"In that case, the bonds woven together like this should still be able to continue on, right?"
Definitely...
After finishing these things, although Enkidu's mood didn't fully recover, it was still much better than before.
Ophis didn't disturb Enkidu, who was still crouching in front of the stone tablet mourning the past, but instead picked up the golden key that had just been placed to the Orpheyside and walked into the cave.
Just as she stepped inside, Ophis felt a certain magic activate... but before even knowing its effect, it shattered just like that.
It was probably some kind of barrier used for defense... but after all, Ophis was a dragonkin, and the energy resistance she possessed wasn't inferior to that of gods at all.
Magic of this level—whether it was buff-type or damage-type—had no effect on her.
Ignoring these things, Ophis walked to the end of the cave.
Saying "end"—in reality, it was only pitch black, but Ophis could feel that no matter how far forward she walked, it would always only be this darkness; even turning back would be the same.
───The space here was completely twisted.
This must be the final trap for intruders who entered recklessly, right?
Thinking so, Ophis followed the sensation the key gave her and extended it forward in a random direction.
There was no missing as would be expected—just like that, half of the key sank into a golden ripple.
Ophis gripped the handle tightly, then twisted the key.
Golden ripples suddenly burst forth, and the world Ophis was in changed accordingly.
The key in her hand also fused into her body and disappeared.
Gold───That was Ophis's first impression of this place.
Gates, walls, floors, roads, buildings, decorations, cloth—all were made of gold.
A true city of gold in every sense.
If it were just that, it would merely be meaningless extreme luxury. If Ophis wanted to, even at the cost of draining Uruk's national power, such a thing wouldn't be impossible.
But as she continued forward, Ophis quickly discovered things that weren't gold.
Those were───countless gemstones.
Gemstones so numerous they were uncountable, and their value was incalculable, scattered at random throughout a plaza—any one of which could make a person as wealthy as a nation.
Among them were also many gold ingots.
Though, due to her dragonkin nature, Ophis felt a slight delight at these things, that was all───after all, among dragonkin, her personality was considered the most indifferent kind.
Climbing the stairs at the end of the plaza, Ophis's eyes brightened.
The crystallization of human wisdom───this phrase was most suitable to describe the treasures on this level.
Whether they could travel on land, sea, or sky, whether they made life more convenient, were for combat, or were ritual items for magic—various kinds of treasures were present.
Even terrifying weapons like nuclear bombs capable of destroying a city in one blow were here.
Naturally, the space here was folded and layered; if fully opened, even all of Uruk probably couldn't contain it.
After admiring for a moment, Ophis continued to the next level.
If the previous floor conveyed the power of human wisdom, then this level gave off more of a sharp aura, as if it could slice through the body at any time.
Those were countless weapons floating in the air, placed upon pedestals.
Blades, spears, swords, halberds, axes, hatchets, hooks, forks, scythes, and so on… Not only offensive weapons, but also included were chains for binding, shields, and armor for defense.
Ophis didn't linger too long at these, and moved directly to the next level.
The countless levels that followed were all plazas for storing weapons.
From initially feeling irrelevant to her, then sensing "the degree that could inflict a scratch," by now, Ophis could already feel strong threats from many of the treasures.
However, the number of weapons on this level had visibly decreased—there was no folded space anymore, and only around a hundred or so were visible at a glance.
───Using this world's evaluation system, they were probably all above A-rank, right?
Among them were even divine myth weapons like " Declaration of the Great God."
...If she could freely unleash them, then Ophis could proudly claim that she alone had seventy to eighty percent of the Norse pantheon's combat power.
But, of course, that was impossible.
Weapons this powerful demanded quite a lot from their users.
Not that it required vast magical power… although that too, but energy-wise, Ophis had as much as she wanted.
More important than magic power was the mind.
The Sword of Selection personally chose King Arthur, but after Arthur made a mistake, it still broke.
From that, the extremely high mental requirement of treasures could be seen.
A Holy Sword could only shine in the hands of someone pure.
A knight's sword could only be fully wielded by one upholding knightly justice.
A saint's sword could only be drawn when facing a "truly deserving" enemy.
Divine weapons required divinity to be unleashed.
Things like that—even if not every weapon needed a perfectly matching mindset, any deviation would surely reduce its power and effect.
Take for example the " Declaration of the Great God" Gungnir just now.
That was a truly never-missing spear—its real power rivaled meteors and thunder; if fully unleashed, it could pierce through fate, definitely an EX-rank, one-hit-kill type weapon.
However, it had to be wielded by a true god.
Although Ophis had gained divinity after taking on the Hero King's fate, she still wasn't a god. If she really used this spear… then in many ways, it might not even be as effective as Cu Chulainn's Gae Bolg.
...Well, taking luck into account, she'd probably still win in the end.
In any case, everything Ophis had seen so far, although they all belonged to her, were not truly things she could fully control.
Thinking that, Ophis looked toward the staircase to the next level.
───This was the last.
Though it was just intuition, Ophis was sure of it, and then took a step forward.
Different from the previous expansive plazas filled with countless treasures, this final level had only three pedestals.
On the pedestals to the left and right were two identical golden longswords.
If one only looked at a single one of them, it would merely seem to be a very sharp longsword.
But the aura of destruction Ophis felt from them was not an illusion.
───If the two swords were combined, they could probably destroy an entire civilization.
Summoning a star of destruction, then bringing forth the biblical flood to wipe out the world.
That was the effect these two treasures possessed.
───TheSword of the End, Enki
Following the fate she originally knew, Ophis directly named these two swords as such.
As for the one in the center...
Perhaps, this thing could be called a sword? But whether it truly was a sword was debatable.
After all—it was simply too bizarre.
It had a hilt and a guard, and its length was similar to a regular longsword.
But the most crucial part—the "blade"—differed greatly from the traditional meaning of a sword. Three cylindrical segments were tightly joined together, and the dull-edged body was twisted into a spiral. The three cylinders coiled like chains, slowly spiraling outward together.
Yes, it could no longer be called a sword… It was something born before the concept of "sword" even existed in the world, and it would not take the form of a sword. It was created by a god before the creation of man—an embodiment of divinity that witnessed the genesis of the world.
───The Sword of Rupture, Ea
Likewise, Ophis gave it this name.
The Sword of Rupture Ea could also be called the Sword of Genesis, while the Sword of the End Enki—that goes without saying.
Genesis and the End—these correspond, respectively, to the two concepts of the Ouroboros: creation and destruction.
Relying on the traits of the Ouroboros, Ophis had even higher compatibility with these three swords—two sets of weapons—than Gilgamesh himself!
Even the most supreme Hero King, Gilgamesh, could not wield Ea's full power. But Ophis, who shared the same concept as it, possessed the potential. The same applied to Enki.
If one were to ask what Ophis most looked forward to in this usurpation of fate, it would undoubtedly be these two weapons, which suited her perfectly.
She even suspected that the auto-selection mechanism Prith once mentioned chose this identity specifically for the sake of obtaining these two swords.
