Chapter 744 Kingu: Without Me, This Family Would Fall Apart
In the end, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
The beautiful woman, her purple hair tied into a high ponytail, drove a donkey cart leisurely across the starry sky and the desolate wilderness.
The warm glow of a magical circle illuminated the carriage, casting the woman's alluring figure inside, outlining breathtaking curves.
A silent night, a weakened goddess, an empty wilderness—just imagining these three elements was enough to make one's mouth dry.
But the slumbering boy was destined to miss out on such a sight—or perhaps he should be grateful to have narrowly escaped disaster.
Even the weakest deity could effortlessly kill countless mortals with a mere gesture.
Let alone an avenger who had personally unleashed the calamity of demonic beasts.
Crack!
The whip struck the donkey harshly, eliciting a pained cry from the small beast. Driven by fear, it was forced forward roughly.
Gorgon, now once again 'Miss Gogh,' furrowed her brows in agitation. She glanced at Fujimaru, who lay unconscious in the carriage, then averted her gaze, muttering to herself:
"Unbelievable… I actually became a mere cart driver for the sake of a single human…"
Who was she?
She was the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, Gorgon! The leader of the Three Goddess Alliance, the destroyer who commanded all demonic beasts across the land of Mesopotamia!
And yet, here she was—not only humiliated by those two monsters but even forced to drive a cart for the humans she despised most…
What was even more laughable was that their destination for this escape was none other than the Absolute Demonic Front: Uruk! A city of battle where humans slaughtered demonic beasts and ran rampant!
How was this any different from delivering herself to the enemy?
The mere thought of it made Gorgon feel unbearably uncomfortable. She wanted nothing more than to leap out of the carriage and hide in some forgotten corner.
But she couldn't run. She had nowhere to go. Those two Lahmu only held back out of fear of Fujimaru's power. The moment they discovered she was alone, they would chase her down relentlessly and slaughter her without mercy.
This wasn't how things were supposed to be.
She was supposed to be the avenger, commanding her demonic beasts to destroy Uruk.
So why… why had it come to this?
Crunch.
The finely crafted cedar whip shattered in her grip, reduced to dust that scattered into the wind. Yet, without the whip's urging, the donkeys didn't slow down—instead, they snorted and ran even harder.
The wrath of the Goddess of Demonic Beasts enveloped the land for miles, sending nearby beasts fleeing in terror.
It took a long while before Gorgon's fury subsided slightly. She glanced once more at Fujimaru inside the carriage and let out a weary sigh.
"…Fine. What's done is done."
There was no other choice but to hide in Uruk under a false name.
Yet, as she resigned herself to reality, she couldn't help but think of a certain 'child.'
"I swear to love you as I love the goddess Tiamat. I promise to protect you forever, even if it means facing my own brethren… This is my vow. As a new human, I will not be as hypocritical and deceitful as those outdated relics."
"The plan to eliminate you was devised by none other than Kingu!"
"Which one is the real you, Kingu…?" Closing her eyes, Miss Gogh exhaled in exhaustion.
"Am I truly your beloved mother… or just a plaything for your amusement?"
The desolate and sorrowful voice scattered across the wilderness under the starry sky, carried by the evening breeze to its intended destination.
In the cold chamber, the green-haired figure in white robes sat with closed eyes, a slight frown between his brows.
Countless stone tablets lay spread across the stone table, their inscriptions crude and ungrammatical. Yet Kingu knew this was the best those thick-skinned demonic beasts could manage.
"Uruk's defenses have suddenly tightened. A mysterious woman appeared on the southern walls, capable of pacifying and repelling demonic beasts... What kind of ability is this? Has Uruk summoned another new Servant?"
"A donkey cart left Uruk. Our scouting beasts were shot dead. We can only determine they're heading toward the Persian Gulf..."
"The number of demonic beasts is rapidly decreasing... Where has Mother gone?"
Whether the war was going smoothly or reaching a stalemate, a commander always faced endless documents and countless problems. This wasn't unique to Uruk—the demonic beast faction faced the same.
Were it not for his clay doll constitution differing from humans, Kingu felt he'd eventually overwork himself to death like Gilgamesh.
But dragging the war to this point had already exhausted Kingu mentally and physically.
