Da Vinci's report cast a deathly silence over the royal hall.
"Ten thousand…"
Siduri's lips trembled uncontrollably, unable to form any more words.
Ten thousand monsters stronger than an Ugallu advancing?
What kind of concept was that?
Simply put, it was equivalent to ten thousand Servants charging into Uruk to slaughter.
Ugallu itself was one of the highest-ranked among Tiamat's Eleven Beasts, a being that even an ordinary Servant could not easily defeat in single combat.
And now ten thousand monsters, each stronger than Ugallu, were on their way. How could Uruk possibly stand against that?
Even with beings like Artoria [Alter] and Jeanne [Alter] present—existences a step beyond the "abnormal" Servant level—they could perhaps only match a few dozen of such monsters.
Of course, the true strength of Servants lay in their Noble Phantasms. Even the weakest Servant might possess a terrifying Noble Phantasm capable of reversing a battle in one blow.
If it came down to one-on-one duels, most of the time Servants would prevail. With Artoria [Alter] and Jeanne [Alter]—Servants wielding high-firepower Noble Phantasms—if they unleashed their power without restraint, hundreds of such monsters could likely be burned away in an instant.
But let us not forget—this was merely the vanguard.
Behind them, tens of thousands more awaited.
And across the sea, their numbers reached into the hundreds of millions.
How could such a battle be fought?
It was impossible.
Even Gilgamesh's brow furrowed tightly.
"What, exactly, are these monsters?"
He posed the question.
This time, the answer did not come from Da Vinci—but from Roman.
"According to our analysis, they are lifeforms composed of sand and soil from the Age of the Gods."
Roman's words left many present stunned.
Sand and soil?
Monsters stronger than Ugallu, made out of that?
Doubt rippled across the hall.
Only Rozen understood the true gravity of this.
"Sand and soil from the Age of the Gods are called the fundamental materials of the Mesopotamian world—what is known as the mud of the gods."
That was the truth.
These were not ordinary sand and soil.
They were the highest-grade magical material, the legendary mud of the gods, long extinct in the modern magical world.
In many mythologies, creation deities fashioned life out of clay or mud. Sumer itself was known as the land of earth and clay. One could easily understand the weight mud held in this Age of the Gods.
Even the divine weapon known as Enkidu was formed from the mud of the gods—a being entirely wrought of that substance.
Thus, when Roman spoke of "sand and soil," he meant the very soil of life itself.
And the hundreds of millions of creatures rising from the black sea were all lifeforms crafted from this divine mud.
"They do not belong to any existing life system—not human, not beast, not god. Yet they exist in a state between all these concepts. They lack gender differentiation. From examining their internal structure, it appears they are still in a juvenile stage. They can still continue to grow—becoming even stronger."
Roman's grave tone left everyone in disbelief.
"They can still… grow stronger?"
Hassan of Serenity's quiet voice carried astonishment.
If they were already stronger than Ugallu now, then once matured, what kind of terrifying army would hundreds of millions of such creatures become?
"As expected of lifeforms born from the Age of the Gods. They are not some simple rabble—this is what it means."
Even Ryougi Shiki frowned, her expression troubled.
"You may think of them as mass-produced Enkidu—like a weakened version. But if they continue to develop, there's no guarantee they won't reach the same level as Enkidu."
Roman spoke with heavy finality.
"I've given these beings a name—Lahmu."
—— Lahmu.
This was the name of the very first of Tiamat's Eleven Beasts, the most enigmatic of them, a name that also carried the meaning of "mud."
It was perhaps the most fitting name for these creatures.
"Well then, even the Lahmu have appeared… Looks like Mother really intends to replay the Creation War all over again. But this time, the gods are gone. And we don't have Marduk on our side anymore!"
Ishtar groaned and scratched her hair in frustration.
In Mesopotamian myth, to defeat Tiamat, the gods had once mobilized their full might, finally managing to slay her Eleven Beasts, kill the god Kingu, and then kill Tiamat herself—fashioning heaven and earth from her corpse.
Marduk was the guardian and chief deity of Babylon, originally no more than a storm god, but who later succeeded Anu and became the king of the gods.
It was Marduk who, according to legend, slew Tiamat and ended the war of the gods.
But now, the gods had all departed from this world. Marduk was no longer here.
And yet they were forced to face Tiamat, who had fallen into the form of a Beast. The very thought was enough to crush one's spirit.
And yet…
"This will be the true final battle."
Gilgamesh spoke coolly.
"Only by defeating Tiamat can mankind continue to survive."
"Only by overcoming the Evils of Humanity can human order endure."
"If we fail, human history will collapse entirely. Humanity will be wiped out, and everything will return to its primal state."
"This battle—we must win. We cannot afford to lose."
His words gradually displaced despair from the hearts of those present, replacing it with resolve.
Yes.
Even if the situation was hopeless, they could only keep fighting.
Otherwise, mankind would have no future.
"For now, Tiamat has not yet fully awakened into action. First, we must deal with the Lahmu."
Gilgamesh turned to Rozen.
"Those monsters—I trust you can handle them?"
Gilgamesh spoke such words directly to Rozen.
To this, Rozen only replied with one sentence.
"No problem."
He smiled faintly as he spoke.
"When it comes to numbers, I've never once been afraid."
Indeed.
So what if the enemy numbered in the hundreds of millions?
"A mere hundred million troops—I can summon no less myself."
Rozen's declaration made everyone around him break into smiles as well.
"Good!"
Gilgamesh clapped the armrest of his throne, rising to his feet.
"Then I shall wager everything on you!"
"The defense of Uruk—I leave it all to you!"
"Show me your true strength—the final Master of mankind!"
At these words, Rozen only gave a sudden smile.
In his eyes, brilliance flashed.