IBHJ 1094

The soldiers backed away, their weapons shaking as they faced the mechanical army.

The mechanical soldiers turned their sensors on the group, focusing on Guinevere. "Target locked. Engaging—"

With sharp clicks and whirs, weapon ports slid open in their metal shoulders.

This is bad!

Shirou leapt in front of Guinevere, spreading his arms wide to protect her. Magical energy rushed through his body like a river breaking through a dam, light gathering and swirling between his hands.

Rho Aias: The Seven Rings that Cover the Burning Heavens!

The light flared between his palms, blazing as it took shape. A shield of seven glowing layers formed, each one opening like the petals of a massive crimson flower. The layers spread in perfect circles, growing until they made an unbreakable wall of light to protect everyone behind him.

His powers were gone—no Eternal King's record, no Formless Vortex, not even the black mud in his shadow. But he still had his Origin ability.

As Rho Aias bloomed to life, the weapons opened fire with a thundering roar. The soldiers caught outside his shield didn't stand a chance—their bodies were ripped apart in an instant by the storm of bullets, torn to shreds by the metal rain.

Shirou's eyes focused on the bullets hammering against his shield. These weren't normal rounds—he could see the telltale gleam of mithril enhancing each one!

The shield sparked and crackled under the endless attack, each hit sending waves through its surface. Three of its seven layers broke like glass in mere seconds, the pieces melting away into bits of light.

This kind of destructive force—Shirou's mind raced as another layer started to break—this isn't just ordinary mithril!

What was the mastermind planning? If they were recreating his Britain, why add these out-of-place elements?

A sob broke his thoughts.

"Papa... Papa, help me... waaah..."

He looked back to see Guinevere huddled in his shadow, arms wrapped around her head, crying like a small child.

So much for the elegant, dignified princess.

Shirou let out a soft sigh, then turned to her with a gentle smile while keeping Rho Aias steady. "Princess, if you just close your eyes and count to three, everything will be fine."

"That's impossible!" She hiccuped between sobs. "I'm going to die here... I haven't even found my true love yet... Waaah..."

"Well, since things look so hopeless," he kept his smile soft and reassuring, "why not take a chance on this traveler's advice?"

Guinevere looked at his bright eyes and warm smile. Her crying slowed, and after a moment, she covered her eyes with her hands. "I'll try... one..."

As soon as she closed them, Shirou summoned Rhongomyniad and, while maintaining Rho Aias, pushed off the ground and charged at the mechanical soldiers.

"Two..."

Metal clashed and clanged, but Guinevere kept her hands pressed tight against her eyes.

This is it, she thought. I'm going to die.

But she couldn't bring herself to look. Opening her eyes would mean seeing enemies surrounding her on all sides.

Papa, I'm so scared...

"...Three!"

The sounds of fighting suddenly stopped.

Is this death?

Guinevere slowly opened her eyes, her whole body shaking. But instead of the army of enemies she'd expected to see, there was only scattered mechanical debris littering the ground.

Her mouth fell open.

"See? Just like I said—safe after three counts," he said with a smile.

She pointed at the scattered pieces of metal with trembling fingers. "What... what happened to them?"

"Hmm." He paused thoughtfully. "Must have been fairy magic."

"Fairy magic?" Her eyes grew as round as coins.

"Yes, from a kind fairy who happened to be passing by."

"Really? How wonderful! Thank you, dear kind fairy!" She pressed her hands together in prayer, tears of joy streaming down her face.

The surviving soldiers watched this scene with twitching faces.

A kind fairy? They'd just witnessed this supposedly 'dying traveler' tear apart those mechanical monsters to pieces. They would never forget what they had seen—the way he kept smiling while he destroyed those metal giants.

One soldier had caught a glimpse of his face during the fight. That cheerful expression... it reminded him of stories he'd heard about a certain infamous maniac.

So scary!

"Even though you said it was a fairy, it was really you who saved us, wasn't it?" Guinevere looked at him with warm gratitude.

"Oh? Did you figure that out?"

"Of course! I'm not that naive." Guinevere's cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's before she caught herself. She smoothed her expression and dropped into an elegant curtsey. "Thank you for saving us, kind traveler."

Shirou noticed how she only showed this proper princess behavior when she felt completely safe.

"No need to thank me."

"May I know your name?"

"I'm Fujimaru Shirou."

"Fujimaru Shirou..."