Ea and Enki—both referred, in fact, to the same god: Enki, the Sumerian god of water and creation. Ea was simply the Babylonian name for the same deity.
Thus, the Sword of Rupture Ea and theSword of the End Enki each corresponded to creation and water.
…To say that Ea corresponds to water isn't entirely wrong either, in a sense.
In short, these two weapons originally had no names—at least, no one knew what names they once had. So Gilgamesh had bestowed upon them two nicknames derived from the same creator god.
Ophis had no intention of changing those names either.
She couldn't come up with better ones herself.
Besides, Gilgamesh's naming was indeed concise and powerful.
If one wanted to fire a light cannon while wielding Ea, all they had to do was shout "Ea!"
After all, Ophis had considered her own temperament.
In future battles, there was a high chance she'd just stand there pointing a glorified fire poker forward, going "Ea, Ea," over and over again.
If the name were too long—like Solomon's Ars Almadel Salomonis, "The Time of Birth Has Come, The Thing That Corrects All"—a name long just for the sake of grandeur…
Well, Ophis's articulation probably couldn't handle that, and if it were ever animated, the enemy's attack would need a delay just so she could finish chanting.
Of course, Ea could be released even further.
Enuma Elish—the opening line of the Creation Epic inscribed on the Creation Tablet, and also the name of the epic itself—carried the meaning of "When the heavens above."
Though Ophis didn't care how high the heavens were, and that line didn't really matter to Ea, what did matter was the conceptual power it carried as the name of a creation myth.
By invoking this phrase, one could release Ea's true world-splitting power.
Of course, that's only in theory.
After all, one still had to consider Mother Gaia's mood, no?
And most importantly—her own strength, and compatibility with the weapon.
On that front, Ophis had considerable confidence. Though she couldn't do it yet, with time and proper attunement, fully unleashing Ea's true might shouldn't be an issue.
Alright… assuming Mother Gaia allows it.
Without touching the Sword of Rupture, Ophis merely gestured, and the two Swords of the End fell into her hands.
The moment she touched them, the originally golden swords were as if dyed, changing from the point of contact into a black-toned color.
"…You acknowledge me?"
TheSword of the End could sense her will, couldn't it?
The black hue did match her more… well, not that that was the reason it changed, right?
Though, Ophis really liked this color.
As for whether she would like the future battle style involving "holding a pair of swords to cut the world apart," she'd find that out when the time came.
She hadn't yet tried to wield the Sword of Rupture, Ea, and wasn't in a rush.
After all, the moment she grasped Ea, the world might not remain peaceful anymore.
And for the current her… peace was still quite nice.
This is its positioning as a civilization treasure.
It will accumulate for seven days and then destroy the world with a flood.
Unlike the Holy Sword that guides people to the light of hope and the Sword of the End that celebrates the beginning of the world, the Sword of the End is a treasure that is simply used for destruction.
And destruction has never been something glorious enough to deserve praise. If we were to give this word a color, it would definitely not be gold.
Black...is indeed more suitable.
Ophis's expression did not fluctuate. She swung the two swords a few times, got familiar with them, and then put them back in place.
In the future, the frequency with which she would unleash this pair of Noble Phantasms would probably be quite low, right?
She had no reason to hold back for seven days to destroy the world. If it was merely an instant release, her magic cannon alone could produce a similar effect.
However, in terms of hardness and sharpness, this truly deserved to be an EX-ranked Noble Phantasm—completely unfazed even when clashing with the Sword of Promised Victory.
Occasionally using them to hack people should be quite nice.
After all, nowadays, no matter what profession, you have to know one or two melee techniques for going full musou-mode.
In fact, dragon-kind inherently possesses greater physical attributes than other races. They usually put effort into melee combat—at the very least, they wouldn't be helpless when someone gets close and hits them with a 13-hit Black Tiger Heart Dig combo.
Putting that aside for now, Ophis briefly organized the information that had flowed into her mind from the moment she grasped the key.
'Gate of Babylon' (王之财宝)
It contained a vast collection of treasures and had the function of launching weapons stored within as ammunition—and automatically retrieving and repairing them, with very low magic consumption.
In terms of speed, although there were three steps—open the gate, load, and fire—it was still much faster than the magic cannon Ophis currently used.
As for power, it varied depending on the rank of the Noble Phantasm being projected, though the energy was more focused. In terms of wide-area devastation, it was far inferior to the magic cannon.
In truth, the most important collection in the Gate of Babylon was not the treasures themselves, but the concept it possessed—the original template of human wisdom. With this concept, the Gate could theoretically simulate and reproduce anything that might exist in the future, even completely destroyed Noble Phantasms could be reconstructed.
Although creating something from nothing required a considerable amount of time—an amount impossible for a human to afford—Ophis, being infinite, had time in abundance.
All in all, this harvest was quite fruitful.
Not to mention the handy, high-compatibility twin weapons—Ophis's preferred combat style was still long-range overwhelming firepower.
It's just that relying solely on the magic cannon was ultimately too limited.
As sister golden finger said before, encountering enemies with high energy resistance—or even immunity—would render that move basically useless, aside from some "Almighty Push" knockback effect.
Even if such broken opponents were rare, Ophis often found herself unable to use that kind of large-scale attack for various reasons.
At such times, using the Gate of Babylon—with its more focused and partly physical attacks—could help mitigate those difficulties to some extent.
The extremely low mana cost also allowed Ophis to free up more of her attention for other matters.
In fact, for Ophis, all of this was secondary.
────Reading the surrounding environment and integrating beneficial information into her own cycle—this was the bug known as the Ouroboros's ability, a power that could even be said to surpass the concept of infinity.
It was a power called self-reference.
Because the Ouroboros was already a perfect existence, within its own cycle, it could no longer become more perfect. That's likely why this mechanism of completing itself with external elements existed, right?
Back then, Enkidu had caught Ophis's attention. One of the reasons was precisely this instinct of self-reference… After all, Enkidu did indeed have referential value.
But now, it was different—with these treasures, as long as she spent enough time, Ophis's instincts could merge the abilities of some Noble Phantasms into herself…
And one trait of self-reference is: if the referenced object shares traits similar to oneself, the effect multiplies exponentially.
Ophis's greatest concept was infinity. If one were to define her form with a symbol, it would not be a serpent biting its own tail, but a simple ∞. This meant that she was relatively weak when it came to concepts of beginning and end.
So, gaining Ea and Enki—highly compatible and able to compensate for her weaknesses—was what made Ophis so delighted.
It seems… she really did obtain quite the harvest…
With this mood, Ophis left the Golden Capital.
But…
Walking out of the cave, Ophis was greeted by Enkidu's ever-familiar smile.
Looking at that smile, Ophis became a little dazed.
────Perhaps, this was the greatest treasure she had obtained on this journey of fate?
"Here────"
Ophis accepted from Enkidu's hand a fruit that closely resembled the apple from her knowledge and took a small bite.
