"Hey! Damn Gilgamesh, your goddess is back!!"
A cerulean meteor streaked across the night sky, shattering the divine tower's dome. Ishtar, rushing back with Jaguar Man, crash-landed as planned, or rather, tumbled, into the tower.
Headfirst.
It'd been ages since she flew with a passenger, so she misjudged Maanna's trajectory, leading to their awkward entrance.
But no matter!!
She hadn't returned empty-handed. Her battle record was stellar, having slain Humbaba in a triumphant return.
"Ishtar…"
Glancing at the broken ceiling and the two goddesses sprawled on the floor, Gilgamesh sighed from his throne but said nothing more.
It was Ishtar's tower anyway; repair costs would come from her offerings, so he didn't care. Besides, now wasn't the time for petty squabbles. Given Ishtar's reliable takedown of Humbaba, he'd let the minor issue slide.
The end was nigh; his focus needed to be on Tiamat.
Though, he couldn't help feeling a bit weary.
"Miss Ishtar, Miss Jaguar Man, thank you for your hard work."
Unlike the aloof Gilgamesh, Chaldea's little angel Mash greeted the disheveled heroines warmly, offering soft words of comfort.
"Hahaha, it was nothing. That lion only looked tough. In truth, it was no big deal. Its strength was poorly wielded, and its temper made it reckless, unable to use its body's full potential. I didn't expect it to be so easy."
"Shame about Archer, though. Who'd have thought their battle would be so brutal? By the time we got there, a ten-kilometer radius around their battlefield was obliterated. No trace of Arjuna or Karna, they must've both exited."
Thinking of the formidable Archer, Jaguar Man felt a pang of regret while marveling at his strength.
When they'd finished with Humbaba and reached Arjuna and Karna's battlefield, the brothers' duel was already at its climax.
Stepping into the battle's outskirts, a visceral sense of mortal danger washed over them. Before they could react, a cataclysmic force of destruction and thunder crashed from the heavens, shredding all in its path.
The blinding light carried terrifying power, striking awe and fear into Ishtar and Jaguar Man just by witnessing it.
The radiant curtain ignored all barriers, creatures, rocks, even air disintegrated in its domain. Had they not dodged in time, they'd have been swept up and annihilated.
After the destructive light ravaged the land, Mesopotamia's surface was peeled raw. A ten-kilometer radius fell silent, devoid of life's traces.
Naturally, no sign of Karna or Arjuna remained.
Though unproven, both Ishtar and Jaguar Man were certain no life could survive that terrifying light, not even Karna or Arjuna.
The details were unclear, but the outcome was a mutual annihilation.
A regrettable result, yet for the current situation, it was a decent outcome.
"Even so, that was the legendary Humbaba! Don't downplay it, Miss Jaguar Man!"
Dr. Romani's projection flickered into view.
"Thanks to you and Ishtar's efforts, slaying Humbaba has stabilized the situation. Of course, we owe much to Arjuna, Li Shuwen, and other Servants' sacrifices. On behalf of humanity, I thank you all!!"
"Haha, no big deal. I'm human too, fighting for humanity's cause is only natural."
Jaguar Man gave a slight smile, saying little more.
"…"
Ishtar, however, fell silent.
In the past, a feat like killing Humbaba would've had her boasting loudly before calming down, but now she had no interest in discussing the fallen Humbaba spawn.
Her mind was consumed by those struggling to relocate the underworld and the two fools holding back the Mother of Genesis at sea.
"Um… how's the underworld relocation going? It's been three days, shouldn't it be done? Eresh… how's my sister doing?"
"It's complete. Goddess Ereshkigal finished relocating the underworld beneath Uruk yesterday, preparing Tiamat's grave."
"But the process drained so much divine energy, she needs brief rest." Gilgamesh replied.
"That's great, but…"
Relieved by the news, Ishtar exhaled, then pressed Gilgamesh, "What about that guy? Why hasn't he come back? With the underworld relocated, we can start the plan. Why's he still clashing with the Mother of Genesis? Does he think he can solo her?"
"…"
Gilgamesh paused, shaking his head. "This king doesn't know."
"He mentioned finding something about Tiamat, something he needed to verify with that Grand Servant, then vanished."
"Verify?!"
