A certain crossover anime's nuclear-powered sword immortal

"Anyway... let's investigate in Ur first." Gudako said, looking at Shirou. "If we encounter any danger, we'll have to trouble Orihara-senpai."

"If the goddess appears, leave it to me." Shirou nodded.

nod.

In short, following Gudako and Mashu makes it easier to encounter those goddesses, which is why Shirou didn't leave.

"Then let's set off." With Shirou's promise, Gudako was immediately filled with confidence.

Just as the group was about to reach the city gate, Ushiwakamaru waved and ran towards them.

"Orihara~!"

"Huh? It sounds like they're calling out to Orihara-senpai," Gudako said.

"Hey~! Orihara!"

Ushiwakamaru, panting as he ran over, looked at the crowd.

"We heard from Lady Siduli that you are about to set off on an expedition. Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Ushiwaka," Gudako said.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Leonidas is at the front lines and I can’t tell him about this,” Mash said apologetically.

Ushiwakamaru nodded.

"After this, I will also be heading to the Warcraft front to reinforce Lord Leonidas. I wish everyone good luck in battle! If we are still alive by then, we will meet again."

As he spoke, Ushiwakamaru smiled at Shirou.

"Let's have a drink together then!"

"Okay." Shirou nodded.

……

Ur is nestled in a dense forest, a city surrounded by rows upon rows of trees.

On their way to Ur, the group encountered various types of magical beasts, but none of them were very strong and Anna easily defeated them.

"This magical beast is called 'Mushuhushu,' one of the eleven magical beasts created by the primordial goddess Tiamat. It's like a Babylonian dragon, and something like a mysterious child..." Merlin, with an expression that seemed to be hoping for praise, went on and on introducing the names and origins of these magical beasts.

But no one paid any attention to him.

"Hurry up and leave, you idiot Merlin!" Anna said coldly.

"..." Merlin's face fell as he did not receive the praise he expected.

After the three crossed the mountain pass, they were greeted by a vast forest resembling a tropical jungle, and in the very center of the forest was a huge city.

The surrounding forests acted as a natural barrier, encircling the city in the center.

Upon entering the vast, dense forest, the group encountered their first obstacle.

That place was like a tropical jungle. It was so hot that no wind could get in, and the flying insects that swarmed around were incredibly annoying. The calls of various animals and insects could be heard from time to time in the dark and deep jungle. If an ordinary person who was not familiar with the terrain were to wander around here, he would probably be wiped out by this environment in no time.

"Ah...it's so hot, and there are so many bugs. How do the people of Ur survive in the fourth city?" Merlin complained as he walked, leaning on his staff.

"Merlin, shut up! You're making me even hotter!" Anna wiped the sweat from her face and snapped at Merlin for making such a remark.

"If you think it's hot, then don't wear so many clothes," Shirou retorted, looking at his thick robes.

Wouldn't it be better to dress more lightly like Ushiwakamaru?

At that moment, both Mash and Anna noticed something.

“Wait… is something following us?” Anna said.

"Hey! Who's behind us!" Mashu shouted immediately.

"Hmph! You actually managed to detect my presence!"

A voice unique to women echoed throughout the dense forest.

Immediately afterwards, a woman dressed in a yellow cheetah suit appeared.

"What is that thing?!" Gudako exclaimed.

"Could it be UMA? Is it UMA?!" Merlin exclaimed immediately.

"Hmph! If you insist on calling me that, I am the embodiment of the dense forest, the manifestation of great warriors, the leopard-woman!" The woman rolled into view of the crowd. "If you're not afraid of being torn apart by my fangs, then come on!"

"Huh...?" Gudako and Mashu were dumbfounded by the woman's outfit.

"She's a suspicious person anyway, just kill her!" Anna charged forward without hesitation, brandishing her scythe.

Anna's scythe flashed with a silvery light, but the woman, who called herself a leopard-woman, nimbly leaped away and easily dodged the attack.

"So fast!" Anna exclaimed.

"Very well, I think I understand. Until we meet again, everyone." The woman's voice echoed through the dense forest, making it impossible for Anna to pinpoint her location. "Also, I'm not a tiger, but a leopard-woman! This is important on the test, so remember it!"

The woman's voice gradually faded away with the last syllable of the sentence.

Gudako said speechlessly, "What's going on... What a strange person!"

"Forget about that guy," Mash said, comforting Anna as she looked at her puffed-up cheeks and huffing.

