The dust from the Rayshift was still settling in my lungs when reality hit me like a hammer. It wasn't the physical impact of landing—I'd gotten past that after six Singularities—but the impact of understanding. The realization that everything I thought I knew about this Singularity had gone to hell.
Mesopotamia, 2600 BC. The cradle of civilization. The kingdom of Uruk. The final battle before the Temple of Time. In the game, this Singularity followed a pattern: first you arrived, met Gilgamesh, fought the goddesses one by one—Ishtar, Ereshkigal, Quetzalcoatl, Gorgon—and only at the end, when victory seemed near, did Tiamat awaken. It was the climax. The turning point. The final battle against the Beast of Creation.
But this wasn't the end of the Singularity. This was the beginning. We'd just arrived. And Tiamat was already awake.
"This isn't normal," I thought, as my eyes adjusted to the blinding light of the Mesopotamian sun. "Tiamat doesn't awaken until the goddesses have been defeated. Until Gorgon falls and the Grail is recovered. If she's already active from the start..."
"It means the canon has changed," Tezcatlipoca completed in my mind. "It means the goddesses—Quetzalcoatl, Ereshkigal, Gorgon—have been eliminated ahead of time, or never existed in this timeline. Which is... concerning."
"Concerning? It's catastrophic! In the game, Quetzalcoatl and Ereshkigal become allies. Without them, we don't have enough firepower to face Tiamat. Without Gorgon, there's no catalyst to awaken Kingu. And without Kingu..."
"Without Kingu, there's no one who can use the Chain of Heaven against Tiamat."
I cursed silently. The Chain of Heaven—Enkidu—was one of the few weapons capable of immobilizing a Beast. If Kingu didn't exist in this timeline, or if he'd already been defeated, we'd have to find another way to stop Tiamat. And that was assuming Gilgamesh was alive. Assuming Uruk was still standing. Assuming there was anything left to save.
"The chaos of Singularities never adheres perfectly to the script," Tezcatlipoca continued. "You know that better than anyone. In Camelot, Bedivere was human. In America, Cu Chulainn Alter almost killed you. In London, Goetia appeared ahead of time. This is just... another deviation."
"A deviation that could cost us humanity."
"Or it could give us an opportunity. You don't know yet. Don't jump to conclusions without data."
He was right. I hated to admit it, but he was right. I was letting panic cloud my judgment. I took a deep breath. Once. Twice. Three times. Until the pounding in my chest calmed down.
"Senpai, are you okay?" Mash's voice pulled me from my thoughts. She was at my side, her shield deployed, her violet eyes full of concern. "You suddenly turned pale."
"I'm fine, Mash. Just... processing."
"Processing what?" Nero asked, brushing dust from her red tunic. Beside her, Jeanne Ruler raised her standard, her eyes scanning the horizon with a mixture of awe and apprehension.
"Processing that this whole thing is a disaster," I replied.
And then I saw her.
She floated in the air, a few meters from us, as if gravity were merely a suggestion she could ignore. Her hair was jet black, long and silky, tied in two ponytails that swayed in a breeze that didn't exist. Her eyes, a deep crimson like rubies, observed me with a mixture of curiosity and poorly concealed superiority. She wore an outfit that could hardly be called "clothing": a golden bikini that barely covered the essentials, adorned with jewels and chains that glittered under the Mesopotamian sun. Her skin was bronzed, her curves generous, and her posture was that of someone who knew she was the most powerful creature for miles around.
Ishtar. The goddess of the sky. The queen of Uruk who had been rejected by Gilgamesh. The one who, in the game, started as an annoying antagonist and ended up as a tsundere ally.
"Ohhh, visitors?" she said, her voice a mixture of curiosity and mockery. "How interesting. I haven't seen living humans around here for centuries."
"She's exactly the same as in the game," I thought. "The same pose. The same voice. The same attitude."
"But remember: this isn't the game. Don't assume she'll be your ally."
"Are you Ishtar?" I asked, although I already knew the answer.
