Episode 261: The Final Moment; Defeat Within a Hair's Breadth?
『 At this moment, the curtains rose once again on a fierce pursuit.
Old Man—the legendary leader of assassins—charged toward the Lahmu as if he were in some kind of 'Unstoppable' state, completely ignoring all obstacles.
This behavior of running rampant by relying on one's own invincible power was truly going too far.
However, that being said, with the intervention and support of a powerhouse like King Hassan, the originally unfavorable situation did indeed see a turn for the better, except…
On another part of the Underworld, Fujimaru Ritsuka's situation could be described as extremely critical.
The air was thick with tension, and every heartbeat felt exceptionally heavy.
Flying unimpeded all the way, the group soon caught up with the ascending Tiamat.
Tiamat's speed was incredibly fast, as if leaving afterimages in the void of the Underworld, but everyone still pushed themselves to the limit to give chase, fearing they might miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Seeing the ascending Tiamat nearly reaching the exit of the Underworld, about to leave this place for the lands of Mesopotamia to regain her power, Fujimaru Ritsuka's voice suddenly grew tense.
He clenched his fists, his brow furrowed, as if the entire world were condensed into this single moment.
"This is bad! I can already see the exit…" Before his voice could fade, the tension in the air froze.
Upon hearing Fujimaru Ritsuka's words, whether it was Ereshkigal at his side, the junior Mash, or the people of Chaldea monitoring the battle, everyone became tense in an instant.
A flicker of worry flashed in Ereshkigal's eyes, Mash gripped her shield tightly, and the rest of the Chaldea staff stood ready, prepared to face this decisive battle.
If Tiamat were truly allowed to return to the surface, not only would her sealed power be restored, but more importantly, without the Underworld's suppression of Tiamat, defeating her would become an absolute impossibility.
Such an ending was something no one wanted to face.
"Fujimaru Ritsuka! Tiamat is only about three hundred meters from the Underworld exit! You must attack immediately! You absolutely cannot let her return to the surface!" Accompanied by the shout of Dr. Roman from Chaldea, his voice, filled with urgency, reached everyone's ears.
Along with Dr. Roman's words, various scenes flashed through Fujimaru Ritsuka's mind in an instant.
Whether it was the 'Big Sister' Quetzalcoatl or Benkei who sacrificed their lives to buy time for Uruk, or Kingu or Gilgamesh—their life-risking battles remained deeply etched in his mind.
These images were like brands, impossible to wash away.
So… no matter what, their efforts could not be in vain. He knew very well that if Tiamat wasn't stopped here, this operation would end in failure, and then…
The extinction of human history would become a certainty. He, Fujimaru Ritsuka, absolutely could not let that happen. This sense of responsibility was like a giant boulder pressing on his heart, making it almost hard to breathe.
As the last Master of humanity, that steel-like will was once again displayed by Fujimaru Ritsuka.
At this moment, his gaze became incredibly resolute; looking at Tiamat before him, there wasn't a trace of nervousness or fear.
His gaze was unwavering, as if nothing could shake his resolve.
"Let's end this! Tiamat!" With these words full of determination, Fujimaru Ritsuka's voice echoed in the air like a battlefield horn, stirring the fighting spirit in everyone's hearts.
After being replenished by Fujimaru Ritsuka's magical energy, Mash regained part of her strength and charged directly at Tiamat.
Her movements were agile, every step firm and powerful, as if no obstacle could block her path forward.
BANG—!
A heavy shield bash slammed squarely into Tiamat's body. The sound of the shield hitting the body echoed in the air, as shocking as a thunderclap.
However, trying to delay Tiamat with physical attacks was surely impossible.
This hit was like an itch to Tiamat—she even ignored it directly.
Her massive body vibrated slightly, but she suffered no significant damage, as if it were merely a trivial interlude.
Tiamat's goal was simple: at this moment, she only wanted to return to the embrace of the earth.
That longing and obsession were plain to see in her eyes, as if it were the only wish of her life. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Even though our current stance is that of enemies…" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "But seeing her want to go up so badly, why do I feel a bit sorry for her?" ]
[ Rimuru Tempest (Tensura): "After all, wasn't she called the Mother of Genesis and the Creation Goddess of that world?" ]
[ Rimuru Tempest (Tensura): "It's quite normal." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "But, but I'm not human!" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Not… human?" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "She's emergency food!" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "I am not!" ]
[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "No wonder I saw you flying before; so you're not a person." ]
[ Rimuru Tempest (Tensura): "It's fine. Anyway, I've turned into a slime now, so it's all the same." ]
[ .....]
