IBHJ 1039

Demonic Bodhisattva stared at Manaka Sajyou in disbelief. She was clearly insane.

What had she just said?

She wanted to replace the Lord of Salvation, replace that ultimate despair?

"Without your Beast authority, you're worthless now. Disappear, Beast III." Manaka's words fell like executioner's axes.

The moment those words left her lips, Demonic Bodhisattva caught a glimpse of something terrible - a black flash in Manaka's eyes, like a window opening onto absolute void. Every instinct screamed danger, every fiber of her being surging with alarm!

The next moment, endless black mist erupted from Manaka's body, crashing towards her like ocean waves. Everything in its path was annihilated; even time and space disappeared completely. It was all-consuming.

When the black mist cleared, everything had vanished.

Manaka looked at the empty expanse of land, frowning. "Using a disposable hole to escape unification..." she muttered. "Well, it seems I can't help Kiara get her revenge."

She clenched her fist, the physical sensation helping her regain the feeling of being alive.

"Having reclaimed Beast III, my lifespan has increased. But if I don't reclaim the other Beasts within twenty days, I'll disappear from this future. Should I go after Beast II first, or Beast V?"

Manaka pondered her options.

She turned her head and looked at Ayaka and Kiara, who had surrounded Daji. After a moment's hesitation, she sighed. "It's better if I don't appear before Ayaka and the others. The damage is done... Ayaka, hate your sister. It's the only way for your sister to remain as Manaka Sajyou."

Manaka turned away and gazed at Uranus. "Fujimaru Shirou, though I hate you for killing me, I also thank you for setting me free. Although Eternal Emperor is powerful, he cannot defeat Uranus and Gandhara's hatred. As long as that hatred remains, you cannot win in this connecting point."

...

"BOOM—"

A massive thunderbolt, like a giant axe splitting the sky, crashed down, cleaving the land in two.

The terrifying destructive power extinguished all life in its path, leaving countless dead and corpses strewn across the ground.

The intense lightning illuminated Saturn's face.

"I will not gamble our fate on a human, Tethys!" he boomed. "Uranus's hatred will never fade!"

His human form stood atop his massive cross body, gazing at the Tree slowly growing on the distant shore.

Of all the siblings, only Uranus truly harbored hatred for Gaia.

The World Tree, the origin tree of Norse mythology, was created by copying and analyzing Uranus's structure after ancient civilization captured him. That experience had become the source of hatred and division between Uranus and Gaia. But Uranus was too far from Earth's orbit. He needed to maintain a stable orbit and couldn't take revenge after the ancient civilization vanished. Now that Gaia was weakening, Uranus would certainly take advantage of this opportunity.

Unlike the other siblings, who might still hesitate because of old friendships with Gaia, Uranus would show no mercy.

"If this human is so powerful," Saturn said, "let him try to defeat me and Uranus! If he can't even do that, then he's not worthy of carrying our wishes to destroy the Lord of Salvation!"

Saturn's eyes flashed. His enormous, cross-shaped form shimmered, and a massive cross-shaped wave of light fell from the sky.

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

The blasts cracked the land and destroyed life below. Fortunately, the Mooncell's system protection stayed strong. Although the floating island where the Sanctuary stood trembled, it remained intact.

"This isn't working," one of the Guild Masters said. "We need to change formation."

"I agree," another replied. "The pyramid formation is good for breaking through the monster tide, but it makes us an easy target."

"Hmph, that thing in the sky is really annoying."

The Guild Masters quickly discussed the situation. With Saturn bombarding them from the sky, the pyramid formation made them too vulnerable. They spread out, taking up new positions while still supporting each other, and continued to fight their way through the monsters.

The monsters were strong and numerous, but the adventurers were more than capable of holding their own.

"This attack is different," one adventurer said. "Usually the monster wave would be over by now, and we'd be cleaning up the battlefield. But this time it's endless, and two bosses have already appeared. Something strange is going on."

"I don't know what it is," another replied, "but we can still handle it."

"The Resurrection Pyramid is sealed," a third said grimly. "We can only hold them off for so long. Until the Tree boss is destroyed, the monsters might just keep coming. If they break through to the sanctuary, the lower realm is doomed."

"The Sanctuary must hold!" one of the Guild Masters said. "But talk is cheap. All we can do now is rely on that Evil Flower."

"It's our only chance," another agreed.

The Dragon Star Guild Master looked toward the flourishing Tree in the distance. That was the source of the monster tide. They had to destroy it. Otherwise, the monsters would never stop coming.

