IBHJ Chapter 828

The King of Men brought his warhorse to a halt and said, "Do you want to do it yourself, or should I send you on your way?"

Surtr slowly turned his head, his eyes falling on Artoria. "Is she the knight who initiated this operation?" He gazed at her for a while, then his gaze returned to Shirou, a bitter smile forming on his lips. "Looks like you chose to trust the right person, while I put my faith in the wrong one."

Shirou remained silent.

"If you wish to protect Pan-Human History, then beware Eternal King," Surtr warned.

"This, I understand clearly," Shirou replied.

Surtr shook his head. "No, you don't. As thanks for earlier, listen carefully. The council's real purpose in creating the connection points was..." He seemed on the verge of revealing some forbidden truth when his face suddenly contorted, fresh blood spurting from the corners of his mouth as cracks spread across his body. Shirou was startled by this, and even Skadi and Merlin looked on in shock at Surtr's condition. His body was cracking?! Who could have done such damage to Surtr?

"As expected of the one leading the Council. He used a portion of my dormant consciousness to silence me." Surtr spat blood, his physical form disintegrating. However, if he could be destroyed that easily, he wouldn't be known as Surtr.

He gritted his teeth, and the disintegration of his body slowed. He shouted, "Eternal King! The council created the connection points to gain access to the Primordial Age!"

"To get to that infinitely distant past era, a certain history in time has to happen... The council's goal was to reach that Primordial Age. And to do that, they set up anchors - connection points as footholds. Beware, because three of the connection points, including this anchor, have already been established!" Surtr said as his body continued crumbling.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Surtr ignored him, staring up at the sky. The light in his eyes slowly faded as he gazed at this hazy world. The vast sky and earth, so cold yet so wondrous, like a newborn seeing the world with curiosity, thinking everything was beautiful.

He moved forward step by step, growing little by little, only to realize that this world held no beauty - just emptiness. In the end, he found himself standing alone, just as he had when he first arrived. But now, there was nothing left to keep him here.

Everyone always said he was the most powerful person in this world. Surtr had to admit that in the end, among all the gods and giants he knew, there really was no one who matched his strength. He hadn't lost to anyone - the King of Giants Surtr had only lost to himself.

In his final moments of consciousness, Surtr saw it again. Tears fell from his eyes - the last vestige of his humanity.

His original wish had been simple: to protect that small hut and keep the old man inside safe. He started out small, but went further and further, the things he wanted to protect growing heavier with each passing day.

Surtr's eyes fluttered open, his expression serene and gentle. After that long, difficult journey, he slowly raised his weary eyes, showing a deep emotion.

Crack, crack, crack!

Like a piece of pottery that had been dropped on a hard floor, his body shattered, fragments flying everywhere as they turned into shimmering spirit particles, scattered by the harsh, unforgiving winds.

...

"What's wrong?" Demonic Bodhisattva asked.

Sixth Seat said, "Surtr has died."

A smile played on Demonic Bodhisattva's lips, "As expected, you lost in the end, Surtr."

It wasn't arrogance, but when it came to understanding people and figuring things out, she was quite perceptive.

"We've lost one of the remaining traces from the Primordial Age..." Regret tinged Sixth Seat's voice.

"I hate to interrupt your moment, but now's not the time to mourn him," Demonic Bodhisattva said with a charming smile.

Sixth Seat glanced over, happening to notice Mordred using the Grail to do something to Adam. He stated flatly, "Let's go."

"Eh? Eh?" Demonic Bodhisattva looked at Sixth Seat with surprise. "Didn't you say you wanted to kill them? Why aren't we fighting?"

"I have a meeting to attend. You wouldn't want to be late, right?" Sixth Seat countered, glancing back at her.

"A meeting? Wait, does this mean I can attend the official one now?"

"Surtr has died, leaving the Ninth Seat vacant. You're not going to refuse, are you?"

"Of course not. I also have a wish I'm determined to accomplish. Following the Council is better than relying on the Holy Grail." she smiled. "Let's go."

