Someone in the Multiverse, Starts as Fu Hua Chapter 9

"What's happening? Goddess Ishtar, how did she...?" The crowd stared at Ishtar frozen midair, puzzled by her state, but regardless, this was a perfect opportunity.

Anna leaped directly from the buildings to behind Ishtar.

As a cloud drifted past the sun, Ishtar's expression snapped back to life. She looked down at the crowd, about to speak, when she suddenly heard a sound cutting through the air behind her.

"Eh!? What—when did you get behind me... Wah!?"

After carefully inspecting the goddess who had been knocked to the ground and completely pinned under rubble, Mash and Anna confirmed she had lost consciousness.

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There will be extra chapters today—maybe one, maybe two.

Chapter 19: For the Immortal's Sake

Looking at the defenseless goddess, Anna's first instinct was to kill her.

Though divine nature generally meant she was hard to kill, Anna happened to wield a weapon specifically designed to counter immortality. Mere difficulty in killing was no trouble for her.

But she glanced at Amber and suppressed the thought.

After all, Amber's actions just now clearly showed she didn't want either side hurt. Letting Ishtar cool down for now was within her tolerance, but killing her would surely be rejected.

"Anyway, let's tie her up first." The group made their decision.

Anna bound her with chains, and they found a decently spacious residential house to borrow, resting and recovering strength while waiting for Ishtar to wake up.

No need to worry about the owner's opinion—this place was already an empty city.

By the time the sun fully set, Ishtar finally opened her eyes after keeping everyone waiting. Finding herself tied to a chair, she froze: "What's going on?! Why am I tied up!?"

"Good morning." Seeing her awake, Fujimaru Ritsuka greeted her.

"Senpai... it's already evening..." Mash whispered beside her.

"Good morning. Yes, I like polite greetings. So, who can explain the situation? Who are you people?" Ishtar asked.

Amber immediately sensed something off. Though the appearance and aura were indeed Ishtar's, she felt something strange about her.

The others didn't notice, since Ishtar's capriciousness and unpredictability were deeply ingrained in their minds. No reaction or attitude from her would surprise them.

"Rather than that, we have a lot to ask you." Merlin smiled.

"Oh? Is that how you speak to a goddess? Unheard of! Tying up a goddess—and a goddess like me!" Ishtar's face burned with anger, tinged with embarrassment, as if ashamed of being captured as a goddess.

But she quickly threatened: "Aren't you afraid of the consequences!?"

"Afraid... well, we are a little..." Ritsuka exchanged a glance with Mash, awkwardly, but then straightened his expression: "But there's information we need no matter what."

"Afraid... Right, being afraid is normal. Fine, I'm used to it. I've always been a nuisance in Mesopotamia." 'Ishtar' unexpectedly showed a sullen expression.

This didn't earn sympathy from the group—instead, they looked stunned, as if thinking, 'So you're aware of that.'

Seeing this, 'Ishtar's' sullenness vanished, replaced by fury. She was about to speak when she heard Amber's voice.

"You're not a nuisance."

"Eh?" 'Ishtar' looked at Amber, who had been standing nearby, not participating in the interrogation.

What a pleasing human!? Are there humans this beautiful on the ground? No, a Servant?

Seeing Ishtar's uncharacteristic, sad expression, Amber wanted to shout how cute and beautiful she was, but it didn't fit the Immortal's persona, so she held back and said in a calm yet earnest tone: "You are my friend. Among those I've associated with, you're a very interesting friend."

"Eh—" The others looked at Amber in surprise.

This speech didn't quite match the Crimson Kite Immortal image Amber had built, but it made Fujimaru Ritsuka smile.

The willingness to defend a friend's hurt feelings shattered the Immortal's aloof and detached image somewhat, but added a lot of humanity, making Ritsuka feel much closer to her.

Not just Ritsuka—the others felt the same.

Merlin stroked his chin, his smile growing more genuine.

He loved humans, but not humans themselves—rather, the stories humans created.

His impression of the Crimson Kite Immortal before hadn't been great. Not bad, but no good impression beyond her strength. Now, with a human touch, he liked her much more.

"Even if you say that... I can't explain much about the Three Goddess Alliance." 'Ishtar' bit her lip, feeling more displeased inside, but hearing such earnest words brought a faint pleasure. Torn by complex emotions, she turned away, feigning reluctance to speak.

"You're in no position to bargain now. If you don't talk, you might face harsher interrogation." Merlin threatened.

'Ishtar' wasn't fooled: "That depends on what you ask. I won't say what I can't, even if you kill me."

Besides, dying didn't matter—this wasn't her real body. If she died, she died. Better dead, actually!

"Then, why did the goddess attack Uruk? What are the true names of the other two goddesses? And who summoned you? Answer these questions properly." Merlin said.

"Before that—you, what's your name?" Ishtar looked at Ritsuka.

