IBHJ 1078

Everything was going exactly as he had planned—except for being chosen as the first vessel that the black tree chased.

He'd told Manaka that [Endless Waves, Infinite Future] was his trump card. He was staking everything on this ultimate purification Noble Phantasm. It was the only thing that could cleanse the taint of the Lord of Salvation's power emanating from the Ghandaran's eye. But there was a problem: Uranus, Velber 02, and Beast V had become protective layers around the Eye. To purify it, he would have to break through them first.

Each of those entities—Uranus's dragon, Velber 02, and Beast V—possessed immense power. He could only imagine how impenetrable their combined defenses must be. Add to that the Lord of Salvation's own power, and breaking through was like trying to catch the moon's reflection in water—an impossible task. Of course, this was just the opinion of 'omniscient beings' like Manaka.

Omniscience and omnipotence—what ideal states of being! But in truth, they were a cruel joke. Even an omniscient, omnipotent being would eventually face a single, unanswerable question: what lies beyond the limits of their knowledge? Just as the Lord of Salvation existed in a realm beyond Manaka's understanding, she couldn't perceive the hidden answer that lay beyond her 'omniscience.'

The black tree sensed Shirou coming and lashed out, countless Black Arms reaching for him like a predator spotting easy prey.

Everyone watched in horror as the arms closed in.

"Shirou, no—!" Arcueid screamed, terror in her eyes. Not another friend. She couldn't lose another friend.

"So this is why he dared defy me," Venus said coldly. "The human's a fool. It seems we can only wait for Saturn to destroy the moon."

"Sakura's brother..." Tiamat sighed. "Has he lost his mind? I'm sorry, Sakura. I couldn't protect your brother."

'So he really is throwing his life away,' Manaka thought. 'This is it then. I need to focus on getting Ayaka out of here.'

Faced with the endless Black Arms reaching for him, Shirou smiled.

He laughed out loud.

Meeting that child at the Shinjuku connection point had been a stroke of luck!

"This is my answer!" he shouted. "[Qliphoth Rhizome: Hollow Tree Filled by a Remnant of Light]—!"

A brilliant white light burst from his clenched fist. A blinding key-shaped light erupted from his palm, tearing through the layers of Black Arms and piercing the giant black tree.

"This—this is—"

Everyone froze in surprise.

"An Outer—An Outer God... how... why...?"

Manaka stared in disbelief at the blinding light growing from Shirou's hand. She could sense it clearly. This power didn't belong to Earth, or even the solar system. It was the disturbing power of an Outer God from beyond space, the kind wielded by Foreigner class Servants!

The giant black tree was mainly composed of Uranus, not purely the Lord of Salvation's power. That meant it might be possible to break through. But Uranus had gathered the authority of the solar system's Ultimate Ones, making it seemingly invincible. However, the power of an Outer God could pierce that defense.

But—but—

"Why does Fujimaru Shirou possess the power of an Outer God?"

Manaka's face was full of surprise.

She wasn't the only one. Arcueid, Tiamat, Venus, and even the Lord of Salvation, whose power had created the monstrous black tree, were all momentarily stunned.

Shirou smiled. Of course he had Qliphoth Rhizome. Abigail had lost it to him!

Back at the Shinjuku connection point, Abigail had gambled away Qliphoth Rhizome to him. Then, for some reason, she had run off without taking it back.

He'd been worried that the Outer God's power would influence his thinking, so he hadn't incorporated Qliphoth Rhizome into Eternal Emperor. Instead, he'd hidden it within his soul. Now, it had become the key to everything!

All his planning had led to this moment.

[Qliphoth Rhizome: Hollow Tree Filled by a Remnant of Light] was the Noble Phantasm Shirou had won from Abigail at the Shinjuku connection point. For some reason, she had left without trying to take it back.

He had always been wary of this Noble Phantasm. It was connected to those unfathomable Outer Gods, after all. But now, it had become the key to turning the tide.

