Chapter 278: Gilgamesh Compelled to Cooperate
"Ho... So that's how it is," Gilgamesh stared intently at Ereshkigal. After contemplating for two seconds, he sighed.
"I see. To think she actually promised you something like that. No wonder you chose to stand on her side."
Every trail left a clue. Judging from the intelligence brought back by Chaldea, Kiana had used an unknown method to usurp Gorgon's 'identity' and divine authority. But would an individual of such immense power truly care about the divine authority of a mere Gorgon?
She could have beaten Gorgon to death with her own two hands.
Therefore, there could only be one objective. By usurping the Potnia Theron possessed by Gorgon, she intended to use it as a springboard targeting Tiamat. Her true objective required no further explanation.
"So, this is a form of ritual?" He looked toward the distant sky, recalling the swarm of white demonic beasts that blotted out the sun. "Just like how she seized Ana's power before making a move on Gorgon, truly taking away the name and authority of a god is not that simple."
"She summoned so many demonic beasts to confront Tiamat's army merely as a byproduct... What she truly wants to do is practice the Authority of Potnia Theron within this world, paving the way to seize Tiamat's divine authority in the future?"
As the Oldest King of Heroes, the wise ruler of Uruk, and a candidate for Grand Caster, his wisdom was naturally not to be underestimated. Through this series of intelligence, Gilgamesh could roughly deduce Xia Yu's plan.
The reason he had been so wary before yet unable to act was that he simply couldn't fathom what this woman truly wanted to achieve. Now, the moment she started making her move, the clues revealed from every aspect were sufficient for Gilgamesh to see through the surrounding fog.
He shook his head with a cold smile and looked at Ereshkigal. "Ereshkigal, how can you be so certain that she will keep her promise?"
"On this point, I believe you can surely understand me," Ereshkigal looked toward Quetzalcoatl, who was standing to the side.
"Indeed," the latter nodded. "The radiance on her body is so dazzling... Things like underhanded schemes and conspiracies are inherently alien to someone like her."
"There is one more point to remind you, King Gilgamesh," just then, Dr. Roman spoke up with a grave expression. "According to Chaldea's calculations, over two hundred million Lahmu have already been incubated within the Persian Gulf. Yet, the number of white demonic beasts blocking them along the coast of the Persian Gulf barely exceeds a million."
"Although they can still hold back the Lahmu by relying on an absolute disparity in individual strength, how could Tiamat, as the Mother Goddess of Creation, be so simple? It's probably only a matter of time before she incubates even more powerful units."
The Doctor's tone was deadly serious. "Once the demonic beasts under Kiana's command break, the entirety of Uruk will be submerged by the Lahmu."
"Or rather, breaking is an absolute certainty," hearing this, Ereshkigal spoke up. "She said that although the Honkai Beasts under her command can block the vast majority of the Lahmu, Tiamat is advancing at every single moment. Once she reaches the coast of the Persian Gulf, the Honkai Beasts won't be able to stop Mother's advance."
"And she herself is already exerting every ounce of her strength just to maintain such a massive scale of dependents. Defending Uruk from the Lahmu already consumes the entirety of her power. Tiamat... ultimately must still be faced by us ourselves."
Hearing this, Gilgamesh snorted. You expect me to believe that?
Who are you trying to fool? Apart from anything else, even without those dependents, Gilgamesh did not doubt for a moment that she alone could slaughter all two hundred million Lahmu given her own strength.
If she weren't inherently so powerful, how could he have tolerated her for so long?
As a human, one simply cannot afford to have a weakness. Coincidentally, as Caster Gilgamesh, his weakness was Uruk. For the sake of Uruk, he could only compromise.
The current her couldn't possibly lack the power to eradicate the Lahmu. She put it this way entirely because she wanted to borrow the strength of Uruk to wear down Tiamat, waiting to reap the benefits as a bystander.
Gilgamesh knew that Kiana certainly knew he could see through this layer of intention, yet she proposed it without the slightest fear... Because she was well aware that he had no choice at all.
If he wanted to preserve Uruk and protect the Humanity Order, his only option was to cooperate with her.
There was no other choice.
By helping her seize Tiamat's power, the crisis confronting Uruk and the Humanity Order could also be resolved. It was a matter of mutual benefit... No matter how reluctant he felt in his heart, he knew this was the only way.
"Then, it is settled," Gilgamesh placed a hand on his forehead. "Leave Tiamat to us, and she must block the Lahmu!"
"To be precise, it's the two hundred million Lahmu in the sea," Ereshkigal spoke up. "If you fail to prevent Tiamat from coming ashore while she is still in the sea, then she will only block the Lahmu in the water. She will be powerless against the Lahmu that Tiamat incubates once on land."
