Feeling the threat posed by the silver-white beam of light, Ophis realized that each of the heroic spirits summoned this time had hidden cards up their sleeves.
Ishtar's mouth twitched. "That thing seems incredibly effective against gods... especially against mothers..."
"The Tear Star can be released a maximum of five times. Master, you'd better prepare quickly," Altera advised, her voice tinged with exhaustion.
Ophis nodded. The Tear Star was different from Jeanne's Red Lotus Saint. Jeanne's flames could be adjusted, and used for binding or destruction. But the Tear Star? It was pure, violent energy, barely controlled. Even from afar, Ophis could sense its overwhelming power.
Altera was doing her best to direct it towards Tiamat, but there was no way to adjust its destructive nature. The damage to Tiamat was evident, her wounds slow to heal, but no matter how many beams struck her, it wasn't enough to kill the Mother Goddess directly. The outcome was clear: besides unleashing five rounds over ten minutes, Altera's attack couldn't achieve anything beyond that.
Ophis turned to Ishtar. "Is your bull still around?"
The Bull of Heaven that Ophis and Enkidu had destroyed was just an incarnation. If the real one appeared, it could engage Tiamat in hand-to-hand combat, holding her back for days if necessary. It would wreak havoc on Uruk, but it was a lesser evil compared to total destruction.
However, Ishtar looked embarrassed. "Well..."
"Forget it," Ophis sighed. "When I hoped you'd come through, I knew it was a mistake."
"Hey, what do you mean by that? Although I can't find Gugalanna..." Ishtar began to retort but trailed off, her voice fading into a mumble.
The others were speechless. Just as Ophis mentioned the sacred bull, they'd felt a flicker of hope, recalling Gugalanna's legendary power. But Ishtar doused their expectations with a single sentence.
Ophis shook her head. It seemed Ishtar was unreliable at critical moments, reinforcing why Ophis never placed her hopes on her. Without hope, there was no disappointment; if she did prove useful, it would be a pleasant surprise. But now, it seemed there was no need to think further.
"When she was a goddess, Ishtar was at least a bit more reliable..." Ishtar sighed. "Fine. I'll prove my worth. If you want to send your mother to the underworld, leave it to me."
Ophis thought for a moment. "...Ishtar."
"Hm?"
"Throwing Tiamat into the underworld is crucial, right?"
"I'll succeed, I promise!" Ishtar declared, flying into the sky.
Ophis tilted her head but resisted the urge to hold back any more tricks. She was in too much pain to worry about anything else.
The silver-white Tear Star fell for the fourth time, and Altera was already gasping for breath.
"Do any of you have other ideas?" Ophis asked, turning to Ritsuka and the others.
At that moment, Lily stepped forward. "Master, it's time to use it."
The injuries she sustained during the battle with Kingu were healed after meeting Medea. Now, Lily's energy and spirit were at their peak, and she stared solemnly at Tiamat.
Ritsuka hesitated. "But if we use it, won't it..."
"No problem," Lily smiled confidently. "It's time for me to grow up. I can't always be Lily, right, Master?"
She was thinking of someone who had made the same choice recently. Though she often looked at herself with a strange gaze, Lily respected Medea deeply. So, she couldn't afford to lose either. As a king, she couldn't always hide behind her subjects.
Seeing Lily's determined eyes, Ritsuka nodded seriously. "I understand. Let's do it."
Lily smiled slightly and raised the holy sword, holding it before her. Behind her, Ritsuka raised his right hand, the bright red Command Seal glowing on the back of it.
"By the power of the Command Seal, Saber, achieve victory!" The first Command Seal vanished, and light began to bloom from Lily's golden sword.
"I command you again with the second Command Seal, Saber, achieve victory!" The second Command Seal disappeared, and the golden sword shone even brighter.
"With the final Command Seal, Saber, attain the glory of victory!" The last of Ritsuka's Command Seals vanished, and the golden light illuminated all of Uruk.
"The concept of victory..." Ophis whispered. She had to admit, while Servants might not rank at the top in raw power, their conceptual abilities were something else...
Medea's Retrospect, Altera's god-slaying beam, Jeanne's purifying flames, and now, what she was witnessing here.
The light converged onto the holy sword in Lily's hand, turning into a massive, dazzling golden beam. There was no tale of decades of hardship, nor the glory of undefeated battles—only the heartfelt desire of a young girl to achieve victory and protect those she loved.
Pride in upholding this will, she chanted the true name of the miracle in her hand.
"Sword of Selection,
Grant me your power!
Cleave the wicked!
Caliburn!!"
She swung the sword down, and the golden light shot out, hitting Tiamat directly. The torrent of light engulfed the Mother Goddess in an instant, forming a massive pillar that reached into the heavens. The powerful force of the light did not hinder Altera's fifth Tear Star; instead, they merged, creating a power that exceeded the sum of its parts.
"Impressive, as expected of Lily," Mash remarked, watching the scorching wave of energy with admiration.
"Indeed, the glory of victory... It's not about calculating damage. From the moment it's unleashed, it's destined to achieve victory," the doctor commented over the communicator.
As the beam of light slowly faded, Tiamat was left completely still, her body covered in burn marks, her original form unrecognizable. Her ability to move was severely damaged, and she was rendered immobile.
Though Tiamat's self-healing was still active, the lingering golden light around her wounds prevented any significant recovery.
The objective of buying time was achieved.
Lily smiled, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders. But in the next second, the golden sword in her hand shattered.