Chapter 3: Ishtar's Terrible Luck!
"An explosive roar—"
On the surface of the land, a medium-sized mushroom cloud rose into the air.
Moments later, a massive crater tore open in the ground.
This was the power of his opponent. Just a single attack carried destruction on this level. And it didn't even look like a finishing move—more like a casual technique, maybe even just a basic strike.
"With that outfit, that kind of weapon, and the way you fight… you're the Goddess of Venus, Ishtar, aren't you—"
"You only figured it out now? Weapon!"
The woman didn't seem the least bit bothered that her identity had been exposed.
After all, in this land, her name was famous. Even now, there were still plenty of humans who worshiped her, and in many places, temples dedicated to her still stood.
Meanwhile, Akira examined her from head to toe. From her appearance alone, it was clear that she wasn't a completely pure goddess.
As the owner of the Chain of Heaven, Akira was extremely sensitive to the presence of gods.
And more than that—
When he looked at Ishtar, a powerful sense of disgust and rejection welled up from deep within his heart.
But those weren't Akira's own emotions.
They were feelings that surfaced after he had fully merged with the template [Enkidu], inheriting fragments of its memories—and the emotions that came with them.
After all, Enkidu's death was something that could never be separated from the goddess standing in front of him.
In Mesopotamian mythology, Ishtar was the goddess of beauty, fertility, and war.
It was said that she was the most spoiled by the gods—or rather, the most beloved.
And it was precisely because of her that, after her proposal of marriage to Gilgamesh was rejected, she bore a grudge and went to her father, the King of the Gods, Anu. In the end, Mesopotamia was struck by the rampage of the "Bull of Heaven."
Gilgamesh and Enkidu joined forces to subdue the Bull of Heaven.
But when the gods saw that the weapon they had created had sided with humanity, the enraged Anu took back the life of that weapon.
On a night drenched in heavy rain, Enkidu—of the Chain of Heaven—met his end.
It was hatred that led to death.
Because of that, Enkidu's attitude toward Ishtar was naturally one of rejection and resentment.
After all, Ishtar was the one who had set the trap that ensnared both him and Gilgamesh in the past—and she was also the direct cause of his death.
However, the Ishtar standing before him now was undeniably a real goddess. That much was certain. Yet from her body, Akira could also feel a distinctly human aura.
This wasn't the true body of the Goddess Ishtar.
She was a Pseudo-Servant, possessing the body of a human whose spiritual wavelength matched her own.
Mesopotamia at this point had become a Singularity.
The Age of Gods had already become history.
The reason Ishtar could appear here was because she had been summoned by humans and had obtained a Saint Graph in this form.
The soul of a goddess and the soul of a human had fused together, giving birth to the Ishtar that existed now.
She was no longer the cruel, selfish goddess of the past.
She was a newly born Ishtar.
All of this made Akira fully understand the state of the world he was standing in.
"Seventh Singularity: Absolute Demonic Front—Babylonia."
Mesopotamia in the Age of Gods. A world where humans and gods lived beneath the same sky.
No wonder he felt such a strong resonance with this place.
So this was Enkidu's birthplace.
A sharp rush of air cut through the space.
At that moment, the Chain of Heaven coiled around one of Ishtar's legs, yanked her up, and left her hanging upside down in the air.
The Chain of Heaven carried the trait of "Divine Binding." The higher the target's divinity, the harder and stronger the chains became.
And because Ishtar was a goddess, the instant she was caught, her fate was already sealed.
"Ah! You cursed weapon! Put me down right now! If you don't, I'll make you die again, you—"
Her voice suddenly cut off.
Right.
Enkidu had died a long time ago. Under the punishment of the gods, he had returned to a lump of earth from the Age of Gods.
She had almost seen it with her own eyes.
So why was the Chain of Heaven appearing again now?
What was the connection between them?
A soft metallic click echoed.
More Chains of Heaven emerged, firmly restraining the easily angered goddess's body.
"The Chain of Heaven is dead. I saw it with my own eyes. You're not Enkidu. So who are you, really?"
"My name is Shin Akira. A traveler from another world."
Hearing that answer, Ishtar clicked her tongue.
A traveler from another world? At best, probably just another parallel world.
The chains moved swiftly, wrapping around Ishtar with meticulous precision.
Both of her legs were bound, and each of her arms was locked down by a separate chain.
"Hey, you bastard! How dare you not let me go! Release these chains, and let's fight fair, without using the Chain of Heaven!"
Ishtar struggled in her bindings, clearly furious.
After all, she was the noble Goddess of Venus. How could she possibly be captured by a human? This was beyond humiliating.
"Why should I listen to you? Right now, you're my prisoner, Goddess Ishtar."
"Damn it! I swear I'll blow you to pieces with Maanna!"
From childhood until now, when had she ever suffered such shame?
She—a goddess—had been captured by a weapon.
This was the greatest humiliation of her life.
On the other hand, Shin Akira was quietly "enjoying" the sight of the Goddess of Venus in front of him.
Back in Orario, he had also met an Ishtar.
But that Ishtar didn't even come close to the one standing before him now.
One had dark skin.
The one in front of him now was the legendary Ishtar, famous for her "irresistible legs."
"Goddess Ishtar, there's something I want to ask you."
"You want to ask me something? What is it?"
"How is Uruk right now?"
"How else do you think? Just barely surviving, day after day."
Even though she had fused with "Rin" and become a single existence, about seventy percent of the control still rested with Ishtar.
And this goddess's temper had always been famously bad.
"Ishtar, how's the situation at Uruk's Northern Wall right now?"
"You mean that 'Demonic Front,' don't you?"
"Yes."
"It's been more than four months. That place gets attacked by demonic beasts every single day."
Akira caught that crucial piece of information—"more than four months."
That meant he had arrived earlier than the people of Chaldea.
In the original flow of events, Fujimaru and Mash only arrived after the defensive line at the Demonic Front had already held out for more than half a year.
Without realizing it, Akira lifted his head and looked up at the sky.
Sure enough.
High above, a massive ring floated there, hanging silently in the heavens.
Yes.
The place he was standing in right now was the Singularity—Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia.
And after understanding all of that, a sudden urge rose up from deep within his heart.
He wanted to meet the current King of Uruk.
Gilgamesh.
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