"Mm, once Merlin and the others deal with the Beast Goddess, I'll take you—" Lan Ze suddenly froze mid-sentence.
He had suddenly realized something serious—even if the thread connecting Gorgon and Tiamat were severed, even if Tiamat did not awaken from her slumber, she still had to remain in this world, didn't she?
Once she woke up, she would be unable to control her enormous beastified body. The unconscious body of a Beast would destroy this land, perhaps even Humanity's Order itself.
...So even if they controlled the Beast Goddess and severed the thread between the two of them, Tiamat still would not be able to leave this place.
And could he really stay here with Tiamat forever?
It seemed this had been a dead end from the very beginning. Perhaps for Tiamat, sleeping in a cradle of happiness was already the best outcome.
Even if she had to remain alone during that eternal sleep.
"Aaa?" Tiamat's eyes held confusion as she looked at the boy lost in thought.
Lan Ze raised his head and looked at Tiamat. Those gorgeous Red Star Pupils of hers sparkled brightly, making her look just like an ordinary woman.
At least from her appearance alone, no one would imagine that this woman possessed the power to destroy Humanity's Order.
After sealing herself away, she had hidden in the Dreamscape with not a single child by her side, misunderstood by everyone until she was ultimately destroyed by those on the side of justice. She had done nothing wrong... her only fault was her innocence.
"Once they deal with the Beast Goddess, I'll take you outside to see the world," Lan Ze suddenly said.
"Really?" Tiamat raised her head, unprecedented anticipation filling her eyes—the gleam of someone who had seen hope.
But the light in her eyes quickly began to dim again.
"Aaaa." She gently shook her head.
She knew perfectly well what would happen if she left this place.
"After going out, I'd cause trouble for this world, and everyone would be afraid of me."
"They won't be. You're so cute—how could anyone be afraid of you?" Lan Ze could not help reaching out and patting her head.
"And even if someone is afraid of you, don't you still have me? I'll protect you."
"I will affect the normal functioning of Humanity's Order." Tiamat still lowered her head. Her voice was soft, yet it reached Lan Ze's ears clearly. That gentle voice made him feel a little sad.
"There'll always be a way for Humanity's Order and Beasts to live normally together," he said softly.
"If Humanity's Order truly doesn't allow Beasts to exist, then I'll come back and stay with you."
"If even that isn't allowed—"
He paused. "Then what the hell are we saving Humanity's Order for?"
Two options suddenly appeared before Lan Ze's eyes.
[task 1: Take Goddess Tiamat out of the Dreamscape and fulfill her wish for a date. Reward: Spirit Core Expansion 20%] [Task 2: Stay here and do not move. Wait for Uruk to destroy the Beast Goddess, allowing Goddess Tiamat to continue sleeping. Reward: What the hell are you smoking?]
After silently staring at the options for a long while, Lan Ze suddenly smiled.
He selected task 1 and said softly:
"System, you finally managed to do something good."
[task 1 selected. Please send Goddess Tiamat out of the Dreamscape within half a month.]
When Lan Ze saw that prompt appear, he fell into brief confusion.
"System, are you saying I have to send Mother out myself?"
He had thought accepting the task would let Tiamat leave this place, but things did not seem to be as he had imagined.
"How am I supposed to take her out?"
"The system can temporarily shrink her Spirit Core. This effect will disappear within one week, so please determine when to take her away yourself."
"Shrink her Spirit Core... so that way, even after leaving the Dreamscape, she can remain conscious..." Lan Ze mused.
"Oh, right. What did that Spirit Core Expansion reward mean? Don't tell me I have a Spirit Core too?" Lan Ze suddenly recalled the reward he had just seen.
"This is basic common knowledge, Host. Even non-Heroic Spirits possess Spirit Cores. Spirit Core Expansion will increase your strength."
"I see..." Lan Ze pondered. "So perhaps one day, I'll even be able to defeat a Beast on Mother's level?"
"...As long as you're happy, Host."
Clearly, that was unrealistic.
Even the most powerful Heroic Spirit could not possibly deal with a Beast.
It was only that certain Beasts happened to be countered by their corresponding King-Servants—and not just countered, but utterly hard-countered.
"Aaaa?"
At that moment, Tiamat's song pulled Lan Ze back to reality. He barely gathered his thoughts and looked up, only to find Tiamat's face close to his, her gentle gaze filled with concern.
"It's nothing. I was just spacing out, Mother." Lan Ze smiled. "Let's keep watching."
He pointed at the laptop in front of them.
Tiamat let out an "Aaa" and gently nodded.
Then she pulled Lan Ze back into her arms. Softness the size of basketballs pressed against the back of his head. The woman seemed not to notice the intimacy of the gesture, her attention already completely absorbed by the screen.
If Mother of All weren't a Beast, she'd probably become a shut-in girl... Lan Ze thought for no reason.
Looking at her now, she was already starting to resemble one.
While enjoying the woman's soft, warm embrace, Lan Ze considered when to take Tiamat out of the Dreamscape.
According to the system, it would be best to wait until Gilgamesh's side dealt with the Beast Goddess and severed the thread connecting Gorgon and Tiamat before taking Tiamat out of the Dreamscape...
Because the moment the "thread" was severed, Tiamat would awaken from her sleep, and the system's power would temporarily alter her Spirit Core, allowing her to remain conscious.
However, taking Mother of All out of the Dreamscape might take a week, or perhaps even longer.
