Chapter 269: ICISEI Episode 255
Episode 255: Granting the Concept of ’Death’ to the Undying Goddess
『 The concept of ’death’ had descended upon this being for the first time, once hailed as the origin of all things.
Before this, she had never known what an enemy was, nor had she ever experienced fear or the meaning of an end.
However, it was precisely because of this sudden turn of events that the Primordial Mother finally experienced the feeling of defeat.
Facing the imminent threat of ’death,’ Tiamat felt pain as cruel and merciless as a razor-sharp blade slicing through every inch of her skin—
At this very moment, as Tiamat, who had come here in response to the summons of the Underworld’s Evening Bell, had the definition of ’death’ instilled in her the moment her name was spoken.
She had no will, or rather, absolutely no courage to set foot back on the surface of the human world!
Even the torso that carried Tiamat’s standing form began to show signs of restlessness.
Her facial features, which had completely distorted after evolving into her giant dragon form, now displayed extreme shock and terror for the first time!
"This is... Beast has... HAS THE CONCEPT OF DEATH!!"
"Romani... in that case..."
After a quick discussion between Dr. Roman and Da Vinci, they understood how rare this opportunity was: this was undoubtedly the best moment to defeat the enemy leader.
"FUJIMARU-KUN!! THE CHANCE TO ACT IS HERE!!" Dr. Roman shouted, his voice filled with the joy of liberation.
"Strike now during this opening; only then can we completely erase the Beast’s existence!"
His tone was firm and morale-boosting.
When the onlookers witnessed this scene, they were deeply shocked.
The entire scene appeared extraordinarily intense and filled with dramatic twists, leaving everyone momentarily bewildered. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "Giving an immortal being the concept of death?" ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "DOESN’T THIS MEAN!!" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "That big guy god, can be defeated?" ]
[ Kusanagi Godou (Campione): "God Slayer, indeed." ]
[ Yoshimori Sumimura (Kekkaishi): "GANBATTE!!" ]
[ .....]
〜Naruto World〜
Konoha Village—
"To think... to think this is how it unfolds..."
Naruto Uzumaki looked stunned, becoming speechless after hearing Dr. Romani’s words.
"Imbued with... the Primordial Mother Goddess Tiamat... the concept of death...?"
What a terrifying existence. To be able to overwrite the settings of a Creation God and directly modify her deathless attribute—in Naruto Uzumaki’s eyes, this was absolutely an "over-spec" existence.
"Pervy Sage... does this mean... the current Creation God... can be killed now?"
Naruto still hadn’t reacted, even doubting if this was truly happening.
After all, it was all too dreamlike.
"You kid, I don’t know the full situation either, but as you said, now it’s possible to kill the mother before us. At least, that’s how it’s unfolding in the video."
Jiraiya, usually serious, felt his brain couldn’t keep up at this moment. It wasn’t just a surprise; it was...
The ability to challenge a god was such an incredible feat.
It must be said, even someone as experienced as Jiraiya had never seen a true god. In mythology, gods were supreme and absolute. Just being able to challenge a god was already amazing.
And now, this old man had directly changed the setting of a god’s immortality. This ability made all the viewers feel puzzled.
Who exactly was he? The Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan-i-Sabbah... what was his background?
—
『 Meanwhile, hearing the people beside him describe the shift in the situation, Fujimaru Ritsuka’s expression became solemn.
The signal for a counterattack had been sounded. Compared to the passive disadvantage at the start, they now seemed to see a glimmer of victory.
Understanding this change in the battle, Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn’t hide his excitement.
"Everyone! Let’s go all at once!"
As Fujimaru Ritsuka’s declaration echoed throughout the Underworld, Ishtar, Merlin, Mash, and Fou were already impatient, taking up combat stances, ready to welcome this crucial battle concerning life and death.
Even so, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down against such a powerful enemy.
If they relaxed due to excitement, the last remaining glimmer of hope would dissipate and sink into the dark abyss.
So, this was the perfect counterattack opportunity, the only one they couldn’t afford to miss.
As everyone gathered their magical energy, the true counterattack began, and a heavy, tense atmosphere permeated the air.
