Chapter 25 Ishtar

"Hey, Manaka-san, do you know where Faldeus is?" Mash asked, confused about Manaka's true power being connected to the Root.

"Yes, Manaka-san, do you know his location? We won't have to search all over the place, right?" Gudako stared curiously at Manaka.

"Don't worry about it, I know where he's hiding now," Manaka chuckled, using her connection to the Root to locate their targets.

However, during her search, she discovered something interesting. It turned out their group had more targets than they initially thought. Even though Drav and Ning Yun'er had told Manaka about the special nature of this Holy Grail War, she had refrained from looking at information about all the participants as it would spoil the excitement.

Suddenly, a loud BOOOM echoed from a distance, causing pedestrians to panic and flee as if a bomb had exploded.

"Senpai! There's a 2 servant presence detected there!" Mash said, already assuming a combat stance.

"But isn't it still morning? Why are they fighting so fiercely?" Gudako scratched her head in confusion. She was used to Holy Grail Wars taking place at night. Why were they fighting in broad daylight now?

"Interesting~ let's go over there, guys," Manaka said, intrigued, and the three of them rushed towards the source of the commotion.

Once there, they witnessed a battle between two servants. One was a tall red-skinned man with a masked face, facing off against a 'robot' resembling a spider-legged, with a lion motif – it was a peculiar sight for the three of them

"Is that a real robot?!" Gudako asked, excited at the unexpected appearance of a robot in the war.

"Yes, but, Senpai, I feel that the robot over there is a servant," Mash replied, making Gudako wonder if she would encounter a Gundam-like servant in the future.

But then, they noticed two girls helping the robot servant in its battle against the male servant, who was assisted by a middle-aged man with an emotionless and cold demeanor. Seeing this, the three of them decided to aid the two girls, as it was evident who seemed to be the 'good' side between the two factions.

"You two! We'll help you!" Gudako called out, catching everyone's attention. However, Mash quickly intercepted the tall male servant's attack on the beautiful white-haired girl, using her shield to block the blow.

"Guhak!" Mash was sent flying, feeling as if a massive truck had struck her with tremendous force, despite her best effort to defend herself.

"Mash!" Gudako called out in distress, but the male servant didn't pursue further. Manaka then used her magic to catch Mash, ensuring her safety.

"Thank you, Manaka-san," Mash expressed her gratitude, panting with her trembling hand on the shield.

"Don't worry about it," Manaka replied, looking at both the blonde and white-haired girls interestingly, while they maintained a vigilant gaze towards the newcomers.

"Mash! Are you okay?" Gudako hurried to Mash's side, expressing concern.

"I'm okay, Senpai. But it seems our opponents here are very difficult," Mash shook her head, her face now serious. Having experienced numerous battles from the five singularities, she knew that the enemy they faced now was exceptionally powerful and challenging.

"Who are you guys?! Are you his allies or reinforcements?!" The blonde girl asked with vigilance, her white-haired companion similarly cautious but slightly more relaxed.

"Ah, this! We saw that you were being attacked by those two men over there, so we decided to help you out." Gudako then replied.

"Help? Why would we need help from you?" The blonde girl questioned incredulously, unable to comprehend why strangers would decide to assist her.

"Fufu~ that's because we saw you as the 'good' side between the two, and instead of talking, how about we focus on the ongoing battle," Manaka replied, causing the blonde girl to freeze and then turn to face the enemy servant, ready to defend herself.

"Berserker!" The blonde girl called anxiously, as the robot servant let out a distorted groan, covering the two girls.

In a flash of light, a loud sound followed, but the robot remained unaffected, withstanding the formidable arrows from the red-skinned servant that created sonic booms.

"Berserker, attack him!" The blonde girl commanded, and the robot charged at the enemy, engaging in a fierce battle, exchanging blows and occasional shots with the red-skinned servant. However, their attacks seemed to result in a stalemate.

The middle-aged man, who had been silent until then, fired at Manaka and the others, viewing them as new threats. Mash effortlessly deflected his attack directed at her and Gudako, while a barrier formed, repelling the shots back.

"Master! Please stand behind me," Mash said, covering Gudako and blocking the incoming shots. The blonde girl was also protected by the white-haired girl, whose magical energy blocked all the attacks.

"It seems you guys aren't really his allies," the blonde girl remarked, to which Gudako retorted, "See, I told you! Humph!"

"But who are you? And is that girl a servant?" the blonde girl asked curiously, sensing a servant aura from Mash but also a real human presence, making her both confused and oddly familiar.

"She is a quasi-servant, much like me, Haruri," the white-haired girl, Fillia, replied, causing Haruri to nod in realization, explaining why she felt familiar with Mash's aura.

Seeing their attack thwarted, the middle-aged man rushed towards the five girls, intending to engage in close combat. Mash, trying to stop him, found his armed combat skills and strength comparable to that of a servant, making it challenging for her to face him.

But despite that, the advantage falls on Mash, as Haruri and others help her attack a middle age man. And with a swift agility comparable to the assassin, the middle age man narrowly evades the attack from others.

"Ara~ You sure are annoying as like an assassin huh?" Manaka chuckled, before swiping her hands, and with that a middle-aged man shadow moved and lock him in place tightly, he tried to untangle but the force being locked was hard that he couldn't escape even with his monstrous strength like.

"This..." Fillia's face was dumbfounded seeing that, after all, she was quite difficult to handle this man alone, but the unknown blonde girl from nowhere easily captured him.

A male servant who saw his master being quickly captured redirected his attack towards Manaka, but it was a pity that all his efforts were futile as it hit a magic barrier.

The servant rushed toward Manaka, intending to engage her in close combat, but a shadow beneath him locked him in place. Despite all his might, he couldn't escape from the grip of the shadow, and a big crack in the ground was the proof of it.

