The next morning, at Mount Ebih, the sky was still shrouded in twilight.
After rummaging through the mountaintop ruins for most of the night, Ishtar tossed the final bag of gem shards into Maanna, the Boat of Heaven. She cast one last glance at this sorrowful place before soaring off in her chariot.
As she flew past a partially collapsed section of the mountain, the goddess instinctively glanced toward the caved-in ridge. A strange sense of familiarity stirred in her chest.
But with the rendezvous time fast approaching and the rain casting a hazy veil over everything, Ishtar suppressed her unease and picked up speed toward Uruk.
If she had climbed higher over the collapsed area and looked down, she would have seen something startling:
The so-called collapse looked exactly like a hoofprint from the sky.
Boom!
A thunderclap split the air. As the storm clouds momentarily parted, a massive, indistinct form made entirely of metal loomed into view—its oppressive presence radiating from within the stormy gloom.
...
Near Eridu, at the Mayan pyramid.
After infusing the Solar Calendar Stone with potent divine power, Kukulkan blew her whistle and leapt onto the back of her Quetzalcoatlus, racing toward Uruk.
Clutched in her hand was a slightly damaged clay tablet.
...
Half an hour later, everyone had gathered at the Divine Tower of the royal palace. The atmosphere was solemn, heavy with tension.
But the moment Kukulkan arrived, radiating vibrant energy, everything suddenly felt warmer, more alive.
The ever-spirited feathered serpent goddess greeted each of her friends with radiant smiles, hugs, and heartfelt farewells—offering her blessings before the mission began.
Her sunny presence lifted the entire mood. The gloom hanging over everyone seemed to dissolve under the sheer force of her enthusiasm.
Once brief preparations were complete, the courtyard quieted. Gilgamesh gave a slight nod, and Merlin tapped his staff gently. A resonant hum followed, echoing from all corners of Uruk.
Immediately, the Astrology Tower, Sacrificial Grounds, and the Temple lit up with intricate arrays of runes.
Layered rings of varying sizes surged skyward, and beams of radiant light converged into a tide of Ether, gathering above Uruk and tearing through the storm clouds.
Sunlight, absent for days, finally broke through. The lingering dampness and musty air began to fade.
"Woooo—wooo!"
A somber horn call rang out from the northern wall's watchtowers.
The pens near the military camps opened, and thousands of Quetzalcoatlus burst out in excitement. Their riders, long prepared and already geared up, mounted swiftly.
With the sound of heavy wingbeats, the newly formed dragoon squadrons took to the skies, splitting into smaller units as they headed toward the Cedar Forest.
According to the plan, over the next three hours, they would sweep across the wastelands, scattering potions and laying down blood-scented bait to draw out the Magical Beasts near the Blood Fort.
The mission wasn't to push in too deep—they had to maintain a precise tempo.
All the groundwork for the battle had been laid. Now it was Samael and his strike force's turn to wait for the right moment to launch their flanking assault.
Just before departure, Leonidas approached Samael with a stern expression. He gave his younger comrade a firm slap on the shoulder, his eyes gleaming with approval.
"According to Spartan tradition, when a young man heads to war, I should send him off with weapons he can use."
"Look, I've got everything ready!"
At Leonidas' beckoning, the son of the ghostly blacksmith Old Um proudly brought over the gift the Spartan king had commissioned—placing it before Samael.
A full set: one spear, three javelins, a round shield, and a short sword.
Damn, that's more than a standard-issue Spartan warrior would carry.
Four layers of Lancer buffs? You trying to get me killed faster?
Samael gave a helpless smile, clearly a bit conflicted.
"Take them. They've all been tempered with Zeus' divine blood. They're naturally effective against Gorgon!"
Noticing the look on Samael's face, Leonidas raised a hand and gave him a solid thump on the chest, speaking with grave sincerity.
That's when Samael noticed the bandages wrapped around Leonidas' arm—and the strange greenish-red tint on the tips of the weapons.
For a descendant of the God-King—albeit a heavily diluted one—using his own divine blood to forge weapons must have come at a steep cost.
Zeus' blood countering Gorgon? Come to think of it… that might actually be true.
Leonidas' words triggered a sudden recollection of the myths about Gorgon.
According to the Theogony, the three Gorgon sisters were descendants of Typhon, king of the Greek monsters.
Unfortunately, that heritage came with a massive debuff. Most of Typhon's famous offspring were just unlucky boss monsters used for hero quests.
The big names included Cerberus, the three-headed hound of the underworld; Ladon, the hundred-headed dragon guarding the golden apples; Hydra, the nine-headed serpent of Lake Lerna; and the mighty, nearly invulnerable Nemean Lion...
And all of them?
Wiped out by Heracles during his Twelve Labors.
Even among the rest of Typhon's more "notable" kids, over seventy percent got wrecked by that same muscle-bound hero.
(What more can you say? Berserker Heracles supremacy! Heaven's Feel reigns supreme!)
By blood, all of these creatures were siblings to the Gorgon sisters.
And Heracles—the ancestor of the Spartans—was practically the bane of Typhon's entire bloodline.
Which meant weapons forged with Zeus' divine blood? Yeah, they'd definitely hurt.
"Samael, that's all I can offer. Make sure you come back alive!"
"Got it!"
It was clear Leonidas truly saw Samael as a comrade and had put real heart into the gift.
Samael no longer hesitated. After bumping fists and chests with Leonidas in the Spartan way, he strapped the weapons to his Quetzalcoatlus mount.
As the team prepared to depart, a small purple figure stepped into Samael's path.
"I'm going too!"
"All right. But I'm in charge of this team, so if you want to do anything, you'll have to follow my orders..."
Seeing the resolve and determination in Ana's eyes, Samael crouched down, gently ruffled her hair, and made his terms clear.
"Mm!"
The little girl, whose hopes had been low, lit up with joy when Samael actually agreed. She nodded enthusiastically, grinning ear to ear.
Samael pulled her up onto his mount. One big figure and one small, seated together.
Moments later, their squadron of Quetzalcoatlus took to the skies—Samael, Ana, the Jaguar Warrior, Merlin, and Ishtar, all headed toward the Cedar Forest front.
Although the storms across the north had been cleared by Uruk's magecraft arrays, the cost was immense—draining massive amounts of resources by the second.
And from the swirling clouds above and the thick humidity, it was obvious: this man-made "favorable weather" wouldn't last.
They had to move fast. End it fast.
Amid the clouds, Samael glanced down at Ana, her little face tense and serious, the crimson cross pattern flickering in her eyes.
Silly girl... just listen this time. I won't let you be the one to make the sacrifice.
All right then.
Let's see what grand "gift" the Mandate of Heaven has in store.
...
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