Multiverse: Ragnarok's Beginning - The Hero King's Path

He was not startled, flustered, or excited because she was a goddess—he remained utterly unmoved.

This reaction made Ishtar pause slightly. Was he refusing to believe her?

No matter. She would make him believe.

The next moment, as her body began to glow, barley, wheat, lentils, and other crops sprouted all around them.

Keep in mind, these grew from stone slabs with no soil at all—this was nothing short of a miracle.

"This should prove that I am the Goddess of Nature and Harvest~ Ishtar, yes?"

"So? Goddess of Nature and Harvest, Ishtar, what business does you have with this King?"

His attitude was exactly the same as before, unchanged, as if he were simply speaking to an ordinary person.

This made a flicker of gloom cross Ishtar's face.

She was a deity, and though the human before her was a king among men, he was still merely human—yet he dared to treat her with such an attitude.

Though angered, she found herself liking him even more.

"It's simple: I have taken a liking to you. So, King of Uruk, become my consort. You will shed the limits of a short-lived human and become a demigod with a long lifespan."

A goddess confessing to a human—no human could possibly remain unmoved by such a thing, for she was a true goddess.

And becoming her consort would elevate him to demigod status in one step, no longer worrying about the end of life a century later.

So, after these words, the King of Uruk before her actually seemed somewhat intrigued, sitting up straight and looking at her with an amused gaze?

An amused gaze?

"I've heard you've had physical relations with certain gods? And that some humans in the past received your invitations too?"

"You need not worry about that, King of Uruk, for now I am devoted to you."

So that was what he was concerned about. Men were all the same—a little sweet talk would smooth it over.

Thus, Ishtar twisted her alluring body closer, breathing out a fragrant scent.

"Oh? So you're saying you really have been promiscuous with that many men? Then I'm sorry, this King doesn't like riding public buses~"

He had been expected to be swept away by infatuation, but instead, he uttered words that turned her face ashen.

Though she didn't know what "public bus" meant, she felt the deep insult.

Looking at this King of Uruk, he cast a disdainful glance at her, then pushed her away with one hand and flicked it as if shaking off something filthy.

At that moment, Ishtar's face twisted, veins bulging and twitching.

"Pfft—!"

Someone couldn't help but burst out laughing, quickly covering their mouth.

The one who laughed was the youngest of the Valkyrie sisters—Goll.

This King of Uruk's words were too sharp—saying he didn't like riding public buses?

That was hilarious.

Wait, wasn't that a modern meme? Had it already appeared in the Sumerian era?

Whoa!!!

That King of Uruk suddenly shot a sharp glare in her direction.

No, it couldn't be—had he sensed them again?

So, Goll cowered behind Sister Brunhilde.

They were still in a state of temporal dislocation; even most gods couldn't detect them.

"I wonder what 'public bus' means? Uru—no, human Gilgamesh!"

Goddess Ishtar twisted her terrifying face, seemingly wanting a detailed explanation of that term.

And she no longer called him King of Uruk, but gritted her teeth and used his name directly—clearly, she was furious enough to explode.

"Don't understand? Then this King will graciously enlighten you. A so-called public bus is a vehicle for convenient travel—anyone can board it by paying a small fee. So this King doesn't like sharing a public bus. I have a custom Vimana, cleaner and more comfortable. If you want to experience a public bus, this King can find you a driver to take you for a ride, letting you properly tour the beauty of the City of Uruk."

These words made Goll bite her own hand, worrying for this King of Uruk.

Look at Goddess Ishtar—that beautiful face twisted so hideously, like a siren.

Her fingers twitched eerily, as if she were about to tear him apart.

"Hehehe, hahaha, very good, very good, Gilgamesh!!!"

Finally, she seemed to shriek at the top of her lungs, making Goll tremble.

"Oh no, Sister Brunhilde, King Gilgamesh is going to be killed now."

"No, it won't come to murder just yet."

Gods generally wouldn't kill humans with their own hands—that would make them seem too impatient and invite ridicule from other gods.

So, gods would use other means to punish humans, then look down from on high, savoring their suffering.

Squinting slightly, Brunhilde also saw a glint of dangerous anticipation flickering in Gilgamesh's eyes—something eager for action.

Kill a god?

Where did he get that confidence?

"Just wait. I'll make you regret what you did today!"

After leaving that threat, the Goddess Ishtar departed just like that.

And the one on the throne, watching her vanishing figure, slightly curled the corners of his mouth. The progress had instantly jumped to 95%.

Speaking of which, if he had actually fought just now and really managed to kill Ishtar, would it have been higher—maybe 99%?

