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When Asher heard these words, Merlin didn't speak, but simply stared into Asher's eyes. After a long pause, he smiled and said, "This must be human emotion, then?"
"Though I cannot experience it, I understand such feelings," Merlin said. "It seems you're ready, Arthur."
"If I don't save her, I'll regret it for the rest of my life," Asher said.
"Hmm... How do you plan to save her?" Merlin asked. Asher fell silent.
"It's impossible to awaken her self-awareness just by shouting," Merlin said slowly. "In her self-sealed state, Goddess Tiamat's self-awareness is hidden deeper.
Physical means cannot awaken her."
"I know," Asher shook his head. "But it's something that must be done."
"That's why I said just now, physical means cannot awaken her," Merlin repeated. "Since you have the courage to face Goddess Tiamat, then you should naturally have the resolve for a desperate fight, King Arthur."
Asher slowly turned to look at Merlin. "You have a way?"
"Not exactly a 'way'," Merlin smiled. "But... we can take a gamble."
________________________________________
In the King's Hall
"It takes three days to set up the Underworld Gate across all of Uruk..." Ritsuka muttered, chin resting in his hand, not looking relaxed because of it. Although Ereshkigal (Ere-chan) had been secretly setting up the Underworld Gate for the past few years, meaning it would only take three days to cover Uruk, holding Tiamat back for three days was an extremely difficult task.
"It seems the scales of victory have tilted in our favor," Gilgamesh suddenly said.
Everyone looked at Gilgamesh in confusion, not understanding what he meant.
"Huh?" Ishtar also made a bewildered sound, "How did you conclude we have a chance from what was just said? To lure Tiamat into the Underworld, it will take at least three days. Do you think anyone can stop her for three days?"
"Hahahahahaha, what are you saying, Ishtar?" Gilgamesh stepped forward, raised his hand and ruffled Ishtar's head, a hearty laugh echoing through the hall as if he would laugh himself into abs. "Don't you still have that thing?"
Ishtar blinked, completely confused.jpg
"Oh right, if we have that thing, stopping Tiamat's advance will definitely be fine!" Ere-chan's surprised voice came from the mirror.
"Don't you understand?" Feeling the incomprehension in the gazes of others, Gilgamesh laughed loudly while ruffling Ishtar's head. "This girl still has the greatest weapon to stop Tiamat's advance, the Heavenly Bull Gugalanna!" "I can't believe it, I never thought you'd already thought this far, you truly are something, Ishtar." Perhaps due to his good mood, Gilgamesh rarely showed such a unrestrained smile.
"No... that" Ishtar's gaze had subtly shifted to the side at some point. She was about to speak, but at that moment, Quetzalcoatl next to her also excitedly clenched her fist.
"So that's what it was! In that case, we can indeed stop Goddess Tiamat's advance."
"Big victory, yay~ yay~" Jaguar Man happily twirled around.
For a moment, the hall erupted in laughter. They thought that if Ishtar released her Heavenly Bull, with its massive size, stopping Tiamat for a period of time would definitely be possible. Everyone instantly looked at
Ishtar with new respect, some even dancing.
"S-o-I-s-a-i-d-i-t!" Ishtar articulated each word, interrupting the laughter. "The Heavenly Bull..." Under everyone's collective gaze, Ishtar's voice suddenly became softer. She knew that if she explained the reason, this joyous laughter would probably immediately turn into her execution music. But at such a critical moment, if she didn't clarify the reason, the consequences would be even more severe. Ishtar knew this very well...
Although she also wanted to be worshipped as a useful goddess, this time, she just couldn't.
"Ishtar, if you have something to say, say it quickly.
Don't make this King wait too long," Gilgamesh said.
"This King's offerings to you were for this very moment!"
"So..." Ishtar's voice grew even softer, as if her whole being had shrunk. Then, she finally let out a sigh of resignation, whispering, "The Heavenly Bull, I lost it."
"..."
"Huh?!" Everyone stared at Ishtar in bewilderment.
Ishtar turned her face away slightly, looking very embarrassed. While playing with her hair, she glanced at the few people staring at her, then loudly exclaimed as if giving up: "So I said it! The Heavenly Bull, Gugalanna, I lost it! I've searched all of Mesopotamia, but I just can't find it. What can I do?!"
"..." Everyone stared at Ishtar with speechless gazes.
