Otherwise, you can find another savior.

Page 426

“Simply being dissatisfied with the status quo is not enough to justify your opposition to Olympus.” Shiomi maintained the composure of an observer; he had to maintain this composure, whether as a human or a god.

His time as a Lostbelt participant has come to an end.

Having protected those I wanted to protect, and then returning to the broader history of humanity, what I need to do next is also to atone for that favoritism.

"Are your parents... still alive? Or rather, did they already—"

Faced with Shio's question, the siblings' expressions dimmed.

The answer speaks for itself.

“But…” Olga Marie suddenly spoke up, “The Norse Lostbelt… the goddess Skadi and a few survivors were able to continue existing even after leaving the Lostbelt. Even if it’s not a Lostworld like Britain, you must have a way, right?”

tide Jian wasn't surprised that Olga Marie would speak up like that; he knew it was impossible to keep it from her, as the director.

Britain and Northern Europe are fundamentally different.

After being transformed into an alternate world, everything in Britain can actually exist after the separation.

But in Northern Europe... including Skadi, it must have been Shiomi who did something to keep them alive.

“There’s a way,” tide Jian nodded calmly. “Besides, I also think that sooner or later we have to face everyone and reveal this secret.”

"A secret?" The twins both looked puzzled.

When they saw Shiomi just now, they had a strange feeling. The source of that strange feeling was the 'Tower of Babel' that was standing between the interstellar city and the orbital temple.

Was Shiomi, who created such a miracle, really just a human being?

Even though her behavior and words do reflect this, her undeniable aura reveals another layer of identity for Shiomi.

Then, Shiomi extended her hands to Adele and Macarios:

"The method is to find a pan-human historical fulcrum that can establish your existence. And for now, faith in God is the most direct and effective means. If you are willing to offer your faith to me at this moment, you can continue to live even after you leave Olympus."

His voice was calm and authoritative, and Olga Marie found it somewhat unfamiliar.

Compared to that somewhat serious but actually more easygoing teacher, his stance as God is self-evident.

"The teacher is... a god?" She covered her mouth in astonishment.

“Perhaps it’s a change that started a long time ago, or perhaps it’s a fact that has only recently come to fruition.” Shiomi shook her head. “That’s why I’m able to fight like this now.”

"A god who fights for humanity..." Macarios was the first to show a doubtful look.

However, faced with such a disrespectful gaze, Shiomi accepted it calmly, acknowledging the legitimacy of the suspicion as a matter of course.

“You don’t need to give an answer immediately, after all, there is still a battle to come.” Shio lowered her hand. “Without destroying Zeus and resolving the Imaginary Tree, this promise is meaningless.”

However, this method is for humans, while Skadi's method is quite special.

She eventually accepted the marriage vow made by the great god Odin, becoming Shiomi's bride and establishing her existence on a planet outside the Lostbelt as a new deity in pan-human history.

The Valkyries and the surviving villagers simply needed to continue their faith in Skadi.

“It does take some time to consider,” Makarios said, somewhat bewildered.

Adele looked at Shiomi and smiled as she thanked him, "Thank you, God of humanity."

Don't worry about it—

Before tide Jian could finish speaking, Olga Marie grabbed his hem.

"Teacher...may I have a brief chat with you and Ms. Orange?"

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Heartfelt Words

To Olga Marie, Shiomi Tenkei was a senior figure in the world of magic, someone she needed to respectfully address as her teacher.

It was precisely because of him that Olga Marie was able to find a place to rest and find refuge amidst the immense pressure after her father, Marisbury, passed away and Olga Marie took over the affairs of the Animusfia family and Chaldea.

Therefore, from the bottom of her heart, she regarded Xijian as her "mentor".

What took this hazy and ambiguous first love to the next level was the disaster at Singularity F.

She should have died from the bomb planted by Rafe, becoming a lost soul due to physical death, but thanks to the doll body given to her by her teacher, she was able to continue living as Olga Marie.

From that time on, Shiomi became like a god to Olga Marie, and she harbored extremely complex feelings for her.

The child's attachment to his father, respect for his teacher, attraction to the opposite sex, and a devotion akin to that of a god.

With such intertwined emotions, Olga Marie could no longer take her eyes off Shiomi, even though he would never look back at her, she felt that this was enough.

Olga Marie wasn't too surprised to learn that Shiomi was actually a magician from the Land of Shadows who had been taught by the famous Queen Scáthach.

Rather, someone as talented as Shiomi-sensei must have had a learning experience that modern magicians cannot possess.

