Among the gods, goddesses were always fearsome beings.
Even if all gods were embodiments of natural phenomena, those made manifest by the faith of living creatures differed in more than just appearance—their patterns of behavior varied as well.
The gods who took male forms tended to be rational and steadfast, but prone to stubbornness.
The gods in female form were emotional and gentle, but by contrast, could more easily be driven to extremes.
Especially when things weren't going their way.
At this moment, the goddess Aruru was likely in just such a state.
So—
Rovi needed to find her.
To mock her.
To provoke her.
And then, to let that influence spiral further during battle.
To make her… kill him.
To let himself die in battle against a god.
Rovi turned his head, calling back toward the soldiers within the walls, raising his voice: "I'm heading deeper in."
"By the king's order, unless you receive new instructions, do not move without leave!"
"Yes, sir!" After what they had just witnessed, the soldiers had no thought of defying Rovi.
Even the captain now regarded Rovi as something close to divine.
In his eyes, Rovi's status was now second only to Gilgamesh.
With the command given, Rovi chased after the retreating tide of magical beasts into the dense forest.
...
A short while later, he stood atop a tree trunk, gazing off into the distance.
Looks like she's deeper in.
The sight before him was a tangle of lush foliage and thick vines, the canopies overhead merging into a sea of green so dense it blotted out the sun.
Waves of magical beasts still stampeded through the woods, raising dust and ruckus—but compared to the forest's vastness, even they seemed small.
This Monster Forest was unimaginably vast.
But, Rovi reasoned, it was only natural for such a place, home to so many monsters, to be enormous.
Still, there had to be a limit, and after this long trek, he should be near the heart.
Sure enough, the commotion in the woods began to die down.
The beasts' movements slowed, noticeably.
Seeing this, Rovi activated the [Gate of Babylon], grabbing an iron chain from a golden ripple, and swung down from the trees toward the center of the monster horde.
There he saw: one after another, bestial forms—each one twisted by strange features like bony spikes or wings, each huge and monstrous.
They had all stopped, lying prone on the forest floor.
Even as Rovi swung past overhead, none of them reacted in the slightest.
Rovi's gaze moved forward.
At the center of the circle of kneeling monsters, there was a clearing—no trees, no shade.
Daylight blazed there, the ground visibly blackened as if scorched, and though there was no crater, it was obvious at a glance—this must be where Enkidu had fallen.
After all, even a blind man couldn't miss the figure standing there.
A woman, draped in a white gown, black hair tumbling down, her skin pale and flawless—a breathtaking beauty.
Her exquisitely beautiful face radiated divine light.
There was no doubt—this was the goddess Aruru, descended in a borrowed form.
And beside her, lay a mass of "clay."
Clearly, that was Enkidu—not yet fully formed. At this moment, he did not have that name, but let's call him Enkidu for convenience.
Rovi stopped on a tree branch, feet braced against the sturdy trunk, watching Aruru's stunning face, troubled and deep in thought.
He knew his hunch was right.
Right now, Aruru was struggling with how to shape the perfect body for Enkidu.
If Enkidu was to be a weapon made by all the gods to challenge Gilgamesh, of course his appearance couldn't be inferior to the young King of Uruk.
Yet Gilgamesh, as a half-divine, half-mortal, possessed an appearance rarely matched even among the gods.
Aruru simply couldn't come up with a template that would be his equal.
In a way,
This entire monster riot had been her doing—hoping to draw inspiration for "form" from among the soldiers of Uruk.
As for how many died in the process—
The gods didn't care.
To them, everything in the mortal realm existed only to sustain their own existence… even Gilgamesh, even Enkidu, were nothing more.
Of course, goddess or not, Aruru was still troubled.
While Rovi was watching her, Aruru seemed to sense it, and lifted her dark green eyes from beneath a curtain of hair, looking straight at him.
She tilted her head, ruby lips parting slightly.
As if to ask—who are you?
As the focal point drawing a legion of monsters, Aruru's every move brought thousands of magical beasts to attention, all raising their heads to gaze at her.
"Awooo…"
A wolf-like beast let out a low call, a lion monster bared its fangs, a bird of prey flared steel-bright wings in the sun.
But for all the red, bestial eyes upon him, they were nothing compared to the goddess's own pure emerald gaze.
Who am I?
Rovi understood the question in her eyes, and smiled.
Then, slowly, he shrugged off his robe, baring his long arms, and raised a hand—fingers clenched.
He gave the goddess, descended to the mortal realm, a proper "welcome."
Rovi… raised his middle finger!
A gesture of utter contempt, even mockery, for a god who treated humans as tools.
"…"
For a moment, the entire scene froze, as if time itself had ground to a halt.
The wolf's jaw hung open, drool dripping and sizzling on the earth; a lion bit its own tongue, blood spraying out; the great bird's wings spread wide and then seized in mid-air.
Even "dumbfounded" didn't begin to cover it.
They weren't human, much less transmigrators, so they didn't know the meaning of Rovi's gesture.
But magical beasts, for all their savagery, were beings with keen senses. They could clearly feel intent, be it goodwill or malice.
And from that human in the tree…
They felt something strange—a mockery.
Not malice, but something even more infuriating than malice.
So they all froze.
After all, even the monsters could sense such naked ridicule.
As for Aruru—needless to say.
Oh no, oh no, oh no…
Why would you provoke this ancestor!?
Wouldn't it be better to let her finish her work and go back to heaven in peace?
If they could speak, the monsters would've been cursing him out and tearing Rovi limb from limb right then!
They might not be human, but this guy was really something else…
But in just a moment—
They all went completely still, not daring to make a sound.
Because from Aruru's lips, a clear cry rang out, quashing any thought of movement.
"Are you mocking me… mortal!?" Her voice, which should have been calm, now rang with icy authority—like a tranquil stream turned in an instant to a raging flood.
The troubled goddess, goaded into anger by this provocation.
She was not pleased.
Not happy!
And what next?
Naturally—she'd vent her anger!
The logic of a god on high was always simple.
She wanted… to kill Rovi.
But before the goddess could act, the "divine clay" beside her, made by the gods' own power—Enkidu—moved first.
He crashed toward Rovi.
As if drawn by some strange sense of kinship… placing himself between Rovi and the goddess.
Rovi: ???
Who are you? Do we know each other?
Don't come any closer!
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T/N: Enkidu <3