Uruk, Sacrificial Grounds, Dark Chamber.
Samael held up the Soul Cage and gave it a gentle shake. A crisp clinking echoed from within as tendrils of ashen mist slowly drifted from the pressure points of six unconscious figures, drawn into the cage one by one.
Before everyone's eyes, color visibly returned to the victims' cheeks, and their chests began to rise and fall—their hearts beating once more.
Siduri quickly stepped forward. She checked their eyelids, felt their pulses, then looked up, her expression mixed with both relief and concern.
"Their vital signs are stable again... but they're still not waking up."
Samael frowned, his tone grave.
"That's because the death energy seeping beneath Uruk has suppressed their life force, and the souls forced out of their bodies have been trapped."
"Though personally, I suspect it's a form of protection. If not, their bodies would've decayed long ago."
"As for the truth—we'll have to go to the Underworld to find out."
From a corner of the room, Merlin stepped out, staff in hand, and spoke seriously to Siduri.
"The return of their vitality is both a blessing and a warning."
"On one hand, you no longer need to maintain the preservation arrays, so more staff can be redirected to keep Uruk running."
"But on the other hand, prolonged separation of soul and body will cause irreversible damage."
"So within three days, we must retrieve those trapped souls from the Underworld and return them to their rightful vessels."
The Head Priestess immediately caught the unspoken meaning. Her hand unconsciously tightened over the stimulant potion tucked inside her robe as she nodded solemnly.
"Understood. I'll buy you those three days!"
"No matter what, I'll hold Uruk together. The rest... I'm counting on all of you."
Merlin turned away, casting a thoughtful glance at the Soul Cage that had drawn out the death energy, then at the mark of the Underworld's Protection on Samael's hand.
"It seems the goddess's favor wasn't given without reason. Looks like we'll be relying on you again, Samael."
"It's my responsibility. We're all in this together now."
The ancient serpent gave a slight nod, then paused as his brow furrowed.
"But before that, I need to walk every street and alley of Uruk, purging what death energy remains."
"If we don't, more will die from exhaustion—and the Babylonia defense line could collapse without a fight!"
"And while we're at it, we should help the group in Kutha too. Their situation's likely the same. It'll also take some of the pressure off the Sacrificial Grounds and the Astrology Tower."
Outside the chamber, along the crisscrossing streets and in every shadowed corner, faint wisps of death energy still curled up from the ground.
"Alright. Let's prep tonight and head out tomorrow!"
"But how do we get to the Underworld? Is there a specific entrance?" Merlin asked, already itching to move. Ana chimed in, unable to contain her curiosity.
"Kutha was the city guarded by the god of the Underworld. That's where the plague began. The Age of Gods' Underworld lies just beneath the surface."
"And the spread of death energy means the barrier between realms is paper-thin. All we need is to blast through a shallow layer of soil and wards to reach the passage directly."
Samael added, and Ishtar, fully aware of the Underworld's inner workings, nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. We can break in from Kutha. Fire up Maanna, hit the place with a Noble Phantasm, and the path opens right up."
"Besides, Kutha's empty now. It's that woman's turf anyway—we can do whatever we want."
"But just to be clear: keep your hands off my Uruk!"
With a gleeful smile and a spark of mischief in her eyes, the chaotic goddess was practically glowing with anticipation, her face nearly spelling out "sweet revenge."
Quetzalcoatl let out a quiet sigh and rubbed her forehead.
"Relax. If we started digging from Uruk, King Gilgamesh's death would be impossible to cover up."
Despite both being goddesses associated with Venus, she couldn't bring herself to praise her unpredictable and reckless counterpart.
"Good. Then it's settled. We leave for the Underworld tomorrow. I'll lead. Ana, Merlin, and Ishtar, you're coming with me."
"Our mission: rescue the trapped souls, defeat Ereshkigal, and bring down the second pillar of the Three Goddess Alliance!"
"As for you, Quetzalcoatl—your contract with the alliance still holds. It's best you and the Jaguar Warrior stay behind to guard Uruk."
Samael raised his arm and gave the final command. The gods, now growing increasingly confident in the ancient serpent, all nodded in agreement.
But just as everyone was about to disperse and handle their tasks, Siduri suddenly remembered the three enormous baskets of clay tablets piling up in the Divine Tower—and her expression darkened.
"Everyone, the king has fallen. I am merely the Head Priestess responsible for logistics—there are matters that, by experience or rank, I simply cannot decide."
"Now that you've all returned, perhaps…"
As she spoke, Siduri turned her eyes toward Merlin, the one with the most experience assisting royalty.
"Looking for someone to take charge? Perfect—him!"
"Whatever he says, we'll go with that!"
The old fox swiftly sidestepped, shoved Samael forward, and with a wily smile, grabbed the ancient serpent's left wrist, raising it to reveal the golden-white crown sigil emblazoned there.
"Besides, he's the shepherd priest personally selected by Lady Ishtar, Uruk's guardian deity. He holds full authority over the shrine maidens and the temples, and more importantly, he carries divine endorsement."
"Add in his achievements—victories at the ruins of Babylon and the Absolute Demonic Front, and even conquering the three goddesses: Ishtar, Kukulkan, and Jaguar Warrior—he's more than qualified in both status and skill!"
Siduri reached out to catch Samael's arm just as he reflexively tried to pull away. She examined the divine mark closely, then turned a questioning gaze toward Ishtar.
"That's right! Samael is the one this goddess has chosen—no one else is allowed to take him!"
"And if you want to borrow him, you better bring something to show your sincerity. Got that? Sincerity!"
With one hand on her hip, the Great Goddess extended the other forward, shaking it pointedly in the air.
But Siduri instinctively tuned out the money-grubbing goddess and locked her solemn gaze back onto Samael, giving a firm nod.
"If he's the shepherd priest, then there's no issue."
"While it may be a bit inappropriate in light of King Gilgamesh's status, this is an urgent situation. There's precedent, so it's not truly overstepping."
"Then, Samael, please accompany me to the Divine Tower. We'll begin addressing the backlog of urgent matters together."
The ancient serpent, however, had a clear sense of his own limits. He wasn't eager to shoulder this responsibility and turned to shoot a withering look at Merlin, who had just volunteered him.
"Relax. You've got this."
"And it's not like we're leaving you high and dry. If anything comes up, use the Magecraft array. I won't dodge it."
Seeing the skepticism on Samael's face, Merlin leaned in and draped an arm over his shoulder, whispering in his ear.
"Look, you can't go purging death energy with the Soul Cage in broad daylight. If people see it, it'll cause panic."
"So why not use this time to help Siduri? She's barely hanging on."
Samael glanced back at the pale-faced priestess and recalled all the times she'd cared for him before. His expression softened.
"Besides, Siduri's capable. She just lacks a bit of confidence—too cautious to take bold action."
"What she needs now is someone with enough presence to back her up. And right now, that's you."
"If it comes down to it, do whatever needs doing in the Divine Tower. It's not like you'd be overstepping."
With the clarity of someone who understood Uruk's politics inside and out, the Magus of Flowers laid everything out. After weighing it all carefully, Samael finally gave a slow nod.
It worked out—he had matters to investigate at the Divine Tower anyway.