IBHJ Chapter 771
Added 2024-03-31 05:37:40 +0000 UTCThe frost giants were about to invade, and this was definitely not something he and his teacher could handle alone. It would require the cooperation of all the magi in this world, various Servants, the military, and the United Nations to tackle this mythological invasion together!
He had to quickly inform the Mage's Association and the United Nations about this. He didn't know what to do, and he wasn't sure if they'd even believe him. Even worse, he couldn't imagine the consequences if they did believe him but the frost giants never showed up. It would be bad, really bad for him. Still, he didn't have a choice. He had to do his best to protect his world. This was a war between worlds, after all!
"Eternal King!" Shirou heard someone calling out, and he frowned.
"Eternal King! Eternal King!"
The voice echoed in his ears. Shirou's brows furrowed as he struggled to open his eyes. As soon as he did, Salter's delicate face came into view.
"Why did you wake me up? Did something happen?" Shirou frowned.
"Galahad has returned."
"Galahad?" Shirou sat up, rubbing his temples. It made sense that Galahad knew he was here. After all, he was summoned by his Noble Phantasm. It was only natural for him to find them by sensing and tracing their connection.
"Yes. And he said he has important matters to report to you."
As she spoke, she paused, her eyes studying his face. "What's wrong? Did you have a dream about the fall of the Eternal Kingdom?"
"Why do you ask?" He asked, taken aback by her question.
She raised her hand and pointed at his face. "There are tears on your face," she said softly.
Hearing this, he touched his cheek and felt a wet, cold sensation. Looking down at his fingers, he was stunned. She was right. There were tears.
He quickly wiped the tears on his clothes and tried to sound calm. "It's just sweat."
"Is that so?" She asked, not entirely convinced.
"Yes. How is Skadi?"
"She's still having her body healed. Why?"
"No, it's nothing. Let's go see Galahad. We shouldn't keep him waiting," Shirou said as he got up.
She nodded, and together they left the room. In the meeting hall carved out of the mountain, they saw Galahad waiting for them.
As they entered the hall, he noticed that Galahad was in rough shape. His armor was covered in dried blood, pitch black and filled with cracks. He was sitting on a rock, but as soon as he saw Shirou, he quickly stood up and called out, "My king!"
Shirou gave Galahad's armor a pat. "You've done well, Galahad."
Galahad smiled. "It's nothing."
"No, really, you've outdone yourself this time. Unfortunately, now that we're both Servants, I have nothing to reward you with," Shirou said, returning the smile.
"Your praise is more than enough," Galahad said, his expression turning serious. "My king, that army of giants is incredibly powerful. They're top-notch soldiers. The other Knights of the Round and I barely managed to hold them back. We didn't defeat them, only scored a small victory. And I discovered something terrifying..."
Galahad's tone was solemn. "Those fire giants... they're planning to invade our Pan-Human History!"
Shirou's eyelids twitched upon hearing this.
"I've captured a fire giant. Please, come with me."
Shirou nodded in acknowledgement and proceeded to follow Galahad out of the base, his footsteps crunching on the snowy ground as he stepped outside.
On the vast plain before them, a group of Eternal soldiers were diligently working to restrain a Fire Giant, using sturdy ropes to bind its limbs and keep it under control.
The Fire Giant's expression was one of pure terror, his eyes wide and filled with an overwhelming sense of fear. It was plain to see that he was as delicate as a newborn fawn, utterly unequipped to face the nightmares of war.
As Shirou drew closer to the commotion, the Eternal soldiers raised their voices, "Your Majesty!" Their zealous cries only served to intensify the Giant's already heightened state of fear, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.
Shirou approached the giant, and Galahad stepped forward, shouting, "What are you fire giants planning?"
"Please, don't kill me! I'll talk, I promise, I'll tell you everything!"
The giant was absolutely terrified, his fear of death consuming him. He had watched his own father be devoured by his tribesmen, and he had even been given a sizable portion himself. He understood it was necessary for the survival of their species, and that his father had volunteered, but the agony his father endured while being eaten alive had left him with a deep-rooted fear of dying.
"We're planning to invade the Pan-Human History," the fire giant confessed. "Our king said that Pan-Human History is teeming with humans - six billion of them. If we can just invade, we'll have all the food we need, and our species won't have to worry about going extinct."
Illya and the Chaldea staff were stunned by this revelation. They had always believed that only the Council, Chaldea, and those with the power of the Second Magic could traverse the Connection Points. The idea that these fire giants from a random, dying world were planning to invade their own world was unthinkable!
Unable to contain her curiosity, Chloe blurted out, "How can you possibly invade Pan-Human History without the Second Magic?"
The giant shook his head. "I don't know."
Shirou's eyes narrowed to slits as soon as he heard this. "One of the giants said you've invaded other worlds before. What do you say about that?"
The fire giant hesitated, but Galahad's stern reprimand made him flinch. "My king is asking you a question!"
Frightened, the fire giant blurted out, "I'm not entirely sure, I don't know the details. But when I was young, I heard stories. The frost giants, they took us along when they invaded other worlds. Those places were all full of food... they were like paradise for giants."
Shirou suddenly stepped back, feeling short of breath.
Salter, who had been keeping a close eye on him, noticed his distress. "What's wrong, Eternal King?" she asked, concern evident in her voice. She had observed that ever since he woke up, his complexion had been rather poor.
"It's nothing," Shirou said, shaking his head. He then fixed his gaze on the fire giant and asked, "What happened to those frost giants who invaded other worlds?"
The fire giant's voice trembled as he spoke. "I don't know, I swear I don't know, human king. It's just a fairy tale, how could I remember how it ends? Please, spare my life, I'll tell you anything you want to hear."
Shirou turned to his knight. "Galahad!"
"Yes, my king?" Galahad responded promptly.
"Interrogate him. Get every bit of information he has," Shirou ordered.
"As you command!"
Shirou made his way back to the mountain base. Within a short time, Galahad had finished interrogating the fire giant, learning about their general marching route and the inner workings of their culture. Beyond that, there was nothing more to discover.
"There's one thing that stands out - their king. To be able to train such an army and keep the fire giants alive for over two thousand years by having them eat their elders..." Galahad trailed off, unable to continue. Shirou, however, understood the implication - this was a king with immense ruling power.
But now was not the time to dwell on that. The enemy's true objective was to invade Pan-Human History! Illya and Chloe were equally stunned by this revelation, knowing that traversing worlds was a feat only achievable by the Council and those possessing the Second Magic.
As the shock wore off, Chloe couldn't help but find the situation laughable. It was glaringly obvious, wasn't it? The fire giants, as inhabitants of this Connection Point, were neither part of the Council nor wielders of the Second Magic. How could they possibly travel to other worlds? It was simply impossible - a ludicrous delusion, akin to an arrogant fool dreaming of becoming the king of the entire world, with all six billion people worshipping him on sight. Equally absurd.
Comments
Once again we are left with more questions.
JeanMartin Freites
2024-03-31 07:07:49 +0000 UTC