IBHJ 1185

The silence after Shirou left was deafening, until Tiamat broke it. "Sakura, we need to have a proper talk." Her sweet smile didn't reach her eyes. "Oh, and didn't you say something about power being everything when you left? Perhaps we should put that to the test?"

Kama blanched. "W-wait, Mother—I know I was wrong!"

This wasn't like before—this was Tiamat's main body, not just the spore body created by Heaven's Corpse. A fight between them would end in her death!

Meanwhile, Shirou hurried toward the temple, his thoughts racing. Manaka's arrival in the Eternal Empire complicated everything. Looking up at the sky, he felt it in his bones that tangled threads of karma spanning countless cycles would finally unravel here in this world.

"My King! Terrible news!" Merlin came sprinting up, gasping for breath.

"What is it, Merlin?"

"Bedivere, he has escaped!"

"Escaped?" Shirou froze, then his expression hardened. "Find him! He knows too much about this place, we can't let him get away!"

…

Manaka faced Demonic Bodhisattva, her eyes narrowing. "I never thought I'd see you again. You were supposed to be dead."

"My work isn't finished yet, did you really think death would stop me?" Demonic Bodhisattva's lips curved into a smile as she regarded Manaka, trapped against the valley walls. "Look at you now. Such a far cry from your glory days as Queen of Evil."

"Perhaps," Manaka gave a cold smile. "And I suppose you're here for revenge? But do you really think you can defeat me?"

"Through conventional means? Perhaps not..." Her smile deepened as she gathered her focus. She had planted a failsafe within half of the Beast's power that Manaka had stolen—originally meant to aid the UOs in eliminating Manaka, or to save herself if they ever crossed paths again. Now, that hidden trap should be enough to end Manaka once and for all.

Demonic Bodhisattva waited with certainty, but after three long seconds of nothing, her confidence crumbled. Seeing Manaka's mocking smirk, realization dawned on her. "You knew all along..."

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" she let out a cold laugh. "I sensed the UO's energy signature immediately. Hmm…So that was your plan—letting me absorb you to plant your little trap, just like Tiamat did?"

It was almost amusing to her. Apart from falling for Tiamat and the UOs' combined deception, she had seen through every other scheme—including this pathetic attempt by Demonic Bodhisattva.

"Daughter of the omniscient—no wonder they call you the omniscient monster," Demonic Bodhisattva said with a cold smile. "I can barely imagine how terrifying the true Manaka sleeping within you must be. That's precisely why you're the greatest threat to my world! Why don't you do us all a favor and disappear, you fake?"

"Your world?" Manaka's laugh was chilling. "You're the last person who should be calling anyone fake. And what do you think you're doing now, do you think I won't notice you're using Shirou's tricks? Please. I've fallen for that move twice already!"

The moment she finished speaking, a dagger erupted from the ground, piercing her abdomen. But before Demonic Bodhisattva could celebrate, Manaka's body burst apart and turned into endless black mud that sprayed toward her eyes.

"How disappointing," Demonic Bodhisattva's voice rang out as she deflected the mud with a barrage of projectiles. "Shirou already used that mud-in-the-eyes trick on me, so you can forget about it."

But just as she prepared to press her advantage, her expression shifted to shock. Black mud erupted from the earth in every direction, and she only had time for one final gasp before the tidal wave swallowed her whole.

"That witch—she kept using his dirty tricks, how annoying..." Demonic Bodhisattva finally dispersed the mud prison, her face grim.

"You won't get away!" she locked onto Manaka's aura and gave chase. The First Vessel was the most dangerous of the three vessels, and she had to be eliminated, no matter the cost!

...

Manaka stumbled forward, her breathing ragged. As she ran, her skin began to splinter with an eerie crackling sound, like breaking porcelain, dark vapor seeping through the cracks.

"Not yet... you can't wake up yet...!" she pressed one hand against her head while using the rock wall for support, each step forward a struggle.

She couldn't stop—not with Demonic Bodhisattva still on her trail.

"I can't disappear yet... Beast... give me Beast..." she gasped.

Finally, her will crumbled. As she collapsed to the ground, her vision swimming, she saw a glimpse of herself from long ago—the Manaka Sajyou before the Holy Grail War, when she was still the big sister Ayaka looked up to.

But she knew the truth, she wasn't the real Manaka. The real Manaka Sajyou was sleeping within her. But those memories were still hers—she was a personality born from Ayaka's wish in the Holy Grail War.

She couldn't fall here. Not now.

If she fell now, the real her would awaken.

No, I...

As her consciousness slipped away, she vaguely made out several figures approaching.

"Master, someone's collapsed over here!"

"That presence—it's a Beast! Be careful, Ritsuka!"

"Don't worry. Let me see—"

A group drew closer.

Someone's hand reached down, gently tilting up her face.

Through her fading vision, she couldn't make out the face clearly—just bright orange hair and clear eyes. An excited voice broke through the haze, "It really is a Beast! And its Beast signature is similar to big sister's!"

So... Who...?

The question lingered as Manaka finally slipped into darkness.

...

The Emperor's severed arm fell from above, everything was engulfed in searing white light—and then Mordred suddenly woke up with a start.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

She gasped for air, cold sweat running down her skin.

"I'm... not dead?"

She stared at her hands in disbelief, turning them over as if to make sure they were real.

She'd been ready to die, making her stand against the Emperor—the being who existed because of her. So how was she still here?

And something else was off...

"My skin... it's back to normal?" She ran her fingers along her unblemished arms, bewildered. "That's impossible. After fully activating the Grail, I shouldn't even be human anymore."

"Wait... where am I anyway?"

As Mordred started to rise, she noticed a pale arm draped across her thigh. Her eyes traced along it, turning to find Guinevere's face, peaceful in sleep despite looking exhausted.

"Huh?" Mordred blinked, completely baffled. Of all the people she'd expected to wake up next to...

The last thing Mordred remembered was unleashing the Grail's full power, shooting down that massive arm, and then the blinding explosion as it fell. That should have been the end of her story.

And yet...

"What's really going on here?" She stared at Guinevere's sleeping form, her mind racing. Why was the Empire's version of her mentor lying unconscious right in front of her?

Her hand tightened on her sword's hilt. ‘One quick strike now, and it would all be over.’ But as she raised her blade, uncertainty crept in.

The memory of Vivian's presence flickered through her mind, and slowly, she lowered her sword.

In the vast Eternal Kingdom, no one—not even her mother—had shown her more kindness than her teacher Vivian.

It was Vivian who had guided her, given her purpose. Who had comforted her, treasured her, indulged her whims. Who had given her a childhood filled with joy.

If Vivian had been there when she'd plotted to destroy the Eternal Kingdom, Mordred wasn't sure she could have gone through with it.

No—if Vivian hadn't left because the True Ether started to disappear, those bastards would never have managed to corrupt the kingdom. Mordred was certain of this. That's why she'd immediately targeted the Empire's Guinevere after failing to assassinate Morgan.

But that decision had led to an unexpected discovery, she'd sensed Vivian's presence within Guinevere. Not some parallel world version either, but her actual teacher—the Vivian from Pan-Human History.