Gorgon, claiming to be Tiamat's consciousness incarnate, sought to wield Tiamat's power and authority to exact revenge on humans whose selfish desires humiliated and harmed her, their hypocrisy revolting.
The beasts in the Blood Fort Andromeda were born of Gorgon's mana and will.
Though Gorgon had long been subjugated by the Demon God Pillars, Tiamat's divine authority and will remained dormant, preserved.
With the Blood Fort Andromeda's sudden destruction and Gorgon's life force extinguished, the beast eggs hidden within dissolved.
As Gorgon, synchronized with Tiamat's consciousness, perished, the slumbering Tiamat awoke.
The Singularity's most formidable foe emerged from the Persian Gulf's depths.
Boom!!
Above, thunderclaps roared, as swift lightning and solar radiance clashed, their colliding forces shattering the peak where the group once stood.
Blue and red intertwined.
Roy observed from afar.
Moments after leaving, Arjuna had eagerly begun his fated duel with Karna.
The dancing lightning mirrored Arjuna's jubilant heart; this momentous battle was his lifelong desire.
Respecting their final clash, Roy leapt off the peak with Quetzalcoatl, heading to their designated battlefield.
…
…
"Ugh!!"
Elsewhere, Merlin, directing Ishtar and other servant in a formation to encircle Humbaba, staggered mid-battle, vomiting blood.
A searing pain tore through him, accompanied by a cracking sound in his senses, the agony robbing him of movement.
"Oh my, has this body reached its limit? Truly a Beast… unreasonably strong."
Tiamat's awakened consciousness, sensing Merlin's earlier meddling, effortlessly crushed his Saint Graph.
He'd been forcing himself to fight; now, under Humbaba's fierce assault, his battered form gave out.
His Mesopotamian journey ended…
"Hey! Merlin, what's wrong? Fill the gap and keep fighting!!"
Noticing a breach in their formation, Humbaba bared its ferocity, spewing crimson flames at Ishtar, seeking a weak point.
Merlin's absence left Ishtar exposed, nearly struck by the flames. Only Maanna's aerial advantage saved her.
Furious, Ishtar glared at Merlin.
But Merlin's state was worse, stunning the trio in combat.
"Merlin, what happened?"
Cough, cough…
Merlin, clutching his chest, spitting blood, wore a resigned look. "Sorry, everyone, I'm bowing out early."
"That's… a shattered Saint Graph? What did you do?"
Ishtar recognized his dire condition.
"Nothing much, just played a trick before the Mother of Genesis and got caught. This is the price for deceiving a goddess… The rest of this fight is yours. Help my friend… that guy. If no one watches him, he'll do something reckless…"
"Please… I'm counting on you…"
In his body's final moments, Merlin smiled at them, entrusting his last request.
"Give me a moment… we'll talk lat-"
Before finishing, his limit reached, Merlin's body collapsed. The white-haired magus shook his head, dissolving into faint purple mana particles before their eyes.
Ishtar and the others, mid-battle, were caught off guard by his abrupt exit.
But there was no time to mourn. The next to arrive was…
An orange tiger?
"Nope, meow! Not a tiger, a jaguar!!"
A yellow figure appeared at the battlefield's edge, Jaguar Man, Taiga, the Aztec jungle goddess, possibly Tezcatlipoca's avatar, long absent.
Seizing a gap in Humbaba's attack, she dodged with agile grace, struck its head with her jaguar claw spear, then sprinted across the ground, bewildering the beast.
"Haha, Merlin's already out? Bad news, but don't worry, I'll take his spot."
"Roy-bro asked me to handle something, and it's done. Now, let this leading lady, missing for dozens of chapters, shine, meow~"
Spouting cryptic nonsense, Taiga's spear never slowed, relentlessly striking Humbaba's massive form.
Her jaguar-like agility and taunting quips soon drew Humbaba's focus.
This eased the pressure on Ishtar.
The battle on the Mesopotamian plain raged on.
Each held a conviction.
"Today, we'll end this beast!!"
