anwhile, near the Second Netherworld.
After destroying the replaced phenonon and bringing Mictlan back to the present, the form of the Unity God dissolved.
"How are you feeling?" Shiomi asked, holding Morgan by the waist to support her.
"Looks like we might have gone a little overboard with the scale," Morgan said as she reflected on the battle. "Strictly speaking, we only destroyed a portion of the phenonon, but we managed to destroy its central fulcrum. That ended the replacent ahead of schedule."
Her tone was relaxed, but both of them understood the truth.
That final strike had destroyed the entire third layer of Mictlan in the future phenonon where ORT existed. That was what made the result possible.
"Rest for a bit."
Shiomi lifted her into his arms.
"It's still a bit of a distance from here back to Chichen Itza."
"Speaking of which, my husband doesn't seem tired at all."
Morgan leaned comfortably against him, completely lacking the imposing presence she had shown during the battle.
Shiomi moved along the rugged mountain paths of the Second Netherworld as if walking on level ground, lightly jumping across the terrain.
"That's what's strange," Shiomi said thoughtfully. "By all rights, I should be just as exhausted as you, but sohow I feel much better than before."
"Maybe it's because all the authority is with you now, so the burden ended up on your side."
"Is it really that simple?" Morgan did not seem convinced.
"My husband's act of 'sacrifice' in handing over his authority has already gone beyond what becoming the Unity God alone could grant. Perhaps..." Morgan rested a finger against her chin as she thought aloud, "once the final portion of authority is recovered, my husband will see the result."
"Hmm? Really?"
Shiomi's reaction was rather mild. Instead, he deliberately spoke in a slightly aggrieved tone.
"I was thinking I could just keep the last third myself, but my wife insists on taking that as well."
"Feeling protective already?" Morgan laughed softly at his tone and gently placed her palm against his chest, stroking it.
"Yeah, I am," Shiomi admitted. "I'm worried that if you take the final third of the authority too, it might beco too much for you to bear and lead to sothing dangerous."
"Then you can just take it back when the ti cos." Morgan shook her head. "I can feel it. Even now, the authority under my control seems to want to return to its true owner."
After all, it was power she was only temporarily using. It had not originally belonged to her. That sort of tendency was only natural.
"You're joking." Shiomi looked at her. "You can feel it too, right? That you yourself are changing... or rather, growing."
"Yes."
Morgan did not deny it.
This kind of growth was different from what she experienced as a Paradise Fairy.
Originally, she had already considered herself complete. She thought only her spirit might continue to develop, while her fairy body would no longer undergo any fundantal change.
But recently, that assumption had been overturned.
When she fused with her husband and beca the Unity God, her entire being was imrsed in divine authority. It was only natural that further changes would occur under its influence.
"It's almost like Achilles bathing in the River Styx," Morgan said, thinking of the comparison.
"But Achilles had his mother holding his heel, which left him with a weakness," Shiomi said with a laugh. "You don't have a weakness like that."
"My weakness is you, my husband," Morgan said softly.
Suddenly, she found herself thinking about sothing.
Perhaps when the goddess Nuwa first created Shiomi, it was simply because there was an important mission he had to fulfill.
As long as the overall rules were not broken, the gods would not care how Shiomi walked his path.
Which ant that this outco, the existence called the Unity God, might not have been sothing either gods or humans had anticipated.
"Just like you are my weakness, I'm yours too," Shiomi replied gently.
Morgan poked his cheek with her slender pale finger.
"Then my husband has far too many weaknesses."
"T-too many?" Shiomi suddenly sounded nervous.
"Let count..." Morgan began seriously, bending her fingers one by one. "Scáthach, Artoria, Skadi, Touko Aozaki... and recently Marie. Oh my, that's already one hand full, and that's not even counting ."
"Th-th-there's also Sakura and the others! And everyone on Storm Border too. They're all people I want to protect. They're my weaknesses as well," Shiomi hurriedly tried to expand the category.
"Family is one thing. Important companions and comrades are another."
Morgan adjusted her position slightly so she could lie more comfortably in his arms.
Even though the mountain paths of the Second Netherworld were rough and uneven, Shiomi's embrace was as steady as solid ground. There was not the slightest jolt.
"Ugh..." Shiomi let out a defeated sound.
"I'm counting people who have that kind of relationship with you. A real relationship brings very different emotional changes. I've already experienced that myself."
Morgan smiled and lightly pinched his cheek.
"Yes, yes. My dear wife is absolutely right."
Shiomi chuckled awkwardly as he tried to appease her.
But Morgan had no intention of turning this into a real argunt.
Conversations like this were simply one of the little spices in a married couple's banter.
The Second Netherworld was extrely quiet. When they stopped talking, even the sound of the wind around them started to feel hypnotic.
Before long, Morgan quietly fell asleep in Shiomi's arms.
She did not know how much ti had passed before she woke again.
When she opened her eyes, they had already returned to the third layer where Chichen Itza was located.
The Deinos city was unusually lively at the mont. Clearly the phenonon that had just affected Mictlan had stirred things up, and everyone seed to be urgently preparing for sothing.
"Looks like we'll be busy next. Let's go see the Dinosaur King first and find out what he—"
Before Morgan could finish speaking, Shiomi stopped walking.
Following his gaze, she noticed a woman sitting on a rock by the roadside, letting the wind brush against her.
It was the woman they had briefly seen earlier in xico City.
"Ahh, you're finally back! I've been waiting here for you for ages!"
The woman greeted them in a strangely familiar tone.
"You are..."
Shiomi was not particularly surprised to see her here.
"I didn't get the chance to introduce myself earlier. Actually, I wanted to see how you planned to deal with that sunglasses-wearing jerk."
The woman laughed brightly.
"After watching your fight, I realized you're not enemies."
"So you want to talk properly now?" Morgan said, imdiately understanding.
"Exactly! That's why I waited here for you. We can go see the Dinosaur King together. It'll be much more convenient that way!"
The woman clapped her hands lightly.
"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself yet."
She smiled.
"I'm Kukulkan, the true king of this Lostbelt."
"Kukulkan... the King of this Lostbelt, huh."
Shiomi and Morgan exchanged a glance.
Then the two of them smiled in perfect understanding.
It seed that the situation in this Lostbelt was about to beco much more interesting.
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