'Enkidu'... that is, Kingu raised a cold smile, effortlessly striking back the white-robed person's attacks one by one using only a single-handed blade strike, and could even counterattack from time to time.
"The so-called last hope of old humanity... Hmph, if humans are defective products, then you who have broken through the lower limit are defective products among defective products... Although defective, you are also rare items. If they could be offered to the goddess ahead, we would surely be able to see a good stage play."
"You... are you really Enkidu!?"
The unease that had persisted all along was confirmed. Ritsuka cautiously watched Kingu, who still had considerable leisure to converse even while engaged in fierce combat with the white-robed person.
Hearing this question, the smile on Kingu's face suddenly disappeared, and intense magical power burst forth, sending Merlin flying dozens of meters away.
"Ugh... It seems my body has gotten somewhat rusty from not moving for too long... But little Anna is really heartless, doesn't she have any intention of helping?"
Although the white-robed person who was sent flying seemed to stabilize quite easily, he suddenly began shouting loudly, while the petite black-robed girl only snorted coldly.
"Who cares about you, you brought this on yourself."
"...Really a bunch of fools."
Watching the interaction between these two, Kingu's sinister smile reappeared.
"Does it matter whether I am Enkidu or not? I have the same body and performance as her - knowing this much is sufficient. Rather, why would you think that just because someone is Enkidu, they would definitely be humanity's ally? That is a weapon created by the gods, isn't it natural to stand on the goddess's side?"
"That guy... the magical power he's emanating is very close to that of the Demon God Pillars. There's no need for further dialogue - the person before us is an enemy. Since they went to such trouble to lure you here, they presumably have no intention of letting you return. You must fight to have a chance at survival."
Roman suddenly interjected from within Chaldea, speaking gravely.
"That really doesn't sound nice, when until just now we were companions getting along quite harmoniously... But sadly, you guessed correctly. Although it's somewhat regrettable that I can't see a good show, just taking back your heads would be sufficient... Well then, let me neatly draw the curtain on your journey."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kingu crouched down, apparently preparing to launch an attack.
"Low-performance trash, just go die and be scrapped in the waste disposal ground."
"...Ophis-sama was really right - this fake Enkidu really does talk too much."
In this tense atmosphere on the verge of breaking out, the white-robed person walked forward several steps with considerable lack of tension.
"You bastard..."
"Let me tell you something - although I don't particularly like chanting spells, for a dual-wielding mage like me, there's one more skill that's standard equipment."
Without giving Kingu a chance to speak, Merlin suddenly swung his holy sword at Kingu from a distance of over ten meters.
"Hm?"
Noble Phantasm release?
Watching the increasingly intense light on the sword, Kingu's expression also became somewhat more serious, staring directly at his opponent.
Then, the bursting light simply enveloped her vision.
"Eat my Great Flash Technique!"
"Oh my, we finally escaped."
At the southern side of the forest, several people stopped, looking rather disheveled.
"You bastard... what kind of Great Flash Technique was that!? Not only did it obstruct our own vision, it had absolutely no effect on the enemy!!"
Roman in the communicator couldn't hold back and shouted loudly.
"Haha, I momentarily forgot that Enkidu could also perceive through the ground like the real one~"
"That person... what exactly is the enemy referred to as Enkidu?"
Only at this moment did Mash finally have a chance to ask her question.
"It's a long story with a long journey ahead - how about we explain it slowly later? Rather than these questions, don't you think we should get to know each other? What do you say, beautiful miss?"
Lily's mouth twitched as she looked at this white-robed person who would kneel before her and take her hand at the slightest disagreement, pulling her hand back.
"That... I've had a quite familiar feeling from the beginning, and now with this strange behavior... could it really be Sensei?"
"Oh oh, Lily still remembers me - that's really moving. Speaking of Artoria's most perfect period, it really is this time, isn't it!?"
Faced with the suddenly excited white-robed person, Lily, being the little angel she is, still maintained a smile on her face... although it was quite awkward.
At this moment, a white shadow suddenly flashed out, knocking the white-robed person to the ground. The hood the white-robed person had been wearing also fell off due to the impact, revealing a handsome face and that head of rainbow-colored messy hair.
"Fou---"
"Uwah!? Damn it, Cath Palug you beast, have you forgotten even the kindness of long years of care? I should never have adopted you, a guy who attracts countless meatball enthusiasts with just your cute appearance. Don't you feel guilty toward me, who has to work hard using countless tricks to deceive people?"
"He's actually arguing on the same level as Fou!"
Lily seemed accustomed to this and sighed, while Mash looked amazed, and Ritsuka was pointing at her cheek in thought.
"Speaking of Lily's teacher... wouldn't that be..."
"---Wait, shouting loudly because the development was too shocking and my thinking couldn't keep up until now... Merlin, you say you're that Merlin!? The great magus of Britain, the half-blood of human and incubus, one of the world's foremost king-makers - really that Merlin!? And you've even become a Servant summoned to this era!?"
"Doctor... seems excited with a touch of enthusiasm!?"
"Hahaha, thank you for the introduction as expected. That's right, Romani Archaman, I am the Grand Caster, that is, the magus among magi, Merlin~ Summoned to this era as a Caster Servant with an ordinary Spirit Origin, please take care of me~"
Making a V gesture, Merlin introduced himself cheerfully.
Dodging the scythe that swept past, Kingu expressionlessly grabbed the black-robed little girl's neck and lifted her up.
"How troublesome... when exactly was it?"
