IBHJ Chapter 896

The two aces of the Emperor Conquest Group bickered, the surrounding players watching in stunned silence. Meanwhile, Illya slipped away unnoticed to report back to Shirou.

"Damn that Gilgamesh!"

Morrigan glared at the 2D blonde female character, the One King, on the screen.

"Gilgamesh?" Artoria raised an eyebrow, looking at the same character. "This player is Gilgamesh?"

"Of course it is! Who else would be so self-absorbed and obsessed with money?" Morrigan sighed.

She'd love to throw money around like that, but her wallet wouldn't allow it.

"But Gilgamesh is a man, and this character is female," Artoria pointed out.

"So what? Men playing female characters, women playing male characters, it's been common in the online world forever. The character you're playing is Merlin, isn't it?"

"Yes... but I don't find it strange that Merlin's playing a female character. I just can't imagine someone as proud as Gilgamesh doing the same..."

"Hmm, that's true. We don't know why Gilgamesh chose a female character, but that troublemaker Merlin did say that only perverts enjoy watching men wiggle their butts and such, so he insisted on playing a female. Of course, he also mentioned it's easier to scam people for gear with a female character..."

A bead of sweat rolled down Artoria's face. "...That sounds exactly like Merlin."

"Merlin?" Morrigan looked at "Shirou" with a puzzled expression. Since when did Shirou start referring to that useless white-haired bastard so respectfully? she wondered.

"Sis, I don't think we have time to waste here. We need to find Artoria," Artoria said urgently.

Shirou was trapped in the game world. While she knew he was capable and believed he could handle danger, that was under normal circumstances. Right now, he was in her body!

It wasn't self-deprecation, but what if Shirou's abilities were limited by her body and he got into trouble? What would they do then?

"Artoria and Altera did vanish in front of the Switch," Morrigan pointed out, "but can we be sure they're actually in the game? We're just assuming that because it's what we're used to... You're acting strange, Shirou. There's no logical connection here, is there?"

"Well..." She looked troubled.

Morrigan had a point. Disappearing in front of the Switch didn't guarantee they'd fallen into the game world. It could be some kind of screen magic from the Council.

This wasn't baseless speculation. Modern magi were adept at casting spells through objects, so the still-mysterious Council was surely capable of the same.

Seeing "Shirou" like this stirred a familiar anger within Morrigan.

She'd long accepted the truth and moved on, but the man before her was the only one who'd ever truly reached her heart, a wise and rational king. Yet here he was, flustered over a woman. Despite her mental preparation, the sight still ignited a spark of jealousy within her.

Jealousy towards her sister, Artoria Pendragon.

Taking a deep breath, Morrigan quelled the rising emotion. She might have inherited Morgan le Fay's memories and knowledge, but she wasn't her.

Hiding her face behind the Switch, Morrigan said, her voice muffled, "Don't worry, Shirou. I'm not just messing around. If Artoria really fell into the game world, there's one person whose power is essential to finding them."

"Who?"

"Super Cute Fox Fairy. She's an information broker with a network that covers the entire game. There's nothing in the game she doesn't know. If Artoria and Altera are indeed trapped in the game world, asking her for information would be the most reliable option. However, she's a hardcore collector of rare items. To get her help, we need to offer something she doesn't have. Unfortunately, she already owns everything I have."

Artoria frowned. "So, we need the God's Brain that Evil Flower has?"

"Yes," Morrigan confirmed. "It's a unique item from the Hell-level newbie quest. She definitely doesn't have it. If we want to search the entire game world for Artoria and Altera, we need that God's Brain."

"I understand."

Artoria's eyes narrowed, focusing on the 2D blonde character on the screen, Gilgamesh's virtual avatar, the One King.

Before, not knowing how important Evil Flower was, she didn't feel much. But now, realizing that Evil Flower was the key to finding Shirou, nothing, not even a Beast, would deter her from finding her king.

"Sis, let me help you hunt Evil Flower!"

"That's what you should have said from the start," Morrigan grumbled.

Knowing Evil Flower was crucial to finding Artoria, she abandoned her previous non-interference stance. She also wanted to be valued by this man!

But she needed to put her jealousy aside. Hadn't she already moved on from those feelings?

