Though she'd promised to keep watch, Ishtar wasn't exactly the patient type. With Amber already there, her sense of responsibility evaporated entirely.
After just two or three hours, she tossed out, "I'm going to scout the area for danger," and took off.
Amber wasn't particularly bothered. The night was still long, and Ishtar's departure was a perfect chance to show off her 'Sword God' technique to Fu Hua.
Just as Fu Hua had said before, the Sword God itself wasn't some cumbersome artifact. But for a sword to truly commune with the divine, there was a prerequisite.
It was like the 'Black Flash' in Jujutsu Kaisen—landing it or not was a world of difference.
Even if your cursed energy reserves remained the same, the control and utilization of that power were on entirely different levels.
Amber's Sword Heart was only at the first layer, which wasn't enough to sustain the use of Sword God.
In theory, from the faintest firefly's glow to the brilliance of the full moon, even a wisp of true energy should allow for a Sword God of corresponding magnitude. But the catch was, you had to understand the 'flavor' of that true energy.
Having a low-level Sword Heart might mean you know how to use Sword God, but it's highly unlikely you'd actually be able to use it.
In any case, Amber's current state was like some great power being reincarnated. Her hardware was utterly lacking, yet she could somehow run the latest software, creating a profound sense of dissonance.
None of this, however, dampened her delight at finally being able to wield Sword God freely. It even boosted her motivation for training.
After all, her true strength was what she manifested within the Fenghuang Down. Don't be fooled by how she'd knocked the Beast Goddess offline in one hit just a day ago—that was borrowing the layers of Fu Hua's Sword Heart through Fu Hua's body. She hadn't used Fu Hua's Sword Heart directly, but it was still far beyond her own capabilities.
Though she said she was 'borrowing' Fu Hua's Sword Heart, it was more accurate to say Amber used Fu Hua's body and the Fenghuang Down to simulate her own Sword Heart.
Without the Fenghuang Down, forget simulating her Sword Heart, she wouldn't even be able to manifest her Sword Intent.
So, the Fenghuang Down was just too convenient. No wonder even 'Little Scribe' herself said you could blame anything on the Feather.
But enough digression.
Right now, Amber's biggest desire was to immediately elevate her Sword Heart and Sword Intent, and then unleash a seriously awesome Sword God.
It wasn't that a minor Sword God was useless, but she just loved big numbers, adored the nuclear option.
Yet, before she could even enter the Fenghuang Down, she noticed Ishtar—who had just flown off—was already coming back.
"?"
Noticing Amber's puzzled look, Ishtar didn't offer an explanation, instead just plopping herself down beside Amber.
"Aren't you going to check out the surroundings?" Amber asked.
"There won't be any magical beasts around. After all, we do have a pact. I won't attack them, and they won't come attacking me," 'Ishtar' said.
"And... well, this is a rare chance. Rather than wandering around, I'd rather chat with you."
"That's true... we only met briefly last time."
Amber nodded.
"Last time?" 'Ishtar' froze for a moment, then understanding dawned—but that understanding quickly turned into flustered irritation. "You...! You recognized me!?"
"Recognized?" Amber was also confused. "Recognized what?"
"Huh...?"
They stared at each other for a moment before Ishtar hastily waved her hands. "It's nothing!"
But Amber, who had been thinking about Sword God, now pulled her focus back entirely, sensing the change in Ishtar again.
"You... are you the other Ishtar from before?" Amber guessed.
"So you did recognize me after all!" Ishtar cried out, furious with embarrassment.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to tease you," Amber said, realizing there was a misunderstanding.
"It's just that your aura and body are completely identical to Ishtar's. Beyond a vague intuition, I can't sense any difference between you. So I genuinely didn't realize it just now."
"So it was my own panic that gave me away..."
'Ishtar' sighed, then looked towards the distant moonlight. "Still... my desire to talk with you hasn't changed."
As she spoke, she turned her gaze back to Amber. "You must have questions for me too, right?"
"Questions..." Amber thought for a moment, but nothing really came to mind.
Ultimately, she felt somewhat detached from everything here, as if there was a barrier—a sense of 'not being in the same world'—that kept her from fully connecting with the others in this world.
Perhaps it was because she was communicating through Fu Hua's body, in a form that wasn't her own.
But more likely, she was simply missing something herself.
"Are you Eresh?" Amber asked after a moment's thought.
She had some impression of the characters Ishtar and Eresh, though she wasn't particularly interested in Fate and hadn't committed them to memory.
Even the name Ishtar felt unfamiliar; she knew her better as 'Archer Rin'. But she remembered a friend of hers gushing over them obsessively.
Something about 'Angel Eresh', wasn't it?
"Eh...! E-Eresh!?" Hearing such an intimate form of address was a shock. It wasn't that she minded being called that, but to use it without even exchanging names first—wasn't that a bit too forward?
After collecting herself, Ereshkigal finally spoke, her voice tinged with awkward shyness. "To call a goddess by her name so directly, and even use a nickname... For a human, that's really..."
"Is it not allowed?" Amber's expression remained neutral, but inwardly she felt a bit awkward.
So her full name wasn't Eresh?
"W-well... since we're friends... I'll allow it!" Ereshkigal said in a small voice, then quickly changed the subject. "A-any other questions!?"
"No, that's all." Amber shook her head.
"Just that one question?" Ereshkigal tilted her head in surprise, then looked back towards the distant moon.
"I thought... you might ask me about my views on humans, or why I'm attacking Uruk, things like that..."
"..." She really wasn't all that curious.
Just like how she hadn't asked Chaldea what they were investigating, she felt confident she could handle any crisis that arose, so she lacked a sense of urgency.
Remembering Fu Hua's lessons, Amber certainly couldn't voice that reason. She could only stubbornly insist, "You must have your own reasons. And I'm sure those reasons aren't born of malice."
"...You think so?" Ereshkigal pressed her lips together.
"The good and evil of humans... I can't fully comprehend it, honestly... But I cannot accept Mesopotamia as it is now. You are both human and a being worshipped by humans—a guardian. So you should understand, right?"
"As long as they are human, they cannot escape suffering and death. Human intellect has grown too much, too far—to the point they can no longer accept reality in its raw form."
"But if there exist beings beyond human understanding, that's enough. Humans can blame all the unreasonable and cruel hardships on these incomprehensible existences. That way, they can live their lives with resilience." Ereshkigal said.
"So... a world solely for humans only brings them more pain. That's why I will change the world of humans into a world for both humans and gods."
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T/N: This is why Eresh is the best rin variant
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.