Too focused on the enemy before him—Kingu—Shiomi momentarily overlooked the strange anomaly unfolding in the Persian Gulf.
Kingu, who held the Holy Grail of the King of Magecraft, was clearly rushing toward the Persian Gulf to deliver it to the newly awakened Tiamat. However, the temporal tremors caused by her awakening, along with the Singularity's further distortion, made it clear that the Primordial Mother Goddess's return wasn't something so simple.
Even Gorgon, with the Authority of "Mother of Genesis" gained through synchronization, could spawn countless Magical Beasts. What, then, could Tiamat herself create with that same power?
Now, the answer revealed itself.
Just as Kingu and Shiomi were locked in battle, a bizarre lifeform suddenly pierced Kingu's chest from behind—it was the answer.
"What... are you doing?" Kingu turned around in disbelief.
The creatures resembled inky octopuses, yet stood upright like humans. Their heads bore only a single vertical maw, and from them came a chorus of strange syllables.
The sound alone could drive an ordinary person insane.
They were like something out of the Cthulhu Mythos—indescribable, unnameable, impossible to behold.
They laughed, mocking Kingu.
"▁▂▂▄▂▅▅▇——!"
Shiomi couldn't understand the incomprehensible speech, but Kingu could.
"Delivering the Holy Grail to Mother... that's my mission!"
He raised his hand, its blade wrapped in mana, trying to strike the creature that ambushed him—but he couldn't move any further.
The creature withdrew its tentacle-like arm from Kingu's body, swallowing a golden glint—the Holy Grail itself.
With a single, precise strike, it had ripped out the source of Kingu's mana and shattered his Spirit Core. It understood the essence of killing perfectly.
At once, the creature grew larger. Wings sprouted from its back—it was about to take off.
Shiomi ignored the enemy before him and lunged with his spear at the lifeform that had stolen the Grail. He only managed to sever one of its legs.
He planned to leap back onto the pterosaur and give chase, but the creature that attacked Kingu wasn't alone. More of them were crawling out of the sea, scaling the cliff, and closing in on Shiomi.
Their jumping ability, speed, and strength surpassed any beasts or Magical Beasts Shiomi had ever encountered. They knew no fear and emitted wave after wave of eerie, unsettling laughter.
To them, Shiomi was just the next to be slaughtered, like Kingu.
Their exteriors were incredibly tough, and Shiomi was glad he wielded Gungnir. If he were using the Gáe Bolg Alternative his master had given him, each strike would've been far less effective.
Forced back step by step, Shiomi gradually retreated toward the land behind him. Kingu's figure was now obscured by the swarming creatures—completely out of sight.
The one that had taken the Grail was already far in the sky, impossible to chase.
With a powerful thrust, Gungnir pierced one creature clean through. The spear should have come out easily, but its softening tentacles tangled around it, starting a brief tug-of-war.
Shiomi immediately changed tactics, channeling Magecraft through Gungnir as a conduit. But before the spell could fully activate, the other creatures had already lunged at him.
He freed his left hand and summoned the Crimson Spear. He swung it wide—but missed, the tip only grazing a creature's torso.
Just as he hesitated—wondering if he should release Gungnir, fearing these abominations might devour even a divine spear—"Strike Air" came crashing down from the sky.
"Master!"
Artoria released the barrier of Invisible Air, shredding the surrounding creatures.
Quetzalcoatl and Ereshkigal arrived right behind her.
"Where's Morgan?" Shiomi asked.
"She took the others and retreated to Uruk using the Water Mirror," Artoria replied, raising her sword. "According to Chaldea's report, a large number of unidentified creatures have landed along the coast of the Persian Gulf!"
"I've already seen them."
"Sorry. We misjudged the situation. We should've waited a bit longer to finish off Gorgon." Just seeing those creatures was enough for Artoria to realize how bad things had gotten.
"This isn't your fault—or anyone else's. We never had enough intel to begin with." Working together with Artoria and Quetzal, Shiomi kept the creatures from getting within three meters of them. "The Holy Grail's already been taken. There's no point staying here."
"Retreat, right? Got it." Quetzalcoatl waved, and the pterosaur circled above in response.
Artoria nodded firmly. "Understood. Then I'll wipe out these monsters with the Holy Sword!"
Just as she finished speaking, Shiomi completed his rune Magecraft and slammed his palm onto the ground. The rock beneath him shifted suddenly, shoving the Magical Beasts into a fan-shaped formation.
"By my oath—" Artoria seized the moment, unleashing her Noble Phantasm. "Excalibur!"
The swarm of creatures was obliterated in an instant. Having unleashed both the Holy Lance and Holy Sword in quick succession, Artoria's mana was heavily depleted. Her legs buckled beneath her.
Shiomi caught her before she fell, lifting her into his arms.
"You've done well," he said softly.
"I'll rest for a bit," Artoria murmured, resting her head against Shiomi's chest, trying to absorb as much mana as she could through physical contact.
Shiomi's gaze shifted to the scars left behind by the blast of the Holy Sword. Kingu lay slumped near a rock, his once-white robes soaked through with blood.
While Shiomi had been under siege, Kingu—already mortally wounded and stripped of the Holy Grail—had been further brutalized by the creatures, now barely clinging to life.
"Sword of Promised Victory... huh?" Kingu's blood-filled mouth twisted into a grin that was neither a smile nor a cry. "Even if that thing can defeat them... it still won't hurt Mother..."
"Loyal to the end, huh? But weren't you betrayed by your mother?" Shiomi raised an eyebrow.
"...It was those fools... not Mother..."
Kingu coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"Anything born from proper human history... is no match for Mother..."
"Is that so." Something stirred in Shiomi's mind, but he didn't voice it. "One last question. Where's Gilgamesh? That king never returned to Uruk."
But Kingu didn't respond—because he no longer could.
Still clinging stubbornly to his beliefs even in death, Kingu died on the shore, only a step away from his so-called "Mother."
"What a ridiculously stubborn man. In that sense, he's not so different from Enkidu." Ereshkigal extended her hand, and the earth rose to cover Kingu's body, slowly drawing it down.
"Since Gilgamesh entrusted him to me, I'll return him to the underworld for now."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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