Offer Up Your Heart

"Oh! I understand. You've finally grown tired of these detestable humans, so you've decided to eliminate them. Your order is for me to assassinate the unconscious Gilgamesh! Don't worry, Mother, I'll do it right away and make sure to chop his head to pieces!"

"Aaaa, Aaaaa!!"

Tiamat grabbed Kingu's arm and smacked her head against Kingu, giving her a little lesson to correct her mistaken thinking.

Although Kingu is no longer hostile to humans, and his mother no longer hates them, he still feels somewhat annoyed by the actions of humans and gods, so he still wants to cause them some trouble. More importantly, he knows his mother will definitely stop him, and what he just said was merely a playful interaction with his mother.

Aside from the experience of battling the gods right after her birth thousands of years ago, the only connection she has had with her mother since her resurrection is quietly listening to her cries. Although she still respects and loves her mother, Kingu also longs for more contact, communication, and even interaction with her.

She had previously thought that by cleansing the earth and allowing her mother to return and vent her anger, she would receive the love and companionship she had always longed for and stay by her mother's side. That's why she was so stubborn and hated everything that stood in her way.

However, as Tiamat's seal was gradually broken by Goetia, and she herself used Rovey's blood and the tides of the Sea of Life as a catalyst to create her Spirit Origin, returning with her rational side, Kingu finally got her wish and was able to communicate and play with her mother like a child. At the same time, she also realized that besides the endless anger and grief, her mother had something more important, which was also what she longed for.

"So... Mother, are you going to cook?" Kingu asked.

"Aaaa, aaaa, aaaaa..."

Speaking of cooking, Tiamat was somewhat disappointed when she recently made a stewed fish from the Sea of Life, which gave the housekeepers who ate it too much energy and vitality, causing them to be unable to sleep for three days and three nights.

She was also banned from entering the kitchen by the chefs in Uruk because her stew with the flavor of the Sea of Life caused many citizens to feel unwell and restless. She can only bake bread now.

"What? You mean—the humans of Uruk don't allow you to cook anything other than bread because they think your cooking is a hassle for them, so you're thinking that since you're not suited to cooking, you'll help everyone buy groceries, right?"

"Aaaa".

Tiamat nodded.

"Please rest assured, Mother. Those humans who rejected you, along with the chef, will all gather in the blood pool where the Blood Shrine raises Demonic Beast this afternoon!"

Upon hearing that his mother had been bullied by those humans, Kingu shook his chains and immediately prepared to seek justice for his mother.

"Aaaa!!"

Tiamat retaliated with a rocket headbutt, knocking the unfilial son Kingu, to his knees, clutching his head and begging for forgiveness.

"I was wrong, Mother, please forgive me. I was just joking."

Kingu bowed his head and apologized.

"Aaaaa..."

Seeing her child admit her mistake, Tiamat patted Kingu's head and praised her for being a good child. Kingu was naturally very pleased, smiling slightly as she earnestly felt this maternal love she had never experienced before. Walking down the street with Tiamat, she helped her snatch the vegetables from middle-aged women who were clearly human. Although she didn't understand what was so delicious about these vegetables, she was very happy to be able to help her mother. Kingu, still worried that Tiamat wasn't doing well in Uruk, Jingu followed Tiamat to her bakery and volunteered to be Tiamat's taste tester.

Although she couldn't tell the difference between the dark bread her mother baked and the soil and stones she usually ate for sustenance, anything made by Tiamat, no matter what it was, was a delicacy, and she used this to encourage Tiamat.

"Well, now that everything you needed has been taken care of, I wish you a wonderful day, Mother."

Kingu was happy to have helped Tiamat and was also preparing to leave.

She thought her encounter with Tiamat was just a pleasant accident, but Tiamat gently pulled her from behind.

"What's wrong, Mother? Is there anything else I need to do?"

Kingu turned around and asked curiously.

"Aaaa, aaaa, aa..."

Tiamat also revealed her true feelings at this moment.

—Kingu, soon I will disappear completely. I hope you can do me a favor, my dear child.

"Please speak, Mother."

The smile on Kingu's face gradually disappeared, and his tone became heavy.

