"Mm, that's not a problem."
Saying this, Merlin lifted the bucket in his hand.
"This should be the blood of a phantasmal species, right? But in some ways it seems a little unusual. Did something strange get mixed in?"
"Just a few drops of 'snake blood' is all. It makes the setup easier for me to handle later."
"Snake blood, huh? Well, as long as it doesn't affect the magic's inscription, it has nothing to do with me."
Tucking the stone tablet under his arm and waving his hand, Merlin left without looking back.
Watching Merlin leave, Ophis unintentionally glanced at the streets of Uruk.
Then she saw many people who seemed like messengers running toward the temple.
Ophis 's mouth twitched imperceptibly.
After calculating, she realized she had already been working for more than ten days straight.
Although physically she wasn't tired, the prolonged high pressure was beginning to wear on her mentally.
[Actually, taking a break from time to time is fine. There's no need to keep working nonstop.]
"No, it's fine."
In the end, Ophis still shook her head.
[Even for you, too much fatigue will cause errors in judgment.]
"I'll keep that in mind."
Saying this, Ophis walked back into the temple, waiting for the messengers to bring more work.
To her, resting wasn't something that had to be done. It might help her mentally, but overall, it wasn't a "necessary" thing.
[Hmm… even though I have no authority to interfere in your behavior, your experience really isn't enough yet. If this continues, you might mess up at some critical moment, you know? What's that saying… an old horse?]
Lack of experience combined with too many responsibilities—such a high error rate couldn't be compensated for, even by a dragon's processing speed.
"…Fine, got it. After I finish the current tasks, I'll shift my attention elsewhere."
Ophis wasn't the type to be blindly stubborn. After some thought, she made a compromise.
…The main reason, actually, was that she felt an immense malice from that "old horse" phrase.
Anyway, whether as a person… or a dragon, it's best not to be too reckless.
[Shifting your focus… instead of resting, huh? Well, that might have some effect… As for those Servants, you should rely on their strength more. Even though some of them may think in strange ways, as Heroic Spirits of human history, their abilities are unquestionably reliable.]
"Mm, I understand."
Responding once more, Ophis 's figure disappeared into the temple.
"As for investigating the Shrine of Priestesses, if sensed from afar, there are indeed signs that some kind of ritual was performed, but without getting close, it's impossible to confirm the specifics. Whether or not to proceed, or whether to notify the priestesses beforehand—these are decisions that must be made by the King."
"Mm."
While listening to Siduri's report, Ophis nodded while using her finger dipped in phantasmal species' blood to draw runes inside the temple.
Uruk is, in fact, a city-state with separation of three powers:
The 'King' as the peak of mankind, the 'Priesthood' connecting humans and gods, and lastly, the 'Shrine of Priestesses' who serve the gods.
These three are: King Ophis of Uruk, the Council of Priests, and the Shrine of Priestesses.
Currently, Ophis has consolidated the power of both the king and the priesthood.
Although the Shrine of Priestesses holds surface-level authority that can rival Ophis , in reality they are more like reclusive sects high above, and usually don't involve themselves in politics.
Compared to worldly affairs, the priestesses care more about reverence and faith toward the gods, and consider themselves divine servants.
Previously, Ophis severed the Age of Gods, which greatly angered the priestesses.
At the time, it didn't cause much of a stir… because without the gods they relied on, the Shrine lost real power and had no way to oppose Ophis .
But now, the age is in chaos.
If it were those fanatics…
It wouldn't be surprising if they took advantage of the turmoil to summon gods.
Even if the gods they summon are most likely to destroy humanity.
"The confirmed gods so far—Ishtar, and two other deities related to snakes."
While drawing a magic circle, Ophis spoke.
"Among them, Ishtar is Uruk's guardian deity. So, she is very likely to have been summoned by the Shrine."
"King, if this is confirmed?"
Siduri bowed slightly, her voice tinged with emotion.
If Ishtar really was summoned by the Shrine's priestesses… then those priestesses wouldn't live much longer.
It wasn't about punishment… Her King rarely pursued past wrongs, but she would not allow such unstable elements to exist during critical times.
Siduri could understand this and wouldn't stop it—she just felt a bit sentimental that the century-old Shrine might vanish this way.
"Don't worry about it. I'll handle it."
"Yes."
"Any other issues?"
"Yes."
Siduri handed her tablet to a soldier, then received another.
"Regarding the exploration of the sudden jungle that appeared in the south, following the King's order: mages capable of communication magic were deployed. But after half a day of exploration, they lost contact. And even two days later, they haven't reappeared. It's presumed they're likely dead."
"Send another team, better equipped."
"Yes."
Ophis thought for a moment, then spoke again.
"There should be other city-states within that jungle."
Actually, Ophis was certain… just couldn't remember the names.
"Yes, before the jungle engulfed the area, there were cities called Ur and Eridu."
Eridu… that name is kind of easy to remember.
"Their locations?"
"They should be deep within the jungle. If the King wishes, we can send our best units to explore."
"No, proceed cautiously first."
Siduri frowned slightly.
"But within those two cities…"
"If an elite team went missing just exploring the outskirts…"
Before she could finish, Ophis 's cold voice interrupted her.
"Their chances of survival are almost negligible."
"But we can't be completely certain…"
Kind-hearted Siduri still held a bit of hope.
"If safety isn't ensured, sending more people is just sending them to their deaths—let alone a rescue mission."
"…I understand."
Siduri sighed. She had spoken impulsively—once calm, the difficulty of the situation became clear.
Not to mention how hard the exploration was—even if survivors were found, getting them out would be incredibly difficult.
"Mm, continue."
Siduri switched tablets again.
"The cause of death of Kutha City's people still hasn't been determined. There's no physical damage, no signs of poisoning or curses. Possible causes include special abilities of unknown magical beasts, divine powers, or extremely high-level magic—regarding the last one, Merlin himself admitted he could do something similar."
"Got it. I'll deal with it later. Next."
Siduri nodded, then switched tablets again.
"This… is a report from herders. The goddess Ishtar threatened and intimidated them, then forcibly took their goods and left laughing."
"...Next."
"King… that long silence… Also, please consider a solution."
