[Wow, you're really starting to look the part of a king… though it's a pity.]
No matter how well it's done, the king's kingdom is still destined to fall.
"Mm… a pity…"
Ophis nodded lightly, lost in thought.
One day later, Ophis returned to that room again.
She had sent Siduri ahead to deliver a message, so by this time, all 506 people were fully equipped again, standing in formation in front of Ophis.
"How do you feel?"
The soldiers looked at each other. Finally, the captain stepped forward, his face glowing, his aura powerful, with no sign at all of having fainted from pain the previous day.
He solemnly saluted Ophis.
"Thank you, King, for granting us such great power."
"Thank you for the King's grace!"
All the soldiers shouted loudly behind him, their voices shaking the temple.
"Mm…"
Ophis nodded, then drew a longsword from a golden ripple beside her and directly slashed at the captain.
With the captain's strength, Ophis' non-serious speed should not have been too fast to react to—but he did not evade, letting Ophis strike.
Clang────
The result: only the tip of the sword was left flying.
Although the sword wasn't among the top-ranked treasures in the treasury, it still had E-rank sharpness. Yet a weapon that could be called a treasure broke when it struck the captain's body.
Ophis looked at the broken sword in her hand, nodded, then let it dissolve into golden light and disappear.
"Understand now? This is your power. Though the others are not quite at his level, ordinary weapons still can't harm their bodies."
Looking ahead, Ophis continued.
"But the power I've given you is not for arrogance or reckless behavior. It is so that you can have more strength to protect Uruk. Therefore, from now on, the crises you face will be hundreds or thousands of times worse than others'. Do you have enough resolve and courage?"
The 506 soldiers did not reply, only saluted again with determination.
"Good, I am very pleased. You must remember—your power is to be used for Uruk."
Ophis smiled softly and turned to leave.
"For Uruk!"
Only the thunderous echo remained, resounding behind her.
War has come.
Not a conflict between people, but a slaughter between man and beast.
The tide of magical beasts deliberately swept through all the northern city-states, then charged toward Uruk.
Although Ophis had already dispatched people to closely monitor the surrounding city-states, preventing Uruk from being completely caught off guard, the speed of the magical beasts was just too fast.
By the time the beasts attacked the defensive position, the city wall that was supposed to serve as the main line of defense was only half built.
The rest of the time would have to be earned by Uruk's warriors themselves.
Standing atop Uruk's city wall, Ophis gazed at the battle line holding back the magical beasts.
Her body didn't possess a skill called Clairvoyance… but with dragonkind's eyesight supplemented by simple magic, achieving such vision over distance was not difficult.
Normally, just using familiars would've sufficed—Ophis wouldn't need to go up to the wall herself. But under such a dense tide of magical beasts, ordinary familiars couldn't even approach.
On the battlefield, the magical beasts surged like an ocean against Uruk's defenses, unable to break through the shield wall formed by black-clad warriors.
Five hundred warriors who had bathed in dragon blood stood at the front line, forming the first barrier against the magical beasts.
Ophis carefully observed. Most of these beasts were species not originally present in Mesopotamia… at least, none she had ever seen in any records.
As for their strength… to compare using known knowledge, each individual had about the power of a small tank.
That level of power was terrifying, especially with tens of thousands of beasts currently visible to Ophis.
And in the distance, she could sense several times that amount still coming.
Though the individual strength of the magical beasts was formidable, and their numbers made them hard to resist, to Ophis it was just the difference between ants and a pile of ants.
Seeing them grouped so densely, Ophis had an urge to just fire a cannon and wipe them out.
But she knew very well—doing so would have unimaginable consequences.
Right now, the fighting was still just 'minor skirmishes.'
To the enemy, it was a game of slowly driving prey to despair; to her, it was a temporary tactic to stall for time.
If she intervened now, everything would become irreversible.
The aftermath of battle would directly destroy Uruk.
That was one of the futures she had 'seen'.
Moreover… she was currently unsuited to personally fight.
Back when she had infused the dragon blood into the baths for the soldiers, it wasn't some easy matter. That dragon blood was the crystallization of Ophis' power—a fragmented piece of the concept of 'infinity'.
Doing such a thing wouldn't shatter her infinite power entirely, but it would leave her 'vulnerable' for a while.
This 'vulnerable' didn't mean truly weak—in normal battle, Ophis could still function at full capacity. But if she used too much of her infinite power, the concept itself would be damaged.
Normally, that threshold was very high—unless facing an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, Ophis would never use that much force.
But now…
Watching Artoria sweeping through beasts like harvesting wheat, Arjuna firing arrows from high above, and Jeanne d'Arc swinging her flag on the frontlines—
Their unparalleled combat caused Ophis' internal energy to be output at an alarming rate.
That's right—the six summoned warriors were all directly powered by Ophis' magic. In this weakened state, her energy output limit had been severely restricted.
Still, the future she had seen showed that if she personally fought, Uruk would be destroyed no matter what—so the restriction hardly mattered.
She couldn't fight anyway.
Rather than letting the infinite energy source go to waste, it was better to fuel her soldiers.
Creating 'snakes' was also an option and wouldn't harm her, but the process was more complex and ordinary soldiers couldn't handle that kind of power.
Back during the summoning, Ophis had glimpsed a piece of fate. But among the countless branching futures, she couldn't find a single path to salvation.
The future was firmly fixed: Uruk would be destroyed by an unknown catastrophe in half a year.
…That was the longest-lasting future. Before then, there were all kinds of other destructions too.
No matter what, Ophis had to hold on until then. And for that, what she needed wasn't one or two super warriors, but a steel army capable of stabilizing the battlefield.
On the battlefield, Artoria had just unleashed her Noble Phantasm for the thirteenth time, clearing a large number of beasts, but then stumbled slightly, frowning and retreating into the formation.
Servants weren't made of flesh and blood, but they still had similar traits. Even with Ophis' endless magic, they grew fatigued from endless combat.
With the beasts momentarily cleared, the army had time to regroup—but now more magical beasts appeared on the horizon… and with one less invincible warrior, the pressure on the army increased significantly.
It was never-ending…
Ophis rubbed her forehead.
The makeshift defenses had only lasted three days before being broken through. The rear walls were still under rushed construction—until they were done, the army wouldn't get any rest.
"Send orders—have the reserve unit replace them once Artoria and Arjuna recover. Then the two will jointly release their Noble Phantasms and use the lull in the beast assault to rotate the troops… Artoria should be very good at directing that kind of tactic."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Behind her, a messenger already prepared dashed off with a tablet in hand.
