Otherwise, you can find another savior.

Page 419

“Calm down, my husband…” Morgan grabbed Shiomi’s shoulders, “Don’t let your guard down…”

Because Shiomi shared the pain, the burden caused by the "pollution" was somewhat alleviated.

The three's previous intimate encounter seemed to have inadvertently led to further communication of the magic circuits, allowing them to enter Shiomi's sanctuary and resist further erosion by the "contamination".

Having had a little more time to think things through, Morgan offered this advice to Shio.

“The problem is, even my powers are being interfered with, and we still have to fly so high to fight.” Shiomi held his wife and master’s hands, gazing at Aphrodite’s true form. “We can’t use the method of defeating Artemis—”

He was rapidly considering a solution when Scáthach whispered a reminder:

"Since it mainly involves mental interference... a beloved disciple whose mind cannot be interfered with by authority will definitely make her wary."

"...Master means—"

"Regardless of the reason why you can basically ignore mental interference and only be affected by output power..." Scáthach took a deep breath and added, "Lure her into your sea of ​​heart, understand?"

"understood."

Chapter 83 Soaring into the Sky

"How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"

Shiomi half-embraced Morgan and Scáthach with her arms and carried them back to their previous campsite, where she put them down.

“I can protect myself… but I can’t fight at full strength.” Morgan shook his head.

The "contamination" from the goddess Aphrodite possesses the ability to interfere with humanity in a way that can be described as absolute control.

It is a mental attack that forcibly manipulates the knowledge, cognition, and feelings of intellectual life.

In contrast, Heroic Spirits are able to retain some of their individuality, but they will eventually become puppets whose bodies are no longer under their control, manipulated by Aphrodite.

But both Morgan and Scáthach are beings that have lived for thousands of years.

On one side are fairies from Paradise, and on the other is the queen who rules the Kingdom of the Dead on the outer edge of the world.

As a Servant, it goes without saying that now that they are the original forms, their endurance doesn't really require him to be so anxious.

"Stop wasting time, or does my beloved disciple enjoy seeing us suffer?" Scáthach urged Shiomi half-jokingly. "Aren't you the only one who can deal with Aphrodite right now?"

“I know time is of the essence, and the longer we drag this out, the worse it will be… but it would be unwise to just leave you here and go out to fight.” tide Jian released their hands, and they sat on the blanket, their expressions immediately becoming somewhat dejected.

Then, several clones appeared around them, forming a specific formation, and kneeling on one knee on the ground.

A rune magic circle for protection.

Scáthach understood at a glance.

These clones serve as both a protective wall for the two individuals and a signal light connecting them to their original form.

If something happens to Shiomi while she is fighting Aphrodite, the disappearance of these clones will be a signal reminding them to relocate.

"We'll handle the rest. Go on," Morgan said softly to Shio.

Shiomi nodded deeply, then turned and walked towards the cliff, confirming Aphrodite's location once again.

It is high, but still far from Artemis's 500,000-meter satellite orbit altitude. Just like its shape, which resembles an early warning aircraft, Aphrodite's true form as a machine god also chose an altitude between 10,000 and 20,000 meters.

Shiomi's speculation—

The reason for this is mostly related to the type of Noble Phantasm. It's not a satellite cannon like Artemis's, but rather focuses on ultra-long-range sniping.

If Aphrodite continues to increase her flight altitude, the output power of "Pollution" will decrease.

Originally, focusing entirely on "pollution" would have been enough to cover the entire Olympus region; there was no need to add extra trouble.

But no matter what.

"At least twelve thousand meters..."

Shiomi is not capable of flying, or rather, his flight is closer to floating and short-distance rapid movement.

Fortunately, he is not like Tiamat, the mother goddess, a special deity who cannot easily approach the sky.

Therefore, as long as all magic is focused on anti-gravity levitation, it is not impossible to climb to Aphrodite's height in a short time.

A long wind blew through the forest area in the eastern part of the interstellar city. Shiomi's clothes fluttered in the wind, and his body quickly took off, flying diagonally towards Aphrodite's location.

But once he broke free of the barrier, he could no longer escape Zeus's omniscience and omnipotence, making him a formidable enemy that even Kirshtalia considered a serious threat.

In light of Demeter's fall, Zeus re-examined the state of Chaldea.