"Is that guy an idiot? Risking his life for some unproven hunch?! Does he think this is a game? He's usually so cautious, why's he being reckless now?"
Though she hadn't faced Tiamat directly, Ishtar felt the Mother of Genesis's terrifying pressure from afar.
She was no Humbaba, no foe mere manpower could defeat.
That fool had been fighting Tiamat in his small world for three days.
Who did he think he was? Marduk? Such recklessness.
Pacing anxiously, Ishtar couldn't sit still. She shouted at Gilgamesh, "No way! Hey, goldie, can't you contact that idiot? Tell him to get back here. Tiamat's power is unimaginable, we can't let him keep messing around."
"Fool! Calm down. If I could check on him, I wouldn't be sitting here worrying like you."
Seeing Ishtar's agitation, Gilgamesh snapped, tossing her a mirror from Ereshkigal.
"See for yourself. His small world blocks the underworld mirror's transmission. Even this king can't see inside. Before you returned, that underworld goddess already pestered me about it. I'm more anxious than you."
Irritated by her persistence, Gilgamesh snorted.
He knew the goddesses were frantic, but he was more so!!
That reckless fool had told him he'd found a way to defeat Tiamat and needed to test it. Gilgamesh had agreed to buy him time.
But he hadn't expected this "test" To drag on three days, nearly four, with no word.
How could he not worry?
He'd used Clairvoyance on Roy's fate multiple times, but saw only chaos, no clear signs.
Roy's intertwined fate had muddled Tiamat and Uruk's destinies, once clear, now inscrutable.
Though one event, these three days spawned branching paths, their course eluding him.
Unlike Ishtar, who only needed to act on the plan, as battlefield commander, his stress was explosive.
Whether you succeed or not, at least send a signal so I can prepare. But this chaos, how do I plan?
"Please, no arguing, King Gilgamesh, Miss Ishtar. Believe in Roy, he'll be fine."
"No need to worry. This king wouldn't stoop to bickering with this fool."
"You shiny jerk, who're you calling a fool?!"
"Need I spell it out? Don't you have self-awareness?"
"You're calling me a fool?!!"
"Oh, you noticed? Seems you've grown a bit."
"Damn goldie, I'll gut you!!"
So…
"They're not calming down at all, are they?"
Watching the two bicker, poised to fight, Ritsuka sighed. Her Chaldea experience made her adept at mediating Servant disputes.
She asked softly, "King Gilgamesh… do we really not need to support Roy?"
"No way to help. Even if I wanted to, I can't get in."
Gilgamesh shook his head. "His Reality Marble is sealed beyond this world; normal methods can't breach it. I don't know the spatial node's location. Without it, even Ea couldn't break through."
"Besides, even if we could, it'd be pointless. As he said, defeating Tiamat is only possible in the underworld. Supporting him would just hinder him."
Gilgamesh knew Tiamat, in her maiden of fate state, wasn't fatally threatening.
His real fear was her Saint Graph's reconstruction, revealing her draconic form, the beast of regression.
Then, Tiamat wouldn't advance sluggishly or show restraint.
Her buried hatred and pain would erupt with the creation vortex, devouring every corner of the world.
Roy knew this too.
But Gilgamesh couldn't fathom why he'd sealed Tiamat away so long. If it was just stalling, it was overkill.
They could've followed the plan: after the underworld's relocation, when Tiamat entered Uruk's range, Ishtar, with her most destructive Noble Phantasm, [An Gal Tā Kigal Shē], could blast Tiamat's head into the underworld for the final battle.
So what were these changes?
Though the reasons eluded him, Gilgamesh was sure Roy had his own plan.
Now, they could only trust him.
"Go rest and recover."
After long thought, Gilgamesh sighed, issuing final orders.
"His exact plan's unknown, but prepare for the decisive battle. Everyone's fought hard, use this brief lull to adjust and face the battle at your peak."
"Don't overthink. Trust this king and that guy. Leave the rest to the king to bear."
"Understood."
Jaguar Man offered to tend to the comatose Quetzalcoatl, shooing the exhausted Mash and Ritsuka to rest. She then sent the yammering Ishtar to Ereshkigal in the underworld. Gilgamesh felt an unprecedented relief.
He discussed the chaotic tide's spread with Romani Archaman while confirming the resettlement of Uruk's people in Kutha.