The two were now in a small forest on the return journey. Unlike their hurried travel earlier, they now chose to walk slowly on the way back.
Enkidu needed more time to fully recover emotionally, and Ophis stayed behind to accompany her.
It was still noon, and the two resting here wasn't because of fatigue—they simply thought the weather was nice and the scenery was pleasant, so they stopped here.
They could go when they wished, stop when they liked—time, weather, terrain—none of these could affect them in the slightest.
"Not sweet."
After taking a bite of the fruit, tentatively called an apple, Ophis suddenly said.
"Mm… among the fruits around here, this one's considered the best though."
Enkidu smiled, sat beside Ophis, and picked up an apple herself to eat.
Ophis liked sweets—especially very sweet ones. This could be considered her only small indulgence.
In any case, Enkidu herself found this rather endearing.
"Enkidu, are you okay?"
Fast-forwarding through the apple, Ophis quickly finished it, used simple magic to incinerate the core, and gazed unblinkingly at Enkidu.
Facing such eyes, Enkidu felt a little helpless.
Normally, people wouldn't ask so directly, right?
After spending so much time together, she had more or less figured Ophis out.
Contrary to her usual emotionless expression, Ophis's inner thoughts were actually quite active, with a highly organized analytical ability. But she generally had zero interest in the outside world, and was very simple and insensitive when it came to emotional matters.
Simply put, she was extremely sharp and knowledgeable in areas related to herself, but had laughably low emotional intelligence, and because she was too lazy to care about external matters, she remained extremely simple.
Such a being—unless something really piqued her interest—would likely ignore others completely, right?
That Ophis had responded to her back then still felt unbelievable to Enkidu even now.
This must be what they call fate, right?
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
Wearing her usual smile, Enkidu patted Ophis's head in response.
Ophis nodded, then pulled a red fire-poker-like stick from a golden ripple and hugged it in her arms, returning to her far-off, absent-minded look.
To her, speaking was not about starting a conversation or having a goal—it was simply out of care, so she asked.
Enkidu glanced at the strange fire stick and twitched the corner of her mouth. (I spent all this time building affection only to lose to a fire stick?) (crossed out) Though curious, she didn't ask—once Ophis entered that full meditative state, she was nearly impossible to wake unless physically attacked.
Still, Enkidu didn't mind being brushed aside by this person she had designated as her "dearest friend." She simply smiled more gently and kept watching Ophis stare off into space.
She needed to think too.
Why… did Humbaba completely lose control?
Actually, the question itself didn't seem worth overthinking…
Humbaba was originally the guardian of the gods' treasures—a divine beast created by gods. Unlike Enkidu, Humbaba developed its own intelligence during its long lifespan.
For such a beast to have its rational side so easily stripped away—likely only the gods who created her could do that.
The key issue was… Enkidu couldn't think of a reason for the gods to do so.
While Ophis hadn't fulfilled her duty as a wedge, she hadn't completely denied it either… Okay, Enkidu figured she probably didn't even know she had such a duty.
From the gods' perspective, this span of a few months was far too short to make a judgment—let alone act in ways that would sever ties between gods and humans.
…No, that's not right.
Enkidu suddenly realized her error came from the perspective of her thoughts.
For humans to become more distant from gods, the premise was "people knowing it was the gods' doing."
But in reality, even someone as close to the gods as Enkidu had no decisive proof, only suspicions.
Even if they knew—so what?
People would still recognize the gods' power and cower.
This era was indeed braver than most, but that didn't mean people were unmoved by those who could control their life and death.
Were the gods trying to make humans pray and beg to them again through calamity?
Or perhaps, by using Humbaba's devastation of nature, they wanted to slow down human progress?
Indeed… these things were possible. Even Uruk, protected by Ophis's power, suffered casualties—let alone other city-states.
Humans relying more on gods—this was a likely outcome after such disaster.
And with Humbaba's fall and nature's fury fading—that too would be seen as gods answering prayers and ending the punishment.
Even if they defeated the true culprit Humbaba, only Uruk's people would know—maybe a few neighboring cities through rumors.
And even then, people would think Ophis, the chosen king, and Enkidu, the divine weapon, must've acted under divine instruction.
They defeated nature… but lost to the gods who embody it? What irony…
Yet, even after unraveling the likely chain of events, Enkidu still felt puzzled.
Though these actions might benefit the gods, Enkidu still felt… the gods acted too hastily—or rather, too sensitively.
Humans have immense potential. Sooner or later, they'll grow to a point where divine authority becomes meaningless—the gods realized this, understood their own stagnation and humanity's rise, and so they sent a god-born being, standing with the divine yet ruling humans.
That was the wedge fallen from the heavens to the earth—Ophis.
As said before, Ophis never performed such duties. Yet the gods went from creating Enkidu to balance her, to immediately moving forward with the Humbaba incident—the time gap was too short.
It's hard to imagine gods—beings indifferent to time—would act with such urgency.
If they had confirmed that Ophis would never fulfill her role, maybe that could explain it… but even Enkidu couldn't confirm that.
As for whether the gods could peer into Ophis's mind—Enkidu believed it was impossible. She didn't know how strong Ophis truly was, but she was certain—no matter how powerful the mind-reader, even a god-king couldn't read Ophis without her noticing…
No, maybe it's because Ophis is too strong and out of the control of God?
This is a bit far-fetched... because even Enkidu himself doesn't know what Ophis's strength is, and he doesn't even know his true identity, let alone those gods.
You know, as a divine weapon, Enkidu's own perception ability is actually much stronger than many gods who are merely "incarnations of nature".
And with the arrogance of a god, he could directly assume that the other party could threaten him without knowing the other party's strength? It's ridiculous.
...Then again, why would those gods choose an unknown being as a wedge?
While Enkidu was thinking deeply, he did not notice that Ophis on the other side had a very faint silver light flashing in his right eye, and murmured a word in a questioning and very small voice.
"…human…reason?"
"…human…reason?"
After whispering the word, Ophis came back to his senses and blinked in confusion.
Just now, some quickly passing clips suddenly appeared in front of my eyes, and then this word flashed through my mind.
Although most of those clips were unrecognizable and not very memorable, there was one...
...the ruins of Uruk?
Ophis would not make a mistake when he saw the similar street scene that Enkidu had dragged him out to see.
Will Uruk be destroyed?
Could it be that Uruk has become like this now?
Or is it the future?
Enkidu is already a little sad because of what happened just now. What if she were to see the destroyed Uruk again?
Thinking of this, Ophis stood up.
"What's wrong, Ophis?"
"...No, nothing."
Shaking her head, Ophis sat down again.
She had just barely given rise to the thought of wanting to confirm Uruk's safety when, in her eyes, the image of Uruk still being safe and sound once again emerged. At the same time, a voice in her mind confidently told her that nothing would happen to Uruk in the near future.
Clairvoyance… was it?
Having done some research into magecraft, Ophis was still aware of such an ability.
