IBHJ 1014

Realizing the danger, Manaka abandoned her plan to capture Saber. Instead, she grabbed the mind-controlled Ayaka and rushed towards the Greater Grail.

The corrupted Heroic Spirits began to pull back as well.

"Ayaka!" Kiara cried out, chasing after them.

Manaka lashed out, sending Kiara flying. She crashed into a pile of rubble with a loud boom, blood streaming from her head.

"Ayaka..." Kiara murmured weakly. She reached out towards Ayaka's retreating form, her hand grasping at empty air.

Her first friend.

Ayaka turned her head, looking back. Her golden hair caught the wind as her deep blue eyes lingered on Kiara for a long moment. Then, without a word, she turned away.

Kiara struggled to her feet and stumbled after Manaka's retreating figure.

"Kiara, wait!" Arthur called out. But trapped in his fight with the Sun King, he could only watch helplessly as she disappeared from view.

"Farewell, wielder of the Holy Sword." The Sun King Ozymandias's voice rang out. He summoned a pack of black Sphinx beasts, then vanished in a shimmer of light.

By the time Fujimaru arrived, all that was left was destruction.

"So this is how it played out." Fujimaru pushed up his glasses, sighing. Despite the twisted turn of events, things were unfolding just as the future Ayaka had warned them.

"This isn't the time for that, you idiot!" Mordred snapped. She turned to Misaya and Saber. "We need to break Arthur's contract with Ayaka now. If we don't, Manaka will use Ayaka's Command Spells to summon and corrupt him."

Hearing this, everyone suddenly realized this point.

"But I can't sever their contract without Ayaka here," Misaya said, her voice tight with worry.

"Leave this to me."

All eyes turned to Medea as she pulled a strange short sword from her robes.

She swung the blade at Saber. The air crackled as [Rule Breaker] cut through the magical bond between Saber and Ayaka, and instead formed a contract between Saber and herself.

Misaya's eyes widened. "I didn't know such magecraft was possible."

"Medea's skill in magecraft is among the top five in the whole world," Perseus explained.

Mordred interjected. "We don't have time for this. Haven't you noticed? There are fewer and fewer people around us."

Fujimaru nodded, pushing up his glasses. "I've barely seen anyone since Demonic Bodhisattva attacked. What does it mean?"

"It means this past plane is reaching its end," Medea said. "This is a memory space. We're all illusions here, including me. But memories have endings, and the illusion is nearing its conclusion."

Fujimaru's brow furrowed. "According to Ayaka, we shouldn't have reached the final battle so quickly. Have our actions changed things? Are we speeding up the process?"

Medea considered for a moment. "It's hard to say."

"That's not the main problem here!" Misaya frowned. "What matters most is that Manaka has Tethys. She'll corrupt her with black mud, use her to summon the Beast of Revelation, and then... with her powers, she might even break free from this past plane. She could turn from an illusion into reality and invade our future!"

Arthur's voice was heavy with emotion. "We have no choice... We must end Manaka here."

The group fell silent. Arthur knew he was the true cause of the world reset – his summoning by Manaka eight years ago had led to the collapse of the original reality and the chaos that followed.

Fujimaru looked around, concern evident in his eyes. "Where's Kiara? I'm worried about her."

Gilgamesh scoffed, crossing his arms. "Worried about that half-Beast? Abandoning such a liability earlier would have been the smart choice."

Fujimaru turned to Gilgamesh. "Archer..."

"A child ruled by emotions is useless," Gilgamesh said coldly. But seeing the young man's crestfallen look, he added with a hint of reluctance, "However, you don't need to worry. She has someone protecting her."

"Someone protecting her?"

Confusion spread across the group.

Gilgamesh let out an exasperated sigh. "None of you noticed? Hmph. To think I'm working with such fools. How far I've fallen."

He continued reluctantly, "Think about it. Why would that Beast enter a past where she doesn't exist? And why replace another Beast?"

Suddenly, Fujimaru's eyes widened. He remembered the "Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales" book in Demonic Bodhisattva's arms. "You mean..."

"That Beast's eyes held malice and hostility, but no killing intent," Gilgamesh explained. "That's why you could repel her again and again. Otherwise, with her power, you probably wouldn't have survived your previous encounters."

Gilgamesh's expression grew serious. He had initially dismissed Demonic Bodhisattva as weak, but now he was full of wariness towards her. The reason was that the physical body of Demonic Bodhisattva, which he had dismembered and sealed in his Gate of Babylon, had disappeared without a trace.

