IBHJ Chapter 937

"Hmph. I guess that guy's not totally useless. It's a little impressive... just a tiny bit," Mordred grumbled, arms folded and lips pursed as she watched "Shirou" fight.

Unaware of the truth, she felt a twinge of unease. Had her old man always been this good? If he'd fought like this in Romania, she wouldn't have stood a chance!

Morrigan sighed, watching him helplessly. "Great. Looks like I'm out of a job." Her character, the self-proclaimed ultimate support with a toolkit to match, seemed laughably outclassed by whatever he was doing.

"What kind of skill is that anyway?" Morrigan muttered enviously. The game screen obscured the true nature of what she was seeing, leaving her in the dark. Unlike her, Gilgamesh had proven far more perceptive. Despite facing the same screen barrier, he'd recognized the Rune of Wisdom instantly, simultaneously confirming Shirou's true identity. Morrigan, however, remained oblivious to both the rune and the body swap.

"Hey, doesn't anyone else think this is weird?" Illya piped up, pointing at the epic clash between "Shirou" and Altera.

Morrigan blinked. "What's weird about it?"

"Everything! This is all wrong, everything is wrong!" Illya insisted. "Why is Shirou-niisan fighting while Artoria-neesan watches from the sidelines? That's not how it's supposed to work! Shouldn't Shirou-niisan be hiding behind Artoria-neesan while she does all the fighting?"

Shirou's eye twitched. Hiding behind Artoria? Really, Illya?

Illya clutched her head, muttering to herself. "What if... when I entered this Connection Point, I accidentally slipped into some kind of parallel universe? A world where everything's flipped, and women call all the shots, a world of female supremacy?" Her eyes widened. "That's it! It has to be! No wonder Artoria's turned into such a sadist!"

Shirou: "..."

He just stared at her, speechless. With an imagination like that, you're wasting your talents not writing novels, Illya.

Morrigan furrowed her brow. "Isn't it just because Shirou's level is maxed out?"

"Uh..."

An awkward silence fell over the group.

Unlike Shirou's attacks, Artoria was going all out. Her strikes were brutal, lightning-fast, and merciless. Every time Altera's body started to heal, she would slice through it again.

It made sense, in a way. Artoria was born and bred on the battlefield. She might be gentle most of the time, but in combat, she fought to kill.

With her Holy Sword boosted by the Rune of Wisdom, she cut through Altera like a hot knife through butter. Altera kept burning through magical energy just to keep herself in one piece.

As Altera's regeneration slowed, Artoria eased off, not wanting to actually destroy Altera. But the moment she did, Altera opened her mouth and blasted her with a beam of pure, concentrated mana.

Artoria barely raised her sword when the beam struck. The world turned white.

BOOM!

The force slammed into Artoria, lifting her off her feet. Wind roared in her ears as she hurtled backward, tumbling through the air. Her arms burned with the effort of keeping hold of Excalibur.

She hit the ground hard, skidding across broken stone before coming to a stop. She lay there for a moment, chest heaving. Excalibur hummed in her grip, its blade still glowing from absorbing the blast.

As Artoria went flying, Altera seized her chance. Her missing limbs grew back in a flash, and she threw her head back, letting out a bone-shaking roar. The very earth seemed to tremble under the weight of her titan's aura.

But then, out of nowhere, she grabbed her head and let out an agonized wail. It was clear as day - her mind was waging war against her raw instincts.

"Master, someone is transmitting commands to her."

A cool, collected voice piped up right next to his ear. He turned to find the blue-haired girl, Aqua - the so-called God Brain - standing right next to him.

"What do you mean?" he asked, eyeing her curiously.

Aqua's gaze was fixed on the thrashing Altera, her eyes eerily blank. "I can hear it," she said. "A voice, calling out... 'Sefar, Sefar...'"

His eyes widened in surprise. If Aqua was right, that had to be the Umbral Star's commands, etched deep into Altera's very being. But how on earth could Aqua hear something like that?

"Did... did I do this..."

A weak, confused voice broke through the madness. Shirou looked back to see a flicker of awareness in Altera's wild eyes.

She stared at the devastation around her, confusion written all over her face. "Did I... really do all this?" she whispered.

"Altera!" he called out.

She snapped to attention, her eyes meeting his. They were full of sadness and emptiness, but in the blink of an eye, something changed. A spark of destructive madness flickered to life.

"Uwaaaaah!" Altera screamed, clutching her head. It was like watching a war play out inside her skull - her rational mind battling her primal instincts. The pain of her fractured psyche was written all over her face.

Before anyone could react, she bolted. In seconds, she was nothing but a shrinking figure on the horizon. He could only stand there, watching her disappear.

Artoria made her way back, looking dejected. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

He shook his head. "Don't be. Nobody saw that coming." No one had expected Altera to pull such a feint at the end.

"Well, looks like the show's over," Venus drawled, hands lazily clasped behind her head. She sauntered over with the others, joining him as they all stared at the spot where Altera had disappeared.

"Man, what a letdown," Venus sighed. "No blood, no guts - and I had front row seats." She draped an arm over Aqua's shoulder, grinning. "Don't you agree, God Brain?"

Aqua's blank stare could've frozen lava. "Miss Venus, kindly remove your hand from my person. You're making me... uncomfortable."

Venus's grin only widened. "Oh, am I? Perfect. Making people squirm is my favorite hobby."

Illya felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down her neck. This woman was imitating Crimson Moon's personality all right; she was nasty as hell.

"Anyway," Venus added, glancing at the destruction Altera had caused. "Those dead adventurers are about to wake up, and since my main body is down, that annoying woman is going to send my other avatar here. If we get caught, we're all dead. And then things are going to get really messy."

"Messy how?"

Illya, Mordred, Artoria, and the others stared at Venus, completely lost.

He spoke up, his voice thoughtful. "Is this Connection Point going to be destroyed?"

Everyone froze.

"No, it's not," Venus shook her head.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. So it wasn't a major catastrophe after all.

"As if," Venus scoffed. "Think bigger. We're talking total planetary destruction. And if our calculation's even slightly off? This whole solar system might go up in smoke."

Blank stares met her words.

Nobody knew what to say to that bombshell.

Venus's dire warnings fell on mostly deaf ears. To this uninformed group, it sounded as far-fetched as someone predicting the end of the world.

Shirou, however, was the exception. His expression became grave. He was the only one here who truly understood the gravity of their situation.

With a solemn nod, he met Venus's gaze. "I understand. Where should we go?"

"At least someone's paying attention," she said with a smile, then pointed to herself. "Follow me."

She raised her hand, fingers outstretched. With a sharp snap, the air shimmered and twisted. A glowing circle materialized on the ground before them. She stepped onto it, the mana humming beneath her feet. With a wave of her hand, she beckoned the others to join her.

Shirou moved without hesitation, crossing onto the circle in two quick strides. Artoria was right on his heels, her armor clinking softly as she stepped into place. The rest of the group hung back for a moment, exchanging wary glances. Doubt flickered across their faces, but the urgency of the situation won out. One by one, they stepped forward, the circle growing brighter with each new occupant.

As the last person's foot touched the glowing circles, the air crackled with energy. A high-pitched whine filled their ears, growing louder and louder. Suddenly, the entire magic circle erupted in a blinding flash. The light engulfed them, so intense it seemed to erase their very forms.

When it faded, the spot where they had stood was empty. Only a faint shimmer in the air remained, quickly dissipating on the wind. In the blink of an eye, they had vanished from the land without a trace.