That night, inside the temple, Ishtar never expected that after being discovered, she and Ereshkigal would be dragged straight out of Rin's body, and the three of them would end up playing a game of stack-up.
Little Ana also never expected that after she and her older self—Gorgon—were stacked together, Lord Su Mo would actually grant her request to summon and resurrect her two older sisters. Although, upon seeing them, the stoic little loli was immediately bullied by her two mischievous sisters, Euryale and Stheno. They even forcefully pressed her onto Gorgon, presenting all four sisters to Su Mo for his enjoyment. But in the end, they all reveled in it.
However, in terms of sheer endurance, all of these daughters combined couldn't match Tiamat alone. As the Primordial Mother Goddess, the mother of all life, it was Tiamat's first time attempting to create life in such a direct manner. Yet her stamina, backed by the life force of the entire world, was practically endless. If one were to simply go along with her, she could probably cling to Su Mo for several millennia, all the way to the modern era.
But in reality, even she didn't last long against the current Su Mo. Her abundance of physical stamina couldn't make up for her mental and emotional vulnerability. For the love-starved Tiamat, the feeling of being so completely accepted and cared for was far too intoxicating. In less than three days, she fell into a dazed, almost drunken state, curling up and falling into a deep, contented sleep.
With even the Primordial Mother surrendering her arms, who could possibly stand against Su Mo now? Did anyone exist in this world who could challenge him?
The answer was yes.
Regardless of whether the challenge could succeed, an existence superior to Tiamat did indeed exist in the Type-Moon world.
Its name was the Swirl of the Root, the realm of all and nothing.
"Encompassing the knowledge of all universes, containing omniscience and omnipotence, an existence from which worlds themselves flow forth..."
Standing in a complete, featureless darkness, Su Mo wore an expression of keen interest.
After defeating Tiamat, Su Mo enjoyed the sights of the Age of Gods at Gilgamesh's invitation. Afterward, he raised his head and gazed toward the heavens, toward the end beyond the world.
His primary purpose for coming to the Type-Moon world was to fulfill his old promise to Gilgamesh. With Tiamat subdued and even Goetia dealt with, his promise was fulfilled. Naturally, his thoughts turned to the ultimate existence of the Type-Moon world—the Swirl of the Root.
Thus, as if taking a leisurely stroll, he took a single step and entered the Root's interior.
As the beginning of all things, the very origin of the entire Type-Moon world, this place contained every concept from across its parallel universes. Whether it was the history of myths, the history of humanity, the chronicles of the planet, or the weapons and concepts of extraterrestrial civilizations, everything originated from the Swirl of the Root.
As the origin of all, the importance of the Swirl of the Root to the Type-Moon multiverse completely surpassed that of the Little Garden's center to its own. It was of the same nature as a Holy Grail—a thing capable of dominating the sovereignty of a world, and even creating more parallel worlds. Even for Su Mo, who had become a single-digit, multiverse-level existence only half a step away from the double-digits, the Swirl of the Root held a unique value.
Revisiting an old place, his experience within the Root this time was completely different. The Five Magics, which he once had to actively seek, now rushed towards him along with all other knowledge, scrambling for his attention.
Unfortunately, for the current Su Mo, the Five Magics were meaningless. Or rather, most of the knowledge nurtured within the Root was valueless to Su Mo, who had also mastered the domain of omniscience. He valued perspective more than knowledge itself—the way in which intelligent life seeks knowledge.
Humanity has no meaning; the world has no meaning. Only the process of humanity's quest to understand the world has meaning.
So—
"Are there any similar results?"
Standing in the void of the Root as if upon a throne of emptiness, Su Mo posed his question to the Root itself.
Normally, the Root never responded to individuals, silently devouring their Origin, just as it did to the magi who foolishly tried to reach it. Those lucky enough to escape being devoured would awaken as Origin bearers, gaining a certain degree of power. For the beings of the universe, that's all the Root was—an existence without intelligence, emotion, or bias. It simply was.
And yet now, in response to the question of a single individual, something that defied all worldly logic occurred.
Within the empty Root, a mysterious power began to stir. As if it had received an imperial decree, even without a will of its own, the Root had no choice but to obey Su Mo's command...
Thus, a girl of pure white appeared before him.
She had shoulder-length black hair, a pale and cool face, and somewhat vacant eyes that shimmered with a rainbow luster. The girl was completely naked, yet utterly immaculate. Upon seeing Su Mo, she showed none of the surprise or shame a normal girl would, but instead, like a prim and proper Japanese lady, she gave Su Mo a deep bow and knelt before him in a formal seiza position.
"I am Shiki. It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord," the girl said.
"Shiki Ryougi... no, this should be Void Shiki."
Su Mo recognized the girl at first glance. At his current level, with all that he had seen, he naturally wouldn't avert his gaze. After looking over the girl's fine curves from head to toe, Su Mo had a moment of realization.
"Observing itself from a human perspective... so this is your answer?"
Unlike the two personalities of Shiki Ryougi and SHIKI, Void Shiki was precisely the kind of "result" Su Mo had asked for. The Root observing the world through a human's eyes—this act itself was an example of the world unfolding itself through a human viewpoint, a practical demonstration of certain philosophical materialism.
"Though it lacks autonomy, it is an answer of a kind," Su Mo nodded slightly.
Sensing that Su Mo wasn't fully satisfied, another mysterious power soon took form.
Unlike the cool and detached girl with short black hair, the one who appeared this time was a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, as exquisite and cute as a princess doll. While Void Shiki looked to be fifteen or sixteen, the blonde girl before him looked ...no older than twelve or thirteen. Her body was slender and childish, though below the waist, like Void Shiki, she was a flawless expanse of white porcelain.
The child-faced blonde girl opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Su Mo before her.
"So handsome!"
Her sapphire-like pupils sparkled. The girl's eyes shone, piercing through the surface to see Su Mo's dazzling and magnificent soul, and she immediately fell into utter adoration.
"Big Brother Su Mo, are you the Prince Charming who came to pick me up? I've been waiting for you for so long!"
The elegant, princess-like blonde girl flew straight into Su Mo's arms, her sapphire eyes filled with passionate love.
This kind of behavior was the very definition of a love-struck personality, or love at first sight.