Chapter 776: Manifest, Distant Utopia!
Panic spread both inside and outside the Reality Marble. After Kingu's revelation, the others grasped the severity of the situation.
The four of them had ventured deep into the demonic beast territory merely to seize an opportunity—to break Tiamat's Reality Marble and force her to reveal herself.
But the Lahmu that ambushed Uruk were different. They had come with the sole purpose of annihilating the city. If their scheme succeeded, this war would end before it even began!
"Was Mother's Reality Marble just bait...? No, I should say it became bait the moment we took action. A blatant stratagem through and through." Sakatsuki's lips twisted as cold sweat trickled down. "As the victims, this feeling of being trapped in layer upon layer of schemes is truly unpleasant."
Then, the young man raised his voice: "No time for probing anymore. If Mother is the only one inside the Reality Marble, then Quetzalcoatl will unleash her Noble Phantasm at full power! Anna, you handle Mother's attacks!"
"What about me? What should I do?"
"You leave the Reality Marble immediately. I'll reactivate the Aoko Journey to teleport you back to Uruk. With the Holy Grail inside you, you're best suited for attrition battles... I'm counting on you!"
Recalling the disorienting large-scale teleportation magecraft, Kingu's expression shifted slightly. But when he heard Sakatsuki's earnest plea, his face changed several times before he finally turned away and muttered, "Fine. I'll listen to you this once."
Pale golden chains parted the black sea as a figure in white robes shot out like a cannonball, breaking through the Reality Marble's barrier. The instant he emerged, he landed in a pre-prepared magic circle. Yet, before the magical light could flare up, Kingu clearly saw the Lahmu closing in from all directions, baring their ghastly white fangs.
"Hey, Sakatsuki..."
"No time for explanations! Get in the car!"
"No, what I meant was..."
"You don't want Mother to be captured by the Lahmu and subjected to their whims, do you?"
"You—you bastard! Just die here already, aaaaaaaaaah—!"
The final scream was distorted by spatial turbulence as the magic circle blazed to life. At the peak of its radiance, it exploded violently. Bathed in the white flash, Sakatsuki grinned—utterly exhilarated.
Not just from the endless joy of messing with an innocent youth, but because his senses told him countless monsters had ceased hiding their bloodlust.
"What did I tell you, Kingu? It's still unclear which side is under more pressure." Even surrounded by an inescapable siege, Sakatsuki surveyed his surroundings with the composure of a sovereign reviewing troops. His predatory gaze swept like a tiger sizing up prey as he flashed a smile that could only be described as vicious.
"Mother's productivity remains outstanding. But is this just a simple ambush... or is it that no matter what state I'm in, she always finds a way to give me this kind of thrill?"
The crimson dusk dyed the clouds red.
His left hand gripped the demonic sword Balmung, while the flames of the end roared wildly in his right. As the sacred and demonic blades crossed, their clashing radiance ignited the excitement in the young man's golden, slit-pupiled eyes.
Like a dragon awakening from slumber, amidst volcanic visions, the black-robed figure soared into the sky, charging headlong toward the calamitous horde. Upon hearing the rising tide of venomous hisses, he could no longer suppress his roaring laughter:
"Where's my BGM?!"
BOOM—
The first to answer the young man's call was an earth-shaking explosion!
Flames, thunder, shattering, light, annihilation, vaporization... Everything unfolded as the ruler willed. Upon those swinging twin blades, the symphony born of war resounded through the clouds!
Within the bounded field, Anna listlessly averted her gaze.
"Sakatsuki seems to be having quite the spectacle over there. Hey, Quetzalcoatl, how are you holding up?"
"Losing half my divinity is quite a heavy blow even for a big sister like me," the South American deity smiled serenely, though the glint of ferocity in her eyes betrayed her vengeful nature.
"Just a dozen more seconds. By then, neither of us will be so relaxed."
"Ah, of course. Mother may ignore harmless insects, but she'll never overlook a venomous serpent or a lethal sun."
As they spoke, the prolonged buildup neared its climax. With a clap of the sun goddess's fists, a towering inferno erupted ten zhang high from her chest.
"It's coming!" Anna immediately heightened her awareness. A winged serpent coiled around her neck, its forked tongue flickering as it fixed its gaze on the motionless Mother Goddess, Tiamat.
Then came the chant—from behind her, yet as if echoing from the mystical depths of South America.
"I am the serpent, I am the flame! Come forth, the unquenchable crimson blaze!"
The moment these words were uttered, the restraints on Quetzalcoatl's limbs shattered instantly. Tiamat, sensing the danger, raised her eyes with a resonant cry.
"It's here!" Anna tightened her grip on the Snake-Hunting Scythe, her diminutive figure darting forward to meet the incoming violet light of destruction before it could strike.
Their battle had begun!
Meanwhile, another location braced for war—one that, though yet to commence, would inevitably erupt more violently and brutally than anywhere else.
"You've really outdone yourself this time, chef..."
