Episode 226: The Leader of the Three Goddess Alliance; The Goddess of Magical Beasts, Tiamat, descends!

『 After a sharp scream, a thick, massive snake tail suddenly lashed out, its speed so fast that those present had almost no time to react.

A single strike crushed a soldier in the distance, turning him into a pile of mixed flesh and powder.

"What is that noise... Humans..."

The colossal creature emitted a low, hoarse voice, every word sounding as if it were being squeezed out from the depths of its throat with great difficulty.

"The enemy of humanity, the leader of the Three Goddess Alliance, the Beast Goddess Tiamat, has appeared here. You should kneel and pray." 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "So, so big... This is even more powerful than that monster we saw before." ]

[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Having said that, she is still very pretty, isn’t she? I feel like there’s a very special vibe about her." ]

[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "But, she also said she is the enemy of humanity, eh? As a human, one shouldn’t have good feelings towards this kind of existence, right?" ]

[ .....]

『 Kingu flew slowly towards her face, speaking with a joyful expression: "Mother, it is truly wonderful that you were able to wake up today."

"However... this is slightly different from our plan. Before the Day of Regeneration arrives, you must take good care of your body," she added, her tone revealing concern.

"It matters not... Is that humanity’s final Master?"

Hearing Kingu’s words, Tiamat’s gaze turned towards the direction where Fujimaru Ritsuka was standing. Kingu nodded in affirmation.

"Too small," Tiamat commented casually.

Then, the Beast Goddess casually waved her tail. Despite the seemingly relaxed and effortless movement, it contained unimaginable power.

The massive tail whipped up a powerful storm in the air, not only shaking the ground violently but also splitting a distant building apart with invisible force, reducing it to ruins.

Even though they resisted with all their might, under this level of power, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the group could not withstand the attack at all. They were instantly blasted away by the shockwave, scattering and falling into different corners. 』

『 .....』

〜Naruto World〜

Konoha Village—

"Is this... a monster from another world? It looks... truly extremely powerful..."

Looking at the giant snake monster before him, Sasuke felt extremely distressed for a moment.

Thinking he was already on the path to becoming strong, he suddenly realized that he was actually so weak.

Perhaps... he didn’t even have the qualifications to be an opponent.

Even though Naruto, whom he currently looked down upon, would actually be able to save Might Guy sensei in the future.

But himself...

Uchiha Sasuke, at this moment, upon realizing that his strength was still so weak, let alone fighting these monsters, he could hardly even kill his own brother, Uchiha Itachi.

Even paying the price of his life to exchange for power from Orochimaru, he was still so weak. What a laughable matter.

At this moment, Uchiha Sasuke desired strength immensely.

.....

『 "What frail and weak lives. Is this the dregs left behind by so-called human history?" Tiamat narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the figures lying on the ground, and said with a cold sneer.

The Beast Goddess suddenly widened her eyes, and two massive beams of purple light shot out, quickly enveloping them.

"The Mystic Eyes clan?"

The light was abnormally dazzling and carried some kind of mysterious energy fluctuation, suppressing them to the point where they could barely move.

"I am very hungry right now. Harbor fear and become my sacrifice! Although... you do not look particularly delicious, you should still count as a rare delicacy."

She whispered softly, her words filled with a threatening aura.

Such a massive gap in strength caused sweat to pour down Mash like rain.

Even though she was a Heroic Spirit existing as a Servant, at this moment, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of powerlessness and deep panic similar to what an ordinary human feels when facing an absolute powerhouse. 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Mash Kyrielight (Type-Moon): "She is simply too powerful. It is impossible to contend with this kind of existence." ]

[ Mash Kyrielight (Type-Moon): "I am indeed still very weak." ]

[ .....]

『 "Mash!" In this critical moment, Fujimaru Ritsuka called out his companion’s name loudly, trying to give encouragement and support.

"Deep breaths..."...

"Although doing this won’t truly reduce the fear in your heart, if you can relax your body a bit, perhaps we can find a countermeasure."

Hearing her Master’s firm and clear voice, Mash copied his actions, taking a deep breath and then slowly exhaling, trying her best to calm herself down.

The two of them began this self-regulation process almost simultaneously.

First, slowly exhaling, then inhaling. As their heartbeats gradually returned to a normal rhythm, the nervous tension eased slightly.

At the same time, the two clenched their fists, signaling they were ready for battle.

Up to now, they had jointly experienced difficult tests in six different locations, witnessing many impossible things along the way.

Yet, no matter how arduous the mission or how powerful the enemy, they had never retreated a single step.

And this time... they would face the challenge with the same tenacity.