Ophis sighed.
That person… causing more chaos again…
"…Understood. We'll deal with it later. Next."
"Yes! Regarding the magical beasts' frontline and the monster nest on the supply route…"
────────────────────────────────
As night fell, in the mountains near Uruk, an ancient temple stood silently.
The temple wasn't large and appeared simple, but in the darkness, it felt somewhat gloomy.
This was the holy place known as the Shrine of Priestesses.
Not located inside Uruk, it had been built in the outskirts under the excuse of avoiding worldly affairs.
Kicking the temple doors open casually, Ophis stepped in with a trace of doubt.
Unlike the modest exterior, the interior was opulent to the extreme. Any random statue was made of the highest-grade divine-era gemstones.
With over a century of history, backed by gods and supported by the kingdom's offerings, the Shrine's foundation was naturally deep and solid.
However…
Ophis , puzzled, activated her senses again.
The result was still the same.
She had found it strange earlier that there weren't even guards at the door—now it seemed…
Inside this temple… not a single living person remained.
Converting her body of energy into particles, Ophis reappeared in the central plaza of the temple.
Seeing the piles of bodies there, Ophis fell silent. She crouched to examine one of the women dressed in the Shrine's traditional priestess garb.
If judged by eye alone, it looked like she was just asleep—there was no sign the body had lost its life.
Their souls—were they extracted?
"What do you feel, looking at this scene?"
At this moment, an incredibly familiar voice rang out behind Ophis .
"What do you feel, looking at this scene?"
"You're… Ishtar?"
This voice that constantly shouted in her ear was too familiar—Ophis recognized it almost instantly without thinking.
But… something felt off.
The aura from the person behind her felt… slightly more composed.
Yes, just slightly.
Most importantly, the overwhelming aura of death and darkness was the complete opposite of what Ishtar usually gave off.
Turning to look—sure enough, it was a girl both familiar and unfamiliar.
"In terms of appearance, it indeed resembled Ishtar, but the hair color and clothing were completely different.
Originally black hair had returned to the golden color from the very beginning, and the clothing was no longer so revealing — not the kind that purely existed to showcase one's 'beauty' — but rather a combination of black dress and red cloak.
Mmm... still quite revealing.
This was the same body that belonged to Ishtar.
This point, Ophis was very certain of, because that body still retained the 'scent' belonging to Uruk.
Mmm, specifically speaking, it was Ophis 's own scent.
The physique of a goddess could repel the attachment of most scents, but Ophis 's strength level was just a bit higher, so it was normal that a small portion of her aura would cling to the goddess she fought against.
But even if it was confirmed to be the same body, Ophis was also sure — this was not the same god.
One was 'Yang', the other was 'Yin', fundamentally completely different. Perhaps some gods might have this kind of characteristic, but Ishtar was not among them.
"Oh, you saw through it at a glance, huh."
The girl suspected to be Ishtar gave a light laugh.
"Not Ishtar… Ereshkigal?"
Frowning in thought for about three seconds, Ophis more or less confirmed the identity of the person before her.
This wasn't a difficult question — Ereshkigal was Ishtar's elder sister, the two were twin goddesses. This might not necessarily be passed down to later generations, but in this era, it was no secret.
Plus, there were the deaths of these priestesses and the report about the city of Kutha.
According to Ophis 's assessment, these priestesses were clearly souls that had been extracted — thus it could be inferred there was a high probability the same happened in Kutha.
And the guardian deity of Kutha was precisely Ereshkigal — goddess of the underworld.
Harvesting souls was precisely the specialty of the goddess of the underworld.
Coupled with that face identical to Ishtar's, the answer could basically be inferred.
Of course, it wasn't something that could be 100% confirmed.
However, the girl across from her easily gave a positive response.
"Mmm, to be recognized in an instant, really takes all the fun out of it."
After muttering a few words, Ereshkigal's expression turned serious.
"That's right. I am the manager of death, the mistress of the underworld, the one who tramples sacred peaks, one of the Three Goddess Alliance — Ereshkigal."
Three Goddess Alliance... is it?
From the other party's words, Ophis keenly picked up on that term.
"So, you still haven't answered my question — after seeing this scene, what are your thoughts?"
"Thoughts?"
Ophis looked around at the lifeless corpses of the priestesses and tilted her head.
"Feels… meaningless."
That's right — meaningless.
That was actually Ophis 's view of the actions of the gods up until now.
From the surface, everything they did seemed completely pointless.
Slaughtering humans, destroying human cities, annihilating human nations.
Once it's done? Humanity's gone, and they themselves gain nothing — at most, a fleeting thrill like a boss slaughtering newbies.
Ophis had always thought it was just the gods wanting to punish humans, or maybe they wanted to perish together with humanity after being sealed.
But after meeting Ishtar, Ophis realized — the other party had no such intentions.
Maybe due to the summoning being incomplete, she didn't even seem to fully understand that the world of gods and humans had already separated.
Or rather, her overall intelligence seemed to have dropped significantly.
In comparison, Ophis felt most of the intelligence must've been transferred to this goddess in front of her.
In any case, though she couldn't confirm whether the other two (or maybe three including the one in front of her) were the same, Ophis would not change her judgment that — all of this was meaningless.
Including these hundreds of corpses at her feet — the same.
"That's right, meaningless."
Ereshkigal's face turned cold, and her tone carried complex emotions.
"To you all, gods act without reason — simply because we want to. So to humans, gods are unreasonable, gods lack mercy."
Saying this, Ereshkigal stared straight into Ophis 's eyes, meeting her gaze.
"Precisely because of this, I cannot accept you — Ophis , King of Uruk. I cannot accept your method of ending the age of gods!"
"Is that so?"
Ophis 's reply carried a hint of indifference.
The gods' egocentrism had nothing to do with her. If the other party couldn't accept her, then they could only resolve it through battle.
"That's right, you overestimate humans too much."
However, the next words from the other party made her feel a bit puzzled.
"Even though you're not even human, you actually believe they can welcome an age without gods without any preparation?"
Smirking, Ereshkigal mocked without restraint.
"Humans aren't as weak as gods think."
After a moment of silence, Ophis finally responded.
