This Goddess Guarantees She Won't Kill You

Outside the royal palace hall, the goddess looked utterly menacing. Siduri naturally knew the Palace Guards could not stop her, but it was already too late to make them stand down.

Ishtar was not a patient goddess.

Then, the next second, with a thunderous boom, dust rose beyond the hall doors beneath the scorching sun, turning into Golden Quicksand that obscured all sight.

And within it, a slender figure walked in with light steps.

"Still as impatient as ever... Lady Ishtar." Siduri gave a bitter smile.

As the king's close aide and counselor, she had often conducted all kinds of negotiations with the gods in her earlier years, so she naturally understood this goddess's temperament.

Rovi said nothing, merely following Siduri's gaze toward the doors.

The figure emerging through the dust wore her long black hair loose. Her body was not particularly voluptuous, yet it was well-proportioned and athletic. Her revealing clothing covered only a few important places, and her snow-white exposed skin seemed both sacred and wicked as it trembled lightly with every step.

But Rovi could not help freezing for a moment.

Wasn't that... Rin Tohsaka?

In the Nasuverse series that had existed in his original world, she was the heroine of one work—a twin-tailed tsundere heiress.

Was this a Possession State?

But on second thought, it made sense. The gods could no longer descend into the human world in their true forms.

Then it was not difficult to understand why Ishtar had appeared in a Possession State.

After all, the existence known as Rin Tohsaka truly was the most suitable vessel for Ishtar.

Rovi said nothing, carefully calculating in his heart as he planned his plan.

Meanwhile, after stepping into the palace hall, Ishtar looked around and discovered that Gilgamesh was nowhere to be seen.

The goddess paused, then grew somewhat angry. "He actually dares avoid meeting the beautiful and noble goddess? Gilgamesh, you're getting bolder and bolder—"

"Lady Ishtar, my king has matters to attend to, so please..."

"Shut up!" Before Siduri could finish, Ishtar cut her off with a glare. "Did I permit you to speak?"

"Hmph, do you think hiding will leave me helpless? Then you truly underestimate me!"

The black-haired goddess sneered, her crimson lips curving into a mocking smile.

Her ruby-red eyes lifted.

"Watch me tear this place apart—let's see if you can still sit still, Gilgamesh!"

In the goddess's raised, slender white hand, golden radiance emerged from her palm and instantly formed the shadow of a longbow.

It was the Manifestation of Venus.

The manifestation of the power of that brilliant golden star hanging above Mesopotamia.

The moment it appeared, an inexplicably immense pressure filled the vast royal palace hall. Invisible currents of air spread outward from it in every direction.

She did not care whether the people in the hall lived or died, nor did she care what pressure her actions might bring upon the nation of Uruk—

As the most indulged goddess, that was simply Ishtar's nature.

Siduri felt helpless.

If this palace were damaged, then with Gilgamesh's personality, he would probably truly come out and fight her...

But that was precisely what Siduri, as his counselor, did not wish to see.

After all, the king's order to her had been to prevent Ishtar from disturbing him.

So she had to stop this... Fortunately, Siduri had experience handling such matters. As long as she plainly told Ishtar that Gilgamesh was conducting a Consciousness Exchange with his mother, then no matter how reckless Ishtar was, she would still restrain herself somewhat when facing another goddess.

It would not solve the problem once and for all, but it could delay her for a while.

But while Siduri wanted to do that, Rovi did not.

"Goddess Ishtar?" He slowly descended the steps, bracing himself against the pressure as he stood before Ishtar with apparent difficulty.

"Oh? A young unfamiliar face?" Ishtar lightly plucked the golden bowstring with her fingers and swept back her beautiful black hair. "You're not bad-looking, but unfortunately—you still don't meet my standards."

"Stand down. You cannot stop This Goddess!"

"Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't. I'll blast you, along with this palace, into pieces!"

The goddess revealed a seemingly cruel smile.

Seeing her like this, Rovi instead felt relieved.

After discovering that the goddess had appeared in a Possession State, he had been worried that Ishtar might be influenced by the existence of Rin Tohsaka, becoming less "divine" and less cold-hearted. If that happened, he would very likely be unable to carry out his own suicidal plan.

But judging by her current appearance, even if there was some influence, it was not significant.

At the very least, the Venus Goddess's disregard for human life was utterly genuine. In her eyes, aside from Gilgamesh having some value, everything else in the human world was merely useless ugliness.

But to ensure success, Rovi still carefully prepared an extremely targeted speech in his heart—

"I won't step down." Rovi shook his head and fixed his gaze on Ishtar before him, looking utterly resolute.

He said, "I know you, Ishtar—the Goddess of Beauty, War, and Harvest."

"Legend says you are the most beautiful among all gods. Because of your beauty, you have countless admirers among the gods. Some have praised your beauty as being as radiant and brilliant as Venus itself, stunning even the stars."

"Heh heh heh, at least you know what's good for you. Though your looks can't compare to Gilgamesh's, your eye for beauty is a hundred times better than his!" Ishtar laughed smugly.

"But—" There were few things more dreaded than those two words. "Now that I have seen you, I'm very disappointed."

"What do you mean?"

Her smile stopped abruptly, and confusion appeared on Ishtar's beautiful face.

"You are not as beautiful as the legends say. Or rather—you are very ugly!" He directly called ugly the goddess who presided over beauty, loved beautiful things, and considered herself beautiful.

Rovi believed that there could be no act more suicidal than what he was doing at this very moment.

Ishtar froze.

Siduri, still standing atop the steps, was speechless for a moment as well.

"You ugly mortal, do you know what you are saying?" Ishtar's expression darkened. The flowing light upon the bowstring formed from the Manifestation of Venus grew even more brilliant, making it harder for Rovi to maintain his stance.

But he merely smiled, entirely unconcerned.

"Of course I know." Rovi said, "What I mean is—the so-called goddess of beauty, you do not understand what true beauty is at all."

"In this world, all good things fade with time. Majestic rivers and mountains, fleeting sunsets... whether people or objects, all eventually become things of the past."

"Only the soul is eternal. True beauty should also come from the soul."

"But what I see in you, what your soul reveals—that arrogant, cruel, and self-righteous ego—where is even the slightest trace of beauty in it?"

"There is none."

"All I see is ugliness and stench... an ugly appearance and a foul soul."

"So that's why King Gilgamesh hides from you..." Rovi clapped his hands, as though he had suddenly understood. "Anyone would do the same—"

"Come to think of it, I should still praise you for one thing. At least when it comes to ugliness... your ugliness is quite distinctive."

Rovi looked completely serious. "Distinctively ugly. A real piece of work."

Ishtar froze, seemingly unable to understand what he meant for a moment.

But in an instant... the goddess's heart erupted into fury.

If you can talk, then keep talking!

This Goddess guarantees she won't kill you—?!!