Believe in Tiamat, Gain Eternal Life

The fighting is fierce in Uruk.

The area from the south gate towards the Royal Palace Divine Tower, which was one-third submerged, had been flooded by the raging floodwaters.

Fortunately, the Underworld Goddess Ereshkigal, used the Earth Authority to raise one spiritual peak after another to block the mudflow and to elevate the terrain of the Royal Palace Divine Tower.

Beneath the towering mountains, this barrier barely protected the remaining 10,000-odd survivors.

In the southern region, which had become a stalemate battlefield, the clanging of metal was incessant, and spider-like Lahmu rustled and climbed over the half-collapsed buildings.

Thousands of Leopard Beastkin, sharpening their claws in the shadows, roared as they swung stone weapons inscribed with Mayan script at Lahmu's limbs.

Looking around, two hostile monsters were engaged in a fierce battle, with blood and flesh flying everywhere and limbs being torn apart.

Because they are inferior in rank and strength, it often takes three to four Leopard Beastkin to barely stop a single Lahmu with its entire body hardened.

However, these summoned monsters were born from the worship of the First Solar Age god "Smoking Mirror," so the concepts of "sacrifice" and "human sacrifice" made them fearless of death.

Often, a Lahmu would plunge its claws into the chest of a Leopard Beastkin, before it could even pull its limbs out.

The frenzied feline then pounced on these Child of Mystery, howling and tearing at them.

Immediately afterwards, the Leopard Beastkin, whose life force was about to cease, tightened its grip on Lahmu beside it and self-destructed its Spirit Core, inflicting severe damage.

Moreover, figures emerged from the remaining city walls and the nearby mountain passes.

The Uruk soldiers, Magecraft, and priests, positioned high above, continuously harassed and supported the enemy, while the enemy fought back methodically and steadily.

Even if a few Lahmu managed to break through the limitations of the Earth Authority and fly into the air, the Pterodactyl Rider that flew out from the outer perimeter of the Royal Palace Divine Tower launched a precise interception.

"Boom!"

Just as a small hill at the entrance to Kashi Street was smashed, several Lahmu felt the ground tremble beneath their feet, and a new peak rose up, blocking their advance.

Immediately, a mixed force of Leopard Beastkin, human soldiers, Magecraft, and Shrine Maiden Priestess appeared from the passageways and crevices, as if they had been prepared in advance.

The number of them was just right, neither too many nor too few, and they fought these Child of Mystery to a standstill.

Similarly, Lahmu, who were searching for human scents and advancing towards the Royal Palace Divine Tower, were also met with resistance.

Every time they travel a certain distance, troubles always seem to arise from all directions.

Standing atop the Royal Palace Divine Tower, one can overlook the entire city's Merlin and see it more clearly.

Under the control of the Mistress of the Earth Yao, who treads on the Lingfeng Peak, most of the Lahmu coming from the direction of Mount Epiph are circling within that one-third of the occupied territory.

Even if they follow their predatory instincts, they can still move forward along the correct path.

However, the narrow paths left by the mountains beneath the towering peaks always lengthen the route several times over, not to mention the various obstacles that can block the way.

Below, it had become a chaotic mess of rice porridge, black in some parts and brown in others.

Even if these Lahmu follow orders and want to withdraw from the battlefield, they will likely find it difficult to extricate themselves from the complex terrain and the watchful eyes of their opponents.

Within the shattered dome, the faint Projection of the sun flickered uncertainly.

Time ticked by, and the sounds of battle from both the north and south sides remained fierce and piercing.

Dark red blood spread out, and pink bits of flesh, broken black shell-like limbs, and purplish-black body parts floated up and down in the floodwaters flowing across the ground.

"Bang!"

A winged Baal Lahmu swung its claws and plunged them into the skull of a Quetzalcoatlus, then flung the carcass toward the mountains.

The monster, rising high into the sky, looked at the spire of the Astrology Platform. The Solar Calendar Stone, though cracked in the center, still emitted a faint glow. As if realizing something, it suddenly opened its mouth and pointed.

"The timing... is wrong!"

"The sun... is misleading!"

"If we don't kill all of humanity, the Father God will appear... terrifying!"

Just then, a beam of light pierced through the Deity-class Lahmu, and the arrow exploded, obliterating it into dust.

"Hey, Samael!"

"These guys are evolving too fast! Your little tricks with Merlin and Quetzalcoatl have already been seen through!"

The War Goddess, standing on the top floor of the Astrology Platform, glanced at the virtual celestial afterimage in the sky, its trajectory slowed down dozens of times, her expression gloomy and her tone urgent.

Inside the Royal Palace Divine Tower, the ancient serpent suddenly turned its head and looked at the Great Sage was leaning on his magic wand and radiating the power of dreams.

"What time is it now?!"

"At 10 p. m., after the restrictions on the south wall were lifted, we held out for about ten hours."

