Chapter 7: Leonidas' Invitation!
"I'm not a Servant. I'm merely a visitor from a distant land."
"A visitor from a distant land?"
"Yes. Due to various circumstances, I ended up arriving here by accident."
"I see. However, Mesopotamia right now is an extremely dangerous place. Your timing couldn't be considered fortunate."
"Ah, I've already noticed that. Everywhere here is filled with Magical Beasts."
Behind the helmet he wore, Leonidas' face couldn't be seen. Even so, Akira could clearly sense that the other man's gaze never left him for a single moment.
Anyone capable of becoming a "king" was naturally no ordinary individual.
Even if he was the famously "stubborn to the extreme" King of Sparta—a warrior who seemed to care only about muscles and strength. Even if he was the straightforward, blunt type, that didn't mean he was foolish.
At a time like this, the sudden appearance of an incredibly powerful outsider in Mesopotamia—especially right at the final defensive line against the Magical Beasts, the North Wall—was impossible to dismiss as mere coincidence.
"Mesopotamia is currently experiencing the most difficult period in its entire history. Even the powerful Uruk Dynasty now stands on the brink of destruction. One city after another has turned to dust in the annals of history."
"Sounds like the problem isn't small."
"Yes. Mesopotamia has now been taken over by the 'Three Goddess Alliance.' Three goddesses who all wish to destroy Uruk. Those Magical Beasts just now were followers of the Goddess of Magical Beasts."
"I see~"
Akira nodded as if he understood.
But in his heart, he knew very clearly that the so-called "Three Goddess Alliance" would be more accurately described as an "Alliance of Traitors."
The Three Goddess Alliance was led by the Goddess of Vengeance, Gorgon, who had been influenced by Kingu and gathered three powerful goddesses to form an alliance to exterminate humanity.
They had sworn an oath to one another: they must not attack each other, and they must not betray one another.
However, within the Three Goddess Alliance, aside from Gorgon—who possessed the Avenger Class—the other two goddesses were the Goddess of the Sun, Quetzalcoatl, and the Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal.
If one claimed these two wished to destroy humanity, it would actually be more accurate to say they wanted to protect humanity in their own ways.
One of them was a goddess who "deeply loved humanity," someone who wanted to become a "threat" herself in order to push humanity toward evolution.
Essentially, she only wanted to act as a boss—someone for humanity to grow against under pressure, until they could eventually surpass her.
Meanwhile, the Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, was also a goddess who loved humanity.
However, unlike Quetzalcoatl, Ereshkigal was a goddess who could never leave the Underworld. She joined the Three Goddess Alliance only to preserve human souls.
Day after day, she created the "Cage of Souls" in the Underworld solely to ensure that human souls would not fade into nothingness.
It could be said that these two goddesses, although currently positioned as antagonists, would inevitably stand with humanity in the end. They were two extremely obvious "traitors."
As for the Goddess of Vengeance, Gorgon, she truly did hate humanity and wished to destroy them.
Unfortunately, as an Avenger who had been summoned, another existence had been summoned alongside her. Unlike Gorgon, who was consumed by hatred, this other existence was a rational and kind young goddess.
In the end, whether it was Gorgon, Quetzalcoatl, or Ereshkigal, all of them would ultimately stand on humanity's side.
Thus, the current Three Goddess Alliance was nothing more than an opening act.
"By the way, since you've already come this far, how about accompanying me to Uruk? Right now, in all of Mesopotamia, Uruk is the only land that could still be called a paradise."
"Very well. I'd be honored."
"That's excellent news. Once we arrive in Uruk, I'll introduce you to a few friends. They're all very powerful Servants."
"In that case, I'm looking forward to it even more."
The two of them smiled at each other, as if they were only one step away from throwing arms over each other's shoulders and swearing brotherhood.
However, Akira understood very well that the man in front of him most likely intended to bring him to Uruk to keep him under temporary watch and report his existence to Gilgamesh.
After all, the sudden appearance of an unknown individual with overwhelming power would naturally attract attention.
Even so, Akira didn't mind. On the contrary, he himself was very much looking forward to visiting Uruk—and to meeting Gilgamesh in person.
With that, Akira entered the North Wall.
The moment he stepped inside, he was met with countless gazes filled with admiration, respect, and a touch of curiosity.
Everyone had witnessed with their own eyes the display of power he had shown earlier.
Within the military, soldiers always worshipped strength. And right now, Akira was someone overwhelmingly strong.
Thanks to his assistance, the Magical Beasts had been completely cleared today, helping them survive another day.
In the months prior, people died every single day. But today, because of Akira, compared to the previous days, many more had managed to escape death.
"Due to current limitations, I can only ask you to wait here for the time being. I need to take care of a few matters."
"Alright. Don't worry about me."
"This evening, we'll depart and return to Uruk."
With a bright smile directed at Akira, Leonidas left the tent.
The moment he stepped outside, the smile on his face vanished, replaced by a deeply serious expression.
"You—return to Uruk immediately and report everything that happened here to King Gilgamesh. Especially about that man who appeared out of nowhere."
"Yes, Lord Leonidas."
After nodding to Leonidas, the soldier set off at once, running toward Uruk.
Leonidas let out a long sigh. He didn't know whether Akira's sudden appearance would bring fortune—or disaster.
— — —
In a remote mountain range, deep beneath the earth flowed a ley line capable of producing an enormous amount of energy.
At the foot of that mountain stood a towering structure of immense size.
The Blood Temple. This was the domain of the Goddess of Magical Beasts, Gorgon.
Here, Gorgon utilized the overwhelming power of the Mother of Creation, Tiamat, to continuously give birth to Magical Beasts, sending them forth to attack Uruk.
Suddenly, deep within the Blood Temple, inside a "pool" containing Magical Energy of extremely high purity, a tremendous rumble echoed.
From within it emerged a figure with a human-like upper body and a massive serpentine tail—an enormous existence like a colossal monster.
"Mother, did you summon me?"
The emerald-haired figure spoke. His eyes were purple, and he wore a white robe.
"Kingu, my child. Just now, I sensed that a large number of Magical Beasts were slain. Go and investigate what exactly has happened."
"Yes. I understand, Mother."
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