IBHJ Chapter 998

"Beast!" he roared. "Your time ends now! GAE... BOLG!"

The Barbed Spear of Death blazed through the night like a crimson comet. With a piercing sound, its howl split the air as it struck Demonic Bodhisattva in the chest.

"I did it!" he shouted.

But Demonic Bodhisattva's calm voice shattered that hope in an instant. "Not quite, Mr. Cu Chulainn."

"How is this possible...!?" his eyes suddenly contracted.

Misaya said angrily, "You stupid dog! Didn't you see her shrug off a head wound earlier?"

"This..." Cu Chulainn gritted his teeth. He'd gambled everything on killing her at the level of cause and effect, but the truth was crushing – Demonic Bodhisattva had long since transcended such mortal constraints. She existed beyond the very concept of life and death.

Demonic Bodhisattva's voice was almost gentle. "I must commend you, though. Only you and Mr. Shirou have managed to pierce my heart." Her smile took on a wistful tone. "Of course, you're still leagues behind him."

She sighed. "Piercing my heart... it makes me want to devour you whole. But unfortunately, after Mr. Shirou pierced my heart, I seem to have developed a rather unique obsession. It's hard to work up an appetite for anyone else these days."

Cu Chulainn looked at her with full vigilance. Although he didn't understand what she meant by "devour," there was no denying that this woman was even worse than Medb!

Demonic Bodhisattva's lips curled into a gentle smile, but as she opened her mouth to speak, her expression suddenly shifted. Her hand flew to her chest, fingers probing the hole Cu Chulainn's spear had left.

As she caressed the wound, her voluptuous breasts undulated in a way that would have set most men's hearts racing. But any spark of desire was quickly extinguished by the gruesome state of her face. Though the wound had closed, traces of Mordred's earlier attack—congealed blood and bits of brain matter—still clung to her skin, creating a horrifying sight.

She reached into her cleavage and withdrew an old-looking picture book. Cu Chulainn's eyes narrowed as he spotted the small, telltale hole piercing its cover.

"My book," she whispered. "You damaged... my book."

Her face hardened, a stone-cold glare replacing her earlier expression. A wave of killing intent, colder and sharper than before, washed over Cu Chulainn. It was as if her previous displays of hostility had been mere child's play compared to this raw, unbridled bloodlust.

"You dare..." Demonic Bodhisattva's voice was a low, deadly whisper. Her eyes, burning with cold fury, locked onto Cu Chulainn. "You're dead!"

Cu Chulainn's battle-honed instincts screamed danger, but even he couldn't react fast enough. A blinding flash of light, faster than thought, lanced through his body. The world exploded into searing agony as countless hands appeared within him, rending flesh from bone.

A sickening noise of tearing and snapping filled the air. Cu Chulainn's body burst in a grisly rain of blood and guts. Limbs, organs, fragments of bone—all scattered across the blood-soaked ground in a second.

The brutal display, contrasted with Demonic Bodhisattva's chillingly calm expression, stunned everyone present. She delicately tucked the picture book back into her cleavage, patting it twice as if soothing a child.

Though nearsighted, the young Fujimaru had been so horrified by the sight that his vision, for a moment, sharpened. He clearly saw the title printed on the picture book's cover: "Andersen's Fairy Tales."

Before he could dwell on this bizarre detail, Misaya, panicked by Cu Chulainn's death, shoved him hard, urging him to flee. "Run!" she screamed. "Find your fairy! She's the only one who can stop this monster!"

"Reiroukan-senpai..." He met her gaze, confusion warring with urgency. Why now? he wondered. Why is she helping me? But survival instinct won out. His fairy, still with Ayaka Sajyou, was their last hope against the nightmare that was Demonic Bodhisattva.

"Don't die!" he shouted back, then turned and bolted.

Misaya watched him go, a wry smile twisting her lips. "Honestly, why am I helping him?" she murmured. The smile became more bitter as grim reality settled in. The curse ensured her time was short, and with Cú Chulainn's death, her dreams of winning the Holy Grail War—and surviving—had turned to ash.

"So, I have this side to me, too," Misaya mused, a hint of self-mockery in her voice.

Demonic Bodhisattva nodded. "A meaningless gesture, but it fits the timeline."

