"Three storms. Three goddesses..."
"Tiamat, the beast of disaster that comes ashore in accordance with the law of return, will destroy Mesopotamia and bring an end to human history!"
"But in the end, the Mother of Origin—once abandoned by the world—will, through the relentless sacrifices of humankind and the repeated betrayals of the goddesses, be struck down in an ugly, ignoble fashion!"
"The black tide will scour the earth clean. Humanity will pay with the death of an entire era, its potential buried in the soil, stripped even of the right to gaze upon the sky."
"And the lofty gods above will not only reap the benefits without lifting a hand, they'll also craft a new race of god-fearing humans, raising their next flock of lambs."
"Tsk, tsk... a plan that doesn't even dirty your hands."
"Truly perfect."
Samael's gaze darkened, his eyes dripping with mockery.
In the fate that had been laid out, the three goddesses—Ereshkigal, Kukulkan, and Ana—were meant to aid the Goddess Tiamat's arrival. Yet each one was a traitor, and in the end, not a single one remained loyal.
There was also the cylinder seal proclaiming the Mandate of Heaven, Marduk's axe that stripped the Mother Goddess of Origin of her divinity, and the Grand Assassin who bestowed upon Tiamat the power of death and transformation.
More crucial still, the divine incarnations torn from the Mother of Origin—Ereshkigal and Ishtar—both walked the mortal world, standing in opposition to the beast.
Had everything followed fate's design, both threats—humanity's unchecked growth and the awakening of the Daughter of Destiny—would have been neatly eliminated.
The gods would only have needed to lift a finger to clean up the aftermath, taking everything for themselves.
And in the end, they would stand beneath the sun, claiming the high ground of justice, looking down upon all.
The Sumerians, seeing the shock and dismay flicker across the golden Divine Spirit's face, felt rage burn in their eyes.
Samael stepped past the furious humans, casting a meaningful glance behind him.
"But you underestimated the variables, and never imagined that raw, instinctive bestiality could truly be suppressed by divinity."
The ancient serpent then brushed his hand across the emerald-green tendril of earth at his side, his eyes softening for a brief moment.
Then he turned forward again, a cold smile on his lips as he began counting off the King of Kings' schemes on his fingers.
"When things went awry and the Mother Goddess chose self-exile, you had no choice but to step in yourself—using the three goddesses to slaughter the earthly flock, letting the ether saturate the world once more."
"That way, the gods could continue clinging to the inner reaches of Mesopotamia, waiting for their next chance."
"When the three goddesses couldn't get it done, you sent Apsu instead, to drink deep of humanity's milk and blood for yourself..."
"To make it happen, you took Marduk's axe, stripped away the cylinder seal, and chipped away at our strength."
The Jaguar Warrior, Merlin, Ana, and Ishtar—companions who had once followed the ancient serpent to Eridu—thought back on their past trials and suddenly saw the truth.
This was why Ziusudra had once said that the waters were split between above and below, with life and death each claiming a side.
Even if Tiamat, the Mother Goddess of salt water, had spared humanity, Apsu, god of fresh water, would still have carried out the gods' will.
And the Father of Genesis—who should have been the gods' mortal enemy—had acted strangely from the moment he appeared.
He hadn't gone for the gods. Instead, he stabbed his "good son" Kingu—who had been clamoring to overturn fate—in the back, focusing entirely on humanity's destruction.
Once you think of who was pulling the strings, it all makes sense.
The green-haired beauty's face darkened. He'd put his trust in the wrong place. Daring to speak of destroying the gods in front of Marduk... no wonder he'd been stabbed.
Samael paused, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
"And the Mother Goddess's answer made you wary again. Made you afraid."
"You feared she might truly shatter fate's chains, manifest in the world, and side with humanity. So you slowed your assault."
"To keep everything in your grip, you made preparations."
"First, you called down endless rains to reshape the land's waterways, maximizing Apsu's advantage."
"Second, you awakened Huwawa, left the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna, behind, and summoned Ea's water monster to constantly probe Uruk's defenses—keeping the Five Goddesses from ever regaining their full strength, and thus from posing any real threat."
"And finally, once you thought it a false alarm, you sent Apsu to hunt us down yourself."
"But that was exactly when the Mother Goddess descended at the critical moment, once again wrenching events out of fate's control."
"Tsk, tsk... The great Father of Creation, holding every advantage, bolting after a single exchange. Just how much do you fear the Mother Goddess?"
Marduk wrenched his axe free, clutching the half Tablet of Destinies, lightning glinting in his eyes, his face twisting in rage.
"Silence! Even if it went beyond my calculations, the victor will still be me!"
"I killed her once, I can wipe her out a second time!"
He's losing his composure again!
Samael covered half his face with one hand and laughed under the roiling thunderclouds.
Ziusudra, the only one still able to fight, stood at the ancient serpent's side, black miasma coiling around him.
The serpent lifted his head without fear, his smile growing cold.
"Even the Mandate of Heaven has its limits!"
"If you were truly invincible and unafraid, why send endless rains to flood Mesopotamia with fresh water?"
"Why unleash gods and beasts to harry Uruk, keeping the Five Goddesses running themselves ragged?"
"Why flee in panic the moment the Mother Goddess appeared, dragging the battle back to the Temple of Ea where you were born?"
"And why sever your own divine foundation as Apsu, waiting until that scattered fresh-water divinity had fully cursed the Mother Goddess before daring to crawl out and shout about fate?"
At his scornful, ringing laugh, the truth struck the onlookers—Apsu's flight to the Temple of Ea, his death, had been far too neat. Too deliberate.
Merlin's eyes lit up as he tapped his head, realization dawning.
Wait... how had Apsu died? He'd been split in two by an enraged Tiamat!
And in the war of creation, Tiamat had been split in two—by Marduk!
It was the Mother Goddess's instinctive vengeance.
But lacking reason, she never realized that Apsu, who had stepped in to take the blow, was nothing more than Marduk's bait.
And after Apsu's death... there had been no Holy Grail.
Which could only mean it was inside Marduk, sustaining his nearly complete form in this descent.
That's it! I knew he was too much of a coward to appear before stacking every advantage.
When had the cunning, calculating Father of Creation suddenly changed his nature—coming to face Tiamat head-on, knowing he couldn't win?
Now it's obvious—this was a trap set after the Mother of Origin descended.
The golden cracks and markings across the scales and emerald wings on Tiamat's back were clearly the curse Apsu had left with his divine essence.
Salt and fresh water oppose and restrain each other. Even as the stronger Origin Mother, Tiamat could not ignore the divine curse of Apsu.
And once cursed, of course she couldn't resist the Tablet of Destinies' suppression—especially when the one wielding it was Marduk, born of the same origin as Apsu.
We were careless. Far too careless.
As expected of the monster who seized the Mother of Genesis's authority—he had calculated even this.
One misstep more, and they would have all been wiped out.
The white-haired Incubus, recalling the brush with death, still felt a chill run down his spine.