As Morgan and Scáthach moved in beside him, Shiomi was just about to step forward and rush toward the 'New God,' intending to attack from close range and probe for any possible weaknesses—
when the communicator on his body suddenly rang.
"…Ah, the mana signal finally stabilized. Hello? Can you hear me? What's going on over there? Why did the Singularity's readings suddenly spike into abnormal ranges, and why is the mana signal being disrupted? We can't see anything at all from Chaldea…"
Romani's anxious voice came through.
Because the Singularity itself was small in scale, Shiomi had only been making routine check-ins with Chaldea each night before going to bed.
Romani, who was in charge of rear support, had been more than happy with how relaxed things were.
After all, everything had been calm for days. He hadn't thought there was any need for Shiomi to be concerned.
And yet, of all times, today the Singularity's abnormal values suddenly shot up to full alarm levels, dragging staff who had already gone to rest back to their posts to begin emergency observation.
However, just as Romani said, the sudden anomaly even severed Chaldea's connection with them. They lost all visibility on Shiomi's group, and only just now had radar functionality barely been restored.
"Wait a second, Romani!" Olga Marie shouted. "What is that enormous signal on the radar?"
"Huh? Hold on—this signal… it's extremely similar to the one from the Uruk Singularity back then…" Romani couldn't stay seated. "A reaction highly similar to a Beast? How is that possible? This should be 2001… no, wait. Why has the Singularity's occurrence time shifted to 1999?!"
The chain of anomalies instantly threw Chaldea into chaos.
"As you've already observed, that should be the reaction of a Beast larva," Shiomi said calmly. "A 'New God' that has not yet fully formed."
As he spoke, he watched Morgan and Scáthach, who had already begun engaging the 'New God' ahead of him.
The two of them alternated covering each other, splitting the 'New God's' attention while searching for an opening through magecraft and long-range attacks.
"A 'New God'?" Olga Marie froze.
The radar had indeed analyzed a divine reaction, but this idea of something 'new'—
"Effective immediately, the investigation of the 2001 Singularity is entering its next phase," Shiomi said decisively. "All personnel currently within the Singularity will officially begin the subjugation of the Beast-like 'New God' manifested in 1999. We also have witch descendants and the Fifth Magician on site, so there's no need to worry."
"The Fifth Magician?" Romani gasped. "Even a Magician is involved? So the earlier calm really was just a façade?"
"I'll explain everything in detail after I get back," Shiomi said as he charged forward. "Maintain observation of the Singularity. Leave the fighting to us!"
With that, he cut the transmission.
Mana surged violently through Gridnir in his hand as he slammed it head-on into the fist the 'New God' swung at him, releasing a thunderous impact.
The sheer gap in raw power made even Shiomi feel the strain.
In terms of overall strength, it was already comparable to Surtr Fenrir from the previous Scandinavian Lostbelt.
The 'New God' had just endured a direct hit from the Holy Lance, yet showed almost no visible damage at all.
Only a faint weakening in its overall mana reaction suggested that it hadn't come through completely unscathed.
"It's not an opponent that can't be defeated," Shiomi muttered.
"The real problem is… how to defeat it."
Scáthach hurled her spear into the sky, where it abruptly spread out, transforming into a dense rain of spears that poured down endlessly, bombarding the 'New God's' body.
Shiomi frowned deeply. He fully agreed with his master's judgment.
If he were to release the True Name of Marduk's Axe here, a single strike would be enough to end it.
The problem was that it would almost certainly also mean a guaranteed kill—for both sides.
"So… when life and death finally come knocking on my own door, I still end up being just an ordinary person." Shiomi let out a quiet, bitter laugh.
Scáthach, however, smiled. "Even after transcending death, you never forget your fear of it. As your master, I'm glad you've kept hold of that feeling."
With that, she charged forward again. She slipped past the 'New God's' crashing fist and sprinted along its arm, wide as a mountain ridge, racing toward its shoulder. Her aim was the head, hoping to uncover some kind of vital point.
After all, the 'New God' possessed an extreme blessing. No matter where it was injured, its body regenerated the instant damage was dealt.
"Afraid of death…?" Shiomi tightened his grip on the spear. "Maybe."
Or perhaps it was fear of the separation that death would bring, fear that kept him from fighting without restraint.
Behind him, Artoria had already grasped the situation as well. Bound by the fixed outcome of the Reality Marble and Shiomi's authority, the 'New God' was unable to launch effective attacks, nor could it rapidly erode this world to create a more advantageous environment.
So, after briefly exchanging signals with Touko and Skadi, Artoria charged in. A white warhorse answered her summons, and she mounted it in one smooth motion. The steed leapt into the air as she launched a covering attack toward the head Scáthach was closing in on.
"There's no time to worry about unnecessary things." Shiomi raised his head.
If someone had to fall here, then it could only be him. And it had to be him.
A disaster caused by his past self was something his future self had to bring to an end.
He switched the hand holding his spear, preparing to summon Marduk's Axe, but Morgan pressed down on his arm.
"Don't stop me. You know what the most effective approach is, don't you?"
"…I would never stop my husband. As his wife, I follow him in life and death alike," Morgan said, shaking her head. "I only want to tell you this. The core of the 'New God' isn't in its head."
"Is that so." Shiomi wasn't particularly surprised.
A body of that size was clearly something formed from condensed mana. Morgan's words were simply a conclusion about the 'New God's' condition.
Which meant that the core, the 'Tenkei Shiomi of 1999'—
"So it's in the heart after all?" Shiomi stared at the 'New God's' chest.
"Not just that…" Morgan covered her face, peering through the gaps between her fingers. "The mana interference makes it hard to see clearly, but inside the body, there's another person."
"…" Shiomi fell silent.
He immediately activated his Star Eyes.
Just as Morgan had said, there was more than one presence at the core.
"If one of them is 'me from 1999,' then the other…" Shiomi felt his thoughts struggling to keep up.
His mind raced.
This wasn't a case of him being manipulated into becoming some Beast larva–like god.
Then, looking at it from the opposite angle, if this aberration was born of his own will, what reason would he have had to make such a choice—
"Don't stay there!"
Before Shiomi could voice his conclusion, Artoria's warning rang out.
Countless points of light suddenly drifted through the air around them, flickering with the glow of life itself. Yet all Shiomi felt was a chill racing up the back of his neck.