The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

Gilgamesh explained to the group that a city as large as Nippur certainly wouldn't have only a small population; after all, it was a holy city of religion and still supported a large population.

(v) As for the cycle of monster attacks, monsters are also animals. Although they are monsters, this does not change the fact that they are no different from humans. They cannot fight continuously without stopping.

⑦ For example, although Ushmugar is a terrifying magical beast with an extremely large size, its stamina is quite low. Once it attacks with all its might, its explosive power will decrease after one minute.

6. While Mu Xiu and Hu Xiu may not be as aggressive, they possess exceptional endurance and can continue attacking for an entire day without sleep.

6. These diverse magical beasts each have their own unique characteristics, making it impossible for them to launch a coordinated attack.

(3) Their commander coordinated these monsters and launched a general attack every seven days. At this time, all efforts were required to resist them, while at other times there were only idle harassments.

4. "So... are we going to provide support for the operation?"

④After hearing Gilgamesh's explanation, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others have thoroughly understood the power of the monsters that have occurred on the Sumerian land in the past few days. Except for Nippur, no city in the north has been spared. Sumer has been relying on the monster front to resist until now.

2. Since Nippur is already on the verge of collapse, how can one person possibly hold it back completely? The only option is to go and rescue it.

After all, even with the full strength of Sumer, they could only keep the monsters at bay on the monster front lines, with no chance of victory in sight.

If Tomoe Gozen hadn't sacrificed her life to kill Kitaburiel, the commander of the monsters, the situation would be much worse, and the monster front might even have collapsed.

"No, just yesterday, after launching one offensive, the monsters launched another unprecedented attack, this time targeting not the North Wall, but Nippur with all their might."

The Beast Goddess, who had remained hidden until now, also revealed her true form, launching her own attack after the Forest Goddess spearheaded the assault.

"You mean... Nippur hasn't collapsed under the attack of the two goddesses?"

Merlin asked Gilgamesh with some surprise, "We've been far from the battlefield since we went to Kusa yesterday."

Moreover, they encountered Ishtar, who was wandering in the southeastern lands of Uruk, and was unaware of what was happening here.

"That's right. Although the stranger spoke arrogantly, he did possess some skill. He seemed to have transformed into the god Enlil, using the city of Nippur, which was once Enlil's palace on earth, to repel the attacks of the two goddesses, forcing them to retreat without success."2

Gilgamesh himself couldn't see very clearly. From here, everything in Nippur seemed shrouded in a black veil, or perhaps a hazy mist enveloped the city. (9)

But whatever it is, it's all rather uncertain, not to mention that Gilgamesh couldn't foresee that guy's future or figure out his specific origins. 4

"Then it seems our mission is to act as envoys on this mission." (Lin)

Merlin smiled and said, "This seems easier."

"That's right. Hmph, in any case, those demonic beasts won't attack in the next few days. I want you to take this opportunity to go to Nepal and inquire about that person's plans."

If this task is completed successfully and you receive satisfactory news, I will retract my statement that I don't need you, acknowledge you as capable of restoring humanity, and appoint you as my representatives!

Gilgamesh generously promised the group below, acknowledging that the person in the distance possessed abilities that somewhat exceeded his expectations, but insisted that he absolutely could not go to see that person himself.

Since the Chaldea members and the other party had an old acquaintance, they could simply change the format of the task originally intended for them. The main difference wouldn't be significant, and they wouldn't have to listen to that annoying voice again. (Sai)

Although he still couldn't recognize the Servant's identity, Gilgamesh felt an inexplicable resentment upon seeing him and didn't want to see him again. Although this was always unavoidable, he would at least avoid it for now.

"Finally, we have gained King Gilgamesh's recognition...!"

The Chaldeans had been busy during their stay in the city, from trivial matters among the residents to retrieving the clay tablets containing prophecies for Gilgamesh. Finally, they had reached the last step.

Siduri, standing behind Gilgamesh, was also delighted by this, and even wept with joy.

"Wait, Siduri, why are you crying tears of joy?"

