On this day, at the edge of Mesopotamia upon the Persian Gulf, the seawater was completely polluted by black mud, gradually transforming into a vast black sea.
The black sea continued to erode the ocean, assimilating it bit by bit, exuding an aura of malice, hatred, and ominous dread.
And from within that black mud, monsters slowly began to emerge.
They were grotesque aberrations, their bodies pitch black and hideously misshapen.
Each aberration possessed sharp spear-like legs and long, narrow bodies. Where their heads should have had eyes or facial features, there was instead only a gaping maw lined with white teeth and an unnaturally long tongue, producing a profoundly unsettling sight.
Even more disturbing was the sound that came from their mouths.
"s@4r;f@"
"."
"Utj, utj."
"6d5w, 6d5w, uit@, e7uk."
The sounds were chaotic nonsense, resembling the babbling of children, words strung together without meaning, leaving the listener bewildered.
But hearing them brought only a visceral rejection, a sense of discomfort that crawled across the skin—just like the sight of the creatures themselves.
Every feature of these monsters seemed designed to push human tolerance to its limits, evoking both disgust and fear.
And yet, one after another, they crawled from the sea, climbing ashore and scattering in all directions across the land of Mesopotamia.
This scene had already continued for hours.
Ever since Gorgon had been defeated and the ocean tainted by black mud, these creatures had been emerging ceaselessly, climbing ashore, and dispersing across the land.
If, before, Mesopotamia had been overrun by demonic beasts, now it was entirely the domain of these monsters.
The demonic beasts had perished with the death of their mother, Gorgon. In their place were these true offspring of Tiamat.
They were the Laḫmu—formed from the mud of the gods, mass-produced versions of Enkidu, each an individual surpassing even Ugallu in strength.
The creatures called Laḫmu spread across Mesopotamia and began their activity.
And what activity was that?
Naturally—hunting.
One city after another, still inhabited by humans, was invaded by the Laḫmu, subjected to inhuman slaughter.
"No!"
"Stop!"
"Spare me!"
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
The cries of the people rang out as they fled in panic, pursued relentlessly by the Laḫmu—and ultimately cut down.
Splurt!
The spear-like legs of the Laḫmu pierced through human bodies with ease.
Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!
One after another, people were impaled, their screams silenced in death.
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Hunt! 4b@eq Hunt <4b@eq! Ahaha!"
The Laḫmu laughed with grotesque glee, their voices brimming with childish cruelty, as if playing a game—yet their game was merciless slaughter.
Had Chaldea been observing this, they would have been both enraged and horrified.
For while the Laḫmu enjoyed their hunt, they were also learning—mimicking human language, adjusting their vocal cords and pronunciation.
Before long, they could already form crude human words.
But what came from their mouths was still warped with mockery, scorn, and derisive laughter.
"Mother has awakened!"
"All humans must die!"
"Hunt!"
"Hahahaha!"
One by one, the Laḫmu opened and closed their only mouths, laughing joyously, their voices echoing across the land.
The sight was nothing less than a nightmare.
And today was destined to be another nightmare.
For such scenes unfolded not only in one city, but in every settlement across Mesopotamia where life still clung.
Countless Laḫmu swarmed over the land, unleashing merciless slaughter.
This was a disaster.
This was a nightmare.
Amidst this devastation, groups of Laḫmu gathered together, running in unison toward a single direction.
That direction—the heart of the era, the fortress city where humanity's remnants gathered—Uruk.
――――
At this very moment, before the walls and gates of Uruk, countless troops stood guard.
On the walls, Uruk's soldiers, fully armed, readied their bows.
Above, great dragons beat their wings, prepared for battle.
There were golems.
There were beastmen.
There were yokai.
There were oni.
All manner of warriors, soldiers, and magical creatures were assembled within Uruk, guarding its four gates—east, west, south, and north.
Beyond Uruk's own soldiers and beastmen, the monsters, yokai, and dragonkind present had all been summoned by a single man.
Their numbers were vast—tens of thousands, even approaching a million. Even when divided among the four gates, each direction was defended by two to three hundred thousand strong.
Rozen, clad in a black feathered coat, floated in the air, his eyes lifting toward the horizon.
There, waves of ominous and immense spiritual energy were surging closer.
"The enemy approaches!"
"Four minutes until contact!"
"Prepare for battle, Rozen!"
Through the communicator, Olga Marie, Da Vinci, and Roman all spoke urgently.
"I know."
Rozen replied calmly, still gazing ahead.
Because the defense of Uruk demanded all four directions be held, Rozen had divided his Servants accordingly.
Artoria [Alter] held the north gate, with Mash supporting her.
Jeanne [Alter] held the south gate, with Hassan of Serenity assisting.
Nobunaga defended the west gate, with Ryougi Shiki at her side.
As for Rozen, he took the east gate, with Ishtar alongside him.
He had intended to summon Anna as well, but for some reason, the summoning failed.
According to the records within her soul, Anna seemed to be undergoing a form of fusion, her state similar to Altera when she fused with a Holy Grail to strengthen her Saint Graph—thus, it was not the time to disturb her.
But that was fine.
"Altera—you too, come forth."
At Rozen's call, Altera appeared before the eastern gate, coldly grasping the Sword of the War God.
With such a formation, reinforced by nearly a million troops, holding back ten thousand Laḫmu should not be difficult.
Through the power of Wise Eye and Mind's Eye, Rozen could sense the Laḫmu rampaging across the land, engaged in inhuman slaughter.
If they broke into Uruk, the city's hundred thousand lives would be annihilated.
Thus, Rozen had already resolved:
"No matter what, Uruk must be defended."
This determination passed to the Servants, igniting their mana in readiness for battle.
"They're here!"
At last, Ishtar's voice rang out as she gazed down from above.