Rumble rumble───
Another light cannon shot descended from the sky, blasting the rubble heap that originally covered the center into fragments.
Only after the stacked debris on her body was scattered by the light cannon did Ophis, who had been buried underneath, slowly come to her senses and look up at the sky.
"How is it, how is it? Can you feel the scorching love from this side?"
Over there, Ishtar was sitting sideways on a spaceship that looked like two bows set together.
No, judging from that light cannon ability just now, it would be more appropriate to call it a divine bow with a riding function.
"What is it?"
It would have been fine if she hadn't asked, but once she did, Ishtar was immediately astonished.
"You actually answered?"
She had persistently, without pause, come every morning to fire a shot above Ophis' palace, bombing continuously for over three months without getting any response… unless a return magic cannon counted as a response.
Day after day, even the guards who used to run around frantically were now too lazy to pay her any attention, and yet this Ophis, who had never once looked her in the eye, actually responded?
"Reached your limit?"
"Hah?"
Ophis looked at Ishtar with that somewhat gloomy smile.
"Ishtar… today should be the last day, right?"
"Oh? So you knew after all? I've had a feeling for a long time—your sensing ability seems quite sharp."
Ishtar's expression didn't change much; she just waved her hand casually.
"I don't know what kind of wind Gaia, that old hag, is blowing—she's desperate to speed up the process of sealing the gods, it's really annoying. After all, while my power is extremely strong… compared to that great Mother Goddess, it's still somewhat difficult."
Ophis stayed silent.
She wasn't familiar with Gaia and naturally didn't know what the other was thinking, so she didn't comment.
"Well then, how about it?"
Ophis leapt lightly, jumping from the large hole Ishtar had made up to the top of the palace.
"Ah, yes."
Ishtar also jumped down from her ship called the Heavenly Ark Maanna, and stood with Ophis, overlooking all of Uruk.
At this time, Uruk honestly didn't look very refined, with construction happening everywhere.
With the outer areas expanding, and inner areas being restructured, using large amounts of resources seized from other cities, Ophis planned to completely renovate Uruk.
The interior would be renovated in a modern urban layout, and the exterior would be constructed like a fortress.
Both of them had vision far superior to ordinary people, and could still see the army being prepared and trained at the city's outskirts.
Now, the number of soldiers in this army, even in this era of Mesopotamia, was unmatched by any other force.
All of it—everything—was preparation for the potential upcoming war.
"Not bad, huh? Though it doesn't look like much now, in the future it'll probably become quite prosperous. If war breaks out by then, the scene would be pretty beautiful, wouldn't it?"
With divine wisdom (?), Ishtar could naturally see that Ophis was preparing for war. Though she didn't know who the war would be against, that didn't stop her, as the goddess of war, from preaching her ideals.
Naturally, Ophis ignored the twisted interests of the goddess of love and war.
After Enkidu disappeared, although she no longer shut herself completely off from the world like before, she still wouldn't respond to things she deemed unnecessary to answer.
"There's something I want your help with."
"Oh? I didn't expect that. You would actually ask someone for help?"
Ishtar covered her mouth with one hand, her words full of surprise, though it was clear from her expression that she was already thinking about how to gain something from this request.
Then she saw the red staff in Ophis' hand.
"Go ahead, since this goddess is in a good mood today, it's not impossible to help you a bit, you know?"
"Can you make the southern lands of Uruk yield abundant harvests for as many years as possible?"
"…Hah?"
Ishtar gave Ophis a strange look and furrowed her brow.
"Though I don't think you're unaware of this, excessive comfort will corrupt your people, you know? Not that I care, though…"
"It's fine."
Seeing Ophis insist, Ishtar didn't say anything more and shrugged.
"Alright then. I'm also quite curious about your reason for doing this. The world's rejection level is already very high now. If I exhaust all my strength, I could probably maintain three years of good harvests, but it'll cost one year of famine as a price—is that okay?"
"That's enough."
Ophis nodded. Her goal was naturally to secure enough food supplies to support a war. As for after the war… there probably wouldn't even be a need for food.
Looking at Ophis, Ishtar sighed in annoyance.
"No helping it—I'll help you this once. After all, this is also my 'last day.'"
"Thank you."
Facing Ophis' clear eyes, Ishtar looked away somewhat uncomfortably.
"You only look me in the eye at times like this? So not cute."
Jumping onto her heavenly ark, Ishtar glanced back at Ophis.
Really, in the end, she still couldn't make her take any interest…
"Listen up! You owe me one for this—I will collect on it later!"
Although her original possessiveness had now turned into more of a stubborn obsession, Ishtar still didn't want to give up just like that.
Gods are fickle, but also persistent.
Facing Ishtar's gaze, Ophis nodded.
Receiving help and then being asked for repayment—this was only natural.
And so, under Ophis' gaze, Ishtar flew above the southern farmlands of Uruk, and then her body slowly vanished, turning into points of light that scattered into the earth.
"And also—next time remember to call me Ishtar!"
In the end, such a voice echoed between heaven and earth.
Watching Ishtar gloriously go get her bento (TN: slang for dying), Ophis jumped from the palace down to the front gate, where the priestess girl was already waiting.
Lately, the priestess had been getting more and more adept at doing the secretary's job.
"Abandon the northern farmlands, move everything to the south—herders too. Then redistribute the southern lands. Ignore any objections."
Due to large-scale conscription of troops, there wouldn't be a shortage of farmland, though there might not be enough farmers.
"Your will."
The priestess had already given up trying to understand what this king wanted to do.
