Uproar

The two nodded to each other, understanding each other's thoughts even without saying much.

Now that things had come to this, Gilgamesh didn't want to say anything more, nor was there any need to force Siduri to leave, because he knew it would be useless to Siduri; one shouldn't obstruct the one who made the decision.

"I see... I understand."

Gilgamesh's lips curled up slightly, and then he smiled like Siduri. He quickly withdrew all the embarrassment and surprise from his face, extended his large hand to Siduri, and his tone became louder.

"Very well! Since this is what you insist on, then I will grant your wish! High Priestess Siduri, listen carefully to my command!"

"Yes."

Upon hearing Gilgamesh's call, Siduri smiled and immediately knelt down to pay her respects. The two appeared in the center of the palace, one tall and one short, the atmosphere just as it had been long ago.

"Live! Live well for me! Then lead those who survived this disaster to rebuild Uruk, and pass on my story, the tales of this place, and our resolve!"

"Leading the people to fight and resist is the king's mission, while passing on this story is the mission of you, his subjects. Now, are you willing to accept this task?"

Gilgamesh leaned down and looked at Siduri kneeling on the ground, speaking with utmost seriousness.

"... Yes, I promise I won't fail in my mission."

Siduri, kneeling on the ground, lowered her head without hesitation, accepting this mission that belonged to her. At that moment, the sunlight shone through the gaps in the Uruk Palace, quietly illuminating the two of them and casting shadows around them. The colors of light and shadow swayed quietly around them.

Seeing this, a hint of reminiscence flickered in Kingu's eyes, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips, but she quickly suppressed it again, because it was not her smile, but that of Enkidu.

After the two of them stood up and finished their work, Kingu looked at Gilgamesh and asked him somewhat impatiently, "Now that your little matter is over, what should I do next? Those guys have made arrangements, so I must have one too, right?"

Kingu, who had been busy with trivial matters since yesterday, asked Gilgamesh a question.

After all, the meeting ended yesterday, Quetzalcoatl and the two Holy Lance goddesses all had their own tasks. Apart from Ishtar, who was kicked out of the palace by Gilgamesh, she was the only one with nothing to do.

First, she wanted to go to Rovey's place to see if there was anything she could do to help. Then, she wanted to help Gilgamesh send people to the Underworld. At this moment, there were more things she wanted to do than just these.

The power and uses of the Chains of Heaven are not limited to this.

Gilgamesh seemed to have anticipated her question. He glanced at Kingu eyes, then raised his hand and waved it to signal her not to rush. He then gave the order for Kingu to remain there and wait for further instructions.

"Don't worry, I won't let such an important fighting force go to waste. Don't forget what Uruk's creed is—no idlers!"

"Since I've asked you to stay here, it means there's a role you'll play. Until that opportunity arrives, all you have to do is wait here. You're an insurance policy I've left for Tiamat. Even if you don't want to fight when the time comes, I won't allow it."

As Gilgamesh spoke, a slight smile unconsciously crept onto his lips as he looked at Kingu's face and heard his increasingly similar tone to Enkidu's.

Upon hearing Gilgamesh's words, Kingu didn't say much more, simply nodding in agreement to stay and remain there.

Seeing their familiar figures gathered again in this palace, which they had visited countless times before, tears welled up in Siduri's eyes. The priest who came to report was even more moved, tears streaming down his face. He even took out the clay tablet he carried with him and began to carve, muttering a phrase as he carved.

"They're back! They're all back! The old Uruk is back!"

Gilgamesh cursed him as an idiot upon seeing this, and then kicked him away.

Ishtar, who had always been alone because of her isolation, sat on the rooftop, watching everything that was happening below, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This should be considered some compensation, right...?

Siduri, Gilgamesh, Enkidu, alas...

Why should the person I was incarnated with have to pay for the things they did in the past?

Just as Ishtar was scratching her head, she suddenly heard someone calling her from the city.

"Lord Ishtar, another suspicious creature has emerged from underground!"

"Ahhh, I know, I'm coming!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Ishtar flew off in Maanna to a corner of the city.