Well then, next she'd be sending the Bull of Heaven to deal with him, right.

Chapter 008: The Bull of Heaven Descends

An agricultural district on the outskirts of the City of Uruk.

Well-developed irrigation facilities had been built here, and with the fertile soil, the crops produced were more than enough to satisfy Uruk's needs.

Thus, under the rule of the great King of Uruk, no famine events occurred.

Suddenly, a person tending to the crops couldn't help but look up at the sun in the sky, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Why is it getting hotter and hotter today?"

And this heat was also strange—it wasn't coming from the sun beating down from above, but from the ground, sweeping in from the south.

Turning his gaze southward, he saw that the air in his field of vision seemed distorted.

Squinting for a closer look at the crops there, something seemed off. Their color was deepening, withering?

His pupils contracted, and immediately he saw smoke rising in some places, followed by flames breaking out.

Wh-what's going on!

The next second, a wave of heat so intense it was hard to breathe slammed into him, nearly making him faint from the heat.

The surrounding crops were also withering because of this terrifying heat wave.

Then, in his field of vision, he spotted a strange creature charging wildly.

"A cow?"

It looked like a bull, a bull larger than any he had ever seen.

And as this bull drew closer, the temperature around him rose even higher.

Not only that, but the earth itself seemed to tremble from its running.

After several confirmations, he understood that the cause of this abnormal temperature was that bull.

It wasn't that no soldiers tried to stop it, but they were no match for that bull at all.

Before they could even reach it, they were drenched in sweat, and they didn't last long before fainting from the heat.

Thus, on the temple tower of Uruk's shrine.

As if sensing something, a person walked to the doorway.

His gaze looked far beyond the outer walls, and he saw thick smoke billowing up.

So this really was the drought-bringing Bull of Heaven being unleashed.

"What's going on? Is an enemy attacking?"

"That looks like the agricultural district?"

"Arson? What are the guards there doing?"

The elders, who were about to continue speaking, all shut their mouths as he extended a hand to signal for calm.

Descending from the temple tower to the ground below, he boarded the already-prepared chariot and drove toward the south gate, where smoke was rolling thick.

He didn't even need to reach the city gate before a soldier rushed in to report the situation.

"Th-that couldn't be the legendary Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna, could it? The divine beast by the Sky God Anu's side."

"Did Ishtar ask the Sky God Anu to send down Divine Punishment?"

"That will bring drought to the land."

After climbing onto the city wall, looking out at the ferocious creature rampaging through the crops and bringing drought to the earth, many people began to tremble, and some even moved to kneel.

"It's the punishment of the Goddess Ishtar! Hurry, kneel and beg—"

Beg for what?

A flash of cold light swept past, and that person's head flew up before falling to the ground and rolling.

"Anyone who kneels will end up like this."

Those narrowed red pupils were like a baleful star illuminating the night. The elders and nobles who were stared at all showed fear and straightened their bent legs.

"Answer this King: who made Uruk so prosperous, so powerful in these past few years?"

Spreading his arms wide, as the king, he declared to the gathered soldiers.

Every pair of eyes focused on him.

"Yes, it is the King!" "It is the King of Uruk!" "It is King Gilgamesh!"

Gradually, a thunderous roar surged forth as countless soldiers shouted King Gilgamesh's name at the top of their lungs.

"That's right, this King. And this King has received no so-called divine revelation, no god's... So everything here was brought to you by this King as a human, not by some so-called god. And the one now wantonly destroying everything we built with our own hands—that is a being sent down by the gods."

These words silenced the soldiers. Some began to tremble—this was rage.

"Do you know why the gods did this? It's because a goddess—no, the whore-goddess Ishtar—absurdly demanded that this King become her slave? And of course, this King refused that bitch."

At these words, the soldiers wavered again. This time, it wasn't panicked hesitation, but a furious upheaval.

"...Do you understand now? So-called gods are exactly this kind of thing. If they were truly benevolent gods, would they need us to offer sacrifices? ...Have you ever actually seen a god give us anything? ...They demand our dignity, our freedom, us—only then do they grant us protection. Does that thing really deserve to be called a god? Tell this King, is that a god?"

"No, it is not!" "It is not!" "It is not!"

"Then what are they? Tell this King!" "They are evil gods! Demons!"

In an instant, countless soldiers, countless citizens—even the elders and nobles—were infected by the atmosphere, roaring in fury.

This rage, as if it could shake the very air, seemed to make the rampaging Bull of Heaven falter.

"Demons, evil—mmph!" Goll, unable to help being swept up, quickly covered her small mouth.

Too, too terrifying. Was this the presence of Gilgamesh as a king? Even she couldn't help being infected.