Are they… retreating?
The noise around him was thinning out, faint and distant, and the shadowy figures in the night were beginning to fade away.
Samael, muscles still taut, let out a small breath of relief—grateful, for a moment, to still be alive.
Wait. No—something's wrong!
Retreating now? That's even more dangerous! They're clearing the field—for another round of light pillars!
The ancient serpent's face twisted as he recalled the sky-blotting cascade of purple beams and the ether particles that dissolved life on contact. A sharp jolt of fear cut through his chest.
"Second barrage incoming! Get out of the way, now!"
He reared back his head and roared, his warning echoing across the Babylonia defense line.
But the barrier was already on the verge of collapse. It couldn't take another hit.
And the defenders of Uruk—drained of mana and blood—were barely hanging on.
Samael's shout was the final straw. Whatever fragile hope the soldiers and priests had left shattered completely.
Panic. Despair. Wave after wave of dread swept through the ranks like poison in the air.
Then came the sound.
The dry, slithering scrape of snakes moving across the ground, crisp and clear—like steel needles driving straight into their ears and hearts.
A grotesque, massive shadow emerged from the thick night. Its terrifying shape slowly came into view.
Hundreds of thick, venomous serpents, formed from a cascade of purple hair, writhed and hissed. Their slit pupils glinted with a mad, eerie light as they coldly stared down at the crumbling wall.
A purple serpent tail for her lower half. An icy, stunningly beautiful woman above.
The Goddess of Demonic Beasts—Gorgon—pressed a clawed, scale-covered hand against the earth, leaning forward. Madness burned in her gaze.
"Kill them! Kill them all! Leave no one alive!"
"I'll give you back every ounce of this curse! Every bit of my hatred!"
As her purple-red Mystic Eyes blinked open and shut, cold orbs of condensed ether began to form around her—gathering strength, pulsing, deadly.
And they were all aimed squarely at the gaping breach on the eastern wall.
Samael's soul nearly left his body. He bit down, scooped up Ana, and bolted.
But the gap between them and Gorgon—towering over ten meters tall—and the sheer coverage of the incoming barrage made escape impossible.
No time to think.
He stopped resisting. He dove behind a pile of rubble and instantly transformed into Ugallu, throwing Ana beneath him.
Crouching with all four limbs, he used his massive body to shield her completely.
There was nothing else he could do now. All that was left was to try—just try—to let the girl survive the shockwave.
As for himself...
Samael looked up with a sorrowful grunt, eyes locking onto the looming, unmistakable twin peaks in the distance. With a bitter, beastly whimper, he muttered:
"Look at me—so generous and broad-minded. Can't we work something out here?"
"Big sis... could you maybe not blast us into tiny pieces this time? Maybe I can still cheat death with my immortality…"
But alas, the ancient serpent's rich inner monologue was completely lost on the clearly unhinged Goddess of Demonic Beasts.
One by one, the violet-red orbs exploded.
A chilling, maniacal laugh tore across the wilderness.
"Dissolve! All of you—Pandemonium Cetus : Forced Seal - Pandemonic Temple!"
"Ahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Samael was flattened against the ground by the crushing wave of pressure. His eyelids twitched violently. All he could do now was pray.
Tiamom, save me!
Tiamom, save me!
Tiamom, please—save me!
Just as he squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable impact, a gentle chime—like the drop of a water bead—rippled through his mind.
And then, from the eastern breach, came a low, magnetic hum...
"From the stars of the inner sea and the tower of insight... From the four corners of paradise, let them know: Their story is filled with blessings. Only those free of sin may pass…"
The tall figure walking calmly on foot had, at some point, appeared before the countless purple-red beams. Both hands gripped his staff as he drove it into the ground.
"...Garden of Avalon: Eternally Secluded Utopia!"
As that soft and ethereal voice left his lips, the illusory silhouette of a suspended spire—its base made of purple crystal, its upper portion of pale chalk-like earth—gradually took form.
Pale pink flowers, faint and otherworldly, began to bloom and spread, instantly blanketing everything in sight.
Buzz!
In an instant, thousands of purple-red beams came crashing down onto the illusion woven from the spire and the sea of flowers.
The forces of decay and dissolution advanced layer by layer, nearly consuming everything.
Within that dazzling yet deadly storm of color, the soft pink petals cracked and disintegrated, revealing the withered earth and stone beneath.
Yet, this dreamlike creation—so fragile and unreal—somehow withstood the overwhelming assault.
Inch by inch, as reality tried to peel it away, the fading sea of flowers and the crumbling tower neutralized the final remnants of the beams just before they shattered completely.
"Merlin! You bastard, you finally showed up!"
"I've never seen you look so cool before!"
Seeing that the old liar wasn't totally heartless after all, Samael dug Ana out and rushed over behind the Magus of Flowers, enthusiastically slapping a claw onto his shoulder.
But his paw passed right through Merlin's body without resistance, rippling through it like water.
"What the—? You're already spent? That fast?!"
"I'm not dead yet!"
Merlin, leaning on his staff, glanced back with a sour expression and rolled his eyes at the beast behind him.
As an Incubus caught between dream and reality, his form became intangible when his energy ran dry.
Right now, any physical interaction was a serious strain.
"Good, good! You hold the line. They're hurt bad—saving them comes first. I'll go rally the wounded."
The ancient serpent gave a look of encouragement, turned to summon Ana, and prepared to drag the battered eastern troops back toward the inner defenses.
But before he could even move, his tail was yanked back by the stiffly smiling con man.
"Nope! I'm out of options!"
"Warrior, it's your turn to protect me now."
Samael gave an exaggerated fake grin, shaking his head firmly.
"You're out of options? Then what the hell can I do?!"
"Let's be reasonable here—how about a time split?"
"You've been slacking off this whole time and just now decide to show up. Come on, half an hour! You can do it!"
Time split? You've got to be kidding me!
You were up against fodder! How's that the same as what I'm dealing with?
Let's be fair—how about we calculate by efficiency instead?
Merlin cursed silently, still refusing to let go, forcing a barely-there smile.
"Samael, strategically speaking, I'm more useful alive than you."
"So, how about you be the one to sacrifice yourself?"
"If you can hold out until King Gilgamesh returns, I'll make sure you get all the credit!"
What the hell kind of logic is that?!
Samael nearly coughed up blood right onto this oversized Fou-furball's smug face.
This guy's just a Heroic Spirit summoned here—his life or death hardly matters to his true self.
And considering this fraud's love for hiding aces up his sleeve, sure, he looks drained now—but who knows what tricks he's still hiding?
Finally, the guy shows a shred of conscience—couldn't he sacrifice a little more for Uruk? You're the damn court magus personally chosen by King Gilgamesh!
Just as the two shameless cowards were arguing back and forth, the sound of claws scraping stone crept in from the wasteland.
Clearly, even if Gorgon was in mana cooldown, the Magical Beasts weren't about to stop.
Merlin and Samael locked eyes—and immediately began pushing the burden back onto each other even harder.
"If... I go distract her... can you hold the Babylonia line?"
A soft voice, young but steady, echoed between them. The small face that looked up at them was filled with solemn resolve.