"Urgent report!"
However, very soon another messenger came up to continue.
"A large jungle suddenly appeared in the south. Following the king's order not to act rashly, no exploration has been done for now. Please let the king decide!"
Unfortunately, what was brought wasn't good news.
In the next moment, Ophis' eyes narrowed.
Looks like... there's no time left for her to think about this new information.
A blue magic cannon beam tore through the sky, directly aiming at Uruk and coming straight at it!
The blue light cannon, carrying enough energy to blast a big hole through the city wall, came directly at Ophis.
Without any visible movement from Ophis, a silver light darted out from her sleeve and transformed midair into a silver shield.
The light cannon hit the shield and was immediately deflected, landing on the ground outside Uruk.
Only then did Ophis slowly look toward the direction from where the beam had come.
There, a "girl" wearing revealing clothes sat on a crescent-shaped flying craft, waving at her with a smile.
Tilting her head and thinking for half a second, Ophis responded with a massive magic cannon blast a meter in radius.
"Hey hey hey, you—this is how you welcome me after such a long time?"
"It's only been a month... Besides, this greeting style was taught to me by Ishtar."
"...I've thought so for a long time now—you, deep down, are actually really two-faced, right?"
Ishtar complained with a face full of black lines.
"Your imagination."
Expressionless, Ophis responded blandly.
"King Ophis, did you just say... this person is that Ishtar... the goddess Inanna?"
Standing to the side, the priestess girl Siduri looked in surprise at this guardian deity of Uruk.
The other party's outfit followed the usual revealing style, only now the once golden hair had turned black, although the eye color remained unchanged... The body had also shrunk quite a bit!
Especially that pair in the front...
Though goddesses can freely change their appearance... Ishtar is the goddess of beauty, and normally keeps her body at the most beautiful age for humans.
...Well, people have different views on when human appearance peaks. Some say early twenties, others say teens between fourteen to eighteen... some even prefer below ten, or are fans of the middle-aged or elderly. It's not unheard of to like those who are seventy or eighty.
Even so, the general belief is that peak beauty lies in the twenties, so goddesses usually fix their appearance at that age.
Besides, the hair color change was also rather odd... But Siduri was only slightly surprised, since previous priests who tried to keep up with a goddess' thinking all ended up mentally unstable, so she had long given up trying to understand.
Siduri's surprise only lasted a moment, but Ishtar still caught it with sharp intuition.
"Oh? This is our priestess? But what's with that look? Surprised by this body? Well, though this one isn't as voluptuous and captivating as the original, the looks are still top-class, so this goddess isn't completely unwilling to accept it."
"Isht... Ishta, I wasn't sure when I first saw you... but, so it really is you?"
Ophis was about to call her "Ishtar" but suddenly remembered it was part of their previous deal to call her "Ishta."
In response to Ophis' question, Ishtar narrowed her eyes.
"Oh? I should throw that question back at you. Back then, I didn't understand why you wanted me to help with that kind of thing. Even just now, I still couldn't be sure... Now that I hear you say this... So you really can see the future?"
"..."
Ophis didn't answer.
"But now, I stand before you as an enemy—yet you once sought my help. That means what you saw also had limits. Back then, could you not see that 'I' would stand against you? Or did you already know that the 'me' back then would agree to help you, even knowing I would later oppose you?"
Ishtar laughed with a hint of malice.
"So, little Ophis—can you see if I'll go take back my divine authority from that southern land next?"
"That's not possible."
Ophis let out a small sigh.
She really had no way to deal with this troublesome goddess without completely ignoring her.
"Ishta is a Servant. Even if she's close to the true body, she can't match it."
Ophis had already figured it out. This Ishta had appeared through a method similar to her own heroic spirit summoning, except she needed to possess a human, hence the change in appearance.
This version of Ishta was powerful, almost like the true body, but she still lacked full power. The divine authority established by the true self—removing it wouldn't be so easy for just an avatar.
At least, Ophis would still have time to stop her.
"Tch, boring."
Seeing Ophis unreactive, Ishtar clicked her tongue and turned away.
"Ishta, why are you doing this?"
After a moment of thought, Ophis still voiced her doubt.
She had originally believed this disaster stemmed from gods punishing humanity for turning away from them, but... Ishta was not a god who hated humans.
On the contrary, though made up of contradictions in personality and emotion, at her core, Ishtar undoubtedly loved humans.
She had no reason to destroy them.
...Though that said, Ophis also knew gods didn't need reasons for what they did.
Acting on desire—that's what gods do.
"Hah? That's a dumb question. Do gods need a reason to punish humans? Isn't it interesting to see whether humans struggle on or go extinct?"
Sure enough, Ishtar casually flicked her twin ponytails and responded carelessly.
But the moment she finished speaking, something felt wrong.
Looking down, she saw dozens of weapons that gave her a sense of danger poking out from golden ripples, all aimed at her.
"In that case, please make your exit."
With a cold voice came a downpour formed by those weapons.
"Hey hey hey, do you always attack without a word? Shouldn't you monologue a bit first? Wait up!!"
...Ophis didn't understand that kind of thinking.
She only did what was necessary, and clearly, chatting with a confirmed enemy was not necessary.
Although Ishtar acted foolish, her ageless wisdom made her hard to manipulate...
"There should be more than just you... who else is with you?"
Just in case, Ophis still asked while unleashing her treasure.
"Huh?"
Ishtar, while piloting her vessel to dodge flying Noble Phantasms, answered instinctively.
"Just those two sneaky snakes who love pulling dramatic faces…"
She stopped halfway.
"Ah ah ah ah, so annoying! You remember this—I'll definitely be back!!!"
And with that shout, she flew off on her ship.
Ophis tilted her head.
She... really said it out loud...
After Ishtar left, Ophis stood in place, thinking.
This descended Ishtar—aside from a smaller body—also seemed to have some personality shifts... and maybe even a slight drop in intelligence?
Probably due to the host body's influence?
Though the info she blurted out wasn't very specific, it still gave Ophis a direction.
Besides Ishtar, there were two more godly beings—matching the info sister golden finger had provided before.
And, their nature should be related to "snakes."
This tidbit from Ishtar, though small, was crucial.
Snakes...
That should be good news for Ophis. As an Ouroboros—the highest among dragons and serpents—she had a natural suppressive effect on snake-type deities...
And once she knew her enemies were "snakes," she could tailor her preparations accordingly.
Even without knowing their true identities, as long as the concept was clear, countermeasures could be made.
