Chapter 287: Nega-Genesis, Kid!
Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't believe a single word she said.
Ever since they had met, this woman had been full of nonsense—nine lies and one truth. You had to interpret everything she said critically.
She believed the parts about the Grand Temple of Time, facing the King of Mages, and the Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars.
But the idea that it would just be her and Mash fighting them?
Absolutely not.
Come on, no matter how awful Humanity Order was, there was no way it would make her and Mash alone face that many Demon Gods. Every Singularity had helpers, didn't it? Things would work themselves out when the time came.
Still, she wouldn't deny how difficult that battle would be.
"Big Sister Kiana."
Ritsuka stared at Xia Yu.
"The Grand Temple of Time you mentioned... is it really that difficult?"
"It really is difficult."
Xia Yu smiled faintly.
"At least, in the scene I saw, you as the Master had your sleeves rolled up and were boxing the King of Mages yourself."
"Huh? Me?!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka pointed at her own nose.
"Big Sister Kiana, are you sure you didn't see wrong?"
She looked at her thin arms and legs, then recalled the overwhelmingly powerful King of Mages from the London Singularity.
Me fighting the King of Mages?
Seriously?
Wasn't the Master's job to provide tactical support from the rear?
Why was she personally charging into battle?
"When things get desperate, that's what happens."
Xia Yu shrugged meaningfully.
"Desperate..."
Ritsuka secretly glanced at Mash.
Just what kind of situation would make her lose her mind and choose to box the King of Mages?
Especially when she had a Guardian like Mash protecting her.
Her expression gradually stiffened.
Big Sister Kiana's prophetic abilities had already been proven in the Sixth Singularity.
Everything she had said had come true.
So now...
"Senpai?"
Mash tilted her head in confusion.
"Big Sister Kiana."
Ritsuka forced out a smile.
"How strong is this reward you're talking about?"
"Do you know why I can act this recklessly, yet the Counter Force—or rather, Humanity Order—can only be angry and do nothing?"
Xia Yu smiled toward Gilgamesh.
"Look. Such a huge incident happened, yet they still won't give you a Grand Spirit Origin. They're terrified I'll steal it."
"Hmph."
Gilgamesh folded his arms and said nothing.
"Ritsuka, your big sister here is actually super strong!"
Xia Yu looked at her.
"So strong that the Counter Force doesn't even dare send a Grand Servant directly to subjugate me."
"The gift I can give you is only one thing."
"My strongest attack."
"An attack that surpasses the King of Mages' Noble Phantasm, Ars Almadel Salomonis, which can instantly burn away the planet's surface."
"So?"
"Do you want it or not?"
"...I can't afford that, Big Sister."
Ritsuka pressed her hands together pleadingly.
"The King of Mages can't even beat you. How could I possibly handle that?"
"Mhm, that's true."
Xia Yu stroked her chin and thought for two seconds.
"How about this?"
"Right now, I am Tiamat."
"As long as you defeat the Mother Goddess of Creation, I'll count it as your victory."
"How about that?"
Hearing that, Fujimaru Ritsuka turned toward her companions.
A Grand Servant, King Hassan.
The aspect of South America's supreme god, Kukulkan—Quetzalcoatl.
The foundation of Enkidu: Chains of Heaven, Kingu.
The King of Uruk, Gilgamesh.
And the legendary magus, Merlin.
Along with Mash, who had always accompanied her.
Then she looked to the opposite side.
Uruk's guardian deity.
The Goddess of Venus, goddess of war, goddess of harvest—Ishtar—and her invincible Bull of Heaven.
The ruler of the Underworld, Ereshkigal.
And Tiamat herself, whose authorities had been taken away but who looked entirely willing about it.
As well as Big Sister Kiana.
"This... is going to be pretty tough..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka clenched her fist.
"But with all of Uruk's strength gathered together!"
"We won't lose!"
"Are you ready, Big Sister Kiana?"
"The entirety of Uruk versus your three—no, four goddesses?"
"No, don't count her."
Xia Yu put down the little loli mother in her arms.
"She's super weak right now."
"Just three goddesses is enough."
"Then we're back where we started."
Ritsuka took a deep breath.
"Uruk versus the Three Goddesses."
"Just like when we first arrived in this Singularity."
"I'll take care of Gilgamesh!"
How could Ishtar endure any longer after hearing that?
She immediately pointed at Gilgamesh and laughed arrogantly with her hands on her hips.
"Gilgamesh! Never thought you'd see a day like this, did you?"
"You actually dared trick me in a contract?"
"If I don't beat you until you cough up every gem in your treasury today, I'm not Ishtar!"