Atop Uruk's divine tower, the King gazed into the distance. As the endless tide of Lahmu came into view, beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks.
The sound of sweat hitting the ground was eerily distinct, accompanied by frantic footsteps.
"Report—!" The silver-haired, snow-skinned female general arrived in person, kneeling before the King with a trembling voice. "The Lahmu army has begun their invasion! They've breached all autonomous defenses and are now just fifteen kilometers from Uruk!"
"This much, I already know," Gilgamesh replied, suppressing the turmoil within. "Tell me something I don't."
Tomoe Gozen swallowed hard. "The number of Baal Lahmu... has increased from two to seven."
"Tomoe..."
"Yes?!"
"I never should have made you the messenger."
"Wha—?!"
Ignoring the wide-eyed, aggrieved general—now branded as a jinx—Gilgamesh braced against the tower's railing and leaped from the hundreds-meter-high summit. Just as Tomoe panicked, fearing her King had chosen to end it all, chains interwove into a dense net, catching the beloved ruler safely.
"How does it feel?" The smile of his friend was like a spring breeze, soothing the restlessness in Gilgamesh's heart. He took a deep breath and sneered:
"If Tiamat holds us in such high regard, then Uruk must respond in kind."
The Gate of Babylon opened, and Gilgamesh retrieved a radiant Noble Phantasm from the rippling void. As he spoke, his voice, that of a king, echoed throughout all of Uruk.
"All forces, prepare to engage the Lahmu horde!"
As his words fell, countless streaks of light soared into the sky. But even faster than the people were the three hundred royal seals unleashing their furious roars in unison!
Noble Phantasms transformed into golden projectiles streaked through the air, striking the Lahmu horde with pinpoint accuracy. Small ripples of destruction erupted as several Lahmu were torn apart and sent plummeting. Yet, against the overwhelming tide of monsters, it was but a drop in the ocean!
"Attack! Attack! All the lapis lazuli we've prepared was for this moment!" A captain shouted, unaware of the armored-winged monster emerging behind him. With a swift slash of its clawed limb, a head was sent soaring into the sky.
Blood gushed from the severed neck as the soldiers watched in horror. The powerful Lahmu slowly turned its head, grinning viciously—
"Die!"
A magical bullet pierced through the air, directly penetrating the Lahmu's skull. As it reeled backward, a delicate, fair foot stomped down mercilessly, crushing it into the ground before kicking it away like a ball.
"Maanna!"
The celestial goddess's flying vessel condensed a beam of light, piercing through the darkness like a shooting star. But just as people began to revel in the illusion of victory, the unharmed Lahmu reappeared behind the goddess, thrusting its claw with a cold laugh.
Clang!
Maanna trembled as Ishtar flung gemstones without even turning her head. The ensuing explosions forced the Lahmu to fold its wings and retreat swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, a deadly stalemate had formed.
"Seems this one has its eyes on me..." The celestial goddess narrowed her eyes, watching the Lahmu cautiously. "Just dealing with this one will take everything I've got. The rest is up to you."
As she watched the swarming monsters descending upon Uruk like locusts, even the goddess of beauty and war wore a grim expression. "Though I'm not sure how long Uruk can hold out."
Seven powerful Lahmu—seven monsters with divine-class Spirit Origins! It was as if more than half of the Greek Twelve Olympians had descended to annihilate a human city-state!
Even with Uruk's gathering of heroes... the gap in combat power was staggering.
From her vantage point, the goddess observed the Chains of Heaven soaring through the air, chasing the dark monsters. Yet even as they fled, the Lahmu continued to claim the lives of soldiers with their deadly claws. The golden king stood with his hands behind his back, seemingly observing Fujimaru's desperate struggle against the monsters—yet the relentless barrage of Noble Phantasms proved this king was not bound by notions of fairness or restraint.
The South American beast god Jaguar Man swung her deceptively cute cat-club, only to be sent flying by a Lahmu moments later. The monster moved in for the kill, but as a song began to rise, a beautiful maiden in white stepped forward, leaving the creature frozen in stunned silence!
Pink petals danced dreamily through the air. Somehow, the hatred of a Lahmu had fixated entirely on the white-haired sage, ignoring even the royal seals striking its back as it roared and pursued this damned nightmare!
One, two, three... five!
But there were still two—two Lahmu left unchecked!
If left unattended, the soldiers on the frontlines would be slaughtered within minutes!
Was it time to play their trump card? To unleash all the divinity preserved until now...? Ishtar wrestled with the decision. She wasn't alone—Gilgamesh's brow twitched uncontrollably as he watched the soldiers being massacred, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly.
The tension in the chaotic atmosphere grew taut, as if the heroes were about to reveal their hidden hands and drive these monsters from humanity's home—even if the cost tipped the scales of the future in the enemy's favor.
At this critical moment, another golden light descended. A purple-eyed youth with Enkidu's face appeared at the heart of the battlefield. Without waiting for the recoil of his teleportation to fade, he raised his hands and unleashed his true name:
"Chains of Heaven (Enuma Elish)!"
