IBHJ Chapter 914

Under everyone's intense stares, he slowly reached into the lottery box, rummaged around, and pulled out a slip of paper.

The adventurers held their breath, their eyes locked on the paper in his hand. The fate of the God's Brain was about to be revealed.

They knew getting their hands on the God's Brain would make them a target for other adventurers, including the Emperor's Conquest Guild. But it was a treasure. They could either keep it for themselves or sell it to a more confident player - either way, it was a golden ticket to riches, a major investment!

"Hmph," Gilgamesh sneered, crossing his arms, arrogance practically radiating off of him. With him around, the outcome was already set in stone. He had the whole thing wrapped around his finger – a perfectly controlled situation with no room for surprises. This confidence, of course, came from knowing that Eternal King had disappeared to who-knows-where.

Although it may be a bit inappropriate to admit, during their collaboration against the invasion in Fuyuki thirteen years ago, Gilgamesh had seen through Shirou's – or rather, Eternal King's – true colors. He'd figured out one thing about him: Eternal King was the kind of guy whose carefully laid plans and genius ideas always ended up backfiring spectacularly. He was the biggest wild card among Heroic Spirits!

That's why it was important to avoid working with him or even being in the same place when things got serious. Now, with that unpredictable guy out of the picture, everything was smooth sailing, and there would be no unexpected curveballs. A smug smile spread across Gilgamesh's face.

"Which lucky adventurer will it be?" Shirou asked with a smile, slowly opening his hand as a glint flashed in his eyes.

The second he revealed the number, all hell would break loose, and all conflicts would be redirected to the holder of that winning number. A massive clash of interests would explode, throwing the whole place into chaos.

And in the middle of all that, they'd use Mordred's Grail to escape underground to the outskirts of Zaun, successfully getting away. From there, the sky was the limit.

Of course, they still had to worry about Gilgamesh. This trap player had no reason not to figure out such an obvious trick and would definitely come after them. Even with Morrigan's help, it might not be enough to stop Gilgamesh and Enkidu. But that was okay. Since they'd be underground, Gilgamesh would have to either chase them down there or attack from the surface. Either way, Shirou had a plan.

Using the God's Brain's prayer, they could cause a massive earthquake and create total havoc, either underground or in the outskirts, effectively stopping Gilgamesh and dodging attacks from other strong NPCs like the Vampire King of Zaun.

"So, the lucky adventurer is..." he slowly opened his hand as the adventurers craned their necks in anticipation.

But before he could announce the number, a deafening boom erupted through the hall, and the ground lurched violently beneath them.

An earthquake!

Everyone present stumbled and fell, their bodies slamming against the floor.

"What the—?"

"An earthquake?"

"Are you kidding me? This is Zaun! We don't get earthquakes!"

"Then what was that?"

Confusion spread among the adventurers. Shirou, who managed to stay on his feet by grabbing a table, was just as baffled. Could Aqua have caused this? But it's too early!

Just then, a red alert flashed across everyone's eyes– Gilgamesh, Shirou, Morrigan, Chaldea players, every adventurer in Zaun. It was an urgent system message:

[System: ...Defend Zaun, protect Zaun residents from total annihilation! (EX) Death count: 0/70702!]

What in the world was going on?

Shirou's mind raced.

Gilgamesh exploded, "Damn Fujimaru Shirou! Damn mongrel!"

Looking at Gilgamesh cursing him out of nowhere, Shirou was completely confused.

"????"

What the hell?

"An emergency quest to defend Zaun? Isn't that the kind of thing that only happens when there's a large-scale monster wave?"

"Yeah, I did one of those in the fairy lands. But that was just a small town getting overrun. Since when do the big capital cities get attacked? And an EX rank, at that?"

"...Protect residents from total annihilation? What kind of quest description is that? Have you ever seen anything like it?"

"Nope, never..."

"Heck, even in the Holy Land, we've never seen a quest like this."

"Let's go check it out."

The urgent quest caused a huge commotion in the inn. Everyone scrambled to get outside.

Shirou, Gilgamesh, and the others pushed their way out and looked toward the edge of Zaun.

For a moment, everyone froze.

