This fact relieved Scáthach's concerns; she did not want to see her beloved disciple bear the sin of killing the Olympians alone in order to pave the way.
At the very least, the master should also share the burden.
The earth shook, and the forest trembled.
Even the magic in the air began to stir.
Based on the forest zone between the four regions of the interstellar city, the earth changed in unison with Shiomi. Mountains grew from the ground at an extremely fast speed, extending from four angles toward the location of the Orbital Temple.
Thunderclouds gathered again, and the skies of Olympus were now under Zeus's control. Whether it was the changing winds and clouds or day and night, these were phenomena that Zeus could alter with a single thought.
Instead of descending, the lightning struck directly at a mountain peak several kilometers in diameter, attempting to destroy it.
However, the mountain peaks are growing, but they are not abrupt stone pillars; along with the peaks, countless plants and trees are also growing.
As if possessing its own will, these trees encircled the mountain peaks, quickly becoming lush and verdant, filling the peaks with vitality.
Moreover, the trees on these mountains extend their branches to the adjacent mountain ranges, eventually intertwining in the sky like two hands tightly entwined to bind two people together.
The trees converged, then quickly extended their roots downwards, eventually settling on the earth and taking deep root in this land.
The mountains that covered the central region of Olympus like hollow stone pillars were struck by Zeus's thunderbolts and burst into flames.
Even so, many more new trees will sprout from the ashes and grow in a more lush and abundant way.
Finally, before the barrier separating the city from the Great Temple closed, high mountains that reached the abode of the gods were born. Like tenacious trees, they took root in the sky garden below the Great Temple, connecting heaven and earth.
More trees continued to grow upwards, eventually enveloping the Hanging Gardens where the Olympian gods rested within the forest.
In just a few minutes, the mountain range leading directly to the Great Temple was completed in the blink of an eye.
In any case, Zeus's plan to seal the barrier and then destroy the entire Olympus failed. The areas that could not be sealed off by the barrier, and the area between the four mountain peaks, became a region that even Zeus could not effectively control at this moment.
Because beyond this mountain peak, there is a true "wall of light".
It is the same kind of thing as the "Wall of Light" that once covered Britain.
As Shiomi accomplished this feat, Morgan activated her magic, imbuing the mountain with a protective layer, transforming the four mountains into a unified "Tower of Babel."
"While it's true that the Olympian gods sometimes did the outrageous thing of moving rivers and other things into the sky and turning them into constellations, you've gone even further than the Olympian gods."
When the earthquake subsided, Orion, who had been kneeling to maintain his balance, stood up again, looked at the incredible "Tower of Babel," and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.
However, Shiomi did not answer him, but simply rested her hands on the slender handle of the scythe and remained silent. Morgan, who was beside her, was also silent.
“Hey—” Orion realized something was wrong.
Then the sickle slipped from Shiomi's hand and fell to the ground, and the couple fell forward one after the other.
Fortunately, Scáthach caught them.
"It's one thing for the husband to be promiscuous... but how come you, the wife, are also promiscuous?"
After glancing at Shiomi, who had fainted from exhaustion, Scáthach looked at Morgan, who was still awake but unable to move due to releasing such a large-scale magic, and said helplessly.
“If it weren’t for this temperament, we wouldn’t have been able to repeat such a ‘foolish’ thing for two thousand years.” Morgan smiled matter-of-factly. “In that case, the road to the Great Temple would be foolproof, and Zeus would have no choice but to fight us.”
"Ugh……"
Scáthach sighed silently.
"Don't worry, although Drake and Bartholomew's ships couldn't sail up and they stayed at sea on standby, the others are already on their way here." Orion said this while glancing at the Knights of the Round Table.
Having just recovered from the astonishment brought on by the 'miracle,' they nodded in confirmation.
"I'll help," Gareth ran over.
The petite woman draped Morgan's arm over her shoulder, using her entire body for support.
“…Gareth, thank you for your trouble.” Morgan chuckled softly, “but I am not your mother.”
"It has nothing to do with this..."
Gareth explained, somewhat embarrassed.
Chapter Ninety-Two: Rest and Recuperation
As a result, Artoria, as a member of the special operations team who participated in the advance team to find the Pan-Human History Servants, also quickly left the underground base of the God-Breaking Alliance on her own after Aphrodite was shot down, and rushed towards the battle zone.
However, they were the last to arrive, arriving almost one after the other, after Storm Border, which had set sail from the western forest to meet Shiomi and the others after confirming that there was no longer a large-scale threat to Olympus.
Especially after hearing the Knights of the Round Table report the situation, Artoria felt even more unwilling.
So during Shiomi's rest period when she was exhausted, she stayed by her bedside to take care of her.
