Chapter 5:part 2

"The army is mostly intact. Only a very small portion were slightly injured by 'falling debris' due to a partial collapse of the city wall."

At this point in the report, Siduri puffed up her cheeks and looked at Ophis.

Although she knew the other party was protecting her, thanks to that kick, she had also become one of the many 'falling debris'.

Thankfully, as a priestess who could receive divine blessings, she didn't suffer harm from such a foolish cause as falling from a height.

"What's the damage level of the city wall?"

Ophis ignored the minor complaint and asked after a moment's thought.

"Not serious. If not for the interference of demonic beasts, repairs are estimated to finish within half a day."

"Then repair at full speed. Assign half of one blood-soaked centuria to help cover."

Fifty people may sound few, but if they had a portion of Ophis's power, and formed a battle formation, then even Altira, without releasing her Noble Phantasm, would still need some effort to deal with them.

Oh, referring to Altira in her normal state.

"Yes, ma'am."

Siduri also knew this was not a matter to delay. She immediately instructed one of the messengers behind her to deliver the orders.

"Also, call the commander stationed on the city wall. There is something to discuss."

"Yes!"

Another messenger quickly left from Siduri's side.

"Next…"

While waiting for the commander, Ophis glanced over the gathered few Heroic Spirits, then fixed her gaze on Arjuna.

"Arjuna, you saw it, right? What was the opponent?"

"As expected of Master. You noticed too?"

Arjuna closed his eyes, as if replaying the scene in his mind.

Clairvoyance B+—though it doesn't sound very powerful, Clairvoyance is a rather special skill. At rank A, it can reach Byakugan-level long-distance vision, mind-reading functions, and even brief glimpses of the future. So, from a purely farsight perspective, B+ is already top-tier.

(Having to see a bit of the future, read minds, and respond to summons nonstop—what a tough job for this great hero.)

As for Clairvoyance EX…

That's a whole different concept from A+. It's a realm normal people simply cannot comprehend.

Anyway, with B+ Clairvoyance, even across some distance, Arjuna could clearly count how many blades of grass or pebbles were on the hill. Naturally, seeing what was going on there was easy.

"The enemy is a 'Scorpion-man'."

"Scorpion-man?"

Siduri asked in confusion.

"Yes. 'Scorpion-man'. That's the only way I can describe them… those monsters with a human upper body and a scorpion lower half."

In fact, even before Arjuna provided the intel, Ophis was already digging through her knowledge mentally.

Half-man, half-scorpion…

Could it be the legendary…

Xiling Warrior…

"Mm, one of Tiamat's Eleven Offspring, right?"

Before Ophis could think further, Merlin suddenly spoke.

"Tiamat's Eleven Offspring…"

Hearing Merlin's words, Ophis remembered as well.

Tiamat, name translated as Mother of Life, in legend represents the primordial sea. Together with Apsu, who represents freshwater, they birthed the gods.

But once the gods matured, they rebelled for control of the world—overthrowing Apsu's divine rule. Tiamat accepted it calmly, proof that maternal love surpassed that of a husband.

Yet in the end, the gods didn't even spare their mother.

Tiamat wept, in despair, and gave birth to new children—eleven demonic beasts. These were the so-called Eleven Offspring of Tiamat.

The Eleven, led by Tiamat's son and second husband Kingu, waged war against the gods. Ultimately, they were defeated by the valor of Marduk, and Tiamat was slain.

Her massive body was split—half became the heavens, the other half the earth.

Of course, that's just the legend. The truth differs, but this is the tale of the land called Mesopotamia, built upon the corpses of gods.

"The seven-headed serpent—Mushussu, the venomous snake—Bashmu, the scorpion-man—Girtablilu… these eleven beasts are the so-called Eleven Offspring of Tiamat."

(If you're curious, go look them up… I found them but the names are a pain and hard to tell who's who, so I'll just… I mean, won't waste word count here.)

"Half-scorpion, half-human… then the previous enemy was the scorpion-man, Girtablilu!?"

Siduri reacted quickly and her expression changed.

Although in legend the Eleven were 'beasts', which sounds cheap, in actual strength they're certainly no weaker than gods. And that wasn't the main point…

If the opponent is one of the Eleven, it might mean the Uruk citizens' wild guesses weren't baseless…

"King Ophis… your thoughts?"

Hearing Merlin's question, Ophis thought for a moment.

"Powerful. Yes… it felt divine."

That kind of power… seemed even stronger than Ereshkigal before…

"Oh… then it really might be."

Merlin smiled meaningfully.

"Arjuna?"

"Just as Master suspects. That arrow did not take their life. I apologize."

Ophis wasn't surprised by Arjuna's words.

If the enemy really was one of the Eleven Beasts, being killed so easily would be the strange part.

In fact, the fact that the opponent survived and wasn't even severely injured proved their identity. Even if not one of the Eleven, they must be close—possibly even stronger.

Besides, Ophis had seen the state over there herself. She just couldn't be bothered to say it out loud.

"Wait—so the god we're facing really is Tiamat?"

Siduri asked in a slightly panicked tone.

Who could blame her? Tiamat, as one of the highest gods, was of the 'creator deity' level. Such an existence shouldn't even be one they could oppose.

Even though she'd mentally prepared for destruction, the weight of despair still crashed down upon hearing such a name.

But no one could answer Siduri's question.

In the end, Ophis looked at Merlin.

A question she had long wanted to ask—only now did she have the chance.

The "monster" Merlin mentioned… what exactly was it?

Although still smiling as always, Merlin's gaze in return held rare seriousness.

"As for what you probably want to ask, King Ophis… I can only say, even if it's not Tiamat, it will definitely be a 'monster' of equal rank."

Just like that, he lightly stated a reality that made Siduri's heart sink completely.

"Then, what happened to that monster?"

Ophis wasn't surprised by Merlin's answer. No matter how many times the future was peered into, the final outcome never changed. Yet it also remained obscured—representing that true enemy who couldn't be seen. Even if it wasn't Tiamat, it was some existence with comparable power and status.

