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Arcueid could hardly imagine how, in that distant era, this monster's true form—the Lord of Salvation—had been sealed. She was fortunate, unlike her siblings, to have never faced him and experienced that despair.

At this time, the black tree swayed, its massive form casting waves of shadow across the moon. With several cracking sounds like breaking bones, the ground around it split open in jagged lines. Black saplings sprouted, bursting from the cracks with impossible speed, spreading across the land like a flood of darkness. They ripped through soil and stone, covering hundreds of kilometers in an instant, turning the landscape into a forest of writhing shadows.

"It—it's taking over my moon!" Arcueid's face crumpled like a child losing her favorite toy. The moon had belonged to the Crimson Moon, and now to her. But this black tree was consuming it, piece by piece.

"You thief!" she shouted. "The moon is mine—Crimson Moon left it for me! You can't have it! You can't take my moon!"

She continued launching Moonfalls, but they were all assimilated and erased by the black tree.

Each attack vanished into the ever-growing mass. As the black tree forest spread across the ground, a suffocating shadow fell over them. A voice, ancient and powerful, resonated deep within their minds.

—'Come back, all of you.'

Tiny points of light, like grains of rice, drifted from their bodies towards the black trees. Shirou's brow furrowed. "My magical energy..."

He hadn't been harmed by the black arms, but now, with this forest blanketing the moon, something was draining him. His mana, his strength, his records and existence itself were being absorbed bit by bit; it was all flowing away. Even the immense magical energy he'd gained from the black dragon couldn't replenish it fast enough.

He wasn't alone. Manaka's form flickered, her existence also fading as the black trees spread. Arcueid's face paled; he could sense her Moon authority weakening.

Shirou stared at the towering black tree, then up at the barrier that now encased the planet. "Planetary hunting," he murmured, his hand tightening on his sword.

The Lord of Salvation. A creature of the Root, born from the remnants of an ancient civilization that had sacrificed countless world lines to win a cosmic war. The Root—the source of everything, the void from which all things emerged—could counter and absorb anything in existence.

No monster, concept, or power could stand against the Lord of Salvation. Only his Formless Vortex, the power of mortality, offered any chance of resistance.

But before he could discover what Tethys had meant, the Lord of Salvation appeared in front of him.

How could they defeat it?

No—that wasn't the right question.

How had the ancient civilization managed to push back and seal away this Root monster that could counter everything?

Shirou didn't have the answer, but he had to keep going.

He hovered in the air, looking down at the black forest below. He turned toward Venus. "Venus, this forest is a twisted manifestation of Uranus's authority. You're the environmental invasion type – deal with it."

Venus whirled around, her eyes blazing. "You human, are you ordering me?"

"If that's how you see it, then yes!"

"How arrogant!" Venus clenched her fists.

"We don't have time for this. Don't forget, besides Earth, Venus is the closest planet to the moon."

"Human–"

"Just do what you're supposed to do," Shirou interrupted, his impatience growing. "What are you waiting for?"

Venus fell silent. She glared at him, then landed on the ground with a scowl. Her body shimmered, transforming into her true form – a floating island. Roots extended from its base, burrowing deep into the moon surface.

Are all humans this annoying these days? she thought, frustration simmering within her.

Observing the exchange, Heaven's Corpse couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration for Shirou. Truly worthy of being Gaia's chosen one, she thought. He had accomplished something she wouldn't have even dared to attempt. Or maybe, she mused, Venus's cold and domineering exterior hides a masochistic streak?

"Arcueid," Venus announced, "I'm going to invade your body next. Be prepared."

"Oh, um, all right," Arcueid replied hesitantly "The surface and mantle are fine, but please don't go too deep into my core. And please be gentle." She sounded like a frightened child.

"Understood," Venus assured her. She extended her roots further, penetrating the moon's surface. In an instant, lush green forests bloomed across the barren landscape, pushing back against the encroaching blackness.

