IBHJ 1021

Mordred gripped her weapon tightly, eyes never leaving Demonic Bodhisattva.

"Give it up," Demonic Bodhisattva purred. "That sword might take down Humbaba, but it's useless against me. And you haven't really killed that girl." She pointed at Manaka's corpse with a lazy smile. "You've only slain her human shell. Her true self will awaken soon."

She gestured behind the young man.

Mordred kept her eyes locked on her, speaking to Fujimaru through gritted teeth: "Look behind you. What do you see?"

He turned, his eyes widening in shock. "What... is that?"

A massive, pitch-black egg lay in the underground tunnel, pulsing with a disturbing aura.

"The egg of the Beast," Demonic Bodhisattva smiled. "Unless you destroy that Beast, Manaka Sajyou - this monster girl - can't truly die. What really killed Manaka in your future wasn't that backstab. It was summoning Saver to obliterate the Apocalyptic Beast's true form. But that's all meaningless now. My senpai has given the order. You'll all die here."

A wave of cold, killing intent washed over them. Fujimaru and Mordred both felt it - this Demonic Bodhisattva was nothing like they'd faced before. The killing intent was cold and terrifying, but beneath it lay something even more horrifying: absolute resolve.

This wasn't fake.

Gilgamesh had been wrong.

This time, her desire to kill was real.

"Kiara..." Fujimaru whispered.

"Kiara is dead." Demonic Bodhisattva's hypocritical smile vanished, replaced by a twisted, bloodthirsty grin. "Only Beast remains!"

On her voluptuous body, Beast sigils flickered to life. A soft glow enveloped her, growing into an endless radiance.

Infinite beauty.

It was the sacred light of a Bodhisattva. But it was also Beast III's call to destruction. From that endless light, hands of desire reached out, trying to grab Fujimaru and Mordred.

Mordred activated her Noble Phantasm in a flash, aiming to slice through those ghostly hands and strike at Demonic Bodhisattva. But as the hands neared, her eyes widened in shock. She twisted her sword sideways, shifting from attack to defense. With a deafening clang, an enormous force sent Mordred - with all her dragon-born strength - flying backward.

She tumbled through the air, her armor scraping against the ground as she skidded to a stop several meters away.

"She... she actually touched Mordred?!" Fujimaru stared at Demonic Bodhisattva in disbelief.

"All I am is desire," Demonic Bodhisattva purred. "As long as desire exists, it falls under my domain. I am the lord of desire, the Buddha of desire, the Bodhisattva of desire."

Her smile was a mix of bloodlust and ecstasy.

Kiara was truly gone now. What remained was something that had crossed to the other side. She had extinguished the last flicker of humanity in her heart - the part that was Kiara Sessyoin - and fully embraced her identity as Beast III.

Before the final reckoning, she would drown the world in her tide of desire, fulfilling her craving for ultimate pleasure.

"First, Mordred. Come into my world!" Beast III's countless hands reached for Mordred.

Mordred's eyes narrowed. "Your world? Been there, done that."

She remembered the beautiful illusion Demonic Bodhisattva had trapped her in before. "That world, pretty as it is, is just running away. Just lonely self-comfort. Who do you think I am? I'm Mordred! I don't need your fake sympathy!"

With a battle cry, Mordred tapped into the Grail's power. She channeled its energy, converting it into mana. The transformation began instantly. Star-like patterns ignited across her skin, starting at her core and rapidly spreading outward. The blazing lines raced down her arms, legs, and across her face.

As the transformation completed, Mordred's form blurred. She had become a living weapon, mana erupting around her in violent waves that whipped her hair and rattled her armor. The air crackled with mana as she coiled, her grip tightening on the blade.

In a burst of speed, she unleashed a fierce strike, her sword slicing through Beast III's hands with a sharp "swish."

Beast III's smile turned wicked. "Useless. You can only hold that form for a moment!"

Behind Mordred, the young man watched their clash in horror. By releasing the Grail's limiter for a burst of power, she had surpassed even the immortal Brynhildr. She could easily overwhelm Brynhildr now. But against Beast III? She was barely keeping up.

This struggle would only weaken over time, just like the previous battle with immortal Brynhildr. Immortality would slowly wear Mordred down.

Something had to be done. Now.

The leylines of Shinjuku were already intercepted, and Medea had constructed the Grand Summoning ritual. All that remained was the core of the Greater Grail.

His eyes locked onto the disturbing, pulsing placenta - the Beast's egg. That had to be it.

