91. The Expedition is About to Begin
Hahahaha...
A deep laugh echoed over the Persian Gulf. Kingu hovered above the waves, his eyes fixed on the gradually clearing, enormous, and breathtaking silhouette in the center of the sea. He could no longer suppress his smile.
"Mother...welcome back!"
With the appearance of Tiamat, the mother of creation, the Sea of Life gushed forth from beneath her enormous body like black mud, instantly staining the clear Persian Gulf with a despairing inky blackness. The waves no longer churned up white foam, but instead churned up filth.
"Hiss—"
"Hoo-ha—"
Accompanied by tooth-grinding hisses and shrieks, countless twisted figures struggled to their feet from the polluted seawater. They were pitch black and bizarre in shape, the new life born from Tiamat, Rahmu.
Once ashore, they all turned their gazes in the same direction—Uruk, the last bastion of humanity standing tall on the horizon. Without any command, these nascent monsters, like ants smelling blood, let out even more excited shrieks, transforming into a vast, black torrent that swept towards Uruk.
"Go! My brothers and sisters!"
Kingu spread his arms wide, his voice rising with ecstasy.
"The demise of humanity in the old era begins today! The era we have been waiting for is about to begin! Hehehehe... Hahahahaha!"
Laughter echoed across the sea, eventually being drowned out by the chilling rustling sound of the Rahmu army marching forward.
...
Inside Uruk.
A tense atmosphere, almost frozen, filled the air. In just over ten hours, Uruk welcomed a large number of survivors. Then, almost all the civilians were orderly transferred to an underground cave that had been dug according to the king's orders. The cave had been repaired and reinforced by the Xiling.
Meanwhile, on the city walls of Uruk, on the outskirts of the city, armored soldiers nervously faced the ever-spreading, engulfing black tide on the horizon.
They came closer, even closer!
The soldiers could clearly see the details of the monsters, their unprecedented shapes, and their speed and numbers far exceeding common sense, which brought a fear that stemmed from their biological instincts.
Even the most battle-hardened veteran's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva that tasted of rust.
What's puzzling is that when the first wave of Rahmu surged towards the city walls like a black tide, with even a few of the fastest individuals leaping high into the air, letting out excited roars as they attempted to climb the city wall—
Not a single soldier on the city wall made a move!
They stood silently behind the battlements, their eyes fixed on the surging waves of monsters below. The atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating, with only Rahmu's sharp hissing filling the air.
Bang--!
With a sudden burst of strength, a Rahmu slammed its entire body into the thick city wall like a cannonball!
The instant its limbs touched the Uruk stone wall—
Buzz—!
A deep, resounding hum echoed throughout the city!
Centered on the point of contact, a deep blue magic circle suddenly appeared! It was not an illusory light or shadow, but a solidified magic power that erupted with an overwhelming, repulsive force!
"Woo-hoo—!"
The Rahmu barely managed to utter half a scream before it was struck by an invisible giant hammer, flying backward at an even greater speed than it had come. It arced through the air and crashed heavily into the group of black monsters behind it, causing chaos.
And this is just the beginning!
As if the impact of the Rahmu had acted as a trigger for a vast, dormant consciousness, the ground of the entire city of Uruk trembled slightly! Countless fine blue rays of light, like awakened nerve bundles, burst forth from the city's center in an instant!
Countless magic circle patterns, also shimmering with brilliant blue light, spread, connected, and intertwined along the ground and walls like living vines, reaching every corner of the city walls at an astonishing speed!
Swish!
Blue magical light streamed up the city walls, outlining patterns on their surface. In just a few breaths, a colossal, semi-circular magical barrier covering the entire city of Uruk had taken shape!
If anyone from the Raya Lucaria Academy of Lands Between were here, they would surely recognize it—this is the barrier the academy uses to isolate itself from the mortal world!
At this moment, the core of the sealing technique is located in the center of Uruk city.
The Tarnished stood silently in the center of the magic circle, magic power flowing through his body and staff, continuously into the earth beneath his feet, surging along the ubiquitous network of patterns towards the edge of the city, supporting this barrier.
Sensing everything that had happened outside the city, the Tarnished whispered:
"...If you can break through, then try to break through."
