IBHJ Chapter 938

"Damn that Altera!"

The gray screen faded back to color, signaling the end of the revival countdown. Gilgamesh, impatient and furious, lunged forward, ready to strike Altera down. But she was already gone. He cursed, frustrated and humiliated.

"We actually lost to that White Titan," Enkidu, who was now even smaller, scratched the back of her head. "Who would've thought she'd go berserk like that?" She patted her body. "At least that UO was already down and stopped interfering with the game's revival. Otherwise, we'd be dead."

"That's not the point, Enkidu," Gilgamesh growled, landing back on the ground. "The real problem is that mongrel Fujimaru Shirou got away from us! The God Brain was right there!"

"Fujimaru Shirou? God Brain?" Enkidu looked confused. "Did Eternal King use Merlin's account to help King of Knights escape?"

"No. Haven't you figured it out? That King of Knights with the God Brain is that mongrel Fujimaru Shirou!"

"You're kidding, right, Gil? Maybe you couldn't see clearly on the screen, but I saw with my own eyes that the King of Knights was a woman. I was surprised, sure, but Eternal King is a guy, you told me so yourself."

"It's true. But I can't be mistaken, that King of Knights is Fujimaru Shirou! He must've used some spell to switch identities with her. It explains the [Evil Flower] ID, the mud shenanigans, the Rune of wisdom..." Gilgamesh paused, then pointed at Enkidu. "And most importantly, it explains why Merlin's account didn't respond to you earlier, and why his character moved like a total noob. As much as I hate to admit it, Fujimaru Shirou's gaming skills aren't that far behind mine! And now he's escaped!"

"So that means..."

"Yes. He probably ordered Altera to kill us... Damn it! He played us both! To think he'd humiliate me like this, over and over again, that damned Fujimaru Shirou!" Gilgamesh stomped his foot in frustration.

Enkidu watched Gilgamesh's outburst with a helpless smile.

So that was it.

That was Eternal King.

Remembering those bright, fiery blue eyes, Enkidu finally understood why Gilgamesh, with his personality, cared so much about him.

"Hey! Enkidu!"

Enkidu looked down to see Gilgamesh's impatient face.

"What are you daydreaming about?" he demanded.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"I won't let him get away with this. He'll learn the price of messing with me!" Gilgamesh frowned, his anger simmering.

The God Fragment slipping through their fingers, the near-death experience with Altera... it all pointed to Fujimaru Shirou.

"But now that we know Evil Flower is Eternal King, couldn't we work with him? He has the mud and the Rune of Wisdom," she suggested.

Gilgamesh shook his head. "Even if he wants to reach Lv9, it'll take at least half a year. We don't have that kind of time. Besides, this is my trial. I'd rather die than ask for his help."

He remembered Shirou's words from years ago, that smug look on his face as he'd declared in the Clairvoyance Chat Group that Gilgamesh would one day beg for his help.

For the ancient king who conquered heaven and earth to ask for help from the King of Men? It would be too humiliating. He'd rather die.

"Let's go, Enkidu. Keep an eye on the system notifications. The God Brain is still with him, the system will reveal his location."

"Mm," she nodded.

As they spoke, the adventurers began reviving one by one, filling the scene with noise. But unbeknownst to them, two figures were watching from the sky.

"Ugh... how brutal," Pluto said, wiping sweat from his forehead as he surveyed the ravaged land. He glanced at the uneven ground, then at the blonde angel beside him. "Looks like your main body is down, Venus."

"Mm," the blonde angel nodded, her voice calm, as if it wasn't her main body that had been defeated, but a stranger's.

"Hiding your main body outside the Holy Land, only appearing to adventurers who get the God Brain and reach you in the main quest... It was a smart plan for protection, but then you ran into that Umbral Star's vanguard. Talk about bad luck," Pluto sighed. "And to top it off, that guy who stole the God Brain is still alive."

His gaze then sharpened as he looked at Venus, a hint of danger in his eyes. "You didn't do this on purpose, did you?"

