IBHJ 1036

As expected of Eternal King, Mordred thought. All that talk about not using his people as tools, but clearly, he just needed substitutes to avoid weakening his own forces.

His heart is as black as ever.

She sighed quietly and exchanged glances with Shirou. Both father and child wore the same warm, gentle smile, but it sent a chill down Enkidu's spine, making her shudder involuntarily.

Enkidu hesitated, then spoke. "I-I understand the way of the kings, but to discuss this so openly in front of me... isn't it a bit inappropriate?"

"What are you talking about, Enkidu?" Shirou patted her shoulder, still smiling. "You're our accomplice."

"A-accomplice?" Enkidu's eyes widened.

"That's right." Mordred nodded, patting Enkidu's arm with a sweet, albeit menacing smile. "You suggested it, heard it, agreed to it, and participated in it."

"Y-you can't just lie like that!" Enkidu stared at them, aghast. "I didn't say anything!"

Having stayed with Gilgamesh during his kingship, she was inherently sensitive to such matters and had deliberately remained silent.

Mordred's smile disappeared, and her eyes hardened. "Oh? Are you planning to betray us?"

Enkidu remained cautious.

"Enkidu!" Shirou patted her shoulder, his expression serious. "For the sake of Human Order, we cannot retreat!"

Enkidu was taken aback.

"Please help us contact Sanctuary's Guild Masters," he said earnestly. "We must unite and cooperate to defeat Uranus. Otherwise, we'll lose not only Human Order, but Earth itself!"

"But if they're just meant to be meatshields, why not use your Noble Phantasm to revive your soldiers? You can do that, right?"

Shirou frowned. "Who said they're meatshields? Don't underestimate this honorable mission! This is a fight for Human Order! And yes, I could use my Noble Phantasm to summon my army, but that uses up a lot of my power. Every time I do it, my mana is drained, and I need to save my strength for the most important battles."

Enkidu fell silent. As a divine tool created by the gods, she understood the way of kings and leaders, but she was reluctant to engage in deception.

"Raaawwrrr!"

The battlefield rumbled with terrifying roars as a horde of monsters surged through a breach in the wall. They poured like a living flood - claws flashing, fangs gleaming, eyes burning with mindless hunger.

A group of adventurers fought fiercely, their weapons flashing. They formed a desperate line of defense, blood splattering the ground around them.

"You have your principles and morals, and you spent a long time with Gilgamesh, so you understand the way of the king. But remember, a true king's priority isn't their own virtue or righteousness, but the wellbeing of their people," Shirou said.

Enkidu looked up sharply, her eyes wide with surprise.

She had heard those words before.

From Gilgamesh, the Wise King, after he had given up his quest for immortality and found a new understanding of life and death.

With Tethys's help, Gilgamesh had met with her spirit and shared the wisdom he had gained. That was when he had spoken those very words.

He had said that the only principle for kings and leaders was the well-being of their people, not personal virtue or gain.

"I understand!"

Enkidu nodded and turned to go, setting off to contact the other Guild Masters.

"Thank you, Enkidu." Shirou watched her leave with a smile.

"I can't believe you actually convinced her… After all, she spent a long time with a wise king," Mordred said, crossing her arms and glancing at him sideways.

He smiled. "Sometimes wise rulers are easier to deceive than foolish ones. Also, Mordred, put your claws away. Claws are powerful against enemies, but against allies, they're like cutting off your own arm."

She pursed her lips. "To me, power means authority."

He smiled and reached out, flicking her lightly on the forehead.

"What was that for?" she glared at him.

"I thought you were mature, but you're still just a child." He laughed, and Mordred, furious, grabbed his hand and bit down.

"Ouch! Why do you always bite people?"

"None of your business! That's what you get for bullying me, yah yah yah, I'll bite you to death!"

...

The air was thick with smoke, and the sounds of clashing swords, spells, and explosions echoed all around. Charia, hiding in the Great Temple, huddled behind a mural, trembling.

Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps and two voices approaching.

"This attack is different from the others. Before, they were just testing us, but now they're fighting like they've lost their minds. And that tree have appeared from the hidden map… Do you think they've sensed the Giant God King? Or maybe they're planning to destroy this world?"

Charia peeked out from behind the mural and saw two priests rushing by.