Red light flickered in the Sixth Seat's eyes, and in the next moment, the surrounding space cracked like a spider's web, forming a void-like black hole. He stood before it and stretched out his hand. The sound of cracking filled the air as a flaming red road tore through the distant aurora-lit sky, flying toward them.

This road was none other than the sky-road created by Surtr with his own life and soul. Sixth Seat used his power to break the road, grabbing it from the Connection Point. The massive sky-road came flying down like a comet, and when it hit the ground not far from them, it exploded with a deafening boom. Dust and debris went flying everywhere, but as it cleared, they could see a glowing crater. And there, right in the middle of it, was a crimson sword, radiating heat like it had just been pulled out of an infernal forge.

Sixth Seat grabbed the sword and entered the void-like black hole with Demonic Bodhisattva, their figures slowly disappearing as if crossing the dimensions of reality.

"Stop right there, you scum!"

Several hands extended from Demonic Bodhisattva's abdomen, easily blocking Mordred's mana blast.

"Did you really think something like that would work on us, Mordred-chan?" Demonic Bodhisattva laughed.

Mordred pouted. "Of course not. I'm just annoyed right now, so I figured I might as well use you as a punching bag."

Demonic Bodhisattva was left speechless. Sixth Seat glanced at Mordred and said, "I'll leave that Grail with you for a bit longer, along with your wish."

As the two Council members vanished completely, Mordred finally relaxed.

"We're not going to pursue them?" Adam lowered his head slightly and asked her.

She rolled her eyes. "Do you really think we can win? Couldn't you tell they weren't interested in fighting us to the death?"

He scratched the back of his head: "Then why didn't they kill us?"

"Isn't that simple?" She rolled her eyes again but still patiently explained, "Either they had something more important to do and couldn't be bothered with us, or they were being cautious of that fairy."

"Fairy?" Adam looked puzzled.

Mordred pointed to the massive compound magic circle floating in the sky. "The fairy who set up that magic circle. But it looks like she has no intention of coming out to meet us."

She then turned to Adam with a smile. "You know, after we left the connection point in Romania, we completely lost track of you. It was pretty surprising to find you trapped in the dimensional rift. If it weren't for that scumbag causing trouble all the time, you'd probably still be stuck god knows where."

Adam scratched the back of his head, realizing she was right. If Sixth Seat hadn't summoned Shudde M'ell, causing the space to open, and if Adam hadn't been killed at the Connection Point, allowing his soul to return to his main body, he wouldn't have been able to seize the opportunity to escape from the dimensional rift.

After a brief pause, Mordred looked at Adam, her eyes drawn to his clenched right fist. She frowned. "You know, I was curious just now. When you attacked them, you purposely adjusted your right hand's position and never opened it. Are you holding something?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah, it's something really important."

"What is it?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

"It's Mr. Assas- I mean, Mr. Shirou."

Since Mordred wasn't an enemy, Adam decided there was no reason to hide anything. He slowly opened his clenched fist, revealing Shirou's body resting in his palm. "Mr. Shirou's soul is still being summoned as a Servant, but his main body is here with me. I was worried that it might get swept away in all the fighting, so I've been extra careful, waiting for Mr. Shirou's soul to return," Adam explained honestly, his gaze landed on Shirou's body.

Mordred was stunned for a moment. Then, a playful smile appeared on her face as she looked at Shirou's body. "Mm... how interesting..."

...

"What's wrong, Shirou?" Skadi glanced at the young man beside her.

Shirou pulled his cloak tighter, suddenly feeling a sinister yet soft, chilling sensation, like a cold hand crawling up his back. Could it be that Surtr still had a hidden move? But that wouldn't make sense - Surtr was already dead, so even if he had a hidden plan, it would be pointless now.

"I guess I've been in this cold world for too long. Even though Servants don't catch colds, it's natural to feel a bit off sometimes."

She nodded in understanding. It was true - sometimes the body adapts, but the mind takes longer to adjust.