Quetzalcoatl
"Didn't I remember there being plenty of food left over last night?"
Ishtar stared at the empty temple, her face filled with bewilderment. "How is it all gone now?"
"You had too much to drink, didn't you?" Xia Yu replied, her expression unchanged. "Didn't we eat until the middle of the night?"
"I even advised you to save something for this morning, but you didn't want to leave even a single piece of meat. What could a prisoner like me do?"
"Really?" Ishtar still found it hard to believe.
"Why would I lie?" Xia Yu dampened a towel and gently wiped Ishtar's face. "Could I have eaten it all by myself?"
"But I really don't remember," Ishtar frowned, feeling the smooth towel rubbing back and forth across her face. "Did I really eat it?"
"Yes, you ate it," Xia Yu nodded, set down the damp towel, and picked up a dry one to pat her face again.
"Don't doubt it, it was you."
"Then what are we having this morning?" Ishtar always felt something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"I'll go boil two bowls of noodles," Xia Yu rose and snapped her fingers; the toiletries constructed by the Authority of the Herrscher of Reason vanished into motes of light.
This was an Authority granted by the gems embedded in the Blazing Hope, though Xia Yu couldn't wield it perfectly. It was fine for constructing daily necessities, but if it came to actual combat, it would likely be a struggle.
"Wait, why are you serving me so naturally!" Seeing this, Ishtar finally realized what was wrong. "Aren't you a prisoner?"
"Oh, just habit," Xia Yu didn't think much of it; she simply wanted to test the Herrscher of Reason's Authority.
If she really needed to wash up, a single Tergeo would have been much more efficient.
"So, did you also serve that gloomy woman like this in the past?" Ishtar felt unhappy for some reason, though she didn't know why.
"I'd like to..." Xia Yu shook her head. "But Lady Ereshkigal... sigh."
"What's this? So I'm the first one, then," Ishtar's expression immediately switched to smug satisfaction, and she began winking at Xia Yu.
Xia Yu ignored her, took out her stockpiled noodles and other food, and then constructed a stove. Soon, two bowls of beef noodles were ready.
"This taste~~~" Ishtar naturally picked up her chopsticks and took a slurp. "Ah, this taste... I really don't want to let you go."
"Is that so?" Xia Yu glanced at her sideways. This silly girl still hadn't noticed that I could fight better than her.
She called it imprisonment, but who was truly imprisoning whom remained to be seen.
"Ah, total satisfaction!" After wolfing down her meal, Ishtar patted her stomach. "Mm, time to start today's itinerary."
"Hey, I'm going out on business. As a prisoner, don't go running around," she looked at Xia Yu and poked her in the chest. "Don't forget, I am a noble Goddess, the Mistress of Heaven!"
"No matter where you run, I can catch you back, you know?"
"Fine, fine, go ahead," Xia Yu waved her hand dismissively, like she was shooing away a small animal, showing no regard for the majesty of a goddess.
"Wow, you!" Ishtar huffed. "That attitude is a great disrespect to a goddess!"
"Are you sure you want to offend your cook?" Xia Yu squinted at her. "I'm just saying, do you still want to eat in the future?"
"Sorry! I got carried away!" Ishtar, tempted by the delicious food, folded her hands together without any pride. "I won't... wait, that's not right."
"I am a noble Goddess, and you are just a prisoner. Isn't it only right for you to serve me?"
"Oh, is that so?" Xia Yu stood up and walked toward Ishtar.
Watching the prisoner who usually obeyed her every word—save for her loyalty—approaching step by step, Ishtar began to panic and unconsciously started to retreat.
Especially with that swaying high ponytail and the determined will beneath those heroic features... how beautiful she was!
As the Goddess of Beauty, Ishtar naturally appreciated all things beautiful.
Just like that, as one advanced and the other retreated, Ishtar soon felt something hard behind her back. Oh no, she had nowhere left to run!