Meanwhile, on the other side--

"Is this Uruk? It truly is a magnificent city, no less impressive than those under Rameses II's rule, but..."

"Are there really no problems with these teleportation pits? Why are they being spat out? Boss Ereshkigal's designs are really strange. No wonder people keep digging holes from above the Underworld."

Clutching her dizzy head, Nitocris suppressed the urge to vomit up her breakfast and stood up, leaning against the walls of Uruk. Behind her was the teleportation pit that looked just like a tunnel worm.

She glanced at her somewhat strange surroundings.

Although she had never been here before, the orderly streets and the layout far ahead of its time made it easy to tell that this was the center of Uruk. Many shops, though deserted, were still preserved, and one could vaguely see the former prosperity. However, the citizens were now either sleeping in Ereshkigal's flower garden or fighting on the front lines, which gave Nitocris a momentary sense of disorientation.

"Hey! Another strange figure has appeared out of the ground! Everyone, come over here!"

"No, we must find Lady Ishtar quickly! We're having a hard time dealing with those monsters—wait! Something seems off this time?"

Because the entire city was under martial law, Nitocris was immediately noticed by the surrounding soldiers when she emerged from underground. To be on the safe side, they immediately called for their companions, which startled Nitocris.

"A monster!? Where, where?!"

Upon hearing that a monster had emerged from the ground, Nitocris's expression immediately turned serious. She hurriedly looked around, until she suddenly realized that the soldiers surrounding her seemed to be coming for her. Only then did she realize that she was the suspicious person they were talking about.

"Disrespectful! Utterly disrespectful! This is utterly disrespectful! Do I look like a monster? You mere mortals are so opportunistic!"

She spoke loudly and authoritatively, leaning on the golden scepter in her hand. The aura of the Underworld emanating from her caused those surrounding her to involuntarily take a few steps back.

Because these humans had never seen Ereshkigal or Nitocris before, even after recognizing that the newcomer was human and not Lahmu, they did not immediately leave, but continued to watch her warily.

Then, a blue, trailing meteor fell from the sky towards them.

Accompanied by a --

A loud "bang!" rang out, and a cloud of yellowish dust rose in front of everyone, obscuring Nitocris's figure. Then, a haughty and familiar female voice came from within.

"So it was you who summoned this goddess, right? Hurry up and tell me, where are those disgusting monsters?"

Ishtar, dressed lightly, jumped off Maanna and appeared somewhat disgusted in the dust, constantly complaining about the harsh environment, completely unaware that it was caused by her earlier actions.

Until--

"Ishtar, you still don't understand the dignity and etiquette of a goddess at all. It seems you haven't had enough of the punishment in the Underworld."

As a familiar sound came from the smoke and dust, Ishtar, who had been looking arrogant, suddenly shuddered and involuntarily shrank back.

Chapter 296 Noise

"Huh! Isn't that Lady Ishtar? And it seems there's someone else with her."

"Is that Lahmu?"

"No, I've seen her before. I saw that beautiful goddess when I was captured and taken to the Underworld not long ago. She's the gatekeeper of the Underworld."

"I see... But what are they doing over there?"

"Isn't it obvious? The goddess of the Underworld has already defeated Lady Ishtar and is preparing to take her back to the Underworld to train her into—!"

"What's the point of having such a vivid imagination?"

Before the man could finish speaking, he was kicked to the ground by the priest of Ishtar who was standing to the side.

Because of the city-wide martial law, Nitocris was surrounded as soon as she crawled out of the ground, which also attracted Ishtar. However, after the soldiers realized that it was just a misunderstanding, they all stepped back and had no intention of getting involved in the dispute between the goddesses.

However, watching a spectacle is human nature, even in Uruk, which has existed for thousands of years. So they stood in a row in perfect unison, becoming a battle between goddesses that was rarely seen by the bloodthirsty audience.

However, unlike the earth-shattering divine battle between Ishtar, Enkidu, and Gilgamesh decades ago, this battle between the two goddesses is less a fierce battle between gods in mythology and more like a fight between women, with Ishtar seemingly being completely suppressed.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Don't pull my hair! You annoying, gloomy goddess!"

