Seventh Singularity

The is one of the seven singularities manifested by Beast I during the Human Order Incineration Incident. Located in 2655 BC Mesopotamia, its Humanity Foundation Value is A++ and it has no known Demon God designated to it. It was the seventh of the seven singularities visited by Chaldea Security Organization in the undertaking of the Grand Order to restore Earth and the Human Order.
The events of Chaldea's visit to this Singularity are covered in the seventh chapter of Observer on Timeless Temple, . It has the subtitle . It received a TV anime series adaptation in 2019 by CloverWorks.
==Setting==
The Singularity occurred in Mesopotamia in 2655 B.C. during the latter part of Gilgamesh's reign. Solomon personally sent one of his Holy Grail into the era, and pulled Tiamat from the World of the Void.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 20: Absolute Demonic Front Mesopotamia (I) When this happened, Gilgamesh, who just returned from the underworld, foresaw Uruk's destruction, and inscribed his vision in the Tablet of Destinies.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 7: The Tablet of Destinies Leaving the tablet in Kutha, he returned to Uruk, and told his subjects of his vision. He then took the role of a mage to protect Mesopotamia, and began to prepare its people for their impending doom.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 3: Gilgamesh's Calamity Meanwhile, Merlin trapped Tiamat in a dream to prevent her return.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 15: Decisive Battle However, she was able to implant the Grail into Enkidu's corpse to reanimate it for the purpose of awakening her, calling it Kingu.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 17: The New Humanity Kingu believe themselves to be Tiamat's child, and they are the prototype of a new humanity based on Enkidu. While searching for a way to awaken Tiamat, they eventually found Gorgon, who was summoned by the Grail's influence, in northern Mesopotamia. After they restored her Divinity, she gained the Authority Potnia Theron, which allows the creation of monsters, by synchronizing with Tiamat's consciousness.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 16: Demise As a result of the synchronization, Gorgon is deluded into believing she is Tiamat's second coming, and decides to take revenge on humanity in her stead.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 19: Star of the Beginning, We Look Up at the Sky However, because she isn't Tiamat, Gorgon isn't able to use Potnia Theron to create monsters by herself. Thus, she is forced to capture humans and bring them to her temple in the Cedar Forest, the Blood Fort, where they're converted into Demonic Beasts.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 9: The Mother of Demonic Beasts They are then sent out to capture more humans to bring them back to the Blood Fort so more Demonic Beasts can be created. Meanwhile, Medusa is summoned in her child form in the Cedar Forest by the Grail's influence.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 2: Humanity's Oldest Fortress City She would keep herself sustained by feeding on the souls of the Demonic Beasts she killed.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 4: Hardworking Citizens of Uruk
With the appearance of Demonic Beasts in the north, the era began to turn into a Singularity. Gilgamesh ordered Babylon to be dismantled, and used to a build wall to seal off the north from the rest of Mesopotamia. The sacred temple however foresaw the era would turn into a Singularity, and decided to summon Ishtar without Gilgamesh's knowledge. While the Northern Wall was constructed, the temple matron took advantage of the era's unstable space-time to connect to other eras to summon Rin Tohsaka. As she is compatible with Ishtar, Rin is used by the temple matron to summon the goddess, and to serve as her vessel.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 10: Good Morning, Goddess of Venus Unbeknownst to Ishtar though, Ereshkigal is summoned when she is summoned, and killed the temple matron. She also gained control of Ishtar's vessel when the latter is asleep.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 13: Prophecy of the Heavens Ishtar would go on to protect the ranchers in the northeast from the Demonic Beasts. However, she would demand their jewels as compensation for protecting them while also harassing Uruk.
In the south, Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar Man are also summoned by the Grail's influence. They soon took control of Ur and Eridu where Quetzalcoatl placed her Noble Phantasm, Piedra Del Sol, at the altar of a temple she had built to increase her Divinity in Sumer.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 11: Hello, Goddess of the Sun Both cities are soon surrounded by a jungle that prevents Demonic Beasts from entering. However Quetzalcoatl bans the people of Ur from leaving to get help elsewhere, and those who break that rule will be killed by the jungle. She also has them send one man a day to Eridu under the pretense that they're sacrifices to satisfy her. In reality though, she is training the men of Ur to be part of her army.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 5: Welcome to the Jungle
Eventually, Kingu convinces Gorgon, Quetzalcoatl, and Ereshkigal to become a three-joint alliance that'll become known as the Three Goddess Alliance. Each member is bound by a rule that prevents them from taking hostile action against each other, which also includes revealing their True Names. Any violation of the rule results in the goddess who broke it in being destroyed. While the Alliance's main goal is humanity's extinction, they're also competing with each other to see who can destroy Uruk and obtain the Greater Grail of Uruk first. Each member use their own methods to complete their supposedly common goal; Gorgon would use her Demonic Beasts; Quetzalcoatl would personally kill one hundred humans a day; Ereshkigal would use her gallû spirits to take people's souls, resulting in the death of Kutha's population. However, Quetzalcoatl and Ereshkigal have their own reasons that they joined the Alliance that don't align with its goal unlike Gorgon. Quetzalcoatl joined to stop the other members by getting to the Grail of Uruk first, and she wanted humanity to truly hate Gorgon so they'll fight with all their strength. Ereshkigal joined the Alliance to protect as many souls as she can in the underworld out of her love for humans.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 14: Goodbye, Goddess of the Underworld The Alliance would go on to destroy cities, forcing many to flee to Uruk.
After the era became a Singularity, Gilgamesh summoned Merlin whose imprisonment in Avalon normally makes him impossible to be summoned as a Servant. However since this era existed before his birth, he is technically dead, and thus able to be summoned with Gilgamesh's tremendous magical energy. The appearance of the Beasts was also a major factor in his manifestation alongside First Hassan.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 22: Returning to Chaldea After summoning Merlin, Gilgamesh summons Ushiwakmaru, Musashibou Benkei, Leonidas, Amakusa Shirou, Fuuma Kotarou, Ibaraki-douji, and Tomoe Gozen, incarnating them through his own magical energy. Leonidas commands the efforts against the Demonic Beasts, and trains both the soldiers of Uruk and the Northern Wall to be a self-sufficient force. The other Servants summoned by Gilgamesh also help defend Uruk, though Ibaraki would eventually defect. Shirou and Kotarou would perish alongside the scouting parties Gilgamesh sent to investigate the jungle surrounding Ur and Eridu. Tomoe would die killing Girtablilu, the general of the Demonic Beasts. Merlin would eventually encounter Medusa in the Cedar Forest, and tricked her into a contract that sealed her Divinity until she's truly ready to face Gorgon. Half a year later before Chaldea arrived, Uruk became a fortress city, and its people were able to survive for half a year thanks to their resolve and Gilgamesh's preparations. By the time Chaldea arrives, the Alliance has eliminated roughly 80% of the population, and conquered 60% of Mesopotamia.
==History==
=== Prelude ===
In Chaldea, Dr. Romani Archaman informs Mash Kyrielight of her drastically shortened lifespan; much like the incinerated humanity, there is no future for her past 2017 (NA: 2019). He laments that not even a Holy Grail will be able to save her, being merely a great crystallized magical resource far from a truly omnipotent wish granter.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Prelude
Roman asks Mash if she finds this knowledge sad, or frustrating. Before she can answer, Roman uncharacteristically begins an extensive monologue on his own frustration with the concept of mortality in living beings. He admits he believes that the inevitability of death makes the work of all living beings meaningless, wondering the point of a finite life having the capacity to grow if it will always come to an end.
He beckons to know if Mash can sympathise with him; as an incomplete being made by humans, she has the right to hate humanity for what was done to her. With a gentle voice, he makes her an offer: if this dilemma is causing her pain, she can stop if she so chooses.
Mash is undeterred, having already realised: the man talking to her is not "Dr. Roman" at all. Despite Roman's pessimistic nature, Mash knows that the real Roman would never deny the efforts of humans. The impostor Roman's face distorts, and he laughs maniacally as Mash wakes from her nightmare in her room. 
Mash notes the similarity of her nightmare to a prior experience from her Master, Ritsuka Fujimaru, before she receives a summons from the Command Room. She cannot shake the foreboding feeling that her next Rayshift into the Seventh Singularity will be her last.
In the Command Room, the real Dr. Roman gives his briefing to the heroes: with the deadline of 2017 (NA: 2019) drawing near, the day has finally come to resolve the Seventh Singularity - and the Grand Order is approaching its conclusion.
The location of the final Grail, sent into the past by King Solomon himself, the Seventh Singularity is located in ancient Mesopotamia, at the dawn of human civilisation. The age of the first Sumerian kings, it is the land that flourished between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, that would soon come to be known as Babylonia. At 2600 BC, the twilight of the Age of Gods, it was then when humans finally parted ways with the gods, who eventually all disappeared from the Earth by the AD era. 
Leonardo da Vinci gives Ritsuka a new scarf to protect them from the high Mana density in the ancient past, an improvement over the mask made in the Sixth Singularity. Due to its great distance in the past, Rayshifting into the Singularity is difficult, SHEBA refusing to stabilize. Da Vinci opts to stay behind in Chaldea to return to her role as navigator.
Before they prepare to set off, Mash asks Roman the question posed to her in her nightmare - does life have any meaning at all?
Roman considers, and answers that while from a divine, objective perspective life may seem meaningless, it is when it ends where its meaning is found. Life is not lived to create meaning, but rather lived so meaning can be found from it when it is over.
Satisfied with his answer, Mash voices her agreement, and thanks Roman for the kindness he has shown her. The Rayshift begins, and the heroes are sent on their next mission into the Seventh Singularity.
=== In the Age of the Gods ===
In a dark, fleshy chamber within the Singularity, captive Sumerian citizens of Kazallu plead for their lives to a shadowed goddess, dubbed the Mother of Demonic Beasts. Filled with nothing but contempt and hatred for humans, the goddess slaughters her captives without remorse. Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 1: In the Age of the Gods
The chamber is an rudimentary assembly hall in the goddess's main temple, where she converses with two fellow goddesses, all hidden in shadow. One goddess is jovial and cheerful in temperament, yet hiding a ruthless streak that craves personal combat. The other goddess is more composed, and is noted as the only surviving native Sumerian goddess present in the era. 
Together, the three are dubbed the Three Goddess Alliance, united in their goal to obtain the Holy Grail. With a sworn pact between them to not interfere in each other's activities, the goddesses in the Alliance are competing to slay the king of Uruk and claim the Grail he holds, the winner thus becoming the ruler of the world.
Breaking the pact holds severe consequences - an attack upon another goddess before would result in divine punishment upon the attacker, forcing a ceasefire among the goddesses until the Grail is obtained. All three goddesses seek to obtain the Grail using their own methods - the goddess of Demonic Beasts seeks to eradicate Uruk completely and find the Grail in the ashes. 
The cheerful goddess aims to decimate Uruk with the power of nature and her own physical prowess, systematically killing humans one-by-one. Finally, the native goddess proclaims Uruk as her land from the beginning, with a method capable of instantly wiping out all life within it without warning.
The goddess of Demonic Beasts reports that she has consumed most of the northern cities - Eshnunna, Sippar, Kish and Kazallu. With Nippur soon to fall, she predicts that the Northern Wall blocking her path to Uruk will fall within a month. Her armies of Demonic Beasts are set loose to kill and capture humans to do with as they wish, including using them as raw materials for her temple.
A new arrival appears - a servant of the hateful goddess. He cautions his "Mother" against associating with her fellow goddesses, wary of betrayal, and knowing they seek the Grail for their own ends. Sensing a strange fluctuation, he announces that the last ray of hope for humanity - the last Master of Chaldea - has arrived, as prophesised by Uruk's astrologer.
At that moment, elsewhere, Ritsuka, Mash and Fou successfully Rayshift into the Singularity... 
...200 metres above ground.
The surprised heroes drop in free-fall, and Mash manages to cushion their landing using Lord Camelot. They land in the barren city of Babylon, ravaged and left in ruins. Dr. Roman reveals that the Rayshift was tampered with by an unknown third party; the original destination was set for Uruk, the largest city in the era, only to be forcibly shifted to their current location. 
Da Vinci hypothesises that a Bounded Field was placed around Uruk as a defence mechanism, which the Rayshift rebounded off of. Assessing their current situation, it isn't long before they are attacked by a hostile band of Uridimmu, Demonic Beasts not matching any known on record. 
After defeating them, they realise that unlike those encountered before, the Demonic Beasts were fighting specifically to kill, as opposed to bestial instinct. Suspecting the Beasts to be behind the city's destruction, they prepare to flee the area.
However, a screaming, gold-clad, black-haired girl with a large floating bow-like vehicle suddenly plummets from the sky at high speed. She barrels into Ritsuka, apparently sniped out of the air by an unknown assailant. Vain and hotheaded, the girl mistakes the heroes for native inhabitants, nearly sparking a fight over Ritsuka accidentally touching her. After the heroes talk her down and introduce themselves, the girl reluctantly relents, admitting she is also technically a guest from afar.
Refusing to give them her name or any information about the era, the girl instead asks them to forget their embarrassing encounter entirely, and warns them against further indiscretions against her. She sheepishly admits she has lost and is searching for a highly precious possession of hers. However, as she also refuses to explain what it is, the heroes are unable to help her.
More Demonic Beasts attack them, and the girl aids the heroes in vanquishing them to vent her frustration. The girl turns out to be extremely powerful, noting the Demonic Beasts as belonging to a being named "Tiamat". Further waves of Demonic Beasts close in, but the girl callously abandons the heroes and flies away on her "boat", proclaiming that if they are struggling against mere Demonic Beasts, then saving humanity is but a pipe dream for them.
Left alone, the heroes are forced to fight their way through the endless hordes, pushing east towards nearby castle ruins. Suddenly, another new arrival appears - a long, green-haired youth in white robes, who offers to assist, aware that they are from Chaldea. Displaying incredible power, the youth wipes out the approaching wave with golden chains. 
They introduce themselves as Enkidu, the weapon created by the gods, and states that they have been waiting for their arrival. Roman is elated at their luck in powerful companionship, and Enkidu assists the team in wiping out the remaining waves of Demonic Beasts, including a poison dragon Bašmu.
It is revealed that Enkidu is a native living hero of the era, the Chain of the Heavens from the fabled Epic of Gilgamesh, modeled after the woman Shamhat. A doll made from mud by the gods themselves, yet having a heart of their own, they are a living Noble Phantasm on par with the Wedge of the Heavens, King Gilgamesh himself.
Aware of Solomon's plot, Enkidu claims that they were sent to protect the heroes by the Temple Matron of Uruk, following a prophecy that foretold Chaldea's arrival. After shaking hands with Ritsuka, they welcome them to Mesopotamia, and urges them to leave the area with them to avoid more Demonic Beasts. Roman wishes to head to Uruk, the largest city in the era, to set up a summoning circle on the Leylines there, and Enkidu offers to take them there via a longer route.
=== Humanity's Oldest Fortress City ===
To Roman's surprise, Enkidu takes the heroes north, instead of southeast towards Uruk. Enkidu explains that the south is the territory of another goddess, and explains to them the situation of the Singularity.
Humanity is on the brink of extinction, with 80% of the population being slaughtered. The survivors are huddled in the city of Uruk, in grave danger from a threat other than the Mage King and his followers: the Three Goddess Alliance. A joint effort between three female deities, they are Divine Spirits summoned into the era who have claimed 60% of the Mesopotamian land. While they claim that none of them have the Holy Grail, the goddesses' objective is clear - the complete extinction of humanity.
Enkidu notes the callous lack of care gods have for humanity, with the few that do show a love for humans being a rarity. They claim the love they show is but a logical error stemming from contradictory domains and associations, using the goddess Inanna (Ishtar in Akkadian) as an example.
The goddesses use their own methods for destroying humanity, with the greatest of the three, the "Goddess of Demonic Beasts", being the source of the Demonic Beasts from earlier. The group arrive at a plateau, where Enkidu shows them the distant Northern Wall to the south -  a great stone barrier built from the remnants of old Babylon.Also known as the Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia, it is the largest and final line of defence that protects the last of humanity from the endless offspring of the Goddess of Demonic Beasts. Thousands of Demonic Beasts swarm the Wall day and night, the great fortress having held them off for six months already, and possibly another month longer. 
Enkidu unusually laments the needless loss of life, quietly noting that the humans will die off on their own anyway. They quickly pass off their slip as sympathy for the Demonic Beasts. Roman wishes to head to Uruk to seek an audience with its king, and Enkidu takes the heroes north under cover of the nearby Cedar Forest, a legendary forest said to be guarded by the Demonic Beast Humbaba.
Mash is briefly confused by the Cedar Forest's location, believing it to be east of Uruk. Roman explains it as a difference between the Sumerian and Akkadian versions of the legend, with the older story putting the Forest in the west where they are. It is not lost of the heroes that Enkidu is still taking them further from Uruk, and their suspicions are aroused.
Enkidu claims that a boat is docked in a river wharf ahead that will take them to Uruk. Suddenly, two hooded figures emerge from the forest and join them. The first, a familiar hooded man with a staff, claims that they are lost travelers, having walked for three days straight. He seeks assistance to escape the territory of the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, followed by his companion Ana, a young hooded purple-haired girl armed with a chained scythe.
Taking control of the conversation, the hooded man smoothly sways the group into introducing themselves first, including giving Enkidu's name. It is then that the man points out a glaring discrepancy - King Gilgamesh himself is commanding Uruk's front line, having just returned from his quest for the herb of immortality.
The contradiction is clear: the quest took place long after the true Enkidu's death - meaning the "Enkidu" currently with the heroes is an impostor.
"Enkidu's" true, sadistic colours are revealed (gaining purple eyes as opposed to Enkidu's green), and they lament the sudden foiling of their trap. They continues to claim to be Enkidu themselves, but now sided with the goddesses. Boasting magical energy rivalling that of a Demon God Pillar's, the false Enkidu attacks them, claiming they only fought alongside the heroes to show off the insane gap in strength between them.
At the hooded man's behest, Ana reluctantly assists the heroes in holding off "Enkidu". The false Enkidu seemingly gains the upper hand, easily overpowering Ana. Suddenly, the forest and Ana vanish, revealing "Enkidu" to have been caught in an illusion during the fight and sent out of the forest, cast by the hooded man, the infamous mage working for Uruk. 
"Enkidu" notes the difficulty in capturing the hooded mage, leaving only one way to break a certain spell he has cast. They decide to give up pursuit out of caution, choosing to return to their temperamental Mother before she goes on a rampage. 
Back in the forest, the hooded man reveals "Enkidu" as the mediator of the Three Goddess Alliance; the leader of the Demonic Beasts who is working directly for the King of Mages, having reverted to their cruel nature before meeting King Gilgamesh. Fou unexpectedly attacks the hooded man, who indignantly names Fou as "Cath Palug", alluding to having taken care of him previously. 
Ana returns, having led "Enkidu" away as ordered, and the hooded man introduces themselves as Servants. He reveals himself to be the great mage of Britain, and Grand Caster candidate (though only currently manifesting as a regular Caster), Merlin. Roman is astonished, claiming that it is impossible for Merlin to be a Heroic Spirit as he is still alive in his tower, exiled in Avalon until the end of time. 
Roman denounces Merlin as useless - revealing that while all Grand Caster candidates possess powerful Clairvoyance (including Gilgamesh and Solomon), Merlin can only use his to view the present. Da Vinci interjects to thank Merlin, deducing that he is the one secretly providing Chaldea's reactor, the Fire of Prometheus, with magical energy, beneath Solomon's notice.
Merlin points out the loophole that as the Singularity exists in an age predating Merlin's birth, he is technically "dead" in this era. Thus, he was able to be summoned as a Servant by a powerful Master in the era, acting as his court Mage. Ana, on the other hand, is a Rogue Servant summoned by the Grail's influence, having only just met and (was tricked into) contracting with Merlin in the forest two days prior.
Merlin pledges to aid Chaldea in restoring humanity, having watched their journey from his tower in the background. After a comical encounter with wyverns, Merlin prepares to (actually) take them to Uruk for an audience with the King. Ana is reluctant, having only made a deal with Merlin to slay a particular goddess, and is unwilling to enter a human settlement. Merlin reminds her that they cannot breach the goddess's temple alone, and that a slow approach is best given their lack of strength, and she relents at Ritsuka's urging.
The party leave the forest, marching an entire day across the plains to the south, Uruk another day's walk away. Merlin explains that the only safe refuge is the areas around Uruk, with Northern Mesopotamia being overrun by Demonic Beasts, and Southern Mesopotamia being consumed by a mysterious jungle. While Solomon's influence on the era is unknown, if the front line of Babylonia falls and Uruk is wiped out, human history is finished regardless.
