The Cloud-Raised Brave Man's Travels

Quetzal muttered to himself as he looked at the holy sword that was once again in Koya's hand.

"Good! Good! Good! That's great! Hahahaha!"

Compared to Quetzal, Gilgamesh was much more straightforward. He laughed happily. The holy sword that appeared specifically to save the world, isn’t it the best weapon to deal with Tiamat!

"Alright, everyone, rest your excitement. This may be your last chance to rest. Tomorrow morning, we will hold our final battle meeting here. Warriors! We are not without a chance of victory! Even Tiamat is not invincible!"

Gilgamesh gave them no time to react, driving them all out of the tower. They were perplexed, wondering why he had done this. What was the origin of Koya's weapon, which looked like a magic sword? Would Gilgamesh say they had a chance of winning? So many questions piled up in Fujimaru Tachibana's mind. How could she possibly sleep with so many questions swirling around in her?

"Hey, hey, hey? Why are you guys leaving? Koya, what's wrong with your sword? Why does my magic get stuck every time I touch it? Do you know how confused I was when I tumbled down the stairs?"

As soon as Siduri and Ishtar walked down the stairs and returned to the main hall of the sacred tower, they saw a group of people filing out and preparing to leave. Ishtar looked at Koya with a curious look in her eyes. She really couldn't tell what the sword was, but judging from the way it had just bounced her away, this thing was definitely not simple!

By the way, Gilgamesh also left. He did not take anyone with him and walked silently to the northern city wall. The giant bows here had been replenished with ammunition. After the soldiers left, this place should have been empty.

Just now, Gilgamesh discovered a figure through the magic perception connected to the giant bow, a lonely green figure.

"You look so miserable! Why can't you stand up? You weakling! I will not allow you to lie dead here. Leave now. I won't bother to question your crimes."

Gilgamesh's tone was neither sorrowful nor compassionate; it was more of a calmness. If Siduri were here, she would definitely be able to hear the tenderness in Gilgamesh's words. There was only one person who could be treated like this by the king. He did consider letting Tachibana and the others have a good night's rest when he ended the combat meeting, but it was more because of the person in front of him.

"W-why are you here?"

Enkidu clutched his chest, stunned, staring at Gilgamesh. If there were a list of people Enkidu least wanted to see after Lahmu's attack, Gilgamesh would definitely be near the top. He struggled to fight, but found his lower body completely out of control. He had also suffered a severe and fatal injury. The Holy Grail, the core of the attack, had also been taken away by Lahmu. Enkidu, able to move freely for a day, had already lived up to his reputation as a divine weapon.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Lian Zhan can't even stand up? Can you still be considered the highest masterpiece of the gods?"

Gilgamesh's tongue was still as venomous as ever, or was this his way of showing concern? With that mouth and that condescending tone, even someone with a breath left in them would be pissed off to death, right?

"Tsk, you actually saw me in such a miserable state."

Enkidu supported himself on the ground with his hands and tried to stand up; although he had fallen into confusion after being abandoned by his mother, he did not want to show this appearance in front of this person. But when he moved his body, he found that his legs had turned into mud. He might have run out of energy.

Gilgamesh observed him without saying anything, simply pulling the Great Cup of Uruk from the treasury and tossing it at Enkidu. The importance of the Great Cup of Uruk was self-evident. Gilgamesh's body was now connected to three hundred and sixty greatbows and the "Tooth of Nabistim," the defensive structure outside the city walls. Without the magical power of the Great Cup of Uruk, relying solely on Uruk's leylines, Gilgamesh could only keep them functioning for a few hours. Even so, he still handed the Great Cup of Uruk to Enkidu.

The moment the Uruk Cup touched Enkidu, it replaced the Holy Grail and became his new heart. His legs, which had turned to mud, grew back, and the fatal wounds on his chest and abdomen healed instantly.

"You...what are you doing! I am your enemy! I am not your Enkidu! I am not...not the Enkidu you know..."

Enkidu didn't understand why Gilgamesh did this. The confusion in his heart surged out like a flood at this moment. This was obviously the person who was least worthy of care in the world, and the person he should hate the most. Why, why did this guy treat him like this.

"You are such an idiot! I never thought of you as Enkidu. How could I not know my dearest friend? You and he are just sharing a body."

"Then why-"

Enkidu grabbed Gilgamesh by the collar and questioned him loudly.