『 Just as Mash was thinking of continuing the attack, she felt a mysterious pulling force appear at her feet.
This sensation came out of nowhere, as if a pair of invisible giant hands were dragging her with force.
By the time she snapped out of it, it was already too late; she could only let this pulling force throw her flying away.
Her body tumbled under this powerful force, nearly losing all sense of direction. She struggled constantly in the air, but to no avail.
The moment Mash was attacked, everyone reacted.
Everyone's hearts tightened, immediately realizing this was a bad omen.
The creatures before them were none other than the Lahmu. These few Lahmu must have taken the opportunity to escape while the others were fighting the Old Man of the Mountain.
Their sudden appearance in the battle caught everyone off guard, and at this moment, it felt particularly terrifying.
After all, how did six Lahmu suddenly become two in an instant? The audience couldn't figure it out either. Everything happened too fast for the viewers to fully process.
But at this moment, they realized—so these guys came here to do something big. However, for Fujimaru Ritsuka's group, this was not good news at all.
After all, the current situation… could no longer be described as just "bad"; it was absolutely dire.
Tiamat was closing in; time was running out.
Tiamat was about to reach the exit, and there was still a Lahmu in front of them—or so they thought, until they realized they were wrong. The truth was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
The moment Mash regrouped, the sound of a sonic boom cutting through the air came from beneath the Underworld. That sound was sharp and deafening, as if warning them of the danger to come.
BANG—!
Along with this sound, the ground shook a few times, as if some massive object were approaching.
Fortunately, Mash reacted in time, using her shield to block the collision from this Lahmu; otherwise, the previous situation would have certainly been disastrous. Her speed of reaction and firmness of defense saved her from serious injury at this critical moment.
"Mash!" Her companions called her name anxiously, worried she might meet with an accident.
Two Lahmu… then? They absolutely could not be delayed here. If they didn't think of a way to bypass them soon, Tiamat would be out. The situation was extremely urgent, allowing for not a moment's delay.
"Use my Noble Phantasm to deal with them!" Ereshkigal finally spoke at this moment. Along with her resolute gaze, the audience watching the video saw hope once again.
Her determination and courage inspired everyone, giving them a glimmer of light.
At this moment, Ereshkigal looked as if she were possessed by a witch; her palms were instantly covered in magical energy, and violet-red mana erupted directly from them.
That light was dazzling and brilliant, making it impossible to look at directly.
Simultaneously, the Lahmu that were just moving were suddenly bound tightly by this invisible magical energy, unable to move at all.
It was as if they had fallen into an invisible restraint; every movement they made was controlled by Ereshkigal.
Seeing this scene, a certain viewer felt that this person… looked so much like the Scarlet Witch, and this ability… was too similar… Despite such doubts, he was still shocked and impressed by Ereshkigal's power.
In any case, the current situation was good. Under the control of the Scarlet… oh no, Ereshkigal, one Lahmu was rendered completely immobile, which also created an opportunity for Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka.
The two immediately seized this precious moment to act.
"In my Underworld! Don't think you can do as you please!" Saying so, one Lahmu remained in a deadlock with Ereshkigal. Both sides were striving to gain the upper hand.
At the same time, seizing the opportunity, Mash charged at Tiamat with her shield, heading straight for Tiamat's head. Her steps were fast and firm, every stride filled with determination.
Since the attack on the body was blocked by you, then… I'll go straight for your vitals.
This thought made her aim for the opponent's weakness without hesitation.
In an instant, Mash turned into an afterimage, slamming her shield heavily toward Tiamat's eye. This sudden offensive left Tiamat temporarily unable to respond.
Just as the attack was about to land, a Lahmu suddenly grabbed her and flew out together. This unexpected obstacle ruined her attack plan.
Meanwhile, the Lahmu's back opened up again, and countless purple beams of light shot continuously at the three in the air. The beams were like sharp arrows, firing densely at them.
Such an attack was fatal for Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had no combat ability.
He struggled greatly to dodge in the air, barely able to avoid the attacks coming his way.
The moment the attack arrived, Mash rushed over and blocked it for him, but the two also fell onto the soil of the Underworld as a result.
Upon landing, a violent impact caused them both significant injury.