Gilgamesh turned his head and asked.

"Huh!? No, no... nothing like that. I was just reminiscing about the difficult days Fujimaru had gone through as the person in charge."

"In other words, we've finally reached the starting line. But for Wang, that's already quite fast, isn't it?"

……

Having received Gilgamesh's mission, the group took the clay tablets as symbols of their identity, tidied themselves up briefly, and then left the city gates with the tablets, heading north.

This was the first time the two Chaldea members had ever been to the North Wall. Although they had seen the monsters attacking the Absolute Monster Front from a distant high platform during their arrival, they had never actually been to that towering wall.

The towering walls are as magnificent as they appear from afar, and from behind, one can see the city that has formed beneath them.

After all, for such a large-scale defensive position, if all supplies and resources were to be transported from distant cities, the losses along the way would be considerable, and it would be necessary to obtain supplies directly from the local area.

However, the cities behind the Warcraft front are not entirely safe, as occasionally powerful Warcraft will break through the city walls and land in the city alone.

Although the wall reacts very quickly, with soldiers and even Servants arriving immediately, you might still die here if you're unlucky.

Because the monsters launched two large-scale attacks in succession, even casual attacks are rarely seen today, and most of the monsters have returned to the forest to rest.

Jingu did indeed restrain the magical beasts, causing most of them to choose to rest and recuperate instead of harassing the area again.

If Nippur cannot be captured, then breaking through the Absolute Monster Front is nothing short of a pipe dream.

After all, Nippur City is right in front of the absolute monster front. Crossing this city to attack the monster front is something that could only be done when the monsters don't have a commander yet.

However, Jingu clearly took over the role of commander, once again directing the magical beasts and enabling them to launch an orderly attack.

They didn't see any monsters outside today, so the Chaldea group didn't choose to stay here for long or rest for the night. Instead, they set off again after a short rest.

Nippur City is quite close to the Absolute Monster Front, and it's possible to get there within a day, so there's no need to stop for a rest.

If the monsters hadn't gathered together and attacked Nippur shortly after their general offensive, the monster front might have been able to provide timely support to Nippur.

However, the Servants on the front lines would often take advantage of the precious respite after the general offensive ended to return to Uruk to continue training soldiers or do other things.

By the time the Servants returned from Uruk to the Absolute Demonic Front, the battle in Nippur had already come to an end.

However, this could also be considered a good thing, as the Servants of Absolute Demonic Front were not able to have much impact on the battle in Nippur.

It might alleviate some of the difficulties on the city walls, but with such a large number of monsters, the monster front would likely lose a significant amount of strength.

"Full speed ahead! Soldiers, please lead the way!"

None of the people here had ever been to Nippur, so they naturally needed a guide. Leonidas assigned a squad of soldiers to lead Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others to Nippur, and to act as their protectors.

Although there aren't many monsters roaming the road, there are still some, and having more strength always makes things safer.

"Is that Nippur? I've heard that it's a fortified city that's no less impressive than Uruk, but I never imagined that every wall of the city would be even higher than the walls of the Monster Front."

Upon arriving at the Nippur plains, the group exclaimed in surprise, while the soldiers beside them shook their heads in disbelief.

"No... Nippur's walls are indeed tall, but at most they are only slightly taller than Uruk's, at least until a few days ago."

The soldiers coming and going spoke up, some even wondering if they had gone the wrong way and ended up somewhere else.

But in Sumer, what other city could have such high walls? It was clearly impossible.

"This is truly an unexpected scene. I never imagined that I could see such an amazing city in Sumer during this era. This city has become a huge temple, providing for the temple's owner to recreate his former glory."

Merlin marveled. Nippur was indeed a temple, the foundation connecting heaven and earth, with Ekul merely its core.

"Such a tall city wall is covered with cracks; yesterday's battle must have been incredibly bloody."

The city walls were not yet fully repaired, but the bloodshed was gone. The monster corpses left near the walls became the city's food.

Monsters feed on humans to fill their bellies and use them as material for other monsters. So humans can also be used as material, since they are also living beings, born from flesh and blood.