With a light squeeze, the sound of bones cracking rang out, and at the same time, the surrounding scenery slowly collapsed like a broken mirror.
In the wasteland, apart from Kingu, there was no one else.
Kingu showed no sign of surprise, only rubbed her forehead somewhat irritably.
"I see... it was when the flash was emitted? The purpose wasn't to obstruct vision but to divert attention? But... after all, he's the ultimate among trash whose only first-rate skill is staying alive, so this result is only natural..."
Even though she had been on guard after being caught by an illusion technique once in the previous battle with the scorpion-men, she was still held back by illusion techniques once again...
"Truly worthy of being the world's top fraud master... the second attempt also failed. In that case, the only thing that can break through is really..."
Looking toward Uruk's direction, Kingu displayed an evil smile.
"Let's leave it at this for now... after all, there are more important things to do than hunting trash. The elimination of humanity requires careful planning... Although she could finish it in a day if she got serious, that wouldn't be very good. No, that won't do - even killing must have appropriate reasons and themes... This is the duty of the new humanity possessing superior intellect..."
Pausing, Kingu inexplicably recalled those words Ophis had said to her.
Yes, the part about her being more foolish than Enkidu.
Thinking of that girl, Kingu frowned, then shook her head, her smile gaining a few more shades of gloom.
"Moreover... if she really got serious, that person on the other side would also... The assassination while she's restraining herself has already failed and been confirmed as unfeasible. So to speak of existences on this side that could deal with her when she's completely serious... we really have to wait..."
"We've arrived - this is King Ophis's office~"
In front of the pyramid temple, the three from Chaldea, along with Merlin and Anna, were standing here.
"How magnificent..."
Seeing the temple that embodied all luxury and could be said to represent Uruk's foundation, Ritsuka couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
She had seen Arthur's Chalk City and visited the Sun King's pyramid, both possessing grandeur that could stand alongside this pyramid temple, but each had their own characteristics, which didn't diminish Ritsuka's amazement.
"But... King Ophis..."
On the way here, Merlin had mentioned this name several times to the group.
"Yes... Although it's different from the history of the parallel world where Chaldea exists, thinking positively... compared to Gilgamesh, King Ophis is at least a ruler we've already had contact with, and judging from Uruk's condition, this king shouldn't be a tyrant-type cruel ruler either."
Looking at the temple's great doors, Mash said seriously to Ritsuka.
Indeed, along the way, most of Uruk's residents had happy smiles on their faces, with almost no visible worry about the current situation.
"Indeed... that appearance back then certainly didn't look like a tyrant, but still seems like someone difficult to communicate with..."
"Don't worry, Master, no matter what happens, I'll stake my life to protect you!"
"You don't need to stake your life either..."
Ritsuka sighed, then her expression became determined.
"Oh, truly worthy of humanity's last Master, the savior who has experienced six Singularities - have you adjusted your mindset so quickly? But although it might dampen your resolve, King Ophis is actually quite an agreeable, clumsy person. If you just rush up and get close to her, she won't know how to shake you off~"
"Sensei, no one would think you're mute if you didn't speak."
"Fou!"
Mash looked at Merlin's former student and pet, then gazed at Merlin with somewhat subtle eyes.
"It seems... Merlin-san is quite unsuccessful as a person."
During their conversation, the group had already pushed open the temple's great doors and entered. It seemed to be due to Merlin's influence that they encountered no obstruction along the way.
"Although Merlin-san seems to have great influence, most people actually seem to avoid him like the plague!?"
"Over here, you should be able to see clearly - that person is King Ophis."
Quite skillfully ignoring Mash's surprise, Merlin cheerfully pointed ahead.
"Mm... How should I put it, it's somewhat different from what we saw before."
Looking at Ophis surrounded by a group of messengers, Ritsuka touched her chin.
"Yes... the current King Ophis has an obviously gloomy expression, and her eyes seem somewhat vacant. Although she still often has a smile on her lips, the overall atmosphere seems somewhat dark."
Mash also responded after some thought.
The appearance of Ophis before them... if placed in a gloomier environment, she could completely guest-star as a final boss.
"Indeed, is it because there are too many affairs to handle?"
Lily's ahoge bounced up and down, also somewhat puzzled.
In her unexperienced experiences, there were similar situations where she had to deal with many consecutive events, but she didn't seem to have such significant changes in expression.
"Different from what I imagined... I thought she'd be like a nouveau riche."
After remaining silent for a long time, Anna also rarely expressed her opinion.
"What are you all standing here for? If you just watch without actively approaching to talk, King Ophis will directly ignore you, even if everyone else leaves and only you remain."
"Eh?"
Merlin pulled Ritsuka forward, ignoring her surprised cry and directly walking up, disregarding those still reporting to Ophis and waving at her.
"Yo, King Ophis, we're back."
"Just do it that way for now, report again if there are follow-up problems..."
Handing the stone tablet at hand to someone else, Ophis glanced at Merlin and fixed her gaze on Ritsuka.
Then... she just quietly watched like that. The others didn't dare to speak either, and the atmosphere became stiff for a moment.
"Have you returned safely, Merlin-sama? This mission also went quite smoothly, didn't it?"
Siduri on the side bowed and greeted, slightly filling the awkwardness caused by the silence.
"Ah ah, the things that needed to be accomplished were resolved, and although there were some small twists, they weren't worth mentioning. The excellent Merlin easily solved everything~"
"You have Enkidu's scent on you... did you flee in panic from her hands again?"
