Tiamat's true form appeared, and a large amount of black mud surged out, engulfing the ground almost instantly and threatening to submerge Uruk.
Gilgamesh already had a countermeasure. He immediately announced the deployment of the Fangs of Ninsun, and a series of fangs emerged from the ground, temporarily blocking the rushing black mud.
...
Upon their return, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others immediately reported the situation to Gilgamesh. However, Gilgamesh already knew that only five hundred people now survived in Uruk.
But this was not a time for sorrow. There was still a chance. As long as Tiamat could be eliminated and the Sumerian civilization preserved, humanity's history would not perish.
Thus, Mashu used her shield and Chaldea's magecraft to share the information Chaldea had observed about Tiamat. The result was that Tiamat was a perfect being in all aspects. Tiamat had no concept of death; as long as life existed on Earth, Tiamat would not die.
"Then we can't defeat Tiamat... Do we have to exterminate all of humanity first to defeat Tiamat?" Mashu fell into despair.
The others also sighed, feeling powerless. Suddenly, Fujimaru Ritsuka turned to Lixing. "Lixing, do you have any ideas?"
"Me? If you ask me, just cast Tiamat into the underworld. There are no living beings in the underworld, so she can be eliminated," Lixing's words jolted everyone. Since Tiamat wouldn't die as long as life existed, it was enough to make her fall into a world without life.
Immediately, Gilgamesh contacted Ereshkigal. Ereshkigal was about to inquire about the situation on the surface, as souls were suddenly increasing in the underworld, making it almost impossible to accommodate them.
"Hi! Long time no see, Eresh. I have something to ask of you," Lixing jumped in front of the mirror, waving and greeting.
Ereshkigal suddenly blushed. "Is... Is there something you need to ask of me?"
"We need to cast Tiamat into the underworld. We need you to move the entrance to the underworld to Uruk."
"Huh? Are you crazy?" Ereshkigal was stunned. This was too insane! However, there was no other way now. If they didn't, Mesopotamia would be destroyed.
But moving the underworld to Uruk would take at least ten years. However, Ereshkigal had been working on this for a long time because she disliked Uruk, but it would still take three days.
Hearing this, Gilgamesh burst into laughter, very pleased with Ereshkigal's efficiency. However, there were some things he needed to discuss with her afterward.
...
"The matter of the underworld is settled, but there's still one thing. Given Tiamat's speed, she will reach Uruk in just two days. So, we need to hold her off for one day," Lixing stated another fact.
With only one day left, everyone fell into despair. No one could harm Tiamat, and delaying her for a day was incredibly difficult.
"Ishtar!" Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly remembered that Ishtar possessed a divine weapon, the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna. If they used that, they could block Tiamat.
Everyone cheered, as if seeing the dawn of victory. Gilgamesh thought Ishtar was still feigning ignorance and smiled as he asked her what was going on. Normally, she would have boasted about that power that wasn't hers long ago.
Amidst everyone's cheers, Ishtar felt embarrassed. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she quietly confessed that the Bull of Heaven was missing.
"Huh?"
The cheers of everyone abruptly stopped. Ishtar laid it all out.
"It's gone! Gugalanna is missing! I've searched the entire Mesopotamian plain, and I haven't found even a trace of Gugalanna!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly remembered Ishtar looking for something when they first met. So, it had been missing even then.
"You! You foolish goddess! Do you think I brought you into this for nothing?" Gilgamesh immediately reprimanded Ishtar loudly for failing at a critical moment.
Ishtar could only stand there and weep silently, then Gilgamesh had her stand in the corner, holding a stone tablet that read: "I am a foolish goddess..."
"There's only one Gugalanna. It must have been borrowed by another Ishtar. Don't blame her; she's quite pitiful," Lixing quickly stepped forward to comfort Ishtar.
Hearing this, Ishtar seemed to have found a lifeline. "What do you mean? What do you mean another me borrowed it?"
Lixing sighed. "Ah, it's that, a parallel universe counterpart. Another world has the same Ishtar, and she took Gugalanna. But you can't get it back, as you don't know where she is."
Hearing this, Ishtar wilted again. Not being able to get it back made it even more agonizing.
"Are there really parallel universe counterparts?" Fujimaru Ritsuka had never heard of such a thing before.
"Of course. I am from beyond the heavens," Lixing revealed his origin. Furthermore, according to Lixing's memories, Gugalanna was likely in America fighting in a pseudo-Holy Grail War.
"Alright, there's no use dwelling on this now. Go and rest! This is probably your last chance to rest in Uruk," Gilgamesh dismissed everyone, telling them to rest well and prepare for the battle tomorrow.
...
At night, everyone was asleep.
Enkidu, for some unknown reason, came to Uruk.
"Get up immediately, you spineless creature. I will not allow you to be left unburied here. Disappear at once, and I will not hold you accountable," Gilgamesh suddenly appeared behind Enkidu.
Enkidu's feet had turned to mud, and he was gradually collapsing, unable to stand. Yet, even so, Enkidu still wanted to get up.
Seeing this, Gilgamesh merged the Chalice of Uruk into Enkidu's body, and Enkidu's body rapidly recovered.
"What do you mean? I am your enemy! I am not Enkidu!" Enkidu stood up and grabbed Gilgamesh by the collar.
"Even if your heart is different, even if your soul is different, you are still the object of my protection, no, my affection. Your body is still the unparalleled Chain of Heaven on this earth! Of course, that fellow always insisted he was a weapon, but according to his words, it's only natural for me to care about you. After all, he was the weapon I trusted the most in the past. You are also a successor model, so what's wrong with protecting you?"
After speaking, Gilgamesh turned and left. However, as he departed, Gilgamesh told Enkidu to live as he pleased, regardless of his mother or background, and to do what he wanted.
But Enkidu was confused. He had no intellect to choose from, and there was nothing he wanted to do.
...
The next day, everyone convened another meeting.
Based on the intelligence, it was concluded that Tiamat's feet could not support her massive body, so she had to move on the black mud. Therefore, by blocking the black mud beneath her feet, they could temporarily prevent Tiamat from moving.
Quetzalcoatl immediately proposed that he could handle removing the black mud around Tiamat using the Sunstone of Eridu.
However, the distance was too great, and they also had to prevent interference from the Lahmu, so others were needed to cover his actions.
Just as everyone was preparing to depart, Gilgamesh stood on the temple and began his speech, announcing the beginning of the battle – the final battle between humanity and the gods.
The survivors of Uruk below were all filled with spirit, shouting wildly. However, a cloaked figure watched from below.