IBHJ Chapter 976

Charia looked at him, saying very seriously, "You'll definitely find your way back home, as long as you're not swallowed by darkness."

Shirou was startled and was about to ask further, but Charia had already turned and left.

What that strange third eye had seen remained a mystery.

Perhaps...

Lowering his head slightly to look at his own palm, Shirou's expression grew somber. Before anything else, he had to stop the effect of the vortex and return Artoria's body.

Clap, clap, clap

A seductive voice floated to his ears, accompanied by cheerful applause. "My, my, Sir King of Knights. Your helpful nature is so pure, it simply makes me swoon."

He turned to see Koyanskaya approaching with a smile, still clapping. It was clear she'd seen everything.

"Gently comforting a wounded heart, such a beautiful scene, it both intoxicates me and makes me sick," she said with a smile.

Shirou pretended not to notice her sarcasm and instead cautiously asked, "Lady Koyanskaya, do you have any advice to share?"

"Advice? Oh no, nothing like that." Koyanskaya's face took on an exaggerated look of concern. "I'm just worried that while I'm sleeping, our noble King of Knights might cooperate with others to assassinate me. After all, Chaldea's reputation for treachery is quite well-known."

Her figure was graceful, her face exquisite and charming, every move exuding a seductiveness that could make any man's heart race. One could only sigh that she truly lived up to her reputation as China's infamous nation-toppling beauty.

However, he had no reaction at all, only calmly saying, "Using charm on me wouldn't really do anything, Lady Koyanskaya."

Hearing this, she was momentarily taken aback, seemingly surprised that her charm had failed. But she still smiled and said, "You really know how to joke. How could I possibly use charm on you?"

Although she said this, Koyanskaya became somewhat vigilant internally. Her charm was something that could control anyone regardless of gender or age, yet it had failed on him.

This was inevitable. Although Koyanskaya's charm was powerful, his black mud made him immune to charm.

"Stinking fox——!"

A sharp voice cut through the corridor. The surrounding space wrinkled like skin being sucked into a whirlpool, and a hole materialized in the wall. Morrigan stepped out, her eyes blazing as she glared at Koyanskaya. "Shameless!" she spat.

"Oh my, how can you call me shameless? We've known each other for so long, our bond so deep," Koyanskaya said, feigning hurt. She pretended to wipe away tears. "Your words pierce my heart like a sharp sword. It hurts so much, I'm crying. Boo hoo hoo..."

Morrigan ground her teeth in frustration but was powerless. Though skilled in magecraft, she was no match for Koyanskaya, especially since Koyanskaya had also mastered Eastern magecraft.

After a moment, Morrigan finally retorted, "Hurt your heart? Please. It's nothing compared to being tossed into Imaginary Space. Do you have any idea how awful that was?"

Koyanskaya's voice turned sickeningly sweet. "There was this pesky fly buzzing around me, following me everywhere - even when I farted. I got annoyed and naturally flushed it down a toilet. Who knew that stink-loving fly was you?"

"You— you—" Morrigan sputtered, livid. When it came to verbal sparring, she could only best the likes of simple-minded Romani or gloomy Hinako.

Koyanskaya's gaze flickered between the fuming Morrigan and Shirou, her smile widening. "Well now, there are two of you. Want to try taking me, a main member of the Council, down?"

Morrigan was caught off guard, then with a glum face, she weighed the possibility of this suggestion. With her abilities, coupled with Shirou and Artoria's fighting prowess, there was a decent chance they could take Koyanskaya down right here.

But before she could voice her thoughts, Shirou spoke softly, "Lady Koyanskaya, we have no conflict of interest. If a fight isn't necessary, we should avoid it. Besides, my sister takes things a bit too seriously, so please stop teasing her."

"No conflict of interest?" Koyanskaya smiled mockingly, as if she had heard a funny joke. "I'm a core member of the Council, humanity's nemesis. As a guardian of Human Order and a member of Chaldea, you're telling me there's no conflict of interest."

Shirou's expression remained the same as he said, "But you're also a member of the Emperor's Conquest Guild."

Hearing this, Koyanskaya was startled, then she laughed, "You're an interesting king. Do you think the chances of defeating me are slim, or do you believe that conflict here would cause more harm than good? Or maybe you think you can use me? Interesting." Her eyes glinted. "Well, I'll give you two pieces of advice, after all, I do owe you a favor, Sir King of Knights."