Golden light poured down like a storm, shredding and piercing all flesh in its path, pulverizing it like grapes in a blender. Dark purple blood splattered everywhere. Even the Lahmu were caught off guard, bound in place and suffering the agony of impalement!
Crack, crack, crack!
Among the unchecked Lahmu, one furiously beat its wings, breaking through the thinning restraints. When it saw its kin bound by the Chains of Heaven, enduring torture, it didn't rush to rescue them—instead, it smirked mockingly before turning its gaze toward the vulnerable heart of Uruk!
But between it and the succulent flesh stood a line of elite warriors gleaming with cold steel.
"Monster!" The last remaining chiliarch raised his spear, thin magical energy flickering as it darkened his dragon-scale armor. "Your opponents are us!"
Not a single one fled. Not a single face showed cowardice. At the moment when the heroes were stretched thin, it was ordinary men who stepped forward to buy them time.
Even if mere flesh and blood couldn't hold back a god. Even if the time they bought was fleeting!
"General Leonidas once said we are all men who chose faith over survival," the chiliarch declared. "Since we left our wives and children to come here, we must fight without hesitation or fear!"
With a sickening tear, the dragon-scale armor was ripped apart—along with the chiliarch's body. But as his voice faded, countless others rose across the battlefield:
"We will never return from this battlefield, but that doesn't mean our fight is meaningless."
"Even if we don't return, our battle will protect those who come after us!"
"Just one minute—no, even a second! As long as we stand, as long as we resist, even delaying for a moment might save our Uruk!"
"O King, bear witness to our struggle!"
The battlefield was dyed crimson with blood as Baal Lahmu raged and roared in fury. Though the inner city of Uruk was within reach—just a few steps away from obliterating the last remnants of Mesopotamian civilization—that short distance might as well have been an insurmountable chasm. The cost to cross it was unbearably steep!
Though the restraint bought with lives lasted only moments, it felt like an eternity too long to endure.
"I must... go support them..."
Blood blurred his vision as Baal Lahmu's attack grazed Fujimaru's cheek. Even with the [Mooncell Automaton] equipped and Gilgamesh's support, a divine-class monster remained an opponent Fujimaru could never hope to defeat.
Yet how could he stand idly by when witnessing Baal Lahmu's indiscriminate slaughter of soldiers, when hearing the agonized cries of those brave and beloved people?!
As if resonating with the fury and compassion in Fujimaru's heart, the massive shield in his hand began to glow.
It was as though a pair of hands had reached across time and space toward him.
In his daze, he could almost hear a girl's voice.
"Senpai! Please, use my power!"
To Fujimaru's astonishment, the brand-new card Sakatsuki had given him flew out on its own, spinning gracefully before him. The moment his eyes met the purple-haired girl wielding a great shield, backed by a towering fortress wall, hesitation vanished from his mind.
Acting purely on instinct, he grasped the card and swiped it through the Third Magic mystic code.
[SET (LOAD).]
"True Name, disclosed—I shall stand upon the seat of calamity!"
The clamor of battle suddenly stilled. Fujimaru Ritsuka's voice, carrying an almost magical weight, traversed layers of time and space, overlapping with another voice brimming with heroic resolve.
"That is our homeland, capable of healing all wounds and grudges!"
What was needed to awaken this Round Table Shield?
The knight's indispensable compassion, the righteous fury toward evil, and above all—an unwavering resolve to protect one's comrades!
Only those who bore a heart of guardianship could earn the recognition of that purest and noblest of knights!
And in response to Fujimaru's call, the phantoms of the past manifested into a sublime holy city. The moment its silhouette took shape, it forcefully expelled the Lahmu hordes beyond Uruk's walls—divine-class Baal Lahmu included.
As the people looked up in shock and relief, what met their eyes was no longer a grotesque barricade of flesh and filth, but an impregnable fortress of pure white, built from sacred bricks and tiles.
"That is..." Gilgamesh murmured, staring at the sight before him. A memory surfaced—from the height of his youthful arrogance, during a future war, he had glimpsed this very scenery reflected in the saintly blue eyes of a maiden king.
Even for just a fleeting moment, it had stirred longing and admiration in his heart.
Its name was—
"Manifest! Lord Camelot!!"
With a cry, Fujimaru slammed the great shield down. Countless knightly phantoms rode forth on white steeds, crowned and clad in silver armor. Gathering behind the young man, they drew their radiant swords in unison, tilting them toward the heavens.
Thus the holy city of Camelot, revered by countless knights, descended with a resounding crash. Towering into the clouds, it shielded Uruk behind its mighty form, proudly gazing down upon the furious yet powerless Lahmus!
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the crowd erupted into deafening cheers. They looked upon Fujimaru with admiration—the Master who had performed a miracle and successfully protected them all. Yet soon, their gratitude and awe turned to shock and disbelief!
For that young man had left only himself—standing before the white chalk wall!