IBHJ Chapter 982

The red mist, like a shadow of death, crept towards them. Despite his growing anxiety about the resurrection pyramid, Shirou's cautious nature prevented him from acting rashly. He remained still, his keen eyes scanning the surroundings, assessing the true danger of this crimson fog.

Even as the mist advanced like hungry beasts, he maintained his composure. He simply extended his hand. In that moment, a dazzling burst of white-hot energy erupted from his palm. The light was blinding, just like the sun's intense rays. It grew in intensity, feeding off the surrounding air currents, until the heat became almost unbearable. Those nearby could feel their skin prickle and tighten from the scorching temperature.

This raw energy crystallized, taking shape before their eyes. It stretched and narrowed, transforming into a glowing spear of pure, searing light.

He hurled the weapon forward, and the spear of light cut through the air with a piercing "whoosh," slicing through the red mist. It struck the ground with crushing force, and in that moment, an explosion of blinding light erupted everywhere as a massive tower of burning light burst out from the earth, flooding the area with a violent white storm.

The raging storm shredded the red mist, ripping it apart in a frenzy. Countless arrows of light formed from the endless glow, raining down upon the blood-red spider lilies below. Petals burst into fragments, stems split and blackened, and whole clusters of flowers crumbled to ash. The barrage continued relentlessly, each impact leaving nothing but scorched earth where the crimson blooms had stood.

"W-What in the world is that?" A startled cry rang out as all eyes turned to the suddenly glowing tower.

"I see, so that's Britain's World Anchor," Koyanskaya narrowed her eyes.

"What a bittersweet memory. If it weren't for that light piercing through my soul, that little brat wouldn't have been born..." Demonic Bodhisattva gazed at the tower and sighed. Then she raised her head, looking at the cross in the sky, and squinted, "However, attracting that monster's attention isn't a wise move since you're inside that girl's body, Mr. Shirou."

The light from the earth gathered into a tower, shooting straight into the sky. But this angered the ruler of the sky. It coldly gazed at the tower that had intruded into its domain.

"Gaia—" The three-thousand-mile cross-shaped UO erupted with blinding radiance. Streams of light twisted and coiled together, morphing into searing bolts of lightning that lashed out towards the tower. Sensing the impending threat, the Tower of Light reacted instinctively. Its roots plunged deeper, violently piercing through the planet's surface and burrowing into the Inner Sea of the Planet. There, it began to greedily siphon the endless reserves of planet's True Ether.

Raging storms gathered overhead, swirling with barely contained fury. The tower unleashed a devastating counterattack, bombarding the UO suspended in the sky. The two forces collided mid-air in an explosion of energy.

Raw power crackled and surged as the completely opposing forces clashed violently. The planet's surface began to crack and peel away under the strain, with huge chunks of earth torn free and disintegrating as the faint phantoms of blue and red planets appeared in the sky.

The sight of this massive clash left everyone present in awe. However, Shirou and Mordred could sense nothing but danger ahead as they realized that the Tower's power was becoming much stronger than before.

Mordred said anxiously, "This isn't the power of Rhongomyniad... the planet is retaliating! I don't want my age and intellect anymore, I don't want that future either, let's leave this place, please!"

Shirou said nothing, his jaw set in grim determination as he clasped his daughter's hand and bolted towards the Resurrection Pyramid. No one had foreseen this - even with Gaia missing, the planet was somehow striking back at UO through Rhongomyniad.

But he knew it was futile. Even Rhongomyniad, drawing True Ether from the Inner Sea of the Planet, couldn't hope to defeat UO. It was only a matter of time before UO's power grew overwhelming. Sooner or later, UO's power would grow stronger and stronger until the earth itself was crushed by it.

This was an outcome he wanted to avoid since no one would be able to escape unscathed if they forced the UO to escalate. So escaping the city and abandoning the quest was the rational choice.

But this time, Shirou succumbed to emotion. And along with him, many other level 8 adventurers also abandoned their rationality and rushed towards the Resurrection Pyramid. If they missed this chance to raise their level, who knew when the next opportunity would come? If they failed to defend the Pyramid, it would disappear. How could they allow that?

Shirou calmly said, "Brace yourself!"

Mordred looked at him in astonishment, then shouted, "This is madness! You can't lose your reason!"

He turned to look at her, "I can."

What did Mordred mean to him? An unwanted child born of revenge? A tragic burden? He couldn't sort out his feelings, but when he thought of her origins, her strong yet sad end, that lonely silhouette standing against the world... he knew he couldn't abandon her.

Mordred looked at him in astonishment. Was this the "Artoria" she knew?

And soon enough, the UO's blinding light shattered the tower's defenses, descending like divine wrath. The Archbishop's face contorted in horror.

Even Koyanskaya couldn't hide her alarm. "Breaking the game rules is one thing, but this..."

Demonic Bodhisattva frowned at the terrifying display. "This level of retaliation... the God's Brain's theft shouldn't have turned the UOs against each other to this extent."

The endless ribbons of light struck down like divine punishment, blanketing the sky in a world-ending flood. The terrifying impact, like a supernova explosion, tore into the land with merciless force. Flesh and bones sizzled to ash as the searing beams cut through everything in their path. Blood-curdling screams were silenced in an instant as bodies were completely vaporized, leaving not even a slight hint of the acrid smell of burned flesh. Endless storms formed, unleashing an indescribable shock that struck out in all directions.

At that moment, countless adventurers, including Shirou, hurled themselves towards the Resurrection Pyramid.

Deep black mud shot out from the shadows, enveloping Shirou and Mordred like a protective sphere, causing them to fly faster, propelled by the terrifying storm's impact towards the resurrection pyramid. Meanwhile, Kiara quickly used countless hands to cocoon herself within them.

"Oh, how I'd love to reclaim my authority right now," Demonic Bodhisattva mused, her voice a mix of wistfulness and cruel amusement. "Seeing that brat's face twisted with fear and tears... now wouldn't that be a delicious sight?"

She paused, her expression shifting to one of contemplation. "But... perhaps not today. This game is far too amusing to end just yet."

Despite harboring a murderous intent towards Kiara and the desire to stuff her back into her body, Demonic Bodhisattva had no intention of allowing Kiara to die by any other means.

"Huh, that's—!?" Kiara gasped, just before the cocoon of hands completely closed around her.

"Ayaka?" For a fleeting moment, amidst the endless storm, she thought she saw her dear friend Ayaka.

"It must be an illusion," she reasoned. "Ayaka is with Illya-senpai right now." The thought had barely formed when the hands closed around her completely.

The impact was devastating, shattering the Tower of Light and the surrounding land. The Sanctuary's walls crumbled under the force. Yet, this terrifying storm only engulfed a third of the Sanctuary.

Koyanskaya's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the destruction. "Interesting. They're still playing by some rules, it seems. Testing the waters, perhaps?" She mused. "Or maybe they're wary of Fujimaru Shirou's Enlightened One and our Council's power. Given the Council Leader's capabilities..."

She looked up at UO in the sky, her frown deepening. "But if they still care about the rules, why go to such extremes?"

She didn't know, but at that moment, Shirou and the others had entered the resurrection pyramid just before it disappeared!