Xia Yu braced one hand against the temple wall, pushed her right leg between Ishtar's knees, slowly closed the distance, and gently pinched her chin with her left hand.
"Are you sure?"
Looking into those azure eyes, Ishtar's mind went blank.
"I... I... I..." Her thoughts were all in chaos, and she stammered, not knowing what to say.
"A prisoner, right?" Xia Yu leaned closer to her face; their foreheads were almost touching. The goddess was filled with panic.
"Then, pray tell, noble Mistress of Heaven, Lady Goddess Ishtar," the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. "Your prisoner is being disobedient. What would you like to do about it?"
"Ah... I..." Ishtar was so frightened she froze, her hands clutching tightly into the brick joints of the temple wall behind her. It was as if she had never encountered such a presumptuous human before.
Her face turned bright red. Seeing this, Xia Yu's playfulness surged, and she leaned into Ishtar's ear.
"Speak, Goddess?"
Feeling the warm breath on her earlobe, Ishtar's face flushed as if it were about to bleed. "Audacious~~~"
"I am the noble Mistress of Heaven!"
She finally snapped back to reality and pushed Xia Yu away in shame and anger. "How could you be so... so..."
Looking at the stuttering Ishtar, Xia Yu chuckled lightly. "So what?"
"You!" Ishtar stammered. "This is blasphemy... presumption..."
"Then how does Lady Goddess Ishtar intend to punish me?" Xia Yu made a move to close the distance again.
Seeing this, Ishtar instantly summoned the Boat of the Heavens, Maanna, and launched herself into the air.
"You just stay here and reflect on yourself!" She didn't even dare to look at the 'prisoner' below. "I'm going out to handle business!"
Then, she fled the temple as if escaping.
"Heh, truly inexperienced," Xia Yu smiled, then walked straight out of the temple.
Only a fool would stay here and be obedient.
She looked down at the road heading down the mountain. Mm, that way leads to Uruk, right?
Fine, I'll go for a stroll!
The journey to Uruk was cut short halfway.
Xia Yu looked at the big sister curiously examining her, and sighed in her heart.
"What a powerful warrior," Quetzalcoatl was not as... naive as Ishtar. As a supreme god of South American mythology, although she manifested as a Servant, the scale of her Saint Graph was sufficiently immense.
She was one of the supreme beings in Aztec mythology. Seemingly free-spirited, she was actually a kind and intellectually profound goddess who loathed human sacrifice. She loved humans and was a god of life, harvest, culture, wind, and rain. For a period, there were even legends of her governing the sun.
This Quetzalcoatl had manifested by way of a Split Spirit. In such abnormal circumstances, she displayed a brand-new side that no one knew of: she was a god who loved Mexican wrestling, which flourished in modern Mexico.
Of course, she wasn't worshipped as a god of wrestling. She simply liked wrestling.
Quetzalcoatl's name meant "Feathered Serpent" or "Winged Serpent." She was worshipped by the South American people as a benevolent god who rejected human sacrifice. She was seen as identical to Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the god of the morning star, and Kukulkan of the Maya. She had many kind legends but also possessed the aspect of a fierce god of war.
Though she was a benevolent god who led people toward prosperity, Quetzalcoatl eventually lost to the god Tezcatlipoca and vanished from the Aztec lands, leaving behind a prophecy that she would one day return.
The Aztecs believed that the Spanish conquistadors who arrived later were Quetzalcoatl and his army, which ultimately led to their destruction.
Originally, the feathered serpent in mythology was a male god, but upon manifesting, she acquired the existence of a female god—perhaps influenced by the long-held association with Venus, which led to her being linked to the image of Venus (Aphrodite) as a goddess of beauty.
South American gods differed greatly from other mythological systems. Their gods operated by transferring themselves into human bodies. It was confirmed that there were multiple existences of Quetzalcoatl depending on the region; perhaps at some point, a Quetzalcoatl would appear as a female.
The one present now was one of those.
"Beautiful and powerful warrior, care for an exciting wrestling match?" Quetzalcoatl looked at Xia Yu, full of excitement. "Big sister here can hardly wait!"
