They began running toward Yuuto.
However, before they could get close, the ground around them trembled.
Gigantic tree roots burst forth from beneath the earth, moving like living creatures. In an instant, the roots formed a circle and trapped them, sealing off their path and blocking their view of Yuuto.
"W-what is this…?!" Umi shouted in panic, staring at the roots surrounding them.
"Belfast, what's happening?!"
Belfast did not answer.
Her face was pale, her breathing ragged.
The only thing on her mind was stopping Yuuto—no matter the risk.
She tried to activate her rigging.
But—
Her body suddenly felt incredibly heavy.
Her strength vanished instantly, as if it had been ripped out from within her.
"Guh—!"
Her legs gave out, and Belfast collapsed.
"Belfast!" Honoka shouted.
Honoka hurriedly caught Belfast before her body hit the ground completely, then shook her shoulders in panic.
"Belfast, are you okay?!"
Kotori and Umi rushed over, their faces filled with worry.
All around them, the massive tree roots continued to move slowly, forming living walls.
---
On the other side, Yuuto was completely unaware of what was happening to Belfast and the others.
His entire consciousness was focused on a single thing—the will of Gaia.
The deeper he sank into that connection, the more unfamiliar sensations flooded his being.
They were not human emotions, nor individual thoughts.
They were raw, primal impulses.
An impulse to preserve the planet, and an impulse to protect all natural life born from the land, the sea, and the sky—except for one thing: humans.
As the connection strengthened, Yuuto began to fully merge with Gaia. His human empathy slowly eroded, worn away like sand carved by waves.
Care, affection, and attachment to specific individuals—
All of it was replaced by the collective consciousness of nature.
Within his mind now existed only a vast will—a will to live, to endure, and to maintain balance.
And alongside that will came another impulse—a cold and absolute necessity.
To eliminate all threats to the planet.
In Gaia's awareness, humanity was not its child, but a dangerous variable.
And Yuuto—
now standing on the boundary between human and planetary will—
began to feel an urgent drive to act as a guardian of balance.
Anything that threatened this planet…
had to be removed.
Then a voice echoed within Yuuto's consciousness.
Not a single voice.
But many voices merged into one.
"At last… we are connected, our child."
The voice did not come from outside, but from within himself.
The ground beneath his feet trembled softly.
The air grew heavy, filled with invisible pressure.
---
A short while later—
Belfast, Honoka, Umi, and Kotori, still trapped by the tree roots, suddenly felt a change.
The roots began to retreat.
One by one, the massive roots blocking their view pulled away, opening a path like a natural curtain being slowly drawn aside.
Light returned.
And at the end of the newly opened path—
Yuuto stood there.
Motionless.
Belfast, still sitting with Honoka's support, slowly lifted her head.
And in that instant, her eyes widened.
Yuuto stood before her.
A crown now rested atop his head, faintly gleaming as it blended with the golden color of his hair. His hair appeared slightly longer, its strands falling neatly over his shoulders.
But that was not what made Belfast's breath catch.
She stared into Yuuto's eyes.
Those eyes—
"Those eyes…"
Belfast's entire body shuddered.
Yuuto's gaze was exactly like the eyes of the doll she had seen in Yuuto's apartment when she first came to this world. His eyes looked at her, yet did not truly see her.
"They're the same eyes," Belfast thought, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
"Eyes that… hold no interest in me."
A deep sense of unease spread through her chest—heavy and suffocating.
It was not ordinary fear, but a foreboding.
Yuuto continued standing there, looking at Belfast with no emotion she could recognize.
For ordinary people, anyone who saw Yuuto in his current form for the first time would surely be mesmerized—perhaps even fall madly in love with his overwhelming, inhuman presence.
But that was not the case for those who truly knew him.
Especially Honoka, Kotori, and Umi—
ordinary humans who had formed close bonds with him.
They felt no fascination.
They felt no awe.
What they felt was fear.
Not because of Yuuto's changed appearance, but because of something far more terrifying—loss.
Their gazes trembled and went vacant.