"Hmph, it's nothing but my willfulness. Even with a different mind and soul, you're still the only Heaven's Chain in this world. Hmph... That guy always insists he's just a weapon, a weapon without a mind, wielded solely for others. According to him, it's only natural for me to care about you. After all, even though you were wielded towards Uruk for others, you're still my most trusted weapon. Why would I be so partial to you? I'm the most willful person in this matter. Nothing can stop me from doing what I want."

Gilgamesh shook off Enkidu's hand and turned away without any reluctance. The last words he said were deeply engraved in Enkidu's mind.

"The world is coming to an end, so do whatever you want."

"What do you mean……"

"What I'm saying is, no matter whose weapon you were wielding before, go do what you truly want to do now. Find the meaning of your existence as a weapon. Just like that guy back then, if you don't want to be Enkidu, then be yourself. - Kingo."

Chapter 182: Uruk's Final Mobilization

Time passed in a flash, and the final battle meeting began in the ziggurat. From now on, the entire Uruk would be transformed into a battlefield, but there was no time for leisurely battle meetings. Once the battle plan was finalized, the specific implementation and remedial measures after any accidents occurred would depend on the subjective initiative of each participant.

"Currently, Tiamat's optimal mobility as a starship lies in the zero-gravity environment of space. Her massive body and sheer weight render her unable to move. She's able to move in Uruk due to the black mud beneath her. If we want to accurately transport her to the underworld, we must destroy the black mud surrounding her, rendering her unable to move."

[AAA (Slander! Pure slander! I'm not serious!)]

Koya ignored Tiamat's protests in her head. Over the past two days, she'd discovered that the Primordial Mother's personality was childlike. It was precisely because of this that Tiamat's love and hate were distinctly different. If she loved someone, she would treat them wholeheartedly, but if she hated someone, she would do anything to make them disappear. The adult world was all about self-interest, personal connections, and the considerations of gain and loss; but the child's world was simple: only about likes and dislikes.

The most important thing is that this "child" Tiamat still has absolute power, just like a child holding a gun. Perhaps the gods of Mesopotamia saw through Tiamat's character and were willing to pay such a high price to seal her up.

"The Fang of Nabistim can block the Black Tide, but now there's only enough to encircle the city in a circle about a hundred meters in diameter. We need to lure Tiamat into this circle and evaporate the Black Tide within it, thus rendering Tiamat unable to move. Then, we can precisely open the Underworld beneath Tiamat's feet and defeat her."

Gilgamesh stated the battle objective simply and clearly. He drew a medium-sized circle on the sand table in front of him to indicate that the Fang of Nabistim was in this place. If Tiamat continued to move along the current trajectory, she would definitely enter this circle.

"But the Black Tide is a manifestation of Tiamat's power. Eliminating it won't be easy, and we must guard against interference from Rahmu. Koya's magic must be preserved until Tiamat enters the underworld and delivers the fatal blow."

"If it's just about evaporating the black tide around Tiamat, I can do it."

Quetzal then spoke up, explaining that the Black Tide was a manifestation of Tiamat's special powers. To eliminate it, one must wield a power equal to her own. If Gilgamesh wielded his greatbow against the Black Tide, the magical arrow wouldn't even create a splash; instead, the magic would be absorbed by the Black Tide and transformed into Tiamat's own. Quetzal was the only one capable of boiling the sea; not even Ishtar could.

"Quetzal, I'm counting on you this time too!"

"Hahaha, just leave it to me."

This time, the Sun Tower is in Uruk, and Quetzal is not holding back. The Sun Stone, her second Noble Phantasm, not only transmits magical energy but, when necessary, can be fully activated, transforming it into the true flame of the sun. Regardless of which story holds the sun's place as a high-ranking deity, Quetzal is the only one in Uruk who can truly rival Tiamat in terms of power.

AAAA (Koya, should I cooperate with them? Actually, if I need to, this body can instantly change form and take off.)

[I can't help but deliberately cooperate. Use whatever means you have, but be restrained and don't deliberately change your route.]

A (Okay.)

"Captain, has the Fang of Nabisteen been installed?"

"Yes. Everything has been arranged."

After confirming the deployment of the Fang of Nabistine with the Captain of the Arms, the combat meeting could officially end. Facing an enemy like Tiamat, no matter how much preparation was made, it would not be enough, so all the cards had to be played at once, and what followed was a game of courage.