Manshu was able to continue nurturing the void beneath the city. In the previous battles, it wasn't that no one died in the city; under the attack of such a large number of magical beasts, death was inevitable.

Manjushri was also able to welcome these brave souls who died in battle, and invited them to his underworld, where he built a place for them to stand at the foot of the high mountain that lay beneath the underworld.

"People from Uruk? Let them come over."

Chapter 159 Visit

Fujimaru Ritsuka and her group arrived at the gate of Nippur City. There weren't many people guarding the city walls and the gate. At least, no one could be seen coming or going on the towering city walls, and there was only one person at the gate.

However, there are no people coming and going in Nippur. The cities further ahead have all been destroyed. Only people from Uruk come here, so only this city gate is still occupied.

"Huh, I've never seen you before. Did you just come from Uruk?"

The citizens of Nippur, who were guarding the city gate, came forward to greet the people who were coming. They were slightly unfamiliar with the Chaldea members, but they immediately recognized their faces from behind.

“They are guests from afar, who have gained the king’s trust and have come here on the orders of King Gilgamesh.”

The accompanying soldiers went up to the people of Nippur and said that the Absolute Monster Front had close ties with Nippur and the two sides were quite familiar with each other.

“It seems that King Gilgamesh already knows what has happened here. This time, only you few escorts have come to Nippur.”

The soldiers in Nippur made no comment, not even checking the clay tablets used as identification. They simply nodded to understand the situation and led the group directly into the city.

“It seems that Nippur City is indeed out of danger; you can see the signs of it on your face.”

"Of course, after the great God Enlil returned to the land he loved, how could we, who are bathed in the light of God Enlil, possibly be in danger?"

All danger has departed from us, and Nippur has regained its former glory. Our Master, our God, has heard our prayers and returned to the side of His servants.

The soldier said proudly, his face full of joy.

"Has Enlil returned to Nippur?"

Merlin, who was still surveying the city, heard the soldier's words and asked him a question.

"Don't you know? Enlil clearly came from Uruk and returned to Nippur with the messengers sent by King Gilgamesh. I thought you were sent by King Gilgamesh to offer gifts to the resurrected Enlil on his behalf."

The soldier turned around, slightly surprised, and said...

They remembered that Manju had come from the direction of Uruk, accompanied by an envoy sent by King Gilgamesh to guide him.

This is indeed shameful; even after returning to his own city, the god Enlil still had to ask others for directions.

This is probably all because of their lack of faith, which prevented Enlil from seeing the whereabouts of his believers on earth, and thus from finding his earthly palace, Nippur.

This was something to reflect upon, but the priests in the temple did not recognize the appearance of the God Enlil who had returned until the god revealed his great power and strength before everyone. Only then did the priests realize that the one who entered the temple was the god they served in the temple.

Even the priests who worshipped the gods did not notice the arrival of the gods, let alone him who was searching!

“Oh, I see. King Gilgamesh was a bit vague about this, so much so that I didn’t immediately realize that the god Enlil who came to the city was the one who had visited Uruk.”

Upon hearing the soldier's words, the others present naturally connected the city's celebrated god Enlil with Manju.

"Enlil the God?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka consulted Mash, who was standing nearby.

Although they lived in Uruk for a month, their knowledge of mythology was limited.

Gilgamesh declared that he did not need to rely on the gods, and used the temples of Uruk as his palaces. Moreover, the only people he could learn about in Uruk were the gods of the city, the sky goddess Ishtar.

Enlil, being the god-king before Marduk, wouldn't be mentioned so frequently here.

“In the extremely distant past, before Marduk became the King of the Gods of Sumer, the King of the Gods was Enlil. Nippur was Enlil’s palace on earth. Therefore, the nominal kings of Sumer would generally choose to go to Nippur to be crowned in order to gain the recognition of the King of the Gods.”

During the Early Dynastic period, it was quite common for kings to travel to Nippur to hold a coronation ceremony, as people believed that this city was capable of granting the entire Sumerian monarchy to the rulers of other city-states.