Of the three goddesses, Merlin only knows the True Name of one. The goddesses consist of the northern Goddess of Demonic Beasts, the southern Goddess controlling the jungle, and a soaring, troublesome Goddess with no fixed residence. Merlin himself was searching for an object known as the "Tablet of Destinies" in the Cedar Forest, to no avail. He is under orders of King Gilgamesh himself, the current ruler of Uruk, and tyrannical King of Heroes who severed his ties with the gods because of their arrogance.
Merlin, Mash and Roman recount the Epic of Gilgamesh to Ritsuka. They summarise the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, including the latter's tragic death as a result of a feud with the goddess Ishtar. 
Several encounters with Demonic Beasts later, and three days since the heroes' original Rayshift to the ruins of Babylon, the party finally arrive at the gates to Uruk. They encounter a soldier at the security checkpoint leading into the city, and Merlin introduces the heroes as refugees from Girsu. With Merlin possessing a sigil of Lady Siduri, the soldier allows them entry.
Suddenly, the soldier stops Ana. After a tense moment, the soldier simply gives the surprised Ana leftover candies from his daughter as a compassionate gift for her hard travels. The soldier welcomes them to Uruk, hoping to see the party again.
Inside, the heroes and Ana are astonished to find the city lively and bustling, advanced and efficient far beyond their expectations of an ancient civilisation. Besides the central ziggurat, Merlin notes another shrine honouring Uruk's patron god, who has been absent lately. Their spirits lifted by the cheer of the city, Merlin takes the heroes to the central ziggurat to finally meet King Gilgamesh.
=== Gilgamesh's Calamity ===
With Merlin's authority, the party is led right to the ziggurat's Royal Hall, where King Gilgamesh himself is sitting. Again contrary to the heroes' vision of a tyrannical despot, they find Gilgamesh tirelessly doing his royal duties, acting as a strict but highly competent king. Merlin takes Ritsuka before Gilgamesh and his High Priestess Siduri, announcing his return with guests.
Uruk Gate.png|Uruk's .
Uruk (Day) in the anime.jpg|Entirety of the city from the anime adaptation.
Uruk (night) in the anime.jpg|The city at night, from the anime adaptation.
Gilgamesh Throne.png|Gilgamesh's throne room
He announces his failure to find the Tablet of Destinies in the Cedar Forest, lamenting that Gilgamesh was unable to remember where he left it after scribing it while fatigued. Unamused, Gilgamesh draws his Dingir tablet, suddenly preparing to fight the Chaldeans himself to test them. Merlin, barred from participating, tasks Ana with assisting them yet again. 
Partway through the surprise fight, Gilgamesh begins losing interest, and eventually breaks off. Disappointed, he deems the fight a waste of time, and proclaims Chaldea to be unworthy of his help, despite already being aware of their coming arrival. Merlin admits that he did not explain any of the situation to Gilgamesh. However, while a living hero of the era, the King reveals he is already aware of Chaldea and their process of Heroic Spirit Summoning, as well as his own future nature as a Heroic Spirit himself.
The heroes attempt to petition Gilgamesh again, explaining their quest to retrieve the Holy Grail. Gilgamesh stops them, and reveals that he already possesses the Holy Grail - as all treasures in the world belong to him - surmising that it is the goal of the Three Goddess Alliance.
Ritsuka offers to defeat the Three Goddess Alliance in exchange for the Grail, but an incredulous Gilgamesh laughs them off, refusing their help once again. Suddenly, a soldier arrives bringing a scout report from the Tigris - Ishtar, of the Three Goddess Alliance, and patron deity of Uruk, has been spotted heading for the city at high speed.
Ishtar herself suddenly bursts through the ziggurat ceiling, enraged at Gilgamesh's exasperated insults towards her. The two trade petty insults as Gilgamesh's royal entourage panics. The heroes and Ishtar recognise each other - Ishtar being the vain girl the heroes encountered in the Babylon ruins, her large floating bow being Maanna, the Boat of Heaven. 
The infuriated Ishtar prepares to kill Gilgamesh and the heroes. Amused, Gilgamesh himself permits the heroes to fight alongside him to stop Ishtar. Despite this, it becomes clear that Ishtar is holding back her Authority, evidently for the sake of Uruk. Reaching the limit of her patience, Ishtar prepares to unleash her full power and destroy Uruk to kill Gilgamesh, but stops upon seeing Ana.
Unexpectedly, Ishtar immediately calms down, understanding Ana's true nature. Changing her mind, she retreats, claiming to have only come to pick up her pillow for her bedchamber in Eanna. Before leaving, she bids Siduri to "keep a white flag ready" (an anachronistic phrase that confuses Siduri) when Gilgamesh dies, still intending to save Uruk.
While disappointed at the anti-climactic outcome, Gilgamesh quickly returns to business. Royal duties resume as if nothing happened, Ishtar's attacks apparently being a daily annoyance. It is revealed that Gilgamesh himself summoned Merlin, as opposed to Uruk's Ritual Sect; in order to better protect Uruk as a wise king, Gilgamesh had abandoned his warrior persona to become a mage, locking away his treasures.
Gilgamesh compliments Chaldea's efforts, but still rejects their help, stating that the era will be solved by its own people. He assigns the heroes to Siduri, and makes them leave the ziggurat.
Outside, Siduri introduces herself to the heroes (with them explaining Ishtar's white flag phrase to her). Siduri advises the heroes that while Gilgamesh stated that they were unneeded, he did not denounce them as worthless. Thus, they will be able to gain his ear by earning noteworthy achievements - by helping the people of the city in various odd jobs.
With Siduri offering to make employment arrangements for them, she notes that if Gilgamesh assigned them to her, they are worth more than they realise to him.
=== Hardworking Citizens of Uruk ===
Siduri takes the heroes to their private lodge, originally used as a tavern, and already paid for. With Mash dubbing the building the Chaldean Embassy, the heroes, Merlin and Ana set up the lodge as their headquarters. They set up a summoning circle, with Da Vinci giving a mini-lecture on the Age of Gods, Mana, and Gilgamesh's role in the decline of the gods.After night falls, Siduri and the heroes have a cheerful toast and their first meal in the Chaldean Embassy. They are joined by the other Servants summoned by Gilgamesh - Ushiwakamaru and her retainer, Musashibou Benkei, who defeat the Demonic Beasts around Uruk, as well as Leonidas I, who commands the Demonic Front himself. As Servants contracted to Gilgamesh, they have no knowledge of Chaldea, but Ushiwakamaru pledges on their behalf to fight as their allies for their common goal.
Benkei explains that Gilgamesh had recklessly summoned seven Heroic Spirits to aid him after Merlin, with only the four of them remaining. Having incarnated, they are self-sufficient to prevent strain on Gilgamesh's magical energy, who is still recovering from the summoning. 
With the northern cities wiped out by Demonic Beasts, disasters across the land, and the city of Kutha vanishing overnight, Gilgamesh sought their help to determine the cause of the threat. Leonidas reveals that it was then when Gilgamesh saw with his Clairvoyance a future where Uruk was destroyed, swallowed into an abyss.
Six months later, after summoning help, Uruk was reborn under the matured Gilgamesh's leadership into the bustling fortress city it is today, the last bastion to prevent the destruction of humanity.
Siduri discusses the Uruks' and her own belief that the false Enkidu threatening Sumer is an impostor pretending to be Enkidu, the populace having known the true Enkidu to be kind. Merlin reveals that Gilgamesh is aware of "Enkidu's" existence, but was unperturbed, and has never met the impostor due to not leaving the ziggurat.
Merlin leaves on other business, but bids the Chaldeans to rest, and Ritsuka to take care of the sleeping Ana, specifically noting that she is scared of humans. The heroes sleep for the night, ready for their new life in Uruk.
The next day, they receive their first assignment from Siduri - to help a farmer, Mr. Limmat, in shearing his 180 sheep, to Mash's excitement. His ranch being on the outskirts of Uruk, the team defend the sheep from Demonic Beasts (and their phantom shepherd). To Mash and Ana's disappointment, they are unable to shear any sheep, the shearing already "reserved" by girls from the Sacred Temple. Bemoaning the consequences of the early rise of a monetary system, they return to Uruk for the day.
Their next assignment the following day is to investigate a Mr. Kissinamuh's wife for a possible affair. Interested, Ushiwakamaru and Benkei offer to help, already assigned to patrol Uruk. Ana declines to join them, already helping an old lady from a flower shop.
The investigation quickly and comically escalates, with the wife secretly being a member of a mysterious underground species of Yohimen attempting to invade the surface world. After vanquishing the invaders in an underground lava zone beneath the suburbs, the heroes converse with Ushiwakamaru and Benkei. They discuss Ushiwakamaru's past in the Heian era, her nature as a younger incarnation of her cold-blooded older self, and the differing threats of the Three Goddess Alliance.
While Leonidas is holding the north at the Demonic Front, no countermeasures exist for the problems of the southern jungle, and Ishtar's aerial attacks from the northeast mountains. Gilgamesh had sent numerous scouting parties into the jungle, only for none to return. Roman deduces that Gilgamesh's Holy Grail, dubbed the "Greater Grail of Uruk", is not Solomon's Grail, but the natural Holy Grail owned by Gilgamesh. They speculate where Solomon's Grail could be - either in the possession of, or used to summon the Three Goddess Alliance.
The next day, Leonidas is tasked with training the soldiers in the eastern barracks, the northern front given a brief reprieve by a successful flooding strategy of the Tigris River. He enthusiastically requests for the heroes to have a mock battle with 100 of his trainees.
After the sparring session concludes, Leonidas continues his Spartan training of the soldiers. Ana learns from Roman about the relationship between a Servant and Master. She admits she knew nothing about being a Servant after being summoned in the Cedar Forest, subsisting by killing Demonic Beasts and consuming their souls. She declines an offer to contract with Ritsuka, asserting she only has business with the Three Goddess Alliance, and does not care for humanity.
The heroes and Servants continue their mundane lives in Uruk, and their public service earns the gratitude of the people. After a hard day of work, the heroes and Servants gather at the Chaldean Embassy for a homemade dinner with Siduri, who makes butter cake to Ana's delight.
Twenty days pass since Chaldea's arrival at Uruk, and Siduri grants them a day off. While Merlin cheekily suggests Mash and Ritsuka go on a date, Ana instead asks a favour of them to accompany her. Following her, they find a dark cave beneath Uruk, where they wipe out roving gallû spirits.
Ana informs them that a deadly disease is spreading through Uruk, causing citizens to fall into an eternal slumber, starting with weaker individuals. Believing the spirits to be linked to the cause, Ana had resolved to vanquish them in an effort to reduce its spread, letting slip that she had witnessed them gathering around the flower shop she had been helping.
Ana and Roman explain that in the Age of Gods, physical death differs from spiritual death. One's soul can be kidnapped by gallû spirits and taken to the underworld of Kur, sending the body into a death-like sleep. However, provided both body and soul is intact, they can be restored to life simply by retrieving their soul from Kur. True death results when the soul is destroyed before reaching Kur - the nothingness beyond Kur, known in Uruk as the Abyss.
Mash and Ana go to report to Siduri, while Ritsuka and Fou head back to the Embassy. Along the way, they pass an old foreign beggar, apparently frail and injured, having not moved for over two days. Seeing the passing civilians ignore him, Ritsuka buys bread for the old man.
Suddenly, the old man calls to Ritsuka. While warning them that thoughtless pity can be evil on its own, he thanks them for giving an insightful gift of what was most needed - food - as opposed to merely money. In return, the old man, naming himself Ziusudra, offers Ritsuka counsel. 
He cryptically warns Ritsuka that "three storms" will soon sweep over Uruk, and provides equally cryptic advice - to "empathize not with the hateful one", "celebrate not with the joyous one", and "extol not the pained one", even if it goes against their own convictions. With that, he vanishes, leaving a bewildered Ritsuka.
=== Welcome to the Jungle ===
Ritsuka has a dream of a blackened sea under a dark sky. A voice desperately calls out, begging someone to return to them. Ritsuka asks who it is, and under the sea, a light shines. 
An answer is heard - it is mankind's oldest evil, the Original Sin II, the sin of parting and leaving paradise. The voice calls out to expose that sin, the roaring of the waves of the primeval sea, Nammu, the goddess from which all life was born. Ritsuka laments the voice as sad, but the dream ends before they can hear the true name of the voice.
Over the past days, Ritsuka and Mash give regular reports of their public services to Gilgamesh. While initially aloof and indifferent, Gilgamesh slowly becomes more and more invested in their reports.
Catching up with the present, after the heroes' final report, Gilgamesh stops them (directly using Ritsuka's name, to their surprise). He commends the high public opinion they have amassed over the weeks, and grants them a direct order to leave Uruk on a mission.
Outside, Merlin, who is joining them, gives the mission details to the elated heroes - they are to head to the city of Ur to the south, and investigate the mysterious jungle that has consumed it. Ushiwakamaru and Benkei congratulate the heroes on their assignment, lamenting that they cannot join due to a report of a sudden development from Leonidas at the Demonic Front. In a thinly veiled attempt to get to swap jobs by defeating them, the two Servants have a quick warm-up duel with the heroes.
The pair are satisfied after being bested, though Benkei gives the heroes a final warning. Amakusa Shirou Tokisada and Fuuma Kotarou, two of Gilgamesh's other Servants, had disappeared after attempting to investigate the jungle. The remaining two Servants Gilgamesh had summoned were Ibaraki-Douji and Tomoe Gozen. Before they part, the pair inform the heroes that Ibaraki had broken off and deserted after announcing her intent to organize a bandit group, and was chased off by Ushiwakamaru. Meanwhile, Tomoe Gozen had faced and defeated Girtablilu, the previous general of the Demonic Beasts at the cost of her own life.
The party set out for Ur, fighting past more roving bands of Demonic Beasts. Ana and Merlin note the appearance of more of the "Eleven Offspring", including Mušmaḫḫū, speculating whether the Goddess of Demonic Beasts is in fact Tiamat. 
Ritsuka is taught about Tiamat - the primordial creation mother goddess of Mesopotamia, said to have birthed all the gods - as well as her Eleven Offspring, twisted beasts created by herself after she was betrayed by her original children, the gods, with the god Abzu. Merlin lists off the Offspring: Mušmaḫḫū, Ušumgallu, Bašmu, Mušḫuššu, Laḫmu (whose form is unknown), Ugallu, Uridimmu, Girtablilu (killed by Tomoe Gozen three months prior), Umū Dabrūtu, Kulullû and Kusarikku.
Tiamat and her Eleven Offspring, commanded by the god Kingu, had clashed against the original gods sired between her and Abzu. Her defeat at the hands of the god Marduk resulted in the creation of the world in the Mesopotamian creation myth. 
Merlin and Roman speculate that the northern goddess likely possesses Tiamat's Authority - Potnia Theron, the "Womb of a Hundred Beasts", the twisted power of an Earth Mother goddess turned against humanity. With it and sufficient resources, its user is able to birth an infinite number of monsters.
Crossing the Euphrates River, the party enter the southern jungle - and are nearly overwhelmed by the oppressive climate within, like a true jungle from ancient prehistory. Noting the sudden shift in magical energy density and instrument interference, Da Vinci and Roman compare the jungle's nature to the Egyptian desert from the Sixth Singularity - a completely different world forcibly transplanted into the era.
However, the party is suddenly confronted by a new arrival - a Servant woman clad in a ridiculous jaguar-styled onesie with a highly unhinged personality, stringing her speech with cat-like puns and mannerisms. Introducing herself as "Jaguar Warrior", an avatar of the jungle, she challenges the heroes. In a combination of confusion and being unamused, the heroes battle Jaguar Warrior to get past to Ur as quickly as possible.
Ur (Anime).jpg|Ur in the anime adaptation.
Ur.png|Ur's streets.
While they manage to push her back, the eccentric enemy Servant shows incredible power. However, Jaguar Warrior suddenly retreats, disappearing into the jungle, and the heroes waste no time in hurrying to Ur. The party successfully reaches Ur, a city roughly the size of Uruk, and completely surrounded by the jungle. To their surprise, they find the citizens there living their lives normally, though with a slightly downcast air. Questioning a passing civilian, Merlin learns that the city is protected from Tiamat's Demonic Beasts by the jungle, so long as its citizens obey the rule of the forest Goddess. All attempts to contact Uruk failed, being a violation of the aforementioned rules. 
While Ur is a safe haven, it is almost entirely isolated, and its citizens are trapped with no way to seek outside help. Merlin deduces from the lack of men in the city that human sacrifices are sent to the goddess as the price to pay for her protection. The civilian woman confirms that a single sacrifice is offered every day to the neighbouring city of Eridu to satisfy the goddess. 
Incredulous, Mash voices her astonishment at the citizens' submission, only for her words to cause the populace to return to their homes in fear. As the streets clear, the civilian woman warns the heroes that the forest goddess is an insatiable beast that cannot be negotiated with, before she too leaves. Merlin laments being unable to interrogate the townspeople further, and Mash apologizes for her outburst, only for Jaguar Warrior to suddenly return.
Jaguar Warrior lets slip that she was punished for killing sacrifices, and that any warriors who fail the trial of strength are forced into labour at Eridu. Having been charged with keeping the people of Ur (her "rations") in the jungle by a being she dubs "Kuku", she battles the heroes again to prevent them from saving the populace.
Despite having the advantage in numbers, the heroes are unable to even faze Jaguar Warrior, whose power is more than a match for them. Merlin realises that Jaguar Warrior is yet another Divine Spirit, who cannot be contested without another Servant with similar Divinity. With no other choice, the heroes are forced to retreat from Ur entirely, leaving with only the knowledge of Ur's predicament. They escape the jungle, Ana fending off repeated assaults from the pursuing Jaguar Warrior.
Returning to Uruk, they report their findings and failure to King Gilgamesh. Despite voicing his annoyance at not being able to see the amusing enemy Servant for himself, he commends the heroes for their work. With no countermeasures available, he sets the matter of Ur and the Goddess of the Jungle aside, noting the ulterior meaning behind the human sacrifices occurring there. 
Gilgamesh questions Merlin if Eridu could be seen from Ur, and whether "the axe" was intact, but Merlin responds in the negative. However, he notes that while the jungle was too dense to confirm, he could still sense a powerful Divinity within the jungle. He safely assumes that "the axe" still remains in Eridu, making Eridu a necessary objective in the future. With that, and an assurance that their next mission will be soon, Gilgamesh dismisses the heroes.
=== Encounter ===
The following morning, the heroes are astonished to find King Gilgamesh himself paying the Chaldean Embassy a visit on a whim (apparently without Siduri's knowledge). He personally gives the Chaldeans their next assignment: a simple transport trip to check on Uruk's water supply. Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 6: Encounter
Heading south to a coastal observatory on the Persian Gulf to swap jars of collected seawater with new empty jars, the route is noted to be the only area that hasn't been attacked by any of the three Goddesses. With only two travel permits, Ritsuka and Mash embark on the trip alone...
...or not, as they are joined again by King Gilgamesh, who adamantly denies doing so to secretly have a break due to his exhaustion. Encountering a group of Assassin-class "abandoned colossi" on the road, the party stop to clear them out, Gilgamesh cockily offering to assist due to his class advantage.
Comically, the fight is more difficult for Gilgamesh than anticipated, with the final statue unexpectedly being a Rider-class (the King taking a full kick to the abdomen from the sudden class disadvantage). 
Persian_Gulf.png|The Persian Gulf.
Babylonia-Singularity extent.jpg|True extent of the Singularity, including even the Indian Ocean, as shown in the Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia anime adaptation.
Despite the minor diversion, the party reach the observatory without incident. After swapping the jars, Ritsuka and Mash take a break along the coast while Gilgamesh remains at the observatory to check on things. They make small talk, Roman stating that the scale of the Seventh Singularity is far greater than the previous Singularities - with even the Indian Ocean beyond the Gulf being visible. Ritsuka is unnerved, recalling their cryptic dream of a roar from the ocean.
Suddenly, the false Enkidu divebombs the heroes at incredibly high speeds from the sky, and Mash is barely able to defend. The impostor chides the heroes for leaving the safety of Uruk to a secluded area without an escort, or the roaming Ishtar to protect them. They confirm that they are indeed not the true Enkidu, declaring themselves as an enemy of humans. They attack the heroes to kill them as quickly as possible, now making use of their Noble Phantasm, Nammu Duranki.
The heroes are barely able to survive, and Roman notes the similarity of "Enkidu's" overwhelming fighting style to King Gilgamesh's, to which they claim that Gilgamesh had in fact imitated them in doing so. The false Enkidu unleashes another barrage, only for Gilgamesh himself to arrive, rescuing the heroes and at last confronting his old "friend".
Gilgamesh points out the impostor's mistake - the true Enkidu had in fact criticised his overwhelming tactics as a waste of energy. Continuing to poke holes in the impostor's facade, Gilgamesh notes that they are stronger than the original Enkidu, and deduces they must have acquired a powerful Magical Reactor Core, likely from the three Goddesses. The false Enkidu is shocked by Gilgamesh's arrival, and unexpectedly falters as if in pain. Angrily swearing to kill Gilgamesh, they retreat back to the north.
