Overwhelming firepower instantly swept across the entire frontline coast, blasting a massive wave of monsters that had surged onto the land into smithereens.
"You're only showing up now?!"
The Herrscher of Sentience looked up at the sky, her face practically overflowing with displeasure.
She was genuinely frustrated. Not only were her teammates all around her, making it difficult for her to cut loose, but these monsters were also excessively ugly—far more disgusting than Honkai Beasts.
On top of that, these creatures could speak human language, which made them even more repulsive.
"Where are Ana and Merlin?" Ritsuka, having landed on the ground, scanned his surroundings but didn't see any trace of those two.
He had originally assumed they were also holding the line at the front, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
"Merlin seems to be dead already, and that Ana is currently by that Gorgon's side," the Herrscher of Sentience said, smashing the last monster near her with a single punch before complaining to Amber, who had just landed.
"What were you all doing anyway? Did it really take that long just to go to the Underworld?"
"Most of the time was spent traveling," Amber replied.
"Oh, never mind then." The Herrscher of Sentience nodded, as if that explained everything.
To her, this wasn't hard to understand. Spending three days walking from Taixuan Mountain to the borders of Shenzhou, three seconds to resolve a Honkai incident, and then another three days to return to Taixuan Mountain—it was all pretty standard procedure.
Still, it didn't do much to cool her irritation.
"Since you're all here now, I'll leave this area to you. I'm going to deal with that big one over there." The Herrscher of Sentience pointed toward Tiamat in the distance.
Unlike the Tiamat Amber had seen before, this one was now colossal, towering with a height even more terrifying than Mount Ebih. There was no trace of maternal love on her face—only a chilling, merciless coldness and silence.
For a moment, Amber couldn't believe this was the gentle woman she remembered.
"Deal with that thing?!" Roman's voice cut in abruptly. Staring at the data measured on the screen before him, his voice trembled. "This level of magical energy is completely off the charts! It's far beyond what any known Saint Graph can possibly contain!"
"Not even Quetzalcoatl or the Celestial can manage it?" Ritsuka frowned.
"Exactly!"
Roman's tone was certain. "This isn't a matter of strength anymore—it's a difference in the very container. The Saint Graph that Tiamat is manifesting with now is not something on the level of a Servant!"
"Are you saying that I, the great Herrscher of Sentience, am inferior to her?" The Herrscher of Sentience retorted, annoyed. "Who cares about Saint Graphs? Whether I can win or not, I'll only know after I fight her!"
With that, she couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the others' reactions and prepared to launch herself toward Tiamat.
The monsters, surging forward the moment Ishtar's barrage ended, were effortlessly cleared aside as the Herrscher of Sentience carved a path through them.
Ishtar promptly followed up with another round of cannon fire, while the remaining stragglers were easily handled by the others.
Ritsuka glanced back at the translucent shield wall, which had grown noticeably fainter, and at Leonidas, whose expression was grim. It was clear that Gilgamesh's magical energy might be running low.
He was in a similar situation himself. If they couldn't stop the endless onslaught of these monsters, then even if Ishtar could replenish her magical energy and firepower using gems, significantly reducing his own expenditure, it didn't mean he could keep this up indefinitely.
"Doctor, is there any way to stop these monsters from pouring out continuously?" Ritsuka asked, turning to his communicator.
Ishtar descended from the sky. "Hey! Call that childish Fu Hua back! That black mud isn't something you can just casually step in!"
"Little Senti!" Hearing this, Amber immediately called out to the Herrscher.
"I am not the other Fu Hua!" the Herrscher of Sentience shot back, showing no intention of returning, though she did obediently halt her advance, asking impatiently, "What is it now?"
"Tiamat possesses various authorities like Self-Modification, Individual Proliferation, and Biological Fusion. These monsters you call Lahmus are one of the results," Ishtar explained.
"But... the most terrifying thing about Tiamat is her Compulsory Cell Conversion. If you're swallowed by that black mud, no matter what kind of Servant you are, you'll be assimilated. Simply put, if you so much as touch it, you'll become one of Tiamat's underlings!"
"Is that so?"
The Herrscher of Sentience's expression shifted. Though not one to easily believe in such warnings, she still grew more cautious, carefully examining the blackish-red sea ahead.
After a good look, she broke into a smile. "Pfft! And here I thought it was something really troublesome. Watch this!"
With that, she turned to Amber. "Give me back the Core, and I'll give you the Fenghuang Down."
Amber had no objections. She pulled out the long sword from thin air and tossed it to the Herrscher, who in turn threw a flower-shaped object into Amber's hand.
In truth, the sword wasn't the Core, and the flower wasn't the Fenghuang Down.
As the Key of Sentience and the core of the Herrscher of Sentience, they didn't possess fixed forms. Their shape and appearance depended entirely on the holder's perception. The Fenghuang Down took the form of a flower simply due to the influence of a game.
The same went for the "brick," though it had now been transformed into a sword.
Once she had the long sword in hand, an enormous blade—tall enough for two people and wide enough for one—materialized beneath the Herrscher of Sentience's feet. Riding atop this great sword, she soared straight toward Tiamat's colossal form.
It was only then that Roman finally responded to Ritsuka's question. "There's not enough time. Chaldea can currently only analyze Tiamat's Saint Graph rank, the nature of that black mud, and the properties of those monsters called Lahmus. Beyond that..."
In other words, they needed more time.
Ritsuka still trusted Chaldea's analytical capabilities. After all, their analysis had helped them out on numerous occasions.
"However, one thing is clear: if we want to stop the spread of the black mud and the birth of the Lahmus, then defeating Tiamat is our only option."
"What about using the Axe of Marduk? Is there any certainty it can kill Tiamat?" Quetzalcoatl, who had just arrived, asked with a grave expression.
"I came ahead; the Axe of Marduk is still being transported. Jaguar Man is guarding it, so there shouldn't be any issues."
"...It would be effective... probably..." Roman's voice was hesitant.
"Why so uncertain?!" Ishtar couldn't hold back her frustration.
"Because I have a hypothesis..." Under Ishtar's questioning and the expectant gazes of everyone, Roman steeled himself and slowly spoke.
"Tiamat... perhaps cannot be killed. No matter what we do to her, we cannot bring about her death."
"Are you saying she possesses an immortality even greater than the Gorgon's?" Quetzalcoatl's expression turned graver.
At the moment, the only one among them with a special advantage against immortality was Ana, but she was currently synchronizing with the Gorgon's Saint Graph.
"No... my hypothesis is a bit more radical."
Roman took a deep breath, then continued. "Tiamat is the Mother of Life. Our very existence proves hers, and thus she cannot be destroyed... Although my hypothesis is a paradox, if it holds true, then as long as life exists on Earth, Tiamat will not die..."
"...You've got to be kidding me..."
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.