Finally, when their muscles slowly relaxed and feeling gradually returned, they regained control over their bodies. Since that was the case...

This contest must be won no matter what!

Seeing the two gradually regaining their mobility, a look of mockery appeared in the Beast Goddess’s eyes.

The corners of her mouth raised slightly, her eyes twinkling with a playful light, as if anticipating a good show about to unfold.

"Oh? Very well."

"Just like a snake plucking berries, crushing people’s hope—such an end is also sweet and delightful, is it not?" The Beast Goddess spoke in a low and slightly seductive voice, every word sounding as if squeezed from the depths of her throat, giving people an indescribable chill.

The Beast Goddess’s body slowly leaned forward. That colossal frame, like a towering mountain, shrouded the two in its shadow, completely covering them beneath her body...

The sunlight was blocked by her broad wings, and the surroundings instantly became dim.

However, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash did not retreat; instead, they stood dead set in front of the Beast Goddess.

Although their faces were pale, their eyes were exceptionally firm.

They knew they couldn’t retreat now, because this was not only a test for themselves but also a matter of trust in their companions and accepting responsibility.

"My, my..." Merlin sighed softly and stepped out from the crowd.

There was a trace of helplessness on his face, but more so a kind of calmness and determination.

"I will deal with this fellow. You guys take the opportunity to run away." Merlin’s words were concise and powerful, making people feel an irresistible aura.

"Merlin?" Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at him in disbelief, his eyes full of astonishment.

He knew Merlin was a very powerful Magus, but the enemy he had to face now was obviously not easily solved.

"I am best at dealing with troublesome beauties... Besides, I... am immortal." Merlin said confidently, his voice full of resolve. He knew his ability would play a key role in this critical moment.

Merlin waved his hand casually, and several brilliant waves of light instantly shot out from his hand, cutting through the air and leaving behind shining trails.

The Beast Goddess did not show weakness either. Her nine snake heads quickly gathered energy, followed by shooting out blinding waves of light.

These light waves attacked Merlin at extremely high speed and successfully canceled out all the attacks he had just launched.

Not only that, but the light waves also pierced through Merlin’s body in an instant, leaving a large hole in his chest.

"Truly relaxed and happy." But surprisingly, Merlin not only showed no expression of pain, but he also didn’t even frown....

Just a few seconds later, he returned to normal, as if he had never been attacked. 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Suffering such a heavy injury, he didn’t feel anything wrong?" ]

[ Beidou (Genshin Impact): "No way, is this guy immortal?" ]

[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "So magical," ]...

[ .....]

『"Body? Truly an immortal body." Mash witnessed all this, her exquisite face filled with astonishment.

She muttered to herself in disbelief, unable to trust her own eyes.

"Half of my body is an Incubus, which is to say, it’s like a dream," Merlin explained, his tone peaceful and frank.

His unhurried manner also made those present feel somewhat reassured.

"I see, immortal because of powerlessness? Then, I shall use my eyes after a long time."

After the Beast Goddess finished saying this thoughtfully, a cruel smile emerged on the corner of her mouth. "A statue of a half-demon would look quite nice placed in my temple."

She continued, looking as if she were enjoying it.

Hearing this sentence, Merlin immediately became nervous, even subconsciously hiding behind Mash to seek protection.

"Could it be, the Mystic Eyes of Petrification?" Realizing the opponent might possess extremely terrifying power, he couldn’t help but ask this question.

"Sorry, I take back what I said, the situation has changed! Fujimaru-kun, you must protect me completely no matter what. It’s inconvenient to say the reason, but if my consciousness stops, it will be terrible. I’m begging you."

Obviously, at this moment, Merlin could no longer care about anything else and only wanted to find the best way to save his life. So he turned his head to look at Fujimaru Ritsuka for help and briefly explained the reason.

"Sigh..." A deep sigh came from Merlin’s mouth. Immediately after, the Beast Goddess’s eyes suddenly widened, and a deadly red beam shot out, aiming straight for the group in front of her.

Wherever it went, everything was destroyed; not a blade of grass grew. In the blink of an eye, the ground had been riddled with holes by the power of the avenging goddess. Amidst the flying dust, everything seemed to fall to the brink of destruction.

"BANG—!"

With a loud noise, the light wave was bravely blocked by Mash. However, from her trembling arms and clenched teeth, it wasn’t hard to see that with her current magical energy alone, she couldn’t hold on for too long.

"Sorry! Mash..." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at his friend, who was struggling to support them, his heart filled with deep guilt towards her. At the same time, he was racking his brains thinking about how to help lighten her burden.

"Use my magical energy." Without any hesitation, Fujimaru Ritsuka decided to gradually convert the Command Spells in his hand into magical energy and transfer it to Mash.

