IBHJ 1055

Heaven's Corpse's face paled. She took a step back. "It's UO's countdown."

"UO's countdown?"

She nodded grimly. "The wager between Gaia and UO has a five-year time limit. If Ort's fragments are gathered and Gaia is revived within five years, the UOs lose... But the most crucial fragment is still missing, and God's Brain has fallen into their hands, becoming the core of Uranus' dragon..." She ran a hand through her hair. "We have about five days left. Once that hourglass runs out, we'll revert to our true forms and destroy Earth."

She sighed heavily. "Uranus has already gathered a piece of all nine UOs. It might not have enough power to destroy everything, but it's perfect, without any weaknesses. And then there's the Giant God King, Archbishop and Archimedes..." She shook his head. "This is a disaster. It seems everything is about to end, including me and Gaia."

Shirou frowned. The situation was dangerous. A dragon with fragments from all nine UOs was already unbeatable, and then there was Archimedes lurking somewhere, ready to unleash a Giant God King at any moment. And now this countdown.

No time. No clues. No power to fight back.

His mind raced. He took a deep breath. "There's no other way. We have to do this." He turned to Ayaka. "Ayaka, your sister left Beast VI's seed in your heart, didn't she?"

Ayaka stared at him, stunned. Then she nodded slowly. "My sister planned to turn me into Beast VI. She left some of the black mud in my heart, but Arthur killed her before she could." She hesitated. "During the Holy Grail War, she used that mud through me to ambush Tethys. But it's useless now. My sister can't use me anymore."

"I don't think so," he said. "Manaka was the one using it before, but now we can use it too."

"What do you mean?" Ayaka suddenly had an ominous feeling.

He pulled out Evil Blossom and took Ayaka's hand, guiding it towards the mud. He used his own black mud to resonate with the dormant mud in her heart, trying to connect with Manaka's mental wavelength.

A voice, smooth and elegant, drifted through the connection. "Interesting. I never thought the mud could be used this way. You continue to surprise me, Fujimaru Shirou." The voice held a hint of amusement, but it was edged with malice. "Are you trying to find me so you can fight me? Hehehe..."

Manaka Sajyou's laughter echoed in their minds, a chilling mockery.

"You are the vessel of salvation, an obstacle preventing us from reaching the future. I will have to fight you eventually." He paused. "But that's not why I'm contacting you now."

"Then why?" Manaka's voice was sharp, suspicious.

"You're in danger," Shirou said, "and I'm in trouble. We need to work together."

"Eh—!?"

Manaka froze in surprise.

"I'm in danger?" Manaka's laughter was light, but with an underlying edge. "You might be able to fool others, Fujimaru Shirou, but not me."

"This isn't a trick. Think about who you are. You're the vessel of salvation. Do you really think the UOs will just let you be? And you need to gather the Beasts. Do you think those Beasts on the 'Council' will allow you to grow stronger? We may be enemies, but we're in the same situation. Before you can gain more power, what choice do you have but to cooperate with me?"

"Hmm." Manaka paused, considering. "What you say makes sense..." She nodded slowly, then shook her head. "But I refuse."

"Why?" He frowned.

"If anyone else suggested this," Manaka said, "I might have considered it. But not with you. Never with you."

The connection snapped shut. she had blocked the resonance synchronization.

Why ask why?

She trembled with anger - shouldn't he know better?

...

Shirou stared at the black mud. He could almost feel Manaka's anger radiating from the broken connection. He sighed and tried to reconnect, but she had completely severed the link.

He withdrew Evil Blossom. "It seems she has no intention of cooperating."

"Of course not." Daji covered her mouth with her sleeve, laughing softly. "To think you'd seek cooperation with the Queen of Evil... I thought you were going to hand me over to her. This poor girl was so frightened, her heart wouldn't stop pounding."

She blushed, her hand instinctively moving to her chest, causing her breasts to strain even more against the fabric as though ready to spill out. When Shirou had proposed cooperating with Manaka, she had been terrified. The thought of being handed over to that woman... she had even considered attacking Shirou to prevent it. After all, Manaka's goal was the seven Beasts. Even if Manaka could set aside past grudges to work with Shirou, Daji would inevitably be involved as a Beast.

