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IBHJ Chapter 79
🕑 Added 2023-02-05 22:30:16 +0000 UTCShirou watched as Diarmuid faded away, then he turned to face Kayneth.
"Do you want me dead?" Kayneth asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
"You've tried to kill me twice using Diarmuid," Shirou replied. "Can you explain why? I may have been weak at the time, but there was no need for you to single me out and ignore other Masters, was there?"
Kayneth responded, "The success of my attempts to eliminate you is of no importance. The Holy Grail War lost its significance for me the moment I first set eyes on you. Your physical body, your ability to fuse with a Servant, renders you an exceedingly rare and valuable asset, a treasure that most magi, myself included, would be eager to obtain."
"Is that so?" Shirou's eyes blazed with flame as he gazed at Kayneth.
"Shua!"
The projected sword shot forward and plunged into Kayneth's gut.
"Pu--"
Kayneth retched, his hand pressed against his wound as blood poured out. The sword blade was slick with his life's essence.
"Drip, Drip."
"I will never forgive you. I will always despise you. So, never appear before me again." With those words, he unfurled his dark wings and took flight, departing and leaving Kayneth behind.
"Professor..." Waver approached, worry etched on his face.
"Two fools... no... three fools... no, no, no... there's also me! Hahaha! Excellent! Four fools!" Kayneth laughed madly, his cackle turning into a cough as blood spewed from his mouth. He then used magecraft to heal himself.
"What are you still doing here?" Kayneth barked at Waver. "Get out of here, you fool! Use that power and run!"
"What--?" Waver was taken aback.
Power?
The realization dawned on him, and he quickly mounted Bucephalus. Turning back to Kayneth, he said gratefully, "Thank you, Professor."
Kayneth sniffed dismissively.
Waver rode away, leaving Kayneth behind.
Kayneth gazed as Waver departed, his whisper carried by the wind, "What exactly lies at the end of your dream, foolish magus?"
He clutched his chest and crawled to the side of the sleeping Sola. The harsh lines of his face softened as he gazed down at her.
"Sola, my dear Sola..." he whispered.
Kayneth reclined beside her and gazed at the sky. It brought back memories of when he was a young boy, staring up at the sky in wonder. Back then, he stood at the peak, too high for anyone to reach, surrounded by ignorance. But now, he had someone beside him.
In the sky, he saw several transport planes flying by and tiny figures jumping out with parachutes.
"Something is going to happen... are the Holy Church and the Mage's Association able to keep it under control?" he wondered.
Even Kayneth wasn't certain, because the military had now become involved.
...
"Caster! Caster! ... Fujimura Shirou...!"
The voice calling out to him came from behind him, and Shirou halted mid-air, turning to see Waver riding on horseback.
"Is there something else, Waver?" he asked.
Waver dismounted from his horse, looking at Shirou with a serious expression. He implored, "Caster... Although it's audacious of the Master of Rider to ask, I beg of you to lend me your power."
"What is it you wish to do?"
"Conquer... Iskandar!" Waver replied with determination.
"I see... Iskandar has also been contaminated by All the World's Evil. Very well, I will lend my power to you and together, we will conquer Iskandar."
"Thank you, Caster," Waver said gratefully.
"There's no need for thanks," Shirou replied with a smile.
Waver gazed at the bright pair of eyes, feeling that they had truly transformed and become even more dazzling.
He climbed onto Bucephalus' back and whispered, "Bucephalus, take me to find your king."
Bucephalus let out a loud whinny and galloped off, with Waver holding on tightly.
Shirou's black wings fluttered as he followed close behind.
Eventually, they arrived at the Fuyuki Bridge.
The bridge served as a dividing line between two contrasting realities.
In the Shinto town, buildings were being erected and construction was ongoing, a testament to the prosperity of humanity. Meanwhile, Miyama was a sea of flames, with raging fires consuming everything that was outdated, dilapidated, and ignorant.
At this moment, the Fuyuki Bridge was abandoned, with only the pitch-black King standing in the center, seemingly waiting for someone's arrival.
"Iskandar..." Shirou looked at the blackened king, struggling to reconcile the once-great ruler with the mud-stained figure before him.
He gradually descended from the sky.
Suddenly--
"!!!"
A deafening explosion echoed as a dark, jet-black beam erupted from the church and targeted Shirou.
Without any hesitation, he enveloped himself in the black mud and summoned several shields from the Saint Graph of Emiya to protect himself. Finally, he invoked Rho Aias to fortify his defense.
"BOOM----!"
The black light roared and howled, filling the air with its deafening noise. a moment later, it penetrated through the mighty Rho Aias and struck Shirou, who was encased in his black mud. With a loud "plop," he was sent flying into the sea, disappearing from sight.
"Caster-!" Waver cried out.
But it was already too late.
"Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah--!"
As Iskandar summoned Ionioi Hetairoi, a sandstorm began to rise, engulfing everything in its path.
Waver stood alone, facing a formidable army of a thousand soldiers and horses.
...
With a loud "bang!", Shirou burst out of the water, causing a shower of droplets to spray in all directions.
He looked a bit disheveled after emerging from the ball-shaped mass of black mud that had been pierced by a beam of dark light. His right arm was badly burned, with white smoke rising from the sizzling wound.
Despite the injury, Shirou's face remained composed. The black mud flowed over his right arm, soothing the burn as it gradually flowed away, completely healing the wound.
"Actually...I don't really need Avalon, Kiritsugu," he whispered.
Standing tall in the sky, Shirou directed his gaze towards the source of the beam. There was no doubt that it was Artoria's Excalibur, now corrupted by All the World's Evil and transformed into the Black Excalibur.
Taking a deep breath, Shirou withdrew his gaze. His first priority was to free Iskandar and Waver, and then find Artoria.
Shirou turned his gaze towards the empty Fuyuki Bridge, where he sensed a vague but powerful disturbance that seemed to defy the laws of the world, creating a world within a world. He knew that Iskandar had activated Ionioi Hetairoi, trapping Waver inside it.
This is somewhat troublesome.
Once the Reality Marble was activated, it was difficult for those outside and inside to interfere with each other, just as it had been difficult for Shirou to inform Kiritsugu to use the Command Seals for Artoria during his battle with Spartacus.
But for Shirou, this was not a difficult task. His mud could corrode the world, just as Scathach was able to intervene because of it. He could use it to corrode the Reality Marble and create a hole, allowing him to drill in.
However, just as he was about to unleash the mud, he heard a voice declare, "This is the king, go forth and conquer the King of Knights."
Shirou was taken aback, then he glanced towards the Reality Marble and smiled. "So that's the reason," he understood. "No wonder the city was barely impacted. It was you who defended the bridge, King of Conqueror."
He turned and left, leaving Waver to be well-loved by this king. But in reality, Waver was on the verge of despair and close to tears. Caster had been mysteriously hit by a beam of light and he was now trapped by Iskandar's Ionioi Hetairoi, facing an approaching army of oppression alone.
His face turned bitter as he gazed at the approaching army. But suddenly, a voice from behind him said, "What are you afraid of? You are the inheritor of the King's legacy."
Waver spun around, shock registering on his face as he took in the scene behind him. Thick clouds of smoke and dust enveloped the area, and amidst it all stood a massive, imposing army. He couldn't understand how this was possible, where this army had suddenly appeared from. The sight left him stunned and filled with questions.
"We are the righteous army, come to defeat the Evil King!" the soldiers declared in unison, their voices resounding with conviction. "Heir to the king's legacy, lead us to victory over this tyrant!"
Waver was stunned and couldn't comprehend the situation.