As the magic symbols gradually disappeared from his palm, a steady stream of energy began to pour into her body.

But it was still not enough. Even with the aid provided by Fujimaru Ritsuka, it could only slightly alleviate the current situation.

To truly withstand the powerful and persistent attack from the God of Vengeance, this level of help was still a drop in the bucket.

"What is that?"

A dazzling flash suddenly appeared on the horizon, followed by a sharp blade plummeting rapidly from the sky.

The speed of this blade was astonishing, so fast that the human eye could almost not capture its trajectory.

Instantly, it interrupted the attack originally launched by the Avenging Goddess.

"CLANG—!"

"I am the retainer of Gilgamesh, Rider Ushiwakamaru!"

"Reporting for duty!"

While saying this, a dashing figure landed steadily from the air; it was Ushiwakamaru who had arrived just in time.

Her appearance brought a glimmer of life to Fujimaru Ritsuka and the other companions; everyone instantly saw hope of escaping this place.

"Fujimaru-dono, please leave here immediately. I will handle this matter. Don’t worry about anything anymore, just proceed directly towards the North Wall."

While saying this, she was already tightly gripping the long sword in her hand, ready for battle.

"Do you think... I will let you go easily?" That Beast Goddess was by no means a fool.

In just the blink of an eye, she reorganized her offensive and killed her way over again with monstrous rage.

At the same time, the nine snake heads on her body opened their mouths in unison and launched a fierce attack.

Every snake head possessed power sufficient to destroy heaven and earth; if one were accidentally touched even a little bit, they would be turned into nothingness.

"WHOOSH—!"

Ushiwakamaru waved the sharp sword in her hand, cutting off the massive snake heads one after another with lightning speed. Her speed was so fast that Fujimaru Ritsuka, watching from the side, didn’t even see the whole process clearly. Everything was as simple and clean as cutting fruit.

"Truly too slow..."

At this moment, Ushiwakamaru was seen stepping on the chunks of flesh that had just been chopped up, constantly jumping in the air to dodge the opponent’s attacks and looking for the right moment to launch a counterattack.

Relying on her extraordinary physical agility, she soon successfully neutralized the enemy’s strong assault.

"Remember how unstoppable this famous Genji sword is!" The shining blade in Ushiwakamaru’s hand drew beautiful arcs in the air.

Relying on her extraordinary combat power and courage, she opened a safe retreat path for Fujimaru and the others.

"Hurry up and go!"

"But... can I really just leave Ushi behind like this?" Ritsuka felt extremely conflicted inside.

"Don’t be afraid, with my skills, I will catch up with the team very quickly. Do you want to sacrifice yourself here in vain? Is that really the best choice for you?"

"And your mission, does it allow you to just die here?" Ushiwakamaru used words to encourage Fujimaru Ritsuka’s spirit, while also making him understand a truth: only by living can there be a chance to complete unfinished business.

This sentence shook Fujimaru Ritsuka’s soul like an enlightenment, making him make a decision immediately.

He clenched his fist and shouted at Ushiwakamaru:

"Okay, I understand, but... we must make a promise. No matter what, you must come back safely!"

"Rest assured, as a testament to our friendship, this oath will definitely be realized."

After hearing these words, everyone present began to move quickly.

They ran forward according to the previously agreed route, while the only one left behind to continue fighting the enemy was the incomparably brave Ushiwakamaru.

Only a loud "Boom" was heard...

A beam containing immense power shot fiercely towards everything around.

Those houses and grasslands that were unfortunate enough to be touched by the light were all destroyed without exception.

Fortunately, Ushiwakamaru’s movements were agile and fast enough to navigate flexibly through the ruins in the nick of time.

To dodge those rapidly shooting light beams, Ushiwakamaru stepped on the ground, making a burst of rapid and powerful footsteps: "Da da da da!"

With every step taken, the vibration from under her feet could be clearly heard, while the deadly beams following closely behind constantly exploded all obstacles encountered along the way. 』

『 .....』

〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜

[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "So agile." ]

[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "If only I could be that agile too." ]

[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "That way, I wouldn’t encounter danger in the future." ]

[ Eriri Spencer Sawamura (Saekano): "Not needing to use that ability is the best, right?" ]

[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Oh, right!" ]

[ Saitama (One Punch Man): "A bit slow, it wouldn’t be bad if it were a bit faster." ]

[ Genos (One Punch Man): "Sensei, in your eyes it might be a bit slow, but in our view, it is already very fast." ]

[ Saitama (One Punch Man): "Is that so?" ]

[ Tatsumaki (One Punch Man): "..." ].

[ .....]