He vaguely sensed that Morgan's words had inadvertently revealed some clue.
Chapter Forty-Three: The Second Underworld
Having learned the location of the "Alien God", Shiomi and the others quickly formulated a battle plan and, the day after meeting the Dinosaur King, headed to the Great Plains near the Second Underworld, approaching Ishtaruki, which is composed of obsidian mountains.
On the plains, one can often see Dinos warriors running back and forth, changing the roles of those responsible for maintaining the defensive line.
Judging from the size of these Dinos warriors, they are very similar to the Tyrannosaurus Rex as deduced from modern scientific research.
However, these are all secondary.
After passing through the Dinos camp in an all-terrain vehicle and continuing closer to the Obsidian Mountains of the Second Underworld, Shiomi realized the gravity of the situation even more.
The Second Underworld was already trembling continuously, with huge obsidian boulders constantly rolling down and moving towards both sides of the Underworld Line.
However, the closer you get to Istauki, the more you can feel the howling wind.
That was a gale-force wind, strong enough to blow a person away, reaching speeds of over fifty meters per second.
If the wind is this strong just by getting close, one can imagine that the gale-force winds inside the Second Underworld must be far stronger.
Even more surprisingly, one can feel an abnormality in gravity while in the wind.
When they arrived near the border between Istauki and the plains, Shiomi felt as if the hurricane was choking her.
He raised his hand slightly to block.
“The magnetic field in Ishtaruki is also very chaotic, and there’s wind of this magnitude. If the Storm Border were to force its way through, it would probably crash right into these obsidian mountains full of spikes,” Shiomi said.
Morgan gazed at the Obsidian Mountains, where the mountain path was almost invisible, and observed the environment with his fairy eyes: "Moreover, this abnormal magnetic field is different from that of Terratrauki; it's an uncontrollable type."
"So, it wasn't the 'Alien God' who did it intentionally, but rather it was due to the environment here itself?" Scáthach said.
Skadi was uncomfortable from the wind. She closed one eye and raised a hand to press her wind-blown hair. "We need to find a way into the mountains first. If the 'Alien God' is here, the Alien Apostles are most likely also—"
Before she could finish speaking, Scáthach grabbed her shoulder and pulled her backward.
At this moment, Artoria stepped forward, raised her Holy Lance, and released the "Wind King Barrier," instantly shattering the obsidian boulder, which was half the size of Storm Border and had just fallen from above, into scattered pieces in the gale.
The sharp fragments, like countless daggers, were swept down by the gale and left horrific wounds upon contact.
"So that's how those injured Dinos came to be."
Morgan, having activated his protective barrier, gazed at the fragments that had crashed into it.
On their way there, they saw that Dinos had built a solid wood fence more than ten meters high on the plain, with jagged edges.
These fences effectively prevented the broken obsidian from the Second Underworld from spreading deeper into the plains, but they also caused significant damage to the fences, requiring constant repairs.
This is how the wounded among the Dinos warriors were created.
Just as they had dealt with the falling rocks, even more massive obsidian rocks landed nearby, causing tremors to ripple across the plains.
"It's like a meteorite falling..." Scáthach exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" Morgan asked. "Given the situation, there probably isn't even a place to settle down, which will make fighting very difficult."
She wasn't asking Shiomi's opinion, but rather Scáthach and the others.
Morgan and Shiomi can become one god, able to fly freely in this magical gale.
But Scáthach and her friends didn't have it so easy.
“The runes for navigation are also useless.” Scáthach tried to use the primordial runes to suppress the gale, but with little success.
If the root cause of such large-scale abnormal weather cannot be addressed, any magic, ritual, or secret will only be a temporary fix.
“Then, Master, you wait here. Once the wind subsides, quickly catch up.” tide Jian took Morgan’s hand. “Morgan and I will go up first and find the source of the problem.”
He believes this is mostly the result of the "Alien God".
