Until the end, Ophis still didn't understand why the goddess had come to him.
Could it be that she saw me on the way and decided to talk to me?
However, he did gain a lot of new information from the encounter.
The other party's intentions, and the mention of the 'Magic King.'
[The Magic King?... There are only a few kings known for their magic, and among them, Solomon is the most likely to be behind this.]
"Solomon…"
Ophis ended the Age of Gods in Mesopotamia, but for the world at large, she was merely the first to sever the connection between mankind and the gods. The Age of Gods declined, but it did not truly end.
Solomon was the true last king of the Age of Gods.
He possessed the omnipotent ring but never used it, eventually returning the ring to heaven himself. He did this not to convey the fate of the almighty God, but to announce the arrival of an era where people would live according to their own will.
If the King of Heroes marked the beginning of the end of the Age of Gods, then Solomon was the true king of men who officially ended the Age of Gods and ushered in the Age of Man.
[So, does this guy really want to destroy humanity? Could he really have nothing else to do?]
"Who knows?"
Even after learning who was behind the incident, Ophis remained relatively unemotional.
"Anyway, I'm no match for them right now."
At present, she had to deal with gods. Even if she knew who the real mastermind was, she couldn't abandon protecting Uruk to launch a direct attack.
"The goddess of the north, the goddess of the south, and Ereshkigal. Ereshkigal has caused the least damage, with only the city of Kuta suffering casualties. The goddess of the south has likely destroyed the southern city-states, including Enridu and Ur."
[The damage caused by the goddess in the north is the greatest. After all, the entire north has been swept by the opponent's monsters.]
"Their goal is to dominate the earth."
[Oh, this is what the goddess of the underworld said, right? What's the issue?]
"This means she doesn't need humans on earth."
[Hmm... That seems possible. She appears to be an anti-human goddess.]
"Then it's a priority to address her."
While the two sides were communicating, Ophis had already flown back to the pyramid temple in Uruk.
At this time, the sun was gradually rising.
"Hey, good morning, King Ophis."
From a distance, Merlin approached, greeting her.
...Does this guy ever have anything to do?
"The barrier you set up…"
"Ah, King Ophis asked the right question. I just completed the barrier. To be thorough, I even had Hercules test it a few times. The result is that there's no problem at all."
...I really want to kick this guy.
"Come with me."
Suppressing her irritation, Ophis invited Merlin into the hall.
"Merlin, your clairvoyance can only see so much in this day and age."
"Oh? As expected of a king, you're very direct with your questions."
Merlin nodded.
"Honestly, there's not much I can see. Of course, anything 'now' is within my field of vision, but goddesses have their own rules, and trying to spy on them can quickly get you detected and bombarded with all their power and treasures. King Ophis is the same, right?"
Indeed, if he was being spied on, although he wouldn't have such an extreme reaction, Ophis could easily detect it.
After hearing Merlin's response, Ophis tapped the armrest of the main seat with her index finger.
"So, you don't know much about the goddesses, right?"
"Yeah, though I did find out something big when I summoned it just now, I don't know much about the goddesses' current activities. But it seems the citizens are spreading rumors about this."
"I'll look into it further. Here's the new information I've just received…"
Nodding, Ophis shared all the key details about the "Three Goddesses Alliance" that she had learned from Ereshkigal.
"Oh, as expected of King Ophis, you've gathered such rich information in a short time."
"So, Merlin said…"
"Excuse me, King. May I come in, please?"
At that moment, Siduri's voice came through the hall's mechanism.
It's time to get to work. Siduri is truly punctual...
"Come in."
After a brief pause, Ophis sighed and gave her permission.
Siduri entered the hall with a large group of soldiers carrying slates.
...At least fifty people!
Ophis fought the urge to sigh again and asked first.
"Hiduli, how is the progress of the wall?"
"Yes, the city wall is nearly finished and can provide sufficient defense even now. Additionally, according to the latest battle report, the monster's offensive has noticeably weakened. Even creatures like that have their limits."
"Well, even if there's a goddess who can produce magical beasts endlessly, it's impossible to maintain efficiency indefinitely. If they keep sending their beasts to die like this, it will eventually overwhelm them."
After listening to Siduri's report, Merlin added his thoughts.
"Actually, the continuous offensive over the past few days was quite abnormal. Not many gods can sustain such a high rate of loss."
"We were planning to use all our forces to break through the human defenses, but we ended up getting held back?"
After reflecting on this, Ophis understood the commander's thoughts.
Most gods tend to underestimate humans, and the monsters they create are usually similar. It's common for them to misjudge human resilience.
"But the front line is almost unable to hold on, right?"
"Yes... Thankfully, Jeanne-sama has managed to keep morale up. Altira-sama and Arjuna-sama have also relieved significant pressure on the army."
"Have them withdraw into the defense of the city walls, including mobilizing reserve troops. Try to meet all needs, even if it means sending Merlin as bait."
"Hm... Is it my imagination, or does King Ophis, who is usually so kind and amiable, seem to be giving a rather harsh order?"
"Yes, I'll send someone to convey the order to the front line commanders."
"Oh, so Siduri is also ignoring the irrationality of this order!?"
"Leave it to you, Merlin."
Looking at Ophis's little fist making a cheering gesture, Merlin smiled ruefully.
"There's nothing I can do. It seems I, who have always just observed from a distance, will have to do a bit more work. After all, I'm a familiar now. So, I'll take on the task of holding back the monsters."
With a helpless smile, Merlin resigned himself to resisting all the monsters on his own.