Chapter 265: Rune Pillar
"The temple..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the rainforest in front of her and sighed.
"As a South American goddess, to have such overwhelming strength in this land, Quetzalcoatl must have built her own temple."
Da Vinci-chan spoke up. "In fact, a few days ago when you went to Ur to investigate, we detected a massive magical energy reaction to the south of Ur."
"That should be Eridu, the place King Gilgamesh mentioned. The temple must be located there."
"Furthermore, for a temple to function, there must be an object that serves as its symbol," the Doctor continued. "As long as we destroy that symbol and stop the temple's operation, we can reduce Quetzalcoatl's Divine Power."
"It's hard to say how much of a difference it will make, but at least it will give us a better chance of winning against a Chief God. Sigh, we can only gamble on it."
Otherwise, if they just stayed in Uruk, there would be even less hope.
Merlin said as he walked, "Besides, the Axe of Marduk is also in Eridu. If things go smoothly, we can accomplish two tasks at once."
Right at this moment, Mash suddenly stopped.
"Hm? What's wrong, Mash?" Fujimaru Ritsuka looked back in confusion.
"Senpai, will this operation plan really go smoothly?" Hesitation filled Mash's eyes. "That smiling face of Quetzalcoatl... it keeps lingering in my mind."
"Even though she has already killed people... she could still smile so passionately. Can we really communicate properly with a deity of that nature?"
"No, there is indeed a possibility of avoiding a fight," Merlin spoke up upon hearing this. "She said it herself, 'Because I was summoned by Mother, I must destroy humanity.' In other words, turning against humanity wasn't her own idea."
"And since she is referred to as Mother, it can only mean the Mother of Demonic Beasts, Tiamat."
"Tiamat..." Mash bit her lip upon hearing this, and then continued to keep up with the group.
Even though her heart was filled with such... dread, she did not want to hold everyone back.
By nighttime, when everyone had set up camp to rest in the rainforest, Fujimaru Ritsuka was still organizing the information.
"Yo, why are you the one keeping watch again?" Xia Yu walked out from behind her, pressing a can of Chilled Coke against her cheek. "Want something to freshen up?"
"Mhm... Big Sister Kiana?" Fujimaru Ritsuka snapped her head up. Relieved to find it was a familiar face, she took the coke, pulled the tab, and took a deep gulp.
"What, you aren't surprised to see me?" Xia Yu sat down beside her with a grin.
"Of course I'm surprised," Fujimaru Ritsuka looked up at the blossom-like smiling face. "I thought you would just keep watching from the sidelines like before, Big Sister Kiana."
"Watching from the sidelines? No, just watching is way too boring," Xia Yu turned her gaze toward the campfire in front of them. "I'm here to give you a piece of information. After all, we can be considered friends, right?"
Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka teased, "So you're not going to say we're just friends of a friend anymore?"
"It's not like I absolutely had to keep it a secret from you guys," Xia Yu said indifferently. "If your eyesight is bad, you should go see an eye doctor yourself."
"Seriously, Big Sister Kiana—no, is that really your name?" Fujimaru Ritsuka held the coke can with both hands and said in a muffled voice, "Or is it Firefly? Or Furina?"
"At least for now, I am Kiana," Xia Yu pulled her by the shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
"We can be considered friends by now, right?" Fujimaru Ritsuka leaned onto her shoulder, rubbing her face hard against Xia Yu's, and grumbled resentfully, "How can someone not even know their friend's name?"
"Acting spoiled won't work," Xia Yu lifted her orange hair, gently twirling it in her hand. "But seeing how pitiful you look, mhm, let's make a deal then."
"When you can truly see Chaldea for what it is, I'll tell you my name. How about it?"
"Chaldea?" Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka narrowed her eyes. "Are you implying there's something wrong with Chaldea, sister?"
"Do not doubt those who fight alongside you," Xia Yu said softly. "They are all heroes."
'So... there is something wrong with Chaldea, but the people here right now are fine, right?'
'Fighting alongside me... then who else in Chaldea hasn't fought alongside me?'
Fujimaru Ritsuka instantly thought of those frozen pods, the people who had been affected by that explosion...
"Oh, right, I said I was going to give you some advice," Xia Yu cleared her throat up to this point and then spoke up. "It's about Quetzalcoatl."