"For now, she's been forced into temporary unconsciousness, though it's only light sleep. King Ophis, you're aware of that, right? Until now, she hasn't really used any strength at all."

"Mm."

Although Merlin called it light sleep, Tiamat wouldn't be awakened so easily. Otherwise, Ophis wouldn't have let Arjuna directly fire a missile at her.

It's just that once Ophis got serious, she tended to be a bit... lacking in restraint—so it was better to remain as restrained as possible.

"King…"

Siduri still seemed rather at a loss, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, as though she wanted to speak but didn't know what to say.

Yet after all, she was a priestess of the Age of Gods, and quickly composed herself again.

Anyway, the king had already said everyone would die. Since death awaited either way, whether killed by the creator god or by magical beasts, it didn't make much difference.

"Although the people of Uruk have long been whispering that this time the enemy would be that mother of the world, now that it's truly confirmed, it still comes as a shock."

Even though she had accepted it, Siduri couldn't help but sigh.

These attacking magical beasts were of previously unseen kinds. Naturally, the people linked them to Tiamat, the mother who created magical beasts. Yet unlike the ignorant masses, Siduri—possessing more knowledge and rational thought—naturally wouldn't believe in a dead creator god suddenly returning.

Unexpectedly, it actually happened.

"Hold out until the final moment."

Letting out a sigh, Ophis concluded as such.

To these words, everyone could only remain silent.

Taking the initiative would only cause the final boss to awaken early. Yet passive defense would eventually lead to depletion of resources and lives. It was a completely unsolvable dilemma.

To endure until the final moment—perhaps that was the only way. In fact, that had been Ophis's conclusion from the very beginning.

However, things were now different.

Back then, Ophis had merely wanted to help Uruk hold on until it was trampled, then quietly cast off the role of king and leave.

But now… there was a slight change.

So long as they held out one more day, there would be one more chance to grasp a turning point.

Ophis began to hold such a thought.

Tiamat... more than eighty percent confirmed as the enemy. In that case...

"King, responding to your summons."

At that moment, a deep voice came from beside them. A middle-aged man, his physique resembling Billy's, stood at the side, bowing to Ophis.

"Commander?"

"I am precisely the commander of all the soldiers on the northern Babylonian front. Of course, under the jurisdiction of the three... uh... 'Servant' lords beside you."

Ophis nodded and stood up. A massive golden ripple appeared on the ground beside her, from which a huge turret surfaced.

"King, this is...?"

Several Servants possessing knowledge ahead of their time remained relatively calm, but Siduri and the commander were already staring at this weapon—which should not exist in this era—with astonished gazes.

"Dingir."

Ophis briefly gave a non-answer of an answer. Then, a giant spear appeared in her hand. She loaded it into the turret and finally crushed the lapis lazuli base beneath with her foot.

Rumble────

A thunderous roar and explosive sound echoed. A large crater had already appeared on the ground outside the city wall.

"Whoa!? King, this..."

The commander seemed quite excited, his eyes glowing as he stared at the turret, as if he might rush over and hug it at any moment.

"This is a weapon for you all to defend the city."

She reached out to press down, signaling the commander not to get overly excited. Then Ophis waved her hand again, and under the commander's even more excited gaze, summoned over a hundred such turrets on the city wall.

"The method of use—should have been understood just now. The weapons for loading will be distributed later. They're precious, use them sparingly."

"Yes, ma'am!!!"

...Truly a hot-blooded commander.

"Dingir, refers to 'deification,' right? Not a god recognized by the gods for achievements, but a god recognized by humans—a being originating from human belief."

Though lacking decorum, Merlin—who seemed to have a particular fondness for popular science—began another explanation.

"The reason King Ophis named it so was to express the meaning of defending Uruk solely through human power—wasn't it?"

"…"

Ophis was momentarily silent.

Merlin—half human, half demon.

Arjuna—half human, half god.

Heracles—half human, half god.

Medea, long absent—descendant of a god anyway.

Altira—...…human?

Jeanne—finally, a genuine human.

Ophis—this one doesn't even have a trace of human factor left!?

"Dingir" was the original name of the turret...

So, really, it's better not to romanticize some things too much...

"That's right."

In the end, Ophis still gave such an answer without blushing or panting.

In truth, what Merlin said wasn't wrong.

That which is sublimated by human belief and one's own achievements is known as a Heroic Spirit.

Humans and Heroic Spirits fighting together to safeguard the foundation of humanity—Dingir is quite an appropriate name, isn't it?

"In any case, I'll leave the demonic beast front to you. After a few days of observation here, I'll return."

After the commander arranged for people to become familiar with Dingir, Ophis spoke to Jeanne and the others.

"Wait, King, there's no palace here for your rest. Please leave this to us. King, you should return first to rest!"

At this time, the nearby commander spoke with some urgency.

Though Ophis had just engaged in a small battle, he still believed that as long as the army was present, having the king personally take action was an utter failure of military duty.

"Yes, King, the scorpion man from before still hasn't died. The battlefield is far too dangerous—please, King, return to Uruk to rest," Siduri also urged.

No matter how powerful Ophis's strength was, Siduri could not feel at ease with the core of Uruk constantly in danger.

After listening to the commander and Siduri, Ophis glanced around the empty interior of the city wall and tilted her head.

"The army also needs a place to rest. Let's build a new living area here."

Finally, she said this as if struck by a sudden idea.

The night grew dark. Everyone had gone to handle their tasks, leaving only Ophis, idly patrolling the northern city wall.

Of course, the commander originally intended to assign her guards—but was, unsurprisingly, refused.

In Ophis's eyes, that was an utterly unnecessary waste of manpower.

She stopped and tilted her head slightly, then gently flew up onto the wall.

There stood a pure white girl.

A white veil like long hair fluttered and drifted in the night wind.

Calling it pure white might seem odd.

The clothing on her body covered only a small area in white. Her brown skin nearly blended into the night; only with Ophis's sharp eyes could she see clearly.

Even so, "pure white" remained Ophis's first impression of the girl.

Perhaps it was the contrast created by the night and her skin tone? Or perhaps, something deeper? Ophis didn't know.

