“No, it’s Tescatlipoca.” Shiomi shook her head and explained further, “The other party had already activated its Noble Phantasm while the Unity God and the ‘Alien God’ were falling into this underground world.”
He then sent Morgan back to the ship, where he faced the "Alien God" alone and prepared to escape.
“Tescatlipoca? I remember the leopard-man divine servant that appeared in the Uruk singularity possessed the divinity of that South American god?” Artoria recalled.
Shio pursed her lips: "It's best not to apply the impression of the leopard man to Tescatlipoca... That guy has a completely different demeanor and personality from the leopard man, and this time he's probably descending in a way that's closer to the real Tescatlipoca.
"So, my beloved disciple was besieged by enemies led by Tescatlipoca and had his power taken away?" Scáthach asked with concern, holding Shiomi's hands and playing with them.
"It's less about leading and more about them just coming together because their interests aligned," tide Jian shook her head. "But I don't know the specifics; it's just my subjective feeling at the time."
Morgan knelt before Shio, who was being held in Scáthach's arms, and looked into his eyes: "How could my husband have turned into such a young child just from losing his power?"
“It’s power,” Shiomi said. “The power I possessed as a god was taken away. But I did not lose my divine status. In order to maintain my state, my body automatically juveniles to ensure that the whole body is in a stable state.”
"So, the result is that it can't maintain its original appearance?" Artoria understood. "It seems that before we officially explore this Lostbelt, we need to find a way to get back the powers that Tianxi was taken away from us."
Shiomi nodded: "That's my thought too. But let me make it clear from the beginning, my powers weren't taken away by one person alone, but were divided into three and taken away by different enemies."
"Divided into three?" Morgan was initially surprised, then a look of understanding crossed his face. "No wonder I sensed that my husband's presence had dispersed. I thought..."
"You thought I was being dismembered, but unfortunately I can't die?" tide Jian knew what Morgan was worried about, so he reached out and cupped Morgan's cheeks.
Feeling the tender warmth of those little hands, Morgan nodded: "But if it's just power, I'm a little relieved."
“But it’s actually split into three, so it seems that taking away your power wasn’t just about stripping you of your fighting ability,” Scáthach said. “Perhaps those guys have other plans to use your power for something else.”
“Given my unique circumstances, Tescatlipoca might also be one of the gods in many mythologies who knows my origins.” Shiomi nodded.
"Morgan can sense the dispersion of power with the aura of Tianxi, so Tianxi can sense it too, right?" Artoria asked.
"More or less." Shiomi said, then tried to sense it again. "The scattered powers yearn to return to their original form, and even more so, they yearn to reunite. It's just that they're currently in the hands of different people... which is a very troublesome thing."
"Specifically?" Morgan asked.
“Compassion, balance, and severity. My power is divided into these three parts.” Shiomi explained calmly, “These only represent the nature of that part of my power, not my own spirit, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
Scáthach sighed helplessly and hugged him tightly to her chest: "It's amazing you can stay so calm. If you had made even the slightest mistake, you might have perished."
"It was my oversight that made everyone so worried," Shiomi said, nestled obediently in Scáthach's soft embrace, apologizing to the three of them.
After helping Shio-mi tidy up her clothes, the three of them prepared to continue their journey back to Storm Border.
After all, these clothes are quite rough, so I need to ask Habertlot to get me a new set of clothes before I go.
"Then, besides Tescatlipoca, who else has taken away your powers?" Artoria asked.
Shiomi denied it again: "No. Tescatlipoca is the only one who didn't take away my power. He seemed to enjoy the process, deliberately creating trouble for me during my counterattack, but still allowing me to escape."
“After all, I am a god-like being, so I don’t really need to seize power from others.” Scáthach thought it made sense. “Besides, rashly absorbing things from other mythologies might be harmful to myself.”
"That makes sense. Although I'm not sure whether my powers and divinity are poisonous things that I can't devour in the gods of various mythologies."
As Scáthach picked her up and began to move, Shiomi explained.
"—However, of the three who seized my power, besides the 'Alien God' and an entity I didn't recognize, there was another unexpected entity... though I recognized it at a glance."
He pondered his words for a long time, and in the end, this was the only way he could describe it.
"Who is it? Someone we know?" Morgan asked casually.
tide Jian's expression was somewhat complicated.
"It's Morgan."
Chapter Eighteen: Morgan in Pan-Human History
His answer caused the three of them to fall silent for a moment.
"Could it be someone impersonating Morgan, deliberately appearing this way to drive a wedge between you and your husband?" Artoria explained worriedly. "After all—"
“It’s hard to say, maybe the one in front of us is the imposter,” Scáthach joked calmly.
“My husband couldn’t possibly not recognize me as an imposter,” Morgan said dismissively. “Otherwise, he would have said ‘someone impersonating Morgan,’ instead of ‘it’s Morgan.’”
"Then—" Artoria was about to ask further, but suddenly realized something and froze on the spot.
Morgan and Scáthach were also taken aback, realizing the correct answer.
