IBHJ 1117

"No need to be formal. You made me that wonderful food - even if it only filled me up 30%."

Same old Artoria - a bottomless pit for food.

"You fed me, I shelter you. Just travelers helping each other," she smiled.

He saw it clearly now - unlike his Artoria, this caster version radiated energy and life, like sunlight.

Later, lying in bed, he stared at the ceiling.

He tugged at the crown on his head, but it might as well have been part of his body - it wouldn't budge.

"This crown can't seal my powers forever, can it?"

He frowned. Without his abilities, he wasn't Eternal King or Eternal Emperor anymore - just another transmigrator, no different from regular humans here.

No, that wasn't quite true.

He had one unique trait - he had no record in the Root, since he was a transmigrator from another world, not something the Root had created. That's why they'd chosen him, why the Lord of Salvation had targeted him, why he'd been trapped in endless resets.

Most stories painted transmigration as a blessing - people escaping hard lives to find success in new worlds. But for Shirou, being a transmigrator had brought nothing but pain.

And now, that identity meant nothing to the Emperor.

How had the Emperor replaced Pan-Human History with his Empire? Were they synchronizing their world with it? Well, either way, this wasn't just synchronization. This was invasion and conquest.

This British land could be either part of the Eternal Empire or the Pan-Human History Britain where Chaldea existed.

The Emperor had merged his Empire's Britain with Pan-Human History's Britain, letting the Eternal Empire slowly replace Pan-Human History as the only timeline bordering the pan-universe. In simple terms - they were taking over Shirou's world.

The Eternal Empire had lasted for 100 million years, its people becoming so immortal that even the Beasts feared them. This shouldn't have been possible - the planet itself rejected immortal beings, usually erasing these timelines through Pruning. But the Eternal Empire was different. The Beasts could destroy the Human Order Foundation and resist Pruning, which was why Manaka had tried to summon the Beast of Revelation to help Arthur.

And the Eternal Empire...

They had beaten the Council even though it had multiple Beasts, with the Emperor himself defeating the Council Chairman. So it’s no wonder that the Empire could stop their timeline from being Pruned.

Of course, Shirou's Eternal Emperor could also resist Pruning because he had grown into the most powerful of Heroic Spirits from the Throne. But the Emperor who stood before him now had power equal to his Eternal Emperor. Yet, Shirou found himself helpless – all his abilities had been sealed before he could even see the Emperor's face.

The Lord of Salvation was stuck in the same way. Though it was Absolute Evil, a monster born from the Root with the power to create and destroy all things, it couldn't leave the Root on its own. It needed vessels to gather seven Beast. For this, it had chosen three vessels: Shirou, the Chairman, and Manaka Sajyou.

But Manaka was no longer who she used to be. Ayaka had used her wish on the Holy Grail to change her sister's personality, making Manaka turn against the Lord of Salvation. Now she planned to take its place, wanting to become the Lord of Salvation herself. As for what happened to the Council and its Chairman - only the Emperor and his lackeys knew about their fate.

Even so, the Lord of Salvation might have other plans. After all, in the last reset cycle, its avatar had ended his cycle with a silver gun.

But the Emperor had already beaten the Council. All he needed to do was keep a few Beasts away from the Lord of Salvation for complete victory.

He hadn't met the Emperor yet, but he could guess a lot. King Leodegrance knew about Xuanzang's identity, which meant the Emperor probably knew about the Lord of Salvation and what it needed to manifest. That meant…

"The Emperor has everything under control." Shirou's shoulders slumped.

It was clear how thoroughly the Emperor had planned this. He had defeated the Council, merged the British Isles with his Empire, and likely overpowered Chaldea too. He even had the sealing crown and that mysterious Emperor's Hand - the ones that had broken Abigail's spirit.

Nothing could change this without help from the outside.

But the Emperor had defeated even the Council, leaving its surviving members scattered and in hiding.

Shirou let out a tired sigh, but the moment was cut short as the crown suddenly constricted around his head. The thorns pierced his skin, making him wince at the unexpected pain.

A screen appeared from the crown, displaying ancient British text:

[Do you want to remove the crown? Then go to March, someone there can help you.]

"Who are you?" his eyes locked onto the glowing words.

[Hope.]

The projection disappeared along with the crown's light, leaving him with his questions in the darkened room.

…

March was a country hidden away in the desolate mountains. Massive walls encircled the entire nation, blocking any view of what lay inside.

A staff soared over the sun-baked rocks, slicing through the warm air.

At its helm was a young girl with golden hair that danced in the wind. She wore a white dress, black short cloak, and a black square cap. While any poet might have been moved to write verses about her beauty, Shirou was fighting back a sneeze.

The reason? Her hair kept brushing against his nose as they flew at high speed. Unlike with his own Artoria, he couldn't simply hold onto her waist to keep his balance.

She'd probably kick him right off the staff if he tried.

He sighed to himself at the thought.

The golden hair that had been teasing his nose suddenly fell away as Artoria brought the staff to a stop in mid-air.

"Why'd we stop?" he asked, gripping the staff tighter.

"Look at that boar down there."

He peered down at a boar wandering through the field. "Yeah, I see it. What about it?"

"Look at how plump it is." Artoria's eyes gleamed. "So round..."

"And?" he had a sinking feeling about where this was going.

She pulled out her sword from the staff. "I'm starving!"

Before he could say another word, she drove the staff straight down toward their unsuspecting target.

One hour later, the poor boar had been transformed by his cooking into plates of delicious food spread across their table.

"Mmm..." Artoria attacked the food like a starving tiger, barely pausing between bites.

He watched her feast, then shook his head as he looked at the picked-clean bones lying nearby. You could have wandered through at any other time, But you had to choose the exact moment this predator was hunting.

How pitiful.

After eating her fill, Artoria sprawled on the grass, making happy noises. She turned to look at him with a smile. "It's great having someone who can cook so well. Why don't you come travel with me, Shirou?"

"No thanks."

"That's too bad." she puffed out her cheeks. "But isn't it funny we're both going the same way? Getting lost in that forest, fighting each other, and now traveling together - just like that 'friendship through battle' thing in 'The Tale of the Holy Sword.'"