However, the real enemy wasn't those two snake goddesses.
Ophis sighed.
Even though that foolish goddess might mess up at key moments, she wouldn't be dumb enough to reveal the most important secrets...
Likely due to divine rank interfering with fate detection, Ophis, despite peeking into the future earlier... found that anything directly involving gods yielded very limited info. That was why she hadn't confirmed if it was Ishtar at the start.
In any case...
Even her own kind—serpents—feared "steel." This was an unchanging rule through eternity.
Since ancient times, dragons and serpents were often enemies of mankind. And heroes would often be granted weapons by gods—wielding steel to slay them.
But still... you need a hero capable of wielding steel...
Originally, the most suitable person in this era should've been Gilgamesh...
Too bad Ophis couldn't use the Second Magic... And with the current strange situation, it was questionable if this timeline was still connected to other parallel worlds.
Also, slaying monsters needed more than strength—it required wisdom. So berserk Heracles was out of the question too.
Incidentally, luck was crucial—maybe the most important stat. That's why dragon-slaying heroes often used swords of steel, while spears were rare.
Ophis once again went through every person she had seen in Uruk, but couldn't find one with enough potential to slay the serpents.
Wait...
She realized she had fallen into a trap of thought.
The true crisis was always the one hidden in the background—the one presumed to be a "Creator God" level existence, not the three gods in front of her.
That final destruction she once glimpsed—though unclear—must have been caused by the Creator God.
And somehow, due to Ishtar's message, she got caught up thinking about how to deal with those "snakes"...
If it were just the three of them, she could solve the problem alone.
What she really needed to figure out... was how to handle that ultimate crisis.
How troublesome...
Ophis, uncharacteristically, felt a bit anxious.
If only she could see fate more clearly...
Just as that thought arose, countless fragmented scenes flashed before her eyes.
"..."
Ophis realized that if she focused on recreating the frequency she felt during her first contact with it, she could somewhat use that strange power.
In silence, she gathered the future fragments she had obtained and tried to merge all possible timelines, aiming for the best result.
Then, following that sensation, she used what she had just seen as a blueprint to simulate possible futures.
She couldn't defeat the three gods too quickly—like triggering a final boss after finishing a mid-boss fight. If the three gods fell too fast, there was a high chance it would summon the existence behind them.
And then Uruk would be destroyed...
But if they just let the magical beasts keep attacking endlessly, Uruk would eventually run out of resources and life.
No matter what route or deduction she ran, Uruk always perished at that same moment in time—not a second earlier or later.
The method to break the cycle...
If… gathering enough strength… maybe… it might be possible…
Ophis' little head spun rapidly.
But no matter how she simulated the outcomes, she couldn't find a way to break the deadlock.
No… if talking about the possibility of creating an opportunity, Ophis could still think of ways… but, she didn't have enough manpower to execute them.
She did have many excellent subordinates—among them, there were followers whose combat power could even exchange a few blows with goddesses or defeat gods without Authority (Altera: ???), but… it seemed that they all lacked certain qualities.
They couldn't meet her expectations.
This really was… a hopeless situation.
Even though she still couldn't find a breakthrough for the future, Ophis didn't give up and continued running simulations.
To say it was a sudden burst of perseverance or will might not be quite accurate.
It was merely an attempt.
Originally, just because Enkidu had said so—told her to love what she loved—Ophis had followed Enkidu's wishes, protecting humanity from calamity by mimicking her love for humans. But in reality, for Ophis, this was just a task that needed to be done—and one that was bound to fail. If it succeeded like a miracle, then great; but if it failed, that was completely normal.
The original Ophis had never demanded anything of this predestined tragic outcome—she simply, like a machine, carried out what she was supposed to do.
However, now seeing that in Uruk, whether it be soldiers who were supposed to be at the front lines facing danger, or the most ordinary of people, all were holding on and refusing to give up their resistance… this, Ophis could not comprehend.
Perhaps she wanted to use this method to understand their thoughts, or perhaps she didn't want to be inferior to the human race—anyway, Ophis began to seriously want to try.
Must Uruk really perish at that moment in time?
Half a month is fine, ten days is fine, even one day, at worst one hour, one minute.
Ophis wanted to try—to see if she could resist the tide of fate.
"Hidari, let's go back."
Unable to come up with any implementable method for now, Ophis could only put the matter aside for the moment and turned to call Hidari.
"Hidari?"
But at this moment, Ophis realized that Hidari's attention had already shifted, whispering with a newly arrived messenger soldier to the side.
At the same time… Ophis noticed the two kept glancing at her with strange expressions.
The messenger appeared shaken; Hidari seemed a little unsure and suspicious as well.
"Is this information really confirmed? Can you take responsibility if there's a mistake?"
"Uh… this is the report from the scouts at the front lines…"
"What's going on?"
"That… my king…"
Seeing Ophis approaching, the two showed a trace of panic on their faces, then both knelt in front of her. After exchanging glances, Hidari took the lead to speak.
"If there's something, just say it directly."
"Yes… it's about the battle report from the city-states that were previously destroyed. We've received information on a suspected identity of the enemy commander… but… we beg the king to remain calm upon hearing this… this isn't information that's confirmed 100%... My king?"
At this moment, Hidari noticed that Ophis' gaze had somehow returned to the battlefield, completely ignoring her words.
────────────────────────────────
Thousands of Uruk warriors formed a shield wall on the plains. Even after countless waves of magical beasts, they hadn't taken a single step back.
Of course, part of it was due to the strength of Uruk's soldiers themselves. Support from Saber Altera and Archer Arjuna also greatly reduced the pressure, but besides that, there was a more important reason.
That girl—like an angel—who had never retreated, always stood at the forefront.
And the Uruk banner that she held high and kept waving in her hand.
Under that banner, the soldiers had miraculously never suffered even the slightest harm from the magical beasts.
Perhaps moved by her effort and holiness, or perhaps unwilling to lose to a girl as men, the morale of the Uruk soldiers was raised to its peak.
At this moment, Jeanne continued swinging the flagpole, killing magical beasts that appeared nearby.
Unlike the other two Servant companions who kept using Noble Phantasms to clear the field, Jeanne did not use her large-scale, life-costing Noble Phantasm.
She was just a village girl, not a great hero. So all she could do was put all her strength into what she could do.
So the only thing she could do was wave the flag at the frontline.
Only, she now sensed something wrong.
'God' was warning her!
Something very powerful… was coming!
Following the guidance of her revelation, Jeanne looked up.
A flash of golden light faintly appeared behind the herd of beasts.