With a light sigh, Ophis shifted her gaze back to Merlin.
"Your sense of smell is as amazing as always, King Ophis."
Even though directly exposed, Merlin didn't mind and just laughed heartily.
"Rather than that, who are those people? They certainly don't look like Uruk citizens from their appearance..."
Seeing the atmosphere about to become stiff again, Siduri hurriedly spoke up once more.
"That's enough, Siduri, you may withdraw."
At this time, Ophis leaned on her staff and walked forward a few steps.
"My King?"
Then, amid Siduri's surprised cry, dozens of laser beams emerged from the staff, shooting toward the two Servants from Chaldea!
"Aside from having no preamble, it's the same as the situation when meeting with many kings so far - King Ophis has suddenly attacked!"
Without any communication, Mash and Lily joined together, with Mash standing in front trying to block all the attacks, while still quite professionally reporting the current situation to someone unknown.
Ophis slightly raised an eyebrow, gave her staff a slight shake, and the laser beams about to hit the shield completely ignored all physical laws and instantly stopped, then dispersed before hitting Mash, spreading around as if trying to surround the two.
"Glorious and Undefeated Snowflake Wall!"
Mash wasn't caught off guard by this. Silver-white light emanated from her shield, covering the two of them in a 360-degree barrier.
"Oh?"
Ophis lightly bent her index finger, and the dozens of laser beams turned again, shooting straight down at the two. Then they struck the silver light wall.
Bang bang bang bang bang---
The result was quickly determined. The lasers couldn't penetrate the silver light wall, and the magical power that couldn't continue to concentrate due to the obstruction scattered, producing explosion after explosion.
"Hyah!"
From within the smoke, a cry rang out. Lily jumped high out of the smoke, holding what looked like a holy sword similar to Merlin's in both hands, coming down heavily toward Ophis.
Clang---
The surprise attack didn't succeed. The holy sword was deflected by the staff, producing showers of sparks. After easily deflecting the holy sword, Ophis quickly turned her staff and swung it toward Lily's head.
The attack having failed, Lily felt regret but wasn't surprised.
First off, from their journey from the initial Singularity to now, there weren't many mages who couldn't engage in close combat. Just from the pressure the opponent gave, it was clear that this King of Uruk wasn't so easy to deal with.
Retreating to avoid Ophis's attack, almost without pause, a black shadow came crashing down from the air toward Ophis.
It was Mash, holding her shield in front of her body.
At the same time, intense golden light burst from Lily's holy sword.
The shield's mass was quite high, and combined with the acceleration of the fall, ordinary Casters would have no way to take it head-on. In that case, they could only distance themselves in response, and Lily could take advantage of this to gain charging time. Once the opponent retreated, she could immediately send a light cannon while they couldn't make follow-up moves.
Of course, all this was just wishful thinking in the two girls' minds.
At the top of Ophis's staff's orb, purple covered the gold, intense magical power burst forth, then condensed around the orb, wrapping the orb in an even larger purple sphere.
"Wait, this reaction!?"
From Ritsuka's communicator, Roman suddenly cried out in alarm.
Ophis naturally couldn't respond to Roman, and the girls currently in combat didn't have that leisure either. At this time, Ophis had already swung her staff toward Mash's descending shield.
The moment they made contact, the magical power within the sphere burst out, directly sending Mash flying. Then the gushing magical power condensed again, gathering into a beam that shot toward Lily.
"Ugh!?"
Caught off guard, Lily could only forcibly release all the Noble Phantasm's magical power that hadn't finished charging toward Ophis's direction.
Golden and purple bombardments collided with each other. The violent impact meant that Lily, like Mash, could only be sent flying.
The distance was opened again. Although Mash and Lily looked somewhat disheveled, they basically hadn't suffered any injuries. Even if there were some scrapes, they were healed completely within a second by Ritsuka, who was watching the battlefield and commanding from behind. They had barely spent any time before taking their stances again.
"King Ophis's combat characteristic is having no openings... Although her attack methods vary greatly, this point hasn't changed..."
Looking at Ophis, Mash spoke somewhat troubledly to Lily.
The so-called "no openings" didn't mean being flawless in combat, but rather having no particular weaknesses, basically being able to respond to any type of offensive approach.
Lily was also frowning.
Although she felt somewhat embarrassed about it... the combination of her and Mash was indeed one where defensive capability far exceeded offensive capability. Facing an enemy like Ophis, they lacked decisive means.
The two sides confronted each other for a long time...
The Chaldea side wanted to rely on Mash's defense to hold out while looking for opportunities from the opponent's attacks, while Ophis... just stared at the two and remained motionless.
"My King, if the King has no intention of taking these people's lives, then you may stop now... These are all skilled warriors worthy of being brought under the King's command. They should be the foreigners that Mage Merlin mentioned in past conversations with the King, shouldn't they? If we could win them over, it would surely bring some improvement to the current situation."
Just when the Chaldea group thought they'd have to wait several hours for the next round, the priestess Siduri beside them suddenly knelt and spoke.
Having spent time with Ophis, Siduri had come to understand somewhat...
This king would often suddenly do unexpected things on a whim, then when she wanted to stop halfway through, she wouldn't know how to stop, creating quite awkward situations.
At times like this, she as the aide could only help smooth things over.
"You are the people from Chaldea, aren't you?"
Finally, the purple on the staff's orb gradually receded, returning to its original golden appearance, and Ophis shifted her gaze to Ritsuka behind them.