Even so, on the eve of facing Zeus, an unprecedented enemy, Olga Marie suddenly learned that the person she had always loved was actually a god. Her originally clear thoughts turned into a mess.

What do you want to ask?

Standing at the front of the Storm Border deck, with the night wind of Olympus blowing, Shiomi quietly asked Olga Marie.

He had anticipated everyone's reaction to the fact that it would have to be made public sooner or later. It wasn't unreasonable for Olga Marie to stop him and want to talk about it.

Even if she raised questions, tide Jian thought it was perfectly normal.

After all, it would be quite disorienting for someone who had fought alongside Chaldea as a human to suddenly cease to be human one day.

“…I’m sorry, I don’t know what to ask either.” Olga Marie looked at him with some distress, her silver hair disheveled in the wind. “I just suddenly wanted to talk to the teacher…”

“After all, this is beyond human common sense, and it’s beyond the common sense of magicians as well.” Orange expressed her understanding, “Even a mage… probably Aoko wouldn’t understand either.”

She recalled the incident at the Kumano Onsen Singularity. In the end, Aoko didn't really think much about how the "new god" that caused the sudden change in the singularity was formed.

How could a human being evolve into such a deity?

In fact, not only Aoko, who is a magician, but Touko also gave up on thinking deeply about the reasons.

Whether she's a magician or an ex-girlfriend, it's the same.

Even Lian Xi herself didn't know the cause of all this; she simply faced the change and, after repeatedly refusing, ultimately chose to accept and conform.

"I'm just suddenly not sure what to say." Olga Marie glanced at Shiomi, her eyes full of conflict. "Even though you're still a teacher, I suddenly have a feeling that you're going to a very far place..."

"Perhaps you thought that after the Age of Gods passed, all the gods in the pan-human history had left this world and gone to the outside world?" Shiomi helped her tidy her messy hair. "I won't go anywhere. Even if I become a god, it's not to lead humanity back to the Age of Gods. It's just that I need to do this in this crisis."

“Teacher…” Olga Marie’s voice was tinged with emotion.

Whether it was because of Shiomi's comforting words or because of her admiration for his determination, even Olga Marie herself couldn't say for sure.

"So don't look at me like that. We're still companions, and I'm still your teacher." tide Jian patted her head helplessly. "It would be strange if you treated me like a god just because of this fact."

“That makes sense,” Orange chimed in. “I remember that Chaldea also came into contact with divine Servants during the process of restoring humanity, right? Did you, Director, ever consider worshipping those gods?”

“But they are gods who have left the world and manifest in the human realm… unlike the teacher,” Olga Marie said somewhat shyly.

But Shiomi is different; he truly exists here as himself, as both a human and a god.

That feeling was very different.

Of course, Olga Marie's personal motives also played a part in this.

If it were someone else, even if Aozaki Touko next to her were a god, Olga Marie would only be surprised for a moment, then confirm whether she would continue to assist Chaldea, and that would be the end of it. She wouldn't have such complicated emotions.

“Is that so? That makes sense.” Orange deliberately veered off-topic to ease the awkward atmosphere. “Magicians are creatures who pursue the ancient and mysterious, yearning to reach the source. They are human, yet they have deviated from common human sense. It’s true that they would feel jealous if they saw someone they knew reach the end first.”

Olga Marie quickly blushed and retorted, "No, Ms. Orange. I'm not jealous of you, teacher. If you really have reached the Root, I would only feel honored."

"I've never even taught you magic?" Shio chuckled.

“But my teacher truly was like a teacher, teaching me so much,” Olga Marie said earnestly. “I hope that wherever you go in the future, as long as you’re still here, still in Chaldea, please don’t abandon me…”

Then, realizing she had said something very offensive, Olga Marie's face turned even redder.

"There's not much time left before departure, I should go back and check all the preparations." He quickly took two steps back, bowed to Xijian, and then turned and ran back into the ship.

Orange patted him on the back and laughed, "What a passionate confession!"

"Stop it..."

"You can't possibly not understand?" Orange smiled lazily.

“I told you not to mess around because I understood,” Shio sighed. “She probably got excited and let it slip. After all, with a formidable enemy at hand, as the director, Mary’s nerves must be on edge the most.”

"Hmm, I sometimes think you're actually quite heartless," Orange teased.

“Let Orange decide for herself—” Shiomi retorted.

Orange smiled deeply and took his arm:

"I won't be able to be with you for the next battle, you have to win."

"Okay, I promise you."