Nodding, Ophis turned around… and saw that several parts of the palace had already become ruins.
"Tear this place down and rebuild it as a refugee center. I'll move to the Great Temple after that."
"Your… huh? Please wait a moment!"
Ignoring the priestess girl's astonishment, Ophis' figure had already disappeared, leaving the girl alone standing there, at a loss.
"Refugee center… refugees?"
"Gods... have been sealed?"
Only after Ishtar disappeared did Ophis finally have the time to reflect on the information the other party had revealed just now.
The age of gods... had ended so quietly?
Even in the end, the gods didn't put on any proper curtain call?
They didn't even inflict the slightest revenge against the humans who had betrayed them?
No, that's not right—there must have been.
It's just that it hasn't been carried out yet...
Recalling the future catastrophe she had learned about from sister golden finger,Ophis shook her head.
Most importantly, the task of sealing the gods had been carried out by Gaia...
Even among the gods, proud Ishtar almost certainly wouldn't lie, and a long time agoOphis had already noticed—the world's suppression toward the mystical had dropped to an extremely low level.
If that was because they were busy handling the matter of the gods, then it made sense.
Only... the roles didn't quite fit.
According to Ophis's understanding, although Gaia was the planetary consciousness, she was still one of the "gods."
And yet she had actively sealed away her own kin?
Moreover, just as she had mentioned earlier, according to sister golden finger's prophecies, there would be the shadow of gods behind the coming catastrophe.
But now that the gods were sealed, and they couldn't act personally, what threat could they pose?
There was too much information that needed sorting out.
Ophis very decisively shoved this heavy task onto sister golden finger.
[Haah... Things like this, it'd be better if you used your own brain a bit more... Well, fine. Considering there aren't many chances left, I'll help you this time.]
"Chances?"
[No, nothing... As for Gaia, it's actually simple. Gaia is a very special god. She's a high-ranking existence who seized a portion of the world's authority.
Compared to acting as a god, that one probably operates more from the perspective of the world itself...]
"But, humans and gods…"
Ophis still couldn't accept it.
If from the world's point of view, it was necessary to seal the gods—
Then being a god must be a really miserable fate.
Moreover, Gaia is the planet itself.
And from a long-term view, humans also pose a considerable threat to the planet.
While gods are Gaia's allies—how couldOphis understand Gaia's actions?
[That's just your perception problem. Let me ask you:
If there were another dragon species just like you trying to destroy humanity, would you side with the dragons or with the humans?]
Ophis lowered her gaze.
The answer was obvious, so the other party didn't need her to say it aloud.
[Exactly. To you, compared to so-called "kin," what matters more is the bond you have with Enkidu.
Gaia's thoughts are likely similar—
After all, humans were born from Gaia.
They are Gaia's children.
Whereas the gods... they are nothing but potential threats who could snatch away Gaia's authority at any time.
It's precisely because they are "of the same kind" that the threat is even greater.]
Ophis more or less understood now.
Although the problem of coexistence between humans and the planet hadn't been resolved, the threat gods posed to Gaia was still greater for now.
However, humans and the planet...
If, when the time came, she truly had to choose,Ophis would probably destroy humanity for the sake of the planet.
After all, Enkidu loved nature more than humanity.
But at least for now—
She would still fight against the gods for the sake of humanity.
Thus, there was another piece of information she cared about even more.
"If the gods have been sealed... then why, still...?"
[Even if their main bodies were sealed, it doesn't rule out the possibility of "descended spirits" through special means.
In this world, techniques for summoning spirits are quite advanced...
Although this would prevent the gods from exerting their full power, if either the quality of the descent or the quantity summoned increases, then their strength still can't be underestimated.]
Ophis nodded lightly.
In other words, her enemies this time would be the gods summoned down by spirit descent?
If so, it might be a little easier to handle.
Usually, rituals like spirit descent would have weaknesses—
It could be the caster, the medium, the ritual itself, or even some unexpected flaw introduced during the summoning process.
Of course, it would only be a little easier.
Magic rituals weren't Ophis's specialty, so she'd have to research this field too.
…Things to do were just piling up more and more.
And also—
"If the gods are summoned by spirit descent... then there must be summoners, right?"
Although she said this,Ophis didn't hold much expectation.
If sister golden finger could have told her, then that future might have been preventable already.
As expected, the answer was just as she thought.
[Even if you know who it is, it's meaningless.
You won't be able to stop it.
Moreover, the other party possesses an extremely powerful "Eye."
So I simply severed the vision of both sides—you can't see them, and they can't see you.
That way, at least some level of uncertainty is eliminated.]
Preventing the enemy from observing her actions and adjusting their strategy accordingly, huh...
Indeed, if it's impossible to interfere with the other party's actions, then at the very least, we must ensure they cannot interfere with ours.
[Hey, actually, you don't necessarily have to do everything alone.]
"What do you mean?"
[Although I don't know what kind of role the mastermind plays, since they can perform spiritual descent—doesn't that mean we can too?]
"You mean… summon a god?"
Ophis subtly furrowed her brows.
Even if gods can be summoned, they aren't that easy to control, right? What if they end up switching sides to the enemy?
[Ah, there's no need to do something that troublesome. Even if it's not a god, this world has quite a convenient system for summoning… seems like it's called the Hall of Heroes or something like that?]
"If it'll help, then let's do it."
[Ah, I don't know how.]
"..."
[Ahem, don't give me that look. I was never good at things like magic… To be precise, I specialize in defining the 'result', not controlling the 'process'... With a vast amount of knowledge, I can piece together the summoning ritual, but without the corresponding 'connection channel', with your current magical capabilities there's a high chance of summoning something either too hard to control or too weak.]