"Y-yes, my name is Fujimaru Ritsuka, I'm a Master from Chaldea!"
Swallowing nervously, Ritsuka stepped forward and answered while looking directly at Ophis with determination.
"Mm... I don't particularly care about your name. Whatever, it doesn't matter. I won't obstruct however you choose to act, but I also won't provide support, not until you truly understand what you should be doing."
After a moment of silence, Ophis said to Ritsuka.
In truth, Ophis herself didn't know what should be done. Anyway, the other party was professional in this area, so letting them handle it themselves should be fine, right?
In Ophis's view, the greatest opportunity should be the goddess in the south whom she had never met, but she really didn't have the spare capacity to explore the south, nor could she send people to their deaths, and this included Chaldea.
Unless they truly proved they had that capability, Ophis wouldn't let them enter the southern jungle.
As for not providing support... Uruk really didn't have any surplus capacity to spare for helping them.
"As long as you can prove your own worth, then I can give you some guidance."
Thinking it over, Ophis still added this sentence.
If Merlin alone faced the goddess's divine authority, it would still make her somewhat uneasy. If Chaldea had sufficient strength, she could let them go together to help.
To go to that southern jungle and explore the secrets within.
Of course, the Chaldea group couldn't possibly know Ophis's thoughts.
"It really isn't that easy..."
Ritsuka bit her lip, but actually wasn't surprised.
From the very first Singularity all the way here, there were very few big shots with capability and influence who would directly help them. Even if they didn't directly oppose Chaldea, they would first say some incomprehensible things and then wait for them to complete something sufficient to gain their recognition before being willing to act.
This was also because these types of extraordinary... great figures usually had their own unique value systems. If you couldn't change that value system or make yourself fit into it, you couldn't move them.
"Oh my, it seems the current King Ophis doesn't have much interest in Chaldea... But this is also normal. King Ophis rarely shows particular interest in anything. To catch her attention, you'd really need to first accomplish some earth-shaking great event. For example, if you could cut off the northern goddess's head, you might have a chance."
Merlin sat quite shamelessly in a corner of the temple, speaking with detachment.
"Worthy of Merlin! That method sounds good - Ritsuka, go try it!"
From the communicator, Roman's somewhat excited voice came through.
"...Doctor, please don't add to the chaos!"
Then he was naturally refuted by Mash.
"Ahem, seriously speaking, Ritsuka should still have a proper talk with King Ophis. At least we need to clarify the matter of the Holy Grail. Although the reaction just now was only for an instant..."
"Oh, ah... yes."
Ritsuka was startled, then was about to speak when she was stopped by Ophis, who was slowly walking back to her throne, with a wave of her hand.
"I can hear you. The Holy Grail you're talking about is this, right?" (Actually, I don't understand either - the doctor's words aren't encrypted, yet every time someone needs to relay them...)
Sitting down, Ophis flicked the golden orb at the top of her staff with her finger, and a trace of magical power leaked out.
"The Holy Grail reaction appeared again...! Although we already considered this possibility, the Holy Grail has indeed been obtained by her... Being the same Hero King, her essential characteristics wouldn't deviate too much either..."
"But why is the Holy Grail spherical in shape!?"
Looking at the golden sphere, Ritsuka asked with her head tilted.
"Is it spherical? Hmm... There are possibilities of containing the Holy Grail within some carrier, and also the possibility of directly modifying the Holy Grail. Although difficult, it's achievable with divine-level magecraft. The purpose of doing this would be to hide the Holy Grail's fluctuations, right?"
After thinking, Roman offered these guesses that clearly weren't within a doctor's professional scope.
"Yes, after all, that Three Goddess Alliance's objective is this... Of course, it's impossible to hand it over to you at this time."
Restraining the magical power overflowing from the Holy Grail, Ophis looked at Ritsuka's sparkling eyes and shook her head.
"I suppose so..."
Ritsuka lowered her body with a sigh.
If it were that easy, then it wouldn't be worthy of all the life-and-death struggles in the previous Singularities.
But soon Ritsuka perked up again.
"In that case, I'll defeat that Three Goddess Alliance and show you! Then you'll have nothing to say, so obediently hand over the Holy Grail!"
"Senpai!?"
Clenching one hand into a fist, Ritsuka pointed at Ophis with her other hand and declared loudly with great momentum.
"..."
"Hey! Did you hear me or not!?"
After waiting a long time without getting a response, Ritsuka realized that Ophis's gaze wasn't on her at all, but was looking at a position somewhat behind her.
Ritsuka unconsciously turned her head to follow her gaze, and what came into view was... an ahoge.
"Lily?"
"Eh?"
Lily seemed not to understand the situation and tilted her head in confusion.
"Is she called Lily?"
At this time, Ophis suddenly spoke up.
"Ah... my name is Artoria Pendragon, I'm just a half-baked knight. Please just call me Lily."
"Mm..."
Ophis nodded.
"You're very similar to Enkidu."
"Eh?"
The sudden words made Lily even more confused.
Enkidu... at least the person who appeared to be Enkidu, she had seen too, but didn't feel there was anything particularly similar between herself and that person...
"Ah, that, don't mind it too much. King Ophis has said similar things to some people before... It's like what they say? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?"
Holding up one finger, Merlin interjected quite cheerfully, then was quickly knocked away by a golden brick flying out from golden ripples.
Sighing, Ophis held her forehead.
"Very well. Uruk is my city, and protecting Uruk is not something outsiders should interfere with, so..."
