The Cloud-Raised Brave Man's Travels

"The day of destruction has finally arrived!"

He stood there, sunlight streaming in from behind. In the glare, he was the sole focal point, nestled in the shadow of the throne. Gilgamesh's voice was steady and resolute, his gaze fixed squarely ahead, unwavering. His voice drew the eyes of the Uruk refugees to him, to their king.

"There are probably only two days left to catch our breath."

But what Gilgamesh said was not good news. Instead, he explained one thing to everyone: Uruk was doomed to be destroyed... He looked around and took in everyone's expressions.

"But I don't need you buried with Uruk."

There was a clamor, and they looked at Gilgamesh in disbelief. Even the soldiers guarding him couldn't help but look back at him when they heard these words; but Gilgamesh did not waver, and still maintained his own rhythm and spoke.

"Those who wish to survive, listen carefully! This is not shameful. You are the hope of Uruk, the spark of the future, and the continuation of our human civilization! So, those who yearn to survive, take refuge toward the northern defense line. Those who wish to continue fighting! Become the foundation of Uruk, the firewood that ignites the future, and stay here with me!"

Gilgamesh paused, looked at the conflicted people, and gave his final order.

"Your time limit is before dusk. After sunset, the gates of Uruk will be closed forever. Before then, please say goodbye to your family and friends."

As Gilgamesh sat down again, the people gathered in the tower began to disperse, and even the soldiers guarding Gilgamesh were all driven back home by him; soon only Fujimaru Tachibana and the others and Ushiwakamaru who had rushed back from the northern front were left in the tower, and Leonidas was still stationed on the northern front.

"Fujimaru Tachibana, you guys did a great job. It seems you succeeded in defeating the Gorgon. But... we're back late."

"Need a break?"

"No... King Gilgamesh, please allow me to report the situation."

Tachibana's face no longer had the joy and smile of the past. She suppressed her inner emotions and reported everything that happened in the Temple of Blood to Gilgamesh. After Tachibana finished speaking, Merlin also told Tiamat the information about the evil of mankind. Of course... this was not for Gilgamesh to hear, but for Tachibana to hear.

"Oh, are humans evil?"

"King Gilgamesh, what exactly is human evil?"

"Don't you know? Even though we fought him for seven singularities, I thought you already had the answer."

Gilgamesh shook his head, but still explained the concept of human evil to Fujimaru Tachibana. They encountered human evil for the first time in the seventh singularity, but it was definitely not the last time. They would meet them one by one in the Chaldea headquarters in the future. This was destined, and could also be called fate.

"So-called human evil, as the name suggests, is humanity's inherent impurities, its inevitable enemies, and the various disasters that destroy humanity. The more brilliant human civilization becomes, the faster it develops, the more powerful they become. But Fujimaru Tachibana, remember this: human evil isn't evil that destroys humanity; it's evil that is destroyed by humanity. Once we overcome the trials of evil, the light of human reason will shine even brighter."

After Gilgamesh finished speaking, Fujimaru Tachibana and Mashu both looked confused. They seemed to understand but not quite. It seemed as if they understood everything but also as if they didn't understand anything.

"Never mind, you'll understand later. Simply put, Human Evil refers to the seven disasters born from humanity's bestial nature. That's the Beast class. Just like Servant classes like Saber, people or things that meet the requirements will take on this class and become enemies of humanity. In a certain world, a Holy Sword User roams the world hunting these beasts, but it seems he didn't come to our world this time."

"You mean... Mother has become a Beast?"

"Yes, that's right. This means that the opponent we are facing this time is a genuine divine body from the original world; but judging by the situation, she may not have fully awakened yet, right, Merlin?"

"Uh-huh."

Merlin scratched his head in embarrassment. Actually, he wanted to say that Tiamat had fully awakened, but was just cooperating in the act so there was no large-scale attack on Uruk.

"Hmph...never mind, Merlin, what do you know about those creatures?"

"Don't think I'm too omnipotent. I don't understand the structure of those things at all. They are neither monsters nor humans. They must be new creatures created by Tiamat that do not exist outside the Tree of Life system of this world."

"Hmph, Merlin, you're just as useless as that Ishtar guy."

"Hey! Don't let me hear you scolding me every time I see you. Do you want to die?"

Ishtar's voice came from the stairs of the sacred tower, and soon she and Koya came in front of Gilgamesh. Koya had regained the ability to move at this moment. Although his body still felt a little empty, his movements were no longer affected.