The goddess raised an eyebrow. "You know me? How flattering. Does my fame extend beyond this era? Or are you one of those time-traveling mages?" She tilted her head, her smile twisting. "Never mind. Yes, I am Ishtar. Goddess of the sky. Lady of Venus. The one who should be ruling Uruk, if not for that idiot Gilgamesh."
"Gilgamesh... is he alive?"
"Unfortunately." Ishtar rolled her eyes. "That man has more luck than talent. He survived Tiamat's attack. Barely. His city is in ruins, his walls are falling, and his soldiers are dying like flies. But he's still there, in his ziggurat, casting spells as if he can save the world all by himself." She let out a dismissive laugh. "Pathetic."
"We need to get to Uruk," I said. "Can you help us?"
"Help you?" Ishtar looked at me as if I'd suggested something absurd. "And why would I do that? You're nothing to me. Just insignificant humans who've appeared in the middle of a war you don't understand."
"We are humanity's last hope," Mash interjected, her voice firm. "We're from Chaldea. We've come to repair this Singularity and stop Tiamat."
"Chaldea." Ishtar tested the word as if it were a strange candy. "I've heard of you. An organization of mages who travel through time to save history. How noble. How heroic. How... boring." She yawned theatrically. "I'm not interested in you. If you want to die fighting Tiamat, go ahead. I don't intend to get my hands dirty."
"But you're a goddess," Nero protested. "Shouldn't you protect humans?"
"Protect humans?" Ishtar laughed, a crystalline, hollow laugh. "Humans have given me nothing but trouble. Do you know what it's like to be rejected by a king? Humiliated in front of his entire court? Treated like a nuisance when you're the most powerful goddess in Mesopotamia?" Her red eyes gleamed with fury. "Gilgamesh deserves what's happening to him. Let Tiamat raze his city. Let his subjects die. Let his kingdom turn to ashes. I won't lift a finger to help him."
"We're not asking you to help Gilgamesh," I replied, choosing my words carefully. "We're asking you to help humanity. If Tiamat destroys Uruk, she won't stop there. She'll devastate all of Mesopotamia. Then the entire world. And then... time itself. Your existence as a goddess depends on humans remembering you. If humanity disappears, you'll disappear too."
Ishtar was silent for a moment. Her expression was unreadable. Then, slowly, a smile curved her lips.
"You're clever, human. You use logic. You appeal to my survival instinct. I like that." She leaned toward me, floating in the air, until her face was mere inches from mine. Her breath smelled of flowers and something else, something electric. "But it's not enough. I'm not going to risk my life for a lost cause. Tiamat has already awakened. Her Lahmu are everywhere. The other goddesses have been defeated or have fled. This... this is the end."
"It's not the end as long as we're alive," I replied.
"How optimistic." Ishtar pulled back, her smile fading. "You remind me of someone. Someone who also believed he could change fate with pretty words. That someone is dead now."
Before I could ask who she was referring to, a guttural roar echoed in the distance. It wasn't an animal roar. It was something worse. Something that shouldn't exist.
"Speaking of the end," Ishtar said, her tone turning casual. "Here they come."
I saw them. Figures emerging from among the dunes, crawling, running, flying. They were beasts, yes, but not like any I'd seen in previous Singularities. They were deformed creatures, with bodies that seemed assembled by a mad god: claws where legs should be, fangs sprouting from headless torsos, eyes blinking in impossible places. They were Tiamat's beasts. Her progeny. Her deformed children.
And behind them, in the distance, a larger figure, more horrible, more... alien. A Lahmu. One of the creatures born directly from Tiamat's body. Its form was vaguely humanoid, but distorted, like a parody of creation. Its skin was black and shiny, like an insect's carapace. Its limbs were too long, too thin, ending in claws that looked like blades. And its face... its face was a nightmare mask, with a vertical mouth that opened at an impossible angle, emitting a guttural, unintelligible sound that chilled me to the bone.
One thing was seeing the Lahmu in the visual novel, with static sprites and descriptive text. Quite another was seeing them live, in three dimensions, with all the horror their existence implied. My stomach churned. My heart raced. And for a moment, fear paralyzed me.
