Because standing directly in front of him, aside from the suffocating, endless black tide washing ashore, were hundreds of millions—no, an absolutely infinite, uncountable swarm of Lahmu bathing in the blackened ocean, while an equally dense cloud of them blotted out the sky above.
After that brief, yet incredibly long bout of slaughter, Takumi finally fully comprehended exactly why the Lahmu and the Chaos Tide in the original game's plot had managed to massacre the entire human population of Mesopotamia down to a mere five hundred survivors in just two waves.
Honestly, he felt that five hundred survivors was an incredibly generous estimate. At the same time, he found it completely impossible to comprehend how Fujimaru Ritsuka had managed to navigate through this absolute nightmare of a swarm for half a day without being instantly vaporized. After all, compared to Takumi, even if Fujimaru later class-changed into a Summoner, he was fundamentally still a fragile, squishy human.
Why did he arrive at this conclusion? For anyone who had played a certain game called Honkai: Star Rail, the following comparison would perfectly illustrate the terror.
Unlike the Lahmu in the original game's storyline—which were mostly slow, clumsy, flightless ground-targets that acted like absolute idiots—nearly ninety percent of the Lahmu manifesting right now belonged to the flying variant!
They were unimaginably fast, their numbers were functionally infinite, and the sheer, overwhelming pressure they exerted felt exactly like—a slightly nerfed version of the "Swarm Disaster" from the Propagation!
While their individual strength obviously couldn't compare to a universe-ending cosmic crisis, for a human civilization that hadn't even developed interplanetary travel, this was an apocalyptic, entirely insurmountable natural disaster. If these twisted freaks abandoned their sadistic desire to toy with and torture humans, and shifted into pure, hyper-efficient killing machines, even a first-rate Servant like Ushiwakamaru would find herself simultaneously fending off over a dozen Lahmu at any given moment.
Just imagine it: in a fraction of a second, over a dozen six-foot-tall, steel-hard, giant alien mosquitoes are violently crashing toward you from every conceivable angle at Mach 0.5, fully intending to shred you into bloody ribbons. If your reaction speed isn't flawless, if you can't expertly parry multi-directional attacks simultaneously, and if your physical defense is lacking... you would be reduced to a bloody mist in the blink of an eye.
At the very least, Takumi absolutely did not believe that Mash alone could successfully protect Fujimaru Ritsuka—a human Master with relatively low personal combat prowess—in a completely chaotic, 360-degree meat grinder like this.
Even Takumi, fully rested, having aggressively power-leveled his skills over the past few days, and possessing drastically increased speed and attack power, felt a profound sense of helplessness facing this specific scenario.
If the total number of Lahmu was genuinely capped at a few hundred million, and they didn't endlessly multiply, Takumi could probably just grind it out and eventually kill them all. But the crux of the absolute nightmare lay directly across the blackened ocean, staring right at him—the colossal, towering silhouette of Beast II, Tiamat.
As long as she existed, as long as she lived, she could "birth" as many of these horrific creatures as she desired. No matter how fast or how efficiently Takumi slaughtered them, it was ultimately completely futile labor.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh..."
Just as Takumi was furiously brainstorming a countermeasure, Tiamat, floating in the distant ocean, unhinged her "tiny" mouth—which was actually larger than a small house. A bizarrely innocent yet agonizingly piercing, hyper-destructive screech—a soundwave capable of literally rupturing human eardrums and liquefying organs—erupted from her throat.
Driven by her horrific voice and raw, absolute Authority, the blackened ocean instantly churned violently. A massive, apocalyptic tsunami, towering dozens of meters high, surged forward with the momentum to swallow the entire world, crashing violently toward the shore.
This was a true natural disaster!
Even a gentle, casual cry from her possessed enough raw, destructive kinetic force to instantly flatten every single piece of human architecture across Mesopotamia.
And that wasn't all. Tiamat had clearly noticed Takumi, the anomaly who had just exterminated a massive chunk of her "children" in record time. Her colossal, crimson-and-blue, star-patterned irises suddenly flashed violently, and a devastating beam of pure, concentrated magical energy shot across the ocean, aimed squarely at Takumi.
