"What? We can't return?"
In the town near the northern wall, Ritsuka stared in confusion at the soldiers blocking their way.
These soldiers should've been Ophis's elite forces…
"That's correct. 'You've done enough; leave the rest to me'—this was King Ophis's message to you before she left. Also, she specifically instructed that you shouldn't return to Uruk."
…That sounded polite enough, but your actions aren't matching your words at all!?
Staring at the two aggressive black spears crossed threateningly in front of her, as well as the hundred intimidating black-armored warriors lined up menacingly behind, Ritsuka's eyelid twitched slightly.
Just then, another hundred black-armored warriors appeared from behind, swiftly surrounding the Chaldea group.
Now, Ritsuka definitely sensed something wrong.
Earlier, that second group had left under the pretense of "helping settle the surviving cavalrymen." Now, it seemed that "settlement" wasn't as simple as it sounded.
They weren't pampered nobles—why would it take a hundred soldiers to look after a mere fifty survivors?
Looking around at the soldiers closing in, Ritsuka frowned.
Having witnessed the Dragon's battle from afar, her sense of unease grew heavier by the second.
To have such overwhelming power at hand yet deliberately withhold it until now, and even then fail to fully resolve the situation?
This Singularity really isn't as simple as it seems. Considering Chaldea's responsibility, there's no way they'd obediently stand by as mere spectators.
But facing two hundred soldiers whose strength rivaled third-rate Servants, breaking out wouldn't be easy.
Ritsuka could also feel Quetzalcoatl insistently poking her from behind.
…Although she really didn't want to hurt these people, if push came to shove, they'd have to rely on the goddess's brute force to escape.
If only Merlin were still around…
Only now did Ritsuka truly miss that unreliable, whimsical Mage of Flowers.
That guy clearly knew something at the end, yet insisted on speaking in vague riddles. Is playing at being a cryptic prophet really that entertaining?
"Greetings, everyone."
"Uwaaah?!"
Just then, a clear voice suddenly sounded beside Chaldea's members.
Ritsuka jumped back on guard, turning quickly, only to find Medea standing there holding her staff, a sweet smile on her face.
"Miss Medea… Eh?"
Seeing it wasn't an enemy, Ritsuka relaxed slightly, but soon realized something else felt off. Glancing around, she noticed the soldiers remained fixated on the spot where they'd been standing, apparently unaware anything had happened.
"Everyone, please follow me."
Without further explanation, Medea smiled faintly and turned away.
The Chaldea members exchanged quick glances before following silently, leaving behind the soldiers, who continued to stare blankly at the now-empty spot.
...
On the scorched plains south of Uruk, countless bizarre, monstrous beings advanced relentlessly.
Their vanguard had been entirely annihilated earlier, but the terrifying power that had briefly caused their instincts to tremble was now faint, flickering weakly like a candle in the wind, ready to vanish at any moment.
No longer threatened, they moved forward, driven by instinct.
The walls lay just ahead. Countless living souls awaited them, ripe for slaughter.
But suddenly, the sunlight intensified tremendously, and an overwhelming divine pressure bore down upon them.
Even these monstrosities found themselves paralyzed by such oppressive might.
"Uruk belongs to me. I will protect it, and only by my hand shall it be destroyed."
Standing proudly atop Maanna, the Boat of Heaven, the Goddess of Venus coldly gazed down at the monstrosities beneath.
"So tell me, who gave disgusting creatures like you…"
A massive surge of energy rippled through space, gathering at Maanna's cannon. With unrestrained fury, the Queen of Heaven unleashed her might. Ishtar's eyes, turning from red to brilliant gold, burned with righteous fury.
"…Permission to tread upon my protected lands!?"
In the next instant, dazzling golden light erupted, swallowing the earth whole.
"Goddess Ishtar has halted the monsters' advance!"
Upon seeing Ishtar's sudden appearance and her fierce battle against the monsters, the priests watching from the walls still didn't breathe easy. One quickly turned his gaze back toward the city.
"What's the status of the people's evacuation?"
"Nearly complete."
The other priests wore equally grave expressions but maintained orderly guidance of the populace.
Siduri had commanded them to evacuate everyone to the northern wall as soon as the Dragon vanished, but no one had anticipated how swiftly the monsters would regroup and strike again.
Though detailed intel was lacking due to the destruction of the outposts, judging by the timing of this second wave, the monsters must have begun their advance almost immediately after the first wave's annihilation.
Siduri, meanwhile, had gone silent…
The priest atop the wall glanced anxiously back toward the battlefield.
These creatures seemed incredibly resilient. Though Ishtar's repeated cannon fire had temporarily halted their advance, even she appeared to be struggling under their sheer numbers, clearly unable to hold out indefinitely.
At that moment, a hail of arrows fell from the sky, clearing an opening among the monsters. Altera landed gracefully in the space, swiftly transforming Photon Ray into a whip and spinning it in a lethal arc, cutting all the monsters within dozens of meters cleanly in half, turning them instantly into black sludge.
At the same time, Arjuna stood atop the city wall, firing arrow after arrow with mechanical efficiency, swiftly exterminating the approaching monsters.
"ROAAAARRR—!"
Heracles let out a furious howl, charging headlong into the monster horde, wreaking havoc.
"Hmph, you all have pretty good timing," Ishtar snorted, looking back briefly before intensifying Maanna's barrage. "If that's the case, then I'll get serious too…!"
With this sudden reinforcements' arrival, the priests finally relaxed a bit, shouting loudly to hasten the evacuation.
"Hurry! Move faster!"
The crowd moved toward the road leading to the northern wall, expressions grim and worried, whispering anxiously amongst themselves yet maintaining disciplined order.
Some priests noticed that several citizens had chosen not to evacuate, merely shaking their heads in resignation.
The citizens weren't fools. Under these sudden dire circumstances, it was easy to connect events with the apocalypse Ophis had prophesied half a year prior.
While this motivated many to evacuate, it also drove others to remain, determined to share their homeland's fate.
That was their resolve and pride as citizens. Unless the king herself intervened directly, these priests wouldn't forcibly change their minds.
Recalling Siduri's earlier instructions, the priest atop the wall turned once more toward the goddess fighting desperately below. He solemnly offered his highest respects to the divine, then descended from the wall.
For Uruk, the battle that truly belonged to him had only just begun.