"They're... horrible," Jeanne Ruler whispered, her face pale.
"They're Tiamat's creations," I replied, my voice firmer than I felt. "Her children. Her army."
"And what do we do?" Nero asked, drawing her gladius Aestus Estus.
"Fight," Mash said, raising her shield.
"Ishtar," I called, turning to the goddess. "Help us. Please."
Ishtar looked at me. Her red eyes glowed with something I couldn't identify. Then, slowly, she shook her head.
"No. I already told you. I'm not going to risk myself for insignificant humans." She rose into the air, floating above us. "But I'll give you some advice, Master of Chaldea. Run. Run toward Uruk. If you get there before the Lahmu catch you, maybe Gilgamesh can protect you. Or maybe not." Her smile twisted. "Either way, don't expect help from the gods. The gods have already abandoned this world."
And with a flash of golden light, she vanished.
"She's gone!" Nero exclaimed, indignant. "That goddess is a coward!"
"It doesn't matter," I replied, swallowing my frustration. "We can't rely on her. We have to fight ourselves."
"Senpai, what's the plan?" Mash asked, her shield glowing.
"The plan is to survive." I activated my Magic Circuits, feeling the energy flow from my core to my extremities. "Tezcatlipoca!"
My Persona manifested beside me. The golden plates of its armor gleamed under the Mesopotamian sun, and its glyphs of "smoking mirror" and "night wind" pulsed with energy. Around it, fragments of obsidian began to float, forming the Surveillance Mirrors.
"I'm here, Master. Analyzing the battlefield. There are at least thirty beasts approaching, with more coming from the east. The Lahmu is in the rear, observing. It's not attacking yet. It's... evaluating us."
"Why isn't it attacking?"
"I don't know. But the beasts seem... scared. Look at their movements."
I observed the creatures approaching. He was right. They weren't moving like predators. They were moving like prey. Their heads—those that had heads—constantly turned backward, as if they feared something was chasing them. Some stumbled, got up, kept running. They weren't hunting us. They were fleeing.
"Fleeing from what?" I murmured aloud.
"Senpai?" Mash looked at me, confused.
"The beasts. They're not attacking. They're running from something." I pointed at them. "Look at them. They're terrified."
"You're right," Jeanne Ruler said, squinting. "It's as if... something is chasing them."
"But what could frighten Tiamat's beasts?" Nero asked.
A roar echoed in the distance. It wasn't the roar of the beasts. It was something deeper. More ancient. More... wrong.
"That," I replied.
The beasts reached us. But instead of attacking, they dodged us, flowing around us like a river of deformed flesh. Some collided with each other. Others fell and were trampled by those behind. It was absolute chaos, a stampede of terrified creatures that paid no attention to the humans in front of them.
Only a few stopped. The largest ones. The fiercest ones. Those who, even in their panic, saw us as a threat. Those attacked.
"Mash, shield!" I shouted.
"Lord Camelot!" Mash's Noble Phantasm deployed into a barrier of white light that enveloped us. The beasts crashed against it, their claws scratching the surface without penetrating.
"Nero, Jeanne, now!" I ordered.
Nero was the first to emerge from the barrier. Her blazing gladius traced an arc of fire that decapitated one of the beasts. Her laughter echoed across the battlefield. "For Rome! For my Caesar! Burn, creatures!"
Jeanne Ruler followed her, her standard waving in the wind. She didn't attack directly; her role was to protect, not destroy. But her presence alone was enough to inspire the others. "Forward! Fear not! The Lord's light guides us!"
I stayed in the center, behind Mash, coordinating the battle through Tezcatlipoca. The Surveillance Mirrors showed me angles my eyes couldn't see: beasts flanking us on the right, a winged creature descending from above, the Lahmu observing from a distance.
"Two beasts to your left, Nero. Jeanne, a flying one is coming toward you. Mash, reinforce the right flank."
