"What did you do?"
Aoko Aozaki was the first to speak.
She saw the problem immediately, and with it, the reason the "first two Aoko" had failed.
Just as Shiomi had said, the rules of this environment had already been rewritten. Simply setting foot here meant having to resist the land's erosion of the self.
And if you then diverted your focus to reinforce the Singularity's fixation, you could keep the rampaging god from reaching 2001 and buy a little more time.
The "second Aoko" had realized that, which was why she'd made the same choice as the "first."
"As you can see," Shiomi said through clenched teeth, forcing the words out against the raging mana wind, "what's rewriting this land is nothing else but divine authority. Even the Fifth Law can't properly oppose it. The only thing that can withstand this erosion is power of the same authority!"
What Shiomi was deploying now was an authority barrier.
Otherwise, the instant they arrived here, they would lose the initiative.
"Authority?" Alice blurted out, stunned.
But Shiomi didn't answer. He kept his eyes locked on the center of the crater, on whatever lurked within the mana wind so dense it blotted out sight.
Something vaguely humanoid, yet enormous, an existence that brought to mind the draconic Spirit Origin of Tiamat.
Others might not recognize it. Shiomi only needed a single glance. Even if he still couldn't make out every detail, he already knew the answer.
"Can you see it?" Morgan asked, placing a hand on Shiomi's shoulder and feeding him mana.
Only Shiomi could wield authority to resist the erosion.
"The mana wind's in the way, so I can't see it clearly," Shiomi said, "but I understand it better than anyone."
He reached out and gripped the manifested Gungnir.
"A power like 'Nega-Genesis'… Did 'I' really intend to overwrite the entire world?"
Aoko and Alice sucked in a sharp breath.
Morgan and the others, however, fell into a shared silence. Even before coming here, they had already guessed the identity of the so-called "New God" from Shiomi's scattered hints.
It was none other than "Tenkei Shiomi of 1999."
When Aoko Aozaki stretched time and delayed the Singularity's destruction from spreading across the entire world, she also created a consequence.
A conflict with the events of 2001, causing Shiomi and Morgan of that era to go missing.
Or rather, as the people most directly tied to it, they had been folded into the 1999 event.
The reason Shiomi from the future still hadn't been affected was simply that he didn't originate from the Singularity. Until the Singularity expanded and erupted, he could temporarily exist separately from his past self.
But once the Singularity eroded the planet's surface, Shiomi at every point in time—past and future—would be pulled into this phenomenon, becoming a single, unique existence across the river of time.
Put simply, it was a vertical version of the Second Magician.
And with that change, the planet's history would be rewritten.
"It's coming!"
Skadi suddenly raised her voice. The slender wand in her hand spun through the air, and in the blink of an eye she completed the Rune inscription. A colorless barrier unfolded directly in front of them, bracing against the mana wind that slammed toward their faces.
"Something truly awful must have happened." Morgan's expression was grave.
"…If it were nothing more than a simple merging of events, yet even the you from 2001 vanished, then that means…" Shiomi's voice turned bitter.
Morgan rested a hand on his shoulder, silently stopping him from continuing.
"The nature outside the barrier is similar to 'Nega-Genesis,' but not exactly the same," Scáthach said. "We can act outside the barrier, but we can't fight effectively, let alone get close to 'you.'"
"To avoid confusion, let's refer to my past self as the 'New God,'" Shiomi said, forcing a light tone before his expression sharpened again. "My existence has already been noticed by the 'New God.' Identical authorities attract each other. The moment I act, the 'New God' will attack—"
Artoria stepped back several paces, widening the distance between herself and the others. Slowly, she raised her right hand, and the Holy Lance manifested.
"So we need to suppress the 'New God's' movements for now, correct?"
"That's right," Shiomi said with a slight nod.
No further explanation was needed. Artoria had already understood his intent.
The Holy Lance rapidly drew in the dense, Age-of-Gods mana from the surroundings, transforming into a beam of light that surged into the sky.
"O Holy Lance, proclaim the end! The Lance That Shines at the End - Rhongomyniad!"
Golden light tore through the darkness, swelling as it fell toward the colossal presence at the center of the crater.
A few seconds later, the Holy Lance struck its mark. The torrent of light disrupted the flow of the mana wind, and the entire crater shook violently.
Now!
"Gather like rain, pile up like dust; melt like snowflakes, vanish like lies."
As he spoke, Shiomi burst out of the barrier, charging toward the 'New God,' whose movements were momentarily suppressed by the Holy Lance, chanting softly under his breath.
"This is the reflection of my soul, the final remnant of the land beyond. 'Eternal Orkney'!"
Centered on the rushing Shiomi, a blizzard pierced through the dense mana winds, sweeping across the entire crater and dragging everything into his inner landscape.
When the frozen world once again eroded reality, Shiomi came to a stop.
With the thick mana winds no longer obscuring his vision, the 'New God' finally revealed its true form amid the storm.
"…Damn. It's really come to this."
A luminous white body, reminiscent of the white giant said to have ravaged the planet fourteen thousand years ago in tales of star-devouring beings.
That towering, immaculate figure standing between heaven and earth was Shiomi's first impression of the 'New God.'
And yet, it was completely opposite to the divine form he had once sought.
There was no clear consciousness, no coherent voice. Only a thunderous, inarticulate roar echoed out, shaking the ground beneath them.
As the surrounding world shifted, the Holy Lance's suppression gradually ended as its power ran out.
The 'New God,' crouched against the earth, slowly straightened its massive body.
"———!!!!"
A single roar unleashed a violent gale, strong enough to rob anyone of their footing.
And that wasn't all. In that same instant, Shiomi felt the 'New God' begin to erode his Reality Marble.
"This really isn't funny. To think I'd end up fighting my past self."
Shiomi pushed back with all his strength against the erosion of his Reality Marble. Before long, he adapted to the 'New God's' method of encroachment and managed to maintain a stalemate.
Two sets of rapid footsteps rang out behind him.
As the Reality Marble fully formed and stabilized, Morgan and Scáthach charged forward almost simultaneously, preparing to launch the first wave of their assault alongside Shiomi.
"Leave the support to me! 'Gate of Skye,' grant us victory!"
Skadi's voice carried from afar as she released her Noble Phantasm.
The City of Shadows manifested atop Shiomi's Reality Marble.
Their mutual trust and acceptance allowed the two powers to intertwine.
The battlefield against the 'New God' was now fully formed.