Stood Up 5/5
"Moo!"
The moment the three Noah's Ark crossed the southern boundary of the city, streaks of lightning snaked down.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Huge, soft, pale yellow wings blocked all the lightning strikes from the sky, letting the scales shatter and fly everywhere.
A terrifying aura emanated from a purplish-red shadow, accompanied by the hissing of snakes. Like a beast driven mad, the snake's tail slammed into Gugalanna's body, sending him flying into the deeper darkness.
At the same time, pale yellow wings unfolded, and a terrifying roar resounded through the sky.
"I'll show you what real harm is, you beast!"
"Transformed into a giant serpent god, it struck down and trampled the terrors of Mesopotamia!"
"Melt everything, Forced Seal - Temple of Ten Thousand Demons!"
A massive, purplish-red Sorcery Array spread out, and a thick beam of light, which had once brought nightmares to Uruk, pierced through the sky.
As the golden skin of Gugalanna rubbed against her, sparks flew, and dense scales crawled all over her cheeks, revealing ferocious snake heads baring their venomous fangs.
At this moment, in the eyes of ordinary people, she was more insane and more ferocious than any monster. The Bull of Heaven sky, bathed in storm and lightning, was more sacred and majestic than ever before.
This time, for the sake of humanity, that goddess willingly fell into monster form!
Humans, please live on. Thank you for giving me this flower.
In the darkness, the enormous serpent lunged at the divine beast that rode the wind and thunder, its strands of hair coiling around Gugalanna and biting the Bull of Heaven tightly.
Inside the ship's cabin, the survivors silently lifted the statue of the young girl and knelt on the ground in silent prayer.
For the first time, they hoped the monster could defeat the gods!
"Go! Don't stop!"
"Speed 10 knots, destination: Persian Gulf, full speed ahead!"
On land and water, Apsu. Even Ereshkigal cannot hold him off for long. We must get to the sea as soon as possible to have any chance of survival.
Samael resisted looking at the stalemate behind him and ordered his soldiers and Magecraft to maximize the performance of the three Noah's Ark.
The water rippled, and the three ships gradually moved further and further away from the Uruk ruins. The azure and dark tides continued to entangle and tear at each other, and the battle between the Divine Bulls and the demonic serpent intensified.
We escaped alive!
The survivors, having escaped the disaster, embraced each other inside the cabin, weeping with joy.
With most of their fighting force nearly wiped out, and even Gilgamesh needing to recuperate, Samael had no choice but to brace himself and continue to control the three Noah's Ark as they sailed.
Where are we?
"It looks like Ur! We've already covered almost half the distance!"
Hearing the response from the one-armed general Tim beside him, the ancient serpent slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
It'll be soon, it'll be very soon.
Apsu has not caught up yet, and their chances of survival have increased to 10%.
Next, if things go smoothly, the storms and thunder outside will not be able to shake the outer shell of Noah's Ark.
The No. 2 ship has enough food, water, livestock, poultry and plants to form a small ecosystem, enough for them to drift at sea for more than half a year.
Although I don't know what level Noah's Ark in the biblical myth was at.
But Samael and Gilgamesh spared no effort in creating this thing.
The two not only emptied Uruk treasury, but also reduced the rare resources stored in the Gate of Babylon, which the Heroic King had built to house countless conceptual treasures, by one-third.
The one in charge of Noah's Ark was Ziusudra, the West Asian hero who escaped the Great Flood of Enlil.
"Where's Ziusudra? Wasn't he supposed to be in charge of navigation?"
During a brief tour of the three Noah's Ark, Samael noticed the absence of the figure he remembered in the crowd and frowned slightly.
Originally, by bringing Ziusudra, the ancient serpent had the idea of having this West Asian hero join forces to resist Apsu at a crucial moment.
Unexpectedly, I was stood up.
"That lord said he would appear when the time was right."
Tim, who was in charge of coordinating and executing the entire project, responded with a wry smile, clearly not holding out much hope for Ziusudra's help.
Didn't they come?
Samael, his lips pressed tightly together, silently walked through the crowd, inquiring about the condition of the survivors and comforting them after their dramatic ups and downs.
"Bang! Bang!"
However, before everyone could settle down and the upper deck, which was blocking the rain, came a dull thud as something heavy fell to the ground.
With a painful groan, the pale-faced Ereshkigal, holding a lantern in one hand and supporting the unconscious Anna, whose abdomen was stained with blood and whose brows were furrowed, stumbled into the cabin.
As Uruk, the last piece of land, was submerged by the flood, the water system was disrupted, the earth was being peeled away and reconstructed, falling into the underworld, and completely losing its restraint and balance.
Thus, although Ereshkigal suffered a severe blow, she was also freed from that endless responsibility.
But the more serious troubles are only just beginning.
"Apsu... Apsu is here!"
A dry, hoarse murmur echoed in everyone's minds like thunder.
At that moment, thunder roared across the pitch-black night sky, and beneath the flickering, eerie light, a colossal, overwhelming shadow of Dragon Beast rapidly approached.
The two wings unleashed Aether Storm, carrying a surging black tide that poured down from the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Apsu!
Looking out at the ancient serpent, his pupils contracted sharply, and a piercing alarm echoed throughout the three Noah's Ark.
Many people, pale-faced, knelt devoutly on the deck and by their beds, praying to the statue of the goddess of the sea.
The ancient snake looked at the familiar figures lying in the cabin, a heavy gloom gathering between its brows.
Among the great goddesses, Ereshkigal, Ishtar, Quetzalcoatl, and Anna were the four most powerful, and all of them were defeated.
The only remaining Jaguar Man is a demoted version of the Leopard Man, barely enough to defend Noah's Ark.
If you were to face a monster like Apsu, even if you stood still and let her knock on your scales for a hundred or two hundred years, you might not be able to break even a few.
Similarly, even the trio of Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Merlin, on whom Samael had placed high hopes, were nearing their limits.
Now, even if they pray to the gods for a response, they probably won't be able to get one.
It seems that only these humans are left who can stand up. What can they use to resist?
Is it really impossible for us to defy fate?
Seeing that Apsu was about to catch up, Samael felt a strong sense of powerlessness and slumped his head against the corner in frustration.
In the instant the perspective shifted, the opening and closing cross- Cross Star Pupils revealed strands of thread-like lines that flowed into the statues, goddesses, Enkidu, and others as humans prayed.
Their injured bodies are slowly recovering.
Furthermore, most of the silk threads were absorbed by the Royal Seal in Gilgamesh's hand, which is why this Heroic King's recovery speed was the fastest.
Even more incredibly, his strength seemed to be subtly increasing.
Samael suddenly had a flash of inspiration and began to mutter to himself repeatedly.
Gods have their destiny and functions, but people exist because of their faith; heroes are great and legendary, but people sing their praises and they will live on forever!
Authority is not the exclusive domain of the gods; the hearts of the people can also unite the will of Heaven!
I see! I see!
Having gradually developed a tacit understanding with everyone, Heroic King narrowed his eyes slightly and stood up abruptly.
Have you figured out the answer?
Samael nodded emphatically, his eyes gleaming with an intense, almost boiling light.
"King Gilgamesh, it is your turn to fulfill your promise!"
"I swear by my royal authority that I shall immediately preside over Great Sacrifice for the Mother Goddess Tiamat!"