IBHJ 1097

"Enemy attack! It must be an enemy attack!" Guinevere screamed, her voice shaking as much as her body.

Shirou stood at the window's edge, his eyes fixed on the sea. Black mechanical soldiers emerged from within the huge waves, rising one after another. And behind those mechanical soldiers, something else began to surface—a red mechanical unit slowly lifting from beneath the sea...

No.

That couldn't simply be called a mechanical unit anymore.

Rising to roughly fifty meters in height...

This thing could only be called...

A Gundam!

"Enemy attack, enemy attack—they're attacking us!"

Guinevere huddled in the corner of the white tower, her small frame shaking uncontrollably.

Shirou stood by the window, watching across the ocean. Dozens of black mechs flanked a red Gundam-like unit, cutting through the waves in a wedge formation.

Guinevere braced against the wall as she pulled herself up. She peeked out at the approaching mechs, then quickly curled back into herself, arms wrapped around her head.

"Enemy attack, it's really an enemy attack..." Her voice quivered. "Why? How did they get so close to the city? And they even brought an integrated crossbow-class battleship! Why did this have to happen while Father's away?" She hugged her head tighter, trembling with each word.

Shirou turned to look at the trembling Guinevere, his brows knitting together. That red "Gundam" must be what she meant by battleship.

But the enemies didn't seem particularly powerful—so why was she this frightened?

He watched her shake like a little white mouse as he took in the view below, not even thinking about how high up they were.

No—it wasn't that he'd forgotten who he was, or that being Eternal Emperor had made him overconfident. The city's response was what confused him. While steel enemies marched across the waves, life continued peacefully beneath the white tower. Citizens walked the streets without a hint of concern.

"Doesn't the city have defenses? Secret weapons?" He looked at Guinevere. "Why are you so worried, Princess?"

He had to stop viewing this Britain through the lens of his past. He'd confirmed this wasn't his Britain—there was no Vortigern, no Saxons, just steel enemies and things he couldn't explain.

In his Britain, her kingdom had been weak enough for him to conquer. But here, things were clearly different. The citizens' calm in the face of danger proved that much.

"Secret weapons?" She shook her head. "We don't have any. If we did, I wouldn't be this scared!"

"Then why is everyone else so calm?" He gestured to the people below the tower.

"They just don't fear death!" Guinevere pressed her hands against her temples. "You probably don't either, Lord Shirou. But I do! And how did these enemies get here? Why didn't the Apostles stop them?"

Apostles?

What kind of Britain was this?

He furrowed his brows.

The city's defenses finally activated in response to the enemy attack. The fleet of warships stationed at the port came alive.

Though called warships, these vessels were actually modified wooden boats, barely ten meters long. Their hulls gleamed with a mercury coating that caught the morning light—simple vessels that wouldn't look out of place in ancient times.

But these ships had something unusual: wings extended from their sides to drive them through the water. Magical runes of [Acceleration] and [Reinforcement] covered their hulls. Despite their traditional appearance, they outperformed even 18th-century vessels—a blend of old-world craft and magical innovation.

The fleet formed a defensive line along the coast. As their cannon ports opened, a series of explosions filled the air. Cannonballs soared toward the steel enemies in brilliant arcs.

The soldiers on deck raised their weapons as they watched the barrage. The cannonballs created a deadly web of fire, dense enough that nothing could slip through unscathed.

However, Shirou furrowed his brows. "This won't work."

No sooner had he spoken than the mechs' gun ports opened and flames poured out in an unrelenting stream.

The air filled with flashes of light as countless bullets struck the cannonballs, detonating them mid-flight. Black smoke spread across the sea, obscuring the battlefield. The mechs smoothly closed their gun ports and drew steel swords from their waists. Before the warships could mount another attack, the mechs shot forward like arrows through the smoke.

The sound of splintering wood echoed across the water. One by one, the ships fell to the mechs' blades. Some split cleanly in two, while others shattered into fragments. The broken remains sank into the ocean.

Within moments, the defensive line of ships had crumbled. Where vessels had stood, only scattered debris marked their passing as the mechs carved through their formation.

Shirou's expression stayed calm as he watched the battle. Not a trace of surprise showed on his face.

The outcome was obvious from the very beginning. The mechs' wedge formation pressed against the warships' straight defensive line - even without considering their combat abilities, the ships had already lost simply based on their formation. Their defeat was clear from the start.

"It's over." Guinevere's voice trembled as she spoke. "The city is doomed. We're all going to die!" She covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking harder with each breath. "Father, where are you? Please..."

Shirou watched her, feeling a mix of frustration and helplessness. He had almost forgotten how much she used to cry in these early days. Looking at her now, it was difficult to believe this was the same person who would later rise to become one of the leaders of the Eternal Kingdom.

Then the memory came back to him - it was his guidance that had shaped her into that stronger person.

Her continued sobs started to wear on his nerves. He had always hated the sound of crying, whether it came from others or from himself. It made something inside him twist uncomfortably.

He reached for her hair, his first instinct to pull it hard and make her stop. But when he saw the tears streaming down her face and the fear in her eyes, something in him softened unexpectedly. Instead of the harsh pull he'd planned, he only tugged her hair gently.

Guinevere lifted her face toward him, tears still falling from her eyes. "That hurts," she said, reaching up to touch her head where he'd pulled. "What are you doing?"

"You really do cry a lot, Your Highness."

"Because, because I'm so afraid of dying, I don't want to die..."

"But you know, the more you cry, the more likely you are to die."

Guinevere stopped mid-sob, startled. She looked up at him with hope in her wet eyes. "Then what should I do?"

"Try smiling instead." He gave her a gentle smile. "When danger comes, when things look impossible - just smile. That might be what keeps you alive."

