Time waits for no one.
Roy and his group moved swiftly.
After assigning the appropriate personnel to each route, they began organizing the necessary supplies.
That very night, they set out.
The night was quiet.
Passing through the rainforest surrounding Ur and heading southeast for a long distance, they could see an endless expanse of sea in the distance.
This sea connected to a broad river. By boarding ships here and sailing downstream, they would reach an abandoned port and ultimately arrive at Uruk.
This route was secretive but also winding. In an era without illumination or navigation, sailing from the sea into the river at night was a bold plan, likely conceived only by a fearless King of Heroes like Gilgamesh.
Yet, it was precisely because he trusted Roy's abilities that he dared to propose such an audacious strategy.
Unfurling the parchment Gilgamesh had given him, Roy examined the river route marked on it.
Compared to air transport and crossing the Mesopotamian plain, the water route was equally long and fraught with peril.
However, unlike crossing Mesopotamia, this path was free of demon beasts.
From recent observations, demon beasts primarily operated on land. Gorgon had not produced any suited for aquatic combat. The greatest danger on this route was navigating the treacherous sea filled with reefs.
Thus, Roy took it upon himself to lead this route.
To ensure the safety of the evacuees, the three strongest forces had to be split up.
Karna, adept at aerial combat and capable of flight, led the pterodactyls to Uruk. Quetzalcoatl, a deity most effective on land, guided a portion of Ur's citizens across the Mesopotamian plain. Naturally, Roy took on the task of navigating the water route.
"Roy, Roy, the ships you wanted are ready!"
Jaguar Man, who had chosen to accompany Roy, bounded excitedly to his side, pointing to several ships docked nearby with enthusiasm.
Since Ur had a tradition of fishing at sea, it had a stockpile of ships, though they had been sealed away by Quetzalcoatl after the demon beasts arrived.
These ships were naturally moored near the sea.
Fortunately, the sea had remained relatively stable recently. Had the ships been damaged, things would have been troublesome.
Roy nodded lightly at Taiga's explanation.
Then he stepped forward, walking to the edge of the vast ocean.
A sea breeze blew gently, carrying a hint of salt.
With no time for sentiment, he immediately instructed trusted individuals to organize Ur's citizens to board the ships and set off.
With proper coordination, the boarding process went smoothly, and it didn't take long for all the citizens to complete the task.
After confirming that the ship beneath his feet was fully operational, they raised the sails and began the journey.
Looking up at the night sky, thick clouds obscured the stars and moonlight.
On the vast, turbulent sea, waves rose and fell.
The fierce winds and the dark night ahead seemed to foretell that this voyage would be anything but calm.
The ship pressed on, cutting through the waves.
Perhaps no one would have imagined that aboard this vessel were a Magus, a Divine Spirit, and thousands of true warriors striving for the future of civilization.
Like the legendary Noah's Ark, this ship carried the spark of a civilization, swaying in the waves of fate, leading its people toward a distant future.
Yet, the atmosphere on the ship grew heavy.
"What's happening?"
Standing at the bow, guiding the ship's path and providing illumination, Roy heard footsteps behind him. He glanced back, conjuring a bright orb of light in his hand that rose above the ship like a miniature sun, effortlessly illuminating the surrounding sea.
This allowed the captain at the helm and the scouting sailors to clearly see the waters around them.
"So bright, Roy!"
Taiga, who had just calmed the crew's nerves, approached.
Roy asked, "What's up, Taiga? Got something for me?"
Taiga shook her head. "Nah, just settled everyone down and felt a bit bored in the cabin, so I came out for a walk."
"Alright, then sit with me for a bit. The night's still long. It'll probably take another day and night to reach Uruk's port."
"Another day and night?"
Hearing Roy's words, Taiga's perky jaguar ears drooped, and she gave a wry smile. "That's tough. Didn't expect it to take so long. But… Roy, none of this really concerns you, yet you've taken on such a huge responsibility. Why? You could've refused, right? You don't have any reason to go this far for Ur, do you? Unless…"
Taiga's lively mind seemed to latch onto a possibility. She gasped, glanced at Roy, and exclaimed in shock, "Roy, don't tell me you've actually fallen for that clumsy, willful oddball Quetzalcoatl? You gotta think twice! If you end up with her, my good days are over…"
"…"
Roy turned his head, unimpressed.
Then he stood, reaching out toward Taiga.
Before the Jaguar Man could react, Roy's hand chopped down on her head.
"Ow, that hurts!!"
"What's going on in that little head of yours? Quetzalcoatl and I are just friends and allies. I'm not so desperate as to fall for a Servant I've known for less than a week."
"Besides, I already have someone I like. If I dared mess around out here, she'd probably chop me to pieces without mercy when I get back."
"Huh? Wait, what?! Roy, you have a girlfriend?!"
Taiga's gossip instincts flared up at Roy's response.
Her initial curiosity about why Roy was helping Ur shifted to questions about this mystery woman.
"Who is she?"
"Where's she from? When did this happen?"