"If it's like this, now we can talk calmly," Manaka smiled cutely, but her smile appear errie for both girls.

"Fillia-sama!" Haruri turned to look at Fillia with an anxious face. Fillia's expression changed into a frown, and the robot servant was ready to attack.

"Just tell me, what do you want!" Fillia said, clenching her fist.

Manaka stared at her fist, then she smiled and said, "Well, we came here to help you because we need your help too."

"Help?" It puzzled both girls. After all, in their understanding, the trio with Manaka, who could handle servants like the red-skinned servant over there, was powerful.

Chuckling, Manaka then said, "If it were only a top servant like him, I could handle it even if there were a lot of them, but this one was different."

"Let my friend explain our situation to you first."

Gudako then said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ritsuka Fujimaru, and the girl with the shield there is named Mash Kyrielight. We come from another world and also from the future."

"Second Magic?" Haruri said in astonishment. Gudako shook her head and clarified, "No, we used a invention from a combination of science and magic to come here, but we can only return to the past in the same world and cannot go to other worlds."

"Oh," Haruri sounded disappointed. Gudako sighed before continuing to explain about Chaldean, the reason why they could appear here, and lastly, the appearance of a universe-threatening monster.

"I see."

"It's very bad, Fillia-sama!" Haruri, with a panicked expression, shook Fillia's body repeatedly. Fillia patted her head and said, "Okay, Okay, don't panic!"

"How can I not panic, Fillia-sama?! This is not just about the safety of the world but the entire universe!" Fillia facepalmed herself upon seeing Haruri's reaction.

"But can you trust whether what they say is true or not?" Haruri was stunned. Yes, it's uncertain whether what the third Manaka says is true.

"Proof, you say? Fufufu~" Manaka chuckled, then her expression turned serious as she said, "Did you think I'll joke with you? I can even kill you guys here if I want."

A look of anger appeared on Fillia's face. It was the first time a mortal had insulted her, a Goddess. However, Manaka said something that surprised both her and Haruri, "You are actually Ishtar, aren't you?"

"Fillia-sama...?" Haruri stared at Fillia in astonishment. Fillia sighed before proudly flipping her hair and admitted, "Yes, I'm really Ishtar, so?"

The others who heard it exclaimed in surprise; they didn't expect the white-haired girl here to be a literal Goddess. Meanwhile, the red-skinned servant stared hatefully and murderously at Ishtar.

"Is it true...Fillia-sama?" Ishtar nodded in response, and Haruri covered her mouth in disbelief.

"If I not mistaken knew Goddess Ishtar actually loved humans and would watched over humanity for eternity, right? Fufufu~" Manaka said. Ishtar's face began to frown deeper, as she didn't expect someone who is mortal to know her true identity in this era.

Manaka continued, staring into Ishtar's eyes, "And you also made a blessing (curse) on Earth, such as: 'If one day, 'those two' were to meet again on this planet,' you'll come to revenge both of them. And these two you mentioned are Gilgamesh and Enkidu, right?"

"Who are you?! And how did you know?! I've never met someone like you in Uruk!" Ishtar began to unleash her magic, and the robot behind her locked its eyes on Manaka, ready to attack if her answer won't satisfied her.

"As for my identity, it doesn't matter~ what I want is your answer right now~"

Afraid that the two of them would fight in the next moment, Mash asked anxiously, "Senpai, what should we do? They will fight if we can't stop this conflict."

Think, think! I need to find an explanation that can prevent them from fighting.

Gudako thought while sweating nervously. Finally, she came up with a good idea after hearing Ishtar's reason for coming to this era.

"Wait a minute, guys! Don't fight suddenly, okay? And Ishtar-sama, I have a reason you couldn't refuse to help us."

"Hoh? Tell me then," Ishtar raised her eyes. Gudako sighed in relief seeing that, then she explained, "As a Goddess who loves humanity, honestly, you couldn't ignore something like the destruction of the universe, right?"

"If you only tell me that reason, then scram!" Gudako shook her hands and head, and said, "Nonono, it's just that as a Goddess, you must remember that someone humiliated Gilgamesh yesterday, right?"

Hearing that, Ishtar's attention returned to Gudako, and she continued, "The person who humiliated Gilgamesh is our comrade."

Ishtar nodded and asked, "I see, then?" Gudako then smiled sinisterly and replied, "How about if I arrange for Gilgamesh and Enkidu, who were humiliated and defeated by our comrade, to be handed over to you in exchange for your help?"

"Senpai! Are you joking saying that?!" Mash's face looked shocked, as she didn't expect her senpai to say something like that.

"Shush, Mash, I'm doing this for the sake of the safety of the universe, okay? Not for fun, I'm serious 100%!" Mash nodded, but somehow, she felt that Gudako wanted to see the amusement of Gilgamesh getting humiliated.

Ishtar burst into laughter until it sounded like she was crying. She then patted her chest and said, "Okay! I agree, it's truly an interesting proposal!"

"Fil—Ishtar-sama?" Haruri looked at Ishtar incredulously; she didn't expect Ishtar to help them due to such a strange proposal.

Ishtar gently patted her head and said, "I've decided to help them, and that won't change!" Haruri nodded with a tired expression. Ishtar gritted her teeth and said with annoyance, "This is all for the sake of embarrassing those two!"

Manaka chuckled; she didn't really expect Ishtar to agree to help her because of such a proposal. Meanwhile, the two people targeted by Ishtar shuddered suddenly; they felt that something evil would happen to them.

"What's wrong, Enkidu?" Ning Yun'er asked curiously. She just saw that Enkidu suddenly shuddered without any reason. Enkidu shook her head with a wry smile and replied, "Nothing, but I feel that something bad will happen to me."