Gilgamesh notes that "Enkidu" still held the upper hand - with the King unable to use Ea, the impostor would have been able to defeat him easily. Regardless, he deems their assignment complete, and they return to Uruk.
Meanwhile, the false Enkidu struggles as their body seems to malfunction, showing them previous battle memories and forcing them to retreat from Gilgamesh due to a failsafe. They assert that they are not Enkidu, and again swear to kill Gilgamesh for their Mother's sake, suppressing an emerging desire to talk to him first.
=== The Tablet of Destinies ===
Back at Uruk's throne room, Gilgamesh assigns Ritsuka, Mash and Merlin with a more important mission - to retrieve the Tablet of Destinies from the northeastern city of Kutha within three days. Gilgamesh recalls his journey, having seen the future in Kutha while returning from the underworld due to his Clairvoyance. Recording his vision on a clay tablet, he had left it in Kutha, his meditative state causing him to forget its contents.
He assigns them a secondary objective of gathering information on Ishtar from the ranches on the way, who have sent daily damage reports blaming her as the source, Kutha lying within her territory. Returning to the Embassy, Mash informs Ana and the others of the mission. Ana is also assigned to come along, while Ushiwakamaru and Benkei are assigned to the Northern Front to prepare for the mission to liberate the city of Nippur. After wishing each other good luck, they set off on their respective missions.
Merlin informs the heroes that after the formation of the Three Goddess Alliance, Kutha's entire population was suddenly wiped out without warning, becoming a cursed wasteland. An expedition party sent in the aftermath found its citizens' bodies completely unharmed, as if they had all died in their sleep simultaneously.
The party make their way to the northeast, clearing out wandering Demonic Beasts and collecting ranchers' testimonies. According to the ranchers, Ishtar attacks indiscriminately (even Demonic Beasts), disrupting the ranchers, all while demanding their money and riches in apparent compensation (with a smug laugh). 
However, none of the ranchers report any fatalities or injuries aside from Demonic Beasts, only annoying disruptions to their work. Ritsuka and Ana begin to suspect a more benevolent (if greedy) motive behind her actions. 
Merlin reveals that Ishtar is in fact not the regular Ishtar of the era. He recounts that after the appearance of the Demonic Beasts, Uruk's Sacred Temple held a ritual to summon Ishtar without Gilgamesh's knowledge, taking advantage of the Singularity's space-time instability.
While Gilgamesh opened his treasury and built the Northern Wall, the temple matron attempted to summon Ishtar using a soul compatible with her divinity - a Pseudo-Servant. Merlin notes that the Mesopotamian gods have blonde hair, and Ishtar's black hair indicates that a human girl is indeed serving as her vessel. 
Roman notes that the girl was so compatible with Ishtar that their egos have completely fused together, creating a wholly new, overall kinder personality. Merlin deduces that Ishtar spared the heroes in Babylon due to this change, as the true Ishtar of myth would not have hesitated to kill them. Ana agrees, letting slip that while she hates goddesses, Ishtar feels slightly human, but quickly backpedals after Merlin begins to prod.
After fighting through more Demonic Beasts, they reach the silent and deserted Kutha. Roman notes that even the Demonic Beasts seem afraid to enter. At Merlin's suggestion, the party split up to search for the Tablet of Destinies for an hour, the Tablet emitting a small amount of magical energy that can be detected like Gilgamesh's Dingir tablet. Mash is reluctant to let Ritsuka search alone, but relents after Merlin assures her that Roman and Fou will be there to guide them. 
However, after only 10 minutes of searching, Ritsuka and Fou suddenly fall through the ground, their communications with Roman cut off. They find themselves in a dark underground cavern, dotted with lantern-like cages filled with blue flames.Gallû spirits, alerted to the presence of a living being, surround Ritsuka and Fou. They are driven back to their posts by the sudden appearance of Ziusudra, who warns them that taking Ritsuka's soul would incur their master's wrath. He explains to Ritsuka that they had accidentally fallen into the underworld of Kur beneath Kutha, and he had rescued them due to owing them a debt. 
Ziusudra sends Ritsuka and Fou back to the surface, assuring them that he will seal the opening they fell through, and to tell Merlin that "all is well in the underworld". Back at the surface (Roman having no record of the past few minutes), Ritsuka and Fou return as the others converge for their rendezvous... sitting on the Tablet of Destinies. 
Ritsuka explains what happened to the others, and Roman reveals that Ziusudra is the man who survived the great flood in Sumerian legend, the Guardian of the Abyss equivalent to Utnapishtim and Noah. Both Merlin and Roman are skeptical of Ziusudra's identity, wondering if the old man is someone assuming his role. Regardless, Merlin deduces from his message that the Queen of Kur has also materialized, wondering about its implications on the three goddesses he had seen via Clairvoyance.
But before he can go further, Ishtar suddenly arrives and confronts them, irate that they had interrogated the ranchers about her. She lets slip that she had taken the ranchers' money as compensation for saving them, confirming to Ritsuka that her motives were benevolent. She attacks them as punishment for embarrassing her, attempting to take the Tablet as payment.
The fight goes poorly for the heroes, unable to catch Ishtar due to her flight capabilities and homefield advantage. Ishtar taunts the heroes, but before she can get serious, she suddenly stops in mid-air, apparently going catatonic. Ana takes the opportunity to scale a roof and take the now-confused "Ishtar" down, sending her crash-landing to the ground and knocking her out.
After night falls, "Ishtar" wakes up as the heroes' captive. She is bound by rope made from lapis lazuli and Demonic Beast hide, capable of restraining her even briefly, enough for Ana, whose scythe can kill immortals, to hold her at scythe-point. 
"Ishtar" is apparently confused and far more subdued than normal, and seems entirely unaware of the heroes' identities (except for Fou, who she calls the "Beast of Disaster"). The heroes interrogate her on the Three Goddess Alliance, asking after their motives, the goddesses' True Names, and who summoned them. After "Ishtar" takes a moment to learn Ritsuka and Mash's names, she gives her answers.
She reveals that the goddesses wish to control the world, her wishing to rule humans, while the northern goddess wishing to rule the world. The southern goddess is unknown to her, being of a different culture. She explains the concept behind the Alliance, being a divine pact and competition between the goddesses to destroy Uruk and take Gilgamesh's Holy Grail. It is this pact that prohibits her from both attacking and revealing the other goddesses' True Names, under threat of divine punishment.
As her final answer, she confirms Merlin's story that she was summoned by Uruk's Sacred Temple, but reveals that the other goddesses were summoned by the Mage King's Grail. She asserts that she has a grievance with humans, but lets slip she has taken a liking to Ritsuka, acting strangely out of line with her selfish actions earlier in the day.
However, they are interrupted when hordes of skeletons and ghosts, more than the population of Kutha, begin to rise throughout the city, undetected by Roman due to the high magical energy density of the Age of Gods. The heroes prepare to flee, but not before Ritsuka sets free an astonished "Ishtar", believing she is not attacking Uruk and can be reasoned with. 
The heroes fight through the undead hordes, but are still surrounded, as the spirits of all who had died on Kutha in the past continue to rise. However, they receive sudden covering fire from "Ishtar", clearing them a path. She gives the heroes a parting warning to not go near Kutha, before leaving for the northeast. Their mission complete, the heroes escape Kutha, the Tablet in hand.
=== Uruk's Northern Wall ===
Back at Uruk's throne room, the heroes finish giving their report to a highly amused Gilgamesh. He informs the heroes of the mission to rescue the citizens of Nippur - a northern city beyond the Demonic Front, with fortifications that rival even Uruk's. Gilgamesh explains that the city had been holding under siege by the Demonic Beasts, with the monsters commanded to attack on a seven-day cycle (discovered thanks to Tomoe) due to their limited stamina.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 8: Uruk's Northern Wall
While Nippur's civilians had been previously evacuated to Uruk little by little between the Demonic Beast's attack cycles, their supplies are now fully exhausted, meaning the rest must be evacuated immediately. Ushiwakamaru and Benkei had fought off an attack the day prior, giving them a pause of six days. Gilgamesh assigns the heroes to help liberate Nippur, after which he will finally accept them, to a tearful Siduri's joy.
With that, he allows Ritsuka to read the Tablet of Destinies, as the one who obtained it. Laying their hands on it and reciting a chant, Ritsuka receives a vision from the Tablet. In it, a voice curses the cruelty of their king, who stood by and smiled as tragedies unfolded to the world and people around him. The voice laments humanity as pitiable, noting its history as one filled with tragedy. However, while the lowly commoners can be forgiven, their king, who had the power to set things right, is another story. Despite being able to see into the past and future, and thus all the world's sorrows, he still stood by and laughed, even as the voice pleaded. 
Enraged and disgusted by their king's inaction, they inscribe their words for future generations to read. Setting in motion a great plan to destroy their king - their words implore the reader to find the path to the Final Singularity: the throne of the King of Mages, the plane named Solomon.
The vision ends, and while Ritsuka did not receive a definitive answer, Gilgamesh assures them that it is a clue to find the King of Mages, and a time will come when they will understand what they saw.
Later, the team reach the bustling fortress of the Northern Wall, helping to fend off an assault of Demonic Beasts attempting to scale the Wall on their own, joined by Ushiwakamaru. The heroes are welcomed by her, Leonidas and Benkei. Leonidas takes the team onto the Wall itself, showing them its Dingir artillery platforms. 
Sharing the same name as his clay tablet - Dingir, meaning "deified" - they are enormous ballista-like treasures of Gilgamesh made as the Demonic Front's main anti-Demonic Beast defense for his regular soldiers. By shattering lapis lazuli at their base, they are made to manually fire Gilgamesh's weapons, named as a symbol of his intention to have Uruk protected solely by human hands.
The Servants inform the team that the plan has changed. Where previously they had led Nippur's people to the Northern Wall under cover of night, now Demonic Beasts patrol the outside of Nippur. They deduce that a new commander has likely appeared to replace Girtablilu, and that they are aware of their plan to liberate the city. 
Nippur (Face).jpg|Nippur from the front, from the anime adaptation.
Nippur (from above).jpg|Nippur from above, from the anime adaptation.
With no way to delay the rescue mission, they press on with a new plan for the day after. Ushiwakamaru and Benkei's unit will act as a diversion to the east, while Ritsuka, Mash, Merlin and Ana's unit enter Nippur from to the west, open its gate, and lead the survivors to the Northern Wall. Ushiwakamaru notes that Gilgamesh specifically forbade her and Benkei from entering Nippur for unknown reasons.
After night falls, Merlin wanders alone atop the Northern Wall. He muses to himself that something doesn't feel right, and that they might lose two of their own the next day. After meeting and quarrelling with Fou/Cath Palug, he runs into Ana, also atop the Wall.
Merlin reminds Ana again to not leave for the Cedar Forest alone and early, and she wonders if she should tell the others the truth about herself. Merlin notes that Ana's distrust of humans is starting to waver, revealing she stays away from humans not out of hatred, but out of fear they will learn and hate the divine being she truly is. He assures her that her conscience is what separates her from the one she is tracking, and that it is better to continue to hide her true nature.
Merlin admits that as a half-incubus and fellow non-human, he has no human emotions either, and feeds off of people's dreams to fuel his current personality. However, he notes that despite being inhuman, that doesn't mean they have to be an enemy of humanity. He confides in Ana that while he never liked humans, and locked himself away as a result of trying to justify it to himself, he still loves the patterns mankind weaves, which is why he still sides with humanity.
He states that Ritsuka would not care that she hid her true nature, and would be happier with her now than if they found out her secrets, to which Ana begrudgingly agrees. Merlin asserts that revealing her True Name must be saved for a crucial moment, as the vital point overlooked by the Goddess of Demonic Beasts.
Despite that, Merlin admits he would not want to see that moment, not being fond of sad partings, instead preferring to emerge as the victor unharmed. Despite her own hatred for Merlin, Ana admits in turn that she would not mind making sure that sad parting never comes.
=== The Mother of Demonic Beasts ===
The appointed time of the operation has come, and Leonidas gives the team their final briefing. Ushiwakamaru reminds Ritsuka's team that she cannot come to their aid no matter what happens, having made a promise to Gilgamesh that she refuses to disclose (Benkei remaining silent).
The mission is clear: with the help of a former citizen from Nippur as a guide, Ritsuka's team will persuade the guards to open the west gate, then protect and escort the 200 remaining citizens on the way back to the Northern Wall.
Leonidas warns them that their messengers in Nippur have not been heard from in the past few days, and implores them to withdraw immediately if they sense danger. Regardless, he encourages them, believing that the most important quality when saving humanity is to not avert one's eyes from hardship - words that resonate with Mash.
The teams enter the battlefield, and the mission begins, with a greater number of Demonic Beasts than expected being present. Ritsuka's team hurry to the west gate, while Ushiwakamaru's team holds to the east. Ushiwakamaru's team is barely holding, under attack by hordes of only Ugallu, and a second wave emerging from the Cedar Forest. 
Benkei attempts to suggest retreat. An enraged Ushiwakamaru retorts that retreat would only get the soldiers killed for nothing, and standing and fighting would allow Ushiwakamaru to avenge their sacrifices even with them as a shield. She snaps at Benkei, accusing him of being a coward, but she calms herself down before she can condemn him as unworthy of calling himself her "Benkei". 
Ushiwakamaru realises that with the number of Demonic Beasts surrounding them, Nippur must be empty. She resolves to rush to help Ritsuka's team despite her promise, leaving Benkei at a loss of what to do.
At Nippur, things have gone from bad to worse - the false Enkidu confronts Ritsuka's team, having been waiting for them in the emptied city. They reveal that they had disposed of Nippur's citizens the night before, letting the Demonic Beasts take them back alive as food for their young - also letting slip they had also overheard the heroes' conversations the day before.
"Enkidu" further reveals that the Demonic Beasts had not actually tried to destroy the Northern Wall, and had in fact been holding back from killing humans where possible. In actuality, the Demonic Beasts have been dragging away soldiers to use as live resources for the true invasion force - the second generation of Demonic Beasts. The Northern Wall was simply a source of raw materials.
After executing an enraged soldier, "Enkidu" asks Ritsuka after Gilgamesh, but quickly passes it off. As a diversion to pass time until their Mother awakens, they engage the heroes in battle, also unleashing an Ugallu - among the strongest of Tiamat's offspring.
The heroes manage to defeat the Ugallu, only for "Enkidu" to specifically target Ana, realising the danger she poses is greater than that of Ritsuka. They heavily wound Ana, and at Merlin's frantic behest, Fou uses some of his stored magical energy to teleport Ana and himself to safety.
Suddenly, a great tremor rocks the city, surprising even the false Enkidu, who claims this was not part of their plan. Meanwhile, the Demonic Beasts to the east scatter, relieving Ushiwakamaru's unit. Benkei again suggests retreating, but Ushiwakamaru realises a new monstrous presence is digging its way to Nippur from beneath the ground.
At Nippur, the ground erupts as the new presence emerges, larger than any Demonic Beast - and Ritsuka's unit descends into chaos. The soldiers attempt to flee, only to be wiped out by a single swish of a giant tail, blocking the gate. Roman analyses the new arrival - a Divine Spirit-class Avenger, over 100 metres long, she is a gargantuan winged woman, hair tipped with monstrous snake-like heads, and her lower body an enormous serpentine tail.
Tiamat, Goddess of Demonic Beasts, sworn enemy of mankind and head of the Three Goddess Alliance, confronts the heroes. Surprised at her early emergence, "Enkidu" reminds Tiamat that she was supposed to rest until the Day of Rebirth. She rebuffs them, having come on a whim to see the Chaldeans, who she belittles as insignificant and frail as she prepares to consume them. 
Overwhelmed by Tiamat's presence, the heroes rush to escape for the Northern Wall. The colossal goddess engages them in battle, leaving the speechless "Enkidu" to watch. The heroes are barely able to hold her and her Demonic Beasts off, with every wound done to Tiamat immediately regenerating. Merlin deduces that she is regenerating using the power of the King of Mages' Holy Grail, and therefore must possess it. 
Tiamat confirms that she possesses Solomon's Grail, but denies using it to regenerate, claiming she is only using her own power and hatred to destroy humanity. No longer playing around, Tiamat moves to destroy the heroes completely, still a hundred metres away from the Nippur gates. 
Suddenly, Ushiwakamaru arrives, standing between Tiamat and the heroes, having left Benkei behind. Bidding the heroes to continue to smile for the sake of victory, she stays behind to hold off Tiamat, while the heroes escape for the Northern Wall.
Using her small size and great speed to evade Tiamat's slower attacks, Ushiwakamaru manages to reach Tiamat's head using the goddess's own tail as a foothold. With her Noble Phantasm, the Wandering Tales of Shana-oh, she unleashes Act Two, Usumidori: Heavenly Blade Steps, managing to wound Tiamat directly in the face.
Tiamat's counterattack is swift, and Ushiwakamaru can do nothing but watch her impending doom as the goddess's tail crushes her.
The heroes flee from Nippur onto the fields of battle between the city and the Northern Wall. However, it isn't long after Ushiwakamaru's defeat until Tiamat suddenly breaches Nippur's walls, catching up to the heroes with incredible speed.
Merlin volunteers to hold Tiamat off so the heroes can escape, assuring them that as a half-incubus, he is immortal, and will simply reappear in the world of dreams if his current body is lost. However, to Merlin's great dismay, Tiamat reveals another weapon she holds - the Mystic Eyes of Petrification. Able to immobilize Merlin without truly killing him, it is his one true weakness, and the mage immediately retracts his resolve. 
He begs Ritsuka to protect him instead, warning that their work will all be for naught if he loses consciousness. Tiamat attacks Merlin using her Mystic Eyes, and Mash manages to block them using her shield. Tiamat battles the heroes once again with her Mystic Eyes, and they manage to barely hold her off, and she briefly acknowledges their strength.
However, filled with raging hatred, Tiamat swears to kill all of humanity, and unleashes another barrage from her Mystic Eyes. Suddenly, Leonidas arrives and confronts her, having rushed from the gates of the Northern Wall. Standing before the goddess, he unleashes Thermopylae Enomotia, successfully blocking her Mystic Eyes' heat rays. 
Unfortunately, with Thermopylae Enomotia's power held up only by sturdy shields, it is able to block physical attacks like Tiamat's heat ray, but not her petrification. 
As he turns to stone, Leonidas recognises "Tiamat" as a Greek goddess. She is not Tiamat at all, but in fact the monster of the Shapeless Isle, transformed by Athena into a murderer of heroes, the Composite Deity and Great Demonic Beast, Gorgon. 
Gorgon acknowledges Leonidas, charging him with no other sins out of respect for his unwavering resolve even when abandoned. She bids him to die as a hero to not see the end of the human world, but Leonidas affirms that like his soul, the human world is immortal, before crumbling away.
With Leonidas gone, Gorgon proclaims her victory, no longer paying any attention to the heroes. Announcing her intent to assault Uruk herself and kill the King, she begins rallying her Demonic Beasts to begin their rampage. With no way for the heroes stopping her, all hope seems lost, even after Ushiwakamaru and Leonidas's sacrifices.
Unexpectedly, "Enkidu" arrives, stopping Gorgon in her tracks. Reminding her that the other two goddesses still pose a danger once the Alliance is dissolved with Uruk's fall, the false Enkidu bids Gorgon to delay her assault until the second generation of Demonic Beasts is born. Under the logic that the next generation must be born to prepare for the battles against the other goddesses, as well as to take her time tormenting humans, Gorgon is reluctantly convinced to hold back.
Before leaving back to her Blood Fort, Gorgon announces to the heroes that she will return to completely annihilate Uruk in ten days, with an army of Demonic Beasts over 100,000 strong. The false Enkidu is relieved, but assures the heroes that they still serve Tiamat, only saving humanity with a brief respite to make Tiamat's plans go more smoothly in the future.
With no reason to hide their true identity, "Enkidu" reveals their True Name as Kingu. Once the name of the god who led Tiamat's Eleven Offspring, now Kingu is the first prototype of Tiamat's new breed of humanity, modelled after the perfect Enkidu. Before leaving, they announce their intent to annihilate the old humanity who abandoned their Mother, and replace them entirely with Tiamat's new humanity.
The battle is over, a deadline is set, and morale is bleak. Behind the Wall, Benkei meets the heroes, announcing his intent to leave, asking to send his apologies to King Gilgamesh. He admits that as Ushiwakamaru left to confront Gorgon, he had hesitated out of fear, and thus failed to join her side in her final stand. Seeing himself as a coward unworthy of being Musashibou, he leaves for the ruins of Nippur, wishing to die alone fighting Demonic Beasts.
However, despite their loss of Servant strength, Merlin shows the heroes the remaining soldiers - who continue to press on. Following Leonidas's words and teachings, the soldiers rally once again and begin preparations for further attacks. Merlin gives the heroes a pep talk, assuring them that Benkei will return. 
