"Now... now that you say that, I still won't forgive you!" Remembering how she had been made both aggrieved and angry by just a few words before finally losing her composure and fleeing in embarrassment, Ereshkigal's cheeks immediately flushed red. She shouted, "I just think you barely count as my friend! That's why I came to warn you! Otherwise, if the other goddesses deal with you before you even face me, I won't forgive you even if you fall into the Underworld!"
"Ah..."
Amber, who had merely been making polite conversation, had not expected the other party to still be angry.
She did not seem to have said anything excessive last time. They had been the exact same words, so why were Ereshkigal and Quetzalcoatl's attitudes completely different?
Thinking of Ishtar's previous remarks about "she is good, I am evil; she is evil, I am good," Amber could not help wondering whether she had really said something offensive.
Or perhaps her way of thinking was simply closer to those South American aliens?
"Did you not take it to heart at all!? Unbelievable!" Ereshkigal looked at the absentminded Amber. Her face, which had only been slightly flushed before, reddened even further. This time, though, she was clearly angry.
"Why not tell me about what you talked about last time?" Ritsuka immediately interrupted.
"Hmph, fine."
Ereshkigal had a fairly good impression of Ritsuka as well. After hitting a wall twice in a row with Amber, she recounted their conversation, hoping to have a third person judge it. She remembered quite a few things that even Amber herself barely recalled.
It was obvious that she cared deeply about it...
Amber was already considering how to comfort this goddess of the Underworld.
Yet after hearing the entire exchange, Ritsuka merely nodded thoughtfully before saying, "I see."
If she had never spoken with Amber, Ereshkigal would not have cared much about what evaluation she received. She would have acted this way regardless. Though she desperately hoped for praise and recognition, having never received either, she had never dared to expect too much.
However, the Ereshkigal whose anger had been stirred by Amber was not satisfied with Ritsuka's reaction.
"So, what do you think, Master?" she pressed.
"Uh..." Ritsuka's mouth twitched as he realized he had picked up a hot potato.
"Are you going to say something similar to Fu Hua too?" Ereshkigal's expression darkened. More precisely, anger and sadness mixed together on her face, making people unable to help feeling sorry for her. "You don't approve of my thoughts either?"
"Ah..."
Ritsuka really wanted to say that was indeed the case, but how could he say it after seeing that expression?
Amber noticed that the goddess's firepower had shifted to Ritsuka and could not bear to watch. She tried to smooth things over. "I do not think this is a matter of right or wrong, but a matter of position and choice."
Ereshkigal knew that too, but she simply wanted someone to acknowledge her.
When I had no friends, I never received recognition or praise. Now that I have friends, it is still the same. Then what is the point of having friends?
She also knew that compared to the South American Chief God, her thoughts, feelings, and even actions were somewhat willful. But... perhaps influenced by this body's original owner, she now wanted to express her thoughts and feelings more than she wanted to endure and suppress them.
"I'm going to sleep."
Not wanting to continue making a scene, Ereshkigal pursed her lips, stood up, and left.
Amber and Ritsuka exchanged a look, each seeing the awkwardness in the other's eyes.
Realizing that, Ritsuka could not help finding it amusing. The more he interacted with the Immortal, the more he realized that she was not cold-hearted or emotionless. Beneath that icy, detached appearance was actually a warm heart. She simply was not very good at expressing herself.
Morning came quickly.
In the end, Ritsuka could not resist his drowsiness. Or rather, he understood that to maintain his mental state, even three or four hours of sleep were necessary. He forced himself to sleep during the latter half of the night.
After gathering themselves, everyone discussed how to infiltrate Quetzalcoatl's temple. The best opportunity would naturally be when Quetzalcoatl set out for Uruk again. With no one guarding the temple, they could destroy it as they pleased. However, Ritsuka rejected that idea.
After thinking it over last night and making up his mind, Ritsuka did not intend to make destroying the temple their goal.
Just as with Ishtar, he hoped to win over Quetzalcoatl in her complete state.
If that was the case, then unless he faced that goddess directly and responded to her enthusiasm, there was absolutely no way he could gain her recognition and help.
Chaldea had never been a decision-making organization, but an auxiliary organization. The one it assisted was naturally Ritsuka, humanity's last Master, who had already experienced six Singularities.
Within a Singularity, Ritsuka's will was naturally Chaldea's will as well.
Merlin had no objections, of course. Though he hoped to recover the Holy Grail safely and get through this Singularity, the Holy Grail's whereabouts were still a mystery. To deal with the greatest possible crisis, a complete Quetzalcoatl was certainly more worth recruiting than a weakened one.
And so, prepared to face her head-on, the group entered Eridu, the city where Quetzalcoatl's temple stood, led by Jaguar Man.
I'm not doing so well today either! Only one update! I'm really sorry! (Bows)
But tomorrow, I'll really be completely free, so everyone, let me get a proper day of sleep today! I haven't slept well in several days! 5
The Contradictory Feathered Serpent God
"You came."
After passing pillar after pillar built from stacked stone, the group finally saw the enormous altar at the end. The altar had over a thousand steps, and at its summit stood a massive circular stone statue.