But… it seemed to be somewhat different…
"Hey, Ophis, the thing in your hand is…?"
At this moment, Enkidu suddenly leaned her head in.
Although she wasn't too willing to disturb Ophis at this time…
But the feeling this fire poker gave her was just too powerful… she had no choice but to ask now while Ophis had just snapped out of her trance.
"Ea."
Ophis replied concisely.
"Ea? This… the name of the stick?"
Ophis nodded.
"Is… is that so?"
"Mhm, it's probably a sword meant to open the heavens… that's the kind of concept it has."
"Eh? That's amazing… Ophis's gotten a great item, huh."
Enkidu smiled and patted Ophis's head, sincerely happy for her.
"Mhm…"
Ophis nodded, though most of her attention was still on the earlier vision.
At this moment, Enkidu suddenly stood up.
"?"
Facing Ophis's puzzled gaze, Enkidu smiled.
"Since Ophis's gotten something this nice, we ought to celebrate a little… I'll go prepare some more food."
As soon as the words left her mouth, before Ophis could even respond, Enkidu had already skipped away.
"..."
Enkidu wasn't someone who would kill animals just to eat them. No matter how she "prepared," it would just be those apples… what would she even use to celebrate?
Still, Ophis didn't think much about it, continuing to immerse herself in her thoughts.
But it didn't last long.
"Yahoo───!"
She had only just come back to her senses upon hearing the voice when Ophis was suddenly tackled by a figure.
"Wahh, even when I saw you from afar I thought so, but up close you're even cuter!!!"
The newcomer buried Ophis in her ample chest armor, unreservedly rubbing against her.
Even after taking a direct 'Face Wash' hit like that, Ophis's expression barely changed. She merely kicked the woman off her with a single silent motion.
"Oi…"
"…Who are you?"
Ignoring the woman's pained groan, Ophis looked ahead at the figure.
Normally, she wouldn't even bother acknowledging someone like this, but having just seen the scene of Uruk's destruction, Ophis had started paying a bit more attention to the things happening around her.
Judging from appearance alone, the other person was probably a young woman around twenty years old, with loose golden hair and a pair of red eyes exuding seductive allure.
She wore seductive clothing that was barely better than being naked—on her left arm and right leg were a silken sleeve and an over-the-knee stocking (?), which only added to the lewd aesthetic of the ensemble.
If not for the holy aura of the crown on her head and the various regal adornments she wore, Ophis might have mistaken her for some kind of harlot.
Of course, aside from that, there was also the strong divine presence radiating from her like the sun, and the immense power contained within.
"Hehe…"
Ignoring the pained moan she herself had just made, the woman straightened her upper body into a duck-sitting pose, placed her index finger on her lips, and—every single gesture, even ones that would look vulgar on others, exuded a powerful seductive charm when done by her.
"Listen well, this body is named Ishtar, one of the great gods!"
...
Ishtar raised her chin proudly and waited a long time without receiving any response, so she had to look back forward again… only to find Ophis had already moved to sit under a tree some distance away, staring off into space with a dazed look.
Ishtar's eyebrows twitched a few times.
She did indeed have the power to bewitch people, to make them look at her with blank, vacant idiot-expressions… but while Ophis's eyes were similarly dull, her gaze wasn't even on her…
"Tch, I already knew your response to the outside world was minimal, but I didn't expect it to be this bad…"
At this moment, faint ripples flickered across Ishtar's body.
"…Looks like I won't be able to maintain this forced descent much longer…"
The world was gradually rejecting the gods…
This was also why the originally arrogant, crisis-insensitive gods had sent down a wedge.
"Tch…"
Looking at Ophis, who didn't seem the least bit interested, Ishtar clicked her tongue.
The gods had grown impatient due to the wedge's lack of action, so they had sent her—this extremely powerful goddess whose charm worked on both men and women—to seduce the target.
Of course, they'd promised her all sorts of benefits.
But… there was no way this would succeed. The moment she was kicked away by Ophis, Ishtar already understood that.
Unlike Enkidu, who had a unique skill like "EX-Level Hero King Comprehension," Ishtar was able to partially see through Ophis's nature because the two of them were, in a way, quite similar.
(From the original, we know Enkidu isn't high in emotional intelligence, but he can understand even Gil's incomprehensible thoughts.)
One dragon, one goddess—both were self-centered types.
Ishtar was the type to recklessly pursue anything that interested her, no matter the consequences, no matter the people involved.
Ophis was the type who, if she wasn't interested, wouldn't even look at it.
Similar, yet opposite extremes.
Having failed to catch Ophis's attention, it seemed it would be hard to influence her…
Although Ishtar had somewhat expected this outcome, she still felt extremely annoyed…
Most importantly…
She hadn't stirred Ophis's interest—but had been quite thoroughly noticed by her.
The corners of her lips curled slightly, and a predatory glint entered Ishtar's gaze.
For the proud goddess, it wasn't as if she'd never been rejected—but this was the first time someone had completely ignored her.
At the very least, I'll make you look at me!
Even if what fills those eyes is hatred!
To sully a blank canvas… isn't that quite a pleasurable thing?
As for the mission she was originally sent to fulfill? She had long thrown that to the back of her mind…
"Ophis, I'm back."
Some time later, Enkidu jumped out from the forest, landing perfectly back beside Ophis, then looked around with some confusion.
That divine aura… not only pure, but incredibly dense!
"Huh? Just now, was someone else… no, a god here?"
Ophis thought for a moment, then nodded with certainty.
"Yes."
"I see…"
Enkidu gave a wry smile. Judging by the situation, that god must've been the kind that couldn't get Ophis's attention. Given her personality, she probably didn't even know what the other party was here for in the end.
For a god to suddenly appear during this sensitive period right after the Humbaba incident—Enkidu didn't think that could be a good thing.
And with Ophis being the type to ignore anything she didn't think she needed to respond to… that kind of treatment wasn't something a prideful god would tolerate easily.
Enkidu didn't know many gods who followed the rules and did good from beginning to end—even if they liked writing "Lawful Good" on their character sheets.
That there were no signs of battle here—Enkidu truly felt it was a miracle.
"…Ishtar."
"Eh?"
Enkidu was a bit surprised to hear Ophis speak up suddenly.
"She called herself Ishtar… what is it, Enkidu?"
Seeing Enkidu give her a strange look, Ophis tilted her head.
"No, I just didn't expect you to say something like that on your own."
"…Because I'm a bit concerned."
Ophis shook her head as she answered.
"Ishtar… she looks just like the statue in the city square."
The statue in Uruk's square was that of Uruk's guardian goddess—Inanna. That much was common knowledge, and even Ophis, in managing Uruk's affairs, was aware of it.
Ishtar was Inanna—in other words, Uruk's patron goddess… Enkidu knew that well.
But what surprised her was that Ophis had taken the initiative to compare the two and make the connection.
Ophis's analytical skills were excellent—but that didn't mean she often used them. On the contrary, if she didn't care, even if a statue and the goddess stood side by side, she wouldn't give them a second thought.
