Perhaps because he knew he couldn't match them in a direct fight, Apsu never once showed himself or attacked along the way.
From the ghost lantern emerged the sacred prostitute Shamhat, who sat quietly at the bow, gently stroking the Chains of Heaven. On her face was the gentle, content expression of a mother.
After several tense minutes, Samael's nerves gradually eased. He stepped over the exhausted survivors sleeping on the floor and made his way to the central cabin.
The moment he stepped inside, the ancient serpent's gaze fell on the scene in the corner, and his breath caught.
"You…"
"Oh, her Mad Enhancement acted up a little. I'm helping her throw up—and wake her up while I'm at it."
Bang! Bang!
The gentle and kind big sister Quetzalcoatl smiled faintly, clenched a fist the size of a sandbag, and drove it into the abdomen of a certain feline.
"Aaaooow!!"
The Jaguar Warrior, dangling by the scruff of her neck, curled up like a shrimp, letting out pitiful cries before vomiting up the core of the solar calendar stone.
But with her frenzy still not fully gone, her overgrown fangs immediately lunged for Kukulkan's neck.
"Tsk. Still not awake?"
Tilting her head slightly, Quetzalcoatl frowned, then pressed the Jaguar Warrior to the floor and started slapping her fur-covered cheeks back and forth.
The crisp sound echoed through the cabin. Samael, almost by reflex, covered his own cheeks, feeling an odd ache in his teeth.
"You sure this… really works?"
Given the Jaguar Warrior's earlier performance, the ancient serpent felt a faint pang of sympathy. He swallowed and asked with a dry chuckle.
"Relax. I guarantee she'll wake up."
Kukulkan vowed with confidence—then delivered two more sharp slaps across the Jaguar Warrior's furry face.
The red-and-black mist that had been raging moments ago shrank back into her body as if fleeing from its natural enemy.
…Huh. Looks like it actually works. What kind of principle is this?
Samael turned away, hand over his face, unable to watch this bizarre "treatment."
Jaguar, good luck. You're used to being hit—what's one more time?
Muttering to himself, the ancient serpent circled around the "loving" Mayan goddess sisters and headed deeper inside.
Ana, now awake, was helping Siduri hand out food and water to the survivors.
Seeing the flower shop's old lady, the city gate guard, and other familiar faces safe and sound, the purple-haired loli finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ishtar and Ereshkigal, still recovering from their heavy losses, sat on a bed with unfocused gazes, clearly lost in thought. The revelation about their connection to the Mother Goddess Tiamat had shaken the twin sisters, and they needed time to process it.
After a quick survey of the ship's condition, Samael exhaled slowly. The tension wound tight in his chest finally began to unwind.
In the lookout cabin, the white-haired Incubus—always looking like he could sleep forever—dozed in front of a pillar.
With each breath, tiny purple lights floated up from the sleeping crew and drifted toward Merlin. His hazy, wavering form grew clearer and more solid.
Having feasted well, the Incubus smacked his lips, the crease between his brows smoothing out.
…Looks like he's been enjoying some beautiful dreams.
Samael's lips curved faintly. He stepped up behind Gilgamesh and returned the royal seal to its rightful owner.
The King of Heroes glanced at it lazily, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"What, you don't want it? Take it, and you'll be Uruk's new king."
"Forget it. It'll be more effective in your hands."
Samael shook his head, refusing Gilgamesh's casual offer to hand over the throne.
The royal seal carried extraordinary authority—enough to convict a god like Ere and clear the Mother Goddess Tiamat's name—but it seemed only in Gilgamesh's possession could that power truly shine.
"Still, leaving all of Uruk's affairs to me… isn't that a little too carefree? Aren't you afraid I'll really screw it up?"
Samael rubbed his aching temples with a wry smile.
"Because your choices aren't part of the Mandate of Heaven's calculations."
"Whether the result is good or bad, it's more interesting than a preordained answer."
"And I can't break that shackle myself."
Gilgamesh took the seal and casually tossed it into the golden vortex, his expression unreadable.
"You figured out who I was back in the underworld? And from then on, you shifted Uruk's decision-making to me?"
"…Right, my king?"
Samael's serpent pupils narrowed slightly.
"You ate my Herb of Immortality, cutting off the eternal life I sought for the people of Uruk."
"Repaying that tenfold isn't something a few words can cover."
"Besides, I only saved you once—while you owe me two lives."
Gilgamesh turned his head aside, arms folded, and gave a low hum.
Two lives?
Realization dawned on Samael.
"You threw me into the underworld… to protect me?"
"Tch. Protect? I was just acting on a whim, adding a little chaos to the so-called Mandate of Heaven."
Gilgamesh shot him a sideways glance, arrogance in his tone.
Samael only rubbed his chin, murmuring to himself.
"I knew it—slaying a snake shouldn't have required you to pull out Ea."
"You tossed me into the underworld to block divine perception. My teacher told me even the gods of Babylon are bound by that realm's unique conditions."
"That way, I—an anomaly outside fate's control—wouldn't be detected in advance."
"…I see. I see it all now. So that's how it was."
"And before, when you acted like you wanted to kill me, nothing I said could change it. It was like winking at a blind man. You never meant to take my life at all."
The ancient serpent looked up at the Hero King and sighed, palm to forehead.
"I've been on edge for half a year… and you were just toying with me?"
"Isn't it an honor to entertain me? Uruk's honorary citizen? Hahahaha…"
Gilgamesh, seeing the "thief's" aggrieved look, finally burst out laughing, clapping Samael on the shoulder with a hearty smack.
You arrogant, self-satisfied jerk.
Samael rolled his eyes, and the last trace of distance between them vanished.
Sure, when Gilgamesh had "exiled" him to the underworld just to spite the gods, he hadn't accounted for the strain of separating soul from flesh—nearly killing him in the process.
Still, that was a debt worth acknowledging.
"By the way, one more thing. The 360 cannons on the north wall—they're called the Dingir."
"To fire them, you need the Royal Authority Seal to control the Dingir—royal power to wield divine power. That's not just some twisted sense of humor, is it?"
"Because I've heard something like that before."
"The Tablet of Divinity, Fate of All Things. It represents the Tablet of Destinies that governs the world's fate."
"Can your royal power really override the Mandate of Heaven?"
Samael was genuinely curious. The idea that human kingship could pass judgment on gods felt absurdly overpowered.
And Eridu… that place reeked of trouble. Marduk's axe, the cylinder seal—too many signs pointed that way.
If he wanted to end this once and for all, he might have to pit himself directly against the so-called Mandate of Heaven.
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
[email protected]/PinkSnake