In the distance, a gigantic floating island blotted out the crimson moon, casting a huge shadow over the land. The island was decorated with a pair of towering trees that looked like fish, and winged angels circled around it like something out of a heavenly dream. But no one was fooled by its angelic appearance. Everyone's face was ashen because they were drowned by the hellish malice radiating from the floating island.

The Heaven's Corpse!

It had come out of its hiding place and was now chasing them!

Shirou's mouth twitched violently.

"That thing... it actually broke the game rules!" Enkidu stared at the Heaven's Corpse gradually becoming visible above the clouds, a troubled expression on her face.

"Hmph. They made the rules, so of course, they can break them too. But normally, they would stick to them... It must be that mongrel, Fujimaru Shirou, who went and did something stupid again without anyone knowing, causing this mess. Damn Fujimaru Shirou, that damn mongrel!"

Gilgamesh continued his one-sided rant against Shirou.

Shirou: "..."

Can you please stop blaming everything on me?

I'm not taking the fall for this!

"Gil, what do we do?" Enkidu asked, turning to him.

Gilgamesh crossed his arms. "Retreat for now. An entity of that scale is beyond human comprehension. Even my inventory holds no weapon capable of destroying it. We can only wait until its behavior patterns stabilize, then take out its guardian and claim the God's Fragment."

"Understood. I'll prepare for teleportation immediately."

Enkidu nodded in agreement. But just as she were about to cast the spell, a crimson light enveloped Zaun, and four blood-red pillars shot up from the cardinal directions, forming a massive dome that sealed the city.

The Vampire King's confident voice boomed throughout Zaun. "My dear subjects, fear not. With your Vampire King here, your safety is guaranteed. Furthermore, our fair city has attracted many adventurers. To ensure their cooperation, I have disabled teleportation out of the city. Come, adventurers, share our destiny! Our prosperity is your prosperity; our survival is everyone's survival."

Shirou: "..."

Gilgamesh: "..."

Enkidu: "..."

Adventurers: "..."

Enkidu sighed, rubbing her temples. "I knew the Vampire King was a nasty piece of work, but this... we've been played."

Gilgamesh scoffed. "A mere insect daring to play games with a king. If this were reality, I would teach him the true meaning of insolence!"

— You all look so delicious.

A sweet, innocent voice rang out in everyone's minds.

"Huh? W-What?"

"Hey! Did you hear that?"

"What was that?"

The adventurers were in a panic. Even the seasoned ones who'd faced countless dangers had never encountered anything like this before.

"Gil," Enkidu said, her expression grim.

"Yes. Like Humbaba, it's pure, unadulterated evil."

Gilgamesh nodded, his face grim. Even through the screen, the Heaven's Corpse's call could be heard in his mind.

"What... what kind of magecraft is this?"

Morrigan was stunned. Controlling her character from Chaldea, she, too, had heard the voice in her head. Unlike Gilgamesh, who knew the true nature of the being, she could only assume it was some unknown magical phenomenon.

She knew they could create illusions, build a virtual world, even snatch people through the game screen, but this ability to bypass her mental defenses and speak directly to her mind was unnerving. Could it be an ancient form of magic? She shuddered involuntarily. This was bad. This was very, very bad.

— Let me eat you all.

The Heaven's Corpse's voice echoed ominously in their minds as its massive floating island drifted towards Zaun.

Crack, crack, crack.

Chunks of earth rained down, and countless vines sprouted long, sharp branches like hungry fangs, reaching towards the city. The moment the branches touched Zaun's blood-red barrier—

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!!

A deafening screech filled the air as the barrier protecting Zaun trembled and flickered, but ultimately didn't break, protected by the game's rules.

Unable to pierce through the game's protection, the Heaven's Corpse extended its roots from the side branches, plunging them into the ground outside Zaun. Within moments, a forest of ancient trees erupted from the earth, spreading across the barren Red Plains like a plague. This was no cradle of life; it was a symphony of destruction.

The wild monsters that roamed the Red Plains sensed the threat of the Heaven's Corpse. Some fled in terror, while others instinctively roared in defiance. But those without the protection of the game's rules were swept into the encroaching forest. Regardless of their level or race, they were instantly drained of their flesh and blood, becoming withered husks embedded in the trees, forever trapped as grotesque ornaments.