Rather than watch others walk away, it was better for her to be the one to say goodbye first. At the very least, she hoped to depart surrounded by everyone she cared about... Damn it, I'm not some pink-haired jock...
But before the world ended and she got bound to that system, she truly had wanted to die surrounded by others.
Because that would have been bliss, a feeling of being loved by everyone.
"For now, let's treat this as a backup plan," Amber said.
"Of course, unless absolutely necessary, I'd rather not resort to such a dangerous move either," Merlin nodded amiably.
The reason he'd panicked earlier was mainly because, while using his Clairvoyance outside, he saw the Sword God effect of the Herrscher of Sentience gradually weakening, which seriously spooked him.
Even such a terrifying attack was slowly being adapted to—he didn't dare gamble everything on this operation being a sure success.
Unless that Grand Assassin was willing to make a move... He'd have to go talk to that assassin later.
The group's discussion didn't last very long, though to be honest, there wasn't much left to discuss. At this point, on the eve of the final battle, they had already accounted for everything they possibly could. All that remained was to wait.
Merlin didn't return directly to the house with the others. Instead, he went off alone—no one knew what he was up to.
When he came back that evening, he had Ana with him, her Divinity fully unleashed and merged with the Gorgon Saint Graph.
In truth, though Ana might have seemed ineffective so far, that was only because Merlin had sealed her Divinity early on. This move wasn't just to spare Ana's self-loathing feelings; it was also to catch Gorgon off guard at a critical moment.
Even without merging with Gorgon's Saint Graph, Ana with her Divinity unleashed was a powerful Servant, not much weaker than Jaguar Man.
Time ticked by. Though only four days had passed, it felt unbearably long.
Under everyone's tense watch, Beast II, Tiamat, had arrived within ten kilometers of Uruk.
A sky-blotting mass of dark clouds loomed over Uruk. Reflected in the dark red Chaos Tide, the entire world seemed cast in a dim, yellowish light.
Countless Lahmu swarmed through the sea and sky, each one far surpassing ordinary humans, reaching the level of Heroic Spirits.
"Just looking at it is overwhelming," Ushiwakamaru pressed her lips together.
She had already experienced the power of those Lahmu. Their physical strength wasn't actually greater than a Servant's, but because they were the children of Tiamat—divine offspring—they possessed a mystery that made them highly resistant to attacks from ordinary Servants.
Even a legendary warrior like her found it difficult to bring her full strength to bear, lacking special attacks that could target Divinity or mystery.
"You just focus on protecting this Golden Brat here. As long as no one gets near him, our chances of winning are pretty high," Ishtar said.
"My apologies, all this humble monk can do is protect our Master," Benkei also knew his limits and didn't plan to charge forward.
"Fulfilling your own role is enough," Gilgamesh nodded, then took two steps forward.
Golden rings materialized around him. As he channeled magical energy, 360 devices positioned throughout Uruk lit up simultaneously. Barrages rivaling the power of missiles shot as one toward Tiamat and the Chaos Tide.
Violent explosions instantly carved a row of massive craters before the city gates. The Lahmu caught in the blasts were pulverized instantly, without even a moment to struggle.
"The devices are all activated..." Though Mash had already known, witnessing the awe-inspiring spectacle still drew a gasp from her. "Amazing!"
"Don't let your guard down!" Gilgamesh shouted sternly, his expression utterly serious. "The Lahmu are born from the Chaos Tide. Unless you have the power to evaporate the entire Chaos Tide itself, they are endless fighting machines!"
"That's true enough," Ishtar nodded.
"The main assault falls to you all! The battle of myths has truly begun! Chaldea! And the Phoenix Celestial! Whether we clear this final hurdle depends on your efforts! Hold nothing back! Carve the glory of victory upon that boundless Chaos Tide!" Gilgamesh ignored Ishtar, looking instead to the others.
"Right!" Ritsuka nodded, then glanced toward Quetzalcoatl.
"Leave it to your big sister~" Quetzalcoatl winked, then leaped onto a waiting wyvern.
"Just as planned, I'll handle the Chaos Tide around Tiamat. You all fight with everything you've got~!"
With that, she looked toward Amber and the eagerly grinning Herrscher of Sentience.
"No need to tell me! With the great Herrscher of Sentience here, you've got nothing to worry about!"
The Herrscher had lost interest in Tiamat—not just because Fu Hua told her not to interfere with Amber's growth, but also because fighting Tiamat was just plain boring.
She'd rather go bully the Lahmu hordes for fun.
Amber nodded as well, and the two of them flew up into the sky.
Seeing this, Ishtar also rose into the air. "The hole I made isn't small, you know. Can your Noble Phantasm cover it?"
Their plan was simple: they couldn't let Tiamat bring the Chaos Tide into the Underworld. So, Quetzalcoatl would use her Noble Phantasm at the forefront to burn away the Tide, preventing it from advancing further.
Gilgamesh would focus on surviving alongside Uruk. After all, he and Uruk together were like the heart of this land. Losing one might be survivable, but it was best to protect both.
Additionally, his and Uruk's presence would help the Herrscher of Sentience clean up any Lahmu on land, preventing them from interfering with Quetzalcoatl's sustained Noble Phantasm deployment.
As for the rest: Leonidas, the strongest shield, would deploy his Noble Phantasm at Uruk's gates, blocking any Lahmu trying to assault the city.
Ushiwakamaru and Benkei... neither had Divinity, so their role in this final battle was limited, but they could still deal with any stragglers that slipped through.
This was the ground force responsible for ensuring Uruk's survival.
Everyone else would take part in the underground operation to defeat Tiamat.
"Then leave it to me!"
Quetzalcoatl flew to a point not far from Tiamat, golden flames igniting in her hand. The surrounding temperature skyrocketed in an instant.
"The past is here."
"The present is here."
"The future is here!"
"Come winds, come lightning!"
As her magical energy surged violently, Quetzalcoatl leaped from the sky, her body wreathed in flames like a falling sun.
"When the morning star shines... let all know the Sun's light reaches every corner of the Earth!"
"Piedra——Del—Sol!"
The gold-red flames completely enveloped her figure. With a shattering impact, she crashed at Tiamat's feet. Temperatures reaching hundreds, thousands of degrees, coupled with the fracturing earth, instantly vaporized all the black mud within a three-kilometer radius.
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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.