IBHJ 1013

"That mud... was the best rock," Fujimaru said with a complex expression.

"So that's a father's love..." Misaya murmured, staring at her corrupted arm. She'd once thought her father cursed her, only to learn it was Manaka's doing. Her father died trying to break that curse. What were his final thoughts? Were they of her? Misaya's face was a mix of emotions.

"In the end, you still rejected this world, Mordred..."

Demonic Bodhisattva sighed, old memories rising to the surface.

— Father, Father...

— 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.

In her mind, she saw that man's cold back reflected in the child's eyes.

"I can't believe I still remember that child's past. Is it because the transformation isn't complete? Or is that 'me' influencing me? Splitting her off was the right call... Your light is such a nuisance, Mr. Shirou."

Demonic Bodhisattva glanced at where the Black Knight had been, her form slowly fading. "But it's fine. The brighter the light, the deeper the final despair. Enjoy this tiny glimmer of hope before the ultimate darkness comes."

...

Mordred wiped her eyes and walked along the path the mud knight had made, crossing out of the warped area.

Her face still wet with tears, she said firmly, "I'm going to find that man. I want to ask him face-to-face! What's he really after, pretending to be my mother?"

Fujimaru and Misaya shared a look. Then he said, "Maybe it's better if you keep pretending not to know."

"I'm not listening to you. You're a big dummy, bleh—"

Mordred stuck her tongue out at him. Annoyed, he made a face back and stuck out his own tongue.

"Both of you, knock it off!"

Misaya glared at them, stopping their childish antics. She turned to Gilgamesh. "We were attacked. Does that mean Ayaka and the others..."

"Mm." Gilgamesh looked into the distance, frowning. "They've probably been attacked too."

Worried that Manaka and her minions had gone after Ayaka's group, they hurried towards where the others should be.

Fujimaru's hunch was right. Ayaka's group had been attacked, and they were in even more danger. They'd walked right into Manaka's trap.

Manaka had already taken out Berserker and Assassin, corrupting them to her side. She'd also brought other Heroic Spirits led by the Sun King. In total, six Heroic Spirits were ambushing Ayaka's group.

Although Ayaka had Arthur, Perseus, and Medea on her side, even these three Heroic Spirits were having trouble against the enemy. The Sun King alone was enough to keep all three of them occupied.

Fortunately, they also had Kiara and Tethys on their team.

Kiara, while scared of Demonic Bodhisattva, didn't feel the same fear towards the others. Using her skill, she managed to hold off the other five Heroic Spirits by herself. Even Berserker's Noble Phantasm couldn't break through her ability.

But this wasn't enough to stop Manaka. Kiara's skill was strong, but it couldn't match Manaka's current level.

After Arthur killed her eight years ago, Manaka, already connected to the Root, took in the power of the Lord of Salvation sealed inside the Root. Now, she was beyond even a Beast in power.

However, no one knew the Lord of Salvation better than Tethys, so she knew how to deal with the Lord of Salvation's power. She turned Manaka's own power against her, handling her with ease, as if she were playing with a child.

"What's going on?" Manaka shouted, her face flushed with anger and embarrassment.

She summoned black mud, creating a vast labyrinth to trap Tethys. The Lord of Salvation had told her about Tethys' weakness, and Manaka planned to use the mud against her. But Tethys turned the tables, and Manaka found herself caught in her own trap.

Arthur watched in awe. "That's Lady Tethys for you."

Tethys shook her head, confused. "How did someone like this ever manage to kill me before?"

Even though Manaka was an unusual magus with a connection to the [Root], Tethys was on another level. As the creator of the Throne of Heroes and the origin of fairies, Manaka's special talent seemed minor to her. What really made Tethys cautious was the Lord of Salvation that Manaka was connected to.

Tethys realized that if Manaka's use of the Lord of Salvation's power was only at this level, there was no way she could have beaten her before, even in her current doll-like state.

