By the time Shirou came to his senses, he was already resting comfortably with his head in the Goddess of Creation's lap.
Under normal circumstances, he would have resisted without hesitation. Perhaps it was because this was a dream, and because the one holding him was Tiamat, whose entire being overflowed with maternal warmth.
His whole body had gone limp.
Knowing it was only a dream had left him feeling slightly lightheaded...
For the first time, Shirou could understand why Merlin and Lady Avalon usually acted so carefree.
He narrowed his eyes, savoring the exquisite softness of Tiamat's plump thighs.
"Shirou... does this feel good?"
"...Mm."
"Hehe, that's wonderful~"
The Goddess of Creation smiled with both joy and bashfulness, gazing lovingly down at the boy's face.
"Because I am your mother... Shirou, you may come to Mother for affection whenever you wish."
Only a few minutes earlier, Tiamat had been capable of saying nothing more than "Shirou Amamiya" and a handful of simple sounds. Now, she had already gained a basic command of human language.
In a science fiction film, it would have been a classic horror scenario. Considering she was the Mother of Humanity, however, there was nothing particularly strange about it.
Shirou chatted idly with her while sinking into thought.
Tiamat, the primordial goddess of the Sumerian world.
After meeting her in his dreams last time, Shirou had asked Merlin about the legends surrounding her.
Goddess Tiamat was one of the first-generation deities in Mesopotamian mythology.
In Sumerian cosmology, Anki—literally "heaven and earth"—referred collectively to the universe. An meant "heaven" or "sky" and was also the name of the male sky god, while Ki meant "earth" or "land" and could be personified as the earth goddess.
The goddess gave birth to life, while the god ruled over that life.
In the distant primordial age, Heaven and Earth had not yet separated into the upper and lower realms they were now.
At that time, the male god Apsu, who symbolized fresh water, and the female goddess Tiamat, who symbolized salt water, created many gods and raised them as their children.
But once those children matured, they began to crave power. To expand their world, they rebelled against Tiamat.
Angered and saddened by her children's betrayal, Tiamat created new offspring.
This creation, however, lacked "An". It was an act of creation performed by "Ki" alone.
As a result, the children she bore were not gods, but terrifying composite beasts.
They were the "Eleven Offspring of Tiamat."
Tiamat fought the gods alongside those children.
The eleven offspring were commanded by Kingu, whom Goddess Tiamat had personally chosen.
However, the army of the gods proved overwhelmingly powerful, particularly Marduk, a god of the new generation. Kingu was defeated.
Although Goddess Tiamat crushed Marduk between her jaws, she was ultimately defeated by the arrow Marduk fired after returning from the brink of death.
The gods tore apart Tiamat's fallen, immobile body. Her remains floated upon the sea and became the earth.
That earth was the land of Mesopotamia, a world built upon the corpse of a god.
As creation myths went, it was a fairly ordinary tale.
The motif of an Earth Mother becoming the soil of the world appeared frequently in other mythological systems as well.
Although goddesses were beings who gave birth to life, a goddess who descended into chaos became the mother of Demonic Beasts, an enemy of humanity.
The Demonic Beasts now ravaging the lands north of Uruk resembled the legendary children of the Goddess of Creation. There was even an individual who called himself a scorpion-man, the Sage Girtablilu.
That was why the Sumerians fearfully believed the Demonic Beasts' "Mother" to be Goddess Tiamat.
It was the Authority of Creation known as the Mother of All Beasts (Potnia Theron).
A being who possessed that Authority was a Seed of Life. Provided with sufficient resources, it could produce an unlimited number of Demonic Beasts.
Judging by the sheer number of Demonic Beasts in the north, the Goddess of Demonic Beasts unquestionably wielded an Authority of that magnitude.
Was Tiamat truly the Goddess of Demonic Beasts now residing in the north?
Shirou could not be certain.
If she really was the mother of Demonic Beasts who sought to exterminate humanity, why had she spared him alone?
