IBHJ 1143

"Are you two alone on the moon now?" Confusion crept into Shirou's face. "What about Kiara and the others?"

"Without Arcueid's control, the moon can't simulate Earth's environment," Altera explained on Gaia's behalf. "If the others had come, they would have frozen in the absolute zero of space, so Lady Gaia left them at the South American connection point."

Shirou nodded. It made sense, no matter how extraordinary Kiara and the others might be, they were still human. They couldn't survive the absolute zero of space like Gaia and Altera could.

"I'll begin Altera's teleportation now—"

As she spoke, light flickered across the screen, its brilliance penetrating even the pitch-black void of space. Shirou didn't intervene. Their situation in Pan-Human History was too dire; one more ally meant one more chance at defeating the Emperor.

As for Gaia...

Let the white-haired little girl remain in the cold darkness of space as their remote backup. Of course, such thoughts were better left unspoken, existing only as a passing thought.

"Eh eh eh—?" Gaia tilted her head in confusion. "Did you... bring more companions from the surface?"

Everyone exchanged glances before Ambrosius replied uncertainly, "No."

"But—there are several people traversing the Inner Sea of the Planet, heading toward Tír na nÓg and attempting to enter."

"How is that possible?" Ambrosius's face creased with bewilderment. "Only those chosen by Fairy Queens can reach Tír na nÓg and I only chose these people... and that witch."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the ground began to shake violently. The clear sky suddenly darkened as countless brilliant lights streaked across it, creating dazzling patterns in their wake.

Merlin's expression changed. "These aren't chosen people... they're invaders! Someone or something is attempting to force their way into Tír na nÓg!"

"This shouldn't be possible! Tír na nÓg is a bounded realm, only those chosen by fairy queens can enter. Not even Apostles with Imperial Armor can reach the dimension where Tír na nÓg exists... wait! Sir Bedivere, your Imperial Armor!"

Ambrosius pointed at Bedivere and all eyes turned to see the Imperial Armor on his body blazing with intense light.

Suddenly—

SLASH!

The Imperial Armor erupted with massive internal spikes, impaling Bedivere's body from within.

"Guh—"

Blood sprayed from his mouth.

Bedivere collapsed to the ground as black corruption spread from the wounds where the Imperial Armor's barbs had pierced flesh, rapidly engulfing his entire body.

"Sir Bedivere?"

Everyone froze in shock.

"Corruption poison... why is there corruption poison in my Imperial Armor? And this light—it's something the Empire developed to counter potential high-dimensional hypothetical enemies... Could it be— could it be…"

Bedivere's eyes widened with horrified realization.

"They saw through your betrayal... Sir Bedivere," Shirou said with a heavy sigh.

The truth couldn't have been clearer. The Empire had discovered Bedivere's betrayal long ago!

They had even used Bedivere as a way to invade the supposedly inviolable Tír na nÓg!

"How could this happen..." Bedivere's voice trembled with shock and anguish.

Shirou turned to Gaia. "Can you tell how many are coming, Gaia?"

"A thousand! Five of them have signatures similar to Bedivere's, wait! What is that thing? Is that the Emperor?"

"What's wrong?" he pressed urgently.

"One of them has an abnormally massive signature—on par with Arcueid's scale!"

"What?!" Everyone was startled.

Mordred's eyes widened. "Equal to Arcueid's scale?"

"So you're saying there are five Apostles, with one possibly being the Emperor?" He spoke gravely. "The remaining 994 should be Imperial soldiers, nothing to worry about..."

"No, Shirou. The remaining 994 are the real threat! Those, those 994... each one registers at Divine Spirit-class Heroic Spirit level!"

"What... did you say?"

Everyone's eyes grew wide with shock.

Through gritted teeth, Bedivere forced out the words: "It's... it's the Specialized Combat Forces...!"

…

Massive waves churned across the vast Pacific Ocean.

"Coo coo coo..."