Originally, in this kind of situation, she wouldn't even bother speaking.
As the saying goes, "If you can fight, don't talk." And considering the identity of her opponent, she should've blasted her in the face with a magic cannon already.
But, after hearing the other party's words, Ophis suddenly had an odd feeling.
She had to express her thoughts.
As for the fact that the other party easily saw through that she wasn't human — she wasn't in the mood to care. It wasn't a difficult thing to see through anyway, anyone with a bit of insight could tell.
"To the gods, perhaps humans are fragile like pottery, but I believe the tenacity of humans far surpasses that of gods who are arrogant and inflexible."
"I see… So that's your observation, wedge?"
The mocking look on Ereshkigal's face faded somewhat, though not entirely.
"If someone like you, a human king, says so, maybe it really is like that. But even so — you, who are not human — what reason do you have to help humans?"
Ophis was silent for another two seconds before replying.
"…I love humanity. Just that reason is enough."
"Ha… With that borrowed 'love'?"
This time, Ereshkigal truly laughed out loud.
"Ridiculous, utterly arrogant! Who do you think you are? With mere borrowed feelings, how could you possibly resist — resist the eternal will of us gods, resist our unwavering faith?"
With undisguised contempt in her tone, Ereshkigal questioned.
Rumble────
The shrine that had originally been meticulously maintained by priestesses for the worship of the gods—every part of the building, every flower and every blade of grass—was no longer as it had been.
Taking its place was ruin after ruin.
"Did the attack avoid those already-dead priestesses? I really don't understand what meaning that has."
Ereshkigal slowly stood up from her somewhat disheveled posture, curling her lips in open ridicule.
"Beat you half to death, and make you return the souls you took."
Standing atop the rooftop of the ruins, Ophis faced Ereshkigal, behind her floated several purple magic circles.
"Even though they committed something like summoning 'us,' which is clearly detrimental to you?"
"What they violated were the laws of the King—thus, it is the King, I, who must pass judgment. In contrast, they followed the commandments of the gods. As a god, you had no reason to slaughter them."
To Ereshkigal's question, Ophis replied indifferently.
"Good grief, even if that's true, to suddenly launch an attack like this—you're quite hot-tempered, aren't you?"
"I believe doing this is more efficient."
Ophis 's expression, already dark, became even gloomier.
"Perhaps, the love I've borrowed cannot compare to the gods' convictions. But as long as the strength is sufficient, that alone is enough."
Gazing intently at Ereshkigal, Ophis 's voice carried suppressed fury.
"Only the victor has the right to speak. Therefore, I will not allow you to deny this love of Enkidu."
"Oh? That's really domineering. Though, I have the feeling that's not your only reason."
Ereshkigal's tone was relaxed. A strange-shaped large cleaver appeared in her hand. She swung it to deflect a magic cannon blast from Ophis , then leapt backward to avoid five successive attacks.
"Even putting that aside..."
Leaping down from the ruins of the shrine, the magic circles behind Ophis dispersed, replaced by dozens of golden ripples. From within them emerged weapons gleaming with a chilling brilliance.
One after another, each weapon held enough power to inflict direct damage on a deity.
"A god of Sumer, yet consorting with foreign gods to turn against your kin. As the city god of Kutha, yet you've slaughtered Kutha's people—for these crimes, I shall judge you with my king's authority."
"Yes... The weight of these sins is so heavy that even I, who committed them, cannot determine their measure."
Contrary to Ophis 's expectations, Ereshkigal responded in this way. Though her expression showed little change, there was an inexplicable solemnity in her presence.
"Even so, to welcome all of humanity—all souls—into the underworld, to collect them within the realm of the dead, this is the meaning of my existence, my fate. Thus, to exercise this duty with nothing held back—I have no regrets, nor guilt!"
With that declaration, the air around Ereshkigal began to fill with a black mist symbolizing death. She raised her weapon and pointed it at Ophis from a distance.
"If you wish to stop me, then come! Destroy my authority, my divinity, my very existence along with it! To deny the gods as evil, to deny the evil of the gods—this has always been humanity's way of surviving. And it is the path I've borne silently, for thousands, tens of thousands of years, as the so-called 'good' of mankind!"
Just as Ereshkigal had said from the beginning—
Gods are unreasonable. Gods show no mercy.
Precisely because of that, when intellect is diminished, and in times of ignorance, people can attribute all irrationality, all lack of compassion, all incomprehension—to the gods. And they themselves can go on living with peace of mind.
It is sorrowful. But looking at it from another angle, in a sense, it could also be called a form of happiness.
"So this is your belief..."
Ophis spoke in a low voice, then shook her head.
"Perhaps it's quite a gentle way of doing things, but it is far too arrogant."
She lightly swung her hand down, and in an instant, dozens of weapons rained down on Ereshkigal's position.
Ereshkigal did not panic. She skillfully wielded the bizarre weapon in her hand, deflecting all projectiles that would directly strike her. Then she allowed the rest to explode one after another around her.
The weapons shot out by Ophis 's treasury didn't explode by destroying themselves—rather, the massive explosions were caused by the magic imbued in the King's Treasure. This level of magic release couldn't even scratch Ereshkigal, who possessed the magic resistance of a true god.
She easily endured that wave of attack. But in the next moment, Ereshkigal's eyes widened.
A giant golden spear was floating beside Ophis .
Runes of mystery were inscribed along its shaft, emitting intense divine energy. The power entwined around it wasn't overwhelming, but carried a strange, irresistible presence.
Ereshkigal understood—this was the power of fate.
"To think you could deny humanity's resilience and their capacity for growth with just your own power… and even wish to shoulder their pettiness, their sins, their ignorance. You… you gods—are far too arrogant."
Picking up the golden spear, Ophis declared.
"Then let this 'Declaration of the Great God' pierce you, and your arrogance along with it."
She chuckled bitterly in her heart at how much she had rambled.
Just when had she picked up such a bad habit? Or was it something uncontrollable that came over her when facing this opponent?
Either way, she had no interest in reflecting on it.
That body was fundamentally not the opponent's true body, but the opponent appeared so swaggeringly before her, even if it was just consciousness, it was already enough for Ophis to lock onto her.