"Connection channel?"
[Exactly. Best if it's related to 'soul materialization'… Hey, where did you get that from?]
Holding a golden cup in her hands, Ophis tilted her head.
"I took it from the treasury…"
The future Third Magic—product of soul materialization—the Holy Grail, containing immense magical power. With this, the summoning should meet expectations…
This was exactly what sister 's golden finger needed.
[Why didn't you say earlier you had something like this…]
"There's a vast amount of magical power inside, but it's useless to me."
[Hah… figures. That theory of ignoring what's not useful again, huh… Then how did you know you'd need it now?]
"I 'saw' it."
[Oh, it's already at that level? Hmm… Either way, now that we have this thing, we can perform a complete spiritual descent ritual… From now on, you've got something new to learn.]
Finally arriving in front of the temple, Ophis lifted her head to look at the majestic pyramid temple.
"Mm… To protect Uruk."
A flash of resolve passed through Ophis' eyes as she stepped inside.
She is both dragon and king… and also, a god.
Once the situation reaches the point even a king can't handle, then it must be left to the gods, right?
Even if the divine power of gods is something no human or city-state can withstand.
Including Uruk.
Time passed quickly, and Uruk had by now become the only remaining city-state in the region… as well as the most prosperous city in all of Mesopotamia.
The army had received the most thorough training. Even their equipment came from Ophis's treasure hoard, mass-produced. Though not even qualified to be called 'Noble Phantasms', as standardized gear, they were extravagantly luxurious.
The city's layout was orderly, each area carefully planned. With plentiful harvests and secure trade, everyone lived in abundance.
Even the people who had originally been forcibly relocated had gotten used to—no, most of them had come to like living in Uruk.
Unfortunately, peace is destined to be broken one day.
"My king, the scouts you dispatched to the north have returned. Countless unheard-of magical beasts suddenly appeared out of nowhere and, within a very short time, destroyed numerous city-states… As for the people of those cities… there have been no confirmed survivors!"
In the temple's observatory, Ophis looked at the tablet in her hands and nodded slightly without even lifting her head.
"And the south?"
"No abnormalities for now."
"Don't relax. Keep monitoring."
"Yes!"
After the messenger left, Ophis rubbed her brow with some annoyance.
[Ah, looks like even our little Ophis gets stressed from a king's duties.]
"Mm, the direction of the beasts' assault hasn't been fully confirmed… But most likely, it's the north."
In the future predicted by sister 's golden finger, the magical beasts came from the north… But if full defenses are set up in the north too early, wouldn't that just prompt the enemy to change direction?
Seemed like a country called France did something like that once.
Now that sister 's golden finger could no longer update her predictions, Ophis had no way of knowing if changes had occurred.
In the end, Ophis decided to set up simple defenses both north and south and wait for the enemy's move.
With the enemy hidden and us exposed, it was the only strategy.
That said… Ophis did place most logistical infrastructure in the south. In her view, a proud goddess wouldn't change her attack plan just because of that. Even if she did, there would still be some room for damage control.
Even though magical beasts had appeared in the north already, and it couldn't be confirmed 100% whether it was a main attack or a feint, considering the goddess's personality, the chance they were coming from the north was over 80%.
Concentrating magic on her fingertip, Ophis carved onto the tablet a command for craftsmen to build walls in the north, then refocused on the tablet she held.
Knowledge of summoning from this era.
[The amount of knowledge should be sufficient. Preparations for the summoning can probably begin now… If we wait a few more days, carving out time for the ritual might become troublesome.]
"Mm, that's the only way."
Looking up at the glowing ring that had suddenly appeared in the sky a few days ago, Ophis set down the tablet, touched the chain nestled in her chest, stored it back in her treasury, and stood up.
"Well then, let's begin preparations…"
Ever since that halo appeared, the world's inhibition force, which had been slowly returning to normal, drastically weakened again… It seems the anomaly is getting close.
[Right now, you probably still can't freely control that future-seeing power, right?]
At that moment,sister 's golden finger asked within Ophis's mind.
Ophis shook her head. She didn't even know what that power was, let alone how to use it.
[So it really doesn't work without being complete… Ophis, do you trust me?]
"Mm. If it's you, sister 's golden finger, I trust you."
After spending some time together, Ophis still didn't know sister 's golden finger very well, but she could at least feel her sincerity and effort.
[Good… then let's get started quickly. We don't have much time left.]
Yeah… If I don't make the most of it… I really don't have much time…
After Ishtar's disappearance, Ophis moved to live in the grandest pyramid temple of Uruk, where she also relocated all her official duties.
Now, at the center of the temple, dozens of priests bowed to Ophis.
"My king, all the materials you requested have been arranged. Do you have any further instructions?"
"This is enough. All of you leave and seal this place. Until I come out, no one is allowed to enter."
"As you command."
After sending the priests away, Ophis began arranging the divine-era materials they had brought in a specific order, carving a complex magic circle on the floor using the blood of a fantasy creature.
According to sister 's golden finger theory, even with the Holy Grail's support, the magic circle was crucial. A certain mage killer didn't believe in this and ended up summoning a Servant with subpar intelligence.
While Ophis prepared, sister 's golden finger explained within her consciousness:
[In a moment, I'll perform a kind of 'synchronization' with you, forcibly invoking that special power within you and influencing the summoning formula. This way, what we summon should fulfill the condition of 'providing the greatest help to the current and future situation', and not be unusable or uncontrollable.]