He sensed no anger or resentment from her. There was only endless tenderness tinged with loneliness.
Merlin had once claimed that the true Tiamat probably possessed no reason, and no mind that could be called a "personality."
Whether she had lost her reason or had never possessed it in the first place, either explanation was plausible.
Every action taken by the Goddess of Creation was rooted in maternal instinct.
Her adoration and hatred of her children, her revenge against humanity, and even her desire to destroy it.
She regarded giving birth, raising children, and offering them love as the sole meaning of her existence. When that existence was rejected, she waged war against humanity, the ones who had decided that "mothers were no longer necessary."
Every one of those actions could be explained as Tiamat surrendering herself to instinct.
This time, however, Shirou had no intention of agreeing with his teacher.
Irrefutable proof was right before his eyes.
To speak with Shirou, Tiamat had chosen to learn human language.
"Shirou... hehe... Amamiya... Shirou..."
Tiamat happily murmured his name.
"What is it, Mother?"
"Shirou is such a kind child."
Tiamat's expression became solemn.
"So Mother has decided to spoil you more than anyone else. Come. Mother permits you to embrace me again... just as you did earlier. Hold me tightly."
Shirou fell silent.
Tiamat spread her arms, her face filled with anticipation.
Shirou had indeed hugged her a short while ago.
But that had been a momentary impulse brought on by hearing her call his name.
Honestly, he felt somewhat embarrassed now that he thought back on it.
"We don't need to hug this often, do we?"
The cross-shaped stars in Tiamat's eyes filled with sadness.
"Shirou... do you hate Mother?"
"Huh?"
"No... I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't hate Mother!"
"How could I possibly hate you?"
Shirou turned his face away.
"I'm just a little embarrassed."
"Embarrassed... hehe...
A mother is simply showing affection to her child...
There is no need for Shirou to feel embarrassed, is there?"
Tiamat's long, pale arms remained suspended in the air, held open toward the boy.
"Hug me."
"...All right, I get it! I'll hug you, okay?"
With a helpless sigh, Shirou sat up and faced Tiamat.
"Honestly, there's no winning against you."
He swallowed and slowly moved closer to the smiling Goddess of Creation.
Until now, he had deliberately avoided looking too closely. But now that he was directly facing Tiamat, the mature beauty of the Goddess of Creation filled his vision.
Her full, shapely breasts and slender, graceful waist.
Her alluring curves left Shirou with no idea where to look.
Just as he turned his gaze aside, her smooth, pale arms reached around his back.
Tiamat pulled Shirou toward her, gradually drawing him off balance.
The distance between them narrowed until they could hear each other breathing.
Perhaps dissatisfied with Shirou's lack of initiative, Tiamat pulled him harder.
The two of them toppled over together.
"Whoa, sorry! I'll get up right away!"
After losing his balance, Shirou landed on top of Tiamat. One of his hands accidentally sank into something soft.
He immediately tried to push himself up, but the Goddess of Creation wrapped both arms around his head and back, refusing to release him.
Shirou tried to rise, only to be pulled down again and pressed even closer against her.
She's incredibly strong...
Shirou was secretly astonished. Despite her delicate appearance, he could not resist Tiamat at all.
And so, Shirou's face was buried between her ample breasts, leaving him in a position that resembled being pinned down.
As expected of the goddess who embodied the primordial sea, Tiamat's body was even softer than he had imagined.
She was soft and comfortable, and carried a sweet, nostalgic fragrance.
Not even ten seconds had passed, yet he already had no desire to leave Tiamat's embrace.
Shirou abandoned the idea of getting up and instead slid his arms around the Goddess of Creation's back.
As though trying to fill his entire body with Tiamat's presence, Shirou slowly took a deep breath.
It was difficult to breathe, but that only made him happier.
It meant she was holding him so tightly that he could barely breathe.
At that moment, he heard a faint sob.
Tiamat clung to Shirou as tears of joy and happiness streamed uncontrollably down her face.