"Leave it to me!" Ishtar stood forward first. A silver-white arrow instantly appeared in her hand, followed by a dazzling and ice-cold blue light, as if telling everyone: In this battle, I will fight alongside you until the very last moment.
WHOOSH—!
BUZZ—!
SWISH—!
With several loud explosions echoing through the eerie and gloomy Underworld, Ishtar exhausted her remaining magical energy to attack the Creation God—Tiamat—before her.
Every time an arrow tore through the void and shot toward Tiamat, her incredibly massive body began to tremble visibly...
"AAAAAAHHHH!!" This was an unprecedented sight; everyone was stunned.
It seemed that even those small but precise and powerful volleys could cause an unexpected, intense reaction from the opponent—a result no one had anticipated.
Now, everyone understood: ever since being struck by that sword, the once invincible existence was no longer indestructible.
Seeing Tiamat let out shrill, desperate roars as she endured Ishtar’s continuous attacks only strengthened Fujimaru Ritsuka’s resolve...
Now was absolutely the most favorable time to defeat her! Even if she were a Creation God, she could be completely annihilated right now!
"Good!" Merlin did not hesitate.
Through his deep, violet, crystal-like eyes, the great sage, known as the ’Magus of Flowers,’ wore a confident smile.
Meanwhile, as Merlin’s staff spun, glowing with radiance, a purple orb formed at his fingertips, growing larger and larger.
When all eyes focused on this point of light, it rapidly expanded like an inflating balloon, and then, under everyone’s gaze, it burst with a soft ’pop,’ and intense magical energy instantly enveloped the entire staff.
Then, a cross-shaped stream of dazzling energy rose slowly from above, illuminating every corner of the dark world.
These beams of light transformed into beautiful, yet destructive flower petals, drifting toward the heavily injured Tiamat in the distance. The moment they touched her body, heart-wrenching screams pierced the sky;
Suddenly, deafening sound waves erupted, accompanied by two intense flames—one azure and one crimson—raging across the monster’s body...
This was the ultimate finishing move unleashed by the combined efforts of Ishtar and Merlin!
After being baptized by such a horrifying assault, the Primordial Dragon, which had been fleeing everywhere to avoid fatal blows, finally stopped.
"AAAAHHHH!!" Tiamat seemed unable to bear the torture any longer, helplessly letting out heart-stopping howls.
Everyone could deeply feel that victory was right before their eyes; just one small step further, and they could completely defeat this once peerless existence...
Which meant the mission to save human history was nearing completion!
"Finally... we’ve reached this critical moment..." Fujimaru Ritsuka muttered, his voice soft but filled with immense determination.
"Then... I shall act as well..." A familiar, majestic, and deep voice came from afar—the Ruler of the Underworld, Goddess Ereshkigal, had finally entered the fray;
Judging by her unusually serious expression, she clearly took this battle very seriously and was prepared to participate in the showdown personally. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Rimuru Tempest (Tensura): "That god is back again." ]
[ Rimuru Tempest (Tensura): "With this powerful old man here, just a few more hits, and they can succeed!" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Go for it!" ]
[ .....]
『 Everyone pinned their hopes on the final blow to her.
At this moment, everyone present watched nervously.
Ereshkigal slowly raised her hand, her delicate fingers seemingly possessing incredible power.
Then, a birdcage with intricately carved patterns miraculously appeared in her palm.
A ball of azure flame burned upon this exquisite cage, dancing and flickering like an inextinguishable fire, bringing an eerie atmosphere and pressure to the surroundings.
Even external viewers watching the video could feel the dense magical fluctuations emanating from that mysterious artifact through the screen.
This power was not only awe-inspiring, but it also represented... a soul-shaking requiem about to be performed!
"Charge!" This short, firm voice broke the silence.
Following the summons of Goddess Ereshkigal, an indescribable tremor erupted across the vast Underworld.
Thousands of soul-sparks, driven by the goddess’s powerful will, seemed to gain a second life, swirling around her to form a gorgeous yet death-laden barrier of light.
