The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

However, as time went on, Marduk's status gradually rose. Asarurudu was the first god to be swallowed by Marduk. This god of light and master of the flaming sword was grouped with Marduk in the list of gods.

The faith in Marduk began to spread widely, and a temple was firmly established in Marduk, Nippur. In Marduk, Assyria, it even received offerings equivalent to those of Ashur.

(9) It was also during this period that Nabu, who had previously been Marduk's scribe, became Marduk's son.

By the time of the Second Dynasty of Isin, also known as the Fourth Dynasty of Babylon, the concepts of Babylon and Nippur began to merge.

8. The walls of Babylon were named after Enlil, while the walls of Nippur were named after Marduk. A hymn in Nippur directly connects the two cities: “Nippur and Babylon, they mean the same thing.”

(2) As time went by, Marduk was gradually recognized as Enlil, and people called Enlil by the name Marduk, which became Enlil's title.

(iv) During the first millennium, Marduk was most commonly referred to as Enlil the God, and his statue was called the King of the Gods of Heaven and Earth, and was placed in Enlil's temple in Babylon.

3. As mentioned earlier, Nippur is Enlil's temple on earth, a holy city for worshipping Enlil, and an important city with the power to crown kings. This city represents Enlil's supreme status.

But when this city begins to merge with Babylon, how can the supreme god-king, who is so supreme because of this land and this city, continue to maintain his position?

Enlil stepped down from his divine position, and Marduk became the King of the Gods. Everything that once belonged to Enlil was inherited by Marduk.

5 Thus the story unfolds as described in the Babylonian creation epic, Enuma Elish, a poem originally written during the Second Dynasty of Isin that tells the story of Marduk defeating Tiamat and ascending to the throne as ruler.

Marduk declared Babylon the royal city and received 50 names for it, whereas the city had previously been called Nippur, and most of Marduk's names were derived from Enlil.

Thus, Marduk became the king of the gods, and Enlil's existence was erased.

What Marduk actually looked like in its early days remains unknown, as there are very few early accounts of Marduk.

Some scholars believe that Marduk may have originally been a minor god associated with the underworld; others believe that his original role was as a god of disease and death; still others believe that he was in charge of spells and magic; some believe that he was originally a god of storms; and others believe that he was a god of canals, agriculture, or even fertility.

But in the end, Marduk, who became the king of the gods, got everything.

In the royal inscriptions of the Neo-Babylonian Kingdom, Marduk was revered as the king of the gods and the source of royal authority, while Enlil was not mentioned unless it was to explain something related to Nippur.

In the late Babylonian pantheon, all the gods were associated with Marduk, and they were all seen as a facet of Marduk.

Ninurta is known as Marduk of the Pickaxe, Nabu as Marduk of Arithmetic, Shamash as Marduk of Justice, Tishpar as Marduk of the Army, and so on.

Marduk is already the omnipotent king of the gods. He reigns above all the gods. With him in existence, why should the gods have any worries? They have absolutely no need.

The gods were so engrossed in the banquet hall that they forgot all their worries while drinking. All they needed to do was loudly praise Marduk, shouting, "Marduk is the King of Gods!"

The King of the Gods will then regain his former power in the towering temple that rises from the earth, amidst the endless, carnival-like hymns.

The King of the Gods awoke slowly, bringing with him a raging and unstoppable surge of fury.

No one could stop Marduk's rage; countless cities had been destroyed by his fury.

In Marduk’s divine wrath, Sennacherib destroyed Babylon, leaving the city abandoned for 70 years.

Under Marduk's divine wrath, Naboone, who had turned away from God and been abandoned, fell before Cyrus, and the Babylonian kingdom was reduced to ashes.

The fierce winds from all sides were drawn down from the sky, and the cleared and bright sky was filled with clouds and rain. Marduk used the storm and flood as his weapons to kill Tiamat.

The sky, obscured by clouds and rain, did not lose its color; instead, it had twinkling starlight that could shine through the clouds.

In the Babylonian creation myth, Marduk killed Tiamat and then created the world from her corpse.

