Me and the Bull of Heaven Clash Head-On

Of course, even though he intentionally wanted to provoke Gilgamesh to satisfy his own twisted pleasure, what Rovi said wasn't false.

He truly didn't know at first that the 'beast' that fell from the sky had encountered an anomaly. He had only just returned from an envoy mission to a city-state and was passing through the eastern plains of Uruk when he sensed something was wrong.

Since he sensed an anomaly, Rovi naturally couldn't stand idly by—

Where there was danger, there he was.

The more dangerous it was, the more proactive Rovi became. How could he possibly miss such a great opportunity?

Never mind whether he could successfully die.

But adhering to the principle of not letting go of even the slightest opportunity, he still headed in the direction of the Bull of Heaven.

A moment later.

Eastern Uruk.

Near the banks of the Euphrates River, one of the two mother rivers of the Mesopotamian plains.

Rovi's feet trod on the dry ground, stepping over jagged stones, and with a single glance, he could see the boundless desolation stretching before him.

Countless gullies crisscrossed the cracked earth, like the surface of shattered pottery, deep and sprawling, sketching a scene of immense impact.

His footsteps paused.

He had to admit—

As the strongest mythical beast, the Bull of Heaven's impact on the current world was undoubtedly enormous.

It was like the concept of a god.

The so-called mythical beast did not necessarily represent a gentle and friendly creature. Gods were manifestations of nature, phenomena personified by human faith.

Mythical beasts were the same.

The Bull of Heaven was the embodiment of a natural disaster, representing drought, storms, and sandstorms.

It was only natural that it would bring such effects during its manifestation.

After all, according to Gilgamesh's previous explanation, for a mythical beast to descend upon the mortal world, it, like a god, required a vessel.

Gods used to directly condense Aether from the atmosphere to shape their bodies.

Now, with the 'Aether' in the atmosphere gradually thinning, only the path of 'possession' remained.

And if one were to disregard the difference in power levels, mythical beasts were similar to gods in essence, but one rank lower.

Therefore, the Bull of Heaven could still use the Aether in the atmosphere to shape a vessel, to bear its essence and manifest its descent.

The concepts that emanated during this process would naturally cause corresponding phenomena.

"All things have life and death," said the old man standing beside Rovi in a low voice, his voice still ancient and deep, as Rovi paused. "Under the magnificence of the starry universe, life has always been fleeting."

"You need not dwell on it—"

Ziusudra, who had been following him since that 'assassination,' spoke thus.

"You say where there is life, there is death," Rovi retracted his gaze and looked at Ziusudra. "Will you die?"

"How about we have a fight!"

Unable to explicitly seek death, Rovi could only express it this way.

"This old man does not kill those whose fate has not yet arrived, nor does he kill those without fate," Ziusudra said calmly.

"Are you afraid you can't beat me? It's okay, old man, I'll go easy on you!"

A basic, but effective, provocation.

Although unlikely, Rovi had been trying to 'enrage' Ziusudra during this time.

To make him kill himself.

Once the Grand Assassin made a move, even Ereshkigal might not be able to escape the consequences of death he brought.

If he could duel with him and die at the hands of such a person, it would be enough to be recorded in history.

Unfortunately, this old man had lived for a very long time; how could he fall for such a trick?

Whether it was insults or provocations, Ziusudra ignored them all.

"Hahaha, it's good for young people to have energy! But this old man is indeed old and cannot defeat you young ones," the old man admitted frankly. "Besides, I actually don't know how to fight at all."

You don't know how to fight, you only know how to kill, right... Rovi squinted sideways, not appearing too surprised by this failure.

"If not fighting, then teach me your assassination techniques..."

Then he could teach them to someone else.

And have someone else kill him.

"You have no talent," Ziusudra still refused.

Rovi sighed, no longer staring fixedly ahead.

I really hope the Bull of Heaven pulls through...

But honestly, Rovi wasn't feeling too great right now.

On the way here, he'd seen countless bones, scattered remains piled on the ground, buried in the dry sand.

Among them were animal bones, and human remains.

Natural disasters were always terrifying.

Desolate lands stretching for miles and heaps of corpses were commonplace.

Before seeing it, one might not think much of it.

But after truly seeing it, anyone's mood would sour.

It was shocking to witness.

And it was due to human empathy.

Ziusudra's earlier words, telling him not to dwell on it, stemmed from this very reason.

For the old man who had seen his fair share of life and death, it truly wasn't something worth dwelling on.

But Rovi felt he had reason to prevent such a disaster from continuing. Though this was his original purpose for staying here—

"There's something ahead," a deep voice said. The old man suddenly stopped, his aged face, hidden beneath a black cloak, lifted, his eyes fixed on the distance.

The sky was clear blue, the sand stretched endlessly.

The sun was intensely hot, enough to make one tremble.

Rovi followed Ziusudra's gaze and immediately saw what he was talking about.

It was people.

A group of people fleeing in panic.

Though far away, with Rovi's current physique, he could clearly see their gaunt, severely dehydrated bodies and their sallow faces, like barren land.

And behind them, there was a swirling current of air, a roaring wind, and a phenomenon that trampled the earth.

The rotating storm tore at everything with its pale fury, swallowing all moisture within itself.

Where it passed, the land instantly shriveled.

Life, too, would wither and die.

"The Bull of Heaven?" Rovi recognized at a glance that the storm was the not-yet-fully-manifested Bull of Heaven.

It only had the shape of an unformed storm.

But like a mad beast, it chased the group of people, tearing and crushing them.

Someone fell.

Someone cried out in agony.

Their bodies visibly grew more withered.

Because the closer they got, the more their moisture was swallowed—

"They really underestimated me..." Rovi moved his lips, looking at Ziusudra beside him.

"Old man, want to go?" he asked.

Ziusudra shook his head and said, "This old man did not hear the bell of the divine beast's destiny."

Destiny not yet arrived, He would not draw his sword.

"Then don't interfere with me." Rovi was satisfied.

No matter what, Ziusudra was still a man of his word.

He let out a breath, patted his plain white robe, closed his eyes, and the moment he opened them, the shadow of a burning 'Key of Heaven' appeared deep within his dark pupils.

Ziusudra stood still.

Watching Rovi spread his hands, welcoming the arrival of the raging storm, meeting the trampling of the unformed divine beast.

This was done out of "seeking death."

To a certain extent, it was also to vent the pent-up frustration Rovi had accumulated on his journey.

Those who wielded great power were always aloof.

This was extremely realistic.

And a limitation of the era.

But Rovi was frustrated, and that was that.

He was frustrated that non-human entities dictated the lives of all beings based on their own whims.

He was frustrated by their condescending attitude, treating all beings like puppets.

Oh, you Gods who unleashed the Bull of Heaven upon reality, do you really think... you're the only ones who wield such power!?

He raised his hand, the wind tearing at his robes as invisible 'doors' opened all around.

He grasped it in his palm.

Gathering it into a brilliant stream of light.

"...You mere scraps, daring to trample this land as you please?"

"Who—"

"Gave you the courage!?"

Unsparing mockery.

Rovi moved forward.

A thunderous roar echoed instantly.

The fleeing disaster victims instinctively turned their heads.

Then they witnessed a sight, unbelievable and never before seen in this life or any other.

A brilliant stream of light, like a colossal gate, blocked the wildly howling storm. A figure floated above it, arms spread wide.

With his own flesh and blood, he stood like a great wall, colliding with the manifesting natural disaster—