His wariness stemmed from a chilling realization: she had reclaimed her body without anyone noticing. He'd only just discovered this when he checked his Gate of Babylon.

Fujimaru's brow furrowed deeper. "But why? Demonic Bodhisattva's actions... they don't make any sense. There's no logic to them."

After a moment of silence, Mordred spoke up. "She told me her world would always welcome me."

"What?" The group turned to her, confusion written on their faces.

Mordred rolled her eyes. "That's what she said when she gave back some of my intellect. How am I supposed to know what's going on in her head? We're not exactly the same type of person."

...

"What a surprise. I didn't expect you to come looking for me," Demonic Bodhisattva said, eyeing Kiara with curiosity. Her lips curved into a smile. "How brave. Are you ready to die?"

Kiara looked up at Demonic Bodhisattva, her eyes filled with tears. "Help me... my other self."

"What?!" Demonic Bodhisattva's composure slipped for a moment.

"Manaka took Ayaka," Kiara said between sobs. "I can't beat her. Please... Ayaka will die if we don't save her."

The brief encounter with Manaka had shown Kiara how outmatched she was. And with each passing minute, Ayaka's chances of survival grew slimmer.

Demonic Bodhisattva's voice turned cold. "And why should I care?" Her smile turned predatory. "I'm more interested in devouring you."

"Do whatever you want to me, but please... help me save her," Kiara begged. "Ayaka is my only friend..."

Tears ran down her face as she moved closer to Demonic Bodhisattva, driven by desperation.

"You're usually terrified of me, yet now you dare come closer?" Demonic Bodhisattva was surprised.

Kiara paused, startled by the reaction, but then kept moving forward. She knew Demonic Bodhisattva was her only hope to save Ayaka.

"Stay back, or you'll die!" Demonic Bodhisattva's voice was harsh but shaky.

Still, it wasn't enough to stop Kiara now. She was ready to give up everything. Chaldea had been good to her, but Ayaka was the only one who truly understood her, who saw her for who she was and comforted her.

"Please, help me..."

Kiara grabbed Demonic Bodhisattva's hands with tears streaming down her face. She begged the woman she had always feared, the one she had never dared to face before.

"Don't touch me! Get away!" Demonic Bodhisattva yelled, her anger rising. "What Ayaka? What friend? Leave me alone! You were born to die! Just stay here and fend for yourself!"

"Please, help me..." Kiara gripped Demonic Bodhisattva's hands tighter, her eyes pleading.

Demonic Bodhisattva's face darkened further. She was about to strike Kiara down when her gaze fell on the deep, ugly wound on Kiara's face. Suddenly, a suffocating pain gripped her.

— Father, Father... Help me

— Don't hate me for this, Kiara. Your purpose was to die, for a greater cause. This is where you should live out your days.

— You belong to us, Lady Sessyoin.

Even though she had become a [Beast], a demon who cared only for her own desires, an unbearable pain squeezed her heart.

What was this feeling?

Demonic Bodhisattva felt lost, confused by the unfamiliar sensation.

"Help me, my other self. Please, help me..." Kiara begged.

— Let this strike open the path to your freedom!

As Demonic Bodhisattva looked at the crying Kiara, she remembered Shirou's final blow after he broke free from her dream at the Romania Connection Point.

The Spear of Endless Light hadn't been what truly hurt her. It was his resolve to leave the dream that had pierced her heart.

'When will you face reality, Kiara Sessyoin? Was it Fujimaru Shirou who gave you hope for light in your endless darkness?' Demonic Bodhisattva asked herself.

She sighed, her expression softening as she looked at Kiara. "You really love to act spoiled. I just can't say no to you."

"You'll help?" Kiara asked, her eyes shining with tears.

"Yes," Demonic Bodhisattva nodded. "But there's a price. After I help you save your friend, I will eat you."

Kiara nodded, tears still in her eyes.

Seeing her nod, Demonic Bodhisattva fell silent.

"Let's go, quickly!" Kiara grabbed her hand, ready to pull her along.

"Wait a moment. Before we go—"

Demonic Bodhisattva held Kiara back. She gently wiped the tears from Kiara's face, then turned her attention to the wound.

"How can you face your friend looking like this?"

As she spoke, the wound on Kiara's face began to heal, her skin returning to its usual smoothness.