The Routine Within the Routine

The Underworld, once a place of dead silence and chilling cold, had become uncharacteristically boisterous.

"Go, go! Finish off that giant worm!"

"Idiot! Pin its tail and hold its head, chopping it off is much simpler!"

"It dodged again! It dodged again! It's on the left, you imbecile!"

"Tch! I really don't know what the Goddess sees in these brainless fools, they only rely on brute force. If they were my subordinates, I'd curse their ancestors!"

From the spirit cages on either side, hundreds of humanoid soul fires pulsed violently.

The spirits of the dead, their faces vaguely discernible, shouted in anger, wishing they could hurl the stone blocks carved with skull symbols in their hands.

"Samael, yes, yes, beat him up like that!"

"Poison won't work! The Garuda Spirit is incorporeal. Use any magic or divine arts you know, throw them all!"

"Combat skills are fine too. If they resonate with the Aether Factor, the subsequent shockwaves can deal substantial damage to ghosts!"

"Haha, you wicked thing, you learn fast indeed, I didn't misjudge you!"

Meanwhile, another group of spirits, holding stone blocks with snake symbols, cheered with delight, or engaged in verbal sparring with the opposing side.

And in the open space, two figures, one large and one small, clashed repeatedly, their battle fierce.

The residual shockwaves from the outpouring of magic caused the surrounding rocks to explode, and the powerful air currents stirred up misty dust.

"Wuuu!"

A sharp whimper came from one side. The Garuda Spirit, shrouded in deathly energy, found its continuous assault ineffective and gradually descended into frenzy.

The monster's eyes blazed with red light. It swept its claws, and silver light patterns vibrated outwards.

"The Garuda Spirit is enraged, using its power beyond limits! That's cheating, cheating!"

The spirit Umu, cradling seven or eight snake-symbol stones, pounded on its spirit cage and shouted angrily.

The spirits, whose formations had been opposed, almost simultaneously stopped their heckling, the flames in their eyes flickering slightly.

However, before they could react, the situation on the field took a sudden turn.

The slender figure, enveloped by a fierce wind, saw the bone claws entwined with ethereal blue flames closing in. It immediately reared its head and shrieked, its scales flaring outwards and rupturing, releasing crimson and black blood mist.

Then, the moment the Garuda Spirit swiped at the red and black blood mist, a clawed appendage, covered in dense fur with reddish-brown patterns, shot out unexpectedly, pinning it heavily to the ground.

"Boom!"

A violent roar spread, and scattered debris flew everywhere.

The Garuda Spirit, trapped in the crater, emitted a dull crackling sound from its chest, and the deathly energy surrounding it was forcefully dispersed.

Simultaneously, as the smoke and dust gradually cleared, the entity stepping on the Garuda Spirit revealed its clear outline.

This lion-like monster, with its reddish-brown fur, was majestic and ferocious, standing about 2 meters tall. Its gaping maw was filled with two pairs of sharp fangs and a mouth full of chisel-shaped molars.

Furthermore, its neck, spine, and all the way to its tail were covered in golden-yellow mane, like flickering flames.

"This thing isn't..."

Old Umu smacked his lips, his expression strange, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Lion-like Urum! One of the 'Eleven Demon Beasts' created by the goddess Tiamat in legend!"

A newly arrived centurion spirit from the ruins of Babylon said, his voice dry.

Just as the atmosphere within the spirit cages solidified, the lion turned its head, asking cautiously, its characteristic serpentine vertical pupils opening and closing as it scanned its surroundings.

"I say, it cheated first, so I still won this round, right?"

Could it be that this monstrous beast was a transformation of that wicked thing, Samael?!

As the spirits exchanged glances, the Garuda Spirit, pinned to the ground, shook its skeletal head.

Its previously dispersed deathly energy surged wildly, the flames in its eyes coalescing and burning. Its upper and lower jawbones opened fiercely, biting down on the front claw of this majestic monster.

However, the lion, with even greater agility, pierced through the thin deathly energy with a claw, sending the Garuda Spirit's head flying and silencing it for a while, allowing it to slowly repair its injuries with the surrounding deathly energy.

"Hey, hey, buddy, that's enough. You're trying too hard, and no one's going to pay you for work-related injuries."

Lin Xian, transformed into the lion, muttered as he lowered his head. He then released the Garuda Spirit and, with the elegant gait of a feline, approached the line of spirit cages.

"Well, a bet is a bet. Those who owe money, pay up. Combat skills, magic, antiques, treasures, anything can be appraised."

The spirits, snapping back to reality, immediately erupted, throwing the stones carved with skull symbols towards the lion.

"Won your ass! This is rigged!"

"You can transform into an Urum, so what's the point of gambling!"

"Exactly! You wicked thing! Give us our money back!"

This Garuda Spirit, which guarded the Underworld, had only recently completed its transformation. It was merely Silver-ranked and lacked most combat techniques.

Even setting aside the 'Eleven Demon Beasts' as a template, these god-tier monsters were formidable.

In the current beast tide rampaging through the Mesopotamian world, most mature Urums had reached Silver-rank.

And with that, you still had a brainless Garuda Spirit suppress its strength to fight you one-on-one? Where's your shame!

Some of the knowledgeable Sumerian soldier spirits cursed the loudest, wishing they could break out of their gun cages and chop up the wretched thing.

Under a barrage of stones, the glossy fur on the Lion-like Urum's body automatically repelled the foreign objects hitting him, his steel-like bones feeling no pain or itching.

"Tch! I told you to be peaceful, let's just talk things out like reasonable people."

"You all insisted on egging me on to fight the Garuda Spirit, and then sneakily placed bets."

Lin Xian, who had transformed into the Lion-like Urum, approached the spirits who had been shouting the loudest, a look of grievance on his face.

At the same time, the ghosts on the other side, holding serpentine stones and betting on Lin Xian's head, couldn't hold back when they saw the other party refusing to settle their debts, and immediately started shouting curses.

Ultimately, the chaotic clamor and disputes came to an end without incident as the Garuda Spirit gathered and the gun cage barrier formed.

In the evening, a slender figure slipped into the stone cave, dragged out a large bag of items, and furtively knocked on several gun cages.

Several gems carved with cuneiform symbols were thrown onto the ground, and the restraining barrier spread and pushed aside.

In the dim light, the contents of the bundle were revealed, and the sparkling glow of treasures illuminated a snake face and two balls of soul fire.

To ensure the dead had a better afterlife in the underworld, myths from various civilizations recorded spirits bribing guards in the underworld.

The Sumerians were no exception; the spirits who had bet during the day had some savings on hand.

Even if they didn't have cash, the clay tablets on the table, inscribed with valuable secrets, could be used as collateral.

"After settling the accounts for those who bet, this is what's left."

"By the rules, we split it three ways. That share will be considered doing you a favor."

"After all, we see each other often in this underworld, so some things can't be taken randomly."

"For example, the gold rings Ninurta's wife used for burial, Nash's ancestral amethyst, and the medals of some soldiers from the ruins of Babylon..."

"These have to be returned."

The ancient snake flicked its tongue, picking out a few items individually, then paused, its eyes gleaming.

"If one share isn't enough, the rest will be deducted from my share."

"If you have no objections, are you satisfied with this division? Old Umu, and General Tal?"

Under the faint light, the two humanoid soul outlines on the opposite side were revealed to be the old Umu, who had been setting the pace for both sides, and the centurion from the ruins of Babylon.