These azure-glowing ghosts began to act with their own consciousness, scrambling to close in on the enemy, Tiamat. Upon contact with her body, they ignited patches of eternal azure flames, constantly devouring and weakening this once arrogant existence.
At this moment, every brave warrior present had given their all.
Everyone knew this was the decisive moment, so they poured all their strength into the violent assault on Tiamat.
Feeling the sharp pain attacking from all directions, Tiamat’s nervous system suffered an unprecedented shock, forcing her to let out shrill, painful growls: "AAAAHH!!"
In fact, it was precisely because the Old Man of the Mountain’s precise and powerful sword strike had successfully broken Tiamat’s near-invincible resurrection ability.
Without this special protection, her physical sensations and physiological reactions were now closer to those of an ordinary human or Heroic Spirit.
In other words, now, as long as she suffered any form of damage, Tiamat would experience the unbearable torture of being flayed and pulled apart.
Under the onslaught of such intense pain, Tiamat’s face instantly twisted into a terrifying expression.
Seeing this, the morale of the three challengers soared even higher; they continued to exert themselves to the limit, using various skills even when their magical reserves were nearly depleted.
Faced with such a situation, even someone as strong as Tiamat could not help but feel deep frustration and anger.
She considered herself the mother of all humanity—one of the Creation Gods—and never intended to harm any living being, especially her own children.
But now... these few brazen juniors were ruthlessly inflicting wounds upon her, forcing her to experience intense pain and the crisis of death for the first time.
Tiamat roared again: "AAAAAAHHHH!!" Almost simultaneously, the Old Man of the Mountain approached with his giant sword, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
However, the completely enraged Tiamat decided not to hold back anymore...
BOOM—!
A massive, milky-white beam of light erupted from Tiamat’s eye sockets, blocking the black giant sword that was about to swing down, even blasting him several steps backward...
The beam’s power continued to increase. Although Hassan was extraordinarily strong, he could not possibly withstand such a violent attack head-on and could only barely use his heavy weapon to block.
However, under this suffocating magical power, Hassan clutched his heavy sword and retreated step by step.
He tried his best to resist the powerful beam, but the light pushed forward, forcing him to retreat.
As time ticked by, it seemed that with just a moment more, this beam would completely melt Hassan, leaving not even a trace of hope.
Just as the situation became critical, the Command Spell trace on Fujimaru Ritsuka’s left hand—which had disappeared and been almost forgotten—suddenly shone brightly once again, bringing a glimmer of hope to those in despair.
"Mash!"
This call echoed through the heavens, containing immense determination and courage.
Even if it cost his own life, he could not allow himself to fall at this moment, nor could he allow his companion to suffer any harm.
Then, a mysterious power seemed to awaken on Fujimaru Ritsuka’s left hand; blue particles began to emerge rapidly, gradually covering his entire palm.
Soon, these small particles, brilliant as stars, led by the light of the Command Spell, passed through the invisible spatial barrier and were transmitted directly to Mash, who was struggling in the distance.
Mash felt the massive surge of energy within her body like a resurrection.
She understood this was the greatest sacrifice Master had made to protect everyone.
"Yes! Master!" Mash responded firmly and powerfully, her voice not loud but full of strength, echoing throughout the battlefield.
Now, reinforced by the Command Spell, she became the absolute protagonist of the battlefield. Raising her giant shield high, she stood tall against the wind at the very front, blocking all the attacks Tiamat was about to unleash without hesitation.
Meanwhile, while Mash bought this precious respite for the team, Ereshkigal, positioned behind her, finally waited for her best moment to strike.
The goddess of the Underworld slowly raised her slender arm, and a strange yet incredibly powerful energy gathered above her head.
Countless black-red beams, thin as ox hair but sharp and unstoppable, appeared from the void.
"Red thunder of the Underworld!" Ereshkigal declared the name of her ultimate move in a low, imposing voice.
"Go!" Following her sweeping arm, those dense black-red needles seemed to receive an order, began to spin and accelerate in the air, and finally turned into countless dazzling trajectories, charging toward the enemy... 』
『 .....』
