Trap Within a Trap, King of Kings 1/2
"Boom!"
A massive, powerful wave rolled in from the Persian Gulf, reaching heights of hundreds of meters. The saltwater tide was overwhelming and arrived in the blink of an eye.
Because the incident happened so suddenly, some of the human survivors who remained on the open ground were horrified to see the raging torrent sweeping in from behind them before they even had a chance to board Noah's Ark.
"Aaaaa!!!"
Just as they were filled with despair and thought they were about to be completely swallowed by the surging waves, a high-pitched chant came from Tiamat's lips.
Suddenly, the tide miraculously parted around these human survivors, leaving enough space to continue its thunderous advance, eventually pouring down on the Mother of Origin.
"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"
The sounds were like the steaming of water hitting a red-hot iron block, rising and falling in waves.
In an instant, the golden-red curse marks eroded by the freshwater divinity on Tiamat's wings and back scales shrank and disappeared.
Ultimately, these clinging parasites were completely washed away by the repeated scouring of the waves.
Damn it!
Marduk, who had been hesitant before, changed his expression drastically upon seeing this. He immediately gripped the Holy Grail tightly, intending to open the link to the Great Hollow of the Divine Realm.
"Mother Goddess, take advantage of the opportunity!"
Samael's pupils froze, and he opened his mouth to shout.
Tiamat took flight, her Cross Star Pupils flashing with four colors: blue, red, gold, and black. Ripples of light spread across her emerald-colored scales, which contained the power of origin, and gathered in her mouth.
"Aaaaa!!!!"
In an instant, the giant maw opened, Aether Torrent red and black ether, carrying the will to annihilate everything, swept across the sky and crashed into Marduk in mid-air.
Noble Phantasm —My son, you must follow the principles of creation!
"Don't think the Second Prince is afraid of you! Get out of my way!"
Forced to fight to the death, the King of Kings opened his eyes in fury, decisively abandoning all hesitation, holding up half of the Fate Tablet in one hand and raising his hand axe in the other, unleashing a torrent of thunder and storm power!
"Boom!"
The two beams of light collided and roared in the air, causing the space to twist and collapse. Rifts leading to the void and chaos spread wildly in all directions, causing the entire world to tremble.
The earth collapsed, the sky crumbled, and the sun, moon, and stars dimmed and perished.
The king is based on the origin and has unified all things. How could he lose to you, a beast of disaster that even has incomplete divinity!
Marduk's forehead veins bulged, his face contorted in a ferocious expression. He swung his axe forward fiercely, wanting to completely cleave the Aether Torrent and end this nemesis he considered a nightmare.
"Snap! Snap!"
However, in an instant, a series of piercing, trembling sounds came from both sides of his hands.
Before the incredulous eyes of the King of Kings, Marduk's Axe and half of the Fate Tablet shattered and exploded one after the other.
In an instant, the crimson and black ethereal Aether Torrent was slightly slowed, then with even more ferocious power, it pierced through the astonished golden deity.
This... how is this possible!
Marduk looked down at the huge hole that radiated outwards from the center of his chest, and raised his hand in disbelief, his hand trembling.
Suddenly, his unfocused pupils contracted sharply as he stared intently at the bite mark on his tiger's mouth, which emanated an ominous red and black aura.
The Mother of Hundred Beasts! The divinity of saltwater!
By abandoning Apsu's divine nature and using his freshwater divinity to imbue Tiamat with a curse, he gained an absolute advantage.
Conversely, this snake, taking advantage of his unpreparedness, injected the saltwater divinity from Tiamat into this deity's body, planting a hidden mine that would detonate at a crucial moment.
Saltwater and freshwater are mutually beneficial yet mutually destructive; so too will those who scheme against others be swayed by others!
"Damn you, you long worm! I curse you! I curse you!"
What was once a winning situation has now turned into utter ruin, a complete reversal of fortune. Marduk, his eyes blazing with fury, uttered the most vicious and venomous denunciation.
Immediately, the golden figure exploded, turning into scattered specks of light and dust.
We won! We've finally survived!
Amidst the raging flood, the survivors on Noah's Ark gazed at the clearing sky, where the long-awaited warm sunlight shone through. They embraced each other, weeping with joy.
The Heroic Spirit and goddesses all breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the deck and the ground. The gloom that had been hanging over them finally dissipated.
With his tense mind relaxed, Samael was completely exhausted. He lay on the ground, not wanting to move a single finger.
Marduk is powerful, without a doubt. After unifying the Mesopotamian divinity, his strength has almost reached its peak.
Even if they were to clash head-on with the Mother Goddess Tiamat, and risk their lives, the outcome would be evenly matched.
However, this King of Kings was too greedy. Whether it was harvesting human pastures or erasing the goddess Tiamat, he schemed for everything and wanted everything.
However, the sense of crisis stemming from his illegitimate rise to power made him constantly suspicious.
Samael's assessment of Marduk was that he was easily alarmed by minor changes, but cautious about his own safety when undertaking major tasks.
Wanting everything inevitably leads to a complete collapse once things get out of control and trigger a chain reaction.
Therefore, a certain evil worm, targeting Marduk's weakness, released various bombshell revelations, some wild guesses and some deductions, leading to endless wrangling.
After his mind was thrown into chaos, this King of Kings hesitated between taking action and not taking action, between fighting and staying, unable to make a decision.
Finally, Samael, dancing on the tip of the dragon, managed to prolong the time long enough for the Mother Goddess Tiamat to summon the tsunami, which washed away the freshwater curse.
If this King of Kings had truly hardened his heart and launched a divine war, fighting to the death, humanity's chances of winning would have been less than 40%.
Although it was a lucky break, a win is a win.
Seeing the familiar figures slumped on the ground, their faces filled with relief, he raised his hand to cover his eyes, a hearty smile spreading across his lips.
"Buzz!"
However, before he could catch his breath, a strange tremor emanated from both the sky and the earth. The Great Hollow that pierced the heavens seemed to continue to expand.
More importantly, everyone suddenly realized that the Holy Grail that supported Marduk's descent into spirits seemed to have disappeared, along with the fragments of the Fate Tablet.
"Boom!"
Layers of lightning exploded, tearing the sky apart, leaving it riddled with holes and shattered like a broken mirror. The landmasses trembled and shifted, the soil collapsed, forming deep ravines and abysses.
The world seems to be crumbling!
"The End of the Mortal Realm..."
"The war of the gods... is coming..."
A clear yet subdued whisper came from behind.
The ancient serpent turned around in astonishment and was shocked to see a beam of light projected from the rift in the heavens and earth, converging on the majestic dragon body of the Mother Goddess Tiamat.
Instantly, the wings began to fold and degenerate, the body gradually shrank, and under the baptism of divine light, it condensed into the Touch of the Earth above its head, a humanoid goddess with green hair flowing down her shoulders.
"Mother Goddess, what... what's going on..."
Samael looked bewildered, and everyone stared at the surging, earth-shattering change, their pupils contracting sharply.