IBHJ 1184

"What?!" His head jerked up, eyes wide with disbelief.

"After Chaldea fell, Mordred's magical energy connected directly to me. I can still feel that connection, so that means she's alive," Gaia said seriously.

"She's alive...?" Hope flickered in his heart, but doubt crept in. "Are you sure? You wouldn't lie to me about this?"

"Never. I'm your copy, remember? I care for Mordred just as much as you do. I'd never lie about something like this."

"Then we need to go get her, now!"

"No," Gaia shook her head. "The connection is there, but it's weak. The Emperor controls the surface now, so I can't reach her. And given what happened... she's likely their prisoner. What we need from you right now, Shirou, is to get back on your feet. We need to plan our next move."

He took a deep breath, then nodded, his expression hardening with resolve. If Mordred was out there, he had to pull himself together.

"Thank you, Gaia," he said softly.

"No problem, we're in this together now.”

Just then, Abigail burst into the room, panic written across her face. "Big brother, something terrible has happened!"

"What is it, Abby?"

"It's Goetia—Goetia has been killed!" she blurted out.

His brows knit together at the news.

He rushed after Abigail to the temple, where they found Goetia now shrunken and pale as parchment.

"Someone struck me from behind," Xuanzang said, rubbing the back of her head. "By the time I came to, Goetia was... like this." Her voice was heavy with guilt.

"Don't blame yourself, Master Xuanzang," Shirou said gently. "Whoever did this was powerful enough to take you by surprise. You couldn't have stopped them even if you'd been awake."

Ayaka stared at Goetia's withered body, her eyes dim with understanding. Only her sister, Manaka Sajyou, could reduce a Beast to this state.

"Manaka..." he sighed. "She has made it to Pan-Human History."

"Eternal King..." Goetia's voice was weak as if about to disappear.

"What is it, Goetia?" Shirou's tone softened as their eyes met.

"Solomon left these in my care. Now... they're yours." Goetia raised his trembling hands. The ten rings on his palms flared with holy light, streaming like rivers of stars into Shirou's waiting hands.

"These..." Shirou gazed in wonder at the radiant rings now resting in his palms.

"The ten rings of the Holy Spirit," Goetia breathed, "and Solomon's Grand Saint Graph."

"I can feel their power," Shirou said. "But after everything between us... why give them to me?"

"Why you?" A hint of bitter amusement colored Goetia's voice. "You, who prevented my birth, who rewrote my fate... I hold no love for you. And yet..." His voice softened. "I've come to believe that you alone can save Pan-Human History, can honor Solomon's legacy."

"Goetia..." he stared at the fading being before him.

"These rings will let you stand as an equal to that false Holy Spirit."

"But I'm human. The Grand Saint Graph would be useless to me."

"True. But Solomon had a theory, if the seven Beasts exist for a unique purpose, then perhaps the seven Grand classes that correspond to them hold their own special meaning. That's why he gave me the Grand Saint Graph before I joined the Council. He wanted me to uncover the meaning behind Beast and Grand. But now..." Goetia's voice grew fainter. "That task falls to you."

Hearing this, Shirou raised his eyebrows, "So you're saying that just as the seven Beasts have meaning when united through a vessel, the same must be true for the seven Grand classes when brought together.”

"Yes. During the Fifth Holy Grail War, when Solomon confronted the Chairman, he saw the truth. He began this salvation experiment in secret, hidden from all eyes. That's how I came to be."

"But I can no longer see it through." Regret clouded Goetia's gaze. "It has to be you who completes this hypothesis, Eternal King. Though I may despise you... I trust in your capability. After all... you were the one who changed both Solomon's and my fate."

Goetia's eyes grew distant, gradually drifting closed.

‘I'm sorry, Solomon.’ His body began to break apart, dissolving into glowing magical formulae that scattered like embers on the wind.

"Goetia..." Abigail watched with quiet sorrow as the last traces of him faded into nothingness, as if he had never existed at all.

Shirou rose to his feet, gazing at the ten rings in his palms. He could feel their otherworldly power thrumming through them, the final proof that Goetia had been real.

His fingers closed around the rings as the weight of everything settled over him. His presence in this world had changed so much - for better and worse. If he had never arrived, perhaps this world would have faced only the threat of Human Order Incineration. Instead, they now contended with an immortal Emperor's iron rule and the sealed Lord of Salvation's emergence.

But he couldn't let doubt hold him back. He had to reclaim the future - not just for himself, but for this entire world!

Retreat wasn't an option. As their leader, he carried more than just his own fate on his shoulders.

"Wait, Kama!" The realization suddenly hit him. Kama was also a Beast. If Manaka had used the chaos to strike down Goetia, Kama could be next.

Shirou quickly dispatched Ambrosius to locate her. To his relief, Kama was safe and she wasn't alone. She was with someone unexpected.

Tiamat.

After speaking with her, Shirou could only sigh. Whether it was the UOs or Tiamat, none of the beings powerful enough to carve their names into history and endure the cold vastness of universe were simple creatures.

Tiamat had been using Manaka all along, only to betray her at the critical moment - yet she still allowed Manaka to escape. Shirou understood this was the UOs playing both sides. After what happened at the South American connection point, they'd thrown their full support behind him, but they were hedging their bets by backing Manaka too.

It was a dangerous gamble to support Manaka, but when facing the Lord of Salvation, having a backup plan was not just prudent, it was necessary.

Shirou couldn't fault their logic. Even he wasn't certain if Manaka's approach was wrong. Though the chances of her successfully replacing the Lord of Salvation were slim, in a battle this crucial, they couldn't afford to ignore any possibility.

That's why he'd taken a piece of Manaka at the South American connection point, not out of malice but as insurance, a way to monitor her state and the risk of her losing control.

This was leadership's burden. His warm side could be gentle as a spring breeze, but his darker nature could chill people to the bone. Yet wasn't this true of everyone? Each person carried both light and shadow within them. Shirou simply kept his dark side away from those he loved.

"Would you mind giving us a moment?" Tiamat asked softly, turning to Shirou.

He looked at her, puzzled.

"I need to have a proper conversation with this child," she said, gently patting Kama's head with maternal affection.

But Kama's reaction was immediate, she looked up at him with pleading eyes, her expression practically screaming "don't leave me!"

"Well..." he hesitated, remembering what Arcueid had told him at the South American connection point.

After Gaia was sealed by her siblings, Sakura had defied Tiamat's warnings. She'd used the Mooncell to become Kama, embracing the remaining half of Beast III. She'd even fought Tiamat when she tried to stop her.

Back then, Tiamat's main body was still trapped in imaginary space, so Kama had overpowered her. Yet even in defeat, Tiamat's maternal instincts had won out - she'd managed to gift Kama a portion of her power as she fled, explaining the origin of that black mud.

It was a betrayal that must have hurt Tiamat. Now that she'd finally emerged from Imaginary Space with her full power, she clearly intended to discipline her wayward daughter.

But Sakura was his adopted sister. How could he hand her over for punishment?

The answer was simple.

"Alright," he nodded, turning away despite Kama's pleading eyes.

Sometimes love meant letting someone face the consequences of their actions.