"Ah, well..."
After that, Mo Shuying recounted his "heroic deeds" to a few people. Merlin fell silent upon hearing that the Blood Temple was gone, that Kingu's heart had been ripped out by Mo Shuying, and that a large portion of the Demonic Beast army had been wiped out by the nuclear blast's aftermath.
After a long time.
"So, that means we can Directly Attack the Dragon's Lair now!"
Merlin was annoyed! He looked at Mo Shuying with a hint of resentment. They had been delayed for so long! If only they had known sooner! They would have charged in ages ago!
"Directly Attack the Dragon's Lair, huh? It's not impossible."
Mo Shuying nodded. There was only Gorgon left, which shouldn't be a big problem, except...
"But Merlin, you must have done something to Tiamat, right? If we go kill Gorgon now, will something unexpected happen?"
Mo Shuying looked at Merlin, who frowned.
"What do Gorgon and Tiamat have to do with—er! Wait, don't tell me! Is that how it is? That was a close call! We almost fell for their trick!"
Merlin was first puzzled, then suddenly enlightened, cold sweat breaking out on his face. That was close! He almost made a huge mistake.
"What's wrong, Merlin?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka asked.
Merlin gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"To think I, who prides myself on being the most skilled at deception, almost fell victim to someone else's scheme. Here's the thing: Tiamat, who was hiding in the Blood Temple, isn't the real Tiamat. It's the Demonic Beast Gorgon. She somehow acquired the Holy Grail and the Mother of All Beasts divinity from the god Tiamat, which is why she could produce so many demons.
Our target is Gorgon. It would be best if we could defeat her. However, if the Mother of All Beasts divinity she obtained truly comes from Tiamat, then there will be a connection between them. It's possible that when we harm or kill Gorgon, the real Tiamat will also awaken.
Heh, perhaps you don't know, but I haven't used Clairvoyance in a long time. It's not that I don't want to, but I can't.
Most of my Mana has been used on a Magecraft called [Dream Cage], targeting Tiamat, the real Tiamat. Its effect is to prevent her from waking up.
The real Tiamat possesses immortality; no attack works on her, so she cannot be forcibly awakened from the outside. But if Tiamat connects with Gorgon through the Mother of All Beasts divinity, then when we kill Gorgon, Tiamat will also feel the sensation of death, and it's highly likely she will truly awaken!
At that point... things will truly become difficult."
Merlin explained the whole situation, sweat beading on his palms. Who was Tiamat? She was the Mother of Creation! Opposing her was like lighting a lamp in a toilet—a death wish.
"How can this be!? What do we do now? Should we still confront Ti... Gorgon?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka frowned, a bit confused by the current situation.
"Of course we have to confront her, but we need to sever her connection with Tiamat. This... I can't do."
Merlin frowned, feeling a sense of powerlessness for the first time, he who was usually so confident.
Because if Mo Shuying hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have known the gravity of the situation! Rashly killing Gorgon would have brought about a greater disaster.
"I do know a powerful individual who's very good at severing contractual connections. I just don't know if we can find him."
Mo Shuying remembered that in the story, the old man had cut the Three Goddess Alliance contract with Ereshkigal with a single sword stroke. He was very skilled, and perhaps he could sever the connection between Gorgon and Tiamat.
"Who?"
Merlin asked urgently.
"King Hassan!"
Mo Shuying spoke the name, and Merlin looked surprised.
"How would he be here?"
Mo Shuying smiled.
"Perhaps, for the same reason you are—to save the world."
Merlin almost laughed at Mo Shuying's words.
"Heh, let's not joke around anymore. So, where is he? Where?"
Mo Shuying thought for a moment, then looked down.
"He should be... below."
The group returned triumphantly. This time, with Quetzalcoatl's wyvern, they could quickly return to Uruk.
Leopardman was again assigned by Quetzalcoatl to transport hand axes, while the others returned to Uruk first.
When Gilgamesh heard Merlin's report, he couldn't help but frown.
"So, what do you mean?"
"Go to the Underworld. The old man should be in the Underworld now. We'll go in and look for him, and bring another goddess into the fold while we're at it."
Mo Shuying stepped forward and said.
Gilgamesh was silent. He looked at Ishtar and saw that she looked unwilling, clearly not very fond of this decision.
"I see. Very well, I, the King, approve. You are permitted to enter the Underworld to search for King Hassan and the Goddess of the Underworld. As for how to get there, Ishtar is familiar with it, so let her take you."
Gilgamesh made the decision with a wave of his hand.
Ishtar was suddenly called out and immediately bristled!
"Huh? I'm not going to the Underworld! No! Absolutely not!"
Ishtar decisively refused. That place held too many terrible memories for her. No way! Absolutely not!
"What are you saying, you idiotic goddess! Is this really the time for you to act like a child? Just because you got a beating, you're scared now? You're weak? That's pathetic. Fine, if you're too afraid, I won't force you. Anyway, my power has recovered, so opening the gates of the Underworld will be easy. Let me just—"
Gilgamesh, ever at odds with Ishtar, started mocking her when he saw she didn't want to go to the Underworld, but he didn't get to finish his sentence.
"Huh? Who are you calling weak? Who's scared?! I was just giving my sister some respect, understand?! How dare you look down on me! Fine! You just wait! You all! Who wants to go to the Underworld! Sign up now!!"
Ishtar spun around and shouted furiously, missing the triumphant smile on Gilgamesh's face.
Mo Shuying was the first to raise his hand. Seeing Mo Shuying, Ishtar immediately felt relieved.
"I—"
Fujimaru Ritsuka seemed to want to go too, but Mo Shuying interrupted.
"You two don't need to go. He and Ishtar are enough. Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash, I have other important matters for you to handle."
Gilgamesh spoke, cutting off Fujimaru Ritsuka. Fujimaru Ritsuka clenched its fists. Though unwilling, it eventually nodded.
"Understood, King."
"Good. You two, go quickly and return quickly. I have a premonition that Gorgon's full-scale assault is imminent. Time waits for no one, so you'll need to step up too."
Gilgamesh looked at Mo Shuying, his eyes holding a deeper meaning.
Mo Shuying nodded. He naturally understood the urgency of the situation, so he said,
"Understood. We'll be quick. Ishtar, let's go. Time to face the Underworld you're so afraid of."
Mo Shuying turned and left, and Ishtar quickly followed.
"I told you I'm not scared! You! That's the Underworld! I'm warning you now! If anything happens!
I'm not responsible for it!!!"
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