Normally, Ophis's mind would have treated "Ishtar" and "Inanna" as two separate entities, without linking them.
But this time, she actually noticed the similarity?
Did that mean this Ishtar might be the type to stir Ophis's interest?
Enkidu did know a bit about that goddess—she was very good at seducing people…
My Ophis's been seduced!!?
"Enkidu, would a city's guardian deity harm the city they protect?"
Just then, Ophis asked.
Seeing the seriousness in her eyes, Enkidu's scattered thoughts were forcibly reeled back in, and she immediately began sorting relevant knowledge.
"Normally… 'harm' shouldn't be possible…"
At this point, Enkidu gave a troubled smile.
"But, if we replace the word 'harm' with things like 'punishment,' 'warning,' or 'lesson,' then it's something that happens all the time…"
After speaking, Enkidu's eyes turned sharp.
"Ophis, are you suggesting that goddess might act against Uruk?"
"…Probably not."
Shaking her head, Ophis stood up, turning her gaze toward Uruk.
"But…"
Wearing a rare expression of troubled thought, Ophis shook her head again.
"…Even though I don't understand… let's head back, Enkidu."
"Got it."
Seeing that Ophis seemed rather serious, Enkidu didn't object either. However, just as he saw Ophis preparing to leave, he suddenly thought of something and reached out to call her back.
"Wait, Ophis!"
The steps that had been taken stopped. Ophis turned her head, looking at Enkidu with a somewhat puzzled gaze.
"This!"
Enkidu ran up to Ophis and placed a flower crown on her head.
"It's for you~"
He patted Ophis's head and explained.
"It's made from purple flowers... After all, red and black ones, which match your black clothes better... give off too ominous a feeling."
As he spoke, Enkidu used the earth to create a mirror and held it up to Ophis.
"How is it? Looks good, right?"
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Ophis didn't feel much... Besides, wearing this thing would be inconvenient in battle, wouldn't it?
However...
Wearing it gave an inexplicable sense of reassurance, just like Enkidu's smile.
Touching the flower crown on her head, Ophis nodded toward Enkidu.
Enkidu's smile became even more radiant than before, then he took Ophis's hand.
"Well then, let's go back together—to Uruk!"
────────────────────────────────
"What... is going on?"
Enkidu looked around the scene with some anger.
Logically speaking, after Humbaba had been defeated, the farmland that had been damaged due to her rampage should have gradually started to recover. But in reality, that wasn't the case at all.
On the contrary, the crops that had just begun to grow had completely withered, and the ground itself was covered in countless unnatural cracks.
"What happened?"
Faced with this situation, Ophis still maintained her usual expressionlessness. She simply called over a passerby nearby to ask.
However, nothing important could be learned from such a passerby. In the end, what they learned was only superficial information like "this drought-like phenomenon began two days ago, and the ground suddenly started shaking and cracking."
"It's the divine bull that descended from the heavens!"
By contrast, the priestess lady was much clearer.
The scene had returned to the main hall of the palace. Kneeling respectfully in front of Ophis, the young priestess reported the information she knew.
"Two days ago, I personally saw that majestic being appear from the sky. When it landed on the ground, vegetation withered, the earth trembled, and things became as the two lords now see."
"...In a sense, not unexpected."
Enkidu sighed. This matter was very likely the work of Ishtar.
The Heavenly Bull was the pet of the king of the gods, Anu. And Anu had a trait—he especially doted on Ishtar, his troublemaking daughter.
Although a god's pet didn't sound all that powerful, the pet's owner was no ordinary deity, but a god-king-level Anu.
Naturally, as Anu's pet, the divine bull's power had already surpassed most gods.
"Yes! The divine bull's location is constantly shifting, roaming around the outskirts of Uruk, but usually doesn't stray more than five kilometers. If the two lords require, the priests can perform divinations to predict where it might appear next."
At this moment, the priestess also seemed somewhat uncertain.
After all, the divine bull was a divine being, but it was currently harming the people. So should it be killed or not? That decision could only be left to these two lords.
After hearing this, Enkidu revealed a thoughtful expression.
"I see... wait—Ophis, where are you going?"
Ophis, who had been called out to, turned her head, her face showing a puzzled expression.
"To take the divine bull's head... Enkidu doesn't like it either, right?"
"Wait, wait... Priestess, please step back for now..."
Although a bit confused, Ophis still nodded and let the priestess leave. Then she looked at Enkidu, who in turn solemnly looked back at her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Ophis, listen to me. This is a very important decision."
"Do you... plan to defy the gods?"
This matter might have started simply because of Ishtar's mischief—As for why she caused trouble, Enkidu didn't have the energy to investigate further.
But Anu, the king of gods who also approved this matter—how could he not have wanted to test Ophis, this "wedge"?
She could choose to summon the priests and priestesses for prayer, to ask the gods to withdraw their wrath, to let the connection between man and god become even closer within this farcical play.
Or, she could choose to use her own power to strike down the divine, declaring that "divine punishment has been broken by the king of mankind," marking the first step of humanity's true separation from the gods.
This was the gods' gamble. A decision given to Ophis.
"Do you... plan to defy the gods?"
Thus, Enkidu asked this question.
Looking straight into Enkidu's emerald green eyes—even Ophis had to grow serious.
Ophis wasn't dumb, just slow to react. Once she thought deeper, she immediately understood what Enkidu was really asking.
She was not unaware of the responsibility of the "wedge."
It's just that, even though she knew, she had never thought deeply about it. To her, that so-called responsibility was nothing more than noise—garbage information with no importance.
So she chose to ignore it.
But now, it was time to truly make a choice.
There was no "ignore" option—only a simple binary.
However... Ophis's thought process was also quite simple...
"Enkidu, you want—"
"Ophis!"
Before she could finish, Ophis's words were interrupted.
"This choice has nothing to do with my will. It's something you must decide for yourself!"
"..."
It was the first time Enkidu had spoken to her with such serious and resolute tone, and Ophis fell silent.
She understood. She really had to choose by herself now.
But this was also a very simple choice.
Although Ophis liked silence, that didn't mean she rejected battle. On the contrary, at a time when strength was needed to defeat the Crimson King, she welcomed trials that could make her stronger.
And Enkidu surely wouldn't like gods that toyed with people, either... right?
However, just as Ophis was about to speak her answer...
Her right eye flickered almost imperceptibly. A series of unknown images were projected within it.
The divine bull's defeat... and the death of Enkidu that followed.
"Ugh…"
"Ophis?"
Ophis suddenly took a few steps back, breaking free of Enkidu's hands.
"Let me... think for a while."
Enkidu, slightly surprised, saw a flicker of hesitation in Ophis's eyes—something never seen before—and reflexively nodded. He watched as Ophis slowly walked out of the great hall, scratching his head in confusion.
"Was I too hasty...?"
────────────────────────────────
On a hill outside of Uruk, Ophis, propelled by her own uncontrollable magic power, ended up crashing directly into the hill.
