87. Goetia's Plan
"Your plan had failed, and it also caused my plan to fail!"
In a quiet space, where there is no life here, even the boundaries of time and space are blurred, presenting a heart-pounding nothingness.
Kingu stood in this space, his eyes fixed on the figure sitting on the throne — The Demon King Goetia.
"Now, what are you going to do, Demon King?"
Facing Kingu's blunt accusations, Goetia remained silent, a silence that was in itself unusual. Even he hadn't anticipated the outcome—a sneak attack through the heart that resulted not in the enemy's death, but instead in a sword scar on his own chest.
As his thoughts raced, Goetia subconsciously raised his hand and touched his chest, which had long been repaired intact by sacrificing a huge amount of flesh and blood. However, under the touch of his fingertips, it seemed as if the hideous sword wound was still aching, and the chill and pain that penetrated deep into his bones had not dissipated with the recovery of his flesh.
That was a wound beyond the bounds of common sense! Wounded by that strange blade, all treatments were ineffective. Only by completely removing the affected area could the destructive force be prevented from spreading.
However, even if his body recovered, the excruciating pain engraved deep in his soul was like a leech in his bones, constantly reminding him of the threat posed by the other party.
It's too dangerous.
That person... is too dangerous.
His identity remains a mystery, but his position is clear - he is a huge obstacle that must be removed on the road to greatness.
And the weapon in his hand... is extremely weird!
That's a weapon with a special attack against Beasts!
It is a weapon that is powerful enough to threaten the very concept of human evil!
Chaotic thoughts swirled in Goetia's cold eyes, and his fingers unconsciously tapped the armrests of the throne with a slight sound.
Da...da...da...the monotonous knocking sound echoed in this dead silent space, appearing particularly clear and harsh.
What if it's dangerous? After all, I'm alone.
To accomplish our great cause, the seventh singularity, Mesopotamia, remains the irreplaceable key stage.
The sleeping Mother of Life, the Goddess of Creation, Tiamat, will be the most powerful driving force to achieve the goal. As long as she can be revived, Chaldea's journey will be completely ended in that era, bringing complete demise to the cradle of mankind... By then, no matter how that dangerous person struggles, it will be of no avail.
A plan began to run in his mind.
Originally, they planned to lure out the dangerous man through the Demonic Beast Goddess Gorgon, and then kill him with a sneak attack, but they failed to kill him. The connection between Gorgon and Tiamat has not been fully synchronized, and Tiamat is still sleeping.
Now the plan needs a change.
He will personally take action to forcibly awaken the Mother of Creation and bring an end to Mesopotamia!
And that dangerous individual... He, Goetia, will personally drag him into his home turf—the Temple of Time! Regardless of the outcome, when the flames of humanity burn to the end, when their great cause is accomplished, the opponent's defeat will be absolutely inevitable!
The thought flashed by in a split second. Facing Kingu's aggressive questioning, Goetia's expression remained unchanged. He spoke indifferently, "I will personally awaken the Mother of Life. You must swiftly ensure the destruction of the Seventh Singularity. As for that obstacle..."
Goetia paused slightly, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes. "...I will take action."
...
My name is Xiling, and I seem to be entangled.
Well, that's certainly not the case. It seems like he got involved in it on his own initiative.
"That...that Xi...Xiling!" A slightly nervous voice with a hint of expectation interrupted Xiling's thoughts. Ereshkigal was pointing her finger cautiously in front of her - a cage built with the power of the underworld.
"Tell me... when those souls come here in the future... will they like this cage I made?"
"Cage? Where is the cage?" Xiling looked at the house in front of him blankly.
Is that a cage?
I guess the houses those people lived in when they were alive were not as luxurious as this cage.
Despite this underestimation in his heart, Xiling still gave a gentle and affirmative evaluation:
"Very good, Ereshkigal. I can see that you put a lot of effort into making it."
"Hehe… hehe… neither, nor…" The girl's fair cheeks flushed slightly, and she shyly curled her long golden hair with her fingers. Her voice became much lighter, and the joy of being recognized was almost overflowing.
Looking at the shy girl in front of him made Xiling feel helpless. He was not particularly good at dealing with this type of person.
However, some things, like a predetermined trajectory, must be carried forward. As he said, the era of the Three Goddesses Alliance must come to an end.
"Ereshkigal." Xiling's voice was very soft, calling out to the girl who was still immersed in her little joy.
"Huh? What's wrong, Xiling?" Ereshkigal turned her head with a smile still on her face.
Facing such a gaze, Xiling's words were like a stone thrown into a deep pool:
"The Three Goddesses Alliance... Quetzalcoatl has come and joined us, and Gorgon was slain by my own sword. Now, only the last one remains..."
Xiling took a deep breath and looked directly into the pair of pupils that were beginning to waver.
" Ereshkigal, I want to invite you... to join us."
Xiling held out his hand to Ereshkigal.
However, Xiling's hand hung in the cold air, with no response.
"…I see."