Quetzalcoatl stood before the statue, looking down at them. Her smile was gentle, yet it faintly carried danger.
"If you had planned to destroy my temple while I was away, then I might truly have killed someone." Quetzalcoatl explained why she was happy. "Being able to face powerful enemies head-on without retreating is what I love most about humanity. The time I wasted waiting here because I believed in you has become worthwhile."
As she spoke, Quetzalcoatl's expression became incomparably terrifying.
"We came to talk!"
Ritsuka stated his purpose from the start.
"Talk? Indeed, both the Crimson Kite Immortal and Ishtar, another goddess of Venus, seem to have become your allies through words." Quetzalcoatl smiled. "But I am different. What I intend to do cannot be shaken by words alone."
If words alone could not sway her, then there were other methods.
Noticing that the goddess did not seem entirely unreasonable, Ritsuka looked pleasantly surprised. However, he quickly became serious again. "Then what must we do to make Quetzalcoatl join us?"
"Haha, I do not dislike such a straightforward question-and-answer." Quetzalcoatl's smile widened, but it quickly faded. "However, unfortunately, that is something you humans must explore yourselves. Consider it a goddess's selfishness—a test, perhaps. Besides... I seem to see a little foolish face in the crowd that should not be here."
She shifted her gaze toward Jaguar Man, who had joined Chaldea yesterday and was serving as their guide today.
Jaguar Man shuddered and pushed Amber in front of herself. "Ah, this is bad... If I get dragged into the battle, I'll definitely be the first one slaughtered..."
"Of course. I will tear you into eight pieces without hesitation~" Quetzalcoatl flashed a brilliant smile. "Since you came here, that means you are here to destroy the temple, right? Then, Master, and you too, Immortal, will I defeat you, or can you destroy the temple before I defeat you?"
"Is this the test?" Ritsuka asked.
"Mm~ Does it count? Before the riddle is fully revealed, I cannot simply tell you the answer." Quetzalcoatl had no intention of explaining and instead said, "But before that, I have one request."
Seeing everyone tense up, Quetzalcoatl suddenly smiled. "Let us enjoy this battle without holding anything back~"
"She is the kind of person who enjoys fighting, who finds happiness in fighting." Ishtar's mouth twitched. Although she looked like a crazy goddess who liked solving problems through violence in other people's eyes, she did not actually derive much joy from battle.
Battle was merely one of the means by which she obtained happiness.
"Sorry, but I cannot enjoy battle," Ritsuka said.
"I am the same," Amber nodded.
Anna and Mash nodded as well, while Merlin, who merely enjoyed the show, did not state his position. In any case, the goddess had never regarded him as worth noticing from beginning to end.
"Ah... I am about to stiffen from overwhelming sorrow. This is practically a complete rejection of me."
Her sole request had been directly rejected. Quetzalcoatl showed a sorrowful expression, but she quickly recovered and asked, "Why do you say that? What is battle to you?"
"It is something that must be overcome in order to obtain the happiness after battle." Ritsuka's meaning was clear. Battle had never brought happiness. Instead, it was an ordeal.
Quetzalcoatl frowned and looked toward Amber.
There is a contradiction.
Amber had been observing every aspect of the Feathered Serpent God alongside Fu Hua. Not just today, at this moment—they had discussed it throughout the entire night.
As the pinnacle of goodness, the Feathered Serpent God was undoubtedly a benevolent deity. In legend, she had strongly opposed human sacrifice, and the times she appeared as the King of Humanity to guide mankind's path proved this. Her goodness was not "goodness toward gods," but "goodness toward humans."
Yet she, who opposed human sacrifice, had demanded that Ur sacrifice a man to her every day. Though they later learned through Jaguar Man that those men had not died as sacrifices.
As the King of Humanity, she naturally understood what humans were. Yet despite understanding humanity, she claimed that toying with humans was her reason for existing, and she had even penned humans in like livestock.
She accepted that "some people can fight and some cannot, and the breadth of that tolerance is a characteristic unique to human society." Yet now she said, "I hope you can enjoy the happiness of battle."
If she were a goddess like Ishtar, one who prioritized herself over reason, then these actions would not have been a problem. But as had been said before, her goodness was "human goodness."
"My thoughts are the same as Ritsuka's," Amber said.
This Feathered Serpent God was saying contradictory things. There was a truth she had not spoken, and she was spinning lies to conceal it.
"I see. So you are humans like that... What a wonderful answer. So wonderful that it makes me want to kill you."
Upon hearing their answers, Quetzalcoatl's previously gloomy face broke into a smile again.
It was not a dangerous smile. She was genuinely happy from the bottom of her heart. Fu Hua could confirm that through Feathered Dust.
"Then there is no use talking further. Let us begin!" Quetzalcoatl stopped wasting words and leaped straight down from the altar, crashing heavily down in front of Amber. In her eyes, aside from the two of them, everyone else could at most be spectators in this battle.
Ishtar was strong, but that strength was relative. To participate in their battle, one needed to be at least on the level of Sumer's Chief God.
