Chapter 16

"Ishtar, this is all just a temporary measure. Once the Heaven's Wedge is complete, you can choose whoever you want as your lover. For now, just bear with it a little."

Anu, the supreme god of Mesopotamia, consoled his daughter in this way. Even when Ishtar spoke insolently, he did not rebuke her.

But now it wasn't just their family—every god on Earth hoped to avoid the Divine Era Decline.

The Heaven's Wedge was a necessary existence.

"But if you send me over again, isn't that like throwing a lamb into a tiger's den?"

Ishtar recalled Fujimaru Kyoya's ability to appear behind someone without a trace. By the time she realized it, the back of her head was about to explode.

For an ordinary person, that would definitely be fatal.

"Rest assured. When we sensed that Gilgamesh was difficult to control, we prepared countermeasures while creating the Spare. As long as his Divinity doesn't exceed Gilgamesh's, he can be controlled."

People don't fall into the same pit twice, let alone gods.

Gilgamesh possessed an extremely high A+ rank Divinity. To differentiate them, the Gods deliberately weakened the Divinity when creating the second "Heaven's Wedge."

Barring any accidents, Fujimaru Kyoya would definitely be controllable.

"Ereshkigal seems to have a talent for teaching. The Shadow, who was originally inferior to Gilgamesh in every aspect, has now managed to match him. Ishtar, your goal this time is to control the Shadow, and then punish the arrogant Gilgamesh."

Control Fujimaru Kyoya, destroy Gilgamesh, complete the Heaven's Wedge—that was Anu's plan. A game where the gods would win completely.

"Why wasn't something like this given to me earlier?"

Ishtar immediately broke into a malicious grin. Once she controlled Fujimaru Kyoya, she would definitely make him lick her feet and repay all the humiliation of these past days in one go.

But Ishtar didn't know an old human saying.

If something is supposed to go without a hitch, it's probably about to hit one.

Chapter 28: I Want to Play This Hopeful Footage.jpg

[You see Ishtar again. That disgusting arrogance has returned to her face, but you don't care about that. You're dejected because you didn't find the Bull of Heaven.]

Bull-bull, where is my big, big bull-bull?

Fujimaru Kyoya felt nothing about Ishtar's return. All he wanted was Ishtar's bull-bull.

An Ishtar without a bull-bull was, to Fujimaru Kyoya, nothing more than a group of eunuchs visiting a brothel—utter nonsense.

"Where's the Bull of Heaven?"

The moment Fujimaru Kyoya thought of all the wastelands waiting for the Bull of Heaven to plow, he lost all interest in Ishtar. He didn't even care why she had come back.

"Shadow, I've obtained the controlling spell from my father. Now, why don't you kneel down and lick my feet? I might grant you a little dignity."

Ishtar noticed that Fujimaru Kyoya still didn't take her seriously.

But it didn't matter. In her eyes, Fujimaru Kyoya was already fish on the chopping board. There was no rush to deal with him.

"Then get lost. Without a bull-bull, you're useless to me."

"Bastard! In your eyes, am I good for nothing except a bull-bull?"

Ishtar couldn't accept it. As a goddess, her charm was somehow inferior to a bull-bull's.

Bull-bull people, can't you just die already?

One gem after another floated around Ishtar. She was about to give this rude mortal a sufficiently memorable punishment.

[You look at those floating gems. A force seems to try to seep into your body, trying to seize control of it.]

[The Divinity inside you begins to resist. Ishtar's plan to control you fails.]

[You pretend to be in great pain. Ishtar, believing her spell is working, is very pleased.]

[You take advantage of Ishtar's carelessness and activate "First Before First."]

[You carry your club and appear behind Ishtar. The back of her head explodes.]

"I'm going to sneak attack."

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at Ishtar lying on the ground. Hitting a woman wasn't really something a real man should do, but there were exceptions to every rule.

For a woman like Ishtar, there were only two futures: a powerful head-clash or a crushing show of force.

"Throw her into my room."

"Yes, sir."

The soldier beside him was completely dumbfounded. How did these two go from fighting to the bed just like that?

Well, he didn't dare to ask.

[You look at the goddess lying on the bed. A strange sense of familiarity washes over you, as if you've done something like this before.]

This system is actually slandering my innocence?

Fujimaru Kyoya never expected the system to blatantly frame him like this. He immediately felt the malice of the world. A man of integrity like him was being subjected to such defamation.

But now wasn't the time to care about such trivial matters.

"Dong~"

"Hand over the Bull of Heaven."

Fujimaru Kyoya placed an hourglass on the bedside table, clearly the time he was giving Ishtar to think.

"Pretending to sleep? Sleeping counts as time too."

"You're such a dog."

Ishtar had no choice but to get up. Fujimaru Kyoya's timing was too perfect—if he'd come just a little later, she could have slipped away.

Damn it, why was this guy so strong in close combat?

Having suffered enough from melee losses, Ishtar decided she would definitely work hard to become a melee mage from now on—at least enough not to get knocked out with one blow. At least... two blows.

"Don't think you can make Gugalanna work for free. That's a war weapon created by the gods, not something to serve mortals."

"Not give it? Ishtar, do you remember leaving the Underworld stark naked?"

"What are you planning?"

Ishtar instantly had a bad feeling. Back then, she'd confidently gone to the Underworld in full divine gear to pick a fight with Ereshkigal, only to have that brat trick her into leaving her divine artifacts along the way, and finally get stripped clean by a fully powered Ereshkigal.

That was her ultimate humiliation—how could she forget?