It wasn't necessary to know the exact position of her true body—as long as she had this gun in hand, even without aiming, she could pierce through her body in the underworld, across the long river of fate!
Though it was impossible to kill the opponent, at the very least, it could make her quiet for a while...
"Shoot her────"
"If that's how you say it, then who is supposed to take responsibility?"
Ereshkigal's sudden roar made Ophis freeze for a moment.
Quite coincidentally, the barrier that Uruk had just erected suddenly shook several times, causing Ophis —who was actually paying most attention to Uruk—to instinctively shift all her focus in that instant.
"An opportunity!"
Ereshkigal didn't get distracted, immediately seizing this chance and flew up quickly.
"Tch..."
Ophis , who quickly came back to her senses, didn't have time to care about the curse-like malice she suddenly felt. She tried to retreat, lightly touching the ground with her toe, while several chains shot out from golden ripples—but Ereshkigal was even faster.
"No matter what, I'll drag you into the underworld!"
Puchi!
"Ugh!?"
Just like that, in Ophis 's slightly surprised gaze, the panicked Ereshkigal—seemingly having no concern for appearances—used the weapon in her hand to pierce through Ophis . At the same time, she tackled Ophis to the ground, then lowered her head and, under Ophis 's increasingly strange gaze, used her own lips to block Ophis 's mouth.
Her lips were pried open, her tongue entwined, and their saliva mingled.
Ophis didn't have time to savor this somewhat strange sensation before she felt a tremendous divine power constantly pouring into her body through both the saliva and the weapon piercing her.
Almost without thinking, Ophis recognized that power.
It was the divine authority of death.
As if knowing that pure death had extremely limited effect on Ophis , Ereshkigal chose to use an "inducing" death.
First, make her want to die. Then, make her believe she really died. Finally, the body will die along with the soul.
If the body died, Ophis wouldn't care, but if the soul died, then even a living body would be useless.
While enduring the temptation of death, being kissed at the same time caused Ophis to feel quite strange, and her gaze began to grow hazy.
The two stayed tangled like that for several tens of seconds, with Ereshkigal pressing on top of Ophis .
Ophis didn't struggle, nor did she use the energy in her body to resist the ongoing death.
At first, Ereshkigal thought it was the effect of her own death power making Ophis unable to resist, so she didn't think much and kept pouring death power into her—but later on, something started to feel wrong.
The previously unobstructed death power gradually began to meet resistance… but the force resisting it wasn't Ophis 's energy. It was something entirely opposite in nature to death: the power of life.
"Impossible!"
Ereshkigal's eyes widened, full of disbelief.
She could almost be 100% sure that the original Ophis couldn't use such power. A power so incompatible with her own—if Ophis had ever used it even once, Ereshkigal would've easily sensed it.
But from the original Ophis , she had never felt this.
Did the opponent have some special concealment method?
Or perhaps…
A possibility flashed through Ereshkigal's mind—one she didn't even dare believe.
While Ereshkigal was lost in thought, due to her shock, her actions naturally paused. Pressed beneath her, Ophis gave her a strange look, then casually pushed her aside.
"You… you…"
Pushed aside, Ereshkigal finally came to her senses.
"You… you turned my death into life!?"
Though the answer was utterly ridiculous, it lingered stubbornly in Ereshkigal's mind.
Could that really be the case?
If it was… then that's too much of a cheat, isn't it!?
Puchi!
A familiar sound suddenly entered Ereshkigal's ears.
She looked down in a daze.
The weapon she had originally stabbed into Ophis 's chest was now embedded in her own abdomen. Holding the weapon, Ophis tilted her head, looking at her.
"You…"
Ereshkigal opened her mouth to speak—but saw a fist grow larger in her view.
Bang!
[Hmm, that experience just now seemed a little too stimulating for you. Thinking back, even I feel a bit excited—as if a daughter raised for so long...]
"Sister golden finger."
[Hm?]
"Shut up."
[Yes!]
Looking at the unconscious Ereshkigal on the ground, Ophis casually found an empty spot and sat down.
Ereshkigal wasn't wrong. Just now, in a panic, Ophis had indeed used her innate ability to convert Ereshkigal's "death" into "life."
The principle wasn't all that complicated. Whether it was induced or direct death, in essence, it was still "death." But to the Ouroboros, death practically equated to rebirth. So once the trick was grasped, the conversion became nearly effortless.
Of course, this was mainly because Ereshkigal couldn't control the death energy she injected into Ophis under those conditions—she could only let it flow, without imbuing it with strong offensive power.
After all, it was similar to the concept of mana replenishment, except Ereshkigal had Ophis replenish not magic power, but divine death power.
Although Ophis quickly figured out how to convert death to life and could escape Ereshkigal's entanglement at any time, she still chose to maintain the status quo.
It wasn't because she was curious and wanted to savor the taste of kissing a bit more… ahem, that was only a very small part of the reason.
The greater reason was that this was a rare opportunity—the goddess of the underworld personally injecting death into her body. This let Ophis 's "self-reference" reach its peak.
To absorb advantageous information from external auras into her own cycle—that is the function of self-reference.
And Ereshkigal had been pouring death power into her like mad just now, which skipped the step of reading external info and let Ophis directly incorporate the death into her own system, easily converting it into life.
[Although it's impossible to say you mastered death and life just from a few dozen seconds of mana transfer… I mean, energy exchange—it did deepen your understanding of the two forces. You'll have good resistance to similar abilities in the future.]
"Mm."
Casually responding to sister golden finger's summary, Ophis used the Chains of Heaven to hang up Ereshkigal.
Opening her palm, a mini magic circle appeared in Ophis 's hand, aimed at Ereshkigal.
Then… in the moonless night, a violet radiance flickered.
"Cough cough cough cough… Wait wait wait, too much, isn't it? Waking me with bombardment!? That's sacrilege, you know!? And what is this chain!? Binding a goddess like me—never even heard of that before! That's not okay, right!? Absolutely unforgivable—puhahhh────"
After taking another hit from the mini magic cannon, Ereshkigal finally calmed down.
"I ask, you answer."
Putting away the magic circle, Ophis said blandly.