White doves scattered in fright to the skies.

An enormous giant trudged slowly through the Pacific waters.

"The voice that makes everyone disappear... it's there!"

This giant had a name.

It was called—Adam!

…

"Specialized Combat Forces... These are elite units His Majesty created to counter potential threats to the empire. They were formed by recovering divine relics from Age of Gods battlefield ruins. Their combat capabilities far surpass the ducal soldiers inherited from the old system."

"Old system?" Shirou raised an eyebrow at him. "What exactly does that refer to?"

"It's from ancient times—I can't recall clearly. As far as I know, the ducal soldier system has always existed this way. According to Ambrosius, if our imperial world was born from the Holy Grail's wish, then this system must have originated from your kingdom."

"There were no duchies or anything similar in the kingdom I established. This sounds more like the era of warlords after the Roman's fall," Shirou shook his head. "And yet... one hundred million years have passed without change. Truly worthy of being called 'eternal.'"

He sighed.

The empire's eternity, the Emperor's eternity—it was the permanent crystallization of the present moment, the most concrete manifestation of the concept of 'now'.

The compassionate Xuanzang couldn't bear to see Bedivere sprawled on the ground and helped him to his feet. Her heart ached at the sight of black thorns from the Imperial Armor piercing his body, but all she could do was softly murmur "Amitabha."

Bedivere thanked her before continuing with a pained expression: "...The Specialized Combat Forces were stationed by His Majesty along the coastal defense line at Londinium, guarding against continental invasion. Besides His Majesty, only one person has the authority to mobilize them..."

"Yes, that would be me."

A deep voice suddenly emanated from Bedivere's Imperial Armor, and in the next moment, it projected a light screen before them.

In the display, the strategist—completely encased in pitch-black armor and wearing a black cloak—stared coldly at Bedivere. "To be infected by the [Poison of Corruption] yet not succumb to it... as expected of you, Hope."

"...So you discovered me after all, Lord Agravain." Bedivere met the strategist's gaze with an expression both pained and relieved.

That is Agravain? Mordred was completely taken aback.

Indeed, it was Agravain. Shirou's expression remained unchanged.

"Silence!" Agravain's eyes bulged with rage. "You traitor who betrayed His Majesty has no right to speak my name!"

"I haven't betrayed His Majesty, Lord Agravain! As an advisor, surely you must sense that the being on the throne is not our true Emperor! Our Heavenly Emperor would never commit such atrocities as invading other worlds!"

"This is His Majesty's will—the empire's will!"

"That is absolutely false!" Bedivere's words came through clenched teeth. "The one sitting on the imperial throne is an impostor! You and I both saw that incident; how can you remain blind to the truth? From the moment that person presented the Holy Grail to His Majesty, our Emperor completely changed! His Majesty didn't just change—someone used the Holy Grail to do something to Him! They're exploiting His Majesty's power, using the empire's might to commit these terrible deeds!"

"His Majesty is divine," Agravain replied coldly, "and divinity has no human form. That is why none of us have laid eyes upon His Majesty's true appearance in these hundred million years! Divine will cannot be measured by human reasoning! Yet here you are, conspiring with Heroic Spirits from Pan-Human History and the Council, plotting to destroy the empire. Bedivere, you are a traitor who deserves death by a thousand cuts!"

"No, His Majesty was human like us—the first to achieve eternity! The threat to the empire doesn't come from outside, but from within—from that very imperial throne!"

He gazed at Agravain with desperate hope, hoping he would join Hope as he had done, hoping he would understand the truth.

But all he received was Agravain's cold stare.

"I had thought you were just bewitched by those foreign vermin, or perhaps controlled by some mind-altering Noble Phantasm. Now I see you were simply born a traitor. Very well—side with these foreign enemies if you must. I will drag you before His Majesty to face imperial judgment, Hope!"

With those words, Agravain's projection disappeared.

Bedivere lowered his head in despair.