Ophis nodded. Just as sister 's golden finger said, the summoning circle this time was special.
Connecting to the Throne of Heroes, using the method of 'soul materialization' to summon ancient—or in this case, future—heroes: avatars of Heroic Spirits, known as Servants, in a cooperative summoning.
Heroic Spirits and Servants differed greatly in power. If we compare, a battle-type Heroic Spirit's normal attack would be about equal to a mid-low level Servant's Noble Phantasm release—but that's in normal cases.
This time, under sister 's golden finger guidance, Ophis built a summoning circle that completely discarded restrictions on the summoned Servants. Even the original Heroic Spirits' memories were limited to their past life and key knowledge, focusing all energy on preserving their strength.
With Ophis's endless magical energy as fuel, sister 's golden finger said that while it was still impossible to retain the full terrifying power of a Heroic Spirit, the summoned Servant would be significantly stronger.
However, that also meant that if the summoned entity was rebellious or an anti-hero… it wouldn't just be unhelpful—it would be a huge problem. That's why sister 's golden finger needed to borrow Ophis's power to guide the summoning.
To summon a Servant who could help.
Still, entrusting one's own power to someone else is never comforting. Even so, Ophis nodded without hesitation and agreed.
[Ha… such a naive little one. But that's okay. In time, this weakness will be fully compensated.]
Ophis didn't understand sister 's golden finger meaning and didn't think too hard about it. She placed the Uruk Holy Grail from her treasury at the center of the circle.
"Let's begin, sister 's golden finger."
[Okay. It might feel strange for a while, but don't resist.]
Closing her eyes, Ophis nodded.
[Then…]
When she opened them again, Ophis's right eye had changed from its original silver-gray to a pure silver glow. Immense magical power swept through the sealed temple space, and the summoning circle under the Grail lit up.
[Summoning begins!]
"Proclamation────"
Within the sealed temple, under sister 's golden finger control, silver magic power—different from the original purple—raged violently, then was absorbed into the countless runes that had already been engraved, serving as the energy needed for the summoning.
"You, follow me with your body, my fate entrusted to your sword."
The front part of the original incantation is for linking one's own magic circuits with the magic circle and the Holy Grail. Ophis, relying on her vast magical energy, directly omitted that. As for the following chant, rather than being for the technique itself, it was more for calling the Holy Grail and allowing the Heroic Spirits to hear it and decide whether to accept.
Therefore, things like "I am the bone of my sword", "silver and iron", "ancestor so-and-so", and the like, were all unnecessary in Ophis' case.
"Here, I swear────"
Ophis could feel a strange power separating from her own infinite energy, carrying a very peculiar but familiar fluctuation.
Curious, Ophis attempted to touch this energy with her spirit—her instincts told her it would not be dangerous.
That was her own power.
Only, at the moment of contact, Ophis' spirit trembled, and countless images flashed rapidly before her eyes, revealing secrets of the future.
[Hey, your job is just to recite the chant, don't get distracted, keep going.]
Too much information rushing in at once caused Ophis' thoughts to become slightly confused, but she came back to her senses at sister 's golden finger urging, withdrew her spirit, temporarily setting those images aside, and continued the unfinished incantation.
"I am the king who achieves all phenomena, I am the saint who protects human order."
There was no need for any "aspect of evil"… What Ophis wanted to summon was only those Heroic Spirits capable of working together to protect humanity.
"If you are willing to obey this will, this reason, then respond to my summons, come forth from the Wheel of Restraint────Guardian of the Scales!"
The frenzied magic power vanished completely, and the magic circle beneath Ophis' feet burst into radiant light.
The dragon's eyes almost instantly adjusted, allowing Ophis to clearly see the six figures standing in the glow.
Summoning… was it successful…?
[No, that's not right, I clearly remember sensing seven summoning channels just now!?]
"Well, so many heroes from different eras have gathered here, why don't you introduce yourselves?"
The scene has moved to the main hall of the temple. A man with silver hair and a white robe stepped forward first and waved his hand.
Ophis just looked at him coldly.
"Oh, this must be the King of Uruk, I really saw him~"
"You...have a very unpleasant aura."
Suddenly, Ophis tilted her head and said.
"Eh?"
"Great Red... a similar aura to Great Red."
"Oh?"
The white-robed man scratched his head, then waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Although I don't quite understand, it probably isn't that important, right? Now is the time for self-introductions~ Then, I'll go first, okay? I'm called Merlin, everyone calls me the Mage of Flowers, my class is Caster. Don't mind it, just call me Merlin~"
[A half-blood of human and dream demon, the aura you felt should be the part that belongs to the dream.]
Ophis nodded, considered that a greeting, then looked at the next person.
A woman wearing brown clothes and white hair, dressed in white.
"My name is Altera... the destructive warrior of the Huns' war god, class is Saber."
[Altera, huh... Probably refers to Attila the Hun. What a surprise, I thought royalty wouldn't accept the summoning of another king...]
"There is... a strange sense of crisis..."
Ophis slightly furrowed her brows, and spoke inwardly to sister golden finger.
[A sense of crisis? Indeed, this person carries some secret... But fate tells me, this secret probably won't have too much impact on this incident, so don't bother with it for now.]
Ophis nodded in response to sister golden finger and Altera.
"This body is called Arjuna, class is Archer. In the future, I will exist as Master's Servant. Please make full use of this body."
The dark-skinned man in white robes lightly bowed and spoke calmly.
[Another one from royalty? But Arjuna, huh... Seems your luck is quite good. Ah... or maybe it's all thanks to me?]
