IBHJ 1042

He looked up and was startled. In the crystalline tree trunk ahead, a young girl was curled up asleep.

Her sleeping face was peaceful, but black vapor surrounded her body. The vapor gathered and dispersed, forming terrifying ghost faces.

"What is this? Is this... Uranus?" Mordred paced around the tree, frowning. "Or maybe some kind of tree spirit?"

Shirou reached out and lightly tapped her head, then pointed at the girl in the tree. "Look closer."

"Don't you dare tap my head..."

She covered her head, scowling at him before turning back to the girl in the tree. Her eyes widened when she saw a third eye, tightly closed, in the center of the girl's forehead.

"Old man, is this..." she pointed at the third eye, surprised.

"The Eye of Gandhara." He stared intently at it, his brow furrowed. "To think a Gandharan has somehow become involved with UO..."

Mordred glanced at the horde of beasts behind them. Shirou's mud net attack had thinned their numbers, but many monsters still charged towards them, and more were emerging from the holes.

She drew her sword. "Old man, I'll cover you while you cut down that tree."

"We need to dig her out first."

"That's a waste of time." She frowned. "We don't need the extra trouble."

He reached out to tap her head again, but this time she bit him.

"Ouch!" He pulled his hand back with a hiss, blowing on his finger. Several tooth marks were visible on his skin.

"You really know how to bite!" He shook his head and glared at Mordred, clutching his finger.

She laughed. "This is called giving someone a taste of their own medicine."

He rolled his eyes. When had he ever bitten anyone?

Shirou gripped Levateinn tightly and approached the crystalline tree, his gaze fixed on the maiden trapped inside. While Mordred worried about complications, he was determined to free the maiden before felling the tree.

But as he moved closer, the tree seemed to sense the impending threat. The black mist within its depths coalesced into a ghostly face, fluid and shifting, hissing and wailing instinctively.

The ground abruptly shook with a series of booms. Countless roots erupted from the earth like wooden dragons, charging towards them.

Mordred swung her sword, slicing through several branches. "See?" she shouted. "It would have been easier to just cut it down!"

"Don't be ridiculous," he retorted. "This is just a defense mechanism!"

He gestured sharply, and Evil Blossom surged from the shadows. It transformed into massive waves of darkness, attempting to engulf the crystalline tree. But with a series of cracks, countless roots erupted from the base of the tree, rushing into the dark tide like wooden dragons. As they collided with the darkness, they split and multiplied, hardening into an impenetrable web. The roots continued to grow and spread until they had trapped the entire wave of darkness, suspending it in a massive earthen wall that stretched across the battlefield.

The air filled with sharp, wet sounds as the tree's fruits split open one after another. From each burst pod emerged twisted, writhing forms - monsters with too many limbs and anatomies. They dropped from the branches in a living curtain, forming a dense mesh of writhing bodies that plunged toward Shirou and Mordred.

Mordred reacted instantly. Red lightning crackled across her armor as she channeled her Mana Burst. Her sword swept out in a perfect arc, trailing a crimson energy. The sword's power caught the wind itself, transforming her slash into a giant beam that carved through the air. Monsters fell in pieces, their remains scattering like gory rain.

But there were simply too many. They quickly filled the gaps, their numbers overwhelming.

Shirou gestured, and the mud wall that had been blocked by the tree began to vibrate violently, emitting a low hum. With a series of sickening crunches, countless black hands erupted from the mud, grabbing the monsters and pulling them inside to be crushed.

"Cut down the tree! Cut down the tree!" Mordred yelled, but when she glanced back, Shirou was already charging towards the crystalline tree, Levateinn raised high.

Ah well, this guy didn't need any reminders, that was for sure!

Evil Blossom and Mordred held back the wave of monsters while Shirou faced the tree. He unleashed his mana, and with a sharp ring, the flames of Levateinn surged; they grew and grew, the heat distorting the air until the flames had formed a colossal sword that blazed against the sky. The fire roared like a living thing, casting everything in harsh orange light.

He raised Levateinn high and brought it down in a single, powerful arc.

The searing flames were like the first light of dawn cleaving through the darkness. With a resounding crack, the crystalline tree was severed at its waist. Uranus was a UO, the prototype of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, but it was still vulnerable to Levateinn.

"Aaaaah!" The ghostly face within the tree screamed in terror, dissipating into wisps of black smoke that scattered on the wind, fading into nothing.

Around them, the monster horde born from the berries convulsed and wailed, their bodies melting into a thick liquid that spread across the ground.

The monsters attacking the Sanctuary froze, as if released from some unseen control. They looked around in confusion, seemingly bewildered.

Seeing the monsters halt their assault, the adventurers paused, questions swirling in their minds.

What was happening? Was the attack truly over?

"The tree has fallen!" Enkidu pointed at the distant crystalline tree.

"Looks like that guy did it!"

"Did we bet on the right person?"

"Finally, we can relax."

The Guild Masters breathed sighs of relief.

The tree was down, the monster wave had ended – surely the Sanctuary was safe now?

But then—

"BOOM!"

A massive thunderbolt tore through the clear sky, splitting the land and creating enormous storms that swept countless creatures into their whirlpool. The powerful centrifugal force ripped them apart.

"It's not over yet...!" someone shouted, looking up at Saturn with gritted teeth.

...

Saturn looked down coldly from the sky. "Fujimaru Shirou, you've truly awakened It!"

The massive tree crashed to the ground, splitting the earth. The air shuddered, and the enormous storm tore at everything in its path.

Mordred had already activated her Grail, creating a separate space around herself and Shirou, shielding them from the fierce winds.

Amidst the chaos, a surprised voice cut through the storm. "You – you cut it down so quickly?"

Shirou looked up and saw Pluto standing in the sky, staring at them in astonishment.

Anger flared in Mordred's heart. "Yeah, you're too late!" she sneered. "What a shame!"

"No, no, no," Pluto said, shaking her head. "I wouldn't say I'm late. I'm right on time."

Shirou frowned.

Just as Pluto finished speaking—

"Crack, crack, crack!"

Violent cracking sounds erupted. Shirou turned to look, his brow furrowed. The remaining stump of the tree split open, and the maiden trapped inside fell to the ground.

Her eyes remained closed as she slowly rose. Her smooth, graceful body was covered in a green liquid, like someone emerging from a growth chamber.

"Finally complete..." Pluto began, but Mordred had already unleashed her Mana Burst. With a clean, swift stroke of her sword, a beam of light pierced towards the maiden's heart.

"Mordred..." he started.

"She's not human anymore," Mordred said. Unlike him, her every strike was meant to kill.

"I know, but you should have aimed for her head."

He was kind, but not naive. He simply wanted to remind her that decapitation was a more reliable way to kill than a blow to the heart.