"Miss Quetzal, you…"
Mash widened her eyes at Quetzalcoatl.
Everyone present was the same, staring at her in astonishment, not expecting such words.
Quetzalcoatl knew well what she was saying, yet she only smiled faintly and continued.
"Ishtar and Ereshkigal were manifested because they were summoned by Uruk's priestess."
"Gorgon was summoned by Kingu through the Holy Grail to awaken Tiamat."
"Then why did I appear in this era?"
She posed the question to all.
And it was a question that needed to be answered.
Indeed, Quetzalcoatl was the supreme deity of South America. South American divinity was peculiar—unlike the gods of the Age of Gods who departed from this world, they still remained, only slumbering.
Thus, even if Quetzalcoatl were to awaken on this land, it would not be strange.
But why, in this age of divine decline, had Quetzalcoatl awakened at all?
The answer was simple.
"You could say I was awakened by Tiamat."
That was her reply.
"You saw it yourselves, didn't you? The anomaly when Tiamat manifested!"
The space-time quake.
At first, Tiamat resided in the Imaginary Number Space. Only after being summoned back with the Holy Grail by the Mage King did she return.
Her coming shook space and time itself.
"Though Merlin quickly lulled her back to sleep, imprisoning her in dreams, unlike those who prefer endless slumber, I love humanity far too much. Even in my dreams I kept watching them. So when the Evils of Humanity surfaced, my drowsiness was blown away—I couldn't resist waking and manifesting in this era."
Thus Quetzalcoatl revealed the truth of her awakening.
She had been one of the earliest to manifest, nearly simultaneous with Gorgon, essentially pulled into this world as a linked summoning.
From that moment on, she knew of Tiamat's existence and the truth of Gorgon's summoning.
"I see." Rozen seemed to understand, gazing at her. "So that was the real reason you didn't want to strike down Gorgon?"
Indeed, Quetzalcoatl knew Gorgon's death would lead to Tiamat's awakening, and thus she resisted joining their battle against her.
However…
"It's also true that I pitied Gorgon and couldn't bear to fight her." Quetzalcoatl smiled softly at Rozen.
But another question followed.
"Since you knew the truth all along, why didn't you tell us?"
Ishtar demanded.
It was what everyone else was thinking.
Quetzalcoatl had known that defeating Gorgon would bring about the world's end, yet she had never spoken of it. It felt almost cruel.
Had she told them, perhaps they could have avoided this crisis.
That's what they thought.
But—
"You're wrong, foolish goddess. The result would not have changed." Gilgamesh said bluntly. "Even if Tiamat had not awakened, Gorgon would have annihilated humanity instead. The only difference would be whose hand carried out the deed."
That was the truth.
Even if Quetzalcoatl had revealed it, so what?
If they did not defeat Gorgon, then with her hatred of humanity and her command of countless beasts, she would still have slaughtered mankind.
In such a situation, humanity either fought back and killed Gorgon, or else sat idle and awaited their deaths at her hand.
Thus, nothing would have changed.
Realizing this, Quetzalcoatl joined the Three Goddess Alliance—in her own way, to protect humanity, to temper them, so that when disaster came, they would at least have some strength to resist.
At the same time, she could not bring herself to oppose Gorgon, especially given her personal feelings toward her. That led to the present.
"Tiamat was destined to awaken eventually. I knew this from the start."
Quetzalcoatl spoke with a helpless tone.
"Though the outcome cannot be changed, I did hide this from you all. For that, I must apologize."
She began to lower her head.
But Rozen stopped her.
"I understand your thoughts. And I understand your choice." Rozen raised her gently and said: "Even if I had known beforehand, I still would have chosen to face Gorgon. As Gilgamesh said, the result would not have changed."
If humanity was doomed to face annihilation either way, then they still had to kill Gorgon.
At the very least, Rozen did not want Gorgon to be the one to finish Tiamat's work. And Anna, too, would never have allowed Gorgon's slaughter to continue unchecked.
In the end, they still had to kill Gorgon. Nothing would have changed.
That was why Quetzalcoatl kept the truth hidden—had they known in advance, they might have hesitated when confronting Gorgon.
And if such hesitation had caused casualties, that would have been far more regrettable.
"So, you don't need to apologize."
Rozen said it firmly.
"I'm glad you think that way."
Quetzalcoatl smiled brightly once again.
At that moment, Jaguar Man suddenly leapt forward.
"Actually, I, the great Jaguar, suspect that Kukul is just trying to raise her approval rating with Master—guhhh!"
She hadn't finished before a thunderous smack rang out. Jaguar Man clutched her face and crouched on the ground.
"Don't pay attention to the rambling of such a low-grade divine spirit, okay?"
Quetzalcoatl smiled sweetly while retracting her fist, making everyone twitch at the corners of their mouths.
No matter what, her arrival was undeniably a boon.
"Not only the fifty thousand humans—I've also brought winged serpent and beastfolk into Uruk. Their numbers are limited, but they'll help defend the city. Please, don't hold back—command us as you wish."
Quetzalcoatl, despite being a principal god of South America, showed none of the aloofness of divinity. Instead, she spoke cheerfully and warmly.
"Then I shall do just that."
Gilgamesh accepted without hesitation, as if it were only natural.
Then he turned to Rozen.
"And what of you? Has the sealing Rope of Shackles been repaired?"
The question drew everyone's eyes to Rozen.
Without wasting words, he produced the Rope of Shackles.
"I have not failed. It is completely restored."
Unlike yesterday, when it was broken and frayed, the Rope of Shackles now shone with flawless form, exuding a fierce divine aura.
"Excellent!"
Gilgamesh suddenly laughed, raising his voice.
"Then let us now begin the war council for the battle against Tiamat!"