"It's different from Quetzal's previous small skirmishes, where the energy barely leaked out. This... this is the true power of a god..."
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In front of the northern wall of Uruk, a massive "monster" loomed.
The upper half of the creature resembled a human woman—a queen, even, if you ignored her towering height of ten meters. But below the waist, her body was that of a colossal serpent, stretching over a hundred meters long.
This snake-woman, however, was not in a good mood. In fact, she was seething.
The prolonged conflict was initially meant to toy with her prey, but it also served other purposes. Now, though, her patience had worn thin.
Finally, she decided to take matters into her own hands and force a breakthrough on the seemingly impenetrable northern wall.
But something unexpected happened...
Just... mere ants. Yet, they managed to halt her—the mother of all beasts, the goddess Tiamat!
"That's enough. Even if you're a god, I won't let you pass," Jeanne declared, her expression resolute as she held her holy flag.
Beside her, Altera stood, sword in hand.
"Mere ants... die!"
The snake-woman's eyes fixed on Jeanne, but the saint only gritted her teeth, her body bearing the weight of Tiamat's gaze without faltering. However, Altera wasn't as fortunate—part of her body began to turn to stone.
Almost immediately, a silver-white magic circle appeared beneath them, restoring Altera to normal.
The snake goddess's gaze darkened as she looked up at the figure hovering in the air, clad in a translucent lavender robe.
"Is that the power of a Noble Phantasm... restoring damage, removing debuffs, or...?"
Before she could ponder further, a flash of tricolored light struck her, carving a deep gash in her abdomen.
"You dare...!"
Tiamat's fury erupted. The injury itself was minor and would heal quickly, but the fact that someone dared to harm her—a god—was intolerable.
If this were merely a game of cat and mouse, where she allowed herself to be wounded for sport, she could accept it. But to be genuinely injured in battle? That was another matter entirely.
Unbeknownst to her, she had begun to see these opponents as true adversaries rather than mere prey.
With an enraged roar, her long purple hair transformed into countless giant snakes, launching a vicious assault on Altera, who was still mid-air after her attack.
Chapter 78: Servants vs. Serpent
As the giant snakes closed in, Altera adjusted her posture with a slight use of magic, then swung her Sword of the God of War. The tricolored blade extended like a whip, knocking away the incoming serpents.
"Hmph..."
Tiamat sneered, and the giant snakes opened their mouths, gathering purple venom to spray at Altera.
Though Altera had used her magic to stay airborne, her maneuverability wasn't as sharp as on the ground. If she were hit by the venom, she might not be harmed, but she'd be thrown off balance, leaving her vulnerable.
Yet, Altera showed no sign of worry.
In life, she had fought alone, always at the forefront. She never had what one could call a companion... but now, things were different.
On the north wall, a blue light suddenly shone and shot out like a missile, hitting Tiamat square in the face.
Boom!
Blue flames engulfed the snake-woman's upper body, cutting off her attack. Altera used the explosion's aftermath to land smoothly on the ground.
On the wall, Arjuna nocked another arrow, the bowstring glowing blue with power.
Against an enemy of this caliber, random shots wouldn't suffice. He needed to focus his power and wait for the perfect moment to strike.
That was the role of an Archer. Charging in with two swords to slash at enemies? That was for Berserkers!
"Curse you! I'll devour you all!!!"
Tiamat roared as the flames around her were repelled by her surging magic. Six giant snakes simultaneously spat venom at Altera, who was closest to them.
At that moment, a holy figure dashed forward, positioning herself in front of Altera. Jeanne unfurled her holy flag and waved it, releasing a golden light that dissolved the venom on contact, rendering it harmless.
Though Tiamat seemed furious, a closer look at her eyes revealed a hint of clarity.
She knew that the saint before her was the most troublesome opponent.
Jeanne's resistance to magic was almost god-like, and her physical defense was formidable. Neither the magic eye, heavy blows, nor venom could pose a fatal threat to her.
Even so, Tiamat's attacks weren't entirely ineffective. The magic eye alone placed considerable pressure on Jeanne. If she were isolated, Tiamat wouldn't mind wearing her down over time and then playing with her until she broke.
But with the addition of the sky-bound mage who struck and then retreated only to return and heal his allies, the battle became much more challenging.
The mage's incantations were undoubtedly in the language of the gods, and his magic was on a divine level. Whenever Tiamat tried to focus on the other two fighters, the mage's healing would instantly undo her efforts.
As long as the mage's magic wasn't depleted, these opponents could keep fighting, standing back up after every near-defeat!
But what frustrated Tiamat the most was...
The woman wielding the sword and the archer firing from a distance—these two were the main attackers.
Their assaults made her feel a genuine sense of danger...
Especially the girl with the strange sword—the threat emanating from her was lethal.
And the wound on Tiamat's abdomen still hadn't fully healed!
Altera pointed her tricolored sword at the mother of all beasts, her gaze cold and determined.
In the next instant, she turned into a blur, bypassing Tiamat's upper body to strike at her serpent half, carving a massive gash.
"You...!"
Fear flashed in Tiamat's eyes.
Her snake body, though not a vital point, was heavily armored. The scales were so tough that even most high-level Noble Phantasms couldn't penetrate them.
Yet, this girl had sliced through them with one swing. It was unbelievable!
Tiamat coiled her body, forcing Altera to retreat, and then eyed the god-slaying warrior with newfound seriousness.
This girl was too dangerous... She had to be eliminated today!
If someone could observe Tiamat's status at this moment, they would see that her divine attribute had vanished.
In its place was something far more ominous—God-Slayer... A++!
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"It's really Tiamat..."
"Run away, there's no way we can win..."
"That's the power of the Mother Goddess. Can we truly resist it?"
Beyond the north wall, countless soldiers threw down their weapons and armor, fleeing in panic.
The civilians living in the towns near the north wall fared even worse. Many of them fled, while others knelt on the ground, trembling, or stared lifelessly, muttering incoherently, having given up all hope.
At the same time, hordes of monsters exploited the gap left by the distracted defenders, breaching the city walls and wreaking havoc among the populace.
Fortunately, a few soldiers still had the will to fight, and these were the elites. Without them, the casualties would have been far higher.
Ophis surveyed the scene grimly.
"Lily, Mash, go help them!"
Seeing the chaos, Ritsuka gritted his teeth and gave the order.
The two servants had been waiting for this command. The moment Ritsuka spoke, they dashed off to assist.
"Rally the troops."
Nodding to Ritsuka, Ophis turned to a soldier who still had the will to fight and issued her command.
"Yes, my queen!"
Morale surged as the soldiers realized their king had joined the battle. Orders were swiftly relayed, and under the cover of the newly arrived high-end combatants, the remaining troops quickly regrouped, though only a few hundred remained.
Ophis glanced over them, recognizing that most were those she had blessed.
Nodding in approval, Ophis spoke calmly.
"Those blessed by the Divine Protection will focus on eliminating the enemy. The rest, guide the civilians to safety. The goddess will take care of it."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The soldiers dispersed, and Ophis leapt onto the city wall, her gaze narrowing as she observed Tiamat still engaged in battle with Jeanne and the others.
A little later, Ritsuka, with the help of his servants, climbed up beside her, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at Tiamat.
"Is that really Tiamat..."
"Her human form is ten meters tall, her snake body over a hundred meters long, with the spiritual power of a god. She belongs to a special Avenger class!"
Over the communicator, Roman quickly relayed the analysis.
"Tiamat... she seems a bit weaker than I expected..."
Ophis muttered to herself, watching as Tiamat struggled against Altera.