Within a dark, sealed-off space, countless ghosts and skeletons staggered steadily toward some fixed destination.
This was the first scene Ophis saw upon entering Kur, the Underworld.
If a certain serpent goddess saw this massive army filling every corner of the space, she'd likely realize just how foolish her plan of "using countless beasts to stall one goddess" really was.
Aside from a certain insectoid swarm, there wasn't a single race foolish enough to try competing with the dead in terms of sheer numbers. War always produced death faster than birth ever could.
Ophis tilted her head, calmly considering. She concluded that Ereshkigal probably hadn't dispatched so many undead here simply to welcome her on a tour of Kur.
Just then, the energies surrounding Ophis fluctuated slightly.
Boom-boom-boom-boom—
A spherical purple barrier instantly expanded outward from Ophis's body. Almost simultaneously, countless explosions erupted on its surface.
Ophis's eyes narrowed slightly.
So Ereshkigal can directly channel Kur's energy into attacks… This is trickier than I imagined…
Directly detonating Kur's own energies meant the expended power would return immediately to the Underworld itself—an attack method that cost nothing, was nearly undetectable, and difficult to defend against.
Ereshkigal was practically invincible within Kur—it seemed the rumors weren't exaggerated.
Normally, Ophis could have stood here and let Eresh blast away forever without taking a scratch. But now her Infinity was partially limited…
It couldn't be helped. If she hadn't left certain precautions behind, she'd never have felt safe leaving Uruk in the first place.
In a war of attrition, the current Ophis couldn't outlast an entire Underworld.
But that certainly didn't mean she was weak now…
With eyes narrowed like a serpent hidden in darkness, Ophis swiftly analyzed every scrap of information about her surroundings.
The usual vacant expression in her eyes had already been replaced by a chilling gleam.
When she had Infinity, no amount of recklessness posed a threat—she could safely ignore nearly every attack, so she'd never once fought seriously… though she'd been remarkably serious about suppressing her own powers.
But when Infinity couldn't serve as an absolute shield, that was when the serpent truly bared her fangs.
Only in moments like these did Ophis become genuinely serious!
With a serpent's caution, keenness, and cold ruthlessness.
This was the current Ophis—perhaps even the real Ophis.
Within a single second, she'd grasped every detail around her, before calmly shifting her gaze to the army of the undead below.
"Mere puppets."
Ophis quickly came to that conclusion.
These undead weren't enslaved souls. Rather, they were cheaply mass-produced soldiers created from fragments left behind when souls crumbled after existing for too long.
A single fragmented soul could be split into multiple units at minimal cost. Their combat strength barely surpassed ordinary humans—at best, their immunity to physical attacks was slightly troublesome.
The skeletons were even less of an issue. Ordinary bones infused with some necrotic energy—any trained Age-of-Gods soldier with an iron rod could deal with them.
In short, absolute cannon fodder.
For Ophis, their combat potential didn't matter in the slightest. Even if each could wrestle a high-class beast barehanded, in her eyes they'd still be cannon fodder.
All she needed to confirm was that none of them were souls from Uruk's citizens.
BOOM!
The next moment, a fierce shockwave erupted from the center of the undead army, annihilating every undead within a hundred meters.
Floating amidst the destruction, enclosed safely within a faint purple sphere, Ophis's lips curled into a fox-like smile.
These cannon fodder existed purely to drain her energy. Even if they couldn't, their destruction wouldn't trouble Ereshkigal at all; give her a few hundred years and she'd create a whole new batch.
But Ophis was the same. Even without complete Infinity, she still retained the power of the serpent. A trivial expenditure of this level could be restored in an instant—meaning she wasn't losing anything at all.
Suddenly, countless bluish ghostly souls rose into the air, swiftly diving toward Ophis.
Facing these thousands of specters, Ophis didn't even spare them a glance. Behind her, magic circles bloomed, swiftly numbering over three hundred.
Then, three hundred magic cannons fired simultaneously!
...
"SACRED LANCE...REMOVING RESTRAINTS..."
At Lily's shout, a silver-white knight's lance materialized in her grasp.
A spear bound by thirteen seals, anchoring the Tower that pins the Texture to the surface of the planet Earth A far-distant lance radiating starlight's brilliance.
What Lily held was merely a fragment of that sacred lance—but even this fragment could unleash the spear's sealed power!
As she grasped the lance, brilliant light exploded around Lily, enveloping her completely.
Under that radiance, Lily began to transform.
Her simple skirt armor vanished, replaced by pure silver-white full-body armor, and Lily's features slowly took on a more mature air.
Thoughts and intentions flowed into her mind from the sacred lance...
Endless wandering, the will of a goddess, humanity's salvation...
At that moment, Lily truly understood: the Goddess of Rhongomyniad genuinely loved humanity.
However, Lily absolutely couldn't agree with her methods!
The brilliant radiance and illusions faded away, returning Lily's appearance to normal.
Yet the aura and magical energy emanating from her now vastly exceeded anything she'd shown before!
"Neigh—!"
"It's been a long time… No, actually, it's nice to meet you, Dun Stallion. Please continue to guide me from now on."
Lily greeted the steed beneath her softly, a faint smile on her lips. The horse, now empowered tremendously, had been temporarily possessed by Dun Stallion's spirit.
Surprisingly, the sacred lance hadn't corrupted her mind. Instead, it refined and strengthened her spirit far beyond its previous limits.
"I see… So, you wanted to witness what kind of ending I could reach wielding this lance…"
A flash of understanding passed through Lily's eyes.
Indeed, the goddess had entrusted the sacred lance to Lily, not to seize her body, but simply to watch what future Lily might build.
After spending so long at Ritsuka's side, Lily had grown to embrace her Master's "when in doubt, charge straight ahead" mindset. To her, saving humanity didn't require complex methods.
Just defeat every enemy in their path—then defeat Solomon himself.
That was her chosen approach.
"Then watch carefully—this is the path I've chosen."
With confidence blazing in her eyes, Lily faced the dragon directly.
"I must apologize for making you hold your flame-breathing pose for so long. As compensation, please allow me to demonstrate the sacred lance's full power!"
"GRAAAAH—!"
The dragon roared furiously, unleashing its blazing flames.
Ignoring the overwhelming heat rushing toward her, Lily raised the sacred lance, calling forth its true name:
"SPLIT THE HEAVENS AND TETHER THE EARTH, ANCHOR OF THE STORM!"
"[RHONGOMYNIAD]!!!"
A pillar of golden light pierced the dragon's flames, blasted through its body, and disappeared into the heavens above.
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