IBHJ 1015

"Tethys!"

A voice came from the Dark Vortex.

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "So you felt my vortex, huh?"

He stood there, staring at the Dark Vortex. He wanted to understand the Lord of Salvation, but it was too mysterious and dangerous. How could he learn about it safely?

After a moment, he had an idea. "Maybe I can use that Mooncell skill..."

He prepared to use [Blood Tracing], a skill from the [Vampire] race that Mooncell had given him.

It was the best detection ability a Level 8 Vampire had. [Blood Tracing] could find out where a creature came from by looking at its body fluids. The skill traced things back to their source.

Many Dead Apostle Ancestors could trace things back to their origin, but Shirou had never tried this skill before. He rarely used any of the abilities Mooncell gave him. They just didn't feel like his own.

Shirou carefully formed a lump of mud into a long line. He tossed one end into the Dark Vortex and held the other in his palm. Then he activated [Blood Tracing].

He didn't expect much, just wanted to see what would happen. But as soon as he used the skill, a voice echoed in his mind:

"You will all become me."

Shocked, he cut the connection and stared at the Dark Vortex. It kept spinning calmly, as if it belonged there.

He paced back and forth, hesitating.

Suddenly, the mental space around him rippled. Shirou tensed up.

Someone was coming!

He used Mooncell's vampire ability to turn into a mist of blood. He blended into the hazy miasma around him, hiding and watching closely.

Soon after, Manaka appeared. She wore a western-style dress and walked quickly to the Dark Vortex.

"What's she doing here? Is she planning something?" Shirou wondered, listening carefully.

As a formless blood mist mixed with the miasma, he was nearly impossible to spot. Even Manaka would struggle to notice him unless she was actively searching for him.

He saw Manaka holding a black doll. Shirou was puzzled. Was it another memory from her childhood she wanted to bury and forget?

Suddenly, the doll came to life.

"Let me go—let me go—" it cried, trying to escape her grip.

The doll barely poked its head out before Manaka pushed it back down.

Shirou frowned, deep in thought.

Manaka looked at the Dark Vortex. "Father, I brought her here."

The calm vortex suddenly started boiling, spinning wildly. The miasma around it churned like a stormy sea, almost blowing Shirou's blood mist away. He quickly pulled himself together and stabilized his scattered blood mist.

"You want me to throw her in? Okay. I'll leave her with you, Father. I'm off to find Arthur now. My prince must be missing me a lot."

Manaka smiled dreamily, then pushed the black doll towards the Dark Vortex.

"No—stop! You'll cause a disaster if you do this!" the doll cried out.

But Manaka was lost in her own world. She ignored the warning and shoved the doll forward. The doll fought back harder than Manaka expected. Even though Manaka could control it, the doll still struggled against the Dark Vortex.

Suddenly, black mist from the vortex formed into tentacles. They shot out with a whoosh, grabbed the doll's limbs, and dragged it into the Dark Vortex.

"I'll leave her with you, Father."

Manaka smiled, relieved that the Dark Vortex had taken over the task of dealing with Tethys. That doll had been the biggest thorn in her side.

"Time to find my prince." Humming happily, Manaka turned and skipped away. Getting rid of Tethys had clearly put her in a good mood.

After she left, Shirou was about to reform his body when he heard a crack. The doll was fighting to escape the vortex, even as black tentacles wrapped around it.

—It's no use, Tethys.

Tethys? That doll is Tethys?

Because he had the Vortex, Shirou could hear its voice. He was shocked to realize the doll was actually Tethys, the primordial fairy he'd been searching for all this time.

But she was just a...

Barbie doll?

He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Let me go!" Tethys screamed. "Let me go—!"

Tiny lights sparkled across her black doll body, like a miniature starry sky. Tethys was fighting with all her might, but the black mud had weakened her. She couldn't break free from the Dark Vortex. If she'd been stronger, she would have escaped from Manaka earlier. Now, she was barely holding on, just managing to keep from being pulled all the way in.

If Tethys hadn't been tainted by the black mud, she could have easily escaped the vortex. But eight years ago, wanting to talk to Shirou, she put her life essence into a Barbie doll. This created a weak spot in her perfect form.

