IBHJ Chapter 779

A series of bloodcurdling screams erupted from the cave, so miserable that they sent chills down the spines of the guarding soldiers. Agravain emerged from the cave, his hands dripping with blood, and barked an order for the soldiers to bring him a basin of water. As soon as the water was brought, Agravain plunged his hands into the basin, the blood quickly dissolving and turning the water a sickening shade of red.

"I'm done with that thing," Agravain said casually, as if discussing the weather, while he continued to scrub his hands clean.

The soldiers nodded, their faces grim. "Understood, Lord Agravain." These men were Agravain's personal shadow guard, specializing in handling the kingdom's darkest and most unspeakable matters.

In the past, following Shirou's orders, Agravain had dispatched these soldiers to other regions to keep ambitious lords who might pose a threat in check. Later, when Agravain fell under the Grail's control, they too were assimilated and manipulated, becoming a ruthless weapon that hastened the kingdom's downfall.

Agravain finished drying his hands and turned to the soldiers. "I'll leave this to you. I need to go see the king and report some new intelligence."

"Yes, Lord Agravain," the soldiers replied, their faces impassive.

As Agravain left, the cold-faced soldiers picked up their swords and entered the cave.

"You, what more do you want, humans? Ah—"

...

Compared to the suffocating darkness inside the cave, the outside world seemed blindingly bright. After straightening his appearance, Agravain made his way to the main hall of the Chaldea mountain base to meet his king.

When Agravain entered, Shirou was in the middle of a conversation with Sigurd, who had just returned from Asgard. Noticing Agravain's presence, Shirou's gaze shifted to him.

"My King." Agravain saluted, his demeanor solemn and respectful. "There is one thing I must report to you, no matter what."

"What is it?"

Agravain took a breath before replying, "After interrogating that Fire Giant, I learned that this Connection Point will likely last no more than one month."

Shirou's brow furrowed. "One month?"

It was already clear that this connection point was irreversibly heading towards destruction, a fact that Merlin had confirmed. However, according to the Fire Giant, this world had one month left.

He stroked his chin, pondering the new information. "Do you think this intel is reliable?"

"We've already determined from Merlin's clairvoyance that the giants have a fanatic worship for their king, so it's likely they'd deliberately leak false information," Agravain explained. "However, this particular Fire Giant is a bit of an outcast. Subjectively, I think it's 100% reliable, but objectively, we can only trust it about 30%."

"Why is the objective credibility so low?"

Agravain remained calm as he answered, "A new recruit couldn't possibly know so much. He didn't dare lie to me, but because of the torture, he might have fabricated some details to reduce the pain."

Shirou nodded, then looked at Agravain with a hint of approval. "You've become more cautious, Agravain."

"After experiencing so much, I believe even someone as pure and naive as Sir Bedivere would become very cautious," Agravain replied dutifully. The Foreign Grail had changed everyone's fate and forced them all to adapt.

At that moment, Skadi walked in, her expression cold. "That giant didn't lie. This world indeed only has one month left."

Shirou turned to face her, his eyes narrowing. "How can you be sure?"

"My contract with Ogelmir has been terminated, and I can no longer sense Hel's presence. Surtr has succeeded. I'm afraid he snuck into Asgard during the infighting between Hel and Ogelmir and used Laevatein to destroy him," Skadi explained.

Salter chimed in, addressing Shirou, "Speaking of which, Eternal King, have you sensed it? It seems our connection with Svadilfari has also been severed, but because we have a lot of mana, we can temporarily maintain our presence."

She continued, her voice tinged with concern, "But, it won't be long before we disappear as well."

Shirou remained unfazed. "That doesn't matter. We can always make a new contract with Illya and the others later." He stroked his chin, deep in thought. "So, if we keep them outside Asgard for a month, they'll have no choice but to face inevitable destruction, right?"

Agravain nodded, his expression serious. "That's right. As long as we prevent them from reaching Asgard, they'll be eliminated along with this Connection Point after a month. And since we're Servants, even if we die, we'll simply return to the Throne of Heroes. Right now, we have a significant advantage. We just need to stall them until their time runs out."

Galahad raised an eyebrow, a hint of warning in his voice. "Uncle Agravain, I've fought against them before. Underestimating them will only lead to trouble."

"I understand, Your Highness." Agravain bowed slightly, acknowledging Galahad's concern.

Galahad looked at Agravain indifferently, not particularly fond of his uncles addressing him by that title. After all, he had merely inherited Mordred's legacy.

Agravain unfolded a map and pointed to a specific location. "I've thoroughly investigated the marching route of their 150,000 main troops. This is the only path they must take, and it's currently under our army's control. With the sea at their back and mountainous terrain surrounding them, we need only construct a military fortress here before their arrival and assign heavy troops to guard it, effectively cutting off their throat." He traced his finger along the map, outlining his strategy. "Then, we'll have Gawain, Lancelot, and the other legions spread out in a fan shape to cover the side roads and maintain a connected defense. We can stall them to death right here."

Shirou glanced at the map, his brow furrowed in thought. "The mountains are a good natural barrier, but don't forget, they're giants. These obstacles probably won't have much effect on them compared to humans." He tapped the map, pointing to the sea. "But with the sea at their back, we don't need to worry about being attacked from behind. It's a good location for a military fortress." Shirou paused, a hint of concern in his voice. "The question is, who can directly confront the giants' main force?"

Shirou felt a headache coming on. In this Connection Point, only two people could directly block the giants' main force - Ogelmir and Skadi at her peak. However, Surtr had killed Ogelmir, and Skadi had fallen victim to Surtr's scheme, which used Hel and Svadilfari as pawns, ultimately causing her to lose her power.

Galahad stepped forward, "Then let me do it, my king."

Shirou looked at him, his eyes searching Galahad's face. "Are you sure, Galahad? This isn't just a single legion like before. We're talking about their main force, 150,000 troops strong."

Galahad met Shirou's gaze, his resolve unwavering. "Please leave it to me, my king. My Noble Phantasm is designed precisely for this purpose."

Shirou nodded, about to give the order to Galahad when Skadi's voice cut through the room. "It's useless."

Everyone's gaze shifted to her as he paused. Her voice was cold as she continued, "You won't succeed. This world already belongs to Surtr. In this world, you cannot defeat him. I still suggest that you go to the Pan-Human History to set up a defensive line. That's the only way you have a chance of winning."

Shirou's brow furrowed. "Why do you say that?"

Skadi's expression remained impassive. "He already possesses four origin wheels. They are the Authority of Ogelmir, and he is the concept of this world itself. Surtr, who holds the four wheels, can already be considered the World's Will. The reason your legions can still match him in battle now is because you caught him off guard. Once he reacts and uses the four wheels to rewrite the world's laws, guiding them in a direction favorable to the giants, you will have no chance of winning at all."

Shirou's frown deepened at Skadi's words. Suddenly, a series of thunderous booms exploded in the sky. He felt a wave of discomfort wash over him, and he wasn't alone. Galahad and Salter also seemed to be struggling, like insects caught in a spider's web, feeling restrained.

Skadi spoke flatly, "You see, he has made a move. He has begun to rewrite the world's laws."