"Fujimaru Ritsuka." Ritsuka answered.

"And that human over there?" Ishtar looked at Amber.

"...Fu Hua. I forgot to exchange names when we met last time—my apologies." Amber unhesitatingly borrowed the Immortal's great name.

"Good. Since you were foolish enough to tell me your names, I'll answer you." Learning they hadn't exchanged names before, making this the first time, Ishtar's mood suddenly improved, and a smile appeared on her face: "First, the reason the Three Goddess Alliance attacked Uruk is naturally to dominate the earth from now on."

"However, I intend to rule humans. The northern goddess wants the land. As for the southern goddess, honestly, I don't understand her, so I don't know."

Ishtar explained concisely: "Whoever gets the Greater Holy Grail of Uruk first can claim this land as their own. The other two pillars either leave or become subordinate gods..."

"And I wasn't summoned by the Holy Grail, nor by the Counter Force. I was summoned by the priestesses of Uruk."

Hearing this, and connecting it to Uruk's Eanna and the current state of Kusa City, Merlin's guess was completely confirmed, and his expression turned thoughtful.

"As for my true name, I can't tell you that. You wouldn't go around spreading your friends' and family's secrets either, would you? Compared to other beings, goddesses must follow the rules even more strictly, so I have nothing to say on this point."

"A goddess following the rules... that really doesn't sound like something Ishtar would say." Merlin couldn't resist being cheeky.

'Ishtar's' expression darkened. She realized the other party had already guessed her situation.

"Still, this information is enough to trade for the goddess's freedom, for now. For the sake of the Crimson Kite Immortal." Not daring to truly anger this goddess, Merlin quickly waved his hand.

This should be the last one, I beg for everyone's support! Your support is also my motivation to keep updating!

Chapter 20: Evacuation Mission

"You bastard, do people often tell you that you have a terrible personality?" 'Ishtar's' temple twitched violently.

Wasn't this just taking her line 'I'm telling you because you're stupid' and turning it into 'I'm letting you off because of the Immortal' as payback? This petty attitude already had 'Ishtar' considering whether to teach him a lesson.

"Though I disagree with you on many things, I can empathize on this one point." Anna naturally spared no effort in belittling Merlin, taking the opportunity to retract the chains that had been helping Ishtar.

"Fou! Fou!" Fou also waved his arms excitedly.

Ritsuka thought Merlin's personality was a bit odd, but didn't find it unpleasant, so he just gave an awkward smile.

Just as the atmosphere had begun to ease, Amber sensed something slowly surrounding them from outside.

"Something's coming."

"Something? Doctor?" Mash was startled, then looked at Ritsuka's wristband.

"Huh? The surrounding magical energy readings are normal. There shouldn't be anything, right?" Roman double-checked the information on the screen.

"No, there really is something. Wandering undead? Traveling from the Underworld under cover of night... or perhaps..." something someone had stirred up.

Merlin looked at the slightly embarrassed Ishtar.

'Ishtar,' who had originally planned to cause these people some trouble to make her escape, had forgotten about it during the conversation. Now, seeing the horde of undead outside, she really couldn't face them and could only quickly change the subject: "Ohohoho... coming to cause trouble for me, a goddess? They're just a bunch of undead!"

Merlin: ...

You sure can put up a front.

Seeming to sense the contemptuous gaze, 'Ishtar' crashed straight through the roof of the house and flew out, shattering the undead that were moving across the ground on their skeletal remains, then sending their souls back to the Underworld.

"Anyway, let's end this meeting here. I'll look forward to seeing you again!" The goddess, her expression stiff, said this and flew off into the distance.

'That goddess and Merlin seem to have some unspoken understanding.' Fu Hua hinted to Amber.

'Mm.' Amber nodded, pondering Ishtar's recent abnormality.

'A goddess's actions and attitudes are beyond human comprehension.' Fu Hua shared the same view as everyone else on this: 'And that Ishtar is especially an unpredictable goddess.'

Fu Hua was always trustworthy, except when it came to emotions, especially the more delicate ones. Amber didn't really trust this blockhead on that front.

The aura on that person just now was definitely Ishtar, but Amber still felt something was off.

Fu Hua, once again compared to a block of wood: ...

She finally couldn't help but defend herself: 'The Herrscher of Reason... although I never actually met her, in the story you know, my actions weren't what you'd call low emotional intelligence. If I hadn't refuted her in spirit and consciousness, with my body and martial arts, plus her power to manipulate consciousness, she couldn't have been defeated.'

'Besides, even without defeating her as a goal, I didn't want her personality to become someone else's shadow. So my actions in the story were not inappropriate. The Herrscher of Reason is different from the other Shier.'

Hearing the explanation from the person herself, Amber hesitated and nodded, but that filter of hers still showed no sign of coming off.