Ishtar clearly knew this was her own problem. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and then, seeing Gilgamesh hand her a sign that read "I am an incompetent goddess," Ishtar's eyes became wary. She slowly backed away, ran out of the King's Hall, and immediately hid next to Asher, playing ostrich.
The others followed her out of the hall one by one.
"I even had Asher help me look for it, but we just couldn't find it! What could I do?!" Feeling people continuously walking out behind her, Ishtar said, covering her head as if abandoning herself.
Mordred frowned. "Dragging Father into this now is too cunning, isn't it?"
"What?" Asher asked.
"This unreliable goddess lost the Heavenly Bull," Gilgamesh said, looking at Ishtar, who was playing ostrich beside Asher. He didn't know what to say for a moment.
Asher seemed to understand slightly and said, "Oh, you mean that. I remember the day I was first summoned, Ishtar bumped into me in the air and then asked me to help her look for it. But we really didn't find any trace of the Heavenly Bull."
"Eh~"
"She's actually conning people..."
"Is she really a goddess?"
Hearing the soft whispers, Ishtar seemed to shrink even further, squatting on the ground in distress and drawing circles, her face flushed as she mumbled, "I didn't want this to happen, I didn't lose it on purpose... Maybe it just ran off or something..."
"It's really not fair to blame her at a time like this," Asher said, seeing Ishtar's distressed look and briefly explaining for her.
"Asher..." When Ishtar raised her hopeful eyes, he paused, then continued, "Everyone should be used to it by now."
Ishtar-go has been sunk. Although this goddess was unreliable, it was thanks to Ishtar's actions that Asher's earlier somewhat melancholic mood recovered
significantly.
Gilgamesh's gaze fixed on Merlin and said, "Do you have any ideas, Merlin?" Ishtar was unreliable, so now he could only ask for Merlin's opinion.
"I suppose so? But..." Merlin replied vaguely, scratching his head. "It might be unstable. For example, after applying an illusion or hypnosis, the target might become even more enraged, thus accelerating Uruk's demise."
"That's too dangerous, isn't it?" Ritsuka said with a wry
smile.
"Limiting that Beast inherently comes with great risks," Merlin shrugged.
Gilgamesh sighed for the first time. He probably hadn't expected a glimmer of hope to shatter in such a way.
"Enough, you all go rest." He walked to the front of the hall, looking at the night sky. "This is probably the last night we can rest."
The previously lively atmosphere dropped to its lowest point. Everyone stared at Gilgamesh blankly. Ishtar covered her head with both hands, the "I am an incompetent goddess" sign hanging around her neck, looking utterly dejected. Gilgamesh simply gazed at the night sky, sighing inwardly. Mash and Ritsuka exchanged glances, a lingering gloom in their hearts as well.
Just then, a voice suddenly broke the silence. "I'll go."
When Asher's voice sounded, several gazes fell upon him. Ishtar was stunned, staring blankly at Asher. Could it be that he's doing this to atone for her mistake of losing the Heavenly Bull?
"Asher, your intention pleases this King, but you have
just finished a battle. Both your body and mind are in a very fatigued state. Rest well," Gilgamesh said, shaking his head.
"And then come out after resting to watch Tiamat destroy the world?" Asher asked. Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow slightly, unusually falling silent.
"Actually, Merlin just told me," Asher looked up and surveyed the others, "as long as I get close to Tiamat's body and cause even a tiny emotional fluctuation in her, Merlin has a way to perform one last hypnosis, allowing me to enter Tiamat's dream. The time limit is half an hour... or possibly even shorter."
"Hypnosis?" Jeanne repeated. "What are you trying to do, Ash?"
"According to speculation, the Tiamat in the dream possesses self-awareness. As long as we can awaken the Mother in the dream, this crisis can be successfully resolved," Asher said. "And there will be no need to exhaust all means to kill her."
"What if it fails?"
"The Tiamat, awakened from hypnosis and in a completely enraged state, will crush us into powder," Merlin said slowly. "And then... I'll probably be chopped into Merlin-sauce by those people when I get back." It was rare for Merlin to be in a joking mood at such a time.
"Are you serious, Asher?" Gilgamesh turned to look at Asher. "If your main body dies, you should know the consequences, right?"
"Of course, I'm mentally prepared," Asher replied.
Gilgamesh said no more, simply giving Asher a deep look.
"This is too risky..." Mordred whispered to herself, but did not stop him.