Uranus, the prototype of the World Tree, shared similarities with Venus. Both held immense power over nature, but Uranus's influence was destructive, while Venus's was invasive.

Venus used her authority to contain the black forest, preventing it from consuming Shirou and the others. But the strain was evident; she could barely hold back the relentless advance.

"Let me help," Heaven's Corpse said, landing next to her.

"Get lost!" Venus snapped.

"Why do you keep fighting yourself?" Heaven's Corpse sighed. "What's so wrong with loving Gaia?"

"I'm the UO of Venus!"

"And? Ort managed to love Gaia just fine. What's stopping you?" Heaven's Corpse's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Besides, the harder you deny it, the more obvious it is that you care."

"You..." Venus sputtered.

"Enough talk," Heaven's Corpse interrupted. "Our original self was too passive, leaving these contradictions for us to resolve. Let her decide in the end. Right now, we need to save Ort and Gaia!"

With that, she transformed into a floating island, joining Venus in her invasion of the moon. Two aspects of Venus, once divided by internal conflict, now united against the encroaching influence of Uranus.

Something was building inside the moon. Arcueid, connected to its core, felt pressure mounting within her. She wanted to scream, but she forced herself to endure it. They had to hold back the Lord of Salvation.

Tiamat looked down at Ayaka lying unconscious in her arms. "This child has suffered like Sakura did." She shook her head. "Our old conflicts keep hurting the next generation. Even my Beast authority came from my anger at my children's betrayal." Her voice softened. "I'm truly sorry for that."

She placed Ayaka gently in the bed of flowers Shirou had created. She brought her hands together in front of her chest. Nine stars circled around her, merging into a brilliant light that shot toward the black tree. But this attack, one that could incinerate mountains and vaporize oceans, was absorbed by the tree completely—just as it had absorbed Moonfall—without taking any damage.

Her lips tightened in frustration. "If I still possessed my true form," she muttered, "I wouldn't be so powerless."

"Even Tiamat's authority is useless against it?" Manaka frowned as she watched Tiamat's attack fail. Her eyes suddenly widened, as if struck by a realization. Could it be...?

Using her black hands to momentarily subdue the Black Arms, she flew to Shirou's side. "Fujimaru Shirou," she asked, her expression grave, "Are you going to stake everything on your purification Noble Phantasm?"

He calmly nodded.

[Endless Waves, Infinite Future] was a wish, born from the culmination of his countless cycles of resetting time. It was his conceptual Noble Phantasm, forged from his most fundamental desire – the ultimate purification.

Under [Endless Waves, Infinite Future], even a Beast could be effortlessly destroyed. It was an absolute anomaly, an unparalleled force of purification.

"Don't be reckless!" Manaka exclaimed. "I know if I faced your Noble Phantasm directly, I would be purified. And the same would apply to that fragment of the Lord of Salvation's power. But now it has assimilated Velber, Beast V, and Uranus... you can't purify it without breaking through those outer layers! If your purification fails, we're doomed!"

Manaka and Shirou avoided talking about the past—they were dealing with the same crisis now. Her omniscience was blind to anything involving the Lord of Salvation, so she let Shirou lead.

But if she'd known he would try something this reckless, she would have stopped him.

She'd already put up with being used. She wouldn't accept failure.

"Omniscience is such a joke." Shirou's lips curved into a smile. "Everything has gone according to my plans—well, except for being chosen as its first vessel. Watch closely, you puppet of omniscience—this is how you really make a plan!"

He pushed off, launching himself like a meteor toward the massive black tree.

"Wait!" Manaka's eyes widened. "Are you trying to die, Fujimaru Shirou?"

Die? Shirou smiled grimly. Manaka was keeping the Black Arms busy. Arcueid and Tiamat were fighting the tree's main body. Venus and Heaven's Corpse were holding back the black forest.

Everything was going exactly as he had planned—except for being chosen as the first vessel that the black tree chased.