"Well then, see you next time! Ah… Goodbye!"
"I'll be waiting. But don't you go slacking off on your work."
"I-I've never done that!"
Ereshkigal, disappearing beyond the gate to the Underworld.
As I gave a small wave, she waved back in response.
What a pitiable fate, to have to return before the sun rises.
The world of the gods is incomprehensible.
The day I understand it will likely never come.
"…First, I should probably wash up."
The half-day I spent with Ereshkigal was truly… extreme.
It was a frantic battle between Ereshkigal, who, despite us having met only a few hours ago, became possessive and tried to take me to the Underworld, and myself, trying to gently refuse her advances while being careful not to hurt her feelings.
It was truly exhausting.
Ereshkigal wrapping her arms around my neck and seductively whispering, "Let's go… to the Underworld… together?" in my ear was truly devastating.
She even mixed in her charm ability while seducing me, forcing me to develop a mental resistance.
Should I be happy about this?
Ereshkigal certainly wanted me.
But I couldn't tell if she truly wanted me, or if she was just so lonely that she yearned for the first person she met.
That's why I had no choice but to let her go.
One cannot speak of love falsely, after all.
At least, that's not the kind of life I wanted to live.
To live happily with the one I love. To grow old and die peacefully like that—that is my dream.
"Of course, it's a dream I can only achieve after this damned reincarnation cycle ends."
What is this power that makes me wander?
Is it a unique power I possess as a Beast?
But if that were the case, I couldn't control it, nor was I even aware of it.
When I die, I am born again.
I'm just endlessly repeating that cycle.
"I feel like it's related to my intuition… but I have no way of knowing."
As I wiped myself down, Ereshkigal's scent faded away.
But the aura of the Underworld did not disappear.
The aura of death Ereshkigal had left behind was potent.
The ground my feet touched rotted, and what my hands held withered away.
"…I thought Ereshkigal held grass and even picked up earthworms with her bare hands. Why is it only happening to me…?"
What did you do to me, Ereshkigal?
Before she left for the Underworld completely, she was smiling.
I should have asked her the meaning of that smile.
Did she place some kind of curse on me?
If so, I can only say that a god is a god, after all.
Terrifying, that Ereshkigal.
I changed my perception of her from 'depressed loner goddess' to 'scary loner goddess'.
As my aversion to the gods grew and grew, I arrived at a great forest.
The forest was filled with truly massive trees.
Cedar…? I think.
What was certain was that this forest was teeming with colossal trees unseen on the Sumerian plains.
Somehow, it felt sacred.
As if possessed, I stepped into the forest. I immediately regretted it.
The aura of the Underworld would surely ruin this beautiful forest.
"Huh…? It's fine?"
But to my surprise, the trees maintained their verdure.
The sanctity emanating from the forest was dispersing the aura of the Underworld.
"What in the world…."
"What business have you in my forest, O Sage God?"
There stood a bearded old man, leaning on a staff.
Golden hair and red eyes.
"…Enlil?" "Hmph. Your eyes are not entirely worthless."
He was Enlil, the god of wind and order, the ruler of the earth.
Why had he appeared now, when he hadn't shown himself even when I was at the height of turning every city-state in Sumer to ash?
Enlil immediately stated the reason.
"This is a sanctuary. A place for the gods."
"Have you come to eliminate an intruder?"
As I took a combat stance, Enlil waved his hand, saying he hadn't come to fight.
He tapped his staff on the ground twice, and a fierce wind began to blow.
It was a gale, like a typhoon, strong enough to sweep me high into the sky if I just stood there blankly.
After the gust of wind swept past, I glared at Enlil.
"That was quite a harsh welcome."
"I was merely erasing the Underworld's aura from your body. You can't enter a sanctuary carrying such a vile aura."
"…Is that so?"
I picked up a fallen leaf from the ground.
I expected it to wither, but the leaf remained perfectly intact.
"There's no need for thanks. You are the god Marduk, after all. An undeniable member of our ranks."
"That's unexpected. I thought you would despise me as a false god."
