Ophis, who was directing the magic cannon to clear the ground, paused momentarily, her face darkening.
The one left in Uruk had been activated...
Time was running out.
Although she had left infinite power in Uruk, it was something even Ophis herself couldn't fully control. It was unrealistic to expect Siduri to achieve her goals, even with the aid of the Holy Grail.
These fleeting thoughts were pushed aside by Ophis as she focused on the battle. Ereshkigal, a goddess with countless years of experience, had seized the moment of distraction with ruthless precision.
Ereshkigal's death energy cut through the artillery fire, which had been momentarily weakened by the distraction. She charged forward, most of the underworld energy around her dispersed by Ophis, forcing her to rely on this direct method of attack.
While Ereshkigal's power was practically inexhaustible due to the cyclical nature of the underworld's energy, Ophis's ability to generate energy was limited. Her current form had become somewhat transparent, a sign that her energy absorption was struggling to keep up with the demands.
Despite her pride as a goddess, Ereshkigal chose to attack rather than hide and wait for Ophis to deplete her energy.
When Ereshkigal closed in, Ophis sidestepped the goddess's downward strike. A smile flickered across Ereshkigal's face as she adjusted her attack. The spear in her hand, with its serpentine form, pursued Ophis with lethal intent.
Although Ereshkigal's underworld energy was momentarily suppressed by Ophis's artillery fire, her weapon was central to her control over the underworld. The danger it posed was far more immediate than any distant attack.
Keng────
At that moment, a purple light appeared, intercepting Ereshkigal's attack. The light emanated from a translucent crystal sphere, which had an almost ethereal beauty.
Despite its appearance, Ereshkigal knew better than to underestimate this sphere. She had witnessed Orphis compress enough energy to devastate half of Uruk, and she had no desire to experience its full force firsthand.
A subtle fluctuation from the sphere's tip caught Ereshkigal's attention. A beam of light shot out, narrowly missing her ear and severing a few strands of her golden hair.
'Can that sphere still attack?'
Annoyed but undeterred, Ereshkigal continued her assault. Her spear's tip spun, attempting to bypass the sphere and strike Ophis directly.
The sphere, controlled by Ophis, was highly flexible, stretching and contracting to block Ereshkigal's strikes. It also emitted occasional beams of light, which restrained Ereshkigal's movements.
Using the death energy of the Lance of the Underworld, Ereshkigal blasted away the magic cannons trying to consume her. She regarded Ophis with a stern expression.
The magic cannons' density and power had significantly diminished since the beginning, and Ophis's form was increasingly insubstantial.
"It seems I've won after all."
Ereshkigal smirked, her confidence growing. She noted that Ophis's reactions were slowing, and the sphere's defense was faltering. Several times, Ophis had to intervene personally to block Ereshkigal's attacks.
Ophis's close combat skills were impressive, but they paled in comparison to a goddess's centuries of experience.
Suddenly, Ophis noticed something off about Ereshkigal's smile. It reminded her of the term "little devil," a sense of foreboding she couldn't shake.
Before Ophis could fully grasp the situation, a sudden sharp pain coursed through her. The energy of death exploded within her body!
When had this happened?
Ophis furrowed her brow in confusion. The energy invasion must have occurred during moments of high-speed power extraction or recovery, when her defenses were vulnerable.
Even though death energy usually required a significant amount of effort to remain dormant, the current weakness in her magic power allowed it to briefly disrupt her.
There was no time for further reflection. As Ophis faltered, Ereshkigal's spear drove into her chest.
The magic cannon ceased firing, the death energy subsided, and everything came to a halt.
"I won."
Ereshkigal grinned triumphantly, reaching out to touch Ophis's still expressionless face.
"While waiting for you to run out of energy was an option, defeating you personally is far more satisfying. After all, I am a perfectionist."
Ereshkigal felt a sense of relief. Ophis had once dominated her, pressing her down and subjecting her to humiliation with Heavenly Chains. Now Ereshkigal had her revenge.
Though penetrating wounds were inconsequential to Ophis, Ereshkigal used them as conduits to inject substantial amounts of death energy into her. The situation now mirrored a simple standoff—one being held at gunpoint.
As Ereshkigal savored her revenge, she failed to notice Ophis's index finger twitching slightly.
The next moment, the previously still sphere erupted in light.
"Damn, are you insane?"
Ereshkigal's shock was palpable. She realized that Ophis intended to detonate the energy within the sphere. While Ereshkigal, as the God of Hades, could survive such an explosion, it would obliterate Ophis's current form.
Desperate, Ereshkigal channeled all her remaining death energy into the Spear of the Underworld, trying to control Ophis. But she soon sensed something was wrong.
Without time to analyze further, a violent explosion erupted in the heart of the underworld, consuming everything around it.
4o mini