"You have the nerve to call me the Gloomy Goddess?"

Nitocris frowned, grabbing Ishtar's long hair in annoyance. Ishtar cried out in pain as Nitocris continued, "I am the chosen one of Anubis, the gatekeeper of the Underworld, and also the representative of Horus, the god of the sky. Now I am also the agent of Ereshkigal. Nitocris Alter is the goddess who wields justice and judgment."

"You grab my hair the moment we meet? What kind of just goddess are you? Let me go and we'll fight! And release my noble hair right now, or I'll take this as a provocation against me, the supreme goddess, you third-rate hybrid goddess created through crowdfunding!"

Ishtar clutched her hair and said in pain.

"..."

Nitocris released Ishtar's long hair at this moment, and said somewhat angrily, "Supreme God? You mean Inanna? You, a derelict goddess who couldn't even protect her own people and could only watch them disappear into the river of history, have the right to call yourself the Supreme God? Guess why you are Ishtar now, and not Inanna?"

(Quetzalcoatl: It felt like an arrow had suddenly struck my knee.)

"Damn it, I can't find a single reason to refute you! Ugh! You monstrous goddess, fine! I won't stoop to your level. You didn't come here just to argue with me, did you? Are you here to punish me on behalf of my sister, that gloomy goddess? Or are you just jealous of my beauty and wealth... I get it!"

"You don't understand anything!"

Stunned by this guy's imagination, Nitocris frowned, wishing she could just punch Ishtar's not-so-bright little head off. At that moment, Ishtar stretched out her hand, intending to grab Nitocris's fist, but Nitocris grabbed it back, and the two of them engaged in a fierce struggle with their hands locked together.

The air itself felt scorching.

However, Ishtar's tendency to mess things up quickly came into play. Because of the huge crater she created around the ground when she landed, her foot accidentally tripped and slipped, giving Nitocris an opportunity.

She first turned around, then took the opportunity to get behind Ishtar, and then stretched out her arms to hug Ishtar's lower abdomen, wrapping them around her waist. With a sudden burst of strength, using a standard Egypt fighting technique, she threw Ishtar directly to the ground with a "thud!" Ishtar felt as if her bones had been shattered.

"Wow..."

Pinned to the ground, the battle was over, Ishtar, whose defeat had become the norm, let out a pitiful wail.

Nitocris reached out and pressed her shoulder, then mocked, "Do you still have even a trace of the supreme god in you now? Ishtar, I see not a single divine quality in you. Likewise, you, who only attained this position because of favor, are not worthy of being compared to Ereshkigal. You are more like a wild god than I am."

"Damn it, I'm not a wild god!"

Ishtar was furious and tried to get up, but as soon as she stood up, she felt a sharp, aching pain as if all the bones in her body had been broken, and she screamed in pain.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! This is too much!"

Ishtar rubbed her lower back and glared angrily at Nitocris, saying, "Not only do you bear the burden of divinity, but you also possess the divinity of Ereshkigal. Because of what happened in the Underworld last time, you tampered with my body, preventing me from attacking Ereshkigal. Otherwise, you would be no match for me. If you have the guts, wait until I'm no longer possessed before you try to be my opponent! You third-rate goddess, crowdfunded!"

"If you want to go back to the Underworld, I don't mind putting you back right now. Anyway, you're useless now that you've lost the cow. In that case, you might as well let Ereshkigal use your body."

Nitocris said coldly, her tone very serious, and she didn't sound like she was joking at all.

"I don't want to go back..."

Upon hearing this, Ishtar shrank back, and the arrogance on her face vanished instantly. She could tell that Nitocris really would do that, so she chuckled twice and quickly changed the subject.

"You didn't come here specifically to make fun of me, did you? There must be something you want to discuss, right?"

Nitocris didn't ignore her question, but answered directly, "Well, I came here to investigate the situation, deliver some messages, and stay to help out. Anyway—"

"So, what's the situation here now, Ishtar? You should know about this, right?"