"Um, I'm Medea, also a Caster... Please take care of me!"
Looking at the purple-haired little girl in front of her who seemed very nervous, Ophis tilted her head.
" sister golden finger... didn't you say you'd summon her at her peak?"
[...Ha, it's not exactly like that. Sometimes, a Servant from a specific period, even if weaker in power, can be more helpful instead.]
"ROAR────"
At that moment, a black giant next to them roared at Ophis, causing the entire hall to tremble slightly.
"...Berserker, huh?"
Ophis looked at him with some distress. This way, communication wouldn't even be possible.
"...Um, this is Heracles, and what he just did was probably meant as a greeting..."
At this moment, a blond girl in armor nearby smiled wryly and spoke up.
[Although most of his sanity is gone... it seems a part of his thinking ability remains? This way, he can make quite good judgments even in battle. Looks like the summoning was very successful... And Heracles is also quite a top-tier hero.]
"Then... you are..."
Hearing Ophis' question, the blonde girl smiled gently.
Such a smile made Ophis momentarily dazed.
Holy and gentle, just like Enkidu...
"I am Jeanne d'Arc. If possible, just call me Jeanne. This time I appear as a Ruler... Though that's what I say, it seems I can't use any of the usual Ruler privileges except the ability to see true names..."
[The Saint, huh... Just going by that smile, she really lives up to the name.]
After the final person introduced themselves, Ophis looked around at everyone.
Saber's Altera, Archer's Arjuna, Caster's Medea (child) and Merlin, Berserker's Heracles, and lastly the Ruler Jeanne. With this... all the ones summoned this time should be—
[No, something's wrong... According to the information fate told me, there should still be a Lancer!]
Pushing aside that troublesome issue for now, Ophis nodded at the six before her.
"I am Ophis... the King of Uruk. The information about this time should have been transmitted to you via the Holy Grail's ritual circle during summoning. Just as you know, Uruk—or rather, all of humanity in this era—is facing an enormous crisis, so I summoned you to help me fight... and assist in protecting humanity."
To speak this much at once was quite rare for Ophis, but it showed how seriously she viewed this situation.
"I will... destroy the enemy."
"I see... fighting to protect, that's quite meaningful, I suppose?"
"I-I will try my best to help!"
"Sigh, since it's already been said like this, I'll do my best too... though whether I'll be of help, I don't know~"
"ROAR────"
"Understood, I will dedicate all of myself to this!"
As expected, the summoned Servants showed no signs of disobedience.
However, it seemed their coordination still needed improvement.
"So you're saying, the enemy will launch an attack from the north?"
After Ophis explained the current situation, the Servants roughly understood.
To Arjuna's question, Ophis shook her head in denial.
"Very likely... but not one hundred percent."
"Um... it should be confirmable that the north has no issue... My 'God' told me so."
"Revelation... huh?"
Hearing Jeanne's confirmation, Ophis nodded.
"Then... we need to construct city walls. Before that, we also need someone to stall the magical beasts, then defend after the wall is finished."
As she said this, Ophis glanced at Altera, Jeanne, and Arjuna.
These three should have battlefield command experience.
Altera has B-rank Military Tactics — her strategy is to charge forward recklessly.
Jeanne has A-rank Revelation — her strategy is to charge forward recklessly.
Arjuna, rather than being a commander, is more remembered as a hero, and has no tactical skills — his strategy is to kill the strongest enemy first by any means.
Seeing it this way, these three didn't seem very reliable for city defense.
So...
"Altera, Jeanne, Arjuna — I'll leave it to you three."
Just send all three.
"Specific arrangements will be handled by Altera, but Jeanne's opinions should be considered as much as possible."
Military Tactics + Revelation — this way, at least they won't be unable to block the magical beasts.
"Um, my support magic is really good, and my healing abilities are decent too... if it's okay..."
Medea has healing ability, huh...
"Then, send the wounded soldiers back to be treated by Medea."
As for going to the battlefield... looking at her like this, let her adapt by treating the injured first.
Heracles... like this, he's best as a super frontline brawler.
Having arranged five people, Ophis looked at the final white-robed mage.
"Ah, if possible, I'd like Master to allow me as much freedom as possible? I have all kinds of reasons, you see~ Ah, and I'd like to take Heracles with me. After all, I'm just a weak little mage~"
"I need a reason..."
Ophis looked at Merlin. Even ignoring the dislike from his aura, she couldn't just let two top-tier forces slack off on the sidelines.
"Well~ In this era, there is a sleeping 'monster'. Though I don't know to what extent I can do something, someone needs to keep her sleeping a little longer."
[Seems he has excellent eyes. Let him go.]
"…Then, it's up to you."
"Don't worry, I'll give it my all~ Ah no, still must stay vigilant though... Also, I'll be slightly weakened afterward for some reason, so let Heracles stay to protect me~"
"ROAR────" (Why not protect the loli?)
"Later, I'll appoint you as Court Mage, letting you use the temple's resources freely... then, are there any questions?"
After deciding, Ophis once again looked around at the Servants.
"...Is something the matter?"
She paused, then looked at Altera.
Though everyone's eyes were on her now, Altera's gaze was especially intense, to the point Ophis couldn't ignore it.
"No, nothing."
Altera shook her head.
"Then, I'll just destroy all enemies who appear, right? I'll accomplish it in my own way."
Leaving that line, Altera turned and left.
"Miss Altera... apologies, King Ophis. Leave the northern wall to us. Swearing on my banner, I will not let any magical beast cross even half a step!"
Seeing Altera leave, Jeanne quickly bowed and followed.