"Ugh… Seems I really got caught. Seriously, I must never let that stupid sister find out… But what is your power anyway? That's way too much of a cheat, isn't it? Totally cheating!?"
Looking at the chains binding her and the array of weapons behind Ophis ready to fire, Ereshkigal finally gave a resigned sigh.
"Ask what you will. But I can already guess—the most pressing thing for you right now, what you most want to know, is information on the 'Three Goddess Alliance', right?"
"That's right. Specific identities, specific objectives, and why they appeared—I need intel on all of this."
Hearing Ophis 's question, Ereshkigal twisted a bit in midair, then adjusted into a more comfortable position under Ophis 's permission by loosening the chains, before speaking again.
"Well... Although in the battle just now, not only was I not in the underworld, but my body didn't even belong to me, I couldn't exert my full strength, and the whole process was inexplicable, but I lost, and as a reward from the goddess to encourage heroes, I will tell you some news within the scope of permission."
"The goal of our Three Goddess Alliance and the reason for attacking Uruk is quite simple, no need for much explanation—that is, to rule the future earth."
Ereshkigal indeed had no intention of going back on her words, and directly opened her mouth to say.
"Of course, within this, there are also slight differences. For example, I am for the domination over humanity, while the northern goddess is for domination over the earth... As for that one in the south, the cultural difference is too big, I simply can't see what exactly her thinking is."
"So, in other words, the actual 'Three Goddesses' doesn't include Ishtar?"
Hearing this, Ophis interrupted Ereshkigal and asked aloud.
"Ha, that foolish girl doesn't understand anything at all. Each day, she aimlessly, carefree, just rides her sky-ship flying around—perhaps that's already the most high-level thing she can manage?"
Speaking of her younger sister, Ereshkigal began mocking with disdain.
"Although that fellow seemed to have once deceived... or perhaps teased you using this point, the fact remains that she is not one of the 'Three Goddesses'."
Ophis nodded slightly.
Indeed, thinking carefully, although usually some surface-level reasons are used to cover up the past, in reality, Ishtar's actions have always been obstructing the demonic beasts.
In other words, that fellow actually knows quite well what she's doing, right? Even those bits of information revealed unintentionally.
…That should be the case, right?
"Leaving that aside, although we are nominally called an 'alliance', in reality, we are still competing according to our own rules."
"Rules?"
"That's right. According to who first captures Uruk and gets their hands on the Holy Grail you are hiding, Ophis … In short, the first goddess to obtain the Holy Grail can, according to the treaty, claim this land as her own. As for afterward, the remaining two goddesses can choose to leave on their own, or if they wish to stay, they can only remain as subordinates to the victor… That is the goal of our Three Goddess Alliance. Pretty straightforward, right?"
"The Holy Grail, huh?"
Ophis tilted her head.
In her eyes, the Holy Grail wasn't anything particularly impressive… Though it holds magic power comparable to infinity, it is still only comparable—still a distance away from true infinity.
After all, the so-called Holy Grail is merely an 'unfinished product' of the Third Magic, or rather, just a medium to accomplish the Third Magic.
Even if it's positioned as an omnipotent wish-granting device… that is ultimately just omnipotent, not omniscient or all-powerful.
As long as she has enough knowledge, Ophis can completely accomplish far more than the Holy Grail.
But to others, the Holy Grail is still a rather useful tool.
Even if the Three Goddesses don't truly need to use the Holy Grail for anything, using such a high-level treasure as the key item to determine victory is more than valuable enough.
What a pain…
Ophis sighed inwardly.
If doing so wouldn't possibly cause human history to collapse, she'd honestly just find someone at random and hand them the Holy Grail.
"Speaking of which, only after meeting you did I realize—those two… we three goddesses scheming to death over the Holy Grail, it's honestly laughable."
Ereshkigal curled her lips, looking somewhat imbalanced as she looked at Ophis .
Mana replenishment is a process of mutual fusion. Although the two didn't use the legendary strongest method, during the earlier intertwining, Ereshkigal still felt a glimpse of Ophis 's essence.
That so-called "infinity"—even just a fragment of it, is still infinite. It's absolutely not something that a mere cup can compare to.
"Then, the northern and southern goddesses—their specific identities?"
After pondering for a moment, Ophis asked again.
"That, I cannot tell you."
Somewhat unexpectedly, Ereshkigal, who had been quite cooperative, now gave a negative response.
"After all, among us there exists a taboo of 'no mutual attacks'. This doesn't just refer to physical attacks, but also includes rules like no infringing on each other, no obstructing each other. Even speaking each other's true names is among the prohibited matters."
As for the reason for refusal, Ereshkigal explained this way.
"Mm… Earlier, there was also the question of 'why did we appear', right? As for me, just as you guessed, I was summoned by those priestesses as another side of that foolish sister of mine. It's just that back then, I directly killed those priestesses and left. Only that foolish sister would truly be stupid enough to think that so many people all died just from magic exhaustion…"
"What about the other two?"
"Ah, those two guys were attracted by the Holy Grail. As for whether there's a guy called the King of Magic secretly doing tricks behind the scenes────that's not something I would know."
Nodding slightly, Ophis closed her eyes and began to ponder.
"You lied."
Several minutes later, Ophis opened her eyes and spoke this sentence.
"Ha? Wait, I didn't lie, and isn't that strange? How did you come to such a conclusion?"
"Intuition."
"This kind of answer is just like that stupid girl!"
Ereshkigal twisted her body mid-air in dissatisfaction.
"And where did I lie, if you want to accuse me then point it out specifically!"
"Who knows."
Ophis waved her hand and replied casually.
Ever since… well, who knows when it started, Ophis's intuition had been growing stronger.
Most of what Ereshkigal had just said was indeed unquestionably factual.
But there was one point that made Ophis feel something was off.
"Your objective… doesn't feel like you told the truth."
Saying it was a lie might be too much… but on that point, Ereshkigal definitely held something back.
That's what Ophis's intuition told her.
"Ha? This… no…"
Somehow, she started wavering…
Looking at the now-tongue-tied Ereshkigal, Ophis thought speechlessly.
