After returning to the surface, Shiomi noticed the storm clouds had dispersed. The long night was ending, and dawn was breaking.
He had thought his "conversation" with Tiamat hadn't taken much time, but now it seemed to have lasted longer than expected.
Even though Artoria's Holy Lance had pierced a massive hole through it, the city of Uruk showed no signs of collapse, and the entrance to the underworld had vanished without a trace.
It was just like what they'd seen in Kutha.
The Chaos Tide that had once engulfed the city had receded. Though the streets remained quiet and cold, once the people of Uruk returned from the shelters by the northern walls, the city would come back to life.
Once the Singularity was repaired, the Human Order Calculations would steer history back toward its original decline—but at least this generation of Mesopotamians could enjoy fifty more years of relative prosperity.
Not a bad outcome, all things considered. Shiomi smiled to himself.
He lifted his gaze toward the Divine Tower, damaged in the battle with Tiamat, and began walking.
Morgan, Scáthach, Artoria, and the rest of Chaldea's team were running toward him.
When Shiomi's signal had been restored upon his return from the underworld, Romani had informed the others, who'd been waiting on the surface for nearly eight hours.
The first to throw her arms around him was his master. Morgan, caught off guard, could only shoot a mildly annoyed but resigned look, as if to say, "Fine, just this once."
"What happened down there in the underworld?" Artoria asked.
No one could see what had transpired below. Even Ereshkigal, who had been there, could only witness the Chaos Tide swallowing Shiomi and Tiamat, obscuring all trace of him.
"Mother remembered who she was. Rather than lashing out in anger or grief, she chose to reclaim the joy of being the Mother of Creation... She chose the 'love' she never truly lost," Shiomi said, brushing a hand through his master's hair before lifting his head and meeting everyone's eyes. "So she gave up her intentions and returned to the Sea of Imaginary Numbers by her own will."
He gently let go of his master and opened his palm.
A golden mana crystal shimmered into view.
The Holy Grail of the King of Magecraft.
Tiamat had entrusted it to Shiomi as she departed.
Or rather, she had gifted it to the child she now loved most.
"So this is... a parting gift from your mother?" Scáthach asked, piecing things together from his words.
Shiomi gave a sheepish smile. "It's just a title, really. But calling myself 'the twelfth offspring of Goddess Tiamat'... I think I'll allow it."
Even so, his spirit was now connected to Tiamat's. In the future, they would be able to meet again—in dreams.
Morgan, his master, and Artoria all laughed at the remark, while the others looked a bit bewildered.
After all, Shiomi had only said he needed to face Tiamat himself before deciding whether to kill her. He had never explained why.
"Whoa—what a surprise! I didn't think it would turn out like that~!"
Quetzalcoatl's voice rang out behind them.
Everyone turned in shock.
They saw Quetzalcoatl and Ishtar leaning on each other as they walked in from the city gate, with the Jaguar Warrior following closely behind.
Shiomi stared in disbelief. "You're alive?!"
"Just barely," Quetzalcoatl said with a wry grin. "Our divinity is practically burned out. We're just waiting to fade from this Singularity when the time comes."
"Thankfully this guy caught us," Ishtar added. "If not, we would've fallen into Mother's black mud."
At that, the Jaguar Warrior proudly gave a thumbs-up, pointing at herself with a smug, punch-worthy grin plastered on her face.
"I see..." Shiomi exhaled in relief.
Fewer sacrifices in the end—definitely something to be thankful for.
"But if you ask me," came a languid, mocking voice from above, "a woman like you should've just fallen into the black mud. With that rotten personality of yours, even the Goddess Tiamat's black mud couldn't pollute you more than a fraction of what you already are."
The scathing remark, filled with lazy contempt, drifted down from the rooftop.
Ishtar jumped in surprise. "Enkidu? Not Kingu?!"
"Is it really that shocking, Goddess Ishtar?" Enkidu replied with his usual gentleness, though his words carried a sharp edge. "If even you can be summoned, then it's only natural for me to return—to protect the people of Uruk and the future of Mesopotamia."
He turned toward Gilgamesh. "Gil, this goddess isn't in any condition to resist. Why not deal with her now? It would be for Uruk's own good."
"Hmph… While tormenting allies is hardly in line with this king's disposition," Gilgamesh said, "if my friend insists, I may have to reconsider."
In the next moment, two golden gates shimmered into view behind them—each with a different aura, both aimed at Ishtar.
"You two are unbelievable…" Ishtar muttered, feeling a headache coming on.
Shiomi raised his hand. "Are you seriously starting a fight now? We just finished a battle—shouldn't we be celebrating?"
"I mean no offense to you, Master of Chaldea," Enkidu said with a polite nod. "But there are things in this world that cannot coexist. Ishtar and Uruk are as incompatible as water and fire."
"..." Shiomi found himself at a loss for words.
According to legend, Ishtar had been the cause of Enkidu's death. And while Enkidu's reasoning sounded justified, his actions certainly resembled revenge.
Trying to preach forgiveness in this situation? Not a great idea.
"Wait—Enkidu!" Sakura quickly tried to intervene on Ishtar's behalf.
But before she could say more, both Enkidu and the riled-up Gilgamesh suddenly withdrew their attacks.
The reason was obvious.
Ishtar's body had been taken over.
"Whew… Good thing this still works. Honestly, your relationship is just the worst," said Ereshkigal.
Though she remained in the underworld, Ereshkigal had learned that Enkidu had appeared in the final moments to help stop Tiamat. Once she confirmed Ishtar hadn't perished, she was ready to reclaim control of the body.
"Hahaha! You actually got so scared you hid behind your sister—that's just pathetic," Gilgamesh mocked.
Enkidu gave a small nod. "True enough. But since Goddess Ereshkigal is here, I suppose I'll shelve that idea... for now."
What had nearly become a tense skirmish was thankfully defused by Ereshkigal's timely intervention.
"So... that link wasn't broken after all?" Shiomi asked.
"Well... I wanted to say goodbye to everyone, so I left a little back door open," Ereshkigal said, running over to high-five Sakura. "That's okay, right?"
"I mean... I guess that's fair."
It was meant to be a lighthearted moment, yet all Shiomi could do was sigh in amused exasperation.