Marduk created the many stars in the sky, stipulated the laws governing their movement, established the concept of a year, and divided it into twelve months. He also established the day and divided it into day and night.

The starry sky is a realm controlled and dominated by it. The galaxy in its orbit bursts with magic, attracting meteorites falling from the sky in the opposite direction, and bringing fallen stars back into the sky.

Chapter Ninety-Eight Lifting

Meteorites falling from the sky are constantly changing. Initially, they accelerated towards the ground, bringing about the destruction of civilizations. Now, the acceleration of meteorite descent is gradually decreasing.

Before the falling planet breaks through the clouds, its speed will actually slow down. Even if it manages to reach the ground, the damage it can cause will probably be negligible.

If it's just a simple high-mass attack, it's not such a troublesome thing.

Although it was daytime, the gate to the starry sky was already in operation, projecting its dazzling light into the sky and allowing the distant, fantastical starry sky to exert its power, attracting stars that had strayed from their paths and were falling to the ground.

The Ishtar Gate simply opened its doors, projecting the starry sky through them, without much burden.

The tower, existing as a temple, can also perform the same function, directing and coordinating the starry sky projected in the sky to neutralize falling meteors.

The fortress that had been halted here to defend against the attack was restarted and began to move forward, heading towards the enormous monster, He, that rose from the ground in the distance.

The seven demonic beasts had completely destroyed anything remaining of the Radiant Great Complex Temple. They circled around the enormous golden cup summoned by the Beast of Sodom, spewing magic to stop the surging tide that was eroding the golden city.

The surging tide that emerges from the city's edge can only unleash its full power to engulf the city at the very beginning.

The black tide contains a thick layer of death, a mixture of the dead, kneaded and lumped together like mud.

Countless resentful souls reached out and grabbed the magnificent buildings. The gold, which was considered immortal, faded layer by layer in this contact, eventually turning into black ash. Building after building collapsed and was absorbed into the torrent.

Then the dead rebuilt a dark house belonging to the dead on the already destroyed building, as if a part of the city had died and his soul had reappeared here.

At this moment, the monsters spared their strength and dispersed to the surrounding areas of the city to prevent its destruction.

The surging, roaring magic then blocked the death of the undead. The demonic beast that appeared here in its true form still possessed considerable strength. The undead, which had turned to ash in the scorching flames, became an even deeper ash.

The monsters didn't care about the damage they might suffer. They would never die until Beast VI died, possessing immortality.

At most, they may fall into a brief silence due to the trauma they have suffered, but it will not be long before they are able to awaken again and return to the battlefield in full force.

"We have arrived. We have come here once again, to the golden city in the desert, the city where the calamity-bringing Beast VI manifests."

While dealing with Apophis, the god of destruction falling from the sky, Manju also dispatched his forces to send the Servants in the fortress to the Golden City ahead.

The Servants then set off ahead, while another wrathful serpent from beneath the tower was dispatched to carry the group across the central desert, arriving at the land where the golden city had been swallowed up.

Mash was the first to jump off the raging serpent, shield in hand, which made Ilya look slightly annoyed, and he quickly jumped down as well.

The remaining Servants also stepped onto the street that had turned into black gold. The pitch-black torrent of the dead made way for them, opening a path to the monster He, which was burning the black torrent ahead.

"Our mission is to eliminate the seven demonic beasts that are hindering the king's power from destroying this golden city, and to reduce the glorious capital to ashes before the calamity beast awakens from her golden cup."

The next step is essentially to move forward, defeat the monsters that will block the way, and allow the torrent that is also devouring the city to reach the bottom of the Golden Cup.

"I understand. In short, we must move forward and crush the first monster."

Just as Mashu was speaking, a voice rang out from ahead. The person who heard the voice looked up and saw only a skull mask that was completely covered in black clothes.

"You are……?"

Upon encountering this unfamiliar Servant whom she had never met before, Mash instinctively asked a question.

"Hmm? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that there were walking death on the ground. Even my immortal body could smell the threat of death from it."

Ilya instinctively drew his sword, for he could clearly smell the scent of death emanating from the swordsman who had suddenly appeared.

"First generation sir!?"

