The respite didn't last long. Just as Shiomi felt sure he could stand again and return to the fight, a long, haunting wail echoed from the sky—Tiamat's cry, like a song steeped in sorrow.
"AaaaaAaaaa——!"
Unlike the cries before, this one alone unleashed a gale that nearly swept Uruk off its feet.
Tiamat, now fully draconic, beat her wings—so vast they could blot out the sun—and surged toward Uruk. The Fangs of Napishtim, which had been holding back the Chaos Tide, shattered in an instant. Black mud burst through the gates and flooded into the city without resistance.
The sheer pressure weighed so heavily it was hard to even stand. Shiomi immediately gave the order:
"Sakura, hold the palace with the others. Don't act rashly—maintain a defensive stance!"
This wasn't the time to question whether they could fight. Just looking up at her divine form made human knees go weak.
This was fear of the primordial, etched into the very genes of mankind.
Fighting through that fear would only dull their judgment and lead to disaster.
Alongside the 360 Dingir deployed on the city walls, a multitude of Magecraft arrays had also been set up within Uruk to intercept and disrupt the enemy.
Shiomi brushed the dried blood off his clothes and slowly rose to his feet.
Servant Gilgamesh had sustained injuries during the earlier assault on Tiamat. Though he'd recovered considerably in the short time since, he still couldn't wield Ea again.
Fortunately, he could still fight. At the moment, he and Hakuno Kishinami were guarding the opposite side of the Divine Tower.
"Can you land a hit, Morgan?" Shiomi asked.
"Unfortunately, the distance is tricky," Morgan replied gravely, eyes fixed on Tiamat, who remained aloft above Uruk. "Even if I did hit her, it would reveal that I'm capable of dealing real damage. We have to bring her down."
"Then—"
Before Shiomi could continue, the heavens rained down with meteorites.
It had to be Olga Marie, launching an assault with Chaldea's support.
Astromancy Magecraft was a perfect match for this age. With enough Mana, it could be unleashed almost instantly.
But... even with the abundant True Ether of the Age of Gods, how much harm could human Magecraft really do to Tiamat?
Shiomi felt a pang of regret that Olga Marie's effort might come to nothing—until he witnessed something unexpected.
He leapt from the terrace and landed beside Morgan, seated on the throne.
"Am I imagining things, or is Marie's Magecraft actually working?" Shiomi asked.
Morgan touched her chin with a finger and smiled faintly. "You're not imagining it. But it's not exactly working either. Olga Marie's Astromancy Magecraft can't injure Tiamat, but the shockwaves it creates are real."
"Wait..."
Shiomi's eyes widened.
"Even the Mother of All Things—she might be able to concentrate Mana in her wings and take to the skies, but she's not used to flying. Right now, she's just hovering over Uruk, like a hydrogen balloon," Morgan said with a grin.
Though, of course, no ordinary balloon would ever burst that easily.
"Flight itself is already a stretch for the Mother of the Earth..." Shiomi's eyes lit up.
That meant even if the attacks couldn't hurt her, sustained pressure would throw off her control of flight.
Clearly, Gilgamesh had come to the same conclusion. The Dingir promptly rotated their turrets, concentrating fire on Tiamat.
Now it came down to endurance—whether Gilgamesh would exhaust his Mana reserves commanding all 360 Dingir first, or whether Tiamat would lose control and fall back to the earth she once ruled.
The Dingir's firepower gradually focused on Tiamat's wings—beautiful enough to inspire terror.
Shiomi raised his hand skyward.
"Consider this a bonus!"
"Let's do it together," Scáthach said, stepping up beside him and extending her hand.
Their Mana frequencies synchronized instantly—like two hearts beating as one.
Weather manipulation was second nature to both Shiomi and Scáthach, but unfortunately, most of the enemies they faced on this journey to restore Human Order couldn't be dealt with by weather Magecraft alone.
Still, as a finishing touch, hurling violent thunderbolts at Tiamat's wings wasn't a bad move.
"AaaaaAaaaa——!"
Tiamat had already sensed that the source of the attacks was the Divine Tower at the heart of Uruk.
"Mash Kyrielight, unleash your Noble Phantasm!"
Artoria had witnessed firsthand how Tiamat attacked—by spewing pure Mana, a method that overwhelmed all foes through sheer magical volume.
"I won't disappoint you, my king!" Mash replied with a hint of excitement, even if it wasn't the most appropriate moment.
She couldn't tell if that excitement was truly her own, or something imprinted by her Spirit Origin.
This was the first time Artoria had ever given Mash a direct order. During their time in the Seventh Singularity, they'd spoken often, but always as equals and comrades.