"Those monsters are called Lahmu. As Merlin said, they are creatures directly created by Tiamat and do not exist in the Tree of Life system. They are made of the mud of the gods and can be considered a degraded mass-produced version of Enkidu. Their bodies are extremely tough and have no weaknesses. To kill them, you must cut off their heads. Even if torn in two, they will heal. However, they cannot reproduce, and their numbers are fixed."

This is the result obtained after Koya communicated with Tiamat in his mind. By the way, this Lahmu originally had the ability to transform humans into Lahmu, but after communicating with Tiamat, she also erased this ability... It can only be said that the current Lahmu is already an ultra-low-profile version. The original Lahmu should have extremely strong learning ability, the ability to recover even after being chopped into pieces, the reproductive ability to transform dead humans into new Lahmu, and the ability to evolve over time to become stronger until becoming a god.

All I can say is that Tiamat is really too powerful. Even the life she created has the power to destroy the world.

"Siduri—no, Sergeant. From now on, refer to that creature as Rahmu. Inform all departments."

"Yes."

It was only then that Tachibana and the others realized that the figure who should have been standing next to the throne was gone.

"Hmm? Where did Siduri go? He wasn't seen in the temple either."

"...Regarding those Lahms, how should we deal with them with our remaining forces?"

"For Jin Shining, I asked you where Siduri went!"

"If you're looking for Siduri, she was captured by Lahmu while protecting the citizens. As the goddess she serves, you should be able to sense her whereabouts."

"You, man, why didn't you tell me such an important thing? Let me see, she's still alive, in the south - Eridu? Why is she there? Speaking of which, where is Quetzal? Did she go back to Eridu too?"

"She's naturally going back to where her temple is."

"call."

Ishtar, Tachibana and the others all breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they were alive, it was good. With Quetzal's protection, they believed that Eri should still be safe. However, this safety was not perfect.

"I'm just saying this now. Quetzal intends to bring the citizens of Eridu and Uruk to Uruk. Since you don't have much to do without, goddess, you should be responsible for their safety."

"Tsk, alright. Koya, shall we go together?"

"it is good."

Chapter 179: Enkidu Kingu

Koya and Ishtar took the Sky Boat to rush to Eridu as soon as possible. The casualties here were even more exaggerated than those in Uruk. Quetzal was indeed powerful, but she was not the incarnation of the god herself, and she could not protect civilians from tens of thousands of Lahmu. There were no soldiers guarding the city in Eridu. No one told the citizens where to flee or how to avoid these monsters. But the good news was that Koya and the others saw Siduri.

Siduri was standing on the Temple of the Sun, loudly directing people to avoid the monsters and gather here. The divinity of the Temple of the Sun blocked Lahmu's steps. They did not dare to approach here, just like they did not approach the Temple of Ishtar and the ziggurat where Gilgamesh was in Uruk. They were not afraid but felt it was unnecessary. There was no need to provoke such a powerful enemy just to kill a few humans. Their goal was to kill more people.

Koya subconsciously wanted to release a divine domain covering the entire city, just as he had in Uruk, but he found that he didn't have enough energy to support such an action. The divine domain was indeed something that existed like instinct, and over time, the divine domain around Koya would gradually expand. However, actively expanding the scope of the divine domain consumed energy, and mobilizing the energy within the divine domain to launch an attack also consumed energy. In short, Koya could only cover Quetzal's temple in the divine domain to prevent Rahtamu from hunting...

Koya took out his bow and arrow, and every time he plucked the bowstring, ten Lahmu would turn into black mud and dissolve into the ground. Quetzal went around the city rescuing ordinary people who encountered Lahmu, while Ishtar pointed the direction for Quetzal in the sky and used Maana to assist. With the help of three super-specification combat forces, the Lahmu near the Temple of the Sun had been cleared, but there were still tens of thousands of Lahmu in the whole city of Eridu, hunting everywhere, and they could not be killed... they could not be killed at all.

However, at this moment, Koya suddenly noticed a large number of chains suddenly appearing from the south of the city. Wasn't that Enkidu's signature attack method? But why were the objects strung on the chains not humans but Rahmu? Koya didn't bother to worry about it. Even if Enkidu really attacked humans as an adult, he would be powerless. With his magic power depleted, he was no match for Enkidu.

【AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA】

Suddenly, all the Lahm in Eridu laughed together, but the childlike laughter sounded extremely harsh and terrifying. The Lahm should not have intelligence, as Tiamat had wiped out their wisdom, so why were they laughing?