My orders flowed through the mental link, and my Servants responded with a precision that was the result of months of training and mutual trust. Nero danced among the beasts like a martial artist, her fire sword leaving a trail of ashes. Jeanne blocked attacks with her standard, deflecting claws and fangs. Mash maintained the barrier, her face tense with effort but not yielding an inch.
And I, meanwhile, cast buffs where needed. "Matarukaja on Nero. Masukukaja on Jeanne. Marakukaja on Mash."
My mana decreased, but it wasn't severe. I'd learned to manage it better since America. I was no longer the rookie who almost burned out his Magic Circuits from over-enthusiasm.
The battle lasted ten minutes. In the end, the beasts that had attacked us lay on the ground, fading into black dust. Those that had fled were already far away, scattering across the desert like cockroaches when you turn on the light.
"We did it," Nero panted, leaning on her sword. "But... why were they so easy?"
"They weren't easy," Jeanne replied, cleaning her standard. "They were scared prey. They weren't fighting with ferocity. They were fighting with desperation."
"She's right," I said, putting Tezcatlipoca into conservation mode. "Those beasts were fleeing from something. And I think I know from what."
"What, Senpai?" Mash asked.
Before I could answer, a sound froze my blood. It was a guttural, unintelligible, distorted sound. A sound that didn't belong to this world. A sound I'd heard before, in the game, but which live was a thousand times worse.
Kiiii... shaaaa...
I turned slowly. And there it was.
The Lahmu. The horrendous creature I'd seen in the distance. It was no longer far away. It was in front of us, barely ten meters away. Its body gleamed with a black, oily light. Its vertical mouth opened, emitting that impossible sound that drilled into my ears. Its eyes—if they could be called eyes—looked at me with a cold, alien intelligence that didn't belong to a beast.
One thing was seeing it in the visual novel. Quite another was seeing it live. My entire body tensed. My breath caught. My mind, which normally worked at full speed, went blank for an instant.
"It's... horrible," Nero whispered, her tone devoid of its usual theatricality.
"It's a Lahmu," I said, my voice barely a thread. "One of the creatures born from Tiamat. They are her perfect children. Her elite soldiers."
"Perfect?" Jeanne raised her standard. "I see no perfection in that abomination."
"It's not perfect in the aesthetic sense. It's perfect in the functional sense. It's designed to kill. To destroy. To annihilate human civilization."
The Lahmu took a step forward. Then another. Its movement was fluid, unnatural, as if it had no joints. Its claws scratched the ground, leaving furrows in the sand.
"Mash, barrier!" I ordered.
"Lord Camelot!" The barrier deployed just in time. The Lahmu's claws struck against it, making the shield tremble.
"It's fast," Mash said, gritting her teeth. "Very fast."
And then, another sound. Behind the first Lahmu, a second emerged. Then a third. Then a fifth. Then a tenth. They kept increasing. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Fifty. They emerged from nowhere, as if the very air were giving birth to them. Within seconds, we were surrounded by an army of Lahmu.
"This... is bad," Nero said.
"Very bad," Jeanne agreed.
"Senpai, what do we do?" Mash asked, her voice tense.
I opened my mouth to respond. But I couldn't. Because at that moment, a voice echoed in the air. A male voice, melodic, with a tone of self-satisfaction that was irritating even amid the chaos.
"Well, well. It seems I've arrived just in time. Or perhaps too late. With me, you never know."
A figure emerged from among the dunes. He was a tall, slender man, dressed in a white tunic that swayed in a wind that didn't exist. His hair was long and silver, tied in a ponytail that fell over his shoulder. His eyes were a deep violet, gleaming with an intelligence and mischief rarely seen together. In his hand, he held a wooden staff, and around him floated motes of light that looked like cherry blossoms.
Merlin. The magus of flowers. The greatest sorcerer of Arthurian legend. The guy who, in the game, was an invaluable ally and at the same time a complete cretin.
"Merlin," I said, my voice a mixture of relief and exasperation.
"You know me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "How interesting. Usually, I'm the one who knows everyone. But I see my reputation precedes me. Or perhaps it's your intuition. You're the Master of Chaldea, right? Leonel Herrera. I've heard of you."
