"What? You lost your bull?"
"Shh! Keep it down!"
Ishtar hurriedly raised her hand. Under the ancient serpent's piercing gaze, she fidgeted with the hem of her robe, looking awkward and uneasy.
Then, the Great Goddess of Uruk stealthily parted the waist-high dry grass, making sure the four teammates on the clearing were still busy feeding the Quetzalcoatlus and recovering their strength. Seeing no one had noticed her, she finally let out a relieved breath.
Just moments ago, the team's strategist had used the excuse of "losing Marduk's Axe" to suggest using Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, against the massive Goddess of Demonic Beasts.
Ishtar had hoped to gloss over the matter, but under Samael's rapid-fire questioning and those eyes that seemed to see through every lie, she had no choice but to admit the truth.
"I just scolded it a little. That thing eats way too much, drains tons of mana and gems..."
"Who knew it would throw a tantrum and run off!"
She sounded full of grievance, lowering her head, unable to meet the eyes of the clearly displeased team leader.
"King Gilgamesh contributed twenty percent of his ore treasures—ten percent for you, and the other ten because he saw Gugalanna's combat potential!"
"In any case, don't let this get out."
Samael warned sternly. Upon hearing this, Ishtar's emotions went from a plunge to a euphoric high.
When she heard his whispered reassurance, her face lit up as she nodded frantically in joy.
If not for the intimidating Protection of the Underworld surrounding Samael, she would've jumped up and kissed the priest on the spot for clearly siding with her.
"So back then, when you ran into me at Mount Ebih, you were chasing after a sound, looking for the bull?"
"Yeah…"
Ishtar nodded awkwardly, then muttered a quiet excuse about why she had been neglecting her dragon-slaying mission.
"I was running around everywhere back then, trying to track down Gugalanna. I really didn't have time for anything else."
"Besides, Maanna needed energy. My magecraft depends on gems too, so I had to use your offering."
Samael gave a slight, unreadable nod. His expression softened noticeably as he continued, with a hint of curiosity.
"So, you've scoured all of Mesopotamia?"
"More or less!"
"That makes no sense. A divine beast that big, and not even a shadow of it left? It's just like how Marduk's Axe vanished—completely bizarre…"
"I thought the same! That thing's over dozens of meters tall. Just like that axe…"
Ishtar's face froze. Slowly, she lifted her gaze toward Samael, eyes flickering, her expression darkening.
"Now that you mention it… it really might be true!"
"Don't tell me even Father God has abandoned us?"
The Bull of Heaven was a divine beast granted to her by the god Anu, meant to punish humanity. Deep down, she'd always suspected that gift carried the undertones of divine-versus-mortal conflict—an attempt to assert divine power over mortal rule.
If Gugalanna had truly severed their bond and refused to heed his mistress's summons…
Then the likeliest explanation was that a higher existence had reclaimed the creature.
Samael looked up at the deepening sky. A faint smile played on his lips as he spoke with meaning.
"So, knowing all this—are you still willing to stand with Uruk, Lady Goddess?"
"This would mean defying the mandate of heaven."
Ishtar remained silent for a long time. She glanced several times toward the clearing, where her companions were packing and recovering their strength.
Among them were three goddesses—each one a heretic, defying the divine will.
Finally, Ishtar turned back with great effort, her teeth clenched tightly.
"When has this goddess ever needed anyone telling her what to do!"
The goddess raised her chin proudly, voice full of disdain and a face brimming with defiance.
"The Mandate of Heaven? That's just something those relics of gods keep harping on about. What's it got to do with me!"
"Even if Father God himself shows up—if he nags too much, I'll pluck a few hairs from his beard!"
At that moment, whether by coincidence or fate, a string of thunderclaps echoed through the sky.
Ishtar, who had just been bragging moments ago, instantly turned pale. Her brow twitched.
"Is it going to rain?"
Samael glanced up at the sudden change in weather and murmured,
"Seasonal shifts. Nothing unusual. Don't get all worked up."
Across from him, the Great Goddess straightened her back and coolly swept her gaze around, expression composed once again.
Samael probed with a teasing smirk.
"So... shall we keep talking about the Mandate of Heaven?"
"Or maybe... later? I'm not feeling so great right now..."
Ishtar instantly backed down, forcing a dry laugh as she tried to change the subject.
"You saw the cylinder seal. There wasn't any prophecy of the future on it..."
"So technically, we've never gone against the Mandate of Heaven."
"It's just that Uruk was being ravaged by beasts. For our own survival, we initiated a Great Offering. Some benevolent deities answered the call and made a covenant. We simply upheld our end of the deal, fair and square."
Samael's smile grew strange, a trace of mockery curling on his lips.
"Exactly."
Ishtar's eyes lit up. That familiar cunning look returned—the same one she always wore when she found a way to talk herself out of trouble.
"I didn't defy any divine will. This goddess was just taking Gilgamesh's offerings and doing a bit of good old fundraising! Who's going to stop me?"
"Gods have to make a living too, you know."
So overjoyed she could barely contain herself, the Great Goddess shamelessly declared her "money-making" with pride, even placing her hands on her slender waist with confidence.
As her fear faded, Ishtar looked to Samael, beaming.
The goddess and the ancient serpent exchanged a subtle nod, their stories now perfectly aligned.
"You're so sneaky! A master at exploiting loopholes. Choosing you as the shepherd priest was absolutely the right call!"
In high spirits, the goddess leaned closer, her eyes sparkling with approval.
But those so-called compliments grated on the nerves of the one who had helped her in good faith. The ancient serpent had half a mind to smack her.
Forget it. No point arguing with a lunatic.
Either way, even if Ishtar gained something on the surface, there was no way he'd lose out.
Samael had known about Gugalanna's disappearance long ago. He had deliberately used it to trap the goddess in their employment contract, squeezing a tidy consultation fee out of Gilgamesh.
Now, bringing up the issue again served two purposes. First, it let him fake ignorance and earn Ishtar's trust.
Second, it gave him a chance to pressure the Heavenly Goddess into committing to Uruk early.
Because with Gilgamesh's strength waning and death approaching, the world was already slipping into chaos—and the hidden rot was beginning to surface.
If his hunch was right, then the gods themselves were the so-called "Mandate of Heaven."
This was a necessary dose of reality. If the Three Goddess Alliance did collapse and the fog lifted, the tide could turn fast. At the very least, Ishtar would still have firm footing in Uruk.
...
Before the two could continue their whispered scheming, the Quetzalcoatlus on the field let out a sharp cry, signaling it was time to depart.
Samael and Ishtar exchanged nods, stepped out from the grass, and returned to the group.
As the Quetzalcoatlus soared into the sky and picked up speed, the ancient serpent looked down at the ever-shrinking world below, his expression darkening.
Marduk's Axe, the cylinder seal, Gugalanna... those bastards above had been chipping away at humanity's advantage one piece at a time.
Their intent was obvious now.
Samael silently raised a middle finger toward the heavens, eyes flashing with venomous spite.
Mandate of Heaven? Mandate of my ass.
I haven't even lived a full life yet—and I'm already done playing by your rules!