Chapter 69 69: Matou Yuu's Battlefield Crisis
The instant the colossal shell of the Return Beast was completely shattered, the highest mechanism called Restoration of Human Order began to quietly operate at the root of the world.
Snowfield City — which had been on the verge of collapse and turning into a "Singularity" — was now being forcibly "rewound" under the cold, precise laws of "Alaya."
At 6 AM, the desert dawn quietly broke the night.
The orange-red sunlight slowly rose from the horizon, casting golden light once again on this desolate land.
On the surface, the pitch-black swamps symbolizing the "Age of Gods" began to "shuuu" and melt under the scorching sunlight of the present world, transforming into harmless spiritual particles and drifting away... It seemed as though all disasters capable of overturning the planet were returning to their normal trajectory.
The heroic spirits guarding the position all let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
Matou Yuu's uneasy heart finally eased, and she felt almost completely exhausted.
However...
"I am his fiancée."
Matou Sakura's unbelievably soft, slightly sweet voice echoed in the air, and Matou Yuu's body suddenly stiffened.
His heart, which had been calm until now, suddenly leaped up to his throat.
Meanwhile, Emiya Alter— who had already transformed into semi-transparent spiritual particles and was about to casually leave the stage to hide his achievements and reputation — suddenly stopped in midair.
A sudden, extremely conspicuous change appeared on his usually cold face, with even a faint hint of schadenfreude and gossip.
It felt as though an oppressive feeling colder than when the Sea of Life had gone berserk had instantly condensed in the air.
Snowfield City was located in the desert, and its most notable climatic feature was the extreme temperature difference between day and night.
Especially at 6 AM, when the heat had completely dissipated and the temperature reached its lowest point.
Even so, this temperature still felt much lighter than the heavy air in this region that had suddenly dropped below freezing.
Tiamat was still in a state of confusion and bewilderment. Her clear, transparent red eyes blinked, reflecting the gentle smile of the purple-haired girl.
At that moment, time seemed to stop, and only their gazes met.
On one side was the Mother Goddess of Creation, who had just shed her "Beast shell" and nurtured all things, but knew nothing about human emotions.
In a sense, she was a "drop from the heavens" — a being that could be called a dimensional downgrade strike.
On the other side was the "official fiancée" who had grown up with Matou Yuu since childhood and spent countless days and nights together.
A perfect, gentle smile appeared on the girl's face, and her purple eyes narrowed slightly as she carefully observed Tiamat's confused expression.
She thought that upon hearing the extremely fatal word "fiancée," this noble Mother Goddess would be shocked and shaken, or angry at having her domain invaded.
However...
"Fiancée...?"
What surprised Matou Sakura was that Tiamat slightly tilted her head, an expression of confusion mixed with bewilderment on her face. "Fiancée... What is that?"
For Tiamat, who had slept for so many years, the primordial Earth from 4.6 billion years ago had never had such a complex and narrow social contract.
Naturally, she could not understand what this word meant — something Matou Sakura took great pride in.
"..."
Upon hearing this natural yet unconventional question, Matou Sakura's bright smile suddenly stiffened and froze.
It was like a fatal strike delivered with full force, but it landed softly on cotton.
And the very next moment, a faint darkness appeared in her purple, beautiful eyes.
"It seems... You are the 'Mother,' but you don't seem to clearly understand the inseparable relationship between me and Onii-sama."
Eventually, a bright, charming smile reappeared on Matou Sakura's face, and she said quietly, "The so-called fiancée... means lovers who live together forever and form a contract."
"So, you already understand, right?"
It was unclear why Onii-sama had an ambiguous relationship with the Mother Goddess of Creation, but...
That didn't matter.
Between her and him, they had always upheld the "marriage contract" formed since childhood.
That was her only support in this world, and in the end, she had decided that no one would be allowed to touch it.
As long as this chain called the marriage contract remained, no matter how twisted the process... In the end, Onii-sama would return to her side.
...
Even if the opponent was the noble Mother Goddess of Creation.
At that moment, she turned to look at Matou Yuu, who was wearing a worried expression beside her. A gentle smile appeared on her perfect face. "Don't worry, I won't get angry, Onii-sama~"
"After all,..."
She paused for a moment, and her voice was still gentle. "We've been in contact since we were children, and before you graduated from the Clock Tower, you said you'd come back... Shall we fulfill our engagement?"
At this time, the purple-haired girl smiled gently at Tiamat, but deep within those seemingly fragile eyes lurked a condescending arrogance.
Just because she was the Mother Goddess of Creation, what did that matter?
The Age of Gods had completely ended thousands of years ago.
No matter her status or position, even if she had entered the "companion of Matou Yuu" course first.
Would the world ultimately be destroyed...?
She didn't care at all.