"Then, I shall also carry out my duties. If anything urgent happens, please summon me at any time. Farewell."
With the two companions gone, Arjuna naturally followed.
Watching the three disappear, Ophis took out a golden dagger and carved some inscriptions on a stone tablet, then handed it to Merlin.
"You three, take these to Siduri. She'll arrange everything for you."
...Siduri was the name of that priestess girl. Ophis had known, but never called her by name.
She finally has a name, congratulations.
"Oh oh, thank you very much. Then, let us part for now."
"I'll work hard, Master!"
"ROAR────"
After the final three Servants also left, Ophis casually sat down on the hall floor.
" sister golden finger, summoning details."
[Hmm... this summoning was indeed quite strange. As for the result, Archer, Caster (Medea), and Berserker's summonings followed the normal procedure. Also, based on fate's judgment, the Assassin-class Servant, after manifesting, had very weak abilities. The so-called hidden potential wouldn't affect this era's battle situation much. Although some exist that could have a critical impact, the chance of summoning them was near zero. So Jeanne replaced the basically useless Assassin... this was within expectations.]
After Ophis spoke, sister golden finger began to explain.
[However, during the summoning, Merlin forcibly inserted himself, replacing the original Rider... At first I thought there would be trouble... but that guy doesn't seem here to cause problems, so that's a relief.]
"The problem is... the Lancer?"
[Yes. This time's Lancer summoning really had a problem. I can feel that a heroic spirit was summoned as a Lancer, but was pulled away mid-process and disappeared... Even so, I'm certain they're still in this era.]
"I see..."
Ophis nodded.
Both understood without saying it.
In fact, there's one heroic spirit who would definitely respond to Ophis' call...
But among the six summoned, that person's figure wasn't there... meaning...
Once again rubbing her brow — Ophis realized that since Enkidu's passing, she'd been doing this gesture more often.
[Also, the final one — Saber!]
"...There's also a problem with Saber?"
[Yes, I feel... Saber was forcibly summoned.]
"Forced summoning?"
[It must have been the summoning technique that was interfered with by some kind of great power and forcibly modified during the summoning part… speaking in terms of this world, it's probably those two, though at that time I also had a method to forcibly interrupt the summoning of Saber, but according to the revelation given to me by fate, I didn't do so.]
Listening to sister golden finger describe the course of events, Ophis rubbed her temples again.
Feels like troublesome problems… are becoming more and more.
In front of the temple of Uruk, there was an extremely huge plaza, normally used as a place for priests to offer sacrifices to the gods. But now, it was packed with crowds of people. Even outside the square, there were still crowds gathering. Countless soldiers were divided into several units, guarding both the temple and the periphery of the people.
The reason such a situation happened was quite simple, but it was the first time in history.
Their king summoned them — summoned all the people of Uruk.
Although Ophis had launched a large-scale war some time ago, and even after the war ended had not stopped strengthening the army — thus consuming a large amount of manpower and finances — her management of Uruk as a city-state was nothing short of perfect.
However, although the king's policies could be described as perfect, she — who rarely appeared even when Enkidu was alive — showed herself even less after Enkidu's death.
That is to say, until today, except for the legion that had recently followed her to suppress remaining enemies and the high-ranking officials handling important matters, almost no one else had seen Ophis's figure.
Although this gathering was quite unexpected, driven by curiosity toward the king, most of the people of Uruk had gathered here.
At this moment, the previously noisy crowd suddenly quieted down and, under the reminders of those around them, looked toward the highest point of the temple.
Wearing a black robe with red patterns, a black crown upon her head, Ophis stood expressionlessly at that position.
"O people of Uruk, my subjects."
With Merlin's magic supporting from behind, Ophis's voice clearly transmitted to every corner of Uruk. Even the citizens who were not present at the scene could hear it clearly.
"I am Uruk's only and highest sovereign — Ophis. Among you, there should be no one who harbors doubt about this."
Sweeping her gaze over the crowd, the citizens of Uruk did not seem to react to this self-introduction — which was something every major figure in Uruk would say when appearing — and were quietly waiting for her next words.
"You must be quite curious why I have recently done many seemingly irrational actions, even causing many people to become displaced, taking quite some time before they were properly settled."
At this point, Ophis looked at the gathered people who had moved here from other city-states. Now, they might no longer hold strong ill feelings toward her, but there probably wouldn't be much goodwill either.
"Perhaps in your eyes, Uruk is very peaceful and harmonious, and everything I have done now is meaningless. The increasingly frequent monster raids are merely temporary anomalies and won't cause much threat… I won't blame you for thinking this way. After all, your perspectives are ultimately too narrow."
Speaking here, Ophis gradually raised her tone.
"O citizens of Uruk, do you know how false the current peace is? Do you know that the wrath of the gods is already approaching? Do you know that Uruk is about to be destroyed under the tyranny of the gods?"
Upon hearing this, the people of Uruk naturally stirred greatly.
"Shock, fear, resentment… These must be your current feelings, right? But no matter how resentful, it is meaningless. Uruk will be destroyed — this is an absolute future, unavoidable and unstoppable."
Ophis raised her tone again, forcibly suppressing the various murmurs of the people.
"That's right — no matter what, Uruk will ultimately be destroyed, and you will inevitably walk toward extinction… How you face that end, I will not interfere too much. Escape, indulgence, or sighing as you throw yourselves into the underworld, all are understandable — but!"
Ophis raised both hands, releasing a strong wave of mental pressure, suppressing the people's madness and agitation, directing their focus back onto herself.
