The next day, Castorice and the others swiftly set out on their journey.
They weren't far from their destination, Eridu. At their pace, it would take less than half a day to arrive.
But of course, things were never that simple.
Along the way, they encountered Jaguar Man.
Soon enough, the chattering Jaguar Man appeared right on their path, muttering to herself. Yet, knowing her personality, Castorice and the rest paid her no mind, treating her as no more than thin air.
Facing the Jaguar Man, none of them took her seriously. Castorice was discussing strategies with Merlin, Ushiwakamaru was keeping watch for any demonic beasts nearby, while Ana made idle chatter with Ishtar.
"How utterly unconvincing! Right now, before you stands a goddess no one will acknowledge… Can't you see she's about to cry? How awful!"
With that, the Jaguar Man really did start crying in front of everyone.
"She's nothing like a goddess ought to be… what a fool."
Watching the scene, Ana couldn't help but remark.
"Who're you calling a fool?! Fine, I'll kill you! This battle of light and darkness spanning millennia ends here!"
Thwack!
No sooner had the Jaguar Man retorted than one of Ishtar's light projectiles smacked squarely into her forehead. A plume of white smoke rose from the spot, scorched by intense heat.
"What, is that all? It doesn't hurt, not one bit!"
Even with tears welling in the corners of her eyes from the pain, the Jaguar Man stubbornly insisted.
Still muttering, she hunched over, clutching her forehead.
"I'm telling you, Servants can die if they're killed too! As one of the only two unaffiliated Servants here, you should understand how I feel, meow!"
Ishtar had struck at Ana's request, so Jaguar Man pointed an accusing finger at Ana.
But her words only soured Ana's mood further. After all, both Ishtar and Ushiwakamaru had already formed contracts with Castorice…
"Tch, what a shame we didn't finish you off properly…"
Ana muttered under her breath. But then, something clicked.
"So you're an unaffiliated Servant? I thought you were one of Quetzalcoatl's underlings."
Ana raised an eyebrow.
"Kuku and I just have a… complicated history. Since I don't have a Master, I've been scraping by on what I can get from her side, meow."
The Jaguar Man waved a hand dismissively.
"Castorice, the more allies, the better. You should seize this opportunity."
Merlin suddenly spoke up, addressing Castorice.
Beside him, Ana's expression darkened again.
"Such a useless and embarrassing goddess—I say we just eliminate her."
She proposed flatly, without expression.
"So cruel! Have I ever done anything to offend you?"
Hearing Ana's words, the Jaguar Man bristled. How could someone so casually suggest killing a person right in front of them?
"It's normal to eliminate enemies, isn't it?"
"Is it? But we aren't really enemies, are we?"
Jaguar Man tried to explain.
In the end, Jaguar Man didn't manage to escape—she successfully formed a contract with Castorice.
Leaving Ana grinding her teeth in frustration.
If she'd clasped her hands in front of her chest, she'd have looked even more like a certain pink-haired someone…
With the Jaguar Man leading the way, the group picked up their pace. In no time at all, they reached Eridu.
But what they found there shocked Castorice. The soldiers who should have died that morning had miraculously revived.
Thanks to the Jaguar Man's explanation, Castorice and the others learned that during the earlier battle, Quetzalcoatl had not only inflicted instant-death attacks on these people but also attached instant-death-level revival to them.
In other words, these individuals had been revived the very moment they died. Only, having lost consciousness, they needed some time to readjust.
The group didn't linger in the city, instead charging straight toward Quetzalcoatl's location.
There, in the heart of the temple, they saw it—a massive disc.
That was Quetzalcoatl's second Noble Phantasm: Piedra del Sol, the Sun Stone.
An ancient Aztec monolith depicting the world's past, present, and future, it was also the source of her power. If they could destroy it, they could defeat her.
During their encounter, Quetzalcoatl laid bare her nature: "I cannot live without toying with humanity. That is my divinity. Humanity has evolved because of the threat I pose, and that brings me joy."
"This is my essence as a goddess. I have no desire to annihilate humankind. So, please—freely escape from this threat of mine."
With that, Quetzalcoatl leaped high into the air, her bizarre serrated sword swinging down toward Castorice.
"Look out!"
Ushiwakamaru reacted in an instant, throwing herself in front of Castorice.
But Ushiwakamaru, who had once held her own against Gorgon, seemed utterly fragile before Quetzalcoatl.
In just one clash, overwhelming force shattered Ushiwakamaru's defense and sent her flying.
Against absolute power, all flashy techniques were futile.
And so, as if raising the curtain on the battle, everyone surged toward Quetzalcoatl at once.
"Kuku, I won't hold back!"
The Jaguar Man charged at Quetzalcoatl with her own strange weapon. Yet, in Castorice's eyes, the Jaguar Man—whose martial prowess they had witnessed—seemed no more than a plaything to Quetzalcoatl.
Quetzalcoatl simply slapped her left and right, spinning her around like a top.
Perhaps because she'd turned traitor, the Jaguar Man felt particularly targeted…
Facing four Servants—Ishtar, Ana, the Jaguar Man, and Ushiwakamaru—Quetzalcoatl didn't falter in the slightest. Instead, she pressed the attack, overwhelming them.
These were no ordinary opponents: Ishtar and the Jaguar Man were both goddesses, while Ana and Ushiwakamaru were powerful Servants in their own right. Yet in Quetzalcoatl's hands, they might as well have been toys.
Every punch, every kick dealt heavy blows. After executing a piledriver that planted the Jaguar Man headfirst into the ground, Quetzalcoatl turned her gaze to Castorice.
During all this, Castorice hadn't moved toward the altar to destroy her Noble Phantasm. Instead, she had waited, as if biding her time for Quetzalcoatl to pause.
"You didn't use that chance to destroy the altar? Castorice, I'm growing fonder of you by the minute. But you must have something to say, don't you? If so, speak now."
For Castorice, every additional ally increased their chances in the final battle.
So she wanted to try—even if she wasn't like that Gudao fellow, perhaps she could still persuade the Feathered Serpent to join her side.
As these thoughts crossed her mind, the sharp sickle in Castorice's hand gradually dissolved into the waters of the River of Souls.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.