IBHJ 1141

Meanwhile in the South American Connection Point...

"After taking our planet and controlling Gaia's body, he has the nerve to call it legitimate retaliation. That Emperor is too full of himself! Saturn, we need to fight back!" Heaven's Corpse looked at Saturn's human form with frustration.

Ort nodded. "I don't usually agree with this idiot, but she's right this time. Taking over Gaia's body... the Emperor has gone too far!"

"Who are you calling an idiot!" Heaven's Corpse shot an angry look at Ort.

"They have a point, Saturn. Our planet was sealed by that Emperor's Holy Spirit power while we were away. That's why we can't return directly to Solar System. But like Gaia, we can take the long route from outside the solar system and strike back from space!"

"Neptune is right! Even Holy Spirit power is just an outside force. If we strike together, we can break that barrier from the outside!"

"Other than that Root monster, what do we have to fear?"

"Everyone, please calm down! Going through with this means war!"

"That's exactly what we need!"

The Emperor's declaration had divided these UOs trapped at the South American connection point. The radicals and conservatives argued without end.

Finally, all the UOs turned to their leader.

"What do you think, Saturn?"

Saturn thought for a moment before speaking gravely. "We wait."

"Wait?" The radical UOs stared at Saturn in disbelief. "You want us to do nothing?"

Saturn gave them a look. "Since we lost to Gaia, let's honor the bet and put our faith in them. Remember what they said before leaving? This is the Vortex's war. We just need to wait."

"But the Emperor has control of Gaia's body!" Ort said with urgency.

"Hmph. If her simulated personality was that easy to control, we wouldn't have lost the wager in the first place." Saturn crossed his arms.

"You mean..."

"We wait here quietly and see what game Gaia is playing."

The UOs exchanged glances before falling silent.

"And if you're bored, we could keep searching for Lord of Salvation's vessel. We've kept this connection point's solar system surrounded. She can't escape."

"But... she's already slipped away twice, hasn't she?"

"Well, she does have Tiamat on her side..."

…

At another location in the South American connection point...

"I see. The power of the Holy Spirit... No wonder I couldn't foresee this." Manaka frowned. "That Holy Grail I corrupted before was also... Ah, those transcendents do whatever they want."

"What do you plan to do?"

"Visit Pan-Human History."

"Poor child. Half of Beast III and Beast II's authority isn't enough to keep you stable. You can't keep wasting power by running around. You need to rest."

"No. This is exactly why I must go to Pan-Human History. My eyes have seen it, my ears have heard it. That Emperor's declaration is a gathering call for the Beasts! The seven Beasts will soon gather in Pan-Human History, in that Emperor's territory!"

"You must see that this could be Lord of Salvation's plan. Among his three vessels, Sakura's brother has become Tethys's successor, and you've betrayed him. But the last vessel's status and location are unknown. We don't know what's happening in Pan-Human History, or where the Emperor stands. Going there now, with so many unknowns, is too dangerous."

"I know that. But fighting Shirou and the UOs has drained too much of my power. My existence is unstable, and I can't keep my true personality buried anymore. I need to gather the rest of the Beasts to stabilize myself before my true personality wakes up. If that happens, Father... no, the Lord of Salvation will be able to use my body. I have to collect all seven Beasts before Shirou and the other vessel!"

"Is this what you want?"

Manaka nodded.

"Very well."

"Though saying that..." Manaka gave a bitter smile. "Pan-Human History is now shrouded by the Holy Spirit's power. The only way back is from outside the solar system, but the UOs have that blockaded..."

"Don't lose heart, child. I can help you enter Pan-Human History through another route."

"You can?" Manaka was stunned. "But we're talking about the Holy Spirit's power."

"It may transcend our mythology... but don't underestimate us, the gods of creation. We always have another way."

"Another... way?"

…

"As expected of His Majesty! With one move, he's taken control of both that troublesome Gaia and the entire situation!"

The strategist stared at the imperial palace in awe. "I wondered why His Majesty wouldn't let us attack the fairy realms, why even the [Emperor's Hand] hadn't fully shrouded them. Now it all makes sense!"

The strategist thought himself clever, but next to His Majesty, he was like a novice beside a master.

