On the embattled city walls, the Lion-Headed Storm Demon carrying Ana leapt nimbly through shattered stones and magical beasts.
Nearby, the Mad Lion Uridimmu, and even the degraded-bloodline Three-Horned Lion-Dragon and Furious Serpent Mušḫuššu, froze instinctively at the scent of this high-ranking magical beast.
The purple-haired girl, her hood blown off, crouched low on Ugallu's back, gripping its mane tightly. After repeatedly confirming the familiar soul fluctuation, she hesitated and whispered,
"Are you... Samael?!"
"That's right!"
"How...?"
"No time to explain! Just hang on tight!"
The ancient serpent, using the lower-ranked beasts for cover, turned his head and responded urgently, calming the anxious girl for the moment.
"Okay!"
Ana nodded firmly without hesitation, placing her full trust in the transformed Samael.
Just moments ago, if not for this magical beast form of his dragging her out of the Chains of Heaven's trap, she would've been gravely wounded, if not dead.
Besides, after over a month together, she knew Samael was a good person—he'd never mean her harm!
Yet, the naive young girl didn't notice at all...
The instant she squeezed her slender legs and leaned down, the sprinting Lion-Headed Storm Demon nearly stumbled, almost tumbling into the front gap of the wall.
Hiss—!
I'm gonna die! Samael was sprinting desperately to escape the Chains of Heaven, screaming internally.
In this form, his fur, flesh, and sinew were all magical constructs—pure Mana.
Which meant this mole inside enemy lines... was completely naked!
At that moment, Ana's tightly clamped legs rubbed unconsciously against his waist. Her firm, youthful rear bounced up and down with each jolt, her upper body pressing flat against the lion's mane to reduce drag.
Waves of overwhelming sensation surged through the beast's mind, and the part of him meant to hold back such thoughts began to heat and harden.
His stride began to twist, stumble—several times he almost got caught by the Chains of Heaven shooting after them.
Stop moving around back there!
The ancient serpent wailed internally, but what came out was a low, grave warning.
"Ana, keep an eye on the rear."
"I'm going to speed up—need to get out of the Chains of Heaven's range as fast as possible!"
"Okay!"
The purple-haired girl's expression turned serious as she gave a tight nod.
Then, sensing an abnormal slice in the air to her left, Ana hooked an arm around her mount's neck, twisted her small frame, and swung her scythe one-handed, knocking aside the pursuing chains in the dark.
The recoil from the blow sent two soft, underdeveloped lumps slamming into Samael's tailbone, sending shivers racing through him.
I'm not a lolicon!
I'm not a lolicon!
I'm not a lolicon!
Swatting down a suspicious Uridimmu with a single claw, the ancient serpent bared his fangs, silently repeating his mantra.
I'm not...
But before long, they reached the edge of the Chains of Heaven's domain. Dozens of chains split off from behind, surging forward.
With the pressure rising, Ana immediately locked her legs tightly around her mount's waist.
Her upper body, pinned in place, twisted left, then right, then arched back and leaned forward—like a boneless snake, moving with uncanny agility.
The divine weapon in her small hands slashed in wild arcs, intercepting the incoming chains from impossible angles.
With the Lion-Headed Storm Demon as her base, the young goddess's combat strength soared to a new height.
Was this the legendary Riding A+? The talent said to let one master all beasts and vehicles—except dragonkind?
As her waist and hips ground and twisted against him, Samael, serving as her mount, grit his teeth, a grimace spreading across his face—appearing to the Uridimmu like a true demon.
Maybe this was pain... but also a bit of pleasure?
Still, through ragged breaths, Samael grumbled inwardly.
I get it, I really do...
But next time, can you not ride me like this?!
Even so, for the sake of survival—and to preserve Ana's combat edge—a certain noble-minded ancient serpent chose to shoulder the burden alone, clenched his jaw... and said nothing.
He simply picked up the pace, leaping and dodging even faster...
"Bang!"
A man and a beast soared over the massive gap splitting the eastern and western city walls. The silver chains fell into the darkness below with a clatter.
In that instant, the sound of rattling metal dragged out a cold-faced figure in white robes and green hair.
"Tsk. Still hiding, are you?"
A pleasant, androgynous murmur slipped from his moving lips—but the moment his emerald eyes lifted toward Samael and Ana, they flared with deadly chill.
"Then go die already!"
As his words fell, Kingu—anchored within Enkidu and commanding the Magical Beasts—swung his arm forward.
"Buzz!"
With a flicker of glowing cuneiform runes, the clay-doll flesh was shed, revealing the true form of the Chains of Heaven.
Like the anchor of a galactic vessel, its conical head tore through sky and earth, slamming down with brutal force toward Babylonia's defensive line.
Golden wedge-shaped divine runes swirled around them, forming a powerful divine restraint that pinned Ana and Samael to the spot, making it impossible to move even an inch.
Still... too weak!
The ancient serpent's pupils shrank to pinpoints as he let out a silent, bitter screech. Using raw brute force, he hoisted Ana onto his back and inched forward with agonizing effort.
But at this sluggish pace, they had no hope of escaping before the golden spearhead struck.
And if that divine construct was allowed to fully unleash its force, it wouldn't just be them—Babylonia's front lines and even the city of Uruk behind would be devastated.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
At the critical moment, two beams of divine light burst from the Sacred Tower of the Royal Palace, cleaving the sky with the thunderous force of axes and halberds.
A massive sword shaped like demon wings and twin divine broadswords slammed into the monstrous Chains of Heaven, knocking its spearhead away with sheer force.
Kingu was blasted backward, skidding hundreds of meters as the re-thrown Chains of Heaven dug into the earth before he finally managed to stop.
The green-haired beauty slowly looked up, a twisted smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"So you've finally come out, King of Uruk! I've waited a long time!"
Arms folded across his chest, clad in battle armor with red divine sigils etched onto his bare chest, Gilgamesh hovered over the Absolute Demonic Front, staring down the beast tide's commander, Kingu.
The King of Heroes swept his crimson gaze over that familiar yet strange face. A faint crease formed between his brows, his expression leaking a trace of disappointment.
Then, with a chill in his voice, Gilgamesh replied through thin lips.
"You want war? Then let there be war."
"As you wish!"
Kingu's grin contorted further, voice rising.
In a flash, the two figures turned into streaks of light, cutting across the night sky as they fell toward the desolate northern plateau.
King against king! General against general! Soldier against soldier!
In duels between those who stand above, ordinary people have no place. Before absolute strength, numbers are laughable.
This... was a war of the Age of Gods.
...
Samael, having narrowly escaped death, looked toward the two blazing comets crashing into the wasteland, a flicker of awe in his eyes.
Smack!
Just as he slipped into thought, a mischievous hand slapped his butt.
"Ana, is this Ugallu your pet?"
A teasing voice floated in from behind, laced with the scent of blooming flowers.