IBHJ 1201

Mordred stood frozen, watching as Balor fell victim to his own Mystic Eye—the very power that had made him so terrifying was now destroying him.

The shield hit the ground with a loud clang as Vivian floated down toward Mordred with an unsettling calmness.

Mordred's heart pounded as the fairy girl approached. "Teacher Vivian... is that really you?"

Vivian didn't say a word. She slowly raised her hand, and before Mordred could even move, magical symbols appeared in the air. A beam of dark beam shot straight at the stunned Mordred.

The blast would have connected if Morgan hadn't reacted so quickly. With just a flick of her wand, she created a barrier that stopped the dark beam mere inches from Mordred's face.

"Get back, Mordred!" Morgan's voice was strained as she glared at the shadowy figure in front of them. "That's not the Vivian we knew anymore—she's completely lost her mind!"

"Lost her mind? What are you talking about?" she asked, turning to look at Vivian again. Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock. "No way... that can't be..."

There, covering Vivian's shadow-wrapped body, were strange runes—the exact same markings that covered Mordred's skin when she was using her Grail.

The Grail's markings.

"How is this possible? Why does Teacher Vivian have these same marks?"

"Holy... Grail...!" The words rumbled from Vivian's throat like a growl. She thrust her hand toward Mordred, unleashing another blast of magical energy.

Mordred rolled to the side, her confusion quickly hardening into determination. She didn't understand why Teacher Vivian was inside the Empire, or why she had the Grail's markings on her body. But right now, none of that mattered. She had no choice but to fight!

With an electric hum, the Grail's third eye suddenly snapped open, making Mordred roll her eyes. "Oh, so now you decide to help? Little late to the party, aren't you?"

—“Silence, you brat! She possesses my other half's power – devour her!”

"I don't need you bossing me around!" she snarled back as she activated the Grail's third eye.

Pale blue flames erupted from her body, consuming everything—her skin, her organs, even her very essence. Her Noble Phantasms, legendary deeds, her entire history... all of it burned away in those blue flames. What remained looked like something straight out of a nightmare: a demonic figure with haunting wings of blue fire stretching from its back.

Morgan could only stare in disbelief. "A Fallen Angel?"

…

Manaka put on a polite smile as she accepted the steaming cup from Ritsuka. "Thank you."

"Come on, no need to be so formal with me!" Ritsuka said with a friendly grin, brushing off the thanks.

With the other Heroic Spirits watching her closely, she took a small sip. The moment the liquid touched her throat, black mud inside her instantly consumed it, dissolving it into nothing.

Even though Ritsuka wasn't showing any hostility, she knew that with Ritsuka’s Beast nature, she had to know Manaka's true identity. There was no point pretending otherwise. All Manaka could do was play along for now and keep a low profile, but she couldn't let her guard down for even a second.

What really bothered her was that smile. To act so warm and friendly while knowing exactly what Manaka was... this girl was clearly an even better faker than she was, more skilled at deception than even Demonic Bodhisattva herself.

'I really need to be careful around this girl.'

Something about Ritsuka's smile kept nagging at Manaka's mind, reminding her of young Ayaka and the way she used to look up to her. Even though she knew that memory wasn't actually hers—it belonged to the real Manaka Sajyou sleeping inside her—it was still the very reason she existed at all.

"Hey Manaka, since you're my sister's friend... could you tell me more about her?" Ritsuka asked.

"Of course," she replied carefully. "But I have to ask—is it really smart for Chaldea's star operative to let her guard down around someone from the Council like me? Your Servants don't seem to think so." She nodded toward the wary Heroic Spirits.

"Oh, don't worry about that! With both the Council and Chaldea destroyed by the Eternal Empire now, we might as well work together, right?" Ritsuka said cheerfully.

Manaka raised an eyebrow. ‘Could that be why she hasn't made a move against me yet? Is she feeling the pressure from the Emperor and thinking strategically?’

