IBHJ 1359

"...Been a while, big sis."

"What?!" Origin Gaia's eyes flew open just as the golden light slammed into her.

The impact sent her flying before she could even raise her guard. By the time she scrambled back to her feet, ready to strike back, the beam had already faded away.

"What was that supposed to be?!" She stood there, completely thrown off.

Staring at the gaping hole torn through Alaya's chest, Shirou squeezed his hands into fists. Venus had burned through her own existence to crack the data barrier protecting Gaia. Her sacrifice wasn't going to be for nothing. All that lingering pain and regret had carved out a path for him. He wasn't about to waste it.

Shirou launched himself directly into Cosmic Alaya's body.

Alaya spun around, instantly regenerating its hands and moving to crush him. But its left hand crashed into Heaven's Corpse's massive frame, while golden vines stretching all the way from Uranus wrapped around its right arm.

Pluto stared at the vines in shock. "Uranus...?"

Neptune spoke quietly, "Don't look so surprised. He's our brother too. And maybe, just like us, he still remembers what Gaia used to be."

With Heaven's Corpse and Uranus running interference, Shirou broke through and reached the core—reached Origin Gaia.

"Well, this is interesting," she said, clearly amused. "Even if this isn't Alaya's real body, you're the first person besides the Golden Emperor to break through its data barrier. I have to admit, I underestimated you, Shirou. But tell me—how exactly do you plan to stop me? Another sweet little lie?"

"No." Shirou knew perfectly well that Origin Gaia wasn't like her future self, softened by Arcueid's influence. She wouldn't be swayed by words.

"You can't do it."

"...What did you just say?" Her eyebrow twitched.

"I said, you can't do it. And while we're at it—get the hell back where you came from!"

"You—what?!" Gaia stared at him, completely baffled.

"Your ears still working, or what? Maybe I should say it louder?"

He jabbed his finger straight at her. "Get lost."

"F-Fascinating..."

"Fascinating my ass!" he snapped, pointing right at her face. "I don't see what's so damn interesting about it. Now get the hell back where you came from!"

"You—!" Gaia's finger shook as she pointed back at him.

"Me what? What happened, cat got your tongue? Looks like your ears aren't the only thing broken—sounds like your brain's fried too."

"Y-You—You—!" Gaia's whole body trembled with rage. In all her countless years of existence, no one had ever dared insult her like this!

"Me what again? Can't even finish a sentence—what are you, some kind of stuttering wreck now?"

Absolutely livid, Gaia's entire body shook as she screamed, "You said I couldn't do it?! I'll show you I can!"

Before Venus had shattered Alaya's data shell, Origin Gaia had already tapped into part of the planet's sensory network. She'd decided to wipe out every single living thing connected to that system—those arrogant insects who dared to disrespect her. But just as she was about to act—snap—the connection was severed.

What? Origin Gaia frowned and tried connecting to another location. Snap. That one died too. She tried again. And again. Seven, eight times in a row. Every single connection severed the moment it formed.

"What the hell is going on...?"

"I told you," he said. "You can't do it."

Origin Gaia spun around to face him—only to freeze when she saw his mud-like clone had transformed into a long-haired figure... a smaller, more delicate version of herself.

This was his last card to play. He couldn't use [Savior of Mortal] to directly tap into Origin Gaia's records or Cosmic Alaya's—but he did carry Future Gaia's blessing, along with the planet's love. That blessing might have been hijacked by Origin Gaia to manifest here, but it still belonged to him.

All he had to do was get close enough—and make a wish.

Wish for a future.

Wish for the rejection of Origin Gaia's claim over this world.

And the planet had answered.

"You're telling me... I gave you that kind of authority?" Origin Gaia's voice shook with complete disbelief.

It was like she'd handed over the planet's very essence, its entire existence.

That level of blessing—that depth of love—she'd never given to anyone. Not even Cosmic Alaya.

“How…?”

He said simply. "It's just trust. She trusts that I won't hurt Earth—and she trusts I’ll realize the future I promised her.”

"I... don't understand," Gaia whispered, completely shaken.

And that made perfect sense.

She couldn't understand.

Because she wasn't Future Gaia.

"...If I can't reset the ecosystem through the sensory network..." She paused, then screamed, "Alaya! Fire a data shockwave—I want nothing left alive!"

Cosmic Alaya raised its massive fist. Quantum data compressed and shimmered around it as it aimed straight for Earth.

It was targeting the breach in the [Emperor's Arm]—clearly aware it couldn't punch through the outer shell, so it went straight for the weak spot.

But just as the strike was about to connect, a new barrier materialized—the Counter Force Alaya—sealing the gap and merging with the [Emperor's Arm]. Of course. The Ideal King's Emperor Arm was part of the Counter Force. And this was Alaya, humanity's collective will made manifest.

BOOM!

The crushing blow tore the Counter Force apart, reducing what remained of its structure to fragments. But it held. Somehow, it still held the line.

‘We don't want to die. We want to live.’

‘No matter how hard it gets, no matter how much it hurts—we want to live!’

‘Live! Live! LIVE, LIVE, LIVE!’

From the shattered floating Counter Force fragments came a torrent of desperate voices. Not just data streams—actual wills. Humanity's absolute refusal to be destroyed. And it was that stubborn, burning wish that held back the cosmic strike.

"Alaya!" Origin Gaia shrieked.

Cosmic Alaya's eyes blazed to life. A second attack charged up in its fist—so massive, so packed with quantum information that it could erase entire star systems without a trace.

But Shirou didn't even blink. He was actually smiling.

"You're smiling? Aren't you terrified?" Origin Gaia demanded.

"I told you already," he said, perfectly calm. "Trust goes both ways."

Right at that moment—

A colossal spirit-body hand exploded from the void, catching Cosmic Alaya's fist mid-swing.

Everyone's heads snapped up.

Another massive spirit giant had materialized—towering over the entire planet. And standing on top of its head, arms crossed and eyes burning with cold fury, was Future Gaia herself.

Her voice boomed across space. "You. What the hell do you think you're doing to my planet?"