"Please go ahead!" Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka was instantly no longer sleepy. That was a Chief God; no one could take it easy when facing such an opponent.
"That fellow is a good deity, the very pinnacle of goodness," Xia Yu rubbed her head, speaking with great satisfaction. "In other words, kind things are no match for her."
"The only thing that can effectively cause damage is malignancy, so you won't be able to rely on Ishtar."
Xia Yu burst out laughing and said, "Don't look at how willful that girl is, her alignment is actually Lawful Good."
"Then what about you, Big Sister Kiana?" Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately looked up at Kiana with a face full of anticipation.
"Don't look at me. Why do you think I came to give you information?" Xia Yu curled her lip and said, "It's because that fellow is too troublesome, so I'm pushing you out to be my shield."
"So don't count on me to step up. I have a very important task to do right now!"
"So is Big Sister Kiana planning to beat us all up again?" Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka felt utterly hopeless. "Sister, my dear sister!"
She grabbed Xia Yu's shoulder. "It's just the two of us right now, can I secretly surrender? Just count me in on your grand plan!"
"As long as you take me along, I'll definitely follow your orders when the time comes!"
"No!" Xia Yu poked her forehead with a finger to push her away, stating righteously, "Setbacks lead to growth! Don't take your blessings for granted!"
"I'd rather not have this kind of blessing," Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a completely speechless face. "I still prefer relying on a powerhouse!"
"Prefer relying on a powerhouse?" Hearing this, Xia Yu raised an eyebrow, then grabbed her by the back of the collar and pressed her down onto her lap. "Fine, I'll grant you a special privilege tonight to sleep while hugging my leg, okay?"
Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka looked up at Xia Yu resentfully, but the latter remained completely unmoved.
Thus, she could only obediently hug the leg tightly and close her eyes.
It had to be said, sleeping next to a powerhouse really brought a sound sleep.
It wasn't until Mash came to wake her up the next morning that she rubbed her eyes and woke up.
But Big Sister Kiana had already disappeared without a trace.
After the group packed up, they began setting out on the road.
"I'm still thinking about yesterday's topic," Merlin said, pinching his chin.
"Topic? What topic?" Ishtar leaned over inquisitively.
"It's about the mother of the goddesses," Mash spoke up. "Quetzalcoatl mentioned that it was Mother who called them over. We just don't know whether this mother refers to Gorgon, who possesses Tiamat's Authority, or the actual Tiamat."
"Miss Ishtar must know, right?"
"Huh?" Hearing this, Ishtar put her hands behind her back and turned her head to say, "I don't know anything about the Three Goddess Alliance."
"Huh?" Hearing this, Mash was instantly stunned.
Meanwhile, Merlin glanced at Ishtar before speaking up. "In any case, Quetzalcoatl is still a Chief God of South America. Even if Gorgon was strengthened by the Holy Grail, she wouldn't submit without a reason."
"So..."
Before he could finish speaking, an orange figure leaped out from the jungle.
"Ha! The great Jaguar Man warrior is here!" Jaguar Man held that comical long spear. "Come, this battle of light and darkness spanning a thousand years shall end here..."
Before she could finish her chunibyo speech, Ishtar hit her on the head with a light bullet.
How should one put it—as expected of a goddess, her forehead was only slightly red after taking a light bullet, though it also had to do with Ishtar not being serious.
"What? Is this all you've got?" Although she said this, anyone could see she was forcing herself to look tough.
"It doesn't hurt... it doesn't hurt at all..."
"Um, are you really okay?" Fujimaru Ritsuka looked over worriedly.
"She should be fine," Ishtar recalled the amount of strength she used. She was a goddess after all, so she wouldn't be beaten to death just like that, right?
"Hey, you!" Hearing this, Jaguar Man pointed at Ishtar and said, "Servants will die if they are killed too! As a fellow rogue Servant, you should be able to understand my feelings, meow!"
"A rogue Servant?" Hearing this, Mash said in surprise, "I thought you were one of Quetzalcoatl's subordinates!"
"Kuku and I are just an unfortunate twist of fate," Jaguar Man sighed. "Since I don't have a Master, I'm just skimming some benefits from Kuku for the time being, meow."
"I see," Merlin nodded upon hearing this, then turned around to give Fujimaru Ritsuka a look.