"O my banner────"
Without hesitation, she sprinted forward, unfurling the flag in her hands.
"────Protect my people!"
With her shout, golden light radiated from around her.
Just then, the golden light behind the beasts also flared up, shooting straight toward Jeanne.
By now, Jeanne could see the true form of the light.
It was a golden spear.
If it were merely a boring spear made of gold, Jeanne wouldn't care. But she could feel terrifying power surging through the spear!
Clenching her teeth, Jeanne planted the flagpole firmly into the ground.
Rather than the ornate sword at her waist—whose purpose was unclear—what mattered most to Jeanne on the battlefield was her flag.
This flag represented Jeanne's will and glory. Her legend of waving the flag and winning again and again had sublimated it into her Noble Phantasm.
Its name────
"The Lord is with me!" (Luminosité Eternelle)
As the words fell, golden light burst from the flagpole.
The golden spear sped forward, turning any magical beast in its path into dust whether struck directly or merely touched by its radiant glow, slamming straight into Jeanne's holy flag.
A violent shockwave exploded outward, crushing yet more magical beasts.
Thankfully, Jeanne had already distanced herself from the Uruk army formation—otherwise, the damage might have been unimaginable.
"What in the world…"
Looking at the spear she had blocked with her flag, Jeanne frowned.
At this moment, the spear seemed to realize it couldn't break through the defense, lost its momentum, then slowly turned into golden light and reshaped itself into a human figure before her eyes.
Jeanne didn't even have time to be surprised before her 'revelation' warned her again—she leapt several steps back instantly. At the same time, countless chains shot up from the ground, all aiming to bind her.
Already having left the danger zone, Jeanne easily swung her holy flag and deflected the chains. But they turned midair into dozens of blades and fell toward her once more.
Faced with such a dense attack, Jeanne had no choice but to keep fending them off while retreating.
"So this is the power of a 'Servant'? Compared to those ordinary 'failures,' you do have a bit more strength… but as a weapon, you're just an outdated model."
"Who are you?"
The golden light wrapped around the humanoid had faded. Jeanne looked over warily.
It was a 'girl' with long green hair, wearing a simple white robe—with a beauty that could be called divine. But the evil smile on her face completely destroyed any sacred aura she might've had.
"Enkidu… sama?"
"That's Enkidu-sama, right?"
"Didn't Enkidu-sama disappear?"
"She just attacked us, didn't she?"
At this moment, the Uruk soldiers behind the formation began to waver.
And no wonder—the person now standing before them was none other than the sage named Enkidu, friend of the king, who had given so much to Uruk and helped guide their king to change.
Yet now, this person was their enemy.
"That's not Enkidu-sama!"
Suddenly, someone shouted.
"Enkidu-sama would never show such an evil smile!"
"Yeah! Enkidu-sama could never wear an expression like that!"
"Who are you, really? Why are you pretending to be Enkidu-sama?!"
This wavering soon turned into rage.
Uruk's warriors slammed their weapons and shields, shouting curses at the person before them.
If not for the officers maintaining discipline, they would have already rushed up to fight to the death.
"…Enkidu, huh?"
Jeanne gripped her holy flag tighter and stared solemnly at the opponent.
After arriving in this era, she had also learned of the name Enkidu.
Friend of the king, the sage who led the king to become a wise ruler.
Also, an incredibly powerful warrior.
Whether or not this was truly Enkidu, their strength was real—and they were clearly on the enemy's side.
Thus, there was only one choice: battle.
"How typical of 'old humanity,' huh? Even when the truth is laid bare before you, you still refuse to believe, letting emotion override reason. How utterly foolish."
But the one claiming to be Enkidu didn't care about Jeanne, and spoke to herself instead.
"I had hoped to shake up these worthless trash resisting pointlessly… but it looks like it backfired a little. Oh well. And where is that pillar of support? With her power, she should be able to see through this body…"
Enkidu looked toward Uruk, seemingly locking eyes with those dark silver eyes.
"If only you would break down directly… but I guess it won't be that easy."
Shifting her gaze, Enkidu swept across Uruk's army formation.
"Meaningless bloodshed… destined destruction no matter what… fine, let's see how long this bunch of trash can hold out. Before that, let me send you a little gift—as a greeting."
Just as she finished her mocking tone, countless chains shot up from the ground again.
But this time, their target wasn't Jeanne in front of her—
—it was the massed ranks of Uruk's soldiers behind her!
Watching the incoming chains, Jeanne clenched her teeth. The worst-case scenario had still happened.
The enemy attacking the rear at such a wide scale—even she couldn't protect everyone.
Then… the only way—
Though extremely difficult, she could only try to defeat the caster first!
Jeanne's eyes sharpened. She raised her flag and charged at Enkidu.
But several chains suddenly changed direction, blocking Jeanne's path.
"Damn it!"
Restrained by the chains, Jeanne couldn't launch a second charge in time.
"Raise shields! Block it!"
Facing the incoming chains, the Uruk commander gritted his teeth and still gave the command.
Though even he wasn't sure how much it would help.
After all, although they had never officially seen Enkidu's martial might, they had heard that he possessed strength capable of entangling with a king who could break a city alone, to the point of being evenly matched.
The person before them, although certainly not that king's close friend Enkidu, emitted an aura that was not diminished in the slightest.
Faced with the attack of such a powerful being, the commander truly could not feel much sense of security from the shields raised above by the surrounding guards.
Just as the chains reached above the Uruk army formation, about to fall—countless blue arrows of light shot over from the distance, accurately dispersing each and every chain.
"Hmm?"
The person who appeared to be Enkidu raised an eyebrow and, repeating the trick, transformed the chains into countless weapons, once again launching them at the Uruk formation.
However, the second wave of light arrows still accurately neutralized every weapon.
The Enkidu (suspected) finally became slightly serious and was just about to act again when she suddenly clicked her tongue, tilted her head slightly, and a light arrow brushed past her ear.
"That's enough. If you still wish to continue fighting, then let me be your opponent."
At some unknown point, Arjuna, dressed in white, had already appeared at Jeanne's side, facing Enkidu (suspected) together with her.
"Oh?"
The Enkidu (suspected) curled her lips slightly.
"India's great hero, huh? Though letting you exit the stage here is one option… it's not the time to get entangled with you all right now..."
As she spoke, Enkidu (suspected)'s body gradually turned into soil and flowed into the earth.
"Well then, we'll settle things next time… if you can live until then."
At the same time Enkidu merged into the earth, a frenzied horde of magical beasts surged forward once again.