She should have realized it sooner. The area she was wandering in was so remote, and in order to avoid being noticed by other humans, she even used a special ability like Presence Concealment. How could Tiamat finding her be a coincidence? She must have come looking for her on purpose. She followed the child's scent to find her.

Tiamat sought out Kingu to tell Kingu her last words, to ask her to convey them to her loved ones, and to prepare for her funeral arrangements.

"My child, as your mother, I am so sorry that I haven't been able to spend more time with you. Now we have to part again. This is my dereliction of duty."

But I want you to tell Rovey that I left him a trump card that could kill me. And I hope he can use the gift I gave him before I left to finish me off.

This era no longer needs gods. Humanity, and countless other lives, are all living happily. Seeing this, I, as a mother, can leave in peace. Or rather, someone like me, who causes so much trouble for everyone, should have left the stage long ago.

That day, Tiamat uttered the cruelest words to her with her happiest smile. Standing in front of her, Kingu silently clenched his fists, then lowered his head in anguish, unsure how to respond.

Can you help me? My child...

"If this is your wish, Mother, I will not refuse."

——

——

"Now... do you understand?! Why things turned out this way?"

Clang! Clang!

The piercing sounds and bursts of fire continued to erupt in the forest.

"If you hadn't stirred up your mother's emotions, she wouldn't have completely abandoned her rationality and appeared in this world prematurely—leaving behind this thing!!"

More chains erupted from Kingu's palm, her attack far stronger than ever before.

However, in the face of her continuous attacks of the Chains of Heaven, the crimson hand behind Rovey, covered with massive magical power, directly smashed them, breaking them in half in mid-air. Even the earthen weapons that formed beneath her feet were shattered by Rovey's Magecraft without causing any damage.

'This guy is still so strong! There's absolutely no way to resist him!!'

Since that's the case—

"You bastard who deceived someone's feelings and caused my mother to make this choice, take this!!"

Seeing that he had no way to deal with the chain attack, Kingu withdrew the chains, and then his palm transformed into a golden longsword again, which he slashed at Rovey.

"Be rational, Kingu. Your mother wouldn't want to see you do something like this, and—"

Facing Kingu's increasingly furious attacks, Rovey Wei calmly asked, "Why didn't Tiamat tell me about this herself?"

As he spoke, Rovey Projection a weapon in his hand, which steadily blocked the Kingu longsword that Kingu was slashing down, ending the chaotic battle between the Magecraft. The two then began to compete in terms of strength, but it was not Rovey who lost; instead, it was Kingu, who was using a divinely created body, who was steadily countered.

"You stupid scum! Precisely because you understand each other, shouldn't you understand this even more?! How could Mother possibly tell you! Would you tell someone important about your own death?"

Seeing that she couldn't gain any advantage with her weapon, Kingu suddenly reached out with her other hand and grabbed Rovey's neck. However, before she could deal with Rovey's body, Rovey reacted even faster and grabbed her other arm with a backhand. Then he suddenly slapped Jin Gu's hand Kingu the weapon, causing her to drop the weapon due to the sudden pain.

Seeing her weapon slip from her hand and Rovey's attack coming, she hurriedly disregarded the weapon and aimed at Rovey's heart. At that moment, the finger sword formed by Rovey's two fingers had already reached Kingu's fair neck. With just a little force, Kingu's throat would be pierced. However, Kingu Gu's hand was firmly grasped in mid-air by Rovey's other hand.

—The outcome is decided.

"... I lost."

This time, Kingu didn't argue or struggle; he simply accepted his defeat calmly and withdrew his hand, saying...

"[In the upcoming battle, please help Rovey kill me. I believe you can defeat a wicked mother like me and achieve victory.] — This is all the message my mother asked me to convey to you."

"Um."

"Snort!"

Rovey withdrew his fingers, and Kingu, having vented his anger, sat down on the ground without any regard for his image.

After venting her frustrations, Kingu's mood calmed down considerably, and she continued.

"That's about all the information your mother wanted me to convey to you."

"...I understand." Rovey nodded, then looked at Kingu and asked, "Is there anything you want to say to me privately?"

"Me..."

Upon hearing Rovey's question, Kingu lowered his head and then took out a piece of black bread from his pocket, although its shape was somewhat different from the bread Rovey was carrying.

This is a sample that Kingu left behind when she first tasted Tiamat. She said she wanted to take it back to eat, but she couldn't bear to part with it and carefully preserved it with magic, always carrying it with her.

