With the legendary Grand Assassin, the first Hassan-i-Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain, swinging down the blade that relinquished his crown, the tide of battle shifted.
Tiamat's colossal dragon wings snapped effortlessly, her massive Calamity Dragon form crashing to the ground, unable to take flight again.
Witnessing King Hassan's awe-inspiring sacrifice of his crown with a single, decisive strike, Merlin's face lit up with fervor. His voice, brimming with ethereal charm, grew impassioned as he waved his staff, conjuring a cascade of floral scents and shimmering light to guide the heroes forward in their quest to vanquish the Calamity Dragon.
"Go forth with confidence, everyone! Your big brother is here in the flesh this time, and I'll ensure every blessing and buff is at its peak. As for the Tide of Chaos, fear not, I'll transform it all into harmless blossoms!" Merlin declared.
"That old man didn't hesitate for a moment…" Tezcatlipoca muttered.
"Hahaha! But if that's the case, I can't afford to lag behind. It's a bit reckless, but I should manage." Merlin added with a grin.
"And if it's me, even a small sacrifice won't break the Master's heart, right?" He quipped.
Merlin's fiery resolve seemed to ignite something within Tezcatlipoca. After a brief sigh, the god shed all hesitation, unleashing his full might without restraint.
"It's reckless, but just this once, I can pull it off." Tezcatlipoca said.
"Ancient flames of the Mictlan underworld, fickle evening breeze! I, the omnipotent god, lord of storms and terror, ruler of this underworld, issue my divine decree: Grant these valiant warriors mighty blessings, deliver fitting judgment upon that demonic dragon, shatter her form, and secure a glorious victory in this war, consigning her to the depths of the underworld's hell!" Tezcatlipoca proclaimed.
With a chant in the obscure tongue of Mictlan, Tezcatlipoca unleashed his ultimate power, a trump card long held in reserve.
Unlike Ereshkigal's unfulfilled blessings, Tezcatlipoca endured the backlash of Mictlan's underworld, gritting his teeth to bestow a tangible, immense enhancement upon every Servant present.
This was the unique authority of Mictlan's lord, Tezcatlipoca, his greatest asset beyond his crowned Spiritual Foundation.
The fleeting evening breeze swept through, granting Ritsuka the agility of a Servant. Eternal flames imbued the Servants' attacks, restoring Quetzalcoatl's blazing divinity, boosting Jaguar Man's mobility, enhancing all of Roy's attributes, and, curiously, Merlin's strength?
"Aaagh! Why?! Why strength?! I'm a magus, for crying out loud! Shouldn't my magical power be amplified?!" Merlin wailed, sensing his strength surge to A-rank.
"You'll have to ask yourself that." Tezcatlipoca retorted with a shrug and a smirk. "Mictlan's underworld grants only the most fitting enhancements. This just means strength suits you best. Besides, don't you love swinging that sword, Mr. Avalon Sword Saint?"
"Oh, is that so? Well, no helping it then!" Merlin sighed.
"Behold! The Flashing Sword of Light!" He cried, drawing the golden holy sword hidden within his staff and unleashing a radiant, sword-shaped light cannon at Tiamat's massive dragon form.
"Aaaaaaa!" Merlin roared.
Boom!
"And this too!" He added, launching several white orbs that erupted into cascading light blades, striking Tiamat's limbs with blinding brilliance and potent magical energy. Though they didn't halt her advance, they slowed her relentless march, buying precious time for the assault.
"Is this guy really a mage?!" Jaguar Man exclaimed, eyes wide at Merlin's barrage of light cannons, her mind reeling with confusion.
How was this Caster outshining her, a Lancer, in close combat?
"Truth be told, big brother here finds chanting spells and tripping over my tongue far too tedious. I'm much better with a sword!" Merlin boasted.
"King Arthur, Artoria-chan, only picked up a fraction of my skill. Even Lancelot's swordsmanship is leagues behind mine." He continued, twirling his holy sword with glee. "My dear friends fondly call me…"
"…the Swordmaster of Britain!"
