On another front of the battlefield, Humbaba, relentlessly bombarded by Ishtar, was consumed by rage and madness.
Though Kingu's consciousness had been unleashed by the Demon God Pillars, it was merely a fragment preserved in the primordial clay. The true Kingu had been slain by Tezcatlipoca in Roy's initial ambush.
Thus, while the current Kingu retained some intellect, it was far from rational. His primary goal was to protect Tiamat, his secondary to destroy and kill humans and enemies.
Having lost most of his reason and inhabiting a makeshift body he hadn't adapted to, his utilization of Humbaba's form was abysmal. Beyond Humbaba's robust physique, earth manipulation, and access to the Golden Capital, he could barely wield any other powers.
Through relentless clashes, Ishtar had noticed this glaring weakness.
The Humbaba before her was not only dim-witted but also far less adept at wielding his power than before, allowing her to dodge his attacks with ease.
Moreover, she held the Key of the King's Law, the spare key to the Gate of Babylon, borrowed by Roy. She could freely access its treasures and jewels.
For a goddess skilled in jewel magecraft and wealth magic, this was exhilarating. In all her existence, she'd never fought such a lavish battle.
Though a goddess of wealth, she was perpetually strapped for gold.
Lacking a skill like Golden Rule, her battles burned through jewels at an incalculable rate, a nightmare for an Ishtar who usually resorted to robbing mortals.
She couldn't recall the last time she'd fought with such unrestrained fervor.
But last night, that fool had secretly approached her, spouting self-righteous nonsense.
Who did he think he was?!
Saying she just needed to do her best, prioritize her safety, and he'd handle the rest?
What did that mean? A mere Master, just her priest, daring to speak to her like that? Caring for her? She was Ishtar, goddess of wealth, love, and beauty, did she need a disrespectful mortal's concern?
But…
That feeling of being cared for wasn't bad at all…
Unlike the doting love of Enki or her father, this subtle concern was something she truly cherished.
She was beginning to understand why her sister liked this annoying, goddess-ignorant blockhead.
She might be starting to like him too.
Since her priest was so capable, how could she, the goddess of love and beauty, lag behind? Time to get a bit serious.
No need to worry about conserving jewels, just open the treasury, grab handfuls, and hurl them at the target.
This time, she'd do everything to defeat this wretched beast.
In the sky, basking in a rain of light, Ishtar spread her arms, her expression growing more brazen.
"Humbaba, what's wrong? Fight back! Why aren't you fighting?!"
"When you defeated me before, weren't you so smug? Today, this goddess is here for revenge!"
Laughing wildly atop Maanna, Ishtar spun the Key of the King's Law, opening the Gate of Babylon's gates behind her. She drew handfuls of jewels, flinging them at Humbaba.
Boom!!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
An endless rain of jewels fell, landing precisely under Ishtar's control, triggering relentless explosions.
The terrifying force and deafening blasts tore massive craters in the earth. With Maanna's superior mobility, Ishtar caught up to Humbaba in a blink, unleashing another barrage.
Humbaba fought with unbearable frustration.
Outnumbered, facing infinite firepower and the Gate of Babylon, his Golden Capital was rendered useless.
Whenever he opened the Golden Capital to launch weapons, Ishtar countered by opening the Gate of Babylon along his projectiles' path.
This created a loop: his weapons were swallowed by the treasury, making no impact.
His attacks not only failed to harm the enemy but enriched their arsenal.
The Gate of Babylon made their compatibility abysmal, making the fight increasingly stifling.
Moreover, since hearing Tiamat's anguished cries, Kingu's anxiety and urgency had grown.
Until…
When a blinding white light erupted over the Arabian Sea, his expression changed dramatically.
"That's Mother…"
"No! How is this possible? Why has Mother's presence vanished?!"
Roar!!!!
The moment Tiamat's presence vanished from the seventh singularity's sea, Kingu, her most devoted child, born to ensure her safety, was plunged into deep self-doubt and disbelief.
He couldn't fathom why her presence had disappeared or what had happened.
A Mother of Genesis at forty percent self-unsealing could sweep Mesopotamia. How could two foreign gods and a Master stop her?
Mother was the strongest, immortal, the Mother of Genesis returning with boundless wrath to destroy and reshape the world. She couldn't be killed by these mortals again!
Something unknown, some incomprehensible accident, must have occurred.
He could no longer stay entangled with Ishtar and these troublesome Servants.
He had to return to Mother's side, uncover what happened, and resolve her troubles.
"Huh?! The Mother of Genesis's presence vanished from Mesopotamia?!"