"Rest assured. No one wants Earth gone more than I do. Its disappearance would be the best outcome for Venus," she replied calmly.

"That's true. And we're not the only ones who find that player troublesome," Pluto said, glancing at the commotion below, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Let's head back. The remaining vanguard has shown up, and your main body is down. They'll probably call another meeting."

"That player is only Lv2. Even if we leave them alone, he won't be able to reach Lv9 and enter the Holy Land by the time the game ends. Still, now that this mess has happened, I might get off lightly, but you might face another suspicion, Venus."

"It doesn't matter, as long as Earth disappears, that's enough," Venus said coldly, glancing at the ground one last time before turning to leave.

"Wait for me!" Pluto hurried after her.

...

"Phew... they're gone. If they'd spotted my traces, we'd be in trouble," Venus said, wiping her brow as she sensed Pluto and the other's presence fade away.

Shirou followed behind her, taking in their surroundings. They were in a lush forest, filled with birdsong and the sweet scent of flowers. The air was fresh with the smell of damp earth.

He turned to Venus. "Where are we?"

She looked at him, exasperated. "You're asking that now? We just barely escaped a major disaster."

"A disaster? You mean Pluto? Didn't you say you had an avatar with them? What's the problem?"

"No," she shook her head. "It's precisely because my avatar is there that we were in danger."

He was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"Unlike me, that avatar inherited the genuine desire to destroy Earth. If she saw me, she'd kill me as a traitor," she sighed.

He frowned. Things were getting more complicated by the minute.

Venus's defeated main body, this seemingly friendly avatar imitating Crimson Moon, another unseen avatar bent on destroying Earth, Tiamat, the UOs playing the game, the Council, the Dark Vortex, the Invisible Vortex, endless resets... all these mysteries scattered across different Connection Points, yet seemingly connected by an invisible thread.

He sensed that this thread also tied back to the extinct ancient civilization. And the one who could unravel the truth for him was none other than the being before him, Venus UO – the Heaven's Corpse!

At that moment, Artoria stepped up beside him, whispering, "Artie, I have a bad feeling about this."

Being called Artie by Artoria felt strange. Now that Gilgamesh knew the truth, was there any point in keeping up this act?

But more pressing than that was the feeling Artoria described.

Before he could ask, he felt a tug on his leg. Looking down, he saw Mordred trembling slightly as she clung to him.

"What's wrong, Mordred?" he asked gently.

"Mom, mom... I, I have a really bad feeling about this..." she stammered, her body shaking.

He couldn't ignore it. Both Artoria's and Mordred's intuition suggested that Venus might be leading them into danger.

"Where exactly are we going, Venus?" he asked, his voice firm.

"Oh? Worried already?" She turned back, sighing in disappointment. "To be so afraid of the unknown... If you don't explore, you'll never find answers. But I guess you're only human after all. Don't worry, this is my friend's territory. They're on Earth's side, just like me."

With that, she continued on.

He hesitated, then reassured the others before following.

She was right. Without exploring the unknown, they'd never find answers. And without answers, they couldn't move forward, let alone defeat their true enemies.

Venus expertly guided them through the thick, winding forest, pushing aside branches and ducking under low-hanging vines. After what felt like ages, they finally emerged into a scene that looked like it was plucked straight out of a dreamy landscape painting - a majestic cascading waterfall flowed down rocky cliffs, and nearby, a quaint, simple thatched hut stood in a small clearing. He took a moment to survey the area, drinking in the sights. It was indeed breathtakingly beautiful, with a pristine, natural charm that seemed untouched by time.

"Mom, look!" Mordred suddenly pointed to the sky.

Curious, he looked up, his eyebrows raising slightly at what he saw. Several angels were flying overhead, their wings glinting in the sunlight as they glided through the air. He and the others instinctively tensed at the sight of these Angels of Destruction. But to their surprise, the angels seemed oddly indifferent to their presence. They merely glanced down at the group for a brief moment before continuing on their way.