"...I'll do it."
Feeling everyone's eyes on her, Amber took a deep breath and stepped to the front of the group.
Truth be told, she was panicking too.
While playing the role of the one who turns the tide sounded incredibly cool—something she'd always admired about those storybook heroes—right now, she felt anything but.
There was no thrill in being the last line of defense, just a heavy, indescribable pressure.
Her mind drifted to the gentle, kind blue-haired girl from her memories, then back to the terrifying monster before her. She couldn't believe they were the same being.
'Can I even win?'
Amber muttered, her voice thick with unease.
Fu Hua, who had been observing the situation, let out a soft sigh. Her tone carried a complicated edge. 'Feeling the pressure?'
''Mhm...' Amber gave a small nod.
'That is the nature of battle,' Fu Hua replied, not surprised by Amber's state of mind. 'Often, you do not choose the fight. The fight finds you. Even when the one you must face is someone you never wished to harm.'
Like Himeko?
Amber didn't voice it, but Fu Hua knew her thoughts regardless and gave a slight, impassive nod.
'Until now, you have always fought with confidence. Quetzalcoatl could not threaten you, and Ereshkigal fell in a single move.'
'The Sword Heart, its Form, its Will, its Soul, its Spirit—you grasped each essence with startling speed. Though external forces aided you, your talent is undeniable.'
'You have never truly faced a crisis. This is your first. You are unsure how to win, or even if you can. Everyone sees you as their sole pillar of support, and so you feel a weight unlike any before.'
Fu Hua easily articulated Amber's turmoil. It didn't surprise the girl. 'Mr. Navigator said that the first three worlds would pass safely even if I did nothing. But the reality is completely different from his words. I think my involvement itself has become a variable.'
'Perhaps my presence has made this story worse. Just thinking that, I...'
The girl's despondency was laid bare before Fu Hua. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Amber.
Admittedly, Fu Hua knew the girl held many misconceptions about her, and it was true that she wasn't skilled at offering comfort. Nor was it strictly necessary, for the things she might say were truths Amber already understood.
Amber always understood the logic. More than verbal lecturing, Fu Hua wanted to offer spiritual support.
In the past, she might have refrained, believing a disciple must grow through their own trials, that true growth required facing adversity alone.
But now, she found she couldn't harden her heart to simply stand and watch.
'It will be alright. Your master is here. You can set your heart at ease.' Fu Hua found her own voice unusually soft and gentle. She hoped it could grant her disciple some strength.
'...Okay...'
Amber's mood was still low, but hearing Fu Hua's words sent a wave of warmth flooding through her chest.
Having a pillar, a reliable support, filled her with immense relief. Fu Hua's words were like being offered a warm, sturdy shelter in the midst of a torrential downpour. She still feared the terrifying storm outside, but now she had the confidence to endure it.
'Go. Just do the very best you can.'
'Yeah!'"
"Gahhh!" In reality, Ereshkigal was frantically directing her Gallu spirits against the ever-encroaching Chaos Tide.
But even these undead constructs were utterly consumed, swallowed whole upon touching the black mud.
Heat intense enough to vaporize seawater seemed to have no physical effect, completely useless against the tide.
"Celestial! Do you have a plan!?" Ritsuka's face was tight with anxiety. It seemed none of them had an effective counter for the Chaos Tide. Should they use Mash's Noble Phantasm? But...
He was completely tapped out, couldn't squeeze out a single drop of magic...
"Fire above, Fire below, the light that blazes skyward."
Regaining her focus, Amber's eyes hardened with resolve. Watching the Chaos Tide nearly upon them, her hands swept through the air before her as if cradling heaven and earth.
A vortex of black and white spiritual energy manifested above Tiamat's head, not only drawing the raging Chaos Tide upward but also lifting Tiamat's massive body clear off the ground.
"It's working!" Finally out of immediate danger, the group let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Don't let your guard down!" A familiar voice rang out beside them as Merlin materialized in a shower of blossoms.
His expression was serious, his gaze fixed intently on Tiamat. "Even now, Tiamat possesses her immortality. I said that before, didn't I?"
"..." His words wiped the relief from their faces, replacing it with renewed focus and a heavier sense of helplessness.
However, Merlin suddenly broke into a smile. "But if he is here, the situation changes entirely."
"Huh?" Ritsuka blinked in surprise.
There's still another ace?
Right on cue, an undeniable, bone-chilling cold erupted behind them. Following their gazes, they saw a massively built figure clad in armor, gripping a greatsword, who had appeared without a sound.
"O Celestial, Guardian of Human Order, savior of the common folk."
The greatsword-wielding man strode to the forefront. His mere gait and overwhelming presence made it clear he was no ordinary man.
"Though perhaps trivial, allow me to state my name."
Blue mana flared around him, enveloping the greatsword with a killing intent so potent that merely looking at it felt like staring into the abyss of death itself.
"I am the Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan-i-Sabbah. With this blade, I shall contend with you for the glory of the victor."
"The Old Man of the Mountain... Hassan-i-Sabbah…" Amber put on a solemn expression, but inwardly her mind raced. Who was that again? The only Hassan that came to mind was the cannon-fodder Hundred-Faced Hassan.
You look really awesome! But I'm sorry my history is so bad!
"Correct. The counterpart to the Beast. The Death that follows Tiamat, the bringer of world-ending calamity." Merlin smiled, finally confident of total victory in this battle against the Beast.
"His very existence symbolizes death. The Strongest Assassin. The Grand Assassin!"
"Where there is no death, there can be no life. Only through death does life come into being. O Beast of Calamity, evil born of humanity! That very love which yearns for return is the foundation that rejects you."
Gazing at Tiamat struggling against the vortex not far away, the Old Man of the Mountain's mana surged to its peak.
"The title of Grand holds no interest for me. The proof of my strength needs only be entrusted to this single strike—"
--+--
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.