Pausing, Ophis stared intently at Ritsuka.
"If you can prove you have sufficient strength, I will give you information about the Three Goddesses... If you can use this to find a method to deal with the true goddesses, then I'll give you a reward... but..."
Ophis narrowed her eyes, her snake-like gaze making Ritsuka's whole body tingle.
"Thinking of relying on you to defeat the Three Goddesses... if it's not a clown's jest, then it can only be described as arrogance. You are beings with value - don't casually die in some corner because of this mentality."
"I-is that so?"
Ritsuka was first suppressed by the intense aura, then showed a brilliant smile.
"Thank you for the reminder, Little Ophis."
"Ah, oh..."
Ophis was clearly startled for a moment, then nodded.
"Siduri, arrange their accommodations."
"Yes."
Siduri bowed with a smile at the corner of her mouth, then bowed again to the Chaldea group.
"Then, everyone, please follow me."
Watching the departure of the Chaldea group, Ophis breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"King Ophis isn't very good at communicating with people."
Merlin got up, looking at Ophis with a smile.
"No... it should be said that after getting used to the attitude of someone in a high position, you're not used to speaking to these collaborators with an equal attitude, right? But clearly King Ophis was originally a king... it would have been fine to treat those people with a king's attitude from the beginning, wouldn't it? Just bearing the responsibilities of a king while hardly ever exercising the authority of a king, no... perhaps even the recognition that you should be a king is quite shallow. In that case, you're just a busy person doing what a king does."
"Is that so?"
Ophis tilted her head.
"But my responsibility is only to not let humanity perish. Apart from that, I won't interfere with anything, so just this much is sufficient."
"I suppose so."
Neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Ophis's rebuttal, Merlin waved his hand and left the hall.
"Then, I will come to visit again tomorrow morning. If there are any urgent matters, you can bring them up with the soldiers stationed outside. Please have a good rest."
"Alright, thank you very much~"
After bowing, Siduri turned and left the small house temporarily arranged for the guests from Chaldea.
After waving goodbye to Siduri, Ritsuka finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew, somehow I feel like a pressure has disappeared."
"Indeed, ever since directly facing that King Ophis, there has been an oppressive feeling like being stared at by a snake. Although it lightened considerably after leaving, it continued to exist until just now when it was finally lifted."
Mash and Lily also nodded, and Lily even spoke in agreement, having intuition that made her feelings in this regard far higher than others.
"That's right, probably King Ophis doesn't really want to monitor you... or rather, she basically has no great interest in you at all. However, that high priestess indeed has King Ophis's magical power wrapped around her, it should be something like a blessing? And it's quite high-level too. As an additional function, it can also help the one bestowing the blessing to monitor the surroundings. The purpose isn't to strengthen the blessed one, but rather puts the greatest effort into protecting the safety of the blessed one... honestly, I completely can't tell that King Ophis is such a gentle person."
"No, I've always thought so."
"Eh?"
Ritsuka touched her cheek, then raised a finger and said.
"Not mentioning before, wasn't it the same today? She reminded us to be careful."
"That's how you understood those words!?"
"Ah, I accidentally called out the old way of addressing her, but she probably won't mind."
Ritsuka shrugged, then curiously looked around this house that actually looked quite simple from the outside.
"This place... feels unexpectedly luxurious in a low-key way."
Touching the wall panels, Ritsuka asked curiously.
"Indeed... everything is arranged with materials that are quite high-grade even in this era. Although there's no aesthetic appeal, as defensive materials they are first-class in sturdiness... but there's more important intelligence to discuss!"
"Eh eh, little Ophis really is gentle..."
Throwing her body into cushions that were like sofas, Ritsuka's lazy voice came out.
"Senpai, please be a bit more serious and earnest..."
Mash sighed lightly, then looked toward the image floating in mid-air.
Seemingly due to the barrier, the magical power of the great source inside Uruk was quite stable, making communication at the image level already feasible.
"Doctor, is there anything strange?"
"Ah... saying it's important, but thinking carefully it's just some strange aspects... This King Ophis... her existence compared to humans or Servants... seems closer to... no, should say completely lacks human components, is a life form extremely similar to divinity."
"...Div...inity?"
Hearing this term and combining it with Ophis's current identity, everyone present couldn't help but simultaneously think of a name in their minds.
─── Lion King, Goddess Rhongomyniad.
"This could be quite troublesome... but it doesn't seem like it either..."
Ritsuka smiled bitterly, then frowned.
"Of course, being close in life level doesn't necessarily mean the thinking patterns must be similar. That inexplicably strange woman you encountered before was actually also a goddess, but she wouldn't give you that completely inhuman feeling, right?"
After pausing, the doctor still verbally comforted them.
However, at this time he was also quite confused in his heart.
Ophis gave him the feeling... the human aspects were really very few.
What Ritsuka said about Ophis being gentle, Roman actually didn't agree with, or rather that was just Ritsuka's way of easing the atmosphere.
It was true that Ophis didn't want the people from Chaldea to die, but her words had absolutely no tsundere components - they were completely honest.
Because they had value, she didn't want them to die.
In other words, if they lost their value, Ophis probably wouldn't care about their life or death, at least not care to the extent of having to offer advice.
Compared to humans, Ophis's thinking patterns should indeed be closer to divinity, but until now she had still only used human methods to face crises.
Perhaps emotionally she was different from divinities?
