Ishtar had already flown away, but the demon beasts continued to increase relentlessly.
Fujimaru Ritsuka spotted a direction with fewer demon beasts and immediately shouted for them to break through that way.
"You wish to win by sheer numbers? Then I should be of use!"
A man with green hair suddenly appeared behind Li Xing and his group. Li Xing grinned; the main story had begun.
Enkidu waved his hands, and countless chains shot out from the ground and the air, slaughtering all the demon beasts in an instant.
"First meeting, Master of Chaldea. I have been waiting for you for a long time." Enkidu smiled and greeted Fujimaru Ritsuka, clearly mistaking Li Xing for someone from Chaldea as well.
"Oh, oh... I am Fujimaru Ritsuka, and who might you be?"
"I am Enkidu, sent by the Sorceress Queen of Uruk to welcome you. Now, I will lead you to Uruk!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka was unsure of Enkidu's identity, but Romanne explained to him that if King Gilgamesh was the heavenly wedge between gods and humans, then Enkidu was the heavenly chain that brought Gilgamesh back to the side of the gods. He was Gilgamesh's only friend and a hero with a righteous heart.
Hearing Romanne's explanation, Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately believed the Enkidu before him. After a brief introduction, everyone followed Enkidu northward.
Along the way, Enkidu also took Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others to see the Absolute Demonic Beast Front in the north, Babylonia, humanity's last bastion of defense.
Enkidu also informed them of the current situation in Mesopotamia, stating that sixty percent of the land had already been destroyed and the only way to survive was to go to Uruk.
He also spoke of the Three Goddess Alliance. The demon beasts they had encountered earlier were the offspring of the Goddess of Demonic Beasts. The gods were never on humanity's side, and the sole purpose of the Three Goddess Alliance was to annihilate humanity.
"Mr. Enkidu, we've been heading north all this time, haven't we? Isn't the north where the Goddess of Demonic Beasts is located, as you mentioned? King Gilgamesh wouldn't send us to the front lines right away, would he?"
At this point, Li Xing raised a question, causing everyone to stop.
"There is a dock ahead. If you follow the river south, you will be fine. Venturing south carelessly would mean crossing into other factions' territories."
Enkidu explained to Li Xing, and also to Fujimaru Ritsuka, without any embarrassment or anger.
However, at this moment, a white-haired man and a cloaked girl appeared from the jungle.
The man, holding a staff, claimed to be lost and in need of assistance, with Uruk as his destination.
Fujimaru Ritsuka, with his kind-hearted nature, enthusiastically reintroduced himself and also introduced Li Xing and Enkidu beside him.
The man stroked his chin with a bewildered look and lightly tapped the ground with his staff: "That's strange. As far as I know, King Gilgamesh, who is commanding the front lines in Uruk, has returned after seeking the elixir of immortality."
"Then... then this doesn't make sense! Gilgamesh went to search for the elixir of immortality only after his dear friend Enkidu's death. Since he has already returned, then Mr. Enkidu now..." Mash, her eyes wide with surprise, was about to look at Enkidu when Enkidu's smile changed to one of pure malice.
"Mash!" Fujimaru Ritsuka shouted. Mash instantly raised her shield, but she was still a step too slow and was injured by Enkidu, collapsing to the ground.
"Then I shall try the power of the Heavenly Chains!" With that, Li Xing drew a blade and charged towards Enkidu.
Enkidu didn't even move. He simply shot out several chains from the ground, intending to bind Li Xing. Li Xing quickly wedged his Nichirin Blade against his body. Before the chains could fully ensnare him, he used a spatial shift to appear in front of Enkidu. What the chains had bound was only Li Xing's Nichirin Blade.
"Heavenly Hand Power is indeed a useful ability. Blade, come!" Li Xing grinned, grasping at empty air as if holding a blade and slashing at Enkidu. The next moment, the bound Nichirin Blade appeared in Li Xing's hand.
Enkidu hastily retreated, and at the same time, more chains appeared behind Li Xing. Li Xing swung his blade back with a clang. The impact sent a shockwave up his arm, leaving it numb. This was the first time Li Xing had failed to cut something apart.
"Divinity, right. My divinity is too strong now. Li Yun, switch my class. Foreigners inherently possess divinity that cannot be erased. Change me to Saber!"
Li Xing completed the class change in an instant. The concept of "all phenomena in the universe" naturally included adaptability to all classes. Li Xing now had no divinity, and the Heavenly Chains could not possibly trap him.
However, as Li Xing continued to slash at the Heavenly Chains, he realized he had overthought things. The Heavenly Chains were constructed by all the gods using mud. His current Spirit Base was simply incapable of cutting Enkidu's chains; it had nothing to do with divinity.
"Damn it! I've gone too far!"
Li Xing chuckled awkwardly and was instantly bound by more than a dozen chains. Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka beside him were in the same predicament.
"Just a third-rate Servant. I had intended to trick you all into coming over, but..." Before Enkidu could finish speaking, the bound Li Xing, Mash, and Fujimaru Ritsuka dissolved into petals and gradually disappeared.
Enkidu, holding a leaf, recalled the action of the man tapping the ground with his staff earlier: "So that's it. What I saw just now was already a dream!"
Although it was a dream, Li Xing's consciousness was truly present. He had entered the dream and fought Enkidu. While he hadn't used his full strength, defeat was still a fact. The real Li Xing couldn't help but shake his head. After years of being invincible, tasting defeat was truly unpleasant.
"What a shame about my Big Yellow!" Li Xing thought of the demon beasts Enkidu had slain earlier and sighed with a hint of regret. His mount was gone.
"Everyone, I saved you from grave danger just now. I hope you will offer me overwhelming praise..." Merlin hadn't finished speaking when Fou on Mash's shoulder spun at high speed and kicked Merlin.
"Merlin deserves to die!" Fou uttered a somewhat understandable phrase, and a furry projectile accurately struck Merlin's face.
After all, Merlin was the one who had thrown Fou from the Tower of Spoils into the human world. It was hard for Fou not to despise him.
After some playful banter, Merlin finally began to reintroduce himself. However, Li Xing already knew Merlin's identity as the court mage of Britain, the mentor of King Arthur, and also a rather unconventional mage who enjoyed using his Clairvoyance to spy. Fortunately, Clairvoyance of the same level could be blocked, or Li Xing would have certainly gone up to give him a kick.
Merlin then introduced the girl beside him, Ana. Li Xing instantly teleported next to Ana and rubbed his face against hers repeatedly.
"Cute little Ana!"
Ana could not tolerate such behavior from a stranger and immediately held a sickle to Li Xing's neck: "I hate humans. Please stay away from me."
"Ahaha, strictly speaking, I'm only half-human. What's the difference? You hate humans, but what does that have to do with me? I like you, that's all that matters." Although he said this, Li Xing still let go of Ana. It was indeed too presumptuous for a first meeting.
"I apologize. It was rude of me. I'll treat you to some sweets later as compensation!" Li Xing bowed and apologized to Ana, which finally made her put away her sickle.