"Alright! Now that we've made the decision, all that's left is to execute it according to the plan. Everyone, get ready! Let's teach her a lesson."

"learn!"

Uruk... This city held so many memories for Tachibana Fujimaru. This was the first time she had spent such an extended period in a singularity. She had witnessed the city at its most prosperous and bustling, and now, at its most deserted. The streets still bore the scars of Rahmu's attack. Though the bodies had been carried away and buried by the soldiers, the blood stained the walls, the shattered streets, and the scattered household items were enough to bring Tachibana down.

The magic of communication with the northern front was activated on the tower, and Gilgamesh made his final announcement to all the citizens and warriors of Uruk on the tower as the king.

"To all the survivors of Mesopotamia—"

Gilgamesh's voice resounded in every corner of the Mesopotamian plain. His proud and confident demeanor did not diminish in the slightest even when facing the goddess of creation, Tiamat. In him, Koya understood what a hero should be. If Koya was the undisputed rising star and the protagonist of Orario, then in this world, Gilgamesh was the most dazzling hero. He was the irreplaceable protagonist of this world of gods and humans.

"Half a year ago, when I established the Warcraft Front, I told you this. The day of destruction will eventually come, and Uruk's destruction is inevitable! You can escape if you want, you can indulge in pleasure if you want! Even if you lament and end your life in the underworld, it's okay! But I'm pleased that even though you know the end is coming, you haven't given up the fight. Each of you is trying your best to survive, fighting with all your might even though you know the outcome. You are doing well, and I admire your bravery."

"Uruk is a city full of wonders: its history, its life, its people, and this king! Be proud to live in such a city!"

Gilgamesh's words were addressed to the people of Uruk. Despite the siege of the three goddesses, Uruk had stood firm, and in the north, it had even established a miraculous defense against monsters. Everyone living in this city could be proud of themselves. As for the survivors of Eridu and Ur, the soldiers and citizens of the northern front stood tall and proud with envy. They, too, were captivated by Gilgamesh's personal charisma. If their king had been like Gilgamesh, would their lives be different now?

"I repeat, Uruk will be destroyed here! This is an unchangeable fact, but there is no need to be sad about it!"

Gilgamesh's voice grew louder, and the soldiers beneath the ziggurat stared at their king silently, unblinking. The soldiers still remaining in Uruk were determined to die. Their wills were as strong as steel, and nothing could shake their resolve to fight for Uruk to the bitter end.

"Anyone who witnesses the dawn of victory will remember us in their hearts. Even in death, our deeds and will will be passed down forever. This is humanity's most indispensable and powerful strength! It's not about blood, but about knowledge and history. This is the continuation of civilization and life! The destruction of Uruk is not our destruction. We will shine at the dawn of victory, and with this light, our era will continue. Listen carefully! All of Mesopotamia, bear witness to our glory and etch it deeply in your minds!"

"Now is the time to deny the original gods and usher in our own era. This is our true farewell battle with the gods. Soldiers of Uruk! Grasp your weapons tightly and dedicate your lives to me! Let us become firewood to illuminate this era! To pass on the glory of Uruk to future generations!"

[AAAAA (These guys are incredible! If it were me from the past, I would definitely be defeated by them.)]

Tiamat took it all in, but her tone was lacking in emotion. After all, Uruk was still too small for her. It was like humans marveling at the amazing social structure and sophisticated nests of ants, but they would not have any empathy for ants. Instead, they would pour red-hot aluminum into ant nests to make them into exquisite handicrafts.

"Gilgamesh... I remember him."

Gilgamesh is the most heroic character that Koya has ever seen. Koya has not become so inflated by the power of the Black Dragon that he loses himself. He knows very well that he is just a Lv.3 adventurer in Orario. He still has a long way to go. Gilgamesh is his role model at the moment. With his firm belief, super strength, smart brain and strong leadership, there are too many things in Gilgamesh that are worth Koya's serious study.

·Dividing line·

"The first wave of Rahmu is about to attack, everyone prepare to fight!"

Standing on the city wall of Uruk, Tiamat's figure is close at hand. The dark waves have surrounded Uruk. The Fang of Nabistim barely supports a piece of pure land for Uruk, but Uruk is now like a small boat in the turbulent sea, which may capsize at any time and be swallowed by the waves.

