Crossing That River

As expected, the person who arrived was Kingu. She gently landed beside Rovey, her amethyst-like eyes looking sadly at Tiamat was still struggling violently below.

"Um."

Upon seeing that Kingu had also arrived, Rovey leaped from Maanna in Ishtar when he reached a suitable height and stood with Kingu on the pre-arranged platform, looking down at Tiamat, ready for the final battle.

Meanwhile, on the other side --

"Oh, so there's a story like this between you sisters?"

"Even though you're like enemies, don't you still care about each other?"

After completing the final arrangements at the gates of the Land of Shadows, Scáthach jokingly addressed Ereshkigal, who had been eavesdropping the entire time. Ereshkigal's expression grew increasingly complex in response. Although Rovey and Ishtar's conversation was conducted at a distance, Ereshkigal was, after all, the ruler of the Underworld here, and no one could escape her surveillance and detection.

"Tell me, how are you feeling right now?"

"No, actually... I didn't know Ishtar had always felt this way."

Scáthach awaited her reply with great interest, but this time, instead of Ereshkigal's usual soft and sweet words, or her arrogant denial, her response revealed a sense of sadness and self-reproach.

Scáthach turned around unexpectedly and saw that Ereshkigal's face did indeed show some sadness and self-reproach.

Yes, it's self-blame.

Ereshkigal took in Ishtar's actions and Rovey's words.

This was also the first time she clearly understood Ishtar's views and feelings towards her.

From the very beginning, she harbored prejudice against Ishtar because of jealousy—jealous that Ishtar could be free on the surface while she herself was confined to the dark Underworld.

Well, it's not prejudice.

That guy himself went too far.

However, it cannot be denied that Ereshkigal harbored resentment towards Ishtar even before she had ever met Ishtar.

This led to Ishtar, due to her pride, being unwilling to reveal her intentions. Instead, she flaunted the treasures in an attempt to arouse Ereshkigal's longing and desire for beauty, thus leading Ereshkigal to escape the Underworld together.

Ereshkigal, however, was prejudiced and saw Ishtar as someone to show off and humiliate him. As a result, he lost his sense of propriety from the very beginning and killed Ishtar, thus creating an irreconcilable enmity between the two.

Ultimately, the cause of this tragedy is quite simple.

One is Ishtar's arrogance, the other is Ereshkigal's impulsiveness.

What could have been resolved simply by clarifying things had escalated to that point because of the two of them.

This led to Ereshkigal hating Ishtar for thousands of years, only to learn all this now. So, of course, she felt somewhat guilty. She blamed herself for being so impulsive; if she had asked again, things might not have turned out this way.

She was also grateful to Rovey for letting her know about it.

Despite being an outsider, despite having barely met her, the other person seemed to possess a magical power that allowed them to easily see through her, this goddess.

The flower garden in the Underworld was created by him.

He was the one who revealed the truth.

This made Ereshkigal curious, and at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a subtle fondness for him.

The thought of how much the other person had done for him, and how he had initially tried to hurt her against his will, filled Ereshkigal with shame. Now, to protect himself from further harm, he had refused any more of her help. Such a person was truly...

Kindness.

Just as Ereshkigal was once again caught in self-anxiety or internal strife due to his own personality, Scáthach finally couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up.

"While I really don't want to interrupt your daydreaming, we should make our move. If this continues, Tiamat might escape."

She spoke up to remind her.

These words brought Ereshkigal back to his senses.

The two agreed to mobilize the world's power together, and the goddess of the underworld, who had been using the Underworld to punish and restrict Tiamat, turned her gaze back to the empty area in the distance of the Underworld.

Inside the deep pit at this moment.

The platform originally built for Tiamat created a huge crater due to her fall, and Tiamat's location was precisely the calculated point: the border Mesopotamia Underworld and the Land of Land of Shadows.

At this very moment, shadows originating from the Land of Shadows and scorching lightning from the Mesopotamia Underworld were relentlessly striking her body, unleashing terrifying energy and sending dark red lightning raging wildly.

Originating from the convergence of two Underworld and the supreme suppression of Underworld, even the legendary goddess Tiamat could not easily break free. Her enormous body could only struggle under the suppression of these two forces, emitting piercing screams.

"--Aaaaaaaa!!!"

But the resistance did not stop there. Just as Tiamat's body was temporarily fixed in the deep pit, an unusual energy erupted, followed by countless streams of black mud that surged forth, instantly creating a black wave.

