IBHJ 1051

Ayaka watched Shirou bluff Manaka, and a wave of relief washed over her. Manaka had once been her idol, but now, she was the person Ayaka feared the most.

"How did you get caught?" Ayaka turned to the disheveled Heaven's Corpse, unable to contain her curiosity.

"I'd like to know that myself! How did the Lord of Salvation's vessel even find us? I created this dungeon and masked my aura specifically to avoid Venus. That vessel must have detected Tiamat instead," Heaven's Corpse rolled their eyes and sighed in frustration.

Venus's Ultimate One, due to its conflicting views on Gaia, had split into two halves. One was Heaven's Corpse, who favored Gaia, and the other was Venus, who prioritized their main body's interests.

To evade Venus and protect their ideology, Heaven's Corpse had created this dungeon and hidden their aura, living like a fugitive. But while they had successfully avoided Venus, Manaka had found them instead.

"We can discuss that later," Shirou interrupted. "Where are the others?"

"Tiamat was devoured," Heaven's Corpse said with a weary sigh. "Venus and that vessel weren't interested in the two humans you brought, so they just fainted from the aftershocks. But the God's Brain... Venus took her." Heaven's Corpse paused. "She won't let her go."

Shirou turned and looked at her intently. "Can you tell me about the God's Brain now? She can't be ordinary to be the key to this wager."

"She is ORT, and she is also Gaia," Heaven's Corpse sighed.

He raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Years ago, during the Ultimate Ones' Conference, when they were deciding what to do with Gaia, she ignored Gaia's orders and rebelled against the other UOs. The result was inevitable—she fought all seven of us. No matter how many of us held back, we eventually sealed her away."

"Furthermore," she continued, "because her power was so immense, we had to divide her body into nine parts to avoid any problems. We planned to restore her after the wager ended. However, before we sealed her, she did something unexpected. She extracted a part of Gaia and preserved it by attaching it to her body, preventing Gaia from being completely neutralized."

She paused and sighed. "ORT truly saw Gaia as her mother."

He frowned. "So the divine fragments UOs were guarding are actually parts of ORT's body?"

She nodded. "Exactly. Each fragment is a piece of ORT. Once they are all gathered and she is restored, she will be revived, Gaia will awaken, and Saturn will lose the wager. However..." she trailed off with a heavy sigh. "Now that Venus has the God's Brain, that seems impossible."

Shirou's frown deepened. He had suspected the God's Brain was one of Gaia's chess pieces, but he hadn't realized she was actually ORT, who had preserved a part of Gaia. She was the first to answer Gaia's call, arriving on Earth thousands of years early, then willingly going into hibernation to avoid disrupting Earth's ecosystem. And now, she had used her own body to preserve a chance for Gaia's awakening... Compared to the two-faced Heaven's Corpse and scheming Crimson Moon, ORT's devotion to Gaia was beyond words.

With ORT in Venus's clutches, the situation looked bleak.

"Then, what about that slime?" he asked.

"Slime?" Heaven's Corpse looked puzzled. "What slime?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

Her confusion grew, and Shirou felt his own brow furrow. It wasn't him who defeated Pluto, but that slime wandering around the beginner's village. That slime was also the one who caused the God's Brain to manifest.

He had assumed this was all orchestrated by Heaven's Corpse and Arcueid, but her bewildered expression suggested otherwise.

After a moment of thought, he addressed the group. "Let's get out of here. If Manaka recovers and realizes she's been tricked, we'll be in trouble."

Everyone nodded in agreement. They gathered up the unconscious Hinako and Illya, then retreated from the ruined dungeon.

"Oh my. Master, please let me carry her," Daji said with a smile, looking at Ayaka who was carrying Hinako.

"Alright."

Ayaka nodded and was about to hand the unconscious Hinako to her, but Morrigan suddenly stepped in and took Hinako instead. She looked at Daji warily.

Daji raised her fan to hide her smile. "What's wrong, Morgan le Fay? Still afraid of me?" she chuckled.

"You're not a good person," Morrigan said, her eyes fixed on Daji.

"Perhaps not," Daji conceded with a shrug. "But I'm your ally now. When Yu Meiren wakes up, tell her to stay out of my way. It would be unfortunate if something were to happen to her." A sly smile played on her lips.