"Altira."

Ophis called out her name.

As a dragonling with strong sense of purpose, Ophis almost never initiated conversation over irrelevant matters. Yet now, she spoke purely out of "interest."

This was nearly unprecedented for her.

The only previous case was Enkidu—because he had shown a slight fighting or even killing intent toward her, she had spoken to him.

Now, Ophis had taken interest in another.

The white girl before her could pose a threat to Ophis.

That threat did not come from her current state as a Servant, but from something more fundamental.

Besides, during the final retreat of the demonic beast assault, Merlin had heavily wounded the beast army, forcing them to retreat to the northern stronghold. A rare and precious pause in battle had begun. Yet this girl did not rest, instead coming here to view the scenery.

All of this intrigued Ophis.

Perhaps because she was too deep in thought to hear Ophis's call, or perhaps she heard but didn't want to respond—Altira remained still, staring off into the distance.

Ophis followed her gaze.

Hm, aside from a pile of demonic beast corpses and a few carrion-feeding flying beasts in the sky, there was nothing.

"What are you looking at?"

Ophis couldn't help but ask.

Still, no response.

Was this...awkward small talk?

Maybe it didn't even count as a conversation.

But perhaps because she was used to ignoring others, Ophis didn't feel bothered when ignored. (What logic is that?) So she just stood there, silently keeping Altira company as they gazed at a landscape of nothingness.

"Those…"

Ophis had no concept of time, so she didn't know how long had passed. From early night to about a third of the night gone by, she was about to sink back into her own thoughts—when Altira suddenly spoke.

"All traces of destruction caused by me."

Ophis tilted her head.

That statement had no context; she didn't know what it meant.

Personally, she thought it wasn't that big a deal. Sure, the devastation was intense—this land had clearly been ravaged repeatedly—but at least it wasn't as bad as Arjuna's "nuke beam."

After all, that had hollowed out the entire midsection of a mountain.

But Altira herself seemed surprised she had said such words, and then said no more.

...So yeah, this really was awkward small talk, right?

"Altira, why did you respond to the summons?"

After some thought, Ophis still decided to ask.

Though golden finger sister had already given an explanation, Ophis wanted to confirm.

"…I don't know."

After a moment of silence, Altira finally didn't ignore Ophis this time.

"When I came to my senses, I had already been summoned. Knowledge necessary for this time had already formed in my mind."

"…"

Looks like what sister golden sister said was mostly accurate.

"But even with that knowledge in my mind, I still don't know what I should do."

To Ophis's surprise, Altira continued speaking.

She reached toward the sky, somewhat absentmindedly.

"These hands, they cannot protect—only destroy. So I don't know what to do."

Ophis was silent.

She could hear Altira's apathy toward the word "destruction."

Not that she saw it as necessary, nor as enjoyment.

Altira, the Whip of God, the King of Ruin.

What kind of reason would drive someone like this to destroy?

"To you, destruction is instinct—no, not even that, right?"

After a long pause, Ophis finally spoke in a low voice.

Even instincts, like sexual desire, bring a sense of liberation when satisfied. But from her observation, Altira showed no such emotion toward destruction.

Then...

"It's simply something that, being born as you are, you were meant to carry out."

In the end, Ophis concluded this way.

She had seen something similar once before.

Enkidu.

Likewise bound by so-called duties from birth.

For such people, Ophis had no position to tell them to cast it all aside—unless they chose to do so themselves.

What's more, Altira was not the same as Enkidu.

Enkidu's mission was forced upon him by the gods. Altira's destruction was innate.

Deeper than instinct. Something that could only be called her essence.

This obligation was carved into the deepest part of the being named Altira—irrevocable.

"Altira, are you lost?"

In response to Ophis's assertion, Altira's eyes flickered, but she gave no answer. Ophis didn't mind and kept speaking.

That she was speaking more than the other—it was nearly a first for her...

Thinking like this, a slight arc lifted at the corner of Ophis's mouth.

Altira might be somewhat similar to her.

Both were obligations bestowed by fate — the other was destruction, and she herself was king.

Similarly, neither had any doubt about such obligations.

Only, because Altira was inherently born with such a nature, she simply obeyed and directly destroyed, whereas Ophis, having another goal, was rather half-hearted about it, until Enkidu appeared and changed things.

And in execution, the two were similar as well.

Both became confused about "execution" itself.

Altira was like this, and so was Ophis.

────All the above came from the Prayers' Record? About half a minute ago.

"If you are confused, if you are empty..."

Ophis paused, then finally turned back.

"Then try to give it meaning."

After all, she herself had done just that...

Perhaps the only difference was that the one who gave the responsibility of being a king meaning was not herself, that's all.

Bringing this night conversation — though long yet altogether not exceeding ten sentences — to an end, Ophis lightly jumped off the city wall, leaving only Altira alone, not knowing what she was thinking.

────────────────────────────────

Siduri exhaled a heavy, exhausted breath and handed the last slab in her hand to the soldier beside her.

Establishing a living area on such a frontline of war was by no means an easy task. Controlling enemy intelligence, building an alert network, procedures for civilian evacuation, roads to allow armies to march most efficiently — all these needed careful planning.

They also had to find a few bold merchants and civilians to come here and test-live first.

All of these... everything... was thrown to Siduri to handle by Ophis.

So really... what meaning is there in establishing a living circle on the very frontline!?

"King Ophis must have her considerations too."

Siduri had mostly gotten used to Merlin's sudden appearances. Now, when he suddenly appeared behind her, she was only startled for half a second.

"After all, to maintain a defensive line of this scale for a long time, it's impossible without establishing a city."

"I know, I know."

Siduri sighed.

"Whether soldiers, priests, or the king, everyone is truly doing their utmost."

Looking up at the sky, Siduri said this calmly.

"All united as one, pouring an entire nation's strength — even so, in the end, it only slightly delays the inevitable destruction... I just feel that it's a little unfair."

Fairness — something that even in later generations cannot truly be achieved — was an even bigger joke in this era of clear hierarchy and supremacy of strength. Even the reign of a wise king could not achieve true fairness, and yet Siduri spoke of it now.

