IBHJ Chapter 996

Illya shook her head, a small sigh escaping her lips. "I suppose you've gone and gotten yourself into some bizarre trouble again, haven't you?" She muttered under her breath, "The world of magi never ceases to amaze with its mysteries and oddities."

Suddenly, her tone shifted, becoming more urgent. "By the way, Kiara, is Ayaka with you?"

Kiara frowned. "Ayaka? Isn't she supposed to be staying with you?"

"She ran away!" Illya exclaimed.

"What?" Kiara's eyes widened in shock. She leaned closer to the projection. "Where did she go?"

"She should be with you! The wavelength Hinako extracted from Ayaka shows she's nearby..." Suddenly, her image began to flicker erratically. "Wait, what's happening there? Something's interfering with the Second Magic. The connection's failing... I'm sending Ayaka's location now. If you find her, contact us immediately. Don't leave us worrying—"

With a final burst of static, Illya's projection vanished, her last words cut off mid-sentence.

Despite the abrupt end to the call, Illya had managed to transmit Ayaka's coordinates to Kiara's Chaldea terminal. She quickly accessed the data, her eyes widening in surprise.

"What's going on?" she muttered. "According to this, Ayaka's not only on school, but she's rapidly approaching our position."

Kiara shook her head, her mind racing. What had started as a simple quest had turned into a mess: UO attacking the Sanctuary, Shirou's past being tampered with, and even Shirou himself kidnapped by Manaka. And now, Ayaka had vanished from Illya's side, only to have her wavelength appear here in this twisted version of reality. To make matters worse, there was another, evil version of her lurking around in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The chaos, all the causes and effects, had become a tangled mess, leaving everyone with a headache.

Kiara's mind raced, desperately seeking a way out of this mess.

Suddenly, the air crackled. Looking up, they saw a swarm of white orbs, pulsing with magical energy, raining down from the blood-red sky like a deadly meteor shower.

"Incoming!" Mordred shouted.

The group scattered, diving for cover as the orbs slammed into the ground around them.

"Boom! Boom!" The explosions tore through the earth, sending debris flying in all directions.

Amidst the chaos, the young Fujimaru calmly adjusted his glasses, a hint of a smirk on his face. "It seems Manaka is targeting both us and Ayaka. But these little fireworks hardly qualify as intimidating."

Misaya and Mordred rolled their eyes. "If you're so brave, don't hide behind Gilgamesh!"

The young man glanced at them, unfazed. "Why shouldn't I hide behind my Servant?"

The ground beneath them suddenly split with a crack. Massive vines, thick as tree trunks and oozing a strange, sweet-smelling sap, erupted from the fissures. They whipped through the air, hurling enormous boulders as if they were pebbles.

"Get back!" Mordred shouted.

As if that wasn't enough, a bone-chilling roar thundered across the school, shaking the very air around them. "ROAAAAAR!"

In its wake, a massive storm rose to the sky, spiraling upward like a titanic pillar of wind connecting earth and sky. From within this storm emerged a black dragon of massive size, its wings obscuring the blood moon as it ascended, plunging the school into sudden darkness.

Without warning, a white beam shot out from the ground, piercing into the heart of the storm. The dazzling light, distorted and bent by the storm's pull, cast wild, dancing shadows in all directions. It was like a sword of pure energy, aimed at the heart of the beast.

With a pained roar that made the ground tremble, the black dragon's wing was pierced by the beam. Endless streams of black blood, thick as tar, rained down from the sky. It drenched the buildings below, coating everything in a slick, dark layer.

The dragon flapped its tattered wings and flew overhead like a harbinger of doom. Its eyes, glowing red like hot coals, gazed across the earth. Those baleful orbs seemed to pierce through flesh and bone, as if staring directly into the souls of those below.

"Bring it on!"

Gilgamesh shouted excitedly, eyes locked on the light disappearing into the storm. He drew his swords and charged towards the school.

"Hey! Archer—" the young Fujimaru called out, but his words fell on deaf ears. Gilgamesh was already halfway across the courtyard. He must have sensed Arthur and was having one of his moments.

The battle horn had sounded, and by the time the young man snapped out of it, Mordred, Kiara, and Misaya had also charged in.

The young man sighed, watching everyone's retreating figures. He gritted his teeth and followed. The real danger wasn't in advancing, but in being alone. He made a quick decision and ran after the others.