Chapter 100 Heading to the Final Battlefield

The Tower of Babel.

Shiomi, who was in charge of the front-line battle, led Morgan and the others, as well as the Pan-Human History Servants including the Knights of the Round Table, to the bottom of the Tower of Babel.

The base, which was entangled and covered by branches thicker than several people, was opened up in all directions by Shiomi simply raising his hand and waving it gently after he led everyone closer.

After glancing at the Storm Border that had risen again, Shiomi led everyone into the interior of the 'Tower of Babel'.

“As everyone knows, the interior is indeed empty, but to reach the Orbital Temple, one can only go from the inside.” He first pointed upwards, “That’s the only place that hasn’t been covered by the barrier set up by Zeus.”

"But how do we get there?" Gawain asked. "We Servants can choose to become spirits and fly up, but what about our King and the rest of Chaldea—"

tide Jian raised her hand: "There's no need for that."

As he spoke, the Tower of Babel shook again, but everyone could clearly feel that this shaking would not destroy the Tower of Babel; it was merely some kind of internal mechanism at work.

Soon, the tremors subsided again, and a spiral staircase made of countless trees stretched down from the dome, all the way to the feet of the crowd.

However, in terms of distance and altitude, the distance between the interstellar city and the orbital temple is roughly equivalent to going straight from sea level to the top of Mount Everest, the highest peak on the planet.

Even if such a spiral staircase is formed, it is still a long and arduous journey.

Fortunately, these people are not ordinary, and such a difficult journey is not enough to deter them.

"Oh? We have to climb a mountain before we start fighting?" Orion stretched his arms and picked up the unable-to-fight Artemis. "Then I, the Grand Servant, will lead the charge?"

"Wait a minute, are you really going to take her with you?" tide Jian asked. "Having lost her main body, she awakens as an independent unit and has no combat ability at all."

“If I leave Orion, I have nowhere to go,” Artemis said in her still emotionless voice. “So I want to stay with him until the very end.”

“That’s how it is, you get the idea, buddy,” Orion said with a grin.

Shiomi glanced at the others, and since no one objected to Orion's selfish motives, he stopped trying to persuade him.

After all, the Lostbelt mission is over, and Orion, as a Grand Servant, will also have to leave, while Artemis's submachine will disappear along with the Lostbelt.

Respecting their wishes is the best choice.

“Well then, before we climb up, to increase our speed and conserve our energy,” Shiomi said, opening her palm and letting blue-white flames ignite within. “Please accept my blessing, ‘Inflaming Divinity.’”

The flames, like those of Prometheus, surrounded the group, but did not ignite anything. The flames flashed and disappeared, and the Servants were all taken aback, feeling that all their abilities had been enhanced.

As they began to climb the steps, they found their legs moving with incredible speed, as if they had become the Greek hero Achilles, renowned for his incredible speed.

Of course, the speed could not really compare with that great hero, but it was like riding the wind and using its momentum to minimize the corresponding energy consumption.

"Everyone, listen to me as we go," Shiomi said calmly, running in the middle of the group. "The enemies we might encounter at the upcoming Orbital Temple can be roughly divided into three categories: Olympian gods, the Hidden Ones, and alien apostles—"

He then went on to explain his views on these three types of enemies.

First, there's Olympus. Based on the information previously provided by Demeter and the current kill records, there are still two Olympian pillars remaining.

The great god Zeus, and the goddess Hera, who never appeared.

Zeus goes without saying; he is an enemy that Shiomi must and can only face. The problem is Hera, the goddess who has not yet appeared, and Shiomi is unsure of her strength.

In the worst-case scenario, he would face the extreme situation of fighting two gods simultaneously. Even so, Shiomi would have no choice but to fight with everything he had to defeat them in one fell swoop.

Secondly, there are the hidden ones.

Besides Kirshtalia, who was originally in charge of this Lostbelt, there were two other Hidden Ones summoned from other Lostbelts: Peperoncino and Hinako Akuta.

Among them, Hinako Akuta was accompanied by two Servants, Saber Lanling Wang and Berserker Xiang Yu.

Shiomi didn't know why Peperonchino didn't have any followers, and could only deduce that he was deliberately hiding his trump card.

Finally, there are the alien apostles.

In Atlantis, Kirei Kotomine and Dōman Ashiya once appeared together in front of Shiomi and Scáthach, and then both of them were defeated and fled.

Kirei Kotomine was marked with the Primordial Rune of Death by Shiomi, and Dōman Ashiya died on the spot—even though it wasn't his true form that died.