"Before fighting, shouldn't we exchange names first?" Xia Yu said slowly. "Starting to kill each other without even knowing each other's names is a bit too tragic, wouldn't you say?"
"True, my apologies," Quetzalcoatl nodded readily. "I am Quetzalcoatl, the supreme god of Aztec mythology."
A single sentence was enough to demonstrate her weight.
"I am Kiana Kaslana," Xia Yu smiled at her. "My identity... is a Valkyrie and a Herrscher."
"Mm, I can tell, you're a living person," Quetzalcoatl's eyes gleamed. "How nice, not like us relics of the past. So, Kiana, how about an intense and exciting Mexican wrestling match?"
"I don't really know how to wrestle," Xia Yu clasped her hands, interlaced her fingers, and stretched them outward, performing a simple warm-up. "But if it's just fighting, I know a little."
"That is... fantastic!" Quetzalcoatl slammed her fists together in front of her chest; a shockwave blew the leaves off the surrounding forest trees.
She had originally wanted to go to Uruk to find warriors, but she didn't expect a surprise harvest halfway!
The two stared at each other from ten meters away.
Then... Boom!
The aftermath of the collision between the two super-powerful beings instantly flattened the forest for tens of meters around.
But it wasn't enough!
Boom, boom, boom!
In just a few seconds, they had traded more punches than could be counted.
Quetzalcoatl kept trying to find an opening in Xia Yu's defense through close-quarters grappling, aiming to enter the wrestling phase that interested her most.
But Xia Yu didn't take a single loss. Her speed in throwing and retracting punches was incredibly fast, giving her no chance at all.
Every move was met with a concise punch or kick.
The two remained entangled, parrying and countering. Quetzalcoatl didn't gain a single advantage; every time she attempted a move, she was blocked by a heavy punch.
The battle had entered "garbage time" the moment it started.
Realizing that she wouldn't gain any advantage by continuing this way, Quetzalcoatl changed her tactics.
She was passionate about wrestling out of interest, not because she was truly stronger at it.
After her right hand was deflected by another swift punch, she directly used her Authority to conjure a small sun in her palm and launched a devastating smash at Xia Yu.
Xia Yu didn't want to be outdone; she used the Authority of the Herrscher of Flamescion to manifest a Great Fireball and smashed it right back.
Why shrink back? Go at it head-on!
This time, more than just the trees within tens of meters suffered. The entire surrounding forest seemed to be ripped apart. With the point of their collision as the center, countless trees fell backward and burned.
"Truly interesting!" Quetzalcoatl's eyes lit up. She asked as she fought, "You possess such an Authority too? But aren't you a human?"
"I told you, I am a Herrscher," Xia Yu kicked back her extended right leg. "Having a few hidden trump cards is normal."
"Ha? Normal?" Quetzalcoatl kicked up the surrounding ground, trying to rush in and get close while Xia Yu was off-balance.
"Big sister here is becoming more and more interested in you!"
"Is that so?" Xia Yu launched herself into the air to avoid the collapsing terrain. "Then I am truly honored."
As she spoke, they had already traded countless blows.
Xia Yu landed an uppercut hard on her chin. Good, the first result of the day.
But Quetzalcoatl wasn't weak; a side kick soon almost blew her head off.
Then Xia Yu manifested another Great Fireball. Quetzalcoatl didn't yield; she brought her hands together, and an orange-red fireball slowly emerged before she flung it toward Xia Yu.
The two fireballs collided in mid-air, and the trees for tens of kilometers around paid the price.
That spectacle of intertwining flames could be seen even from Uruk.
"Oh? This is..." Gilgamesh looked from afar toward the sea of fire in the southern sky.
"Is this... Quetzalcoatl acting up again?"
On the other side, Siduri looked in that direction... very worriedly.
She remembered, if one were to descend from Ishtar's temple, that forest was the necessary path, wasn't it?
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
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