IBHJ 1362

“I can’t believe it,” Shirou muttered. “That massive summoning circle… it was meant to call the Golden Emperor?”

He’d assumed it was just another ritual to pull something ancient from history. But this—this was the Golden Destroyer. A being from the Origin Era.

Maybe the Lord of Salvation had planned it all. Maybe it saw Origin Gaia coming long before anyone else. Maybe it set everything in motion—stirring chaos, turning allies into enemies, pushing Shirou to fire the Akashic Arrow.

All just to open the path. To let the Golden Destroyer bypass Gaia’s planetary defenses and step into the present uncontested.

But there was one thing it hadn’t counted on.

Shirou holding back.

Instead of unleashing the Arrow, he’d taken another route. He showed Gaia the future. And that single vision had undone the trap.

More importantly—

“…Thanks, Abby,” Shirou said, glancing her way.

If she hadn’t warned them, they’d still be blind.

“It’s nothing,” Abigail said, scratching her cheek with a shy smile. “We’re friends, right?”

“Of course,” he nodded.

“And friends shouldn’t act so stiff! You helped me first, didn’t you, Big Brother Shirou?” She flashed him a grin, then turned to leave. “Anyway, I’ve gotta head back. Say hi to Kama for me, okay? Oh—and Father and the others said they’re curious about you. If you ever feel like visiting our place, just drop by!”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied with a smile.

Of course he’s lying.

He had zero plans to ever step foot in Outer God territory. Whatever cosmic nightmares lived out there—he’d prefer not to find out firsthand.

The universe was wide. Too wide. Full of evil gods, umbral stars, and things that shouldn’t exist. Even with the Akashic Arrow—or his full Emperor power—one wrong move could end everything.

But thankfully, Abigail didn’t seem to notice. She just smiled, gave a little wave, and stepped back through the warped gate—heading home, back to the stars.

“…Abby’s really changed,” Shirou muttered.

The first time he met her in Shinjuku, she’d been a cold emissary of the Outer Gods, a high-ranking council official barely human. Later, trapped in the Eternal Coffin, she’d been a shadow of herself—tired, hollow, ready to surrender.

Even after he and Xuanzang Sanzang helped pull her back, her smile always carried that brittle edge. Like someone holding on just enough to keep from breaking.

But now… her eyes were clear.

Maybe it was because she’d finally found where she belonged.

And Shirou… was close to doing the same.

He curled his hand into a fist.

Once the farewells were done and the UOs faded from view, Shirou returned to Earth with Arcueid, Altrouge, and Future Gaia.

Origin Gaia had vanished—and with it, Cosmic Alaya.

But even in its brief existence, that force left behind a trail of change.

Like the Counter Force.

When Cosmic Alaya tore it open, it didn’t just break the seal. It forced Counter Force Alaya to adapt—no longer clinging to its old rules of “only humans.”

Not out of defeat.

But because Future Gaia connected it to the dormant Cosmic Alaya network nodes scattered across nearby stars.

The network wasn’t as vast as during the Origin Era… but it was enough. Enough to stretch across half the galaxy.

And enough to change everything.

And because Alaya itself was a node of the Cosmic Alaya, its revival pulled it back into full sync.

The emergence of the Reverse World, the rise of new species, the return of Origin Gaia, and the arrival of Cosmic Alaya—each one had already shaken human perception. Together, they left no room for the old worldview. Whether anyone wanted it or not, something new had taken root.

And as that shift spread, it fed directly into Alaya—pushing it further and faster toward alignment with its cosmic counterpart.

Once the merger finished, humanity would fall under Cosmic Alaya’s protection. The Counter Force—no longer just a reactive mechanism—would evolve into something more. A guardian of humanity’s future. A spear aimed at the stars.

But that wasn’t all.

When Alaya finished syncing with the cosmic network, the Throne of Heroes would be caught in the change too. Tied to the Counter Force, it would be lifted with it. Every Heroic Spirit. Every Divine Spirit. No longer bound by the limits of myth or belief.

They would break free—ascending beyond stories. No longer just figures remembered by humanity, but true Cosmic Heroic Spirits.

If you had to put it in game terms, it’d be like Earth Online getting upgraded to Cosmic Online. The level cap would be gone, and the system would be rewritten.

Just like Future Gaia said, the next wave of life wouldn’t just repeat history. They’d carve out something new. Something brighter than the Origin Era ever managed.

But none of it could happen unless one condition was met.

The Lord of Salvation.

As long as It remained, even the clearest future would fade into fantasy.

And right now… it had already summoned the Golden Destroyer.

Which meant Shirou had to go back. To the Origin Era. To stand beside Origin Gaia. To fight.

But—

His hand tightened at his side.

Ritsuka—his sister—was still with the Beast VII.

And because of that, even knowing what was at stake, he hesitated.

“Don’t worry about Ritsuka,” Arcueid said, tapping her chest with a confident grin. “Leave her to us!”

Future Gaia puffed herself up beside her, hands on her hips like she was twice her actual size. “Go win your War, Shirou! Don’t hold back. Because standing behind you… is the great me!”

Shirou blinked. Then he gave a soft laugh.

His gaze lingered on the smaller Gaia—white hair practically glowing under the light, expression smug and proud like she’d just solved everything.

And before he even thought about it, his hand reached out.

He grabbed a handful of that snow-colored hair and gave it a sharp tug.

“YAAAH—!” Future Gaia shrieked, stumbling back with both hands clamped over her head. Her eyes went wide and glossy. “W-What was that for!?”

Shirou kept a perfectly straight face. “Just wanted to check if it actually had texture.”

“You’ve got issues!” Future Gaia shouted, clutching her head. “I’m in anthropomorphized form! Of course I’ve got touch-sensitive nerves and weak spots! That hurt like hell!”

Still rubbing her scalp, she scrambled behind Arcueid, half-hiding, half-pouting as she gently stroked her hair like it had been through war.

So unfair.

First, she got smacked around by the Origin Gaia, and now her favorite human had yanked her hair like she was some plush toy. So much suffering. So little sympathy.

Shirou just chuckled and turned away.

His eyes landed on the one person who’d been silent the whole time.

He curled a finger.

Mordred blinked. Then pointed to herself. “…Me?”

He nodded.

She gave him a skeptical look but stepped closer.

And the second she was within reach, he pulled her into a tight hug.

“Hey—hey! You’re made of mud, you know!” Mordred squirmed in his arms, twisting like she was being poisoned. “It’s all mud! That’s gross!”

But even as she flailed, she couldn’t quite pull away.

“When this is over,” Shirou said quietly, “let’s go see the snow. All of us. As a family.”

She froze.

Her hands, which had been lightly shoving at his chest, slowly fell still. “…You’re going to win, right?”

Shirou met her eyes.

“Have you ever seen me lose?” He gave her shoulders a firm squeeze. “Your father… is going to win.”

“…Yes.” She nodded. Then smiled. “You better.”

She wrapped her arms around him. “You have to win, Father.”

Shirou held her a second longer, then looked past her—toward Artoria.

Their eyes met.

She didn’t say anything. Just nodded.

And he nodded back.

That was enough.