"How could something like that help?"

"Think about it - smiles have a way of bringing good fortune."

He turned suddenly and ran, leaping from the tower's edge.

"Lord Shirou!" Guinevere scrambled to the edge, her voice cracking with panic.

I can hear you.

As he fell through the clouds, feeling them brush against his face, Shirou opened his eyes. He spread his arms beneath him and spoke:

"Trace, ON—"

Magic circuits lit up across his palms, spreading like bright veins up his arms in intricate patterns. The lines pulsed with blue-white light, branching into smaller paths that covered every inch of skin. His body's magical energy flowed through these illuminated pathways, making them glow brighter with each passing second.

Between his palms, a shape began to take form. Light gathered and spun, pulling together into solid mass. The air hummed with power as the construct grew larger.

The Vimana materialized - a magnificent vessel of gold and emerald, shaped like a great bird taking flight.

While Projection had become less effective in his battles against the Lord of Salvation, leading him to set it aside, his mastery of the technique still far surpassed the original Emiya Shirou's abilities.

His projections went beyond just Noble Phantasms, Divine Swords, and sacred weapons - he had even managed to replicate much of Gilgamesh's treasury, including this very Vimana.

This particular skill was his reward from beating Gilgamesh during the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Shirou settled into the King's Throne aboard Vimana. His consciousness merged with the vessel's controls, and he felt its power respond to his will.

The diving Vimana suddenly turned upward in a sharp V-shape, completely changing direction.

The vessel shot through the clouds with a loud rush of air. The powerful wind it created swept across the tower, making Guinevere's dress flutter wildly. She quickly pressed her hands down against the fabric to keep it in place.

The white doves that had been resting peacefully on the tower's edge were caught by surprise. Their feathers ruffled as the strong wind passed over them.

The birds stumbled around, wings spread wide, before finally finding their balance again. They turned their small, round eyes toward Shirou and his golden vessel, tilting their heads as if wondering what had just disturbed their quiet morning.

"That's amazing..." Guinevere's voice filled with pure awe as she watched the sight above her. "An airship? Could Lord Shirou actually be one of the Apostles?" She paused, her brow furrowing in confusion. "But I know all twelve Apostles by name, and I've never heard of an Apostle called Shirou. And yet—"

Her eyes stayed glued to the gleaming ship as it soared through the clouds. A huge smile spread across her face. "Lord Shirou is truly amazing."

Shirou guided Vimana toward the sea, the golden vessel gliding through the air. As he passed above the steel mechs, he lounged back on the throne and raised his hand, a smile playing at his lips.

He snapped his fingers once.

At that snap, sixty-four outlines of swords appeared around Vimana, each taking form as a brilliant blade. Light swirled and solidified, forming rows of weapons on either side of the vessel.

These weren't ordinary weapons. Each sword was a Noble Phantasm, a legendary blade that had carved its name into human history. Some were thin and elegant, others broad and brutal. Their edges gleamed with savagery that had been tempered by centuries of legend.

Now these legendary weapons hovered in two perfect rows beside him, waiting for his command like loyal soldiers.

He snapped his fingers again.

The swords shot down like arrows at the steel mechs, light streaming behind them. They ripped right through the air as they dropped.

The blades tore into their targets. They punched through several mechs like they were made of paper, shredding through armor plating and vital system. Metal screamed as the blades hit home, leaving the machines swiss-cheesed with holes. Sparks flew everywhere as the broken mechs died, their lights going out. They dropped like rocks into the dark sea below, gone except for the ripples they left behind.

Shirou pulled Vimana up into the clouds, twisted it in a full circle, then dove back down and snapped his fingers again.

Like a king summoning his army, sixty-four legendary weapons appeared around him. They shot downward, tearing through more mechs. The damaged machines crashed into the sea.

"This is incredible..." Guinevere watched with her mouth open. Even the legendary Twelve Apostles couldn't possibly match this display of power.

After several more passes, most of the mechs lay at the bottom of the sea. The survivors finally understood their situation.

The crimson Gundam - what Guinevere had called a battleship - turned its full attention toward him.

As he dove down again, the crimson battleship pulled out its long sword. A blade of magical energy shot toward Vimana, cutting through clouds in its path.

"Watch out!"

Everyone watching held their breath - Guinevere on the white tower, her hands pressed to her mouth, the soldiers on their ships below craning their necks upward. They all knew what was coming.

There was no way to dodge that attack!

The wind roared around them, but Shirou's face stayed perfectly calm.

"Coo coo coo."

The white doves on the tower hopped in place, bobbing their heads as they watched the battle. Shirou didn't flinch as he pulled Vimana into a sharp turn, performing an angled aerial rotation that shouldn't have been possible. It spun in a way that broke every law of flight, twisting like a dancer in midair, its wings barely missing the energy blade as it flew straight at the crimson battleship.

"How is this possible..." The soldiers looked up at the sky in pure amazement.

They had all grown up hearing tales of the Holy Apostles and their incredible aerial combat skills. Stories spoke of impossible maneuvers and breathtaking battles in the sky. But those had just been stories - none of them had ever seen anything like this with their own eyes.

Until this very moment!

As Shirou's vessel flew lower to the ground, they could make out his expression clearly. What they saw left them even more stunned. Not only did he show no sign of worry, but he wore an easy smile on his face. He looked as casual as someone taking a morning stroll.

Did he truly not understand just how incredible his actions were?

The crimson battleship seemed just as confused. This had been its ultimate attack, its killing blow - one that even its advanced combat systems had marked as impossible to avoid. Yet this man had done more than just dodge it. He had proven everything the machine's systems believed wrong.