BCloud
patreon
IBHJ Chapter 609
🕑 Added 2023-12-06 03:58:41 +0000 UTCSaber tightened her grip on the holy sword, a solemn look on her face. It was clearly extremely difficult to swing her sword at Kiara—at both versions of her. Since there were two Kiaras, it meant one was the real Kiara Sessyoin and the other was the Beast that Shirou had told them about.
Just then, a questioning voice emerged from the rubble: "How did you know we were both me, King Arthur?"
Hearing this, the trio stiffened in shock.
Two Kiara Sessyoins, both unharmed, standing there staring at them.
What was rather strange was that both Kiaras had now grown ox horns on their heads and strange dotted markings on their skin. Additionally, they now wore pink ceremonial robes.
Jeanne's eyes widened in shock. She remembered now, recalling what those cultists had said.
This person...undoubtedly, she was the cult leader that those cultists followed!
But...why were there two of them?
It was already known to everyone that one Kiara would be the Beast.
But now, what appeared before them was two Kiaras.
And both emitted an extremely ominous, deeply unsettling aura, like facing a natural disaster or mortal enemy.
Saber and the others watched the two Kiaras full of vigilance.
If their guess was right, what they were facing were...
Beast!
Two identical Beasts!
"How did you recognize we were both me, King Arthur?" the two Kiaras asked in tandem, staring at Saber with interest.
"Assassin said, sometimes feelings are more useful than thoughts or eyes."
"Oh~! Mister Assassin? Even when he's not here, he still influences your judgment?" the two Kiaras laughed.
Then, the two women walked towards each other, their shadows merging, and from two people, turned back into one.
Jeanne frowned, staring accusingly at Kiara. "Where is Miss Kiara?"
"Aren't I right here, Miss Jeanne?" Kiara asked back in puzzlement.
Saber’s blue eyes stared coldly. "She's not asking about you, Beast. She's asking about the real Miss Kiara!"
"My, what a hostile, cold eyes. But I forgive you, King Arthur." Kiara laughed. She placed a hand on her belly. “That false me has returned to my body. I’m very sorry for the trouble she caused earlier. Before, she was quite unwilling to return. But I won’t get upset over this—whatever you did must have been out of care for her, right?"
Her expression was very gentle. She seemed somewhat troubled instead of looking like the fierce Beast—the mortal enemy of Heroic Spirits. Instead, she resembled a worried big sister.
However, it made Saber, Jeanne, and Nero feel chills down their spines.
Because this Kiara emitted an aura that couldn't be ignored.
Saber fixed her eyes on Kiara, her holy sword once again emanating brilliant starlight. She raised it high towards her and shouted.
The bright starlight flashed again like a torrent of stars, blasting towards Kiara.
Seeing this, Kiara didn't panic. Instead, the corners of her mouth lifted in a gentle smile, like a mature older sister.
However, Saber and the others were shocked by what happened next.
Innumerable hands of light extended from Kiara’s body towards Saber’s attack. In an instant, the starlight was torn apart, seeming to take on physical form as the glowing hands shredded through it.
Saber and th others were too familiar with this method. And it was because they recognized it instantly that they were so astonished now.
“That’s...that’s Assassin’s...” Saber muttered in dismay. The others wore similar looks of disbelief.
Because wasn't this style the same as Assassin's Black Hands?
Could it be this Beast somehow possessed the same Noble Phantasm as Assassin?
Their shock lasted only a moment. After all, Saber and the others were legendary heroes - their reaction speed was beyond ordinary human.
With Saber's attack unsuccessful, Nero and Jeanne immediately charged out to pincer Kiara from both sides.
One brandished a red blade as the other waved a spear-tipped flagpole. The two rushed towards the smiling Kiara to deal a fatal blow.
The sharp blades sliced through the air. But two glowing hands extended from Kiara's abdomen, seizing Nero and Jeanne's weapons.
The strength was so great that neither Nero or Jeanne could budge an inch.
"Although you want to kill me, I won’t hurt you," Kiara assured. "That wouldn’t make me happy."
Jeanne and Nero frowned, yanking back their weapons as they leapt away.
Saber followed right after them, the three heroes advancing together, about to attack Kiara again.
But suddenly, hundreds of glowing hands extended from Kiara’s abdomen, surrounding and ensnaring Saber and the others.