After all, even if the world is unfair, it shouldn't be so hopeless, should it?

"Is that so? Though I don't really understand such feelings. While I like the patterns humans create, I don't feel much toward humans themselves."

Unexpectedly, Merlin didn't brush it off with his usual carefree smile, but responded with some indifference.

"Still, I do believe that as long as one seriously tries to depict it, even if a perfect work cannot be made, something can still be left behind for the next artist to inherit. Besides, even if the characters in a book lead to an imperfect ending, it doesn't mean that a traveler from another book cannot weave a more moving ending, right? That's why things like doujin works exist. In any case, do your best."

Leaving behind words that Siduri found hard to understand but felt profound, Merlin disappeared once again.

Ophis throwing all matters to Siduri was not without reason.

Looking at the city wall that had been urgently repaired but was now corroded into a mess again, Ophis's eyes grew heavy.

It was, of course, impossible to protect the city wall completely unscathed. After all, the meaning of a wall's existence was to block enemy attacks; sustaining damage was inevitable.

Thus, Uruk had prepared several groups of craftsmen, ready to rush day and night to repair any damage as soon as the beasts' assault slowed. If the enemy's scale and strength did not vary greatly, by calculations, the wall could endure for about a year or two.

However, now an enemy capable of inflicting fatal damage to the wall had appeared.

"Mm, I've barely managed to cleanse all the toxins."

After drawing a few magic circles, Merlin tinkered on the wall for a long time before finally standing up and speaking to Ophis with a relieved tone.

"If you hadn't been late, the toxins wouldn't have penetrated so deeply."

Ophis said indifferently.

"Ah, it couldn't be helped. A little kitten lost in life's confusion blocked my path for a bit."

Ignoring Merlin's clumsy excuse, Ophis frowned and looked north.

"I must first..."

Before the words finished, blood-red beam spears shot from afar, just like a few days ago, rising to the highest point and then scattering toward the city wall.

There were quite a lot of lances, moving extremely fast. If they weren't spotted immediately, even Arjuna likely wouldn't have had time to intercept them all.

The Scorpion People's Kitalbiluru's attacks had already been confirmed to carry toxins capable of continuously corroding the city wall.

Meaning, this sudden assault...

Must be blocked!

With a thought, hundreds of magic circles unfolded behind Ophis.

Though somewhat puzzled — surely Kitalbiluru could see she was on the wall, so why launch an attack doomed to fail? — Ophis quickly fired the magic cannons.

But just half a second before the cannons intercepted the spears, every red lance suddenly split apart, turning from dozens into thousands of smaller blood-red spikes.

Only a very small portion of the spikes were intercepted; the rest rained down on the wall.

Different from just now — this time the needles targeted not only the wall but also the newly built town behind it!

Ophis's expression didn't change, but the magic circles behind her dissipated, and a new, much larger magic circle condensed in front of her.

At that moment, a red light shot toward her.

The same kind of sniping as a few days ago!

...Because they confirmed her position, they could use a distraction to suppress her?

Otherwise, if she were inside the city, she would have easily dealt with all attacks.

Since the wall's toxin problem was already discovered, Ophis would surely stay until it was completely resolved. By then, she would have measures against the toxin, and the Scorpion People's attacks would be useless — thus, they had to strike now.

This was the best chance to destroy the wall.

Even realizing all this, Ophis couldn't simply ignore the sniper attack — she didn't know whether the toxin would harm her body.

A golden ripple formed a shield in front of her. The sniper beam reflected off the shield, and simultaneously, a second golden ripple appeared beside her, launching a spear back toward the sniper's source.

Having completed all this, there was no time to finish the interception magic circle.

But she wasn't worried.

Before defending, she had already injected a completely different spell formula into the magic circle.

She cut off her connection to the circle, leaving only the mana flow.

Releasing the connection gave another mage control over the circle without needing to invade her mind — but the mage also had to have the ability to link with the circle, quickly decipher it, and complete it.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), such a mage stood right beside her.

Merlin, smiling easily, completed the magic circle even faster than Ophis herself.

"Just a simple magic cannon, after all. Though it has special mana requirements, it's not too hard. Now, King Ophis, please show us your performance."

Ophis nodded and aimed the circle at the sky.

A blinding beam several meters wide swept across the heavens, burning away every last poisonous needle.

"Master."

At this time, Arjuna landed behind Ophis.

"Immediately locate the Scorpion People."

Though suddenly attacked, Ophis showed no strong emotions, only giving Arjuna an indifferent command.

"Yes."

Arjuna didn't waste time on formalities and immediately scanned north.

But after a few minutes, he frowned and shook his head.

"My deepest apologies, Master. The enemy is extremely cunning. Although I caught a few remnants at first, they quickly disappeared into the forest."

"Either way, he must be eliminated."

Ophis said firmly.

If the wall wasn't sturdy enough, they could reinforce it with magic. If toxins could penetrate, they could block them with enchantments.

But it was impossible to apply such protection to every soldier.

If she attempted individual interception instead of sweeping attacks, the spikes might scatter into toxic dust and fall over the town.

Even a barrier couldn't perfectly seal it. If toxins infiltrated the living areas, it would be catastrophic.

"From now on, all water sources and food must undergo thorough inspection. We can't give the enemy any chances... Merlin, can you set up an air purification barrier?"

"Since it's King Ophis's order, I have no choice but to comply."

Merlin answered casually, smiling as usual.

At this moment, Ophis seemed to recall something. She glanced at Merlin, then turned her gaze back to the north.

"These measures will inevitably have flaws. Someone must go and kill the Scorpion People."

Arjuna would probably be suited for this...

However, before Ophis could speak again, a cool voice suddenly rang out.

"Leave it to me."

Thus, it was spoken in a calm tone.

"Altira?"

The pure white girl had, without anyone noticing, already stepped onto the city wall.

"No problem?"

In response to Ophis's question, Altira lightly nodded.

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you."

Ophis nodded as well — her question just now was merely a slight confirmation.

Arjuna possessed strong long-range abilities; against the Scorpion People, who should also specialize in long-range attacks, he would likely be the steadier choice.