"Don't talk nonsense! To establish a land of death, to rule over all human souls—this is my goal, it's my desire for control! I hate the living, I toy with the dead, I am such an evil existence—oof!"
Ignoring the other party's explanation, Ophis waved her hand, letting the Chain of Heaven dissolve into golden particles of light.
And Ereshkigal, quite naturally, fell to the ground.
"You…"
"Killing this body here wouldn't work, right?"
Interrupting Ereshkigal's confusion, Ophis opened her mouth to explain.
"Ištar is not one of the Three Goddesses, there's no need to kill her. As for you, I don't have a way to kill you across the barrier between the earth and the underworld, so… I'll let you go this time."
"…Tch, don't think I'll thank you for that."
Standing up, Ereshkigal's expression was somewhat complex.
"In any case, I won't give up on my goal. In the end, even you will be collected into the underworld. Wash your soul clean and wait properly!"
After saying lines like a villain, Ereshkigal jumped onto Ištar's sky-boat and flew away, leaving only Ophis, still sorting through the information just now.
"So that means… the goal wasn't evil, is that it?"
Corresponding her thoughts to the other party's character, Ophis finally came to such a conclusion.
Anyway, just take her words and flip them.
Until the end, Ophis still didn't understand what purpose this goddess had in coming to find her.
Could it be she just happened to see her on the way and came to chat?
But, thanks to this, she did gain quite a bit of new information.
The other party's goal, and the "King of Magic."
[King of Magic… There are only a handful of kings renowned for magic. Of those who could possibly do something like this, there's probably only one. That would be Solomon.]
"Solomon, huh…"
Ophis had ended the divine age of Mesopotamia, but to the world, she merely represented humanity in taking the first step to sever ties with the gods. The divine age declined, but it did not truly end.
And Solomon—he was the true final king of the divine age.
Holding the omnipotent ring yet never using it even once, and ultimately returning the ring to the heavens by his own will—not to convey the destiny of an almighty god, but to proclaim the coming of an age where humanity would live by human will.
If the King of Heroes began the decline of the divine age, then Solomon was the one who truly ended it and began the age of man—the true King of Humanity.
[So, would someone like that really want to destroy humanity? Could it be that he's just too bored with nothing better to do?]
"Who knows."
Even after knowing who the mastermind was, Ophis still didn't show much fluctuation.
"Anyway, not an opponent for now."
Right now she had to deal with the gods. Even if she knew who the real boss was, she couldn't give up defending Uruk and just go attack.
"The northern goddess, the southern goddess, and Ereshkigal—of them, the damage caused by Ereshkigal was the smallest, only affecting the city of Kutha. As for the southern goddess, it's estimated she destroyed the southern city-states including Eridu and Ur."
[And the destruction caused by the northern goddess is the greatest, after all, the entire north was swept clean by her demonic beasts.]
"Their goal is to dominate the land."
[Oh, that's what the underworld goddess said, right? What about it?]
"That means she doesn't need the humans on the land."
[Hmm… That actually sounds quite possible. Seems like she's a truly anti-human goddess.]
"Then she will be listed as a priority target."
As they exchanged words, Ophis had already flown back to the pyramid temple in Uruk.
And at this time, the sun was gradually rising.
"Yo, good morning, King Ophis."
From a distance, she saw Merlin waving and walking over.
…Does this guy never have anything to do?
"Just now, the barrier…"
"Ah, King Ophis, perfect timing. I just finished restoring the barrier. To be safe, I even had Heracles knock on it a few times to test it—turns out there really weren't any problems."
…Really want to kill this guy.
"Come with me."
Suppressing the urge to kick Merlin out, Ophis beckoned him into the main hall.
"Merlin, in this era, how much can your clairvoyance see?"
"Oh? As expected of the king, asking so directly."
Merlin nodded.
"To be honest, it's not that much… Of course, anything that belongs to the 'present' will inevitably fall within my field of vision. But since the goddesses have their own rules, they can easily detect peeping and then bombard with full divine authority and Noble Phantasms infinitely, you know? In this regard, King Ophis, you're the same, right?"
Indeed, if someone were spying, even without such extreme reactions, Ophis could still easily notice it.
Hearing Merlin's reply, Ophis tapped the armrest of the throne with her index finger.
"So basically, regarding the goddesses, you're actually not very clear either?"
"Yeah, although I accidentally spotted a big guy during a recent summoning, I don't really know much about the goddesses. But the citizens seem to be spreading rumors about it."
"I'll investigate that. Here's the new intel I just got…"
Nodding, Ophis relayed all the key information she had gathered from Ereshkigal about the "Three Goddess Alliance" to Merlin.
"Ohh, as expected of King Ophis, obtaining such rich intel in one go."
"Then, what Merlin said—"
"Pardon me, my king, may I come in?"
At this moment, Siduri's voice came in through the mechanisms outside the hall.
Work time had arrived. Siduri was truly punctual down to the second…
"Come in."
After a half-second of silence, Ophis sighed and agreed.
With permission, Siduri entered the hall, bringing a large group of soldiers carrying stone tablets.
…At least fifty people, seriously!?
Suppressing another sigh, Ophis spoke first.
"Siduri, how's the progress on the city walls?"
"Yes, the walls are nearly complete. Even now, they can provide sufficient defense. Additionally, according to the latest reports, the demonic beasts' offensive is showing clear signs of fatigue. It seems even beasts like those have limits."
"Hmm, even if one of the goddesses can use divine power to endlessly mass-produce demonic beasts, there's no way to maintain efficiency. Sending them endlessly to die would wear down the other side too."
Hearing Siduri's report, Merlin also shared his thoughts.
"In fact, the continuous assault over the past few days was already abnormal. Not many gods could sustain such a consumption rate."
"So they originally planned to use all their forces to break the human defenses in one blow, but got dragged down instead?"
Thinking it over, Ophis more or less understood the enemy commander's thinking.
Most gods had an innate disdain for humans. Their demonic beasts were often similar, underestimating humanity's tenacity was a common mistake.
"But the frontlines probably can't hold much longer, right?"
"Yes… Thanks to Lady Jeanne, morale has barely held. Lady Altera and Lord Arjuna have also greatly eased the army's burden."