The latter understood and took a large stride forward.
"Hey, don't think I can't see you exchanging glances just because you aren't speaking!" Seeing this, Jaguar Man said dissatisfiedly, "I'm not blind!"
"Jaguar Man!" Fujimaru Ritsuka reached out a hand toward her. "Don't you want to resist Quetzalcoatl?"
"She uses you as cheap labor all day, doesn't she? Look at how your fur, which used to be as sleek and shiny as a demonic boar, is now covered in dust. Those round, large eyes, like a gazer's, are now completely filled with exhaustion!"
"She has ravaged the beautiful you to this extent, do you really not feel a single bit of resentment?"
The Jaguar Man in front of her was left completely dazed.
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Ishtar asked Mash softly upon seeing this.
"Emmm..." Mash also replied in a low voice, "Perhaps for Jaguar Man, it counts..."
Clearly, it counted.
"Meow-oooh!!!" After a loud shout, Jaguar Man stood by Fujimaru Ritsuka's side.
"I'm joining you guys!"
"Leave defeating Quetzalcoatl to Big Sister!"
To the side, Ana had a look of complete disdain on her face. "This is the worst move Fujimaru has made. If it weren't for Merlin... hmph."
Ever since being frustrated by Jaguar Man during the trip to Ur, Ana had been brooding over it.
"Hello everyone, I am Jaguar Man!" Jaguar Man stood beside Fujimaru Ritsuka, full of energy as she introduced herself, "Please take care of me from now on, meow!"
"Please to meet you, Miss Jaguar Man," Mash walked between the two with a face full of smiles, extending her hand as she looked at Jaguar Man. "I am the Master's formal Servant, Mash Kyrielight."
"Uh, for some reason," Jaguar Man scratched her head upon seeing this, "I feel like you're a terrifying child."
Then she reached out to shake her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Mash."
Then she turned her head to look at Ana in the back. "And this loli who feels like I've seen her somewhere before."
Hearing this, Ana's small mouth kept opening and closing silently, presumably greeting her using the high-speed divine words technique unique to the Age of Gods.
"We've recruited another noisy fellow..." Ishtar sighed.
"After all, this rainforest is essentially her backyard," Merlin said with a smile. "With Jaguar Man's help, we will definitely reach Eridu faster."
"Mhm, leave it to me!" Jaguar Man patted her chest. "It's this way!"
While the Chaldea group was heading toward Quetzalcoatl's temple, Xia Yu silently arrived outside the Northern Wall of Uruk.
"The plan is almost fully set up." Xia Yu pulled out a dozen rune pillars. Carrying them, she floated up into the air and flew toward Gorgon's stronghold, the temple of demonic beasts.
She flew silently over the temple, then used the Authority of the Herrscher of the Void to bury these rune pillars one by one into the surrounding space.
"Phew, this ritual Arts is way too complex." She wiped the sweat from her forehead. It wasn't because she lacked strength; if it was power, she wasn't lacking any at all.
It was about combining that knowledge with power while also making sure it conformed to the local environment, meaning the rules of the Nasuverse... so it was highly complex.
Precisely because it was incredibly complex, she had been slacking off in Uruk until now. After all, how much time did it take to provide Ishtar with three meals a day? The ingredients could all be bought in Uruk.
Basically, the rest of her time was entirely spent on these rune pillars!
Now, success or failure hinged on this single move. To avoid being disturbed, Xia Yu had specially chosen a time when Kingu wasn't around to come over, using the Authority of the Herrscher of the Void to hide herself from being discovered.
It didn't matter if she was discovered, but the main issue was that these rune pillars were truly fragile, and she had only made two sets in total...
If someone actually broke one, she would be driven to anger.
Therefore, to be safe, she had even straight up ordered the Bull of Heaven to trample on Kingu over by the Persian Gulf, striving to delay his footsteps.
What? You're asking about Gorgon?
Hah, that fellow's brain had been completely burned out by the word 'revenge'. As long as she concealed her tracks well, there was no need to fear that Gorgon would suddenly step out and see her sneakily burying things next to her house.
There was no helping it. Defeating them was easy, but if she wanted to seize something from them, she had to use some ingenuity.
As the rune pillars were buried into the void one by one, Xia Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Alright, the stage has now been set, and we're just waiting for the actors to come on stage.
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