As for Altira, she would have to take the risk of approaching closely in order to fight.

However, Altira's strength was equally excellent.

Judging from her previous battle performance, her level even seemed slightly higher than Arjuna's — there shouldn't be any major issues.

Moreover, Arjuna, being the "turret" type, was better suited to stabilizing the overall battlefield,

whereas Altira might leave blind spots in areas Ophis herself couldn't observe.

Arjuna defending the city, Altira going to hunt down and eliminate the Scorpion People — this arrangement seemed even more fitting than before.

"But don't go too deep."

After thinking for a moment, Ophis still gave this advice.

Although Altira was strong, facing an endless swarm could still wear her down to exhaustion eventually.

Speaking of which, Ophis recalled the earlier matter.

"Merlin, you can see the Scorpion People, right?"

Hearing this question, Merlin smiled faintly.

"You finally thought of that? Yes, I can see them —

although I'll be discovered immediately, I can indeed see them."

The Scorpion People were magical beasts.

Although the term "magical beast" didn't sound very prestigious, as progenitors of all magical beasts,

Tiamat's eleven children — including the Scorpion People — were beings of the same rank as the gods.

In terms of strength, they were not inferior to deities.

Naturally, if gods could perceive Merlin's Clairvoyance, the Eleven Magical Beasts could as well.

"There's only one chance."

Ophis nodded.

As long as the opponent could detect Merlin's gaze, although they wouldn't be foolish enough to rush over and throw themselves into the net, they would definitely find a way to block it and then hide, so the best situation would be to find the enemy immediately after observing.

"Merlin, Heracles, Altira, Merlin should be able to sense the location where my Noble Phantasm hit before, right? After reaching there, start clairvoyant observation."

Because earlier she hadn't thought it through carefully enough, now after seriously considering, Ophis quickly gave orders.

"Let Altira launch the attack, Merlin use illusions to cover the battle to prevent accidents, Heracles is handed over to Merlin for command — whether to support Altira, protect Merlin, or block enemies suddenly rushing into the illusion, any is fine, act cautiously."

"Yes, yes, yes, King Ophis, stop worrying like an old woman, just leave it to me."

Kicking Merlin, whose every word and action could tug at her sanity, down the city wall, Ophis nodded towards Altira.

"Leaving it to you."

Altira calmly nodded in response, followed Merlin and jumped off the wall, and Ophis then patted Heracles's elbow, the big guy also following along.

"Tell Jeanne about the situation just now, have her guard the city well, and then go invite Medea from the Priest's Hall over."

After sending out the last messenger to deliver the previous orders, only Ophis was left alone on the city wall, gently breathing out a sigh of relief.

Medea could assist and heal the frontline soldiers; most importantly, if the three people's siege still couldn't find or kill the scorpion-man, then only her Noble Phantasm could regularly repair the wall.

Or rather, even ordinary damages could be repaired by her.

…Thinking like this, maybe even knocking down this city wall would be hard?

Ophis felt a bit speechless, because Medea's presence was so low that she would often forget the girl whose combat strength was slightly insufficient but whose utility was actually very high.

If it weren't for the new magical girl event... cough, if it weren't for the wall's problem, Ophis might really not have thought of that princess.

However...

Ophis narrowed her eyes, watching Merlin and the others' silhouettes slowly disappear toward the north.

Her heart... began to feel uneasy...

After hesitating for a while, Ophis's figure slowly turned into purple light particles and disappeared from the city wall.

────────────────────────────────

In a dense forest even further north beyond Uruk's northern wall, there was an open space about several hundred meters in diameter, entirely out of place with the surrounding forest, and in the middle was a huge crater, as if something had been bombed there.

It was impossible for the King's Treasury shots to hit the enemy from such a distance, so back then, after the weapon hit the ground, Ophis directly detonated the weapon itself, causing this exaggerated scene. However, it was obvious that this method still hadn't successfully captured the enemy.

After a light leap, Altira landed in the center of the crater, looked around a bit, and walked a few steps to pick up a fragment resembling a magic beast's shell.

With a light pinch, the shell shattered.

"Fragile..."

"You can't say it like that — judging from the structure, it should be something that can be strengthened by injecting some kind of energy."

Following Altira, Merlin also caught up without blushing or gasping, showing no signs of a normal magician's lack of physical strength, and Heracles was still following behind him.

"The enemy's position?"

"Uh... Although according to inference, it's highly possible that Kitaburiru lives nearby, there's also the possibility he actually lives far away — going to check now would only alert him, you know?"

"Just find him before he escapes, then destroy him."

Casting a cold glance at Merlin, Altira said calmly.

"Is that so... Then I'll get to work──── although I want to say that, it seems there's no need anymore?"

"Foolish old humanity, truly rushing into the net."

A hoarse, low voice suddenly echoed around them.

"Oh, this style really suits a BOSS character — is it magic? Or is it some special ability from being a magical beast? By the way, what's the point of doing this?"

"..."

The opponent had barely finished his first sentence when Merlin's rapid-fire questions completely interrupted him. After seemingly stunned for a moment, the opponent continued speaking:

"That one seems somewhat wary of you all, but in my eyes, you merely possess a bit of strength and surplus bravery. To foolishly jump into the trap like this — although we made various preparations, it seems we overestimated your intelligence. Die amidst this endless flood of magical beasts."

No longer intending to waste words with Merlin and the others, countless red light dots lit up in the surrounding dense forest, and the atmosphere grew unbearably heavy, beastly growls reverberating through the air.

Altira quickly scanned the surroundings.

All magical beasts?

Unable to confirm the exact location of the enemy commander.

In that case...

Just destroy all these small fries, right?

A colorful… three-colored pen-like sword appeared in her hand. Altira skillfully flicked it, about to launch an attack, but was stopped by Merlin.

Only to see Merlin wearing a mischievous smile, his gaze precisely aimed toward one direction.

"'Scorpion-Man' Kitaburiru, right? I heard you bear the title of 'Sage'. Then, as a sage, when did you develop the illusion that it was your army surrounding us, and not us surrounding your army────?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge commotion erupted among the magical beasts hidden in the forest.

