IBHJ Chapter 957

"Hmm..." Tiamat shook her head. "That lost continent might have been a civilization nurtured by one of my companions who returned to Earth. But unfortunately, when I came back, I was focused on spreading the seed I carried. And by then, that continent seemed to have already disappeared."

He nodded, then turned to Venus.

Venus met his eyes and let out a dramatic sigh. "Don't look at me. It's been 4.6 billion years. How could I possibly keep track of Gaia all the time and remember every civilization that's popped up or every landmass that's disappeared? I only remember the big events, just the big ones."

Clearly, she didn't know about the missing continent either.

"But the last time I woke up, Earth seemed to have gone through a massive explosion, and then several chunks of land sank into the sea. Back then, Mercury wanted to fly to Earth, and I, not wanting to be left out, wanted to chase after him, but Gaia wouldn't let me. It left quite an impression, so I still remember. Among those sunken lands, there should be the missing continent you're talking about."

Leaning in, his eyes bright with interest, he asked, "When did this happen?"

"In human time? Hmm... probably around 30 million years ago," Venus said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "After that big explosion, Gaia and Tethys started calling for Tiamat to come back. They also welcomed some machines from other star systems - poor things had run out of energy and couldn't keep traveling. Those machines even made this beautiful garden on Earth called 'Atlantis.' I'll admit, I was tempted to snatch it for myself back then."

Shirou nodded, realizing that the 'Atlantis' and 'machines' Venus mentioned were likely the Greek gods. But from her words, it seemed she didn't know much more about the missing continent than he did.

"The one who knows the most about what's happened to Earth is Gaia. But unfortunately, she's not here. Even if you had the Planet's Sword and Spear, you couldn't understand Its logic enough to have a conversation with It. Then there's Tethys, who's been around since ancient times and created the fairies. But..." She spread her hands, her expression turning sympathetic. "You inherited Tethys' vortex, which probably means something's happened to her."

Her message was clear: you can't get the answer you're looking for.

"By the way, Sakura's brother, why are you asking about this?" Tiamat looked at him and asked.

He gestured towards the unconscious three-eyed youth and explained Waver's information.

Venus listened, her brow furrowing as Shirou mentioned wanting to understand the Lord of Salvation better. "That thing? What's there to investigate about that thing?" she scoffed, but her eyes betrayed a hint of unease. "Well, if you do uncover anything, fill us in too. To be honest, we UOs are just as in the dark about the Lord of Salvation's true nature."

Tiamat nodded solemnly. She also wanted to understand what exactly was the true nature of the Lord of Salvation that destroyed Gaia's civilization.

Suddenly, the three-eyed youth stirred, his lips moving faintly. "Village... chief... sister..."

Shirou realized he was about to wake up. To communicate peacefully, Morrigan had to be sent away so she wouldn't scare the child. This annoyed Morrigan, but she had no choice. She knew that compared to her own desires, the matter of the Lord of Salvation was the real priority.

The moment the youth's eyes fluttered open, he found himself surrounded by unfamiliar faces. His breath caught in his throat, panic rising in his chest.

Venus leaned in, her voice gentle. "Easy now, little one. You're safe here." She offered a warm smile, hoping to ease his fear.

She wore a flowing white dress, her shoulder-length blonde hair framing a face of angelic gentleness. But to the three-eyed youth, this vision of beauty twisted into a nightmarish bloom – a monstrous flower with gnashing teeth, eager to devour its prey. He shrank back, his whole body trembling.

"There's no need for fear," Tiamat soothed, her tone rich and melodious.

Yet her words brought no comfort. In the child's mind, Tiamat's form warped into a colossal warship, its hull bristling with weapons of destruction. He saw it sweeping across a barren landscape, leaving only ashes in its wake. Then, as if the horror couldn't be contained in a single form, she shifted again – becoming a two-headed dragon birthing an army of abominations.

The youth's eyes went wide, a silent scream caught in his throat. Every fiber of his being screamed danger, but he found himself paralyzed, trapped between these terrifying abominations.

"We are not bad people," Artoria said.

The three-eyed youth recoiled, his body shaking all over. In Artoria, he saw not a woman, but a red dragon - battered and broken, yet still breathing streams of scorching fire. His breath came in ragged gasps, eyes wide with terror.

His gaze then fell on Shirou.

In that moment, fear took over completely. It wasn't just trembling anymore; every fiber of his being screamed in silent horror.

He saw endless malice and darkness in Shirou, but when he looked deeper, he saw a fire burning in that infinite darkness.

Beside the flames sat a small white figure, its body mottled with inky black spots. It moved constantly, tending to the fire, licking at the wood that fed the blaze. The fire was small, yet it burned dazzlingly, carving out a tiny sanctuary of light in the overwhelming darkness.

And there, beside the flames, was a vortex that kept on spinning. It whirled with immense power, generating a powerful repulsive force that seemed to push back against the encroaching shadows, as if desperately trying to quarantine the infection of that great darkness.

"Hello, please don't be afraid, we are not..."

Shirou started to try and calm the three-eyed youth, but before he could get the words out, the young man threw himself to the ground in front of him, bowing deeply and slamming his head against the floor.

"Oh great one! I've finally found you," the youth cried, his voice trembling. "Please, I beg you, God. Please save our village!"

Tears streamed down his face as he pleaded.

Shirou was taken aback.

What the hell?

...

The three-eyed youth wept and begged, bowing and scraping before Shirou, then desperately grabbing his hand.

"Easy there," Shirou said, his voice tinged with irritation. "I need you to calm down and explain what's going on. And I strongly suggest you let go of my hand before I lose my patience."

The youth flinched and released his grip. Shirou flexed his fingers, impressed despite himself at the strength hidden in that small frame. It made sense, he supposed, for an ancient species.

He sat on a nearby table, his eyes on the three-eyed youth. "Let's start with the basics. What's your name? And why exactly are you calling me 'god' and 'great one'?"

The three-eyed youth glanced nervously at the others in the room. Artoria stepped forward, her expression gentle.

"It's alright," she said softly. "We want to help you. You're safe here."

At her kind words, the youth seemed to relax slightly. In his mind's eye, the image of a protective red dragon grew clearer, and his panicked heart began to calm down.

He turned his head, looked at Shirou, and said, "Great one, my name is Charia. I live in a village in the Cordillera mountain range..."

It turned out the three-eyed people living in South America weren't just Charia, but an entire village.

Their village was built along the mountainside, and they had been living there long before UO and the others reshaped the world. They lived a simple life, working at sunrise and resting at sunset. The virtualization of the world hadn't changed their lives much.

The three-eyed people believed they would continue to live a stable, peaceful life until over a month ago when a group of adventurers with divinity attacked their village.

His fists clenched, knuckles whitening. "We had nothing of value, no rare monsters nearby to hunt. Yet they slaughtered us all the same. Uncle Olas, our village chief, even my sister Ramoi..." Charia's voice broke, unable to continue.

The room fell silent, and in his eyes, a storm of emotions brewed - fear, hatred, and a deep, burning resentment. It was clear that this brutal attack had shattered his view of the human world, painting it in shades of cruelty and darkness.