…
…
"Relay my orders: all residents and warriors in Uruk are to evacuate immediately!!"
In Uruk's divine tower, Gilgamesh, sensing something, abandoned his tasks, addressing the priests organizing the evacuation below with a cold expression. "If you want to live, leave now and hide. Go to Kutha, Ur, anywhere. With the Blood Fort Andromeda and the beast mother dead, no more monsters will appear in Mesopotamia."
"But, King… the evacuation isn't complete…"
"Complete it! What's coming isn't some beast, but the Song of Creation, the Mother of Genesis, Tiamat. Take as many as you can. Those who insist on staying can perish with Uruk."
"At this life-or-death moment, I won't coddle every fool. If they won't leave, let them stay and die with Uruk."
"Yes!"
Siduri and the priests assented, turning to leave the tower.
They'd never seen Gilgamesh so stern.
Since becoming Uruk's wise king, he hadn't shouted in rage. His current demeanor evoked memories of Enkidu's time, a youthful Gilgamesh in his prime.
"I'll fulfill your mission." Siduri bowed slightly, preparing to depart.
"Siduri!!"
Gilgamesh called her back.
"King?" She turned, puzzled.
"…Siduri, after organizing the residents and warriors, evacuate with them. For safety, Leonidas and Roy's ascended warriors will escort you to a secure location, preserving Uruk's spark."
"But…"
Siduri and the priests hesitated, but Gilgamesh's icy tone cut them off.
"No buts, you self-righteous fools. Your strength is useless here. Uruk will soon be the final battlefield. Except for Servants and ascended warriors, mortals here are ants to be slaughtered. You'd only hinder me. Leave, you are Uruk's spark. Your sole duty is to carry it forward!!"
Hearing his unyielding words, Siduri and the priests bowed respectfully. "By your command, we'll not fail. We'll preserve Uruk's spark."
"Hmph, that's right. Now get out, far away! Don't stay and burden me."
After brusquely dismissing his loyal priestess Siduri, Gilgamesh sighed, returning to his throne. His crimson eyes gazed toward the Persian Gulf.
His scarlet gaze pierced miles, capturing the anomaly in the Gulf.
A corner of the world seemed to vanish. At the sea's edge, a terrifying disturbance, undeniable to Gilgamesh and all life in Mesopotamia, surged.
Endless black storms gathered, Tiamat's boundless power unleashing a Sea of Life, rapidly eroding the primal ocean. Even Gilgamesh's Clairvoyance couldn't pierce its evolving scenes.
Yet, undeniably, the black clouds and tides birthed terror, the dark sea harbored omen, and what approached wielded world-ending calamity.
The Mother of Genesis's wrath, vengeance from the Sea of Life, challenged Mesopotamia's humanity.
Except for the stubborn fools vowing to die with Uruk, Gilgamesh had ordered Siduri to evacuate all.
Most residents, under his stern command, had left, gaining a chance at survival.
But this wasn't the end.
Gilgamesh knew failing to stop this ultimate calamity would doom humanity.
Leonidas was escorting Siduri and the residents from Uruk.
Jaguar Man had retrieved Roy's critical item.
Ishtar and that fool Merlin were battling Humbaba.
Arjuna faced Karna in their duel.
Ereshkigal was relocating the Underworld.
Roy and the two Aztec gods were heading to the sea to stall Tiamat, buying time for the Underworld's shift.
That left him, the king in Uruk, with the lightest load…
Hmph! Impossible, mongrels!!
At this life-or-death juncture, how could he, the king, sit idly, waiting for the enemy?
With that, Gilgamesh unfurled his clay tablet, channeling mana to fine-tune his trump card, Uruk's wall-mounted defensive weapons, forged from his supreme treasury.
He awaited the moment to unleash their power.
Though reluctant to admit, Roy had done him a great favor.
Instead of risking his life to operate the Melammu Dingirs alone, he now had time to perfect them.
On Uruk's walls, the warriors had evacuated with Siduri per his orders, but beside each Melammu Dingir stood a white figure, silently gazing into the distance.
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