IBHJ 1084

Shirou sat to the side, still clutching the demonic sword. His face was deathly pale, and he breathed heavily. Burning his soul had taken a severe toll, but he had finally found a way to defeat the Lord of Salvation.

But—

He looked down at his palm and clenched his teeth. The Lord of Salvation's words came back to him. How many times could his soul endure this?

He leaned against the wall within the crown of the tree, demonic sword still in hand. His face was pale, and he struggled to breathe. He'd arrived on the moon already covered in wounds. Maintaining the form of Eternal Emperor was draining in itself, and the battles with Manaka, Uranus's dragon, and the Lord of Salvation had pushed him to his limit.

The final soul-burning attack, a desperate gamble, had damaged him at a fundamental level. But he had won.

It was over.

Exhaustion washed over him. He could finally close his eyes and rest...

But the moment he did, the entire tree shook violently. An indescribable malice swept over him. He forced his tired eyes open and looked around. The Crystal Valley, which blanketed the earth, was shattering, and malicious vines were rising from the ground.

"This is..." He gritted his teeth and, using the sword for support, pushed himself to his feet. He looked towards Gaia, who was enveloped in blue light.

"Uranus is resisting Ort," Gaia said coldly. "Ort, break through!"

Her bright, rainbow-colored eyes turned a deep blue, as if covered by a layer of frost. Her expression hardened. It was clear that Ort, Mercury's UO, now controlled the body.

Ort nodded, and her body surged with blue light. Eight beams of cold blue energy shot from her back like lasers. Shirou watched as the azure lights flashed and bored into the tree wall.

These weren't magical attacks. They were parts of her body – crystal spider legs.

Ort's eyes flashed as she forcefully controlled the eight legs, like the arms of a giant god. With several cracks, they tore a small gap in the tree wall.

The moment the tree wall was breached, the world seemed to erupt with hatred, resentment, and loathing. A single name was spat out with venomous force:

Gaia!

"The loss of assimilation has actually cleared your consciousness, Uranus." Gaia understood the situation. With the Lord of Salvation driven back by Shirou, the connection between Uranus and Velber was collapsing, restoring Uranus's awareness.

Countless vines shot skyward, sweeping toward Ort. But just before they reached her, the Crystal Valley that covered the whole place invaded the vines, turning them to ice.

Uranus wouldn't give up. More vines split off, reaching for Ort. Uranus didn't hate Ort herself, but Gaia resided within her, and so she would be torn to pieces.

Endless vines, empowered by the authorities of other UOs, launched waves of attacks against Ort. Pluto's underworld attacks, Saturn's grand assaults, Venus's invasive coverage – they all came at her relentlessly. Though powerful, Ort had just revived. Facing continuous attacks of this scale, she was struggling to hold on.

The coverage of the Crystal Valley began to shrink. The snow-white ground retreated. The gap that Ort had torn in the tree wall was slowly closing.

Ort bit her lip, anger rising within her. When it came to raw strength, she had never been surpassed. But now, facing Uranus wielding the combined might of nine planetary authorities, she was struggling.

Seeing this, Shirou gritted his teeth. Propping himself up with his sword, he raised both arms, palms facing the gap. Endless magical energy gathered, condensing into his hands like water flowing uphill. Light burst out from between his fingers, and the surrounding space-time, distorted by the Lord of Salvation, began to stabilize. Where the light touched, reality smoothed out like cloth being ironed. The distortions straightened, bent space snapping back into proper alignment. The ultimate light capable of rectifying all things, pure and absolute, gathered in his hands in a sphere of blinding radiance.

But before he could complete the process, he suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. The power fled from his limbs all at once. He half-crouched on the ground, chest heaving as he gasped desperately for air, like a drowning man breaking the surface. The light around his body scattered like dying sparks, then faded into nothing.

He reverted from Eternal Emperor state. His Servant body became ethereal, almost see-through. He stared at his translucent hands, his eyes widening. "This isn't possible. My magical energy shouldn't be depleted!"

It made no sense. Between the black dragon, Skadi's blessing, and Evil Flower's absorption, his magical energy reserves were enormous and quick to recover. He should have had at least A+ rank energy left. Why was this happening?

"It's your Saint Graph," Gaia said quietly. "The foundation of your existence – it shattered when you gambled your soul on that attack. Thank you for saving me, Shirou. You kept the promise you made to me all those years ago." Her voice softened. "You can rest now. You've done more than enough."

So that was it... his Saint Graph was destroyed.

Gaia's words made Shirou clearly see his condition. Had his spirit been pushed to such a point of exhaustion that he needed someone else to point out his own abnormality?

He sighed. Human strength had its limits. But rest now? How could he? Things weren't over yet. How could he rest?

Vines burst from the ground, attacking Ort. One vine coiled and snapped through the air like a whip, its tip sharp as a spear as it rushed towards Shirou.

He was too exhausted to react, his limbs heavy with fatigue. But several shadows shot out from beneath him, stretching and warping into black hands. They grabbed the approaching vine in mid-strike, their fingers digging deep into its flesh before ripping it apart, sending fragments of the vine scattering through the air.

"You're as reliable as always." Shirou said with a tired smile.

He watched as the black mud intercepted wave after wave of vines, tearing each one to shreds before they could reach him. His legs gave way and he stumbled, but more black hands rose from his shadow to support him.

The mud churned in his shadow, like dolphins leaping from the sea.

"That's enough. You've helped so many people, Shirou. Now it's time for others to help you," Gaia said. "Just rest."

He understood. He was exhausted. Not physically, not because of his magical energy, but mentally.

But rest? The crisis wasn't over. How could he?

Uranus was fully formed. While not as cunning as the Lord of Salvation, its raw power was far greater. If they could defeat Uranus, Earth would be safe. The UOs would no longer be a threat, and everyone he cared about would be safe.

But now, at this critical moment, he was powerless. He had promised his past self to create a better future, but just before reaching it, he had run out of strength. The thought filled him with regret.

And yet, there was nothing he could do.

"I believe in you, Shirou," Gaia said.

"Fifteen hundred years ago, when you made that promise, I believed you. No matter how much you hid behind lies, your soul was sincere, like a burning flame. That's why this part of me could manifest."

"And now, fifteen hundred years later, you've kept your promise. You haven't betrayed my trust. So believe in me, believe in your friends. I promise you, we will win. Everything you cherish will be safe." Gaia's voice was calm, but filled with sincerity.

Shirou was stunned. He hadn't expected Gaia, one of the major behind-the-scenes powers of Type-Moon, to show such a side after manifesting. Her words were so convincing!

No—

Who had she copied this personality from? Some famous priest? A renowned orator?

The thought crossed his mind, but despite his reluctance, he felt an unexpected sense of peace.

Could they really win? They were up against Uranus and the other UOs! Time was slipping away, and they seemed out of options!

"Don't worry. We have a plan. Leave it to us," Gaia said calmly.