The Heavenly Bull versus the Feathered Serpent God

The girl slowly recounted to Shirou what she had heard from feathered serpent goddess, as well as the inner conflict she felt.

Shirou looked at Ereshkigal and understood her predicament. As a girl, she should have been a goddess, but from birth, her father arranged for her to be the ruler of the underworld, and from then on, she lived a life separated from the human world and the divine world. She could not leave the underworld even for a moment.

However, this was a request from her respected father. The inhabitants of the underworld also needed her, so Ereshkigal worked very hard to play the role of the lord of the underworld, hoping to bring happiness to all souls. Even when other gods held lively banquets in the heavens, indulging in extreme pleasures, she could only stay in the dark depths of the earth.

Even such a girl is not immune to misunderstanding. After all, death is always tabooed by the living. Ereshkigal is inevitably feared by humans and even her own family. Although she also receives human sacrifices, the image that has been passed down in the world is mostly that of a terrifying character.

"I don't know what to do. If my family finds out what's going on here, they'll definitely call!" Ereshkigal said, lowering her head.

Shirou wanted to tell the girl was, "Ereshkigal! Go find the path that will bring happiness to you and everyone else!"

But before he could finish speaking, at that moment, a furious woman's shout came from the bushes.

"Enough! I can't listen to this anymore! Ereshkigal! If you can't do it, come back here! I'll do it for you!" At this moment, a small figure emerged from the bushes, ignoring the leaves stuck to his head and clothes, and shouted at the girl who looked just like him.

"Ishtar!? When did you get here?" Ereshkigal stood up, looking at her younger sister who had suddenly appeared.

"A second Ereshkigal?" Quetzalcoatl in surprise.

"Ishtar, Mesopotamian mythology, beloved by all the gods, yet also capricious and willful, but she's really a perfect match for Tohsaka!" Shirou muttered, looking at the girl with Rin's childhood face.

Ishtar, instead of getting angry, glared at Ereshkigal and yelled:

"You idiot! Maintaining this kind of world is actually quite good for you, at least! What's so good about a place like the underworld, a prison you can't even leave, an eternal prison?!"

"Why! Why should I be treated like this by you!" Ereshkigal glared at Ishtar and shouted, "Do you know what you're saying?! How can I let my family be trapped here forever just for my own sake!"

"Just do it! Nobody said we needed your sacrifice to get help!" Ishtar yelled.

"Alright! Ereshkigal! Come over here! Now that we know the solution, the next step is to defeat the enemies here and destroy this great forest." Ishtar waved her hand and said sternly.

"Oh ho, little sister, I can't pretend I didn't hear what you said." Upon hearing Ishtar's words, the feathered serpent goddess, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, grinned maliciously, revealing its sharp teeth.

"What do you want to do! Now that the Bull of Heaven has run away, do you want to make enemies of all the magical creatures here? What are you thinking? This is a gathering place for magical creatures! Enough, come with me!" Ereshkigal ran forward and tried to pull her sister away from here.

Ishtar shook off Ereshkigal's hand, summoned her own divine Divine Beast, and shouted, "Can't find it! Just summon it! Gugalanna (Bull of Heaven)--!!! Come here!!!"

"Moo~!!!"

In that instant, a violent storm arose in front of the girl, stretching from the earth to the high sky, dragging in layers of clouds. The sky abruptly changed color, and the surrounding clouds constantly shifted their shapes.

In retaliation for the betrayal of the king of the gods, the gods sent the Bull of Heaven to wreak havoc on the mortal realm for seven years before finally being defeated by Gilgamesh and Enkidu in their prime, after thorough preparation. Legend has it that its indirect influence on the world upon its descent alone caused a storm that stretched for 800 kilometers.

If Gilgamesh was the 'Heaven's Wedge' —a pillar supporting the door connecting the divine realm and the human world, a safeguard that the gods foresaw impending changes in the world!

Enkidu's purpose was to pull Gilgamesh, who was gradually turning away from the side of the gods, back, and to prevent the door from straying far from the 'Heaven's Lock'.

The Bull of Heaven was created by the combined efforts of Gilgamesh and Enkidu to protect this gate from being completely destroyed by their arbitrariness. In terms of combat power, it represents the pinnacle of Mesopotamian mythology. It is also the prototype of the Taurus constellation of the Taurus.

As the dust and smoke from the storm dissipated, a chibi-style divine bull appeared, with a pair of blue, lightning-streaked curved horns and a black mane with golden markings. It wasn't much different in size from the little lions, except that it still had a four-legged body.

However, no one present doubted the power of this divine bull; even though its body had shrunk, its imposing presence remained undiminished.