"Tell them to find a way to pull the troops back behind the walls. That includes redeploying the reserves. Meet any needs they have. Even sending Merlin as bait is fine."
"Ugh… Is it my imagination, or did the always-gentle King Ophis just say something awfully cold-blooded?"
"Yes, I'll send someone to deliver the orders to the frontlines."
"Ohh, Siduri, are you also ignoring how unreasonable that command was!?"
"It's on you now, Merlin."
Seeing Ophis make a tiny fist with a cheering gesture, Merlin actually gave a rare bitter smile.
"No helping it then. Looks like I, who always just observe from afar, have to take on a bit more work now. After all, I'm a familiar at the moment, right? Then, I'll take care of holding off the demonic beasts."
With a helpless smile, Merlin declared that he would single-handedly hold off all the demonic beasts.
Standing atop the just-completed city wall, Ophis nodded in satisfaction.
"Very sturdy."
As if to verify her words, she stomped on it a few times, making the entire wall tremble and causing Siduri beside her to twitch at the corners of her eyes.
"Siduri, were the shrine maidens' bodies properly handled?"
"Yes, as per your instructions, all were placed in the underground chamber of the temple, and separated from the people of Kutha…"
The way those witches died was exactly the same as the residents of Kuta City...
"They were all dead before I got here."
Hearing the news for the first time, Siduri looked up in surprise.
"This... could it be that?"
"The goddess did it."
"Goddess...even the miko?"
Hearing this information, Siduri was surprised.
Siduri wasn't sure about shrine maidens from other places, but she did understand the shrine maidens of Uruk very well.
Like fanatic believers, even if the whole world betrayed the gods, they would not have the slightest doubt in their faith, and would never deviate from the commandments of the gods.
Even such loyal ones—were also inexplicably killed by the gods…?
The gods… really are, just a little bit too much.
"That's why, I'm a little suspicious of her motives…"
"Your Majesty?"
Hearing Ophis's soft muttering to herself, Siduri asked with some confusion.
"No… it's nothing."
"But, why preserve the body?"
"It's just leaving behind a sliver of hope."
"I see…"
Hearing Ophis's answer, Siduri nodded slightly with a bit of disappointment.
"Also, stop exploring the southern dense forest. Don't send anyone in again."
"Your Majesty…?"
"That is the gods' territory. With mere mortals, it's impossible to find anything."
"…Yes."
Although Siduri was still somewhat concerned for the residents of the southern cities, she could still distinguish the bigger picture.
"But, can Lord Merlin really hold back all the magical beasts?"
Perhaps trying to skip over these troubling questions, Siduri looked toward the direction of the battlefield.
In the end, the trio at the front line had still let Merlin go help.
After all, attempting to retreat under the enemy's constant harassment—and with most people already having fought to the point of exhaustion—the damage incurred would be completely incalculable.
If not careful, a total collapse of the front line was very possible.
"He can. Rather, only he can do it."
Ophis also walked to the edge of the city wall, watching the battle line formed by Uruk.
"Even I, under these circumstances, have no means of letting Uruk's army retreat without casualties into the walls. Only Merlin can do it."
────────────────────────────────
Hundreds of arrows swooped down, hitting the ground and bursting into countless blue flames, eventually forming a wall of fire that blocked the humans and the magical beasts.
"Everyone, please retreat. Maintain formation, don't panic, fall back slowly. The magical beasts can't get close."
Jeanne raised the banner in her hand, shouting loudly from the center of the army.
"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Altira."
Only after the army began to retreat in an orderly manner did Jeanne have the leisure to smile and speak to Altira standing beside her.
"No, this is my duty."
"Is that so? Even so, Miss Altira has helped a great deal."
Though the response was a bit cold, Jeanne had gotten used to this kind of Altira after a few days together.
At the same time, she also knew that what Altira referred to as "duty" did not mean the task Ophis had assigned her.
She meant the very acts of slaughter and destruction themselves.
'King of Destruction' Attila—that was her name in life.
Now, it seemed to be the only meaning of her existence.
Although it felt a bit sorrowful, in wartime, Jeanne had no time to explore such things.
"But can Lord Merlin really succeed in stopping the magical beasts?"
"If not, I will take care of it."
Even knowing you can take care of it, there'll still be casualties…
Jeanne gave a wry smile, but before she could say more, the wall of flame was already broken through by the magical beasts.
To say "broken through" wasn't quite accurate.
The fire barrier didn't have much physical defense—it served more to intimidate the magical beasts—but the other side may have realized this was the perfect opportunity to seriously wound Uruk, and decisively gave the order—use their lives to break through.
The first wave of magical beasts were engulfed by intense flames the moment they struck the wall, but before it could regenerate, the second wave already followed.
And so wave after wave, the magical beasts successfully crossed the firewall laid by Arjuna.
Though the losses seemed severe, in comparison to the overall number and previous losses of the magical beasts, it was just a drop in the bucket.
Sensing the magical beasts' approach, waves of unrest rippled through Uruk's army.
"Everyone, do not be afraid! The magical beasts cannot come closer!"
Jeanne's heart was in fact tense, but she showed nothing, instead raising her banner high and loudly rousing the troops.
"Hm, looking at them like this… they really are aggressive. A little bit scary."
Dressed in white robes, Merlin stood in the open space between Uruk's forces and the magical beasts. Though he said this, there was little fear on his face.
At this moment, the magical beasts charged toward him, many of the foremost still covered in lingering blue flames.
"If I just turned around and ran like this… I suppose they wouldn't allow that, huh? Well then, time to stretch a little."
With a carefree smile, white mist began to spread from Merlin's body, growing thicker and denser.
Wherever the white mist passed, flowers of various colors bloomed from the ground.
It looked like something from a dream.
Or rather, perhaps it was a beauty that could only appear in dreams.
The white mist spread quickly, and within seconds enveloped all the magical beasts at the front.
"Mm… reality really is too cruel, isn't it? That might be interesting too—but now, please, immerse yourselves in an even more beautiful dream… though, perhaps that beauty will be even crueler to you… but, isn't that even more fun?"