"Besides," Ritsuka added, suddenly grabbing Manaka's wrist, "you're way too weak to be any real threat to me anyway. See how easily I could overpower you if I wanted to?"

Manaka could only stare in silence. ‘Well, this is humiliating,’ she thought bitterly. ‘How the mighty have fallen.’

‘If Tiamat hadn't stabbed me in the back...’ she pouted internally. ‘After absorbing Beast I, I would've had this little orange peel pinned to the ground. Then we'd see who's really the weak one.’

But that wasn't her reality anymore.

"You're so funny, Ritsuka," she managed to say, forcing a smile as she pulled her hand away. "Of course I'm no match for you."

Something seemed to click in Ritsuka's head.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" She smacked her forehead. "Sometimes my mouth just runs way ahead of my brain and I end up blurting out the truth without thinking."

Manaka's fake smile was starting to crack around the edges.

"Leader..." Kirschtaria called out with clear exasperation.

"Ah," Ritsuka winced. "Oops. I did it again, didn't I?"

Manaka: "..."

"It's fine," she lied, smile still firmly in place. "Your clumsiness actually reminds me of my sister."

"Really?" Ritsuka tilted her head curiously. "I didn't know you had a sister, Manaka."

"I do."

"What's she like?"

"Well..." she paused for a moment. "She's adorable, and she really looks up to her big sister..."

"You two must be super close then!"

"Mm..."

"I'm so jealous," Ritsuka sighed wistfully. "I wish I had that kind of relationship with my sister."

"Ha... haha..." Manaka's laughter came out strained as her composure finally began to crumble.

Oh yes, such a "wonderful" relationship, Manaka thought bitterly. I destroyed her entire world, and now sweet little Ayaka's only dream is to make her big sister disappear forever.

But her mask only slipped for a second before that practiced smile returned. "No need to be jealous, Ritsuka. I'm sure you'll have a great relationship with your sister too."

"Yes! So..." Ritsuka's eyes suddenly lit up as she leaned forward eagerly. "You'll help me find my sister, right, Manaka?"

‘Ah, so that's your game.’ Understanding dawned on Manaka. This girl had just been playing along the whole time to find Sakura. Strangely enough, knowing this actually made her feel more at ease.

"Of course I will," she nodded.

"Really? That's fantastic!" Ritsuka spun around to beam at her companions. "Hey everyone, I can finally find my sister!"

"That's wonderful news, Master!" Europa said with a warm smile.

"I bet Master's sister is quite the cutie, eh?" Orion chimed in with a grin.

"Watch it—she's also under our protection."

"Hey, don't look at me!" Orion protested, gesturing toward Zeus. "You should be giving that warning to him."

Zeus crossed his arms and scoffed. "Please. I only made this contract to stop the Ultimate Evil from threatening my world. Besides, I can't stand violent women, especially ones with orange hair! And anyway..." His gaze drifted meaningfully toward Kirschtaria.

Kirschtaria's smile at Ritsuka's good news instantly vanished. He scooted several seats away from Zeus, mentally kicking himself for ever convincing Ritsuka to spare this god in the first place.

"My, my... how lively."

A sultry voice drifted in from outside the cave, and Manaka's face froze.

It's her!

Manaka had finally figured Ritsuka out. She was just a naive kid searching for her sister Sakura—hardly a real threat. All she needed to do was bide her time, rebuild her strength, and when the perfect moment came, she'd strike and devour her prey.

But just as she was starting to relax, an unwelcome visitor appeared.

"My, my... hiding out in here, are we? Hehehe..." Demonic Bodhisattva sauntered into the cave with that insufferably playful smile of hers. But the moment she caught sight of what awaited inside—the gathering of Heroic Spirits, King Hassan and the other Grand Servants, even Zeus himself—her teasing expression crumbled into a scowl.

"Hey, what gives? why are there so many Grand Servants here?!"