The world shuddered violently, black clouds and gloom rolling in.
"Aaaaaaaa!!!"
Tiamat's furious voice echoed from the distant Arabian Sea, her boundless mana erupting, ravaging the Mesopotamian plains in an instant.
Thanks to Gorgon, no, Ana's sacrificial rearguard.
Roy and Tezcatlipoca gained precious time to escape.
Seeing Ana unleash her Noble Phantasm, briefly halting Tiamat's draconic form, they didn't hesitate. They surged their mana, accelerating to flee the perilous battlefield at top speed.
Though reluctant, the dire situation left no room for recklessness.
Their presence wouldn't aid Ana against Tiamat's draconic Beast form, a foe they'd already confirmed was unkillable by their means alone.
Fleeing now, honoring Ana's sacrifice, was the right choice.
Roy and Tezcatlipoca agreed, offering Ana a silent apology before channeling their mana, using their fastest techniques to escape the Arabian Sea, rushing toward Uruk, avoiding the swarming Lahmu in the sky.
Tiamat's dragon form, enraged by the insect that widened the gap between her and the maiden of fate, now beyond her reach, roared furiously.
With her Beast's terrifying might, absolute immortality, and [Anti-Genesis] authority, she tore through Ana's strongest Noble Phantasm, [Enforced Seal · Pandemonium Cetus], and blasted her serpentine form into fragments with an aether beam.
In mere minutes, Ana, perfectly fused with Gorgon, fell before Tiamat.
"Aaaaaaa!!!"
Though she dispatched the obstructive serpent, Tiamat felt only boundless rage.
The two insects who stole her essence had vanished during her distraction, using some magic to sever her link with the maiden, making pursuit impossible.
The thought of her essence stolen by humans, her body and concept incomplete, drove the draconic Beast to howl skyward, unleashing mana that shook the seas. She redirected her fury onto humanity and all life, intent on devouring the world.
This sensation…
"She's really lost it…"
Roy, clutching Tiamat Lily while sprinting through a grove, glanced back, his eyes narrowing. In the distant Arabian Sea, where Tiamat's dragon form stood, a black pillar shot skyward.
The world shifted dramatically.
Under roiling black clouds, dark mist laced with malice swept across the Mesopotamian plains. The sky's canopy churned like a primordial planet's fission, flashing with blinding thunder and deafening roars. In moments, Mesopotamia's ecosystem transformed cataclysmically.
The black ocean raged, raising towering waves; the earth quaked, tearing gashes in Gaia; dazzling lightning storms fell, shattering mountains and forests, igniting wildfires; molten lava erupted, consuming civilization's traces; hurricanes followed, howling extinction's anthem across the dark sky.
Flames, tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, and thunderstorms.
Mesopotamia, or rather the seventh singularity's climate and ecosystem, spiraled into chaos under Tiamat's draconic control, endless calamities intent on extinguishing all life.
Thus, the Beast of calamity revealed her true power.
Manipulating disasters with ease, she aimed to eradicate all life.
A thick, sinister black mist drifted from the Arabian Sea, enveloping it and vast lands. Where darkness passed, life withered, flowers wilted, negating all species.
"Aaaaaaaaa!!!"
Thunder cracked, and Tiamat's draconic form emerged from the mist and calamity.
This human evil proclaimed her return to the world with her boundless might.
No longer trifling, she'd ignite everything with her wrath.
Tiamat lifted her head, gazing toward distant Uruk. She sensed the maiden of fate there. Once she eradicated all life, she'd reclaim her, merging anew.
Only united was she truly Tiamat, the creation mother. They must not be apart.
"Aaaaaaaa!!!"
With a final deafening creation song, Tiamat's dragon form took her massive strides.
Walking and calling, as if awaiting the maiden's response, the nauseating "new humans", Lahmu, swarmed before her like bees, escorting her to the true battlefield.
The final verse of the creation song played.
…
…
As Tiamat's draconic might raged, Tiamat Lily, nestled quietly in Roy's arms, stirred slightly.
"Aaaa… a?"
Sensing Ana's aura fade, her other half's yearning for [regression], and boundless hatred, her delicate face showed worry and urgency.
"Don't move, don't reveal your aura, Tiamat Lily. We're still fleeing. That Beast won't let us off easily."