Guinevere studied his face carefully, her gaze lingering on his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, please forgive my staring. It's just—your eyes are so beautiful," she said with a bright, genuine smile. "More beautiful than any girl's eyes I've ever seen."

Shirou: "..."

Of all things to notice about him...

He sighed and looked up at the scattered metal parts.

What was the mastermind's goal in recreating Britain like this?

...

Shirou started digging graves for the fallen soldiers, but their comrades stopped him.

"Please stop, traveler. We need to take them home."

Shirou nodded, understanding. Like the Eternal Kingdom, Camelot never left its warriors on foreign soil. Their families deserved a chance to say goodbye, even though seeing their loved ones in this state would tear their hearts apart.

The surviving soldiers worked together to build a cart from nearby wood and branches. They lifted their fallen brothers with gentle hands, placing them carefully on the makeshift wagon.

"Lord Fujimaru Shirou," Guinevere said softly, reaching out her hand toward him, "please come with us. You saved all our lives today. I'll make sure you're welcomed as an honored guest, and Father will reward you generously for your bravery."

Looking at Guinevere's outstretched hand, Shirou remembered her father. The first time, he had taken Guinevere by force. He had surrounded their kingdom with his army until her father gave up.

Later, when he'd unified the land, he'd stripped the other kingdoms of their power, reducing them to mere regional nobles. Her father had become just another noble in his territory, joining the conservative faction. Only thanks to Guinevere's position had they stayed loyal enough to survive when Shirou had purged the nobility before his departure.

He studied her hand for a moment, then smiled warmly. "I'd be honored, Princess. Actually, I'm a traveling poet. I've heard your kingdom by the strait is as beautiful as a painting. I'd love to see it with my own eyes."

"How wonderful!"

Guinevere's whole face lit up with joy as she clapped her hands together in delight.

Shirou watched her transformation with amazement. One moment she was scared and shaking, forgetting how to act like a princess. The next, she was laughing gracefully and acting elegant again. He'd never seen anyone switch so quickly between a scared child and a noble princess.

Looking at her face that looked so much like his own, he thought about his missing sister, Ritsuka.

The soldiers tried to convince Guinevere to ride one of the horses, but she chose to walk beside Shirou instead, asking about his travels with excited eyes. Her behavior made sense though—before Vivian's aspect had awakened in her, she truly had been nothing more than a sheltered princess.

As Eternal King, Shirou knew Britain better than anyone. He'd always believed that making decisions and policies without seeing things firsthand was nothing but guesswork, so he'd traveled to every corner of his territory, learning the customs and daily lives of people in each region.

Now he used these real details to tell stories about adventures with Artoria, Merlin, and Kay. Guinevere listened closely to every word, her eyes shining with wonder at stories of places she had only dreamed of seeing.

"Such wonderful stories. I wish I could travel like that." Guinevere's eyes sparkled even as she sighed.

"You've never traveled to other lands?" Shirou asked, though he already knew the answer.

"No, Father never lets me leave our borders," she said, shoulders drooping. "Even today, I had to sneak away. But they caught me almost as soon as I crossed the border."

She turned to glare at the soldiers, her cheeks puffing out like an angry chipmunk.

"He's just trying to keep you safe," Shirou said with a gentle smile. He knew all too well that Vortigern still held Scotland, constantly threatening all the nearby kingdoms.

And now those mechanical soldiers had appeared where magical beasts should be.

The mastermind wasn't even trying to get the details right. His Britain never had machines like this.

So no, this couldn't be rebirth. The Lord of Salvation existed beyond time, space, and causality itself. As long as he existed, true rebirth was impossible.

This had to be someone's plan—the Council, a Beast, maybe Manaka Sajyou, or even the Lord of Salvation himself playing games.

That Tower of Light and those mechanical soldiers proved it. They'd never existed in his Britain.

He looked ahead toward their destination. The light pillar rose from Guinevere's kingdom, piercing the clouds like a bridge between earth and sky.

That tower was the only reason he was following Guinevere. Otherwise, he'd have headed in the opposite direction, toward Kay's mansion where Artoria lived.

Fifteen hundred years ago, he'd run from Vortigern's army in the opposite direction after Guinevere fled, ending up near Kay's mansion. Ector had saved him, and living with Artoria and Kay had started his path to becoming Eternal King.

But now he knew better—this wasn't a chance at rebirth. Someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes. Instead of finding Artoria, he needed to hunt down whoever was orchestrating this game and make them answer for it in blood.

That Tower of Light was his first clue, so he had to follow Guinevere there.