As long as Onii-sama always watched over her alone and stayed by her side forever... That was enough.
Logically speaking, hearing such straightforward words from someone on home turf, any sensible girl would feel embarrassed.
However, Tiamat simply tilted her head back, a serious, contemplative expression on her face.
She softly muttered the keywords she had extracted. "Living day and night... The end of the contract...?"
Then, looking at the sweat-drenched young man, she suddenly seemed to notice something, and her white fingertips gently touched her soft lips.
Thunk!
At that moment, Matou Yuu's pupils sharply contracted, and a sudden, overwhelming sense of danger enveloped his entire body.
"Tiamat, wait——"
He suddenly reached out, trying to cover Tiamat's mouth.
However, before he could finish speaking, Tiamat had already innocently blinked her clear, transparent red cross-shaped eyes and, in the most ethereal and pure voice, dropped an infinitely large thunderbolt upon the world.
"But... Yuu and I already exchanged a kiss earlier."
"After completing that 'contract kiss' from the depths of our souls, he became my only anchor in this world, and in this world... completely mine?"
"..."
A deathly, eerie silence descended.
Matou Sakura was momentarily stunned. Her purple eyes stared expressionlessly at the black-haired young man, then slowly turned back toward Tiamat. Tiamat's face was filled with innocence.
After a brief brain freeze——
BOOM——!!!
It felt as if lightning had struck her heart, and in an instant, her smile froze as if it had turned to ice.
"Take... ...A kiss?"
Onii-sama and this woman... Kissed?!
Not only Matou Sakura, but several others nearby also instantly petrified.
Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash, and even the usually expressionless Emiya Alter — all of them simultaneously focused their gazes on Matou Yuu.
Even the goddess hiding underground and watching through the water mirror immediately blushed.
It was as if steam was rising from her head, and her worldview seemed to have completely collapsed.
W-Wait a minute?! This guy... He actually with Tiamat... Kissed?!
It was important to know that Tiamat was the Mother Goddess of Creation in Mesopotamian mythology!
If he became Tiamat's "partner"... Then what should they call Matou Yuu?!
For a moment, the air felt particularly quiet.
Looking at Matou Sakura nearby, she seemed to have been struck in the heart by Tiamat's short words from the very beginning and stood frozen in place.
Ah... What a pitiful child.
Resonating from deep within the Imaginary Sea, a languid, sweet female voice quietly echoed deep in Matou Sakura's heart.
'Marriage contract — what a beautiful yet fragile human word. I told you, Sakura, do you really think you can defeat the "Mother" who nurtured the entire Earth and possesses infinite tolerance just by relying on such light, empty promises?
Stop deceiving yourself. In truth, you're very scared, aren't you? After all, she is the Mother Goddess of Creation, capable of accepting everything infinitely. If Onii-sama gets used to Tiamat's great love, will he still need your insignificant company?
You've been looking forward to a kiss for so long... You wish his hand would slide inside that thin dress and feel his body heat against your skin, don't you?
Do you really... really intend to silently endure and watch as he's taken away?
"That... I actually don't want to cause you any particular trouble, Onii-sama... I just want Tiamat to give up——"
How can you call that difficult? What's wrong with pursuing your own love?
The voice gradually took on a mesmerizing magic, as if revealing the most sublime truth in the universe.
"Love should never be accompanied by jealousy, pain, or anxiety.]
If you're afraid of losing him and want to monopolize him, then stop letting him choose. It would be better to pour all your love — and all of ours — into him without hesitation.
Drown him in endless gentleness, satisfy all his desires, completely corrupt him from body to soul, and make him willingly become your slave.
Spoil him with the greatest and most suffocating love, turn him into a useless human who cannot live without you…]
When that time comes, neither the Mother of Creation nor any other woman will be able to take him away from you.
Boom!
The instant this seductive declaration rang out,
Under the slightly chilly desert dawn, the surrounding air suddenly twisted in a very strange way.
Dream-like yet extremely captivating purple lotuses quietly bloomed in the void, as if centered on Matou Sakura's toes, and disappeared in an instant.
Emiya Alter sharply furrowed his brows and instinctively raised his face, staring uneasily at the frail purple-haired girl.
It was that aura again... It was extremely familiar, somewhat like "déjà vu."
And in this suffocating atmosphere,
Matou Sakura — who had been silent with her head lowered as if surrendering — suddenly slowly raised her face.
"Tiamat-san...?"
She softly muttered this honorable name, but a dangerously charming smile appeared on her lips.
"Do you really think that with just one kiss, the contract with him is complete and he will naturally become yours?"
A captivating smile appeared on Matou Sakura's face.
"If a contract could be completed with just one kiss...…"
As she turned her face, her usually reserved purple eyes now carried a captivating charm.
