Angry Birds / The King's Cannon

"My true identity? Fine then. Although I hid myself because I sensed that bird-like man was here and didn't want to deal with her, I have no reason to fight her now. I'm here to have Gilgamesh settle the debt from last time and propose a new deal, so there's no need to hide anymore."

The dark figure nodded and then said this.

"Young goddess of the Egypt Underworld, watch closely! You shall see what the most ancient god of the underworld truly is."

As he finished speaking, the black mist covering him slowly dissipated, and then a sinister wind swept around him.

However, there was no major movement or unusual phenomenon in the heavens and earth. The gust of wind simply dissipated gently along with the black mist, revealing its true form.

With long blond hair, yellow sunglasses, and a modern gray-white jacket, his expression was one of untamed arrogance and debauchery, completely out of step with the style of this era and the "ancient" he spoke of. If you didn't know better, you would definitely mistake him for a modern person.

Although Nitocris had already seen the other's form once in Merlin's illusion, she was still somewhat surprised to see it a second time.

"It doesn't resemble the image of the God of the Underworld at all..."

One was the frivolous man before her, another was Scáthach, a battle maniac, and yet another was Ereshkigal, a weak goddess. Recalling the appearances of the gods of the underworld she had seen from the beginning until now, Nitocris felt that each of them had some unknown characteristics.

However, she didn't dwell on it for long, because she noticed that the people around her were also walking towards her and respectfully paying their respects.

Nitocris glanced briefly at the people's appearances and expressions and spoke softly.

"Those who are injured and unable to fight, please move to a safe place to take refuge. As for those who are still able to fight, although it may be a bit harsh on you, please continue to do your duty to protect Uruk. For Uruk now, every additional fighter will increase the chances of winning in the end."

"I believe that no soul is dispensable, and everyone should shine with their own unique brilliance in the future."

She was, after all, a former queen. Although she wasn't good at warfare, she still possessed the rhetoric and the ability to inspire people that a king should have. Even if she wasn't as passionate and rousing as Gilgamesh or Rameses II, she could still move most people, not to mention that she now had the buff of divine status.

The soldiers naturally nodded in agreement.

The disturbance was subsequently quelled once again under her command.

Watching the citizens leave, Nitocris breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing this scene, she relaxed a bit. Tezcatlipoca, on the other hand, found Nitocris very interesting. She certainly had the demeanor of a leader, and having someone like her as the God of the Underworld would reduce a lot of trouble.

However, before he could even suggest that Nitocris come and work in his Underworld, they were already at odds.

"Tezcatlipoca..."

Suddenly, a very familiar and enthusiastic voice came from the side.

"They've finally arrived!"

Tezcatlipoca clearly recognized the voice, and his previous nonchalant expression disappeared. Instead, he leaped away from the spot like a cat, followed by a passionate flying kick that descended from the sky.

"A crow flies an airplane!!"

Chapter 297 Angry Birds

--Bang!!

A massive explosion, accompanied by dust and smoke, rose through the city of Uruk. The noise heightened the already tense citizens, who surged toward the scene like a tidal wave. However, Nitocris stopped them, for the scene before them was not something these humans should be exposed to.

In the center of the huge crater, two figures were locked in a fierce standoff.

One of them was Quetzalcoatl, with long golden hair and a South America style. She was smiling as she raised her long, smooth thigh and slashed down hard at Tezcatlipoca, who had just appeared below. The huge crater was her doing.

The Tezcatlipoca below was also confronting him. He raised his palm and pulled out a slender white bone spear from somewhere, which he placed on his head to firmly block the Quetzalcoatl's flying kick. A smile appeared on his face, indicating that the powerful kick had not caused him much damage.

"Wow, you're really tough... Is it because of the strength of your Spirit Origin?"

Seeing that her aerial maneuver and subsequent attempt to catch the crow in an airplane had failed, Quetzalcoatl wasn't surprised, but seeing how easily the creature below had parried her attack, she couldn't help but utter a comment.

"Guess?"

The man below revealed his true form. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed from a fashionable modern man into a wild South America caveman. Although there was nothing wrong with his attire considering the era he lived in, it was still inexplicably jarring to look at.

Tezcatlipoca gave a mocking smile at Quetzalcoatl's words, then reached out and slapped her away, adding a final remark.

"It's you who's gotten weaker, you little bird."

"Is that so?"

Quetzalcoatl still wore a smile on her face, but although she was all smiles, her actions changed in the next moment. A fist the size of a sandbag came down from her right side and smashed directly at Tezcatlipoca's face. However, her figure was still as agile as a leopard. With just a leap, she dodged the attack and created distance.

"Stop it, Bird King. I'm not here to fight you this time. Although I'm somewhat reluctant, I should be considered your ally this time. I think as a benevolent god, you won't continue to attack me because of personal grudges, right?"

