Or, why don’t you find another savior?

and--

"Although you are all kind people, I am evil." Morgan looked at Altria proudly, "So you just need to assist my husband and create enough opportunities for me to deliver a fatal blow."

"So are we going to start a war?" Altria looked warily at Quetzalcoatl.

She had seen the opponent's strength in the battle yesterday evening, and the trouble he would cause would be no less than that of Jin Gu who held the core of the Holy Grail.

"No, she won't." Xi Jian narrowed his eyes.

Quetzalcoatl, who was riding on the pterosaur, showed an expression of surprise at first, then reacted, laughed sinisterly, and controlled the pterosaur to turn around and return to Eridu.

"Retreat?" Artoria relaxed, but still wondered why the other party didn't start a war immediately.

"Quetzalcoatl, the Toltec priest king, and the Mayan conqueror king Kukulkan." Shiomi concluded calmly, "South American myths all highly respect fighting. If she has already noticed the purpose of our visit, she would definitely prefer to have a sacred decisive battle in front of her temple rather than starting a war in a place like this."

After hearing what he said, Altria suddenly had a headache: "Then... Master, isn't this a blatant provocation?"

The other side had made full preparations in their base camp to meet them after the long-distance attack. They were undoubtedly well-rested and had a great advantage.

It will become an unprecedented tough battle.

"The journey from Uruk to Eridu takes two days for the Mesopotamians, both ways." Shiomi stretched out his hand and pulled Altria onto the carriage. "We are not in a hurry. We can go there slowly at this speed."

"The enemy is a god. Deliberately slowing down to tire the enemy out may not work," Morgan warned.

"That at least will allow us not to be so hasty. We're going to fight anyway, so we'd better be fully prepared before going." Xijian said, turning the carriage around and heading towards a slope with a few trees not far away.

After he said this, he yawned.

"The season is perfect, the weather is perfect, and the temperature is just right." Xi Jian yawned, "We set out before dawn... I didn't sleep well last night."

Morgan glanced at Altria with a subtle look: "That's just my husband's own fault. He made the hungry lion remember its appetite."

"……Well……"

Whenever this topic came up, Altria would be unable to think of words to argue, and then fall into awkward silence because of the irrefutable facts.

"Anyway..." Xi Jian said with a long smile, his attitude extremely relaxed, "Anyway, we are not planning to arrive today, so just relax a bit and treat it as a spring outing."

Chapter 45: Calm March

Just as Shiomi said, the road from Uruk to Eridu was not difficult, and the scattered wild monsters of the Age of Gods were not enough to pose a threat to their existence.

Driving the carriage slowly along the way, sometimes investigating the wilderness, sometimes fetching water from the clear river, and sometimes looking for animals and fruits that can be used for food.

The fertile Mesopotamian plains nurtured abundant resources. Even without any supplies, they could survive for more than a month by relying on what they found in the wild.

Of course, they couldn't possibly walk that long.

"You mean, neither Ereshkigal nor Quetzalcoatl really want to destroy humanity?"

On the morning of the third day after setting out from Uruk, at the campsite not far away from the dense forest, Artoria was sitting on a rock by the river, and Shiomi was combing her hair with a wooden comb. During their chat, she mentioned her views on the two goddesses.

"Remember the battle in Uruk the day before yesterday? Quetzalcoatl said, 'I was called here by my mother to kill humans.' On the other hand, killing humans was the request of the 'mother' who summoned her to this land, not her own wish." said Altria.

"She killed the soldiers and resurrected them immediately, and recovered the bodies of those who pretended to be dead." Shiomi felt that this possibility was not absent. "Then what about Ereshkigal? She did kill the humans of Kusa and took their souls into the underworld--"

Having said this, Shiomi fell speechless and stopped combing her hair. Then it was Altria's turn to laugh helplessly.

"I have done something similar myself, so I will understand the other party's purpose at the first moment." said Altria.

As the Lion King, she had planned to select human souls as data, store them in the Holy Lance, and preserve them forever.

The same was true of Ereshkigal, who took the souls of all the inhabitants of Kusa into the underworld for a similar purpose.

This land will eventually be destroyed, so we must protect the humans we love.

"I see." Xi Jian understood. "But even if they don't really intend to destroy humanity, they chose such a circuitous way. Quetzalcoatl will not be as easy to talk to as Ereshkigal. Fighting is inevitable."

Altria was not surprised at all: "Both the Master and I are ready for a fierce battle, besides... besides..."

"My magic power is abundant to the point of being redundant." Xijian put down the comb and used his hands to help her comb her hair. "When necessary, I will use the Command Spell."

"...Well, I'll leave it to the Master to decide."

She was unconsciously embarrassed because of her words, but with Shiomi's help, she regained her usual composure.