She gazed affectionately at the black-haired young man before her. Unlike her usual pitiful and delicate self, those eyes now seemed to hold a charm capable of attracting any man.
Suddenly, she stepped over her white, full legs, naturally passed by Tiamat with a seductive sway, and walked straight toward Matou Yuu.
Nearby, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash stared blankly at Matou Sakura.
Emiya Alter also stared expressionlessly at Matou Sakura.
Even the Goddess of the Underworld, while covering her face, curiously peeked out from between her fingers.
Finally, Matou Sakura walked up to the young man.
The distance between them was stretched to the limit, and even their breathing was clearly audible.
A unbelievably gentle and caring smile still lingered on the purple-haired girl's strikingly beautiful face.
She raised her eyelids and quietly gazed at Matou Yuu with her purple eyes.
At that moment, Matou Yuu finally caught an extremely dangerous signal in the girl's gentle gaze.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted, and he felt as if something was wrong. His eyelids twitched violently, and he said urgently, "Sakura, wait——"
However, it was still one step too late.
No — more precisely, at this moment, Matou Sakura had no intention of giving him any room to refuse.
Under the slightly chilly desert dawn and the surprised, shocked gazes of everyone present,
The purple-haired girl tightly embraced the back of the young man's head, raised her beautiful face, and kissed his lips with the utmost gentleness and unwavering passion.
...
At that moment, time seemed to completely stop.
The surrounding air fell silent, so quiet that even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard.
Hey hey hey?!
However, at that moment, an incredulous shout rang out from among the two girls of Chaldea.
They all stared ahead with unbelievably fresh and terrified eyes. Secretly looking ahead.
Was that delicate-looking purple-haired girl really wrapping her arms overwhelmingly around the boy's neck and kissing him greedily right in front of the Mother Goddess of Creation?!
Until now, the two of them had certainly imagined that the journey to repair the Singularity in Snowfield City would involve countless life-and-death battles.
But... Who would have thought that this final scene would be so provocative?!
"Really..."
In Chaldea's central control room, Romani and Da Vinci stared at the large screen broadcast, already dumbfounded.
"Are young people these days all this... really this free?! That's the goddess Tiamat! Declaring sovereignty so openly in front of the Mother Goddess of Creation — no matter how you look at it, it's chaotic!"
"Wow, this is much more exciting than those boring magical theories."
Da Vinci, standing nearby, rested her chin on her hand with interest and laughed quietly as if stirring up trouble. "A battlefield of love exploding to monopolize the beloved — even the Age of Gods couldn't stop this terrifying obsession."
Thinking of this breathtaking scene makes me want to record it with my brush the whole time.
Finally, after calming his twitching eyelids, Romani managed to regain his composure, coughed to hide his embarrassment, and said, "Anyway... No matter how absurd the process, as long as the Singularity is fixed, there's no problem. As for the remaining emotional disputes... Matou Yuu will have to handle it himself after all."
At this point, the man's mind unconsciously recalled the "golden colossal beast" he had seen earlier. A complex and heavy expression appeared in his usually tired green eyes.
He quietly sighed and said into the communicator, "Mash, Ritsuka... When you safely return to Chaldea, there's something very important I need to talk to you about."
"Hm?"
What is it?
Fujimaru Ritsuka sharply noticed the change in the man's tone and slightly tilted her head, curiosity appearing in her eyes.
However, Romani offered no further explanation.
He quickly regained his composure and smiled gently again. "Anyway, it's better to prepare to return the spiritual particles first."
"After all, the Singularity in Snowfield City has already——"
However, the moment his words were cut off, he suddenly stopped speaking.
As if he had suddenly seen something terrifying, Romani's gaze was almost vacuously fixed on the near-future observation lens "Sheba."
Sensing the sudden death-like silence from the other side of the communicator, Mash blinked her purple eyes slightly worriedly.
She gripped her shield tightly and asked softly, "Doctor, what's wrong?"
Is there a malfunction in Chaldea's observation equipment?
Da Vinci, standing nearby, also sensed something was wrong and followed Romani's gaze toward the main screen.
The very next moment, this usually calm and versatile genius displayed the same shocked and stunned expression as Romani.
After a long, unclear silence, Romani finally returned from extreme confusion and trembling.
He slowly opened his dry lips, and his voice was clearly trembling.
"Ritsuka, Mash... You may have to stay in Snowfield City a little longer."
Under the confused and anxious gazes of the two girls, Romani slowly raised his face.
His face — which had been wearing a gentle smile until now — had completely changed into one of unprecedented terror and despair.
He stared at the disastrous red light of "Sheba" and muttered, "It's because of the Singularity in Snowfield City..."
"...It hasn't disappeared at all!"
...
…
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