"The price... the price is negotiable. I'll give you half later…"
Struggling as she dangled between Samael's thumb and index finger like a dragonfly, Ishtar begrudgingly offered generous terms.
"Half?"
The ancient serpent blinked, momentarily stunned.
In midair, Gilgamesh cleaved through several massive stone pillars crashing down on him, then turned and snorted coldly at Ishtar.
"You truly never change, woman. Greedy to the end—are you trying to claim all of my treasures?"
"Well, it's not like you'll need them after you die! Besides, Uruk was mine to begin with!"
Ishtar snapped back, hanging indignantly from Samael's fingers.
Trace it back to the beginning: the sacred marriage symbolizing the union of divine and royal authority... the tradition of the shepherd king from Sumerian times...
As the ancient serpent yanked on the crown of the "little dragonfly" while dodging flying debris, a thunderbolt of realization struck him.
Samael's breath caught. He edged closer to the old swindler and asked in a raspy voice,
"Becoming the Shepherd Priest chosen by the goddess—does that mean I actually have a claim to Uruk's throne?!"
"Uh, I figured you'd already figured that out…"
Merlin shrugged, seemingly offering a helpless response, but there was a flicker of mischief in his purple eyes that was hard to miss.
At that moment, the ancient serpent turned his astonished gaze to Gilgamesh, still hovering midair, intercepting falling stone pillars.
The floating King of Heroes drew his twin-bladed cleaver, the divine sword known as "Green Field Cutting Through the Thousand Mountains"—Ig-Alima—capable of slicing through entire peaks. He swung it casually, cutting through the rubble.
Amid the flying debris, the King of Heroes' lips curled in a subtle smirk, and he let out a faint, amused hum.
"What else did you think?"
"Did you really believe Siduri would've agreed to hand over Uruk's administration to you if you weren't qualified to govern?"
"Did you think I was actually being irrational and incompetent just now, handing over the Holy Grail and strategic authority without reason?"
"Did you believe Ishtar picked you as her Shepherd Priest just to steal Ereshkigal's toy out of spite?"
I'll admit the first and third points.
But the second one—aren't you just messing with me on purpose?!
Samael's expression darkened as he stared at the smug curve of Gilgamesh's lips, then glanced down at Ishtar, eyes full of murderous intent.
I get it! It all makes sense now!
In the original myth, Ishtar had chosen the shepherd Dumuzid as her consort. With the gods' blessing, this divine favorite ruled Sumer and was given the title of "Shepherd King." Hence, Uruk held a sacred marriage ceremony to commemorate the nation's origin.
But that was largely symbolic—more religious ritual than political fact.
Now, with the descent of the Great Goddess, the past was cast aside. She had chosen a new Shepherd Priest to serve her.
Which meant, by precedent, Samael was not only Ishtar's symbolic sacred spouse but, like Dumuzid before him, also held the right to inherit Uruk's throne.
And considering the current situation, this wasn't some wild theory.
Gilgamesh had no heirs in this age. If he died, the throne would be left vacant.
Meanwhile, Samael had repeatedly proven himself—stabilizing the Magical Beast front, reining in Ishtar, dismantling the Three Goddess Alliance, and earning the unwavering trust of the King of Heroes.
With all these factors combined—and the divine mandate on top of it—he was, without question, the rightful successor to royal power.
If he truly succeeded Gilgamesh and inherited the throne of Uruk, then in theory, he'd gain control over the Babylonian Treasury the King of Heroes had left behind.
At that point, the entire city-state—and every treasure within—would fall into Ishtar's hands.
"So that's what you meant by 'bringing in wealth'!"
Samael clenched his teeth, gripping "Little Dragonfly" by the neck, fighting the urge to toss her out as a meat shield.
How could this woman, who usually wandered through life like she wasn't all there, suddenly become a genius the moment money was involved?
With that brilliant sleight of hand, she'd set her sights straight on Uruk and the Babylonian treasury!
No wonder Gilgamesh, upon hearing the title Shepherd Priest, immediately washed his hands of it and kicked back to watch the show. He clearly intended to use Ereshkigal to rein in this unruly Great Goddess.
And now, Samael was the unlucky scapegoat caught in the middle.
"I think we work pretty well together. You're not really losing out either…"
Exposed, Ishtar hunched her shoulders and flashed an awkward grin.
Just as the ancient serpent was digging deeper to uncover the reason behind Ereshkigal's rampage, he suddenly noticed that the massive skeleton's attacks were growing fiercer.
Meanwhile, the ground around them was shaking and rising. Gilgamesh's face was taut with tension—he didn't have the bandwidth to look after anyone else.
Samael's mind was in turmoil. He shoved Merlin in front of him like a shield, weaving left and right to dodge, and hoisted Ishtar up like a surrender flag, ready to toss her away at a moment's notice.
As rubble flew by, grazing past them, Ishtar shrieked with her head tucked in.
"Samael! You heartless jerk! I'm protecting you so you can be the future king! Is this how you repay my faith in you?!"
"Oh, give me a break! Uruk's practically done for! And that whole 'king' thing? Just a tool for your money-making schemes—whoever wants the job can have it!"
"We're supposed to be teammates!"
"I already paid you!"
"We were engaged!"
"And you've got the nerve to bring that up?! Ereshkigal nearly killed me because of it!"
Even as they used Merlin as cover, the two of them bickered without missing a beat.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
But hovering above the flames of the underworld, the dark red skeleton let out an increasingly agitated growl.
Clearly, to the god of the underworld, this back-and-forth between Samael and Ishtar looked like nothing more than lovers' quarrel.
Buzz!
As the Lightwheel Spear slammed down, dark red ripples spread across the earth, its terrifying force shaking the surrounding land violently.
"The heavens hold a sea without end, the earth a prison without escape…"
"Noble Phantasm release! Do something fast—if we don't stop her now, we're all dead!"
The ancient serpent, more familiar than anyone with his master's power, immediately turned pale and signaled everyone to stop holding back.
As the main attacker, Gilgamesh solemnly summoned the royal seal shaped like a book. In the name of the King of the Earth, he pronounced judgment upon Ereshkigal.
Blades, spears, and swords poured from the golden vortex like a torrential downpour, gradually breaking apart the Lightwheel Spear that was reshaping the underworld.
But moments later, the shattered light fragments reformed and solidified again.
It was clear this was only buying time—not a solution.
Realizing things had spiraled beyond saving, Ishtar straightened up, her expression serious as she pointed at Samael through gritted teeth.
"Hey! She's not going to listen to reason anymore."
"If you want to live, follow me—we're trying one last shot!"
Before the ancient serpent could stop her, Ishtar launched herself toward the heart of the battle.
"King Gilgamesh, clear a path!"
"Merlin, illusions!"
Samael's eyes narrowed as he shouted the orders.
The group, already well-practiced, quickly fell into formation and carved a way forward for Ishtar's charge.
"Ana, we're going in too!"
At the same time, the purple-haired loli and Samael advanced from both flanks, helping to ease the pressure.