Not understanding the true nature of Ophis's existence, Roman had no way to accurately judge her real thoughts.
But what could be confirmed was...
This Ophis was completely different from the Ophis they had seen in the past... which could also be said to be the future of this time point.
"My King, the foreigners have been properly arranged. Are there any further instructions?"
"They are too weak."
Ophis held a stone tablet in her hands reading it, responding to Siduri without lifting her head.
"Assign them more tasks."
It could serve as training while also reducing some pressure on the army.
Most importantly, it would allow good observation of exactly what kinds of qualities and abilities they possessed.
"Yes, does the King have any other orders?"
"Tonight I will leave for a while. If anything urgent happens, I will naturally return."
"Yes, I understand."
Ophis basically disappeared once every day or two. She had said the same words hundreds of times, so Siduri wasn't surprised by this. After responding appropriately, she withdrew on her own.
"Mm..."
Standing up, Ophis stretched greatly.
Unfortunately, her figure that originally had no curves couldn't possibly show any curves when wrapped in robes.
"It's been 142 years since I've slept..."
Ophis shook her head. Other dragon species, once born, would first have a big meal then sleep for thousands or tens of thousands of years, and after waking up could directly become invincible. Only she had the fate of hard labor, never even closing her eyes a few times from birth until now.
Although there was no mental impact, this really wasn't good for development, was it?
Actually, if she slightly disrupted and rearranged the energy in her body, this body seemed capable of switching between different age stages.
Although the range wasn't high, her mentality would also change accordingly.
But it was troublesome.
Thinking about some inexplicable problems that she had never wasted time considering before, Ophis had already walked to the top of a hill.
This was the place where she had made a vow with Enkidu.
It was also the place where she had sent Enkidu away.
The original Ophis naturally wouldn't run to this place every few days just because it had some commemorative significance, but after fighting that fake Enkidu about half a year ago, Ophis often came to this place to stay for entire nights.
The atmosphere here gave her a quite peaceful feeling.
Compared to the dimensional gap, this place had an additional warmth like being together with Enkidu.
But unsurprisingly, someone was already waiting here.
Sitting on the ground hugging her knees without any dignity, the golden-haired goddess smiled at Ophis under the moonlight.
"...Again with being similar to Enkidu? I remember you said the same thing about that saint, right?"
Ereshkigal's mouth twitched as she said somewhat helplessly.
"But there are still some differences, right?"
"Mm."
Ophis nodded.
To the gods, Enkidu was merely a tool created to check and balance humans and the king, but because of the sacred prostitute who had taught Enkidu rationality back then, she came to understand emotions and love, instead betraying the gods - this had to be said to be a thick irony regarding 'gods not understanding human nature'.
Even the sacred prostitute who seemed most faithful to the gods and was closest to divinity among humans - what she truly loved was not the unfathomable gods.
Gods were ultimately just manifestations of nature, but what the sacred prostitute truly loved was everything in this entire nature.
The sacred prostitute's mission was to teach the Chains of Heaven rationality, to let the Chains of Heaven understand wisdom, but how could teaching a wild beast be such a simple matter?
To complete her mission, and more so because of her own love for Enkidu, this child of nature created by heaven borrowing from earth, the sacred prostitute united herself with Enkidu.
The purpose wasn't to let another self be reborn through the body of the Chains of Heaven, but to let the Chains of Heaven possess emotions similar to humans, so it wasn't done all at once, but bit by bit, integrating everything of herself into the Chains of Heaven.
Finally, the human who was the sacred prostitute disappeared, and in her place, the Chains of Heaven named Enkidu was born.
Originally Enkidu could have eliminated all of the sacred prostitute's influence, merely facing this world as a newborn Enkidu with rationality and wisdom, but Enkidu chose to inherit everything of the sacred prostitute.
The sacred prostitute's wisdom, the sacred prostitute's body, and even the sacred prostitute's emotions - what remained was merely her essence as the Chains of Heaven.
Was such a being the sacred prostitute or the Chains of Heaven? This question didn't need consideration.
She was Enkidu - Enkidu who inherited the sacred prostitute's emotions but possessed the essence, abilities, and memories of the chains, nothing more.
Connected to divinity yet with heart toward humanity - this was the love of a saint.
Serving divinity yet with heart toward nature - this was the love of the sacred prostitute.
Like the sacred prostitute, Enkidu wasn't truly like a saint who could sacrifice everything for humanity. Enkidu had the same sacred love, but compared to humans, more of that love was given to this world itself.
Therefore, Enkidu was different from Jeanne, and even more different from Lily.
But that kind of noble spirit was consistent - that's why it gave Ophis a similar feeling. Perhaps all saints were like this?
Even that Artoria was the same. That girl seemed to be this world's King Arthur, but compared to a king, that little girl's nature was indeed closer to a saint.
Ophis sighed somewhat in her heart.
Enkidu wanted her to inherit her love, but to bear such noble emotions was indeed somewhat difficult for Ophis.
But regardless, Enkidu had indeed changed her.
It could be said that without Enkidu, the past Ophis would probably have chosen to use all of Uruk as the price to fight those who dared invade her territory to mutual destruction.
Even the current Ophis who had changed somewhat, if choosing purely by her own will in such circumstances, would only abandon others and select the most excellent batch of humans, somehow finding or establishing a safe environment to rebuild a new human race with these people.
But Ophis loved the world, loved the earth, loved nature, loved the humans born upon the earth.
Not loving in that high and mighty way like cherishing pets, but from Enkidu's perspective, the love for companions born from the same earth.