Because of the abnormal magnetic field, it is very similar to the state of the "Alien God" manipulating the gravitational field.
“This is the only way.” Artoria glanced back at the fence built by the Dinos. “We’ll observe the situation from here and help the Dinos of Chichen Itza deal with the obsidian.”
Skadi then erected a new barrier, replacing the one Morgan had used to defend against the giant rock.
After exchanging glances with them, Shio and Morgan merged into one, transforming into a unified god, ignoring the abnormal gravity and gales of the Second Underworld, and moved deeper into the Underworld Line.
"It's terrifying to look at. Just walking in here, these obsidian stones, polished to the point of being as sharp as knives by the wind, would probably cut off all the flesh and clothes from a person's body, leaving only bones in the end," Shiomi said.
“In the Aztec mythology of pan-human history, the third level of the underworld, Iztepetl, is just like this,” Morgan said, looking down at the sharp obsidian stones trembling in the wind. “It is a test for the dead, to strip away all the decorations of their lives, leaving only bones.”
“What a coincidence, we’re not the dead, we’re gods,” Shiomi said softly.
Morgan was surprised that Shiomi would declare, "It's rare for my husband to consider himself a god."
“If we act like gods with a half-hearted attitude, we probably won’t be able to save anyone. We have to bear the responsibility and meet the expectations,” tide Jian said softly. “We have to protect everyone together.”
"Ah."
Hearing his thoughts, Morgan understood his feelings perfectly and simply gave a solemn reply.
As they ventured deeper into the Second Underworld, the winds became even stronger and the gravity more unstable. The One God form relied entirely on its authority and the power that had been amplified by misfortune to maintain its solitary flight.
“I can’t see anything at all,” Morgan said, “but I can feel the magic, and my husband’s power.”
“Me too,” Shio confirmed.
The source of the Second Underworld Anomaly, and the location of its power, both point to the highest peak of the Obsidian Mountains in Ishtaruki.
Having confirmed his destination, Morgan changed course and continued ascending, heading straight for the summit.
However, the closer you get, the more you can feel the imbalance of gravity.
The immense magical power operated erratically, as if it were destroying for the sake of destruction.
“The source is right here…it’s not safe to get too close.” Morgan raised his hand.
Shio-mi agreed: "Then, let's get started."
So Morgan reversed the magnetic field of the Second Underworld, creating an opposite gravitational field, aimed at the highest peak of the Obsidian Mountains, and launched it.
Chapter Forty-Four: Chaotic Thoughts
It is similar to the gravity field used by the "Alien God" for attack, but slightly different in scale and power.
After the initial battle, Morgan had roughly figured out the underlying principles, but due to the imperfections of the One God form, he was unable to use it smoothly.
But with this upheaval, the loss and transfer of power, Morgan began to be able to control this phenomenon.
Therefore, this was her first strike.
However, besides tactical objectives, it also carried a degree of personal emotion, serving as a provocation against the repeated attacks by the "Alien God".
The mountain collapsed with a deafening roar, and obsidian crumbled away in all directions. Surrounded by sharp obsidian, U-Olgamari, the "Alien Goddess," was alone amidst it all.
Although the attack was concentrated on the mountain peak, it canceled out the gravitational field surrounding the "Alien God" and did not touch her.
"..."
As if only then noticing the arrival of One God Morgan, U-Olga Marie showed a puzzled expression.
“Rise up, ‘Alien God’,” Morgan said. “We have come to reclaim the power you have taken from us.”
“Power?” U-Olgamarie looked a little confused.
Morgan thought the power had been taken away by someone who was just guarding the place alone, but according to the results of his senses, the power was indeed in U-Olga Marie.
"Don't say you don't remember robbing someone else."
This usually arrogant "alien god" now showed a bewildered expression, which made Morgan feel inexplicably angry.
No longer caring about the distance, she landed near the "Alien God." The things surrounding the "Alien God," like a spiked fence, were annihilated into dust during Morgan's descent.
