"You and I are different."
Kingu stood alone in an open space, surrounded by a sea of weapons protruding from the ground. The black mud underfoot revealed the true nature of the entity she had battled earlier.
Many strange creatures still lingered nearby, but none dared to approach. They watched the green-haired girl with fearful eyes.
"Why is Kingu still moving? The core has obviously been removed..."
Kingu tried to smile, but the intense pain in her body made it impossible.
"You are merely a weapon. Everything about you, including your emotions, is dedicated solely to your creator. By that standard, I am far less worthy than you."
Abandoning the effort to make an expression, Kingu continued speaking to herself.
"But I am different. I betrayed my creator and chose another master based on my own judgment. From a weapon's perspective, this is undoubtedly a grave transgression."
"Hiss... Don't be afraid. She's alone, seriously injured, and weak. Kill her!"
Urged on by one of the monsters, they began to advance hesitantly.
"Even so, I have never been confused or regretful. Now that I have chosen someone, isn't it a beautiful thing to give everything to her, to offer all that I am?"
Despite her near inability to move, Kingu faced the advancing monsters with calm determination.
"I trusted her and gave her all I had, including my feelings. She never let me down. Even now, she is still honoring our agreement, even though she could have simply given up."
The monster leaped towards Kingu .
In an instant, purple energy burst from the sky, engulfing everything in its path.
"So, what about you, Kingu?"
Only the gentle voice of her thoughts remained, echoing in the air.
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"Is it finally over?"
A girl with long, light blue hair, two large horns, and dreamy starry eyes sank slowly into the black sea. Ritsuka exhaled in relief, but a faint sadness lingered in her heart.
Following Kingu's directions, they had found a monster throwing the Holy Grail into the black sea and the restrained figure of the mother goddess, Tiamat.
Then she had fallen.
"The spiritual foundation is broken, and Tiamat's response has definitely ceased. As long as we wait for the sea to normalize and recover the Holy Grail, the mission will be complete."
Dr. Roman's voice through the communicator was heavy, lacking any hint of victory, as he had managed to repair the sensing device but could only detect nearby areas due to the ongoing interference from the Ouroboros spell over Uruk.
"…That person didn't even resist. It was as if he had accepted our attack as a final surrender."
Mash murmured.
"Perhaps if those monsters hadn't brought the Holy Grail to her, she might have stayed quietly in the sea."
"Even so, the result remains the same."
Quetzal shook her head.
"That is a divinity whose mere existence threatens humanity. Regardless of the reason or hidden truth, it is essential to defeat it."
Suddenly, the entire world began to tremble violently.
"What's happening, doctor?"
Ritsuka asked in panic, struggling to maintain balance with Mash's help.
"I knew it wouldn't be that easy... I've confirmed that the spiritual base has been restored. Wait, the scale of existence has expanded. How... How could something like this exist in the world? This is no longer a living creature; this is…"
"The sea is rising and has already flooded the bay shore! It continues to erode intentionally, and the target appears to be Uruk!"
Before Roman could finish, Da Vinci interrupted her voice grave.
"Hurry up and get on the pterosaur!"
Quetzal summoned her mount and called out urgently to everyone, narrowly avoiding the surging black wave.
According to the latest readings, the black wave could overwrite all living things with Tiamat's power. It was a chaotic tide manifested by divine power.
In short, encountering it could mean becoming a monster like before.
Just then…
"Aaaaaaa—─"
A resonant, singing-like voice filled the air.
A massive figure emerged from the black ocean.
The girl who had sunk, now transformed from bright blue to dark red, grew to an enormous size.
"I see, the Tiamat we saw before was merely a head form, and this is her true body?! Everyone, get out of here immediately!"
The doctor's anxious voice came through the communicator.
"That is a true monster, a mobile living factory with enough magic power for interstellar travel and a vast reservoir of life forms…"
The doctor's voice was filled with awe and trepidation.
"The Ark of God, which would take humans centuries to reach… Is this the true form of the god Tiamat? Quetzal, you…"
"Impossible. Even if I had my full strength and treasures, and even with Ishtar's power or any means possessed by Mesopotamia, I couldn't inflict even a scratch on the god Tiamat!"
"Yes…"
After a brief silence, the doctor gave urgent instructions.
"We must retreat immediately and return to Uruk to join King Ophis. We are helpless on our own. We need to gather all available forces!"
Ritsuka's face was grave as she nodded solemnly.
"I understand!"
"Has your heart not faltered in the face of such power?"
Behind Ritsuka, Quetzal piloted the pterosaur and smiled slightly.
"Wait, she's starting to move! With that size and weight?!"
The doctor's voice became frantic again.
"Aaaaaa───"
Tiamat hummed ominously and took a slow step forward. At the same time...
"The second wave of erosion will directly impact Uruk!"
Da Vinci's voice was now tinged with panic.
"Oops…"
Ritsuka gritted her teeth.
Even if Mash piled up three Command Seals and unleashed her Noble Phantasm, she could only protect herself at best. It would be impossible to block the entire wave!
"Wait… this is… impossible!"
The doctor exclaimed repeatedly over the communicator.
The black ocean surged forward, charging towards Uruk.
But then, to everyone's shock, a purple wave appeared in front of the Chaos Tide and collided with it without hesitation!