Fu Hua was exasperated.

Because of the appearance of the undead, Kusa could no longer be used as a safe base. Even if they had to travel through the night, everyone could only return to Uruk first.

On the road, with Merlin's help, Ritsuka deciphered the Heavenly Mandate Tablet written by Gilgamesh and discovered that the entity behind the Human Order Incineration was not the real Solomon, but another being calling itself Solomon.

Amber didn't know much about this. By now, she had been pulled by Fu Hua into the Feathered Dust, keeping watch while getting beaten up in the consciousness space.

This time, Fu Hua wasn't just teaching her techniques and assisting her training; she was actually exchanging blows, beating Amber until she was dizzy and disoriented.

While getting beaten, Amber wondered if it was because she called Fu Hua a blockhead that Fu Hua was taking the chance to vent her frustration on her, but she also felt Fu Hua wasn't that kind of person.

So how did Fu Hua, who could hear Amber's thoughts, evaluate Amber's ideas?

Her evaluation was that the beating wasn't harsh enough; she still had the energy to think about random things.

After another night of training ended, Amber woke up the next day feeling phantom pain all over. Having been mentally beaten all night, she was unusually tired, but the progress was obvious. It had forcibly increased her proficiency in the Transformation Sword and Guardian Sword quite a bit, and for now, she didn't dare speak ill of Fu Hua.

The group didn't return to Uruk until nearly noon, then went straight to the Divine Tower to report their recent experiences to Gilgamesh.

After hearing this, Gilgamesh immediately laughed, laughing heartily as he said, "Stop, stop! This kind of thing should be kept in moderation, you fool!"

Upon learning that Ishtar had been tied up and interrogated, let go by mortals out of kindness, and finally helped them out of a jam to save face, Golden Sparkle felt like his abs would cramp from laughing: "This Ishtar is somewhat interesting. Though only slightly improved, it's worth a reevaluation."

He had to admit that Ishtar, after fusing with her Vessel, had changed a lot.

"Perhaps that goddess can be communicated with." Ritsuka looked at Amber beside him: "According to what that Ishtar said, the Immortal is her friend. Maybe her nature isn't evil."

"A guardian Immortal of humanity, and a willful, capricious goddess." Gilgamesh frowned, reassessing Ishtar in his mind, but quickly shook his head: "No, it's precisely because her nature isn't bad that she's hard to communicate with. If she were purely evil, it would be easier—just destroy her. If she were purely good, then just befriend her. But she's exactly the kind of fool who can cause trouble everywhere without any malicious intent."

"Ahaha..." Ritsuka couldn't argue with that.

"However, these are not matters you need to consider right now." Gilgamesh turned to business: "Nippur City is currently under attack by Demon Beasts, and the latest clay tablet reports that they have little time left to hold out."

"In this era, every human life is a precious treasure. The Demon Beasts are currently in a lull in their offensive. Chaldea, your task is to evacuate the citizens of Nippur and bring them back!"

"Yes!" Ritsuka and Mash nodded firmly.

Then, Gilgamesh shifted his gaze to Amber: "Ally of Uruk, bearer of humanity's flame. Though I, the King, have entrusted this mission to Chaldea as a trial, the circumstances of this journey are clouded by an anomaly that interferes with my Clairvoyance. Thus, I require your strength to deal with the inevitable surprises."

In simple terms, just go cover their backs.

Amber nodded.

"Then set out now! Bring the citizens of Nippur back to Uruk!" Gilgamesh smiled, then rose and issued the command.

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Chapter 21: Evacuation Failed

"The prosperity here is almost no different from Uruk, and even though this is a fortress city, aside from soldiers, there are quite a few civilians doing other work..."

Entering the front lines of Nippur, Mash couldn't help but marvel at the sight, earning a nod of agreement from Ritsuka.

"Haha, after all, the defense here has been ongoing for half a year. To keep it going, this place can no longer be called a fortress or front line—it's become a new city." Merlin explained with a chuckle. "But for now, let's still call it a fortress."

Mash and Ritsuka weren't the only ones impressed by the atmosphere.

Amber was also experiencing this kind of environment for the first time.

Though Uruk was humanity's last nation, it didn't have such a tense, battle-ready atmosphere inside. There were soldiers on the streets, but more than that, there were citizens living and laughing.

Having lived in comfort, Amber felt a bit out of place in this kind of atmosphere.

"Ahead is the front-line wall—the thick barrier that has kept the Demon Beasts out of the city for half a year." He continued his introduction.

Ritsuka and the others were about to express their admiration when they heard a soldier shout that the wall had been breached by Demon Beasts.

This inauspicious start didn't seem like a good sign, but Merlin brushed it off with a smile: "Can't be helped. Beasts with such powerful legs often find ways to scale the walls on their own. But it's nothing serious—just deal with them without holding back."