Morrigan continued to watch her closely, Hinako held securely in her arms.

"We need to leave." Shirou hurried ahead, his head pounding from the two women's argument. Manaka would catch on soon, and then they'd be trapped.

Morrigan and Daji seemed to realize this too, as they abruptly stopped their bickering and hurried after him.

They hadn't been gone long when the dungeon floor erupted, and Manaka and Venus stepped out of the swirling vortex.

"They're gone, just as I thought." Manaka pressed her fingers against her temples. "I can't believe I fell for something so obvious. Fujimaru Shirou, I won't forget this!"

Venus glared at her. "You should have let me stop them."

"Perhaps," Manaka conceded with a slight nod. "But my hands were tied."

"How so?" Venus's brow furrowed.

"That clever fox thought she found my weakness." Manaka's lips curved into a slight smile. "But she doesn't understand - great achievements require sacrifice."

"Your sister?" Venus narrowed her eyes. "Since when does a vessel maintain human thoughts and feelings?"

"What do you mean?" Manaka tilted her head.

"Millions of years ago, there was someone like you on this planet - a Gandharan who became the Lord of Salvation's vessel. But you...you're different."

"In what way?" Manaka asked curiously.

"He gave up his body and identity willingly. But you..." Venus shook her head. "You want to take salvation's place. I don't understand you at all."

"So that's the only difference. What happened to him?"

"Tethys led an alliance against him," Venus said. "The Gandharans and other ancient civilizations joined forces. They defeated the vessel, but at a cost - it destroyed their continent and ended their civilization. With no one left to tell their stories, their Heroic Spirits can't manifest."

"My story will be different." Manaka's eyes gleamed.

"You seem sure of yourself."

"I've never lost." Manaka held out her hand to Venus. "Stay with me, sister. Watch me succeed where he failed."

Venus stared at Manaka's outstretched hand. The invitation was clear - Manaka wanted her as an ally.

It made sense that Manaka would call her "sister." After all, she wanted to replace the Lord of Salvation and become Earth's UO.

"No." Venus shook her head. While Manaka intrigued her as an unusual vessel, she had other priorities. Heaven's Corpse still lived, and that dangerous ideology remained a threat. She couldn't afford distractions.

"That's a shame." Manaka's smile didn't fade. "In that case, give me the God's Brain."

"Ah, I see. Gaia is your target." Venus's eyes widened. "You want to become Earth's UO. You need Gaia's approval."

"Wrong." Manaka's eyes hardened. "Gaia's rules are obsolete. I'll destroy them both - Gaia and that thing. I'll take their place."

Venus's expression changed, her face hardening. "Such arrogance."

"I've heard that before." Manaka's smile turned cold. "But remember - I never lose. Hand over Gaia, and you might survive. I'm curious to know what being a UO feels like."

Manaka's smile remained graceful, but the power radiating from her made Venus's skin crawl.

She had picked the perfect moment. Venus was weakened—being a split entity and having her power drained from the battle with Heaven's Corpse. Meanwhile, Manaka had grown stronger after consuming a Beast. The balance had shifted in her favor.

Suddenly-

The air cracked.

A deafening blast tore through space itself. Waves of force ripped through dimensions as intense heat filled the air above them.

Manaka looked up. A cross of pure magical energy descended toward her, blazing like a star. Her smile vanished. She pulled black mud around her like a shield.

The explosion shook the earth. Light engulfed Manaka as the dungeon rippled and bent. The shockwave sent Venus flying through the air.

"Saturn!" Venus pressed a hand to her chest, pain shooting through her. Only one being could strike across dimensions like this - Saturn, guardian of the solar system and leader of the UOs.

"It's time for the meeting." Saturn's voice filled the space, each word heavy with authority.

Venus scanned the area. No sign of Manaka - she had escaped. "Wait. The vessel just fled, and I still need to deal with my heretical thoughts-"

"Meeting. Now."

Saturn's presence vanished, leaving only silence and the settling dust.

Venus clenched her fists. She wanted to refuse, but after a moment of internal struggle, she turned toward the conference. Some orders couldn't be ignored.