IBHJ 1203

Meanwhile in Avalon...

The Eternal Empire's massive airship crashed into Avalon, unleashing a full-scale invasion.

Thousands of Divine Soldiers poured down from the airship, immediately clashing with Avalon's guardian warriors.

As usual, Aife went straight for Scathach. For this particular Apostle, it seemed like only Scathach was worthy of a real fight.

Apostle Morgan focused on hunting down Artoria, while Shirou found himself completely surrounded by Lucius and his Divine Soldiers.

Surveying the chaos of the battlefield, Bedivere turned to face the black-helmeted strategist standing before him. "I never thought you'd actually leave your command post to come after us yourself... Agravain," he said with a bitter smile.

"Honestly, I never expected you to hold out this long, Bedivere," Agravain replied. "I'm not surprised about Garand sticking with Hope until the end—he was always that type. But you? I always thought you were the weakest link, yet here you are, still standing—completely surprising me."

He paused before asking, "Do you remember what happened during the first New Year after our empire was established?"

"What are you talking about...?"

"You don't remember, do you? But I do. In the hundred million years since the empire began, every joy, every sorrow, every little detail—it's all stored right here in my brain."

Agravain tapped the side of his steel helmet with a metallic clang. "I remember it perfectly. Lucius criticized you for your poor efficiency in resource allocation. You got so upset about it, so afraid of making more mistakes, that you started messing up even basic tasks. Your efficiency got even worse. In the end, I had to take over all of your work."

"Did—did something like that really happen?" Bedivere looked completely stunned, with no memory of the event.

"Of course you don't remember—it was just a tiny incident. But I do, because that's when I truly understood what makes you tick."

"How could you possibly remember such a minor detail from a hundred million years ago?" Bedivere stared at him in disbelief. Such a trivial incident—even the Emperor with all his divine power probably wouldn't remember something so insignificant.

"If I didn't keep track of these little things, how could I manage all of you effectively? That's the truth about you, Bedivere. Everyone praises you as the empire's shining sun, but you're actually someone with an incredibly fragile spirit, full of insecurities. You'd obsess for days over someone's casual criticism until you drowned in self-doubt. That's how I learned to control someone like you."

Agravain pointed directly at him. "Yet somehow, I never expected someone as weak-willed as you to carry the guilt of betraying the empire and causing Ector's death for this long. I have to admit, you've grown, Bedivere."

Bedivere gave a bitter smile. Was that supposed to be a compliment or just another jab?

Besides...

The betrayal of the empire, Ector's death... these things had been tormenting him every single day.

Agravain was right.

He couldn't bear it at all.

He'd given up long ago and had only made it this far because of Garand's help.

Thinking about Garand, who had clung to his beliefs and faith until the very end, Bedivere looked at Agravain and found himself saying, "Sir Agravain, maybe Sir Garand was right all along... Look at this—it's a notebook written by the Emperor himself!"

He couldn't figure out what was true anymore. Was Garand a traitor who had undermined the empire, or was he a loyal and devoted Apostle? Bedivere couldn't decide. But someone as brilliant as Agravain would surely know the truth.

He pulled out the notebook he had just taken from Artoria and showed it to him.

"So that's why Garand stayed with Hope until his dying breath. I was confused about his loyalty, but now I see—he found this biography in His Majesty's own handwriting." Agravain's voice remained eerily calm. "I suppose there's no point hiding it from you anymore."

The flatness in his voice gave Bedivere a suffocating feeling. He had the terrible sense that Agravain was about to reveal something he wouldn't be able to handle.

"Our Emperor is already dead. I killed him myself."

Hearing this, Bedivere stared at him like he'd just heard the most ridiculous joke. "W-what are you talking about? This isn't the time for jokes."

Agravain simply ignored him. "Our Emperor was killed by me. During your last trip away from the capital, I killed him with this very sword." He raised his blade.

Bedivere just stared at him, completely stunned, like he couldn't process what he was hearing. "You killed the Emperor? That's impossible... how could anyone possibly kill His Majesty?"

"The same way eternity can be broken by the Poison of Corruption. His Majesty became a Holy Spirit because he possessed that power, but if another Holy Spirit took away that power, sealed him, and used an Apostle's sword... he could be killed. This exact sword pierced his heart and ended his life."

The Emperor... is dead? The revelation stunned Shirou, who turned to look at Agravain in disbelief.

He wasn't the only one—Lucius, Aife, Apostle Morgan, and even the witch Artoria all showed varying degrees of shock.

"Then... who's that person sitting on the throne in the imperial palace?" Bedivere asked numbly.

"That person is also the Emperor—just not the one we knew. He's the new Emperor of the Empire. The one we served has already fallen by my hand."

Agravain looked at the dazed Bedivere and said, "I won't hide anything from you anymore. Slow-witted and fragile as you are, you never noticed the massive changes in the empire, nor could you handle the shock of such revelations."

"You want to know why His Majesty changed so drastically? Why he started making the Imperial Armor even before the Council invaded? Why the empire suddenly attacked Pan-Human History? I'll tell you the real reason—if the empire doesn't invade Pan-Human History, our entire world will simply disappear!"

"That's impossible!" Bedivere stared at him in disbelief. "The empire... His Majesty... all of us... we're supposed to be eternal!"

"So-called 'eternity' only lasts until time runs out," Agravain replied coldly. "Since you've been to Tír na nÓg, you must already know the truth about where our empire really came from. Yes, our entire world is nothing but an illusion, born from the dreams of Pan-Human History's dynastic sorrow. And just like any dream, eventually there comes a moment of awakening. When the Holy Grail's power finally runs out, this eternal dream we've been living in will simply shatter into nothing."

"It's the same for us and every other world. Our only chance is to break out of this eternal dream, shake off our complacency, take over Pan-Human History, and connect with the infinite universe outside. That's the only way we have any kind of future. Compared to other worlds heading straight toward destruction, we're actually lucky—we have the power to fight for a place in Pan-Human History. That's why I woke up from this eternal dream."

"You're probably wondering why His Majesty only managed to synchronize this island with Pan-Human History. The truth is that all the empire's other territories have already disappeared, along with everyone who believed the Empire would bring eternity to the whole world. All that's left of them are records preserved by His Majesty using Holy Spirit power in the [Eternal Coffin]. That's also why His Majesty can't personally deal with outside enemies."

"He's waiting for us to eliminate all external threats so he can complete the synchronization with Pan-Human History! But instead of helping His Majesty like you should, you betrayed the empire and teamed up with those criminals in the Hope alliance. And now, even after those traitors have been shown the truth and received their punishment, you're still refusing to see reason?" Agravain jabbed his finger accusingly at Bedivere.

Bedivere kept his head down, trembling. "Why—?"

"What?"

"Why—why did you kill him? Why did you kill our Emperor?" Bedivere looked up with tears streaming down his face, his teeth clenched in rage and grief. "Why would you do that? I learned everything from Ambrosius. This entire world exists because of the Emperor! It was born from King Mordred's wish! So why—why would you kill him?"