Even if, somewhere in her heart, she had hoped her husband would return like a bolt of lightning—
That had only been emotion.
Reason told Morgan that what lay beyond was a fissure in the void, an abyss that blocked Chaos from peering into this universe. Even she, a Magus at the pinnacle, could not easily interfere with such a place.
To even attempt to reach it would require centuries of preparation.
And yet now, Shiomi had surpassed her reason. Just as her heart had wished, he had rushed back at the most critical moment and even asked if he had arrived too late.
The answer was obvious.
"Not at all."
The hollow ache in her chest finally settled. She smiled at him as she replied.
Unfortunately, this was hardly the time to celebrate their reunion.
Shiomi's return was the best possible news for Chaldea.
For the Alien Apostles—and the 'Alien God'—it was anything but.
The 'Alien God' looked down at Shiomi with visible displeasure.
"Father, what is the meaning of this? Your report stated that Chaldea's human-turned-god had transformed into an abyss during his battle with Chaos, becoming the barrier that sealed it away."
"My apologies. That was indeed what we observed with our own eyes…" Kirei Kotomine admitted without excuse. "The only explanation is that this man overturned what we believed to be fact and surpassed the crisis itself."
The Apostles' miscalculation was undeniable.
The 'Alien God' curled its lips as though staring at something distasteful, its gaze fixed on Shiomi.
"A mere human becoming a god. This era truly is troublesome. But now that I have descended, this planet has no need for a second pillar of divinity. Disappear."
Shiomi said nothing.
He had already moved to stand beside Morgan, facing the 'Alien God' together with her.
Wearing the same face as Marie. Speaking in a similar tone.
Even Shiomi felt a flicker of surprise.
Morgan had once explained her suspicions to him in private. Their original plan had been to cut down all seven Lostbelts first, then return to Antarctica to investigate.
But the Alien Apostles had not waited. They had advanced their plans in secret and used the most flourishing Fantasy Tree to bring about the descent of the 'Alien God.'
"That tone is awfully condescending," Shiomi said calmly. "The girl I knew—even as a Magus aristocrat—wouldn't be so arrogant to someone she had just met."
"What?" The 'Alien God' frowned, not understanding his meaning.
Shiomi did not bother clarifying.
They had a far more immediate problem.
With a casual motion, the 'Alien God' generated a gravitational field—a small-scale black hole.
High above them, a bottomless black vortex churned, swallowing the Orbital Grand Temple, the interstellar city mountains, and soon, this entire Lostbelt.
If it had only been the Alien Apostles, it would have been manageable.
But once he saw U-Olga Marie, who called herself the 'Alien God,' Shiomi understood just how dire the situation was.
After fighting Zeus and Chaos in succession, then forcing his way back to the Orbital Grand Temple, he was already severely drained.
Though he had reunited midway with Melusine, who refused to return without him, and conserved some strength thanks to her assistance, it was still nowhere near enough.
To interfere with the 'Alien God's' gravitational field while also enduring its direct attacks—
"Now that my husband has returned, shall we arrange for everyone to evacuate while we remain as the rearguard?" Morgan seized the brief pause before the 'Alien God' could act and asked Shiomi for his judgment.
Shiomi reached out his hand toward her.
"My wife… do you still trust me? I promised I would never leave you alone again, and yet I still did something like that. I know very well how fortunate it was that I managed to return this time, so—"
"At a time like this?" Morgan stared at him, momentarily stunned.
"Precisely because we've come this far, I have to ask you again."
Shiomi pressed his lips together, his expression utterly serious.
"My trust in you will not change, even if this planet reaches its end," Morgan replied.
It was exactly the answer he had expected.
And exactly the one he needed.
"Then take my hand."
By the time Shiomi finished speaking, Morgan was already holding it.
"Whispering to each other and making little moves in front of me? How disrespectful."
Sensing the shift in their Mana, the 'Alien God' raised its hand without warning and fired a long-range beam of light at their position.
The violent shockwave forced everyone behind them to retreat.
Scáthach had to brace her spear to block the aftershock.
"A casual strike with power rivaling an A-rank Noble Phantasm?"
Her expression tightened.
If her beloved disciple and Morgan were to die in some tragic lovers' last stand right before her eyes, that would hardly be amusing.
Yet the Mana reaction did not fade.
It intensified.
Within the dense smoke, two streaks of azure light shot upward into the sky, racing toward the gravitational field created by the 'Alien God.'
They spiraled around each other like twin blossoms fated to bloom and fall together, their lights intertwining before merging into a single, more brilliant star.
Its radiance illuminated the darkened sky and the Orbital Grand Temple, now bereft of the Fantasy Tree's glow.
No one understood what they were witnessing.
Not even the 'Alien God.'
"That is—"
Its eyes widened.
"A result beyond calculation. What exactly is that?" the silver-haired Alien Apostle murmured.
The white-haired gentleman shook his head.
"I don't understand… What could that possibly be?"
The starlight gradually dimmed.
When it faded, only Morgan remained standing in the air.
Shiomi was nowhere to be seen.
But Morgan herself had changed.
It was not merely the surge in Mana. A divine presence now emanated from her—something that should not have belonged to her at all. In an instant, she stood on equal footing with the 'Alien God,' whose momentum had been overwhelming only moments ago.
"This is…"
Morgan lifted her hand and looked at her own body.
It was her body.
And yet, it was not.
Her Mana, her physical vessel, even her spiritual rank had risen to an entirely new plane.
"This is the result of our powers becoming one."
Shiomi's voice echoed within her mind.
"Becoming… one."
Morgan's initial shock gave way to understanding.
Long ago, on the day they first united, Shiomi had told her: "Two beings in perfect harmony surpass any complete individual."
He and she had already achieved that perfect harmony.
And when two beings in perfect harmony chose to merge fully, the result would be greater than the sum of its parts.
"For a first attempt, it's not bad," Shiomi said softly. "It's just a shame we didn't have time to refine it."
"This is both my apology… and my love."
"Given the strength of the 'Alien God,' we can maintain combat at this intensity for five minutes at most. After that, this form will collapse."
"Five minutes is enough!"
Morgan's voice rang with rare fervor.
She was certain the heat surging through her veins was not hers alone.