SWISH!
Takumi swung the [Sword of the Heart].
In an instant, the towering, apocalyptic tsunami, the blackened ocean beneath it, and the countless Lahmu bathing in its path were flawlessly, violently cleaved in two by a single, heaven-rending sword strike! The devastating beam fired from Tiamat's Star Eyes was completely dispersed, revealing the deep, jagged sword scar carved into the bedrock and reefs at the bottom of the sea.
The world-ending disaster was instantly neutralized!
Furthermore, the sword aura didn't lose a single fraction of its momentum. It tore across the ocean and slammed directly into Tiamat's divine body—
Yet, it merely managed to carve a shallow, unimpressive scratch across her flesh.
Seeing that a strike capable of casually splitting an ocean had only inflicted such negligible damage, Takumi fell into a profound, heavy silence.
While he hadn't used his absolute maximum output, and the damage was naturally mitigated by the massive distance between them, the Tiamat standing before him was undeniably the single most physically durable entity he had ever encountered in his entire life.
This wasn't the first-stage "Femme Fatale" form that Ishtar had blasted through in the game. This was her true, absolute "Second Stage." Her colossal, divine body towered hundreds of meters tall, and the massive horns erupting from her head accounted for nearly a third of her total mass. She was an absolute, literal mountain of flesh and divinity.
Any normal, non-conceptual attack would probably just equate to giving her a light pedicure.
Takumi immediately decided to strategically retreat. While he was absolutely confident he could out-brawl and carve up this second-stage Tiamat, he couldn't guarantee he could actually kill her. He needed to head back, gather everyone, brainstorm, and formulate a solid, long-term strategy on how to permanently bypass her absolute Immortality.
Besides, Takumi had already eaten dirt in this exact scenario more than once—specifically regarding his habit of blindly rushing in.
In the Sixth Singularity, because he speed-ran the slaughter too quickly, Agravain and the Lion King went on high alert and drastically altered their plans. When he first arrived in the Seventh Singularity, he ambushed Kingu entirely too fast, resulting in the clay doll getting so utterly terrified he developed PTSD, leading to Takumi returning empty-handed and generating a massive mountain of extra work for himself...
Ever since he let Kingu slip through his fingers, Takumi had deeply regretted his actions countless times. Kingu was exactly like fighting a fed Lu Bu in a MOBA; you had to gently coax him into a fight and let him think he was winning. If you spooked him even slightly, he'd just run back and cower under his tower forever!
He absolutely should have let Kingu off the hook initially! He should have put on an act, pretended it was a tough fight, retreated, fully rested up, grinded a few more levels, and then one-shot the arrogant, overconfident Kingu later! That single tactical error had cost him at least thirty percent more overall effort in this Singularity!
"Aaaaaahhhhhh..."
The bisected ocean churned violently and slammed back together. Tiamat, whose reaction time was noticeably sluggish, finally let out a delayed, slightly pained cry from the sword strike.
Seeing this, Takumi hesitated no longer. The Heart of Fire flared across his palm, instantly shifting his flag into its blazing, plasma state. He swung it fiercely with one hand.
[Bounded Field: Nine Dragons Returning Fire]!
Countless blazing Runes erupted from the fiery flag. In mere seconds, a scorching, orange-red bounded field completely enveloped the entire frontline of the Persian Gulf coast. Several slender, unimaginably massive Chinese Dragons materialized from the flames, coiling and continuously patrolling the sprawling defensive barrier. Emitting an aura capable of boiling the seas and incinerating the heavens, they dyed the sky a brilliant crimson and caused the blackened seawater along the coast to continuously boil and vaporize.
Countless Lahmu, utterly incapable of suppressing their urge to storm the beach, threw themselves at the barrier. They were instantly swallowed by the fiery dragons, letting out soundless, agonizing shrieks as they were instantly reduced to fine, white ash by the unimaginable heat.