South of the city... the incident occurred south of Enkidu's city. The Lahmu stopped hunting and turned in unison towards the south. Then, Koya spotted a winged Lahmu flying from the south toward the Persian Gulf. Koya instantly aimed his bow at this unusual Lahmu, but every arrow he fired was blocked by the Lahmu on the ground, using their bodies to protect the flying Lahmu.

Koya's arrows would be blocked by Lahmu, while the flying Lahmu simply ignored Ishtar's attacks. Ishtar's light cannons could not even scratch off a piece of its skin. This Lahmu was very strange. Its body was extremely full of magic power, but its strength did not seem to be too strong. It was just that its defense and flying speed were indeed very fast.

When this Lahmu escaped Ishtar's pursuit and disappeared from Koya's sight, the Lahmu in the city finally started moving again. This time, they did not hunt humans everywhere, but ran in one direction together, like a pack of wolves hunting prey. But no matter what, they left, left Eridu—

"Quetzal, quickly organize the survivors to head to the northern defense line."

Of course, it wasn't Uruk. Uruk was the first line of defense against Tiamat, and being there meant death. These Eridu survivors clearly weren't the kind to live and die with Uruk. They even accepted Quetzal's sacrifices, though Quetzal's sacrifices were merely labor. Where was their righteousness? In this critical moment, Koya didn't bother to consider whether any of these people wished to die in Uruk, and simply threw them all towards the northern defenses.

"Okay, come on Quetzalcoatl!"

The Pterosaurs, followers of Quetzal, although their direct strength is not very good, they have excellent endurance and flying speed. It was they who transported the hand axe of the god Marduk to Uruk, and now they are going to act as "planes" again.

All the wooden cages in Eridu, originally used to imprison monsters and wild beasts, welcomed new users. The survivors squeezed into the cages and took off towards the northern defense line every time a pterosaur was filled. Soon, a long line formed in the air.

"Lord Quetzal, the survivors of Eridu and Ull have all evacuated."

"Well, thank you for your hard work, Siduri. You did a great job. Are you interested in becoming my priestess?"

"Hey, I'm still standing here."

Ishtar looked at her dissatisfiedly. Why was everyone like this? Gilgamesh poached Siduri to be a clerk, and now Quetzal has his eyes on Siduri again. Never mind. Doesn't this prove that he is powerful? It makes him happy that such a popular Siduri is his priestess.

"Hahaha, sorry, Siduri is really capable. Well, it's time for us to leave here. Oh, and I can't lose this temple yet, Leopard Man! Come and help me fix this temple!"

"Meow! What the hell are those things? Kukul, I'm so scared!"

The leopard lady who had been working as a logistics officer offline finally showed up. She threw herself on Quetzal and cried as she told him about her inner fear. She had been in Eridu watching the dense swarms of creatures pouring into the city, and she was really scared to death at that time.

"Stop being a spoiled brat, kitten. We need to hurry."

Finally, Quetzal's Sun Temple was fixed by Koya with ice, and then more than 20 pterosaurs lifted it up and slowly flew towards Uruk.

Koya was arranged to ride on the same pterosaur with Siduri because Siduri was the only one present who had no strength at all. If they encountered the most dangerous situation, Koya would be able to protect her well, although Koya's energy was now exhausted.

"Speaking of which, Siduri...you don't look well?"

"It's okay, Master Koya. I'm sorry to have worried you."

"Come on, it's the end of the world anyway, so don't keep it bottled up. It'll make you feel better if you get it out."

Siduri looked very unhappy since she got on the pterosaur, and the sad atmosphere almost affected Koya.

"Just now, I saw with my own eyes that a familiar senior turned into that monster..."

Rahm has the energy to transform humans into Rahm. All he has to do is inject his black mud into the human body. However, the price of doing so is his own death. Therefore, generally speaking, Rahm will not do such a thing and will only hunt humans mechanically. However, this kind of thing does happen, as Siduri encountered.

"That was the scribe of Uruk. She had been by King Gilgamesh's side since he ascended to the throne, and witnessed his growth. After Enkidu's death, she was so grief-stricken that she resigned her position as scribe and came to Eridu to become a priestess serving the water god. When I was captured by Lahmu and brought to this city, it was she who saved me, but she was killed by him and transformed into Lahmu... Although she had transformed into Lahmu, she still had consciousness. She killed a Lahmu that attacked me, and then let me go..."