Shirou did not know.
For Tiamat, this was the first time she had ever truly embraced one of her children.
As the Goddess of Creation, Tiamat had never possessed a body capable of holding a child.
She was the womb of planetary creation, the Tree of Life itself. Her volume was nearly infinite, and her mass impossible to calculate.
Her enormous draconic body was far too immense to embrace a child.
The woman now appearing in Shirou's dream was Tiamat's cerebral body, separated from her Authority.
She possessed a form and intellect resembling those of a human, but this Spirit Origin had only been acquired during the endless years after her children cast her away.
Yet even after obtaining a body capable of embracing a child, the mother who had been abandoned by her children and imprisoned within The Cage could never hold anyone again.
In a world where she had nothing, Tiamat continued to sing in sorrow.
Until Shirou appeared.
His arrival allowed Tiamat to fulfill the simplest wish she had ever possessed as a mother.
Shirou was the first human, the first child, to respond to her "maternal love."
"...I love you. I love you so much... Shirou... Thank you. Thank you..."
Shirou knew nothing of what she had endured, but he could clearly feel the Goddess of Creation's joy and happiness.
"Don't worry. No matter how many times you call for me, I'll always be here."
Shirou gently stroked Tiamat's back and whispered those words.
...
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
During that half month, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash had spent every day completing jobs requested by the citizens.
They were trivial errands with no direct connection to saving Human Order, but the girls never became discouraged.
Ritsuka Fujimaru cheerfully remarked that building a good relationship with the residents of a Singularity was important as well.
Ritsuka and Mash naturally had no trouble adapting. Even Ana was gradually becoming accustomed to life in Uruk.
At first, she had constantly gone out of her way to avoid humans. Though she still treated them coldly, she could now at least hold a basic conversation.
Then, after half a month of hard work, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash finally earned Gilgamesh's recognition that morning.
"Your performance has been acceptable. This King has received quite a few favorable reports from the citizens of Uruk regarding your work."
Gilgamesh spoke down to them from his throne.
"Though this King finds the work itself painfully dull, even a king must take public opinion into account. Fujimaru of Chaldea, this King grants you permission to venture beyond Uruk. Go forth and prove your worth."
"So that means..." Mash's eyes widened.
"Precisely. This is the decree of this King. Take pride in it, mongrels."
Gilgamesh rose from his throne and turned his back to the girls.
"Ask Merlin for the details. This King looks forward to receiving a good... no, an entertaining report."
That evening, Mash could still barely contain her excitement at the dining table of the Chaldea Embassy.
"Senpai, Shirou-san, we did it! This is a mission personally entrusted to us by King Gilgamesh!"
"Congratulations, Mash."
Shirou was genuinely happy for Ritsuka and Mash.
Though, given the choice, he would have preferred for them to beat Gilgamesh senseless and earn his acknowledgment that way.
"I'm rather surprised that the King chose to make a concession himself.
Our destination is Ur in the south. We're going to investigate the forest from which no one returns, the jungle region."
Merlin explained the mission while drinking his ale.
"Ur?"
Shirou was also surprised that Gilgamesh would assign the girls such a mission.
The dense forest in the south was the territory of one of the pillars of the "Three Goddess Alliance."
An unidentified goddess had created a vast jungle overnight in a barren wasteland, despite the natural climate making such growth impossible.
It was not something as superficial as a "Reality Marble" or a "Fairy Domain."
It was an Authority that could already be described as "nation-building."
King Gilgamesh had once dispatched two Heroic Spirits he had personally summoned, Amakusa Shirou and Fuuma Kotarou, to investigate. Neither had returned.
Shirou had never met Fuuma Kotarou, but he knew Amakusa Shirou extremely well.
As a Heroic Spirit, Amakusa might only be considered third-rate in direct combat. In every other respect, however, his abilities were impeccable. He was a reliable man.
Even the cautious and meticulous Amakusa Shirou Tokisada had gone there and never returned.
