Intruder

After a while, as Siduri came to refill the oil lamps in the throne room, she glanced at the silent Kingu and then at the silent Gilgamesh.

After hesitating for a long while, she eventually spoke up.

"Your Majesty—"

"It's getting late, Siduri. You should go rest." Gilgamesh suddenly interrupted her.

Siduri blinked her eyes, hesitated for a moment, then bowed her head slightly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Please rest early."

As Gilgamesh waved his hand in response, Siduri glanced at both of them again before leaving the throne room.

As time continued to pass, soon it was nearing midnight.

Having finished the last clay tablet, Gilgamesh stretched his neck and finally set his gaze on Kingu.

"I actually want to kill you..." Gilgamesh said expressionlessly. "In the past six months, because of you and that Goddess of Demonic Beasts, I have lost many of my people. They were all brave warriors, each one incredibly precious to me."

"Then why haven't you killed me?" Kingu said with a sneer.

Looking at that familiar yet strangely foreign face, Gilgamesh sighed inwardly and waved his hand dismissively.

"I'll have Siduri arrange a place for you to stay. Until this war is over, you'll stay there."

"Why not just kill me, Gilgamesh!" Kingu glared at the golden-haired king. "I told you, I'm your enemy, I'm not Enkidu!"

"That's right, you're just using Enkidu's body." Gilgamesh replied calmly.

Upon hearing that, Kingu was slightly taken aback.

"Then why..."

"But you are still the object of my protection—no, the object of my friendship." Gilgamesh continued.

"What are you saying..." Kingu stared at him, bewildered.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?! You fool!" Gilgamesh suddenly raised his voice. "Even if your souls are different and your feelings aren't the same, your body is still the one and only Chains of Heaven in this world!"

"I..."

Overwhelmed by Gilgamesh's imposing presence, Kingu instinctively took a step back.

Taking a deep breath, Gilgamesh calmed down.

"Of course, that fellow always insisted they were just a weapon. That's why, according to their logic, my caring about you is only natural."

"After all, you were once this king's most trusted weapon. You're Enkidu's successor. What's wrong with protecting you?"

After saying that, Gilgamesh stood up from his throne and left the throne room.

Kingu, on the other hand, just stood silently in the throne room, like a frozen statue.

===

In the following days, Uruk received continuous good news from the front lines.

As Arkhan predicted, without the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, the demonic beasts roaming the land could no longer mount effective attacks. Furthermore, with the Blood Fort destroyed, their numbers couldn't be replenished, drastically reducing the pressure on the front lines.

The soldiers even began to take the initiative, reclaiming areas occupied by the demonic beasts.

Despite this, both Arkhan and Gilgamesh knew very well that this triumph was only temporary. As long as Tiamat still existed, they would always face the constant threat of annihilation. Until she was utterly defeated, they were still far from final victory.

Nevertheless, being able to reclaim the lost land could at least boost the confidence of Uruk's populace.

Moreover, thanks to Morgan's efforts, the desolate city of Uruk had largely been transformed into her territory.

Now, in this city, even if a god descended, they would end up being beaten to death by Morgan.

Yes, it was none other than the disgraceful Goddess of Venus, Ishtar.

Speaking of Ishtar, one had to mention the goddess worship ritual that had become widely known in Uruk.

Through the efforts of Morgan and Siduri, the people of Uruk rekindled their faith in the Goddess of Venus.

However, due to the large number of participants, the ritual, originally held once every two days, had to be changed to once a day.

As the faith stabilized, the offerings to the Goddess of Venus increased significantly. If all these offerings were converted into gemstones, they would almost fill a small cart.

"These should be enough." Arkhan remarked as he casually picked up a few gemstones with a hint of a smile on his face. "With so many offerings, Ishtar should be satisfied, right?"

"Don't overestimate that woman. I even doubt if she might faint from seeing these gems." Gilgamesh said, his words dripping with disdain.

This was partly because he had learned from Arkhan that she actually had lost Gugalanna (Bull of Heaven).

Regardless, she was still a goddess, so they had to make do.

"You will escort these offerings to Mount Ebih, right? No problem?" Gilgamesh asked.

"Yeah, no worries." Arkhan nodded.

"Then set off. I will await your good news—"

*Rumble—!*

Before Gilgamesh could finish his words, a loud rumble suddenly echoed.

"What happened?!" Siduri was startled.

"The sound came from the city gate..." Gilgamesh looked up sharply, his eyes piercing toward the ziggurat's exterior.

"Is it an enemy invasion?" Siduri frowned.

In the next moment, a figure suddenly appeared in the ziggurat, tall and graceful with a noble air.

It was none other than Arkhan's elder sister, Morgan.

"Someone has forcefully entered Uruk." Morgan informed, looking at Arkhan. "This intruder has a strong divinity, probably a god."

"It's Quetzalcoatl." Gilgamesh said gravely, his clairvoyance already identifying the intruder.

"The Feathered Serpent God from America?"

Arkhan frowned slightly, not expecting this figure to come knocking before he even sought her out.

Upon realizing this, Arkhan nodded at Morgan.

"Let's go and greet this guest from afar."

However, as Arkhan and the others had just stepped out of the ziggurat, they saw dust billowing up on the distant main road.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

The rumbling noise was incessant like a mad ancient beast rampaging across the land.

Occasionally, a few black dots flew out from the smoke and dust. Some smashed onto the road, others into residential buildings, and then there was no more movement from them.

"Tsk, tsk, seems like this fellow has quite a temper." Merlin, who had come over after hearing the commotion, couldn't help but click his tongue.

He wasn't surprised that a god could possess such immense strength. What truly surprised him, however, was the cruelty and violence of this god's methods. He was sure that those people being thrown out were obviously dead beyond any doubt.

Although most gods were known to be ill-tempered, it was rare to see one resort to such a massacre at the slightest provocation. Unless extremely angered, gods usually wouldn't engage in a large-scale slaughter of mortals.

Siduri's face also turned very grim upon seeing this scene.

After all, those who died were the people of Uruk.

"Remember, the way gods think is different from mortals, so don't be fooled by their appearances." Arkhan remarked calmly, crossing his arms.

Despite the grand display, he knew these people weren't actually dead—or to be more precise, they would all be resurrected by Quetzalcoatl afterward.

"Okay, let's take a look."

With that, Arkhan and the others continued their footsteps.