"How far have you gone? Are you married? Roy, in your timeline, am I already an aunt?!"
Her lackluster mood transformed into excitement as she bombarded Roy with questions about Shiki.
Unable to resist her enthusiasm, Roy gave a brief explanation about her.
"She's a middle schooler… Roy, you're really in deep trouble…"
"But the age gap isn't that big, I guess. Still, you haven't confessed after all this time? That's worrying… If you haven't opened up after so long, what if she…"
Taiga's thoughts raced as she processed Roy's story.
She was happy he'd found someone but also felt a twinge of… jealousy?
Was a great guy like Roy destined to be taken?
But that jealousy quickly faded, replaced by concern and well-wishes.
After all, Roy seemed sharp but was a complete emotional dunce when it came to talking.
What era was this, pulling the old "I'll confess after this battle" cliché and setting up flags?
If he liked her, he should just go for it and win already!
And the girl was a piece of work too. If she liked him, why not just say it?
Why were they dancing around like this? If they missed their chance for some reason, there'd be no place to cry.
"Something's wrong…!!"
Just as Taiga was about to leverage her nonexistent romantic expertise to lecture Roy on how to handle Shiki, she frowned.
Her keen Jaguar Man instincts sensed something approaching from a distance.
And…
"There's a lot of magical energy surging on the sea!"
At the bow, Roy's pupils narrowed as his ice-blue Mystic Eyes emerged.
Like Taiga's instincts, his Mystic Eyes caught something unusual.
Something was indeed coming toward them from the sea ahead, and in great numbers!
Boom!!
Before he could think, the ship shuddered.
Waves splashed in the dark sea.
"So much magical energy, and their existence is strange… These things have no souls…"
Black shadows, riding the waves, began climbing onto the ship. When Roy saw their true forms, he froze, then issued an immediate order.
"Everyone, retreat to the cabins now!!"
This magical energy, this soulless existence…
These weren't things humans could easily handle.
Especially on a ship, far from land, where Ur's soldiers' combat ability would be severely hampered.
Fighting these unknown demon beasts on a swaying deck was tantamount to sending them to their deaths.
"They're demon beasts, Roy!! So many, and a kind we've never seen before!" Taiga shouted, wielding her oddly shaped spear to strike down the beasts climbing aboard.
"What's going on? Demon beasts were supposed to be active only on the Mesopotamian plain. We've never seen ones that can move freely in the sea like this, and in such numbers!!"
"…"
"It seems we've fallen into the enemy's trap. They must have known about our migration plan and set this ambush in these waters."
What was happening?
Was it Gorgon?
No, probably not.
From both his own knowledge and Quetzalcoatl's intelligence, Gorgon didn't have this level of cunning.
There must be something else at play…
And what were these fishman-like demon beasts? Where did they come from? The Blood Fort Andromeda hadn't produced such creatures before.
Had his involvement caused such a drastic change in the Seventh Singularity?
Though questions swirled in his mind, now wasn't the time to ponder.
The surrounding waters roared, and no one knew how many more of these fishman-like demon beasts remained.
But the only thing they could do was eliminate them to the best of their ability.
Roy locked eyes with Taiga and said, "I'll handle the beasts ahead. The ones behind are yours."
"Got it, Roy."
Taiga nodded in response.
Boom!!
The ship shook more violently.
On the deck, as more demon beasts boarded, swirling ocean currents, storms, and terrifying magical energy tore through the air, whipping up fierce waves.
The ship beneath their feet was a massive vessel, once used by Ur for sea voyages.
But now, this ship, which had conquered countless oceans, swayed in the currents, rocking between relentless waves.
It seemed ready to capsize at any moment.
In moments, hundreds of fishman-like demon beasts had climbed onto the deck, surrounding the two.
Their faces were grotesque, their eyes bloodthirsty, and they charged forward, eager to drink blood.
Then…
Amid a deafening roar, Roy stood at the bow, his ice-blue eyes like twin sapphires, piercing the night to see ahead.
Beneath the dark sea, several massive tentacles broke the surface, writhing and stirring up enormous waves.
Roy saw clearly: it was a giant octopus-like sea beast, waving its tentacles to whip up waves, attempting to drag their ship into the depths.
If those waves hit, the ship would be swallowed in an instant, and all the warriors would perish.
That could not be allowed!!
Facing the sea beast in the endless ocean, this was Roy's only thought.
His ice-blue eyes cut through the night, locking onto the beast's wheel-sized pupils.
Then, he slowly raised his fingers, forming a finger gun in a familiar stance.
"Mana Flow, Full Power, Annihilation Mode-"
Boom!!
A dazzling white light tore through the night sky, piercing the roiling sea.
The light from his fingertips erupted with terrifying heat and kinetic energy in an instant.
Like a meteor, the blinding light effortlessly shredded everything in its path.
Roar!!
The massive sea beast didn't even have time to roar. A gaping hole was blasted through its body. In an instant, the white light claimed its life, and its enormous form sank into the deep ocean.
___
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