Not until more than half of the army had safely retreated inside the wall did Ophis allow herself a faint smile.
Hmm... Have I been so busy with work recently that I've neglected Enkidu's instructions? Ophis thought with some distress.
The monsters in the distance were still lined up in various patterns under Merlin's control. They should be safe now, right?
Thinking this, Ophis finally put her mind at ease.
Unfortunately, she didn't realize that…
It's often when things seem settled that you start thinking about these things.
That's when you typically encounter a problem.
"Hiduri, next…"
Turning back, Ophis began to explain the next task to Siduri, but before she could get to the point, countless sounds of piercing through the air reached her ears.
"My King!"
Along with this was Siduri's anxious shout.
Ophis turned in time to see countless red needles falling from the sky, each containing considerable magical power!
And their target was the small part of the army that had not yet entered the wall!
Frowning slightly, Ophis waved her hand, and purple energy formed a hurricane that collided with the needles, causing small explosions in the air.
At the same moment, several more red beams in the shape of spears shot towards Ophis.
"The target is me…?"
Ophis assessed the situation instantly.
"Hiduri, be careful."
"My King?"
Before Siduri could ask what to be careful about, Ophis kicked her casually...!?
Siduri instinctively crossed her arms over her chest to block the kick, finding that, miraculously, it caused little pain. However, the force pushed her back and eventually kicked her out of the range of the city wall.
"Wow!?"
Old man Newton finally got a chance to show his authority. Siduri let out a small scream as she fell straight down.
Without paying any attention to Siduri, Ophis also leaped off the wall, propelled by the force of the kick.
The moment the two left the city wall, the red spears struck the spot where they had just stood, collapsing that section of the wall.
"Raise your shield!"
It was an abrupt command, but the remaining Uruk troops under the city wall responded promptly due to their extensive training and familiarity with the king's sudden and inexplicable orders. They raised their shields overhead, allowing Ophis to land safely on them.
Once her feet touched the ground, Ophis spotted a flashing red dot on the distant hill.
The silver Heavenly Chain extended from her sleeves and wrapped around her palm, becoming crystal clear in an instant. Ophis held her palm in front of her chest.
The red beam, now fully condensed, struck the chain in Ophis's hand, creating a violent shower of sparks.
At that moment, dozens of red beam guns appeared again, identical to the previous attack, but this time targeting the Uruk army beside her.
"Is this the real purpose?"
With her free hand, Ophis made a pistol-firing gesture toward the hill where the beams were coming from. A magic circle equal in number to the beam guns unfolded behind her, each firing a purple magic bullet that canceled out the incoming beams.
The sniper beam attacking the Heavenly Chain continued to fire.
If Ophis had moved to dodge, the beam would have penetrated the city wall and exploded in the Uruk army's formation on the other side of the wall, right?
But…
"I don't really understand, but for sniping, shouldn't you keep changing positions?"
On the still-intact city wall, Arjuna had already fully drawn his bow. A blue arrow of light, imbued with rich magical power, was aimed at the location where the beams were emitted.
Ophis's gesture was intended to allow Arjuna to counter-snipe rather than defend against the incoming beam guns.
"Master, please give me your instructions."
"Shoot."
"Yes, sir."
Arjuna nodded in response, then began a low chant.
"Be dispersed like dust under the flames of Agni Gandiva, the god of fire! (Agni Gandiva)"
As the words left his lips, a blue arrow of light streaked across the sky, landing on the hill where the beams originated.
A massive explosion of wild blue flames enveloped most of the hill like a second sun. The intense heat could even be felt on the walls of Uruk, and the sniper beams that had been troubling Ophis ceased and disappeared.
After dozens of breaths, the blue sun finally faded, and those who had witnessed the scene on the hill gasped.
A huge crater was blasted into the middle of the once-intact hill, as if it had been devoured by some giant beast. The remaining surface was still burning with blue flames, with no indication of when they would die down.
It was clear that only one in ten of the magical beasts originally inhabiting the hill remained.
The title of 'God-given hero' might not be a true compliment, but it was certainly an affirmation of Arjuna's strength!
"Arjuna sir is so amazing."
"So Lord Arjuna is so powerful?"
"Arjuna sir!"
"Lord Arjuna, Lord Arjuna, Lord Arjuna!" xN
The soldiers of Uruk were momentarily stunned, but then, quickly following the lead of the first person, they cheered enthusiastically, shouting Arjuna's name.
For them, although it was the first time they had seen such a terrifying display, it was easy to accept.
According to legend, the goddess Ishtar once ventured deep into the Ebihev Mountains, gaining more power with each step until she uprooted the mountain's peak and penetrated the heart of the earth vein, causing the collapse of the Ebihev Mountains. (Is the temple of Ishtar still built in that mountain?)
With such a precedent, the soldiers of Uruk quickly accepted Arjuna's formidable power and cheered that such strength was on their side.
"Phew, this side is also done."
At this point, Ophis had already jumped back onto the city wall, and Merlin appeared beside her.
"Thanks for your hard work."
"Yeah, it was really tough. It's such a troublesome and trivial job. And to top it off, someone else completely stole the limelight in the end! If this were in a book, it would be a complete failure if the protagonist's role was entirely overshadowed by the supporting character!?"
Ophis could only sigh helplessly at Merlin's inexplicable remarks.
This was still relatively good for Merlin. She hadn't had many fighting scenes that could be considered eye-catching until now.
However, did the army finally withdraw successfully?
With the barrier of the city wall, things would be much easier from here on out.
In this case, preparations for the next step are necessary.
The war has just begun...