IBHJ 1056

After leaving the maddened Archbishop with Enos, Shirou led everyone back to Sanctuary. He spent the next few hours making careful preparations, then set off with Heaven's Corpse, Ayaka, and Daji towards Pluto's gate.

Mordred and Artoria had been ready to join them, but the potential dangers of this battle were too great. For their safety, Shirou had insisted they stay behind. He hadn't even brought Kiara, despite her possessing half-Beast power.

He ruffled Mordred's hair, a warm smile spreading across his face. "I can't let anything happen to you. Be good, I'll buy you candy when I return."

This had infuriated Mordred, but she couldn't deny his logic. She wasn't like him; she didn't have the formless vortex and couldn't even handle a single Beast, let alone a UO.

She fixed him with a carefully blank expression. "Well, you better come back alive. Or who knows what will happen to your body."

Shirou blinked. He'd almost forgotten that his physical body was still in her possession.

"I understand," he nodded.

"My king, take these." Artoria held out two swords, their scabbards gleaming in the light.

Though the Holy Swords wouldn't be very effective against a UO or Manaka, they were still manifestations of Gaia's power. If added to the forging of Eternal Emperor, they might amplify its power. He took them without hesitation.

They looked at each other for a long moment, a silent understanding passing between them. There was nothing left to say.

Shirou's group departed quickly, disappearing into the distance.

Mordred watched them go, her gaze lingering on their retreating forms. "We can't participate in that fight," she sighed, a hint of regret in her voice. She turned back to the others, a determined glint in her eyes. "But we can't let those vengeful spirits destroy the world either. Let's cooperate with the local adventurers."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The final battle was beyond the reach of ordinary people, but they couldn't simply sit back and wait for the end. And they certainly couldn't stand by while the vengeful spirits drained the earth's vitality. As long as they were here, there was something they could do. Mordred turned and headed towards the nearest town, intent on meeting with some Guild Masters and forming a defense force.

...

Shirou arrived at Pluto's gate. As he passed through the newbie village, he spotted the village chief lounging in a chair in front of his house.

Shirou's eyebrows shot up. "Merem?"

Merem, who had been relaxing with his eyes closed, jolted upright. That voice... why does it sound so familiar? He felt his legs begin to tremble. Confused, Merem opened his eyes and saw Shirou.

At first, he felt a strange sense of recognition. Then, memories flooded back and his face paled. "E-Eternal King?" he stammered.

He tumbled out of the chair, landing with a thud. He scrambled to his feet, his face now completely drained of color. Shirou's presence terrified him.

Merem Solomon lived in fear of two people: Morgan le Fay, who had dismembered and dissected him for research, and Shirou, who had caused said dismemberment and dissection.

The moment he recognized Shirou, Merem turned to run. But Shirou reached out and grabbed his hand. Merem's face went even whiter. "I-I haven't done anything bad!" he blurted out.

Shirou was taken aback by the man's sheer terror. Do I really look that intimidating? he wondered.

Shirou's impatience grew, a flicker of his minor OCD adding to the annoyance. "Stop stammering and finish this quest for me!" he snapped. The unfinished quest had been stuck on his interface for far too long, all thanks to the incompetent NPC, Merem, who had run off.

"O-okay..." Merem mumbled. He was curious why Eternal King was here with a quest, but seeing his impatient expression, he kept quiet.

But when Shirou showed him the quest, Merem was stunned. It was the hell-level newbie quest! Wasn't Morgan le Fay the one who had cleared that quest? How did Eternal King have it now?

Could it be...?

"Hurry up!" Shirou urged. He didn't have time to waste.

"Y-yes..." Merem quickly finished processing the quest. Since Shirou was already at max level, there was no experience to gain, but Merem offered him a pearl.

Shirou looked at the pearl with a puzzled expression. "What's this?"

"I don't know exactly," Merem replied hurriedly. "It was issued by Mooncell. Only adventurers who clear the hell-level newbie quest can get it."

Shirou nodded and put it away. He figured it must be something rare, but he wasn't a native adventurer. Once he finished at this Connection Point, he wouldn't be back, so he didn't give it much thought. With the quest completed and the reward in hand, he turned and left.

Merem let out a sigh of relief as Shirou disappeared from view. His heart finally stopped pounding.

I almost got dissected again! Merem thought, wiping sweat from his brow. He congratulated himself on his quick thinking and emotional intelligence, which had saved him from the wrath of the fearsome Eternal King.

But then a disturbing thought occurred to him. "To think that Morgan le Fay and the Eternal King would have such... strange tastes," he muttered to himself. "Their social circle is truly disturbing!"

He immediately clapped a hand over his mouth and glanced around nervously, afraid someone might have heard him. Seeing no one, he relaxed slightly. But the implications of his own speculation were enough to keep him in shock for a year.

Then his thoughts took a more hopeful turn. This is good! Once the Princess learns Eternal King's true nature, she'll surely break ties with him and come back to us!

Merem smiled to himself, deciding that even if it meant risking his life, he would share this earth-shattering secret with their princess.

But just as he was about to set his plan in motion, he noticed Daji walking alongside Shirou. His face instantly paled.

"That... that fox..." Merem's eyes widened as he recognized Daji. She was the one who had captured him and brought him to this Connection Point!

How did she end up with Eternal King?

Suddenly, it all made sense. This was Eternal King's playground, a slaughterhouse!

No wonder most of those the fox brought here were Dead Apostles!

They must be using the Dead Apostles as playthings, torturing them for their own amusement! Merem seethed with anger.

He trembled, but he didn't dare to act. Dead Apostles like him were powerless in this place. And to think that he had considered exposing Eternal King's true nature...

No, it's too dangerous. Merem decided to keep his mouth shut, for now.

...

Shirou and his group entered Pluto's territory and stopped in front of the Guardian Gate.

If Heaven's Corpse hadn't told them, they never would have guessed that this ordinary-looking gate was actually a teleportation point leading to the moon!

It was no wonder Gilgamesh and the Emiya siblings were so eager to defeat Pluto. The core God's Brain was in Pluto's possession, as was the key to the final war.

He pushed the gate open, revealing a swirling, starry path. A serious edge entered his voice. "Let's go."

They were headed to Mooncell. This was the culmination of UO's gamble, the final battleground.

As they stepped through Pluto's gate, they felt a dizzying sensation, like the world was spinning. Then, they found themselves in a space filled with ice-blue particles, giving it a distinct science fiction feel.

He looked up. Beyond the ice-blue particles stretched a vast black expanse dotted with stars. Not far away, a blue planet hung suspended in space.

Earth.

There was no mistaking it, though strangely, it appeared to have only one continent.

He turned his head to look in the opposite direction. With his enhanced vision, he could make out the reddish hue of Mars, and further out, Jupiter and Saturn. This was undoubtedly the solar system. But when he looked beyond, he couldn't see any starlight.

That was impossible. In the vast universe, there were countless other star systems, and their light should have reached the solar system after traveling for billions of years.

Yet there was nothing.

Understanding dawned on him.

This was Connection Point. This was incomplete timeline. It was so similar to reality, yet fundamentally different.