Compared to a Chief God, Ishtar, who possessed only a portion of a Chief God's divine power, could be called the strongest deity beneath a Chief God, but that had no meaning. Even with the advantage of fighting on her home ground, it was not enough.
Amber had no intention of wasting words either. Ink-black flames immediately ignited in her hand as she tangled with Quetzalcoatl.
The battle erupted at once.
"Mash! Anna! Ishtar! I'm counting on you!" Ritsuka also knew that Quetzalcoatl was not an opponent they could defeat through force. According to the Immortal herself, their combat skills were roughly equal, while the Immortal was stronger physically. Yet in an actual battle, because neither could truly injure the other, Quetzalcoatl's strategy of trading wound for wound would forcibly turn the fight into an even match.
A body carrying Garuda factors should not have feared trading wounds, but... the one using that body was not Fu Hua, but Amber.
Her injuries would heal instantly, but the pain was real. Even after being brutally beaten by Fu Hua for so long, Amber did not possess that iron-blooded warrior mentality. Naturally, if she could defend, she would defend.
That made it difficult for either of them to gain the upper hand.
Therefore, Ritsuka could only hope that the others could tip the scales of victory. Rather than standing here and getting in the way, he might as well head straight for the altar and destroy Quetzalcoatl's Noble Phantasm.
Quetzalcoatl really is difficult to write. She took me quite a while, but Kotachi's issues are still huge. Even if she is hard to write, she should still be possible to write. For Kotachi, it is not even a matter of whether he can write her or not—he directly wrote her according to his own understanding. Writing her that way would be one thing, but getting her completely wrong afterward is the most disgusting part.
Then for the next world, after discussing it with the other authors in the group, it should be Jujutsu Kaisen. Does everyone have any characters to recommend? 23
The True Threat
Quetzalcoatl watched Fujimaru Ritsuka depart, the smile on her face growing richer. When she caught sight of Merlin standing leisurely to the side, she looked somewhat disdainful.
But that disdain was quickly interrupted by a fist flying toward her.
She rapidly tilted her head to evade Amber's jab, bent both knees, then sprang like a coiled spring over Amber's body. She punched Jaguar Man, who had been attempting a sneak attack, sending her flying. Just as she was about to continue her pursuit, Amber's approaching fist interrupted her movement.
She possessed outrageously high resistance, but that did not mean she could completely ignore Amber's attacks.
She simply would not be injured, but she could not reduce the inertia created by the force behind the blows.
"It seems you are finally going to get serious?" Quetzalcoatl smiled at Amber.
"My duty is only to hold you back, but it is different if you intend to hurt my companions," Amber replied.
"But the one who will get hurt is clearly big sister here, even though I cannot be hurt."
Quetzalcoatl blinked playfully.
"What exactly are you hiding?" Their fists and kicks clashed. In the time it took to exchange a few words, they had already traded over a hundred moves. Black and golden flames occasionally spilled from around them, making it impossible for anyone to approach. Even the rocky ground beneath their feet melted in wide patches from the intense heat.
Everyone realized even more clearly that once those two became truly serious, only Ishtar could interfere in their battle.
Yet Ishtar merely frowned and did not continue attacking.
Though she was extremely unwilling to admit it, this battle was no longer something she could influence. What use would it be even if her long-range support hit? To Quetzalcoatl, it would be no more than being brushed by a few grains of sand or dust.
Even if she truly unleashed her Divinity, setting aside the fact that it would affect Ritsuka, even if that were not considered, Quetzalcoatl would at most be knocked back by the tremendous force.
Back within the two women's battlefield.
Hearing Amber's question, the smile on Quetzalcoatl's face became even more mysterious. "Merlin should know very well about this too. Unfortunately, that fellow never intended to tell you."
"Merlin?"
Amber and Fu Hua both knew that Merlin had concealed things from them, and even from Chaldea. However, they considered it a companion's secret and had not asked.
But now that Quetzalcoatl also seemed to know everything, it was different.
"Ah... You can even drag me into this and make people hate me?" Merlin sounded helpless.
It was not that he had deliberately concealed it. Rather, if his plan succeeded, there would be no need to bring it up at all.
In truth, all their current enemies were not the greatest threat in this Singularity. The true threat was Tiamat, sleeping within the Singularity and not yet awakened. The reason he seemed so powerless now was largely because he was using ninety percent of his magical energy to construct a dream for Tiamat.
However, he had not expected Quetzalcoatl to know that as well.
Merlin's expression became strange. If Quetzalcoatl knowing this was taken as the premise, then most of Quetzalcoatl's contradictions could be explained.
"What exactly are you hiding?" Seeing their expressions, Amber did not slow her movements in the slightest as she called on Fu Hua to unfold Feathered Dust.
This time, unlike her previous casual use of Feathered Dust, she deployed it at full power.
The instant Feathered Dust unfolded, everyone except Ritsuka stopped moving simultaneously. Though it lasted only 0.01 seconds, it was enough for Amber to see every one of Quetzalcoatl's thoughts.
Why was she contradictory? Why did she love humanity, yet refuse to act against Gorgon, who was killing humanity?
Before you continue