"So, did I lose after all?"
Fighting from afternoon until night, from Ishtar to Ereshkigal-chan, Guinevere had actually lost more than once. In unarmed combat, she was indeed no match for Quetzalcoatl. The Chief God of the Aztecs certainly lived up to her reputation.
"How amusing. Watching you lose like a beaten dog."
After all, Ritsuka was only allowed to spank Ereshkigal-chan's butt because Guinevere had consented and even suggested it. Otherwise, Ereshkigal-chan would never have looked at her with such gloating eyes, nor would she have dared to mock her so openly.
"But you must have enjoyed this, right? I never imagined you'd be laughing like this after getting an arm broken and several ribs cracked."
"Of course I'm laughing. After we continue with the weapon fight later, haven't I also stabbed her in the belly several times?"
A best-of-three match. No matter how many times Guinevere and Quetzalcoatl each won in unarmed and weapon combat this entire afternoon, it could only be considered a tie at one win each.
And truthfully, after Guinevere secured the victory in the weapon match, proposed a best-of-three, and decided that the content of the third match would be chosen by her, she no longer cared who won the final round.
At the same time, Quetzalcoatl being so generous also proved her profound love for humanity.
"Hahaha, Ereshkigal-chan, I've had a blast! I also accept her choosing the third match as a competition to see who can take Goddess Tiamat's head first."
Outside the temple, in the leveled forest, Guinevere, Quetzalcoatl, the nighttime-transformed Ereshkigal-chan, and the foolish Jaguar Man all gathered around a campfire. On the fire, some ordinary forest beasts were roasting.
In the territory of the Feathered Serpent God Quetzalcoatl, Magical Beasts from Gorgon, Goddess of Magical Beasts, were extremely rare.
"Is that okay? Competing over this means the Covenant of the Three Goddesses..."
"Of course there's no problem. Agreeing to your competition doesn't mean I will betray the covenant; it just means I'm placing the importance of annihilating Uruk after the completion of the match."
"Exactly, exactly! I've been annoyed by that winged snake for a long time now."
Guinevere knew that whether it was Ishtar and Ereshkigal-chan sharing Rin's body, or Jaguar Man using Taiga Fujimura's body, this should have been the author's way of exploiting the popularity of established characters in the original work.
But when she saw that familiar face before her again, she couldn't help but think of the woman named Taiga Fujimura in Fuyuki City.
She was the daughter of a yakuza boss, the homeroom teacher of the elementary school Illya attended, and was also on very good terms with Kiritsugu and Irisviel, the couple who lived in Fuyuki.
When Guinevere occasionally went to Fuyuki to see Illya, she even encountered Taiga Fujimura on a home visit.
"Sorry, I just sent you flying with a single sword strike."
"It's fine. After all, you're just stronger than me, not to mention you could fight Big Sister Quetzalcoatl for so long, and you can roast such good meat; it's just a pity you won't roast people for me to eat."
"Jaguar Man!"
"I was wrong, Big Sister Quetzalcoatl, I'll never eat people again!"
Jaguar Man was a savage God, and devouring people was common in her domain and myths, but just because something is acceptable doesn't mean it's acceptable now. This was merely because of her appearance and the fact that she was already considered part of our camp, otherwise Guinevere would have pointed her sword at her.
Eating meat, silence, until Guinevere turned to Ereshkigal-chan again, asking about the chat that Ritsuka, Mash, and she had in the Underworld this afternoon.
"So how was it? Did Ritsuka try to woo you?"
"Are you talking about that orange-haired demon who kept snuggling into my arms? You bastard, when are you going to take her away? I already agreed to help you guard Uruk!"
It wasn't that Ritsuka would gradually shut down, but that she would immediately jump up and down talking about Ritsuka, no one knew what Ritsuka did to her.
But the fact that Ereshkigal-chan could yield was a good thing, this way, the Three Goddess Alliance only had the Gorgon, who had died many times, left to solve.
Meanwhile, on the Absolute Demonic Front, on the high city walls, only Merlin and Anna were enjoying the moon at the highest point.
"The moon is truly beautiful."
"Is Merlin confessing to me?"
"No, it's just the literal meaning."
The Mage of Flowers was as handsome as ever, the figure beneath the hood looking like a dream. After this sentence, the two fell into a temporary silence. Merlin's gaze shifted from the bright moon in the sky, and the still-conspicuous Incineration of Humanity, to the barracks inside the city walls.
The lights were like stars, and the sound of snoring rose and fell. But for Merlin, the most beautiful thing at this moment was the countless dreams drifting away from the people.
As a half-human, half-incubus, Merlin truly lived on dreams. The mana he consumed was also well replenished by the dreams of the people.
Moreover, not only that, every dream was different. Each time he devoured a dream, he experienced a life. This also brought satisfaction to him, who lived confined in the Tower, taking pleasure in observing the human world.
"Anna-chan, even if it's just to repay them for the favor of a single meal, I must do my utmost to make sure they survive."
"But what have you actually done?"
"For example, I'm acting as your psychiatrist here, asking if you're prepared to merge with Gorgon and defeat her on a mental level."
Gorgon bore Tiamat's name, and as long as she did not give up in her heart, she could Return almost infinitely.
Thus, even if Anna used the Harpe, the Immortal-Slaying Blade, to cut off her head, she would still be able to recover.
The threat Anna posed to Gorgon lay in the fact that they were originally one and the same; they could merge completely, fighting a battle on the conscious level that could truly kill the opponent.
"Given Gorgon's self-loathing, and your young form born from your own longing, she will surely be utterly defeated by you. And before you merge with her, we will do our utmost to kill her a few more times. Anna, so my question remains: are you ready? Because even if you win, until you return to the Throne of Heroes, you will only be able to exist in Gorgon's form."
"Is that the mature me? And normally speaking, is there ever a way to regain youth in this world?"
Gorgon's form was the Gorgon-haired form Anna hated most after devouring her two older sisters. Even from the perspective of transforming into this form, Anna had to be fully prepared.
But just then, Merlin pulled something out and continued:
"Sorry, time will not allow you to continue preparing. This is the Rejuvenation Medicine that the King of Heroes immediately asked me to retrieve after his resurrection. He decided to remove any worries you might have on a physical level. Of course, from a combat power perspective, neither he nor I want you to take this medicine."
Under the moonlight, the glass bottle that should not have existed in this era gleamed brilliantly, but its glow was not even one ten-thousandth as bright as the liquid within.
Merlin said this was the Rejuvenation Medicine obtained from the King of Heroes, and Anna believed it immediately, simply because the King of Heroes indeed possessed such a thing.
Standing up, she tightened the hood of her cloak and gazed again toward Uruk, where the flower shop old woman she worked for, Mash and Ritsuka who had not yet returned, and also Guinevere, who treated her well but whose gaze had grown even stranger.
"Merlin, I understand. I will go and die, so you just bless me to win."
"Anna-chan, in Merlin's name, I promise you, I have already seen the sight of your victorious return."