The Sumerians unanimously regarded the Goddess of Demonic Beasts in the north as their strongest and most dangerous enemy, but Shirou believed the mysterious Goddess of the Dense Forest posed the greater threat.
Was it really safe to entrust such a dangerous mission to Ritsuka and Mash?
"You worry far too much, Shirou."
Merlin smiled.
"Don't worry. I'll be accompanying them as well."
Shirou brushed Merlin's hand off his shoulder.
"That's exactly why I'm worried."
"Guh... Isn't that a little cruel?" Merlin's shoulders slumped dejectedly.
"I'm coming too."
After thinking for a moment, Shirou continued, "Sorry, Tomoe... I won't be going to the Demonic Beast Front for the next few days."
Tomoe Gozen nodded.
"I understand. Leave the front lines to Leonidas-dono and me. My Lord, please accompany Ritsuka-dono and the others south. Take great care."
Mash brightened.
"Shirou-san is coming with us too?"
It had been half a year since Shirou arrived in Uruk.
Naturally, word of his valor had already spread throughout the Sumerian world.
He had defeated the scorpion-man Girtablilu and forced Enkidu to retreat.
Uruk's mightiest warrior. That was how the people described Shirou.
"With Shirou-san helping us, we won't have anything to fear, even if we encounter a goddess."
"Wait, wait! Why are all of you deciding this without me~?!"
Everyone turned to Merlin.
Merlin looked at Shirou.
"I discussed this mission with Gilgamesh... and you're not allowed to accompany us."
Shirou frowned.
"Why?"
The Magus of Flowers wore an uncharacteristically serious expression.
"Several months ago, Gilgamesh considered sending you to investigate the dense forest. In the end, however, he rejected the idea because of something the King saw in a dream while taking a nap."
Shirou raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Did that bastard's unreliable future sight activate again?"
Merlin nodded solemnly.
"Within that dense forest lurks a being who could be called Shirou's natural enemy."
"My... natural enemy?"
Shirou was unconvinced.
He knew that he was Gilgamesh's natural enemy, but he had never heard of anyone being his.
No matter how powerful the Goddess of the Dense Forest might be, at most she would possess a favorable matchup against his abilities. Shirou did not believe that made her his natural enemy.
"That's right. Shirou is not permitted to approach that forest.
Not only would you be useless during this mission, you might even become a burden.
That is what the King's prophetic dream revealed."
Shirou's forehead twitched.
He felt as though he was being looked down on.
"What if I absolutely insist on going, no matter what you say?"
At those words, Merlin's lips curled into a sly smile.
"Yes, that part of you is exactly like Artoria.
I suppose it can't be helped. I'll make an exception and allow you to accompany us.
But Shirou, when you suffer the consequences, don't come complaining to me afterward."
"...As though I need you to tell me that."
Hmph. He's just trying to sound mysterious again.
At the time, Shirou had genuinely believed that.
...
Deep within the dense forest, the girls stared in disbelief.
"How could this..." Ana was speechless.
"You've got to be kidding..." Ritsuka Fujimaru stood with her mouth half open.
Mash's eyes widened in shock.
"Shirou-san was... defeated instantly without even putting up a fight..."
Amid the thick undergrowth, the red-haired boy lay motionless on the ground, completely incapacitated.
Beside Shirou stood a woman, tall and imposing as she triumphantly planted herself upon the earth.
"Nyahahahahaha! So weak! This is the strongest warrior of Uruk everyone's been talking about lately?
He's nothing like the rumors... No, perhaps I'm simply too strong?
That's it! That must be it! I'm just far too powerful!"
The woman in the mascot costume planted her hands on her hips and laughed smugly, like a child who had conquered the world.
"See? That's what you get for underestimating an adult!
You're ten thousand years too early to challenge Jaguar Warrior, wahahahahaha!"
Without question, Shirou Amamiya had encountered the greatest crisis of his life.
***
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