Quetzalcoatl stared at the outstretched hand before her, dazed for a moment, then instinctively reached out and clasped the fingertips of her so-called victor.
"Anything that doesn't kill us only makes us stronger."
"Feathered Serpent of the Maya, it's precisely because of the threat you posed that a Sumerian was able to rise and stand on equal footing with gods. That fear gave us courage. That pressure forged our resilience. You should be proud of that."
The man whispered softly near her ear, and the goddess's expression bloomed like a sunflower bathed in sunlight.
"Ahaha, such a cute and endlessly surprising little brother. Big sister is really starting to like you more and more. Come here, give me a big warm hug!"
Without warning, Samael was yanked into a tight embrace, smothered in two plush mounds of softness.
The suffocating sensation pressed against his mouth and nose, along with the overwhelming softness, sent the ancient serpent flailing like someone drowning.
"Hey, hey! Hands off! That guy's my shepherd priest!"
Snapping out of her shock, Ishtar stormed up the steps of the Mayan pyramid, hands on her hips, finger jabbing in indignation as she asserted ownership over Quetzalcoatl, who now stood accused of smothering the victim.
"Oh really? I could've sworn immortality was tied to the Underworld's authority."
Yet thanks to the lingering effects of the "Protection of the Underworld," even after confronting Quetzalcoatl, the goddess had no counter and didn't dare get too close to Samael.
Thankfully, Ana, Merlin, and the Jaguar Warrior arrived a bit later. After a round of pleading and negotiating, they finally rescued the suffering ancient serpent from his torment.
Freed at last from the hell of asphyxiation, Samael immediately dropped to a crouch, gulping down fresh air like a man starved for breath. Teetering between life and death thanks to his immortality wasn't just torture—it was its own brand of cruelty.
Just one glance back at that bouncing mountain of flesh behind him was enough to make his skin crawl. He realized, with no small amount of dread, that he might now be traumatized by large breasts.
And when the corner of his eye caught the teasing smirk on Quetzalcoatl's face, Samael suddenly understood—this was her little payback. A light punishment for exploiting her kindness, her compassion.
In truth, no matter what he'd said earlier, he hadn't defeated this Mayan goddess in strength or skill.
He'd simply leveraged his willpower—his unrelenting drive—to corner a god who loved humanity into backing down out of guilt and pity.
Still, as Uruk's representative, he'd made their determination clear: they would resist the Three Storms and defy fate. And now, he had Quetzalcoatl's recognition.
A goddess who stood by her word wouldn't take that back lightly. From now on, she'd stand with humanity—and let them decide their fate for themselves.
"Your performance just now? Incredible! Even I think you're worth saving. You've earned it."
"See? Told you I had an eye for talent! Discovered a real gem for Uruk!"
Just as Samael was catching his breath and collecting his thoughts, Ishtar popped her head into view with a smug grin, praising him while proudly tipping her chin up like she deserved some of the credit.
Samael forced out a polite laugh, all the while rolling his eyes behind her back.
You've got some nerve showing your face now—especially after bailing at the worst possible moment.
If it weren't for Ana and the others, who knows how long I would've been stuck in that suffocation hell...
Meanwhile, Ishtar, blissfully unaware and pleased with herself, took his forced smile at face value and broke into a grin, already scheming how to use "her own man" to trick Gilgamesh into footing the bill for the whole operation.
To show a bit of intimacy, she instinctively reached out, aiming to rest her hand on Samael's shoulder.
But halfway there, something didn't feel right. Her fingers froze mid-air and she began to pull back.
And just then, "by pure coincidence," Samael—who had been crouching—suddenly stood up, leaning in toward her.
"Lady Goddess, I—"
The moment his fingertips brushed her, the great goddess's face went pale green, her body freezing in place.
Then—crack! Red and black lightning erupted.
Ishtar let out a scream as she was blasted backward, vanishing into the trees.
It took a full fifteen minutes before the unfortunate goddess limped back to the clearing, a few leaves stuck in her hair and a definite hitch in her step.
Seeing her battered state, Samael walked up guiltily, trying to pick up where they'd left off.
But Ishtar, now jumpy as a spooked bird, scrambled up onto Maanna, and put plenty of distance between them, glaring suspiciously.
"Say no more—I already know what you were going to say!"
Samael nodded with a regretful expression and wisely kept his distance. Still, in the shadows, the corners of his lips curled ever so slightly.
To be honest... he'd already forgotten what he was about to say anyway.
...
After a bit of small talk, the six of them started to warm up to one another.
But with the Jaguar Warrior's unstoppable gossip streak, Quetzalcoatl's complicated feelings toward humans—and her previous dilemmas—were laid bare before Merlin and the others in no time.
Naturally, such betrayal came at a cost.
In the middle of loudly airing the Feathered Serpent's dirty laundry, Miss Jaguar Warrior was suddenly ambushed from behind by Quetzalcoatl herself. With a terrifyingly twisted smile, the goddess promptly drove her headfirst into the ground like a makeshift plaza decoration.
Moral of the story: show off too much, and karma hits back fast. Better to stay low-key.
Samael glanced at the Jaguar Warrior, now planted head-down in the earth and magically immobilized, then at Ishtar, whose singed hair and soot-smeared face made her look like she'd walked through a bonfire.
He found himself nodding in full agreement.
...
"Quetzalcoatl, on behalf of Uruk, I welcome you."
After the formalities, Samael's expression turned serious. He pulled out a prepared clay tablet and handed it to the Mayan goddess for signing, reading the terms aloud as he did.
"First, release the soldiers from Uruk and Ur. Let them return home. In exchange, both cities will hire you as their martial arts instructor."
"That means I can wrestle with those kids every day?"
"Of course!"
"And what about you? Do I get to pick you?"
"Anyway! On to the next point!"
Feeling his bones and muscles twitch under Quetzalcoatl's amused gaze, Samael quickly steered the conversation away.
"Second, cease the expansion beyond Ur, and send 300 Pterosaurs to bolster Uruk's aerial defenses."
"Leopard, you're coming too. Try to summon as many fellow Jaguar Warriors as possible to replenish Uruk's forces."
"It's tough summoning them outside the jungle!"
"In Uruk, you'll have meat at every meal, three meals a day, ten days on, one day off, comfy big beds, and we'll even assign you ten priests and priestesses."
"No problem, leave it to me, meow! Cats are humanity's most loyal friends!"
From her dirt-pit prison, the Jaguar Warrior yanked her head free and, eyes gleaming, nodded furiously in agreement.
...
"Third—due to the Three Goddess Alliance, we won't force you to fight the other two goddesses. But Kingu and the Magical Beasts outside that agreement? We'll need your support there."
"And also—help us move Marduk's Axe as soon as possible. The pressure on the north wall is mounting. We can't afford delays dealing with the Goddess of Demonic Beasts."
As he read off the final term, Quetzalcoatl, still reviewing the tablet, paused and looked up, stunned.
"Marduk's Axe? What Marduk's Axe? I don't have anything like that..."
"What? You don't?!"
"That thing is huge! Marduk's Axe—how could it not be here?! It should be right—"
Samael's breath caught. He turned to look behind the temple... only to find empty stone and air.
Crap!
He'd been so focused on Quetzalcoatl that he hadn't even noticed—the weapon he remembered, the one said to weaken Gorgon's divinity... it was gone.
This had to be a joke. What the hell was going on? Was he hallucinating?
The ancient serpent froze, face blank, his mind spinning into chaos.
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
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