Chapter 144: Ur
"You're awake!" Zenkichi barely turned his head to the side and his face was quickly smothered by something soft. "Hng?!"
"Huh? Kyaa!" Ereshkigal yelped, pushing him away, inadvertently smacking him straight onto the rock beside him and he slumped down, feeling pain all over.
'What did I do...?' He thought as he felt something was off with his body.
Did he get stronger?
[Ding! Your Demon Bloodline has evolved!]
[Demon Heart Has Completely Awakened!]
[Flames of Gehenna has been upgraded!]
[New Skills Acquired! Demonic Supremacy, Evil Corruption, Immortality]
[Demonic Supremacy(Legendary): As the son of the greatest evil of humanity, Satan, you bow to no other evil. Except your father, you have no equal. Demons, monsters, spirits, etc. will bow and kneel before you, giving you their undying loyalty and respect as their superior.]
[Evil Corruption: You're part demon, and what are demons most infamous for? Corrupting good and innocent minds of course! Using this skill would slowly influence a morally ethical and righteous person into committing heinous acts under your command.]
[False Immortality: Your Demon Heart grants you (false)immortality; you cannot die from old age, any sort injuries you sustain will be healed within seconds, however you are susceptible to anti-immortal weapons/magic/skill and total annihilation of both body and mind]
[Ding! Divine Authority of the Sun has slightly been upgraded. Abilities related to this skill has increased by several folds.]
'Neat. New powerups,' Zenkichi groaned, his injuries regenerated in the blink of an eye.
Unlike before, he could now feel another sensation within him that throbbed rhythmically.
His Demon Heart has finally started functioning like a 'heart', continuously pumping him with demonic power and blood. This was also the source of his newfound immortality.
'Everyday, I stray further from my humanity...' He dryly laughed.
Well, just as always, he'll just have to suck it up and go along the flow.
Adapt, survive, and move forward.
That was what he always does, and will always continue to do.
"Aaah, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! You've helped me so much, and here I am, causing you further pain!"
Ereshkigal apologized frantically, her face flushed with embarrassment as she helped Zenkichi back up. She carefully inspected him for any injuries, though she noted with surprise that he seemed to be healing at an extraordinary rate.
"It's fine, really," Zenkichi reassured her, giving a weak smile.
He stood up and shrugged, rolling his shoulders to relieve the lingering stiffness, the sound of bones cracking as he stretched. "By the way, where—"
He paused and blinked, clearly noticing the tiger cub staring at them with a serious expression, which made it look adorable than anything.
The little cub tilted its head curiously, letting out a soft meow.
"Um, Ereshkigal, why is there a tiger cub here?"
Ereshkigal sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's... a long story. That cub belongs to Jaguarman, she's....a colleague of mine, of sorts, and this jungle is her territory. Since we're trespassing here, she tasked the cub with keeping an eye on us."
"Jaguarman? A colleague?" Zenkichi repeated, a look of realization flashed though his eyes. "Is she someone who wears a tiger onesie?"
"Eh? You know her?"
"Sort of. But that's not important right now. Since we're in the surface world now, let's head towards a safe location."
"And, where might that be exactly...?" Ereshkigal asked, a bad feeling crossing her mind as she stared at him.
Zenkichi smiled and turned his head to the sky, his eyes seemingly glimmering with determination. "Uruk, the place where my friends are staying and are probably doing their best to try and find me."
"I knew it..." Erehskigal sighed and reluctantly nodded. Although she has her reservations about it, she was their enemy after all, but considering her current situation, and that the other Goddesses would certainly not help her, she decided it was the best option for now. "Alright, we'll head to Uruk."
"But you better protect me if things go south, okay?!"
"Yeah, yeah. I got you." Zenkichi chuckled. He then looked down at the tiger cub before him and took out a bag of cookies from his inventory.
Meow?!
The tiger cub's fluffy cute ear's perked up at the sight of the cookies. Its eyes widened with excitement, and it let out an enthusiastic meow, bouncing slightly on its paws.
Zenkichi smiled, he opened the plastic bag and put it down on the ground for the little tiger "Here you go, little one. A treat for keeping an eye on us."
The cub eagerly munched on the cookies, its small tail swishing in contentment.
