Ian's serpent eyes narrowed sharply. Red-black blood mist poured from his pores as his body suddenly expanded—he instantly shifted into the Mad Lion form of Uridimmu and lunged at the spear-wielding Gallû Spirit, pinning it down in an attempt to break through the blockade.
But in doing so, the Mad Lion left its back completely exposed.
With a sudden rumble of earth, another Gallû Spirit, armed with sword and shield, burst from the ground. Soul fire blazed in its eye sockets as it swung a rusted blade straight for the Mad Lion's hind leg.
Meanwhile, from a shadowed corner, a bowstring thrummed—a black arrow, forged from condensed death energy, tore through the air toward its target.
Idiot! Charging in without even reading your enemy's moves—completely exposed. Brain-dead, just as expected.
Perfect. Let's see what you've got.
Grinning wide to reveal rows of gleaming fangs, the Mad Lion snatched up the pinned-down spear-wielder and flung it toward the archer's direction.
Splurt!
The arrow pierced clean through the Gallû Spirit's twin breastbones, but still had enough force to strike the Mad Lion. Yet, its sleek, glossy fur absorbed most of the impact. Even the death energy infused in the arrow left behind nothing more than a faint bruise on its hide.
One after another, spear strikes, arrows, and heavy blades rained down—but the three rather dim-witted Gallû Spirits were forced to admit that their prized death aura had no effect on the beast before them.
Even magical explosions and deep gashes barely left a mark before vanishing under the creature's astonishing rate of regeneration.
What made it worse was that this monster could shift between sizes at will, and it moved through the death fog with unnatural familiarity—closing distance in total silence and striking from nowhere.
But we're the ones who are supposed to be the undead!
All three Underworld sentinels found themselves outpaced. Their ability to absorb death energy for self-repair was falling behind. Spinning their empty skulls in mounting confusion, they couldn't stop their defenses from being picked apart.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Explosions echoed relentlessly through the shrouded valley.
...
Several hours later, a strange silence settled. From within the shifting mist came a soft dragging sound. The ancient snake, pulling along three skulls, slithered up to his master and gently tapped the back of her hand.
At last, the goddess, who had been clenching a corner of her cloak in worry, sighed in relief. She opened her sweat-dampened fingers and cradled the little creature lovingly in her arms.
"Honestly... I told you there was no need to push yourself. Just leave it to me…"
Ereshkigal gently stroked the battered scales of the ancient snake and the tail where fresh flesh had just begun to regrow. She couldn't help but mutter her complaint.
Ian flicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, mumbling inwardly.
But I don't want to just be pampered... I want to get stronger. Because I've got Tiamat backing me—ah... I mean, Ere-sama.
After a brief rest, his wounds rapidly healed. Energetic once more, the ancient snake tugged at his master's sleeve, leading her toward another valley.
"You want to show me something?"
The goddess glanced at the inscription on the clay tablet, momentarily stunned.
"Flowers?"
On the side flipped over by the snake's tail, a single word was carved—one that left Ereshkigal visibly startled.
Flowers? In the Underworld?
Guided by the persistent tugging, the goddess followed. But the closer they got, the deeper the confusion etched into her face.
I've been to that valley before. It was nothing but barren rock and colorful crystal deposits...
Flowers? That's impossible—
And yet... there they were!
Breaking through the gray mist, Ereshkigal stared wide-eyed at the surreal scene—flowers blooming across cliffs, valley slopes, and stone outcroppings. In disbelief, she rushed forward, reaching out to touch and smell them.
But as her fingers brushed the petals, she felt the cold, hard texture. There was no fragrance. The leaves were rigid and sharp.
Her excitement faded.
They weren't flowers at all.
Just clusters of crystal and ore, sculpted into the likeness of blooms...
"Well, it's incredibly detailed. Thank you, Samael-chan."
Just as Ereshkigal was feeling a bit down, she noticed the little creature gesture forward with its head.
Curious, she crouched down, and out of the corner of her eye, caught sight of clay plaques inserted beneath each crystalline flower cluster. She instinctively began reading the cuneiform etched into them.
"Species 1: Red Rose..."