After a short delay, Nitocris did not forget her duty and took the initiative to ask about the current situation.

"The current situation... Uruk, right? Because I was sidelined by Gilgamesh, and everyone else is busy with their own things, I don't know much about the details. In short, those suddenly appearing Lahmu are flying in continuously from the Persian Gulf. Now, almost Heroic Spirit in the city have been sent to the front lines to build fortifications. Quetzalcoatl and that black guy are busy suppressing rebellions everywhere, and they should be in the southern part of the city's battlefront now."

"The south? I understand. But do you know the exact number of Lahmu? And what about the status of Tiamat?"

"Numbers? More than locusts! As for Tiamat, she's still sleeping in the ocean. Anyway, my mission is to patrol the skies above the city center using air superiority to prevent Lahmu from breaking into the city and launching a pincer attack on Uruk. Someone's calling me again, I have to go now! In short, that's about all I know. If you want to know anything, just ask Gilgamesh or your husband!"

Having wasted some time here, Ishtar once again sensed someone in the city calling her to fly over and help. After explaining what she wanted to say to Nitocris, she leaped onto Maanna behind her and prepared to depart. Nitocris saw that she seemed really anxious, and since Ishtar was indeed doing something important, she didn't want to disturb her, so she let her go.

"By the way, your husband isn't in the palace. He's in that divine tower to the north, doing something I don't know. If you want to find him, just go north."

Ishtar taking off, Ishtar reminded her again.

Dislike is dislike, and incompatibility is incompatibility.

If they were enemies, Ishtar would be a life-or-death foe to both Nitocris and Ereshkigal. But if they were allies, they would naturally not let their emotions and grudges interfere with the final victory in the battle, so they would share intelligence and tips.

"So..."

After watching Ishtar fly away, Nitocris gained some understanding of the situation here.

"The good news is that Uruk has ample fighting strength, and Tiamat hasn't woken up yet. With the power of the Heroic Spirit and the goddess, they can definitely hold out. But the bad news is that the number of Lahmu is still increasing, and the situation seems to be much more serious than it was at the beginning."

After observing the expressions of those around her, Nitocris slowly spoke into the air.

The next moment, from that spot where no color or figure could be seen, a cloud of black mist began to condense and slowly emerged. It was a pitch-black figure whose face was indistinguishable. No one knew when he had arrived there, and even Ishtar hadn't noticed that someone had been standing next to her all along.

"Isn't this just a matter of course? Rather, the fact that they can withstand such a disaster shows that these humans are far more capable than expected. I have to admit, the people of Mesopotamia are much more resilient than the people on my side. Is it because they have a trustworthy leader?"

The figure spoke softly.

"Looking at it this way, that previous deal was really worthwhile. It would be even better if Gilgamesh could send his soul to my Underworld after he dies. I quite like a warrior and king like him."

"Stop dreaming, Heaven's Wedge. Gilgamesh is a demigod of Sumerian. How could you possibly take him away? Even if Ereshkigal agrees, Gilgamesh would never agree."

Nitocris rolled her eyes at the black-clad figure and spoke.

"Haha, that's true. After all, some things really can't be bought. His soul is obviously not for sale either. It's such a pity."

The figure was not angry upon hearing this, but rather calmly accepted the fact.

"Seriously... are you really going to show up here looking like this? Don't you think it looks weird?"

Nitocris glanced at the black mist, then asked.

He was currently shrouded in black mist, making it impossible to discern his appearance or aura. If he hadn't proactively appeared and proposed a deal, even in the Underworld, neither he nor Ereshkigal would have easily detected him, especially given his terrifyingly high level of Spirit Origin. He had originally disappeared after taking Ereshkigal's Holy Grail, but recently he reappeared in the Underworld and proposed a new deal.

Although Ereshkigal, who had been tricked by this guy last time, didn't want to trust him, he considered his power and the fact that the guy had given the Holy Grail to Gilgamesh, proving he was indeed on their side. So he had no choice but to trust him again and allowed him to come with Nitocris.