"Once the front line is split into two sections, she will only end up losing sight of one while tending to the other."
"So, for the survival of Uruk, we must hand over the souls of everyone to you, correct?" Gilgamesh sneered upon hearing this.
"Merely an insurance policy," Ereshkigal recalled the plan Xia Yu had discussed with her. "You place their physical bodies at the Northern Wall, and I will house their souls. If you win, I will return the souls to you. If you lose..."
"At least I can grant them their final peace, rather than having them slaughtered by the Lahmu without a shred of dignity!"
"...Euthanasia, is it," Mash felt a bit downcast hearing this, but she couldn't come up with any better solution, so she could only endure it.
"Siduri, I leave this matter to you," just then, Gilgamesh finally compromised. "Go. Have all those who are unwilling or unable to fight settle their bodies at the Northern Wall. Have all those who are willing to take up arms head to the Northern Wall as well, to guard the bodies of the others."
"Ereshkigal, do not forget that you are a deity of Sumer."
"This is the one thing I will never forget," Ereshkigal glanced at Gilgamesh, understanding his choice.
True enough, if Uruk could be preserved, who would willingly watch this dominion be destroyed with open eyes?
Gilgamesh refrained from doing so only because he lacked the capability. He could not defy history to make Uruk endure; doing so would only invite even more severe consequences.
Allowing his subjects to exist eternally within Ereshkigal's cage of spears was also something he couldn't remain indifferent to, because that would be an eternal imprisonment of the soul. For humans, it would be nothing but torment.
But if that person truly could seize Tiamat's authority and use the power of the Mother of the world and all living things to alter the rules of the Underworld... it wasn't impossible for him to cooperate.
At least, these people who followed behind him would have a path to walk forward, rather than being destined to be obliterated in history.
Hmph, this fellow Kiana... her grasp on the human heart is truly precise. She calculated perfectly that This King would be unable to refuse such terms...
But if you have a plan, couldn't you just say it directly? You just had to be this overbearing, forcing people into a dead end where they can only walk the path you've chosen.
As for Xia Yu, it wasn't a question of whether she spoke up or not, but whether the Humanity Order could accept it.
What if it couldn't be accepted?
Therefore, she chose to enforce it by strength.
"Now, let us organize the enemy intelligence," Gilgamesh looked toward Fujimaru Ritsuka. "You from Chaldea, speak first."
"Remember, what we must challenge is the First Beast, Tiamat, who holds the Principle of Regression. She is also the Mother Goddess of Creation, a bona fide primordial world divine body."
"The only good news is that she has not yet fully awakened, correct, Chaldea?"
"Yes, the Saint Graph reactions currently existing as hostile forces are only those creatures in the Persian Gulf," Da Vinci replied. "A reaction resembling the divine body itself has not yet appeared."
"Correct," Dr. Roman also spoke up upon hearing this. "Furthermore, our analysis indicates that those Lahmu are composed of divine mud, making them individuals that do not exist within the phylogenetic tree of life up to this point. Because they are life-forms of the Age of Gods, starting from their Magic Circuits, the disparity between us and them is immense."
"Everyone can treat them as mass-produced models of Enkidu. The good news is that we don't have to face all two hundred million enemies inside the Persian Gulf. But as for Tiamat's main body... I'm sorry, our intelligence is insufficient. We must head to the Persian Gulf to conduct effective reconnaissance."
"Very well, Fujimaru Ritsuka!" Gilgamesh said loudly upon hearing this. "You shall lead the team and head to the Persian Gulf to gather intelligence! I will grant you the utmost support. Ishtar and Quetzalcoatl will also go with you. As for the other Servants, they need to eradicate the remaining demonic beasts under Gorgon's command to guarantee the safety of the Northern Wall!"
"Yes, King Gilgamesh!"
The Persian Gulf defensive line.
Looking at the Lahmu surging up below like a tide, Xia Yu summoned another batch of Honkai Beasts.
There was no helping it. Although her side possessed higher quality, the enemy's numbers were simply too overwhelming. Two hundred million... Two hundred million Lahmu with strength equivalent to low-level Servants... Heh.
If Tiamat possessed rationality and truly desired to destroy Uruk, she wouldn't even need to make landfall. She would only need to continuously spawn units and then execute an attack-move. With this quantity, they could throw bodies until the people of Uruk were utterly buried.
As for powerhouses like Ishtar and Quetzalcoatl? She would only need to incubate a sufficient number of divine-level individuals to keep them tied down. Once all the humans were slaughtered, what could the two of them possibly achieve?