Pointing out that they have learnt the identities of Kingu and Gorgon, Merlin lists off their new objectives - regrouping with Ana and reporting to Gilgamesh. With Merlin's resolve to begin their counterattack armed with this knowledge, Ritsuka is reinvigorated.
Meanwhile, in a dark, shadowed lair filled with fleshy growths, Ushiwakamaru is surprised to find herself still alive, but fused with the fleshy wall. She overhears Kingu unexpectedly setting children free, giving them directions to escape and temporarily survive in the Cedar Forest.Kingu reveals to Ushiwakamaru that the temple lair is a factory for Demonic Beasts, a larger "womb" to allow production in greater numbers and wider variety. Ushiwakamaru is disgusted, realising that Kingu doesn't even see the Demonic Beasts as fellow offspring, but expendable tools. Kingu stabs Ushiwakamaru for her insult, assuring her that she will soon end up as raw materials herself.
The two trade barbs, Kingu flaunting their cruel conversion process to Ushiwakamaru, who notes that its cruelty would only force its prisoners to resist harder. However, Kingu is caught off guard when Ushiwakamaru notes that they are being lax for sparing children. Kingu attempts to pass it off as a difference in values from their Mother, choosing not to kill children as they are not a threat. 
Ushiwakamaru retorts that there is no reason to keep the children alive either; she criticises Kingu as a hypocrite for trying to be an enemy of humanity, yet unable to fully embrace cruelty. Her words striking a nerve, Kingu decides special treatment is needed for Ushiwakamaru, choosing instead to throw her into the Chaos Tide. Tiamat's true Authority, it is the sea of life, a black mud that corrupts any Spirit Origin into a being of Tiamat's children, known in the world of Magecraft as the mud of the Holy Grail.
=== Good Morning, Goddess of Venus ===
A day later, the heroes give their report of the failed operation to Gilgamesh back in Uruk. They consolidate their knowledge, discussing Gorgon's nature as the monstrous form of Medusa, who devoured her fellow Gorgon Sisters Euryale and Stheno. Merlin deduces that her Authority to give birth to Demonic Beasts was granted by the Holy Grail, as Gorgon had no such power in legend.
After learning that Gorgon considers the other goddesses a greater threat than humans, the amused Gilgamesh points out that gives them a chance for victory - indicating strife among their enemies. With the Goddess of the Jungle remaining a passive force, and Ishtar taking an active role harassing her own lands, Gilgamesh appoints Ishtar as their next objective.
Siduri initially objects, believing they intend to defeat Ishtar, their patron deity. Gilgamesh and the heroes correct her, revealing their deductions from the ranchers' testimonies. They explain that Ishtar had only "attacked" farms whenever Demonic Beasts approached, deducing that she was in fact trying to protect the ranchers, taking their money afterwards as a reward for her protection.
Gilgamesh proclaims Ritsuka's next objective - not to defeat Ishtar, but to persuade the goddess to join their side. While Gilgamesh has no hopes for Ishtar herself, still on bad terms with her since legend, he wishes to gain her alliance to make use of her most powerful weapon: Gugalanna. The Bull of Heaven, it is capable of incinerating a city in an instant, and would prove a vital weapon to use in the war.
With the plan set, the party set out for the northeastern Mt. Ebih, where Ishtar's temple lies, with wagons of goods for negotiations. Ana apologizes for her failure at Nippur, but the heroes forgive her, simply relieved that she is okay.
Reaching the base of Mt. Ebih after a day's trip, fighting through stray Demonic Beasts, they begin their climb. They discuss Inanna/Ishtar's legendary conflict with Mt. Ebih, the tallest spiritual mountain in Sumer feared even by the great god An. Ishtar had stubbornly scaled the mountain herself by foot, enduring its trials and disasters sent to stop her, before collapsing it to half its size by driving her lance into it.
They further discuss Gilgamesh's incredible workload, making him unable to negotiate with Ishtar himself (a bad idea anyway, given their poor relationship). Fighting their way past garish demonic statues placed by Ishtar as guards, each with the power of an A-rank Servant, they press on, disgusted by Ishtar's poor aesthetic sense.Ishtar's temple proves no better - being similarly gaudy and tasteless. Inside, the party confront Ishtar herself. Having reached her limit after three separate indignities with the heroes, the irate Ishtar is done overlooking their infractions against her. The heroes oblige in battling Ishtar, empowered by her riches, to show off their strength.
The heroes manage to hold their own, briefly impressing Ishtar. Before she can continue at greater strength, however, Ritsuka gives Ishtar a new proposal, stopping her in her tracks.
A flashback reveals Gilgamesh's plan to make use of Ishtar's weakness without a contest of strength - her love for gems. As Ishtar lacks the Golden Rule, she can only obtain gems through offerings, but now, none are being made. Gilgamesh's strategy to persuade Ishtar becomes clear:
Bribery.
With gems.
Lots of gems. 
With that, he entrusts 30% of his treasury's jewels for the purposes of "negotiation". In the present, Ritsuka and Mash reveal their transported "goods" to Ishtar - a cartful of lapis lazuli and jewels, presented as an offering to Ishtar. Ishtar (as well as the girl acting as her vessel) is immediately smitten, but attempts to resist.
The heroes explain that the cart is a down payment, a deposit to "hire" her services in helping the people of Uruk with the promise of a portion of Gilgamesh's treasury jewels. The heroes' haggling ends within all of 2 minutes, as Ishtar's resolve crumbles ridiculously easily with the promise of only 25% of the treasury's jewels (unaware of the full budget allocated to them). 
Ishtar accepts their proposal for an alliance, attempting to make Ritsuka kiss her feet as her final request to form a contract. Mash, unsurprisingly, profoundly refuses on Ritsuka's behalf. Regardless, Ishtar joins the party.
With the alliance formed, Ishtar confirms that she is a Pseudo-Servant, summoned into a highly compatible human vessel. Additionally, she tentatively confirms that she was summoned by the Matron of the Sacred Temple, but admits she does not remember much of what happened. 
She reveals that the Matron had died afterwards from being drained of magical energy, and that Ishtar had emerged confused into a world that had fully cut itself off from the gods. Ana sympathises, but Ishtar points out that Ana has her own problems to deal with, still aware of her true nature.
Roman asks about the nature of Ishtar's possession, concerned about the ethics of possessing a human girl (acknowledging his hypocrisy due to being complicit in Mash's Demi-Servant nature). Ishtar assures Roman that her vessel is still alive and conscious, just that her personality is simply merged with Ishtar's in a roughly 70% Ishtar - 30% vessel mix.
With that, Ishtar prepares to abandon her temple, insulting Mt. Ebih in the process. Angered Ebih spirits attack the group for Ishtar's transgressions, and they fend them off. The team descend the mountain and begin the return trip to Uruk, camping out on the plains as night falls.
Ritsuka takes the first watch. Ishtar is unexpectedly cooperative, volunteering to keep watch instead, drawing compliments from the heroes. However, she suddenly becomes cagey when Gugalanna is brought up, hastily dropping the conversation and leaving the watch to Ritsuka anyway.
The night goes on, Ritsuka keeping watch through the night without changing. Ishtar joins them, and they chat. While making small talk, however, "Ishtar" sneezes from the cold - transforming into a blonde-haired version of herself, clad in a red cloak, causing Ritsuka to recoil in surprise. "Ishtar" mistakes their reaction as one of fear, becoming saddened, but Ritsuka assures her that they are not afraid of her.
"Ishtar" asks Ritsuka what they think about the Three Goddess Alliance. She notes that Gorgon cannot be negotiated with, and the Goddess of the Jungle comes from an entirely different culture that she is unaware of. 
"Ishtar" herself, however, as the third member, privately admits to Ritsuka she is unable to forgive humans for abandoning the gods, beliving that it would only bring them misery.  As an enemy of the world of humanity, not humanity itself, she had joined the Alliance to help return the world to one of gods and humans. She genuinely believes the way of life in the Age of Gods was better - as humans could simply blame all they didn't understand or that went wrong on the gods.
Ritsuka realises that "Ishtar" is in fact good-hearted, and the embarrassed goddess ends the conversation without receiving an answer from Ritsuka. Ritsuka is given the choice to acknowledge her as either Ishtar...
...or another goddess entirely.
Seven days remain until Gorgon's arrival.
=== Hello, Goddess of the Sun ===
The heroes return with Ishtar to Uruk and the amused Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh and Ishtar almost immediately begin arguing, but both relent at Siduri's reprimanding, even Ishtar. Gilgamesh announces the next objective on their agenda - the Goddess of the Jungle.
Gilgamesh reveals that the Axe of Marduk, the weapon used to slay Tiamat, lies in the jungle-infested Eridu, the first city in Sumerian myth where the divine right to rule was given. The Axe will be the key to defeating Gorgon, as she is now an incarnation of Tiamat.
Gilgamesh asks Ishtar as to the southern Goddess's True Name (the heroes unable to hide their relief that it is not Jaguar Warrior). Ishtar openly reveals her to be the Mesoamerican goddess of Venus and Toltec sun god: the Winged Snake, Quetzalcoatl.
Merlin and Roman are astonished, believing Quetzalcoatl to be on the same level if not greater in power than Gorgon. Roman is confused by her gender, noting Quetzalcoatl as male in myth. Ishtar explains that the Mesoamerican gods of Mexico have a unique origin - microscopic organisms from space that fell to Earth when a great meteorite landed in Mexico (implied to be the same asteroid that killed the dinosaurs).
After infecting the local plant life, the organisms evolved over time to infect and transform the local animals, and eventually humans, into "gods". From then, the Mesoamerican civilisations and pantheons were created. Due to constantly changing vessels from human to human, Ishtar hypothesises that Quetzalcoatl simply held a female vessel at one point.
Gilgamesh admits no knowledge of Quetzalcoatl, unable to see Mesoamerica's future due to its incineration. Before Roman can conduct research for him, however, a tremor shakes the ziggurat, and a soldier arrives, bringing an urgent message. Uruk's south gate has been completely annihilated in an attack by a single enemy with her bare hands: a woman calling herself Quetzalcoatl, who is heading straight for the ziggurat.
In the streets of Uruk's southern market, Uruk's soldiers are no match for Quetzalcoatl's cheerful advance. She demands that the soldiers face her one-by-one, killing a group that attempts to mob her with incredible ease and lucha libre techniques. The heroes arrive on the scene, Ana barely rescuing soldiers about to be killed by the goddess.
They confront Quetzalcoatl, who challenges them to a fight to the death, yet baring with a smile showing no animosity. Nearly overwhelmed by the presence of a true goddess, the heroes do battle, simply focusing on staying alive.
Quetzalcoatl proves nearly invincible, almost completely impervious to the heroes' attacks. Ritsuka demands to know why she is destroying Uruk. The goddess is immediately smitten with Ritsuka, demanding their hand in marriage in exchange for joining their side, to the heroes' utter surprise. 
She answers that she was called over by her Mother to kill humans as her purpose, and she is simply fulfilling it. However, choosing to have some fun with her methods, she has decided to slowly eradicate humanity by killing humans one-on-one in single combat via lucha libre wrestling. She refuses to use her Authority as a goddess to do so - ignoring the fact that she had used it in her fight with the heroes.
However, Quetzalcoatl suddenly breaks off the fight, bidding the heroes farewell. She reveals that she only fights and kills 100 humans per day, giving the excuse that she begins to forget her opponents after that. She casually leaves Uruk on a flying pterosaur, promising to return tomorrow at dawn to kill another 100 of them.
The heroes' surprise doesn't end there - as Jaguar Warrior suddenly appears with a cargo sled, stacking the fallen soldiers onto it. She lets slip that she was tasked to take away the bodies by "Kuku" to avoid punishment, and sics a band of Werejaguars on the heroes to cover her escape.
Afterwards, the heroes discuss the new situation with Gilgamesh back in the throne room. They lament the drop in the people's morale, Siduri letting slip a side project of Gilgamesh's was affected by the loss of southern craftsmen and soldiers. Roman requests that Merlin use his Clairvoyance to spy on Quetzalcoatl, but Merlin reluctantly declines, as he is using his magical energy on another matter, and Quetzalcoatl would detect his observation.
Roman deduces that as Quetzalcoatl is a foreign goddess, she must have a temple of worship within the Singularity that is powering her incredibly Divinity and Authority. He notes her two treasures in legend - the Jade Sword Macana and the Sun's Pilgrimage, Piedra del Sol. He concludes based on the powerful magical energy response detected in the southern jungle that one of those treasures lies in Eridu to establish her base of power as a symbol. 
As such, he proposes striking at her home base in Eridu to destroy the symbol, thus removing the temple's power and diminishing Quetzalcoatl's Divinity.
With a plan of attack, Gilgamesh assigns the heroes (now joined by Ishtar) their next mission. A four-day round trip to enter the jungle, reach Eridu, and defeat Quetzalcoatl and retrieve the Axe of Marduk, after which preparations for the final battle with Gorgon will begin.
Six days remain until Gorgon's arrival.
=== Temple of the Sun ===
The heroes leave on their next mission, exiting through Uruk's southern gate. Unexpectedly, they recognise the gatekeeper as the one who was on duty when the heroes first arrived at Uruk. He admits he accidentally avoided Quetzalcoatl's rampage the day before, not even being considered as an opponent. Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 12: Temple of the Sun
He reveals that he had fallen sick from the unknown disease currently plaguing Uruk. Quetzalcoatl had noticed, and had instead cured him by giving him a mango, allowing him to survive. Moved by the experience, the gatekeeper had come to be stationed at the south gate unlike the other soldiers. Unsure that Quetzalcoatl is truly evil, he requests the heroes to talk with her if possible, wondering if they can solve their problem without a fight.
Later, in the jungle, the heroes continue to muse on the gatekeeper's words. Merlin deduces from Quetzalcoatl's words that she is not opposing humanity of her free will. They speculate that Tiamat/Gorgon is the "Mother" mentioned by Quetzalcoatl. 
However, upon asking Ishtar to confirm, Ishtar offhandedly reveals that she cares nothing for the Three Goddess Alliance. Roman is surprised, but before he can consider the implications of her words, the party is bombastically ambushed by Jaguar Warrior, who had been awaiting their arrival.
To Jaguar Warrior's utter dismay and astonishment, however, the party (aside from Mash and Roman) completely ignore her, carrying on their conversation. Insulted, Jaguar Warrior attacks the team, only to be soundly defeated, Ishtar delivering the final blow that lays her out completely.
Ana suggests killing Jaguar Warrior, who is insulted (pointing out that Servants die when they are killed) as a fellow Rogue Servant. She reveals that she is yet another Rogue Servant and a genuine Nagual god, mooching off of Quetzalcoatl to make up for not having a Master. 
Jaguar Warrior attempts to challenge the heroes again, but after a single flirtatious compliment from Ritsuka (at Merlin's suggestion), she immediately defects to join the heroes without hesitation. To the exasperated Ana's dismay, Jaguar Warrior joins the party.
At Merlin's behest, Jaguar Warrior acts as the party's informant and guide to Eridu. However, her Sumerian Beastmen gang turn on the party, betrayed by Jaguar's sudden change in allegiance. To the heroes' surprise, Jaguar removes her onesie, revealing mafia-style clothing. Her demeanour suddenly changes to that of a hardened mafia boss, and she fights alongside the heroes to punish her former minions.
After the encounter, Jaguar Warrior leads the team to Ur. Unexpectedly, they find the Uruk soldiers from Quetzalcoatl's earlier incursion, alive and well. Jaguar Warrior reveals that after killing her opponents, Quetzalcoatl (who she calls "Kuku") immediately revives them as a hidden show of mercy. As a result, her attacks in fact have zero casualties, confirming Ritsuka's suspicions of her true benevolent nature.
With the kidnapped soldiers at Ur having no permission to leave, the heroes deduce that Quetzalcoatl is secretly building a private army a hundred soldiers at a time, brought back to the jungle to be retrained at Eridu. As Jaguar muses on "Kuku's" philosophy regarding the inherent strength disparity in human society, Roman deduces that Quetzalcoatl's nickname of "Kuku" refers to Kukulkan - her name to the Mayan civilisation as a conquering King.
Realising that this revelation makes Quetzalcoatl different from Gorgon, the heroes wonder if they can talk to her without bloodshed. Jaguar Warrior reminds them that Quetzalcoatl is still a goddess of war beneath her cheerful facade, and that the only thing that could placate her would be a "head-on battle of the soul".
The party spends the night in Ur, with Ritsuka once again alone on guard duty. As expected, they are joined by "Ishtar" for another nightly chat. She laments the morose mood of the people of Ur compared to Uruk, noting that Gilgamesh and Quetzalcoatl's strength-focused philosophies leave no room for those unlucky enough to be weak.
Reverting to her true blonde-haired form after sneezing, "Ishtar" gives Ritsuka advice for the approaching conflict with Quetzalcoatl. She reveals that as a god of good, Quetzalcoatl can only be harmed by evil attacks. Ritsuka thanks her for the advice. "Ishtar" admits that due to being given a job since she was born and thus having no freedom, she knows little of the outside world. She admits she considers Ritsuka her first true friend. 
Fou arrives, joining the pair at the fire, again surprising "Ishtar". Horrified, she warns Ritsuka of the danger he poses as a "Beast of Disaster" that feeds on human greed, able to grow into an uncontrollable monster in a year if he is tossed into a village. Ritsuka is skeptical, a year having almost already passed. Embarrassed at Fou's intrusion, "Ishtar" leaves, wishing Ritsuka good luck. 
Five days remain until Gorgon's arrival.
Following Jaguar Warrior's lead, the party reach the outskirts of Eridu as afternoon falls. Unfortunately, as Quetzalcoatl has just returned from her daily attack on Uruk, she now stands in their way to reaching her temple. With little time remaining, Ritsuka resolves to end the mission now rather than wait for the next day for Quetzalcoatl to leave.
With an analysis from Roman providing a route to the temple, where Quetzalcoatl stands guard, the heroes formulate their final approach. The aim is to have the Servants distract and delay Quetzalcoatl as long as possible, while Ritsuka ascends the temple alone, using a spare Death Claw made by Jaguar Warrior the night before to destroy her symbol. 
The heroes enact their assault, making their way through the city of Eridu, fighting their way through Quetzalcoatl's winged serpents. Under Roman's guidance, the party reach Quetzalcoatl's temple, repurposed to resemble an Aztec pyramid - finding the building-sized Axe of Marduk lodged in the ground behind it.
Quetzalcoatl herself stands in the heroes' path, welcoming them to her Sun Temple (barely hiding her murderous intent towards Jaguar for her betrayal), atop which lies her Sun Stone. To the heroes' surprise, she openly admits that she loves humans, as they give meaning to the lives of her and her fellow gods.
She claims that her purpose as a deity is to meddle with humanity to help them evolve, and had joined the Alliance to have the chance to meddle more - ensuring humanity won't go extinct, but not live in peace either. The heroes, including Ishtar, condemn her "love" as twisted.
Quetzalcoatl allows Ritsuka a chance to destroy the Sun Stone while she battles their Servants as a game, but makes a final request of them. She requests for them to feel joy as they fight without any hatred in their heart, such that they can understand each other more.
Remembering Ziusudra's warning to not celebrate with the joyous one, Ritsuka is given a choice to choose to understand Quetzalcoatl, or to refuse. 
Ritsuka refuses to understand Quetzalcoatl's views, denying her philosophy of seeking passionless joy through fighting. Quetzalcoatl is shocked almost speechless, and she demands to know what fighting means to them. Ritsuka answers that fighting is where one gives their all no matter what, so they can have the privilege of resting after - in other words, the joy and reward comes after the battle is done. 
Moved by their answer, Quetzalcoatl is elated to see in Ritsuka the humanity she had dreamed of, and challenges the heroes to fight with all of their being. The battle begins, the Servants holding off Quetzalcoatl while Ritsuka ascends the Sun Temple.
(Choosing to understand Quetzalcoatl results in her becoming empowered, making her subsequent battle much more difficult.)
Despite Quetzalcoatl's immunity to Good-aligned attacks, the Servants are able to hold their own, buying just enough time for Ritsuka to reach the Temple's peak. There, the Sun Stone waits - the Aztec Calendar, and Quetzalcoatl's second Noble Phantasm. The other Servants are finally defeated, and Quetzalcoatl begins her ascent to stop Ritsuka. 
However, before they can destroy the Sun Stone, Ritsuka comes to a sudden realisation - that Quetzalcoatl isn't actually evil. They manage to work out that Quetzalcoatl doesn't wish to see a Servant victory, but rather a display of human resolve. Joined by Jaguar Warrior (who jumped) and Ishtar (who flew), Ritsuka refuses to destroy the Sun Stone. Instead, they decide to take on Quetzalcoatl themselves with a wrestling move, as proof that this is humanity's battle. 
Jaguar and Ishtar agree, and before Ritsuka can react or reconsider, Ishtar flies Ritsuka 200 metres into the air, throwing them at the astonished Quetzalcoatl for a 200-metre high body slam (rather, a "SKY HIGH RIDER-BUSTER JUSTICE BOMB").
