Chapter 516

Gilgamesh wasn't too surprised.

After all, he was the man who had defeated her, so it was only natural that she would gain new growth and new strength afterward.

That being said, when Merlin said he would bring back new fighting forces, Gilgamesh never imagined this day would come.

While the king was still lost in thought about the "future," Shirou swung his greatsword down.

"--!"

Wow!

Ereshkigal shuddered, opened his eyes, and hurriedly covered his neck.

Mash, who had been watching intently the entire time, wore an incredulous expression. "The blade went right through Miss Ereshkigal's neck... I don't understand it, but it's really amazing..."

"The 'Three Goddess Alliance' contract has disappeared... Thank you, Shirou!"

Ereshkigal happily threw himself into the boy's arms again.

"Don't take this opportunity to get intimate with my Shirou!" Ishtar protested.

"Your Shirou?"

"That's right, I've already made a contract with Shirou. What about you? Are you going to make a contract with Shirou too?"

Upon hearing the Goddess of Heaven's words, the Goddess of Earth scoffed disdainfully.

"A contract—that's something you need because you lack a sense of security, isn't it?"

Shirou and I no longer need to confirm our relationship through superficial Magecraft means...

I'm a goddess of action, and I'll show Shirou through my actions who his number one (goddess) is.

Ishtar raised an eyebrow and said, "Hmph, quite the big talker. So, what exactly are you planning to do?"

"Well... I'll think about that later! Anyway, there will be plenty of opportunities, right? Probably!"

The goddess of the Underworld blushed and whispered, "I will step in to help Shirou when he is in danger... So that's all! You should all go back now! Don't stay here any longer unless you have something else to do!"

Ereshkigal's shyness had reached its limit, so he ordered everyone to leave.

"I'll keep a close eye on the battle with the Gorgon... By the way, Ishtar?"

If you make a foolish mistake and get destroyed, then I'll take over this vessel for you. Go ahead and waste your time and die.

... See you later, Shirou?

As he said this, Ereshkigal stood on his tiptoes—

In front of everyone, she kissed Shirou's cheek like a chick pecking at rice.

The goddess thought to herself, "I'll wait until I become a goddess worthy of Shirou before I ask him for a proper (lips) kiss..."

--

Volume 7: Chapter 331 Ana: Shirou opened my box...

"Shirou, welcome back."

When the group returned to Uruk, a beautiful girl with long purple hair was waiting for them at the city gate.

"Ritsuka and Mash, welcome back too. Merlin is still alive? That's wonderful."

"Miss Ana...?"

Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Ana, who had removed her hood.

She did not participate in this Ereshkigal campaign, but instead stayed in the flower shop to keep the old woman company.

Since Ana is here to greet everyone, it means that the City of Uruk whose souls were taken away should have all awakened by now.

"Miss Ana, you took off your cloak? Are you alright? You've been wearing it the whole time..."

The girl lowered her head and touched her exposed face, nodding as she said, "Well... since I've been so well taken care of by the people of Uruk, I feel it's not good to keep hiding my face... Besides, they all say it looks better with my face showing."

She paused, her ears turning slightly red, and added, "So I took it off."

Ritsuka Fujimaru quickly smiled and said, "So cute! Just like I imagined! Right, Mash?"

"That's true, but your wicked thoughts are overflowing... Can't you be a little more natural like Mr. Shirou?"

This statement...

Shirou's lips twitched. "It's practically like you're saying I'm really good at charming girls, Mash- san."

Ana said she still had work to do on the farm, and then said goodbye and left.

Her lighthearted figure suggested she was in a good mood. The silver-haired succubus wiped away non-existent tears, murmuring, "The child has grown up."

Uruk was bustling with activity, as if it were a festival.

Since Gorgon, who claims to be the Goddess Tiamat, appeared, the gloom that had been hanging over Uruk has been swept away today.

Street vendors shouted their wares, and pedestrians streamed by, each with a smile on their face.

"Special offers to celebrate His Majesty's third return from the Underworld!"

A huge seal stands in front of the market gate.

Currently, the most popular item in Uruk seems to be the Nendoroid set of King Gilgamesh and the hero Shirou.

Ishtar forced the merchant to sell her a pair, then immediately gave the Gilgamesh doll to Fou as a toy (teething stick).

"He's already bragging about his glorious achievements to others..."

Merlin nodded and said, "Of course, telling the stories of heroes is an important duty of the king."

The priests wouldn't let a day pass by when someone successfully returns from the Underworld.

In order to record this, Wang must have been forced to dictate for three days and three nights.

After that, the group headed straight for the Uruk Tower.

Although they had just returned from the Underworld, they had no time to rest.

According to intelligence, the Gorgon army (the children) has already assembled in the forest not far from the Northern Wall.

The cedar forest contains approximately 200,000 Magical Beasts, more than twenty times the total strength of Uruk's army.

Hearing the numbers reported by Siduri, Quetzal was somewhat surprised. "The number of Magical Beast in Gorgon has increased by so much... She's been focusing on producing Magical Beast all Coatl."