On the other side, Ereshkigal, who was still in a deadlock, was suddenly hit by a solid blow while she was unguarded. This hit landed directly on her.
The three of them… crashed heavily onto the soil of the Underworld at the same time.
This sudden assault caught them completely off guard.
In that brief period, whether it was Merlin, the combat-incapacitated Ishtar, or even the absurdly high-tier combatant King Hassan, the Old Man of the Mountain—all were tied down by the Lahmu before them.
They were completely unable to pull away to deal with anything else.
Fujimaru Ritsuka's group, having fallen back to the ground, wanted to take flight again to provide support, but it was clearly too late; they simply couldn't act in time.
At this moment, a ray of light illuminated Tiamat's massive body. Feeling the long-lost sunlight, Tiamat let out a joyful, low-pitched cry.
"AAAAA—!"
Because of the Lahmu's obstruction, no one present could react or intervene in the current situation in time.
Looking at the victory within reach, the Lahmu couldn't help but cross its arms over its chest and reveal a smug smile.
However, this smile seemed more like a mockery of everyone's incompetence to others.
"If this continues… Tiamat will…" Everyone understood that defeating Tiamat after she set foot on the earth again was an almost impossible task, but now it seemed no one could stop her steps toward returning to the surface. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Why? Why is it like this?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "We were clearly just one step away." ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "At this point, all available power has already been used." ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "Perhaps there really is no way left." ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "I feel so frustrated, honestly." ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Even though history can't be changed, seeing a failure like this still makes one feel very bad." ]
[ Shinomiya Kaguya (Love Is War): "+ 1" ]
[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "Kaguya-chan~!!!" ]
[ Shinomiya Kaguya (Love Is War): "..." ]
[ .....]
〜Naruto World〜
"They've persisted this far… and there's still no way…?"
Naruto's teeth were biting his lip hard, the frustration in his heart constantly surging.
Just when no one knew what to do.
—
『 Suddenly! A golden figure appeared in the sky. This suddenly manifest being was located at the highest point of the Underworld, looking down at Tiamat, who was about to leave the subterranean depths.
Then… hundreds and thousands of strange weapons shining with golden light poured down from the heights like a meteor shower.
The Lahmu, who a second ago was full of self-satisfaction and pride, lost consciousness entirely in the next instant. It was annihilated by the densely fired weapons, not even getting a chance to react or counterattack.
Then, people witnessed this scene—Gilgamesh finally appeared at the critical moment.
He wore his trademark smile and launched an attack by casually flinging various weapons, a scene identical to the ones seen in memory.
His stalwart and magnificent figure was wrapped in dazzling golden radiance, wearing half a set of golden armor.
The clinking sound as he moved quickly was crisp and pleasant, and the large red cloth streamers fluttering beside him added a touch of majesty.
His handsome face, his golden hair standing upright like a lion's mane, and his sharp, keen eyes like a venomous snake all silently proclaimed his status and position as a King.
"What are you all dawdling here for?" Before his voice could fade, wave after wave of golden light, like a descending rainstorm, fell from the sky, charging straight at Tiamat as she attempted to escape.
Countless golden rays gathered to form a powerful shockwave that lunged at her, with continuous explosions shaking the entire sky of the Underworld.
The Creation Goddess Tiamat, who had already nearly reached the escape exit, was forced to halt her steps, pushed back to her original position by this pile of weapons with terrifying power.
Countless sharp weapons, recorded in history and myth as legendary blades, emitted a brilliant golden light at this moment, collectively preventing Tiamat from continuing her climb to flee this place!
Any single one of these weapons was enough to go down in history as a Noble Phantasm-level existence… but at this special juncture, they were thrown out like toys that could be used in unlimited quantities!
Rumble!
After her dragonification, Tiamat's body was incredibly massive. The moment she fell back into the Underworld, she let out a deafening roar.
No one could have predicted that at such a critical moment, it would be Gilgamesh who pushed her off the edge of the Underworld's cliff.
This sudden action left people beyond surprised.
Now, for Tiamat to climb back to the surface from the abyss of the Underworld once more was an almost impossible feat. Her strength had been weakened to the point where she could no longer struggle.
With the appearance of a familiar figure, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash looked up slightly toward the direction of the voice, their eyes filled with disbelief and joy.
This savior, descending suddenly at the critical moment, undoubtedly ignited a spark of hope in their hearts. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Wait, THIS PERSON IS!!!!!" ]
[ .....]