Outside the city wall, Rahmu looked at the blue light screen that appeared, tilted its deformed head, seemingly confused, or perhaps trying to assess the situation.
The brief pause ended in the next second.
"Hiss—!!!"
"Hoaaaaah—!"
Like cold water being poured into a boiling oil pan, the entire black tide of Rahmu was completely engulfed!
Without any hesitation, they charged forward one after another, crashing hard into the seemingly fragile but actually indestructible blue barrier!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A dense, rain-like series of impacts erupted instantly, continuously, and muffled, like the beating of a giant drum! But the blue magical light that formed the barrier only rippled slightly, like a pebble thrown into a lake, disappearing in an instant, and the solid barrier itself remained completely still!
Breaking a sealing spell cannot be done by sheer numbers; sufficient power is required!
"It's blocked! It really is blocked!"
"A miracle! This is a miracle!"
Seeing this, joy filled the hearts of every soldier! The fear stemming from the unknown was instantly dispelled by a powerful sense of security! Morale soared at a visible speed!
Just then, Leonidas I stepped forward and shouted, "King's Cannon! Ready!"
On the city wall, cannons that had been set up in advance began to rotate, precisely locking onto the black tide below.
"Fire!!!"
Boom! Boom boom boom boom—!!!
A deafening barrage of artillery fire suddenly ripped apart Rahmu's roar! Powerful magic projectiles shot out like meteors!
An astonishing scene unfolded: the cannonballs, powerful enough to shatter mountain rocks, did not get blocked or bounced off the blue magic barrier of Uruk like they did to Rahmu. Instead, they passed through the barrier without any hindrance, as if passing through a phantom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shells landed in the densest area of the Rahmu, instantly unleashing a devastating shockwave! Patches of Rahmu were blasted to pieces amidst screams of agony, limbs and debris flying everywhere along with black mud!
At the highest point of the Royal Palace Tower, Gilgamesh stood with his arms crossed, overlooking the entire battlefield. He looked at the impenetrable blue barrier, the black waves that were struggling against it in vain, and the King's Cannon relentlessly reaping the monsters under the barrier's protection. Finally, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
"Not only will it transform Uruk into an absolute fortress, but it will also allow my King's Cannon to unleash its maximum destructive power..." Gilgamesh muttered to himself, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
Golden ripples spread out behind him as Gilgamesh arrived from above, not far from the Tarnished. He stretched out a hand and casually reached into the space behind him that shimmered with golden ripples—the Royal Treasury.
When he withdrew his hand again, he was holding an object in his palm.
The Holy Grail!
"Well done, magician."
Gilgamesh's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the surrounding magical hum and the distant sounds of gunfire.
"This place is now in your hands."
"As for this..."
Gilgamesh looked at the Holy Grail in his hand, his smile deepening, "It is my reward for your outstanding achievements."
The city's defense and attack are now almost entirely carried out by the enemy alone. Although the King's Cannon was made by himself, there is no rule that he must use it personally.
The other party has made such a contribution to Uruk and deserves to be rewarded for it.
The Tarnished never expected that the other party would hand over the Holy Grail to him, but he did not refuse. Although his magic power was now being consumed very slowly, and he could even hold out for several days, no one knew what would happen next.
"Thank you for your gift."
Gilgamesh placed the Holy Grail next to the other person and asked another question.
"How's Xiling doing?"
The Tarnished glanced at the chat group panel.
"He's arrived at the target."
Tiamat continued to advance on the sea, while Kingu maintained a certain distance, following Tiamat. He was supposed to be commanding his brothers and sisters, but unfortunately, he couldn't leave.
Because that dangerous person is still around.
As Kingu was smiling as he watched more and more Rahmu appear on the horizon.
Just then, Kingu seemed to sense something and suddenly looked to the other side, where he saw an extremely long sword aura rushing towards him from afar!
"Damn it, the guy's finally here!"
With a cold expression, Kingu suddenly waved his hand, causing countless ripples to spread in the void. Chains shot out one after another, attempting to block the advance of the sword aura.
The next second, the sword aura collided with the chain, and the chain at the front was instantly severed.
The sword aura continued to advance, but it was ultimately blocked.
Kingu stared coldly at the figure in the distance.
The other person was also watching him.
Their eyes met!
The corners of their mouths curled up at the same time.
...