Rikka analyzed the situation with cold precision. Tiamat was airborne. Gugalanna was out of control. If the bull attacked Tiamat now, the plan would fall apart.
[Yes, Rikka. You are doing the right thing.]
(——...)
[Yes, Mother forgives you. There is no need to hesitate. Decapitate the unruly beast that dares to offend your sight. It is time, Rikka...]
—I'll finish it here!
["Yes. A perfect decision. You have the judgment of a true leader. Now—come!"]
Rikka looked up, her voice ringing with resolve.
["Sorry, Ishtar, but we're putting Gugalanna down right now! Angra Mainyu!"]
["Hah? You sure—"]
Before he could finish, Rikka's wings shifted into blades. She rained down a thousand swords, impaling Gugalanna's massive frame.
『BUMOOOOOOOHHHH!?』
She seized the thrashing bull by its horns. With a strength that defied physics, she initiated a Spinning Horn Salt—spinning the gargantuan creature with dizzying momentum.
『BU-BUMOOOOOHHHH! BUMOOOOOOOOOHHHH——!!!』
"Wait—!! I'll fix it! Stop! That's my precious—!!"
Ishtar's frantic wails went unheard. The world was already spinning too fast.
["The Ninth Gate of Hell—The Final Lock!"]
With everything she had, Rikka hurled the bull downward. As Gugalanna fell, she dropped like a meteor, her knee locking onto its neck in a devastating knee-drop.
["HELL'S GUILLOTINE————!!!"]
They slammed into the seabed with the force of a dying star.
"NOOOOOOOO——!!! STOOOOOOOOP ITTTTTTTT——!!!"
Ishtar's scream was drowned out by the sound of the bull's death rattle, the roar of displaced water, and the final, catastrophic explosion of magical energy.
Gugalanna Minimum took a fatal blow to the neck. The "Guillotine" knee-drop severed the head of the Bull of Heaven. With a final, earth-shaking tremor, the divine beast went still.
["Movement stopped. Thank goodness."]
["Heart stopped, too. Well, if we didn't put it down, it would've kept acting up. All's well that ends well, right?"]
The roar of Azi Dahaka and the sobbing of Ishtar echoed across the scarred plains of Mesopotamia.
The Signal Cannon of the King
At the Ziggurat of Uruk, preparations for the final phase were reaching a fever pitch.
"Report! The goddess Tiamat has taken flight! She is heading directly for Uruk!"
The messenger's voice was a frantic shriek.
"Is Chaldea safe?! Answer me!" Gilgamesh barked.
"Yes, Sire! Coastal observations confirm they are functional! However, Gugalanna has fallen! It went berserk and was executed by Lady Rikka!"
The King let out a booming laugh at the absurdity of the report. Siduri, standing beside him, simply looked dead inside.
"Hahahaha! That woman never ceases to entertain! I must record this in the royal archives! A self-destruction of such grand proportions—how marvelous! Hahahaha!"
"...My King. Your next command," Siduri prompted.
"Ah, quite right. All units, to your stations! The Dingir Corps to the South and East! The Fangs of Naphishtim to the walls! Only Siduri and I shall remain in the Ziggurat! No one is permitted to leave their post until the deed is done!"
The soldiers saluted as one.
"Yes, King Gilgamesh! We offer our utmost respect and gratitude for the glory you have shown us!"
"And you as well. Work for your King until the very end."
Once the preparations were complete, the King bared his resolve.
"Now, Tiamat! Come and see the full might of the people of Uruk! This is our resistance! Draw your bows!! I permit it!!"
The Dingir cannons roared to life. All 360 muzzles swiveled toward the approaching goddess. With a heavy heart, the King authorized the sacrifice of the Lapis Lazuli payloads.
"Let the supreme treasures guard Uruk!! My resolve shall pierce the heavens!!"
The greatest artillery barrage in human history was unleashed.
"MELAMMU DINGIR————!!!!!"
The Wall of Love: ROMA
As the heart of the world—Uruk—appeared in Tiamat's vision, a shivering joy raced through her.
If I kill that... I can become a Mother again...
Trembling with the Authority of Regression, she redoubled her speed. I'm almost there. Wait for me, my children—
-------------------------------
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