Then, Shiomi gave a troubled smile: "It seems you've finally realized it. The one who took away a part of my powers is Morgan from Pan-Human History, the elder sister of Knight King Artoria Pendragon."
“Why…why would she do this at a time like this…” Artoria was confused and at a loss.
"That's hard to say," tide Jian shook her head. "But at least, they came with their own agenda, and after achieving their goal in the real world, they deliberately got involved."
"For example, is it because Artoria is assisting Chaldea and deliberately standing against us?" Morgan asked.
“Hey, hey…” tide Jian couldn’t help but complain.
Scáthach laughed incessantly: "Perhaps she feels uncomfortable knowing that the 'self' in the Lostbelt not only assists Chaldea but also has a good relationship with His Majesty the Knight King and even shares men."
“There’s no sharing involved.” Morgan’s expression was slightly smug. “I’m just absolutely certain that my husband’s ‘destiny’ will ultimately return to me no matter what.”
"This kind of thing isn't important, is it?" Artoria said anxiously, but Scáthach shoved Shiomi into her arms.
Holding the infantile Shiomi, the Knight King immediately calmed down.
“In any case, this is by no means an obstructive act without a purpose,” Shiomi said. “If the power that has been taken away cannot be recovered in the end, it will be devoured and digested by the person who took it.”
“In that case, my husband would become a weak god who has lost his power, and at the same time, a new god would appear in this Lostbelt.” Morgan pondered. “If ‘Morgan of Pan-Human History’ were to obtain my husband’s power, he would probably become the true ‘Black Madonna’.”
Moreover, merely possessing one-third of the power is not the end. Morgan, in his pan-human history, may eventually try to seize the remaining portion after digesting the power.
To seize all power and make oneself a god.
Finally, if we could also devour Shiomi, who is the original body...
“But what’s the point of her becoming a god? Britain is already destroyed. Even if she starts over, it will only create a completely new Lostbelt or Singularity…” Artoria couldn’t understand this behavior.
“Isn’t your sister the ‘True Queen’ of Britain? Unlike you, who is the ‘King of Men,’ she inherited the mystery of Britain,” Morgan said. “I once went to the village that intended to resurrect you in the modern era. Although I only resolved a small matter at the time, in the end, I didn’t understand what ‘me on this side of pan-human history’ wanted to achieve by resurrecting you.”
"Regarding Gray..." Artoria shook her head, "I have removed the factor that connected her to me, freeing that girl from the fate of becoming my vessel."
Scáthach suddenly said, "Could this be the problem? Morgan of the Lostbelt—"
"Considering the existence of the Pan-Human History side, from now on, when dealing with issues there, please refer to me by my past name for the time being," Morgan reminded him. "Otherwise, communication will be very troublesome."
“Then, Ash,” Scáthach readily agreed, “it was because of you and Artoria that Morgan’s original plan to resurrect King Arthur failed, which is why she had to take action herself.”
"What exactly—" Artoria asked, puzzled.
“Don’t forget, even though you have regained the hearts of the people, you are still the goddess Artoria, the Holy Lance Goddess Longominiad,” Shiomi added. “Now it seems that the Arthurian resurrection plan in Blackmore Village is not just about resurrecting you, otherwise Morgan would not have left behind the replica of the Holy Lance, instead of the Holy Sword.”
Artoria suddenly realized.
Sister Wang deliberately used the contract of the Atlas Institute to obtain one of the seven great weapons, "Reason and Law Reaction," probably in order to erode the resurrected King Arthur by simulating the Holy Lance and transform him into a god.
However, the burning of humanity allowed Artoria, who had not died in a certain history, to come here.
She did indeed become the Holy Lance Goddess, but she did not intend to restore the mystery of Britain. Instead, she set about a plan to preserve humanity and pass it down to future generations.
Now, a variable named Shiomi appears.
Morgan was probably involved because of this power and divinity; if he succeeded, all the better, but if he failed, there would be no loss.
Since the goddess Artoria cannot fulfill Morgan's plan, in the end, he might as well do it himself.
"I really can't laugh, Morgan the God and stuff..." Shio muttered.
Morgan... tilted his head, smiling as he looked at Shiomi: "My husband has no right to say that. Compared to the so-called god Morgan, don't you think the One God Morgan is even less of a laughing stock?"
After all, if Ash had this desire, he could have more easily taken over Shiomi's divinity and power than Morgan of Pan-Human History.
The whole process was effortless.
"Sigh..." tide Jian was speechless for a moment.
Ash smiled even more broadly: "In short, one unexpected situation after another has occurred. I never dreamed that one day I would have to fight against myself from a parallel world."
"Don't say that," Artoria corrected her apologetically. "You're not alone. Tianxi has always been by your side. Besides, you have so many of us companions."
“That’s not the issue.” Ash tossed his hair in dissatisfaction. “While it is certainly unforgivable that my husband’s power was taken away, it is even more unforgivable that Morgan came to seize that power.”
"I can't lose to myself, no matter who I lose to." Scáthach saw through Ash's thoughts.
Ash nodded: "So if possible, after we find Morgan of Pan-Human History, I will defeat her and take back what belongs to me."