With Fujimaru joining Uruk's side, despite continuous personnel losses, not a single mission had failed. Kingu was certain that bastard on the throne was scheming something unsettling.
But what about their own side?
The Three Goddess Alliance was united in name only. The two brothers stirred up endless trouble. The only demonic beast with decent intelligence—the Scorpion Sage—had long been slain by Tomoe Gozen and Sakatsuki working together.
Their forces appeared overwhelmingly fierce, yet were like rootless water, at risk of collapse at any moment.
Only their overwhelming advantage in high-tier combatants kept them dominant in this war.
The problem was, even their elite forces weren't united.
"I can only hope Baal Lahmu and the others stop causing me more trouble..." Rubbing his temples in frustration, Kingu was interrupted by hurried footsteps outside.
BANG!
The visitor had tried to restrain their strength, yet the doors were instantly sent flying. A humanoid demonic beast stared dumbfounded at the stone door now embedded in the wall.
"It's you..." Kingu opened his eyes to see his intelligence officer and couldn't be bothered to scold him for destroying the door. "What is it?"
"Sir," the beast's voice boomed, "the Sun Goddess and Underworld Goddess request communication."
"Understood. Close the door on your way out."
With another crash, the door was forcibly wedged back into the wall. In the sealed chamber, suppressing his ominous premonition, Kingu activated the communication spell. Two spectral figures immediately materialized before him.
"What brings you two to contact me so late at night—"
"Enough pretenses! I heard everything, Kingu! Kutha is under my protection!"
The Underworld Goddess cut through Kingu's pleasantries, angrily rebuking him for the first time: "You bastard! To do such things—you're truly as cold-blooded as your brother!"
Suddenly insulted, Kingu: "???"
"Wait, what exactly happened?"
"Don't play dumb with us, Kingu!" The Sun Goddess's expression was equally hostile—Kingu could even detect murderous intent in her eyes.
"The Baal Lahmus attacked Gorgon in the city of Kutha. If not for someone's intervention, Gorgon would have died there."
"What did you say?!!"
Upon hearing this, Kingu's expression turned incredulous. But just then, Ereshkigal coldly added fuel to the fire:
"Those two monsters claimed the plan to kill Gorgon was devised by you!"
"Me?" The young man pointed at himself, dumbfounded.
...
After exhausting all efforts to placate the two furious goddesses and finally ending the communication, Kingu slumped into a chair, his entire being drained of color.
He had just prayed those two wouldn't cause trouble, only for the goddesses to come knocking the next moment.
The plan to eliminate Gorgon was mine?
Bullshit!
Even if Gilgamesh's axe split my skull, I'd never do such a thing!
The authority of [Pandemonium Cetus] isn't some common cabbage to be handed out casually! Gorgon is the only deity capable of bearing this authority! If it were given to the goddesses of the underworld or the sun, mutual destruction would be the best-case scenario!
Those two bastard brothers—not only did they refuse to help attack Uruk, but they even turned on their own!
Setting aside these messes, one thing puzzled Kingu even more—
"Why did the Baal Lahmus try to kill Gorgon?"
Boom!
The already damaged stone gate let out a mournful groan before shattering completely. Kingu looked up in shock to see his two brothers storming in with murderous intent.
"Kingu, kill Gorgon for us!"
"Now, immediately, right this instant—I want that woman dead!"
"Wait, calm down for a second..." Kingu frowned deeply. "Why? Why are you targeting Gorgon?"
"Because she's colluding with that Chaldean trash! Kill her! Anyone hindering Mother's awakening must die!" The Baal Lahmus shrieked shrilly.
Mother... Gorgon... allied with Chaldea's Master...?!
Kingu was stunned. For a brief moment, killing intent did rise within him—but when he noticed the injuries on the Baal Lahmus, clarity returned.
He knew his brothers' nature all too well.
"You're wounded? Who could have done this to you?"
Even through their pitch-black skin, Kingu could clearly discern the scorch marks marring their bodies—as if ravaged repeatedly by destructive light, damaging even their divine-grade defenses.
"Chaldea's Master! That trash! That weakling who only knows how to leech off others' power!" In their rage, the Baal Lahmus could barely form coherent sentences, resorting to instinctive curses.
