Chapter 740: The Woman Who Walked Out of the Dead City
At the same time Gilgamesh and Sakatsuki set off toward the south, a donkey cart was heading straight north.
Under the protection of a magical barrier that concealed their presence, the young man driving the cart safely traversed mountains and rivers. As he crossed the final ridge, he gazed up at the clear blue sky and lazy white clouds, squinting comfortably in the sunlight.
Though he had long grown accustomed to noisy days, a solitary journey like this wasn't so bad either...
The roadside was adorned with the natural scenery of the Age of Gods. The sky resembled a beautiful gemstone, wisps of smoke rose in the distance, and nameless birds soared and descended. Accompanied by the rhythmic huffing of the little donkey, time seemed to slow and stretch, as if reaching toward a distant, peaceful horizon.
Even if countless dangers and challenges lay ahead, they were not here, not now.
For the moment, all he needed to do was savor the scenery before him.
"Still..." he murmured, but when he opened his eyes, the sight that greeted him beyond the mountains left Fujimaru utterly stunned.
"This is... brutal."
The plains, which should have been lush with fresh pasture, were now riddled with craters.
It looked like a battlefield ravaged by artillery fire—even the frontlines against the demonic beasts in Uruk had never been this devastated.
"It's as if demons trampled through here," the command room observed the scene as well. The doctor rubbed his eyes, baffled. "Even if a god personally intervened, it would take considerable effort to cause destruction on this scale. Who would even bother doing something so pointless?"
"Well, we can just ask," Fujimaru said, scanning the surroundings until he spotted a few figures.
They were the ranchers listed in Uruk's registry, the ones who lived in this area.
After helping the ranchers rescue their sheep from the craters, Fujimaru finally learned the full story.
"The pastures were ruined like this because of a natural disaster."
"A natural disaster? A storm? Or lightning?"
The rancher shook his head. "It was Goddess Ishtar. She's been especially reckless this year. Along with the demonic beasts, she just went 'Boom! Wham!'—and now the land's full of holes."
"Not just that," another rancher added, puffing on his pipe. "She also took all the gems from my house, saying something like, 'I'll spare you this time'... At least no one was hurt."
"She might as well be a bandit!" one of the ranchers fumed. "She's supposed to be a goddess!"
Rin's true nature is showing, Goddess Ishtar...
Fujimaru's lips twitched. After the incident at the palace, he had learned a thing or two about the true nature of this Ishtar from the ever-resourceful Sakatsuki.
Bidding farewell to the ranchers, he resumed his journey. Along the way, Fujimaru and the doctor discussed the matter of the Queen of Heaven.
"Based on the original myths, she shouldn't be the type to do something like this, right? But according to Sakatsuki's explanation, the current Goddess Ishtar isn't in her complete state."
"Right. When the demonic beasts appeared in the north, the priestesses of Uruk, acting behind the king's back, used a human girl to conduct a divine summoning ritual for Ishtar. In Chaldea's terms, it's what we'd call a Pseudo-Servant."
"The maiden's self and the goddess's self merged together, forming an entirely new personality. Because of this, Goddess Ishtar did not inherit the golden hair characteristic of the Mesopotamian gods, but instead took on the hair color of the 'base' maiden—black hair."
Fujimaru recalled Sakatsuki's words, his eyes flickering. "But... black hair, huh..."
"Ah, but thanks to her, you're still alive, Fujimaru," the doctor chuckled. "If Ishtar had been like her mythological self, we'd probably have been killed at least twice by now."
"Y-yeah, that's true."
First being used as a landing cushion, then the robed figure preparing to unleash a major attack in the palace... If Ishtar had truly intended harm, this journey would have ended abruptly long ago.
"Speaking of which, I have another theory about this," the omnipotent genius Da Vinci suddenly chimed in, leaning against the doctor's chair as she spoke enthusiastically into the microphone. "Fujimaru, haven't you noticed that Ishtar looks remarkably like you?"
"Perhaps because of this resemblance, Goddess Ishtar might have unconsciously spared you."
"Eh?!"
"Now that you mention it..." The doctor paused, then quickly caught on. "Oh! Now that I think about it, you two look almost identical! Could it be that Fujimaru's ancestors carried the bloodline of Goddess Ishtar..."
"Doctor! Romani Doctor!" Fujimaru hastily cut off his wild speculation. "I was born in the far eastern islands! This is just a coincidence, pure coincidence!"
"Is that so? Well, I suppose you're right. Maybe I'm overthinking it."
Having finally calmed the doctor down, Fujimaru let out a sigh of relief—only to forget there was still a troublemaker who loved stirring the pot.
"I never said it was because of Ishtar," Da Vinci whispered mysteriously. "Maybe you're descended from the maiden Ishtar possessed."
"Da Vinci!"
"Ahaha, just kidding, just kidding! Don't take it to heart, little Fujimaru... Unless it's true?"
"...You swindler." Fujimaru smiled. "No QP or Magic Prisms for you this month."
"Nani? Yamero!"
As the donkey cart moved forward, the playful banter gradually faded amidst the encroaching silence.
The two small donkeys pulling the cart snorted uneasily, their animal instincts sensing the approaching danger.
It was as if they were slowly leaving the human world, descending into the abyss of the underworld.
"This is... the city of Kutha."
The lighthearted mood of the journey vanished. Fujimaru gripped his Class Card, warily eyeing the increasingly clear outline of the city. "Just as the intel described... there's no sign of life at all."
"Not just people—there's no reaction from demonic beasts either, nor any traces of external invasion," the two in the command room dropped their joking tone, analyzing the city seriously. "The demonic beasts seem to be afraid of this place. We don't know why."
"Eeeeee—" Suddenly, the donkeys let out terrified cries, their legs trembling. No matter how Fujimaru urged them, they refused to take another step forward.
"Even you dare not approach now..." Fujimaru soothed the trembling donkey and dismounted. "Alright, seems we'll have to proceed on foot."
"Be careful, Fujimaru," the doctor said gravely. "This place holds only terrifying silence and what could be called serene death—this is no ordinary phenomenon."
"Well, we are here for the Tablet of Destinies after all," Fujimaru chuckled, unfazed. "A place hiding such treasure could never be ordinary. Even if the entire city is devoid of life, it's only to be expec—ted..."
"Hm? Watch out, Fujimaru!" The doctor's voice suddenly rose an octave. "A lifeform has appeared ahead—someone is walking out of this dead city!"
"I see them, Doctor."
Tensing his body and lowering his stance, Fujimaru's sharp gaze fixed on the figure emerging slowly from the hazy mist.
"Still no connection here... Never mind."
The silhouette gradually cleared as the mist scattered like fleeing shadows, revealing the woman's tall and striking figure. Her violet hair cascaded like countless unfurling serpents, veiling her cold yet enchanting face before draping to the ground like an elegant gown. The form-fitting black-and-gold armored dress accentuated her proud bust, yet the vast expanses of exposed pale skin were enough to set one's heart ablaze with suffocating heat.
Black silk intertwined with monstrous scales, leaving her long, toned legs almost entirely bare, brazenly displaying a majesty both dignified and aggressively alluring.
But what truly ensnared the soul were her eyes.
Deeper red than the sweetest wine, colder than the deadliest viper... yet hotter than the most venomous flames.
As if they could melt a person whole.
An unimaginable presence, an unimaginable gaze.
A woman embodying so many anomalies could never be a nobody.
Thus, gripping his Class Card tightly, Fujimaru spoke in a low voice:
"Who... are you?"