IBHJ Chapter 926

"Wh-what is this?"

Shirou stared, dumbfounded, at the orbiting planets. His knowledge of Tiamat was limited to her being one of the Beasts, but this planetary display far exceeded his understanding.

Not just Shirou, but everyone, including Enkidu, was stunned.

"This is the ultimate form of a magical girl, the Law of Cycles. Children, you will all return to this law."

Tiamat spoke calmly.

The Law of Cycles? What nonsense! Shirou fought the urge to groan. Tiamat was the most dedicated NPC he'd ever met, truly immersing herself in her role.

However, the killing intent radiating from her was not fake.

The purple light in Tiamat's eyes grew brighter, and the stars swirled around her as her terrifying divinity surged without restraint.

"This... this immense power..." Enkidu's voice shook. "This power makes even me, the Chains of Heaven with the authority to restrain gods, tremble. There's no doubt, this is the power of the mother hailed as the goddess of creation, the Goddess who gave birth to the planets!"

This was the worst-case scenario. Enkidu and Gilgamesh had tackled countless hidden maps and faced many powerful guardians, but none as extraordinary as Tiamat.

The primordial womb that nurtured the planet, hailed as the goddess of creation, yet later betrayed and sealed away by her own children, ultimately becoming one of humanity's seven great calamities in her love and hatred for life – as the Chains of Heaven, as a divine weapon, Enkidu had long known this Sumerian secret.

That's why, whenever Tiamat was mentioned, both Enkidu and Gilgamesh only spoke of her as a Beast. But the goddess standing here now was clearly not a Beast. This vast and pure divinity, even more pure and overwhelming than Ishtar's, was so immense it made even her, the Chains of Heaven, tremble.

Enkidu understood.

This was Tiamat's true form, the primordial womb, the most ancient evidence of the planet, the Goddess of Beginning!

Tiamat cupped her hands to her chest, and the orbiting planets danced in response, flashing with dazzling starlight. It was as if the cosmos itself was responding to her will, the endless power and authority of the universe converging in her palms, following the mesmerizing light.

Boom boom boom—!

The light condensed into a ball, rapidly focusing into a black energy sphere that devoured everything around her. The sphere pulsed with an ominous energy, growing larger and darker with each beat.

Time and space seemed to lose all meaning.

The Goddess of Beginning's terrifying divinity was unleashed without restraint, and with a deafening roar, the massive black sphere flew towards them.

It's... it's over!

Enkidu trembled uncontrollably, unable to summon the courage to resist, her eyes squeezed shut in resignation.

But the expected destruction never came. Instead, a burning sensation seared her face. Opening her eyes, she saw Shirou standing before them, a shimmering black wall raised to block the terrifying black sphere.

"King of Knights..." Enkidu choked out the words, her throat dry.

Even she, faced with Tiamat's overwhelming divinity, had almost given in to despair. Yet Saber stepped forward without hesitation, protecting them against impossible power.

Didn't Saber understand what they were facing? Enkidu thought incredulously. That's the Goddess of Beginning, the source of myth!

"What are you all standing around for?" Shirou's voice cut through the stunned silence, his eyes scanning the group. "Attack! It's just a dungeon boss, attack!"

The words jolted the others back to their senses.

Of course, this was just a dungeon boss. They had all clawed their way through countless other bosses to reach this point. To falter now, to be less brave than a Level 2 novice adventurer, would be truly pathetic.

As their courage returned, swords flashed and spells were cast. The group surged forward, attacking Tiamat with renewed determination.

They reminded themselves of the truth: no matter how special her origins, she was ultimately just a dungeon boss, designed to be defeated by adventurers, by players. And they had their own reasons for needing to clear this dungeon. This boss would be defeated!

Thinking this, Enkidu pushed aside her awe and fear of Tiamat and unleashed countless Chains of Heaven, joining the raid.

Seeing everyone regain their courage, Shirou finally let out a sigh of relief. He had been momentarily stunned by Tiamat's presence, just like everyone else, but just before her attack, a boss health bar had appeared above her head, snapping him back to reality. It was Tiamat, yes, but still just a dungeon boss.

But a thought struck him. During the Fuyuki invasion, Sakura had been captured by Tiamat and taken into Imaginary Space. Now that Tiamat was here, at this connection point, could Sakura be here too?

The possibility spurred him into action. He withdrew Evil Blossom, which had been holding back Tiamat's blast.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

The adventurers' attacks and Enkidu's Chains of Heaven relentlessly bombarded Tiamat. Yet, she seemed unfazed. The celestial bodies orbiting her spun, deflecting the attacks with ease.