Taking a deep breath, Morrigan said, "We might end up fighting Gilgamesh. He may have spent a fortune, but he's playing a support-oriented human, so his damage output isn't a concern. We need to watch out for Chain. He's Gilgamesh's loyal lackey and an attack-focused human. I'll support you, and you find a chance to use Merlin's account to take him down. Then Evil Flower will be ours."

Artoria nodded, her face grim. "I understand."

...

Chain: "What should we do, Gil? He doesn't seem to be responding."

Chain was a little worried. After learning who was behind the My Daughter is Super Cute character, he'd extended a friendly greeting, but there was no reaction. This made Chain wonder if he'd done something wrong, so he messaged the One King, expressing his doubts.

The One King: "Your personality might be even worse than mine in some ways... but you've never even met, how could he possibly dislike you?"

Chain: "I appreciate the comfort, Gil, but are you sure? I don't think that's the case at all..."

The One King: "...Don't worry. He's probably just not used to controlling the character with the Switch yet. Not everyone's been summoned there like you, after all. Besides, I bet Morrigan is already plotting our downfall. We need to be on guard. You understand, Enkidu. The God's Brain is crucial; it's connected to the fate of the Earth."

Chain: "I understand, Gil. We have three pieces, and the Emperor Conquest Group has two. That's five, but the God's Brain is the most important one. Without it, the others are meaningless."

The One King: "Yes, God's Brain is essential for all the other pieces to work... Gaia really left me with a headache of a task."

As Gil-kun controlled the Switch and chatted with Chain, he thought about the woman who'd appeared before him thirteen years ago, and he felt a real headache coming on.

Back when he was alive, he'd used his Clairvoyance to see the future, but it couldn't reach beyond 2004. Later, when Fuyuki was invaded, he fought alongside Shirou and the others. At first, he thought the future vanished after 2004 because of the Fuyuki invasion. But then he met someone who changed his mind completely, the reason he helped Marisbury create Chaldea and even became addicted to this game.

In early 2004, after Shirou disappeared, he was still manifested thanks to a Class Card, living peacefully in Fuyuki City. It was on an ordinary day that he met her, that long-haired Arcueid.

No, it was actually Gaia, the planetary will, imitating Arcueid.

How she manifested remains a mystery, even to Gil-kun, the wielder of the Omniscient Omnipotent Star. But the moment that long-haired Arcueid appeared before him, he knew it was Gaia.

Upon seeing him, Gaia made a sincere request: "To save this planet from the clutches of the past, and to give Alaya a future, I need your help, Gilgamesh."

He scoffed. "Future? Since when does a planet worry about humanity's future? Besides, that future should be shaped by humans themselves. I'm but a ghost of the past, with no anger left in my heart and no desire to meddle in the affairs of future generations."

Gaia: "The conflict between humans and myself can still be resolved, so I won't impose my will upon them. But my words are true. This planet will soon face destruction. It's a crisis that neither humans, Heroic Spirits, nor I can withstand alone. I need your help, Gilgamesh."

Afterward, Gilgamesh understood that the Fuyuki invasion was merely a harbinger of doom.

The reasons behind the invasion, the insane female voice in the Black Grail, the birth of the connection points – all these unanswered questions paled in comparison to the impending destruction.

Under Gaia's patient explanation, Gil-kun finally understood why Clairvoyance couldn't see past 2004—it was because of the interplanetary justice trial!

Shirou's invisible vortex wasn't some random power. It had existed for billions of years, back when the Earth's continents were still one giant landmass. This same power had destroyed an incredibly advanced civilization that once thrived on Earth.

Before their destruction, this ancient civilization had managed to seal the vortex within the Root (Akashic Records). The seal was meant to be unbreakable, but since the Common Era, a group of magi has become obsessed with uncovering the world's secrets. They have sought to enter the Root, and their relentless pursuit gave birth to what is now known as modern magecraft.

These modern magi, focused on reaching the Root, were seen as heretics and degenerates by the magi of the Age of Gods. Despite this, their numbers grew steadily, even spreading to the Wandering Sea—a place devoid of mystery—after its formation. Some of these magi, after being exiled, found their way to the British Isles, a land where mystery still lingered.