"Erect shrub, up to two meters tall; sturdy stems, clustered growth; young branches densely covered with fine hairs, bearing thorns and glandular bristles—straight or curved pale-yellow spines, surrounded by fuzz..."
"Petals obovate, semi-double to fully double, fragrant, ranging from purplish-red to white; styles are free..."
Looking up again, Ereshkigal studied the carved crystal rose more carefully and realized with surprise that its form matched the plaque's description almost perfectly.
She turned her gaze to the other nearby blossoms nestled among clusters of crystal, then glanced down at the markers by their roots.
"Species 7: Iris..."
"Colors include white, yellow, green, blue—vibrant and varied..."
"Petals flutter like dancing butterflies, blooming in May..."
"Species 21: Camelthorn..."
"Calyx bell-shaped, sepals triangular or lanceolate; corolla deep purplish-red; standard petal inversely ovate, wings oblong, ovary linear..."
All around her, over a hundred crystalline floral sculptures gleamed. And even more astonishingly, each one matched its clay tablet description with stunning accuracy and realism.
As she wandered deeper into the bloom-filled hollow, traces of dark, brown-black smudges on the stone petals and shattered scales on the ground caught Ereshkigal's eye.
"...You made all of this?"
She looked softly at the ancient snake at her feet, hesitating before asking.
"Yeah! They're all flowers Samael saw aboveground. I wanted to offer them to Ere-sama."
"But… there were no seeds here, no proper soil… I couldn't make them grow..."
The little snake had started off excited, but his words trailed off into gloom.
Before Ereshkigal could even reach out to comfort him, though, he perked up on his own and slithered energetically through the crystalline flowers.
"But I still wanted to do something for Ere-sama! You love flowers so much..."
"I wanted to show you the ones I saw up there! That's why I made these!"
"I even asked a few of the gardening uncles trapped in the Spear Cages—they helped a lot!"
"Look, it took me more than half a year! I did pretty well, didn't I?"
The ancient snake eagerly recounted everything he'd gone through to carve these flowers, and the goddess listening behind him was quietly moved.
She had never imagined that a wish she'd buried deep in her heart would be remembered so sincerely—and fulfilled so earnestly—by such a tiny creature.
A snake, trying to grant a goddess's wish.
It was ridiculous. And yet, it moved her more than words could say.
This feeling—of being cherished by another living being—was something she hadn't felt even once since she'd taken her place in the underworld.
"You silly thing... don't hurt yourself over lifeless things like these..."
Ereshkigal reached down, gently patted his small head, her voice tinged with soft reproach.
"No! As long as you have a dream, even these can be real!"
The little one insisted stubbornly, even a bit firmly, that she follow the instructions written on the clay tablets.
That slender form, eyes gleaming, was like a child—naive, imaginative, full of wonder.
Ereshkigal gave a faint laugh and crouched beside him, allowing herself to be swept along by this tiny warmth. Following the tablet's guidance, she closed her eyes and lightly touched one of the flower stalks.
Clear your mind—feel it with your heart.
A rose... obovate petals... fragrant... the scent is thick...
The goddess, now fully immersed, let her lashes fall. Her head tilted slightly downward, nostrils faintly twitching, as if she truly smelled the fragrance drifting toward her.
Her fingertips glided over the clay plaque and down the sculpted stem. Ereshkigal's brows knit slightly, a trace of discomfort flashing across her face.
Rose stems have thorns... be careful...
This one... I recognize it... it's an iris!
The petals are violet... shaped just like butterflies...
Yes, that's it! The petals sway—dancing in the air like wings...
A soft smile began to form on Ereshkigal's lips—like a little girl who had stumbled into a hidden garden.
Brimming with curiosity and a hunger for wonder, the goddess moved from flower to flower, touching and breathing in their forms, memorizing their color and shape.
A light breeze stirred the air. Gray mist swirled. The crystal blossoms shimmered faintly in the shifting light. Ereshkigal's dress fluttered as she wandered, a quiet smile blooming across her face, fully absorbed in the moment.
The ancient snake yawned, crawled up to her shoulder, curled up in the coziest position it could find, and lowered its head, drifting into dreams beside the imagined scent of invisible flowers.
There's no need to stop at grief.
No need to dwell in pain.
With your heart open, the world you see will always bloom with beauty.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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