Almost ten days had passed quickly since the Northern Wall nearly collapsed under the massive Demon Beast attack.
In these ten days, thanks to Naoki's long-range annihilation abilities and the vigilance of several Servants, the Northern Wall had managed to withstand wave after wave of large-scale Demon Beast assaults.
However, despite Naoki's ability to wipe out thousands of Demon Beasts at a time, the trend of Demon Beast attacks showed no signs of weakening. At least four or five attacks occurred daily, each involving over a thousand Demon Beasts.
Where were these Demon Beasts coming from? Why hadn't such numbers appeared before? Could the cedar forest really harbor that many Demon Beasts?
The more Demon Beasts were eliminated, the greater the doubts that arose in the Servants' minds.
Naoki had similar thoughts, but unlike the Servants, he might have been able to guess the specific reason behind it.
The Magical Beast Goddess was not the true Magical Beast Goddess. Her real name was Gorgon, the hero-killer from the Shapeless Island in Greek mythology, a Gorgon (Medusa) with Mystic Eyes of Petrification. The reason she was called the Magical Beast Goddess was because someone had synchronized Tiamat's authority, the Hundred Beast Mother's Womb, with her.
Thus, Gorgon became the Magical Beast Goddess.
However, for Gorgon to produce Demon Beasts, she required raw materials. This was why the Demon Beasts attacking Uruk had been abducting corpses and humans—they were needed to produce new Demon Beasts.
Producing Demon Beasts without any consumption was something only the true Tiamat could do.
And now…
"The number of Demon Beasts is starting to become abnormal."
Standing on the Northern Wall with Naoki, gazing at the cedar forest in the distance, Merry said with a smile: "It seems the enemy has increased Gorgon's synchronization with the Hundred Beast Mother's Womb, or perhaps her authority has been enhanced?"
The Hundred Beast Mother's Womb was an authority belonging to Tiamat and couldn't be used by others so easily. Though Gorgon could synchronize with it, there were still limitations. The need to consume humans to produce Demon Beasts was one manifestation of this.
But the current situation… it seemed those limitations had been lifted somehow? The number of Demon Beasts appearing over the past few days far exceeded what could be produced from humans alone.
"Merlin, Merry, how's the seal on Tiamat that you two are guarding?" Naoki asked.
"Always stable, no signs of being breached." Merry replied.
Since the Human Order Incineration began half a year ago, Merry had come to this Singularity and used every means to trap Tiamat in the Dream Cage.
This had been agreed upon between her and Naoki from the start.
Recently, after matters in the fifth Singularity were resolved, Merlin had also arrived here, and together with Merry, they guarded the Dream Cage. Thanks to this, Merlin and Merry previously had extra energy to repair the Northern Wall. If it had been just one person guarding it as before, even that small amount of extra energy wouldn't have been possible.
If the cage were breached later, neither of them would immediately face a fatal impact; instead, it would be split evenly between them.
(Still well-maintained? That means the seal hasn't been tampered with. Then… the only thing that comes to mind is the Holy Grail.)
Naoki knew that the Holy Grail sent by Goetia to this era was now in Kingû's hands. If Kingû used the Holy Grail, a situation like this wouldn't be impossible.
But why?
Naoki felt puzzled.
Was it to maintain a balance with the Northern Wall?
Indeed, without Naoki, the Demon Beasts could break through the Northern Wall in an instant.
(Does that mean they're trying to pin me down?)
Could it be that by keeping him occupied, one of Kingû's objectives could be achieved? If so, what was that objective?
As Naoki pondered, in the distant cedar forest—
*WUUUNG—!*
An immense Mana reaction, unlike anything he'd felt before, suddenly flooded Naoki's senses! It was as if a mage had suddenly conjured a massive boulder on an empty table!
(No, that's not right. This isn't a single entity…)
Naoki calmed himself and sensed the situation in the cedar forest.
(The Mana reaction is coming from deep within the cedar forest… It's shaped like a temple, and—seriously?)
The massive boulder within his sensory range slowly unraveled. After carefully sensing it, Naoki clearly discerned the true nature of that boulder.
It was a colossal horde of countless Demon Beasts!
And at that moment—
*BAM!*
Naoki suddenly felt his sensory ability forcefully blocked and severed. Immediately after, a powerful counterattack came from the cedar forest, like a hammer slamming into his head with full force!
"Ugh…"
Unable to suppress a muffled groan, Naoki wiped a bit of blood from his nose, then took a deep breath with a serious expression.
"Naoki?"
Noticing the grim expression of the person beside her, Merry asked, "What's wrong?"
"Go tell the others to prepare for battle. A Demon Beast attack like the one ten days ago is coming soon." Naoki said. "No, it might be even more intense than ten days ago."
"A lot of them?"
"I stopped counting after eighty thousand."
So, the Demon Beasts about to attack definitely exceeded eighty thousand?
That was indeed a dire situation. After all, even Naoki couldn't wipe out over eighty thousand Demon Beasts in an instant. Even dropping the moon wouldn't do it!
Merry nodded: "Got it. I'll inform the others immediately."
"Tell Morgan to set up a shield and take charge of activating Dingir. One Northern Wall should be manageable for her. The others should pair up and guard the entrances. You two help out as well."
After saying that, Naoki flew into the sky alone.
Merry hooked her staff onto Naoki's pants: "Where are you going?"
"The Demon Beasts will take some time to cross the cedar forest and plains to reach the Northern Wall. I'm going to wipe out as many as I can before they get here to reduce the pressure on your defense."
"And… see if I can take out their BOSS."
Naoki explained while gazing toward the cedar forest.
After a brief silence, Merry retracted her staff: "Be careful then. And—is today the day?"
"Maybe. If necessary, I'll give you all a signal."
"Hmm, alright. Go."
After waving to Naoki, Merry turned and headed toward the stairs with Merlin.
Then—
*WHOOSH!*
Flames erupted from both hands like rockets, and Naoki instantly transformed into a fiery comet, speeding toward the cedar forest!