"You seem calmer than I imagined. Why?" Jeanne asked, puzzled.
"Father is omnipotent," Mordred grinned. "It's always been that way."
Jeanne suddenly understood. Mordred's feelings for Asher... were less about belief and more about worship a daughter's almost blind adoration for her father.
"Ash, have you really thought this through? If you fail, there might be no chance of escape," Jeanne stared intently into Asher's eyes.
"If I fail, I'll see you in the Throne of Heroes," Asher said jokingly. Jeanne stared at Asher silently, her eyes for a moment filled with resentment. Even at a time like this, he still had the mood to joke.
Ishtar glanced at Jeanne, then at Asher, subtly frowning.
Ash, huh... sounds very intimate. What's there to be proud of with big breasts? But after glancing at the sign hanging on her chest, Ishtar finally sighed. 'Incompetent Goddess' should probably stay quiet for now.
"You go back and get some good rest, Asher," Gilgamesh said. "According to previous calculations, Tiamat will reach Uruk in at least another night. Recharge your energy during this time. Your injuries... even if there's some ability healing them, it would take at least a day to fully recover, right?"
"Hmm," Asher didn't try to be modest. "My injuries should be mostly healed after tonight." Asher turned to look at the night sky outside the hall. He could vaguely hear Tiamat's song, the anger of the Mother of the Earth.
Having lost everything, she was instinctually taking revenge on this land after sealing her self-awareness. And what he had to do was to call back Tiamat's self-awareness.
"To ensure you get enough sleep, I'll arrange a suitable dream for you, allowing you to rest well and regain your strength," Merlin said. "This is one of the few things I can do. Come with me, Arthur." After following Merlin into the room, Merlin raised his hand, muttering some kind of spell. Then, looking at Asher whose eyelids were slowly closing, he smiled and said, "Have a good dream, King Arthur."
________________________________________
...The night wind howled. Ishtar sat on the floor outside the hall, gazing at the dark night sky, seemingly lost in thought. She was indeed very wronged; losing the Heavenly Bull was not her intention... though the result indeed made things very troublesome. But she didn't intentionally want to be the culprit for losing the Heavenly Bull; who knew it would turn out this way!
Ishtar annoyedly ran her hands through her hair, so wronged she wanted to throw away the "Incompetent Goddess" sign hanging on her chest, but then she thought it was good to keep it there as a warning to herself. She hugged her knees, looking down at the ground. Asher was probably already asleep under Merlin's hypnosis by now.
Letting Asher stop the Mother, or rather, awaken her self-awareness... this was a very dangerous thing, but it seemed only he could do it. Ishtar closed her eyes, letting the night wind blow, waiting for the dawn to arrive.
"Aaaaa" The ground suddenly vibrated. A song, as if close at hand, resounded through the night. The sound waves layered upon each other, and in just a few short seconds, everyone who had just been sleeping was awakened from their dreams.
Ishtar suddenly stood up, staring intently at the giant figure in the distance. At the same time, the Uruk soldiers on night duty at the city gate notified other soldiers and rushed into the hall in a hurry.
"King, according to the current distance, Tiamat will reach Uruk before dawn!" Gilgamesh suddenly opened his eyes, a solemn expression in his red eyes, and quickly walked out of the hall.
"It must be related to the seal on Goddess Tiamat.
Because part of the seal has been lifted, her movements are much faster than anticipated," Romani's voice came through the spiritron communication device. Ritsuka and Mash also hadn't rested tonight. It wasn't that they didn't want to rest, but it was truly difficult to fall asleep. It proved that there was indeed no need to sleep, because Tiamat was reaching Uruk much faster than they had imagined!
Gilgamesh slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again. "Merlin, go wake Asher." Merlin said nothing and immediately left the hall. At that moment, Tiamat's song resonated again from the distance. Although the sound was clear, it was so oppressive it made it difficult to breathe.
"Where are you going?" Gilgamesh looked at Ishtar, who had mounted her Heavenly Boat.
"Before Asher wakes up, at least stop Tiamat's advance first... That guy underground is still preparing the Underworld Gate, right? This way, even if Asher fails, there's still room to struggle, dragging Goddess Tiamat into the Underworld!" Without giving them another chance to speak, Ishtar piloted her Heavenly Boat
towards Uruk's city gates.
"Is this her trying to make amends... She truly is a proud goddess," Gilgamesh said softly.