Arjuna furrowed his brow, nocked an arrow, and shot it. Mid-flight, it transformed into a rain of light that wiped out all the incoming magical beasts. Then he turned to Jeanne.
"Seems like they've really left… Are you alright?"
"Yes, I wasn't injured. But Mr. Arjuna, why did you…?"
Jeanne asked Arjuna curiously.
Though the three of them were fighting on the same frontline, due to the great length of the defense line, they naturally had to be spread out, and generally wouldn't interfere with each other's positions.
"You made such a ruckus here… I think even Saber felt it, right? But since I arrived first, she hasn't made any particular moves for now."
"I see… In any case, thank you so much. If not for your support just now, the losses here would've been immeasurable… Oh right, about earlier, perhaps we should report it to the Master first."
"Yeah… Since you witnessed it firsthand, I'll leave the report to you. For now, Saber and I will hold the line."
Arjuna nodded and cleared out another wave of minor soldiers with a shot.
"Understood. Then I'll return as soon as possible."
────────────────────────
On the city wall, Ophis shifted her gaze from the frontlines and looked toward the first arriving messenger.
"About the sudden appearance of a dense forest to the south—send someone to explore it first. Don't go in directly, start from the outskirts and slowly advance."
"Ah, y-yes!"
The messenger received the command and quickly departed, while Ophis also immediately moved to leave.
"Wait, Your Majesty! Though unconfirmed, this is still quite important information!"
Siduri became anxious and hurriedly spoke.
"What?"
Only then did Ophis stop her steps.
"Just now, the scouts sent to investigate the north have returned word—someone suspected to be the enemy's commander has been discovered… However, I believe this information still needs confirmation."
"Who is it?"
"...According to the scouts' report… it's Lord Enkidu!"
"Hmm, understood."
"Your Majesty?"
Faced with an unexpectedly calm reaction, Siduri looked at Ophis curiously.
"No need for confirmation. The scout did well."
"Eh?"
Siduri stared with widened eyes in surprise, but Ophis had already turned and headed toward the temple without looking back.
"W-wait, Your Majesty! Don't tell me… you think that person is truly Lord Enkidu?!"
[Didn't expect that—even you didn't flinch.]
"You already knew, didn't you, Ki?"
[Yup, saw it the first time. What, you saw it too?]
"Why didn't you say anything?"
[Well, if I told you straight up, you might've made the wrong decision, right? I figured it was better for you to go from suspicion to confirmation yourself, and prepare mentally in the process... Besides, people like us—shady prophet-types—should have that 'I know everything but won't tell you' mysterious vibe, don't you think? It's boring if I just spill everything.]
"..."
Ophis figured that last bit was probably the real reason.
It had been so long since she spoke with that guy, she'd almost forgotten he had a few screws loose.
Not until Ophis entered the temple's inner chamber did Siduri finally catch up as if waking up from a trance.
"Siduri, you're really such a stickler."
"I am not! It's Your Majesty who is being too nonchalant! This is an extremely serious issue! If that person really is Lord Enkidu, Uruk's morale could collapse entirely!"
Siduri was on the verge of a breakdown. It was too hard to keep up with a king who thought in such a strange way.
"Oh, sounds like I've heard some very interesting news."
At this moment, Merlin swaggered in with Heracles in tow.
"Good morning, everyone! Your beloved advisor Merlin has arrived~"
"Merlin! Please don't interrupt during important discussions!"
Ophis looked at Merlin oddly.
For someone as polite as Siduri to snap at him… that's quite the accomplishment in a twisted way.
But Ophis also sharply noticed that Merlin appeared even more ethereal—and even weaker—than when he was first summoned.
At least, he didn't look like he'd been slacking.
"Geez, so strict. But I'm also curious about this Enkidu matter."
"Master! I have an important report!"
Seeing Jeanne rush in, Ophis sighed.
Things really were getting more and more troublesome.
"Oh, so Miss Jeanne saw that Enkidu?"
After listening to Jeanne recount the brief clash, Merlin clapped his hands, looking very interested.
"Yes. According to the soldiers' chatter, the opponent's appearance indeed matched that of 'Enkidu'."
"Then Miss Jeanne! Do you believe it was the real Enkidu?"
"Um… since I've never met the original Lord Enkidu, I can't be sure."
Faced with Siduri suddenly leaning in, Jeanne was a little flustered and took a small step back.
"Ah, I'm very sorry. I lost composure."
Siduri also realized she was overly emotional, stepped back a bit, and stood behind Ophis.
"Hmm… that really is a big problem. If it is the real one, our King Ophis might just defect on the spot."
Siduri opened her mouth to refute Merlin, but…
Crap. That possibility… isn't even that far-fetched!
Which is exactly why she hated Merlin's "I-don't-care-about-anything" expression so much!
"Your Majesty…"
"Don't worry."
To Siduri's nervous inquiry, Ophis waved casually and walked over to the main seat.
"Enkidu has the ability to merge with the earth and move…"
RUMBLE—
Before she could finish, a beam of blue light cannon pierced the ceiling and fell toward the group.
"Tch…"
Ophis gritted her teeth, her expression darkened, eyes narrowing and glowing with murderous rage.
But it lasted only a moment—she quickly returned to her usual lifeless, indifferent smile and casually deflected the beam.
Almost no one noticed the brief shift in Ophis's expression… except one magician with a pair of convenient eyes.
"Yo, I'm back to play again!"
Looking through the hole blasted in the ceiling, it was no surprise to see Ishtar happily waving from atop her sky barque.
"Oh~ so this is the legendary goddess Ishtar? Just as beautiful as the rumors say."
Before Ophis could reply, Merlin jumped in first.
"Hah? Who's this sleazy guy that makes you wanna kick him in the face just by looking?"
"What a wonderfully blunt reaction. Goddess of Venus, you know it's quite damaging to others' hearts to say that to someone you've just met, right?"
Ishtar's disgusted face turned even more disgusted.
"You'd be better off just letting your heart get riddled with holes and self-destructing. That'd save my eyes the trauma."
"Ishtar."
At this moment, Ophis exhaled heavily and finally spoke.
"What?"
Hearing Ophis's voice, Ishtar instinctively looked over.
And saw dozens of streaking projectiles flying toward her.
"Wait, this is unfair—HEY I SAID WAIT!"
Ishtar's face darkened and she dodged quickly.
Every weapon had anti-god properties. Who plays like this?!
"Ishtar, you're an enemy."
