IBHJ 1188

Bedivere remembered Arthur's question from long ago - would he choose the Emperor or the Eternal Empire? While he had never found his answer, Garand had made his choice clear. Between the Empire that had only hurt him, and the Emperor who had saved him, Garand chose to follow the Emperor.

But Bedivere couldn't decide. He couldn't agree with Garand, but he couldn't go back to the Empire either. Stuck between these two choices, he felt lost and confused, so he could only suffer in silence.

"Over there! I found them!" An Apostle yelled, leading the Divine Guards toward them.

Seeing how troubled he looked, Garand pushed him into a nearby cave.

"Look inside yourself, Bedivere, who are you really fighting for?"

Garand charged at the Apostle with his spear. Being an Apostle himself, he managed to break through the Divine Guards' encirclement after a fierce fight and pinned the Apostle that led them to a tree with his spear, but he also suffered from heavy injuries with the Apostle's sword pierced through his heart.

"I can't believe... I lost to you!" the Apostle gasped.

"How could I lose to someone who betrayed their own faith?" Garand yelled.

"You... hahaha—" the Apostle laughed sadly. "The real threat to the Empire isn't from outside. It's this civil war between us."

"Our bodies might have gained eternal life," Garand said, "but our souls rotted long ago. Now the Poison of Corruption will take away our immortality, and we'll die. But for us, this isn't a painful end, it's the liberation of our souls."

"I see that now. But what hurts the most is knowing that the Empire's unbreakable barrier fell because we turned against each other. We did this. we're responsible for Ector's death. We failed His Majesty, even worse the Empire might fall because of us! We were wrong... we were so wrong..."

The Apostle closed his eyes and the Divine Guards rushed in. They slashed off Garand's left arm and right leg, leaving him bleeding heavily.

"Garand—!" Bedivere couldn't watch any longer. He burst out from behind the tree, swinging his sword to push back the Divine Guards, then scooped up Garand's body and ran.

Blood seeped through his fingers as Garand grew colder.

Garand's already pale face turned even whiter. "Did you find your answer, Bedivere?"

"Stop talking." he stopped, looking down at Garand with pain in his eyes.

"You still can't see it, can you? You can't lie to yourself like he does, but you can't face the truth like I did either. Being caught in the middle hurts the most, Bedivere. The person on the throne is definitely not the Emperor, at least not my Emperor. Some will support you, others will doubt you, and plenty will condemn you... but only you can choose which path to take."

"Please stop, Garand!" Bedivere's face twisted with grief.

"You have a choice - stay loyal to the Emperor we remember like me, or submit to Agravain and whoever sits on the throne now. No one else can decide for you. It's your choice alone. This path will hurt. There will be blood... but once you decide, go here." With shaking hands, he pulled a map from his chest and gave it to him.

"In these mountains where two trees cross, there's something the Empire needs. Whatever you choose to do with it, whether you give it to Agravain or to the one on the throne, I won't judge you. My journey ends here and I'm finally free. But if you want to stay true to the Emperor we knew like I did, then take it to- to-"

Garand struggled to speak, his pupils dilating. But he fought against death itself, determined to say everything for his Emperor. The veins in his neck strained as he forced out his final words: "T-Take it to- Avalon!"

His eyes glazed over, and then closed for the last time.

Bedivere's voice cracked. "Sir Garand—"

Another star had fallen from their sky.

When Shirou reached them, he found Bedivere clutching Garand's broken, lifeless body. Neither he nor Scathach who stood beside him spoke a word.

Though they didn't know what had happened, Bedivere's anguish was plain to see.

"Everyone called you the schemer," Bedivere murmured as he dug into the earth, making a simple grave. "Said you'd be the first to turn against His Majesty. But you were the most loyal of us all, Sir Garand."

He turned to face Shirou and Scathach, a hollow smile crossing his face. "You came here to kill me, didn't you, Eternal King? You worried that I might betray you and so you brought Scathach, your strongest warrior just to make sure."

Shirou was quiet for a moment before nodding.

"Don't worry, Eternal King. I have... nowhere else to go."

"Come back with us, Bedivere," Shirou said quietly. "You might be a problem, but I won't answer your kindness with betrayal."

"Alright. But first, there's somewhere I need to go." Bedivere held up the map.

Scathach looked at Shirou who thought it over and nodded. "We'll come with you."

...

"Mmm..."

Manaka's eyes fluttered open. She found herself in a dark cave, lit only by a flickering fire.

"Oh? You're awake."

The soft voice startled her. She turned to see a woman with golden hair wearing a crown.

It was Europa.

Her omniscience instantly revealed who the golden-haired woman was.

"Master, she's awake," Europa said gracefully as she stood, calling to the group by the fire.

Master? Manaka looked over and her heart dropped. More than a dozen Heroic Spirits were staring back at her. Worse still, among them were several Grand Servants - Heroic and Divine Spirits powerful enough to challenge a Beast.

"Ah, you're up."

A bright voice came from beside her. Manaka watched as a cheerful girl with orange hair tied in a ponytail rose from the group and walked toward her.

This... this is...

Manaka's eyes suddenly contracted. Beast VII!

The Seventh Beast!

Manaka's eyes turned cold. Beast VII was supposed to be the last one, appearing only after all six other Beasts. She never expected to meet it so soon.

If she could devour Beast VII, she could fix everything - stop the other Manaka from coming back, and grow much stronger. Strong enough that she wouldn't have to fear the Emperor or the UOs anymore.

Watching the orange-haired girl walk closer, completely unguarded, Manaka saw her chance. Her eyes glinted as she reached out.

But then—

Steel flashed in the darkness. Manaka's eyes widened at the whistle of a blade, and suddenly a black knight wreathed in death aura stood before her, severing her arm in one clean cut.

And that was just the beginning. Like dominos falling, a warrior built like a bear, a saint-like young man, and an enormous white lion all rushed to surround her.

Just as Manaka thought about killing them, she realized she couldn't use her full power while also suppressing the other Manaka. Not good!

"Stop!" The orange-haired girl shouted.

The Heroic Spirits about to finish Manaka off stopped dead in their tracks.

"What do you think you're doing?" she scolded them.

The blonde youth by the fire stood up. "Leader, she was going to attack you."

"Don't be like that, Krista."

He sighed. "For the last time, it's Kirschtaria Wodime."

"Using nicknames means we're close!"

"Please don't be close with me," he said flatly.

"Aw, look at Krista being all tsundere again." The orange-haired girl laughed it off, then turned to Manaka with a friendly smile, holding out her hand. "I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka, leader of Chaldea A-Team. Oh, and I'm also Beast VII."