"What are you doing here?! We were about to be annihilated!"
"Oh, I can see that. Thirty-seven Lahmu, to be exact. A respectable number." He scratched his chin nonchalantly. "I could take care of them, but that would be too much effort. Why don't we do something more fun?"
"Fun?! We're in the middle of a war!"
"Precisely why. Wars are boring. Blood, death, despair... so tiresome." He snapped his fingers. "On the other hand, a well-crafted illusion can be much more entertaining."
And then, the world changed.
The Lahmu disappeared. The dunes disappeared. The sun disappeared. Suddenly, we were in a field of flowers, with a blue sky and a gentle breeze. The sound of battle was replaced by birdsong. The smell of death by the scent of lavender.
"What...?" Nero spun around, bewildered.
"An illusion," I replied. "Merlin is a master of deception. He's pulled us out of the battlefield."
"Exactly," Merlin said, appearing at my side. "Well, not exactly 'pulled out.' More like 'hidden.' The Lahmu are still there, looking for you. But they won't find you as long as I maintain the illusion." He smiled. "You're welcome, by the way."
"And what are we supposed to do now?" Jeanne asked.
"Now, dear saint, we're going to Uruk." Merlin raised his staff and traced a circle in the air. "The city is about to fall, and Gilgamesh needs all the help he can get. Though he'd never admit it. He has an ego the size of Babylon."
"Wait," I said. "Before we go, I have to ask you something."
"Ask away."
"Tiamat has already awakened. That shouldn't have happened until the end of the Singularity. What's changed?"
Merlin's smile faded. For a moment, his violet eyes turned serious. "You're perceptive, Master of Chaldea. You're right. This isn't normal. Something—or someone—has accelerated Tiamat's awakening. The goddesses who should have been her heralds have been eliminated or have disappeared. And now the Beast is rampaging freely, ravaging Mesopotamia."
"Who? Who did it?"
"I don't know. But I have my suspicions." Merlin looked toward the horizon, where Uruk stood out against the sky. "There's a presence in this Singularity that shouldn't be here. Something ancient. Something dark. Something that doesn't belong to this era or this time."
"Goetia?"
"No. Goetia is in the Temple of Time. This is different. More... subtle. Like a shadow moving among shadows." He smiled again, but this time the smile didn't reach his eyes. "But don't worry about that now. First, let's save Uruk. Then, we'll see."
I nodded. I didn't like the answer, but it was all we had.
"Alright. Take us to Uruk."
"As you wish."
Merlin raised his staff and the world changed again. The flowers disappeared. The blue sky faded. And suddenly, we were in Uruk.
Or at least, what remained of Uruk.
The city was hell.
The walls that had withstood invasions for centuries were cracked, blackened by fire and magic. The watchtowers had collapsed, their rubble scattered through the streets like the bones of a giant. Smoke rose in columns from burning buildings, staining the sky gray. The shouts of soldiers mixed with the roars of beasts and the metallic clang of swords.
But Uruk hadn't fallen. Not yet.
In the center of the city, the ziggurat stood like a beacon of resistance. Its steps were stained with blood, but they were still being defended. At the top, a golden figure cast spells with a rain of magical staffs that emerged from golden portals. Gilgamesh. The king of Uruk. In his Caster version, without his golden armor or his Ea sword, but still imposing.
Around him, a group of Servants fought with a ferocity that defied logic.
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada wielded his katana with surgical precision, his narrowed eyes evaluating each movement of the Lahmu before striking. His white hair swayed in the wind, and his expression was a mask of serenity that hid an iron determination.
Tomoe Gozen was a dance of death. Her naginata spun in impossible arcs, decapitating beasts with a grace that seemed choreographed. Her face, normally kind, was taut with battle fury. Her eyes burned with a fire that wasn't physical, but spiritual.
Ibaraki Douji, the golden oni, fought with savage joy. Her horns gleamed in the sunlight, and her hands, turned to claws, tore through Lahmu as if they were paper. Her laughter echoed across the battlefield, a laugh that would have been terrifying if she weren't on our side.