The downfall of three Olympian gods was attributed to this man, so Zeus adopted his ally's advice.

Especially after Olympus began their search, Shiomi's disappearance right under Zeus's nose made him realize that something was very wrong.

Therefore, he paid special attention to Shiomi's existence. When the man reappeared in his sight, Zeus did not hesitate to launch a counterattack, helping Aphrodite, who was not a specialist in combat, to fight back.

After all, Aphrodite could only be sure of victory when facing enemies of lower status than herself; once she faced an opponent of equal caliber, she would have virtually no chance of winning.

The once cloudless, star-studded Olympian sky was now filled with dark clouds, and thunder surged within them, baring its fangs at Shiomi.

As expected, Shiomi deployed her defenses to counter the lightning the instant it struck.

They came in quick succession, as dense as rain.

Zeus undoubtedly wanted to knock Shiomi down here, forcing him to fall back to the earth and continue to suffer Aphrodite's 'contamination'.

This chief god saw through the fact that Shiomi was not absolutely immune to Aphrodite's "contamination," but only had the trump card to resist this power because she had obtained an incomplete divine status.

Otherwise, Shiomi would have shot down Aphrodite just like she shot down Artemis, instead of having to fly up.

The fact that the anti-sniper weapon of that time cannot be reproduced further confirms this point.

"Not enough, far from enough."

Shiomi crossed her arms to withstand the continuous lightning strikes and gradually adapted to the attacks, continuing to climb higher and entering the clouds.

Zeus's thunderbolt did indeed penetrate his defenses and cause him damage.

However, in terms of regenerative ability, Shiomi, who was no less capable than Demeter, would not have been so easily beheaded by Zeus's thunderbolts.

Climbing, climbing, and climbing some more.

No matter how much the thunderclouds compressed or how much lightning struck, they could only slow down Xijian's ascent, but could never stop his movements.

Originally, releasing the Noble Phantasm within the clouds to dispel the thunderclouds would have been the most correct course of action.

With Aphrodite interfering, any unnecessary exertion would become a burden. In comparison, the minor damage of having one's defenses pierced by lightning, resulting in slight burns and numbness, was not worth worrying about.

As he drew closer to Aphrodite, even though he couldn't see her, Shiomi could feel the goddess's mental interference growing stronger, like a predatory beast trying to break through the transparent wall and manipulate the "prey" called the spirit within.

Goddess of beauty, Aphrodite.

For her, beauty is the act of "redefining" values, spirit, and self.

Since we can't destroy Shiomi's spirit no matter what, redefining his existence and making him serve the great god Zeus is a reasonable choice.

Looking down at the sky below, at the thunderclouds summoned by Zeus, Aphrodite was filled with certainty of victory.

Even as the man drew nearer, the moment he came into her sight would be the moment she was completely enslaved by Aphrodite.

Aphrodite was even a little impatient; she couldn't let the goddess of beauty and love get away with waiting so long.

Just as her patience was being tested, the man flew through the thunderclouds toward her.

Chapter 84 Sea of ​​the Heart

Meanwhile, at the God-Breaking Alliance base.

Having arrived here less than half a day ago, and having just sorted through the intelligence left behind by the Pan-Human History Servants, preparing to analyze it and find a way to transmit it back to Storm Border, the special operations team also sensed the abnormal magical reaction coming from the ground.

"What happened?" Artoria asked the Olympus siblings, who knew the situation best.

Adele frowned as she examined the instruments inside the base: "The view from here isn't very clear, so Makarios went outside a bit..."

“It’s the goddess Aphrodite!” Macarios hurried back to the base, panting heavily. “That goddess has launched ‘Contamination,’ which has already affected the entire eastern region of the interstellar city. Judging from the situation, it is very likely that it will affect the entire interstellar city.”

“Pollution?” Sakura misunderstood the term. “Does it mean releasing toxic substances?”

“It’s not poison, it’s a mental attack.” Adele understood and explained to the others, “The goddess Aphrodite can forcibly manipulate people’s minds. Although we are underground, it’s only a matter of time before we are affected.”

“We must stop that goddess as soon as possible, but in this situation…” Macarios was very troubled and could not think of an effective solution. “Mordred’s companions were manipulated by Aphrodite in this way and were eventually wiped out.”