"Let's go quickly too," Ritsuka said, turning to the others. "Ishtar is right. If Asher fails, we need a second method to stop Tiamat... even if hope is slim, we have to try."
________________________________________
...Ishtar gazed at the colossal creature in the distance. Tiamat's current size far exceeded human imagination, like someone holding up heaven and earth, making it hard to breathe.
"Aaaaa" She sang, and though she attacked no one, her mere slow advance towards Uruk caused nearby buildings to collapse. Is that terrifying existence Mother? Ishtar took a deep breath and raised her finger.
"Before others arrive, let me make amends once!" Boom! The power of the Heavenly Boat was fully unleashed. A massive golden light cannon slammed towards the slowly advancing Tiamat. However, compared to Tiamat's size, the seemingly powerful large light cannon was still too small. Tiamat didn't even slow her pace.
"Hi!" Her shoulder was suddenly lightly tapped. Ishtar turned to look, and Quetzalcoatl leaped past her, flashing a sunny smile. "Leave it to your big sister!"
However, Quetzalcoatl, who had just passed by Ishtar, was immediately overtaken by her in the Heavenly Boat.
Under Quetzalcoatl's surprised gaze, Ishtar's lips curved slightly, her smile radiant: "Let me do the cool stuff once in a while too." Since Asher is prepared to sacrifice himself, how could she be worse than him? Long-range light cannons weren't effective, but if she got close to Tiamat's body and used her Noble Phantasm, even if it couldn't cause damage, it should at least shake her forward momentum.
"Ishtar!" Ritsuka shouted.
Ishtar paid no heed. Her gaze was resolute. This wasn't just about making amends; it was also proof that she didn't want to lose to Asher. How dare a mere attendant outshine their Shishou?
"Open the gate, Maanna, this is all my power!" Ishtar's eyes turned a dazzling gold. As she flew towards Tiamat, who stood between heaven and earth, her Noble Phantasm also began to emit light. This was to unleash her Noble Phantasm at an extremely close range to stop Tiamat's advance. Although it would come at a significant cost, she was ready.
"Shatter, Mount Arqa, the Star-Shattering Incense"
"Ah!" Ishtar's entire body suddenly trembled. The Noble Phantasm that had just flared instantly dimmed. Her neck was suddenly pinched by someone. While Ishtar was still in a daze, Asher backhanded her onto Sleipnir's back.
"Go back and rest. Everything will be over soon."
"How did you... get here so fast" Ishtar quickly shook her head. "No, no! Why did you stop me?!"
"You know you can't harm Mother, right? Why are you still doing this? Is it just to atone for your mistakes?"
Asher asked. Ishtar's cheeks flushed slightly, and she stubbornly said, "Is that not allowed?!" She looked as if she was "super fierce right now."
"Then we'll atone together later," Asher said.
"Eh?" Ishtar was stunned. "What does that have to do with you?"
"If you, who lost the Heavenly Bull, are the criminal, then I, who promised to find the Heavenly Bull but didn't, am an accomplice." Ishtar's pupils slowly widened, her red eyes in the dark night shining with dazzling brilliance.
"Aaaaa" A song suddenly echoed from a distance. In the moment of Ishtar's daze, a light cannon suddenly struck.
Asher drew Excalibur and blasted it away. Ishtar gripped Sleipnir's head with both hands, looking slightly nervous at Asher: "Are you really going through with that plan? It's impossible. How could Mother hear your voice now..."
"We'll know if we try." Asher paid no more attention to Ishtar, stepping onto Sleipnir's back, pushing off with his foot. Amidst the howling wind, he transformed into a white dragon and charged towards Tiamat.
The people and soldiers of Uruk watched the white dragon vibrating its wings in the night. The goddesses who had just been preparing to stop Tiamat's advance also ceased their attacks. Countless gazes fell upon the white dragon, watching it rush unflinchingly towards Tiamat.
Tiamat's gaze also froze on the white dragon for a moment. She indeed showed a slight fluctuation. Though only a tiny one, it was... enough.
"Merlin!" The white dragon roared, flying onto Tiamat's body.
"Coming, coming! This is the Flower Magician's strongest hypnosis magic, and Big Brother Merlin's once-in-a-lifetime gamble." Merlin raised his staff, flower petals fluttering around him. "Go" He raised his deep eyes.
"King Arthur!"
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