"Quetz... Quetzalcoatl?!" Ishtar looked at Amber, then back at Quetzalcoatl, her mind seeming to short-circuit for a moment.
Quetzalcoatl was startled at first, but quickly broke into a grin. "I never expected to find another powerful one here! This big sister is quite eager to see what you can do."
'Go on, Senti-chan! Show 'em what you've got!' Amber didn't waste words, directly calling upon the Herrscher of Sentience.
'So soon?' Even the Herrscher of Sentience was surprised she'd get her chance to appear this quickly.
'Well, I promised I'd find a way to let you out, didn't I? I feel like the timing's perfect.'
Amber added, 'But I still need to keep the Herrscher core. Just in case Ereshkigal has resistances too, or I'll be stuck with no options again.'
'Fine, then let me use the Fenghuang Down!'
'Sure.' Amber had no objections.
Fu Hua, however, reminded them, 'Leave one feather with Amber. I'll be staying with her, so if there's any danger, we can watch out for each other, and I can notify Little Senti immediately.'
In an instant, the three completed their mental exchange. Then, using the Fenghuang Down as an anchor, the Herrscher of Sentience materialized a body, standing at Amber's side.
"So this is your friend?" Quetzalcoatl was momentarily stunned by their nearly identical appearances, which differed only in aura and hairstyle, but she quickly spotted the key difference.
"This friend... is the divine aspect of the Phoenix?"
"So that's how you separated the divinity?" Ishtar nodded in understanding.
"Rather than accepting the divinity, you separated it out, creating another avatar. A truly masterful technique," Merlin offered his assessment.
"Me, a god? Compared to me, that old fossil is the one who's more like a Celestial, isn't she?"
The Herrscher of Sentience hadn't even spoken a word since appearing, and already she was being evaluated. Annoyed, she shot back, "Let's get one thing straight. I don't have the old fossil's patience. You'd better choose your words carefully."
Merlin, completely unfazed, chuckled. "Is that so? But your divine nature and your personality both fit the bill of a 'Goddess' quite well."
The group looked at the Herrscher of Sentience, then at Ishtar, and had to nod in agreement.
It was true. Reckless, wilful, and self-centred – she was the very picture of a Goddess.
"Ha? Are you just not listening?" The Herrscher of Sentience had already had enough of this slacking, riddle-spouting weirdo and decided it was time to teach him a lesson.
"Please, have mercy on me. If we really fight, I wouldn't last a single round against the Phoenix Celestial." Merlin smiled warmly as he pleaded weakness. "And the Phoenix Celestial wouldn't want to bully a magician with no strength to speak of, right?"
"Too late to acknowledge my power now." The Herrscher of Sentience grinned.
"I've been thinking it for a while now, you're all seriously messed up. You could easily resolve these crises, but none of you lift a finger. But whatever. I'll just beat all of you up first, then go find the Holy Grail. Problem solved, right?"
"Haha, if only it were that simple." Merlin shook his head.
"The truth is, we still don't know where the Holy Grail is. We thought it was with the Three Goddess Alliance, but neither the Beast Goddess we encountered nor the Jungle Goddess had it. The only remaining possibility is the Goddess of the Underworld."
"In my opinion, that so-called Holy Grail is definitely with Tiamat." The Herrscher of Sentience offered a blunt hypothesis.
"Treasures belong to the strong. Tiamat is the most powerful, so naturally, the Grail is with her."
It was the worst-case scenario, and also the most likely one. That was precisely why Merlin and Gilgamesh had been striving to bolster their forces. If the Holy Grail truly was with Tiamat, then facing her was an unavoidable trial.
"Senti... Little Senti, don't cause trouble." Amber, who had almost slipped and called her 'Senti-chan', quickly corrected herself.
"Tiamat is the Primordial Mother Goddess, not an enemy to be taken lightly. It's safer to wait until we return from the Underworld with Gilgamesh before making plans."
"You..."
The Herrscher of Sentience wanted to retort that Amber was sounding just like the old fossil, but remembering that Amber was currently operating under the old fossil's identity, she held her tongue.
Besides, it was Amber who had gotten her out for some fresh air. She reluctantly reined in her temper. "Alright, alright, I'll listen to you this time."
Then, she turned to Quetzalcoatl, flashing a vigorous, battle-ready smile. "But since I've finally gotten out, surely a little warm-up isn't too much to ask?"
Amber fell silent for a moment. Remembering how much 'Senti-chan' had always wanted to fight Quetzalcoatl, she felt it wouldn't be right to stop her. She cast a questioning look towards Quetzalcoatl.
In response, Quetzalcoatl winked, then smiled at the Herrscher of Sentience. "Of course! A spirited, direct challenge, a face-to-face showdown? Big sister would never refuse."
"Ha! Don't get it twisted. You're the challenger here." The Herrscher of Sentience's grin widened.
Amber: '...Maybe say that line a bit less..?'
Herrscher of Sentience: 'What? You think I'll get cut in half?'
Amber: '...Never mind. As long as you're both happy.'
Trusting that the Herrscher of Sentience knew her limits, Amber turned her attention away and looked at Ishtar. "Let's focus on our task. Little Senti isn't the type to ignore the bigger picture. We can leave things here to them."
Ishtar, of course, had no objections. She soared into the air, blasted a large hole in the plaza, and led the three of them down through it.
Watching the three figures disappear, the remaining trio on the ground sized each other up anew.
"Great, now that the old fossil is gone, we can really cut loose." The Herrscher of Sentience, having been peaceful for too long and feeling stiff from travelling with Fu Hua, did a few stretching motions, her expression brimming with eagerness.
"Of course! But let's try to keep it quick, alright? I still need to find time to train the soldiers."
Quetzalcoatl met this pure desire for battle with equal anticipation. If anything, her previous two fights with Amber hadn't been fully satisfying. The chance to continue now was most welcome.
It was a pity she still had duties to attend to and couldn't afford to indulge in an all-out fight.
Seeing Quetzalcoatl's relaxed demeanor, the Herrscher of Sentience remembered that she had lent out her Herrscher core. Using the Fenghuang Down as her vessel, she couldn't access Imaginary Energy either.
That would just take all the fun out of it.
"Alright then, let's fight for three hours. We'll count wins by rounds." She quickly devised a solution. "But don't you dare use 'holding back' as an excuse! I'm not like that old fossil – I won't go easy on you. I suggest you take this seriously!"
"So you're saying... when the Phoenix fought me before, she wasn't using her full power?" Quetzalcoatl was genuinely surprised now, but it only stoked her fighting spirit higher. "In that case..."
"Let's begin!"
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.