After a pause, Koyanskaya's expression turned serious. "You'd better watch out for that junior of mine. And stay away from the three-eyed kid's business, unless you're asking for trouble."

"Why?" he asked.

"You're overstepping your bounds, Sir King of Knights." Koyanskaya narrowed her eyes, a fox-like smile playing on her lips. "But for now, consider the favor owed by those smelly foxes repaid."

Koyanskaya's eyes narrowed, her face beaming with a mocking and playful smile, then she turned to leave.

Shirou watched her retreating figure and smiled, "Thank you for your advice. I'm sure we'll have opportunities to work together in the future, Lady Daji."

Koyanskaya's figure froze, her eyes suddenly wide, no longer able to maintain the playful smile on her face. She turned her head, looking at Shirou with a serious and somber expression, only to see Shirou holding Morrigan's hand, walking away.

...

Clouds drifted slowly across the night sky, partially obscuring a corner of the moon. Its soft light spread a beautiful silver glow along Shirou's path, lighting his way with a gentle brightness. In sharp contrast, dark, threatening clouds gathered over Koyanskaya's head, creating a darkness so deep that one could barely see their own hand in front of their face.

Suddenly, a red, bloody light flickered in the thick darkness, and Koyanskaya's shadow stretched long on the ground - it was a terrifying shape of a demon fox with five tails. Within the shadow of those long tails, there seemed to be wronged souls wailing and evil spirits laughing maniacally.

As quickly as it had appeared, the frightening shadow faded. The clouds above Koyanskaya split apart, and moonlight once again lit up her beautiful face, showing her features clearly against the night sky.

"Another boring person and a despicable one at that."

"But what does it matter?" Koyanskaya muttered, "Because I, too, am a boring and despicable person."

She turned and left, the demon fox shadow on the ground stretching long behind her, its five tails waving like the hands of evil spirits.

...

Shirou and Morrigan entered a room. She looked at him and blurted out, "We should've attacked her just now, Shirou. With you, me, and Artoria's Holy Sword, we could've taken her down for sure!"

He met her gaze with a gentle smile, "But sis, other than making you happy, what would be the point of that?"

"Isn't making me happy a good thing?" She furrowed her brows, a slight frown tugging at her lips.

"Of course it is," he answered without hesitation. "So here, this is for you, my dear sister." With a flourish, he pulled out a beautiful rose from behind his back and offered it to her.

"Thank you." She happily accepted it. She even bent down to smell the flower, her smile growing wider. Then her expression suddenly froze. Her cheeks puffed out, and she glared at him angrily. "Do you think I'm some kid you can easily fool?"

"Oh my, looks like my sister has grown up and isn't so easy to fool anymore," he sighed, putting on a troubled face, "Guess I won't be able to trick you in the future."

"Of course, everyone grows up," she puffed her cheeks, "So stop teasing me! Sisters are to be respected, not teased! And don't think I don't know that you never really treated Morgan le Fay as a sister, let alone me. Hmph."

"Okay, okay, I won't do it again." He clasped his hands apologetically.

Seeing his smile, she knew he wasn't taking it seriously at all. She felt both angry and helpless.

"Actually, about what I said earlier, I could've beaten Koyanskaya, but it would have caused a lot of trouble," he said. "Moreover, our goal is to solve this Connection Point, and the Council was born under the pressure of the UOs. In a sense, they can also become our allies in resolving this Connection Point. So, unless necessary, we shouldn't clash with them."

"I know that..." Morrigan muttered. Then she paused, suddenly turning to look at him. "Wait, what did you mean by 'I'?"

"Uh..." He hesitated, then smiled. "I mean 'we'. We could've beaten Koyanskaya."

"That's more like it." She nodded, smiling.

Looking at her smile, he smiled as well.

The warm glow of candlelight filled the room, casting long shadows across the floor and walls. Within his shadow, something strange began to happen. Black mud started to churn and swirl. Slowly, it took shape, forming into a face in the darkness.

The face was smiling, but it was unlike any ordinary expression. It was pure and filthy, friendly yet evil, simple in appearance but complex in nature. The smile seemed to contain countless contradictions, an impossible blend that shouldn't exist side by side.

Good and evil intertwined within that smile, neither overpowering the other, but coexisting in an unsettling harmony. It was a smile that could make one's skin crawl.

Then the face's expression shifted. The conflicting elements melted away, leaving behind a smile of serene calmness. This new smile was peaceful, almost angelic, but somehow even more unsettling than before.