"Tsk..."

Upon hearing what Tezcatlipoca said, Quetzalcoatl hitting the Earth, clicked his tongue and then reluctantly withdrew his hand.

Although I wasn't really willing to admit it, what this guy said was indeed true.

This guy's appearance in this Singularity has a specific purpose, as evidenced by his identity, and also because I'm no match for him right now.

Although in terms of their physical forms, he and Tezcatlipoca are undoubtedly on par, both being supreme gods in Aztec mythology, their Spirit Origin determine the difference between them.

He was just an ordinary Spirit Origin, and although he could unleash considerable power, it was far too weak compared to the original body—not even reaching a tenth of its strength. But this guy was Grand Rank Spirit Origin, personally chosen by the Spirit Origin -level the Root, capable of wielding immense power that completely overwhelmed him. This was why his flying kick had been easily parried; if it were the original Spirit Origin, and the guy had dared to be so arrogant as to get close, he would have been kicked flying long ago.

"So you've already agreed to stop? Bird, you're as law-abiding as ever. Is this what you call following the rules?"

Seeing that Quetzalcoatl had stopped attacking, Tezcatlipoca knew that she had agreed with his statement, and then sheathed his weapon.

He didn't know about the others, but he considered himself to know Quetzal perfectly. Her words were always as good as gold, and as the pinnacle of the benevolent gods, she was truly trustworthy. Since she had said to stop, even someone like him wouldn't make a move against her.

"This isn't about following the rules, it's about what I believe is right."

Faced with Tezcatlipoca's provocation, Quetzalcoatl did not immediately become angry. Instead, he replied seriously, "While I do indeed want to turn you into a wrestling punching bag, you're right, now is not the time to waste on you. If you're here to help humanity, then let's leave it at that for now. The past may not be over, but we should settle things one by one. After we overcome the current disaster, we can settle our scores later."

"I see... That's really boring. And your rule-following attitude is as annoying as ever. You're clearly the most willful person, yet you insist on following the rules you set for yourself, even with such power. I will never understand you, no matter how many years pass."

Tezcatlipoca also gave his own answer. With a light wave of his hand, he immediately shed the crazy primitive makeup that he called a warrior's pose, and returned to his previous modern style.

Seeing this, Quetzalcoatl nodded, and the two did not continue their confrontation.

Quetzalcoatl's assessment of Tezcatlipoca was that although it was willful and powerful, and as unpredictable as the wind, it was not the evil god that was expected.

The feud between them is a personal matter that must be settled and is never-ending, but it will not take precedence over Tiamat.

The same applies to Tezcatlipoca. Although he dislikes Quetzalcoatl, it's mostly because of what Quetzalcoatl did to him in the past. And while he dislikes her, he can't find fault with Quetzalcoatl's status as a god.

In Aztec mythology, they are like the opposites of good and evil, order and disorder, destined to fight each other, yet they also understand each other.

"However, although I won't fight with you anymore, there's one thing I still don't understand."

Quetzalcoatl suddenly spoke.

"What?"

Tezcatlipoca's gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at Quetzalcoatl with some confusion. "Birdman, is there something you're still unsure about?"

"What? You're a Grand Servant? But I'm not? If we're really talking about who's more suited to fighting with a Grand Spirit Origin, then I'm definitely more suitable than you, right? Why are you the Grand Berserker this time, and I'm not the Grand Rider?"

"Ah, so you're still talking about this even now?"

Hearing Quetzalcoatl's words, Tezcatlipoca nodded and said, "That's a good question, and the reason is actually quite simple."

"For us gods to be summoned as Servant is itself a demotion. Even the so-called Grand Rank Spirit Origin is merely replacing the capacity of a cup with a basin; it can never truly contain everything. So, it doesn't matter whether you or I are Grand Rank. But—"

"Your compatibility isn't very good with the Beasts in this Singularity, and you were summoned before the second Evils of Humanity appeared, so of course you don't have Spirit Origin. The Grand Rank of Tiamat appeared in this Singularity a long time ago, and I was called in to fill in because the Counter Force had completely disappeared in preparation for dealing with Goetia's Grand Rank. That's roughly the situation."

With that, Tezcatlipoca shrugged and explained the general reason in just a few words.

This means that choosing the Grand Rank to deal with Evils of Humanity depends on compatibility. In theory, the appearance of an Evils of Humanity requires the simultaneous action of all seven Grand Rank. However, unfortunately, the Counter Force always encounters various problems, resulting in the seven Grand Rank never being able to gather together to defeat a single Evils of Humanity. Therefore, the compatibility of different Grand Rank with different Evils of Humanity is very important.