Ishtar, gliding in the sky, also noticed Tiamat's sudden disappearance.
The overwhelming pressure that swept the land was gone, and even the black clouds over the Arabian Sea had dissipated.
Tiamat's presence was utterly undetectable.
This meant…
"That annoying guy did it! They actually stopped the Goddess of Beginning with just three of them!!"
Realizing this, Ishtar's jaw dropped, her eyes filled with joy and disbelief.
Joy at Roy's unimaginable triumph, disbelief at a feat rivaling the Song of Creation.
Looking at Kingu's grim expression below, she guessed his next move.
No need to think, Mesopotamia's most devoted son was surely planning to flee and return to his Mother.
But how could she let that happen?
Roy and Gilgamesh tasked her with eliminating or at least stalling this beast. She couldn't let Humbaba, an unpredictable factor, disrupt other battlefields.
She wouldn't let him escape easily.
Whoosh!! Ishtar, atop Maanna, accelerated, streaking like a meteor toward Humbaba.
Raising in a shooting gesture, she aimed at Humbaba. Behind her, the Gate of Babylon opened, dozens of golden portals revealing vibrant jewels.
"Meow! I'm here to tag in, Ishtar! Wait, what? No need to swap?!"
At shift-change time, Taiga emerged from the battlefield's edge, twirling her jaguar-claw spear. She stepped forward, thrusting heavily at Humbaba's body.
"No swap needed! Lancer, he's trying to escape, stop him, don't let him succeed!!"
Seeing Taiga join, Ishtar shouted.
"Got it, meow~ Leave it to me!! This road's closed!!"
"Foreign scum, defying Mother's will, you… you filthy lot dare to block me?! You're courting death!!"
Enraged to the extreme, Kingu glared at Ishtar and Taiga attacking from sky and ground, his eyes brimming with killing intent. Opening his massive maw, he spewed flames hot enough to melt gold, surging toward them.
Realizing he needed to eliminate these Servants to aid his mother, Kingu abandoned his passive fighting. Eyes filled with murderous intent, he recklessly drove his body's terrifying power, heedless of damage, to crush these rebels.
Roar!!
Divine flames from Humbaba's maw roared, engulfing Ishtar's jewel magecraft, vaporizing her jewel streams in moments.
His cold gaze turned to Taiga charging at him, a eerie smile curling his lips.
He offered no defense, letting her rush in and land a heavy spear thrust.
Splurch!!!
The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out.
The sharp spear tip pierced Humbaba's body.
Roar!!!
The searing pain was almost unbearable for Kingu.
"Something's wrong!!"
Despite landing a critical hit, Taiga's expression was grim.
Her eyes narrowed, a sinking feeling in her gut.
Why was it so easy? Why could she harm him so simply?
She'd attacked Humbaba's body before.
While not indestructible, his form wasn't easily damaged by ordinary attacks.
How had her casual thrust done this much?
Her warrior instincts sensed something amiss, her expression growing grave.
Indeed, as she suspected.
Being pierced by Taiga was part of Kingu's plan.
He'd deliberately dropped all defenses to let her spear pierce him, all for this moment.
As Taiga tried to pull her spear and retreat, she found Humbaba's wound had closed, trapping her weapon.
From the earth below, clay hands erupted, seizing her limbs the moment she lost mobility.
"Ah!!"
The terrifying strength gripping her limbs drew a pained scream from her.
Trouble!
Seeing the sudden turn below, Ishtar's face changed. She urged Maanna to rush to Taiga's aid. But Kingu, seizing this rare chance, wouldn't let her succeed.
His massive beastly eyes burned with fury as he channeled magical energy to bolster his defenses.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Multicolored jewel streams battered his body, but he stuck to his plan. Ignoring the pain flooding his mind, he let Ishtar's relentless attacks rain on his mountain-like form.
Even if it meant critical injury or death, nothing could shake his resolve. He had one goal: clear Mother's obstacles, even if he couldn't escape, fulfilling his will!!
First, he'd send this damned jaguar packing!!
Humbaba opened his maw, aiming at the immobilized Taiga.
Roar!!!
Ether gathered in his mouth, surging magical energy forming flames hot enough to burn gold, blasting toward the close-range Taiga.
"Oh no, I'm really done for!!"
Facing the terrifying flames, Taiga's face paled, her expression mirroring mortal fear of death. But as the flames neared, a sly, triumphant smile curled her lips.
The next moment, the flames roared, incinerating everything before Humbaba, yet the expected scream never came.
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