Misaya's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"This is where you're eliminated," she replied calmly. "But the one who eliminates you isn't me."

Misaya's frown deepened. "What are you talking about?"

Demonic Bodhisattva sighed, a hint of boredom creeping into her tone. "Move aside. I'm not interested in women. Nor am I interested in meaningless killing, because in the end, everyone will die."

Her gaze shifted, focusing on Mordred, who had drawn her sword and stepped in front of Misaya. "You're becoming quite bothersome, Mordred-chan," she said with a touch of irritation.

"I think you're the bothersome one," Mordred retorted. "And I'm very interested in why you're so obsessed with the Eternal King!"

Demonic Bodhisattva's lips curved into a cryptic smile. "I'm just following orders."

"Right," Mordred scoffed. "So Eternal King's past being extracted... that was all part of the plan?"

"Extracted?" she laughed. "Oh my, Mordred-chan. Eternal King's past was never extracted. It belonged to another person."

Mordred's eyes widened, her grip on her sword weakening for a moment. "What? Who—"

"The Resurrection Pyramid," Demonic Bodhisattva interrupted, "is the Mayan gods' final gift and blessing for their people. It ensures the beings at the Connection Point can survive even after losing the gods' protection. But unfortunately, this very blessing made it a target for someone who had long since died."

Her smile widened. "The irony! A chance for resurrection, exploited by the dead. This... alteration of the past was inevitable. Just as my obtaining Mr. Shirou and unleashing the monster of absolute evil was inevitable."

"The monster of absolute evil..." Mordred snarled, her grip tightening on her sword. "I may not like that guy, but I'll be damned if I let you get your claws into him!"

Demonic Bodhisattva's lips curled into a taunting smile. "Such noble intentions, Mordred-chan. But tell me, why hold back? Why not unleash the true power of that Grail you're carrying?"

Mordred froze, her breath catching in her throat.

"What's wrong?" her words dripped with false concern. "Afraid of your own potential?"

Mordred lunged forward with a fierce cry, her sword a blur of motion as she slashed at Demonic Bodhisattva.

"I'll show you potential!" she shouted. "I'll cut that smile right off your face!"

...

Tethys! Tethys, where are you?

The young man's thoughts screamed as he ran, panic and frustration warring within him. His chest heaved with each ragged breath, a bitter irony twisting in his gut.

When I didn't need her, that damn fairy was always buzzing around my face. Now that I actually need her help, she's nowhere to be found!

"Tethys!" he shouted, but there was no response.

The ground around him cracked like a spider web, with the blood of the black dragon pulsating vigorously like living cocoons. He carefully skirted around them and continued searching.

Desperate, he even tried to use a Command Seal to summon Gilgamesh, who had run off somewhere. But perhaps due to the strange nature of this Mirror World, the Command Seal failed to activate.

"This isn't what I wanted!" the young man cried out, his voice raw with frustration.

Unlike Shirou, who yearned for a peaceful life, he craved excitement, passion, adventure! But this... this wasn't the kind of thrill he'd had in mind.

What he wanted wasn't supposed to be this kind of terrifying situation where his life was in constant danger!

He swallowed hard, trying to wet his parched throat. "I wonder how senpai is doing..." He caught himself, shaking his head violently. "No! Focus! Tethys... I need to find Tethys."

His voice, growing hoarser by the minute, continued to call out for the elusive fairy. The silence that answered him was deafening, broken only by the unsettling pulse of the corrupted ground beneath his feet.

Then, like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man, a familiar voice broke the silence. "I'm here."

Hope filled him as he spun around, a smile already forming on his lips. But that spark of joy was snuffed out in an instant. There, wearing a smile that sent chills down his spine, stood Demonic Bodhisattva.

"You—" He stumbled backward, his finger shaking as he pointed at her. Words failed him, terror closing his throat.

Demonic Bodhisattva's smile widened. "How was my voice impression, Mr. Shirou? Convincing, wasn't it?"

"N-not... not bad," he managed to stammer, feeling the blood drain from his face. His hand flew to his Command Seal, desperately trying to summon Gilgamesh. But in this warped reality, it was as useful as a light switch in a power outage.