Chapter 244: "Here It Comes Again..."
Xia Yu looked at Quetzalcoatl blocking her path in front of her and helplessly put down the basket in her hands.
"I say, you really have nothing else to do all day, do you?" She let out a sigh. "Battle maniac."
"Mhm!" Hearing this, Quetzalcoatl gave a serious nod, her face not losing a shred of its enthusiasm. "Yes, I really have nothing else to do!"
"Boring. This era is way too boring. Rather than staying in the jungle with nothing to do, coming out to find a powerful opponent is much more suitable for me."
"But... is it really useful?" Hearing this, Xia Yu cracked her knuckles. "Just fighting like this won't lead to a conclusion. Instead, because it's too grand, it will mess up my plans."
"But the battle intent in my heart truly cannot be diminished even a single bit!" Quetzalcoatl looked at Xia Yu with burning eyes, making it plain that she didn't want to leave.
"So, let's just completely avoid using other powers," Xia Yu spoke up. "Just pure hand-to-hand brawling, how about comparing our techniques?"
"Techniques?" Hearing this, Quetzalcoatl's eyes lit up. "That works too!"
Anyway, she had come out to fight, so how they fought didn't matter to her at all.
"Let's wrap this up quickly," Xia Yu glanced at the basket beside her. "There's still someone waiting for me to go home and cook."
"As expected, there is absolutely no hope of providing reinforcements to Uruk." Inside Chaldea, the Doctor picked up a cup of coffee, let out a sigh, and said, "It's just too hard."
"Rayshifting to the Age of Gods is a dangerous thing in itself," Da Vinci appeared extremely calm.
"Even for a genius, are there things that can't be done?" The Doctor's eyes were filled with exhaustion.
Hearing this, Da Vinci raised her eyebrows. "Are you disdaining me?"
"No," the Doctor naturally couldn't admit to that. "Since that's the case, we can only think of other ways."
"Don't worry, I will struggle to the very last moment."
"Just like those living humans."
Hearing this, Da Vinci-chan stole a glance at him.
As expected, he was another obsessed one.
"Well then, regarding that Miss Kiana, what exactly do you think?"
"Win her over if we can win her over," hearing this, the Doctor instantly felt like throwing his hands up in despair.
Everything was going wrong; how were there accidents popping up everywhere?
A while back, Fuyuki City was just like this. That was already another parallel universe rather than something like a Singularity, and yet a Beast appeared there. That was a massive calamity capable of destroying a civilization.
In the end, it was chopped into pieces in just a few strikes by someone.
Now a girl so similar to Firefly had appeared in Babylon, so how could they not investigate.
But they were destined to find nothing.
"I think the waters in Uruk are way too deep," the Doctor complained. "For all we know, there might even be another Beast waiting for us."
Otherwise, why would this 'Kiana' drop right here with such pinpoint accuracy.
"You suspect her motives aren't pure?" Da Vinci-chan raised her eyebrows.
"No, how could I be the kind of person who can't tell what's important or not," hearing this, the Doctor repeatedly apologized. "It has absolutely nothing to do with me!"
"She's so good at fighting, why would I rush to make an enemy of her?"
After the two bickered a few words, they began their respective work.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Gilgamesh deliberately took out the Holy Grail, holding it up with his right hand toward the direction of the sunlight to constantly display this broken cup.
This had to be used to tempt those two from Chaldea, otherwise how could he get people to work for him with absolute loyalty.
This was the bait used for fishing.
These days, the two had been running around outside until their feet barely touched the ground, so they really didn't know the current state of things.
"Did you call for us?" Fujimaru Ritsuka came into the great hall, asking respectfully, "King Gilgamesh."
"Naturally there is a matter if I look for you, Fujimaru Ritsuka," Gilgamesh held the Holy Grail in one hand while using his other hand to prop up his chin.
"Just now, the King called Senpai by her name!" Mash appeared deeply shocked. It seemed Gilgamesh's methods really were nothing to scoff at.
He had brought people here to obediently work as temp laborers for a month before finally remembering her...
"What if This King called you by name?" Gilgamesh raised his head and said, "If one has the qualification to be called, then naturally I will call them."
"This is common sense!"
"Isn't this great?" Merlin said with a smile. "We still have to thank you for your protection."
"Mhm, seeing how dedicated you've been..." Gilgamesh looked at the few people below. "Even though in This King's eyes, it is all dull and tedious work."