From a human view, matter is everything and the body is crucial. But in the bigger picture of the universe, matter is just how ideas show themselves. Matter decays and can be destroyed, but ideas and universal laws are eternal.

It's like the "world-building" in anime and web novels. Beings at Tethys' level don't need physical bodies. They turn themselves into living information - like "world-building rules" - and fight cosmic battles that way.

Tethys was perfect until she entered the doll. The black mud, with the Lord of Salvation's power, tied Tethys' life to the doll. This sealed away her true self and her powers. That's why Manaka caught her so easily.

Tethys struggled against the Dark Vortex, but she couldn't break free. She was like a butterfly in a spider's web - it was only a matter of time before she'd be consumed.

What could she do?

Suddenly, a beam of light flashed, blindingly bright against the darkness. It sizzled through the air with a hum. With a sharp crack like a thunderbolt, it sliced through the tentacles coiled around her waist.

"Huh?" Tethys gasped, her eyes wide. The abrupt release sent her stumbling forward, arms flailing to catch her balance. She squinted against the light and saw Shirou holding Rhongomyniad.

"Are you... Shirou from the future?"

"It's me, but we don't have time to talk about that," he said, eyeing the Dark Vortex as black mist swirled around it. He grabbed Tethys and ran.

...

"Are you sure about this?" Misaya asked, worried.

"We won't know if it'll work unless we try," Fujimaru replied.

Gilgamesh folded his arms and gave a cold smile. "Risking your life like this... you're something else."

After cutting off the ley lines, Misaya and Medea were getting ready to make the Grand Summoning circle. But Fujimaru surprised everyone with a new plan.

"I don't think we can make the grand summoning circle with just Shinjuku's leylines anymore," Fujimaru said, adjusting his glasses. "And Tethys said that's not enough to summon Saver anyway. So why don't we put the leylines into the Greater Grail? We can build the summoning circle around it. Even if we can't get Saver, we'll have the Grail. That'll stop Manaka from summoning the Beast."

Misaya frowned. "But does that mean Medea has to make you look like Arthur so you can sneak into the Greater Grail?"

Arthur nodded beside her. "That's too risky. If we have to do this, I'll go."

"No," Fujimaru shook his head. "We need your sword to beat Manaka."

Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow. "The last defense against the Beast of Revelation?"

"That's right," Fujimaru nodded. "Ayaka said your sword can't stop a fully summoned Beast, but it might work right when Manaka summons it. If we can't take the Greater Grail, Arthur's sword is our last hope."

"But you're putting yourself in serious danger," Misaya said.

Gilgamesh's eyes lit up with understanding. He gave Fujimaru a complicated look. "I see... You broke our contract and didn't enter into a contract with Saber because you had this plan all along, didn't you?"

Everyone stared at Fujimaru in shock. He just smiled back.

Mordred frowned. "I get it. You're counting on Eternal King! You think he left some kind of backup, like that mud, right?"

Fujimaru nodded, his smile turning a bit sad. "I still can't figure out how that version of me beat Manaka Sajyou in that desperate past. But if he made it through all that and became your Eternal King, he must have left a backup plan."

"But you're not him right now!" Mordred pointed out.

"I know. I've always known," Fujimaru said. "But after seeing that mud knight and that beam of light... You all believe in him. Even you, who have quite a few grudges against him, actually believe in him deep down. So how can I not believe in myself?"

Mordred fell silent. This young man wasn't trying to compete with his future self. Instead, knowing about his future had given him confidence. He was ignoring how dangerous his plan was.

Or maybe he knew the risks but had the guts to take them anyway.

But was this how a normal person should think?

What was this guy's real story? This soul from another world - what was his true past?

Everyone couldn't help but wonder.

"The past is the past," the young man said with a smile. "Dwelling on it will cost you the future. Besides, didn't I tell you? I want a life full of excitement."

"Hmph, nice try changing the subject," Mordred scoffed. "You big idiot. I'm not interested in digging up your past. But I want to catch Eternal King, so I'm coming with you."

She wouldn't admit she was worried about this naive young man. She definitely wouldn't say that out loud.

All she'd admit was that his smile was bright. And very, very foolish.