"But — are you truly willing? Willing to always be slaves of the gods, puppets of the gods, ending your lives meaninglessly under the unreasonable venting of the gods? Or — are you willing to take up your weapons, and even if it's in your final moments, rise up to face the gods, strike at them with the sword that contains all your anger?"
After saying this, the aura that Ophis had released once again calmed down, and she once more swept her gaze across everyone present.
"No matter how you choose, I can guarantee you — Uruk will become your last and safest refuge… until the arrival of that final moment."
Leaving those final words, Ophis turned around and disappeared into the temple, followed by Merlin and Medea, leaving behind the crowd in the square to stir once more.
"Ah, King Ophis's performance this time was quite dazzling. I really felt the king's aura."
Hearing Merlin's slightly teasing praise, Ophis originally planned to ignore it.
"Seems like the practice in front of the mirror these past days really paid off~ Mm."
Suddenly felt like killing someone to silence them...
After kicking Merlin out of the temple with one swift motion, Ophis finally let out a sigh of relief.
"This should be enough… right?"
[Don't worry. You've already fulfilled your obligation to them. No matter what choice they make, the final result won't change.]
"Won't change… huh?"
Gazing out the window at the entirety of Uruk, Ophis murmured to herself.
"sister golden finger… really, there's no way?"
[...]
"sister golden finger?"
[Honestly, I was really startled just now. I didn't think you'd say something like that… originally, for you, since fate was already set, no matter how tragic that fate was, your rebellious will usually wouldn't be that strong, right?]
"Maybe… that's true."
Ophis paused in surprise. Thinking back, she herself didn't know why she suddenly asked such a question.
[You seem a little confused?]
"Probably… This city is the one Enkidu liked, after all."
Shaking her head, Ophis finally gave this conclusion.
[Ha… Enkidu again, seriously. Whether it's meeting you or teaching you, I was the one who came first, you know… But I can't deny that guy really put his whole heart into you… Still, one thing is one thing — this matter… is it really because of Enkidu?]
To sister golden finger question, Ophis fell into silence.
"I… don't know…"
In the end, she gave the same answer as always.
[Oh, this truly is a somewhat unexpected sight.]
A large number of fully armed soldiers knelt on one knee in the square in front of the temple.
This was the scene on the second day after the speech, when Ophis stepped out of the palace.
"King, these soldiers are all warriors willing to raise their weapons, determined to resist the coming calamity. Among them, every one of them is fully prepared. Please give your orders."
"Please give your orders!!!"
The priestess girl Siduri stood at the front of the formation, bowed and reported to Ophis. The soldiers behind her also loudly echoed.
Ophis swept her gaze around. The number of people here exceeded the original army by one fourth. Though there were fewer veteran soldiers, there were far more unfamiliar faces.
Among them, the expression on each and every face was extremely resolute—no hesitation, no doubt.
Ten thousand people—this was approximately the number of this army.
In this era and region, an army of such scale could only be described as terrifying.
These were all people who, knowing it was futile, still chose to resist.
To call them "warriors" was indeed very fitting.
But the name of "fools" also equally applied to these people.
Fools who, despite knowing it was meaningless, still raised weapons to resist.
On the very day of summoning Heroic Spirits, Ophis had also seen the exact same scene──from that power that could glimpse into the future.
Even now, with this very image appearing in front of her, Ophis still could not understand it.
Perhaps she couldn't claim to fully understand humans, but at the very least, she could infer from knowledge that normal "humans" could not make such a choice when they knew the end of the world was approaching.
If one followed the common sense within knowledge to deduce, Uruk should have already fallen into chaos, right?
In fact, unable to confirm the authenticity of the future she saw, Ophis had made quite a few preparations.
But none of those preparations had been put to use.
Incomprehensible──that was Ophis's current feeling.
Such an almost impossible thing had really come true.
Seeing this kind of scene, the doubts Ophis had just a few days ago once again floated up in her mind.
That kind of unreasonable future… is it really completely unavoidable?
────────────────────────────────
"In truth, quite a number of women have expressed willingness to provide assistance, but based on the reason that women cannot serve as soldiers, I ultimately assigned them all to logistical work."
Scene change—inside the temple, the priestess girl Siduri performed a priestly salute to Ophis and began reporting the information she knew.
"In the city, there was no large-scale chaos as the King had warned. Although a small number of people showed behavior of ignoring rules or slight mental disorder, all violence and disorderly conduct were spontaneously stopped by the citizens before the guards even arrived."
So the order truly had not collapsed?
Siduri's report continued.
"Also, although regrettable, just as the King predicted, there were quite a few people who chose to end themselves and throw themselves into the underworld. Although a very small number were discovered and successfully rescued, the majority lost their lives."
Ophis nodded to show acknowledgment.
Actually, in Ophis's view, if someone didn't want to live, there was no need to forcibly save them──after all, once the heart is dead, even if the body lives, it doesn't make much difference—it's no different from being dead. However, since Siduri and the others chose to save them, she had no reason to oppose it.
"There are also a small number of citizens observed to be suffering too great a blow, now living like walking corpses. As these people don't cause trouble for others, besides continued observation, we've taken no additional measures."
"…Gather them together and manage them collectively."
These people may be fine in the short term… but if left alone for too long, they could become a factor disrupting order—a hidden danger.
"Yes, your subordinate understands."
Siduri did not hesitate and recorded the order.
"Besides the above cases, the majority of the remaining citizens, even if they did not join the army, have expressed a willingness to offer support. From this, it seems the overall operation of Uruk and the military's logistics can be fully maintained, and no major issues will arise for now."
"Mm… I understand."