In the forest a short distance away from Merlin and the others, a 'monster' was hiding.

Its whole body emitted a black luster — its lower half was that of a scorpion, and its upper body was a 'human' completely covered in armor-like carapace.

Though the blood-red eyes hidden under the carapace couldn't see too far, the Scorpion Man's sensing ability could clearly observe the situation at the clearing. The magical beasts could also act as its eyes.

Now, the ignorant prey had walked into the trap themselves.

Its venom could threaten the wall... After learning this, Uruk would very likely try to assassinate it. And to do so, they would surely dispatch only a few elite members. If it could set a trap and succeed, it could drastically weaken the enemy's fighting power.

After meticulous preparation, it had set up an ambush here, and as expected, the other side walked right into it without suspicion.

Although it was a bit regrettable that their king wasn't among them — unable to wipe them all out at once — that was expected. After all, few kings would personally charge into battle, let alone participate in such risky missions.

Anyway, once the wall was destroyed and Uruk trampled, surely it would be able to see the terrified expression on the face of that arrogant king — the one who dared to defy Mother, whose face rarely showed emotion?

And at that time, it would inject the venom it had painstakingly refined into that girl, bit by bit, letting her howl and die in endless agony...

Thinking this, the Scorpion Man, Kitaburiru, curved his lips into a cruel smile.

How dare that lowly, outdated human king defy Mother?

The prey had fallen into the net. Kitaburiru, using the magical beasts hidden in the forest, sent out a roar, trying to demoralize the enemy first. Even if it failed, it would only waste a few more useless grunts — not a big deal.

"'Scorpion Man' Kitaburiru, huh? I heard you have the title of 'Sage.' So, as a sage — when exactly did you start having the illusion that it was your army surrounding us... and not us surrounding yours?"

Everything had been going smoothly — until that detestable magician accurately locked his gaze onto Kitaburiru's position and spoke those inexplicable words.

It wasn't until the magician suddenly spoke that Kitaburiru realized...

Wasn't that the white-robed mage who had held back the magical beasts all by himself earlier?

Realizing this, Kitaburiru's heart shook.

Impossible!!!

Why had he not noticed this enemy until now?

Though he had assumed from the beginning that someone with such strategic value wouldn't be sent on such a dangerous, unsuitable mission (Ophis: Well, even if he dies, it doesn't matter — actually, better if he does), even so — once he noticed him, Kitaburiru could have adjusted his plans. But why hadn't he detected him from the moment he entered the forest until just now!?

No — now was not the time to think about that. He needed to calm down...

But before Kitaburiru could react, a change occurred.

The magical beasts that had been crouched, waiting for orders, suddenly began to stir.

It's common knowledge — and you can go look it up on Baidu if you don't believe it — that most scorpions have terrible eyesight, almost none at all. Although Kitaburiru wasn't a pure scorpion, he had inherited this trait to some extent.

Even compared to humans, Kitaburiru's vision was at best top-level human eyesight — but for a being of divine rank, this was absolutely tragic.

Earlier, when he had sniped Ophis from a distance, it was only possible by linking to the vision of other magical beasts.

And now, he was still connected to the magical beasts' vision.

Thus, Kitaburiru saw it.

Countless flowers had suddenly sprouted among the clustered magical beasts, accompanied by black-armored warriors who immediately began slaughtering the beasts.

Some beasts, unable to react, were instantly cut down; others managed to counterattack, but their attacks merely passed through the black warriors — instead injuring their own companions.

If Kitaburiru's face weren't covered in armor, it would've been as black as it was now anyway.

In the magical beasts' sight, the black warriors were real — but in Kitaburiru's own eyes, there was nothing there!

What he saw was simply a group of beasts dancing and going berserk on the spot, occasionally falling by their own hands.

He had encountered this kind of situation once before.

Back when that magician alone had held off the magical beasts!

"Illusion magic..."

Illusions that, by tricking the brain at the moment of impact, caused the beasts to believe they were truly dead — resulting in a spiritual death...

Or, truly dying from friendly fire...

Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it!!!

Kitaburiru understood — under these circumstances, numbers were meaningless. Only quality could counter it.

Thus, setting an ambush using quantity had become his own pitfall.

With a flick of his stinger, moving like an afterimage, he pierced a beast that tried to attack him from behind.

In the beasts' perception, Kitaburiru had already become the black-armored warriors' commander.

His orders were now cut off — or rather, hidden by illusion — leaving the beasts, who weren't very intelligent to begin with, unable to tell friend from foe.

His own subordinates had undoubtedly become enemies.

In that case, he had to eliminate that magician first—

Just as this thought surfaced, through the sight of a few magical beasts who happened to glimpse him, Kitaburiru saw that damned magician cheerfully waving in his direction — and then disappearing without a trace.

Along with this, the target vanished from his senses.

"..."

...How the hell did that guy get so good at running away!?

At this point, Kitaburiru decided he had no choice but to retreat. After all, these subordinates weren't important.

Just as he thought this, he realized something wrong.

Where were the other two besides the magician?

Why the hell had he ignored them again!?

As soon as he noticed the anomaly, Kitaburiru tried to accelerate his escape — but stopped abruptly.

"Too late!?"

With a roar, Kitaburiru pulled out two large swords — made of the same material as his carapace — and crossed them above his head.

A pure-white figure descended from the sky, a tri-colored sword crashing down with overwhelming force onto Kitaburiru's blades.

The massive impact shattered the ground, centered on Kitaburiru, and the resulting shockwave blasted away the nearby magical beasts. Kitaburiru himself was forced low by the weight.

But having eight legs as support, Kitaburiru — a scorpion-type being — wasn't crushed. Quickly regaining his footing, he deflected the tri-colored sword.

The figure used the rebound force to perform an elegant backflip, landing lightly before Kitaburiru.

"Destroy you."

With a cold, indifferent voice — the figure made this declaration.

"Man, that guy sure was stupid. Even though he had divine power and rank, how could he think that rabble of magical beasts could escape my eyes?"