As Ritsuka predicted, Quetzalcoatl takes the move head-on to save Ritsuka's life, knocking them out. After Ritsuka comes to, they reveal that they knew Quetzalcoatl would not dodge, as she truly loves humans. Finally satisfied, Quetzalcoatl admits defeat to Ritsuka, leaving the Three Goddess Alliance and joining the side of humanity as Ritsuka's Servant. Quetzalcoatl joins the party.
=== Prophecy of the Heavens ===
The heroes reconvene, and Quetzalcoatl introduces herself to the party (deliberately ignoring Jaguar Warrior). Quetzalcoatl recognises Ana's true nature, but is told to remain silent by Ishtar. The two goddesses meet for the first time, hitting it off (despite Ishtar's denial) due to their shared affinity with Venus. She further recognises Merlin as the one who made "the cradle".
Jaguar Warrior is indignant at Quetzalcoatl for ignoring her, and it becomes clear that the latter hates the former with a passion. Roman deduces that it is due to Jaguar Warrior being an aspect of Tezcatlipoca, the sworn rival of Quetzalcoatl in Mesoamerican myth (the heroes being surprised at Jaguar Warrior being a genuine Divine Spirit).
It is revealed that Quetzalcoatl prevented Jaguar Warrior from sacrificing her kidnapped warriors, who are currently undergoing harsh training in Eridu, before she knocks out Jaguar. Aware of their objective to retrieve the Axe of Marduk, which weighs as much as Eridu, Quetzalcoatl offers to have her teams of winged serpents carry it by rope, delivering it to Uruk in three days. Before they do, the heroes defeat a group of Spriggan luchador guards left by the Mesopotamian gods as the Axe's defense mechanism, each with an anti-Divinity bonus to prevent the gods from misusing the weapon.
Merlin contacts Gilgamesh with the good news, and the heroes prepare for the two-day trip back to Uruk. However, Quetzalcoatl suggests a brief detour to the centre of Eridu, where royal authority was first granted. There, she shows the heroes Eridu's great cylinder seals - enormous pillars engraved with tales that could be rolled onto surfaces to imprint them with mud. Allowing mass production of their stories, they were used for magical ceremonies.
Marduk Axe.png|Marduk's Axe behind Quetzalcoatl's temple
Eridu.png|Eridu
Merlin transcribes one of the seals onto the air, revealing a city and a dragon. In addition, a prophecy is written stating that "when a ring of light appears in the heavens, the land of Mesopotamia shall be returned to its origin", a prediction of the Singularity. 
Mash speculates on the identity of the dragon (with the city being Uruk) as either Tiamat or Gorgon. Pointedly, the goddesses choose to remain silent (Quetzalcoatl knocking out Jaguar again to prevent her from leaking the truth), passing it off as holding no special meaning. Roman agrees, seeing the area as already being a public sightseeing spot, the seal being the source behind the people's fear of Tiamat, and Gilgamesh's creation of the Demonic Front.
To Jaguar's dismay, Quetzalcoatl appoints her as supervisor of the serpents carrying the Axe, separating her from the group. The party, minus Jaguar, begin their return to Uruk through the jungle, commenting of the high female-to-male ratio of the team in comparison to the previous Singularity.
Fighting through stray Demonic Beasts to Ur, the heroes camp for the night. Ritsuka is joined by "Ishtar", already in her blonde-haired form. She congratulates Ritsuka on their victory, but reminds them that Quetzalcoatl is still bound by the Alliance pact, and thus cannot directly attack Gorgon. 
Suddenly, Ritsuka goes pale with a fever, and "Ishtar" panics. Ritsuka reveals it is simply fatigue, having worked non-stop for an entire month ("Ishtar" being astonished, letting slip that labour in Kur only lasts three days). "Ishtar" volunteers to take the rest of their watch to let them rest, swearing by the name of Irkalla that no enemies will come near. 
In return, Ritsuka tells "Ishtar" stories about the past Singularities to pass the time. "Ishtar" voices her joy that the stories each ended happily, impressed at the humans who worked hard and never gave up on their journey. Ritsuka realises that "Ishtar" likes humans, and she sheepishly admits that she wishes to both protect humans and have an adventure of her own, lamenting that she doesn't have that freedom.
Dawn approaches, and "Ishtar" concludes their conversation to let Ritsuka get some sleep. She leaves with a cryptic warning about a problem within Uruk's walls.
Four days remain until Gorgon's arrival.
The heroes return to Uruk, Quetzalcoatl impressed to find the south gate already repaired. As they muse on how impressed Gilgamesh will be to see their alliance with Quetzalcoatl, Ana senses something is wrong, not seeing the gatekeeper there. She goes ahead on her own to check on things, letting the others know she will return to the Chaldean Embassy afterwards.
Indeed, the others also sense that something is off, as if life itself has been drained from the city. Inside, they find the streets barren, and stores closed. Confused, they find the soldier from earlier, only to learn a tragedy has befallen Uruk - King Gilgamesh has passed away.
The stunned heroes meet with a grieving Siduri in the ziggurat, where Gilgamesh's funeral is being held. A flashback shows Gilgamesh conversing with Siduri, overjoyed at having completed the blueprints for his secret project, the Fangs of Napishtim. Siduri is impressed by the King's innovation, Gilgamesh being briefly tempted to pursue a career in architecture.
An ingenious wooden contraption powered by oil hydraulics, Gilgamesh orders its immediate construction within two days. Siduri assumes the device to be made in Nippur to combat Gorgon, but Gilgamesh assigns it elsewhere, to her surprise. Gilgamesh suddenly suffers a bout of dizziness, believing it to be due to overwork.
After nearly being overwhelmed by royal petitions for the day, Gilgamesh finally finds a moment to take a break, expecting Merlin's return the following day. While waiting for Siduri to return from the armoury, Gilgamesh stops to take a brief nap...
...only to awaken in the depths of Kur. Gilgamesh's amusement quickly turns to annoyed shock as he realises he is already dead. 
In the present, the heroes are left in disbelief to learn that Gilgamesh had seemingly died on his throne due to overwork. Regaining his composure, Merlin learns from Siduri that after the heroes left to Ur, an abnormally large bout of deaths due to weakness had occurred within Uruk. Connecting the reports with Gilgamesh's death, Quetzalcoatl deduces that one of the Three Goddess Alliance had killed the King along with the citizens.
Mash and Ritsuka are left at a loss, believing neither Gorgon, Quetzalcoatl nor Ishtar capable of such an indirect method of killing. However, both Ishtar and Quetzalcoatl are confused, and they give a correction - Ishtar isn't actually in the Three Goddess Alliance. Realising it to be true, as Ishtar had directly interfered by killing Gorgon's Demonic Beasts, Mash asks the identity of the third Goddess.
Quetzalcoatl reveals the third Goddess's True Name to be Ereshkigal, the Queen of Kur, a goddess indigenous to the land. Ishtar is shocked, having been completely unaware of Ereshkigal's presence. 
Merlin realises the cause, noting Ishtar and Ereshkigal's duality as the Queens of Heaven and Kur respectively. He recounts Ishtar's journey into the Underworld, where she was humiliated, stripped of her Divinity and eventually murdered by Ereshkigal and the seven gates of Kur.
Merlin deduces that Ereshkigal was accidentally summoned alongside Ishtar by the Sacred Temple, believing the Temple Matron's death to have been Ereshkigal's doing. He surmises that the girl used as the summoning vessel was able to cleanly separate her good and evil sides, resulting in Ishtar being summoned in one, and Ereshkigal summoned in the other.
With both goddesses being Earth Mothers, they are two sides of the same coin, likely born from the same original deity. The heroes realise that as Ereshkigal cannot personally leave Kur, she may have secretly been using Ishtar's body to move above ground while Ishtar slept, a fact that interests Ritsuka.
Quetzalcoatl deduces Ereshkigal and her gallû spirits to be behind the recent deaths, including Gilgamesh's, having taken their souls to Kur. With Gilgamesh's body still intact and unburied, their next objective is clear - to descend into Kur and free King Gilgamesh's soul to bring him back to life.
A reluctant Ishtar attempts to dissuade the heroes, warning that Ereshkigal is the absolute law in Kur - with Dumuzid, God of Shepherds gone, resurrection is impossible if they die within. Quetzalcoatl realises that Ishtar knows how to enter the Underworld, and pulls her over to serve as the heroes' guide.
Three days remain until Gorgon's arrival.
=== Goodbye, Goddess of the Underworld ===
The party (minus Ana, who had not yet returned to the Embassy) return to Kutha at record speed in the dead of night, Quetzalcoatl dragging the still-reluctant Ishtar along. Ishtar finally agrees to guide the heroes, on the condition that only Ishtar, Ritsuka and Mash will enter Kur. 
With the laws of Kur working to nullify Divinity to prevent even gods from breaking the rules of life and death, Quetzalcoatl and Merlin must remain on the surface. Should Ritsuka's team fail, the pair will serve as backup, aiming to negotiate a deal with Ereshkigal to return Mash and Ritsuka to the world of the living.
The plan is set, and the trio enter the underworld - by way of Ishtar blasting an enormous hole into the ground using Maanna. With Kur simply being another physical location in the world in the Age of Gods, Roman is still able to remain connected to them. 
Seeing the lantern-like cages filled with blue flames around them, Ishtar reveals that they are Ereshkigal's soul cages. The blue flames are the souls of the dead, with Ereshkigal caging the souls of humans she likes. Where souls would normally fade and disappear after death, souls caged by Ereshkigal are trapped for eternity, unable to return to the land of the living. 
Ishtar states that being caged is torment for the souls, as they begin to freeze due to being without a body and without freedom. Unable to fade, they are left to writh in pain until Ereshkigal bores of them. Ishtar notes that more soul cages are present than before, likely due to the Three Goddess Alliance's doing, and she wonders if Ereshkigal is attempting to build a kingdom of the dead.
The party begin their trek towards Ereshkigal's palace, at the end of a narrow cliff path, where she is unable to leave. Barring the heroes' path are the seven gates, where Ishtar explains that they will give a binary and logical question to fairly test whether a soul is good or evil. No matter which answer is given, a battle trial follows that will be either easier or harder depending on the answer.The heroes approach the first gate. However, to the heroes and Ishtar's great surprise, the gate addresses Ritsuka by name, and asks whether Ishtar or Ereshkigal is more beautiful. Answering Ereshkigal gives an easier trial compared to answering Ishtar.
Passing the first trial, the team pass through the first gate. However, Ishtar slightly shrinks in size after passing through, and Ereshkigal's voice smugly speaks to them from afar. She explains that in Ishtar's last ill-fated descent into Kur, the seven gates had each taken a treasure of Ishtar's, a rule that still holds today. 
With Ishtar having no treasures to take, the gates will instead each rob Ishtar of a seventh of her Divinity, causing her to physically shrink and lose strength, before being rendered powerless by the end of the path. Ereshkigal challenges Ritsuka to overcome the seven gates if they wish to seek an audience with her.
Ishtar and the heroes resolve to press on, face and defeat Ereshkigal. Roman advises haste, as being a world of death, the underworld is naturally sapping Ritsuka's strength of destiny, the inherent luck of all living beings to avoid mortal danger.
The second gate asks if whether Ishtar or Ereshkigal is worthy of managing the wealth of the world. It becomes clear that the gates' "questions" are thinly-veiled contests of ego between Ishtar and Ereshkigal, where answering in favour of Ereshkigal results in an easier trial, and vice versa.
Passing through the second gate, Ishtar shrinks again, and she admits she has reached the limit of her fighting strength. Ishtar is indignant, the prideful goddess unable to give up her ego for the sake of Ereshkigal's petty questions.
However, the party is suddenly met by Gilgamesh's soul, "alive" and well, and finding great entertainment in seeing Ishtar's diminutive, pouty state. Gilgamesh explains that he had escaped Ereshkigal's capture by hiding from her gallû spirits using Presence Concealment EX. However, being a dead soul, Gilgamesh is still subject to the laws of Kur, and is unable to leave without Ereshkigal's permission. As such, the mission remains unchanged - to pass the seven gates and confront Ereshkigal, now joined by Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh and the tiny Ishtar bicker and argue like soap-opera characters. Gilgamesh noting that Ishtar seems less irritating, and wonders why Ishtar had uncharacteristically chosen to enter Kur again. The heroes finally notice that the third gate had been shouting at them to answer its question the whole time, eventually losing confidence. The gate meekly gives its question: Who is the more suitable ally? 
Ritsuka can answer either Ishtar or Gilgamesh, but the trial is the same, facing the Kur Dragon Aratta, rival of the first King of Uruk, Enmerkar. The trial is easily bested with Gilgamesh's help, who continues to mock Ishtar's increasingly small state. The irate Ishtar nearly rams Gilgamesh off the path (stopped by Mash), and he berates Ishtar for nearly shoving him into the Abyss. 
At Ritsuka's request, Gilgamesh explains that the Abyss is the primordial sea of nothingness beneath the underworld. Existing before life itself, the gods Abzu and Tiamat had emerged from it to create Mesopotamia. However, with Enki, the god who managed the Abyss, having disappeared, there would be no way to return should one fall into the Abyss.
Ishtar and Gilgamesh recount an old tale, where Enkidu had descended into the underworld to retrieve an instrument Gilgamesh had accidentally dropped into it. While hating Ishtar, Enkidu had shown respect to Ereshkigal; in return, Ereshkigal had taken in Enkidu's remains after their death. 
Gilgamesh reveals that while waiting for the heroes to arrive, he had visited Enkidu's grave, only to find it empty. The man calling himself Kingu is indeed using Enkidu's body, and the remnants that remained within it; the original Enkidu's soul having been long since destroyed by the gods. 
The party break their discussion to pass the fourth gate, asking which of Ishtar or Ereshkigal is the more fastidious goddess who can accept the labours of the people. Roman slowly becomes frustrated at the illogical nature of the questions (with Mash, concerningly, considering them a learning experience, Ishtar even admitting she would ask similar questions in Ereshkigal's shoes). 
As Ishtar loses more Divinity, Gilgamesh loses his mocking amusement, concerned that her loss of strength will impact the final battle against Ereshkigal. Roman asks if Ereshkigal's Divinity is on the same level as Ishtar's, but Gilgamesh clarifies that she is not, being less impressive in terms of raw power. 
He recounts another story of Ishtar robbing a drunken Enki of his Divinity before nearly escaping on Maanna, as a goddess who coveted everything. By contrast, Ereshkigal desired nothing, and had the responsibility of being the ruler of the underworld thrust upon her since the moment she was born, for no other reason than just being unlucky. With no freedom to even spend a moment on the surface, she had dutifully managed the spirits of the dead for tens of thousands of years.
In exchange, Ereshkigal became invincible in the underworld, with even the gods unable to go against her laws. However, outside the underworld, her privileges disappear, and she is only has mid-level Divinity. Additionally, the laws of the underworld do not affect living beings (i.e. Ritsuka and Mash), requiring her to kill them first to assert her laws. Gilgamesh admits that he was worried the gallû spirits would kill Ritsuka before reaching him, but is impressed that Ishtar had descended with them to protect them and prevent such an outcome from happening.
The heroes pass the fifth gate, which merely asks how one would live their life from a dietary perspective (the answers still somehow relating to Ishtar and Ereshkigal). They pass the final two gates with little to no incident, with Ishtar now becoming palm-sized and nearly powerless.
With the final battle before them, the heroes enter the palace of Kur, finding it a wasteland inside. Ereshkigal confronts them, taking the terrifying form of a giant gallû spirit. With a hostile demeanour and chilling presence (literally), she belittles and mocks the heroes, particularly the tiny Ishtar. Ishtar retorts, accusing Ereshkigal of taking out her anger on the rest of humanity to hide her true, ugly self.
In response, Ereshkigal reveals her true, beautiful form, shocking the heroes...
...except Ritsuka, who is completely unfazed to see the blonde-haired "Ishtar" standing before them for the fourth time. Ereshkigal is astonished to see Ritsuka's lack of surprise, only learn about her sneeze-induced transformations. While greatly embarrassed to discover her surprise for Ritsuka had failed, she is still steadfast in her plan to kill them. 
She reveals she intends to trap every human on the surface in the underworld as her property, conquering Uruk and seizing its Greater Grail before Gorgon's attack in two days - her first choice of her own free will.
Gilgamesh steps before Ereshkigal, interrupting her. She reveals that she had no intention of killing Gilgamesh, and that he had genuinely died of simple overwork. Gilgamesh reminds Ereshkigal that even dead, he can still convict her under his Royal Authority, as a King who has gained Dingir.
Gilgamesh questions Ereshkigal as to why she joined the Three Goddess Alliance, abandoning her duty to protect Sumer. Ereshkigal maintains that she is still fulfilling her obligations as the one entrusted with the underworld, threatening to destroy Gilgamesh with her own Authority if he bars her way. Now assured of her sins, Gilgamesh and Ereshkigal stand firmly against each other. A battle is inevitable. 
But before it begins, Ereshkigal gives Ritsuka one final question. She confides in Ritsuka how she had done her duties, forced upon her since birth, without fail for uncountable years. Without freedom, entertainment or companionship, she had obediently fulfilled her role in solitude all while Ishtar soared free. Despite this, she now stands accused of being evil. She asks Ritsuka to commend her for her long and lonely struggle.
However, Ritsuka, once again following Ziusudra's words, refuses to praise Ereshkigal, leaving her aghast. Gilgamesh elaborates to her that while lamenting and abandoning one's given obligations is understandable, it is bemoaning the duties that she had chosen to uphold dutifully that is evil.
To seek praise for her suffering would only be an insult to herself, and her pain is for her to know alone. However, what should be praised instead are the triumphs she had achieved, and her work itself. Enraged at the denial of her pain, Ereshkigal reassumes her gallû spirit form, and clashes with the heroes, challenging them to prove her folly.
(Claiming that Ereshkigal is not at fault results in her becoming empowered, making her subsequent battle much more difficult.)
Even with her Authority delivering the Judgment of Kur, Ereshkigal is finally defeated. Ishtar is restored to her normal size and Divinity, and Gilgamesh's bonds are freed. Returned to her true form, Ereshkigal accepts her death, refusing to deny her guilt and be spared.
Ereshkigal maintains that her motive was evil, trapping humanity in the underworld out of a desire to dominate. However, Ritsuka is skeptical, pressing her for her true motive. She continues to stubbornly resist, but concedes that by sparing Ritsuka on their first meeting in Kutha, her plans were already ruined.
Suddenly, Ziusudra appears behind Ereshkigal, berating her childish behaviour. Without warning, the old man cuts Ereshkigal in half, shocking all present. Ishtar retaliates, but fails to even connect. 
However, Ereshkigal turns out to be completely fine, and Ziusudra clarifies that he had instead severed her bond to the Three Goddess Alliance. Gilgamesh inquires as to Ziusudra's true identity and summoner, noting that neither himself, Solomon or Chaldea had done so. Ziusudra cryptically answers that he is a friend from another land, come from the Abyss to set events in motion. 
Ziusudra questions Ereshkigal, accusing her of hiding that she enacted her plan to create a land of the dead out of a love for humanity. Ereshkigal denies it, claiming there is no pleasure to be found in Kur - she is unable to even understand the souls trapped in her cages. She asserts that she does not care for the humans on the surface, only those who fall to Kur. 
Ritsuka disagrees, remembering her genuine joy in their night conversations. Ziusudra continues to press Ereshkigal, declaring that she truly loved all humanity, having taken on her duties in the underworld to make death a gentle process and safeguard souls. He asserts that she had joined the Alliance to secretly shelter and protect the souls of humanity in Kur.
Before Ereshkigal can claim guilt for the death she had already caused in her plan, Gilgamesh reveals that the physical bodies of those killed by exhaustion are safe - all 1200 casualties stored beneath Uruk's ziggurat. Releasing her souls from their cages would easily return them to life, absolving her (and meaning she had done far less damage than she believed).
Her resolve finally crumbling, Ritsuka formally asks Ereshkigal to join them against Gorgon, and she accepts. Ziusudra disappears (Roman having not registered his presence at all). Ereshkigal maintains that she is only paying off her debt to Ritsuka by helping to save Uruk, and thus will not form a contract until after it is paid. 
Ereshkigal resolves to return to peacefully managing the underworld, keeping a careful watch on Ritsuka for the right moment to repay their kindness. Before Gilgamesh's soul leaves for Uruk, he asks Ishtar why she descended into Kur, knowing Ereshkigal hated her. 
Ishtar admits that she had privately disliked and taken pity on Ereshkigal's forced solitude by the gods. She had descended into Kur to tell Ereshkigal to abandon her duties and leave the underworld, wishing her fellow goddess to be free. Though Gilgamesh is amused at the ill fate of her goodwill, Ishtar is satisfied, having finally succeeded this time around, at least in some form.
Two days remain until Gorgon's arrival.
