Abducting Tiamat

Higashino Makoto stood in front of Tiamat and waited for a few seconds.

She did not answer.

Her eyes were open, but no emotion could be seen.

She was looking at him, yet it was as if she wasn't looking at anything at all.

Black mud flowed down her body, spreading around his feet, but parted at his feet like a tide pushed aside by something.

He hadn't expected her to answer in the first place.

I was just asking out of politeness.

Just as he was about to make his move, he heard a rustling sound behind him.

It sounded like the crawling of some kind of tiny insect.

He turned his head.

Lahmu.

Black things crawled out of the black mud, densely packed, like a swarm of disturbed ants.

Their bodies are deformed, with a huge mouth taking up most of their torso, and four sharp spines protruding from both sides of their bodies, like spider legs.

They crawl very fast, their thorns piercing the ground with a rustling sound.

"The old... humanity..."

"Sacrifice... kill..."

"Kill... destroy..."

"Ha... a new... person..."

Their voices came from that enormous mouth, sharp and shattering, like the sound of metal scraping against glass.

Higashino Makoto frowned.

He hates this thing.

I felt disgusted when I watched anime in my past life, but seeing it with my own eyes now is even more disgusting.

It has a huge mouth with four sharp spikes, but no decent head.

They even claim to be human.

You must be joking!

"You dare call yourselves human? Trash should stay in the garbage dump, don't come out and disgust people."

He raised his hand, and magic rapidly gathered.

"Go to hell!"

Crimson and black magic surged from his palm, transforming into a torrent that rushed towards the Lahmu.

Wherever the torrent passed, Lahmu's body was torn apart, his spikes snapped, his mouth ripped open, and black liquid gushed from the fragments, falling to the ground with a gurgling sound.

But more Lahmu emerged from the black mud.

They surged forward, stepping over the fragments of their companions, an endless stream, as if they could never be killed.

Higashino Makoto withdrew his hand.

This is troublesome.

Unless you directly unleash the Demon King or transform into the Pride Demon, this thing will never end.

But he didn't want to reveal too many of his cards.

After all, Goetia is probably watching this place with his clairvoyance.

He took a deep breath.

"Time Stop."

The world has lost its color.

The wind stopped, Lahmu remained in a crawling position, his four sharp thorns embedded in the sand, the Unassailable.

The black mud stopped flowing, resembling a patch of black earth.

Higashino Makoto strode forward. He walked through the middle of the Lahmu, where the black things remained in a menacing posture, like ugly statues.

This can only temporarily stop them, after all, Tiamat has the ability to Independent Manifestation and has high resistance to time-related events.

But a little intervention will suffice.

He stopped in front of Tiamat and looked up at the enormous face.

Her eyes were still open, star-shaped pupils staring at him, still unfocused.

He closed his eyes and let his consciousness sink into his body.

The Muninn flew out from the tattoo near his ear and landed on his shoulder, its eyes gleaming with golden light.

"Grown ups."

"Connect with her consciousness."

"Yes, sir."

Muninn closed its eyes, and golden light surged from its body, transforming into countless fine threads that extended towards Tiamat's head.

Higashino Makoto's consciousness was drawn by those threads, sinking into a deep darkness.

Then he saw her.

Tiamat stood in the darkness, wearing a long blue dress, her hair reaching her waist.

Her disproportionately large horns behind her made her unusual appearance immediately noticeable.

This is her consciousness.

Muninn is really useful. He had originally prepared himself to use the Michael to open the gate to Tiamat's consciousness.

She didn't attack him. She just stood there, watching him.

"Child, are you here to kill me too?"

Her voice was soft, tinged with weariness, but it sounded very gentle, giving off a motherly feeling.

After all, she is the mother of all things, the goddess of creation, so this is not surprising.

Higashino Makoto looked at her and shook his head.

"No."

Tiamat remained calm, looking at Higashino Makoto with a slightly indulgent gaze.

"Then what are you here for?"

"I've come to take you away."

Her fingers clenched slightly at her sides, then relaxed.

"Take me away? Where can we go?"

Tiamat's lips trembled slightly, and she lowered her head.

"I have given birth to countless lives and have been loved by all. But the children used me as a diving board and left me. I want to love them forever and want them to stay by my side. Is all my love... wrong?"

Her voice trembled.

Higashino Makoto looked at her and remained silent for a moment.

"You're not wrong, but the world simply can't accept you anymore."

Tiamat looked up at him, her eyes filled with sadness and weariness.

"They can't accept me anymore... Why? Why do I hate my mother?"

Why?

Higashino Makoto thought about it and concluded that it was probably a matter of the setting.

Her mere existence will unconsciously alter the ecosystem.

Later, because the ecosystem had stabilized, its ability to randomly create life was considered useless or even an obstacle.

"Just consider it fate's arrangement, don't worry about the details."

"I have several small worlds that have just been created and are still empty. I need someone to help me create life in them, and I would like to ask for your help."

Tiamat's eyes widened slightly.

"Creating life?"

"Yes. But I have one request: when you create life, please make it look nice. Those external things won't do. If you make it like that, I won't accept it."

Tiamat's lips twitched slightly.

"Those... are all children, but your request can be granted."

"That would be wonderful. Don't worry, I'll leave you a little world just for you to live in, and I won't abandon you."

Higashino Makoto stepped forward and walked up to her.

She was considerably shorter than him, and had to tilt her head slightly to see his eyes.

"I'll help you escape your current situation; you'll create life in my world. That's the deal."

Tiamat looked at him.

"Trade..."

Yes, the deal.

She remained silent for a long time, so long that Higashino Makoto thought she wouldn't answer.

Then she spoke.

"Will I be abandoned by the children again?"

"No, because your abilities are useful to me, so I won't let that happen."

Tiamat tilted her head, but her expression seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

"Child, you shouldn't use transactions to get what you want from your mother."

"That's not important. In short, I will preserve a little world just for you, and I will make sure you never experience betrayal again."

Tiamat looked up.

Higashino Makoto looked into her eyes.

"The deal is done. If I can't resolve your impact on the world by then, I'll leave you with a world."

Tiamat pondered for a moment before making a decision.

"If what you're saying is true, Mommy is willing."

Honestly, isn't Tiamat taking her mother's identity a little too seriously? She's clearly not from this world, can't she at least use a different name?

Forget about the details.

I don't usually lie.

She looked into his eyes, and there were no lies, no pretense, in those golden eyes.

That certainty made you want to believe her.

She reached out and gently took his hand.

"Alright, I'll go with you. However, I can't control my body right now; you'll have to take care of that yourself."

Higashino Makoto nodded, released her hand, and took a step back.

"I'll take care of things outside, then I'll take you away."

Tiamat nodded in response.

Higashino Makoto's consciousness withdrew from the darkness.

He opened his eyes and stood before Tiamat's enormous body.

Time seemed to stand still, and Lahmu remained in his crawling posture.