Tlaloc's divinity shifted, and along with it her True Name changed as well, transforming into the tribal god appointed by the Aztecs.
Huitzilopochtli, also known as the Left Hummingbird, the incarnation of the War God and the Sun God.
Because her authority opposed that of the Rain God, the troublesome downpour gradually began to fade.
However, the output of her Spirit Origin and the scale of her mana rose sharply. The transformation completed in an instant, and she launched an attack straight at Shiomi and Aesc.
The attack was enormous in scale.
Skadi, who was approaching Scáthach's side, immediately deployed a defensive spell. But the distance was too great for her barrier to cover Shiomi in time.
A blinding white light burst across the battlefield.
When Skadi's eyes finally adjusted to the brightness and she saw what had happened, she smiled in relief and continued forward, joining Scáthach and the others while preparing to deal with Tezcatlipoca, who had yet to act.
"What an impatient war god. Losing your temper before even understanding the situation?"
The Unity God Morgan extended one hand and blocked Huitzilopochtli's attack, firmly grabbing the whip that had lashed down in front of her.
"What?!"
Huitzilopochtli stared in shock.
"Oh ho! So that's the rumored Unity God?" Tezcatlipoca smiled with clear interest.
"A god laying bare all their authority and divinity, merging completely with a suitable vessel. Not merely a possession, but something that surpasses even the original divinity itself?"
While Tezcatlipoca casually commented on the Unity God form, Huitzilopochtli struggled to pull back her captured weapon but failed to regain control.
Instead, she raised her left hand, shaping it like a blade, and slashed toward Morgan.
Then she suddenly felt her balance vanish.
Her feet lifted off the ground.
Morgan had taken advantage of Huitzilopochtli's attempt to reclaim her weapon, using that moment to swing both her and the whip together into the air.
As Morgan released her grip, the war goddess quickly adjusted her posture midair, preparing to counterattack.
But suddenly her body moved on its own.
An invisible force seized her like a meteor hammer, dragging her body into rapid spirals through the air.
"Ugh—!!!"
This was more than simple loss of control.
The crushing force from the high-speed rotation far exceeded what such velocity should normally produce, compressing Huitzilopochtli's body from all directions.
Just as she poured all her mana into resisting and enduring the pressure, it suddenly vanished.
She barely had time to feel puzzled before the next impact descended from above.
The Noble Phantasm [Roadless Camelot], activated without releasing its True Name, struck Huitzilopochtli directly.
The goddess crashed straight into Izcalli and the leopard-masked bandit army he commanded.
The explosion completely flattened the area, leaving nothing behind.
When the smoke finally cleared, Tezcatlipoca had somehow lit a cigarette.
He calmly took a drag.
Behind him lay the direction of the cornfield.
It was the only place untouched by the explosion.
Tezcatlipoca had personally blocked the blast from reaching it.
"Corn is the divine food brought by Quetzalcoatl. Even if enemies wish to take it, I would not object. But destroying it carelessly is unforgivable. There will not be a next time."
Tezcatlipoca spoke with a stern expression as he issued the warning.
Even with far more pressing matters before him, the chief god seemed more concerned about the fate of the cornfield.
Huitzilopochtli had been severely wounded by that attack. Even with her powerful regenerative abilities, recovery would still take time.
The leopard-masked bandits had been completely wiped out. Only Izcalli remained, dragging his broken body across the ground, the mask on his face already shattered.
"What a cold-hearted chief god. You don't care at all about the casualties among your own allies?"
Morgan remained floating in the air.
The battlefield had already been cleared. She looked ready to begin a second round against this chief god.
"Battle and bloodshed. Whether victory or defeat, none of it matters. That is simply the way of warriors," Tezcatlipoca replied indifferently. "My dear sister and Izcalli alike stepped onto the battlefield fully aware of what awaited them. They would never beg for my pity over mere injuries."
"So who's next?" Morgan asked calmly. "You? Or shall we wait for your sister to recover so the two of you can fight together?"
Tezcatlipoca simply smiled without concern.
"No. That's enough for today. I've already seen what I came to see. It's a pity we couldn't take this ship, but that's fine. There will always be another chance."
"You think I'll just let you leave like that?" Morgan replied.
Without the strange rain interfering anymore, Scáthach and the others reacted instantly, moving in from different directions to surround Tezcatlipoca's group.
Daybit's location was still unknown, but if they eliminated his Servant first, the final Crypter would lose his greatest support.
"We will leave," Tezcatlipoca said calmly. "After all, this is war. Obsessing over gains and losses in a single moment or place shows poor strategic thinking. Rather than fighting here, I've prepared a much better battlefield for you."
"With only one third of your authority recovered, you already possess this level of power. That only makes the fully completed Unity God even more interesting."
As he spoke, he took a deep drag from his cigarette and exhaled a massive cloud of smoke.
A sudden sandstorm rose up, blocking Scáthach and the others even though they were already close. The swirling dust obscured Tezcatlipoca and his companions completely.
"Fight as much as you like. Complete your trial, 'Equilibrium' and 'Mercy.' Recover all of your authority. Just make sure you don't disappoint me."
With those final words, Tezcatlipoca disappeared from the battlefield, taking his injured companion, or rather subordinate, with him.
The corpses of the leopard-masked bandits gradually dissolved into mana and returned to Mictlan. Only the blood soaking into the soil remained, proving the battle that had just occurred was real.
"Hmm..."
Morgan released the fusion and once again held Shiomi in her arms.
Her expression looked unusually serious, as though she had encountered a difficult problem.
"Even if the enemy got away, there's no need to look that depressed," Scáthach said, putting away her spear as she looked back at Morgan. "Tezcatlipoca is a divine spirit Servant with a Grand Spirit Origin. Someone like that isn't easy to keep here."
"No, it has nothing to do with that." Morgan shook her head. "We only recovered one third of the authority. I'm not surprised that I can merge with my husband. But why... why do I feel the power of the Unity God growing stronger?"
"Didn't that rain god Tlaloc mention it earlier? Three divine pillars," Shiomi said as he gently stroked her hair near the temple. "Even though it wasn't intentional, fusing with my authority has already started affecting you."
Koyanskaya watched with obvious amusement.
"Now this is getting interesting. What the one from Proper Human History failed to do, the Lostbelt version accomplished effortlessly. Why not just swallow the god completely while you're at it?"
"You talk too much."
Morgan shot Koyanskaya an annoyed glare.