For Tiamat, it might just be a simple piece of bread, but for Kingu, it was the first gift her mother had ever given her, a testament to her mother's love, and she naturally couldn't bear to eat it.

Holding the bread tightly to his chest, Kingu lowered his head and spoke slowly and deliberately, his expression heavy with sorrow.

"Although this was my mother's wish, and I shouldn't have gone against it, but—"

"I simply cannot accept that my mother suffered such an end. She was so great and kind; she should never have been treated like this by the world. Therefore, I want your help to find a way to save my mother!"

"..."

Rovey was stunned when he heard Kingu's heartfelt request.

At this moment, Kingu raised her head. The expression on her face and the tear stains were enough to prove that she was serious. Seeing this, Rovey reached out and pulled her up from the ground, then nodded to Kingu in front of him.

"Don't worry, that's exactly why I came here."

"You bastard..."

Upon hearing Rovey's reply, Kingu glanced at his eyes in surprise, and in those eyes, she saw pure determination and hope.

This also made her recall what happened with her mother that day.

——

——

"Mother, although it may be a bit abrupt, I have a question I would like to ask you."

After accepting Tiamat's request to convey her last words with a heavy heart, Kingu roused himself, looked into Tiamat's eyes, and suddenly spoke.

"Aaaaa~"

Tiamat tilted her head, her face still bearing her unique serene smile.

"Are you happy in Uruk? Have you found happiness during this time?"

"..."

Tiamat didn't answer, but the genuine smile on her face, like the dawn breaking through the darkness and comforting people, was the best answer.

'I have already achieved my wish.'

"I see."

Upon seeing that smile, Kingu's last doubts were finally dispelled, and she slowly lowered her head to make her final promise to her mother.

Chapter 268 Donating a Heart

In the forest surrounding Uruk, Rovey and Kingu, two somewhat forlorn figures, sat neatly atop a large tree that had been knocked down by the aftershocks of their recent battle. Both were bowing their Rovey, gesturing wildly with the branches they held, seemingly exchanging words.

But before that—

Here, do you want some more?

Rovey put the amulet Tiamat had given him around his neck, and at the same time took out the remaining pieces of black bread and shared them with Kingu, and they began to eat together. For a moment, the atmosphere between the two became very strange.

"..."

Kingu expressionlessly accepted the black bread that Rovey handed him, and then kept stuffing it into his mouth in front of him, closing his eyes to enjoy the taste that his mother had left for him.

Each of them held a piece of black bread, enjoying the experience of eating dirt. Then they both lowered their heads and calmly began to think. The atmosphere between them suddenly became exceptionally harmonious. If it weren't for the messy land and the fallen trees that formed the battlefield, it would be hard to tell that a fierce battle had recently taken place here.

If outsiders saw them, they would definitely mistake them for close friends, companions, or even lovers. After all, their actions were so synchronized, and the atmosphere between them was so harmonious that there was absolutely no sign of them not getting along.

In fact, even Kingu never imagined that one day he could sit so peacefully with the guy next to him, eating bread baked by his mother. You see, her prejudice against Rovey was practically written all over her face. Although she had just vented her anger and realized the harsh reality that she was no match for Rovey, the main reason was that Kingu had truly accepted it.

After all, no matter how you look at it or how the battle goes, the final result is that Rovey is far stronger than himself, and he is also the person his mother trusts the most. If he cooperates with him and entrusts his hopes to him, the probability of saving his mother will be much greater.

After having this thought in his mind, Kingu tried hard to convince himself again and truly let go of past grudges and prejudices.

Since the other party is stronger than himself, he will listen to Rovey for the time being. Although they are partners, the principle that the weak listen to the strong is beyond question.

However, whether this is a way for her to save face is completely unknown.

"..."

"..."

Time passed slowly, and the two continued to sit side by side.

"Have you calmed down a bit, Kingu?"

After a long silence, Rovey spoke up and asked.

"It's alright now, I'm sorry..."

Kingu also gave a polite reply.

"I just did something a bit too aggressive, but it seems you're not hurt."

Kingu, who had almost gone berserk because of Tiamat's entrustment and the last words his mother left for Rovey, finally calmed down and returned to his original state.