IBHJ 1148

"Scathach's student? That woman—that weakling—actually has a student?" She burst out laughing. "Now that's rich! So in Pan-Human History, that pathetic woman who nearly got eaten by the Fomorians managed to take on a disciple? Hahaha, this has to be the joke of the century!"

"Oh forget it, I've lost interest in you," she said between fits of laughter. "A weakling's student can only be weak. His Majesty is being kind to you all—he doesn't even want to wipe you out completely. Just give up now, or you'll end up like your teacher—dead by my spear before I make a meal of you!"

Shirou went still. "You ate Scathach?"

"Every bit of her. Head, body, limbs... roasted them all and savored every bite. It's been so many years, but I can still taste it. Wouldn't mind having seconds. Oh, right—is your teacher around? Perfect, I can sample the Pan-Human History version of her." She patted her stomach and ran her tongue across her lips.

Shirou's eyes hardened. "You should be thankful she isn't here. And then—"

"—You should regret saying those words to my face."

He shot forward like a bolt of lightning, closing the gap in an instant as his spear struck with the fury of a dragon!

Aife caught his spear with hers, a wild look in her eyes. "You want to fight? Perfect! I'll also get to taste Scathach's student!"

She knocked his spear aside but didn't press her advantage. Instead, she slammed her foot down, making the Imperial Armor on her body ripple out like a web before vanishing completely.

"You're not using the Imperial Armor?" he blinked in surprise.

"Only the weak need that crutch!"

Shirou's lip curled. "Right, I forgot—you're all just undying zombies!"

"I don't care for eternal life. Real warriors either win alive or die on their feet!"

Her eyes filled with blood-red fury as she gripped her twin spears. Her whole body radiated the presence of an enraged god of the abyss, her killing intent piercing the skies.

Merlin's expression suddenly changed. He quickly cast protection spells on himself and Shirou, then drew his holy sword and took his place at Shirou's side.

Unbelievable!

Absolutely unbelievable!

Merlin had assumed these Apostles were just Top Heroic Spirit level fighters made invincible by their Imperial Armor.

But Aife? She was something else entirely.

This killing intent, this overwhelming presence—it was on a whole different level!

Some things you can't understand until you see them, feel them firsthand. Until they're staring you in the face.

Millions of years. Ancient. Endless.

This Aife...

She might have reached that inconceivable level, just like Scathach!

…

In the far south...

"My Imperial Armor..."

Lucius Tiberius stared at his pierced heart in disbelief. Goetia's beam had torn straight through him. But what shocked him wasn't the hole in his chest—it was that something had actually broken through his Imperial Armor.

After the initial shock wore off, Lucius's face settled into understanding. "I see. So that's how you took down Ector so quickly. You can negate the Imperial Armor."

Goetia didn't bother answering. He just sneered and said, "This is the end for you, Apostle!"

There was nothing left to say to these Imperial dogs after what they had done to Solomon.

"I admit, those Ten Rings of yours share the same origin as His Majesty's power. In a straight fight, I can't defeat you. But if you think I'll just give up, or that you can take me down easily, then you're greatly mistaken. I am Lucius, the Empire's Sword!"

Light flashed in Lucius's eyes. "Since you've pierced my Armor, I have no choice but to draw my blade. For His Majesty's glory and will!"

Lucius began to pull his sword free.

The sneer vanished from Goetia's face, replaced by gravity.

"The Imaginary Number space is leaking into the surface..." Abigail's eyes went wide. "That's no sword—it's a portal, just like my gate!"

Lucius drew his weapon.

And Abigail was right—this was no ordinary sword.

It was a black hole that kept growing, consuming everything, as imaginary numbers spread outward.

Less a sword and more a tear in reality—an imaginary number void that devoured reality with the concept of 'sword' stamped onto it.

"My sword has swallowed stars before. That's why His Majesty told me to only draw it against enemies like Galahad. But against you all, the Empire's Sword can be unleashed. I know I can't win, but don't think this will be a quick fight!"

The Emperor's Sword Lucius's voice was serious.

Their plan was clear—they wanted to destroy Tír na nÓg, but first they needed to connect to the world's surface so their Army could descend.

Since he was stuck fighting Goetia and couldn't make the connection, he'd keep both Goetia and Abigail busy while his allies finished the mission.

Goetia's brow furrowed as he watched the imaginary number hole grow larger.

Imaginary numbers...

He wasn't afraid of them—Solomon and Kama knew how to handle that thing, but they were still trouble to deal with. And Lucius was immortal on top of that.

"This fight is going to take a while."

But they had no choice.

Tír na nÓg was their last stronghold!

…

Unlike Shirou and Goetia, Kama was making quick work of her Apostle opponent in the far west.

This came as no surprise, wielding half of Beast III's authority along with a portion of Tiamat's star-creation powers made her operate on an entirely different level from her enemy.

Although the Apostle's invisible sword was difficult to predict, Kama had a simple counter: she could shift her true form into imaginary number space while projecting her body, rendering the invisible blade completely ineffective.

"Surprised?" she taunted. "You Apostles aren't the only ones who can play around with physical immunity!"

After neutralizing Morgan's attacks, Kama realized that despite Morgan's immortal nature, she posed no real threat.

But something felt off... Why hadn't Goetia and Abigail shown up yet? The thought nagged at her.

Although her current role prevented her from acknowledging her other identity, she couldn't help but wonder—how many years had it been?

Even if she couldn't openly admit it, she yearned to fight at her brother's side again.

Still, she understood all too well the vast, unfathomable depths of the Empire's foundations. A hundred million years was time enough for civilizations to rise and fall, or evolve into something far beyond imagination.

But there was one saving grace, the Eternal Empire's obsession with preservation meant there were no concepts of "development" or "future" in their dictionary. As a result, their civilization had stagnated at a relatively modest level.

The Empire's hundred-million-year foundation, combined with their Holy Spirit power and ancient technology, was not to be taken lightly.

Take their [Imperial Armor] and [Crown of Thorns], for example—these were artifacts that defied comprehension. It was possible that these very artifacts were giving Goetia and Abigail trouble.

If that was the case, she needed to wrap things up here first, subdue Morgan and hand her over to Mordred for safekeeping, then rush to help the others!

Just as Kama was formulating her plan, Morgan stopped her attack with an exasperated cry, "How is this even fair?"

She couldn't contain her frustration. How was she supposed to fight an opponent who could attack freely while remaining completely untouchable? This wasn't how battles were meant to be played!

"If you're capable," Kama retorted coldly, "then you can do the same."