Ophis nodded again, but before she could issue more instructions, the priestess girl suddenly knelt down respectfully.
"King, I, High Priestess Siduri, on behalf of the entire 'Priesthood,' offer the most sincere apology for the many doubts once harbored in my heart. Now we all understand that everything the King has done was for the sake of protecting Uruk. We also understand just how ignorant we were before──though it should be called duty rather than atonement, please allow us, the 'Priesthood,' to submit ourselves to the King's banner and follow the King's command, to contribute our efforts in the coming battle!"
Don't be fooled by how Siduri has always been respectful to Ophis—actually, in this era when gods had not yet fully faded into myth, the Priesthood's divine authority could check the royal authority of Ophis in many administrative matters.
And now, after the death of the previous High Priest, Siduri—who had directly succeeded the position during this emergency—made such a declaration, which was equivalent to announcing the entire Priesthood's direct allegiance to Ophis. From now on, Ophis could issue direct orders to them.
Only now could it be said that Uruk had truly unified, entering an era of human kingship, and the era of divine authority was truly declared over.
"I accept. Then, in the future, all blessings, support, and healing for the frontline troops shall be entrusted to the Priesthood."
Naturally, there was no reason for Ophis to refuse such a thing.
"Yes!"
Siduri, still kneeling, once again bowed respectfully.
"For these matters, you can seek Medea's assistance—she is very skilled in this."
"Lady Medea? Understood."
This was an extraordinary time—such a pledge of loyalty certainly could not be delayed by numerous complicated rituals. Once both sides reached an understanding, the topic was simply concluded, and they moved on to discussing the current situation.
Until the sound of clanking metal echoed.
The two returned from discussion. The temple hall was now filled with warriors clad in fine armor.
Unlike the previous crowd who, despite their numbers, lacked fighting spirit—these warriors, though numbering only a few hundred, each exuded a distinct sense of presence.
This was an elite force──anyone who saw this would be convinced of that.
"King! According to your order, we have selected the 506 strongest men in the army. Please give us further instructions!"
The leader stepped forward from the team, saluted and spoke loudly.
"Please give me your instructions, King!"
The loud and uniform noises shook the hall of the temple.
"Although the temple of Uruk looks to be just about this size, in reality, including the square in front and a large portion of the interior rooms, special magic techniques have been applied. Its actual spatial size is far greater than what can be visually judged from the outside.
And now, the place where Ophis is located is one of the rooms with spatial magic applied.
Behind her, five hundred and six soldiers stood neatly in formation.
Calling it a 'room' might be underestimating it a bit. From the inside, at a glance, it already has about one-third the area of a sports field.
After Ophis ordered the selection of elites from the army, she also simultaneously instructed Uruk's magicians to renovate this space.
Now, a huge pool was placed right in the center of the room, with two other much smaller pools nearby.
"The strongest one, go in there."
Ophis pointed to the deepest pool in the room.
The one who had just taken the lead saluted and, without hesitation, immersed himself in the pool Ophis had indicated.
"The following five people, enter there."
The five standing at the front likewise saluted and entered the pool.
"Everyone else, soak in here."
Five hundred people directly walked into the largest pool.
"Assist one another, remove your armor."
Ophis gave the final command.
Although troublesome, it was ultimately the king's order, so all the soldiers still followed it.
"King, this is…?"
At the side, Siduri looked at this scene with some confusion.
Ophis' arrangements were always passed through her before being relayed; as far as she knew, although the water in these pools was used for rituals and had undergone special purification processes, it was still just ordinary water—at most, due to being inside the temple long-term, it had absorbed a trace amount of divine or magical power, but that was far from enough to cause any transformation.
Ophis shook her head and did not answer, simply raising her right palm.
Purple magical energy gathered in her palm, becoming thicker and thicker, until finally, in Siduri's astonished gaze, it turned into something resembling a magic circle.
Only, unlike ordinary magic circles, the one in Ophis' hand had a symbol representing infinity at its center.
The magic circle pulsed in Ophis' hand like a heartbeat, and gradually, three drops of bright red blood were condensed within it.
However, the anomaly of the magic circle had not yet ceased; the pulsing continued, and those three drops of blood gradually changed in color.
From the original crimson, they slowly turned into a dazzling gold like the sun.
Finally, the magic circle transformed back into purple magical energy like smoke and merged into the three drops of golden blood.
Only then, after all the soldiers had likely fully removed their armor, did Ophis wave her hand, causing the three drops of blood to float into the three pools, instantly making them radiate with golden light.
"Immerse your entire body in the pool and try to absorb as much as possible—how much you gain depends on your fate. I will return in one day."
Letting out a deep breath, Ophis said this to all the soldiers before turning and leaving.
As for those soldiers, once the blood entered the pools, they could no longer clearly hear what Ophis was saying. Every one of them felt a powerful energy flooding into their body.
Accompanying it was heart-piercing pain.
Only the five in the smaller pool and the lone commander in the deepest pool were worse off. Even though they were strong, they instantly fainted from the pain.
After all, their suffering was a hundredfold... even five hundredfold that of others.
[Never thought it… you could really go through with such a thing.]
Walking along the corridor, sister golden finger's voice echoed in Ophis' mind.
"Mm, for the sake of war…"
[In that case, going forward you'll have to avoid overly intense battles, right?]
"No matter. I didn't plan to fight directly after the summoning anyway."
[Is that so? True—if you leave Uruk to battle, then others will seize the opportunity to invade. So you can only stay here and guard it.]
"Mm. Therefore, I must strengthen the military power as much as possible."