The next day, at dawn.
When everyone awoke from their slumber to greet the countdown's final day before the world's end, bad news came one after another.
"Laḫmu numbers have increased more than tenfold compared to yesterday. Right now, approximately 1.17 million Laḫmu are assaulting Uruk, their offensive nearly a hundred times fiercer than yesterday!"
This was Roman's report.
Because of this, under the relentless assault of over a million Laḫmu, the barrier surrounding Uruk had not yet been shattered, but massive tremors rippled through every corner of it.
The Laḫmu were fighting as if they had no concern for their own lives, hurling themselves like cannonballs, endlessly crashing into Uruk's barrier. The barrier quaked like the surface of water under a torrential downpour, rippling with countless waves, appearing on the verge of shattering at any moment, worrying all who watched.
Fortunately, in order to prevent a single Laḫmu from invading Uruk, Rozen had deployed Cleansing as the basis of this barrier, imbuing it with the property of repelling the black mud. Otherwise, resisting the assault of over a million Laḫmu would have been impossible.
But the number of Laḫmu was still increasing. If Rozen was not mistaken, once the larger army arrived, trying to stop billions of Laḫmu with a single barrier would be no simple task.
After all, Laḫmu were Tiamat's beasts, affected by her Authority of the Beast, wielding anti-human and anti-Servant special attack power.
Under these conditions, even with the barrier's black mud-repelling properties, such reckless assaults could eventually crush it.
This was the first bad news.
The second was even worse…
"Tiamat has already made landfall. The black mud is spreading across the land. Everything it engulfs is scorched away as if burned by black flames. At this rate, Tiamat will reach Uruk tomorrow without fail!"
This was Da Vinci's report.
Yet Rozen had already known before Chaldea's transmission arrived.
Moments earlier, he had received a psychic message from No. 1.
"Forgive me… I could not stop her."
With those final words, Rozen felt No. 1's existence vanish.
The barrier of Mesarthim Adamas had ultimately failed to hold back Tiamat, who had now set foot upon the land.
And now she was advancing toward Uruk.
Her black ocean—her Sea of Life—would reach Uruk even before she herself arrived, drowning the land.
Thus, the fate of Mesopotamia's land was all too easy to imagine.
"Other than Uruk, there is nowhere left in Mesopotamia where humanity can survive. In the end, those who remain in Uruk will be the last humans of Mesopotamia!"
These heavy words came from Olga Marie.
This was the situation.
As Chaldea's staff described, aside from Uruk, nowhere else on this land could sustain human life.
Laḫmu ravaged freely.
The black sea spread further.
Tiamat steadily approached Uruk.
Time was almost gone. Only one day remained.
This left everyone's hearts heavy, yet firm in their resolve.
What resolve?
The resolve to fight to the death.
If Tiamat was not stopped, humanity had no future. Uruk would be annihilated.
Not only would the hundred thousand citizens of Uruk perish, human history itself would collapse, human order would never again be restored, and humanity would be finished.
If they did not fight now, there would never be another chance.
Thus, all prepared themselves.
Both the Servants summoned to this era and those who had become Rozen's familiars shared this conviction.
Yet amidst misfortune, there was still a glimmer of fortune.
They had reinforcements.
"Hola, Master, everyone—seeing you all safe makes your big sister truly happy!"
With a bright, cheerful voice, the goddess of the jungle appeared in Uruk that day, entering the throne hall of the divine tower to meet Rozen and his companions.
"Quetzalcoatl!"
Ishtar cried out in astonishment.
It was indeed Quetzalcoatl, who had once forged a contract with Rozen and had remained in the southern jungle.
This day, Quetzalcoatl came to Uruk—accompanied by another divine spirit.
"Forgive us, we've defected, fled, and are about to die—please take us in! Payment will be three meals of meat a day!"
Jaguar Man saluted everyone with great ceremony while saying this absurd request, leaving all stunned.
But it was not entirely untrue.
They had, in fact, fled disaster.
"Just now, Lady Feathered Serpent arrived in Uruk with one Servant and fifty thousand humans."
Siduri explained to Rozen and the others.
In the southern jungle, Quetzalcoatl had managed several human cities. Including those drawn into or brought to the jungle, she had been protecting them ever since her manifestation.
She had already prepared to bring them all to Uruk, which was why she remained in the jungle, escorting humanity here.
Now that disaster struck and nowhere else was livable, her timing was perfect—she delivered every last human under her protection into Uruk.
Thanks to this, Uruk's population increased by fifty thousand, swelling to two hundred thousand.
And that was good news.
"At the end of the world, the more who survive, the better. With these two hundred thousand, our race can continue."
Gilgamesh welcomed this wholeheartedly.
Normally, in proper history, by this point only Gilgamesh himself should have remained alive in Mesopotamia.
Now, with Uruk holding two hundred thousand souls, the future had changed dramatically. Even Gilgamesh could not hide a rare smile.
With the arrival of two divine spirits, their strength against Tiamat grew considerably.
A stroke of fortune amidst despair—a rare piece of good news.
But…
"I've heard everything—you defeated Gorgon, awakened Tiamat, and brought the Beast into the world, yes?"
Quetzalcoatl's cheerful demeanor faded. She looked at Rozen, sighed, and spoke.
"I owe you an apology, Master."
Why?
"Because… I knew of Tiamat's existence from the very beginning."
Her words stunned everyone.