Whether it was Lion Saber, Panda Jeanne d'Arc, or the three Cú Chulainn, they all jumped forward warily to protect their masters.

"Moo~!" The divine ox raised its head high and let out a huge roar, which immediately caused a great riot in the forest. The panicked beasts were frightened and fled to the edge of the forest, and tens of thousands of birds flew out of the sky, vying to fly away.

Ishtar coldly waved his hand and shouted:

"Gugalanna, blow them away! If they don't behave, crush them!"

"..." The Bull of Heaven turned to look at Ishtar, then turned his head away with a look of disdain, shaking his head. 'I was enjoying the beautiful scenery outside, basking in the sun, and taking a nap. Why did you have to disturb my pleasant time?'

"I know, I know! I'll make it up to you later, and I'll let you take a long vacation. I promise I won't bother you," Ishtar pleaded.

"It's a deal! Otherwise, I'll really go on strike next time, and even if you summon me again, Ishtar, I won't agree!" The Bull of Heaven said with a muffled thud, looking at the girl.

"I know! It's a date!" Ishtar replied reluctantly.

'The contract is established!' The Bull of Heaven turned its massive head, staring directly at the people before it, and raised its head high once more, letting out a roar that shook the mountains and forests: 'Moo!!!'

The next moment, the small body of the Bull of Heaven expanded infinitely, transforming into a colossal beast that could support the sky. Clouds enveloped its body, and it instantly became half again as tall as the tallest bamboo in the great forest.

Its enormous body destroyed nearly a quarter of the forest, lightning flashed between its huge blue horns, and its body was covered with a golden, scale-like skeleton. It stirred up a violent hurricane that stretched for eight hundred miles, blowing away many of the magical creatures in the area.

At this moment, even just one of the Bull of Heaven's legs is like a colossal creature that ten Shirou could not encircle.

The raging tornado was slowly approaching Shirou, seemingly trying to sweep everything on the ground into it. It hooked the magical creatures clinging to the ground with its claws, and because they were very light, they were sucked up one by one.

Except for the small animals that could dig holes and burrow inside, everything else was sucked up and flown away.

"Yes! Yes! That's it! Blow all these guys away!! Hahaha!" Ishtar laughed loudly from the back.

At that moment Ereshkigal abandoned Ishtar, who was concentrating on communicating with the Bull of Heaven, turned around and ran back, grabbing a vine tied to a tree, reaching out her hand to Shirou, and shouting, "Shirou! This way! Hurry!"

In the nick of time, Shirou grabbed the girl's hand and his friends with his other hand. Hand in hand, they flew like kites in the gale. After a struggle, they finally reached behind a big tree and clung to it tightly, thus escaping disaster.

"Hey! Big sister, you're the guardian of this forest, aren't you? Hurry up and think of something!" said Cú Chulainn.

The blonde goddess, sitting on the ground, was about to stand up when her face suddenly turned ashen. She covered her mouth and exclaimed, "Ugh, no... My head hurts so much from the hangover, and I feel nauseous... Ugh!"

Chapter 337 The Heavenly Bull vs. the feathered serpent goddess

The colossal Bull of Heaven was wreaking havoc on the forest—no, to be precise, it was crushing it. All it needed to do was move forward; its massive weight would crush or send trees flying. The great forest was on the verge of destruction, but its guardian Quetzalcoatl, lay sprawled on the ground, seemingly about to spew rainbow-colored liquid from his mouth.

"Don't throw up! This guy is not only weak when he drinks, but he's also incredibly weak when he's drunk!" Cú Chulainn complained.

"If I had known she was like this, I would have just let her drink from the start. Seriously, what was the point of my nervousness before?" Ereshkigal said with a troubled expression.

Shirou covered his face helplessly and said, "Yinglong, who came to China, could at least learn some Drunken Fist. Why is it that this Creator God, who learned Mexico freestyle wrestling, collapses after just a little alcohol?"

"Don't say that! Big sister is very strong... Ugh!!!" Quetzalcoatl raised her head and was about to retort when she felt nauseous again, her face turning pale as she covered her mouth.

The small animals, along with the boy and girl, covered their noses and kept their distance from the woman.

"What do we do now?" Although Ereshkigal had abandoned her sister Ishtar and returned here, she didn't have any good ideas. Having lost her Divine Power, she was completely helpless against a behemoth like the Bull of Heaven, and could only turn to Shirou and ask.

Shirou pondered for a moment, then said to the girl with a serious expression, "I have an idea that we can try. But Ereshkigal, it's not safe here! You don't need to stay by my side. If you don't want to hurt the children here, then leave. I'll find a way to stop Ishtar."

