IBHJ 1361

“Really though, that’s a first,” Venus said brightly. “Gaia actually lost. And to me, no less!”

She grinned like she’d just won the universe in a lottery—absolutely radiant, like toppling Origin Gaia had been the rarest treasure of all.

“Hmph. What’s the big deal?” Origin Gaia shrugged and crossed her arms. “If you can win, then I can lose. That’s just balance. Still, she’s a little rough around the edges. But hey, she’s being compared to peak me. The greatest Gaia!”

She threw her hands on her hips and let out a full, carefree laugh.

“Rough around the edges!? Says the one with a temper like a volcano!” Future Gaia shot back, puffing her cheeks. “If you’re the greatest Gaia, then I’m the greatest-greatest Gaia!”

“Oh yeah? Then I’m the greatest-greatest-greatest Gaia!”

“Then I’m the—oww!”

Before she could finish, Origin Gaia smacked her on the head with a sharp karate chop.

“Hey!” Future Gaia’s eyes welled up. But Origin Gaia was merciless—grabbing both cheeks and yanking them in opposite directions like taffy.

“Ow! Hurts! Hurts! Sweetie, help me! Sweetie—!”

She reached out toward her Alaya, but it was still lazily fake-sparring with another Cosmic Alaya, clearly ignoring her cries for help.

After a solid round of cheek abuse, Origin Gaia finally let go and wiped her hands off with a satisfied sigh.

“Nice. That felt amazing.”

“Mmmph…” Future Gaia rubbed her cheeks and ducked behind Venus, pouting.

“What a beautiful happy ending!” Arcueid said with a sparkle in her eyes. “Right, Sis?”

“If you weren’t here, maybe,” Altrouge muttered.

Everyone laughed. Even Shirou cracked a smile. Yes… it did feel like a happy ending.

But it wasn’t the kind Arcueid imagined.

This had only worked out because the opponent had been Origin Gaia—because, deep down, she’d still cared. The real threat—the one pulling the strings—was still out there.

The Lord of Salvation.

Unless they stopped him, there would be no true ending. No peace. And even if they did… could there even be a happy ending when facing something like that?

Shirou didn’t know. He had no idea how many goodbyes or broken hearts lay ahead. All he knew was that, for now, the Lord of Salvation’s plan had been cut short.

He thought—just for a second—he could hear the bastard sigh somewhere far off. Of course, that was just his imagination. A phantom echo born from sheer stubborn will to win.

Still, with Origin Gaia backing down, they could finally shift their focus—like guarding against Beast VII. And rescuing Ritsuka.

Maybe they could even convince Origin Gaia to help.

But just as he reached that thought—

The air trembled. A distorted wormhole opened in space.

Something was coming.

Everyone tensed at once.

“An Outer God?” Origin Gaia narrowed her eyes. “And those guys aren’t doing anything?” She clicked her tongue. “Guess the great me has to clean things up again.”

She shot a glance, and just like that, Cosmic Alaya and the remaining UOs moved in, surrounding the portal in perfect synch.

But what came out… wasn’t an Outer God.

It was Abigail.

The same Abigail who had been taken by an Outer God half a year ago.

“Eep—!”

She barely stepped through the portal before she saw them—all the impossibly powerful cosmic beings staring her down.

She dropped into a crouch, arms over her head, trembling.

“Abby’s a good girl! Abby’s a good kid! Please don’t hit Abby, don’t hit me—waaah!”

Poor Abigail burst into tears

Shirou quickly stepped in and explained the situation to Origin Gaia, easing the tension before it could spiral. Once things calmed down, he crouched beside Abigail and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“Abby… what are you doing here?”

“Um… um…” She sniffled, still shaking a little. But the moment passed—and she suddenly remembered why she’d come.

She clutched his pant leg tight, eyes wide with urgency.

“Big Brother Shirou, you have to go back—to the Origin Era! Right now!”

Shirou blinked. He glanced at Origin Gaia, then back to her.

“Why?”

“Because… the other gods—they’ve been watching that era the whole time. Just now, I heard something—something bad! The Golden Destroyer is moving. He’s heading for your sector! He’s planning to use the summoning circle to break into this universe!”

He narrowed his eyes. “The Golden Destroyer?”

“He’s the Golden Emperor!” Origin Gaia’s eyes widened in surprise. Her voice turned urgent. “The situation’s changed. Shirou—I'm going back first!”

In the next moment, her form flickered—and she was gone..

Just as Origin Gaia turned to leave for the Origin Era, Venus suddenly reached out a hand. “Wait.”

Origin Gaia paused mid-step, glancing back with a puzzled look.

“…Can I have one more hug?”

She didn’t answer right away. She just opened her arms without a word.

Venus stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her, holding her close. “Sister…”

Origin Gaia let out a quiet laugh, reaching up to ruffle her hair. “Honestly…”

Then she smiled—and began to dissolve, bit by bit, like foam pulled away by the wind.

Faint spiritrons drifted from her fingers like snow. No matter how tightly one tried to hold them, they always slipped away. Venus kept smiling through it all.

“…Was that enough?” Future Gaia asked softly.

“It was enough for me,” Venus murmured. “I used to carry so much regret. Back then… I thought if I acted differently, maybe she’d notice me more. But I never needed to change. I just needed to be with her.”

She closed her eyes.

“If I’d known how short that time would be… maybe I would’ve spent it better. Maybe then, I wouldn’t have had so many regrets.”