IBHJ 1345

To be fair, whether it was Venus of the Origin Era or the future version known as Heaven’s Corpse, both were disasters in humanoid form. Forces of nature that could sink continents and wipe civilizations off the map.

But sadly for her, Shirou was just too broken.

He didn’t fight back. He didn’t even flinch. He simply activated Shiki’s Record and calmly “killed” each of her attacks one after another. Through it all, he just stood there, watching her with that same quiet sincerity, like he was waiting for her to finish.

Venus gave it everything. She rained down her power on him for three full solar days.

And then… despair.

Worse than that, she realized something awful. The blessing she had once placed on him in the far future—it was reacting. Every time she struck, that blessing turned on her, twisting her power back against herself.

“…Are you done?” Shirou asked softly.

Venus had curled up in a corner by then, drawing little circles in the dirt and muttering, “I can’t even beat one of Gaia’s next-gen knockoffs… I’m pathetic… Just a useless wreck…”

Shirou scratched his cheek, feeling a bit guilty.

“…Want to try again?” he offered. “I promise I won’t dodge this time. You can land one hit.”

“GET OUT!” Venus shouted. “I never want to see your face again!”

Shirou didn’t argue. He and Moon-chan took the hint and made a swift, silent exit.

Still, all things considered… mission complete.

Back on Earth, he returned to the Star Brain and reported everything to Gaia.

“Hahahaha!” Gaia practically doubled over laughing, slapping Shirou’s back as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “Well done, Shirou! You really are the man I’ve got my eye on!”

It took a while for her laughter to calm down.

“Whew… there goes my dignified image,” she said, wiping at her eyes. Then she glanced over with a grin. “You didn’t see anything, right, Shirou?”

“Of course not. All I saw was a proud and noble Lady Gaia.”

“Good boy.” She nodded with approval and leaned back on the Star Throne, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Honestly, that went even better than I hoped. I figured I’d have to wait for that idiot to try something underhanded before I could finally get her under control.”

Shirou’s gaze sharpened slightly. “So you knew Venus would attack?”

“Obviously.” Gaia smiled. “She’s thick as thieves with Mercury, remember? What she doesn’t know is that Mercury’s the most obedient of the bunch. Every single move she makes gets reported straight to me.”

That explained a lot. Shirou thought back to the future, to the tension between ORT and Heaven’s Corpse… so that’s where it all started.

“So what was your original plan for Venus?” he asked.

“I was going to let her get cocky,” Gaia replied easily. “Wait until she thought she had a chance to take me down. Then crush her illusions, tear apart every last bit of confidence she had, lock her up… and decide what to do with her later.”

She tapped her finger lightly against the throne, mulling it over like she was still half-considering the idea.

Shirou hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Forgive me for asking, but… why does Venus resent you that much?”

“That’s easy.” Gaia’s smile stayed right where it was. “She thinks I’m going to wipe them all out someday.”

“Is she wrong?” he asked quietly.

Gaia’s fingers froze mid-tap.

A long silence.

Then, finally, she answered. “She’s not wrong. If the Golden Universe didn’t exist, I would’ve already erased them. One ruler is enough. That’s how I used to think.”

Her voice lowered.

“But after the Golden Emperor invaded Earth… after he butchered my children… something changed. I saw it clearly. I can’t destroy them. More than that—I shouldn’t. I need to protect them. Love them.”

“…Why?”

“Because we share the same star system,” she said. “They were born under the same sun. We’re not enemies… we’re siblings. And even if I disappear someday, even if this planet doesn’t make it…”

She turned to him, meeting his eyes.

“They’ll still be here. Someone has to be. And maybe… maybe they’ll protect what I leave behind.”

…

…

Meanwhile, in the Future World, a massive vortex had opened in the skies above the planet. Within its swirling depths, faint reflections of the Origin Era shimmered like distant memories forced back into existence.

To this generation, it was impossible to understand. No one had seen anything like it. They thought it was some kind of new apocalyptic threat—and panic spread like wildfire.

All across the sea zone surrounding Chaldea, mutated creatures howled in madness and rampaged unchecked. The world was coming apart.

Mordred didn’t waste a single second.

While the base scrambled to respond, she stormed through Chaldea with her royal sword in hand, ignoring the chaos around her. Shouts and alarms echoed down the halls, but she pushed through all of it. Straight toward the reinforced basement.

With a deafening crash, she blasted the door open.

The room beyond was empty.

Only a single scrap of fabric lay on the floor.

She stepped inside slowly, eyes sharp as they scanned the space. Then she bent down and picked it up, turning it over in her hand.

Kiara arrived a second later, breathing hard. She glanced at what Mordred was holding, and said. “…It’s Mr. Shirou’s. That’s his clothing.”

Mordred’s head turned sharply. The look she gave Kiara was enough to make her shrink back.

There was no point hiding it anymore. The moment that vortex appeared, Mordred had started putting things together. It hadn’t taken long. She forced the truth out of everyone—bit by bit—and now the last piece had fallen into place.

“…That idiot,” she muttered, gripping the fabric tightly in her hand. “He kept everything to himself. Took it all on alone. And now he’s gone to face the Lord of Salvation… completely alone. Fighting a battle he has no hope of winning.”

“…M-Master?” Kiara asked hesitantly.

“Shut up.”

Kiara immediately clamped both hands over her mouth. She could tell Mordred was on the edge. Any wrong word right now might set her off.

Without another word, Mordred pulled out her Grail. Holding it in both hands, she asked sharply, “Is there any way to enter the world inside that vortex?”

The Grail trembled faintly in response. Its three eerie eyes opened in unison.

“Impossible,” it replied. “There is no path in.”

“Not even with Magic?”

“Even the Five Magics, though born from the Root, only allow travel through the Road leading back to it. None can cross to the other side.”

Mordred’s jaw tightened. “…So there’s no way to support him?”

“To be unable to reach him… may actually be a blessing. That is already a war between Vortexes. No being outside the Root has any place in it. Even transcendent entities cannot intervene. Your father alone—though not of the Root—carries an inherited Vortex. That is the only reason he was able to pass through the Gate of Truth and take part in the War of Vortexes. If you were to follow him now, you would not be support. You would be a burden.”

“I know that,” Mordred muttered, her fists trembling. “I know that… but still—damn it! I can’t just sit here and do nothing! It pisses me off!”

The Grail’s voice softened. “Then let it piss you off. Feel it. Carry it. That’s part of being alive. You may not be able to fight beside him—but you’re still here. There’s still something you can do.”

“I—” Mordred started to respond.

But before she could finish, a sudden tremor ripped through the island. The walls groaned. Dust rained from the ceiling.

Kiara stumbled back, grabbing the wall for balance. “What’s going on? That aura—wait… it feels just like mine—”

Her voice dropped. Her expression changed.

“…It’s a Beast.”

She didn’t have to explain. Mordred had already caught the scent. The stench of a Beast wasn’t something you forgot.

But something was wrong.

All the known Beasts had already manifested. Some were sealed. Others destroyed. Some… assimilated.

Yet this wasn’t a fake. That aura was real—overwhelmingly real. Denser than any Beast she’d felt before.

And the stench…

…was coming from Chaldea.