IBHJ Chapter 933

—It was you who brought me down, wasn't it?

The Heaven's Corpse!

—Don't be nervous. Thanks to you, I am free. I no longer have to obey my siblings' commands or harm Earth... I sense the power of that vortex within you. You must be Gaia's savior, right?

Gaia's savior?

—Gaia said you promised to save her in times of crisis, didn't you?

Shirou remembered making that promise to Gaia in exchange for its support. He would protect it if it faced a threat to its existence.

But wasn't that just a politician's empty promise? How could it be taken seriously?

He didn't want to be Gaia's guardian, nor Alaya's. He just wanted to defeat the Dark Vortex and live a peaceful life. But now the debt collector had come calling? And it was Venus, of all things, acting as the debt collector?

What the hell?

—I'm about to fall into slumber. I leave it to you... I hope you can defeat my brothers and sisters. And, be careful of that vortex...

Shirou had a thousand questions, but the voice of the Heaven's Corpse grew fainter and fainter, until it disappeared completely.

He thought it might hide in his soul like Crimson Moon had, so he quickly used [Evil] to search every corner of his mind, but found nothing. Heaven's Corpse was different from Crimson Moon. It hadn't left any fragments behind; it had truly fallen into slumber.

...

Crack, crack, crack...

The floating island groaned and shuddered, huge boulders tumbling from the sky. Shirou knew he had to leave quickly, or he'd be buried with the island.

"The island is collapsing!" Enkidu used her last reserves of strength to anchor the Chains of Heaven to the surrounding stone walls. Then, she turned to the others and shouted, "Everyone, prepare to retreat!"

"Understood, Ms. Chain!" they responded, unleashing their ultimate moves in a final bombardment on Tiamat before turning to flee. No one wanted to be entombed with the island.

Enkidu put away her equipment and was about to run when she noticed Morrigan standing still. "It's time to retreat, Morrigan," she reminded her.

She shook her head. "You all go, Enkidu. I'm going to help my sister. Don't worry, I'm a virtual character. Even if I die, it's not real death."

"But if you lose this account, it would be a major blow to the Emperor Conquest Guild," Enkidu said helplessly, then paused and added seriously, "Sigh... Just be careful. Especially watch out for Tiamat. Who knows what she might do once she breaks free. As soon as you meet up with the King of Knights, use this to teleport out immediately."

Enkidu handed her a teleportation scroll.

"This is..." she looked at Enkidu in surprise. "I'm amazed you would give me such a precious item."

"Compared to items, I believe people are far more precious. Besides, your strength will be invaluable for the upcoming hidden map explorations. See you later, Morrigan." With those parting words, Enkidu turned and left.

Watching Enkidu's retreating figure, Morrigan tucked away the teleportation scroll and cast an invisibility spell on herself. She was alone now, and if Tiamat's full wrath were to turn on her, she wouldn't stand a chance.

She waited for a moment, and soon Shirou emerged from the passage. Just as she was about to approach him, Tiamat, still bound by the Chains of Heaven, spotted him. Her rage flared, and the chains vibrated violently, threatening to snap at any moment.

"How dare you toy with me like this!"

Tiamat was truly furious now. Even the Mesopotamian gods who had betrayed her had never dared to trifle with her in such a manner. Though she could accept defeat, being played in such a despicable and shameless way would infuriate anyone. Tiamat might possess a forgiving heart, but even a Buddha has its limits. Being treated like this naturally enraged her as well.

"Crack, crack, crack—"

With Enkidu gone, the Chains of Heaven, deprived of their source of power, began to tremble. A subtle tremor ran through them, followed by a low groan. The chains strained, their once-unbreakable links warping and twisting under the immense pressure.

"!!"

He felt beads of cold sweat form on his forehead as he watched Tiamat break free. It seemed he had returned at the worst possible moment.

"Wait, wait a minute, Tiamat! I didn't take the God Fragment, the person behind me did. Isn't it your duty to guard the Fragment? If you hurry, you might still be able to protect it."

He quickly gestured towards the passage Gilgamesh had taken. After all, what were friends for if not to throw under the bus in times like these? If he didn't sell out Gilgamesh now, when would he? He certainly didn't want to face Tiamat alone!

"That doesn't matter now, Heaven's Corpse has already been defeated. But you, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

Tiamat's gaze locked onto him. For daring to toy with her like this, he had to be punished!

This is bad, really bad! Shirou's mind raced. If Tiamat was determined to finish him off, neither Evil Blossom nor the Rune of Wisdom could protect him.

Just as Tiamat was about to lunge at him, he heard a voice in his ear, "Hold on to me."

A soft hand clasped his, and in the next moment, his body was enveloped in rainbow light.

"Teleportation?"

Tiamat said with a cold gaze, "Don't even think about it!"

She lunged forward, but her fingers closed on empty air.

Crack, crack, crack...

Space continued to collapse, and chunks of stone buried the castle and Tiamat.

...

Shirou's vision blurred for a moment, and then everything around him shifted. The oppressive darkness of the dungeon gave way to an open, sunlit forest. The scent of trees and damp earth filled his nostrils. They had teleported out.

Crack, crack, crack...

The sounds of collapse echoed from above. He looked up to see the massive floating island crumbling, huge chunks of rock plummeting from the sky and causing the earth to tremble. Beside the colossal island stood a giant rabbit-like creature.

"Looks like we made it out..." he sighed in relief. Facing Tiamat alone had been suffocating. He turned to the empty space beside him and said, "Thank you, sis."

"You should thank Enkidu. She's the one who gave me the teleportation scroll."

The air behind him shimmered, revealing a woman's figure. It was Morrigan's in-game avatar, Sweet Little Girl.

"I see... Well, it looks like I won't have the chance to thank her in person," he said with a wry smile.

There was no way to meet Enkidu again for now, at least not on good terms. Once Gilgamesh obtained the fragments from the Heaven's Corpse, he would undoubtedly set his sights on Shirou's God Brain, and as Gilgamesh's closest friend, Enkidu would inevitably join the hunt. Their next encounter would be as enemies. As for Gilgamesh being brought down with the floating island? Impossible. If Enkidu had a teleportation scroll to spare for Morrigan, Gilgamesh, with his extravagant wealth, surely had enough to make Morrigan green with envy.

"Mama...!"

A surprised, childish voice suddenly rang out. He turned to see Mordred running towards him.

He scooped her up in one smooth motion, patting her little head. His bright blue eyes softened as he asked gently, "Are you hurt, Mordred?"

"No, Mama," she replied with a smile.

"That's good. Otherwise, Mama would be heartbroken," he said softly.

"Actually, a super bad guy came to attack me earlier, but that man saved me," she pouted.

"That man?"

"Him, over there," she pointed behind her.

Shirou then noticed that others had arrived with Mordred. He looked up and immediately saw Illya, who looked weak but wore an exasperated expression, and a man staring at him with a complex expression.

The moment he saw that man, his face froze.

He looked down at Mordred in his arms, almost instantly letting go of her. Then he turned his head slightly, coughed dryly, and put on a serious, dignified expression.