Despite knowing that Manjushri had visited the first Old Man of the Mountain at the Yazlar Mausoleum, he still exclaimed in great surprise upon seeing Hassan the Cursed Arm.

"Is that the first Elder of the Mountain, the ancestor of all Hassans?"

From Hassan's voice, the group realized the identity of the newcomer.

"I myself am but a spirit lurking in the darkness, coming from the Valley of the Dead, only to bring the living away."

Wang Hassan simply said it calmly.

"What a stroke of luck, what a blessing! To be able to fight alongside the first Elder of the Mountain, I will savor this joy."

Hassan, who was present, was all excited and jumped for joy, and King Hassan also turned his head.

"Very well, then you shall fight as heroic spirits. After everything is over, you may hand over your heads."

"As ordered!"

At this moment, Hassan and his companions had no more regrets; they were able to contribute their last bit of strength and fight alongside the first Old Man of the Mountain.

In their hearts, this was the final battle; once the battle was over, everything would be over.

"It seems I'm having some bad luck. With such incredible martial arts skills, it's hard to even think about challenging them without being fully prepared."

Ilya had to shake his head. He was still thinking about making a great achievement, but it seemed difficult to compete with the black-clad swordsman who was walking ahead.

But it wasn't something that couldn't be given a try. Ilya simply shook his head and continued walking forward, holding his rock sword.

The first demonic beast blocking their path, He, is Invidia, representing jealousy. His body is composed of two enormous demonic beasts with worm-like and dragon-like heads respectively.

The worm's head kept opening its four-lobed maw, and a continuous stream of magic bullets shot out from its mouth like meteors and fell to the ground.

The dragon-shaped head conventionally spews out flames, and the high-temperature flames simultaneously melt gold and the undead.

"Two 《＼舅⑷＄lin;±④35。∮六∠÷4仲ˇ％qUN: Go, the battle against the monsters begins now!"

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Great Flood

The monsters swept across the land with indiscriminate attacks, their blazing flames and magic projectiles constantly assaulting everything in sight around them.

A pitch-black shadow lingered in the center of the demonic beast's body, endlessly giving birth to black warriors.

Leading the way, King Hassan raised his greatsword and cleaved through the burning flames, each strike taking down a black warrior hiding there.

Arash's rain of arrows followed closely behind, sweeping across the earth and piercing through the dark warriors as they dealt with the magic bullets spewed by the monster He.

The monster immediately detected the arriving intruders and redirected its attacks, turning its area-of-effect bombardment towards the target.

The black figure that had been hovering between the two demonic beasts stood up, letting out a ferocious roar, and charged straight at King Hassan, who was walking at the front.

That was the hero who had been twisted into a mad king in his desires, summoned as an apostle of desire, to cooperate with the demonic beast before him.

Although it was a monster like a natural disaster, the enemy he chose at this moment was a Grand Assassin.

The death knell has sounded. Before the swordsman who walks with death and has become one with it, the Mad King's incredible vitality and strength are meaningless.

The crimson spear was easily blocked, and King Hassan's sword movements were not greatly hindered. While blocking the attacks from the front, he suppressed the mad king who had transformed into a beast.

The Servants who followed also displayed their power, resisting the attacks of the massive monster, Hak, and attempting to kill it to clear a path. *Clang!*

"The bewildered beast ultimately becomes nothing more than a pitiful shadow, unaware of the meaning of its own existence." (Dance)

King Hassan's greatsword severed the head of the Shadow Mad King, who, like a shadow follower, fell to the ground. (Sad)

The moment the Mad King ceased its actions, the demonic beast He, who had been attacking and blocking the group, suddenly froze. ⑥

"The enemy Servant's life and interests are tied to these two demonic beasts; when that Servant is defeated, it also causes damage to these two demonic beasts." — Lu

These two magical beasts once transformed into an ancient Celtic queen, who was then seen as the embodiment of the Celtic queen's jealousy towards different races and nations.

Even with a sufficiently powerful Servant leading the way, Magic Kagura, despite possessing considerable strength, quickly collapsed to the ground with a crash.

"The demon beast fell silent. Let's hurry forward; this is only temporary."