Subconsciously, she had come here...
Now calm, Ophis looked around somewhat dazedly, then pressed her hand against her chest.
—It hurts.
This was the feeling that came after seeing those fragmented images.
Pain wasn't foreign to Ophis, but she had always classified such sensations as unnecessary factors that interfered with thought and battle—and ignored them.
But this time, she couldn't ignore it at all...
Was this the power of emotion?
Utterly unnecessary baggage, offering no help in defeating the Crimson King. Instead, it might impair her judgment and become a burden. Something that must be discarded...
Ophis could feel that, if she wanted to, she could seal off most of her emotions... even destroy them completely.
And it would be quite easy.
Ophis didn't know why she could do such a thing so easily, or why it was only "most" of her emotions. But she knew that if she did, all her current troubles could be easily resolved.
However, her bloodline resisted this action.
The Ouroboros was perfect—but losing emotions would render her imperfect.
Her infinity would collapse.
More importantly, she had the feeling that if she really did that, she would lose something far more important than emotion—something irreplaceable.
In the end, Ophis still didn't go through with it.
Now that she had awakened something like clairvoyance, Ophis had come to trust her intuition quite a bit.
'Got through it, huh...'
In Ophis's sea of consciousness, golden finger sister wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
Damn it, did they even know how long it had taken me to cultivate that tiny sprout of emotion?
'Really now... scared me right awake... But, well, I don't have much time left either...'
After confirming that Ophis wouldn't really do something stupid, golden finger sister sank back into deep sleep.
Even if she had settled her emotional turmoil, Ophis still couldn't immediately make a decision on Enkidu's choice.
Whether Enkidu cared for her because he replaced the original Gil, because of fate, or just because she was too cute—at this point, Ophis could no longer ignore his existence.
His death... was something Ophis couldn't accept.
But after seeing those future visions, Ophis had also begun to feel some revulsion toward the gods in the heavens.
Obeying their will so easily... was annoying.
But Ophis also knew: only one choice remained.
She could not allow Enkidu to die.
Right now, she still didn't have the power to overturn the entire Babylonian pantheon. Not to mention, in this era, quite a few god-king-level beings were still active.
Even... some primordial creator-level old monsters hadn't completely disappeared.
Currently, Ophis's strongest attack was Ea—but the power of Ea... wasn't all that outrageous.
Ea was called a "weapon against the world" not because its energy could truly destroy the world, but because it had the concept of "cutting through the world," thus allowing it to directly attack the world itself.
In terms of pure firepower, under the same magic output, Ea was stronger than a sealed Excalibur by a fair bit, but that was about it—the gap wasn't exaggerated.
Overall, Ophis's firepower couldn't match the gods. And the gods probably couldn't kill her either... but who knew if they had sealing techniques?
Besides, who knew whether the gods had similar "unkillable" traits like Ophis?
Some gods didn't even have the concept of death.
Even if Ophis could, with her infinity, gamble and wipe out the gods, the cost would be all of Uruk—perhaps all of Mesopotamia. And the time it would take would definitely be enough for the gods to kill Enkidu.
In any case, going to war with a god is a very unwise act.
So… the only option is to admit defeat?
Ophis sighed inwardly. But for Enkidu's sake, this wasn't something she couldn't accept.
"Is what you are considering… about me, O King of Uruk?"
At this moment, Enkidu's voice suddenly came from behind Ophis.
"Is what you are considering… about me, O King of Uruk?"
"…Enkidu."
Only now did Ophis realize Enkidu had somehow already appeared behind her, kneeling on one knee.
Had she been thinking too deeply…?
Or perhaps it was because she no longer had even the slightest wariness toward this person…
"What is it?"
Though she had blanked out for a moment, Ophis quickly regained her composure and asked.
"What you are concerned about… is the death of this body, correct?"
The air suddenly froze.
Ophis hadn't expected Enkidu to say such a thing… well, she never really expected anything anyone would say, but Enkidu's words did catch her somewhat off guard.
Why… would she know?
Enkidu smiled faintly.
"I understand the gods' temperaments even better than you. If I cannot stop your defiance, then I'm nothing but a useless failure, one without any reason to continue existing…"
Ophis closed her eyes.
"So… Enkidu… you hope that I obey the gods?"
"No, not at all."
Her tone was resolute—even with her back turned, Ophis could imagine the unwavering look on Enkidu's face.
"O King, I hope you will not be swayed by me. Make the choice that is best for the people of Uruk!"
Enkidu looked directly at Ophis, her expression full of resolve.
"For the city-state of Uruk and the people living within it, should they rely on the gods, or should they break away from them to pursue a better future?"
To Ophis, this answer was not difficult to reach.
Given humanity's capacity for growth, only by freeing themselves from divine constraints could they move toward a broader path.
This, which Ophis understood clearly, was something Enkidu could also see.
"Impossible. It's putting the cart before the horse."
Even so, Ophis shook her head. She had ruled Uruk for Enkidu's sake to begin with, and now she was to abandon Enkidu for the sake of Uruk? That logic didn't hold.
"Ophis!"
Enkidu's voice suddenly turned more serious, charged with emotion.
"You are the King of Uruk!"
She took a deep breath and continued.
"A king always considers all their people—not just one specific person!"
"I don't care about being king… as long as Enkidu…"
Ophis, for once, spoke a sentence of more than a few words—but was cut off directly by Enkidu.
"But you are the king! You are Uruk's heroic king!"
"Even so… it's impossible to sacrifice you, Enkidu."
"To lead the people down the best path—that is the king's duty."
Faced with this suddenly stone-like stubbornness, Ophis gritted her teeth for once.
Yet just as always when facing Enkidu, she couldn't ignore it. Nor could she run away.
"I am not human. I have no reason to care for humanity…"
"But you are king."
"Their lives and deaths have nothing to do with me…"
"But you are king."
"Even if I add them all together, they're not worth a single strand of Enkidu's hair…"
"But you are king."
"Being king wasn't something I chose myself…"
"But you are king."
"Then I'll stop being king!"
Though her voice was only slightly raised, for Ophis—who rarely showed emotional fluctuation—it could already be considered a roar.
She was… truly angry for once.
Turning slightly with irritation, she looked at Enkidu, who still faced her calmly with closed eyes, unaffected even by her rare emotional outburst.
The reply she got was still the same sentence.
"But you are king."
At last, Enkidu opened her eyes and met Ophis's gaze.
"A king is not merely a title—it is a responsibility. Whether you choose the path of the sage king, the tyrant king, the lonely king, or any other kind… the people are always a part of that duty. You may freely take from them, but you must also open the right path for them."
"But… a king has to care for herself first, only then can she benefit the people, no?"
"Perhaps that's not wrong."
Enkidu smiled softly.
"But this body has not reached the level to influence your decisions. In the end, this body is merely a tool."
"The value of a thing is not for it to decide on its own."
"No, that much I do understand."
Enkidu's expression grew even gentler, though her gaze remained firmly locked on Ophis.
