IBHJ 1337

They had no interest in war.

Which only made things more confusing.

“Unless… something happened that forced them and the Golden Emperor into an all-out war.”

That seemed like the most likely explanation. Shirou finally understood—this moment in time was still before the Origin Civilization had deceived the Akasha Records. Before the Arrow of Akasha was created.

That realization gave everything a shape. A traceable logic. Cause and effect.

“If that war was the catalyst for everything—the birth of the Lord of Salvation, the rise of the Primordial Evil—then the answer I’m looking for… is to erase the very possibility of the Lord of Salvation being born. Which means I have to dismantle the conditions that led to the war between Origin Civilization and the Golden Emperor.”

He stood slowly, gaze sharpening as pieces began falling into place.

“And if that’s true… then what caused that war in the first place?”

Shirou dug through everything he’d heard, everything he’d pieced together—and then, a single possibility floated to the surface.

“…Could it be the Star Brain?”

The thought hit him like lightning.

The Origin Civilization had always reminded him of a Zerg swarm, with Gaia at its heart. If Origin Gaia—or more specifically, the Star Brain that sustained her—had been targeted by the Golden Emperor…

It would’ve been catastrophic. Enough to justify a war, maybe even enough to drive the entire civilization to rewrite the laws of reality just to survive.

And the Origin Civilization had outer bastions. They weren’t defenseless. More importantly, they were protected by the Cosmic Alaya.

Unlike the Alaya of the future, this Alaya was an overwhelming, unique will that stretched across the stars. Just thinking about it gave Shirou the feeling that trying to fight it would be like trying to rebel against the concept of existence itself.

He didn’t know the full extent of the Golden Emperor’s power. But even so, he was certain of one thing. There was no way the Cosmic Alaya could've been destroyed so easily.

"Unless... the Golden Emperor somehow bypassed the Cosmic Alaya and took out the Star Brain in a sneak attack?"

It sounded ridiculous, yet strangely plausible. He was working backwards from the result to find a cause. Unless, of course, there was a third party involved, someone who had stirred the conflict between them and the Golden Universe.

Whatever the cause, one thing was clear.

Origin Gaia was in serious danger.

BOOM!

A deafening roar cracked the sky.

Shirou looked up just in time to see fireballs raining down like a meteor shower.

Boom. Boom. BOOOOM!

"Is this... the Golden Emperor’s sneak attack?!"

As the fiery projectiles slammed into the earth, they twisted and grew into towering monsters. One after another, the beasts took shape, letting out feral cries.

"Rrraaaaaghhh!"

A spider-like behemoth, easily over a hundred meters tall, stomped on a horned dragon and ripped it apart, gnawing greedily on the remains.

"...Aren't those Tethys's beasts? Ah, I see. She’s testing deployment protocols." Shirou let out a long sigh. "And here I thought it was the end of the world."

Just then, a T-Rex-like creature turned its head toward him. With a spine-rattling growl, it charged straight at him.

"Seriously? Don’t make me part of your field test." he sighed again, snapping his fingers.

Snap!

Behind him, black mud surged up, molding into a massive blade. With a sharp shhhk, it skewered the charging beast right through the throat.

Shirou relaxed. Or he tried to.

Instead of dying, the creature dissolved into a mass of flesh and surged up the sword like a living wave, shrieking horribly.

"A fluid lifeform?! You’ve got to be kidding me!" Gritting his teeth, he activated the curse of [Evil].

Zzzzzzzzz—

Dark, corrosive energy erupted from the blade. The living flesh writhed, then crumbled under the weight of overwhelming malice. The beasts fighting in the distance froze mid-combat.

They all turned to stare at Shirou. Their bloodlust vanished, replaced by something else. Fear.

One by one, the monsters turned and fled.

"Good thing that idiot Tethys gave them fear instincts. Otherwise, I would've had to clean house." he muttered with relief.

Smack!

A firm slap landed on the back of his head.