Lahmu, the vanguard, had already reached the city wall. Koya's divine domain had long since dissipated. The 360 giant bows on the city wall roared continuously, and magical gems were shot out by the giant bows and turned into meteorites that fell behind the Wall of Nabistim. The 360 falling stars seemed to cover Uruk with a curtain of light.

Yet, more Lakhmu leaped from the black tide, crossing the Fang of Nabistim and swarming towards the city walls like an insect swarm. Their terrifying numbers were truly despairing. Tiamat had not allowed these Lakhmu to evolve flight, as that would have left Uruk completely defenseless. But even so, these billions of Lakhmu were enough to crush Uruk to the ground.

Although Koya wanted to release the divine domain to deal a devastating blow to these Lahmu, he was different from the Heroic Spirits and could not use the Command Spells to quickly replenish his magic power. So at this moment he could only suppress his impulse and wait for the best opportunity to swing the sword of salvation at Tiamat.

"Tsk, I've been waiting for this moment for so long!"

Ishtar relied on the sky ship Maana to continuously pour her firepower on the Lahmu on the ground in the air. Every luminous arrow shot could take away dozens of Lahmu, but this was just a drop in the bucket for the huge Lahmu tribe; but Ishtar also had her advantages. With her strong mobility, she roamed around Uruk. Every time when Lahmu was about to break through the bombing line formed by the giant bow, she would go to check for loopholes.

Like Koya, Ereshkigal remained hidden. She was the key to this operation, forced to retreat to a room within the city wall to prevent Tiamat from discovering her plan. Meanwhile, Merlin, Anna, and Mash waited on the wall directly facing Tiamat.

Merlin also displayed his magician side at this moment. A sea of flowers blossomed before the city walls, and every Rahmu who stepped into it was lost in a dream, never to awaken. Merlin's illusions were a natural nemesis for these nonexistent Rahmu. If he had more magic power, he could even create a scene similar to what Koya had done after unleashing his divine domain, but unfortunately, his magic power was only enough for this one scene.

Ten minutes later, Tiamat finally reached the designated location. As the Fang of Nabistin broke through the black tide, the cage that imprisoned Tiamat was finally formed.

"Quetzal! In the name of the Command Seal!"

"OK~ Then this time I'm really going to use all my strength!"

The Temple of the Sun was instantly activated, and the dazzling light swept away the haze brought by the black tide. The midday sun was at its hottest, and the scorching flames covered Quetzal. The flames turned into feathered serpent wings and spread out behind Quetzal.

"The past is here, and the present is here—"

Quetzal opened his palms and looked up at the sky, as if he wanted to grab the sun in the sky into his hands. The sunstone above the temple slowly floated up. Its size was constantly shrinking, but the light emitted from its body became brighter and brighter. As Quetzal called, the sunstone fell into her palms, and she seemed to have really held the sun at this moment.

"The future is here—"

A huge magic circle unfolded, and the golden light made it impossible to look directly at its mystery, but in fact, the pattern of the magic circle was engraved on the sunstone.

"The wind comes, the thunder comes, this is the time when the morning star shines - the sun also shines beyond!"

The sunstone in Quetzal's hand shone like a ruby. Crimson flames enveloped her palm. Standing beside her, one could directly feel the rising temperature. The sturdy city walls were cracked by the scorching hot wind, as if a new sun had appeared above the earth. She bent her waist and legs, ready to throw. The ruby-like sunstone traversed the air in a dazzling arc, landing before Tiamat.

boom--

The world seemed to have lost all sound and color. Even though they were over a hundred kilometers apart, Koya and his companions faced the solar blast head-on. The world seemed to be filled with only a searing red-orange hue as the sun descended upon the earth. Mashu immediately deployed her Noble Phantasm, deflecting the aftermath of the solar blast beyond Uruk. This attack not only dried up the black tide within the hundred-meter-diameter cage, but also transformed the entire hundred-kilometer-wide area into molten lava. The Fang of Nabistine and the black tide vanished in the flames.

Tiamat stopped and stood there blankly.

Chapter 183: The Final Battle

Tiamat did indeed stop, just as Gilgamesh had predicted. The black mud beneath her was indeed the track she needed to walk on land. But hadn't he considered... As a starship, a vessel meant to navigate the starry sky, how could Tiamat not be able to fly? Gilgamesh must have considered this possibility, but could he speak of it? If Tiamat could truly fly, then all their plans would be useless. Even if they dragged Tiamat into the underworld, she could fly back on her own. What was the point...

So Gilgamesh could only hope that Tiamat could not fly, but reality is often not as expected.

