The sound of footsteps, echoing from somewhere unknown, shattered the silence of the Throne of Heroes.
As is known, the Heroic Spirits within the Throne of Heroes remain asleep in their seats and do not react.
Even stranger—Alaya only heard the sound of footsteps, yet there was no visitor to be seen throughout the entire Throne.
Besides a ghost, what other explanation could there be?
But… could the Throne of Heroes even be haunted?
That's a good question.
Don't ask. The answer lies in trauma—the sole reason they were both here was to get beaten up.
If movement occurred within the Throne of Heroes, it meant someone had come searching for them.
"Alaya-chan, stop pushing! I'm about to get thrown out!"
A small blanket, appearing from nowhere, covered Gaia and Alaya. They clung tightly to each other, curled up beneath it.
They tried not to make a single sound, desperate not to be found by the "ghost" outside.
"Let's see… where are Gaia and Alaya hiding?"
"Not here?"
"Not here either?"
"Nowhere…"
"Absolutely nowhere…"
"Aha! Found you! So you're hiding here!"
Aslan suddenly yanked away the blanket, lifting the two little girls who were tightly squeezing their eyes shut, mumbling to themselves.
"I can't see you, I can't see you."
Aslan lifted both little girls into the air.
"I never expected the Counter Forces to be little girls."
He couldn't help but feel impressed. He'd assumed the Counter Forces were abstract, formless entities.
If that were true, "punishing" them would've been slightly troublesome.
Yet he hadn't expected some "senior" had already taken this step.
He didn't know who that senior was, but he'd have to thank them next time.
Of course, Aslan was even more amazed at how bizarre the Type-Moon world truly was.
Giving human traits and physical forms to abstract entities like the Counter Forces required at least a Three-Digit-level existence.
Indeed, this world possessed abnormal depth—but fortunately, not as deep as Little Garden.
Thinking this, Aslan felt slightly relieved and unconsciously touched the Sun Authority fused within him.
In Little Garden, Sun Authority was limited—it could only summon Four-Digit Star Beasts. But beyond Little Garden…
It wouldn't just summon Four-Digit Star Beasts, but celestial beings on the scale of stars themselves. As for its upper limit, even Aslan didn't know.
Yet the value of Sun Authority equaled True Treasures like Another Cosmology—and far surpassed it.
Outside Little Garden, a newly activated Another Cosmology alone could destroy an entire universe.
Sun Authority shouldn't be much different, right?
Would a Two-Digit being suddenly appear in the Type-Moon world?
Impossible.
"Why little girls?! Do you think we wanted to become little girls?"
Gaia snapped, angrily wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.
All of this was that evil person's fault. Just thinking about that wicked woman with long hair made Gaia furious.
At birth, she could've chosen her own appearance—but that person forced her into the form of a little girl.
She wanted a beautiful body like the other goddesses!
"Yes, it's all that evil person's fault!"
Alaya chimed in, voicing her frustration.
"So, can you please stop beating us?"
"This isn't our fault at all! Why should we bear the consequences of what the Counter Forces did in that worldline?"
Gaia and Alaya protested. They refused to accept it.
Even Counter Forces have basic human rights!
"Because I can't capture the abstract Counter Force in my worldline. They have no physical form."
"So, sorry!"
Aslan said without a shred of guilt, then mercilessly began spanking the Counter Forces' bottoms.
*PLAK!* *PLAK!* *PLAK!*
Sharp slaps echoed across the entire Throne of Heroes.
"To be honest, spanking the Counter Forces' bottoms feels incredibly satisfying."
Spanked for so long, yet it still felt amazing.
"I'll remember you for this!"
Gaia glared at Aslan, teeth clenched. This man dared to spank the Earth's Counter Force!
As for Alaya, she felt relieved. It was just a spanking. As Humanity's Counter Force, she knew this wasn't a serious punishment.
Unlike Gaia, she didn't care much about pride.
"Oh? Still defiant? Not satisfied with the spanking yet?"
Aslan stared at Gaia, who was clutching her sore backside but showed no sign of surrender.
"You…"
Gaia rubbed her bottom and finally chose to stay silent.
She didn't want to get spanked again.
This man had absolutely no mercy.
She feared her bottom might break.
"Oh right, I have a question. Do you two want to leave the Throne of Heroes?"
Aslan suddenly had a bold idea—kidnapping the Counter Forces. That would certainly be interesting.
Looking at these two, they'd surely be far better company than mere survival-driven Counter Forces.
"Was kidnapping my Artoria not enough? Now you want to kidnap us too?"
Alaya muttered quietly. Though usually restrained, this time she couldn't hold back.
"Wait, Alaya-chan—he said leave the Throne of Heroes?"
Gaia realized the crucial point. In truth, as Counter Forces, they couldn't possess independent consciousness. Their sole purpose was to ensure the survival of planet Earth.
If they left the Throne of Heroes, their fragile awareness would instantly shatter under the will of countless parallel-world Counter Forces.
Then, they'd become two monsters formed from a collective of Counter Forces—driven solely to preserve Earth's and humanity's survival by any means necessary.
A convergence of infinite-world Counter Forces, all obsessed with survival—no one could predict what catastrophe they might unleash.
That's why they could only remain within the Throne of Heroes, ensuring each worldline's Counter Force remained confined to that worldline alone.
"How could you possibly do it?"
"If you can, I wouldn't mind going with you."
Gaia looked at Aslan curiously. Spending every day in the Throne of Heroes was extremely boring. There was nothing she could do.
"Might be worth a try."
Aslan stroked his chin, pondering.
If he packaged the Earth from his worldline into a Land card and brought the Counter Forces there, there shouldn't be any issue.
As for bringing them to Little Garden—he didn't even dare to consider it.
Earth's Counter Force? Planet Earth Spirit? And Humanity's Counter Force? While everything in Little Garden was built upon Human History.
If he brought them there, he'd likely be erased instantly.
How many competitors existed for the title of Planet Earth Spirit didn't matter—but if Humanity's Counter Force appeared?
If it directly influenced Human History, all seventeen Two-Digit existences would probably chase him down together.
Even if the odds were slim, better safe than sorry.
What if the Central Hub and Human History in Little Garden went berserk simultaneously?
Better not to invite trouble.
Some risks could be taken, but others were best avoided.
For example, the source of profit for all gods and buddhas—Human History—or the fiercely contested position of Planet Earth Spirit among countless deities.
Compared to those, the Last Trial of Mankind didn't seem so dangerous.