"Okay, sure, but can't you at least play fair?! I was just clearing out a few sneak-attacking wyverns for you—uh, for Uruk—on the way here!"
Only when Ishtar said that did Ophis stop her assault.
"Ha! Surprised, aren't you? I told you, Uruk is mine to destroy—only I get to break it. Those two snakes popping up uninvited isn't right… And sure, we agreed not to fight each other, but those flying reptiles blocked my path on their own, okay? Even when I tried to bombard Uruk, they blocked my shots. So me clearing obstacles is totally justified!"
Ophis fell silent.
She figured she should probably mourn Ishtar's teammates first.
Also, technically speaking, Ophis herself could be classified as a "flying reptile."
More importantly, she realized she had been careless… Even after peering into the future, she had focused too much on the big picture and ignored minor aerial ambushes.
Though she could repel them with ease, any minor loss was still a loss.
It seemed both an aerial surveillance and defense net had to be set up now.
And… she might really owe Ishtar a small favor.
"Counting the original time with the Harvest Blessing, that's already one big and one small favor."
"Should I beat the other party until they're half-crippled, capture them, and then let them go as repayment for the favor?"
"But flying around like this, capturing them should be very difficult… forget it."
"Treaty, huh… The other party unknowingly revealed quite a bit of information again."
"In other words, the three gods merely cannot strike each other, but are not truly allies? Even the treaty only goes that far."
"As expected, even if the chances are slim, maybe the method I thought of is still a little feasible…"
"At this pace, as long as Ishtar runs a few more times, all the intel about this god alliance should become perfectly clear, right?"
"As expected, letting her go to gather information is still the better choice."
"Most importantly…"
"Ishtar still loves humans. From her earlier statements, you can barely see traces of that."
"At the very least, the magical beasts that died under her bombardment were probably more than the humans."
"'I understand. This time, I'll let you go first.'"
"'Oh, thanks… Wait, the way you're saying it sounds like you've totally got me figured out, hey!'"
"'So in the end, why did Ishtar come here this time?'"
"'Isn't that obvious?'"
Upon hearing this question, Ishtar proudly puffed out her much-shrunken chest.
"'Though I was just passing by and cleared the roadblock as a side thing, I also very perfectly helped you all repel those magical beasts, didn't I? Shouldn't I get some reward or something?'"
"..."
Orphis really doesn't believe that after this so-called perfect repelling, Uruk's buildings could still remain intact.
And since when did this fellow's class fall so low as to come ask mortals for a reward?
"Report: Just now, several dozen wyverns seemed to be preparing to attack Uruk, but were shot down by an unidentified flying object in the sky. However, the attacks from the unidentified flying object also caused considerable damage to part of the housing."
"You bastard, who are you calling an unidentified flying object! Be careful or I'll make all your male descendants only fall in love with men and all your female descendants only fall in love with women, got it!?"
"Th-This… Is it the goddess Ishtar? My King, please allow me to withdraw first. After all, I don't want my line to end…"
…This soldier is really cowardly. And with the end near, where are those descendants supposed to come from?
ButOphis also knows, even if they act cowardly now, if a real fight happens, most soldiers would be willing to stand at the frontlines, even if it's just to be cannon fodder.
She waved her hand helplessly to let the soldier leave, then casually tossed a gem to Ishtar.
"Ohh, I'm very satisfied with this tribute. Remember to offer more in the future. Well then, I'll come play with you again next time~"
"..."
Honestly, she thought Ishtar would feel like she was being treated like a beggar.
Because in truth, that was the exact mindset she had.
She wondered whether, when she returned, the god's true body would consider this period a black history…
And just like that, Ishtar left, laughing wildly.
This wild laughter was completely meaningless toOphis.
"Siduri, contact the priesthood. Barriers must be placed all around Uruk—no gaps allowed, whether on land or in the sky."
As if what had just happened didn't occur,Ophis immediately issued new orders.
Land defenses… are to guard against that "Enkidu."
"Wait, King, that person in the end…"
Siduri still wanted to ask, but Merlin blocked her with his staff.
"Hmm, KingOphis, some things must still be clarified. I'm also very curious… Miss Jeanne, with your rank, you should be able to judge whether that 'Enkidu' is a Servant, right?"
Stepping forward, Merlin spoke lightly, but his question unexpectedly hit the mark.
"Ah, yes. That person… should not be."
Jeanne thought for a moment, then showed a firm expression.
"Whether it's the residual authority of a Ruler, or the 'Revelation' that gave me hints, or what 'Enkidu' himself said, all point to the conclusion that 'Enkidu' is not a Servant… However, also not a human. Comparatively, the current him…"
As she spoke, Jeanne glanced atOphis, as if hesitating about something.
"A weapon."
ButOphis directly interrupted her and calmly said those two words.
"It's just a weapon. Nothing more."
Orphis didn't finish.
Whether in the past or now, 'Enkidu' is a weapon.
A weapon that, as a weapon, is utterly unqualified.
────Whether in the past… or now.
"A weapon, huh… That's indeed a perfectly fitting term, KingOphis."
Merlin still wore that smile. From the start, no one could tell what he was thinking.
"Um… KingOphis, actually, besides the matter of Lord Enkidu, there's something I never had a chance to tell you…"
"Hm? …Right. Siduri, go relay the order just now, and also, Ishtar's appearance is suspicious… go investigate at the 'Oracle Hall'."
"…Yes, your will."
Orphis waved her hand, letting Siduri leave first.
It wasn't to drive her away. It's just that some things should be done sooner rather than later.
"Actually, besides the knowledge and memories I should have originally had, I also possess other memories… a brief memory after I died and became a Servant."
As she said this, Jeanne's expression turned very serious.
"There's no mistake. It was just a vague guess at first, but the longer I stay in this era, the stronger that feeling becomes… Back then, although the scale was much smaller than this time, the overall sensation is very similar!"
Orphis rubbed her forehead.
According to sister golden finger, summoned Heroic Spirits shouldn't possess excess knowledge… which means what Jeanne remembers is definitely not 'excess'—but essential information for her.
"Oh, so Miss Jeanne already experienced a Singularity once before this? Hmm, I really am surprised~"
Merlin said with a face that showed no surprise at all.
"Singularity, huh…"
This word…
[Oh oh, a Singularity—definitely a very fitting term.]
Sister golden sister, who had finally stockpiled enough soy sauce at home to make a swimming pool, suddenly spoke up.
"Sister golden sister?"
[Eh? Don't tell me you didn't notice? Ever since that giant circle appeared in the sky, this whole region has been severed from the world, y'know? Super obvious, right? Even I, a special being stuffed in your body, can feel it. So being called a Singularity is spot on!]