“…What?” Bagst was taken aback.

"Why...why did this suddenly happen?" Grey guessed. "Is it because of the teachers?"

“That’s the only way to think about it now, otherwise they wouldn’t be launching this ‘contamination’ indiscriminately.” Artoria pondered the progress. “Miss Adele, please continue to monitor the ‘contamination’ situation on the ground.”

"Are you planning to go outside, Miss Artoria? Even if you are a goddess, compared to Aphrodite's divinity—" Adele felt this was dangerous.

Artoria shook her head: "This battle is in his hands. There might be a time when we'll be needed to provide backup, so please be prepared for that. Also, Sakura, how is Lord Mordred's recovery going?"

“With Krionomia, things are indeed much better, but the crucial spirit core…” Sakura shook her head.

"Ah."

Artoria nodded in agreement. There was very little they could do at the moment; they could only wait for the right opportunity.

----------

In the western part of the interstellar city, at an altitude of 14,000 meters.

Shiomi rose up and came to Aphrodite's side, but seemed to have lost the ability to move. Her limbs hung limply at her sides, her head was down, and she did not make any further moves.

"Beauty is value; love, sometimes, is also value. Value, then, is what takes shape from necessity and desire, providing sufficiency to the intellect. Value is the reliance of the intellect. So—"

Aphrodite pulled Shiomi's body closer to her.

This man's mind has not yet collapsed; he is indeed resilient. Therefore, she wants to personally perform the operation at close range.

While speaking words that scrutinized humans, it opened the hatch beneath its true form, intending to bring Shiomi inside.

"I am the god of beauty and love, the master of everything within your human hearts. As long as there is thought and intellect, humanity cannot rival the gods, hehe...hehe, haha, ahahahahaha! Merely bipedal organic life forms! We are far too insignificant, far too fragile! Compared to us, the sons of Chaos, who have crossed the Sea of ​​Stars and are even known to the Tannhäuser realm shining in the distant outer universe, we are both pathetic and insignificant... utterly powerless!"

Even if one were to become a god, one could not escape the weakness of humanity.

In Aphrodite's eyes, the man named Shiomi Tenkei was, in the end, merely a being slightly more outstanding than the humans of Olympus.

"Come, enter my body, and through my manipulation, be born as a new god and man, offering everything for the eternal beauty of Olympus!"

Shiomi's body was stored inside the cabin, and the door closed smoothly and seamlessly.

"Human beings are indeed weak and incomplete... but you have kept them like pets for millions of years, depriving them of the most important possibility called 'development'."

"what?"

Aphrodite paused for a moment.

Shiomi's voice rang out inside her body as she began to perform comprehensive mental manipulation.

"Machine Gods from outer space, in a sense, you are also a kind of 'alien gods'. Humanity was not created by you, and you have never truly regarded humanity as your own children. It is not surprising that you would view humanity in this way."

"You actually deliberately let me take you in, thinking you can defeat me from within? Right now, you can't exert any power, so don't even think about repeating the failures of Demeter, Artemis, and Poseidon on me."

After her initial surprise, Aphrodite regained her composure.

The man was still under her control; those words conveyed directly through the spiritual realm were nothing more than a death throes of resistance.

Faced with Aphrodite's "contamination," instead of taking advantage of her ability to act independently to escape, she took the initiative to approach, hoping to defeat her head-on.

"You're being far too arrogant, human."

"It's you, so arrogant, goddess."

When Aphrodite rebuked her again, she was met with a different voice.

Another voice from the sea of ​​the spirit.

"?!"

Young and dignified, yet possessing supreme majesty, even Aphrodite sensed that this denial came as a criticism from a higher being.

Another goddess's criticism.

At this moment, Aphrodite realized that she had misjudged... no, it was another secret that she could not judge or know at all.

This man's spirit was always connected to another goddess sleeping in the distant sea of ​​imaginary numbers.

Even the Olympian gods knew that the primordial mother of this planet, the goddess of creation, resided in that ocean of nothingness.

Its name is—

"...Earth Mother Goddess, Tiamat."

As she uttered her name, Aphrodite's immense spirit, due to absorbing Shiomi and directly contacting her spirit, was also drawn into the Sea of ​​Hearts.