IBHJ Chapter 955

"Long time no see, Ayaka Sajyou," a familiar voice called out.

Ayaka, in the midst of dispatching monsters, froze at the sound of her name. Her grip on the greatsword faltered, and she stumbled, the weapon's weight throwing her off balance. She hit the ground with a thud.

The nearby monster eyed her with what could only be described as contempt. What a pathetic human, it seemed to think. Tripping over her own feet while fighting a stationary target. What a waste of experience points.

"Ow, ow, ow," she groaned, rubbing her sore backside.

Shirou walked over. "Are you okay?"

Her face froze, unsure how to respond.

"No need to play dumb. It's me, Fujimaru Shirou. I figured you might have your reasons, so I played along before. But I think it's time we drop the act, don't you?"

He had a lot of questions about the Shinjuku Holy Grail War that he wanted to ask her. His past memories were fragmented, and some had been lost in the countless resets. Plus, that particular war should have been a crucial part of his memories.

For instance, how did he initially get involved in the Shinjuku Holy Grail War? How did he inherit the Invisible Vortex from Tethys? And how did he kill Manaka? Most importantly, how did Ayaka survive the purging of the Enlightened One?

Ayaka sighed. "Actually, my memories are also incomplete."

"What do you mean?" he frowned, wondering if she was also trapped in an endless cycle of resets like him.

"My memories stop at the Enlightened One destroying the Beast and purging the world. When I came to, I was already in Chaldea, and had become one of the backup Masters. I know nothing about what happened in between."

"I see..." he nodded thoughtfully, but felt a pang of disappointment.

He had hoped she might have some special way to avoid the Enlightened One's reset, but now it seemed like a dead end.

Perhaps he should ask Marisbury later about how Ayaka ended up in Chaldea.

"Um, I've actually wanted to ask for a while... where's Altera?" After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked him.

She had wanted to ask about Altera's whereabouts for a long time, but was afraid of hearing bad news, so she hadn't dared to ask. Now, she finally mustered the courage to ask him about Altera.

In fact, as a Master, she should have been able to sense Altera through the Command Seals, but due to the digitization of this world, the Command Seals had lost their original effect. This also allowed Servants and Heroic Spirits to continue existing as adventurers, which prevented her from confirming Altera's status.

"Altera..." He thought for a moment, and finally decided to tell her everything.

"I see. So she's gone..." This was both the best and worst news. Ayaka pressed her lips together. "I've always believed that Altera has a soft side in her heart."

"Mm. I believe that too," he nodded.

"Ayaka~!"

At that moment, Kiara came running from afar.

Ayaka glanced at her, then turned to look at him and said in a low voice, "Please don't tell others about my past."

He looked thoughtfully at Kiara, then nodded. "I understand. Don't worry."

"Also, next time please use your real body to talk to me. That body brings back some unpleasant memories."

"I know-" Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly realized something and asked, "Wait, what do you mean by unpleasant memories?"

"How do you think you got close enough to my sister to stab her in the heart?" she rolled her eyes, "From behind, no less."

She then turned and left.

Her words left him feeling uneasy.

Could it be that back then, he had also switched bodies with someone and then betrayed Manaka?

That didn't seem right; he hadn't obtained the Invisible Vortex at that time.

Besides, considering the circumstances, if it were him, he would have disguised himself as Ayaka, then betrayed Arthur, and used the deep sisterly bond—with the younger sister being the most reliable family member for the older sister—to gain Manaka's trust before striking.

That would fit the behavior pattern he would adopt when extremely weak.

Of course, this was the behavior template of the current him who had gone through countless experiences. How the true novice back then managed to counter-kill the Root Princess Manaka, probably only Ayaka and the victim Manaka herself knew for sure.

"What did Mr. Shirou say to you?" Kiara asked.

Ayaka shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "Just some tips on leveling up. Nothing special."

"Ah, got it." Kiara's eyes lit up. "Hey, want to hunt monsters together? My skill can mob them in no time."

"Sure," she mumbled, her mind clearly elsewhere.

As the two women headed off, Shirou watched them go, shaking his head. Morgan's probably done removing that curse by now, he thought, turning to head back. However, on the way, he ran into Hinako and her Servant.

Gao Changgong was about to greet Shirou, but Hinako's icy glare stopped him cold.

"Gao Changgong," she snapped, slamming her book shut. "We're taking another route."

She couldn't forget how Shirou had humiliated her at the last Connection Point, even though it had been almost half a year ago. That grudge would never fade!

If only I could beat him just once... The thought burned in Hinako's mind as she stormed off, leaving Gao Changgong to throw an apologetic glance at him before hurrying after her.

"Talk about holding a grudge," Shirou muttered under his breath. "All that fuss over such a trivial thing."

Hinako stumbled, as if his words had physically struck her. She whirled around, eyes blazing with fury, before storming off with a new burst of anger. Her thoughts screamed of revenge, of finally besting him one day.

Shirou sighed, shaking his head as he made his way back to Morrigan. He found her just as she was finishing up with the three-eyed youth.

The moment Morrigan lifted the Age of Gods spiritual pressure, the young man's eyes snapped open.

"My hat!" he cried out, his voice cracking with panic. "Where's my hat?!"

His hands flew to his forehead, desperately trying to cover his third eye. Wild-eyed, he looked at Shirou, Morrigan, and the others. The look on his face changed to pure fear as it hit him.

"Adventurers... priests..." he gasped, scrambling backwards. "Oh God, no! Someone help me! Please, save me!"

The youth's panic spiraled out of control, his cries growing more frantic by the second. Morrigan exchanged a quick glance with Shirou before making her decision. With a subtle gesture, she used [Suggestion] on him, her spell sweeping over the young man like an invisible wave.

The effect was almost instantaneous. The youth's shouts died in his throat, his rigid posture slowly loosening up. But as the magical calm settled over him, a different kind of tension set in.

He drew his knees to his chest, making himself as small as possible. His eyes darted between Shirou, Morrigan, and the others. Though no longer shouting, his gaze told the whole story – a strong mix of wariness and fear, like a cornered animal unsure whether to flee or fight.

Seeing this, Morrigan put on her professional, angelic, healing smile. Good! Now's the time for me to shine. Surely with this, even Shirou will have a better opinion of me, she thought.

Her face suddenly softened into a smile that could melt the coldest heart. Her voice, gentle as a summer breeze, carried warmth and reassurance. "There's no need to fear us. We're here to help. Whatever troubles you're facing, you can confide in us."

It was a performance worthy of the heavens - a smile so radiant, a presence so comforting that it would put even the most benevolent angel to shame.

But the effect on the three-eyed youth was the exact opposite of what Morrigan intended.

Instead of calming down, the young man's terror seemed to multiply tenfold. His eyes widened in pure horror, as if he were gazing not at a kind healer, but at some eldritch abomination wearing an angel costume. His entire body began to shake like a leaf in a storm of fear.

Caught in a mental tug-of-war between the forced calm of the [Suggestion] spell and the primal urge to flee, the youth's mind simply couldn't handle it. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, out cold.

"..."

Morrigan's expression immediately froze.