=== Decisive Battle ===
The heroes return to Uruk in good spirits, having rushed on a non-stop trek from Kutha. They are welcomed by Ana, who was informed of their success by Siduri. To Mash's surprise, Ana's hood is lowered for the first time, and she admits that she was persuaded to do so for the people of Uruk. She informs the heroes that Gilgamesh is waiting for them at the ziggurat, before leaving to herd bulls. They note Ana's more upbeat demeanour, surmising that something good must have happened to her.
Inside the city, the party find the city returned to its bustling self; if anything, even livelier than usual. Holding a festival, the citizens are celebrating Gilgamesh's third return from the underworld. At the ziggurat, they meet Gilgamesh, alive and well, and Siduri. She congratulates the heroes, having prepared a celebration at the Embassy for them after (Gilgamesh dismayed he is unable to attend due to a full schedule). 
The strategy meeting for the approaching attack against Gorgon begins. Siduri provides a recap: all of Uruk's remaining forces have mobilised at the Northern Wall, while Gorgon's Demonic Beasts have gathered in the Cedar Forest. Numbering 100,000, over ten times the size of Uruk's forces, the Northern Wall is projected to not last half a day even with its fortifications, particularly if Gorgon herself appears.
With Uruk outmatched in both quantity and quality of troops, their only option is clear. Gilgamesh proposes a strike at Gorgon's home base - the Blood Temple, or Blood Fort, in the underground lake deep within the Cedar Forest. With a deadline of half a day, Uruk's army will hold off the Demonic Beast assault as a diversion. Much the same nature as Quetzalcoatl's Sun Temple, destroying the Blood Fort would sap Gorgon of much of her Authority, giving them a chance to defeat her.
Based on Ishtar's scouting, the Blood Fort is more akin to a fortified mountain cave than a temple, shielded by a Bounded Field. To bypass this, Gilgamesh intends to use the Axe of Marduk to destroy the Blood Fort and carve a path inside. Having been delivered by Jaguar Warrior that very morning, the Axe is already on its way to the Northern Wall.
However, the issue remains that the Axe is too impractically large to ferry over the battlefield without being shot down. Gilgamesh proposes to have Quetzalcoatl throw the Axe from the Northern Wall at the Fort instead. While she admits she is capable of doing so the entire 30-kilometre distance, she also reveals that she cannot do so. Still bound by the Alliance pact, Quetzalcoatl would be annihilated for a direct attack against the Blood Fort. 
Unexpectedly, Merlin volunteers to assist. Though he is unable to affect the Axe greatly due to its divine nature repelling human magecraft, he states that he can still levitate it slightly. He presents his plan - to have Ritsuka's team and himself first reach the Blood Fort through the Cedar Forest. Once there, he will signal Quetzalcoatl to throw the Axe directly to him. By pre-wrapping cloth from his staff on the Axe, he ensures the Axe will follow Merlin's staff after it is thrown. From then, Merlin will use it to destroy the Blood Fort.
The heroes agree to Merlin's plan. Deciding not to wait the remaining two days till Gorgon's deadline, Gilgamesh declares that they will move out tomorrow at dawn. Then, Operation Marduk Blitz will begin - the decisive final battle for humanity. 
As a reward for the heroes, Gilgamesh provides them with a group of Arms of Glory to defeat, dropping Blazes of Wisdom (EXP). In the excitement, Gilgamesh briefly joins the fight himself. Gilgamesh reveals that he will remain in and give orders from Uruk for the decisive battle, as the last line of defence should the heroes fail. Merlin warns that Kingu will act as a wild card, believing Gilgamesh to be capable of stopping him. However, Gilgamesh refuses, entrusting Quetzalcoatl with intercepting Kingu, as he does not fall under the Alliance pact.
With what is seemingly the final battle soon approaching, Merlin and Gilgamesh bid farewell for the last time.
At the Chaldean Embassy, the heroes celebrate, joined by the people of Uruk they have assisted. Ritsuka and Mash feel bittersweet; overjoyed at the celebrations, yet slightly sad at bidding farewell to the Embassy - their new home for the past weeks, where they had become akin to citizens of Uruk.
Fou hears a hesitant visitor outside, and Ritsuka and Mash go out to meet them - finding the old lady from the flower shop. She states she has come to thank Ana for her help managing her flower shop, which was failing due to her blindness. She reveals that Ana had cared for her after she was struck by Ereshkigal's illness. Though her own family had given up on her. Ana's presence gave the old lady renewed motivation to live, and Ana had remained by her side until her resurrection. 
It was the old lady who had convinced Ana to lower her hood and show her beauty, after touching her face when she returned to life. The old lady reveals she had come out by herself to give Ana a floral headpiece as a final gift, thanking her for everything. Driven to tears of happiness, Mash promises to give her gift to Ana. They thank the old lady for showing kindness to Ana, and she is content that she was able to help someone even in her old age.
The heroes set out from Uruk for the Northern Wall, meeting the friendly gatekeeper once again. He bids them farewell, giving Ana his compliments. To speed up the journey, Merlin summons a carriage using his Magecraft (Ritsuka indignant that he had not done so earlier). Riding along at high speed, they pass Jaguar Warrior's airborne convoy of winged serpents, carrying the Axe of Marduk.
Jaguar warns the group of local bandits ahead, and Ishtar helps clear them out. They reach the Northern Wall by night, with Jaguar's convoy projected to arrive at noon the following day. With only four hours before daybreak, the party split up to get some rest.
Taking a walk, Ritsuka meets Ana atop the Northern Wall. Ana thanks Ritsuka for trusting her from the beginning without any suspicion. She admits that she did not enjoy her time in Uruk, due to her dislike of humans. She voices her dislike of humanity's fervent desire for progress and the new, at the cost of abandoning what was old and ordinary. She cites her experiences helping the old woman from the flower shop, who was abandoned by her own family, eventually growing to treat Ana like her own grandchild.
Ritsuka gives Ana the old woman's gift to her. Ana admits that while she dislikes humans, she still finds them warm. She privately wishes that humans would accept and be nice to her, and her to them in return - the dream that her older self had forgotten. Because of that, she had found Uruk to be like a dream for her.
She gives her thanks, but refuses to accept the gift, stating that she is not worthy of it, and asks Ritsuka to keep it for her. Revealing that the old woman's grandchild was killed by Demonic Beasts at the Northern Wall, she redons her hood. Ana swears to defeat Gorgon - her purpose for being summoned. She is no longer fighting for herself, but for the people of Uruk, to pay them back for their kindness.
Later, Ritsuka (and a still-aggressive Fou) also meet Merlin atop the Wall. At Fou's insistence, Merlin allows Ritsuka to ask him a single question about himself. 
Ritsuka can ask why Merlin chose to serve Gilgamesh, to which states it was simply because Gilgamesh summoned him, and because of their similar natures: lacking any attachments to humans, but still liking them. However, he explains that Gilgamesh is an adjudicator who judges humans fairly, without favouring individuals, and sees value in the things humans can create. By comparison, Merlin is a spectator, unwilling to become a direct ally of humanity's doings. Instead, he is interested in humanity's end, continuing to survive for the goal of eventually witnessing it.
Ritsuka can also ask if Merlin was the one who sent Bedivere to the Holy Land, to which he confirms is correct. He elaborates that Bedivere had appeared in Avalon after the Lion King's appearance. Aware that Bedivere's journey would result in a cruel fate, he was unwilling to make Bedivere suffer. However, he had opted to send Bedivere over to prioritise correcting Arthur's mistake. Though Fou indignantly attacks Merlin for his decision, he remains adamant that a good outcome was reached, with there being no way to save both Bedivere and the Lion King together.
Merlin unashamedly admits his inhuman nature to Ritsuka. Spirits without an identity, incubi feed off of human mental activity to live, copying the personality of the human they feed on. As a human-incubus hybrid, however, Merlin came to uniquely possess half an ego and a sense of purpose, but still lacks basic human empathy. Despite being praised as a great sage and studying humans to the best of his ability, Merlin admits he is unable to understand human emotions.
However, he confides in Ritsuka his own personal dream and purpose: for humanity to have a happy ending, and to be there to witness the dream of the very last human. As a Phantasmal, if humans cease to exist, then Merlin would disappear with them. Merlin admits that while humans are flawed creatures, he believes the history they create is beautiful, and worth leaving in the universe no matter what end they face.
Merlin pledges himself to Ritsuka, a child of humanity, for the sake of helping them to complete their long tale.
The day of the decisive battle arrives. The infiltration team, consisting of Ritsuka, Mash, Ishtar, Ana and Merlin, prepare to set out from the Northern Wall, reaching the Blood Fort through Babylon and the Cedar Forest. The main Uruk force, led by Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar Warrior, will act as the diversion to draw out the Demonic Beasts in the Cedar Forest, deploying an hour after Ritsuka's team leaves, Roman acting as surveillance. 
Operation Marduk Blitz begins. Travelling north, Ritsuka's team reach the ruins of Babylon, skirmishing with rogue Demonic Beasts within the city. After clearing out the city, Roman reports that the battle at the Northern Wall has begun - and Kingu is leading the first enemy wave.
At the Northern Wall, Uruk's army faces the Demonic Beasts, still remembering Leonidas's training. Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar join the battle, Quetzalcoatl lamenting the doomed nature of the Demonic Beasts - twisted by Gorgon, forsaking the ability to reproduce for greater combat capabilities. Quetzalcoatl saves Jaguar from an arriving Kingu, and the two deities confront each other. 
Kingu casually notes the dissolving of the Three Goddess Alliance and laments Quetzalcoatl's betrayal. He admits to believing that Quetzalcoatl had understood his Mother's grief, as a goddess whose civilisation was also wiped out - by the savage conqueror Cortés. Quetzalcoatl and Kingu duel to a standstill, the former swearing to defeat Gorgon after taking out Kingu.
Roman reports Quetzalcoatl's diversion. The team press on for the Cedar Forest, noting Quetzalcoatl's clever lie to draw Kingu's attention - namely, pledging to even ignore her Alliance pact to defeat Gorgon.
The team fight their way through the Cedar Forest, and eventually, Roman detects the Blood Fort ahead. Merlin enacts his plan for the Axe of Marduk, sending a flare-like signal to Quetzalcoatl. The heroes briefly panic, realising they haven't yet taken cover. However, with a mischievous smile, Merlin "accidentally" loses his grip on his staff...
...and sends it flying to land right in front of the Blood Fort itself. The heroes can only watch with horror as the thrown Axe of Marduk careens straight into the Blood Fort, carving into its entrance and destroying it.
The hapless Quetzalcoatl's screams, struck by divine punishment, are heard by the heroes even from many miles away in Babylon. Merlin feigns ignorance, and urges the team to press on for the final battle.
At the Northern Wall, a flashback reveals Quetzalcoatl spotting Merlin's signal, and throwing the Axe of Marduk as planned, ignoring the overconfident Kingu. After Merlin's "accident", Quetzalcoatl is suddenly struck by divine punishment, having broken the Three Goddess Alliance pact by directly damaging the Blood Fort. She survives, her Divinity being sapped by half, and Jaguar speculates if the leniency was due to the damage being unintentional. Quetzalcoatl swears retribution against Merlin as Kingu realises the heroes' subterfuge.
Further realising with horror that Ana is not present on the battlefield, Kingu immediately leaves the battlefield. He rushes towards the Blood Fort to save Gorgon, Quetzalcoatl being surprised at Kingu's extreme concern for the vengeful goddess.
The heroes enter the Blood Fort, beholding the horrifying sight of captured humans cocooned as live food for gestating Demonic Beasts. Against Mash's protests, the party steel their resolve and hasten into the temple, Roman warning them of Kingu's approach. 
Ana reveals that she knows Gorgon's location, and she leads them to the temple's deepest part - an enormous chamber akin to the belly of a beast. Gorgon lies within, her serpentine body coiled along the chamber's walls. The heroes confront the Composite Deity, and the enraged Mash demands to know her motives. She condemns Gorgon for twisting humans for her own ends and brood, a step beyond her claimed motive of revenge and the simple conquest of humanity to reclaim stolen land.
Gorgon is unfazed, revealing she cares nothing for salvation, as all she has loved has already been lost. As an Avenger, she is hell-bent on nothing less but total destruction until her death, to exact vengeance for the hatred humans once had for her. She dismisses Mash for having lived a happy life, unaware of the ugliness of the world, but implores Ritsuka to understand her. Sympathising with their status as the last human, Gorgon offers to let Ritsuka be her Master, and spare them after all is destroyed.
Heeding the last of Ziusudra's warnings, Ritsuka refuses to accept Gorgon's words, seeing no reason for her mindless hate, leaving her speechless. Ishtar accuses Gorgon of being a false Tiamat - revealing that the true Tiamat did not need to subvert other creatures to create life.
Ana steps forward and confronts Gorgon herself, calling her a monster who has lost sight of herself. Gorgon is astonished to find herself suddenly overcome by fear, her reason returning and Divinity failing. She calls for Kingu's help, horrified by Ana's presence. Ana forlornly reveals that Gorgon was in fact unable to see Ana until this point, and laments that had Gorgon may have been saved had she tried at least a little.
Ana - the younger form of Medusa/Gorgon - thanks Ritsuka for allowing her to see past her self-loathing, accepting that she wanted to live and smile, and it was not wrong of her to do so. At her request, Merlin unleashes Ana's suppressed Divinity. Ana calls for Ritsuka and Mash's help to defeat Gorgon, vowing to use her own Mystic Eyes to offset Gorgon's.
The heroes battle the panic-stricken Gorgon alongside Ana, and finally best her, and her throne begins to collapse. Despite having lost most of her Divinity, the crazed Gorgon attempts to heal herself, still clinging to her identity as Tiamat (letting slip that she can hear the voice of a sobbing mother). Denying Gorgon one last time, Ana leaps at Gorgon and strikes a fatal blow with Harpe - a scythe that slays immortals, causing wounds that do not heal - stripping Gorgon of her immortality. With her purpose for being summoned now complete, Ana tearfully gives Ritsuka a final smile as she and Gorgon are both consumed by the throne's collapse.
The battle is over. As a last gesture, Ritsuka leaves Ana's flower headband at her final resting place. However, Roman is confused as the Grail's absence, and Merlin deduces that Gorgon only used the blessings of the Grail, and did not possess it herself. He realises that Kingu in fact possesses the Mage King's Grail right as Kingu arrives too late to save his "Mother". Kingu laments Gorgon's passing, with his absence meaning the Grail was unable to protect her.
Before the heroes can enjoy their victory, Kingu pledges to kill the heroes out of vengeance and sympathy for Gorgon, an emotion uncharacteristic of the original Enkidu. He reveals that with Gorgon gone, her children will self-destruct. Kingu temporarily changes his Spirit Origin from a Lancer to an Avenger, and battles the heroes himself.
The heroes are able to hold him off, but a panicked Roman suddenly calls in, revealing SHEBA's observation was suddenly cut off. Kingu casually laments Gorgon's early defeat, cryptically admitting that he had wanted her to live a little longer before his Mother's "awakening". As a panicked Roman continues to report spatial rifts and tremors occurring throughout Mesopotamia, Merlin is suddenly mortally wounded by an unknown source.
Merlin begrudgingly admits defeat to the smug Kingu, who reveals that Merlin had kept his "Mother" - the true Tiamat - in a cage of dreams, trapped in a deep sleep the entire time. However, before going under, she had given Kingu the Holy Grail as her first son, tasking him with awakening her.
Kingu's plan was simple - if Tiamat would not wake while alive, he would "kill" her instead. Gorgon did not truly have Potnia Theron, but had instead synchronized herself with the true Tiamat's senses to gain it. Thus, by killing Gorgon, her death was shared by the true Tiamat, awakening her. With Merlin's subterfuge revealed in Tiamat's dreams, she brutally crushed his dream form, mortally wounding him in the physical form.
With his objective complete, Kingu announces his true Mother's arrival - the Original Sin of Humanity. At the observation post on the southern coast, the researchers helplessly watch as the sea of the Persian Gulf turns black with mud. Endless swarms of otherworldly monsters emerge from the black sea, millions strong, consuming and remaking all humans in their path.
Blood Fort Center.png|Center of the Blood Fort
Lahmu Horde.png|Lahmu emerging from the sea.
Before leaving, Kingu reveals the swarms to be the next generation - perfected humans made by Tiamat to replace the old humanity - Laḫmu. The dying Merlin apologizes to the heroes for his failure, and bids them to bring his last message to Gilgamesh:
One of the Seven Evils of Humanity, a Beast of the Counter Force, a being matched only by the seven Grands, has roused from her slumber - the Sea of Life and Primordial Mother, Tiamat.
=== Demise ===
The heroes rush from the Blood Fort as Mesopotamia is overrun. Da Vinci informs them of the invasion status - a hundred million of the invading forms have been observed, of which about 100,000 have emerged from the ground. With Eridu and Ur already under attack, 20,000 are bound for Uruk and its neighbouring towns within 3 hours. Ishtar rushes ahead at supersonic speed to intercept. 
Ritsuka and Mash hurry to the Northern Wall to regroup with Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar, now ironically the safest place in Mesopotamia due to its distance from the Persian Gulf. Roman hypothesises that Merlin had used his incubus abilities to keep Tiamat asleep, staying hidden within her deep dreams. The Merlin that had accompanied the heroes was merely an apparition. However, after Gorgon's death, Tiamat was stirred into REM sleep, becoming partially aware. Turning the dream world against him, Tiamat destroyed Merlin's true body.
The heroes reunite with Quetzalcoatl halfway, and inform her of Merlin and Ana's deaths. Quetzalcoatl reveals the Demonic Beasts were mostly decimated, the survivors fleeing into the forest. She provides the heroes with one of her "winged serpents" - a Quetzalcoatlus pterosaur - to reach Uruk in time. She further informs Ritsuka that she has lost half her Divinity from Merlin's trickery, and the Axe of Marduk is now useless, losing its own Divinity after destroying the Blood Fort.
At Ur, Benkei defends the civilians from the invading swarms alone, as repayment for their hospitality. Having lost his will to live, he accepts his end as a vagabond going to his death slaying monsters, unable to reach the state of Musashibou. A new figure approaches, sarcastically complimenting Benkei's courage, while dubbing him a coward. Benkei is left in disbelief as the new arrival moves to grant his desire for death, brutally attacking him.The airborne heroes rejoin Ishtar to find the city of Uruk burning, and she informs them of the invaders' incredible durability. Ishtar remaining to cover the skies, the mounted heroes descend below to intercept the invaders and clear a path to the ziggurat for the people to take shelter.
Down below, Uruk civilians and soldiers are slaughtered wholesale by the invading life forms - purple eldritch insectoid monstrosities with grinning mouths and jibbering unintelligible speech. The heroes engage the new threat, with each creature calling for new reinforcements to engage the heroes as they are defeated.
Without warning, the creatures suddenly cease fighting and simply abandon the city, as if bored. The heroes rush to the ziggurat, where they find King Gilgamesh organising the evacuation of Uruk's citizens beyond the Northern Wall to Nippur. He proclaims that, thanks to Merlin, the day of destruction he had foreseen is upon them a full day early, with Uruk only having two days left at most.
The heroes brief Gilgamesh on the day's events, and Merlin's last message. Gilgamesh reveals that the Seven Evils of Humanity are a series of disasters spawned to destroy human history, created by humanity's bestial nature. Growing stronger as humanity develops, they are in essence a self-destruct system for humankind and the basis for Heroic Spirit summoning. The Seven Evils manifest individually as Beast-class Spirit Origins, and are intended as evils to be destroyed by humanity.
He confirms that Tiamat is one of the seven Beasts, awoken by the Mage King (though not completely). Roman completes his analysis of the new lifeforms, which he designates as "Laḫmu", Tiamat's first child, meaning "mud". The Laḫmu are completely alien to normal life, made from the Mud of Gods, the base of the Mesopotamian world. Reproducing asexually and akin to mass-produced Enkidus, he notes that they appear to be in a larval state, implying they have further metamorphoses.
Ritsuka realises that Siduri is not present as Gilgamesh spreads word of the Laḫmu, but he brushes it off. He informs the heroes that after attacking Uruk and Mesopotamia, the Laḫmu have taken Ur and gathered at Eridu along with those that were kidnapped, taking advantage of Quetzalcoatl's absence to make the city their nest.
Cryptically lamenting that "everyone" has accepted that the end has come, Gilgamesh warns Ritsuka that if Uruk falls, the Singularity, Chaldea, and the Foundation of Humanity will collapse regardless of what happens. Before he can task them with heading to the seaside observation point, Ritsuka demands to know Siduri's whereabouts. Gilgamesh reluctantly admits that Siduri was captured while attempting to protect the people from the Laḫmu.
Mash and Ritsuka are angered that Gilgamesh withheld Siduri's danger from them. Impressed by their resolve, Gilgamesh suddenly reassigns them, giving them a day to investigate Eridu with Jaguar Warrior as their messenger. Hiding his own concern for Siduri and his kidnapped people with bombastic and contradictory insults, he tasks the heroes with learning the Laḫmu's motives. 