"Is there any reason to? Your divinity has already reached a level comparable to ours."
I felt nothing in particular.
Even if my divinity rises, the day I exercise my rights as a god will never come.
Unless, perhaps, I started hunting gods and seizing their Authorities.
I had no desire to do something so troublesome.
As long as the gods didn't ostracize me, I had no intention of bothering them either.
Enlil seemed to think the same way.
"I hear you've become enemies with Gilgamesh."
"I have. It's not a pleasant memory."
"Don't worry. I also think ill of Gilgamesh. In fact, I'd like to thank you."
Huh?
Gilgamesh was born a great being.
Both god and human. She was born with immense talent, as a link connecting the heavens and the earth.
Her title was definitely… the Wedge of the Heavens.
Was there any reason for the gods to dislike such a Gilgamesh?
Even if she didn't love the gods, she still respected them in her own way.
"It seems you are unaware. Gilgamesh has turned against us. Her form as the Wise King has vanished, and now only a tyrant remains, ruling Uruk with an iron fist."
I wasn't particularly surprised, since I had already seen her launch weapons at her own people.
However, her rejection of even the gods was unexpected.
Even if the influence of the gods was gradually waning and the world was shifting from a god-centered one to a human-centered one, this was still the Age of Gods.
I couldn't think of any benefit she would gain from rejecting the gods.
I don't know what she's thinking.
A few things seemed to come to mind, but I shook my head to clear them away.
I didn't want to think about her.
"We have seen a possibility in you."
"…What kind of possibility?"
"The possibility of a sword to condemn that arrogant demigod, Gilgamesh."
I sensed a strange fervor from Enlil.
"We have pooled our powers to create a 'weapon'. However, it requires more time to be completed."
"Can that 'weapon' punish Gilgamesh?"
It seems more likely to melt under the bombardment of Gilgamesh's treasury.
But Enlil was overflowing with confidence.
"It is the Divine Clay. Nothing is impossible for it."
What a magnificent clay weapon that must be.
My interest is rapidly fading.
"Is my involvement really necessary? Can't you just wait a little longer until the weapon is complete?"
"To utilize a weapon as a weapon, skill is required. And you are a proven weapon who has killed hundreds of thousands of humans, as well as a living tactician."
Marduk, the god of war, the god of tactics.
The Authority Enlil ascribed to me now included tactics.
More importantly, had I really killed hundreds of thousands?
100 a day for 365 days for 5 years… I guess the math checks out?
Enlil held my talent as a general, who had never lost a single large-scale battle, in high regard.
"You will teach the weapon. Give it its ultimate form."
Enlil handed me a lump of clay.
The clay undulated but never broke apart. It was less like clay and more like a slightly dry slime.
The power emanating from it was no ordinary clay's.
I could feel an overwhelming amount of magical energy. It was filled with the explosive potential befitting a weapon.
I could truly feel that the gods had poured all their strength into creating this.
"I'm not interested."
But I threw it on the ground.
Enlil's brow furrowed.
"I don't see why I should do this."
"Why? The Wedge of the Heavens has crossed a line. And she dragged your honor through the mud. Don't you feel the desire for revenge?"
My relationship with Gilgamesh was already over.
I had no intention of seeing her again, let alone pointing my sword at her.
"You'll have to bring a more attractive offer to persuade me."
"…Hmph. You're calmer than I expected. Did Ishtar misjudge you…?"
It seemed Ishtar had told him something about me.
Whatever it was, I doubted that goddess had conveyed anything accurate.
After pondering for a long while, Enlil,
"Mmm. That should do it."
Simply vanished.
"…?"
He even left behind the clay he had proudly called a weapon of the gods.
A chilly wind blew.
"Gods, they're all just…."
Annoyance surged within me.
When I tried to step on the clay sprawling on the ground, it wriggled out of the way of my foot.
"Well, I'll be."
When I ignored it and walked past, the clay squirmed and followed after me.
It seemed to have no intention of disappearing.
"This is driving me crazy."
I've raised a youkai before, but never a lump of clay.
All I could do was sigh.