Tiamat's gaze settled on Shirou, her tone puzzled. "You, child, are a bit strange. Your soul doesn't match your body, and the fluctuation of your soul... it feels familiar. Have I seen you before?"

She looked genuinely confused, but he was shocked. The seamless body swap from the Vortex, undetectable even to Ishtar and Gilgamesh, had been noticed by Tiamat!

Two Chains of Heaven lashed out like snakes, aiming for Tiamat's face. She effortlessly caught them in her hand, like a cat playing with yarn. Her eyes, still locked on Shirou, flashed with sudden recognition.

"I see. I understand now. You're the inheritor that Gaia mentioned, the one who carries the legacy of that civilization." Tiamat's expression softened.

Shirou's eyebrows shot up. If there were words he was most sensitive to, they were "reset", "Vortex," and "civilization." After regaining part of his past in the Nordic lands and Shinjuku, he understood the connection between the Vortex, the source of his [Mortal] series skills, and the Vortex that had created Eternal King's record.

The time and world node he had crossed into wasn't just the six-year-old Shirou in Fuyuki City, but also other instances, including Tokyo's Shinjuku, where he had fought in the Holy Grail War with Ayaka and Manaka.

In that war, he had summoned Gilgamesh. Ultimately, to defeat Manaka, her Dark Vortex, and the Beast of Revelation she had summoned, he had inherited the Invisible Vortex and had no choice but to summon Saver.

This was the origin of everything.

As for how he inherited the Invisible Vortex, he still had no idea since he hadn't yet regained this part of his past memories.

However, the Invisible Vortex had to have come from somewhere. Apart from himself, the only ones who knew about it were Proto Gil, Proto Saber, absent Saver who was slacking off somewhere, and Sixth Seat.

How could Tiamat possibly know?

"Having inherited this legacy, poor child, you must have endured many inhuman torments to reach this point. And judging by the mismatched pairing of your soul and body, it seems you've inherited the legacy without inheriting the method to use it. Poor child." Tiamat's expression softened even more, her entire being radiating maternal warmth.

"Wait a minute!" he shouted. Why did it sound like Tiamat understood the Invisible Vortex even better than he did?

"But don't worry. You will all sleep in my embrace, forever and ever."

Tiamat's eyes flashed with an eerie purple light, and the celestial bodies orbiting her lit up like celestial turrets, firing beams of pure destruction in a relentless barrage. The adventurers were hammered by the spamming ultimate, the ground shaking violently as they desperately tried to stay on their feet. Even with protection from the black wall, the shockwave made their health plummet dangerously low before Morrigan quickly intervened with her healing spell, stabilizing their condition.

Relying on his bug-like Evil Blossom to deflect the boss's attacks, he clenched his jaw as he locked eyes with Tiamat.

Tiamat knew about the Vortex, perhaps even how to use it. This information was crucial to defeating the [Council]. He had to obtain it.

But first, he had to find a way to subdue Tiamat.

...

"Help! Save me!" Mordred shrieked, fleeing in terror as the Angel of Destruction pursued her relentlessly. The angel's face was contorted with a murderous killing intent, and it kept unleashing a barrage of angelic bullets that whizzed past her. Mordred could feel the heat of the projectiles as she desperately weaved and dodged, the ground behind her erupting in small explosions with each near miss.

Desperately dodging, she stumbled and fell with a hard thud, the wind knocked out of her. As she struggled to catch her breath, she saw the angel's eyes light up with a cruel glee. It hovered above her, its wings beating the air, ready to deliver the final blow.

"Die!" the angel hissed.

"Stay away—!!" she cried out, scrambling back on her hands and knees. She knew she was cornered, her heart pounding in her chest. "I'm sorry, Mother, I'll be going ahead," she thought, closing her eyes and bracing for the inevitable.

But then, a whooshing sound filled the air. The ground beneath her brightened as a wave of scorching white heat blasted past her, obliterating the angel in an instant. The shockwave threw Mordred back, the heat singeing her hair and clothes. When she opened her eyes, she saw the angel was gone, reduced to ashes that swirled in the air. The surrounding buildings had also been caught in the blast, their fronts melted and charred.

Mordred lay there for a moment, stunned and disoriented. Then, hurried footsteps approached from behind, followed by a concerned male voice: "Are you okay, Mordred?"

She turned, her face freezing in shock. A black-haired young man clad in pale silver dragon armor, wielding the Holy Lance, rushed towards her with a worried expression.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" he knelt down beside her, his eyes filled with concern as he reached out to brush a stray strand of hair from her face.

Ah, Mordred thought, her mouth twitching. She should have known. If her mom was here, this man wouldn't be far behind.