Cedar Forest, Blood Fort.
"Kingu..."
"Kingu? Kingu!"
A cold, increasingly sharp voice echoed through the abyss, repeating several times before finally stirring the green-haired beauty standing motionless at the edge like a statue.
"What's wrong with you? You've been unsettled ever since you returned from Uruk."
"I'm sorry, Mother. I was just... lost in thought."
"It seems the other two pillars of the Three Goddess Alliance have betrayed us. I'm worried…"
Kingu's gaze drifted aside, avoiding the ghostly snake-like eyes above. A flicker of unease crossed his otherwise emotionless face.
"Hmph! So what? You think we'll lose?!"
Gorgon, submerged in the crimson-black blood pool of the abyss, slammed her claws down, her expression sour as she let out a cold snort.
She then lowered her gaze to the roiling blood beneath her. The slits of her reptilian eyes gleamed with madness.
"No one can stop my revenge! No one!"
"They must all die!"
Blood splashed violently in every direction as Gorgon thrashed. Kingu instinctively stepped back to avoid it, the disgust on his face surfacing without conscious thought.
After a pause, the commander of the Demonic Beasts collected himself, forcefully suppressing his revulsion toward the filth. He stepped forward, expression steady.
"Yes, Mother. You will succeed."
Then, his gaze shifted toward the blood-churned abyss, and his tone changed.
"But right now, it's clear we can't breach Uruk on our own. We need His power."
"The last time the incubation was interrupted, and we rushed the Babylonia front—it threw the entire plan off schedule. We may have even exposed something we shouldn't have."
"So you must calm yourself, and accelerate the process."
Gorgon's frenzied expression eased somewhat under his composed words. Slowly, she nodded. A faint clarity returned to her blood-filled eyes.
"Sleep now, Mother. I'll remain here, by your side... until the day your vengeance breaks free from its shell."
Kingu lifted his hand, golden ripples spreading from the heart of his chest. As the light flowed outward, it gently guided the Goddess of Demonic Beasts into stillness, drawing her into the abyssal sea of blood.
A strange, low pulse—like the beat of a giant heart—echoed on and off, each rhythm stirring a deep, instinctual dread.
His hands... were trembling.
Kingu slowly raised his arms and stared. His pale fingers quivered uncontrollably, as if seized by fear.
Calm down!
Veins bulged on his forehead as he slapped the backs of his hands together, his face contorted, eyes dark and fixed on the distant sky.
Mother's hatred is set on destroying humanity.
But that's just the first step. My goal... is to wield the power from the abyss to strike back at those lofty traitors from above!
Kingu clenched his hands tightly inside his sleeves, his eyes seething with hatred.
Yet before he realized it, he had already drifted away from the blood-soaked pit, walking alone through the rain-drenched Cedar Forest.
Through the mist of the downpour, a figure in shrine maiden robes, green hair swaying gently, emerged from the dense woods. She smiled warmly and waved at him.
Damn it. Why am I thinking of that woman again?
Her!
Beneath the stormy night sky, his rain-drenched face twisted—one half warped with seething hatred, the other softened with vague tenderness and confusion.
How is she now...
"Teacher Shamhat is out of danger for now!"
At the same time, a communication spell linking the royal palace's Divine Tower to the Underworld had been established. The images of Samael and Ereshkigal appeared in the large hall's mirror.
The moment they came into view, the ancient serpent immediately addressed the question that had weighed most heavily on everyone's minds, easing the tension in the room.
Relieved sighs echoed throughout the Divine Tower, which had only just been hastily rebuilt with Magecraft after sustaining damage.
But then, Samael got straight to the point, delivering a shocking theory that immediately froze the atmosphere.
"You're saying something beneath Mesopotamia... is awakening?"
Gilgamesh's brow tightened, and he pressed again for confirmation.
"Yes. The recent spike in earthquakes is likely due to shifts in the crust."
"Surface sensors may lag behind, but the Underworld is closer to the abyss—we can sense it much more clearly."
"Ereshkigal and I suspect someone up top is performing a secret ritual... trying to awaken something buried deep in the earth."
Samael nodded gravely. A creeping sense of darkness seemed to press in on all sides, making the air in the hall feel heavier.
Without pausing to check his companions' reactions, the ancient serpent raised his hand, signaling Ereshkigal to project the previously marked zones onto the display.
"The strongest seismic activity is concentrated in three areas—Mount Ebih, the Cedar Forest, and Eridu."
"If a ritual is taking place, then the core altar is likely positioned at the center of these three points."
"We're ninety percent sure the Blood Fort in the Cedar Forest is the main target."
"But just to be safe, we should eliminate the other two locations as possibilities—or better yet, destroy anything suspicious in those areas."
Leaning against a courtyard pillar, Kukulkan stretched her sore limbs and stepped forward.
"I'll take responsibility for Eridu. The Jaguar Warrior will stay behind in Uruk—just in case."
"Oh-ho? Really?! That's amazing!"
"So that means I can eat whatever I want, work whenever I feel like it?"
The Jaguar Warrior's eyes sparkled in disbelief. With her master away, the cat was ready to run wild—her heart practically leapt with joy.
But the moment her longtime rival cast her a glance, the feline immediately shrank back, nervously lowering her head.
"Ah—wait, no! Kuku, don't leave me! I'll miss you so much!"
She wailed, clearly unwilling to part, looking like she was about to launch herself at Quetzalcoatl's leg and cling on for dear life.
The others, long used to the energetic feline's antics, ignored her and continued with the strategy session.
"That goes without saying. Mount Ebih is my domain—I'll handle the reconnaissance myself."
Returning to her true form, Ishtar strutted confidently to the center, flicking her hair behind her ear like a diva awaiting cheers on a runway.
"Next!"
Samael gave the order decisively, and everyone's gaze turned toward the most suspicious location—the Blood Fort in the Cedar Forest.
Hey! I'm doing my best here, okay?! You've got nothing but praise for Ereshkigal—would it kill you to throw a few kind words my way too?!
Ishtar froze, then gritted her teeth in frustration as she glared at the two figures standing side by side in the mirror. Her heart swelled with resentment—and just a hint of disappointment.
"The Demonic Beasts outnumber us more than ten to one! If we abandon the Babylonian front line and charge into the Cedar Forest, fighting in unfamiliar terrain, the human forces could be wiped out!"
Siduri, now fully back in command mode, picked up a pointer and gave a quick comparison and analysis on the terrain model in the royal court.
Still more than a ten-to-one gap after several sweeps? This Gorgon's army production is ridiculous...
Faced with such overwhelming odds, everyone was left with a growing sense of dread.