"Face this, beast of calamity, Pseudo-Sword of Promised Victory (Excalibur)!" Merlin shouted, channeling terrifying magical energy into his blade, mimicking the Sword of Promised Victory's form. He converged the light beam, accelerated its energy, and, with a unique flourish, unleashed a condensed light cannon from the sword's tip, its brilliance rivaling the Star Sword as it shot toward Tiamat's head.
Boom!
The deafening blast incinerated the black mud around Tiamat, carving a path for the Servants' advance.
Though lacking the golden starlight of the true Excalibur, Merlin's holy sword, fueled by his magical prowess, matched an A-rank Noble Phantasm's might, and this eccentric mage could fire it repeatedly!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Enhanced with newfound strength, Merlin laughed, swinging his holy sword and hurling one magical sword aura after another at Tiamat, his excitement palpable.
"Well done, Merlin!" Gilgamesh acknowledged with a slight nod, impressed by the mage's prowess, and refused to be outdone.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
A strange vibration rippled through the air as dozens of golden portals materialized, countless sharp treasures emerging to unleash a fresh barrage on Tiamat's newly summoned Lahmu army.
"Leave the Lahmu to us, Master. You focus on ending this battle." Tezcatlipoca said, a cruel smile curling his lips as he gazed at the Lahmu spawning from the black mud.
"Core whistle!" He bellowed, his signature war cry heralding countless invisible blades carried by the fickle evening breeze, slicing through the newborn Lahmu.
In an instant, their bodies were shredded by unseen claws, collapsing back into the Tide of Chaos.
"Goddess Tiamat, Mother of Genesis… a pity I lack the strength to face you directly." Tezcatlipoca mused, eyeing Tiamat's towering form in the black mud's heart, a trace of regret in his voice.
He longed to charge into the fray rather than provide rear support, but Tiamat's dragon body was too formidable. His unprepared descent into the underworld couldn't match Ereshkigal's ultimate judgment. Still, he could handle the Lahmu, locking onto them with his fickle winds, cutting them down with invisible blades until they were utterly destroyed, preventing most from hindering the Servants' advance.
This was his limit; the rest he entrusted to his capable allies.
"Hurry, Roy! While I hold back the Lahmu and Merlin provides cover, strike now and obliterate this Calamity Dragon!" Tezcatlipoca urged.
"Rest assured, my friend, the black mud is mine to handle. Charge forward without fear!" Merlin chimed in.
"Hmph! Hurry, you rabble! Clear the way for this king's earth-shattering strike!" Gilgamesh commanded.
"Please, Roy-senpai, Quetzalcoatl-nee, I can only cheer from here…" Ritsuka added.
"I won't stop. I'll reach that position, no matter what!" Roy vowed.
"Aaaaaaa… aaa…" Tiamat Lily peeked out, brimming with enthusiasm, eager to join Roy's charge.
"No, my little ancestor, you stay put!" Merlin shrieked, yanking her back.
Tiamat's dragon body, stripped of the Fate Child and marked with King Hassan's crown of death, was vulnerable. If Tiamat Lily were reclaimed, Tiamat's concept would become whole again, rendering her invincible. Protecting Tiamat Lily was paramount.
"Aaaa… aaa…" Tiamat Lily pouted, tilting her head in protest, but Merlin was unyielding, shoving her into Ritsuka's arms with strict instructions to keep her safe before returning to halt the black mud's spread.
"Ah?" Ritsuka blinked, her heart melting at Tiamat Lily's cuteness, holding her tightly to prevent escape.
Meanwhile…
"Time to get fired up, Onee-san!" Quetzalcoatl declared, her divinity nearly fully restored by the underworld's blessing, her condition near peak. Tiamat's ether rays and black mud were trivial to her now.
"Let me carve a splendid path forward!" She proclaimed, solar fire blazing on her limbs as she sprinted along Merlin's cleared route, her speed near flight. Hidden Lahmu tentacles reached for her, only to be incinerated by her solar flames.
"And me! Kukulkan!" Jaguar Man roared, revealing her unique ability to dash across the black mud, unaffected by the Sea of Chaos.
Clutching her jaguar claw spear, she channeled endless magical energy, forming a massive claw that tore through the black mud, charging toward Tiamat.
"Clear the way!" She shouted, her agile strikes and golden claw ripping apart the mud, dragging out and shredding hidden Lahmu. Empowered by the underworld and Roy's boundless magical energy, she felt unstoppable.
