The impending battle

Hali followed Ishtar, glancing up at her Berserker as she moved across the rooftops.

To Hali, her Berserker looked like a strange creature with many legs and a long tail, resembling both a spider and a lizard, but composed entirely of machinery, gears, and cables.

Since she had not yet had a chance to communicate with her Berserker, she did not even know her name.

Though Ishtar kept walking ahead, she noticed Hali's confusion. In truth, she was puzzled herself as to why that child had become entirely mechanical.

Ishtar said, "That child's name is Humbaba. She used to guard my home, the Cedar Forest. Speaking of which, why does she look mechanical now?"

Hali said, "Humbaba... if I remember correctly, in Mesopotamian mythology, she was a giant tree monster raised by the sun god Utu, and Gilgamesh and Enkidu eventually joined forces to kill her."

"No wonder she went berserk the moment she appeared. She must have sensed her enemy's presence. The Servant I originally intended to summon was Edison, so I included some mechanical materials. That's probably what made her turn out like this."

"Is it really all right to let her swagger around causing trouble like this? What if someone sees her?"

Inwardly, she grumbled about how the holy relic Francesca had provided could have been so far off the mark. It had nearly cost her her life.

Ishtar said, "I see. Don't worry, no one else can see her. As long as this child doesn't choose to reveal herself, only you and I can see her."

Ishtar continued walking, her radiant presence unwittingly drawing everyone's attention.

She was so sacred and dazzling that most people looked at her with gentle, admiring eyes, but there were always some whose gazes held a desire to possess her.

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