The smile on Ereshkigal's face slowly faded, and her voice was filled with realization:
"I knew it..."
"How could anyone possibly...truly want to make friends with the goddess of the underworld..."
"I see... Yes, that's how it should be..."
"Yes, that's right... Who would be willing to be friends with a goddess like me... who has been forgotten by the sun and can only keep company with the dead?"
Her voice sounded very low, almost like a whisper, but Xiling still could hear every syllable clearly.
"No, I really want to be friends with you! Ereshkigal!"
"Stop joking around!!" A scream, filled with the rage of being deceived and immense pain, erupted suddenly! Ereshkigal's long golden hair moved without wind, like a burning flame of anger. She raised her head abruptly, her once clear eyes now filled with the fury of betrayal and an icy chill.
"Is it fun to play me around like that? Xiling!"
"From the very beginning... from the moment you stepped into this cold underworld of mine! Your goal was for this moment, right?! To kill me, right!"
"Of course! Since you're so determined to do it—" She suddenly raised a weapon, and the overwhelming divine pressure erupted like a tsunami!
"—If you can do it, then just give it a try!!"
"Boom--!!"
The entire underworld seemed to feel their master's tearing anger and great sorrow, and let out a deafening wail!
The solid earth trembled violently, and countless pale ghost fires gushed out from the cracks in the rocks, instantly turning into a dark blue, roaring sea of flames!
They let out sharp roars that were formed by the gathering of countless dead souls, and they piled up layer upon layer in an attempt to completely devour Xiling's figure!
Xiling, tightly wrapped by the tide of undead and almost completely submerged, looked like a lonely boat about to be torn into pieces by the raging waves.
Xiling looked at the torrent of undead souls and let out a very light sigh.
"Well..."
The moment the sigh ended, Xiling's hand grasped the hilt of the holy sword.
"It seems that words are not my strong point."
"Let's use... a more direct method."
Physical persuasion.
At the moment Xiling grasped the holy sword, countless skeleton soldiers with ghostly fire rushed towards Xiling.
Xiling's figure was instantly completely engulfed by the tide of countless white bones and dark blue flames!
But the next second.
Swish!!!!
A beam of light suddenly erupted from the center of the completely submerged vortex! It slanted upwards from the bottom!
The trajectory it left became an absolute dividing line.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment at this time.
The next moment——
The tide of the dead parted...
It was like the miracle of Moses parting the sea, but what was split wasn't the sea, but solidified death itself! Wherever the cut passed, a straight channel was formed!
At the end of the passage, Xiling reappeared, holding a sword. The holy sword pointed diagonally at the ground, and his eyes fell on Ereshkigal, the mistress of the underworld, at the other end of the passage.
"How...how is this possible?!"
Ereshkigal's pupils constricted violently. She could hardly believe what she was seeing! That was the embodiment of her power over the underworld! The army of the dead she commanded! And yet...it was so easily wiped out...with a single sword strike!
The huge impact made her instinctively take a step back. She suddenly closed her eyes and wanted to open them again to see if she was hallucinating.
When she mustered up all her courage and opened her beautiful eyes again——
Call!
A very light breeze blew the golden hair beside her cheek.
Xiling's figure had already stood in front of her silently!
So close!
The holy sword that had previously cut through the wrath of the underworld had now returned to its scabbard, as if it had never been unsheathed.
Ereshkigal could even clearly see his own reflection in Xiling's eyes—it was filled with horror and confusion.
"…" Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
Xiling tilted his head slightly and spoke in a tone as if asking a friend if she still played games: "Still playing?"
These three words are like the last spark that ignites the powder keg!
"Play! Why not?" Ereshkigal practically screamed! All her shock and confusion were instantly overwhelmed by an even stronger rage; this rage was filled with a mixture of immense grievance and contempt! Her cheeks flushed crimson with extreme emotion, and her red eyes burned with blazing flames, practically spitting fire!
She no longer cared about the demeanor of a goddess or the elegant fighting style! She gripped the weapon tightly with both hands, and with a determined, I-will-fight-with-you attitude-to-death, she stabbed Xiling's chest without any plan!
That posture looked more like an angry little girl waving a stick and about to hit someone, rather than an attack from a god!
"Swish!" The tip of the gun tore through the air with a sharp scream!
However--
Xiling took just half a step away very naturally.
The attack missed.
"Hmph!"
Seeing her strike missed, Ereshkigal was furious. With a twist of her wrist, the spear swept across Xiling's waist with a whimpering sound! The force was enough to shatter rocks!
Xiling dodged again.
"Ahhh! Damn it! Don't dodge!"
Ereshkigal went completely berserk. She brandished her weapon, stabbing, sweeping, and slashing at Xiling without any rhyme or reason! Dark blue underworld fire splashed everywhere with her movements, burning black holes in the ground and rock walls of the underworld.
"Stop right there!"
"Don't run if you can!"
"Take my shot, you bastard!"
"No way."
——
——
A/N [Author Notes]:
The author worked so hard!!