Shh!
A faint tearing sound split the air, unnoticed by most.
It was the noise of a meteor bursting out from the black sea.
"That is…?"
Rozen, who had just let out a sigh of relief, froze.
Because that meteor was flying straight toward him, closing the distance in an instant.
Almost by reflex, Rozen reached out his hand and caught it.
The meteor landed in his palm, its radiance dispersing to reveal its true form.
"This is…"
Rozen's eyes narrowed at the sight.
But now was no time for distractions.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa————!!!"
A familiar song resounded from the direction of the black sea.
Yet within that voice, no sorrow remained, no trace of attachment—only violence and hatred, like a curse itself.
Rozen lifted his head, looking toward the far side of the black sea.
The moment he did, his pupils contracted to pinpoints.
Not only Rozen—even Ishtar and the staff in Chaldea were utterly stupefied.
Completely stunned.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa————!!!"
The piercing cry, overflowing with violence and hatred, roared forth from that colossal being, shaking the heavens and earth, blasting away clouds, air, and waves alike, and exposing its full vast form before all.
It was Tiamat.
Without question—Tiamat.
But now, Tiamat's body had swollen to monstrous proportions, towering several hundred meters tall. Her once-beautiful and graceful form had twisted into something grotesque and evil, as though completely monsterfied.
Massive horns jutted toward the sky as if to pierce it.
Feral fangs looked sharp enough to bite through space itself.
Her eyes, once containing the sea of stars, now glowed blood-red, stripped of all emotion.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa————!!!"
She roared again, a sound that seemed capable of awakening the deepest nightmares within the human heart.
"That's… Tiamat's… true form…?"
Rozen's pupils trembled as he whispered.
"Haha…"
Ishtar laughed, but her laugh was hollow—like she was rejecting the very reality before her.
Naturally, those in Chaldea reacted the same.
"Spirit foundation scale… expanding…"
"Mana response… multiplying…"
"That is… the Beast…?"
Roman, Da Vinci, and Olga Marie stammered, their voices trembling.
At that moment, a black cloud of shadows approached.
"Qkde qkde! G@'fffffffffffffff!"
"Qkde qkde! G@'fffffffffffffff!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Hahahaha!"
Now with wings, the matured Laḫmu swarmed in flocks, soaring past the high gem barriers and diving toward the land of Mesopotamia.
Some assaulted the diamond-sheep giant, others darted toward Rozen and Ishtar.
"I see them! I see them!"
"The old humanity and the old goddess!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill!"
"Offer them to Mother!"
The Laḫmu shrieked in hideous voices as they swooped at Rozen and Ishtar.
"Damn it!"
Ishtar, setting aside her shock, summoned Maanna to fight.
But before she could strike, Rozen acted first.
"Mesarthim Adamas!"
Rozen shouted to his Beast Vassal.
Vmm!
Immediately, barriers of diamond-like gems bloomed not only along the shoreline, but also around Rozen and Ishtar, shielding them.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Laḫmu slammed one by one into the reflective barriers, each bouncing back.
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
"Stop hiding!"
"Die!"
"Hahaha!"
But the Laḫmu didn't relent, continuing their relentless assault, no matter how many were repelled.
The massive Mesarthim Adamas held firm as well.
The Laḫmu desperately sought to destroy it, to collapse the barrier on the shore and allow the black mud to surge onto the land. But every time they touched it, they were flung away.
"Move aside!"
"Out of our way!"
"Do not block our path!"
"Do not block Mother's path!"
"Disappear!"
No matter how they raged, their attacks were useless.
Mesarthim Adamas stood steadfast, its gem barriers protecting both the land of Mesopotamia and Rozen and Ishtar themselves.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa————!!!"
Perhaps noticing the stalemate, the monstrosity that was Tiamat shrieked again, moving toward the shore.
The Evils of Humanity, the Beast of Original Sin, had finally begun to act in earnest, advancing on the land where mankind lived.
Though her pace was slow, her vast body meant it would not be long before she reached land.
And when that happened—not even Mesarthim Adamas, said to reflect all assaults, would be able to withstand her.
"What now…?"
Ishtar let out a strained laugh.
Rozen too never took his eyes off Tiamat.
From her now, he could feel no trace of love, no trace of motherhood.
This Tiamat was truly Evils of Humanity, one of the seven Beasts —Beast II.
To be honest, Rozen felt the urge to rush forward and fight to the death.
Not only for this era, not only for Human Order—but also because this Tiamat was no longer the one she had been before.
Rozen could not bear to see her continue in this monstrous form; he wanted to destroy her himself.
But… recalling the object that had fallen into his hand as a streak of light, combined with what his Wise Eye and Mind's Eye had observed, Rozen knew he had to suppress that impulse.
He had to return to Uruk.
First—because the evolved Laḫmu were far stronger than before and pouring endlessly toward the land. If he didn't return, Uruk would be in mortal danger.
Second—because he knew he could not yet defeat Tiamat.
If it came to a head-on fight, he wouldn't necessarily lose… but to truly bring her down—that was another matter.
Thus, retreat was the best option.
Suppressing his battle-lust, Rozen turned toward Mesarthim Adamas.
"I'll leave this to you!"
His words were immediately answered within his mind.
"Understood. Go."
It was the voice of No. 1.
Rozen nodded, turning to Ishtar.
"Come. We're returning to Uruk."
"What else can I say?" Ishtar gave a bitter smile. "Honestly, even if I stayed, I'd have no idea what to do."
Rozen said nothing more. He simply seized her hand.
Zing!
The light of his Magic Crest blazed across his right arm.
Flash!
In the next instant, Rozen and Ishtar vanished, along with the gem barriers.
The Laḫmu immediately surged in all directions.
The end of days had begun.