Uruk's ruler and Chaldea's commander worked tirelessly to buy everyone rest time.
Three more days passed.
It was the seventh day of Roy and Tezcatlipoca's struggle with Tiamat in the small world.
The chaotic tide, once slowing, surged anew.
At the horizon's end, the tide, poised to swallow the world, accelerated.
The new humans (Lahmu), whose birth rate had slowed with Tiamat's absence, now poured from the ocean's depths like a black cloud, swarming toward Uruk.
Their numbers dwarfed past waves, as if every Lahmu in the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia had gathered.
They amassed, circling the sky like a cloud layer, a tidal wave of life crashing forth.
"What… is this?"
On the city walls, Mash and Ritsuka stared, stunned, at the black swarm blanketing the sky, struggling to comprehend the sheer volume.
"Ritsuka, Mash, the Lahmu numbers are still climbing… hundreds of thousands? No, millions! How's this possible? What's with these numbers?"
"Without Tiamat, the chaotic tide shouldn't produce this many Lahmu!"
In Chaldea's command room, Romani's shock surpassed Ritsuka's.
Two days ago, he and Gilgamesh had calculated the tide's Lahmu production plummeting due to Tiamat's absence. In four days, such numbers were impossible.
Yet, the undeniable truth stared back.
Romani, voice heavy, said, "These Lahmu could devour every corner of Uruk instantly. With our forces, we can't hold out long against such numbers."
"But… our biggest threat isn't the Lahmu anymore. She's back."
"Ritsuka, Tiamat's Saint Graph signature has reappeared on the ocean! Its scale's changed, several times larger than before! This magnitude… how's it even possible?! Her magical energy's regressed to the Jurassic!!!"
As Romani voiced the impossible, at a spatial node on the distant ocean.
Crack, crack!!
Shattering sounds echoed, the space above the sea fracturing like a mirror.
An overwhelming pressure surged from the rift, flooding the seventh singularity, the sea trembling violently.
The pressure was unmistakable, she'd returned.
In the divine tower, Gilgamesh's face hardened. He raised his clay tablet, activating all Melammu Dingirs on Uruk's walls, readying for the final battle.
In the underworld, Ishtar, tending to Ereshkigal, sensed Tiamat's return and shot out on Maanna.
Even Quetzalcoatl, barely awake, ignored Jaguar Man's protests, gearing for battle.
In moments, Uruk entered full war footing.
Every god and human steeled themselves, ready for the decisive clash.
On the Persian Gulf's ocean.
Splash!!
As the spatial node shattered, an endless black ocean poured forth.
The inky flood surged from the rift, merging with the sea, raising the Persian Gulf's level by meters.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
A familiar song rose, piercing hearts.
The song of creation's dawn heralded the Mother of Genesis's return.
Unlike its former gentle melody, this song brimmed with rage and despair.
At the chaotic tide's center, a transformed Tiamat emerged.
Rebuilding her Saint Graph with the black sea of life, she evolved from her maiden of fate form into a sixty-meter-long draconic body.
Her terrifying pressure, unleashed at her appearance, made all life in Mesopotamia tremble.
Her rage and pain infected every living being.
The Mother of Genesis's lament, born of betrayal, hatred, sorrow, and her drive to reshape Earth's ecosystem, indulging in the joy of returning as the mother of all. She was Beast II.
One of the seven human evils, the beast of "regression."
Amid the roiling chaotic sea, two tiny figures fled desperately.
"A, aaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Behind them, Tiamat's draconic beast form, embodying human evil, pursued relentlessly, firing red lasers that could shatter mountains and rend earth.
"Master, speed up! She's still on our tail!"
"I know."
Roy and Tezcatlipoca dodged Tiamat's draconic pursuit, sprinting frantically.
"But we did it, we actually pulled it off! Master, that gal back there must be fuming!!"
"I don't know about fuming, but if we don't run faster, we're done for! I can't fight her anymore."
"Right, right. If this primal mother catches us now, no lives will save us. Let's bolt."
Tezcatlipoca laughed, never slowing. In their life-or-death sprint, they kept a relatively safe distance from Tiamat's draconic form.
Mid-escape, a pale blue head peeked from Roy's arms, tilting curiously. A pair of starry eyes gazed at him, puzzled.
"Aaa… aaa?"
___
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