An hour's difference in time—not too long, not too short.
Mo Shuying thought of many things in an instant, like the old method of digging a pit to restrict Tiamat's movement.
But the outside was now covered in Black Mud, making it difficult to execute.
Even if their Heroic Spirits tried to stop Tiamat, Leonidas wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
Adding Benkei to the mix—while Benkei's Noble Phantasm could purify and send enemies straight to the afterlife, it depended on the opponent's Mana resistance, Divinity, and other factors. To purify an entity like Tiamat, they'd need a savior like the Buddha.
Other methods really depended on Gilgamesh.
"Gil, how long can you hold back Tiamat now?"
In the original story, even a Gilgamesh who hadn't regained his full power could delay Tiamat for quite a while. Now, he should definitely be able to last longer.
"This king? Hmph! You ask this king how long I can delay? That depends on this king's mood!"
Gilgamesh declared smugly, but what was with this inexplicable sense of trust?
"Really?"
"Naturally!"
"Good, then I'll rest for a bit."
Since Gilgamesh said so, Mo Shuying felt much more at ease. He had been busy for days and it was time for some pre-battle rest.
So, Mo Shuying left the Divine Tower and headed for the residence.
Shortly after Mo Shuying left, Siduri arrived at the Divine Tower.
"Your Majesty, the elders, children, women, and those who did not wish to stay in the city have all been sent to the Northern Wall. The caravan just departed."
Gilgamesh glanced at Siduri, frowning.
"Why didn't you go with them? This king's order was for all women to leave. Are you not one?"
Gilgamesh had long ago ordered Siduri to leave with the caravan, but—
"Your Majesty, I am your Priestess. If I am not by your side, who will convey your orders?"
Siduri said with a smile.
Gilgamesh opened his mouth but couldn't speak. After a long silence, Gilgamesh said,
"If you don't leave, are you planning to perish with Uruk?"
Clearly, Gilgamesh didn't believe he could completely stop Tiamat. In fact, placing the Underworld beneath Uruk meant Uruk was destined to be a decoy, a sacrifice.
"No."
Siduri shook her head.
Gilgamesh looked puzzled, then heard Siduri say,
"I am staying with Your Majesty to witness your final heroic moment."
"..."
At these words, Gilgamesh froze for two seconds, then laughed!
"Hahahahaha! Then you shall stand behind this king! This king will show you! Your king! Can even overthrow the Creator God!"
Mo Shuying also felt that he had been too tense these past few days.
Especially after today's battle, experiencing two such powerful and shocking confrontations, he understood both the might of the Deities and the invincibility of Tiamat.
These Deities weren't even their true forms; they were Divine Spirit Manifestations, only a fraction of their Divinity and power descending.
Yet, even so, they were already capable of world-ending destruction. If the true forms of those Deities appeared, how could they possibly be defeated?
This wasn't some baseless speculation, but an imminent crisis.
Tiamat was in her true form, but according to the story's setting, Tiamat's power at this moment was less than 1/10 of her peak.
This was without even having obtained the Holy Grail. It was hard to imagine how strong Tiamat was at her peak.
Even putting aside the Deities, the biggest threat still loomed: the so-called King of Magecraft, Solomon, was still lurking, the ring above their heads could fall at any moment, and Mo Shuying hadn't even dispelled the curse that could kill people.
Thinking about it... so tiring. Let it all be destroyed.
Lying on the bed, he heard Dr. Roman's voice.
"Mo Shuying, Tiamat has broken free from petrification. It's a bit earlier than expected."
"Hmm, got it."
Mo Shuying responded indifferently.
"Is there any way to stop it again? Are we really relying on Gilgamesh to hold her back for an hour? He's still just a mortal!"
Even though Gilgamesh possessed Divinity and had regained his power, he was still a mortal. His Magecraft Circuits couldn't be as clear and efficient as a Heroic Spirit's.
"He's already stubbornly insisted, so I naturally have to give him that respect. Don't worry about him; if he says he can do it, he definitely can. We just need to do our part."
Mo Shuying got up. Though he said he wouldn't interfere, his body was honest.
He flew directly out the window and into the sky. Unfortunately, Mo Shuying didn't have Clairvoyance, otherwise he would have been able to see Tiamat's colossal figure.
Mo Shuying glanced at Uruk and the soldiers who had voluntarily stayed behind. There weren't many of them, but they were all commendable.
It wasn't that those who chose to leave were deserters; quite the opposite. They were Uruk's hope, Mesopotamia's future, encouraged by Gilgamesh to leave and carry that hope with them.
Mo Shuying saw a few soldiers roasting meat over a fire and drinking.
He flew straight over, and the soldiers greeted him warmly.
"Sir! Would you like a drink?"
Not long ago, Gilgamesh had issued a royal decree: apart from the supplies that had been taken away, all remaining food and wine were to be distributed to reward those who stayed. So, drinking and eating meat were permitted by the king.
"Sure!"
Mo Shuying didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down directly, took a cup of wine, and took a big gulp.
"Tsk! What a raw taste, but it's not bad once you get used to it. Quite addictive!"
The cup held amber-colored ale. It might take some getting used to at first, but it became quite enjoyable after a few drinks.
Thinking about it, he had been in this Singularity for a while now.
"Eat some meat, Sir! Excellent lamb chops!"
Another soldier offered him lamb. Mo Shuying smiled and took it, then began eating and drinking, alternating bites of meat with sips of wine.
Men were like that; they could quickly bond over drinks and food. At such times, these soldiers didn't care if you were an important person. As long as you weren't King Gilgamesh himself, everyone else was the same. They had already prepared themselves to perish with Uruk.
Mo Shuying noticed that they seemed unafraid of death, possessing a sense of heroic sacrifice. He asked, curious,
"Are you truly not afraid of death? Don't you have any regrets?"
The soldiers shook their heads.
"Actually, we've known about Uruk's demise for a long time. King Gilgamesh never hid it from us. We've known from the very beginning."
One soldier said with a smile.
"Then...! If you knew it would be destroyed, why did you still...?"
Mo Shuying didn't understand. They already knew the outcome? Why were they still so persistent? Was it because of their faith in Gilgamesh?
"Sir, even though this city might be destroyed, and we might die in battle, Uruk itself is indestructible."
Another warrior clenched his fist and thumped his chest, a smile still on his face.
Mo Shuying listened solemnly, then smiled.
"Come, a toast to all of you."
"You're too kind, Sir. A toast to Uruk!"
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