IBHJ 1041

He looked up and saw strange tree roots intertwined before them, bizarre monsters clustered together, and hundreds of tree holes connecting to somewhere nearby, spawning strange creatures.

He chuckled and pointed at the cluster of monsters. "We've crashed right into their home base."

"You can still laugh?" she rolled her eyes.

"Of course. Doesn't this make things easier?" He waved his hands, manifesting Spear of Endless Light in one hand and Laevateinn in the other. "Get ready."

"I really don't understand you. One minute you're cautious, the next you're going all out." She sighed and drew her sword.

"You have to adapt to the situation. There's no one right way to do things."

"Yes, yes, yes, I've learned so~ much~. I don't want to hear it. Oh right—"

Her eyes lit up with excitement. "How about a game? Let's see who kills more enemies. If I win, you have to transfer Rhongomyniad to me, deal?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"Then I'll count to three. One, two... oh! They've noticed us!" Mordred suddenly pointed behind them, her eyes wide. When he instinctively turned to look, she took the chance to run ahead. "I'll go first, bye-bye!"

Shirou turned back to watch Mordred run off, a smile spreading across his face. "This child..."

He shook his head. "I'll give you a three-minute head start."

...

—!!

Venus and Pluto, who were frantically searching underground, suddenly tensed and looked towards the core domain.

"They've broken into the core domain!" Pluto gasped.

"A sneak attack... hmph. Weak human tricks. Let's go, Pluto. We'll show them that strategy is useless against absolute power," Venus said calmly.

"Alright!" Pluto nodded.

Just as the two bosses were about to move, two hands made of mud suddenly shot up from deep underground, grabbing them.

"There's someone else!?" Pluto was shocked.

Venus simply raised an eyebrow and clenched her fists. Her body emitted a faint golden light, and her immense power shattered the mud hands holding her.

She turned, looking into the darkness below, and asked coldly, "Who are you?"

"Greetings, sister Venus, sister Pluto."

A graceful figure slowly emerged from the darkness. As the shadows receded, they revealed Manaka Sajyou's mature and elegant face. She bowed slightly to the two of them, every movement radiating a noble elegance.

"You—!?"

Seeing Manaka, Venus and Pluto both frowned. They couldn't understand what she was.

"I am your sister, Earth's Ultimate One," Manaka smiled.

"Pfft—!"

Pluto couldn't help laughing.

Venus spoke coldly. "Trying to attract attention? Gaia's UO disappeared long ago."

"That was true in the past, but not necessarily in the future," Manaka smiled. She looked at them intently. "I want to make a deal with you."

"Boring. If you're here to destroy Uranus's seed like those two, then go ahead. Let me see if you're capable," Venus said coldly, radiating intense killing intent.

She sensed danger from Manaka.

Immense danger.

But Manaka smiled indifferently at Venus's hostility. "I'm not interested in helping them. I have my own goals. We have no conflict; in fact, we could cooperate. Besides, even if you both attack me together, you might not win."

"Oh?" Pluto, who had been smiling, suddenly turned cold. "How arrogant, human."

"I apologize, but I'm not human," Manaka smiled. "The Lord of Salvation - that is what I am."

Hearing this, Venus and Pluto's eyes suddenly contracted.

"It seems I've struck a nerve. I'm sorry about that, but I won't apologize," Manaka smiled. "I am the vessel of the Lord of Salvation, but I don't intend to remain a vessel. I will replace the Lord of Salvation."

"I see... this ominous feeling, you're that thing's vessel! Then we can't let you live!" Pluto's eyes narrowed dangerously.

With a sharp sound, a ghostly light flashed, and a huge crack appeared at Manaka's waist. The crack split open, forming a massive black hole that tried to suck in and crush Manaka.

That was Pluto's power.

Pluto was the star of death, representing the underworld. She could borrow and merge with Earth's mythological descriptions of the underworld, using that power to open the path of the dead. But even as she opened this massive underworld path, Manaka continued to smile as a massive vortex emerged from her abdomen.

Greed, lust... endless desires swirled within, instantly filling the underworld path and causing it to crack apart.

"How is this possible..." Pluto was stunned.

"The entrance to reincarnation can hold countless dead spirits, but it can't contain the desires of all things," Manaka said with a smile.

That was the authority she had taken from Demonic Bodhisattva.

As Pluto was about to attack again, Venus held her back.

"Tell us your terms," Venus said, looking at Manaka.

"Venus...!" Pluto was anxious, but Venus silenced her with a look.

Manaka smiled. "Heaven's Corpse."

Venus's eyes narrowed, and she asked, her voice tight with emotion, "You- you know where she's hiding?"

"Of course, and I can lead you to her, but on the condition that you don't hunt my prey."

"Who is your prey?"

Manaka smiled, her eyes flashing with coldness. "Tiamat."

"Tiamat... so you're saying Heaven's Corpse is with Tiamat, and you're not sure you can handle both of them at once?"

"I still have the key, and although that Sword of Rupture hasn't been returned to the Goddess of Creation by the Wedge of Heaven, nobody likes surprises, right?" Manaka smiled.

"Good, it's a deal. I'll face them with you. After we're done, you get Tiamat, I get Heaven's Corpse," Venus said eagerly.

"Very well, Venus," Manaka smiled.

"Venus...!" Pluto looked at her in disbelief.

"Sorry, this is important to me. Come with us, Pluto," Venus said.

Pluto shook her head. "They've already broken into the core area. I need to look after Uranus."

"That's a shame."

"Actually, leaving wouldn't matter. Do you think they can defeat Uranus? That's far too difficult. Uranus's hatred can't be resolved by power alone, not even with Laevatein," Manaka said.

"You seem to know everything!" Pluto's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not all-knowing, but I do know more than most," she said modestly.

"Indeed, they can't win. But I still need to look after Uranus," Pluto said seriously.

"Let's go," Venus urged.

Manaka nodded.

She turned her head and looked at the tree trunk, thinking to herself: Tiamat, you're mine!

...

Mordred carved a bloody path through the monsters, reaching the tree roots first.

Shirou walked slowly along the path she had created.

"Fourteen thousand seven hundred and forty-two, you lost!" Mordred said triumphantly.

"You kept a precise count. I didn't even keep track of how many I killed."

"Stop changing the subject! You can't weasel out of it! Give me Rhongomyniad!" She held out her hand, demanding her prize.

He smiled and pointed behind them. She looked back to see the ground opening up. Countless amounts of black mud poured out, forming a massive net hundreds of miles wide that caught and merged all the remaining creatures on the ground into one giant mass.

Then—

"BOOM!"

The mass of mud exploded, creating a shockwave of gore, painting the sky crimson. Hot droplets of blood rained down in sheets, soaking into the earth. The creatures that had been caught - over twenty thousand of them - were simply gone, obliterated so completely that not even pieces remained. Nothing was left but the dark stains spreading across the ground.

"You- you you you you—" she sputtered, pointing at him furiously. "What's wrong with you!"

"You never said I couldn't use this," he said innocently.

"If you're so powerful, why didn't you use it outside the Sanctuary? Why use adventurers as meatshields?" she demanded.

"The monster wave was too widespread. I didn't have enough mana to cover that much ground," he said, spreading his hands apologetically.

"You you you you you— you're so annoying!" She spun around angrily and stomped off.

"Come on, don't be angry. If you want Rhongomyniad, I'll give it to you later. An elder's possessions should be passed down to the next generation anyway."

He smiled and caught up to her, but found Mordred standing still. He thought she was still angry, but she pointed ahead. "Old man, look!"

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