In the Royal Palace's Divine Tower, the air was heavy with solemnity. At Gilgamesh's faint nod, Merlin tapped his staff, and three communication arrays lit up in succession.
The projections of Ishtar, Kukulkan, and Ereshkigal appeared at the front of the grand hall.
"Mount Ebih is completely out of control. There've been landslides everywhere—demonic creatures, mudslides, and hordes of fallen undead are emerging from underground fissures!"
Suspended in the sky above the mountainous terrain, the usually spirited Great Goddess of Uruk wore a rare, grim expression. Below her, the land was riddled with hundreds of craters, large and small.
All around were mangled remains of Demon Boars, and several moss-covered giant statues that had crawled out from the depths lay shattered, their cores obliterated.
"And then, there's this..."
Ishtar raised her hand and fired a blast of mana. Beneath a flattened canopy of trees, a colossal Demon Boar lay sprawled—easily several dozen meters in size.
Its bristled mane, streaked red and blue, radiated an intense magical aura. The blood-red eyes, still open, brimmed with malice and resentment even in death.
"What is that?" Siduri asked in shock.
"The mountain spirit of Mount Ebih!"
"I already killed it once, but some emerging force pulled its hatred back together and reanimated it using the Demon Boar as a vessel!"
"And while I wasn't home, it trashed my temple! I'm furious!"
Ishtar grumbled with no small amount of indignation. Even after venting, she fired a few more mana blasts into the boar's corpse, punching fresh, bloody holes in it.
Everyone had heard of the long-standing grudge between the War Goddess and the sacred spirit of Mount Ebih.
Now, seeing the reanimated boar that had come seeking revenge, only to be slaughtered again—along with her own temple—by a rampaging Ishtar, the others exchanged awkward glances.
Still, this wasn't the time for sympathy.
That "holy" spirit had already turned demonic, corrupting most of the mountain's creatures. It certainly hadn't shown any compassion or divinity then.
If left unchecked, the horrors spilling from Mount Ebih would soon reach downstream cities like Eridu. The damage would be catastrophic.
With Ishtar and her temple holding the front lines, countless Sumerians had been spared.
In a twisted way, the nomads whose gems had been looted had actually gotten a good deal—trading some treasure for their lives.
Though, it seemed the only real loser was the poor goddess of Uruk...
Gilgamesh, watching Ishtar vent her rage, offered his usual sarcastic jab or two. But he didn't press the matter. Instead, he raised a hand and summoned the High Priestess.
"Siduri. Have the idle priestesses and priests begin rebuilding her temple here in Uruk."
"If anything's missing, draw from the Sacrificial Grounds or my treasury for now."
Rebuilding the temple would not only boost Ishtar's motivation but also strengthen her divine presence within Uruk. Gilgamesh knew exactly how to weigh that value.
But just as Ishtar's eyes lit up—no doubt preparing to demand extravagance—the King of Heroes, well-acquainted with his old rival's habits, cut her off.
"Oh, and restore it exactly as it was. If the cost runs over, it's coming out of her pay."
"Che! So stingy!"
Arms crossed, Ishtar huffed, clearly displeased.
Still, thinking about the stash of salvageable gems and scattered coins back in her ruined mountain temple, she couldn't help but grin to herself. Maybe she'd even turn a profit.
With no further leads on the Mount Ebih incident, the topic shifted to Eridu.
"The rain in the south's been relentless. The twin rivers are overflowing, and about a third of the land has turned into swamp!"
"If I hadn't found a way to break up the storm, Eridu would've been completely flooded!"
Kukulkan's tone turned grave, her expression heavy.
"Also, in just the past two days, I've felt over ten earthquakes…"
"That thing is stirring more and more."
Everyone's faces grew darker. A shared weight settled over the room.
"It's the same over in the Underworld. We've been searching for two days but still haven't found the cause."
"But lately, the undead have become restless. In many areas, undercurrents have surged up through the ground and poured into the surface waterways."
Ereshkigal fell silent, her brows knitting slightly as she recalled the roaring river of the Underworld, deep in the secluded valleys. A faint sense of dread began to stir within her.
Perhaps the Underworld was no longer safe.
Samael gently took the hand of the Goddess of the Underworld, offering her a sliver of warmth and comfort.
Once Ereshkigal had calmed down a bit, the ancient serpent stepped forward with a furrowed brow.
"King Gilgamesh, how are things in Uruk these past two days?"
"The good news is, there haven't been any large-scale Magical Beast attacks on the northern wall..."
Gilgamesh fell into thought, gazing into the mist-covered city in the distance, his expression gradually darkening.
"But there's far more bad news..."
"First, the endless rain has caused seventy percent of the wheat—meant to be harvested this season—to rot in the fields."
"Second, from the direction of the Phragmites Prairie, we've seen considerable numbers of aquatic Magical Beasts, including Fishmen, Mušḫuššu, and seven-headed serpents..."
Siduri stepped forward, holding a clay tablet in her hands, visibly anxious.
"Right now, the upper reaches of the Two Rivers are also flooded. Large areas have turned into swamps, and some of the waterways have even started connecting."
"We suspect these aquatic beasts might have used the waterways to circle around to the Phragmites Prairie, launching a pincer attack on Uruk from both north and south!"
"The north wall is manageable, but the southern gate doesn't have such a massive defensive system."
Samael stroked his chin in thought, then looked up at the dozing great sage.
"Can the magi in the Astrology Tower figure out a way to disperse the rain?"
"We tried that when we were rushing the wheat harvest. It only worked for half a day—and nearly wore out my old bones."
Merlin opened his sleepy eyes with a disgruntled snort.
Then, the white-haired Incubus narrowed his eyes, his expression subtly meaningful.
"It's not time yet. Uruk can hold out for a while longer, so it's better to save our strength. Once everyone is gathered, then we strike."
"What worries me is that if we wait three more days to regroup, that thing might emerge before we're ready!"
Samael's face turned grim as he shifted his gaze toward Gilgamesh.
"King, I request we move a day ahead of schedule! Let's regroup at the Divine Tower in the royal palace tomorrow morning!"
Seated on the throne, Gilgamesh lifted his eyes slightly, calm as ever.
"Oh? Tell me your reason..."
"I suspect that thing is about to awaken. But for it to break free and act on its own, certain conditions are likely needed."
"Rainfall, underground rivers, streams—the convergence of all these water systems—might not be natural. It's likely the terrain is being consciously altered by some force!"
Samael's conclusion brought clarity to the unease everyone had been feeling. In an instant, the scattered clues in their minds began to connect.
Now that the ancient serpent had spoken bluntly, he no longer held back and continued with a frown.
"If this situation continues to deteriorate, just the Magical Beasts attacking from both north and south will already be a huge problem!"
"Who knows what else might follow."
"If we keep delaying, something worse may happen!"
The Mandate of Heaven is clear? The Mandate of Heaven is clear!
Humanity has not only been abandoned, but betrayed. What a cruel joke.
Gilgamesh's face was dark, a cold smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. With a loud slap on the throne, he stood up abruptly.
"Then tomorrow it is! Regardless of what we find in Eridu or Mount Ebih, we gather immediately and launch a surprise assault on the Blood Fort!"
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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