"Shirou! I would never abandon a friend in danger, and with you by my side, at least she won't let the Bull of Heaven go too far," Ereshkigal said firmly.

At this moment, the Bull of Heaven raised its golden giant feet, which were like pillars supporting the sky, and strolled forward. Each time it landed, the earth trembled violently. The boys, girls, and small animals were like eraser shavings on a table, and if they didn't hold on to something, they would be involuntarily bounced up and down.

Shirou and Ereshkigal bounced up and down like children on a trampoline. Characters like Lion Saber Panda Jeanne d'Arc were constantly changing poses in the air, from sitting to doing 360 degrees, never repeating the same pose twice.

"This might make me a little happier..."

"Gaaaaa~!"

Ereshkigal and the magical creatures exchanged adorable, bewildered smiles.

However, the situation was quite different for Quetzalcoatl, who was suffering from a hangover.

"Stop... stop shaking me, my head hurts so much, my stomach acid is coming back up..." The woman with messy blonde hair turned pale and puffed out her cheeks, "Waaah!!! I can't hold it in anymore!"

"Moo~!" The Bull of Heaven seemed to have heard feathered serpent goddess's words and responded, but it raised its foot high and then stomped on the ground, rising and falling rapidly, stomping even more vigorously.

Quetzalcoatl lowered his head and sprayed rainbow-colored liquid wildly...

The Bull of Heaven let out a mocking sound, and then

Ishtar, standing behind, shouted a reminder: "Wait! This isn't the time for you to play around with them! Destroy the ley lines here!"

"Moo..." The Bull of Heaven turned its head away unhappily.

Ishtar paused for a moment, then waved his hands and shouted to the sky, "What? That's not fun at all? Now it's work! Get to work! Solve these problems, and I'll let you go back!"

"We can't let that bull run rampant anymore! If the Great Forest is destroyed, we'll all perish too! Let's go!" Druid Cú Chulainn shouted as he charged forward, twirling his staff and summoning a wooden giant tens of meters tall using the help of the giant trees in the Great Forest. But compared to the Bull of Heaven, it was still no match.

"Roar!!!" The blue dog Cú Chulainn and the black Dragon Cú Chulainn simultaneously unleashed their piercing Death Spears. The two red magic spears that shot out transformed into hundreds of magic spears, flying towards the giant bull.

The demonic spears pierced the body of the Bull of Heaven, but its size was simply too enormous. Perhaps even if these demonic spears had struck its heart, the damage might not have been significant.

"Moo!" Feeling the sting, the Bull of Heaven stomped heavily on the ground, crushing the earth in the heart of the inner forest. Centered on the burrow that Quetzalcoatl had created the night before, cracks began to appear in the ground, and under the immense pressure, fragments of stone bounced off the surface.

"Wait! That's the Holy Grail!!" Ereshkigal shouted, pointing to the golden light that had been blasted high into the air.

"Leave it to me!" Shirou ran over quickly.

"Stop him!" Ishtar shouted.

The Bull of Heaven raised its foot to stomp on Shirou.

"I told you! Stop shaking!!! Roar!!!" At this moment Quetzalcoatl turned her head and roared angrily at the giant Bull of Heaven. The next moment, she revealed her true form, the feathered serpent goddess, Divine Beast with a serpent's body and a dragon's head and huge wings. She spread her sky-covering wings, and flames shot into the sky from between the feathers.

It rammed into the chin of the Bull of Heaven, causing it to stagger and move its massive feet across the ground with a deafening howl of pain.

"Moo!!!" The Bull of Heaven steadied itself, glaring angrily at the giant bird that suddenly appeared in the sky, and unleashed lightning from its massive horns, striking the feathered serpent goddess in the air.

Although feathered serpent goddess's wings were powerful, his body was far less robust than that of the Bull of Heaven, and the battle was evenly matched.

At this moment Bull of Heaven opened its mouth wide, resisting the attack of the feathered serpent goddess while letting out a deafening roar that shook the earth. Its four hooves trampled wildly on the ground of the great forest, attempting to shatter the entire earth and make Shirou fall into the abyss below.

"Hmph! Bind me up!"

In the next instant, countless golden chains flew out from the void, wrapping around the four legs of the giant Bull of Heaven, finally binding it into a bundle.

The feathered serpent goddess seized the opening and transformed into a flaming arrow, striking the Bull of Heaven.

"Moo!!!" The huge bull let out a painful groan and collapsed to the ground, crushing nearly half of the trees in the great forest.

"Hahahaha!!! Now that I have inherited the throne and lead the people, there's no need for any gods residing in the heavens above Uruk!"

"That laughter is..." Shirou's gaze fell on the top of a large tree.