[AAAAA (Koya Koya, look! This is my transformation! Hey!)]

The huge horns on Tiamat's head began to deform, extending backwards, as if a pair of wings grew behind Tiamat. As a biological factory, she can not only create new life, but also change her own form.

Several neatly arranged nozzles appeared under the horns, and the large horns on her head gradually turned red as if they were charging. The next second, blue flames began to emerge from those rows of nozzles, just like the flames emitted by the rockets that Koya knew about in the doomsday world. Tiamat also really flew up. Although she did not sway freely in the air like Ishtar, she did leave the ground.

"How is this possible! How could the Mother Goddess, the Mother of the Earth, possibly fly?"

Ishtar watched in disbelief, unable to comprehend how Tiamat, the Earth Mother goddess supposedly forbidden to touch the sky, could float. But Ishtar knew nothing of a starship; all she knew about Tiamat came from power. Tiamat, possessing the power of the Earth Mother, should not be able to fly.

[AAAA (I’m not from Earth, why should I follow Earth’s rules?)]

[Tiamat, is your neck okay? ]

Koya's focus was particularly strange, mainly because Tiamat's current form was really strange. If physics still existed, then Tiamat would have to expend more energy to stay upright than it would have taken for her to stand up...

[AAAA (I have biological strength. Koya, you can think of this huge me as a whole. No matter where the force is applied, the rest of my body will evenly distribute the force. Your attacks cannot harm me for this reason.)]

Tiamat is actually an outsider like the Greek Mecha and the Wandering Star Trekker. The mythology records that she was born from chaos, which actually means she descended to this land from the dark universe outside the planet. Tiamat is the star ship that nurtures life and transforms the environment, while the other Abzu is the star ship of management, order, and civilization. Tiamat's combat capability may not be the strongest among the outsiders, but her ability is definitely the most comprehensive.

As the third generation god, Ishtar did not know the true situation of Tiamat, so she was so surprised.

"Tiamat actually flew? Miss Elle, are you ready?"

"It'll take some time. Opening the lid above the underworld is quite troublesome. Although the barrier between the underworld and the living world is already quite weak due to the large number of deaths, it's still quite troublesome to open a hole with a diameter of 100 meters in one go!"

"I understand! Please let us know as soon as you are ready, Ms. Elle."

Just when Koya thought he had to take action, Anna suddenly jumped from the city wall. Her smaller figure shuttled through the Lahmu and quickly ran towards Tiamat. The black robe that had been draped around her was now folded and held in Merlin's hands. On this black robe was the wreath that the florist had woven for Anna...

Seeing that Tachibana and Mashu's eyes turned away, Merlin gave them a helpless smile.

"She's a Gorgon hatchling, so naturally she can be called a Gorgon. If possible, she doesn't want to show this in front of you. But it seems that monsters are the only ones who can deal with them right now."

Merlin waved his wand, enveloping Anna, who had paused before the Fang of Nabistine, in a bouquet of flowers. The pink blossoms, like a chrysalis, encased her within. This was the last bit of help Merlin could offer her. From within the floral chrysalis, a massive figure emerged: the Gorgon... a familiar, massive form, familiar, serpentine hair. This was the form Medusa assumed when her demonic nature overwhelmed her divine nature, and it was the form she most detested, for it was at the Gorgon's hands that her two sisters had perished.

The huge monster Gorgon stood behind the Fang of Nabistim and looked at Tiamat from afar. The next second, snakes emerged from the lava and wrapped Tiamat's lower body layer by layer. Of course, she did not want to pull Tiamat back to the ground, but just wanted to use it to restrain Tiamat's movements.

The moment the Gorgon appeared, the Lakhmu behind Tiamat, those untouched by the Quetzal Sunstone, became agitated and impatient. They lacked intelligence, but instinctively resented the Gorgon's presence. Even the lava blocking their path couldn't stop them. They advanced step by step, trampling over the bodies of their comrades, who hadn't yet completely burned. The Gorgon didn't even spare a glance for these other soldiers; her entire attention was focused on Tiamat.

"I can crush Tiamat's wings! I can do it! Sister, please lend me your strength!"

By abandoning the last vestiges of her goddess status, she finally reached a tragic end. She briefly materialized the concept of "Gorgon's Monster," dissolving all life within a designated area. This was Gorgon's true Noble Phantasm, and the past she most hated to face.