"Hmph!" Anna put away her scythe and walked ahead.

The group continued walking towards Ur.

Most of the houses in Ur are overgrown with trees, like ivy, with almost every house covered in vegetation on the sides or roof.

Fortunately, although the training sessions between Ur and Uruk have ended, the citizens of Ur are still alive, and many scantily clad women are fetching water from the pool with wooden buckets.

Merlin saw that the citizens of Ur were still alive and immediately went forward.

"Hello, ma'am, we are from Uruk, here on the King's orders to investigate the situation in Ur," Merlin said, stepping forward to introduce himself to a woman carrying a child.

“Ah, crossing that jungle from Uruk must have been very arduous.” The woman put down the bucket she was carrying and then smiled as she spoke with Merlin.

“Yes, yes, it’s hot, and there are so many bugs.” Merlin, seeing that the woman understood their suffering as they traversed the jungle, immediately began to complain.

Chapter Eighteen: The Mysterious Goddess

"Hehe, indeed, but it's much better in Ur." The woman covered her mouth and chuckled.

"It's much better indeed. Now that you're all alright, we'll head back to report and have Wang send a rescue team."

Merlin planned to inform Gilgamesh of the situation in Ur and then ask him to send a rescue team to cover the people of Ur as they headed to Uruk for refuge.

However, upon hearing Merlin's words, a look of panic appeared on the woman's face.

"No, no need. We are safe here. Ur is a safe city. Monsters can't get through the jungle at all."

Merlin frowned upon seeing the other person's flustered expression.

The other party must be hiding something very important. As for the claim that monsters cannot break through the jungle, that's nonsense. If monsters were to actually attack Ur City, it would be destroyed very quickly.

Having formed some deductions in his mind, Merlin did not waste any more time on the woman, but instead began to observe the situation in Ur.

As dusk slowly approached, the sunset in Ur was a beautiful sight to behold.

"I've never seen such a beautiful road before," Gudako exclaimed, her eyes shining.

“Yes, we must protect this scenery and save humanity,” Mashu added.

"Then good luck," Shirou said with a smile.

The three sat on the steps, quietly watching the sunset slowly descend.

As the sun slowly sets, the sky is tinged with a thin layer of ink.

At that moment, Merlin, leaning on his staff, walked over.

"Tomorrow, I hope you can gather the citizens of Ur together. I have something to say."

……

As if something was about to happen, the next day the sky was dark, thick clouds blocked the sunlight, and the whole city was shrouded in shadow.

After receiving the order, the people of Ur gathered in the city square on this day.

Most of the people who come here are women and the elderly, and there are very few young men. However, many of the women are holding infants, which makes the phenomenon somewhat strange.

"I've kept you waiting, messenger of King Gilgamesh. You seem to have something to say?" The priestess leader of Ur looked at Merlin and asked him.

"Yes, I heard you don't need rescue, but just in case, I'd like to ask why."

Merlin's face showed a rare serious expression.

Upon hearing his question, the two women standing on the steps immediately spoke in a flustered manner.

"Ur is safe! As long as this forest exists, the magical beasts won't come in!"

“That’s right! As long as you follow the rules of the Forest Goddess, you won’t…”

“Indeed, we didn’t encounter any magical beasts in the forest,” Mash said.

"So, the forest is protecting Ur?" Anna asked, puzzled.

At this moment, Merlin looked at the witch leader standing at the top and posed a somewhat pointed question.

"So you haven't extended a helping hand to other cities facing crises because you yourselves are safe?"

Upon hearing this, the priestess leader immediately became anxious.

"How could that be? That's not how it is! If we could, we'd like to go and provide reinforcements, but..."

“But this contradicts the rules of the Forest Goddess, isn’t that right?” Merlin countered.

"..." The woman at the head of the table fell silent.

Seeing her expression, the matter was already quite obvious.

“I see. I understand the situation now. ‘Doing nothing’ is Ur’s means of self-defense.”

Merlin glanced around, then stared intently at the woman above him and asked, "A sure-fire way to give up. So, how many people have died here so far?"

Merlin's words were startling, and the citizens of Ur present all avoided eye contact with him.

"So it really is one a day?" Merlin said.

"What are you talking about? How could there be living sacrifices..." The priestess leader tried to refute, but her voice grew weaker and weaker in the end.

"Well... there's nothing we can do about it! Everyone makes their choices based on acceptance and agreement!"