"I don't know," the other priest replied, "but we have to defend the Sanctuary until the Giant God King is ready."

"But the adventurers seem to be losing."

"I know. I heard that Chain from the Emperor Conquest Guild is working with the other Guild Masters to plan an attack on the enemy BOSS, but it probably won't work. That's why Archbishop is preparing to activate the Giant God Soldier!"

"The Giant God Soldier? Now?" That priest was shocked.

The other priest nodded, "Yes, right now. Let's hurry to the Sage and have them activate the Giant God Soldier's spell."

That priest nodded hurriedly, and as both rushed in, a sudden boom from outside shook the entire Great Temple. Charia frantically grabbed the mural in front of him to steady himself.

After regaining his balance, Charia was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the eye on his forehead suddenly experienced excruciating pain, as if being cut by thousands of knives, causing him to curl up in agony, covered in cold sweat.

In an instant, several bizarre visions unfolded before him.

On the earth, three-eyed people slaughtered each other, bones scattered everywhere, corpses strewn about, bloody. Black voids appeared in the grey sky, endless black tides descended from these voids, submerging the vast earth.

An indescribable sadness welled up from within. Before Charia could process these emotions, the scene suddenly shifted to primitive barbarians wielding butcher knives, indiscriminately slaughtering three-eyed people regardless of age. They stole their books, depriving them of their knowledge and third eyes.

These bloody scenes made Charia's eyes bulge with rage. Finally, magi wearing black robes used their blood-stained hands to forcibly dig out the victims' third eyes between their brows while letting out maniacal laughter.

The strange and terrifying scene felt like a nightmare. Charia was breathless, his skin clammy with cold sweat.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the darkness behind him and touched his shoulder.

Charia jumped and turned to find himself facing a smiling young man.

The young man's smile was warm and friendly, but to Charia, it felt like a giant looming over him in the darkness, filling him with a fear he couldn't describe.

"You've come back, Number 87," the young man said with a smile.

"Who… who are you…?" Charia stammered, his voice trembling.

...

Enkidu worked quickly, and with her help contacting the other Guild Masters, they soon assembled.

In this age of adventurers, Level 9 adventurers were the new elite, and the Guild Masters who led them were at the very top – proud and submitting to no one. However, because Enkidu was a member of the Emperor Conquest Guild and well-known in the Sanctuary, they were willing to give her the courtesy of meeting.

But once they gathered, the atmosphere was tense with everyone talking over each other, making it impossible to have a proper discussion. Even Enkidu couldn't control them.

This wasn't surprising. These adventurers were no longer humans in the historical sense. They were beings of immense power, surpassing even ordinary Heroic Spirits.

With power came confidence, dignity, and independent thought. And with those qualities, they were reluctant to submit to anyone else. Especially these Guild Masters, who were used to leading their own guilds – none of them wanted to back down.

The whole scene was a mess, leaving Enkidu feeling helpless and Mordred irritated.

"Why bother talking to them? Why not just take control?" Mordred pulled out her Grail, ready to use it on the Guild Masters, but Shirou stopped her.

She kept her grip on the Grail and turned to him with a frown.

"If you rely on controlling their minds, you'll end up losing control of your own," he said.

Mordred understood. Using the Grail too much would make her dependent on it. Eventually, she'd need it to lead anyone. But she wasn't a child; she understood that.

"I can make my own decisions."

"Don't neglect small wrongs." he said softly.

"Look who's talking," she said, rolling her eyes.

A beastman stepped forward. "Hold on, everyone! We're not here to fight amongst ourselves. Chain! You said you had a way to deal with this monster wave! What's the plan?"

All eyes turned to Enkidu.

"Yeah, even those two bosses have shown up... Wait a minute! Did your guild cause this?" another shouted.

Accusations flew from all directions. "Is this your fault? Everyone else is here, but where's your guild? All I see is that sly fox merchant, that fairy, and you. Did your guild cause this mess?"

"Your Guild Master went to the Black Giant's dungeon and ripped out its armpit hair! It chased her all over the place, attacking everyone it saw. Some of my people died multiple times because of it. We haven't even settled the score for that, and now this happens!"

"And don't forget the time she stole the Archbishop's staff! We went without buffs for a week! This has got to be another one of her stunts!"