"Notify those outside, we can't keep this a secret any longer! Prepare for the attack! We must stop that guy for two hours!"

Samael slammed his fist on the table, his tone urgent and low.

Merlin nodded solemnly, slamming his staff into the ground. Several beams of light, like salutes, shot into the sky from the surviving buildings around Uruk.

At the same time, the Lahmu tribe that rushed into Uruk let out sharp screechs, and the surging sound waves spread wildly in all directions like a tidal wave.

In an instant, a series of thunderclaps exploded in the sky, the ground trembled violently, and the entire fortress city was like a pile of building blocks about to collapse, its pillars pulled out.

"Boom!"

The earth cracked, accompanied by the roar of surging waves, and came from the Fir Forest. A ferocious Dragon Beast, thousands of meters long and composed entirely of bones, ether, and Black Mud, roared and flew out of the abyss.

As the dragon's wings, covered in Black Mud, flapped, a terrifying Aether Storm formed a hurricane that swept outwards, and a massive black torrent surged forth.

The Seventh Black Tide has arrived! The Creator God has reappeared!

A moment later, a streak of light descended upon the Northern High Ground.

The War Goddess, who had jumped off the Sky Ark Ma'anna, stared at the monster that stretched for thousands of meters, her eyes twitching as she swallowed hard.

Immediately afterwards, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, who had been waiting there, emerged one after the other from the ruins of the Northern High Ground, their gazes solemn.

Before Ishtar and the other two parties could make a move, a strange, rhythmic ethereal murmur spread from the ground.

The soil layers, constantly eroded and carved by the Kuroshio Current, quickly solidified into mountains and rocks, rising high into the sky.

Spirit Peak Embrace, the Underworld Bellows!

The power emanating from the Underworld Goddess clearly proves that the Northern High Ground has gathered the four strongest warriors currently existing in Uruk.

They will become the last line of defense to stop the Creator God Apsu from invading this fortified city.

But before Apsu could even get close, the Aether Storm stirred up by its wings alone caused the land to be torn apart layer by layer, and rifts leading to the abyss continued to widen.

A turbid torrent from the darkness surged forth, spreading across the ground. The eroded soil, like tofu dregs, crumbled and collapsed, falling into the abyss.

As the surface was further eroded and decomposed, the bones, skin, and even the flesh and scales of the Dragon Beast became clearer.

Clearly, this terror hidden underground is further revealing its imposing stature by continuously widening the fissures.

In just over ten minutes, the wingspan of several hundred meters swept across most of the wasteland, and it was only a few hundred meters away from the Northern High Ground.

As the violent Aether Storm raged in, everyone's clothes fluttered wildly, and their breaths became labored.

Two hours... two hours...

Ishtar stared at the Dark Peak, which had been shattered like tofu by the Black Tide, her heart pounding wildly, and a look of something both crying and laughing appeared on her pretty face.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Deafening explosions followed one after another, and the originally dark and gloomy sky outside the North Wall was filled with one dazzling "star" after another.

The intense tremors spread all the way to the Royal Palace Divine Tower, causing this last bastion protected by multiple powers to begin to sway precariously, with the outer light screen flickering intermittently.

Samael sat in front of the sand table, placed the obsidian Dragon Beast sculpture carved into the North Wall, then picked up the constantly clinking teacup, gulped down the long-cold tea, and his mind raced.

The first stage, luring the enemy deep into their territory, and the second stage, delaying them, have both been done to the extreme.

Next, as long as we can hold out until they arrive promptly after 1 a. m., we can calmly withdraw from Uruk.

"Samael, the situation on the North Wall is not optimistic. They are now completely at a disadvantage. Even if the four of them work together, they probably won't be able to hold out for two hours."

Merlin kept a close eye on the battle, watching the northern wastelands being plowed again and again by the Aether Storm, and Uruk constantly advancing into the battlefield, his brow furrowed in worry.

At the same time, recalling the many illogical aspects of this Creator God's actions, my mind was filled with confusion.

"Furthermore, I don't understand why, given that Apsu is so powerful and rational, he would repeatedly test us?"

Samael calmly put down his cup, his expression somewhat meaningful, and then pushed a statue of a deity into the sand table.

"Because of fear..."

Merlin looked at the sculpture, which extended the Touch of the Earth and had a figure that combined elegance and ferocity. His expression changed, and he murmured something.

"Tiamat?"

He feared the god Tiamat!

A certain absurd idea surfaced in his mind and became clearer over time.

Apsu expended his divine power, commanding the Bull of Heaven Gurra, the water monster Aboru, and the Fir Beast Humbaba to attack Uruk from three sides.

It seems that Mu is trying to probe this fortified city by constantly applying pressure, to see if the traces of the Origin Mother Goddess Mu exist.

The specific reasons are currently unknown.

