"So, what about that monster now?"
Ophis wasn't surprised by Merlin's answer. No matter how many times she'd glimpsed the future, the end never changed—though the true enemy stayed hidden. Even if it wasn't Tiamat herself, it had to be something with similar strength and authority.
"Well, we've barely managed to lull her back to sleep for now. But it's only a shallow slumber. King Ophis, you've noticed too, haven't you? She hasn't truly exerted herself in any of these battles."
"Mm."
Even if Merlin called it a "shallow slumber," Tiamat wouldn't wake so easily. Otherwise, Ophis wouldn't have let Arjuna fire that missile earlier.
It was just that whenever Ophis got serious, she tended to be… a bit careless with restraint, so caution was better.
"My King…"
Siduri still looked at a loss, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to speak but didn't know how.
But she was a priestess of the Age of Gods and recovered quickly.
After all, the King had long since said that everyone was doomed to die. If death was certain, what difference did it make whether they fell to the Creator Goddess or were wiped out by demonic beasts?
"Though the people of Uruk have long whispered that our enemy might be the Mother of the World, having it truly confirmed is still quite a shock."
Even after accepting it, Siduri couldn't help a small lament.
The demonic beasts that invaded this time were of a kind never seen before. Naturally, people linked their appearance to Tiamat, the mother of beasts. But compared to ignorant civilians, Siduri—with her knowledge and reason—had refused to believe a Creator Goddess, dead in legend, could suddenly return.
And yet, it had happened.
"Then hold out to the very end," Ophis concluded with a sigh.
Everyone fell silent.
Striking first meant waking the final boss early; staying passive would bleed supplies and lives dry. An impossible choice.
Holding on until the last moment might be the only path—Ophis had reached that conclusion long ago.
But now things were different.
Back then, she intended only to help Uruk survive until it was inevitably razed, then quietly disappear, shedding the king's duty. Now, something in her had changed.
Each extra day they survived increased the chance to seize a turning point.
That was Ophis's mindset now.
Tiamat… With over eighty percent certainty she was their foe. In that case—
"My King, reporting as ordered."
A deep voice came from the side. A middle-aged man, somewhat resembling Billy, stood respectfully and saluted.
"The commander?"
"I am the commander overseeing all soldiers along Babylon's northern defense line—of course, ultimately under the command of these three… er… 'Servants' at your side."
Ophis nodded and rose. At her feet, a vast golden ripple opened, and from it rose a massive artillery cannon.
"My King, this is…?"
While the Servants with advanced knowledge remained composed, Siduri and the commander stared at the weapon that clearly didn't belong to this era.
"Dingir."
Ophis gave the briefest non-answer, conjured a large spear, slid it into the cannon's breech, then casually crushed the lapis lazuli pedestal underfoot.
Boom────!
With a deafening blast, a huge crater opened outside the city walls.
"Whoa!? My King, this…!"
The commander looked beyond thrilled, eyes shining as if he might sprint over and hug the cannon.
"This is your new city-defense weapon."
She motioned for the overexcited commander to calm down, then flicked her hand again. Under his increasingly euphoric gaze, hundreds of identical cannons appeared along the walls.
"You already know how to operate it. Ammunition will be distributed later. It's valuable, so use it sparingly."
"Yes, my King!"
…A very hot-blooded commander indeed.
"Dingir—as in the concept of 'deification,' yes? A divine state not granted by the gods, but elevated by humans themselves through faith and outstanding deeds."
True to form, Merlin launched into a lecture, even with his usual frivolous air.
"King Ophis named it so to declare that Uruk's defense rests on human strength, correct?"
"…"
Ophis fell briefly silent.
Merlin—half human, half incubus.
Arjuna—half human, half god.
Heracles—half human, half god.
Medea, who'd been hiding—well, god-blooded regardless.
Altera—…Human?
Jeanne—finally, a pure human.
Ophis herself—wait, there wasn't even a scrap of human in there, was there!?
Dingir was simply the cannon's original name…
Some things really didn't need romanticizing…
"Exactly."
In the end, Ophis answered without the slightest blush or hesitation.
And honestly, Merlin wasn't entirely wrong.
Beings elevated by human faith and their own deeds—that was precisely what Heroic Spirits were.
Humans and Heroic Spirits fighting together to protect the Human Order. In that sense, Dingir was a fitting name.
"In short, I'm leaving the demonic-beast front to you. I'll observe here for a few days before returning."
Once the commander had sent soldiers to familiarize themselves with Dingir, Ophis turned to Jeanne and the others.
"Wait, my King! There's no proper palace here for your rest. Please leave the front to us—return to Uruk and rest safely!"
The commander blurted out, anxious.
Though Ophis had only fought briefly, he believed that so long as the army stood, letting the King herself fight meant the military had failed its duty.
"Yes, my King. The scorpion-man from before is still alive. The battlefield is too dangerous. Please return to Uruk and rest," Siduri pleaded earnestly.
No matter how overwhelming Ophis's strength seemed, Siduri couldn't relax while the cornerstone of Uruk stood exposed on the front line.
Hearing them, Ophis glanced around the emptiness inside the city walls, tilted her head in thought, then finally said:
"The army needs a place to rest as well. Then… let's build a new living area here."
She said it at last, as if the idea had just occurred to her.
---
T/N: AHHH THEY SAID IT DEMONIC BEAST FRONT