Fortunately, Tiamat was not an evil god and still loved her children.
Xia Yu looked toward that towering 'Femme Fatale' in the distance, the brain-body of Tiamat exposed above the sea surface.
Even though she was so colossal, her entire body was bound. Her hands were crossed and tightly bound against her chest. This represented Tiamat's Self-Seal, and it also represented the deepest thoughts within Tiamat's heart.
She was unwilling to raise her hands against her own children, even if they were all unfilial children to her (laughs).
However, her instinct as a Beast and her resentment toward her unfilial children could no longer be restrained. Thus, she could only use all her rationality to seal away the vast majority of her power.
"Just wait a little longer. I will rescue you from this boundless agony and tearing apart..."
Right at this moment, two massive pterosaurs flew over from behind.
"I say, you fellow!" The moment Ishtar arrived, her eyes glued themselves to Benares beneath Xia Yu, unable to pull away. "To think you actually possess such a majestic dependent?"
"Of course, it's still far inferior to my Bull of Heaven."
"Benares hasn't grown to her complete form yet," Xia Yu patted the head of Benares beneath her. "As a Judgment-class Honkai Beast, this is by no means her limit."
The true Benares was a dragon-type Judgment-class Honkai Beast, the dependent of the Second Herrscher, Sirin. She was also Sirin's sole friend after standing in opposition to humanity, a loyal knight who guarded the Queen until the very end.
Benares derived from the Indian place name Varanasi, the holy city of Shiva in Hinduism. In her debut cutscene, the Western code name representing Benares was also Vara.
Meanwhile, her Queen, Sirin, affectionately nicknamed her Bella. This name originated from a girl who, just like Sirin, had been imprisoned in the Babylon Labs and was ultimately disposed of by Schicksal because she couldn't withstand the erosion of Honkai Energy. Benares's human form appearance was also created by Sirin using the human Bella as a prototype.
During the Second Great Honkai Eruption, serving as the vanguard of the counteroffensive against the Babylon Labs, she was heavily wounded by Siegfried's Judgement of Shamash execution, and finally collapsed after Nicholas risked his life to strike her wound. Her pseudo-core shattered, causing her to lose her emotions and her ability to transform into human form.
Later, in 2016, after Kiana's Herrscher consciousness (Sirin) awakened, Benares, who had been frozen in Siberia, awoke and attacked Schicksal Headquarters. Afterward, she was defeated in battle during a subjugation by Fu Hua and fled the battlefield.
Following Kiana's transformation into a Herrscher, she instantly wiped out Anti-Entropy's Titan Legion. Benares formally reunited with her master, but just as she broke through the protective shield of the Hyperion, she was subdued by Himeko, who wore the Vermilion Knight: Eclipse battlesuit.
Four months later, Benares pursued Kiana's trail and arrived at Nagazora City, bringing a torrential rain that caused the water levels of Nagazora to rise by dozens of meters overnight.
Her being crippled by Raven while attacking Mei and Sora was not due to a collapse in combat strength. At this time, Benares appeared directly in her demonic dragon form (meaning she was severely injured), which could be described as the absolute lowest point in her combat history. According to Raven, Benares still retained intense sorrow and anxiety, believing she had failed to protect her Queen.
She engaged in a decisive battle against Mei and Raven while they were searching for Kiana. After being defeated, she exerted every ounce of her strength to stand up once more with a tear in her eye, only to be defeated again and sink to the bottom of Nagazora City's waters.
After being struck down, Benares crawled out of the water surface. While resting on the ground, she encountered Kiana and Mei out for a walk and was taken in by Kiana's kindness.
Tesla put it this way: "I say, stray cats and stray dogs are one thing, but I've never heard of anyone picking up a Honkai Beast on their way out and bringing it home? First it's a cybernetically modified human, then it's a refugee little girl, and now an actual Judgment-class Honkai Beast... I wonder if next time you'll just bring a World Serpent executive over for a party?"
Afterward, she accompanied Kiana to close the imaginary gate, but was heavily wounded by the Nihilus, a creation from the Imaginary Tree. Just as the Nihilus was about to execute Mei, she blocked a sword strike for Mei. The thoroughly battered Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Benares, ultimately passed away due to the severity of her injuries, wishing only to hear the Queen call her name one more time before her death...
One could say her entire life was spent guarding her Queen. Sighed, Honkai is entirely full of tragedies.
In contrast, the Benares shaped by Xia Yu was just like Mei's Kurikara later on—merely a Honkai Beast that obeyed the Herrscher's orders, rather than a truly soul-bonded dependent like the original Benares.
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