IBHJ 1254

When Shirou entered the meeting room, Ayaka immediately updated him on the situation. She explained that Xuanzang had achieved Buddhahood and traveled to the imperial capital. However, based on the Incarnation's recent appearance, Shirou realized Xuanzang was probably in serious danger.

Ayaka also mentioned that another Star Anchor had emerged and had assisted the others in confronting the original Manaka. This news made Shirou sigh inwardly. Why was his Rhongomyniad so ineffective compared to the other Star Anchors? Then he remembered—it was because he had only been using a copy all this time, while Gray still had the original.

Back then, he had hesitated to take back Rhongomyniad because he noticed how emotionally attached Gray was to Add. He had planned to wait a little longer before taking it back. He never anticipated the events that followed would unfold as they did.

At this point though, with even the Arrow of Akasha making an appearance, the assistance Rhongomyniad could provide wasn't particularly important anymore.

Putting all that aside, the most crucial task at hand was exactly what Manaka had suggested—corrupting the Empire's ideology to break down the Incarnation's Holy Spirit status.

"Here's all the data we've collected from various locations," Ayaka said. "Unfortunately, some of our people were caught by imperial soldiers and didn't make it back."

"This information came at a high price," Shirou remarked with a sigh as he reviewed the reading statistics. As expected, the most popular materials were the more vulgar works.

"It seems that even those who have achieved immortality are still fundamentally human," he observed.

The most appealing stories are often those that could never be published, and the most captivating dramas are those that could never be filmed. That's just how people are.

"You want me to write a harem novel?" Andersen exclaimed indignantly. "That's absolutely insulting! I'm a devoted advocate for true love! I would rather die than—" He paused as Shirou whispered something to him, causing him to grudgingly add, "Fine, I'll write three harem novels at most."

Shirou nodded with resignation. This was clearly difficult territory for them.

But then—

"Shakespeare, why are you writing so eagerly?" Andersen demanded loudly. "You shameless hack! What happened to your artistic integrity as a writer?"

"Adults are writing literature here, so children should stay quiet."

"Why you—!"

After a heated argument that went on for half an hour, followed by additional persuasion from Shirou, the Heroic Spirit writers including Andersen finally began writing intensely, preparing for their cultural invasion.

While Gaia and Ambrosius were busy conversing with Alaya on the other side of the continent, Shirou found himself with free time and wandered alone to the lakeside of Tír na nÓg.

As he gazed at the rippling surface of the lake, he pulled the black crown from his pocket. He studied it for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.

"Are you thinking about the Kingdom, my King?"

A gentle voice spoke close to his ear. He turned to see Vivian approaching with graceful steps.

He nodded. "I never imagined that my greatest enemy would be the very thing I once fought so desperately to protect."

"I didn't expect it either," Vivian replied with a sad smile. "When I first saw her, it was during the time I imprisoned Merlin in the tower. I was completely stunned—I didn't know what to think."

He paused for a moment before asking, "Vivian... do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

"Don't you already know the answer in your heart?" she replied with a gentle smile.

"Yes, I do know. That's why I can't respond to her anymore."

With that, he tossed the black crown from his hand into the lake.

Vivian gasped in surprise. "That—that was your crown!"

"No, it wasn't." He shook his head. "The person standing here isn't the Eternal King or Shirou Pendragon, but Fujimaru Shirou."

Vivian remained quiet for a moment, looking at him with sadness in her eyes. "You've been through so much hardship on your journey, my King."

"It's really nothing," he said, shaking his head and changing the subject. "Tell me about yourself. I'm curious—what's the story with the Empire's Guinevere?"

"I suppose you could say she's another incarnation of me," Vivian replied with a smile.

As she explained, when the Emperor brought her to the Eternal Empire, it was actually to help free her from the Grail's corruption. However, before they could begin the healing process, the Incarnation took everything from the Emperor.

The Incarnation faced a dilemma—she worried that if Vivian returned to normal, it might interfere with her plans. Yet she didn't want to kill Vivian. Instead, she manipulated the Empire's time flow to create Guinevere.

"The truth is," Vivian continued, "this Empire never actually had a Camelot to begin with, and I wasn't supposed to exist here either. She altered the flow of causality and time, sending me back to the beginning of time to create a version of Camelot. All of this was preparation for reviving the Kingdom. Even our meeting in that village was probably part of her plan."

What the Incarnation had done was send Vivian to the dawn of time, creating a Camelot within the existing world. In simpler terms, she had created a parallel world where Guinevere and Camelot existed, then overlapped and merged that parallel reality with the current one.

What the Incarnation accomplished might have sounded impossible, but for transcendent beings, this kind of reality manipulation was actually nothing special. It operated on the same principle as Shirou's [World Reset]. The Enlightened One could perform such feats with ease, as could any Holy Spirit, which explained why the Incarnation could do it as well.

However, there was an important limitation—a transcendent being could not interfere with another transcendent being's time and causality flow. In simpler terms, these kinds of reality alterations had no effect on beings who existed beyond the [Root]'s singular timeline.

Furthermore, transcendent beings rarely chose to manipulate reality in this way. Having evolved beyond normal existence, they no longer experienced desires or attachments that would have motivated such interference with the natural order of things.

The Incarnation was different, though. While she had achieved transcendent status, her soul and will remained tethered to the mortal world. She was fixated on bringing back the Eternal Kingdom—an obsession she would fulfill even if it meant sacrificing the transcendent state that everyone else strove to attain.

"I see what she's trying to do," Shirou said. "She wants me to reunite with you and become the Eternal King again. This time, she would take on the role of the Counter Force herself, ensuring the Eternal Kingdom would truly last forever. But I simply can't do it anymore. In my heart, I've already accepted that the Kingdom is gone."

"Yes, we've both come to terms with it," Vivian agreed. "Mordred is probably the only one still struggling with it."

"She's who I'm most concerned about," he admitted. "She sacrificed her life to disrupt the Lord of Salvation's plan. Though we understand her actions, she still can't forgive herself. And now, just as she's finally breaking free from her cycle of self-hatred, she meets this Incarnation who comes for revenge... I'm really worried about her."

"Don't worry too much," she said with a reassuring smile. "Mordred is stronger than you think."