Their only option was to put their faith in this unknown factor.

"They should have arrived by now," he murmured.

...

As the adventurers fought their way through the monsters, Shirou used Mordred's Grail to tunnel underground toward Uranus. Mordred's Grail was incredibly useful for tunneling. It allowed them to bypass the monsters and efficiently reach Uranus's domain – a truly legendary skill for an assassin.

"We can't go any further," Mordred said, stopping abruptly. She looked frustrated.

"What's wrong?" Shirou asked.

She pointed ahead. He saw crystalline roots intertwined in the soil, flickering with light.

"Those must be Uranus's roots," she explained. "The Grail is warning me that I can't pass through them."

Even though her ability to phase through objects was nearly invincible, it wasn't enough to get past this obstacle.

"Let's head up," she said. "This area probably belongs to Uranus now. We'll have to break in from above."

"No." He shook his head. "His roots are right here in front of us. Why should we go to all that trouble?"

"You mean start cutting from here?" Mordred's eyes widened. "Think about it! If the ground collapses, we'll all die down here!"

He glanced at her. "Stop pretending. I know your Noble Phantasm creates a separate space—it doesn't actually go underground. So what if the ground collapses?"

"But Mash isn't here," she protested. "I don't have enough mana to keep it up that long!"

He took out a handful of blue potions from his inventory and handed them to her. "Drink these, If it's not enough, I have more."

She stared at the potions.

"What's wrong? Is there another problem?"

"You're really good at taking advantage of people!"

Mordred grumbled as she opened a blue potion and drank it.

Mooncell's rules allowed mana to regenerate on its own and be replenished with potions, a significant advantage for Servants like her. Still, being treated like a tool by him irritated Mordred, though she didn't argue since they were in the middle of something important.

She took out the Grail. With a thought, its light intensified, and the space around them expanded outward, significantly increasing their range of movement underground.

Shirou approached Uranus's roots and took a deep breath. He extended his hand, his mind turning to Norse mythology—the giant king Surtr, and Skadi-Scáthach.

He thought of the immense Origin Tree, Yggdrasil, and the fiery sword that cleaved it—Laevateinn.

Surtr had felled Yggdrasil with Laevateinn, and now, he would use that same sword to cut down Uranus!

"Grrrooooaaarrrr!!"

Shirou's body shimmered with the Eternal King's white light, and the faint roar of a black dragon echoed around them.

This was the voice of Níðhöggr, the world-ending black dragon, now consumed by the formless vortex. Its immense power had not been destroyed but transformed. It had merged with Shirou, becoming an integral part of his being. Like Artoria, he now possessed a dragon magical core, that furnace of impossible power that put him beyond human limitations.

Runes slowly materialized on his forehead.

Beneath the glowing Rune of Wisdom, something stirred. An ancient firelight kindled in his palm, older than civilization itself. It danced and grew, taking shape until the phantom of a sword flickered into being - not yet solid, but undeniably present.

"Is that Laevateinn?" Mordred raised an eyebrow, about to speak when she noticed the phantom of a goddess emerge from the Rune of Wisdom surrounding him. The goddess's face was unclear.

The goddess's phantom moved with liquid grace, pressing gently against Shirou's back as if embracing him. As she moved, divine blessings manifested one after another. The power of snow materialized, carrying winter's bite. Thunder followed, crackling with raw force. Nature's blessing came last, bringing with it the primal power of the world itself.

Mordred stared at the goddess, her eyes widening in recognition.

This old man...could it be...?

The goddess's phantom vanished, and Shirou slowly opened his eyes. He glanced at the flaming sword in his hand, then turned to Mordred. "Mordred, expand the space a bit more."

But she didn't respond.

"Mordred?" He frowned, wondering if she was being difficult again.

"You—" The word caught in her throat. Questions burned on her tongue, demanding answers about what she'd just seen. But she swallowed them back, shaking her head as if to clear it. "I understand. Just wait." Her voice came out more clipped than she intended.

He nodded and turned back to the roots of Uranus ahead. He trusted Mordred completely. But he didn't know that Mordred had wanted to ask him about the goddess who had appeared and blessed him.

She wondered if he had other lovers, other children she didn't know about. But this wasn't the time. Mordred pushed down her doubts, drank another blue potion, and expanded the space.

Shirou took a deep breath, raised the flaming sword, and swung it down with force.

The ancient fire, empowered by Rune of Wisdom and Skadi's blessing, surged through the blade. With a sharp crackle, the root of Uranus was severed, the flames burning it away.