If one looked to the skies northwest of Uruk, above the dense forest, flashes of gold and purple clashed again and again, stirring violent gusts that tore through the air. Magic cannons capable of breaching city walls and priceless Noble Phantasms whirled about as if they cost nothing at all.
And indeed, they cost nothing.
Dozens of minutes passed, yet neither combatant gained the upper hand—or rather, neither had taken any real damage.
Realizing the stalemate, both halted at almost the same moment, facing each other silently in midair.
"In the sky, Enkidu cannot defeat me," Ophis said at last.
So long as Enkidu remained connected to the earth, she was nearly unbeatable unless struck at her core weakness. But without the earth's blessing and the replenishment of soil, she was no different from an ordinary human—her movements dulled by injury.
"Enkidu" made no reply, her expression blank.
Ophis wasn't surprised.
The current "Enkidu" simply didn't have the capacity to respond. She had forcibly merged with the lingering will of the true Enkidu within that vessel, using it to attack Ophis while simultaneously resisting assimilation.
…So, in the end, just an impostor, huh?
Watching "Enkidu" in that state, Ophis sighed inwardly.
She wasn't even sure what she'd been hoping for.
Still, just moments ago, it had felt as though she were playing with Enkidu again—like in the old days. Even the tension she hadn't noticed building inside her had quietly eased away.
But in the end, this was only an imitation.
Five magic circles formed behind Ophis.
Unlike the earlier barrage—grand in number but essentially playful, posing little real threat (at least to Enkidu)—each of these circles carried power on par with a B- or even A-rank Noble Phantasm.
Ophis narrowed her eyes.
She'd let herself get carried away. If she continued, she might truly awaken that monster.
A quick battle, a quick end.
"I never intended to kill you. But if you can't hold on yourself…"
Closing her eyes, Ophis fell silent for a moment, then murmured:
"As I thought, an Enkidu who doesn't smile—I truly despise such a thing."
Enkidu was the only being ever to touch her heart. That was precisely why she had to shut her away.
To protect Uruk, to protect humanity, she had to remove everything capable of shaking her resolve.
All of it—for Enkidu's wish.
For that wish, she would kill her.
The gentle smile she'd worn since the battle began slowly faded. When she opened her eyes again, every trace of emotion was gone.
She was exactly as she'd been before meeting Enkidu.
A massive purple pillar of light—more than five meters wide—shot toward the heavens, its radiance staining the forest below in violet hues.
It blazed for a full thirty seconds before fading.
Gazing at the empty sky, Ophis stood in silence.
On the ground, survival might have been possible—but in midair, if struck head-on, Enkidu had no chance at all. And earlier, "Enkidu" had already seemed too exhausted even to dodge.
In short—
"It's over."
Quietly declaring so, Ophis turned to leave—only to feel a powerful surge of energy behind her.
A flicker of surprise crossed her face.
When—?!
"Heh… I don't know what happened, but the force that was restraining me has vanished."
Half-kneeling on the ground, "Enkidu" looked up. Golden light gleamed ominously in her emerald eyes as her lips twisted into a feral grin.
"You're right—everything ends here. Hear the wrath of Mother! Feel the wave of annihilation!"
Hundreds of chains erupted from the earth, shooting upward with "Enkidu" before converging into a colossal golden spear—then plunging downward!
Its target: Ophis.
Facing the spear head-on, Ophis wore an expression of true seriousness for the first time.
The gods might have been distant from the story, but their craftsmanship was undeniable. Enkidu herself was a weapon forged precisely to counter an Ouroboros.
Anti-dragon, anti-serpent, anti-divine, anti-girl-shaped being, anti-energy entity, anti-king, anti-emotionless existence—anti-lifeform named Ouroboros.
In short, a weapon designed solely to kill her.
And since the original Enkidu had already broken through her "Untouchability," this current version was now a complete, one-hundred-percent "Ouroboros-specific Noble Phantasm."
An attack like this… truly could kill her.
A way to counter it…?
Watching the spear rush closer, Ophis's thoughts raced.
Using Ea would work—but twisting space risked awakening that "monster," the mistake she had nearly made earlier in the fight.
And there wasn't enough time to draw it anyway.
Then… there really was no other solution.
So this was how it ended.
The spear was already upon her.
"────Mother, manifest your primordial cry!"
At "Enkidu's" shout, the secret technique—its name altered on a whim—descended.
Yet, in the instant before the light consumed her, Ophis smiled faintly.
"Made it in time."
In truth, she had begun her counter the moment she realized "Enkidu" still existed.
Whether it would work, she couldn't know.
On the opposite side of the golden spear, countless tiny golden lights fell like a meteor shower. On closer look, they were weapons—an armory hidden within that radiance.
Melammu Dingir—the supreme radiance protecting Uruk.
In the next second, golden brilliance swallowed both combatants whole.
...
"Oh, looks like things got pretty heated over there."
At the southern edge of the forest, countless demonic beasts lay scattered, crushed or torn apart, leaving almost no whole bodies.
At the center stood a blood-soaked black giant, silent and still. Beside him stood a man and a woman.
"Will she be alright?"
Unlike Merlin's usual carefree tone, Altera's eyes held a trace of genuine concern.
"Aiya, aren't we still getting her mana feed just fine? No worries, no worries! Besides, there's a reason King Ophis didn't let you join in, right? Even she has limits to her mana output."
Altera gave a small nod.
Indeed, intervening in a battle of that level would have required her full power. Fighting all-out herself while maintaining that level of mana supply would inevitably leave her exposed.
But what Altera didn't know was that Ophis simply hadn't wanted anyone interfering with their reunion—even if the one before her wasn't the real thing.
"Still, why did she leave Uruk?"
After a pause, Altera finally voiced the question.
Ophis normally oversaw everything personally and would never leave Uruk lightly. Even Altera, who cared little for details, understood that much.
"Ah, that'd be me. After running into Enkidu, I escaped—and dragged King Ophis along."
Merlin's tone was light as ever. Watching the golden meteor shower streak across the sky, he smiled without the faintest hint of shame.
"After all, some things simply have to reach their conclusion."
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