“In my opinion, there’s no need to be so concerned about this matter.” Morgan, holding a nutritional drink, curled up on the sofa and said to Artoria, who was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at Shiomi, “After all, even if you were here, you wouldn’t be able to help.”
“I understand. Among us, only Tianxi can deal with these hostile gods, whether it is Demeter or Aphrodite.” Artoria was also very clear about this. “But Beast targeted him, who was in poor condition after the battle, and intended to launch a sneak attack. I was unable to arrive in time.”
“We’re pretty much the same in that respect.” Scáthach shook her head. “It seems that if Orion and the others hadn’t caught up, my beloved disciple would probably have defeated the Beast just like on Hecate Island.”
In the end, Orion and his support inadvertently saved Shiomi's energy, allowing him to use his remaining strength to stop Zeus from sealing the barrier of the interstellar city.
"Hmm..." Artoria responded.
She knew perfectly well that no one had done anything wrong.
This time, my judgment of timing wasn't accurate enough, and I failed to arrive in time to offer any help. Despite being a crucial fighting force, I was given the easiest task.
It was this slight deviation that made her feel a little resentful that she hadn't tried her best, which is why she continued to stay here.
It's nothing more than him being stubborn with himself.
“I never thought that the Lion King of yesteryear would be throwing a tantrum at himself now.” Scáthach saw this and bluntly joked, “This isn’t just about winning back people’s hearts; it’s more like he’s even regained the girlish heart he abandoned after becoming king.”
Artoria's ears immediately burned from what she heard.
Since Scáthach was telling the truth, she couldn't refute it and could only quickly change the subject:
"Compared to this, what should we do next? Although the road to the Orbital Temple was saved thanks to Tianxi's desperate efforts, that 'Tower of Babel' is probably not something that is easy to pass through."
“Storm Border can probably only stay in the air until the barrier is lifted before it can fly up to provide support,” Morgan said, shaking his head.
"In other words, we'll have to continue splitting up afterwards." Orange opened the door and came in. "Fortunately, because there are enough Servants, Chaldea can reserve enough strength to protect Storm Border, and then let the Pan-Human History Servants of the present world take the lead in attacking the Orbital Grand Temple."
Because of their unique life forms, the humans of Olympus each possess magical power comparable to that of Servants. And after training, the armed soldiers are, in a sense, excellent mass-produced Servants.
Compared to interstellar cities, the Orbital Temple should have a much stronger military force.
“And there’s also Grand Archer here,” Morgan pointed out. “I originally thought that after defeating the Beast, the Grand Servants who had completed their mission would retreat, even if they still had some strength left. Now it seems that the Counter Force has a grace period for his presence in the world, and it should continue until the battle with Zeus.”
Good steel should be used where it's most needed.
Morgan's intention was to have Orion, along with the Knights of the Round Table, serve as the first wave of combat force to support Shiomi's battle against Zeus.
Although we don't know Zeus's true strength, we can get a glimpse of his power just from the fact that each of his thunderbolts was as powerful as Artemis's arrows, and that he was omniscient and omnipotent and could see the entire Olympus.
"So, you're in charge of dealing with Kirshtalia?" Scáthach asked. "He's a top-tier genius magician, and to defeat him in a magic battle, you'll need an equally top-tier genius magician."
"Can't you do it yourself?" Morgan asked jokingly.
“I’m not a pure magician. I prefer wielding swords and spears to magic,” Scáthach said nonchalantly. “Besides, that young man can’t possibly be without Servants. I’ll take care of them for you.”
"Hmm..." Orange murmured thoughtfully.
Scáthach looked at her: "Do you have any other insights, Puppeteer?"
"No, it's nothing." Orange smiled easily. "The scale of the upcoming battle has exceeded my ability to handle it. Even with Golden Wolf's help, we can't fight a decent battle."
"Aren't you satisfied either?" Scáthach asked jokingly. "How about you become my apprentice? Learn runes from me for three years, and I guarantee you'll be able to fight on this kind of battlefield."
Orange was amused by Scáthach's joke about the Land of Shadows: "Being the disciple of the Queen of the Land of Shadows is a tempting offer for any magician... But wouldn't that make me and Tianxi fellow disciples?"
“Although I didn’t originally plan to take on any more apprentices, I can make an appointment for you out of respect for my beloved student,” Scáthach continued to joke with Orange.
Although only one day has passed since they landed on Olympus, everyone has gone through a series of fierce battles. In particular, Shiomi is currently in a deep sleep, so telling some silly jokes to relax is a way to lift their spirits.
"...Studying for three years is too slow..."
At this moment, Shiomi sat up from the bed with Artoria's help. Artoria pulled out a pillow and placed it behind Shiomi's back.
He complained, both amused and exasperated.
"My husband, you're awake," Morgan asked, closing the book in his hand.