"You should be just about tired of those trivial chores, right?"
"This..." Fujimaru Ritsuka stole a glance at the girl.
"This is a command I issued personally!" Gilgamesh glanced at her.
"You should feel honored!"
"Go to Ur City immediately to investigate," Gilgamesh was still assigning tasks. "Investigate the situation occurring locally."
"You must please This King with your best performance."
As he spoke, he put away the Holy Grail in his hand.
"The King is in a very good mood today."
"He even flaunted the Holy Grail to show us..."
"But I always feel that Holy Grail..." The sharp Fujimaru Ritsuka still discovered a slight anomaly.
"You noticed it too," Merlin on the side suddenly spoke up. "That Holy Grail... is completely different from the ones you captured in previous Singularities."
"For the specific details, we can only wait for the Doctor's side to finish... and in the end, we waited."
"Sigh," Fujimaru Ritsuka let out a sigh.
"I just don't know if that Three Goddess Alliance has a Holy Grail in their hands..." Fujimaru Ritsuka recalled that woman from before. "I just don't know which deity's hands the Holy Grail is in."
"Anyway, it's not the one in King Gilgamesh's hands."
"You lose!"
Xia Yu looked at Quetzalcoatl's defeated appearance and smiled triumphantly.
"Yeah, I lost," she was a good sport about losing. "Sigh, in terms of pure technique, I'm still not as good as you."
Xia Yu had inherited so much combat experience after all, whereas the aspect of Quetzalcoatl before her was running frantically in the direction of Mexican wrestling...
If they were two ordinary people it would be fine, but even if they sealed their Mana and Noble Phantasms, could they seal their own thoroughly tempered physical bodies?
Therefore, in a grand battle of pure brawling comparing stats, Xia Yu achieved victory with a slight advantage.
It couldn't be helped; a Herrscher's stats were just high.
And although Quetzalcoatl was the chief god of the South American pantheon, the one that descended was only an aspect, and she even appeared in the form of a Heroic Spirit, so her strength was naturally greatly discounted.
"Come back with me to have a banquet," right then, Quetzalcoatl reached out her hand to invite Xia Yu.
"No time," Xia Yu shook her head, picking up the basket on the ground. "I still have to go back and cook."
It wasn't that she really had to make this meal, but she truly didn't want to fight with Quetzalcoatl anymore.
"By the way, recently a few of my friends are going to Ur City, you can go look for them!"
Adhering to the mindset of rather sacrificing a friend than oneself, Xia Yu gave her directions.
If you look for Fujimaru Ritsuka, then you won't be able to come look for me.
Meanwhile, in the forest at this time, the Savior team encountered an obstacle.
"It's hot enough to kill someone..." Merlin said listlessly, leaning on his staff. "There are so many flies, and the path is so hard to walk..."
"Shut your mouth!" The usually cold Anna was starting to get irritable now. "You annoying me just makes me feel even hotter."
"An Earth of sixty-five million years ago..." Mash looked at the strange plants around them. "Is it like this?"
"But not encountering Demonic Beasts is already considered a blessing among misfortunes."
"Even so," Merlin let out a sigh, "everything here..."
"This is already an alternate world of the Reality Marble type."
"Looking at the map, Ur City should be here very soon."
"Then do we still need to endure this stifling climate for a bit longer?" Mash spoke up to advise. "Next time we must definitely hire a better guide."
"That determination is indeed a commendable show of courage."
A bright yellow figure dropped down from the sky. "Without a guide, how can a bunch of rookies like you even see tomorrow's sun?"
"Senpai, please watch our surroundings!" Mash instantly raised her shield in alert.
"Who is it?!" Fujimaru Ritsuka shouted subconsciously.
"Me? It's me," that person was moving at super high speed... they couldn't be caught at all.
"Oh..." Seeing this, Merlin's expression changed. "I see, it's an idiot!"
"What do you mean idiot!" As soon as the words fell, someone dropped from the sky.
"I just don't get it, why do you all like calling me an idiot?"
"What is this strange creature?" Seeing this, Merlin almost couldn't hold it in, but he still spoke up to ask, "Hey, friend, what's your name?"
"If I must say, I am the embodiment of the dense forest, the manifestation of great warriors, Jaguar Man!"
She was one of the ancient divine spirits from Central and South American legends. The jaguar was a symbol of 'combat' and 'death', an existence worshiped throughout various eras of Central and South American civilizations since eternity, and it was said that it used to manifest on earth frequently in the past.