"Aaaa… aa?!"
Tiamat Lily's emotions grew anxious, as if expressing something. Roy quickly grasped her intent.
Looking down, he asked, "You want to go back and stop your other self?"
"Aa… aa."
Tiamat Lily nodded, her small face earnest.
Such a ludicrous idea was promptly rejected by Roy.
Are you kidding? We risked everything, lost Marduk's axe, and Tezcatlipoca's Grand Berserker Saint Graph to rescue you, weakening the Beast to the utmost.
If you return and get recaptured, all our efforts are wasted. How could I let you be so reckless?
Recalling Quetzalcoatl's divine-burning Noble Phantasm strike, Roy wondered about her condition. Though he'd healed her wounds with a Command Spell, could divine essence be restored so easily? Not being a god, he wasn't sure.
"Idiot, don't be naive. Your current Saint Graph can't challenge the Beast."
"Releasing you now would only strengthen her. Why do you think I saved you?"
Roy sped up, shouting at the maiden in his arms, "If you truly want to stop your other half, cooperate with me. Not causing trouble is the greatest help."
"A… aa… a?" (But?)
Tiamat Lily tried to protest but was cut off.
"No buts. I'm not from this world, so even if you're the creation mother, you're not my mother. Save your authority for goldie and Ishtar."
"If you act recklessly… I'll spank you!!"
After a moment's thought, Roy eyed Tiamat Lily, delivering what he deemed his most threatening line.
It worked wonders.
Tiamat Lily's eyes widened, she clutched her bottom, and protested indignantly.
"A… aaa?!" (You wouldn't dare?!)
"Oh, I dare. I snatched you from the calamity's vortex, what wouldn't I do?"
The boldest man to threaten the creation mother.
"Promise me, Tiamat, you don't need to do anything. Just stay aside and wait for the end. That's the greatest help to me."
"Trust me. I'll defeat that Beast and claim victory."
"A… aa." (Alright.)
Tiamat Lily nodded faintly, resting her head gently against his chest.
…
Crackle!!
A dazzling white lightning bolt flashed from the black clouds, striking down with terrifying force.
"Hmph!"
Atop Uruk's highest wall, Gilgamesh glanced up, sensing the bolt aimed at him, and snorted lightly.
Golden ripples appeared before him, dozens of golden portals opening, ejecting ring-like shields that blocked the ferocious thunder.
"The heavens shift, the ecosystem trembles. So you can rage too, primal mother, no, Beast of calamity. Is this your strength? Hahahahaha!!!"
"If this is all you've got, you'll never extinguish humanity's ember! Primal mother, Beast, or Tiamat, whatever you are, your eons-spanning hatred, this king will bear it all!! I'll lead humanity's ember to part with the gods, ushering in a true human era!!"
"Wow, what a rousing speech! It's got big sis all fired up~"
Quetzalcoatl clapped for Gilgamesh from behind.
Ishtar, however, stared at him like he was a fool, sighing helplessly.
"You idiot, who's here to hear your morale-boosting speech? Everyone's already resolved. You love making a fuss."
"Hmph! Nonsense!! Ishtar, what do you know? This is my pre-battle rally. It's not needed, but ceremony matters! A war without a speech, what kind of war is that?!"
"You moron… goldie, want to fight before the battle starts?"
Stung by her mockery, Gilgamesh retorted, "Ho? Not a bad idea. Since Quetzalcoatl's awake, you're less essential. Sacrificing a Venus goddess to flag the war sounds good. By the way, return my Key of the King's Law, you foolish goddess!!"
"Eh? Key of what? Never heard of it. I've only got the key to Ishtar's treasury, what's that to you, goldie?"
"You!!"
"Ehe, once it's in my hands, it's mine. Anything in Ishtar's grasp stays mine. Consider this key your payment for hiring me."
Ishtar dodged nimbly around Quetzalcoatl, her eyes glinting gold.
"Alright, alright, Miss Ishtar, King Gilgamesh, please stop bickering. Tiamat's coming."
Seeing the two at odds again, Ritsuka rubbed her temples, stepping in to mediate. "We should focus on how to fight together."
"Hmph!" ×2
At Ritsuka's urging, Gilgamesh and Ishtar snorted in unison.