Manaka Sajyou was using the Greater Grail to birth Beast VI. That egg was the Greater Grail's core!

He had to use it.

But surrounding the Beast VI egg was a chaotic sea of mud - the endpoint of life, a twisted reverse evolution. To step into it meant certain death.

The young man moved toward Beast VI without hesitation.

Death? He'd been there before.

You can't have a present without respecting the past.

You can't move forward without standing firm in the present.

The young man ran at Beast VI. The monsters in his way couldn't stop him.

Humans have limits, but souls don't.

Memories are always hazy, leaving only a bitter taste.

He remembered overworked, broken people. Harsh chemicals. White curtains. Disappointment and despair.

Accompanying him were only biography after biography and the gradually disappearing flame of hope. In the end, even when faced with a mountain of money, everyone gave up. Even him.

He never lied. He always wanted an exciting adventure because that had to be better than this. A chance to really live.

He packed a travel bag and left on a journey no one knew about, no one cared about, and everyone had given up on.

This was the final straw, the ultimate abandonment.

As the train passed through a tunnel, an earthquake struck. They were buried in darkness.

For 23 days, life and death blurred. Water ran out, bringing despair. Everyone broke down and gave up. But he, who'd long since given up on himself, became their leader. He coordinated efforts, comforted others, and gave them hope to keep living.

Then, at the darkest moment before dawn, he fell.

People's faces grew fuzzy. Memories faded. But in those last moments, he finally understood what life truly meant.

He donated his body, hoping it would help medical progress.

The darkest moment took his life but saved his soul.

When he woke again, he had no body. Instead, he had a new life and a new name.

—Fujimaru Shirou.

He promised to take care of his body. He swore he'd get rich. But he never saw this storm coming.

Once, he craved excitement but was unable to obtain it. Now he wanted peace but was unable to stop.

Talk about irony.

But the young man loved it.

He didn't know what his future self would think, but he knew how he felt right now.

—These feelings, this courage... this is what I need to shape my future! Even if I'm betrayed a thousand times, even if I'm hurt over a thousand times, I won't give up.

Protected by Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasms, strengthened by Medea's and Misaya's magecraft, he pushed through the monster horde. He reached Beast VI's egg.

He put his hand on it. In a flash, the intercepted leylines connected with the Greater Grail. The dark space lit up with ghostly light.

Up on the surface, Gilgamesh, Arthur, and the others were locked in battle with the immortal Sun King. They saw light break through the night sky and cheered, "Fujimaru has reached the Greater Grail! The Grand Summoning ritual has begun!"

"This is bad!" Beast III panicked inside. She knew this was how Shirou had summoned Saver before. If Saver appeared now, the consequences would be unimaginable.

She abandoned Mordred, attempting to attack the young man. But Mordred's sword blocked her path.

"Get out of my way!" She lashed out. Her terrifying mana forced Mordred back as she rushed towards the young man.

But it was too late. The grand summoning circle had already activated. Light shot into the sky, a holy glow heralding the arrival of a great figure. The night brightened, and the full moon hanging high in the sky became even more dazzling.

Fujimaru felt it—a huge burst of mana had answered the grand summoning circle. Even with Beast III coming for him, he wasn't scared anymore.

"Fu-ji-ma-ru-Shi-rou!" Beast III yelled, watching that holy light with dread. She'd messed up like Manaka Sajyou—getting caught up in her own feelings, giving this normal yet special young man his chance.

Fujimaru smiled as something great came down through the light.

But in a second, his smile froze. Beast III's dread turned to wild joy.

At the end of the light, it wasn't the mighty Saver who appeared. It was a blonde girl.

She wore a long dress, white as moonlight. On her head was a brown felt hat, like a cowboy's. A bow hung on her back. In her hand, she held a sword hilt with no blade. Like a goddess, yet somewhat out of place.

This definitely wasn't the Saver he knew.

Who was she?

"I ask of you—are you the one who summoned the great, invincible, all-around awesome True Ancestor... Uh wait, that's the wrong line. Let me try again."

The blonde girl looked dignified and noble, but she'd clearly messed up her intro. She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and read: "I ask of you—are you the one who summoned the great, invincible, all-around awesome, lifelong enemy of the True Ancestor, the Holy Dead Apostle?"

Fujimaru didn't just fail to summon Saver. It felt like he'd blown his life savings on a gacha game only to get some trashy 3-star character.

What was this?

The young man was devastated.