"What you truly care about… is not this body's death, is it?"
Compared to her earlier forcefulness, this smiling and gentle Enkidu was far milder—but Ophis could no longer bear her gaze and turned her body away.
────Enkidu was right… what Ophis cared about had never been her death.
What she truly cared about was Enkidu leaving her side.
In the end, this was merely her own selfishness and willfulness.
Putting that aside, she could even sincerely bless Enkidu's death.
"To be honest, I'm glad you think that way, Ophis… It means that, in your heart, I must already have a certain level of importance, right?"
Enkidu saw through it all—but still smiled gently, as if it didn't bother her one bit.
"But… Ophis can't stay with me forever, right?"
Enkidu had a feeling—Ophis would one day go far, far away. After all, her goal was too distant, too high.
From the moment she understood this, Enkidu had never once expected to remain at Ophis's side—she only wanted to accomplish one thing, even if the cost was grave.
"..."
To Enkidu's question, Ophis could only respond with silence.
This world ultimately was not her own. The path to silence she pursued was still so far away.
No matter how much she couldn't bear to part from Enkidu… they would separate, sooner or later.
Then it didn't really matter whether it was sooner or later.
In the end, Ophis only let out a weary sigh, calming her earlier agitation and returning to her usual blank expression.
"If this is your wish, Enkidu."
Enkidu's words had pulled her from a dream that had been too peaceful… She was always destined to leave.
So at the very least, before leaving, she would fulfill the other's wish.
To become a king.
As a king.
"My wish…"
Enkidu repeated it in a voice only she could hear, then smiled bitterly and shook her head.
Her wish… had only ever been one.
And it definitely wasn't something as boring as for Ophis to become king.
On the hilltop overlooking Uruk, Ophis closed her eyes in silence for a long time. When she opened them again, they held a new sense of determination.
"Enkidu… will you stand with me?"
Sensing the newfound authority in her voice, Enkidu smiled gently, then lowered her head.
"This body is the king's weapon. Whether it's to the ends of the earth or the end of the world—as long as this body is not destroyed, I shall fight eternally for the king!"
Enkidu pledged softly.
"This is my eternal oath to you."
Ophis nodded and stretched her hand toward Uruk.
"I am king. And the burden of building the future and civilization of this planet—that is the king's responsibility."
"For that, the gods are now but unnecessary shackles and burdens."
"In that case, let it sound—"
"The horn of rebellion against the gods."
Walking down the streets of Uruk, Ophis nodded to the citizens who greeted her in passing.
Because of the string of disasters, the whole city was shrouded in an air of unrest, yet most of the people who passed still looked at Ophis with trust in their eyes.
The tenacity of humanity in this era was truly impressive.
Then again, in an age where gods could at any moment unleash calamity upon the people they "protected" just to make their presence known, anyone without a strong mindset would've already broken down into mass despair.
With Enkidu leading the way, the two of them walked into the temple.
"O King!"
At that moment, dozens of priests were already waiting. Upon seeing the two, they all fell to their knees—except for one.
Standing out like a crane among chickens, her attire was slightly more ornate than the others. Though her face was veiled like the rest, her bearing was more composed and mature.
────The High Priestess.
The one closest to the gods. In this theocratic era, the High Priestess's authority could almost rival that of Ophis herself. When it came to divine matters, her jurisdiction was nearly equal to the king's.
So in this temple, not needing to kneel was only natural.
Even so, the High Priestess still gave a slight bow—a form of salute.
"O King, have you made your decision?"
Here is the literal word-for-word English translation of the passage you provided, with close adherence to sentence structure and meaning. I've formatted it to make it easier to follow and understand while preserving the exact wording and phrasing from the Chinese original:
Even though it was separated by a thin veil, it could still be seen — at this moment, her expression was quite kind.
Ophis nodded, looking directly at the High Priestess.
"Sorry."
A rare apology, spoken from Ophis's mouth.
The High Priestess shook her head.
"No matter. The King chose the path best for the people, didn't she? If so, this old body won't be stingy with a mere aged life."
Ophis chose to defy the gods. As the eye of the gods on earth, the High Priestess, like Enkidu, also had the duty to supervise the King. In failing to fulfill that responsibility, naturally, she was fated to die.
Even if the gods didn't kill her, as the medium that connects man and god, Ophis would also remove her from her current position.
The office of priest wouldn't disappear, but a priest too intertwined with the divine shouldn't exist anymore.
To put it in chuunibyou terms: the new era doesn't need remnants of the old.
Ophis didn't say more, nodding once again.
"Then, calculating the current position of the Bull of Heaven, I'll leave it to you."
────────────────────────────────
"Didn't expect it… what a coincidence."
Standing on the original hilltop, Enkidu said with a bitter smile.
"Mm."
Ophis still wore a blank expression.
The place the priests had calculated as where the Bull of Heaven would next appear was precisely the hill where she and Enkidu had argued before.
Meaning their earlier return to Uruk had been for nothing — if they'd argued for half an hour more, maybe the divine bull would have walked straight to them.
Even though it had been a wasted trip, neither of them was the kind to care about such things. So they simply returned to the hill and waited obediently.
"It's coming."
Standing on the earth, Enkidu could connect with the land to gather surrounding intel. His perception, even Ophis couldn't match — he was the first to notice the abnormality.
Ophis didn't question it, immediately taking a cylinder from the golden ripple.
"Location?"
"There."
Enkidu quickly pointed out a direction to Ophis.
Ophis nodded, then aimed the Ea in her hand that way.
"Enuma…"
Before she even finished the incantation, Ea's rotation caused the space around them to begin breaking in layers, even sending a slightly surprised Ophis stumbling back several steps.
"What the…"
Why had the Suppression become so weak…
Don't slack off, seriously!
Forget it — strange occurrences had been happening frequently lately. Facing the coming divine bull, Ophis had no time to investigate.
She shook her head and silently put away the Ea in her hand.
With Gaia-mama slacking off, it'd be pretty awkward if she accidentally blasted Uruk.
She drew a black sword of termination. Behind her, several magic circles and golden ripples floated.
At this moment, even Ophis noticed the anomaly.
Without warning, a bolt of lightning fell from afar — right where Enkidu had just pointed.
…Could this really be explained by sensory detection? You sure you're not clairvoyant?
Ophis gave Enkidu a somewhat suspicious glance.
"That being makes the earth feel fear. Anywhere it stops, the earth will sense it. With that, I can roughly predict where it will land next."
Enkidu explained with a serious expression.
To make the earth afraid… in other words, a being that destroys the land…
Basically Enkidu's natural enemy.
No more words were exchanged — because at that moment, a massive bull stepped forth from the lightning.
The bull had glossy black skin, faint lightning coiling around its body. Its build looked extremely robust.
Judging by its appearance, one could guess it was probably the ancestor of those two bulls that pulled the Emperor's chariot.
Of course, in terms of power — worlds apart.