The old man in that Valley of Shadows was destined to be the Grim Reaper of Tiamat. Only he could play a decisive and maximum role in the battle against Tiamat when the number of Grand Rank was the smallest. That's why he hesitated to make a move against Goetia, saying that his time had not yet come.

There are also corresponding Grand Rank for Goetia. Although it's unclear what happened, the originally planned Slayer seems to have completely disappeared. So, from the limited Grand Rank, he was just chosen and pulled to this Singularity, which is a real headache for Tezcatlipoca.

He had just made a pact with a strange, unconscious guy, and then he was suddenly conscripted to this place, forced to confront Goetia while also encountering this bird-man. If it weren't for the fact that these humans were quite amusing and he could also gain some benefits from them, he would have really been ready to leave immediately.

However, now...

It seems someone else has taken care of Goetia's laning phase. That Evils of Humanity is a bit strange. Although Tiamat's state has been unsealed and increased, there are still limitations. In addition, the quality and quantity of the Heroic Spirit in this Singularity are also very high. The Counter Force has indeed taken effect, which is why he has regained hope for this unrealistic battle.

He had previously planned to make some deals with Ereshkigal, hoping to take some Mesopotamia warriors' souls back to his Underworld collection. However, it was a bit of a pity that this native underworld king valued souls highly and was completely unwilling to continue trading with him.

Now that things have come to this point, he needs to feel a sense of participation. After all, the granting of Grand Rank is a kind of transaction, and if all of humanity really dies, he won't have anything to do anymore. His own story isn't set in a time like this, so he still has to help out.

"Although I always felt you had your own agenda, I have to admit you're a rare fighting force. So now that you've joined us, let's get moving! How about we head straight to the southern city wall? The humans there are incredibly brave!"

Having said all that, although she understood the situation, Quetzalcoatl was still more concerned about Tezcatlipoca joining the battle with them. Given her understanding of Tezcatlipoca, she immediately wanted to drag him along to fight.

"So you're always getting played, aren't you? Isn't it enough that you're there? Shouldn't I be looking for Gilgamesh or another human right now? After all, my involvement is a variable that needs to be replanned."

After hearing Quetzalcoatl's suggestion, Tezcatlipoca, while not opposed to fighting alongside humans and witnessing the prowess of the warriors of this era up close, still had more to consider. In other words, he and Nitocris had come here specifically to discuss their next plan.

"You're right. Well—I've rested enough now. My offline status has allowed Artoria to hold out for a long time, and it's time for me to go back to fight. After all, there are many adorable humans there whom I personally trained. As a god, I won't allow them to be killed so needlessly."

Quetzalcoatl twisted his wrist, preparing to return to his own battlefield.

Before leaving, she couldn't resist a little revenge on the guy in front of her, grabbing the wrist of the guy with the Tezcatlipoca, which startled him slightly.

"What are you going to do now, you little bird?"

Although she noticed Quetzalcoatl's actions, she didn't sense any killing intent, so Tezcatlipoca didn't stop her. Instead, she asked her in confusion.

But when he heard Quetzalcoatl's words, Tezcatlipoca was immediately horrified.

"Oh, need I say more? I'll go find Gilgamesh for you. It's too slow for you to search slowly like this. Didn't you say that speed is of the essence in war? In that case, I'll help you get there quickly~"

With a smile on her face, she spoke the most terrifying words in the most enthusiastic way. While grabbing Tezcatlipoca's wrist, she used her most familiar Mexican wrestling technique to throw his body out of the city in a perfect arc, performing a flying maneuver in mid-air, and crashing straight into Gilgamesh's palace. The speed was so fast that even Tezcatlipoca was caught off guard.

The soldiers around him, seeing the parabola in the sky, mistook it for a shooting star and made wishes. Some even carved it into a clay tablet in their last moments, creating the oldest version of Angry Birds.

"And what about you? Do you need my help?"

After throwing the Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl revealed a satisfied smile, then turned to Nitocris and asked her kindly.

Upon witnessing such a terrifying scene, Nitocris's long ears went limp, and she hurriedly waved her hands in refusal. In the end, she ran towards the temple of Ishtar without looking back, fearing that the Quetzalcoatl would catch up and throw her out as well.

Compared to goddesses like Ishtar, Ereshkigal, Quetzalcoatl, who laugh while tossing people around like punching bags, they are far more terrifying.

"Rovey Lowe, help! Where are you?"

Chapter 298 The King's Cannon

"What's with this number? These opponents are far more difficult to deal with than any enemies we've encountered before, but they also happen to be the most numerous type of enemy—ugh, this is so annoying!"

"Lord Yoshitsune, please don't say that. The defensive fortifications that Gilgamesh entrusted to us are not yet complete."