"Oh?"
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You idiot goddess actually figured it out?"
"Tsk. Someone must have told you."
"No, I was certain I'd hidden it well. I didn't think you'd ever investigate the contract."
He looked toward Xia Yu.
"Precognition?"
"That's how Clairvoyance works."
Xia Yu spoke with a completely serious face.
"If you're unhappy, don't play."
Gilgamesh, who genuinely possessed Clairvoyance, fell silent for a moment.
Then he turned toward Kingu.
"Now we have two Chains of Heaven."
One belonged to Kingu.
The other came from his Gate of Babylon.
Enkidu had once died after killing the Bull of Heaven and incurring the wrath of the gods.
"The Bull of Heaven is mine."
Kingu didn't even turn around.
"No. I'll handle it."
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes.
"As a Servant, my methods are far more diverse than they were before."
As the two casually settled on their opponent, King Hassan silently looked toward Ereshkigal.
Two beings deeply connected to the world after death naturally became opponents.
One possessed peerless combat skill and the assistance of a Grand Spirit Origin.
The other stood inherently undefeated on this battlefield.
As long as she wasn't ambushed, it was nearly impossible to kill her instantly.
Although Ereshkigal had once suffered the humiliation of being cut down without any defenses, that had been a carefully planned sneak attack.
In a true fight, her authorities were anything but weak.
After all, she had used her Noble Phantasm, Kur Kigal Irkalla, to seal even Tiamat's Nega-Genesis.
Her weakness was combat experience.
Especially when facing an old veteran with centuries of experience.
That matchup was sure to be interesting.
Meanwhile, Quetzalcoatl was already cracking her knuckles while staring at Xia Yu.
"I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"
The muscles throughout her body bulged, exploding the decorative armor on her arms and legs.
"Come, Hero!"
"Let us enjoy a glorious slaughter together!"
"I'll handle defense!"
Mash immediately stepped forward with her Great Shield.
Ritsuka also prepared her magecraft support.
"Give it everything you've got."
She looked at Quetzalcoatl.
"We have to win!"
"Of course!"
The older sister's smile grew even brighter.
"Bare hands or weapons?"
Xia Yu tilted her head.
"Let's warm up with our fists first."
Quetzalcoatl lowered her body slightly.
The ground beneath her shattered in the next second as she shot toward Xia Yu like an arrow released from a bow.
Xia Yu showed no fear.
She directly met fist with fist.
The divine power of South America's supreme god and that of Sumer's Mother Goddess of Creation collided in the most savage manner possible.
The resulting shockwave shattered the earth and flattened entire hills.
"My Underworld!!!"
Ereshkigal screamed miserably.
"Get out! All of you, get out!"
The other groups ignored her.
Gilgamesh and Kingu would have preferred dragging Ishtar deeper into the Underworld.
The Bull of Heaven was enormous, and Ishtar's aerial advantage was immense.
The vast caverns of the Underworld greatly restricted both of them.
However, Xia Yu and Quetzalcoatl exchanged a glance.
Both leaped high into the sky simultaneously.
Even while flying, they continued colliding repeatedly.
The aftermath of their battle enlarged the entrance to the Underworld by more than a full circle.
"Good!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes lit up.
Getting outside was excellent.
Staying in the Underworld was the worst possible battlefield.
After all, they only needed to defeat Xia Yu, not kill her.
There was no need to eliminate the Underworld's immortality effect.
"Again!"
Quetzalcoatl became more excited as the battle continued.
Every trace of her divinity boiled over, displaying the full might of South America's divine king.
Every punch and kick carried destructive force.
Xia Yu was no less formidable.
Although she wasn't using Herrscher powers, Tiamat's abilities were already more than sufficient.
Herrscher-level physical abilities combined with Tiamat's A++ rank monstrous strength allowed her to fight Quetzalcoatl head-on while maintaining the advantage.
"Senpai... how are we supposed to..."
After much difficulty, Mash and Ritsuka finally climbed back to the surface using the flight authority granted by Ereshkigal.
Only to see two meteors continuously colliding in the sky.
Even the shockwaves were visible to the naked eye.
As for them?
Once they reached the surface and lost the Underworld's flight enhancement, they couldn't even reach Kiana, let alone defeat her.
"Wait for an opportunity!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka's face was full of determination.
Quetzalcoatl would create one.
"Again!"
Quetzalcoatl brought a downward kick crashing toward Xia Yu's shoulder.
The latter neither dodged nor retreated.
She simply endured it head-on using the defensive power of Tiamat's dragon body before counterattacking with a punch that sent Quetzalcoatl crashing downward.