"..."
[...Don't tell me you really didn't notice?]
"..."
Orphis really hadn't paid attention to that situation.
Her severance from the world still existed. Changes in the world were too difficult for her to perceive.
[Whatever… for now, just pay attention to what others are saying.]
Spiritual communication happened instantly—in others' eyes,Ophis merely paused a bit after hearing the term.
"Oh, it seems KingOphis has reached a conclusion. But as your most trustworthy advisor, the Flower Magus Merlin must still demonstrate some value, so I'll reveal some intel~"
Merlin raised two fingers in a V-sign.
"For Singularities like this, currently, there are a total of seven~ Though most have already been repaired, the one we're experiencing now is theoretically the last one. Ah, according to a certain law spread from who-knows-when, the last one is usually the hardest~"
So what does a V have to do with seven…?
"Jeanne, talk about your situation from back then—just the key points."
"Yes… That Singularity was shortly after my death in France… The incident began when a former comrade, Gilles, obtained the Holy Grail and wished to create a 'Jeanne the Witch' who shouldn't exist… thus disrupting—or rather, destroying France as revenge…"
As Jeanne recounted the event,Ophis could roughly infer what exactly a "Singularity" was.
Picking the most important seven "points" that every parallel world's human history must experience, drastically altering their historical course, pulling them out of the normal timeline—these become so-called "Singularities."
And the culprit—was the so-called "Holy Grail."
As for where the Grail came from, why it appeared, there was no intel in Jeanne's memory—no way to deduce it.
What's confirmed is that it definitely did not belong to the original era.
Orphis suddenly remembered something sister golden finger once said.
Those with excellent "eyes."
Speaking of excellent eyes—Merlin over here seems to have them too, and seems to know a lot.
Eyes are really annoying…
As for these Singularities—if the deviation from history exceeds a certain value, they'll collapse… and the result?
Orphis guessed: it would probably mean the collapse of all human history, right?
At that time, humanity's survival would become impossible—in other words, extinction.
…That's really not good news, especially sinceOphis was forcibly assigned this responsibility by Enkidu.
At the same time, Jeanne revealed another piece of intel…
An organization called "Chaldea," said to be the guardian of human order.
"Looks like KingOphis has sorted out all the intel. As you suspect—humanity in the future really is destroyed~"
"So as long as the Singularity still exists, the state of destruction continues?"
"Oh, as expected of a king with divine wisdom—though there seem to be a few… subtle… missteps, that wisdom remains undiminished."
Orphis narrowed her eyes and didn't respond.
"Anyway, that organization called Chaldea seems to have already resolved the other six Singularities. So if we just hold out until they arrive, maybe this one can be resolved too?"
Merlin didn't mindOphis' silence, spreading his arms and continuing.
"Pinning all hope on others is the most foolish action. Unless all other options are exhausted, it should not be considered."
Orphis stood up, her gaze sharp as a viper, staring straight at Merlin.
"Just now, you bought me time to calm down, and for that, I'm grateful. But that's no reason for you to spout nonsense… Magus!"
"Ah, such overwhelming presence, King Ophis."
Faced with her glare, Merlin still looked like a breeze in spring—his usual frivolous self.
"KingOphis, and Lord Merlin, please calm down first."
At this moment, a voice interrupted. Though not harsh, its tone carried undeniable authority.
A blonde girl displayed a determination different from before before the two.
As one of the top Heroic Spirits, Jeanne d'Arc is no delicate vase.
Even if she tries to deny it—she truly is the Saint of France, who led the charge against England!
Thanks to Jeanne's mediation,Ophis had no intention of continuing, and waved her hand as a signal for the three—Merlin, and silent B-san Heracles—to disperse. She herself was the first to leave.
Watching the back of the King of Uruk, Merlin's smile remained as enigmatic as ever.
[...Your emotions are quite unstable.]
"..."
Ophis did not reply.
She herself was well aware that her emotional fluctuations had already reached the extent of affecting her decision-making.
It's just that... after all, she had only lived a bit over a hundred years, and a full hundred of those were spent entirely within the dimensional gap where there was nothing.
Someone like her, who normally completely ignored her surroundings, might still be fine. But once she had to accept information from the outside world, there was a high possibility it would influence her emotions.
With only a year of external experience, no matter how calm her usual demeanor, it was impossible for her mentality to reach the level of those old monsters.
...Especially after the body of her close friend had been taken over by some guy from who knows where.
Originally, she had already seen this event within fate.
But that was different from confirming it with her own eyes.
Just thinking of this matter made the vast energy inside Ophis begin to stir, and it even triggered the surrounding source magic power.
But in the end, it calmed down.
Such emotions were of no help to the current situation; Ophis could still distinguish priorities.
Only do what needs to be done — that had always been her approach, and acting on impulse was clearly not included in that.
[There are some problems that can't be solved even with great power... mm... unless one reaches true omniscience and omnipotence. But does such a realm really exist?]
"Even you don't know?"
[Hah, even if one did reach what they believe to be omniscience and omnipotence, how could they be sure that it is truly omniscience and omnipotence? This kind of problem is originally an unsolvable paradox. There's no point in thinking about it.]
"..."
Ophis thought for a moment and realized that this topic was actually brought up by the other party.
[So then, what do we do next? Kill that 'Enkidu'?]
"No... as long as she doesn't cross the bottom line, I won't act against her."
Ophis shook her head.
She could tell — the 'Enkidu' was indeed using the real, original body of Enkidu.
Although that body had turned into soil in front of Ophis' eyes, as long as one possessed sufficient authority, reconstructing it wouldn't be impossible.
And Enkidu was a weapon. The most important part of a weapon was the weapon part itself. In Enkidu's case, that was her body… or rather, her "machine body."
As far as weapon composition went, even if the soul changed, as long as the replacement soul had sufficient strength to reach the threshold, the machine body's performance would remain entirely intact.
Ophis regarded Enkidu as a close friend and acknowledged the value of her 'soul' as a weapon — but she wouldn't deny the value of her body as a weapon either.
Treating a weapon as a human, as a peer, or as some other being — in Ophis' view, that was foolish. Since it's a weapon, it should be used as a weapon, to its fullest extent — that is the greatest respect for her.
Unless Enkidu herself first denied her identity as a weapon, Ophis would continue to uphold this stance.
So, Ophis would not take the initiative to destroy that body.
Because if she did, Enkidu would lose her value as a weapon.