Casually sitting atop a high place overlooking the battlefield, placing his staff across his knees, Merlin wore a relaxed, playful smile.

"Besides, even though your power is strong — if it's just a matter of erasing my presence, that's nothing hard for me. After all, I'm very good at the art of deception."

Muttering words that were destined never to be heard by the other side, Merlin's old habit of giving running commentary flared up once again.

However, speaking to the end, Merlin's smile gradually disappeared, instead showing a somewhat troubled expression, sighing as he stood up.

"Really, really, I haven't even sat for long."

"You noticed, after all, truly a coward who has refined survival to the extreme."

Ignoring the sarcastic words, Merlin's dreamy purple pupils shifted backward.

"If the opponent is you, mm... it really is a bit troublesome."

In his line of sight ahead, was a figure full of contradictions.

Only that outer robe was as pure white as at the beginning.

────────────────────────────────

The three-colored longsword and twin blades drew a gorgeous trajectory in midair; every clash exploded with a violent shockwave, but the two closest to the shockwave seemed unaffected, continuing to wield the weapons in their hands.

Trying to pull back to create distance, yet intercepted by the three-colored sword that suddenly whipped toward him like a lash, Kitabriru clicked his tongue lightly.

His life as a Scorpion was rich in experience; in terms of weapon battles, whether long or short, hard or soft weapons, he had dealt with them all — but to get used to such a weapon that was sometimes long, sometimes short, sometimes hard, sometimes soft, truly needed time.

Scorpion-people excelled at launching attacks with the stinger at their tail, so a certain distance was necessary — the farther, the better. Being stuck in close-quarters like this was a severe disadvantage for him.

At such short distance, using the tail for attacks had too low precision, could only occasionally disrupt the enemy's rhythm through surprise strikes.

Altira was well aware of this too, thus constantly restraining him, never giving Kitabriru any chance to leap away.

...Though that was said, actually, Altira's strongest specialty was using the weapon's advantage to shift between close and far, so this full-contact fighting style wasn't entirely to her liking either, and the Scorpion's occasionally disruptive tail often interrupted her fierce attacks.

Whoever first adapted to the unfamiliar style — or managed to turn the situation to their own advantage — might be the key to breaking the deadlock.

At this moment, Kitabriru delivered a diagonal slash, but unexpectedly, Altira neither dodged nor forcefully blocked, instead stabbing the longsword straight toward his body.

Altira's action caused Kitabriru to hesitate slightly with a hint of doubt, but soon seemed to realize something, snorted coldly with disdain, and swung down his blade.

Clang────

Two crisp metallic sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

One was Altira's sword scraping across the opponent's carapace... the other was the sound of the opponent's blade scraping across Altira's skin.

Altira stiffened for a moment.

Although she often liked to speak of destruction, when actually fighting, Altira wasn't some berserker who thought of nothing but destruction.

The Star Emblem was a dense, intricate marking engraved on her body at birth; once magic power was infused, it would produce a special effect similar to magical release. Coupled with her innate physique as a "natural body," ordinary weapons simply could not threaten Altira.

After careful calculation, Altira judged that even if the opponent's weapon could pierce her body, it couldn't cause major harm, and thus she considered exchanging injury for injury.

Who would have thought that the opponent's carapace was not as fragile as the fragments Altira had previously found? The three-colored longsword only sank half a centimeter before it could no longer penetrate further.

One must know — the sword in Altira's hand was a weapon related to the God of War, reaching the level of divinity. Even so, it was still blocked.

'Can it strengthen itself through energy?'

Altira recalled Merlin's explanation back then.

In the midst of fierce combat, even a brief moment of distraction would create openings — however, Kitabriru himself had just been stunned for a moment too.

Originally, he had seen through Altira's intention of trading injury for injury. Confident in his own carapace, he had paid it no mind. Who would have thought his own blade not only failed to cut into the opponent's skin, but his proud armor had also been slightly pierced?

Moreover, Kitabriru could faintly sense divinity from Altira. Although he did not know the source or which god it related to, as a monster created by the Mother Goddess specifically to oppose gods, all of Kitabriru's attacks had anti-divinity effects — and even so, he still could not pierce Altira's skin, causing him further confusion.

Still, being veterans of countless battles, both recovered from the momentary stupor faster than ordinary people could even notice — Kitabriru slightly faster, thrusting his stinger down at Altira and forcing her to retreat.

"Mm!?"

The distance widened, but Kitabriru had no time to seize the advantage, because the blade of Altira's War God Sword had already started spinning at high speed.

He only had time to jump aside when Altira thrust the War God Sword forward, sending a beam of three-colored light grazing Kitabriru's body and shooting deep into the forest.

Though Kitabriru reacted, he was still too slow — a small part of his waist was hollowed out, with heat still radiating from the surrounding gases.

No time to mind his injuries, seeing Altira intending to pursue, Kitabriru sneered coldly, quickly raised his tail, and in less than half a second, dozens of blood-red spears exploded outward — a third of them stabbing straight toward Altira, the rest sealing off all avenues of escape.

Though he had been unexpectedly wounded, once distance was opened, the girl before him would once again become prey instead of opponent.

Facing the seemingly overwhelming red light, Altira's expression did not change; spinning the War God Sword that radiated intense energy, she swept sideways, scattering all the spears into chaotic energy bursts, which exploded around her and kicked up a huge cloud of dust that obscured her vision.

Altira frowned — the energy seemed to carry intense poison attempting to erode her body, but with her "natural body," she could still resist toxins that were not directly ingested.

Before she could dispel the visual obstruction, she heard the sound of something slicing through the air.

Clang────

Following years of battle experience, she instinctively raised her sword to block the stinger descending from above. Yet the smoke suddenly parted — Kitabriru wielding two gigantic blades infused with vastly greater energy than before, brandished them like scissors, aiming straight for Altira's neck!

Victory!

At this angle, the opponent would have no time to evade.

The magic power infused into the twin blades was many times greater than before — their sharpness would guarantee penetration.

Thinking this, the Scorpion Kitabriru revealed a sure-win smile.