"We could have eliminated that tool and reclaimed Mother's authority! But that trash suddenly gained overwhelming power! Damn it, mere insects! Nothing but insects!"
So Fujimaru Ritsuka only intervened when Mother was attacked... Kingu's eyes flickered. "I still don't understand—why were you attacking Mo— attacking Gorgon in the underworld goddess's territory?"
"Because she fled! Ran away in fear! Abandoned the temple and refused to birth more demonic beasts!" The Baal Lahmus remained oblivious to the implications, but Kingu's teeth clenched instantly.
Don't they realize that Mother's divinity has suffered irreversible damage from overproducing the demonic beasts?
Within three days, the Beast Goddess could never reactivate the authority of the [Womb of Monstrosities] again!
In other words—Gorgon had been driven into a corner by the Lahmu of Baal, all because she went out for a stroll!
Or perhaps, the Lahmu had long set their sights on the Beast Goddess, viewing her as their prey!
"Kill her, Kingu!"
"Kill her, Kingu!"
"Shut up!"
Fury flared in his heart, and Kingu seethed with rage, nearly wanting to slaughter these two grinning, worthless fools. But as one of the few remaining chief god-level combatants, their assistance was still needed for Mother's revival.
He couldn't abandon these idiotic 'brothers'!
Mother… why did you ever bring them into this world…
"Abandon Gorgon. Her divinity was already damaged, and now she's been gravely wounded by you. She won't be able to cause any more trouble," Kingu said darkly. "I'll arrange for the Sun Goddess to undergo an authority transfer to replace Gorgon in producing demonic beasts. With the power of the Holy Grail, it should succeed."
"Then why not capture the Goddess of the Underworld instead!"
"Kingu, you coward! All who defy us must die!"
"Then why don't you go find Ereshkigal yourselves? Go to the Underworld, go to hell!" Kingu sneered. "Since I'm a coward, I don't have the guts for that!"
"Tch…" The Lahmu exchanged glances.
The Lady of the Earth in the Underworld was practically invincible!
Even they weren't stupid enough to walk into that trap…
After the Lahmu left in frustration, Kingu lowered his eyes, expressionlessly organizing the documents.
Finally, he swept the stone tablets to the ground in irritation and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
"Damn it, a bunch of useless, incompetent fools!"
A fury that threatened to tear everything apart raged within him, obliterating all traces of rationality. Ignoring the confused gazes of the demonic beasts, the white-clad Kingu soared into the air, shooting forward like a missile.
Where to? He didn't know.
What to do? He didn't know.
What next? He didn't know!
Golden light surged violently as the Chains of Heaven lashed out at the vast ocean, stirring up monstrous waves thousands of meters high!
BOOM—
The violent turbulence triggered a tsunami, surging toward the Persian Gulf. The white-clad youth's face twisted in fury as the Chains of Heaven transformed into a frenzied dragon, wildly whipping the sea—yet it still wasn't enough.
He desperately needed something to vent his anger and frustration.
"Come on, whether it's that impostor or Uruk's soldiers—just give me someone to take it out on!"
Like a madman, Kingu flew wildly, his hair disheveled, his divine power unleashed without restraint. Even the boundless ocean was thrown into chaos by his rampage.
Unconsciously, he drew closer and closer to the Persian Gulf.
A premonition in the depths of his mind snapped Kingu out of his frenzied outburst.
He sensed a familiar presence.
One he could never forget—engraved in his bones, yet now filled him with nothing but hatred…
"Gil—gamesh!!"
Roaring like a beast that had lost all reason, the white-clad youth instantly changed direction, hurtling toward the source of the presence.
Soon, two figures came into view.
One was a golden-haired, serpent-eyed King of Wisdom.
The other was a white-clad youth with silver hair and golden eyes.
The two walked side by side along the shores of the Persian Gulf, chatting and laughing, their rapport flowing naturally between them.
Like companions who had forged their bond in the distant past.
For some reason, Kingu suddenly shifted the target of his hatred. Compared to the "long-cherished" wise king Gilgamesh, he now found the young man standing beside that king even more detestable.
—Especially after that face came clearly into view.
Thus, the Chains of Heaven roared, surging skyward.
"Die!" Along with the lethal killing intent came Kingu's furious roar.
"—You damned impostor!"