Ishtar, a pillar of Mesopotamian mythology.
In the ancient religions of Babylon and Assyria, she symbolized the planet Venus and was also the goddess of love, fertility, and war.
Legend says she was the goddess most doted upon—no, most spoiled—by the gods.
From a mythological standpoint, this is quite easy to understand.
The name Ishtar (Inanna) can be broken down into nin (lady) - an (sky, heaven, or the god Anu) - na (of).
The name Inanna is actually the feminine form of Anu, the god of the heavens and one of the Sumerian creator triad.
If this were the world of Campione!, one might genuinely encounter a scenario where Inanna transforms into Anu, the King of the Gods.
Fortunately, however, the divinities of the Type-Moon world are more straightforward.
Thus, Ishtar is Ishtar, and King Anu is King Anu.
Even if a certain useless goddess were to shout "I can't do anything!" a hundred times to the heavens, she could not transform into the King of the Gods.
Correct password, wrong account.jpg.
Still, not being able to transform into the King of the Gods wasn't the end of the world. Miss Ishtar herself was not weak. She had her father, Anu, watching her back from above, and the Bull of Heaven as her lackey below. Her life was more than just comfortable.
But good times don't last forever.
The Age of Gods began to recede.
The gods subsequently withdrew to a realm known as the Reverse Side of the World, going into seclusion. Ishtar was no exception.
But—
She was summoned back to the mortal world.
And, most unfortunately, she had managed to lose her lackey—the Bull of Heaven.
"Aaaaaaaaargh—!!!"
The goddess, summoned back to the mortal realm by her own priest, let out a cry of impotent rage.
Her father was gone, her pet was gone, the land was swarming with bizarre demonic beasts, and her own city of Uruk had been remodeled into a fortress city...
"What is all this?!"
The goddess, unable to adapt to the current version of the era, continued her powerless fury.
Her delicate face, identical to a certain poor young lady's, lost all its grace due to her exaggerated expressions, resembling Aqua.
However, simply complaining would do nothing to improve her situation. It was time to help the people of Uruk drive out the demonic beasts, collect her payment, and replenish the divine treasury.
Perhaps due to the influence of her vessel, the goddess, who seemed a bit overly concerned with wealth, muttered to herself.
"I'm really starting from scratch here."
"But, no matter. As long as I show off a little of this goddess's power and charm, the people of Uruk will tearfully offer up their treasures."
A thought completely devoid of any self-awareness rose in the mind of the Goddess of Venus.
Alright, time to get to work.
But hunting demonic beasts and then collecting (robbing) gems from the residents of Uruk sounds like a lot of work.
If only I could just stumble upon something valuable...
The useless goddess was daydreaming.
And then—
A streak of light flashed across the sky, heading towards the ruined city of Babylon.
It carried the aura of a certain golden, sparkly individual.
Wait a minute... it has the aura of that Gilgamesh guy!
Ishtar's vibrant red pupils widened in an instant.
Gilgamesh, the oldest bully in human history, possessed a myth of collecting all the world's treasures, which had been made manifest. He was the wealthiest man in history.
Recalling the brilliance she had seen when she accidentally glimpsed that golden bastard's treasury, Ishtar couldn't help but swallow.
That guy doesn't have a single worthless thing in his possession, does he?
And that streak of light that just flew by carried his aura...
It must be worth a fortune.
Ishtar thought as she watched the light flash towards the old capital of Babylon.
Well, if that sparkly guy can't take care of his own treasures and even loses them, then I should just help him by picking it up.
With this thought, the good-for-nothing goddess cheerfully summoned her Noble Phantasm—the Boat of Heaven, Maanna—and chased after the streak of light.
---o---
---o---
The Mesopotamian Plain.
An ancient city, shrouded in a hazy desolation and overgrown with weeds.
A young man, his eyes seemingly carrying the brilliance of the sun, stood atop the ruined city walls. His brow was furrowed, his gaze fixed on the distance as if lost in deep thought.
Following his line of sight, one would see a meticulously planned city. The roads were wide and flat, sufficient for later generations' vehicles to drive side-by-side. Greenery lined the roads as ornamental plants, and various shops flanked the streets.
If not for the primitive building materials, one might even believe it to be a modern metropolis. The urban planning was just that ridiculously rational.
But—
Such a city was completely devoid of people.
The young man, as radiant as the sun, gazed upon the empty city, his eyes indifferent.
A noble child of the gods, a desolate city, beasts roaming freely...
Where had the people gone?
Why were demonic beasts running rampant?
Why did the gods on high simply watch?
...
If such a scene were to be recorded and passed down through the ages, it would surely stir the souls of many artists and inspire numerous works.
After all, the scene was one that easily provoked deep thought and imagination.
And then—
The image, so full of artistic conception, was shattered.
"What the hell? The system's teleportation actually didn't screw up."
The man, who had been airdropped but found himself unharmed, leaped down from the city wall, muttering to himself.
"Hey, hey! What's that supposed to mean?" the System yelled.
Perhaps because its apology function had been enhanced during an upgrade, its ability to teleport its system interface was much more stable than its ability to teleport people. The host had just requested that it make the teleportation more stable and not cause motion sickness, so it had quickly combined the two functions and performed an upgrade.
And the result...
The very first thing this guy shouts after a smooth landing is "What the hell? The system's teleportation actually didn't screw up"?!
"You have no goddamn clue why I'd shout that, do you?"
The young man, who had been so worried about the system failing that he had placed Bronya and Kiana in a spatial pouch perpetually linked to his own phase before departure, sighed deeply.
"Alright, let's not talk about this."
Feeling that this teleportation was surprisingly reliable, the young man stretched happily, then reached a hand towards the shadow at his feet.
And then—
The girls named Bronya and Kiana emerged from it.
Clearly having never seen another world, the girls looked left and right, taking in the surrounding scenery.
"Boss, where are we?" the girl named Bronya asked, looking up at her lover.
"Absolute Traitor Front: Babylonia."