·Dividing line·

Elsewhere, in the rainforest of Eridu, the Lahmu were hunting Enkidu. Wisdom had been wiped out, leaving only the most basic consciousness. In their eyes, Kingu wasn't their companion, but an old human, a being their mother wanted to eliminate. After removing the Holy Grail from his body, their hunting rank for Kingu, etched in their subconscious, was higher than that of ordinary humans. Therefore, they abandoned their raids on Eridu and launched an all-out attack on Kingu... Perhaps, in the eyes of the Lahmu, there was no Kingu, only Enkidu.

However, what Rahmu understood was not understood by Jingu.

"Hehehehe..."

The loss of the Holy Grail and the wound that pierced his chest left Enkidu feeling unwell. Even running, he was panting heavily. Behind him, the Lahms were chasing him relentlessly. Although they were obviously faster than Enkidu, they kept driving him from behind, as if waiting for Enkidu to die of exhaustion...

"It shouldn't be like this... I'm a new human created by my mother. Even though this body has no experience or records, I still believe that my mother has high hopes for me."

Beads of sweat fell from Enkidu's face like raindrops. He was confused. If even his mother denied him, then who was he? Kingo or Enkidu?

"Why, why did it end like this? Rahm, who has no wisdom, why did my mother create such a thing? Is the so-called new human just a hoax? Why, why did I wake her up! Am I a fake of Kingu or Enkidu? I have no future, no hope, no friends, and I don't even have a self. Why did I, a person with nothing, appear on this earth? Obviously, my mother is the only support for a person with nothing. Now even my mother is abandoning me——"

He didn't want to run anymore. Everything was meaningless. Death didn't seem to be an unacceptable outcome at this moment. He was tired, really tired. A drowning man with nothing had finally grabbed the only life-saving rope thrown to him, but now this rope had been broken.

Enkidu turned around and looked at Lahmu who were attacking him. He did not resist anymore. Yes, why did he run away just now? Death would be the end of it. Isn't that good?

【AAAAA hahahaha】

"This is what I deserve."

Enkidu looked at the Lahmu who surrounded him with a lonely expression, and silently accepted his fate when he saw them laughing.

"What a boring ending."

There was a dull sound of piercing flesh, but it was not Enkidu... For some reason, a Lahmu appeared in front of him, a different Lahmu.

"Eh?"

The death of two Lahmu in front of him should not have surprised Enkidu, but the two Lahmu killing each other made him feel incredible. Such a scene should not happen to the unintelligent Lahmu. The Lahmu around him were also confused when they saw this scene, as if a BUG suddenly appeared in a program where errors should never occur, a BUG that they could not understand or fix.

【AAAAAAAA】

"You...why did you save me?"

Enkidu regretted it as soon as he said it. Why asked a question to Lahmu, who had no wisdom? But the next second, an old human voice appeared in the empty dense forest. Lahmu, who was pierced through the chest, crawled in front of Enkidu, and his sharp hand gently placed on Enkidu's face.

"En, Enkidu."

"you……"

His body remembered this voice. Although he couldn't see the owner of the voice when he thought about it carefully, he still remembered it. Why? Why was this?

The voice of this Lahmu was not as clear and crisp as a child's like the other Lahmu's. Instead, it was like an old man's, old but gentle voice... Enkidu half-knelt in front of it. He didn't know why he did this, but he remembered that he should do this and had done it many times.

"Why did you save me? Who are you? Why why—"

"Enkidu, my dear friend, I wish you happiness."

"who are you?"

"It was you... who gave this solitary king a life and a path. Your passing is deeply mourned by everyone, and your passing will never be forgotten by anyone, including me. Thank you, we are all incredibly grateful to you, and we wish you happiness..."

Part of Rahm's body began to solidify, then turned into mud and fell to the ground, then turned into smoke and disappeared without a trace.

"It's wonderful to be able to say thank you in person at the end of my life, and it's wonderful to be able to die for you in the end - beautiful green person, thank you for appearing."

Lahmu vanished, and until the very end, Enkidu still couldn't remember who she was. Compared to who this old woman really was, why, why did his body weep uncontrollably? Should he feel sad? He should, because the pain in his heart now even outweighed the pain in his body. But why… why did she come to him now, when he was so ready to die?

"What the hell is going on? I don't even know you...why am I so sad?"

【AAAAAA】

Lahmu dispersed. Perhaps they received new instructions from Tiamat, or the bug affected them. They all left here, and Enkidu ignored them and let them pass by. He just leaned against the tree, searching his mind for memories to recall who this old man was.

"You actually said thank you? It was me who caused the beast tide, it was me who awakened Tiamat... And it's obvious that I, I am the least worthy person to hear you say thank you."

Sad cries echoed throughout the deserted rainforest—

Chapter 180: First Battle with Tiamat