But the "Mother" was not met with a welcome. She was met with a storm of fire.
[AaaaaaAaaaaa————!?]
The world-shaking roar of the Dingir cannons blasted into her.
"Crush the Lapis Lazuli! Tomoe will handle the transport!"
"Rotation! Maintain the rotation!! Do not panic! Do the simple things well!!"
Tomoe and Leonidas shouted commands as the soldiers fired relentlessly. The Wise King manually adjusted the trajectory of every stray shell with his own mana, ensuring that every single shot found its mark on Tiamat's hide.
[LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!]
Though the barrage was an agonizing nuisance, the Primordial Mother did not stop. She was deathless. She had no end. No matter the scale of the threat, she knew no fear. Even as her flesh scorched and blackened, she pressed forward.
Just a little further... just a little further...
Driven by instinct, she reached her hand toward Uruk—and in that moment:
"Now, Benkei!! Raise the anchor! Show her the Fangs of Naphishtim!!"
"HRRRRRGH—!!!"
With a strike from his spear, the secret weapon bared its teeth.
[AaaaaaAAAA!?]
Suddenly, a 'wall' appeared before her. A towering, hellish barricade that blocked her very flight path. Tiamat slammed into it at full speed. Once again, her "love" was rejected.
"Good! It worked!"
"Don't stop! Keep firing! Pour everything into her!!"
The Dingir assault intensified. Blocked and battered, Tiamat's frustration boiled over into pure hatred.
[AAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!]
She began to tear at the wall with brute strength, screaming. Why do you interfere? Why do you reject me? I only wish to love you.
And to that sentiment—
"—Mother."
[!?]
A new god spoke, his voice heavy with ancient authority.
"A mother's love is a thing of beauty. Like a cradle, it should wrap its children in warmth. But that love must not become a cage. It must not become a prison. Like a great tree, you must watch over your children as they grow, standing tall and distant."
Standing there was the radiant progenitor of gods. The Great Roma. He who loves and protects all.
"Yes. Like Roma."
It was the Great Founder, Romulus-Quirinus.
[Lo･･･ma——!?]
"O Goddess. Do not toy with your children. Watch over them, bless them, and simply be. That is the true duty of a parent."
[Aaaaaa,Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!]
"—I shall love even your hatred and your sorrow. In this world, there is nothing that is not Roma. O Beast of Regression, the world born from you is also Roma. Which means—"
In an instant, a second structure manifested atop the Fangs of Naphishtim—the "Blood-Stained Walls" of Romulus.
"『Mores Necessariae: All Leads to My Love』"
This was Romulus's second Noble Phantasm—the conceptual reenactment of the moment he slew his brother Remus. It severed space itself to protect those within. The ultimate manifestation of Roman protection.
[Aaaaa,Aaaaaa!?]
Tiamat struck the wall, but it didn't even vibrate. It was a barrier from a different dimension.
"Mother. Behold. They carry a great love for our Great Roma. And that... is the greatest thing of all."
As Romulus spoke—
[!!?]
Golden chains erupted from nowhere, coiling around Tiamat's body. They were incredibly dense, biting into her skin with divine strength.
[Aaaaaa,aaaaaaaaaa!!]
The more she struggled, the deeper they sank. This weight... this strength... It can't be...
[Kin,gu･･･!!]
The Descent
"I've got her! Nice throw, if I do say so myself!"
The one who had bound Tiamat was the Chain of Heaven—and the one who had thrown them was...
"Now the big sister shows her true power! ...Are you ready, Kingu?"
Quetzalcoatl, the Winged Serpent, stood ready. She had taken Kingu—who had transformed into the Enuma Elish—and hurled him with all her might.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"