IBHJ Chapter 995

Despite being summoned as an Archer, Gilgamesh's skills in close combat was formidable. He consistently matched Arthur blow for blow, forcing the legendary king to adopt a more defensive stance to protect his Master Ayaka. This shift in strategy made Arthur more cautious in his approach to the Holy Grail War.

Lately, Ayaka has been focused on her studies, dedicating extra hours to her studies, so when Young Shirou and Kiara went to the Sajyou house earlier, they found it empty. Otherwise, knowing Shirou, he would have definitely brought Arthur to their party first.

Misaya furrowed her brow, "So, we're heading to the high school then?"

Shirou nodded. "That's right. I'm a few years older than Ayaka and already in university, so we don't cross paths much academically. Besides the clashes between Arthur and Gilgamesh, there's not much connecting us."

He turned to Mordred and said with a smile. "What do you think? Ready to meet your mother's counterpart? He's quite the remarkable individual, though of course, not quite as amazing as my Archer."

Mordred rolled her eyes. "You've got it backwards. This... King Arthur should be my mother's counterpart. And I'll be the judge of how 'remarkable' he is."

"So... what happened in my future? Why did my future self become King Arthur?" the young man asked. He was completely baffled.

She narrowed her eyes. "I should be the one asking questions. How do you know so much? You're supposed to be just a normal person."

"Huh? Didn't my future self tell you?" the young man asked, puzzled.

"Tell us what?"

"Hehe. I'm not telling. If you want to know, go ask him yourself," the young man said with a smile.

Mordred turned away, pouting. Typical of this guy, no matter which version he was, he was always so annoying.

The young man was all smiles. Gilgamesh glanced at him and let out a light snort. He knew the young man's true nature because the young man hadn't hidden it from him.

Foreigner—a soul from another world. But unlike those Foreigner holders of eldritch god powers, this guy had no such powers, he was just a soul from another reality. But he knew a lot of things, which could be considered a unique ability in itself.

Gilgamesh noted how the young man skillfully dodged Mordred's questions, likely out of consideration for his future self's agenda. Perhaps he reasoned that avoiding complications for his future self meant a smoother path for himself. 'Heh, this brat,' Gilgamesh thought, choosing to remain silent on the matter.

Mordred sulked in silence. If the young man didn't want to talk, she wouldn't push him either, because that would make it seem like she cared too much, right?

The young man was explaining what he knew about Manaka to the others as they reached the high school. He wanted to find Ayaka right away, but when they got there, Misaya frowned and said, "Hold on!"

The young man asked, confused, "What is it?"

With a sigh, Gilgamesh placed his hand on the young man's head, forcing him to look straight ahead. "Use your eyes. It's a magus's silly trick."

The young man squinted, he couldn't see anything.

Gilgamesh said impatiently, "Compared to your future self, you're really useless right now."

The young man shot back, "Always judging everything by physical strength will get you in trouble someday."

"Enough of this chatter!" Mordred snapped, pushing her way to the front. "There's a Bounded Field covering this place. Manaka might have already made her move, and you're all standing around talking! Move aside—"

She pulled her Grail from her chest. A blinding flash erupted, followed by a resounding clang. The front of the high school before them warped and twisted, revealing a distorted passageway.

Gilgamesh's eyes locked onto the cup in her hand, his expression a mix of curiosity and surprise. "That's... something I don't have in my treasury. It's not a product of human imagination. And—" He glanced down at the young man, who barely reached his shoulders. "This offspring of yours..."

The young man's lips curved into a smile. "Mm. She's quite the character, isn't she? Able to clearly separate personal issues from important matters." His eyes softened slightly. "Though it seems she and my future self have some... complicated history. A lot must have happened."

As they spoke, the group went into the twisted passage. The young man felt a wave of vertigo wash over him, the world seeming to spin on its axis. In the blink of an eye, their surroundings warped and shifted. A blood-red moon now hung ominously in the sky above them.

"This... this is beyond a Reality Marble!" Misaya's expression changed. "We're dealing with Magecraft from the Age of Gods!"

The Bounded Field enveloping the campus was something from the Age of Gods, its power surpassing even that of Reality Marbles. It was like the Forest of Einnashe, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, creating an otherworldly space.

A blood moon hung ominously in the sky, bathing the illusory campus in an eerie crimson glow. The unnatural silence was oppressive, making it difficult to distinguish between what was real and what was not.

Just then—

"Beep beep beep."

The unexpected sound shattered the tense atmosphere, causing everyone to flinch. The young man turned to see Kiara's silver bracelet vibrating insistently.

"S-sorry," Kiara mumbled, shrinking under Misaya's irritated glare. She quickly fiddled with the device, her brow furrowing in confusion. "That's... weird."

"What's wrong?" Mordred asked.

Kiara looked up, bewilderment clear in her eyes. "Illya-senpai is trying to reach me... through the Chaldea channel."

Mordred's eyes widened in disbelief.

The young man, seeing their expressions, asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is something strange?"

Mordred frowned. "We shouldn't be able to make contact at all. The Resurrection Pyramid blocked even the Mooncell's communication system. So how in the world is the notoriously unreliable Chaldea channel still working?"

Mordred nodded decisively. "Let's answer it and see what happens."

Kiara took a deep breath and accepted the call. With a soft chime and a flicker of light, Illya's projection appeared above her bracelet.

"Finally!" Illya's voice came through, tinged with exasperation. "What took you so long to answer, Kiara?"

"I... um..." Kiara stammered, unsure how to explain their unusual circumstances.

Illya didn't wait for a response, her words tumbling out in a rush. "Where have you all been? Why weren't my messages getting through? And how on earth did you end up in the Mirror World?"

"Mirror World?" Kiara looked completely lost.

"Yes, the Mirror World," Illya nodded. "Neither the Mooncell's friend system nor Chaldea's comm network could reach you. If you hadn't somehow stumbled into the Mirror World, and if I wasn't so familiar with it, we wouldn't be talking right now."

"Mirror World, what's that?" Misaya looked bewildered. Ever since she started hanging out with Kiara and the others, she felt that her knowledge as a descendant of a prestigious magus family was becoming more and more inadequate.

The young man adjusted his glasses, "In simple terms, it's a reflection of the real world created by replicating reality with magical energy, a hidden world that causes people to disappear mysteriously."

Cu Chulainn nodded, his expression thoughtful. "It's similar to that woman's Shadow Land—a Mystery unique to the Age of Gods. Our connection here is likely due to someone intercepting the past of the future Fujimaru Shirou, putting us on the same wavelength." He turned to Illya's projection, his eyes narrowing. "But to establish a direct connection from the outside... that's truly remarkable. This must involve some higher-order 'Laws', right?"

"I see," Misaya said, her brow furrowed in concentration. She then gestured towards the young man. "But how does he know so much about this?"

At that moment, Illya's gaze fell on the young man. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Wait... is that Mr. Shirou?"

The young man stepped forward. "To be precise, I'm the past version of Fujimaru Shirou." He gave a small, polite bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you. As I said, I'm Fujimaru Shirou."

Illya's projection flickered slightly as she regarded the young man, her expression a mix of curiosity and bewilderment. "Hello..." she said, her voice trailing off as she took in his youthful energy.

It was an understandable reaction. Compared to the Shirou she knew, this younger version gave off an air of carefree frivolity, lacking some of the mature steadiness she was accustomed to. He reminded her of a playful butterfly, flitting about without a care in the world.

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."