The pressure it exuded far surpassed Humbaba…
The Bull of Heaven seemed about to roar per typical boss entrance protocol — but Ophis had no habit of giving enemies time to prepare.
She activated the magic circles behind her. Eight magic cannons immediately blasted the bull's face, stirring up layers of shockwaves.
Though this area was still a bit of a distance from Uruk, as long as no major moves were made, Ophis didn't need to worry about the battle affecting the city.
"Moo────!!!"
Clearly just a regular cow's moo, but from the divine bull's mouth it thundered like a lightning crash, fracturing the ground and blowing away the dust clouds stirred up by the cannons.
Seeing the bull nearly unscathed, even Ophis couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed.
Seems anything related to the gods has absurd energy resistance…
Humbaba was already troublesome enough — and now, this divine bull's resistance to energy seemed even higher.
No — rather than energy resistance, maybe it was resistance to magic?
Divine power is, by nature, superior to magical power — it makes sense that it suppresses it.
Currently, Ophis still couldn't convert her cannon's magic formulas into energy-based ones.
Or rather, she couldn't maintain both speed and energy strength in that conversion — making energy cannons essentially useless in real combat.
Of course, if her control improved, she could directly compress large amounts of mana into a piercing strike. Then, no matter the opponent's magic resistance, it would still be effective — but Ophis didn't yet have that kind of precision.
So, since the magic cannons were ineffective…
Under her control, countless weapons emerged from the golden ripples behind her and bombarded the divine bull, setting off another wave of explosions.
"Moo────!!!"
Thunderous moo again — this time accompanied by the bull's charge.
As the divine bull surged forward, the lightning on its body intensified — until finally it became a complete sphere of thunder, containing divine power capable of destroying all things.
Behind Ophis, Enkidu shook his head with a "just as expected" expression.
The Bull of Heaven had immense power — but extremely low intelligence. As a species, "cows" aren't naturally good at combat. Its combat instinct was worse than Humbaba.
And much worse.
Normally, such a gap could be made up with experience — but how much real battle experience could you expect from a pet raised by a divine king?
A creature with raw power but only knows to charge blindly — even if it surpassed most gods in strength, to Ophis and Enkidu it still posed no pressure.
"How about it, confirmed?"
Enkidu's voice came from behind.
"Mm."
Ophis nodded.
Her earlier attack was just to test the bull's strength tier and which weapons could cause what degree of damage.
"Then, let's begin."
Enkidu and Ophis leapt forward together, skipping past the divine bull to land behind it.
"Moo────!!!"
The bull's reaction wasn't slow — it wasn't dumb enough to stop and turn around before charging again. Instead, it pivoted halfway and continued its charge at the two of them.
"The soil's already been prepared."
Enkidu said with a smile.
Ophis nodded again. Sixteen golden ripples appeared behind her, each firing a weapon.
Sixteen A-rank Noble Phantasms.
Even without being released, their penetration and latent power were not to be underestimated.
Sixteen golden beams clashed with the lightning sphere.
Another explosion.
This wave didn't manage to injure the divine bull — but that wasn't Ophis's aim.
After that last charge, the bull's momentum had weakened significantly, and the lightning on its body had nearly dissipated.
That was enough.
Under its hooves, several golden chains suddenly appeared, layer upon layer binding the bull with no gaps. Several B-rank Noble Phantasms fell from the sky, piercing its back.
"Moo────!!!"
The bull let out a wail — its now-wounded body unable to escape Enkidu's chains.
"Useless."
Enkidu chuckled lightly.
"Chains are one of the two weapon types I'm best at. These 'Chains of Heaven,' forged by the gods, were originally made to bind little Ophis. The higher the opponent's divinity, the harder they are to break."
While Enkidu explained, Ophis had already approached the divine bull. Staring into its wild eyes, she raised the sword of termination in her hand.
"Moo────!!!"
Suddenly, in a final struggle, the divine bull unleashed a blast of lightning — shattering the floral crown atop Ophis's head, which she barely dodged in time.
Ophis paused for a moment, then swung her sword directly down onto the bull's skull.
"Moo────!!!"
And with that, accompanied by the Bull of Heaven's final cry, humanity took its first step toward truly breaking free from the gods.
Slaying the Bull of Heaven wasn't especially difficult.
As long as you had weapons that could break its defenses — and with the bull lacking technique and intelligence — no matter how strong it was, if it wasn't on an overwhelming tier, it could be defeated by seizing the right moment.
Not to mention the Chains of Heaven, which perfectly restrained it.
For Ophis and Enkidu, the bull was never the problem. The real issue was what came afterward.
After defeating the bull, the two returned to the hilltop.
"Ha… didn't think you two would actually kill that thing."
There, Ishtar was waiting with hands behind her back, smiling enchantingly.
However, her charm had no effect on either Ophis or Enkidu. Ophis didn't even look at her, and Enkidu — for once — showed an openly unpleasant expression.
"Why?"
Seeing Enkidu lose composure, Ophis tugged his sleeve as a reminder, then looked to Ishtar and asked:
"You ask why?"
Ishtar touched her lips with a finger, blinking playfully at Ophis.
"Because it seemed fun?"
"Because it seemed fun, you — a textbook god — did something that might seriously harm your own kind?"
"Ha!"
Toward Enkidu's somewhat confrontational words, Ishtar gave a disdainful smile.
"Don't tell such jokes. The era of gods is already nearing its end, and the era of humanity is about to arrive. This, you know, I know, that emotionless wedge over there knows, and the old gods also know. Everything those old guys are doing now is merely struggling to prolong their dying breath. As for me, rather than doing that, I might as well have some fun during these final moments."
"Just for fun, you've caused such a devastating disaster to Uruk?"
Enkidu furrowed her brows and continued to confront her.
Ophis gave Enkidu a strange look. Ever since meeting Ishtar, Enkidu had seemed a little unsettled.
In Ophis's view, Ishtar didn't release the Bull of Heaven just for fun.
…At least not one hundred percent.
"Well, well, isn't that how gods are? Fickle and unpredictable—that's our trait, isn't it?"
Ishtar was still feeling pleased with herself, yet she also spoke the truth of the gods.
Some gods are exactly like her—existences that act at will for their own enjoyment and goals, unhesitating even if it means hastening their race's extinction.
"You… mm…"
Enkidu was about to say something in dissatisfaction, but suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed to the ground, seemingly in great pain.
"Looks like the gods' curse mechanism has already taken effect."
Ishtar revealed a wickedly charming smile, then suddenly leapt behind Ophis, resting her head on the latter's shoulder, and gently stroked the other side of her face.
"It's not a ritual placed after Enkidu's rebellion, but one already pre-set—a curse that triggers the moment she defies her duty. So, how is it? The one you're watching—because of my 'playing around'—is about to die. Do you hate me now?"
To such teasing, Ophis's eternally unchanged iceberg face remained unmoved.
"Tch… how boring."
Though somewhat unwilling, Ishtar gave up trying to provoke Ophis.