Originally, Artoria's hair was braided and fixed by magic, but after waking up this morning, he saw Artoria with her hair loose and had this idea.

"The Master's hands are very gentle, and his private actions are not at all like those of a warrior." Altria said, "Even though these are the hands of a warrior, I can understand that the Master can live well in peacetime."

"I see." Xijian responded.

"In my time, although there were men who respected and loved women, they were ultimately restricted by the times, especially the soldiers fighting on the battlefield. Even if they left the battlefield, they could not erase the breath of iron and blood and live in peace." said Altria.

"Isn't that great? For the king, isn't this the ideal soldier?"

"You are right. But apart from my identity as a soldier, as a human being, I cannot live well in peacetime. Thinking back on this, I often feel that I have failed to fulfill my responsibility as a king and lead them into a long period of peace." Altria's voice was very soft.

"Do you want me to agree, or do you want me to say 'It's not just your fault'?" Shiomi sighed.

"Neither side wants it, Master... My only compatriot now can understand everything about me, but will not judge me. That's enough." Altria held Shiomi's hand that fell on her temple.

"Yeah." Xi Jian nodded, then teased without turning back, "You're awake. I thought you would sleep a little longer?"

Morgan lay on the side of the carriage fence, with a blanket casually draped over him. His fair arms were shrouded in a faint glow in the twilight. "I was sleeping soundly, but unfortunately I heard someone saying something stupid, so I couldn't help but wake up to listen."

"Wow, do you have to be so exaggerated——" Shiomi couldn't help but feel a little helpless.

"It's stupid, but anyone could say that." Morgan's voice was quiet. She smiled and said, "Go on. I won't make fun of you, Altria."

A gust of majestic wind blew up, and Shiomi's hands left Altria's hair, and the magic power naturally weaved Altria's hair.

"It's just an occasional chat. If you mention it on purpose, it will lose its value." Altria touched her temple, where the touch from the previous moment was still lingering.

Morgan's smile gradually turned cunning: "Oh? Do you think I'm getting in the way?"

"No one has ever said that, right?" Shiomi lifted the lid of the pot on the stove and checked what was cooking in it. "It only took two hours to get to Eridu from this place before there were dense forests. Now, considering the possible obstacles on the road, it should take about four hours."

"The opponent is the goddess of the sun and wind. How about attacking at night rather than during the day?" Altria asked at this time.

"That's a good idea... But if we do that, even if we win, we may not be able to convince the other party." Shiomi held up his arms. "Since they are not enemies that must be killed, in order to deal with the potential threat of this singularity, it is still necessary to make the other party willingly cooperate with us."

"Indeed, rather than paying the price to annihilate them, it is better to try to win them over to our side. This will be more beneficial for the unknown situation in the future." Morgan agreed.

At this time, Altria also let out a soft and light sound.

"What's so funny?" Xi Jiandan closed his eyes, "Does His Majesty the Lion King think that my strategy of trying to increase friends and reduce enemies is too naive?"

"No, I just suddenly feel that I understand some of the Master's actions better than before." said Altria.

Xi Jian suddenly showed a sad expression: "I thought that after so many intimate encounters, we already understood each other..."

Then, in the face of Morgan's teasing smile, Altria blushed and fell silent again.

Chapter 1: Battle in front of the Temple of the Sun ()

In the city of Eridu, there is a temple that does not belong to the Mesopotamian civilization, standing in the center of the city.

A typical Mayan pyramid. The building at the top of the pyramid is the Temple of Quetzalcoatl.

The god worshipped and worshipped in this temple is now standing in front of the temple at the top of the steps, looking at Shiomi and others who have come here after passing through the dense forest and city streets.

In addition, there are also the Leopard People who have turned against us.

The Leopard People were originally a group without a master or servant, and they only obeyed Quetzalcoatl under pressure. Their original purpose was nothing more than to work for the other party and make some money.

The Leopard Man was taught a lesson for failing to recover the bodies of the fake-dead soldiers, so after Xi Jian and the others entered the jungle, the Leopard Man quickly saw the situation and stood on their side.

Of course, maybe it was just a simple counter-espionage plot. ——Shiomi secretly guessed so.

"Hi~, welcome to my temple. Seeing you driving towards Eridu before dawn, I had to give up my plan to go to Uruk to kill the soldiers and wait for your arrival here--"

Then, Quetzal's expression suddenly changed, revealing a rather angry and ferocious expression: "But you actually made me wait here for two whole days! I have committed the sin of neglecting the gods, so I am sure you are ready to be punished, right?"

When he noticed they had not arrived on the first day, Quetzalcoatl realized they were deliberately slowing down, but were still on their way.