After all, although two members of the League of the Three Goddesses were traitors, Gorgon alone was already difficult enough to handle.
Not to mention Kingu.
By Lan Ze's estimate, it would take around half a month to bring Mother of All out of the Dreamscape.
"What are you thinking about?" Tiamat suddenly asked quietly. The woman looked down at her child, confusion in her eyes.
"Nothing. Let's keep watching, Mother." Lan Ze smiled.
He planned to give Mother of All a surprise when the time came. If he told her now, she might become too expectant.
Watching as Tiamat's gaze was quickly drawn back to the computer screen, Lan Ze temporarily put those thoughts away.
Taking advantage of the moment, he exited the game and slowly opened his eyes.
In his field of vision, a girl with pale golden short hair sat by the bed, looking down at him with an odd expression.
"Aika?" Lan Ze froze. "Why are you in my room?"
"I just finished cooking and was about to call you out to eat." Sajyou Manaka smiled.
"I'm sorry for troubling you every day," Lan Ze said apologetically.
Sajyou Manaka gave a light snort. "If you really feel sorry, then make me a meal yourself next time."
Lan Ze nodded. "Next time for sure!"
As he spoke, he climbed out of bed, sniffed the air, and his eyes lit up. "It smells amazing."
"Hehe, my cooking has improved again, after all." Sajyou Manaka spoke proudly. "Come out and eat."
Lan Ze nodded lightly, got up, and left the room.
Behind him, Sajyou Manaka watched the boy leave, and the smile on her face gradually faded.
The girl's azure eyes stared fixedly at Lan Ze's retreating back, her face full of disbelief.
When she had entered the room earlier, she had smelled an even stronger Beast scent in Lan Ze's room than in the previous days. Even the Princess of the Root was somewhat bewildered.
He clearly had not gone anywhere, so why was the scent on him even stronger than before?
That Beast-like aura had even made her briefly think that the person standing before her was actually a Beast.
Never mind... I'll remove the scent from him first, then observe him carefully for a few more days.
With that thought, Sajyou Manaka stood up with her hands behind her back and walked out of the room.
She brought her hands together and gave a light clap. A magic circle instantly formed beneath Lan Ze's feet.
Lan Ze slowly opened his eyes.
After eating, he immediately returned to the game. Tiamat was staring unblinkingly at the screen.
It seemed Mother of All had not noticed that he had left for a while.
Lan Ze was somewhat relieved and closed his eyes.
Earlier, he had wanted to use Illusion Manifestation to create Golden Flash's EA, but he had failed due to insufficient mana. Now, he wanted to see whether he could succeed with other weapons.
For example... how about his master's Red Spear?
With that thought, he tried to recall the Red Spear's shape in his mind.
But what first emerged in his mind was Scathach's figure, clad in purple-black leather armor, with curves in all the right places... No, what the hell am I thinking about?!
Lan Ze quickly shook his head, opened his eyes, and glanced at Tiamat. Feeling the softness beneath the back of his head, he finally calmed down.
He steadied his mind and gently closed his eyes, further envisioning the Red Spear in his thoughts.
The air seemed to suddenly distort. Then, in the next instant, a Red Spear silently condensed in his hand.
"It really worked." Lan Ze was somewhat delighted. He had not expected to manifest the Red Spear so easily.
This ability was ridiculously overpowered... it was just that the stronger the weapon, the more mana its manifestation required.
Lan Ze could not help feeling a little regretful.
If he could manifest anything he thought of, he felt that his strength could take a huge leap forward.
But it was better just to think about it. If he really could use it like that, would he not basically be invincible?
Just as he was thinking that, he suddenly heard Tiamat call out "Aaa" twice while patting his shoulder.
"What is it?" Lan Ze looked up and asked.
"I'm hungry," Tiamat said softly.
Lan Ze froze. "You get hungry too?"
Wasn't she a Beast? Why would the Creation Mother Goddess get hungry?
Tiamat said nothing and merely stared at Lan Ze.
"Wait, why are you looking at me when you say you're hungry?!"
Lan Ze suddenly found Mother of All's gaze a little frightening... well, not frightening exactly. He just had the feeling that she was going to eat him.
"The mana on you tastes good," Tiamat said.
She could clearly sense that Lan Ze now possessed mana that did not belong to him... this mana had also come from a Beast, but it was not the same kind as hers.
At that very moment, in the outskirts outside Uruk, Merlin and Anna encountered the Chaldea group that had just arrived in Mesopotamia.
Fujimaru Ritsuka wore a black short skirt. Beside her were Mashu, as well as Fou, curled beneath Mashu's breasts and sleeping with narrowed eyes.
They had just been attacked by "Kingu," but Merlin had reacted quickly. Under Anna's cover, he used illusions to lead the group away from Kingu's pursuit.
And now, they were on their way to Uruk.
Along the way, Merlin had roughly explained everything he knew to Chaldea, including the connection between the Beast Goddess and Goddess Tiamat.
"So... in the end, we won't only have to deal with the Beast Goddess, but also that Creation Mother Goddess from mythology?!" After hearing Merlin's explanation, Ritsuka could not help crying out.
This was a huge blow to anyone. After all, that was the Creation Mother Goddess. Even in the original story, if King Hassan had not happened to be there, and if Mother of All had not lacked any will to fight, Humanity's Order would probably be gone by now.
"If things go smoothly, then as long as we can restrain the Beast Goddess, this Singularity can be resolved." Merlin immediately said with a smile:
Before you continue