As they burst through the school doors, they were met with an eerie sight: everything was distorted. Thick, pulsating vines crawled up the walls, their sickly green hue giving the buildings an air of decay. A red mist hung in the air, creating a chilling atmosphere.

Outside, the black dragon unleashed another ear-splitting roar. The sound was like a physical force, shattering windows and sending shards of glass raining down on the street.

Amidst the chaos, a dazzling light flickered like a beacon of hope. A lone figure stood defiantly, wielding a pure, glowing sword. With each swing, the blade released arcs of brilliant light, cutting through the red mist and streaking towards the black dragon in the sky.

Beside him, a red-haired man, battered and bruised, struggled to fight.

"It's Saber and Rider! And look—" Misaya pointed at the black dragon, "There's another Servant with the dragon!"

Ayaka's Saber team was clearly under attack from other Holy Grail War participants and in a dire situation.

Cu Chulainn scoffed, "Two against one, how unfair!"

Despite his words, he wouldn't intervene without Misaya's command. Although he disliked such an unfair battle, he also understood that there was no fairness in war.

Misaya's gaze swept the battlefield again, a smirk twisting her lips. "I don't see Saber's Master anywhere. Manaka's sister must be dead, right? How delightful."

The young Fujimaru adjusted his glasses, "You really do enjoy gloating, Reiroukan-senpai. But it's a shame, she won't be in any danger as long as that fairy is still with her."

"That fairy, huh..." Misaya raised an eyebrow.

She knew the young man was blessed by a fairy. It was the reason he could summon Gilgamesh in times of crisis. She recalled the fairy's name was Tethys.

"That dragon must be Caster's doing," the young man observed, then turned to Kiara. "Kiara, please stop them. We can't afford infighting right now."

"Leave it to me." Kiara nodded. As a human with half the authority of a "Beast," she was the only one who could intervene.

But just as she was about to act, a soft, alluring voice spoke: "Now, now. We can't have that, can we?"

Kiara's body froze. She turned to see Demonic Bodhisattva nearby, smiling seductively.

"Why is it you again?" she said with a pale face.

Demonic Bodhisattva pouted, "The one who gave birth to you was me, the one who gave you power was also me. Why are you so unwelcoming. That really breaks my heart."

Despite her words, the air around her was filled with killing intent, so thick it made everyone's skin crawl.

Suddenly, Mordred burst from the ground behind Demonic Bodhisattva, her sword a red blur as it plunged deep into the Beast's abdomen.

"Drip, drip."

Blood trickled down the cold blade, pooling on the ground. Yet, Demonic Bodhisattva remained calm, even smiling and clapping.

"Bravo, Mordred-chan," she purred, her smile turning eerie. "Such a clever little sneak attack."

Glowing threads suddenly writhed from the wound, lashing out towards Mordred. The gash itself yawned wider, transforming into a monstrous maw intent on devouring the child whole.

"Wouldn't have been possible without you restoring some of my intelligence, now would it?" Mordred taunted, then calmly used the Grail to phase through the Demonic Bodhisattva's attack.

It turned out that Mordred's recent strange behaviors were due to Demonic Bodhisattva returning some of the intellect stolen by Pluto back at the inn.

Mordred yanked her sword free, kicked off, and retreated. She then aimed the Grail at Demonic Bodhisattva.

Strange patterns appeared on Mordred's body. The Grail flickered with an enchanting light as she tried to control Demonic Bodhisattva again. But this time, Bodhisattva's seductive smile didn't waver.

"Oh, darling," she cooed, "that little trick won't work twice. I'm afraid my seniors would be quite... displeased if I let myself be your puppet again."

"Huh, what?"

Both Mordred and Kiara were surprised. Mordred, picking up on the implication, frowned and asked, "Are you saying you were faking being controlled by me before?"

Demonic Bodhisattva didn't answer. She simply smiled at Mordred, then turned her attention to the young man. "Speaking of which, I've suffered quite a bit thanks to Mr. Shirou. My seniors even punished me for splitting off this little one. It was truly agonizing. I believe some payback is in order, past Mr. Shirou."

The young man paled. "You were defeated by my future self, what does that have to do with me? If you want revenge, go find him! Don't take it out on me! Don't be a coward!"