Bedivere was Hope, and he had betrayed them. The strategist had only noticed something wrong after multiple delays in the Imperial Armor launch, which finally made him suspect Bedivere.

He'd thought His Majesty had been deceived by Bedivere. After all, who would suspect someone like Bedivere? With that honest and innocent face, he might as well have had "loyal subject" written on it. Yet he was Hope, a traitor to the empire!

The discovery had shocked him deeply. He'd assumed His Majesty was unaware, but now it was clear - His Majesty had known everything!

Bedivere...

Was deliberately ignored by His Majesty!

All to let Bedivere lead them to Tír na nÓg, one of the few realms not covered by Emperor's Hand.

Without Emperor's Hand's presence, Gaia would try to connect with her main body and reach out to the Heroic Spirits of Pan-Human History in Tír na nÓg.

That's when His Majesty struck—taking control of Gaia, connecting with her main body, and using Gaia to make his declaration to every worldline!

"Incredible! Simply incredible! I thought His Majesty was being fooled, but it was all part of his plan! He even used that witch Abigail as bait to draw out the Council remnants and Bedivere... I was worried for nothing!"

The strategist sighed. "Everything had been under His Majesty's control all along."

Just after the Emperor's aura faded, the Planet's Blessing on Shirou began to flicker. Then the screen appeared again, and Gaia emerged, her words forced through clenched teeth:

"I let my guard down!"

She had clearly reclaimed her body from the Emperor's control.

"You're Gaia. So what if you were controlled?"

Mordred stared at Gaia's frustrated expression in disbelief, as if Gaia being controlled was just carelessness, like she'd merely been caught off guard by the Emperor.

Gaia looked at Mordred through the screen. "Haven't you noticed how light everything feels now?"

"Light?" Mordred blinked, flexing her hand as confusion crossed her face. "Now that you mention it, I do feel lighter... how do I describe it?"

"Like taking a refreshing bath after crawling through a spider-filled cave?" Xuanzang chimed in.

Mordred nodded. "That's exactly it! Refreshed... like being brought back to life!"

"It's environmental support."

Having possessed the Planet's Blessing and created Eternal Emperor, Shirou knew this feeling. It was like Arcueid's ability, or more precisely, a UO's ability. Anyone who obtained it would receive the highest level of planetary environmental support!

It made sense that Gaia's physical avatar would side with them and provide Earth's support, but the Emperor should still have the entire solar system sealed...

Which meant...

"Gaia, did you…" he looked at her in surprise.

"No," Gaia shook her head. "I only broke through the Emperor's basic suppression and reclaimed the Inner Sea of the Planet."

Earth was different from other planets. It had two layers. The outer layer held human history and their world, while the inner layer—known as the Inner Sea of the Planet—contained the history and world of fairies, phantasmal beasts, and many other creatures.

They were as different as a tree's trunk and its inner core.

After manifesting from the connection point, the Emperor had used [Emperor's Hand] to cover the entire solar system, sealing Earth's outer space. This was why Gaia couldn't return to Earth or even connect with it. But now, by doing this, Gaia had managed to reconnect with the Inner Sea.

"So you let the Emperor control you on purpose?" Mordred asked in surprise. "Just to reconnect with the Inner Sea?"

"Isn't it obvious? The Holy Grail was placed in Tír na nÓg, yet the Emperor, who had the Holy Spirit's power, never reached for it. This was clearly a trap to catch us like fish in a net. How could I fall for something so simple?"

"Wait a minute! That was incredibly dangerous!" Mordred protested. "What if the Emperor had taken complete control of you? The whole planet would have been his! We would've been nothing but fish on his chopping block then. That's basically asking to be killed!"

Gaia: "..."

"Don't tell me you didn't think about that?" Mordred's eyes widened.

"I-I couldn't just leave you all isolated and helpless, could I? This planet is part of my body, so of course I had to try to take it back..." Gaia turned her head away, refusing to admit she hadn't considered what failure would mean.

Even with her simulated personality and newly gained human emotions and flaws, she was still a noble and dignified being. She could never admit to being reckless. So she nodded firmly. "Right! This shows the planet's confidence and courage, and heroic decisiveness!"

Mordred: "..."

"Yes, yes, truly worthy of our noble Gaia," she said with a strained smile.