Ishtar's chest heaved with fury.
For a moment, she wondered if Rovi was insane—she just stood there, dumbfounded, her anger so overwhelming that even she didn't know how to react.
Siduri could only hold her forehead in her hand.
To tell a goddess of beauty, to her face, that she's ugly and doesn't understand beauty… Even as Gilgamesh's advisor, this was the first time she'd ever seen such a thing.
Not even that willful king would go so far.
Though, to be fair, Rovi wasn't wrong.
Ishtar, for all her power, had never truly brought "beauty" to humanity; given her authority and her reckless personality, her every descent to the mortal world was an ordeal—a living hell for those caught in her wake.
Beautiful? How could it be!
Of course, this was something many understood, but no one would ever dare say it—especially not to her face.
No wonder the king admires him… Siduri thought, suddenly understanding. They really are the same kind of person.
She felt a headache coming on.
But no matter how much Siduri worried, nothing could undo what Rovi had just done.
The grand temple's air was still, dust drifting down as thin light shimmered over the polished stone floor.
Silence settled over the scene.
Rovi stared right at Ishtar.
In some ways, this goddess—pampered by all the gods—wasn't so different from Gilgamesh.
Both were born extraordinary. Neither had ever faced true defeat.
So neither had ever been openly rebuked.
It was only natural that she was at a loss for words—at least for a moment.
But Rovi knew this frozen instant was just the calm before the storm.
Like hell she's going to tolerate this.
Sure enough, Ishtar recovered quickly, tossing her black hair back, crimson eyes boring into the young man before her.
"So, you really have a death wish, mortal."
Her voice, now eerily calm, lost all its previous inflection.
It was the composure of the divine.
The chill of a goddess's wrath.
"What do you think, goddess of ugliness, Lady Ishtar?" Rovi pressed on, undaunted. "Why not just admit it?"
"You're just a plain old eyesore!"
He burst out laughing.
"Bastard… You wretched, ignorant fool of a human!" Ishtar's composure shattered in an instant, all Rovi's mockery finally breaking her self-control.
"I'll kill you—I swear, I'll kill you!"
The light in her hands flared even brighter, Venus blazing, the bowstring trembling. There were barely ten meters between them—at this range, if Rovi was struck, there'd be nothing left of him but dust.
But Rovi stood his ground, looking Ishtar in the eye.
Prepared to die.
It might not be a remonstrance before the king, but to face down a goddess and mock her so directly—surely that would be enough to carve his name into legend, into myth.
That was enough.
To be remembered meant the Throne of Heroes would accept him.
Death was nothing to fear.
But what Rovi didn't know was that Siduri had no intention of letting him die.
Never mind Gilgamesh's orders—for Siduri, just seeing Rovi now was enough to make up her mind.
Her job was to advise the king.
Siduri's loyalty to Gilgamesh bordered on faith.
Whatever he wished, she would see it done, flawlessly. And Rovi… to her, he seemed to be the same.
Someone who could truly understand Gilgamesh.
Someone who also had no respect for the gods, reckless and fearless.
Even if it was a bit reckless, that similarity alone was enough.
So in a single moment, Siduri decided: she'd intervene. Wisps of light flickered around her form.
A royal attendant, after all, wasn't powerless.
Any treasure tossed her way by Gilgamesh could dramatically raise her strength.
Siduri was not weak.
If it costs me my life… I'll save Vizier Rovi from Ishtar's wrath!
Her gaze burned with resolve.
She crouched, ready to spring.
At the same time, Ishtar's arrow was unleashed—dazzling light exploded out, not so much an arrow as a flat, surging wave, red and gold swirling together, filling the air like a rain of fire.
It was as if a star was falling.
A force no mortal could possibly withstand—
A blow of pure, wrathful power from the goddess of Venus.
But just as Siduri was about to leap forward, she froze, halted by a sudden voice in her ear:
"Wait, Siduri."
The king's voice.
She spun around, shocked—Gilgamesh had reappeared on the throne, resting his chin on one hand, his crimson eyes watching the scene below with amusement.
"Just watch."
Gilgamesh said.
Siduri fell silent, and looked.
Below, Rovi faced the goddess's strike head-on.
He closed his eyes, unmoving.
——BOOM!
The explosion shook the palace; dust billowed, pillars trembled.
The goddess's voice thundered out: "…For defying a god, you shall suffer divine punishment!"
The shockwave rushed in, air shrieking, making Rovi's scalp tingle, his whole body trembling from the force.
A death in a single instant—painless. Perfect.
Rovi smiled even brighter.
And then, just as he waited for oblivion, a strange sound echoed in his ears.
Click.
Like a key falling into a lock, turning, gears within gears clicking open.
What was that sound?
It lasted only a moment, but Rovi was startled, and then—he saw something appear before him.
A golden ripple, blooming from nothing.
What is this?
This is…
"The treasury of treasures I've gathered from all the world—the crystallization of my wisdom and might, the Vault of Babylon! Even though it still lacks the supreme treasure to serve as its keystone, and isn't yet fully complete, it is still a hoard that only I can command!"
From the throne, Gilgamesh's crimson eyes glittered, his fingers tapping the armrest. "A mongrel so wretched he's become a thing of nightmares, but one who stands fearless in defiance of the rotten gods—his spirit is worthy of my recognition."
"You see—even my Vault has acknowledged him, opening its gates and offering its treasures for his use!"
Siduri watched Gilgamesh, half amused.
As if it wasn't your own decision to give him a treasure…
She turned to look at Rovi again.
He was close enough to hear the king's words, too.
The Vault of Babylon?
Is this THE Vault of Babylon?
He stared in shock at the golden ripple before him. It really did look just like the [Gate of Babylon] from his memories of Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm.
Wait.
Didn't this mean—he couldn't die after all?
No way.
Don't—
It should have been a triumphant moment, but Rovi was struck by horror. It was too late.
Venus's power crashed down.
From the golden ripples of the [Gate of Babylon], countless treasures flew out at once.
The resulting explosion formed an invisible barrier at the center.
Dust swirled madly.
But though the air churned, Rovi remained untouched, standing behind the shield, expressionless.
How am I still alive?