What Kur, the Mesopotamian Underworld, was most famous for were its Seven Gates.
The goddess Ishtar once stormed into Kur. Though the exact details had long been lost, one thing was certain: passing through the Seven Gates had stripped Ishtar of nearly all her power, ultimately causing her defeat at Ereshkigal's hands.
Now it was Ophis who invaded the Underworld. Guided by Ereshkigal, she naturally had to pass through the Seven Gates as well.
Her actual feeling was... nothing much.
The Seven Gates primarily suppressed the intruder's power, each gate draining roughly one-seventh of Ishtar's divinity, the amount steadily increasing with every subsequent gate. To the incomplete Ophis, this wasn't insignificant; at worst—the final gate—she'd probably need about two minutes to fully recover.
Thus, Ophis simply waited a minute or two after passing each gate before moving onto the next.
As for the trivial guards between gates, they couldn't even break through the Gate of Babylon's automatic defenses, consuming minimal effort from Ophis.
What Ophis had truly worried about was Ereshkigal attacking her immediately after the final gate. But as it turned out, Ereshkigal still had some decency as a goddess.
Her meaningless speech at least gave Ophis enough time to fully recover.
On the surface world, Ereshkigal had barely been able to fight back against Ophis.
But now, though the situation hadn't quite turned completely around, it wasn't far from it.
Ophis was being suppressed—particularly in the field she specialized in the most: magic cannon barrages!
In exchange for Ereshkigal's sacrifice, the gods granted her supreme Authority.
Ereshkigal held complete control over Kur, mastery in the truest sense.
From a distance, the most she could manage was detonating some energy around Ophis as harassment. Considering Ophis's infinite mana supply, a simple defensive spell would've neutralized that.
But now...
Ophis truly understood what it meant to oppose an entire world.
Deathly energy constantly coalesced, unleashing endless bombardments toward Ophis.
No space to dodge, no pause in the assault. Endless, omnidirectional firestorm without blind spots.
"What's wrong? You can't beat me just by hiding in your shell, you know?"
Right now, Ophis was wrapped within a sphere of purple magical energy. While the death energy slammed into her shield, unable to break through instantly, it was gradually corroding it.
Meanwhile, Ophis continuously replenished her mana.
Given her incomplete state, this tug-of-war would eventually end once Ophis's mana ran out—the outcome self-evident.
Seems like I need a way to break this stalemate...
Ophis narrowed her eyes.
In truth, Ophis wasn't actually worried about her situation. Though Ereshkigal's strength exceeded expectations, Ophis still had a surefire method to break this deadlock.
The Sword of Rupture—Ea.
But using Ea here could cause unexpected variables in the next phase of the plan, making avoidance preferable.
Considering Ereshkigal's current authority, direct confrontation wasn't wise. Even the complete Ophis would merely fall into an endless cycle of attrition, and even if victory eventually came, it wouldn't be the outcome she desired.
Since that's the case, she'd solve this—the serpent's way...
...
"Humans, knowing this is Tiamat's resting chamber, yet you still dare to cause trouble here?"
The enormous serpent-woman stared down at Chaldea's group, hissing coldly.
"My, my. Honestly, your divinity's already hit rock bottom—why not just obediently accept defeat?"
Merlin clicked his tongue, openly mocking Gorgon, whose expression immediately darkened.
He'd struck right at Gorgon's sore spot.
Normally, these humans wouldn't even enter her eyes, but earlier, an enormous axe had flown in from nowhere, smashing her temple and greatly reducing her divinity.
For gods, divinity didn't exactly equal power, but it still closely correlated.
Previously, Altera, Arjuna, and Jeanne—assisted by Medea—could only barely contain Gorgon. Now, against that same lineup, she'd probably have to start seriously considering escape.
It seems everything has already failed───
Thinking this far, Gorgon strangely calmed down instead.
"I am an Avenger," she murmured, gazing down at everyone gathered.
Among Chaldea's Master and Servants, she even spotted Quetzal—who should have been her ally. Previously, Gorgon might've exploded in rage, but now she didn't really care.
When Gorgon spoke, no one from Chaldea interrupted.
After all, Ritsuka's usual policy was to first understand the enemy, then deny their ideals, and finally beat them into submission. So naturally, step one was to listen now.
Luckily, bosses usually liked to monologue their beliefs right before fighting.
Following tradition, everyone from Chaldea prepared to hear Gorgon's final words.
"All was taken from me—everything beloved slipped away, all I once protected vanished. No salvation, no desire. Even the meaning of my existence faded, my very self burned away... All that sustained my continued existence was vengeance."
Gorgon spoke calmly, and the expressions of the Chaldea team turned somewhat somber.
"I will slaughter all, trample everything, annihilate this world entirely. In the end, even I shall be consumed by this fire of revenge—such is an Avenger; such is what I pursue."
Her words, delivered lightly, carried an intent to burn all to ashes, causing everyone present to shiver.
Ritsuka's group knew Gorgon's myth. Honestly, this monster could truly be considered a victim herself.
Yet, that couldn't justify her desire to destroy humanity.
Seeing Mash about to speak, Gorgon suddenly sneered coldly.
"You, little girl—surely you have never known humanity's ugliness? You must spend each day happily, blissfully ignorant, isn't that right?"
"I…"
Mash opened her mouth, unable to refute.
It was true; she couldn't understand Gorgon's feelings. Although Mash's own fate wasn't exactly kind, the people around her had always showered her with care.
"But the girl over there is different, isn't she? My creator, the one who summoned an Avenger—humanity's representative. If you agree with my words, simply nod. If you submit to this logic, then I shall raise you as my Master. Everything you've done is meaningless; humanity's era is over, and there is no reason for you to fight for them anymore. Perhaps this is a goddess's whim—when all is done, a single human shall be cast out alone into a barren wasteland..."
The Goddess offer her invitation to Ritsuka.
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T/N: 4 chaps meeting this weeks quota, i was too focused on something elseeeeeeeeeeeee ive been playing 7daystodieeeeeeeeeee
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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