"This should buy us a little bit of time..."
Having expended a massive amount of magical energy and focus to deploy such a colossal, sustained Runic array, Takumi let out a slightly labored breath. His silhouette instantly vanished from the shore.
***
"Oh my! What an incredibly grand spectacle!"
Standing atop the highest point of her temple, Quetzalcoatl, who had witnessed Takumi's ocean-splitting strike and the subsequent deployment of the colossal, heaven-scorching bounded field, clicked her tongue in genuine awe.
"Quetzalcoatl!"
Hearing her name suddenly called from directly behind her, Quetzalcoatl, still captivated by the blazing horizon, instinctively turned her head and blinked.
"Eh? To think you'd actually come looking for Big Sister first!"
Quetzalcoatl stared in genuine surprise at the youth who had practically teleported behind her in the blink of an eye.
"Hmm. Did that King of Uruk send you here to eliminate me? Well, even if that's the case, Big Sister absolutely refuses to go down without a fight!"
Although she severely doubted she had any real chance of winning against him in her current state, Quetzalcoatl still flashed a vicious, fiercely competitive grin and dropped into a flawless combat stance.
As a Goddess of Good, standing at the absolute pinnacle of Benevolence, any attack containing "Good" intent fundamentally could not harm her. However... she wasn't entirely sure how that specific conceptual defense would interact with a bizarre entity like an anomaly from beyond the stars...
Conversely, the conceptual property of "Those with hesitation in their hearts cannot cross this blade" perfectly hard-countered the current Quetzalcoatl. If she genuinely tried to muster the intent to strike Takumi right now, she would be completely shocked to find herself physically incapable of throwing a punch.
But before Quetzalcoatl could even attempt to throw the first strike, she watched in utter bewilderment as Takumi—completely lowering his guard—strode confidently toward her, his fiery eyes completely locked onto hers.
"Quetzalcoatl! Join our team! Let's save the world together!"
Takumi stopped right in front of the stunned Goddess and firmly extended his hand toward her.
Staring into those brilliant, perfectly pure, glass-like fiery pupils, Quetzalcoatl felt every single trace of negative emotion and combat tension she had accumulated instantly sucked away and incinerated. Her heart was immediately flooded with profound clarity and a gentle, comforting warmth. The strength completely drained from her combat stance, her arms dropping limply to her sides.
Sensing the absolute, unadulterated sincerity and unwavering trust Takumi held for her through his eyes and his Flame, Quetzalcoatl quickly recovered from her brief daze. She stared back at him with equal intensity.
Then, adopting a disgustingly sweet, almost suffocatingly affectionate tone, she purred:
"If you're willing to address me as 'The Gentle, Reliable, and Passionate Big Sister,' then I might just consider it~!"
Meeting Quetzalcoatl's deeply expectant gaze, Takumi didn't hesitate for a single microsecond:
"Gentle, Reliable, and Passionate Big Sister Quetzalcoatl, please join us and help save the world!"
Having his absolute utter lack of shame thoroughly tempered and forged by the constant use of the [Heart of Fire], Takumi was now completely immune to feeling even the slightest bit of embarrassment when saying things like this!
"Yes, yes~! Just leave absolutely everything to Big Sister! The Goddess of South America, Quetzalcoatl, is more than happy to wield her power for your sake!"
Seeing the brilliant, blindingly radiant smile the beautiful youth flashed her, Quetzalcoatl—whose intense fondness for Takumi had long since breached its absolute limit—instantly grabbed his extended hand. She forcefully pulled it against her chest, her face blossoming into a look of pure, ecstatic joy.
Being forcibly subjected to the "softness" of a highly passionate Goddess, Takumi's face and fingers instantly went stiff. Feeling incredibly awkward, he hurriedly changed the subject:
"The bounded field I just set up can only temporarily stall the Chaos Tide and the Lahmu swarm! We need to evacuate everyone in your territory immediately! I need to transport them behind the Northern Wall; it's the only place that's even remotely safe right now."