Shirou glanced at Daji, ignoring her antics. He looked up at the moon hanging high in the sky. He straightened his shoulders. "Get ready. We're moving out."

"Huh?" Everyone stared at him in surprise.

Looking at Shirou's calm expression, Heaven's Corpse understood. Her eyes narrowed in realization. "Your earlier communication with the Queen of Evil wasn't to seek cooperation. You used it as a pretext to locate her position!"

Everyone gasped and turned to him, their eyes wide with surprise.

Shirou shook his head, then nodded. "I did want to cooperate with her," he admitted, "but she refused. However, while we were connected, I pinpointed her location. I also detected Altera's signature."

"Altera..." Ayaka's voice was filled with worry. "Where is she?"

He raised his arm and pointed towards the sky. "Right there."

Ayaka followed his gaze and gasped. "The... the moon?"

He nodded. "Yes, on the moon. Both Archimedes and Manaka are there." He paused, seeing the concern on Ayaka's face. "Are you worried about confronting your sister? Don't worry, I wasn't planning on taking you."

"That's not it." Ayaka shook her head. "I'm just wondering... how do we get up there?"

Shirou looked at her, confused. "By flying, of course." He frowned slightly. The moon was in space; how else would they get there?

"F-flying up..." Ayaka stammered, her eyes wide. "Let me get this straight. We're just going to fly up to the moon?"

He nodded, completely unfazed.

"But... but there's no spacecraft here," Ayaka pointed out, gesturing around the empty clearing.

He frowned. "The moon is right there. Why would we need a spacecraft?"

"Indeed, why would we need a spacecraft?" Heaven's Corpse added, equally confused. "We can just fly up. It's a short distance, a blink of an eye."

Ayaka: "???"

She stared at them, completely bewildered. Was she missing something? Was everyone else crazy?

She looked at Shirou, then at Heaven's Corpse... well, she was a space monster, so maybe that didn't count. Finally, she turned to Daji, feeling a wave of relief. At least she seemed normal.

As if reading Ayaka's mind, Daji leaned closer, her smile soft and reassuring. "Master, getting to the moon is simple. I can easily accomplish such a thing. Even Kiara Sessyoin could do it."

Ayaka: "???"

She sighed, deflated. Fine! You're all mighty beings who can cross the stars in physical form. I'm just too weak and always making a fuss over nothing. I'm sorry!

Heaven's Corpse spoke up, her brow furrowed. "If they're on the moon, they must be targeting the Mooncell. But Saturn's minions should be guarding it. Going there directly could lead to a confrontation." She paused, thinking. "Besides, Pluto's gate allows direct entry into Mooncell's domain. There's no need to fly there."

"That gate guarded by Pluto is the entrance to Mooncell?" Shirou sounded surprised.

She nodded. "Mooncell is Saturn's final checkpoint, but the entrance is the first checkpoint, guarded by Pluto. However..." He hesitated. "Now that UO's judgment has begun its countdown, and with Ort still in Uranus's hands... are you sure you don't want to challenge Uranus first?"

He shook his head. "Until I gather all the necessary pieces and unite with Arcueid, I have no way to deal with it."

Currently, their only hope against Uranus was Eternal Emperor. But to manifest Eternal Emperor, they needed a piece of UO as a wedge. Last time, they had used Arcueid's demonic sword.

Using a piece of Heaven's Corpse was also theoretically possible, but she was incomplete, merely a half-existence. She couldn't be used as a wedge. Arcueid, on the other hand, was not only a UO but also a True Ancestor created by Gaia, possessing complete authority. She was the key to completing Shirou's wedge.

Moreover, Uranus was driven by the resentment of the Gandharans. And how many Gandharans had Archimedes killed for his God King project? Shirou was certain that once Uranus caught Archimedes's scent, it would be drawn to the moon. That would be the time for the final battle.

Of course, this was just a possibility. The safest course of action would be to unite with Arcueid first, prepare fully, and then challenge Uranus. But time was running out. They had to take the gamble.