In the Olmec civilization of the Pre-Classic period, statues of the jaguar god, hybrids of humans and jaguars... and such 'jaguar-humans (Jaguar Man / half-jaguar man)' were worshiped.
Spiritual existences, shadows, or supernatural guardian spirits known as Nahual in Central and South American mythology were frequently mentioned.
Tezcatlipoca, one of the chief gods worshiped in the Aztec civilization, also possessed a Nahual, and it was said to be the terrifying jaguar Nahual.
Although Jaguar Man in the game possessed the nature of an ancient divine spirit, she also fused with the aspect of Tezcatlipoca's Nahual, which inherited her own lineage.
She was also a Pseudo-Servant; the jaguar Nahual achieved manifestation in this world as a Split Spirit by possessing a specific human. Since ancient times, it was said that humans who possessed a jaguar Nahual would possess supernatural strength. The Nahual legends had been passed down all the way to modern times.
In addition, the selection criteria for possession lay among humans who shared a fate with the Holy Grail, selecting the person who possessed the most wild power and wild destiny.
As for why she attempted manifestation, it wasn't clear—whether she came along with Quetzalcoatl, came with a playful mood, or when Tezcatlipoca was planning to come out, she snatched the spot and ran out ahead of that one... such various possibilities made it quite intriguing.
Very soon, Jaguar Man and Anna locked in combat.
Beneath Anna's originally quiet appearance was a rather restless temperament, combined with the high temperature along the way...
She really wanted to have a fight right now.
But Jaguar Man turned around and fled into the jungle.
"We'll meet again if we're fated, everyone!" Her voice kept echoing back. "Also, I am not a tiger, but Jaguar Man!"
Seeing this, the group stared at one another.
In the end, they still kept walking toward the direction of Ur City.
Arriving before the city gates, the group was surprised to find that it was completely unguarded!
"Is this Ur City?" Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the tattered wooden houses around them... as well as the various plants that almost swallowed the entire city...
"The encroachment of trees has already spread to the entire city."
In this manner, the group gathered information about Ur City all along the way as they walked toward their Council Chamber.
'How strange...' She narrowed her eyes.
"In such a large city... we actually can't find a single person of appropriate age," Fujimaru Ritsuka hesitated for a period of time.
"We come from Uruk," Fujimaru Ritsuka let out a sigh. "We come under the King's orders to investigate the situation of Ur."
"Traveling from Uruk through the dense forest to reach here must have been very hard, right?" A woman carrying a child spoke up.
"Fortunately, everyone is fine," Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes darted around, and then she said, "We will go back right away to report to the King and ask him to organize a rescue team."
"No... no need," that woman spoke up to say. "We no longer need it."
"Ur is a very safe city," Heaven knew what her insincerity was for.
Anyway, everyone could see that something was amiss.
Just like that, they walked around Ur for a whole day... but they couldn't find any enemies.
"Something's wrong, something is way too wrong," it wasn't until evening when the group reconvened that Fujimaru Ritsuka spoke up. "Ur indeed has survivors, but why are the vast majority of them women? Even if there is a male, it's either an old man or a child?"
"Don't know," Merlin threw up both hands. "But actually it's very simple."
"I have already notified their priests; tomorrow morning all the survivors will gather there."
Merlin blinked at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "There is no timing more suitable than this."
"All doubts can find their answers tomorrow."
"Even if that answer is very cruel?" Mash's heart felt heavy; the young and prime men of an entire city...
Very soon, it reached the next day.
It was a rainy day.
The survivors were all gathered here on the Temple plaza.
Xia Yu swept her gaze across.
As expected, the vast majority were women.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," a local priest of Ur walked out from the Temple. "Messengers of King Gilgamesh."
"You seem to have something to say."
"Yes," Merlin nodded upon hearing this. "I heard that you don't need a rescue?"
"But we must also listen to your reasons."
"The reason is that Ur is safe," a priest said with some agitation. "As long as we have this dense forest, the Demonic Beasts cannot enter!"
Could they really not enter?
Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't think so.
That forest was also just a normal forest, so why would the Demonic Beasts keep a respectful distance?
The answer was definitely not in the forest, but in the hands of the goddess who controlled this region.
Perhaps the Demonic Beasts couldn't not break in, but were restrained, and before Uruk was destroyed, they were not allowed to attack each other.
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
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