As this thought crossed her mind, a voice whispered in her ear:

"——Let me tell you."

Before Tethys could react, a hand grabbed her from behind.

Tethys spun around, shocked to see Ayaka holding onto her. "Ayaka, what are you doing? This isn't the time for games."

She tried to pry Ayaka's hands off, but stopped short when she saw black mud pouring out of Ayaka's body, rushing towards her.

Tethys' expression suddenly changed. She quickly formed a shield, but it was too late.

The black mud swallowed Tethys whole, turning her into a dark, chocolate ball. Ayaka calmly picked it up.

"Ayaka, what are you doing?" Arthur and Kiara exclaimed in shock.

Ayaka ignored them. She turned to Manaka, still trapped in the labyrinth, and said in a flat voice, "I have it, neesan."

"This... this..." Arthur stammered, shocked.

The Sun King took advantage of Arthur's distraction and attacked, but Perseus shoved Arthur aside, blocking the blow.

"Can't you see?" Perseus shouted. "Manaka Sajyou is controlling Ayaka's mind!"

"You figured that out, did you? Not that it matters." the Sun King's smile turned cold. "Still, I can't let you interfere with sisterly love."

"You call this mind control 'sisterly love'?" Medea scoffed.

"You're one to talk," the Sun King shot back. "Didn't you kill your own brother for a man?"

Medea's eyes flashed dangerously. "You know nothing about me!"

Fury took over as she lashed out with her magecraft, hurling spell after spell at the Sun King. But her attacks seemed to have no effect. Arthur and his two allies were fully engaged in battle with the Sun King, their weapons clashing in a deadly dance, unable to break away to help their ally.

Seeing this, Kiara pushed past the five Heroic Spirits, including Berserker, and ran towards Ayaka.

As she moved, a streak of darkness shot out from the labyrinth, aiming for her head. Kiara dodged, her reflexes kicking in, but not quite fast enough. There was a sickening crack as the attack caught her face, the impact resonating through her skull. The force left a deep gash that exposed her white bone beneath torn flesh.

Blood gushed from the wound, hot and sticky, streaming down her face. Kiara's eyes watered with pain, the agony almost too much for her. Still, she kept moving towards Ayaka.

Without warning, the labyrinth exploded. From the destruction, Manaka appeared, floating down surrounded by endless black mud like an evil goddess.

She landed next to Ayaka, holding the mud ball Tethys in one hand. With the other, she gently stroked Ayaka's head. "Just as I expected from my sister," Manaka said softly, her voice filled with twisted pride.

It became clear that after Tethys had countered her, Manaka knew she couldn't win in a direct fight. So she turned to a hidden trick she'd planted in Ayaka's body eight years ago.

Back then, Manaka had done more than just curse Misaya. She'd also fed black mud to Ayaka. This wasn't about winning the Holy Grail War - it was pure jealousy. Instead of killing Ayaka right away, Manaka had given her the mud, making her the final piece needed to complete the Holy Grail ritual. Now, it had unexpectedly become Manaka's trump card against Tethys.

Manaka turned to Saber, her smile sweet but unsettling. "Don't worry, Arthur. I still love you, even now."

"Manaka, when will you ever grow up?" Saber's voice was filled with frustration and pain. "This isn't love. You're just lost in your own fantasy!"

Saber realized that Manaka had become this way because she'd forced her idea of a perfect prince charming onto him. She'd been living in a beautiful dream of her own creation all along.

Grow... grow up?

Suddenly, Shirou's mocking words rang in Manaka's mind. Her good mood instantly turned sour.

But it didn't matter. All she needed to do was capture Arthur and lock him away in her heart. That would be enough.

In her heart, Arthur would only be able to love her, touch her, see her.

Just as Manaka was about to act on this thought, Tethys began to thrash violently within the black mud. The trapped doll was attempting to break free.

Manaka struggled to control Tethys, but it was proving nearly impossible.

It's not working. I can't hold her. If she breaks free, I'm done for.

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.