An ice-blue longsword appeared in Morgan's hand, pointing directly at U-Olga Marie, the blade just inches from her throat.
"Whose things did you steal?" U-Olga Marie looked puzzled, then suddenly clutched her head and let out a painful scream, "Ughh ...
The surrounding gravitational field became disordered again, and the sharp obsidian shattered instantly. If Morgan had not been in the form of a unified god, he himself would not have been able to escape.
Morgan frowned as he withstood yet another wave of gravity rampage.
"So that's how it is. The anomaly in the Second Underworld is due to the 'Alien God's' power going out of control? Could it be that she has already devoured my husband's authority?"
“No, if it were being devoured, I could feel it too,” Shiomi said. “Like Azuma is like this now. The ‘Alien God’ looks a bit strange.”
U-Olga Marie suffered for a long time before helplessly lowering her hands and kneeling on the ground.
She raised her head blankly, looking at the One God Morgan before her.
"...Who are you?"
"They've even forgotten their own enemies?" Morgan found it hard to believe.
The problem was that her eyes told her that U-Olga Marie was not lying.
This answer also caught tide Jian's eye.
"It's really strange. Let's break the fusion first," Shio said.
“If she loses control again, I will force her to merge.” Morgan knew that Shiomi wanted to see the situation for herself, so he offered this as a safety measure.
"Yes, I'll leave everything to my wife's arrangements."
After saying that, Shiomi and Morgan broke their union.
Noticing that two people had suddenly appeared in front of her, U-Olgamarie looked up at them.
Her gaze first fell on Morgan, and then gradually shifted to Shiomi, who was in the form of a young child.
"You are……"
As if struck by an electric current, U-Olgamarie clutched her head and let out a heart-wrenching scream.
The gravity around them became restless again. Morgan pressed down on Shiomi's shoulder, preparing to merge and deal with the impending rampage.
But tide Jian raised her hand to stop her: "Wait a little longer—"
"No...no...no, no, no, no, no..."
U-Olga Marie hugged herself tightly, muttering to herself as if in a self-suggestion.
She cupped her face in her hands, her eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, her pupils trembling and flashing with an unprecedented fear.
This was the first time Shiomi had seen fear on the face of the "Alien God".
Then, U-Olgamarie, with her pain seemingly subsiding, looked up at Shiomi.
Countless unfamiliar memories flooded her mind, which in turn stimulated U-Olga Marie.
"After all, you're a little younger than Karen. If you were my child, you'd definitely be the youngest in the family, and everyone would have to protect you."
"You can come over for dinner sometime if you have time."
"No...the teacher will protect you. You won't die, I won't die, and nobody...will die."
"...Who exactly are you..." U-Olga Marie looked at Shiomi in confusion, "...Old...Ughh ...
An even more violent surge of magic than before; U-Olgamari was surrounded by magic that Pemo could not control, and there was a risk that it would spread at any moment.
If it gets out of control, it will trigger a massive explosion in the second underworld, causing obsidian mudslides to spread to both sides of the underworld.
But in the end, the magic didn't explode; instead, it gradually receded.
Even though U-Olga Marie looked like she was in great pain.
"Hey... what exactly are you—"
tide Jian felt this situation was too abnormal, and he habitually reached out to ask what had happened.
"Don't come any closer!"
U-Olga Marie roared, and an impact so massive that even Shiomi couldn't withstand it came crashing down.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Morgan and Shiomi transformed back into one god the instant Shiomi was touched, avoiding the sudden impact.
The "Alien God" gasped for breath as he got up from the ground.
"So, we still have to fight?" Morgan frowned.
She also noticed U-Olgamarie's unusual behavior.
If it were just a simple enemy, it would be fine, but it had to be a child's face with an expression of extreme pain, which made even her feel a moment of tenderness.
"..."
But U-Olga Marie just gritted her teeth, frowned deeply, and stared at One God Morgan, as if trying to see someone's shadow in her.