Above the black waves, a black mist swirled, from which one after another, Lahmu crawled out, being born at an incredibly terrifying speed.

Within the vast expanse of black mud, an extremely terrifying number of enemies swarmed like an insect nest, a truly horrifying sight.

However, it's worth mentioning that...

When Tiamat fell to the Underworld, her first layer of immortality and power were largely suppressed by the will of the Underworld, weakening her.

In that case, these Lahmu are naturally minor problems.

With the Eroding Golden Blade in his left hand and golden electricity crackling in his right, Rovey charged into the dense swarm of Lahmu worms.

The biting wind whipped his short, black hair like knives, and his red eyes gleamed with unwavering determination.

"&@%&@%@&%--!!"

The countless Lahmu figures howled, tens of thousands of Lahmu figures howled.

The land surrounding the entire Underworld was polluted.

Thousands upon thousands of black creatures, like a perfectly formed army, charged toward Rovey, trying to stop him from touching his mother.

The black sky shattered, and the earth beneath our feet trembled.

"You keep going! I'll handle these guys!"

Kingu raised his arm and unleashed as many golden chains as possible with all his might, piercing through Lahmu one after another and crushing locust after locust, which symbolized destruction.

Under her cover, Rovey teleported directly through the dense swarm of insects, carving a path straight towards Tiamat's main body.

Soon!

It will be within reach soon!

With the noble goal of salvation, with true redemption and love in our hearts, and with hope for the future, we have finally arrived here.

Rovey extended his Eroding Golden Blade, intending to use it to pry open this impenetrable gap and complete his final plan.

Golden light flickered in his eyes.

Noble Phantasm called the Temple of Time is also being developed.

We're almost there; once we reach that place, everything will be over.

Compared to before, this obstacle is hardly even a difficulty now.

--I can do it! Wait for me, Tiamat, this time I will redeem you from this!

"No, something's not right!"

Dr. Roman had been observing the situation closely and was about to pop the champagne, suddenly spoke up.

The sound made Rovey frown. Although he didn't know the situation, the fact that Roman made that sound meant that nothing good was going to happen.

"What's going on? Another large horde of Lahmu has appeared! This time they're coming from above, and they'll encounter you in just half a minute! Damn it, our plan went wrong! These Lahmu weren't attracted to Uruk; they swarmed in together from the very beginning! There's no way you few can possibly break through this number of Lahmu! This is clearly all of Mesopotamia's Lahmu!!"

"--?!"

No need for Roman to remind me.

Ishtar and Quetzalcoatl, who had agreed to hold off the Lahmu from above, looked up and saw the number of Lahmu that he had mentioned was absolutely unstoppable.

The previously clear sky was suddenly clouded with dark clouds. These were no ordinary clouds, but a swarm of locusts, a swarm that would bring destruction to the world. At this moment, they twisted their bodies, ignoring everything around them, paving their way downwards with their lives, moving so fast that they were invisible and even more difficult to stop.

Gilgamesh, now back in command at Uruk, wore a grave expression. He noticed the monsters' change in formation and cursed himself for dragging things out too long and misjudging their numbers. Even with such annihilation, even with hundreds of millions of monsters still existing at Uruk, the Lahmu spawned in the ocean and the Underworld had managed to reach such a scale.

These creatures are like insects; their reproductive capacity is terrifyingly high, to the point that the troops left behind were insufficient.

He cursed himself for his stupidity; he should have stayed to help.

Although Gilgamesh has already sent the fastest mount, Black Lancer Artoria, to provide support, he is unsure if Gilgamesh will be able to catch up.

But it's too late for regrets now. All he can do now is pray that Quetzalcoatl, Ishtar, and Kingu can hold out.

Above the abyss of the Underworld, Quetzalcoatl, who had maintained an optimistic attitude and could traverse any battlefield, lost her smile. She could only keep Quetzalcoatl and eliminating Lahmu while trying to recover her strength.

Because her previous Noble Phantasm had consumed too much energy, and she hadn't anticipated this number of enemies appearing again, she was caught completely off guard.

Ishtar was no longer mocking or sarcastic; the wealthy Anna began to wail, and all the gems she had always cherished were thrown out as magic.

Jingu, who was providing Kingu below, gritted his teeth as he watched the countless Lahmu, forcibly pushing himself to his limits and desperately releasing more chains to defend, but even with such numbers, it was still a drop in the ocean.