Their faces looked like those of people who had just realized that something incredibly important to them was slowly… disappearing, even before they had noticed it.
"Yu–Yuuto…"
Umi tried to step forward, her voice shaking.
At that moment, Yuuto's gaze shifted to her.
The look lasted only an instant, but it was enough to make Umi's body stiffen.
Yuuto stepped closer, his movements calm, then stopped right in front of Umi.
Umi's breath caught. Fear crushed her chest so strongly that she couldn't move. Trembling, she could only close her eyes.
Honoka and Kotori felt the same.
They wanted to run to Yuuto, but their legs felt anchored in place, their bodies refusing to move.
On the other side, Belfast sensed the danger.
She tried to act, but before she could move, something appeared above Yuuto's head.
A dharma wheel slowly manifested and began to vibrate, as if restraining something far greater.
And then—
CLNK
A heavy sound echoed through the air.
Belfast stared at the dharma wheel, now finished rotating, then shifted her gaze back to Yuuto as he raised his hand toward Umi—
Pluk.
A hand gently patted Umi's head.
The touch was warm.
"Why are all of you like this?"
Yuuto's voice was calm, even slightly confused.
"Why do you all look so sad… and so frightened?"
His hand patted Umi's head again lightly, as if soothing her.
Umi slowly opened her eyes.
The tightness in her chest eased, though confusion still lingered.
Honoka and Kotori then rushed toward Yuuto.
At the same time, Belfast stared at Yuuto's face without blinking—into his eyes.
The gaze that had been empty, cold, and unfamiliar was now gone, replaced by the one she knew.
Belfast let out a long breath without realizing it, only then noticing she had been holding it the entire time.
"Thank goodness…" she murmured softly.
Yuuto suddenly felt confused. He lifted his gaze, looking at Belfast, who had just stood up with a worried expression.
"Belfast… what actually happened?"
Yuuto asked quietly, while still calming Honoka, Kotori, and Umi, who were clinging tightly to him.
Belfast stepped closer.
"Did you follow Lady Avalon's instructions just now?" she asked with a small smile.
Yuuto fell silent for a moment, then nodded lightly.
"Yes," he answered briefly.
Belfast let out a soft sigh of relief, while Yuuto continued gently patting the heads of the three girls, trying to calm their racing hearts.
"In that case… may I borrow your phone for a moment?" Belfast asked gently.
"That phone is still connected to Lady Avalon, right?"
Yuuto glanced at his flip phone.
"Yes, it's still connected," he replied as he handed it to her.
"But… what for?"
Belfast accepted the phone with both hands.
"Just some girl talk," she said lightly.
Yuuto frowned slightly, but didn't ask further, while Belfast held onto the phone.
"All right, do it quickly," Yuuto said calmly.
"I still need to continue my training. For now, let me calm them down first."
Belfast smiled softly.
"Don't worry, darling. This will only be a short conversation," she said reassuringly.
She then turned and stepped out of the warehouse. Yuuto silently watched Belfast's back as she walked away.
Yuuto then turned toward Honoka, Kotori, and Umi, who were still clinging to him, sobbing softly.
Seeing their condition, Yuuto took a quiet breath and began to hum a song in a low, gentle voice.
The melody was simple, yet warm.
Gradually, their sobs began to subside.
Yuuto sat down where he was, allowing himself to remain tightly held by the three of them, his hands occasionally stroking their heads one by one with great care.
---
On the other side, Belfast had stepped outside the warehouse. She gently closed the door so as not to disturb the atmosphere inside, then lifted the flip phone in her hand.
"Hello, Lady Avalon. This is Belfast—we need to talk," Belfast said seriously.
---
A short while later, Yuuto saw Belfast return, her expression visibly relieved.
Honoka was now sitting on Yuuto's lap, her head resting against his chest, her breathing steady once more.
Kotori and Umi sat on his left and right, each leaning against one of Yuuto's arms. Their faces still looked exhausted, their eyes red and swollen from crying earlier.
Yuuto, leaning back calmly, turned to Belfast.
"So?" he asked softly.
"Is it done?"