"I know, of course I know, but compared to battles like slaughtering Demonic Beast and killing enemy soldiers, I'm now so confused that I don't even know what I'm fighting anymore. Aren't these guys just twisted chunks of flesh?"

On the battlefield, Ushiwakamaru and Benkei continued to charge forward. Their abilities were neither wide-range AoE nor specialized defensive skills, so they could only be used as surprise troops, like a sharp blade cutting across the battlefield to seize some advantageous terrain for the upcoming battle.

At that moment, Ushiwakamaru, who was leading a group of people across the Lahmu tide to repair their defensive positions, smoothly sliced through several Lahmu blocking her path with her green longsword while complaining to Benkei. Benkei, standing beside her, reached out and pulled Ushiwakamaru back, helping her dodge further attacks from the sky by the Lahmu.

"Thank you, Benkei."

Having narrowly escaped the attack, Ushiwakamaru thanked them. Then, she looked up and noticed the sky growing increasingly dark. Ushiwakamaru and Benkei also noticed that the sky's color had changed once again; the dark clouds were thicker, and the number of hidden Lahmu within them had visibly increased. This undoubtedly meant that the battlefield was becoming more difficult once again.

"They're here--!!"

A sharp intuition rang alarm bells in Ushiwakamaru's mind, and he immediately sensed something was wrong. Benkei also gave a warning. They saw the Lahmu in the sky rapidly gathering above their heads, and in the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a black blade that stabbed straight toward their location. Clearly, the Lahmu had also noticed the defensive positions they were repairing on the front lines.

"This number is no joke, is it? Several thousand? Or tens of thousands?"

Ushiwakamaru frowned, picked up his sword, and aimed it at the black mass falling from the sky, racking his brains for a way to stop it. Benkei even raised his palm, preparing to unleash his Noble Phantasm to withstand this attack. Although he was not sure if his specialized Noble Phantasm would work on Lahmu, all he could do now was to go all out.

But--

"Holy Lance - Anchor Pull!"

Accompanied by a rather authoritative female voice, a golden light spear streaked straight through the sky like a meteor and landed directly above their heads.

Then, a blinding golden light burst forth, and terrifying magic and golden feathers of light originating from the planet began to fall on the battlefield. But upon closer inspection, anyone could see that they were not feathers of light. The feathers shimmering with golden light were actually the corpses of Lahmu, which had fallen after being burned by the starlight, and were now scattered all over the battlefield.

After the attack, the golden meteor shattered the Lahmu's defenses, creating a gap in the dark clouds that allowed some sunlight to refract. The tens of thousands of Lahmu who had just condensed were now scattered, successfully providing shelter for the soldiers below.

"This is the radiance of the Holy Lance! The legendary goddess truly lives up to her reputation. This aura of majesty makes me feel as if I'm seeing Indra! Hahaha--!"

Upon seeing the pillar of heaven collapse, Ushiwakamaru, who had been extremely tense, immediately burst into laughter. Her gaze returned to the white tower near the city wall, where Artoria, wearing a silver-white lion helmet and wielding a Holy Lance, her equipment identical to that of the Lion King, stood watching everything on the battlefield ahead. Her duty was to provide Holy Lance support to the soldiers in the distance, to destroy the gathered Lahmu. It was precisely because of this that Ushiwakamaru and Benkei were able to traverse this battlefield, as the Lahmu's hatred had been drawn to this side.

Below, Leonidas, accompanied by Ibaraki-dōji and other soldiers, acted as the goddess's most loyal guards, raising their shields or weapons to form the strongest defensive line.

"What a thrilling battle! This battlefield can truly be called a hellish inferno. Thanks to the goddess's help, we are able to put up a fight even in the face of such a situation."

"Then we must continue, Benkei. We must hold off these Lahmu. We can't let even half a Lahmu get past here before Gilgamesh and Brother Rovey are ready."

"I understand, Lord Yoshitsune!"

The two responded to each other, and then each began to carry out their own actions.

However, rather than an action, their plan was, in short, no plan at all. This was because they trusted these heroic Heroic Spirit, and micromanaging on the battlefield was extremely dangerous. Gilgamesh, sitting in the palace, could not have full control over the situation and had to command so many warriors, so his orders were very simple.

Let the Heroic Spirit figure out how to defend Uruk themselves. Under no circumstances should any Lahmu be allowed to enter. Soldiers and resources can be mobilized at will, and the defense should be carried out according to their wishes.

This resulted in the two Holy Lance transforming into anti-aircraft guns to stop the air raids of Lahmu on the north and south city walls, Leonidas and Ibaraki-dōji being responsible for the defense of the city walls, Quetzalcoatl alone going on a rampage in the Lahmu group, carrying out a decapitation strike, chasing after the Eleven Children and attacking them as soon as they showed their heads.