Don't Come Any Closer!

"This is... Underworld Protection?!"

As Samael's clothes were slightly lifted by Merlin beside him, a slightly hot layer of skin was revealed, and a peculiar pattern with a red and black background and three red flower petals was gradually fading.

Ishtar, who had carefully kept a ten-meter distance from the ancient serpent, looked at the strange patterns and the mark in the center bearing her Divine Name. Painful memories were instantly stirred up.

Ereshkigal! It was you, you crazy woman, who did this! What did I ever do to you?

Ishtar recalled her previous trespass into the Underworld and the horrific fate of being stripped naked and stabbed to death by her best friend Ereshkigal. She felt a chill run down her spine and her heart was filled with resentment.

"Yes, it's a defensive technique with overlapping Divine Imprint, and it's specifically designed to counter it."

"It only activates when the target that needs to be defended gets close and makes contact. No wonder we didn't get along with Anna."

Despite claiming to be a lazy bum, the wise man, who actually had a deep understanding of Magecraft, held Samael's arm and watched repeatedly, finally arriving at a definitive conclusion.

"You're not dead yet, so how did you manage to hook up with that woman, Ereshkigal?"

Ishtar's face darkened as he circled around Samael, his expression growing increasingly grim and fearful.

"We were chatting closely in the hallway last night, and there were no problems."

"This situation only started this morning."

"If anything seems suspicious during this period, it's that after you sneeze, you act like a completely different person."

The ancient snake innocently spread its hands, its expression bewildered, but it had a general idea of what was going on in its mind.

Did Ereshkigal knock him unconscious last night to inscribe a defensive spell, specifically targeting Ishtar?

Weren't you two sisters going to be affectionate? Why are you dragging me into this again? What's going on here?

Samael was frustrated and puzzled that he had been implicated without being exposed.

"Uruk Summoning Ritual! One body, two sides! Understood!"

Ishtar raised his left hand and slammed it into his right palm, his face showing sudden realization.

"I've been feeling a bit confused lately! Well, here's what happened!"

After a brief questioning, the goddess's expression gradually turned bitter and resentful.

"Fine! I wasn't going to look for you, but you still came up here to cause trouble for me!"

Because Samael was worried about being exposed, he edited and embellished the conversation between Ereshkigal and Ereshkigal after Ereshkigal's consciousness surfaced.

As a result, Ishtar, who already harbored resentment towards Ereshkigal, naturally blamed her sister, whom she disliked, for everything.

Immediately, Ishtar looked up again, her gaze fixed intently on Samael.

The ancient snake felt a chill run down its spine, as if those two gazes were melting its entire being. Its serpentine nature, instinctively seeking good fortune and avoiding harm, made it writhe restlessly.

"What do you want to do? Calm down. There's a reason for this, right? It's none of my business?"

However, Ishtar turned away from her burning gaze and put on a fake friendly smile.

"Don't worry, don't worry, am I the kind of unreasonable god?"

"Yes!"

Samael considered the goddess's numerous misdeeds and responded sincerely. Merlin and Anna behind him couldn't help but nod subconsciously.

Caught off guard, Ishtar's expression froze for a moment, but she quickly managed to force a smile thanks to her excellent self-regulation.

"No, no, those are all things from the past."

"The key is the future, right?"

"Honestly, how have I treated you?"

Samael sighed helplessly, gazing wistfully at the goddess whose face was charred in several places and whose hair was disheveled and messy.

"Just say what you have to say."

He had a vague feeling that Ishtar being targeted by the Underworld Goddess might be related to him in some way.

Given Ishtar's reasonably satisfactory performance during this period, Samael would be willing to lend a hand if possible.

"Raise your left hand!"

Under the serious request of this great goddess, Samael did as she was told.

Immediately afterward, Ishtar clenched her fingers horizontally, and amidst the aggregation of golden Aether Particles, the golden-white divine artifact resembling an arrow appeared.

Then, with lightning speed, the tip of the golden-white arrow struck the back of Samael's left hand.

In a swift motion, a series of Wedge-shaped Divine Script converged into a golden-white crown pattern with seven branches, and finally, accompanied by a slight pain, were branded onto Samael's left arm.

"Hmph, so what if the Underworld Protection!"

"With this, you still want to steal what I want? That's too stingy."

Immediately, Ishtar crossed her arms and proudly raised her chin at the somewhat stunned Samael.

"Be grateful, for I have given you the highest-ranking divine seal!"

"From this day forward, you will be the shepherd priest of this goddess!"

Now even that old rival from underground is coming to snatch him away.

Hmph, it seems my judgment was right!

The more people scramble for something, the more valuable it becomes! In short, stock up first, and label it with your own tag – you can't go wrong!

Did you think this was the underworld where you could do whatever you wanted?

Please! This is my territory!

Last time you hurt me so badly, showing no mercy at all, and now you want to take something from me again?

Tch, you forbid me from doing this, but I'll do it anyway!

What you want, I'm not going to give you!

Otherwise, wouldn't all my past suffering have been for nothing?!

As Ishtar pondered her thoughts, the corners of her mouth curled up higher and higher, forming a smile reminiscent of a beckoning cat, giving off a smug feeling that she was about to burst into laughter at any moment.

However, after waiting for a while, the expected trepidation and tears of gratitude did not appear on the face of the divine benefactor.

That calm expression, tinged with a hint of disdain, deeply hurt Ishtar.

"Hey, hey, I'm a goddess! The real deal!"

"To choose you as the shepherd priest is the highest honor for the Uruk people!"

Ishtar grabbed her hair in frustration and complained to Samael.

"I said, can we go now?"

"Those people in Eridu are still waiting for us to save them, Your Majesty..."

The ancient serpent paused briefly, turned around, and responded irritably, placing one hand on Ishtar's shoulder as it earnestly advised and reminded him.

The instant the two made contact, Ishtar's pupils contracted sharply, and like a startled cat, she flung herself backward to create distance.

However, it was too late. Samael's body flashed with red and black light, Ishtar was struck by lightning again and thrown away, falling miserably into the bushes.

Anna, who was carrying a food package half her height on her back, wrinkled her nose and a strange thought popped into her mind.

It smells so good...

Samael followed, instinctively reaching out his hand, but Ishtar, who had been half-dead just moments before, suddenly sprang to his feet, leaping a great distance away with a terrified expression.

"You... you... don't come any closer!"

The crowd could faintly hear the somewhat off-key scream, which even sounded like a sob.

Feeding Tiamat the Holy Grail. jpg

After the change in favorability. jpg