In the Imaginary Number Sea, Shamash and the gods had already exhausted everything they had to halt Tiamat's advance.
But after an entire month, the Primordial Mother of the Chaotic Ocean finally broke through their blockade, tore open a rift in the world, and stepped into reality.
The difference in strength was simply too vast.
Frankly, Rovi was already astonished they'd managed to stall her this long.
"En… let's go."
In the cold, dim realm of the Netherworld, faintly lit by flickering blue flames, even the earth trembled lightly in response to the terrifying entity's arrival.
Rovi coughed quietly, turning to En. "We can't let Goldie face her alone, right?"
There was no need to hesitate now.
He was already fated to die—death held no fear for him, so why waver?
"But your body…" En hesitated, concerned.
"Don't worry. I won't die," Rovi replied casually. "After all, you'll protect me, won't you?"
"Mm!" En nodded firmly, her worries fading. "Then—hold my hand tightly."
She gently clasped Rovi's hand, her lovely face filled with determination.
Rovi did not refuse.
"I—I'll help too!" Eresh hurriedly added. "If needed, I'll find the right moment to act from the Netherworld!"
The Netherworld goddess was trembling slightly—fearful as a goddess confronting her own creator—but for Rovi's sake, she forced herself to suppress that fear.
"Then let's go," Rovi nodded. "Eresh, send me back to the living world—to my body…"
"And then, we'll face Tiamat!"
...
"Aaaaaaa—!"
The clear, resonant voice echoing from deep within Imaginary Number Space grew louder, ever closer.
Of course, ordinary people couldn't actually see her yet. They could only gaze toward the horizon, watching the distant sea and sky burn increasingly red, blazing outward until the deepest point became pitch-black.
But Rovi, having returned to the living world, saw clearly. Beneath that crimson sky, within the vast opening above the boundless ocean, an enormous figure slowly approached.
She was more massive than the Bull of Heaven, heavier than Humbaba, more sacred than the gods themselves—and more terrifying than death without a goddess's comforting embrace.
Tiamat.
The Creator Goddess of Mesopotamia.
In ages long past, the god Ia, embodying the planet's rotation, cleaved open the primordial chaos, stabilizing the atmosphere. Soon afterward, Tiamat—the Chaotic Sea itself—was born.
She was the Primordial Ocean from which all things sprang, the common mother of the gods. Stones, flames, forests, thunder, storms—all emerged from Tiamat's Authority.
Yet ultimately, the gods betrayed Tiamat. Driven by ambition in that primeval wilderness, they ambushed and slew their Mother Goddess.
They divided her corpse—the Chaotic Sea itself—in two, creating Heaven and Earth.
But as a primordial deity, Tiamat's soul was immortal. Thus, the gods exiled her spirit into the endless Imaginary Number Sea, hoping to imprison her forever.
Yet at that moment, the gods received an omen from the world itself—
Tiamat would one day return.
This was the prophecy the gods feared throughout eternity.
Now, the prophecy had come true.
But the ones confronting Tiamat were not gods—but humanity, who had cast them aside.
The glittering starship soared through the sky.
At the shore, where the blue-gray ocean crashed upon sandy beaches, dark currents of chaos had already begun swirling.
Gilgamesh leaped boldly down from his ship.
The King of Uruk, moments ago still in his palace handling countless administrative matters, had sensed the anomaly immediately. He instantly commanded his officials to seal all city gates, then rushed here himself—
Rovi had long since warned him of Tiamat's eventual arrival.
Everyone had prepared themselves both mentally and physically.
But this wasn't their fight.
It belonged only to Gilgamesh, Rovi, Enkidu—and perhaps Ishtar-Rin and Eresh.
Sea winds howled. The goddess's beautiful yet terrifying voice swept forth, clearly audible to Gilgamesh, who had just descended from Vimana. His face hardened with seriousness.
"Tiamat, huh…" he muttered briefly, then suddenly, as if sensing something, called out loudly:
"Does a dying mongrel still have the strength to bark?"
From the lush trees behind came a weak yet clear voice: "Cough, cough… At least I can still insult you just fine."