Meanwhile, Kingu converses with the voice of Solomon in the night skies above Eridu, questioning him why Tiamat hasn't emerged despite awakening. Solomon explains that Tiamat is still bound by a seal made by the sea. He tasks Kingu with breaking the seal and wiping out all life in Uruk as the final blow on humanity's history, as he finally has the light bands from all of time and space.
Kingu swears to destroy only humanity, fulfilling Tiamat's wish of making a new world, with Kingu taking over as the first new human. Impressed with Kingu's conviction, Solomon pledges his support, but cryptically adds a condition - only if it is what Tiamat truly wants.
Scoffing at Solomon's subtle skepticism, Kingu observes the Laḫmu below gleefully murdering another human prisoner. He is disgusted by their crude nature, even lower than Demonic Beasts, and questions why Tiamat created them to begin with. He passes them off as mere soldiers, believing himself to be the only true new human, without need for companionship. 
It is revealed that Kingu was able to hear Tiamat's cries when closing his eyes. However, he notes that he could no longer hear her voice since the blackening of the sea, and wonders who could have the ability to bind the Primordial Mother.
=== The New Humanity ===
In the night, the heroes leave through the empty gates of Uruk. Quetzalcoatl and Ishtar encourage the downcast Mash, pointing out the lines of survivors heading for the Northern Wall, where the soldiers still stand firm with Gilgamesh's Dingir. 
The party arrive at Ur to find it deserted. Quetzalcoatl privately notes another Servant's presence to herself, before discovering that all the people of Ur were slaughtered in their homes. Disgusted, Jaguar Warrior removes her onesie again, realising that the people were murdered for no reason other than sadistic pleasure, Roman noting that the Laḫmu have no digestive tracts for food. They encounter and destroy a band of Laḫmu dragging away corpses, Jaguar getting serious for once before returning to normal. 
The heroes reach Eridu after daybreak, Roman detecting the six hundred kidnapped civilians being gathered in the plaza, surrounded by over two hundred Laḫmu. They encounter a single stray Laḫmu, and rush to defeat it before it raises the alarm. However, the Laḫmu is unusually passive, attempting to communicate with the heroes by raising its claws without attacking once. The Laḫmu eventually runs away, confusing the heroes. Roman orders them to pursue, but a suddenly downcast Ishtar refuses, having realised the Laḫmu's true nature. She implores the heroes to ignore the Laḫmu, and they hurry to the plaza.
At the plaza, the Laḫmu are forcing the kidnapped people to fight to the death for their freedom - only to gleefully kill the victors regardless. The heroes arrive and attack the Laḫmu with full force to allow the people to escape. Disturbingly, the Laḫmu continue to sadistically attack the people over the heroes, with complete disregard for their own lives.
Unexpectedly, a disgusted Kingu arrives and attacks the Laḫmu himself, giving the people and heroes an opening to escape. Kingu confronts the masses of Laḫmu, admonishing them for killing without purpose. He condemns them as mistakes, and defects lower than even Gorgon's Demonic Beasts. The Laḫmu fall silent, and he orders them to stand down, begrudgingly admitting that they are still his fellow siblings as children of Tiamat.
Ritsuka and Mash rebut Kingu's claims, revealing to him that he is not a genuine child born of Tiamat, but a mere synthetic Demonic Beast made using Enkidu's actual stolen corpse - a means to the end of awakening Tiamat. Kingu stubbornly remains steadfast, accepting his role as a puppet, claiming that no record of Enkidu's past remains in his body.
Suddenly, the Laḫmu begin laughing at Kingu, and speaking in broken yet coherent language. They reveal that Tiamat had ordered them to learn how to become like humans, reaching the conclusion that killing humans was fun. However, they deem Kingu to be boring, and suddenly betray him. Ambushing Kingu, a Laḫmu rips the Holy Grail, which was kept with Kingu all along, from his body. The heroes attempt to intervene, but are blocked, as the Laḫmu swallows the Grail and transforms into a new winged form - the Bel Laḫmu.
The Bel Laḫmu proclaims that it is now their duty to awaken Mother, and Kingu is now obsolete. Ishtar and the heroes pursue the empowered Bel Laḫmu, leaving Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar to handle the other Laḫmu swarms. Meanwhile, the Laḫmu pursue the mortally wounded and weakened Kingu into the jungle.
The heroes are unable to defeat the Bel Laḫmu in time, and it flees into the sky. Ishtar attempts to pursue, but is swarmed and grounded by the other Laḫmu. Tasking Jaguar with evacuating the civilians and informing Gilgamesh, Quetzalcoatl takes Ritsuka, Mash and Fou, and takes up the chase in Ishtar's stead on her Quetzalcoatlus.
=== Awakening ===
The airborne heroes pursue the Bel Laḫmu as it flies for the centre of the Persian Gulf, where Tiamat waits. Closing the gap, their Quetzalcoatlus manages to hit the Bel Laḫmu with a high-speed plancha, sending it to crash-land on the shore. However, before they can descend to finish it off, a new arrival appears, shocking Roman and Quetzalcoatl.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 18: Awakening
Meanwhile, Kingu continues to run from Laḫmu in the jungles of Eridu, still in disbelief at Tiamat's betrayal. As he reaches the realisation that he was nothing but an expendable fake, losing his last hope that he was Tiamat's only child, the Laḫmu discover and corner him. As they prepare to execute him, Kingu closes his eyes and accepts his fate, wishing he could have seen Gilgamesh one last time.
Suddenly, a single Laḫmu - the passive Laḫmu, brought to Eridu only the day before - kills the other Laḫmu and saves Kingu, being mortally wounded in the process. Still believing Kingu to be Enkidu, the Laḫmu implores him to run, while thanking him on behalf of the people of Uruk for helping Gilgamesh become a good king. The Laḫmu bids "Enkidu" to find their own happiness, before dying and crumbling away. 
Kingu is astonished, and is internally torn, not recognising the Laḫmu, yet still subconsciously knowing their name and face, and believing he does not deserve their gratitude.
At the shores of Uruk before the blackened sea, the heroes are attacked by none other than Ushiwakamaru - corrupted by the mud into Tiamat's guardian. She uses Usumidori: Steps of Heaven to block them long enough for the Bel Laḫmu to recover and escape. Though her Spirit Origin remains the same, Ushiwakamaru's personality has been warped into a murderous hatred, devoted only to Tiamat, and she battles the heroes. 
Despite being empowered to use her Noble Phantasm as often as possible, Ushiwakamaru is defeated, dissolving into mud. However, a second Ushiwakamaru appears - and another, and another. Her Spirit Origin now mixed with the black sea, Ushiwakamaru is revealed to be able to multiply like the Laḫmu, unable to die so long as a single cell of her remains. 
Ushiwakamaru challenges the heroes again, boasting that only a Noble Phantasm capable of gathering all the energy of the era - such as the light bands covering the heavens, could destroy the black sea.
The heroes are able to best the Ushiwakamaru army, but are too late - the Grail has already been delivered to Tiamat. Ritsuka demands to know Ushiwakamaru's motives, but she admits that her old self already died in the sea of mud. Now fuelled by her own nascent hatred for the Genji, her brother Yoritomo, and all of humanity, she has been stripped of her reason, leaving only pure instinct. 
An enormous swarm of Laḫmu begins to gather, and Ushiwakamaru prepares to retreat to join the assault, eager to kill once more. She commends the heroes for temporarily slaying her, before abandoning her current injured body to dissolve. With nothing else to do, the heroes resolve to head to the coastal observatory to rest and assess the situation, Ritsuka calming the panicking Mash down by holding her hand.
There, Gilgamesh and Jaguar patch in from Uruk, revealing that Gilgamesh had installed a long-range communication system inspired by Chaldea on their last visit to the observatory, specifically for this moment. They recount that Gilgamesh had installed 360 of his Dingirs on the castle walls, managing to hold off the Laḫmu's next attack. 
With barely an hour remaining until the soldiers and Gilgamesh's magical energy gives out, he demands a report. Ritsuka tersely explains their complete failure to stop the Grail's theft, Quetzalcoatl taking the blame on herself. Gilgamesh reports the results of the sea water analysis, explaining that the blackened water is Tiamat's Authority itself. All who touch it besides the Laḫmu, even Servants, are Darkened, subsuming their body completely to convert them into Tiamat's slaves - which the arriving Ishtar reveals is the Amino Geas. 
Ishtar informs the heroes that she managed to somewhat restore Eridu, evacuating the people to its ziggurat's basement, where they will be safe for a day. Gilgamesh reports further findings from the observatory - the water level had begun to rise after the Grail was stolen. With the observatory set to be swallowed within three hours, the black mud will soon cover all of Mesopotamia in a disaster to surpass the Great Flood.
Pressured by the heroes, Dr. Roman reveals that he has detected a Spirit Origin in the centre of the Persian Gulf. With not only the Holy Grail, but a Magical Reactor Core with energy over seven times that of a single Grail, he identifies it as Tiamat. He proposes his plan - to intercept and slay Tiamat herself, cutting off her Authority at the source.
The other heroes agree, and Gilgamesh gives his official approval. Gilgamesh warns that he cannot send any reinforcements, but Uruk will remain safe. Quetzalcoatl volunteers her winged serpents (shooting a jab at Gilgamesh for not using his Vimana) to ferry the heroes. Despite Mash's suggestions to stay behind, Gilgamesh orders Ritsuka to join the assault, to ensure the most efficient connection to the Servants.
To plan for eventual combat with the Laḫmu, Roman proposes Jaguar's suggested tactic for the non-flying Servants - fighting atop the water by shielding their feet with a magical energy barrier. Having anticipated Mash's inexperience with doing so, Gilgamesh provides her with a water strider: a water-repelling talisman once again pre-prepared at the observatory, surprising Ishtar with his foresight. With the heroes ready, Gilgamesh orders them to begin their attack.
The heroes move out as a new swarm of Laḫmu emerge from the sea. Though their consciousnesses will eventually synchronize with the wider hive, the new Laḫmu are born with dull senses, only able to follow simple orders. The heroes fight through the Laḫmu swarm and groups of Demonic Beasts to get offshore.
Soon, they approach the black sea's source - a horned woman, stars in her eyes, her limbs bound and singing with a familiar voice - Tiamat herself. Ishtar and Quetzalcoatl recount her abandonment by the world and her children, cast out as obsolete to the Reverse Side of the World as her power to create worlds was deemed too dangerous. They deduce that a seal has been placed on her based on her bound limbs.
However, as they approach, Tiamat's song increases in intensity, freezing the heroes in place, and her hair turns red. Roman realises that she is charging her magical energy for an attack as powerful as a hydrogen bomb, and urges Ritsuka to stop her before she fires. The heroes rush to engage Tiamat and the surrounding Laḫmu in battle, fighting through her debilitating voice and unique class to eventually destroy her.
Despite their apparent victory, Mash is skeptical. She voices her belief that Tiamat had in fact placed the restraints on herself, having noticed Tiamat was voluntarily taking the heroes' attacks without retaliation. However, before Mash can further guess at Tiamat's intent, a tremor strikes. Roman realises too late that they had made a mistake: they had only destroyed Tiamat's "brain".
Tiamat reconstructs, transforming into an impossibly giant female form with gargantuan horns -  Tiamat's true form, a mobile creature factory with enough magical energy to travel between stars. Her emergence causes the sea to rise further, consuming the observatory and shore with a tidal wave aimed for Uruk. Quetzalcoatl bluntly admits that even with her or Ishtar's Authorities, let alone any power currently in Mesopotamia, the heroes can no longer so much as scratch Tiamat. With no options left, Roman orders a retreat to Uruk to rejoin Gilgamesh, and consolidate their forces.
Her gaze set on Uruk, Tiamat ignores the heroes, advancing solely towards Uruk, and she sends a second tidal wave at the city. At Uruk, Gilgamesh receives reports of the wave's approach, and orders the deployment of his secret project - the Fangs of Napishtim. An enormous wall of fangs unfolds before Uruk's southern walls, successfully blocking and rediverting the wave. Damaged in the process, Gilgamesh orders immediate repairs on the Fangs to stave off the mud. 
Gilgamesh challenges Tiamat, announcing the beginning of the final battle of the Age of Gods, having foreseen and awaited it for six months.
Tiamat emerges.png|300px|Tiamat emerges from the Chaos Tide.
Utnapishtim Fangs.png|300px|The Fangs of Napishtim protecting Uruk from the Chaos Tide
=== Star of the Beginning, We Look Up at the Sky ===
Ritsuka's group returns to Uruk, and the briefing with Gilgamesh begins. The soldiers report after the two Laḫmu attacks, evacuations and the sea of mud, only five hundred humans remain alive in Sumer, horrifying Mash. Gilgamesh reassures her that despite the kingdom's inevitable decline, others will follow in their footsteps so long as Sumerian culture survives.
Gilgamesh reports the Laḫmu have split into two groups, a roaming group that stops on the spot to sleep when the sun sets, and another that returns to guard Tiamat instead. Roman provides a finished report on Tiamat's new form, but Gilgamesh is appalled to find it records no weaknesses. Jaguar projects Tiamat will reach the coast in half a day, before arriving at Uruk in twice that time. Quetzalcoatl deduces Tiamat is targeting Uruk specifically as she sees it as the heart of the land (seeing humans and the land as indistinguishable), driven by her primordial instincts.
Roman posits a theory as to Tiamat's invincibility, believing all the Beasts have individual differences. He hypothesises that her nature is to never experience death whatsoever, as evidenced by the destruction of her brain having no effect in a manner akin to retrogression over regeneration. As she is the Primordial Mother of all life in existence, so long as life continues to exist, Tiamat will never die - until she is the last living thing in the world.
Hatching an idea, Gilgamesh calls Ereshkigal using the Mirror of Kur (lent to him as an apology). Though she is indignant at first, Ritsuka's presence immediately changes her tune to take his call seriously. Gilgamesh reveals his new plan: if Tiamat cannot be touched by death so long as life on Earth, then send her into a world devoid of life - the Underworld. 
Gilgamesh commands Ereshkigal's assistance - to move the Underworld to and open it over all of Uruk, and cast Tiamat down into Kur, with a deadline of two days. At first, Ereshkigal claims it is normally impossible, requiring ten years to move the Underworld from Kutha to Uruk. However, she sheepishly reveals that she had already begun doing so long before out of her hatred of Uruk, meaning she can accomplish it within three days, both amusing and concerning Gilgamesh. Thus, the heroes need to delay Tiamat for a day.
Gilgamesh is unfazed, having another plan in mind for Ishtar. The heroes all catch on, and morale rises as they recall the confused Ishtar's ultimate weapon - Gugalanna, the mountain-sized Bull of Heaven, capable of challenging Tiamat.
Ishtar is forced to shamefully admit the truth - she has lost Gugalanna, and has no idea where it is (her original encounter with Ritsuka and Mash in northern Mesopotamia was in search of Gugalanna). The heroes' hopes are completely shattered, and even Gilgamesh is left speechless.
The discussion comes to a halt (Ishtar forced to stand by holding a tablet reading "Worst Goddess"), the disheartened heroes left without a plan. With no further progress, Gilgamesh adjourns the war meeting, giving the heroes a final day off to rest. With not much time until dawn, it is their last chance to relax in Uruk before the end.
As night falls, Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar join Ritsuka in the Chaldean Embassy for the first and last time, Quetzalcoatl not wishing to unnerve the soldiers due to her prior status as an enemy goddess. While Jaguar is forced to cook, Quetzalcoatl privately admits to Ritsuka that she knew about Tiamat's coming and Gorgon's true nature from the cylinder seal at Eridu. 
However, she had held back the truth for Gorgon's sake, only showing the heroes the cylinder seal as a vague warning to expect more. Quetzalcoatl had wished the heroes to truly hate Gorgon and take her seriously for Gorgon's sake, rather than pity or take her lightly had they known she was a fake. Seeing her logic, Ritsuka thanks her. After Jaguar returns, they discuss her and Quetzalcoatl's dichotomic rivalry, noting the rarity of a situation where they are both fighting for the same goal.
Despite Quetzalcoatl's attempts to lie, Jaguar lets slip that Quetzalcoatl had in fact joined the Three Goddess Alliance to stop the other goddesses, saving humanity by taking the Grail of Uruk first. 
Ishtar meets with Mash atop Uruk's walls, and they converse. Ishtar is impressed by Mash and Ritsuka's resolve, having gone through many goodbyes throughout their journey, yet still able to see the good in the journey rather than as something to mourn. Ishtar admits she understands why Gilgamesh likes the Chaldeans, further admitting he is acting as a wise king and proper hero, now that he has nothing to lose.
They discuss Mash's fear of fighting, but Mash reveals that it no longer bothers her. She recalls a talk she had with Leonidas the day before the assault on Nippur. Leonidas had told her that while she will never be able to forget her fear, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather, she is able to hold back her fear with courage.
Leonidas admits his own fears - not of battle, but of going into it, afraid for those he is leaving behind. He recounts his journey of conquering his fear at the fateful last stand of Thermopylae, receiving a divine message that though he will not return to Sparta, his death would not be meaningless. Gaining the strength to replace his fear with hope, he had bragged about his revelation to his peers, only to learn that they had all been doing so the whole time except for him.
Leonidas concludes by telling Mash that the reason she fears battle is because there are many things she cares about. However, they are also her greatest weapon - the more things she cares about, the more she will overcome her fear and the stronger her heart will become.
Mash voices her appreciation for being able to learn from so many Heroic Spirits, and Ishtar realises why they are named "Chaldea". Like the ancient observatory watches the night sky, they observe the planet, seeing the lives and stories of those who lived in the distant past - a story of the stars.  Weaving those stories together, they reach out not to use them, but to truly know them. Ishtar suddenly goes on a tangent, asking after Ritsuka's romantic prospects to an embarrassed Mash, curious after seeing Ereshkigal's interest in them.
Later, Ritsuka, Mash and Fou meet on their way to the ziggurat, wishing to talk with King Gilgamesh one last time. There, they find Gilgamesh still steadfastly preparing for the final battle in Siduri's absence. Taking a break, Gilgamesh is amused by how little the pair seem to have changed despite their incredible deeds in Uruk. However, he sees their sadness, feeling responsibility for their failures and the many losses of Uruk. 
In response, Gilgamesh reframes the surviving five hundred humans as a resounding success and incredible achievement. He reveals that he had in truth foreseen himself as the only survivor left in Uruk - having seen the end of Uruk since the Grail was planted in his era. 
He reveals that after he foresaw Uruk's end, he had told all his people of this inevitable demise, long before Chaldea's arrival. Yet, despite this, the people of Uruk fought on, trying their hardest to survive to the very end. Despite Gilgamesh seeing no need to defeat the three goddesses, Ritsuka had saved the people, shown compassion for the land, and chose to fight the goddesses. And in doing so, Chaldea had saved the lives of five hundred souls fated to die - a commendable achievement.
With Romani asleep, Gilgamesh privately reveals the truth - despite what Ritsuka and Mash were told, the lives lost during a Singularity will not be restored after the Singularity is resolved. Human history is altered to match, with humans who died during a Singularity now dying of more mundane causes. Thus, even if Tiamat is stopped, the first dynasty of Uruk will still fall. 
Yet, this revelation means that Chaldea's fight - and the lives they save - all have meaning. Gilgamesh reassures Ritsuka and Mash that this is how human history is made - a balance of loss and gain, whose value can only be judged by the generations that will follow. 
Gilgamesh bids the heroes to simply follow their own path without worry, recounting his own return from his failed quest for immortality. He had returned to find a desolate country, only Siduri remaining to admonish him. Thus, he had decided to rebuild Uruk as a true king, living only for the things he finds joy in - including Chaldea's battle.
Later, the lost and bloodied Kingu arrives alone at Uruk's Celestial Hill, following Enkidu's subconscious memories. There, he is met by Gilgamesh, who is disappointed at their reduced state. Seeing no need for his Holy Grail, Gilgamesh hands it to the astonished Kingu to serve as his new heart, healing him completely.
Kingu is baffled by Gilgamesh's actions. However, Gilgamesh asserts that even if he is an enemy and not truly Enkidu, he is still worthy of his protection and friendship, leaving Kingu speechless. Even if his soul is different, his body is still that of the Chain of the Heavens, making him Enkidu's successor. Gilgamesh bids Kingu farewell, reminding him that he still has his freedom. As he leave, he urges Kingu to simply do whatever he truly wants to do.
Kingu is unable to answer, realising he never had a goal of his own to strive for, let alone a will to choose freedom.
=== Absolute Demonic Front Mesopotamia (I) ===
At dawn, the briefing for the final battle begins in the ziggurat. Gilgamesh presents a diagram of Tiamat's true form, prepared by Roman and Uruk's priests the night before. The academics report that Tiamat's thin legs are unsuited to support the weight of her full body, yet she can still walk on the water surface. 