The hands were extremely tough. Even when bombarded by Excalibur, they couldn’t be damaged at all. Yet Kiara did not seem intent on killing them. The hands merely entangled the trio, holding them in place.
“Speaking of which, I have a question, Miss Jeanne,” Kiara said, her gaze landing on the saintess. “Why did you guide my followers toward the path of suffering?”
“What?” Jeanne looked baffled by the question.
“Their hearts are filled with worries, unable to find salvation,” Kiara explained. “While I gave them happiness, freed them from harsh realities. But you put them back on the path suffering. You are also a saintess - so why destroy the good I did?”
Jeanne bristled, her normally gentle temper flaring at the religious implication.
“You destroyed those people’s souls!” she cried. “Merchants, singers, teachers—they abandoned their work to chant your scriptures, praising the world for no reason, indulging their every desire without scruple! And your fanatics even burned themselves to death to prove their devotion. You are a heretic! You ruined them!”
"Heretic?" Kiara seemed puzzled, but not angry. She gently smiled. "I understand you don't understand me, as I don't understand you. But what I did are virtuous deeds. I freed them from worry."
"You ignited their desires!" Jeanne yelled angrily. "You encouraged indulgence, then led them to self-destruct while chasing those cravings! You are more despicable than the vilest magus! If your deeds count as virtuous, Satan himself would ascend to Heaven!"
Kiara asked quizzically, "But aren't deeds that make humans feel good considered virtuous?"
"But did your actions actually make them happy?" Jeanne countered.
"Of course," Kiara smiled. "Freeing people from worries makes me happy."
"I understand now - why you are the Beast," Nero said, slashing apart a glowing hand. "In your mind, probably only you count as human, right? I understand that feeling."
Saber and Jeanne looked astonished at Nero.
"Don't stare at me like that," Nero said. "When composing my greatest music, I instinctively feel like no one else in the world is human except me."
Saber and Jeanne stared solemnly at Kiara. Now they finally understood just what a distorted person they were facing.
Believing only oneself human in the whole world. Thus, anything that brings self pleasure becomes virtuous deed.
In other words, she saw no issue in destroying her followers' souls, so long as it brought her joy. For she alone was human whose happiness mattered.
It explained everything—why this Beast would readily guide her followers toward the path of destruction.
At this time, they recalled what Shirou told them before rushing to the Red Faction:
"Don’t try to communicate with a Beast. Wanting to communicate with them is even more ridiculous than trying to communicate with a Berserker!"
Yes, trying to communicate with a mad Berserker was ridiculous enough. Trying to communicate with a Beast was utterly absurd.
Because their values were completely different!
Kiara looked at Saber and the others, smiling gently. "The Buddha said to save all living beings. And I do the same, seeing all equally. I can see each of you has your own worries. Don’t worry, I will save you from the endless bitter sea and guide you toward the shining shore of happiness.”
At Kiara's will, the glowing hands encircling Saber and the others shifted into creeping shadows, reaching to ensnare them.
Saber and the others' expressions changed drastically.
Jeanne shouted, "Come to me!"
Saber and Nero hurried over. Jeanne raised her banner high and cried out, "God is Here With Me!"
Heaven's light blazed around Jeanne d’Arc at the center, covering a ten meter area.
This was the divine radiance which could convert Jeanne’s EX-rank magic resistance into protection against any harm. Previously, Jeanne had used this banner to defend against the chthonian that Red Caster had summoned.
Yet this time—
"Crack crack crack—!"
The sound echoed like marbles spilling onto a plate, ringing loudly.
"How is this possible...so quickly..." Jeanne looked stunned.
The cracking continued, her pristine barrier now fracturing like a spiderweb.
"It's—it's about to shatter!" she warned urgently.
"If it can't block them... hmm! I've decided!" Nero looked resolutely at Saber and Jeanne, saying, "If you make it back, tell my Master to definitely summon me again! Also, don’t you dare throw my violin and music scores into the trash again!”
"What are you going to do?" Saber asked.
"I'll restrain her!" Nero's eyes blazed. Then, while the barrier still held, she charged out toward Kiara.
Kiara looked surprised and eager. "Are you coming to embrace me?"
However, the moment Nero reached her, she stabbed her sword into the ground and shouted, "Behold my glory...Hear the thunderous applause...Sit and praise...My Golden Theater! Aestus Domus Aurea!"
Comments
JeanMartin Freites
Let's see what the Empress of roses can do.
Lucas
A Nero foi de F