[This is your choice, huh. Truly not even a bit surprising — though I don't dislike it... and didn't you say it yourself? Just like the Enkidu of the past, this current 'Enkidu' is also an unqualified weapon.]
"But at least for now, she is still a weapon that is only wielded by others."
Ophis shook her head.
"Let's not talk about that… What do you think of the Singularities and Chaldea?"
[Hmm… the Singularities go without saying. It's probably something done by someone bored and wanting to destroy humanity… A deviation of this type of fate — if it were during my prime, I could fix it with just a flick of the finger… But I have to admit, their method is quite clever.]
"Not only that — the technique is very advanced."
[Indeed. To disrupt as many as seven points in time using this method — whether in terms of knowledge or power, they are probably flawless.]
If it were Ophis doing it herself... she'd probably only be able to come up with something like charging a sword of ending for seven days.
And the result would probably be getting bombarded back by an entire fleet of light cannons, forcefully pushing back the great flood.
[Anyway, let's deal with the problem at hand first. That hand behind the curtain isn't so easy to reach.]
"Then what about Chaldea?"
[Extra information... you probably wouldn't be interested anyway. In short, based on my absolutely unfailing intuition, that's an organization that can be trusted… As for whether they can be useful — you'll have to go see for yourself.]
"Mm..."
"King!"
At this moment, Siduri came running over in a hurry.
"Finished with your task?"
Ophis frowned. Issuing commands was fine, but she'd tasked Siduri with investigating the Priestess Institute — and for that kind of mission, Siduri's return was a bit too fast.
"King, forgive my rudeness — but something rather serious has happened."
In a sense… was this within expectations?
"…Speak."
"A report just came from the city of Kutha. It seems… everyone in the city has died silently overnight! According to the report, there were no signs beforehand, and the deceased citizens all looked quite peaceful — at a glance, it's no different from simply being asleep."
Hearing this, Ophis rubbed her brow again.
"I understand. Continue with your previous task — I'll handle this matter."
"Yes!"
Siduri ran off again.
[You don't look too surprised, huh?]
"Mm, I already saw it once beforehand."
[…Is that so?]
"You have no leads either?"
[There's just not enough information.]
To this response, Ophis could only sigh helplessly.
[However — though Kutha's overall strength might not be very high, there are still a few powerful individuals to keep order. And according to that priestess just now, everyone in the city of Kutha died in a single night, without even a ripple — if it's not some powerful magical beast with a unique ability, then it could only be a god's doing, right?]
"A god… huh?"
This was getting more and more troublesome.
"Does such a power have any way to invade Uruk?"
[That I don't know. To be safe, you should make the most thorough preparations possible.]
Ophis sighed again.
What else could she do? She could only obediently begin making arrangements on that front.
To imagine divine authority as the enemy...
That's one massive undertaking.
Since that's the case... she might as well make some insignificant preparations for the end times too...
"Just what are you thinking, Lord Merlin? Although I don't quite understand what's going on, you should've already predicted beforehand that saying those words would provoke King Ophis' displeasure, right?"
On the other side, the moment the three Servants walked out of the temple, Jeanne frowned and questioned.
"Hmm, seems the Holy Maiden is also quite strict."
In response to Jeanne's questioning, Merlin still had his usual carefree look.
"Lord Merlin!"
Faced with Merlin's reaction, Jeanne was helpless.
"Right now is a time concerning the survival of humanity, we absolutely cannot divide ourselves internally…"
"Relax, relax."
Facing Jeanne's repeated persuasion, Merlin just waved his hand.
"That King, in terms of 'observing propriety', might even be more rigorous than the one I once guided. Such a person, more than anyone, is clearly aware of what should be done and what should not be done, and will force herself to abide by those rules. So, what you worry about, Holy Maiden, absolutely won't happen."
"I-Is that so…?"
"However, unlike the one I guided back then, this King merely uses those rules to restrain herself. That's not necessarily a good thing, you know?"
"Is… that not good?"
Jeanne asked doubtfully.
In her life, as the Holy Maiden of France, she was of course someone who strictly disciplined herself. In her view, even if it wasn't an absolutely correct behavior, it was at least better than a life of indulgence.
"Indeed, in terms of outcome, this does reduce the chances of accidents to the lowest point… but that's all there is to it."
Merlin smiled lightly and shook his head.
"Binding oneself within the framework of being a 'King' — in the end, such a person can only be an excellent monarch, never a 'Heroic King'. Because of that, she will always remain in a state of confusion, I suppose?"
"Is that so…?"
Jeanne couldn't understand this.
However, as the outstanding magus who once cultivated that 'Perfect King,' Merlin probably wouldn't speak nonsense on such matters.
"Well, talking more about this is meaningless. Holy Maiden, you'd best return to the front lines quickly. The soldiers should be looking forward to seeing your gallant figure again."
"Yes… I understand."
Though still feeling somewhat uneasy, Jeanne knew very well what her mission was.
Unlike Artoria and Arjuna.
Those two could at most provide support in military strength and strategic tactics. But she was the spiritual pillar of the entire army.
Someone like her couldn't be away for too long.
Hoisting her battle flag once again, Jeanne sprinted toward the northern battlefield.
"Hmm, never thought I'd have a bit of occupational disease too? Although it wasn't too direct, it should at least get her to start facing some issues, right? Now then, which direction will the future develop toward?"
With a smile, Merlin looked up at the sky.
"Ah, even though this level of vision is already quite convenient, it would still be easier if I could see the future like the other two… But this kind of uncertainty isn't without its charm, I suppose…"
"What do you think, King Ophis?"
Behind Merlin, Ophis slowly stepped out from the temple.
"Perhaps."
The unknown could indeed bring amusement… but in the current situation, if one could fully perceive the future, Ophis would gladly accept it even if it were boring.
It's just that this was a meaningless hypothesis — Ophis wasn't interested in delving too deeply into it.
"Merlin, I have something I need your help with."
"Oh, for King Ophis to say such a thing, that really is surprising."
With not a hint of surprise on his face, Merlin spoke.
Ophis didn't mind, and directly took out a barrel filled with red liquid and a slab from the Treasury of the King and handed them to Merlin.
"Inscribing the magic circle — it has to cover all of Uruk. I'll handle the core formation within the temple. The rest, I leave to you, Merlin."
"Oh?"
Receiving the items and scanning the blueprint of the magic circle, Merlin chuckled softly.
"So that's how it is? Looks like King Ophis already has a plan for the future. If that's the case, then as your familiar, I can only offer my full support."
"I'm counting on you."