"Buzz!"
At the critical moment, the sky's Ether tides quaked violently. Golden sigils streaked across the heavens and converged beneath Kingu—before a hand casually grabbed the Beast Commander's collar and lifted him away.
But as the prey was snatched, a furious, bestial roar erupted from the abyss. That gaping maw lined with razor-sharp fangs surged upward, engulfed in a torrent of red and black currents, snapping shut with violent intent.
"King Gilgamesh, look out!"
Those at the edge of the battlefield scrambled to avoid the encroaching red-black tide while instinctively shouting toward the towering monstrosity that now loomed over both the King of Heroes and Kingu.
The grotesque creature, with just its exposed jaws, could easily swallow the entire Cedar Forest. Its sheer scale had already enveloped both figures.
But Gilgamesh was ready. His expression more solemn than ever, he raised his hand, fingers curling upward.
Amid the dense grid of red and black modules that looked like they could cleave the world in two, the bizarre, rotating pillar of Ea tore space itself, unleashing a violent Ether storm that drove downward with crushing force.
"Atoms mix, congeal, and shape the stars that weave all creation…"
"Behold, mongrels—let your deaths be your tribute! Enuma Elish!"
With a thunderous roar, Gilgamesh swung downward, and the massive red-black beam—over a hundred meters wide—pierced straight through the abyssal maw.
"Buzz!"
"Boom…"
The shockwave rattled the air across a hundred miles. The monstrous dragon-like head, struck dead center, collapsed inward violently before erupting in a tidal burst of red-black fluid.
Next came the aftershock.
A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky, whirlwinds howled in every direction, and waves of red and black—towering over a hundred meters high—surged from the abyss.
"Move!"
Samael, sensing disaster incoming, shouted to alert the others. He instantly transformed into his Ugallu form and bolted forward through the collapsing terrain, carrying Ana on his back at full speed.
At the last possible moment—mere seconds before the crimson-black wave overtook them—the ancient serpent kicked off the crumbling earth and launched into the air.
As the two shot skyward, Samael reverted into his serpent form, and together with Ana, landed cleanly atop a swooping Quetzalcoatlus that had dived down with the wind.
Long live the South American big sister! Family for the win! Bringing you here was absolutely the right call!
Samael looked down at the trusty Quetzalcoatlus beneath him as it gained altitude, steering them far from the reach of the red-black surge. In his heart, he gave Kukulkan a hundred thousand thumbs up.
Meanwhile, aside from the thick-skinned Jaguar Warrior—who had a bit of her fur singed by the wave—everyone else had made it out unscathed.
As expected, Merlin, the old trickster and survival-savvy Incubus, had bolted even faster than Samael and Ana.
Ishtar, being an aerial combatant with the unrivaled speed of the Heavenly Boat Maanna, had no trouble staying out of harm's way.
And in the blast's very center, Gilgamesh himself remained unshaken.
The King of Heroes had thrown down the opulent "Shield of the Gods"—adorned with jewels and carved with divine imagery—as a temporary barricade.
As it held back the red-black surge for a precious moment, the red divine markings on his body flared with intense heat. Ether mana erupted from within him, launching his body hundreds of miles away at incredible speed.
Sensing the blast's aftershocks slowly fading behind them, Samael gently pulled on Quetzalcoatlus's reins and glanced back.
All that remained of the Cedar Forest was ruin.
The entire area had vanished, leaving behind a gaping void that looked as if it led directly to hell. Red-black blood-like liquid surged upward from the chasms.
Where it flowed, life was extinguished—plants withered to ash, and the land turned a sickly crimson-black. Grid-like fractures spewed thick smoke from their glowing depths.
Standing before the oncoming tide, behind Gilgamesh, thousands of golden portals flared open. From the Gate of Babylon, wave after wave of weapons—swords, spears, axes, and more—fired in unison.
Each volley shredded and battered the monstrous tide, halting its advance. Slowly but surely, the abyssal force was driven back into the depths.
"So... is it over, nya?"
The Jaguar Warrior eyed the ominous mass still bubbling red and black, instinctively shrinking back with a hopeful tone.
Samael and the others remained silent, throats dry. With no further movement from within, a faint sense of relief flickered in their hearts.
"Don't kid yourselves! As if!"
"Cough..."
Kingu, still dangling from Gilgamesh's grasp, gave a cold snort, then erupted into a violent cough, spitting blood as he gritted out a response.
"Father... Apsu... is the god of the abyss and darkness, and also the primordial source of underground freshwater..."
"Unlike the Mother Goddess Tiamat, who came from the sea and is weakened by land, He is the darkness buried deep beneath Mesopotamia—master of the subterranean depths and the surface's waters alike."
"Just like water's ever-changing nature, once revived, He can shift forms at will, endlessly reincarnating through all waters…"
"In the past, even though the Sumerian gods defeated Him, they couldn't destroy Him completely. They could only strip Him of His divine authority and seal Apsu beneath the underworld."
Samael's pupils contracted, a trace of shock flashing across his face.
Wait...
Could the Underworld actually be Apsu's prison—the place where His essence is bound?
Then... was the whole purpose behind choosing either Ereshkigal or Ishtar to guard it hiding some deeper secret?
At that moment, the green-haired beauty—blood at the corners of his lips—spoke in a voice tinged with magnetism, his tone laced with a cold indifference and mocking edge.
"Stop struggling. You've already lost."
"If the Mother Goddess represents [creation] and [life]... then Apsu embodies [domination] and [destruction]."
"He's a lunatic, completely devoid of mercy. And now, He's simply bored of this world."
"Apsu's [domination] and [destruction] of this world... has already begun."
"But here's the good news—He's not whole. After being sealed away for so long, He's still incomplete. Merging with the Holy Grail and regaining His authority will take time."
"Roughly... seven days."
With those words, the Beast Commander glanced back at the violently boiling red-black blood tide deep within the abyss and curled his lips into a cold smile.
"Then let the dance begin anew!"
"Before He fully breaks His shackles and rises from the depths—enjoy the spectacle of this world crumbling into ruin!"
...
Suddenly, grotesque black creatures surfaced—each with vertically splitting mouths and two pairs of spider-like limbs. They floated out from the waters, then leapt onto the wasteland, cackling as they advanced toward Uruk.
"What are those things?!"
As the goddess of beauty, Ishtar shuddered at the sight of the twisted, malformed monsters.
"Laḫmu. They're also part of the Eleven Offspring, though their forms have been redesigned. Gorgon had originally intended them to be a new form of humanity for this world—but lacked the magic to awaken them..."
"But now, it seems that's no longer a problem."
Kingu explained coolly, though his gaze toward the red-black tide couldn't hide a flicker of rage.
"You think this is something to be proud of, fool?!"
"Find a way to send these mongrels back, and this king may yet spare your life!"
Gilgamesh's eyes flared with a cold gleam as he grabbed Kingu's collar and shouted.
Those blood-red eyes burned with a chaotic storm of anger, madness—and, disturbingly, a trace of anticipation.
Meanwhile, Samael and the others—preoccupied with containing the spreading red-black tide and keeping the Laḫmu from reaching land—instinctively distanced themselves from the fated confrontation unfolding between the two.
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
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