Their relentless interference drew Tiamat's attention, her dragon body unleashing destructive fury to crush the duo.
"Can you dodge that, dead jaguar? If not, I can save you~" Quetzalcoatl teased, eyeing the surging tide, a playful smirk on her face. "Just follow me afterward."
"Wow, Kukulkan, trying to recruit me as your lackey? Sorry, I'm the Onee-san here! Only Roy-nii earns my loyalty." Jaguar Man shot back. "And don't underestimate this jaguar!"
"Oh? Getting serious now?" Quetzalcoatl asked.
"Absolutely. No more holding back. My dormant power, I barely recognize myself!" Jaguar Man declared.
"Unleash it, Great Death Claw!" She roared, shedding her jaguar skin to reveal Fujimura's distinct form. Her toy-like spear vanished, replaced by a razor-sharp naginata, infused with infinite magical energy. A colossal jaguar claw materialized, tearing through the black tide, shredding Lahmu and Tiamat's counterattacks, a spectral flower jaguar looming behind her, as if blessed by a legendary jaguar god.
"That's more like it. I knew my power was greater." Tezcatlipoca said, a faint smile forming as he watched Taiga unleash Jaguar Man's true might.
He knew the incarnation of the first sun age's rage and defiance was far more potent, previously limited by Taiga's unique nature. Now, fully embraced, she wielded power rivaling a main god.
"Hahaha! Meow!" Jaguar Man laughed, sprinting across the mud, her eyes now cat-like from Jaguar Man god's influence, her strength surging.
"How's that, Kukulkan? I'm faster and stronger now!" She taunted.
"Bold words, dead jaguar." Quetzalcoatl retorted, her solar fire blazing in response, a spark of rivalry igniting.
"Let's see who's stronger!" She challenged.
"Bring it on!" Jaguar Man replied.
As they tore through the black mud, drawing Tiamat's fire, Roy reached her dragon back once more. Having defeated the near-divine eleven beast children in Uruk, his approach was unhindered. While Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar Man distracted Tiamat, Roy arrived silently.
Beside him stood the black reaper, wreathed in blue flames, King Hassan.
"King Hassan…" Roy murmured, awed by the deathly aura.
The elder remained silent, his blazing blue eyes fixed on the Calamity Dragon below.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaa!" Tiamat's dragon form roared in fury, sensing Roy's presence, her mountain-like tail sweeping toward him.
Whoosh!
A deafening wind followed, the tail's mass rivaling a mountain, gained after losing her primordial daughter. With her black mud restrained by Merlin's magic and Roy in her blind spot, Tiamat resorted to brute force.
"The great Mother of Genesis, reduced to raw strength? Truly…" Roy chuckled, raising a finger to unleash a magical cannon.
But King Hassan acted first.
Bang!
Before Roy could fire, the tail's mountain-destroying force was halted. King Hassan, wielding his pitch-black greatsword, blocked the massive appendage.
"When destiny calls, why waver?" He intoned.
Boom!
Despite the vast strength disparity, King Hassan, bolstered by faith and an enigmatic power, stopped Tiamat's tail, and killed it.
Puff!
His greatsword pierced the tail, eliciting a heart-wrenching scream from Tiamat.
"Aaaaaaaaaa!"
"Hear me!" King Hassan declared, his form flickering from the void, a deathly messenger from the dark valley, the evening bell tolling as he stood before Roy.
"By the contractor's will, I rush from the shadowed valley to mark the divide between man and god. This fallen beast, steeped in malice, I entrust to my blade!" He proclaimed, blue flames blazing, feathers drifting, the bell signaling the tail's demise.
Tiamat could no longer wield it.
Though meant to depart after his destined strike, King Hassan stayed at Ritsuka's bold request to aid Roy.
"Agreed…" He had replied, his voice deep as a tolling bell.
With such a formidable Assassin at his side, Roy couldn't refuse.
"Thank you, King Hassan." Roy said, nodding.
Standing atop Tiamat's head, Roy channeled his magical energy, clenching his fists as over nine thousand magical circuits surged, refining infinite power into a spiraling vortex in his hands, preparing his ultimate strike.
"It ends now, beast of calamity!"
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