Tethys’s annoyed voice rang in his ear. “Show some respect, brat!”

“…So you’re here,” Shirou muttered. He couldn’t see her body—meaning she’d slipped back into that pesky information lifeform state again. Just great. That also meant he couldn’t hit her even if he wanted to.

“Of course I’m here. I had to observe the experiment personally,” Tethys replied, voice floating around him like a smug breeze. “And instead, what do I see? My dear assistant mouthing off behind my back.”

Shirou didn’t even bother responding to that. His expression turned sharp.

“Tethys. Take me to Gaia. Now.”

“Excuse me?” Her tone tightened. “Shirou, mind your manners when speaking to your elders. Try saying—’”

“I’m not joking. Gaia’s in danger.”

“…Huh?”

…

A few minutes later…

“I’m in danger?” Origin Gaia leaned back on her throne, watching Shirou with a lazy smile. “That’s quite the claim.”

“Yes,” Shirou said without hesitation. He stepped forward and explained his theory, laying out everything he’d deduced.

Gaia listened quietly, then tilted her head. “Come closer, Shirou.”

He hesitated, but eventually stepped forward. He didn’t believe she’d actually harm him… probably.

She reached out and gently patted his cheek. “You should address me properly. Honorable Star Sovereign. Lord Gaia. Got it? Your endless admiration for me shouldn’t stay locked in your little heart—it should be on your lips, proudly and eternally.”

“….”

Shirou slowly dragged his hand down his face.

Lady, please. I’m begging you. Have a shred of dignity.

“What’s wrong?” she asked sweetly. Then her voice sharpened just a little. “You’re badmouthing me in your head again, aren’t you?”

“N-Nope! Absolutely not!” he waved his hands frantically.

There was no way he could admit the truth. You’re way too embarrassing! I can’t even fake reverence for you like this!

“I don’t know anything about this ‘Lord of Salvation’ or the Vortex you mentioned,” Gaia said with a shrug, “but I do know this much—you came from a dark future. That must’ve been hard.”

She reached up and ruffled his hair with a warm smile. “But this is a different era now. A new star system, and I’m here. So there’s no reason for you to worry.”

The Gaia standing before him felt like a completely different being from the one Shirou had known in the future. That Gaia had been quiet, heavy with burdens, never smiling like this. But this one… she wore a confident grin, unshaken and radiant.

How could the same existence turn out so differently?

Still, Shirou found himself oddly comforted by that smile.

“Yes, yes, don’t worry,” Gaia said cheerfully. “We haven’t connected to your future yet, but since you’re one of our descendants, we’ll protect you. No one's going to bully you while we’re around.”

“If that so-called Lord of Salvation dares to show up, we’ll smash them to bits for you!” another voice chimed in.

One after another, information lifeforms across the Star Brain sector joined in with similar declarations.

“…Thanks,” Shirou muttered, a warm feeling blooming quietly in his chest.

“Even if your worry turns out to be unfounded, and no such timeline ever connects to us, your warning isn’t without value,” Gaia said, tone settling into something more thoughtful. “Very well. I’ll make some preparations. I am, after all, extremely important.”

“….”

Seeing her take things seriously, Shirou finally stepped away from the sector.

Tethys’s information tendrils curled loosely around him as she reformed beside him, her tone light. “See? I told you it was baseless.”

“Better to be paranoid than dead,” Shirou replied without missing a beat.

“Mhm. Fair enough.” She gave a playful hum. “Still, I’m done worrying about that. Let’s check in on our cute little descendants, shall we—huh? Wait. What the hell?”

Her voice faltered in surprise.

Shirou narrowed his eyes and activated [Clairvoyance EX].

What greeted him was a field of death. Mountains of beast corpses stretched as far as the eye could see.

One mangled beast staggered through the blood-soaked remains, biting into a fresh corpse. It let out a final, hollow howl before collapsing in a heap. Within seconds, its body melted into viscous liquid, leaving behind nothing but steam.