"Hmm, you recovered faster this time than last time, as expected..." tide Jian shook her head, "But you, without the throne of the Fairy Kingdom, completing such a large-scale 'tower' in one go, your magic power must be exhausted, right?"
“Better than my husband, at least he didn’t faint.” Morgan winked, teasing tide Jian playfully.
Shiomi smiled with relief, then glanced around the room and began to feign concern, "Hmm... everyone's here, except Skadi, what a disappointment—"
Before he could finish speaking, a muffled sound came from under the large blanket. Skadi, wearing only a close-fitting undershirt, crawled out from under the blanket and asked Shio, still sleepy, if he was being called.
"..."
This turn of events startled him so much that he could only swallow back the words he was about to say.
"Everyone cares about you, so don't say such childish things."
Artoria stroked Shiomi's hand, laughing and teasing him about his reaction earlier.
Chapter 93 Before Moving Towards the Next Battlefield (1)
Even Artoria didn't know when Skadi arrived or when she crawled into Shiomi's bed.
So when she crawled out of bed, everyone was stunned.
"...When exactly did you get here...?"
Shio, who had just woken up and only said a few words, could only ask this one more question.
"Huh? Ah..."
Skadi, who had just woken up, looked very relaxed. She slumped onto Shiomi's shoulder, hugged him, and rubbed her neck against him.
“It was probably after you were brought back to Storm Border, after everyone helped you shower and change your clothes,” Skadi explained.
At that time, Artoria also went to change her clothes, so this became the only time she was absent after returning to StormBorder.
"You're exhausted," tide Jian said.
“We’ve been maintaining a barrier to prevent Zeus from discovering the ship,” Skadi explained lazily. “Because we weren’t sure of the extent of Zeus’s omniscience and omnipotence, when setting the barrier’s scale, I used Odin’s level as a benchmark…”
Obscuring the view of the main god and making the entire ship "non-existent" is no easy task.
“No wonder the transition was so smooth after landing at Storm Border,” Morgan said, resting his chin on his hand.
Everyone on the ship had recovered from the hectic pace of continuous combat, but just as they were recovering, they had to face Zeus's actions of isolating the city from the Great Temple, as well as Shiomi's painstakingly created "Tower of Babel".
Currently, everyone in Chaldea is busy preparing to conquer the Great Temple, and only in Shiomi's room is there a relatively relaxed atmosphere.
This is essential for Shiomi.
That's precisely why no one bothers them.
So he relaxed his body, leaned back against the pillow, and let his mind continue to relax: "My current condition... no, I should say, how long have I been sleeping?"
“It’s been fifteen hours now,” Artoria said. “That’s much shorter than the rest time after the last battle.”
“Hmm…” Shio looked at her hands and thought for a moment, “Give me another twelve hours, and then I can consider going into battle. It’s hard to say how many days are still until the alien god that Kilshtalia mentioned descends, or whether it’s already imminent.”
Morgan then offered his opinion: "Can we expect Zeus to fight an alien god?"
“But we also need to consider the cooperation between the two parties. If we’re not on-site, we can’t know the progress, and too many variables later on are not a good thing.” tide Jian shook her head.
“But that Optimus Prime… no, it should be called the Tower of Babel more appropriately.” Orange sat down on the other side of the bed and stroked his calf through the blanket. “While you were unconscious, the bridge was analyzed, and it was empty inside.”
The whole, formed by using the mountain peaks of the four regions as its foundation and connecting them with the endlessly growing trees, is essentially closer to a hollow cone.
"That's the question we've been asking too. The interior is empty, and Servants can become spirits, but even if we use the warship to ascend to its maximum position and then climb up, we still won't be able to reach the Orbital Grand Temple," Scáthach asked Shio. "Did my beloved disciple go to all that trouble just to prevent the barrier from closing?"
“Of course it’s not just that.” tide Jian shook her head. “I also have a plan for advancement, but it’s a one-time thing, and I need to be there too. After all, it’s not safe to rely solely on two legs to get there.”
Just preventing the barrier from closing, in order to prepare for entering the orbital temple later, had already taken a great deal of effort.
The 'Tower of Babel', towering between the interstellar city and the orbital grand temple, is still just a half-finished product with a hollow exterior.
The advantage is that Shiomi can adjust its structure at any time.
Destroying the Tower of Babel was not so easy for Zeus either.
After all, it is protected by the "Wall of Light" created by Morgan, and it is currently in a state of complete prohibition to enter or exit.
"Is that so? Then you should get some rest." Artoria smiled and gently advised, then looked at Morgan, "Your magic power has been used up too much."
“So I’m drinking a nutritional drink now.” Morgan stretched. “But to get back to full health as soon as possible, I’ll still have to trouble you, my husband.”
"Take it," Shiomi said with a smile. "Compared to the Great Source of the Divine Era, my Little Source suits your taste better, doesn't it?"