With those delightfully twisted words, the foremost magical beasts suddenly halted, then, as if seeing something terrifying, immediately turned and fled—only to crash into and entangle their approaching companions.
The white mist did not stop. As it expanded, the magical beasts began reacting in various strange ways.
Some lay down and fell asleep, trampled to death by their own kind.
Some suddenly attacked their neighbors in a frenzy, throwing the battlefield into chaos.
Some stood in place like lunatics, dancing incomprehensible steps.
The magical beast army, once somewhat organized, was now on the brink of collapse.
Dream and illusion—this was the power of the Flower Magus, Merlin, holder of a Grand Caster title.
Not until more than half the army had safely retreated behind the walls did a faint smile appear on Ophis's face.
Hmm… Lately, due to being too busy, have I been neglecting Enkidu's reminders? Ophis mused in mild frustration.
In the distance, the magical beasts still formed strange shapes under Merlin's manipulation. At this point, it should be safe, right?
Thinking this, Ophis let her heart relax.
Unfortunately, Ophis didn't know—
It's fine to think of such things once everything's over.
But if you do before it's over—
That's a textbook flag.
"Siduri, next—"
Turning back, Ophis began to instruct Siduri on the next orders, but before she could continue, countless piercing sounds filled the air.
"Your Majesty!"
With them came Siduri's panicked cry.
Ophis turned in time to see countless red needles descending from the sky—each one filled with massive magical energy!
And their target: the portion of the army that hadn't yet entered the walls!
With a slight frown, Ophis waved her small hand, purple energy forming a cyclone that collided with the needles midair, causing a series of small explosions.
At the same time, several more red beams shaped like lances shot toward Ophis.
'The target is me, huh…'
Ophis made the judgment instantly.
"Siduri, be careful."
"Your Majesty?"
Before Siduri could ask what to be careful of, she saw Ophis rather casually—kick in her direction!?
Reflexively crossing her arms to block, Siduri discovered the kick didn't hurt much… but the force sent her flying backward—right off the wall.
"Wah!?"
At last, Newton could show his might. Siduri let out a small scream as she fell straight down.
Not looking back, Ophis used the recoil of her kick to leap off the wall as well.
The moment the two left, red lances struck where they had just stood, collapsing part of the wall.
"Raise your shields."
An abrupt command—but the remaining Uruk soldiers below, trained and used to their king's sudden strange orders, immediately responded and raised their shields, letting Ophis land steadily.
The instant her feet found solid ground, Ophis saw a blinking red dot on a distant hill.
From her sleeve extended a silver Chain of Heaven, coiling in her palm, becoming crystal-clear as she raised her hand before her chest.
A tightly focused red beam arrived in a flash, striking the chain with a shower of sparks.
Then came dozens of red light-lance beams like before—but this time, not aimed at Ophis.
They were aimed at the Uruk soldiers beside her.
"So this was the real objective?"
With her free hand, Ophis made a pistol-gesture toward the beam's origin—then behind her bloomed the same number of magical circles, each firing a purple magic bullet, intercepting the incoming lances.
And even now, the sniper beam striking the Chain of Heaven hadn't ceased—still firing.
If Ophis dodged, the beam would pierce the wall, then erupt among Uruk's army on the other side.
But…
"Although I do not really understand, but for sniping, this kind of thing, one should probably keep changing positions, right?"
On the still-intact city tower, Arjuna had already fully drawn his bow, with a blue light arrow gathered with dense magical power nocked on it, pointing from afar at the position where the beam of light had come from.
The gesture Ophis just made was to tell Arjuna not to defend against the incoming light beam gun, but rather to counter-snipe the opponent!
"Master, please give the order."
"Fire."
"Understood."
Arjuna nodded in response, then began a low chant.
"Under the karmic flames of the fire god Agni, scatter like dust—Roar of the Fire God! (Agni Gandiva)"
As the words fell, the blue light arrow tore through the sky and landed on the hill where the enemy was.
Wild blue flames exploded into a huge sphere, like a second sun devouring most of the hill. The intense heat could be felt even on the walls of Uruk, and the sniping light beam that had been constantly harassing Ophis also ceased and disappeared.
Only after dozens of breaths did the blue sun finally vanish, and almost all the soldiers who could see the scene on the hill gasped.
The previously intact hill now had a huge hole blasted through its middle, as if gnawed by some giant beast, and the rest of the surface was still burning with blue flames, with no telling when they would go out.
What could be confirmed was that the magical beasts that had been entrenched on the hill were now almost completely wiped out, with not even one in ten remaining.
"'Heaven-given Hero', this title perhaps cannot truly be said to be genuine praise, but it is definitely an acknowledgment of Arjuna's strength!
"Lord Arjuna is so amazing."
"So Lord Arjuna is actually this amazing?"
"Lord Arjuna!"
"Lord Arjuna, Lord Arjuna, Lord Arjuna!" xN
However, the soldiers of Uruk only fell into shock for a few seconds. Soon after the first person started, they all began to cheer together, loudly calling out Arjuna's name.
To them, although such terrifying visual effects were a first-time sight, it was not something that was hard to accept.
In the legends, the goddess Ishtar once entered deep into the Ebih mountain range—each step she took increased her divine might—and in the end, she lifted the mountain's peak and pierced the core of the earth vein, causing the complete collapse of the Ebih mountain range.
(Her temple is still well-built in that mountain, isn't it!?)
With such a precedent, the soldiers of Uruk quickly accepted Arjuna's powerful strength, and rejoiced in having such power on their side.
"Phew, this side is settled too."
At this moment, Ophis had already jumped back onto the city wall, while Merlin had appeared at some unknown time.
"Thanks for your effort."
"Mm, it really was tiring, you know, such troublesome and trivial work. And what was that, the final spotlight was completely stolen by someone else, wasn't it? If this were in a book, it would totally be a failure where the protagonist's role is completely robbed by a supporting character!?"
Toward Merlin's inexplicable words, Ophis could only sigh helplessly.
Merlin was still better off—until now, she hadn't even had many flashy fight scenes to begin with.
But… the army had successfully retreated?
Now that they had the barrier of the city wall, everything would be much easier, right?
In that case, the next step preparations must be made.
The war… is only just beginning…