Zenkichi chuckled at the sight, the scene reminded him of a funny cat video that he would watch in youtube.
Ereshkigal, watching the interaction, couldn't help but smile.
"C'mon, that should keep it busy for a while."
"Hm. But, do you know where we're going?"
Zenkichi smirked and merely raised his right hand, showcasing the red glowing marks on his hand.
"I have a pretty good idea."
Suddenly, there was the sound of a powerful explosion in the distance.
Both of them, as well as the cub, turned their heads towards the source of the noise.
The ground trembled slightly, and a plume of smoke rose up from the far outer area of the jungle.
"That was where Jaguarman went..." Ereshkigal frowned, suddenly feeling a disgusting and malevolent sensation washed over her whole body.
In fact, the whole jungle suddenly....off. Like it was brimming with a dark, oppressive energy. The air grew heavier, and the jungle seemed to hold its breath, amplifying the unsettling feeling that something was seriously wrong.
The little cub let out a whimpering roar, feeling its owner was in peril, and immediately darted toward the source of the disturbance. The sudden burst of speed from the small creature was impressive, and it quickly disappeared into the dense jungle foliage.
"....What should we do?" Ereshkigal asked.
Zenkichi furrowed his brows. Just like any rational person, he was about to suggest they run to the opposite way of the chaos.
But it was at that moment that he felt something trembled within his body, something calling out in desperation, in a way that resonated deeply with his demonic nature.
'Sloth... Greed... Hungry....'
It wasn't his Demon Heart however, but his monster authority—Gluttony. It was sensing an unusual hunger, a deep, primal urge that seemed to resonate with the dark energy pulsating from the jungle.
'What the fuck...?' Zenkichi looked down on himself in shock, he then looked up towards the source of the disturbance and he realized what was happening.
Two Ancient Monsters of Sin were in the jungle.
With a bead of sweat dripping down his face, he turned to Ereshkigal and said,
"Run."
In Uruk.
"....I sensed master's presence in the surface," Altria muttered, her eyes narrowed. She turned her head towards Merlin and asked, "Do you have a map of the land?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
They were in their homebase. Altria, Brunhilde, Gudao, Mash, Merlin and Ana were gathered around a large table covered with various maps and scrolls that were used to try and find Zenkichi.
All of them had looks of exhaustion clear on their faces, having done their all to try and find Zenkichi for the past week.
That's right, it had been days since Zenkichi had disappeared. It hadn't been a few hours or a day, but approximately a week since he had disappeared!
The reason for that was because time in the Underworld moved differently from the surface world, which had complicated the search for Zenkichi.
The group had been tirelessly working around the clock, even with Merlin's help; analyzing magical readings, consulting ancient texts, and trying every method they could think of to locate him.
'Zenkichi, please, be safe.' Brunhilde, the closest to him, had redden eyes from the strain of sleepless nights and relentless effort. Her concern for Zenkichi was palpable, and it fueled her determination to find him.
And now, they finally had a lead.
The atmosphere was tense as they stared at Merlin as he brought out a detailed map of the land and spread it across the table. He looked towards Altria.
"Where?"
"Here," Altria straightforwardly tapped her finger on a spot of the map. "Do you know where this is, Merlin?"
"Hm. Well, isn't this a fine coincidence~" Merlin smiled knowingly and looked up at them all. "This place where Your Majesty is pointing at, is within a nearby city."
"A city? I thought Uruk is the last city standing in Mesopotamia?"
"Ah, ah. The last bastion city in Mesopotamia still standing against the onslaught of the Three Goddesses Alliance, yes. However, there are smaller settlements and towns scattered across the land, not to mention hidden locations of interest that have remained untouched by the conflict."
Merlin traced his finger along the map, "And this spot in particular is within the area of a city that Uruk trades often with, the city called Ur."
Altria furrowed her brows, noticing something in Merlin's words earlier. "Merlin, you said something about a coincidence? What do you mean by that?"
"....Earlier, when we were called into the Ziggurat, King Gilgamesh ordered us to do an investigation in the city of Ur; saying that all communications with them had mysteriously ceased. " Gudako said, providing context.
"Ah."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Brunhilde leaned out of the wall and stepped forward, her bright emerald eyes narrowed with a flash of determination. "Let's get going bitches. We gotta go rescue my man from danger."
....
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