Troublesome Goddess (I)

"By the way, your Territory will soon be replaced by this man's sister. Although she's a mage, her strength is not inferior to yours. And most importantly, she's far more responsible than you. It's quite a profitable deal, isn't it?"

Still wearing a satisfied smile on his face, Gilgamesh added additional information while the iron was still hot.

"What a joke! Comparing me, a goddess, with a mere mortal is an insult that shouldn't be tolerated!"

Ishtar turned to look at Arkhan, her eyes gradually covered by a fierce golden hue.

"I'll make you understand what it means to incur the wrath of a goddess!"

'Here we go again...' Arkhan couldn't help but sighed inwardly.

Anyone familiar with Mesopotamian mythology knew just how troublesome Goddess Ishtar could be—willful, whimsical, and entirely self-centered. All of these descriptors seemed tailor-made for her, and even among the pantheon of gods, it was hard to find anyone quite like her.

Needless to say, when Ishtar, with fury in her eyes, aimed her ire at him, Arkhan knew trouble was brewing.

In all honesty, what did it have to do with him? He hadn't said a word from start to finish.

Glancing up at the culprit seated on the throne, Arkhan clenched his fists, resisting the urge to pull this troublemaker down and give him a good beating.

Arkhan took a deep breath, turned to face Ishtar, and managed a gentle smile.

"Goddess, it's all a misunderstanding. We didn't mean to replace you; we just wanted to borrow—"

"A mortal dare to negotiate with a goddess? You don't have that privilege!"

Coldness seeped from Ishtar's golden eyes as she raised her arm, sending a flurry of magical bullets flying.

As Arkhan sidestepped, the magical bullets grazed his hair and then crashed into the steps in front of the throne, sending rocks flying.

Watching this scene unfold, Arkhan's pupils contracted slightly.

It seemed that this goddess was serious!

"Oh? Quick reflexes... How about this move then?"

Ishtar let go of her massive bow and swiftly dived down, wielding a splendid golden spear aimed straight at Arkhan's chest.

Arkhan dodged the spear thrust, simultaneously blocking the spear blade with a layer of finely woven black dragon scales on his right hand. His right leg bent slightly at the knee, and like a cannonball, he fiercely aimed it toward Ishtar's abdomen.

If it landed, it would definitely hurt!

"Huh?!"

Ishtar released her spear and quickly stepped back on the tiled floor, her delicate face still showing traces of lingering fear as she patted her meager chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close, so close, almost a disaster."

"You made quite a sound, Ishtar." Gilgamesh reclined on his throne, his crimson serpent-like eyes showing a pleased expression. "Seeing you in such a sorry state makes all my fatigue disappear. If you put a bit more effort into your performance, maybe I'll consider restoring your status as Uruk's guardian god."

'Are you here just to mess with your own ally?' Arkhan thought, glancing at Gilgamesh, feeling speechless at his words.

He truly wished he could just sew Gilgamesh's mouth shut.

Arkhan never intended to fight Ishtar in the first place.

Not only was she a crucial aid against Tiamat, but it was also because of System's quest to bring her onto their side.

He already had a plan on how to do it.

After all, in this Singularity, there were no goddesses easier to manipulate than Ishtar and Ereshkigal. With a bit of flattery and cunning words, pulling them over was practically child's play for him.

Unfortunately, right at this critical moment, because of Gilgamesh's provocation, Ishtar aimed her wrath directly at Arkhan.

Nothing could be more annoying than this.

"Don't get too cocky, Gilgamesh! Once I'm done with this guy, you're next!"

Ishtar gritted her teeth, glaring at Gilgamesh before turning to Arkhan with a darkened expression.

"Human, I admit you have some strength, but I am the Mistress of Heaven, Goddess of Venus. Daring to touch me, this sin must be repaid with your blood, Maanna!"

In the next moment, the massive bow towering in the air known as 'Maanna' turned its direction toward Arkhan, its arrow filled with surging magical energy, spewing out dazzling radiance.

"Your fate is now in my hands! Fire!"

*Whoosh!*

With a power comparable to a mortar, a magical beam shot out.

Seeing this, Arkhan raised his hand and, with a wave, a black hole opened up out of nowhere, swallowing the magical beam effortlessly.

Simultaneously, another hole appeared in front of Ishtar.

Just as the magical beam was swallowed by the black hole in front of Arkhan, it immediately shot back out from the hole in front of Ishtar, aimed at her.

"Wha—!" Ishtar yelled, swiftly dodging aside.

*BOOM!*

The fiercely powerful magical beam shook the ground as it landed, causing the entire ziggurat to tremble, and its explosion sent the goddess flying.

Before she could even touch the ground, Arkhan charged toward her like a black lightning bolt.

Since things had escalated to this point, Arkhan decided to go all out and knock down this stubborn goddess first!

However, he underestimated the resilience of a god.

Ishtar, nearly instantly recovering from the blast, looked at Arkhan charging toward her with a fierce determination, her expression changing abruptly.

"Don't push it too far! I'm still a goddess, you know!" Ishtar shouted indignantly.

In defiance of natural laws, she flipped in mid-air, landed on the ground, and raised her delicate fist to punch Arkhan.

*BOOM!*

The two disproportionately sized fists collided violently, producing a sound like heavy hammers striking stone. The resulting shockwave spread in all directions, sending decorative flower pots flying.

"Ouch!"

Ishtar's delicate and beautiful face contorted for a moment, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She felt like her hand was about to break, but the dignity of a goddess forbade her from backing down.

"Damn it, you brought this upon yourself, Maanna!"

*Swish!*

As the sound of whistling wind came from behind, Arkhan instinctively lowered his head.

Maanna swooped over his head, carrying Ishtar into the air.

"Get ready to face the wrath of a goddess!"

Ishtar glared at Arkhan, pulling out six gems from Maanna's arsenal.

In the next moment, even more brilliant than before, six golden streams of light shot toward Arkhan like arrows.

However, before they could even get close, six black holes opened up in mid-air, swallowing all six golden streams of light.