“Don’t push yourself too hard. When necessary, rely on us. That’s what makes you different from her.” Xi Jian reached out and let Morgan hold her hand. “Fan, you’ve never been alone.”
“I know, I’ve known it since I was a 15-year-old kid.”
A radiant smile, like a summer flower, bloomed on Ash's face.
Chapter 19 Is shrinking a good thing or a bad thing? (1)
Because they had found the person, Ash and her companions were not returning to Storm Border quickly.
On the one hand, Storm Border is based on the crash site, which is a mistake that will be used as a base for exploring this underground world. It will not be activated immediately until the general situation here is figured out.
On the other hand, if the ship's security forces are still sufficient, and considering that there are other teams exploring at this time, returning at a normal speed is enough.
Of course, most importantly, they wanted to spend more time alone with Shiomi before returning to the ship.
Given their reaction, it's likely that when Skadi and the others see this, it will escalate into a different kind of chaos.
"Hmm... Is this the leopard-faced thief you fought earlier?"
On her way back, Shiomi saw a body lying among the trees and asked a question.
“Although their numbers are numerous, they are not a major threat overall,” Ash said. “However, these thugs are exceptionally fierce in their fighting style. Even if their throats are pierced or their heads are cut off, they will instinctively pull the trigger and shoot until they are unable to move.”
“It’s probably the blessing of Tescatlipoca,” Shiomi thought for a moment. “In Aztec mythology, that god is in charge of things including battle.”
Furthermore, Tescatlipoca's brief appearance during the siege also revealed this preference in his words and actions.
"He bears some resemblance to a certain battle maniac," Ash teased meaningfully.
"Hahaha... I remember when I first met my master, he also called me a warrior." tide Jian chuckled dryly. "There is actually a slight difference between a warrior and a soldier."
"Well said, as a reward, you can sleep in my arms tonight." Scáthach smiled and pinched Shiomi's little face, then gave her a kiss.
Ash squinted: "Don't make any decisions about what will happen next. My husband is in this state, and you're someone who can't take care of yourself and only knows how to fight. How can you possibly take good care of him?"
"But... I'm not to the point where I can't take care of myself." tide Jian grinned and retorted with a dry laugh.
"In short, Tianxi is not weak now, but its situation is also very difficult." Artoria looked at him seriously. "Please leave all the daily affairs to us until you regain all your powers, and then we can consider what to do next."
“I’m saying you guys… are you just interested in taking care of me when I’ve turned into a child?” Shiomi looked at Scáthach’s profile. “I didn’t realize it before, but now that I’ve shrunk, everyone, whether it’s Master, Azuma, or Artoria, looks so big.”
“It’s nice to change the perspective once in a while, isn’t it?” Scáthach said. “We used to be the ones lying on top of you, but now you can lie on top of us however you like.”
Shio said with a blank face, "Let me make this clear: your body has shrunk to a completely different size, so you can't stand up anymore. Oh, I should say you don't have the ability to stand up anymore. You'll have to at least return to the size of a teenager."
"Well, you needn't worry about that." Ash leaned closer to tide, his eyes flashing with a strange light. "With a little magic assistance, you can be as brave as before."
Hearing her say that, tide Jian's expression immediately changed: "Hey, hey, hey... there's no need to go this far, is there? Calm down, even if my mind hasn't become childish, what you're doing is still a crime, you know?"
"Crime?" Scáthach asked. "What kind of topic is a god over six thousand years old talking about that has nothing to do with him?"
Artoria blushed slightly, seemingly having just imagined Xijian struggling in her arms: "Indeed, Tianxi is not suited to say such things."
"..." tide Jian was speechless after being refuted.
He had no choice but to adopt a sullen and old-fashioned posture, leaning against his master's chest and pretending to be sulking.
However, time was up soon, and it was Artoria's turn to hug him. Shiomi couldn't maintain this position for more than half a minute.
"Let's get down to business..." Shiomi quickly changed the subject, "Besides you guys who came out to search for me, there are other teams, right?"
Ash, with his hands behind his back, deftly cleared the obstacles in the road: "Two more teams were also dispatched. In addition to the new A team, there is another investigation team consisting of Sakura, Karen, Gray, and Bavan Shi, plus Bagst."
"The underground world is as hot and humid as a tropical rainforest. Won't they get heatstroke?" Shio couldn't help but worry.
"Do you really think so?" Ash turned around.
"Hmm?" tide Jian paused for a moment, then shook her head.
Scáthach kicked away a fallen tree in the path: "My beloved student knows very well that they are not actually that fragile."
"Knowing is one thing, but worrying is another," tide Jian said, spreading her hands. "It's like how Ash is already very powerful, and not many people can hurt her. But I still can't help wanting to protect her and prevent her from facing unpredictable dangers."
Just like this time, sending Morgan back to the ship ahead of time was the same.
Rationally, I understand that if the two of them were together, things might not necessarily be worse.
But his emotions tend to make his body act before his mind, leading him to choose the more appropriate option.
"Is my husband trying to justify his broken promise in this way?" Ash turned around with a smile and looked at Shio. "I'm sorry, that won't work."