Chapter 21: Mother Tiamat, "Facial Cleanser"!
The ocean, which gathers a hundred rivers, accepts everything and embraces everything.
The deep sea—where sunlight can no longer reach—exists in a realm defined by darkness and silence.
And at this moment, Akira had already reached the deepest layer of the ocean.
There, resting upon the seabed, lay an unimaginably massive figure. Her eyes were closed, yet an aura radiated from her body that could make anyone tremble.
The form of a woman from the primordial womb.
The Goddess of Creation.
The Mother of all life—Tiamat.
Gazing at the Mother before him, with her long blue hair, a pair of enormous horns that surpassed any normal scale, and a body with perfect proportions…
Well, to be precise, only the "scale" was a bit too overwhelming.
Akira felt like he could probably roll around "inside" her.
A low, trembling resonance echoed.
[Do—n't—leave—me——]
Akira suddenly felt his consciousness waver slightly.
That fragmented sentence appeared directly inside his mind.
It felt as if the other party was truly speaking to him.
Yet Akira clearly knew that Tiamat was currently asleep, imprisoned within a dream by that troublesome nightmare known as Merlin, unable to awaken.
Even Kingu had no way to wake her.
In the end, Kingu chose to use the Holy Grail's power to distribute Tiamat's Authority to Gorgon, intending to use Gorgon's death to stimulate Tiamat—so she would awaken from the shock of death.
[My—child——]
A deep, resonant hum filled his mind again.
[Do—n't—leave—me—alone——]
"Haaah…"
Akira felt like his head was about to split open.
Was this what they called mental pollution?
Could it be that, like the Ancient Gods, Tiamat wasn't something that could be "looked at directly"?
He had already fused three major templates, and on top of that had inherited nearly half of the Demon Clan Prince's power.
Yet even with that level of strength, simply approaching Tiamat was already affecting him?
Tiamat—a great Mother, and also a tragic one.
She loved her children deeply.
Even when those children rebelled against their Father, she still forgave them.
Even when they turned against her, she did not blame them.
Yet in the end, that love was never returned.
Instead, what she received was a tragic ending.
The womb of creation that had been discarded after the world was formed—used as the land that birthed life. But once the earth's environment stabilized and its ecological system was established, she was deemed unnecessary and exiled to the Imaginary Number Space.
That was a world within the inner layers of existence. Not even a parallel world—just an imaginary space devoid of life.
In such a world, who knew how long she had endured?
For a mother, that kind of suffering needed no explanation.
Betrayed by her own children, defeated, and ultimately cast aside.
"Mother—"
Without realizing it, Akira spoke that word.
And the moment it left his lips, the mental pollution that had been surrounding him vanished without a trace.
In its place, an incredibly warm current flowed from his forehead, spreading throughout his entire body and bringing with it an indescribable sense of comfort—both physical and emotional.
[Child——]
The voice sounded again.
At last, Akira understood.
This wasn't because Tiamat was doing something.
It was simply the obsession of a mother.
Tiamat was currently within a "dream," yet even so, her instincts still made her yearn for a child of her own.
Even just verbally calling her "Mother" was enough to receive Tiamat's recognition.
Simply put, she was a mother starved of affection.
With that single word—"Mother"—Akira was no longer subjected to any mental assault from Tiamat. Even the oppressive pressure of her existence no longer affected him.
This was a mother's love for her child.
Without reason.
As long as you were willing to call her "Mother," she would love you.
Looking at the colossal figure before him, Akira couldn't help but feel a little sympathy.
He slowly approached Tiamat's enormous forehead.
Then he placed a hand upon it, magical power pulsing gently.
Their consciousnesses gradually began to connect.
Right now, if he wanted to communicate with Tiamat, this was the only way.
In a flash of disorientation, Akira arrived in a world of "chaos."
There was no "sky" or "earth" here.
Everything he was familiar with did not exist in this place.
World.
Heaven and earth.
Space.
Time.
None of these concepts existed.
This place felt like the origin of everything—or perhaps the end of everything.
Here, Akira saw a mother radiating gentle warmth.
Around her were children he did not recognize.
Some were in her arms. Some ran around her. Others played in the distance.
It was an incredibly beautiful scene.
Yet unfortunately, all of it was just a dream.
At that moment, the mother suddenly turned her head.
Her gaze met Shin Akira's.
Long blue hair. Reddish-purple eyes. Scales that lightly covered parts of her body. And a perfect figure that would make any woman feel envious.
"Child—"
Looking at Akira, Tiamat revealed an unbelievably gentle smile.
It was a smile that seemed capable of embracing everything.
Even the cruelest villain might find their heart moved at this moment.
"My child—"
In an instant, Tiamat was already in front of him.
Without hesitation, she immediately pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly.
Akira's face was instantly buried between two massive, soft mounds that far exceeded any reasonable scale.
The experience was… extremely difficult to put into words.
He could even faintly smell the scent of milk.
"Mm—mm—"
Still, even if this felt… comfortable, Akira hadn't come here to enjoy any "rewards."
He came for something important.
So he tried to break free.
Unfortunately, this was Tiamat's consciousness space.
Here, Tiamat was the absolute ruler.
Unless his soul strength surpassed hers—
But how could Shin Akira possibly rival the soul strength of the Goddess of Creation?
"Good child—such a good child—"
That gentle voice sounded like a mother lulling her baby to sleep.
Akira's consciousness began to blur.
An overwhelming drowsiness crept in.
Even though he knew something was wrong, he couldn't resist at all.
Meanwhile, in the real world, deep beneath the sea…
Around Tiamat's body, a black substance began to slowly emerge.
Gradually, it gathered together, forming a mass of black mud.
And it didn't stop there. It continued expanding, slowly moving toward Akira.
It must be known—this black mud was a product of the Chaos Tide.
The moment even a small amount touched someone, whether human or Servant, they would be corrupted and transformed… into one of Tiamat's "children."
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