Sunlight filtered gently through branches, scattering softly. Enkidu emerged barefoot from the trees, stepping lightly onto fine sand, her robes fluttering as she moved.
She said nothing, simply walking closer, carefully lowering Rovi—who had spoken moments before—to the ground.
Though physically frail, Rovi's strength was unaffected, yet his deteriorating body forced him to rely on Enkidu for rapid travel.
"A sick dog should stay curled in his kennel," Gilgamesh sneered, "or your crawling around will only amuse everyone."
"Enough already." Rovi rolled his eyes. "Careful, or I'll punch you again."
Gilgamesh's expression twitched slightly.
That jab had the same devastating impact as reminding the Jade Emperor he'd once been beaten up by the Monkey King.
"Besides, you think everyone can fly like you?" Rovi argued reasonably.
Gilgamesh glanced meaningfully at their hands, still clasped tightly even after Enkidu had set Rovi down, his lips curling into a mysterious smirk.
"Bwahahaha! Jealous, mongrel? If you beg humbly enough, my endless magnanimity might let you share my divine chariot!"
"Not interested." Rovi refused promptly. "I'm afraid of being mistaken for you and beaten to death."
Wait a minute, come to think of it… Wouldn't it have been easier just to steal Vimana earlier?
Rovi briefly contemplated this.
At that moment, another clear voice rang out overhead: "Ah—I finally caught up with you!"
"None of you even waited for this goddess!"
Ishtar-Rin floated gracefully down, landing lightly on tiptoe, crimson robes swaying gently around her. She tossed her black hair dramatically behind her shoulder.
She'd originally remained in her temple, but upon hearing Tiamat's cry, she hurried here too.
"This king thought you'd already fled like the cowardly goddess you are," Gilgamesh mocked disdainfully.
"As if!" Ishtar-Rin ignored him entirely, her gaze flickering briefly toward Rovi before swiftly looking away. "This goddess just hasn't settled her account with this guy yet! I'm only here for the treasures he promised me! Definitely not because I'm worried about him or anything—don't get the wrong idea!"
The goddess's pride remained intact.
But Rovi's attention had shifted to the small creature trembling behind Ishtar-Rin's feet.
Moo!
The tiny white calf let out a timid bleat and shrank further behind her legs.
Though completely different in appearance from before, Rovi knew exactly who this was—the Bull of Heaven, now subdued by Ishtar-Rin.
After all, it had originally belonged to Ishtar herself.
Now that the original Ishtar was gone, it made sense for Ishtar-Rin to claim ownership.
He'd already encountered the small creature several times lately—though, for some reason, it seemed increasingly frightened of him.
As they exchanged quick greetings, something new occurred on the far side of the crimson sea.
First came a few sharp cracks—then abruptly, the hauntingly clear singing intensified dramatically.
She had arrived—
Everyone instinctively knew what these changes meant.
Tiamat was here.
Across the dark void, deep within the Imaginary Number Sea, silhouetted against that vast crimson-stained ocean—
"So that's the Primordial Mother Goddess Tiamat?" Gilgamesh murmured, eyes widening slightly.
Yet he found he couldn't see clearly.
Even with his highest-level clairvoyance, her form remained blurry.
Just as Gilgamesh previously struggled to spot Rovi clearly over great distances, his youthful, mighty form was perfect physically—but according to Rovi's knowledge, he lacked the spiritual maturity that would come only later. Clairvoyance required exactly that deeper spirituality. In perception and wisdom, young Gilgamesh still fell short of his older self.
Thus, it wasn't strange he couldn't see clearly.
Enkidu and Ishtar-Rin, without any clairvoyance, saw only a vast, shadowy figure.
But Rovi saw her perfectly.
Perhaps due to revealing his true identity as the Key of Heaven, the manifestation of the god Ia's Authority to cleave open Heaven and Earth, his power qualitatively matched Tiamat's.
Thus, he alone clearly beheld Tiamat's true form—
And at that very moment, her gaze turned toward him as well.
A mysterious expression crossed her face, quietly whispering:
"At last, I've found you."