedivere said nothing. He'd steeled himself to fight the Apostles, but this? This was beyond anything he'd imagined.

Death now stalked the Apostles.

The doubt crept in… Was he doing the right thing?

Bedivere's resolve began to crack.

He'd seen the warning signs in the empire, felt that creeping dread, watched the Emperor consume the Sixth Seat and birth that... thing.

That's why he became Hope, gathering allies who shared his fears.

He'd been so sure he was right.

But then Ector's blood splattered on his face. A friend he'd known for countless years closed his eyes forever...

And everything fell apart.

His iron will crumbled.

The doubts came flooding in...

Was what he saw real? Were his suspicions wrong? Had his beliefs led him astray?

Maybe he'd been wrong from the beginning to fight against the empire's will.

Had he really betrayed the Emperor? Betrayed the empire?

Bedivere didn't know anymore.

His mind was a battleground—millions of years of certainty crashing against new doubts, the pain almost splitting his skull.

But while he wrestled with his demons, Shirou and the others saw things more clearly.

"They only ran because Mordred surprised them. This isn't over," Shirou said seriously. "Once they regain their composure, they will return."

Sure, Mordred's ability to kill Apostles was a dark blessing they never expected. But the Empire still had the upper hand—these were the same forces that trapped the UOs in South America's connection point and kept Gaia out of the solar system. They only retreated because Mordred shattered their perfect eternity. Once the shock wore off, they would return with an even more devastating invasion.

"And now they know our location," Kama said softly, her eyes flickering toward Bedivere before she looked away.

Tír na nÓg was supposed to be their ultimate sanctuary, their final refuge. But because of Bedivere, Agravain had discovered its existence.

But she couldn't say that out loud.

Bedivere had already sacrificed so much to help their cause. Laying blame now would only deepen his wounds.

Taking a breath, she continued: "What worries me is whether they'll bring their full force next time."

That was the real terror looming over them.

A legion almost a thousand strong—each warrior a Divine Spirit-level Heroic Spirit. Such overwhelming power... who could possibly stand against it?

And if the empire could deploy such a massive force without hesitation, they must command armies far greater still.

While they... what did they have?

A handful of fighters, at best.

The thought weighed heavy on everyone's minds.

"No need to be so gloomy—we pushed them back once, didn't we? We can do it again," Shirou said with a smile.

Merlin glanced his way and sighed. "Only you could smile at a time like this."

"Smiles bring luck," Shirou said, before his expression turned serious. "Besides, we can't control what they do. We can only change ourselves. And right now, I think we need to set aside our differences, don't you?"

His eyes rested meaningfully on Goetia.

Goetia understood the implication. He crossed his arms and looked away with a scoff.

Though he didn't like Shirou, he couldn't argue. The Council and Chaldea had always been rivals, each with their own agenda. But now the Emperor had crushed them both and taken over Pan-Human History, that was the real threat. All their old grudges would have to wait.

"Just say what you want, Eternal King," Kama said, turning her eyes on him. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"I'll be blunt, we're too disjointed, each operating independently without a cohesive strategy. We're already outmatched, and if we keep fighting our own separate battles, none of us will achieve anything and we could only be picked off one by one. We need to come together, align our plans, and unite our will."

By now Merlin was grinning, while the others—Kama, Abigail, Goetia—either exchanged puzzled looks or frowned deeply.

Ignoring their reactions, he continued. "We need to move as one. Stop fighting separate battles and speak with a single voice."

Goetia and Kama both paused. Just then, sunlight broke through the clouds, but it couldn't match the intensity in his eyes.

His eyes burned like embers, smoldering with determination.

Goetia's frown deepened, his voice sharp with distaste. "So you want to be our king?"

Shirou shook his head. "Not a king. A leader—someone to represent our shared will."