Although the prey had struggled a bit more this time, in the end, it was just the same.

Kitabriru's chained technique caught Altira completely off guard.

Seemingly hesitating for a brief moment, Altira ultimately sighed, mustered strength in her sword arm, and knocked away the Scorpion's tail.

Even so, there was absolutely no time to reposition the War God Sword to defend against the twin blades.

As if foreseeing this outcome, the Scorpion looked at Altira's 'dying struggle' with even more sadistic glee.

Yet Altira's next move was beyond Kitabriru's comprehension.

Altira, following the inertia and residual force after deflecting the tail, flipped the War God Sword, pointing its hilt at Kitabriru.

...What was this, going insane?

The Scorpion originally wanted to see what kind of final act the prey would deliver before death — but now? She pointed the hilt at him?

Was she insane before death!?

Kitabriru wanted to laugh — but he quickly realized he would never laugh again.

"Destroy—"

Along with a soft murmur and a "biu" sound effect, the hilt of the War God Sword emitted three lights corresponding to the colors of the blade, and before Kitabriru could react, pierced straight through his chest.

The twin blades about to fall paused midair.

For a moment, the battlefield was deathly silent.

"You..."

After a while, Kitabriru seemed to finally react, mouth slightly open, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end could only let out a strange howl, his body starting to disintegrate into dust from the point of impact.

He could accept that the opponent had unknown methods — but until the very end, Kitabriru could not understand why a mere flash of sword light could utterly erase his existence.

With resentment and hatred, one of Tiamat's Eleven Children, the Scorpion Kitabriru, ended his life for the second time.

Watching her opponent disintegrate into dust before her, Altira finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Destruction... complete."

The previous attack — she honestly hadn't wanted to use it.

But under urgency, she had no choice.

The two's battle had been so fierce and all-consuming that neither noticed — at some point, the surrounding magic beasts had returned to normal, retreating because the aftershocks of the fight were too dangerous to approach.

The illusion technique — had ended.

No, to be precise — the caster had stopped casting.

And at this moment, Altira, having just defeated her enemy, even with her battle-hardened mind, relaxed slightly.

It was exactly at that moment that a new sound of something slicing through the air erupted behind her!

Because of her brief relaxation, Altira's reaction was half a beat slower — when she turned around, she only had time to see a white figure appear before her, with a hand shaped like a blade, stabbing straight at her without giving any chance to react!

The opponent seemed to possess a special ability to conceal their presence, making it impossible for Altira to detect them beforehand.

Although the Star Crest on her body actually also carried a similar intuitive ability, by the time she noticed the attacker, it was already somewhat too late!

Even so, Altira could still, by relying on the Star Crest, sense the threat the attack posed to her.

The seemingly ordinary blade hand could easily pierce through her Star Crest — and moreover, the target was her vital point!

Whether dodging or blocking, it was already too late — certain death without a doubt.

Originally, that voice had told her... that after being summoned this time, she might find some answers.

But now, it seemed she was still far too weak.

Was this summoning no different from before her death?

Destruction, destruction, destruction — destruction that only stopped at the very moment of her death.

At this moment, however, Altira suddenly thought of the soldiers of Uruk, who had always stood behind her — even with only meager strength, they still stubbornly resisted the endless assault of magical beasts.

Her former army had only known plundering and destruction, which had led to her never having witnessed that kind of unified will to resist a great calamity.

Even though each of them, individually, could not withstand even a single sword strike from her, they still poured out everything they had just to protect the land behind them.

At the very least... she had to win some advantage for them!

Such a thought sprang up within Altira.

It is said that, at the moment of death, one's thoughts are stretched infinitely.

When she died last time, Altira hadn't felt it — but this time, she truly experienced that feeling firsthand.

After defeating the scorpion-man, Altira hadn't had the chance to regain her footing — meaning that the divine sword in her hand was still held in a reverse grip... and after she turned around, the hilt naturally pointed directly at the attacker!

The situation was dire.

Altira no longer had time to rely on intuition to find the opponent's weakness — she could only rely on the divine concept itself to strike a heavy blow against the enemy.

But even so, it should still force the opponent to spend quite a bit of time recovering.

She would die, and the opponent would be heavily wounded.

That alone... would be enough!

Light gathered at the tip of the sword hilt, while the blade hand came slashing straight down.

In the next moment, a three-colored beam of light shot toward the sky, and blood splattered outward.

Altira stared blankly at the beam shooting into the sky.

The hand that should have posed a fatal threat to her had already been severed, blood spraying as it flew away — and she herself was pulled back from her original spot by a sudden force.

As for the attacker, they were sent flying dozens of meters away by a sudden side kick from a black-robed girl.

Even from here, one could feel the violent tremor from when they crashed into the ground.

"Are you alright?"

It wasn't until this cold voice sounded that Altira snapped out of the sudden change in situation.

"Mm, thank you."

She responded just as coldly — but the unnatural look in her eyes betrayed that she was not as calm as she appeared.

Ophis nodded, glanced at the hand that had just severed the opponent's arm, and her expression showed slight fluctuation.

Just then, amidst the sound of crumbling earth, the white-robed girl also climbed up from the ground.

As for the appearance of the person before her, Ophis was exceedingly familiar — even once spending countless days and nights together.

Looking at the figure she had spent countless days with, the slight wavering that had appeared in Ophis completely vanished from her surface expression, and she coldly walked a few steps forward.

"To think you actually came personally."

Regenerating the arm that had just been severed with dirt, while pressing the other hand against her forehead, "Enkidu" said with a frosty expression.

"Are all so-called 'kings' this free and idle?"

Ophis tilted her head slightly to the side.

A mere kick couldn't possibly affect Enkidu — yet right now, the opponent seemed to be showing a slight abnormality?

"Damn it... why are so many problems appearing!?"

"Enkidu" seemed to be extremely furious.

"Body malfunction... why... just seeing that person..."

Forcefully suppressing this strange feeling, "Enkidu" looked toward Altira.

More than that, there was something else she was even more concerned about.

"—Woman, answer me!

Why does the power of Marduk appear in your hands!?"