"Teacher, words are one thing, but could you leave out the personal attacks...?"
The ancient serpent turned his head and looked resentfully at the floating Shamhat beside him.
Besides, this was only the beginning.
The Thousand-Layered Cake he had baked had only just had its first layer peeled back.
The third purpose behind throwing out that bag of gems naturally concerned Blue Dragon Bashum.
Back when Samael had recounted his escape to that goddess, seven parts had been true and three false. There had been enough truth to make the story entirely plausible.
It was just that the real protagonist had been Centurion Tareel, imprisoned in the Spear Cage of the Underworld.
The ending, however, was that the elite squad responsible for exploring the Temple of Blood, the birthplace of the Beast Calamity, and relaying information to the other fortress cities had alerted Blue Dragon Bashum, guardian of the Fir Forest, along with a massive tide of demonic beasts. They had been wiped out while fleeing.
Take someone's money, and help them avert disaster.
On one hand, the education from his previous life had instilled in the ancient serpent a profound respect for heroic soldiers who willingly faced death.
Therefore, he could not spend the gems that martyr had looted from the temple with a clear conscience, and there were hidden risks involved as well.
He might as well go with the flow and give them to Ishtar, letting her cause trouble for Blue Dragon Bashum. It would also repay the care those two old hands had shown him in the Underworld.
On the other hand, the potential of his Beast's Authority had yet to be developed. He needed more materials to complete his own evolution and awaken the spirit cores of the Eleven Demon Beasts within him.
Simply put, he craved Bashum's body and wanted to devour that huge creature, but he lacked the ability to hunt it himself, so he had to pay Ishtar to serve as his thug.
In the countless mythological biographies and heroic epics, dragons always seemed to be the ones getting slain.
Dragon bloodlines were said to be the strongest debuff for drawing hatred and attracting bonus damage!
Yet in the real Age of Gods, famous giant dragons were genuine apex monsters among beasts.
Unless they were a Child of Destiny or some freakish hero stacked full of buffs, anyone who dared trouble a giant dragon was basically serving themselves up on a platter.
So, if Ishtar suddenly grew a conscience, truly went dragon-slaying, and handed Bashum's corpse over to him as proof—
Then he could conveniently obtain some precious dragon bloodline and see his strength soar.
As for if that goddess failed to keep her word, then it would be time to peel back the fourth layer of the Thousand-Layered Cake.
According to the course of history, as the great calamity intensified in the future, Uruk would be pushed to the brink.
King Gilgamesh would trick Ishtar into becoming his hired fighter in exchange for thirty percent of the mineral resources in his treasury.
Although it was an empty promise contingent on the Heroic King not dying, there was plenty of room to maneuver if he got hold of the negotiating rights.
When they met again, Ishtar would cough up what she had pocketed, with interest.
Heh. Making a deal with this Primordial Serpent and still hoping to profit? Did she know what a devil's contract was?
The corners of Samael's lips curled upward as he became increasingly satisfied with the name that had suddenly occurred to him.
"Hey, hey, what are you thinking about? Why are you smiling so disgustingly...?"
In the firelight, Shamhat wrapped her arms around herself, an inexplicable chill creeping into her heart. It was as though she could vaguely see the shadow of a giant serpent winding through the darkness.
"Nothing. I was just considering what to do next."
Disturbed from his reverie by this troublesome woman, the ancient serpent rolled his eyes irritably and answered offhandedly.
They were only partners for now. There was no need for him to reveal all his secret plans to Shamhat.
After all, this Holy Prostitute belonged to Uruk and had close ties with Gilgamesh.
Samael was currently thinking of swindling the Heroic King's thirty percent of the treasury's negotiating funds. How could he possibly be stupid enough to tell the truth?
Shamhat did not suspect a thing and offered her suggestion.
"What else is there to ask? Of course we should go to Uruk and join the king!"
"If anyone can save Mesopotamia, then perhaps the Heroic King is this world's last hope."
Samael raised a hand and stroked his chin, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
After all, even Gilgamesh had failed to stop Uruk's destruction in the future. Even after giving everything he had, he had only managed to preserve a spark of inheritance for Sumerian civilization.
But for now, if he wanted to Shatter the Triple Goddess Alliance and create the conditions for Mother Goddess Tiamat's return—
He would have to join Uruk's side, quietly build Tiamat's reputation and win hearts for her. In the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, she had resisted her instincts and made tremendous sacrifices for humanity.
However, before heading to the Absolute Demonic Beast Front, he needed to gather intelligence before he could lay out his plans with peace of mind.
Tsk, he still had too few cards in hand. Every step was like walking on thin ice, and it required far too much thinking.
It would be nice if he had the power to crush everything head-on.
The ancient serpent tapped his temple and muttered helplessly.
Just as Samael was carefully organizing his thoughts, his beastly instincts made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and his Serpent Eyes contracted to pinpoints.
"Careful! Something's coming!"
Shamhat, who had not relaxed her vigilance either, warned him as well. Then she decisively transformed into a thin mist and slipped into the Soul Cage.
"Roar!"
Almost at the same moment, a mass of golden flame streaked with reddish brown lunged viciously from the deep darkness behind them.
Samael narrowed his Serpent Eyes and narrowly evaded the attack by a hair's breadth. At the same time, he sank his waist, silver-white light flowing across him. Power surged into his elbow as he slammed it brutally into the ferocious figure's abdomen.
The demonic beast that had followed the light here flew sideways like a cannonball, smashing into an earthen mound and throwing up dust everywhere.
Wrathful Lion Uridim? Sorry, but I know your body's structure very well!
The ancient serpent looked at the golden-brown big cat struggling several times in the pit, its breath growing weaker and weaker due to its broken spinal axis, and smirked coldly.
A few demonic beasts had actually circled around the Babylonia defensive line and reached the rear. Uruk's situation did not look optimistic.
From this small sign, Samael thought of the uncertain road ahead, and his brows drew together slightly.
Forget it. He would take things one step at a time.
Just in time, he could absorb this material that had delivered itself to his doorstep and use it to complete the demonic beast spirit core within his Beast's Authority.
The ancient serpent cast a sinister gaze at the half-paralyzed Wrathful Lion, which kept roaring, clawing, and biting, then slowly approached with malicious intent.
However, after only a few steps, the wind suddenly howled around him, and scarlet "lamps" began appearing one after another in the night.
Samael's breath caught, and his expression froze.
Damn it! Lions were social animals, and Uridimmu retained that habit!
Were the Uruk people at the Babylonia defensive line all blind? The demonic beasts that had crossed that barrier were actually appearing in the rear in groups!
Seeing at least a dozen Wrathful Lions scattered around him, the ancient serpent's face darkened as he cursed furiously in his heart.
Owooo!
Amid the deep booms of tearing wind, more than a dozen Wrathful Lions bared their fangs and charged toward Samael before the fire.
Fine! Driven to the brink, Samael steeled himself and prepared to fully unleash that trace of Beast's Authority. The flesh beneath his skin faintly writhed and warped.
"Get down!"
At the critical moment, a clear, youthful feminine shout rang across the wilderness. The ancient serpent, ready to fight to the death, stirred inwardly and immediately crouched down, clutching his head.
At the same time, chains writhed like serpents in every direction, binding all the demonic beasts racing across the wilderness.
Then, purple-red blades flashed through the air, and sprays of foul-smelling blood burst wildly from one severed throat after another.
Beneath the thick scent of blood, a small hooded figure gradually approached the flickering fire, radiating a mysterious and bewitching beauty.
Before you continue