IBHJ 1069

Velber's AI smiled at the thought. When Umbral Star arrived, everything would be consumed: Beasts, UOs, the Council, Chaldea, Grand Servants, Manaka, even Eternal Emperor. All would become fuel for Umbral Star, transformed into its new vanguard.

Shirou watched the AI's starship race toward Velber's main body. "Don't even think about it!" he shouted, his body surging with sacred light. He shot forward like a comet, determined to stop the AI from reaching his destination and signaling Umbral Star.

"I'm afraid this particular road is closed to you, Shirou." Manaka stood in his way, a smile on her face.

Shirou's brow furrowed. "Manaka, have you lost your mind? Umbral Star's arrival won't help your cause either—it will destroy everything. Your goal was the Seven Beasts—"

"Was it?" She laughed gently. "You've only seen the surface, as usual. The seven Beasts are nothing more than keys to a much larger lock. But even with their power, I'm no match for the Lord of Salvation. Not as I am now. To defeat something of that magnitude requires..." She paused. "...let's call it external intervention."

She was acutely aware of her situation. She knew the Council possessed a vessel equal to her own. Time was not on her side. That vessel was likely more complete than she was now. Worse still, she couldn't ignore the obvious trace of the Outer Gods that infested the Council.

Manaka's plan was to let Velber summon Umbral Star. The chaos it unleashed would give her the opportunity to gather the Beasts, open the Gate of Origin, and finally challenge the Lord of Salvation.

It was a dangerous gamble. Umbral Star could easily destroy the solar system. But if she succeeded in replacing the Lord of Salvation, she could rewrite reality itself.

Of course, everything she possessed came from the Lord of Salvation. Defeat was a very real possibility, but Manaka pushed that thought aside. This was her only option.

Shirou gritted his teeth and charged, engaging the two Manakas in battle.

Eternal Emperor was immensely powerful, capable of holding his own against Manaka. But facing two of them, one augmented by Sefar's power, was overwhelming. He struggled to gain the upper hand.

Koyanskaya watched Shirou struggle against the two Manakas and sighed. "It seems this fate is unavoidable. Perhaps the moment I chose to become a Beast, this outcome was inevitable. At least ancient Su perished at the China connection point, the King's obsession has faded... I have no regrets left."

Koyanskaya turned, took a seed from within her robes, and offered it to Ayaka. "Master, this is for you. One day, it will help you."

"A seed?" Ayaka's brow furrowed as she accepted it. "What does it do?"

Koyanskaya smiled. "I can't say, or it won't work. Just keep it safe."

Ayaka nodded quickly, fumbling to put the seed away. She saw Altera step forward and grabbed her hand. "What are you doing, Altera?"

"I'm going to seize Velber 02 main body," Altera replied.

"What?" Ayaka was stunned.

"Velber 02 is the starship that brought me here," Altera explained, her expression serious. "We're remnants of the same civilization. If I can get inside and destroy the signal transmission system, I can stop it from contacting Umbral Star."

Ayaka hesitated. "This..."

"Good. I'll help you," Koyanskaya said.

Altera nodded.

In a flash of light, Koyanskaya transformed back into the terrifying fox demon. Her tail shot out, coiling around Altera before hurling her towards Velber's main body. A wave of her hand unleashed a barrage of demonic energy bullets, hundreds launching in rapid-fire succession, arcing through the air towards Archimedes' starship like a deadly rain.

The AI, observing the incoming attack, calmly raised a protective barrier of shimmering hexagons that spread across its surface, deflecting each projectile with bursts of sparks and energy that scattered into space. But just as its weapon ports began charging with retaliatory fire, it caught sight of Altera, flying towards its main body like a meteor. It suddenly understood what she planned to do.

"BETRAYER!" the AI roared, abandoning its assault on Koyanskaya and surging towards its main body. "To betray Umbral Star like this! I won't allow it!"

Koyanskaya unleashed a torrent of demonic bullets, each volley more intense than the last, creating a deadly curtain of fire that forced the AI to divert power to its forward shields. The bullets impacted the barriers, boxing in the entity's escape routes while superheated bullets splashed against its defenses.

Meanwhile, Shirou fought desperately against the twin assaults of the two Manakas, his attacks deflected one after another under their overwhelming force. Before long, he was forced into a defensive stance, his body burning with fatigue as he parried strike after strike, each block sending shockwaves through the moon. The Manakas pressed their advantage mercilessly, their attacks flowing into one another in perfect synchronization, forcing him to defend from multiple angles simultaneously.

Suddenly, the main Manaka's corrosive touch slipped through, her fingers grazing his forearm with a sizzling hiss of dissolving flesh. In that same moment, the other Manaka transformed into a black blade that curved around his guard, its edge singing with killing intent as it swept towards his heart. The blade tore through flesh and soul, its cursed edge carving through layers of spiritual protection as it tried to dig out the Formless Vortex.

But then—

A massive meteorite slammed into Manaka, sending her flying with a bone-jarring crash.

The sudden intervention brought the battle to a standstill. Both sides turned to see Arcueid, her eyes burning crimson with fury. A disturbing aura emanated from her, and her teeth were gritted in a snarl of rage as she glared at Manaka.

"I've had enough!" Arcueid snarled, launching herself at Manaka. Two moons materialized in her hands, compressing into dense spheres of energy before she hurled them at her enemy.

Manaka countered with two black tendrils that snaked out, seizing the projectiles and dragging them into her swirling vortex. They vanished with a soft pop.

"Delicious," she remarked.

Although the energy spheres hadn't harmed Manaka directly, the intense gravitational waves they emitted disrupted her vortex, causing it to ripple and distort.

Undeterred, Arcueid conjured more spheres and bombarded Manaka, forcing her into a defensive position. For a precious moment, Arcueid held the upper hand.

Shirou, seeing his opportunity, gave Arcueid a mental thumbs-up and dashed toward Archimedes starship but was intercepted by the second Manaka. They were evenly matched, leaving Shirou no choice but to rely on Altera to succeed.

Altera shot straight toward Velber's main body like a comet, while the AI in Archimedes' starship, ignoring Koyanskaya's relentless attacks, frantically raced to intercept her.

It was a desperate race against time. If the AI reached its main body first, it would send the signal to initiate the planet's destruction. But if Altera got there first, she could destroy the signal transmitter and avert disaster.

Just as the two were about to reach the main body, a deafening roar ripped through the sky.

"Grrrooooaaarrrr!!"

The mighty roar of a dragon echoed through the air, and then—a white beam as wide as a building pierced through the atmosphere, its pure energy cutting through defensive shields as if they were paper. The beam struck Velber's main body with incredible force, and the impact sent shockwaves through the air, shattering the main body into countless pieces.

Through the rain of debris, a colossal dragon descended from the sky, its scales gleaming like polished platinum, each beat of its wings creating gusts that scattered the wreckage further. It landed triumphantly atop the ruins of Velber's main body, its claws crushing what remained of the signal transmitter. The dragon raised its head toward the sky and let out a long, victorious howl.

It was Uranus's dragon!

"Revenge... revenge...!"

The dragon's thoughts, filled with an insatiable thirst for vengeance, echoed in the minds of everyone present.