Despite calling herself a vengeful goddess, she actually adopted the most pragmatic strategy.

Having finally been freed from the priests, King Gilgamesh said, "That's right. Although the Northern Wall has been reinforced, it probably won't last even half a day once the attack begins."

Moreover, once the Gorgon himself appears, the city walls will be completely meaningless.

Once the wall collapses, the soldiers will have nowhere to retreat and will be completely swallowed up by the Magical Beast.

"Your Majesty, do you mean...?"

Gilgamesh rose from his throne and announced, "Take the initiative."

The people and soldiers of Uruk, along with Leonidas, will fight with all their might to delay the enemy for half a day at the Northern Wall, and you will use this time to conquer the Blood Temple deep within the Cedar Forest!

The reason why the Goddess of Demonic Beasts possesses such great power is not only because of the Holy Grail, but also because she built a temple in this era.

Destroying the Blood Temple will weaken Gorgon's divinity by half—that is the only way to defeat the Goddess of Demonic Beasts.

Although Shirou wanted to say that Gorgon's divinity had weakened, hadn't the special attack of the "Blades of Chaos" also weakened?

However, Gorgon's divinity is related to the performance of the Magical Beast, and considering the pressure on the soldiers at the front... the Blood Temple should still be destroyed.

Defeating Gorgon is important, but it would be meaningless if all the men of Uruk were killed by Magical Beast.

After that, the group developed a more detailed battle plan.

The Gorgon raiding party, consisting of Shirou, Ritsuka, and others, has also decided to set off tomorrow morning.

After their visit to the Divine Tower concluded, when the group returned to the embassy, they found it already packed with citizens.

When the locals heard that a small celebration banquet would be held here, they spontaneously brought ingredients such as mutton and vegetables.

Shirou accepted the gift while thanking everyone, and then spoke to the orange-haired girl beside him.

"Don't eat too much tonight, Ritsuka... Tomorrow is the decisive day, it would be terrible if you had an upset stomach."

"No way! My appetite is average for a high school girl. It's just that Mr. Shirou's cooking is so delicious... that's why I can't control myself." The girl muttered, blushing.

Shirou, Ritsuka, Mash, Merlin, and Ana set off from Uruk in the morning and finally arrived at the Demonic Beast Front before nightfall.

If they hadn't encountered a large number of Magical Beast on the way, they could have arrived much earlier.

Waiting for them on the front lines of the Demonic Beast Front were the Gilgamesh Heroic Spirit summoned by Leonidas I.

"My lord!" "My elder brother!"

As soon as Shirou showed his face, Tomoe Gozen and Ushiwakamaru each grabbed one of his arms and dragged him away.

"You're as popular as ever, Shirou."

Leonidas I was moved by the sight of the young man with women on his left and right.

"Long time no see, Mr. Leonidas!"

"Oh, it's Mash... Long time no see."

The Sparta king looked the girl up and down. "Hmm, you seem to have grown quite a bit."

"Can you tell?" Mash asked in surprise.

"Of course, your shield is Gilgamesh."

"Very good!"

Mash and Ritsuka high-fived in celebration.

This is their third month at the Mesopotamia Singularity.

In the first two months, Mash often received Sparta training from Leonidas I in her spare time between missions.

Chaldea didn't have any shielders other than her, which was a very valuable training opportunity for the young girl.

In the eyes of Leonidas I, Mash's growth during this period was also astonishing, even transformative.

One day, you will become a guardian (shield soldier) who surpasses me.

Such gentle words would never come from the mouth of a Sparta instructor.

"Mash, even though it's the last day, don't slack off on your training..."

Tomorrow, show your prowess and strength to the fallen Greece goddess!

"Yes, Mr. Leonidas!"

"..."

Ritsuka looked at her adorable junior's increasingly rounded upper arms and felt a mix of emotions: Perhaps it would be better to stop now and not continue exercising?

After that, everyone went their separate ways.

Quetzal Coatl accompanied Leonidas to visit the Uruk soldiers.

As one of the "Three Goddess Alliance," she cannot directly attack Gorgon, so she will not participate in the conquest operation tomorrow but will remain on the front lines.

Ishtar rode on Maanna away from the Northern Wall to meet the Jaguar Man were transporting Axe of Marduk.

Because she didn't want to be controlled by Ereshkigal, she hadn't slept for thirty hours and decided to stay up all night again.

"Ah... I found it, I found it!"

In the officer's room, Ritsuka Fujimaru found the red-haired boy surrounded by Tomoe Gozen and Ushiwakamaru, in a chaotic scene.

"Excuse me, Miss Tomoe! Miss Ushiwakamaru! Could I borrow Mr. Shirou for a moment?"

With that, Ritsuka hooked her arm around Shirou's and led him to the hallway outside the door.

"That's really tough... What's wrong?"

Ritsuka then took out a floral ornament woven from Azaka flowers.