"Crack, crack, crack—"

Struck by Qliphoth Rhizome, which was like lightning made of pure light, the giant black tree groaned and shuddered. Cracks like spiderwebs spread across its trunk where Uranus connected with Velber, leaking a black mist like blood.

The black hands reaching for Shirou froze in midair as if time had stopped.

"The connection... has been severed!"

Everyone stared in amazement.

Shirou watched the connection between Uranus and Velber twist and break, a small smile playing on his lips. Everything was proceeding according to plan. Qliphoth Rhizome could open "doors" to foreign worlds incompatible with humanity, causing severe distortions in the target's mind and body. It was a Noble Phantasm that possessed the quality of endlessness.

The Lord of Salvation was a monster of the [Root], capable of assimilating all things: matter, authority, concepts, boundaries, attacks... even Qliphoth Rhizome. But that was only true of the Lord of Salvation's main body.

The true enemy Shirou and the others faced was the Ghandaran's Eye, which was causing a trickle of the Lord of Salvation's power to leak out. This power could assimilate Beast V, Uranus, and Velber. However, the amount of power escaping was too small. It could instantly assimilate Beast V, but not beings beyond normal specifications like Velber and Uranus. This had led to the creation of the black tree monster, with Velber and Uranus as its shell.

And that was where Qliphoth Rhizome could exploit the weakness. By destroying the connection between Velber and Uranus, it could create a flaw in the black tree.

"Crack, crack, crack—"

The enormous black tree writhed and buckled where the trunk met the soil.

Manaka watched, feeling a sense of relief. Qliphoth Rhizome had exceeded her expectations, but this wasn't a bad outcome.

Suddenly, she remembered Shirou's calm expression when he'd faced her after she'd devoured Sefar. She looked up at his back, her eyes widening in realization.

Could it be...?

She understood.

Qliphoth Rhizome was Shirou's true trump card, the one he'd been saving to use against her!

No wonder he hadn't shown any worry or tension when he'd seen her assimilate Sefar!

If he'd ambushed her with this Noble Phantasm while she was still unaware of it, it would have stunned her, leaving her vulnerable to his purification Noble Phantasm. Even if it hadn't killed her, it would have severely wounded her.

"I see. So that's how it is. You've been planning to ambush me from the very beginning!" Manaka thought, a corner of her eye twitching. Fujimaru Shirou might not possess her omniscience, but he had undoubtedly become more adept at hiding his intentions and more cunning than before.

The manifestation of the Lord of Salvation's power had disrupted her plans. It had also forced Fujimaru Shirou to use his hidden trump card against the black tree. In a way, she had been saved by the Lord of Salvation.

She wasn't sure how to feel about that.

The black mist escaping from the distorted hole was gradually stabilizing the black tree. The tree had clearly been caught off guard by Qliphoth Rhizome, but it was starting to recover and repair itself.

But Shirou wasn't about to give it the chance.

He kicked off the air, creating an explosion of displaced air, and transformed into a streak of light, charging towards the distorted hole in the black tree.

"Wait, Shirou!" Arcueid shouted.

Countless black hands surged from the hole, rushing towards him like a tidal wave.

He smirked at the sight of the countless black hands. It was useless. The moment they hadn't anticipated Qliphoth Rhizome, the tide had turned.

Victory was his!

He channeled magical energy into the Qliphoth Rhizome in his hand. The white lightning intensified, crackling and growing with each pulse. It twisted and coiled until it became a blinding dragon, its body pure white-hot, and then it brutally burrowed deeper into the black tree.

"Crack, crack—"

A series of blinding white flashes, like exploding supernovas, illuminated the dark universe. The distortion between Uranus and Velber intensified. The black hands reaching for Shirou went limp and fell from the air as if they had lost all their strength.

Seizing the opportunity, his eyes flashed with prismatic light. A long song echoed through space as a barrier like a cluster of stars formed around him. He transformed into a comet and plunged into the churning black mud.