"Back then, Ereshkigal kept a video of your defeat as a souvenir. If you don't hand over the bull, I'll show all of Mesopotamia this Hope's Video."

[Your shameless tactics have clearly broken through Ishtar's limits. Though she puts on a brave face, you know the Bull of Heaven is already in your grasp.]

Just as the system said, Ishtar panicked.

If anyone saw that, she'd have no choice but to either destroy the world or kill herself on the spot.

"Impossible. If you had it, last time you would've—"

"Whether I have it or not, you can't afford to gamble, can you?"

"Wahhh... you win."

A bully meets their match. Ishtar, usually arrogant and domineering, had finally walked by the river long enough to fall into the sea.

"Gugalanna, save me!"

Ishtar's cry for help reached the Bull of Heaven's mind. Believing its master was in danger, it charged straight for the City of Ur without a second thought... only to see Ishtar holding a white flag and Fujimaru Kyoya grinning wickedly.

"Bull, time to get back to work."

The moment it heard "get back to work," even the strongest weapon forged by the gods, the Bull of Heaven, couldn't help but feel its legs go weak.

Clearly, the terrifying existence known as "capitalist" was still too advanced for this Age of Gods.

Resentment. The Bull of Heaven's bovine eyes were filled with nothing but resentment.

Your servant was ready to fight to the death—why has Your Majesty surrendered first?

Don't worry. Father must have noticed I haven't been back for a long time. He'll come with reinforcements to save us. Then we'll deal with them slowly.

The goddess and the bull were of one mind. Now they could only wait for Anu to come to the rescue.

Fujimaru Kyoya couldn't care less about their whispered scheming—just like a capitalist wouldn't care about an employee's complaints.

In this Age of Gods without streetlights, Fujimaru Kyoya was invincible.

"Ishtar... how dare you treat my daughter like this."

Anu looked down from the sky and saw his daughter Ishtar forced to use the Bull of Heaven to serve mortals. Whenever she took a short break, Fujimaru Kyoya would walk over with a wooden stick tucked in his belt.

"I've never even laid a hand on my own daughter."

Anu didn't understand how Fujimaru Kyoya had raised his Divinity to such a level in such a short time, but now the man's Divinity was even higher than Gilgamesh's. Against someone like this, his previous methods of control were completely useless.

"First Gilgamesh, now this Spare... Fine. Once you dogs tear each other apart, I'll clean up both of you."

Seeing Gilgamesh's army still lingering nearby, Anu understood that the Heaven's Wedge Brothers would have to fight at least one more battle. Now that Gilgamesh's Clairvoyance had been "sealed" by his own tyranny, he couldn't perceive the gods' movements.

"Ah well... let Ishtar suffer a little first."

With those words, Anu abandoned Ishtar. Once he gathered enough forces, he would destroy both Heaven's Wedges and create an obedient king.

Chapter 29: You Have Two, I Have One

[Under the Bull of Heaven's plowing, your kingdom gradually begins to prosper. But this is clearly not the result Gilgamesh wants to see. War breaks out again.]

[You leave Ishtar to guard the city, warning her that if the city suffers any damage, you will broadcast "Hope's Video" across all of Mesopotamia. Ishtar immediately pledges her loyalty.]

[To avoid harming innocents in your battle with Gilgamesh, you deliberately lure him to a distant location. Gilgamesh sees through your intention but does not stop you.]

"How disappointing. In the end, you chose to walk with the gods?"

The Bull of Heaven's massive form was impossible to hide from Gilgamesh. Using the power of the gods was nothing but a sign of weakness.

"As long as the gods obey, what's wrong with giving them proper compensation?"

"Obey?"

Gilgamesh was taken aback. Even as arrogant as he was, he only planned to lead Uruk by his own strength, turning his back on the gods. But this man before him wanted the gods to obey?

Now that was...

"Hahaha—how hilarious! My abs are killing me... What an interesting way to put it."

[You listen to Gilgamesh's laughter. You can feel his approval, but you can also feel his killing intent. Because you understand—this world has no room for two kings.]

[Your battle with Gilgamesh was earth-shattering, and before long, both sides were stained with blood, a mess of wounds.]

[Your fight stretched from day into night. The army that had been besieging the city stopped to rest, but the two of you still showed no sign of stopping.]

[Just as your battle neared its end, the Gods descended.]

"Gilgamesh, Shadow, you have committed such grave sins—will you not surrender now?"

Anu had arrived with enough underlings in tow, but to these two who had just weathered a grueling battle, this kill-stealing dog deserved only one word.

"Scram."

A full moon fell from the sky, and countless golden streaks of light shot upward from the earth, all aimed at the same target.

"Insolence."

Anu was, after all, the chief god of Mesopotamia, even if his pedigree was somewhat lacking. Facing two mere mortals who had long since exhausted their strength, there was no reason he needed to dodge.

"Gilgamesh, you rejected your destiny, indulging in tyranny to satisfy your selfish desires. Shadow, you showed no respect for the gods and refused to take Gilgamesh's place as the new Heaven's Wedge. You have both betrayed the hopes the Gods placed in you."

Anu blocked their combined strike. Its power was even weaker than he had anticipated—a far greater success than he could have hoped for.

Soon, he would destroy these two and use their corpses to forge a more perfect Heaven's Wedge.

"Die."

A torrent of Mana swept toward them. A deafening roar followed—the unmistakable feel of a direct hit. But Anu knew one blow would never be enough to kill them. Next...

Next, the back of his head exploded.

"I'm going to ambush you."