"I'm counting on you." Artoria couldn't help but smile at the brief exchange.
Mash sprinted to the rooftop of the royal palace, where Gilgamesh stood with Siduri by his side.
"True name unleashed. I will stand on the seat of catastrophe.."
Facing Tiamat alone, Mash whispered her declaration.
"That which heals all wounds and grudges, our glorious homeland. Manifest yourself, Lord Camelot!"
The shield in her hand called forth the white city that held Artoria's dreams. Once more, it appeared atop the Divine Tower of Uruk, standing against the blow from the Mother of Creation.
Though the heavens trembled and the earth shook, even that seemingly endless torrent of Mana couldn't break through the defense.
With Mash's desperate cry, she held back the full force of the impact—and not a single crack appeared in the white citadel.
Yet Tiamat could no longer maintain her flight. Her form dropped from the sky.
"Now, Morgan—"
Shiomi clenched his fists.
"No... it's not enough," Morgan said. "If we can't fully restrict her movement, Tiamat will break free from the range of my Twelve Holy Spears. Scáthach, with your god-slaying power—can you finish this?"
"I'll give it everything I've got," Scáthach answered without hesitation, though she knew how difficult the task would be.
Before she could act, a voice echoed—familiar, yet somehow strange.
"Looking for a way to restrain the Mother of Creation? Then I might be your best option."
A green figure descended slowly onto a nearby pillar, eyes locked on Tiamat.
"Kingu?!" Shiomi was startled, instantly shifting to full alert—only to pause as something felt off.
"No... you're—!"
Long green hair, emerald eyes, and a white hooded robe.
The appearance was identical, but the presence was utterly different from Kingu.
"You're... Enkidu?" Shiomi asked cautiously, still not lowering his guard.
"Servant, Lancer. My true name is Enkidu," the figure said calmly.
Shiomi immediately understood. "So, the Counter Force made its move."
"I'm not sure," Enkidu replied. "When I woke up, Uruk was already like this. I don't know my purpose yet—but if protecting Uruk is what I'm here to do, then that's what I'll do."
There was a quiet sorrow in Enkidu's eyes.
Just then, another figure began to materialize from spirit form...
"You really took your time, my friend. I almost thought you wouldn't show up for this fight against the Mother Goddess," said Servant Gilgamesh as he approached Enkidu.
"Gil is still alive, and with the strength of his Servant form, even without me, the people of Uruk and the northern wall would have found a way through this trial." Enkidu smiled, glancing at Tiamat. "But... it seems now isn't the time for catching up."
"Planning to die, are you?" Gilgamesh asked, though he made no move to stop his dearest friend.
"I am a weapon. If I've been summoned at such a critical moment, then there must be meaning to it," Enkidu replied calmly. "Even if it's a battle I won't survive."
With a snap of his fingers, Gilgamesh grinned. "Then take my share as well. The wounds Tiamat gave me are still throbbing—I owe her something for that."
The gates of the treasury behind him swung open, releasing a surge of Noble Phantasm-enhanced Mana. It flowed into Enkidu, altering his Spirit Origin and transforming him once more.
A length of fabric embroidered with golden patterns draped over his white hood, and Mana shimmered around him like feathers drifting in the air.
"Still holding grudges like always," Enkidu said with a cheerful smile.
"And you're no better," Gilgamesh laughed even louder.
"Then—"
With the laughter fading, Enkidu shot toward Tiamat like an arrow loosed from a bow. Gilgamesh returned to his position, silently watching his friend unleash his full might.
"The hatred and sorrow discarded by human history... and the joy of becoming the Mother of All again, replacing the Earth's ecology after abandoning oneself..."
Enkidu murmured as he tore through the swarm of Laḫmu blocking his path.
"But Gil said it—the age of the gods is over. This planet's future belongs to humanity. So—" Enkidu reached out his hand. "I'll stand with Gil to halt your grand design, Mother of All Things. Because walking alongside humanity is my duty, as the Chains of Heaven, as a weapon... 'Enuma Elish: O' Humans, Let Us Restrain the Gods!'"
From the black-mud-soaked ground, countless chains burst forth, wrapping around Tiamat. Enkidu himself became the greatest of these chains, rushing headlong toward certain death.
"King Gilgamesh, that's—" Siduri, standing atop the Divine Tower, called out in surprise.
"It truly is," Gilgamesh replied quietly. "Even in death, even as a Servant inscribed in human history, he still returns for the people of Uruk—to give his life once more."
He raised the open Stone Tablet in his hand, as if cradling Tiamat's restrained form.
"I've done all I can. So has he. Now, Fairy of paradise who was never part of this history... don't let us down."