Although she didn't really understand such things.
"Ereshkigal, do you love humans?"
Suddenly, Ophis asked.
"...What's wrong, suddenly asking such a question?"
After pausing, Ereshkigal calmly asked back, while Ophis just shook her head.
"What does the love of gods look like?"
"..."
Ereshkigal did not respond immediately, but looked straight in the direction of Uruk.
"In the most primitive times, gods had no love."
Her eyes swaying with the flickering firelight within Uruk, after remaining silent for a long time, Ereshkigal slowly began to speak.
"Love between gods, emotions between gods and humans, in the end are more manifestations of desire... Or rather, have you heard of which god truly married or wed someone because they fell in love with a human?"
Without waiting for Ophis to answer, Ereshkigal continued directly.
"──── Gods who deeply love humans, such deities do indeed exist, right? However, that is nothing more than a logical error, an error of being reversely influenced by oneself due to controlling too many authorities."
"An error... is it?"
"...Let me use my foolish sister as an example. She, who possesses the divine offices of war, harvest, love and beauty, speaks of love for humans while also loving the wars of mutual slaughter between humans. Ha, if placed among humans, that would be completely a madman."
"..."
Hearing Ereshkigal's words, Ophis remained silent.
"Well, however, I don't think this logical error is incorrect."
Just then, Ereshkigal suddenly spoke again.
"Isn't that how we gods are? Everything unreasonable can be attributed to us, whether error or madness, if we want to love then we love, if we want to hate then we hate, there's no need to deeply investigate reasons, isn't that so?"
"Is that so..."
Ophis's silver-gray eyes slightly half-closed, after thinking for a moment, suddenly turned her head, looking straight at Ereshkigal.
"Then, Ereshkigal."
"Uwah, why suddenly use that form of address? Though it's true I told you to call me that..."
Ignoring Ereshkigal who showed a subtle expression, Ophis continued:
"Ereshkigal, do you love anything?"
"...In the end it circles back to this question..."
Ereshkigal sighed, the expression on her face gradually disappeared, then stood up and looked down at Ophis.
"I'm sorry the answer will disappoint you, I'm different from that foolish sister of mine... Let me reintroduce myself──── I, Ereshkigal, am the goddess of the underworld, the mistress of Hades, the administrator of death. I detest all living beings, what I love are merely things that belong to me──── only the souls of the dead. That's right, I'm only interested in dead humans, you know?"
"Is that so..."
Ophis exhaled, likewise standing up, meeting Ereshkigal's gaze.
"Ereshkigal really is not honest enough."
Then, she suddenly said this.
"Hah? What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, just the literal meaning..."
"How inexplicable!?"
Ignoring the suddenly agitated Ereshkigal, Ophis slightly narrowed her eyes.
"The foreign person has already appeared, the path to the future is no longer shrouded in mist."
"...Oh?"
Ereshkigal suddenly calmed down, staring straight at Ophis.
"What do you want to express, King of Uruk."
"The stopped gears should also begin turning, don't you think the war should continue as well, one of the Three Goddesses?"
With the corners of her mouth curving into a smile, Ophis said thus.
"Can I understand this as you declaring war on me?"
Looking at Ophis, Ereshkigal narrowed her eyes, the oppressive feeling belonging to a deity spread out, and the surrounding grass and trees began to wither at an extremely fast speed.
"Yes, Ereshkigal should wait in the underworld, the seven gates, I will break through."
Facing the aura of death that could kill ordinary creatures upon contact, Ophis was completely unaffected, still wearing a faint smile.
"How boastful, even my foolish sister, after passing through the seven gates, would lose all power of resistance and lack even the qualification to battle me. What extent can you achieve?"
Ereshkigal sneered, her scarlet eyes flashing with the radiance of death.
"Wait and see... When you are defeated by me, how about telling me the truth then, Ereshkigal's purpose, Ereshkigal's true thoughts."
Ophis calmly received this gaze that seemed capable of making all things directly step into death, saying with a light laugh.
Ereshkigal's body trembled imperceptibly, but immediately snorted coldly.
"Then come and try. Let me say in advance, if you perish in the underworld, I won't let you leave like I did with that foolish sister. Your soul will remain in Hades forever!"
With a sweep of her red cloak, Ereshkigal walked past Ophis, departing toward the direction of Kutha.
"I will await your arrival on that seat of death."
"Wait well then."
Without looking at Ereshkigal again, with her back to the goddess, Ophis likewise took steps, slowly leaving this hill toward the direction of Uruk.
"King!?"
Several days of time quickly passed. At dawn, according to custom, Siduri entered the temple wanting to report the latest intelligence but was shocked by the scene before her eyes.
Violent energy fluctuations permeated the entire internal space of the temple. Everywhere the eye could see was completely filled with purple magical power, slowly rotating around the center of the great hall.
If not for the materials constituting the temple possessing extremely excellent energy-blocking properties, now the entire Uruk would probably be thrown into complete chaos due to this unprecedented exaggerated magical power.
And Ophis was standing in the most central position, the black robe on his body showing blood-red patterns, both eyes tightly closed, and from the parts of his hands and feet exposed in the air, dark gold armor could still be seen.
Besides this, under Ophis's feet there was also a huge purple magic circle that kept rotating. In the very center of the magic formation was a graphic representing infinity, which was Ophis's symbol—a snake biting its own tail.
"King, what is this about?"