Sure enough, they spotted a blond, red-eyed boy with his arms crossed, laughing as he looked down at them.

Beside him stood a miniature figure with long green hair, draped in a white cloak, whose gender was indistinguishable, but the golden chains emanating from behind indicated his immense power.

"See that, kid! I found the strongest companion on the other side of the river! Only he is worthy to be my companion!" Gil said arrogantly.

"Gah?"

"Huh?"

Beside Shirou, the Panda Jeanne d'Arc and the little tiger looked at the little lion and asked, "Who is that arrogant human child?"

"Ooh..." Lion Saber spread her hands and shook her head, indicating that it was nothing to worry about.

When Gil, perched in the tree, saw the magical creatures, her eyes widened in surprise, and she exclaimed, "Hey! The number has increased! And there are two more at once!!!"

"Thank you for coming to help, Gil!" Shirou said, expressing his gratitude.

"Hahaha, you're worthy of being my opponent! Although your methods aren't exactly righteous, I didn't expect you to be able to win over three magical creatures. I must commend you. This battle involves magical creatures, so we'll lend you our power this time!" Gil shouted with a laugh.

The little green-haired figure next to him also raised his hand in agreement.

"Damn it! What a useless bull! I have to rely on myself now!" At this moment, Ishtar gritted her teeth and ran towards the Holy Grail.

"Let's go too!" Cú Chulainn led the remaining magical creatures forward to stop Ishtar.

The cry of eagles echoed in the sky, and several giant eagles descended from above. The gods, dressed in long robes, jumped down from above. They had rushed over after hearing the huge commotion caused by the Bull of Heaven.

Ishtar cried out, "Father, Uncle, please help me! If we destroy the ley lines of this great forest, we can break the balance! Then we can find a way to get that white light and restore our Divine Power!"

"Gahhh!" The magical creatures that rushed forward in pursuit of Ishtar were blocked by the light waves emitted by the gods' outstretched palms.

"Oh! Go! My beloved daughter! We'll hold them off here!" the man said, leading his brothers and nephews as they leaped in front of the magical creature.

After all, they were once invincible gods. Even in human form, they possessed physical abilities several times that of an adult male. Their previous reluctance to confront magical creatures stemmed from a desire to avoid risks, but now that they were truly going to fight, it was uncertain who would prevail.

"Don't even think about it!!! Put down the Holy Grail!!!"

At this moment, feathered serpent goddess eyes had turned bloodshot, had completely let go of her worries. In the battle with the Bull of Heaven, she was now bloodthirsty and filled with murderous intent. She was no longer the cheerful older sister who occasionally made funny faces, but a terrifying monster.

With the Bull of Heaven now bound by golden chains, there is nothing in this world that can stop her.

A long dragon with wings spread its wings, which were longer than the body of Bull of Heaven, covering everything on the ground and turning it into complete darkness. But soon, light, a red light, appeared on the ground again.

Those were the raging flames emanating from feathered serpent goddess's body, flames as bright as the sun. In an instant, the great forest turned crimson, the lush green leaves began to turn yellow and wither, falling to the ground, and the branches high up were scorched black.

The god-like man felt his skin emitting a strange odor, as if it were about to be roasted. The small animals on the ground also collapsed haphazardly, their tongues lolling out weakly. The heat was unbearable, and Shirou and Ereshkigal were also drenched in sweat.

Ishtar, who was locked on, felt as if a knife was pointed at her back and she was walking on thin ice.

"This looks really bad! I'd better run!" Ishtar grabbed the cup hanging from a tree branch and ran quickly into the bushes, trying to escape Quetzalcoatl's gaze. At that moment, all she wanted was to get out of this place as quickly as possible, even for just a second, whether it was a flying machine left behind in the heavens that could be taken from the bow of a ship, or Emma's little motorcycle!

"Don't even think about escaping!" A fierce light flashed in the eyes of the two-horned dragon head, and the flames emanating from its body became even more dazzling, eventually transforming into a huge round fireball that swooped down directly towards Ishtar on the ground.

"It's a lie! Waaaaah! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!" Ishtar cried out in panic, tears welling in her eyes, as she rushed forward, but it was too late.

"Grit your teeth!" Shirou ran up a tree, grabbed a long vine, swung towards the girl, hugged Ishtar around the waist, and together they used the force of the vine swinging high into the distance to fly away.

The next moment, a huge fireball descended and slammed into Shirou's back, drying and wrinkling his clothes until they smelled foul. Fortunately, he narrowly avoided it.

"Thank you, and... let go of me! How long are you going to keep holding me like this?!" Ishtar blushed as she looked at Shirou, but then realized she had been holding the position for too long and shouted angrily.