This swagger indicated an attempt to reach the Temple of the Sun in Eridu, which presented Quetzal, as a god, with a difficult choice.

"We can't do anything about it. The road is long and difficult to walk on. Even carriages can't get in." Xi Jian was not in a hurry. He could see that the delaying tactic was effective, but it also succeeded in annoyed the other party. "Of course we can only walk slowly."

A fierce battle is inevitable.

He looked towards the side of the temple at this time, and saw a giant axe whose body alone was almost as big as the pyramid.

That is the weapon of Marduk, the god of war and main god in Sumerian mythology.

Axe of Marduk.

“Since you are not just wandering around outside Eridu, but are deliberately stalling for time and wearing out my patience—” Quetzal suddenly put away his vicious expression, “I will kill all of you and enshrine your hearts in the temple~! Then I will go to Uruk and kill everyone there.”

The Sun Goddess announced her next plan with a brilliant smile. There was no hatred or anger in her, but she was filled with murderous intent.

"Kill them all? Shouldn't we kill them, revive them, and bring them back to Eridu?" Morgan gripped the magic gun, ready to start a battle at any time.

"That will only happen later," Quetzalcoatl said, "and now I see the little fool who shouldn't be on your side~!"

She was referring to the Leopard Man.

"Not good... I might be the first one to be killed if a fight breaks out. I have seen such a future." The Leopard Man sniffed, his face looking like he was about to cry with fear, but he did not tremble.

"YES~! I won't let you off~, I will cut you into pieces~!" Quetzal still smiled brightly.

Altria, who was standing by, had no doubt about the truth of this statement. She had heard from Shijian that in the mythological era, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca were mortal enemies.

As the leopard man who is the latter's offshoot, it is natural that he will be no exception after becoming hostile.

After seeing several people take out their weapons, especially the spear emitting golden light in Shiomi's hand, Quetzal Coatl looked even more excited.

Excited about the possibility of having a good fight.

"Humans are really worth being bullied from head to toe, especially those who are walking ahead of all humans and heading to the next level like this." Quetzal carried the Maquawit and the shield and slowly walked down the stairs. "That gun is also a god-level weapon, right? You can use this kind of weapon freely. No wonder the goddesses and witches over there love you so much~!"

"I'm not against the Master because of--" Altria sternly denied this misinterpretation.

What's more, it wasn't a life-and-death experience, at most it was just a state of ecstasy.

"Whether you can become my husband because you can ascend to the throne, or whether you can ascend to the throne because you become my husband, it doesn't matter." Morgan pointed his magic spear at Quetzal, "Strong power is important, but it is not everything."

"Really? That's even better, isn't it? Humans are powerful creatures. One day, all humans will be like you and reach a height that can stand shoulder to shoulder with 'us'!"

Quetzal praised happily, and the "we" she mentioned referred to the gods including herself.

"Although I no longer have any memory of the Cretaceous period, the seeds accumulated from generation to generation tell me that I love you humans and want to coexist with you! Humans are the value of our existence!"

"...Master, this goddess is enjoying it very much. She might be..." Artoria suddenly realized and reminded in a low voice.

"It's clear that she joined the Three Goddesses Alliance just for the fun of teasing humans. It's as natural as an innocent girl crushing an ant." Shiomi's face darkened.

In this case, there is no need to hesitate about the consequences. Only by completely defeating Quetzalcoatl will communication and cooperation be possible.

"It looks like that's enough idle chatter. What's next is a life-and-death fight." Quetzal licked his lips. "Anyway, one look at you will tell you're the kind of warrior who doesn't agree with treating combat as a form of enjoyment."

Shiomi lowered his body and tensed his legs, like an arrow on a string.

"No, I will enjoy myself. But I enjoy fighting alongside my companions, not the enemy."

As the last words fell, he and Quetzal rushed out from their respective positions like two meteors, collided in the middle, and caused a violent explosion.

After landing, Shiomi was forced to hold up his gun to resist the Maquawitt, which was vibrating the obsidian spikes like a chainsaw, and the sparks were strong and dazzling.

Ximian's expression was solemn and he was secretly shocked.

Quetzal, however, showed an even happier expression, still fully relaxed.

This is the Temple of the Sun. Fighting against the main god worshipped in such a place is bound to be difficult.

That's why you need companions and can't fight alone.

"Oh?"

There was a slight vibration from the ground beneath his feet, which distracted Quetzal slightly.

The soil cracked and branches grew around the bend of her legs, entwining them and dragging her tightly above the ground.

This level of restraint can be broken free with some force, so there is a backup plan.

Altria jumped high, raised the holy sword with both hands, and slashed heavily at Quetzal Coatl.

Chapter 2: Battle in front of the Temple of the Sun ()

when--!