Walking down the streets of Uruk, Ophis nodded to the people who greeted her and looked at her with trust.
Despite the recent disasters, the city was filled with an atmosphere of panic, but the people still had faith in Ophis. The resilience of people in this era is truly remarkable.
In a time when the gods constantly create disasters to assert their power, only those with immense mental fortitude can withstand such collective turmoil.
With Enkidu leading the way, Ophis and Enkidu entered the temple.
"My King!"
Dozens of priests were already waiting. They all knelt as the two entered, except for one.
The high priest stood out among them, dressed more elaborately. Though her face was covered by a veil like the other priests, her calm and mature demeanor was evident.
—The high priest. In this theocratic era, her power was nearly on par with Ophis's as king. Her authority in matters related to God was even comparable to Ophis's.
In the temple, there was no need for the high priest to kneel. Still, she bowed slightly as a gesture of respect.
"My King, have you made your decision?"
Even through the veil, her expression was kind.
Ophis nodded and looked directly at the high priest.
"Sorry."
It was a rare apology from Ophis.
The high priest shook her head.
"It doesn't matter. The king has chosen the best path for the people, right? In that case, I will not regret my aging life."
Ophis's choice to defy the gods meant that, as their earthly representative, the high priest would have to relinquish her position. Even if the gods did not act against her, Ophis would ensure she left her role.
The priesthood would continue, but those with too many divine connections would no longer be needed.
To put it simply, the new era required leaving behind the old.
Ophis said nothing further and nodded again.
"Then, I'll leave it to you to locate the Sky Bull."
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"I didn't expect this... What a coincidence."
Standing on the hill, Enkidu spoke with a wry smile.
"Indeed."
Ophis remained expressionless.
The location where the Bull of Heaven would next appear, as predicted by the priests, was exactly where Ophis and Enkidu had previously argued.
This meant their earlier visit to Uruk was in vain. If they had argued a bit longer, they might have waited for the bull to come to them.
Despite the wasted trip, neither of them minded much. They returned to the hill and waited.
"Here it comes."
Enkidu, connected to the ground, was the first to sense the disturbance.
Ophis took out a cylinder from the golden ripples.
"Location?"
"Over there."
Enkidu pointed in the direction.
Ophis nodded and aimed her sword towards it.
"Enuma..."
Before she could finish the incantation, the space around them began to collapse, and Ophis was knocked back several steps.
"How...?"
Why had the restraint become so weak?
Forget it. Given the recent oddities and the approaching sacred bull, Ophis couldn't afford to investigate this anomaly now.
She put away the sword of separation and took out a black sword of death. Several magic circles and golden ripples appeared behind her.
At that moment, Ophis noticed something was wrong.
Without warning, a bolt of lightning struck the exact location Enkidu had indicated.
...Can this be explained by sensing? Is Enkidu truly not inspired?
Ophis glanced at Enkidu with confusion.
"That entity causes the earth to fear it. Wherever it lands, it will be sensed by the earth. Based on this, I can predict where it will appear next."
Enkidu explained seriously.
It instills fear in the earth... It's a force that specializes in destruction.
He is a natural enemy of Enkidu.
No more was said. At that moment, a gigantic bull emerged from the lightning.
The bull had shiny black skin with faint lightning crackling around it. Its physique was imposing, a far cry from the two who once helped the emperor pull the cart.
The pressure from this opponent was far greater than Finbaba's.
The Bull of Heaven seemed ready to roar, but Ophis had no intention of letting it prepare.
She activated the magic circles behind her, and eight magic cannons struck the divine bull, causing shockwaves.
They were still a distance from Uruk. As long as Ophis avoided large-scale attacks, the battle would not endanger the city.
"Moooooooooooo!!!"
The bull's cry, though ordinary, sounded like thunder, shattering the earth and dispersing the magic cannon smoke.
The bull remained almost unharmed. Even Ophis felt some irritation.
It seemed divine entities had high resistance to energy.
While Humbaba was problematic before, the Bull of Heaven's resistance was even higher.
It was more a resistance to magical power than energy.
Divine power naturally surpasses magic, causing a natural restraint.
Ophis couldn't convert magic cannon techniques into energy cannon techniques. Achieving both speed and power was impractical, rendering energy cannons nearly useless.
With better control, Ophis could condense magic power into a single point for a piercing attack. However, she lacked this level of control.
Since the magic cannons were ineffective...
Ophis conjured countless weapons from the golden ripples and hurled them at the Bull of Heaven, causing more explosions.
"Moooooooooooo!!!"
The thunderous roar was followed by the bull charging, its lightning intensifying until it became a sphere of destruction.
Enkidu, standing behind Ophis, shook his head, as if foreseeing the outcome.
Despite the bull's power, its intelligence was low. As a bull, its fighting instincts were poor compared to Humbaba.
A creature with great power but little experience was still manageable for Ophis and Enkidu, despite its strength.
"How are things looking?"
Enkidu's voice came from behind.
"Fine."
Ophis nodded.
In the previous attack, she had gauged the bull's power and the weapon's effectiveness.
"Alright, let's begin."
Enkidu and Ophis leaped forward, landing on the bull's back.
"Moooooooooooo!!!"
The bull reacted quickly, making a half-circle and charging again.
"The ground is ready."
Enkidu smiled.
Ophis nodded, summoning sixteen golden ripples, each releasing a weapon.
Sixteen A-rank treasures.
Even unlaunched, their penetrating force and power were formidable.
The sixteen golden beams clashed with the bull's lightning sphere.
Another explosion.
While this wave didn't injure the bull, it wasn't meant to.
The bull's momentum slowed, and its lightning nearly dissipated.
That was sufficient.
Golden chains appeared beneath the bull's hooves, binding it tightly. B-level treasures fell from above, embedding into its back.
"Moooooooooooo!!!"
The bull cried out mournfully but couldn't escape the chains.
"It's futile."
Enkidu smiled.
"The chains are one of my specialties. They are 'Heavenly Chains,' crafted by the gods. Given their intended target was little Ophis, the higher the divinity, the harder it is to break free."
As Enkidu explained, Ophis approached the bull, raising the sword of death.
"Moooooooooooo!!!"
In its final struggle, the bull released a burst of thunder. Ophis avoided it, but it shattered her wreath.
Ophis, momentarily stunned, swung the sword of death at the bull's head.
"Moooooooooooo!!!"
With the Bull of Heaven's final cry, humanity took its first step towards truly breaking free from the gods' constraints.