The Northern Wall—the Absolute Demonic Front—was situated furthest inland from the Persian Gulf, behind Uruk. It was undeniably the most secure location remaining in all of Mesopotamia.
Outside of that fortified stronghold, even Takumi absolutely refused to guarantee he could successfully protect a massive civilian population from the endless, suffocating swarm of Lahmu.
"No problem at all~! But once we finish the evacuation... will you give Big Sister a massive, tight hug?"
Still firmly clasping Takumi's hand against her chest, Quetzalcoatl greedily pushed her luck, leaning in close with eyes overflowing with intense anticipation.
Takumi: "..."
This Goddess is perhaps a bit too... aggressively passionate?
However, right at that exact moment.
A figure wearing a ridiculously absurd, full-body tiger mascot costume—Taiga Fujimura—suddenly violently slid out from the dense jungle nearby. Wielding her signature paw-print club, she dramatically struck a heroic pose mid-slide, pointing her weapon directly at Quetzalcoatl and Takumi while roaring at the top of her lungs:
"Kukulkan! I have arrived to aid you! Having sensed the catastrophic disturbance from miles away, I sprinted here without stopping for a single second... Eh?"
Seeing the two of them acting incredibly "intimate," and watching them both slowly turn their heads to stare at her simultaneously—Jaguar Man's brain completely short-circuited.
After a few seconds of absolute, mind-blanking "Cosmic Processing," Jaguar Man's eyes suddenly bulged out of their sockets:
"Kukulkan... Don't tell me you actually betrayed us...?!!"
Absolute disbelief, profound regret, blazing fury, and devastating heartbreak... a chaotic maelstrom of intense emotions instantly flooded Jaguar Man's eyes. She stared at Quetzalcoatl exactly as if she were looking at a treacherous, cheating swindler!
"Jaguar Man..."
Feeling profoundly helpless, Quetzalcoatl just opened her mouth to explain the situation, only to be violently cut off by Jaguar Man's tragic, agonizing roar:
"How could you betray us without inviting me to join you?!!!"
Quetzalcoatl: "..."
Takumi: "..."
Alright. It's our fault for expecting the thought process of a gag-character to follow any sort of logical reasoning.
"Fine! Fine! Fine! Since it's come to this, I won't hold back anymore! Even if I'm the only one left standing, I, Jaguar Man, absolutely refuse to surrender! Bring it on!"
"You evil, villainous Anomaly!"
Shouting "Fine" three times in rapid succession, a furious Jaguar Man aggressively dropped into a combat stance, ready to take them both on.
Reaching out an arm to physically restrain Quetzalcoatl—whose face had gone completely dark and was fully preparing to walk over and beat Jaguar Man senseless—Takumi stared directly into Jaguar Man's eyes.
In an instant, the deeply entrenched combat stance Jaguar Man had just struck completely collapsed. She shuddered violently.
Then, Takumi smoothly extended his hand toward her:
"Jaguar Man! Join our team!"
Your fur is as brilliantly glossy as a Demonic Boar's! Your eyes are as fiercely spirited as a Gazing Beast's... You are simply too beautiful!
'Glossy fur... Fiercely spirited eyes...'
Hearing Takumi's completely bizarre, yet incredibly sincere internal praise perfectly broadcasted to her, Jaguar Man couldn't help but gulp nervously. Even though she could clearly sense Takumi's utter lack of experience giving compliments like this, her eyes trembled violently, and her heart felt like it was on a high-speed roller coaster.
Finally!
"Meooow—!!"
Subconsciously squeezing her legs together and hugging her paw-club tightly against her chest, Jaguar Man threw her head back and let out a triumphant, ecstatic yowl at the sky.
Her voice echoed throughout the ruins of Eridu.
When they looked back, they found Jaguar Man had already incredibly consciously trotted over and attached herself to Takumi's side.
"Hiiiii~ (￣▽￣) / I'm joining your team~!"
"If you order me to beat up Kukulkan right now, I absolutely won't hesitate for a single second, meow!"