Therefore, they hypothesise that Tiamat is only able to walk on the surface of the sea (now dubbed Encroaching Ocean: Chaos Tide), explaining her need to engulf the land with tidal waves. Thus, if the ocean were removed around Tiamat, her movement would also be halted. At that moment, the south observation post reports that Tiamat has resumed her advance, with only eight hours before reaching Uruk, half a day earlier than expected. 
Quetzalcoatl volunteers to remove the Chaos Tide, using her Noble Phantasm, Sun's Pilgrimage: Piedra del Sol, still on Eridu's altar. With it, she can vaporize the mud in a perimeter around Tiamat. However, to do so, she must be ferried past the Laḫmu right up to Tiamat herself, with Ritsuka nearby to continuously supply her with Magical Energy. With Ritsuka agreeing to do so, Gilgamesh officially commences the operation, and posts all soldiers to the city walls to leave him the sole inhabitant of the ziggurat.
As the heroes leave through Uruk's gates, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, gives a final rousing speech to the last citizens of Uruk. From a specially-built lookout on the ziggurat, he commends them for their determination and drive to survive in the face of the inevitable doom he foretold six months prior. He rouses them to give their lives to him for the final battle to separate from the gods, and to pass on the glory of Uruk for generations to come.
With the heroes' and people's morale raised, Roman commences the operation to stop Tiamat, having calculated the fastest route to her through the hordes of Laḫmu and Bel Laḫmu surrounding her.
Two hours after departing from Uruk on winged serpents, the airborne heroes enter Tiamat's field of vision, and battle their way through the Laḫmu and Demonic Beast hordes. They endure the Chaos Tide slowly eating away at them, its potency and the Laḫmu's strength increasing the closer they get to Tiamat. A massive Laḫmu swarm corners the heroes, but are suddenly drawn away by a surviving javelin unit from Girsu. Quetzalcoatl sends Jaguar to run interference and assist the soldiers, while the rest of the heroes press on.
Tiamat continues to speed her advance, approaching the Fangs of Napishtim. Now seven hundred metres from Tiamat, the heroes struggle through not only the Chaos Tide, but the shockwaves of the primordial goddess's steps, which threaten to send the heroes into disarray.
After fighting past a rearguard of Bel Laḫmu, the heroes finally break through to Tiamat. However, Quetzalcoatl shouts a warning as the corrupted Ushiwakamaru attacks once again, barely missing Mash, undetected due to the Chaos Tide's interference. Now completely devoted to Tiamat, she is fully consumed by her vengeful hatred for humanity, twisted by the melding of her replicated selves. 
Led by Quetzalcoatl, the heroes battle the darkened Ushiwakamaru, her main body continuing to multiply during the fight. Despite their efforts, Ushiwakamaru continues to survive, and Ritsuka demands to know the reasons behind her murderous rage. Ushiwakamaru condemns humans as ugly as Laḫmu, taking advantage of those few who are altruistic and wish to help others. Multiplying into a swarm, Ushiwakamaru prepares to slaughter the heroes for good.
Suddenly, a wounded Benkei arrives, announcing his intent to take responsiblity for his lord's crimes as atonement for his cowardice. He engages Ushiwakamaru, managing to grab and restrain her main body. Ushiwakamaru, regretting showing mercy to him before instead of simply killing him, runs him and herself through with her entire clone army. Calling him by his true name, Hitachibou, Ushiwakamaru notes his sudden courage is unlike him.
However, "Benkei" admits to her that while he is terrified, he pushed forward after seeing Ushiwakamaru's latent anger. Unable to bear seeing her consumed by it, he believes the true Benkei would not have wanted to leave her alone. Now, as the true Benkei would, he will remain together with her to the end. 
Before Ushiwakamaru can execute him, "Benkei" uses his Noble Phantasm, Pilgrimage of the Five Hundred Arhat, to purge and tear Ushiwakamaru away from Tiamat's Authority. Resigned to her fate, Ushiwakamaru condemns the false Benkei as a fool, as they both disappear completely.
With Tiamat's last guardian defeated, Quetzalcoatl flies into the skies above Tiamat to enact their plan, imploring the heroes to move out of range. Declaring the world as belonging to humans, Quetzalcoatl condemns Tiamat's blind hatred, and invokes Piedra del Sol. The heat of the Noble Phantasm's solar winds burns away the Chaos Tide around Tiamat, briefly restoring the Mesopotamian landscape.
Bel Laḫmu close in on Quetzalcoatl, who prepares to return to Ritsuka. However, the Chaos Tide suddenly returns - revealed to be flowing out directly from Tiamat's feet. Quetzalcoatl prepares to invoke Piedra del Sol a second time, willing to burn herself out, but is mortally wounded by the attacking Bel Laḫmu. Motivated by Ritsuka's support, Quetzalcoatl refuses to die, and prepares to fight to the bitter end. 
However, as she sees Tiamat gathering her magical energy that supported her body into her horns, she realises with horror that Tiamat is attempting to fly, rendering their plans for naught. Quetzalcoatl returns to the party, explaining what she has seen - astonishing Ishtar, in disbelief that an Earth goddess of Ki, would attempt to ascend to the heavens of An.
Giving Ritsuka a final farewell kiss to regain energy, Quetzalcoatl leaves for a last-ditch attack, leaving the heroes to Ishtar. Once again ascending above Tiamat, Quetzalcoatl channels the cataclysmic impact that once ended the dinosaurs. Challenging Tiamat as a foreign Divinity, she unleashes Xiuhcoatl - Ultimo Tope Patada, slamming into Tiamat with her full strength.
Yet, despite this, Tiamat is undamaged, and the extinguished Quetzalcoatl falls away into the black sea. Tiamat continues her advance, discharging more Chaos Tide and continuing to transform her horns to take flight. The disheartened heroes fight through more Laḫmu as the Fangs of Napishtim fall before the Chaos Tide.
Suddenly, enormous snakes emerge from the Chaos Tide, coiling around Tiamat and forcefully grounding her by sheer strength. To the heroes' utter astonishment, a white-clad Gorgon rises from the Chaos Tide. Declaring her intent to take vengeance on Tiamat, and her indifference to the humans, Gorgon assists the heroes in defeating the enraged Laḫmu.
With dramatic, hate-filled insults, Gorgon pushes the heroes to return to Uruk, and leave her to destroy Tiamat's wings, against Mash's protests. Gorgon points out the heroes' exhausted state, Ritsuka's fingers on the verge of necrosis from the drain of magical energy.
Ritsuka chooses to trust Gorgon, and with Quetzalcoatl's winged serpents gone, Mash is forced to carry Ritsuka back to Uruk. Tearfully, Mash realises Gorgon's true identity, but Ritsuka bids her to remain quiet. As they leave, Ritsuka gives "Gorgon" a final goodbye, thanking her for everything, and she responds with only a smile.
With the heroes gone, "Gorgon" - an adult Ana - laments not giving a proper goodbye, but admits she is satisfied with the gift of flowers. Admitting she had sent Ritsuka away so they would not see her as a monster, Ana challenges Tiamat as the Great Snake. Ana unleashes Pandemonium Cetus, and battles Tiamat to the death in her true, monstrous form, managing to destroy her right horn before falling.
As the heroes continue to escape to Uruk from a fifth wave of Chaos Tide, Gilgamesh fights against the Bel Laḫmu in Uruk, learning of Tiamat's progress from their boasts. Despite only two hours remaining, Ereshkigal has yet to finish the gate to the Underworld. With the fight now come to Uruk, Gilgamesh prepares for his final stand.
=== Absolute Demonic Front Mesopotamia (II) ===
The remaining heroes - Ritsuka, Mash, Fou, and Ishtar - arrive at the ruins of Uruk, with Gilgamesh and eight soldiers still fighting left as the only survivors. Fighting through roaming Laḫmu and Demonic Beasts, they hurry to join Gilgamesh atop the ziggurat's Celestial Hill. They watch the Chaos Tide consume the streets of Uruk, pondering the extent of Tiamat's hatred as she enters the city at last.Fate/Grand Order - Babylonia: Absolute Demonic Front - Section 21: Absolute Demonic Front Mesopotamia (II)
Gilgamesh orders Ishtar to stand by in the skies above the city, awaiting his signal. After she leaves, Gilgamesh implores Ritsuka to behold the last stand of Uruk. Taking control over all 360 Dingirs mounted on the city walls, he commands them all to fire non-stop on Tiamat, fuelling them with his own Magical Energy.
However, Tiamat responds in kind - firing a pinpoint blast of energy from her eye to snipe Ritsuka. Gilgamesh takes the shot instead, and is mortally wounded. Unfazed, the King continues to fight, and challenges the concerned Chaldeans' resolve. Ritsuka asserts that Uruk is not finished, and Gilgamesh is emboldened to get serious (while admitting he was already going all out anyway)
Only three minutes remain until Tiamat reaches Uruk. Suddenly, a horde of over 8000 Laḫmu charges the ziggurat ahead of Tiamat, before the heroes can take cover, and collectively bodyslam the ziggurat's rooftop. Though they are protected and Gilgamesh still stands firm, Ritsuka and Mash are both knocked unconscious.
A watching Ishtar prepares to help disperse the Laḫmu wall, but a new arrival gets there first, flying directly to the ziggurat - Kingu. He singlehandedly wipes out 6000 of the Laḫmus, announcing that he has not sided with the humans, but is fighting as the one and only member of the new humanity.
Recalling Gilgamesh's words, Kingu admits that he had a single wish he wanted - to see and talk to Gilgamesh, sharing the memories in their heart with him as friends once again. However, he admits that wish belonged to Enkidu, not him, while his own remains the same: to preserve the world. Gaining Tiamat's notice, Kingu wishes her farewell, lamenting that she had chosen the wrong child. Channelling the power of Enkidu's body and Uruk's Grail, Kingu unleashes the full strength of the Chain of the Heavens on Tiamat - Enuma Elish. 
Mash and Ritsuka awaken to find the Laḫmu gone, and Tiamat bound by the Chains of the Heavens. Gilgamesh commends Kingu's last efforts, holding back even a goddess of creation. Despite only being a momentary restraint and mere steps away from the ziggurat, each second is an eternity of frustration to Tiamat.
Tiamat's Titan Form 1.png|Tiamat arrives in Uruk.
Dingr barrage.png|All of the Dingr being launched.
Tiamat chained.png|Tiamat restrained by Kingu's chains.
Gilgamesh says his last goodbyes to Kingu as the Chains shatter, ending Kingu's life. His sacrifice was the last push needed, as Ereshkigal contacts Gilgamesh, announcing the completion of the gate. Now only needing a physical hole to breach through, Gilgamesh signals Ishtar, confirming that he is ready for what comes next with no regrets, now having twice sent off his friend. 
Gilgamesh thanks Ritsuka for their service in helping them to face destruction, and in allowing him to die valiantly in battle, admitting that he too is obsolete alongside Tiamat. Gilgamesh leaves the rest to Ritsuka, before standing before Tiamat as the final lure in their trap. Mash takes Ritsuka's hand, and they brace for impact as Ishtar fires An Gal Ta Ki Gal Šè at the ziggurat. As the ground is breached, Gilgamesh gives Ritsuka a final smile as he is consumed by the rubble.
Mash, Ritsuka and Fou fall alone into the Underworld, landing safely as Ereshkigal grants them permission to float using magical energy at their feet. The heroes stand at the bottom of the crater, with Tiamat having fallen with them, set ablaze by the Underworld's security features.
Ereshkigal attempts to deal the final blow, unleashing her full power and the gallû spirits on Tiamat. However, to her complete astonishment, it is not enough, and Tiamat begins transforming yet again, healing completely. Her Chaos Tide begins corrupting even the Underworld itself, and her Spirit Origin continues to grow.Tiamat ascends to the true form of Beast II - a colossal monstrous draconic form, with gargantuan horned wings, birthing swarms of Laḫmu that spread throughout the Underworld. Ereshkigal begins losing hope, but the heroes are joined by a charred onesie-less Jaguar Warrior, who reminds them that Tiamat is now at her weakest. Roman confirms that the Chaos Tide and Laḫmu do not count as other life, but as a part of Tiamat - thus, defeating Tiamat in Kur will still circumvent her restoration.
Despite this, the Chaos Tide still threatens to cover all the Underworld and the surface. Projected to engulf the whole world in less than a single day, the flood would wipe out not only Humanity, but the entire planet itself. However, the mud is suddenly halted and transformed by waves of flowers, stopping its spread entirely and draining Tiamat's power - the power of Merlin. 
The real, genuine Mage of Flowers himself joins the heroes, having physically rushed over from Avalon to steal the spotlight (abusing the Earth's incinerated state to bend the rules and escape the land of the fairies). When faced with a sea that births life, Merlin uses his power to convert the resulting life into something less horrible - simple flowers.
However, Beast II begins unfurling her new wings, attempting to circumvent Merlin and fly to the surface. In response, Merlin commends the heroes' efforts, and though Tiamat does not know death, he reveals yet another ace up his sleeve. A hidden ally, summoned neither by Gilgamesh nor Solomon's Grail, but by Ritsuka themselves. With the final enemy being an Evil of Humanity, the conditions were right for them to appear, giving meaning to the heroes' battles. The true reason behind Ritsuka's vitals disappearing in Kutha, they announced they would renounce their title to show their gratitude to Ritsuka.
Merlin commands Tiamat, the goddess of Life, to look to the sky - and behold the one they call Death. 
At the crater's rim stands Ziusudra. Casting aside his title of Grand Assassin, he reveals his true form - the Old Man of the Mountain, the First Hassan-i Sabbah. The evening bell tolling Tiamat's name, the First Hassan leaps below and severs Tiamat's wings with a single blow, forcing the concept of "death" upon her. The Beast's Spirit Origin is altered into a normal Servant's Spirit Origin, making her well and truly killable.
Now aware of her mortality, Beast II unleashes hordes of Laḫmu to stop the heroes, as she frantically begins climbing the walls of the Underworld to escape to the surface. Her Spirit Origin Core now being at her head, the true final battle to stop Beast II begins. Ereshkigal grants the heroes her permission to act in the Underworld, giving them a power boost.
With Ereshkigal's hovering permissions, the heroes ascend through the Underworld in pursuit of Beast II, fighting through the Bel Laḫmu guarding her. Though the Chaos Tide still threatens them, Merlin's power and the Blessing of Kur counteract its effects. Reaching the middle of her body, a new swarm of 11 Bel Laḫmu attack: the true offspring of Beast II, a new type specializing in flight, with magical energy surpassing even a Demon God.
Jaguar Warrior is easily defeated and knocked away by the new Offspring, but the First Hassan arrives to assist, contracting with the enthusiastic Ritsuka. Despite losing his title as a Grand Servant, the First Hassan is no weaker for it, and helps the heroes wipe out the New Eleven Offspring with the power of Azrael.
The heroes finally manage to reach Beast II's head, with only a few minutes remaining until she reaches the surface. Enduring her powers of Nega-Genesis and Nammu Duranki, the heroes attack Beast II with Merlin's support. However, before they can defeat her, Beast II attempts to consume Merlin, who is forced to retreat. Despite his attempts to get a favour, Fou refuses to teleport Merlin, and Merlin is knocked out of the battle and sent falling below. Despite their lost support, Ritsuka and Mash are determined to push on, even if they themselves are caught in the Chaos Tide. 
Before they can do so, however - Gilgamesh, Archer-class Servant, the King of Heroes himself, arrives to provide final support.
Confronting Beast II, Gilgamesh admits that while he and the people of Uruk do not hate her, they will never understand her. He reminds her that all children will eventually grow and leave their parents' embrace. Gilgamesh rejects Tiamat's foundation of the world, bidding her to rest in death once and for all.
With that, Gilgamesh stands alongside Ritsuka and Mash, as they finally slay Beast II for good in the last Grand Battle. 
Beast II falls to the bottom of the Underworld, her body going critical. As it explodes, Ritsuka, Mash and Fou take cover in the ruins of Uruk above, taking each other's hand once again. The battle is won.
=== Return to Chaldea ===
Ritsuka, Mash and Fou awaken in the ruins of Uruk, alive and well. With Beast II's defeat confirmed by Roman, the Singularity is finally resolved for good. Mash reveals that she had awakened with the Mage King's Holy Grail in her hands, and Merlin explains that he had retrieved it while escaping, seeing it fall from Tiamat's plummeting corpse.
Suddenly, Quetzalcoatl arrives, also alive and well, cheerfully confronting Merlin. Before he can get away, Quetzalcoatl beats up Merlin in retribution for tricking her with the Axe of Marduk. Jaguar arrives, revealing that she had saved Quetzalcoatl after her failed sacrifice, quite literally catching her as she fell flaming from the stratosphere. Afterwards, Jaguar hid her in the forest and ran back to Uruk to assist.
With Tiamat, the source of their unnatural summoning, gone, Quetzalcoatl (and an unwilling Jaguar) disappears, wishing Ritsuka farewell and good luck on the last leg of their journey. Ishtar, not summoned by the Holy Grail, opts to stay in the Singularity until it ends. Ritsuka can ask after Ereshkigal, who did not join them in the final assault. 
A flashback reveals that by granting the Blessing of Kur and helping a living human for free, Ereshkigal had violated two taboos of the Underworld. Punished for her violations, Ereshkigal begins to fade. Ishtar pleads with her to remove the Blessing to survive, reminding her that she has finally found someone she can talk to. 
She warns Ereshkigal that should she disappear, the unique circumstances of her summoning mean that she will not be the same person again. With her original Divinity being slightly different from her host body, she will not be able to keep her memories or even her current personality. Despite this, Ereshkigal is adamant to support Ritsuka, satisfied that as long as they remember her, they will meet again.
In the present, Ishtar merely states that Ereshkigal is resting in the Underworld, and to pass on her thanks. She changes the subject as Gilgamesh himself arrives, back in the form of a king.
He explains that after his death, he no longer had a physical body, akin to a ghost. With Ereshkigal's attention elsewhere, he took the opportunity to present his spirit in the form of his prime - the King of Heroes, seeking the herb of immortality in the Abyss.
Gilgamesh (still a ghost) asks Ritsuka their opinion of Uruk, and is satisfied by their answer of enthusiasm that it was fun. As a final souvenir to send off foreign travellers, Gilgamesh sneakily grants them the Greater Grail of Uruk, disguising it as a gift of wheat ale (to Ishtar's complete shock). 
With that, Gilgamesh announces the end of operations at the Demonic Front, and bids the Chaldeans farewell as he disappears. The heroes prepare to return as well, but not before asking after Merlin's reasons for helping them.
Merlin admits that he helps them simply because he is a fan of their story. While he may not like humans, he loves the stories that they weave. However, Ritsuka is different, akin to a traveller who journeys between books like Merlin himself. Thus, he found himself interested and appreciative of Ritsuka's journey in particular, and wanted to help them at least once - finally getting his chance with King Hassan after the appearance of a Beast.
Merlin gives the heroes their final goodbye, wishing them luck for their final battle as they return to Chaldea.
In the morning, Mash meets Ritsuka in the Command Room, explaining that the staff are analysing the Seventh Singularity's Holy Grail using SHEBA. However, the heroes are barely able to rest as Chaldea suddenly falls into red alert - from an external attack. 
Roman arrives, realising the time has finally come: Solomon himself is interfering. The analysis of the seventh Holy Grail has given the coordinates for a Singularity outside of human history and time itself, confirmed to be the Mage King's Singularity.
However, in return, Solomon has now learnt the coordinates of Chaldea, and is forcefully drawing the entire facility into his Singularity to destroy it with its spatial strength. The goal is now to Rayshift inside, resolve the Singularity, and defeat Solomon before Chaldea is lost. 
His hopes to plan further now cut short, Roman gives the heroes and staff one day of rest. Afterwards, the final battle of Chaldea and humanity will begin, in the Final Singularity, the Grand Temple of Time: Solomon.
==Events and Interludes==
Title(s) 	Servant 	Notes
Ishtar's Eleven 	Ishtar 	Ishtar tries and fails to claim the gems she was promised as payment by Gilgamesh.
Made by God, Woven by Humans, Returned to Soil I 	Enkidu 	Ritsuka, Mash, and Enkidu investigate reports of a horde of Lahmu, which turn out to have been spawned by a piece of Tiamat's remains. Enkidu assimilates a piece of the still-attached Chain of Heaven, granting him access to Kingu's memories.
The Only Oni That Crosses Over The World 	Ibaraki-douji 	
Ōe Mountain, Kintoki's Oni Extermination 	Sakata Kintoki	
Even If You Have Crossed Through A Thousand And One Nights (Part 8)	Scheherazade 	
==Locations==
==Participants==
Servants
Non-Servants
Designation	Identity	Affiliation
Beast II 	 	None
Human 	 	Uruk
== References ==
Category:Locations in Fate/Grand Order
Category:Human Order Incineration
Category:Singularity
vi:Dị Điểm Babylonia
Category:Babylonia
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