Fuuma Kotarou was a shadow among shadows. His movements were so fast I could barely follow them with my eyes. He'd appear behind a Lahmu, decapitate it with his short sword, and disappear before the body hit the ground.
King Leonidas, in his imposing Spartan armor, led a battalion of human soldiers fighting with spears and shields. His voice boomed above the din of battle, giving orders, inspiring courage. "HOLD THE LINE! DON'T LET THEM PASS! FOR URUK! FOR HUMANITY!"
Ushiwakamaru leaped from rooftop to rooftop, her sword cutting the air with supernatural speed. Her agility was legendary, and she was using it to flank the Lahmu and attack their weak points.
And Merlin, beside me, observed the scene with an expression that was both amused and worried. "Welcome to Uruk, Master of Chaldea. The last city of humanity. I hope you like chaos, because it's all we have."
"How long have you been holding out?" I asked.
"Weeks. Maybe months. Time is hard to measure when you fight nonstop." Merlin pointed at the Lahmu. "Tiamat awakened shortly after this Singularity began. No one expected it. The goddesses who were supposed to be her heralds—Ishtar, Ereshkigal, Quetzalcoatl—had been fighting each other for control of Mesopotamia. But when Tiamat awakened, she swept them away. Some died. Others fled. Ishtar is the only one still around, and you've already seen how 'useful' she is."
"And Gorgon?"
"Gorgon never manifested. Someone eliminated her before she could." Merlin stared at me intently. "As I told you, there's a dark force in this Singularity. Something manipulating events. Something that wanted Tiamat to awaken ahead of time."
"Who? Who would do such a thing?"
"That's what we need to find out."
A Lahmu lunged toward us. Merlin disintegrated it with a gesture of his staff, without even looking.
"But first," the magus continued, "we need to win this battle. And for that, we need reinforcements."
"I have more Servants in Chaldea," I said. "I can summon them if I establish a summoning circle."
"Then do it. There's an improvised summoning circle inside the ziggurat. Gilgamesh prepared it for emergencies." Merlin handed me a golden key. "Go. Bring your allies. I'll cover your retreat."
"Why are you helping me, Merlin?"
The magus smiled, an enigmatic smile. "Because you're interesting, Leonel Herrera. Because your arrival has changed the course of this Singularity. And because... you owe me one." He winked. "Well, not yet. But you will. Trust me."
"That's what worries me."
"I know. Now go. Your Servants await you!"
I grabbed the key and ran toward the ziggurat. Mash, Nero, and Jeanne followed me, clearing a path through the rubble. Around me, the battle continued. The Lahmu were relentless. But so were Uruk's defenders.
As I ran, I couldn't help but look back. Merlin was in the center of the plaza, surrounded by Lahmu. But he didn't seem worried. He raised his staff, and a rain of cherry blossom petals enveloped the creatures, disintegrating them into dust.
"You're late, last Master of humanity," Merlin said, his voice echoing in my mind. "This Singularity is about to collapse. And we don't know what to do."
I reached the entrance of the ziggurat. I stopped for a moment, contemplating the ruined city. The human soldiers fighting with superhuman bravery. The Servants giving their lives for a cause that wasn't even their own. Gilgamesh at the top, casting spells like a furious god.
And beyond the walls, on the horizon, a shadow rose. A shadow so large it eclipsed the sun. A shadow that moved slowly, advancing toward Uruk with the inevitability of a tide.
Tiamat. The Beast of Creation. The mother of all monsters.
"This is madness," I thought. "Without Quetzalcoatl. Without Ereshkigal. Without Gorgon. Without the goddesses who should be our allies. How are we going to win this war?"
"I don't know," Tezcatlipoca replied. "But you've won impossible wars before. London. America. Camelot. This won't be different."
"What if it is? What if this is the battle we can't win?"
"Then we'll die fighting. As heroes. As legends. As humanity's last hope."
I gripped the golden key in my hand. Then, I took a deep breath.
"Let's go," I said to my Servants. "We have a war to win."
And I entered the ziggurat.