Ereshkigal and Scáthach wanted to provide support, but just as they managed to free up their energy, the suppressed Tiamat showed signs of activity, making it difficult for them to take action.

For a moment, the battlefield fell silent, as if frozen in time.

Tiamat was right in front of them, but— the Lahmu blocking their way formed a wall of sighs that seemed almost like despair.

At this time...

What to do?

What method should we use?

Rovey couldn't help but think seriously about it; for him, this was almost a dead end.

Using the Greater Light Wheel will result in a backlash, which will affect the subsequent release of Noble Phantasm. However, if it is not used, one cannot even get close to it.

But there's no other way! All we can do now is...

"Wait a moment--!"

Just as he was about to make his move, it was Roman's voice again.

"No, that's not right! Something might be wrong with Sheba! The Lahmu above you are decreasing at an extremely rapid pace, and now more than half of them are dead! Moreover, an extremely powerful magical force, so powerful that it could even rival Tiamat's, is rapidly approaching you! This, this aura, could it be—"

Rovey turned around, and golden starlight rushed towards him. A burly golden demon stood quietly behind him, then gently opened its huge fist and destroyed a large area of Lahmu.

"Bang--!!"

The golden starlight emanating from his body was like a shooting star, bursting out from the spot and continuously knocking down Lahmu in mid-air before slamming them heavily to the ground.

"I'll give you a little praise for getting this far, you incompetent king. But without my help, you really couldn't have done anything."

Having watched from the shadows for a long time without finding the right opportunity to strike, Goetia, realizing that he would be completely homeless if he didn't make his appearance now, forced his way onto the scene and said in a feignedly cold tone.

His sudden appearance also made the atmosphere around him strange.

Chapter 306 Crossing That River

"Incompetent and cowardly king, you are indeed incapable of doing anything after losing me."

The low voice came from mid-air, and although there was a hint of sarcasm in the tone, it was not hard to hear that there was another flavor mixed in.

Swish!!

As unexpected words rang in his ears, Goetia, transformed into a giant golden demon, streaked across the sky like a shooting star from among the countless Lahmu swarms, then charged straight toward Rovey's position.

Sensing this terrifying and chilling magic, the Lahmu gathered here instinctively huddled together, using their dark and monstrous bodies and their dense numbers to form a sighing barrier that enveloped everything in this abyss, attempting to isolate everything completely.

At this moment, the wall constructed by Lahmu above his head was a suffocating black, while the golden meteor appearing beside him was a terrifying golden yellow. The starlight, containing incalculable high temperature and immeasurable heat, danced silently in his hand, like a miniature sun capable of illuminating the Underworld.

The other person slammed heavily next to Rovey without any regard for anything, crossed their arms, and looked down at him with feigned aloofness.

"What?!"

"The Demon God King...?"

Upon sensing this surge of magic that had suddenly appeared on the battlefield, Kingu, who was being held back by Lahmu, immediately issued a warning.

However, Rovey did not dodge the golden sun that was heading straight for him, and still had a smile on his face. When Goetia saw this, he snorted coldly, and then waved his hand lightly to control the overflowing power to spread in all directions, directly melting a large area of Lahmu.

Ishtar, Quetzalcoatl had rushed down from above, looked at the unexpected figure in surprise. She had thought she was in dire straits and almost had no way out, but suddenly she received help from Goetia. More importantly, the two of them clearly felt an aura from Goetia that was almost identical to that of Tiamat.

[--BeastⅠ]

Although everyone present had some connection with the Demon God King, it was all Goetia unilaterally threw the Holy Grail at them, letting them work for him. No one had ever seen Goetia's true face or witnessed the mastermind behind the Humanity Incineration.

However, due to his inherent Evils of Humanity aura and his voice, Quetzalcoatl and Ishtar could easily recognize each other. Moreover, upon seeing Goetia, Quetzalcoatl suddenly recalled what his nemesis, Tezcatlipoca, had said: he was Grand Rank, but not Grand Rank used to deal with Tiamat; rather, he was forcibly pulled in by the Counter Force to fill in for another Grand Rank of Evils of Humanity. And clearly, the Grand Rank he was meant to deal with was Goetia.

Although the dire situation was resolved, the overwhelming Lahmu suffered heavy casualties in an instant.

At this moment, Goetia simply hovered quietly in the air, the golden ball of light in his hand spinning like stardust. In the blink of an eye, another group of Lahmu were annihilated. The Lahmu defense line, which had previously inspired despair, collapsed at this moment.