They weren't unreasonable or reckless. Their squabble was just pre-battle banter to lighten the mood, not serious.
With Tiamat looming, they wouldn't waste energy on pointless infighting over trivialities, just a bit of atmosphere-livening.
Though their mutual disdain was genuine.
Shifting topics, Ritsuka asked, "King Gilgamesh, since Tiamat's appeared, does that mean Roy's back?"
"Hm? That guy? Hmph! He's done something astounding, even shocking this king. Don't be too surprised when you see him, Chaldea Master."
"Eh?"
Something surprising?
Before Ritsuka could press, a white shimmer flickered on the horizon, followed by a familiar voice.
"King Gil, Quetzal, Ishtar, and Ritsuka-chan, we've returned triumphant!"
Speak of the devil.
His voice preceded him, ringing from the sky before he landed.
"Hmph, since he's back, see for yourselves."
Hearing the voice, Gilgamesh's furrowed brow eased, a smile creeping onto his face as he teased.
"Too slow. Without that big snake's help, I'd have thought you'd run all the way to Uruk."
Running to Uruk… they'd actually considered it.
At Gilgamesh's jab, Roy and Tezcatlipoca exchanged glances, landing awkwardly on the platform with Gilgamesh and the others.
"Everyone, we've returned triumphant!!"
"Great to see you're okay, Quetzal."
Relieved at Quetzalcoatl's recovered vigor, Roy smiled at her.
"Don't worry, Master. I'm fully recharged, ready for overtime~"
Quetzalcoatl punched the air, brimming with energy.
"Roy-senpai!"
Ritsuka cheered at their return, starting to approach, but Ishtar beat her, rushing to Roy.
"You idiot, that was too reckless!! Holding off the Mother of Genesis in your small world for a week, who do you think you are? Uncle Marduk?! Do you know how worried Eresh was?"
Ishtar grabbed Roy's collar, shouting, her eyes full of worry and care.
Caught off guard by her intensity, Roy froze, then admitted fault.
"Sorry…"
"Sorry? You think sorry cuts it? Risking yourself like that. Are you hurt? Did the Mother of Genesis do anything to you? And…"
"Aa… aa… aaaaa." (Fighting's bad, don't argue, Ishtar.)
"Eh? What's that voice? Sounds so…"
Ishtar, mid-lecture, froze.
"This Saint Graph signature… I sensed it earlier, but… impossible?!"
"Hmph, finally noticed, mongrels! Open your eyes! This is the surprise I spoke of."
With Gilgamesh's gleeful voice, a pale blue head peeked shyly from behind Roy. Her starry, sparkling eyes shone, her delicate face timid, her small frame hiding behind him, guiltily eyeing those she'd harmed.
"Aa… aa… aa." (I'm sorry.)
Though her words were unintelligible, their meaning reached everyone's minds.
But the Servants present barely registered her soft voice, their faces mirroring the shock of seeing Tiamat herself.
"Impossible?! This girl is… no mistake, it's her!!"
Dr. Romani, as if seeing a ghost, frantically scanned Tiamat Lily's mana signature, his speech stumbling.
Ishtar's expression stiffened, like a broken wind-up doll, blurting, "Mother?!"
"Aa… aa." (Yes.)
With her face nearly identical to Tiamat's, the girl's identity was undeniable.
"Tiny Tiamat…"
"Roy-senpai!! How did you do this?! Where did this Tiamat Lily come from?"
Ritsuka and Mash stared at Roy in awe.
"It's a long story, but now's not the time. I'll explain after we defeat the true Beast, Ritsuka-chan."
Roy smiled, gently tapping Ritsuka's forehead.
Quetzalcoatl didn't pry, glancing at the weary Tezcatlipoca, piecing it together.
She approached him, saying, "Thanks for this, Tezcatlipoca."
"Hmph, rare for you to thank me, bird-lady. No need. It's my duty as a Grand."
"If you really want to thank me, pull your weight against Tiamat. Let me rest a bit, I'm exhausted."
Sighing, Tezcatlipoca lit a modern cigarette from somewhere, white smoke curling as his tired eyes fixed on the Persian Gulf.
She's coming…
And she'll be here soon…
The final verse of this creation song is about to play.
___
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