Yet Quetzalcoatl adjusted herself in the very next moment.
"It seems fists alone won't determine the victor, Hero."
She drew her Macuahuitl and pointed it at Xia Yu.
"Fair enough."
Xia Yu also drew Blazing Hope.
"Tiamat doesn't have a weapon, so I'll just make do with this."
The two collided once more.
The obsidian blades of the Macuahuitl scraped against the edge of Blazing Hope.
They exchanged glances and kicked simultaneously.
Neither gained any advantage.
Then they separated once more.
Flames erupted around Quetzalcoatl's body, fully displaying the divinity of the sun.
Meanwhile, Xia Yu activated Tiamat's authority and began self-modification.
Using the black Sea of Life, she replaced her own Saint Graph.
Growing from her ordinary Saint Graph state—the Maiden of Fate—into a dragon body exceeding sixty meters in length.
A fully transformed Tiamat could nullify attacks below Rank A++.
Of course, Xia Yu didn't choose to manifest the gigantic dragon body.
She merely strengthened her physical capabilities.
On the ground, Fujimaru Ritsuka watched the two meteors slaughtering each other across the sky.
The sounds of their collisions were as deafening as thunder.
Suddenly, a flower petal drifted down before her.
Seeing it, Ritsuka excitedly clenched her fist toward Quetzalcoatl.
The latter immediately understood.
Seizing the opportunity, she brought down a powerful overhead strike that forced Xia Yu back to the ground.
As Xia Yu prepared to rise again—
At that critical moment!
A chain shot upward from the ground.
Caught off guard, Xia Yu's ankle was bound.
Ana simultaneously activated her Mystic Eyes of Petrification.
Xia Yu's body stiffened.
Taking advantage of the opening, Jaguar Man pulled Ana's chain and yanked Xia Yu downward.
"My apologies, Your Excellency!"
Ushiwakamaru immediately activated her Noble Phantasm.
"[Dannoura: Eight Boat Leap]!"
Seven figures appeared behind her.
Then all eight attacked simultaneously from different directions.
"So that's what you meant by all of Uruk."
Xia Yu glanced toward Ritsuka.
Then she raised her chained right leg and dragged the unprepared Ana toward herself.
Grabbing the chain in her hand, she swung Ana like a meteor hammer toward Ushiwakamaru's incoming attacks.
"Close one!"
Seeing her blade nearly stab an ally, Ushiwakamaru hurriedly withdrew her sword.
The assault came to an abrupt halt.
"My Mystic Eyes..."
Ana was forced to Spiritualize her weapon to escape the restraint.
"Why...?"
"Why would you think your Mystic Eyes could affect a Creation God on Tiamat's level?"
Xia Yu appeared behind her in the next instant and vigorously ruffled her hair.
"Don't be too confident, Ana."
Hearing the teasing voice behind her, Ana's body froze.
Her entire body immediately bristled.
She materialized Slayer of Immortals again and swung it backward.
But the enormous scythe was caught effortlessly in Xia Yu's hand.
At the same time, Xia Yu's other hand reached toward Ana's collar.
"Jaguar Man is here!"
At that critical moment, Jaguar Man appeared in time and blocked Xia Yu's attack with her comically absurd lance.
No matter what, she still possessed a goddess-level Saint Graph.
She had some strength.
Meanwhile, Ushiwakamaru, who had just been forced back, charged in again.
Eight figures swung their blades simultaneously.
Front, back, left, right, and even above—every direction was covered.
At the same time, Jaguar Man released her Noble Phantasm.
"Finisher! [Death-Claw That None Can Escape]!"
The lance thrust directly toward Xia Yu's heart.
Ana also released her Noble Phantasm.
"Its fingers are iron, its hair is a prison, its whispers are sweet poison. That is I—[Goddess's Sweet Embrace]!"
Though it was called an embrace, her Mystic Eyes were opened wide.
A magic cannon carrying an overwhelming petrification curse erupted from her eyes.
Facing three Noble Phantasms simultaneously, Xia Yu narrowed her eyes.
Then she actually put away her weapon.
The next moment, Ushiwakamaru's swords arrived first, striking her body from multiple angles.
Then Ana's magic cannon engulfed her entire upper body.
Finally, Jaguar Man's somewhat ridiculous giant cat claw descended from the sky and smashed directly into the top of her head.
"Did it work?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka widened her eyes.
"It failed."
Xia Yu's relaxed voice came from within the smoke.
"How could you possibly think attacks of this level could shake me?"
"Nega-Genesis, kid!"
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