"I wasn't sure before, but after I scared Lahmu away from the North Wall, and considering the recent situation, the answer should be this."

As Samael pondered, he gently stroked his treasured three-inch human-shaped figurine with his fingertips, offering a devout prayer in his heart.

Tiamat bless you!

Merlin stroked his chin, gradually figuring things out, and paced back and forth in front of Samael.

"No wonder you've been secretly running this Mother Goddess lately, and even had the five Divine General refer to Tiamat as 'Mother'."

"Misleading?"

The ancient serpent glanced at a collapsed building outside the window, where the dark, suffocating Lahmu was obliterated, and nodded slightly.

"Even outside the North Wall, upon hearing the chanting of the divine words that originated from the Mother Goddess, he cautiously withdrew to the Lahmu group."

"I think that if we send out some more messages and create some traces of the Mother Goddess's presence, we might be able to delay it for a little longer."

"As it turned out, things went even more smoothly than I expected."

Merlin's eyelids twitched, and he gazed intently at the dragon Dragon Beast statue standing on the North Wall of the sand table.

"The more intelligent someone is, the more easily they become suspicious..."

However, isn't this Primordial God, known for his rage, a bit too suspicious and too intelligent?

The great sage even doubted whether this Creator God had ever truly died.

Wait a minute, is Apsu so wary of Tiamat because there's more to the story than meets the eye during that creation war?

If that's the case, then is he...?

Merlin gazed at the old man Samael with a serene expression, and was just about to speak when a meteor wrapped in red and black flames crashed into the inner city of Uruk.

"Boom!"

Ishtar was sent flying and crashed into layers of mountains, spitting out golden-red blood, with blood seeping from her ears and nostrils.

Immediately following, a sickening metallic tremor resounded as the chains Chain of Heaven the ethereal dragon's body shattered one by one, Enkidu's Spirit Core reaction grew increasingly weak.

All around, whether it was the encircling Spear Cage or the swords, spears, and halberds shooting from mid-air, they all broke.

Those wings, shimmering with a red and black luster, swept across the city wall, turning the middle section of the North Wall into dust, and instantly crushing the people above into mincemeat.

"Bang! Bang!"

Apsu, dragging the few remaining Chain of Heaven, raised his paws and stepped forward.

Compared to this terrifying Creator God, the humans atop the high walls are as insignificant and minuscule as ants. With just a simple breath, they would be torn apart and reduced to ashes.

More and more crimson and black tides surged through the gaps in Apsu's cleavage, engulfing Uruk, and heading towards the Royal Palace Divine Tower.

Samael and Gilgamesh jointly created the Undying Army, but very few remain.

Just as the ferocious Dragon Beast was about to cross the never-fallen North Wall defense line, it suddenly erupted like a monosyllabic chant.

"Aaaaa!!!"

It contained a mix of emotions, seemingly a kind of anger, but also a kind of protest.

Thousands of Lahmu stormed into Uruk, their limbs limp, instinctively crawling on the ground.

Its massive mouth was half-open, with turbulent ethereal currents gathering inside. It was about to unleash a burst of energy, seemingly preparing to wipe out the entire Uruk Terror Dragon Beast instinctively shut its mouth and retreated.

In the Beginning of Creation, maternal divine authority was often stronger than paternal divine authority.

"Heaven and Earth diverge, the star of creation begins!"

"You bastard, get back here!"

Gilgamesh, his left arm severed at the root, Gawain's Sword high with his right hand, his face contorted in a ferocious expression, and unleashed a red and black Aether Storm that slammed down on the head of the world-destroying dragon.

The red and black spiral beam of light, tens of meters in diameter, propelled Apsu outwards, creating waves and propelling him several meters away.

Almost simultaneously, the few remaining Chain of Heaven that had been binding Apsu contracted and coalesced into a cracked, green-haired figure that fell from mid-air.

Just as this clay doll, overburdened and about to crash to the ground and shatter into pieces, was caught by the Sky Ark Ma'anna that pierced through the darkness.

Meanwhile, inside the Royal Palace Divine Tower, Samael leaned against a table, coughing violently, blood spilling from his mouth, and waves of dizziness washing over him.

As expected, Lahmu was already under the control of Apsu's power and intimidated by the Beast Mother's Womb, and it couldn't last more than a few minutes.

At least, he bought himself some time.

The man staggered to his feet, rushed out of the Royal Palace Divine Tower, and saw three ship-shaped vessels made of cedar wood sailing from the sea on the floodwaters to the south. He was overjoyed.

Finally, it's here! Noah's Ark!

However, the excitement hadn't lasted long when thunderclouds gathered in the sky, and pillars of wind and arcs of lightning bombarded down from above.

Instantly illuminated within the clouds, a ferocious bull's head stared menacingly at the three massive cedar ships engraved with Cuneiform Rune.