Ophis's current appearance, though unfamiliar to Siduri, was not entirely without clues.
—Mythological Mystic Code.
Mythological Mystic Code was not the name of some high-level equipment or Noble Phantasm, but rather the weaponry formed after those strong ones possessing divinity materialized their own divinity. The forms were varied and diverse, with no fixed shape, but most appeared in the style of protective equipment.
This ability was quite rare even in the Age of Gods, but given Siduri's status, this was not exactly a secret to her.
And from the divinity that Ophis was currently emanating from his body, like the sun displaying its sense of existence, this allowed Siduri to judge Ophis's current state.
But Siduri could not understand why Ophis would deploy his Mythological Mystic Code at this time.
Could it be that a case of a five-year-old child missing on West Street required Ophis to be serious to this degree?
"Siduri..."
After Siduri voiced her question, some time passed before the magic circle rotating under Ophis's feet slowly sank into the underground of the temple and disappeared, and Ophis also opened his eyes.
The originally dim, somewhat lifeless dark gray pupils were now blooming with bright silver radiance, making Siduri feel somewhat alarmed looking at them.
Mystic Eyes, in this era, were still only the exclusive skill of gods.
"Siduri, how are those people?"
Without directly answering Siduri's confusion, Ophis asked this way.
"The people of Chaldea all have quite excellent abilities..."
Siduri was slightly stunned and was about to answer, but was interrupted by Ophis.
"I don't want to hear this insubstantial content. How does their combat power compare to the Servants on the front lines?"
Looking at Ophis's eyes still flickering with strange light, Siduri unconsciously lowered her head.
"This... whether it's Lily-sama or Mash-sama, if compared to Attila-sama and the others, both are still somewhat insufficient."
Somewhat beyond Ophis's expectations, when speaking to this point, Siduri suddenly raised her head again and continued speaking firmly:
"But! I believe their true power is not only this, and if combined with Ritsuka-sama's command and support, they are not without fighting power against the front-line masters!"
Hearing this, Ophis nodded, and the magical power permeating the temple was also simultaneously withdrawn.
"That's good then. Have them go investigate the southern forest. Have Merlin go along too... If you can't find that guy, then forget it. Even without notification, he'll come running over on his own anyway."
"Yes..."
Siduri bowed in salute, but before she could receive the order, she was suddenly interrupted by sounds from behind.
"King!"
Siduri frowned slightly.
Not because she was dissatisfied at being interrupted, but because this temple was not one that soldiers would dare to casually barge into like this.
If someone ran in directly without announcement, that meant something quite urgent had definitely happened, urgent enough that even etiquette couldn't be considered.
"King..."
A soldier whose armor seemed to have been stripped off by himself during running to reduce weight rushed forward and knelt on the ground. Though still breathing heavily, he opened his mouth directly without pause:
"Report! Just now a woman calling herself Quetzalcoatl barehanded tore down the city wall and broke into Uruk from the south gate section... She is now heading straight toward the temple. Due to the Demonic Beast front, Uruk's reserve combat power is currently insufficient. Please temporarily retreat, King. We will certainly eliminate the invading enemy for the King at any cost!"
Ophis frowned.
Just now, due to making some preparations, he had relaxed his vigilance over Uruk, and she actually took advantage of this time to break in...
After Siduri heard this intelligence, her heart similarly sank, and she bowed to Ophis again.
"King, leave this to the soldiers..."
After closing his eyes and sensing the situation within the city through Uruk's barrier, Ophis opened his eyes again and exhaled.
"There's no need."
"King..."
Before Siduri could persuade further, at this time another soldier ran into the temple and knelt down.
"King... We are extremely sorry. The operation failed."
"Details..."
Ophis sat down, his facial expression unchanged, seemingly not surprised by the soldier's report.
"Yes! Although we formed battle formations and fought desperately to block her, even the several reinforcements who appeared some time ago joined the battle, Quetzalcoatl's power was too strong. We really couldn't stop her. However, after killing three hundred people, Quetzalcoatl suddenly stopped."
"...Any other intelligence?"
Seeing the soldier's expression was somewhat strange, Siduri couldn't help but ask.
"Besides this, Quetzalcoatl... that woman also said that at the same time the sun rises tomorrow, she will come again to kill three hundred people, until all the people of Uruk are dead... Also, the bodies of the sacrificed soldiers were also carried away by what seemed to be that woman's subordinates."
"..."
For a moment, the atmosphere in the great hall fell into silence.
"King?"
At this time, Siduri saw that the magic staff had already been taken into Ophis's hands, the tip shining with purple light, then shooting up to the sky.
The erupting light pillar did not directly break through the top of the great hall, but was absorbed by a suddenly appearing magic circle, then re-shot out from the highest point of the temple, stopping in mid-air and then gathering together, forming a purple miniature sun.
Then, the sun turned into a meteor, flashing toward the direction of the southern jungle.
After a few seconds like this, violent tremors swept over, and even the temple could clearly feel them.
Only then did Ophis slowly lower the magic staff in his hands.
"The people of Chaldea should have arrived too."
As if echoing Ophis's words, the Chaldea trio with somewhat unnatural expressions, additionally accompanied by one Merlin and one Anna, appeared at the temple's entrance.
Quetzalcoatl, in ancient Nahuatl means 'feathered serpent', which is the meaning of the feathered serpent god. Quetzal is the supreme god symbolizing the sun in Latin America, and is also 'Kukulkan' in Mayan mythology, the god who is the pinnacle of goodness.