Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

On the city wall, Samael, his heart pounding with fear, almost crushed the bricks with his fingers.

But before he could catch his breath, the mountains and gullies, which had blocked nearly 70% of the aftershocks, were gradually crushed and filled in.

The still-powerful floodwaters swept across the plain a hundred meters away, surging in with waves that had already surpassed the height of the city walls.

At the critical moment, the loud roar of the Quetzalcoatl came from above everyone's heads.

In an instant, a gust of wind howled overhead, and a giant rock engraved with the calendar of stars crashed down, half of it embedding itself in the soil in front of the South Gate amidst a sharp explosion.

The giant wave that was about to crash onto the city wall, as the red light on the surface of the round stones spread and washed over it, fell to the ground like a spineless corpse and slowly retreated into the river.

The Solar Calendar Stone! And the Feathered Serpent Goddess!

Looking at Uruk, which he had almost lost, Samael felt a pang of sadness and tears welled up in his eyes.

Chapter 135 Sticking Out Your Butt, Getting a Spanking (1/4)

"The destruction of the temple, the triggering of the black tide, and the unleashing of the mountain torrents were all caused by the Heavenly Bull, Gugalana?"

"Ok!"

"It's controlled by Apsu's power, and has nothing to do with you?"

"Correct!"

"You arrived at the Kusa line in time, built defenses, and stopped this guy's invasion?"

"That's right!"

"According to the plan, the Bull of Heaven has already been dragged into the Underworld?"

"That's right!"

"Is this a great victory?"

"definitely!"

"Come, let me tell you about the results of your battle..."

Inside the royal palace tower, the shepherd priest, who temporarily assumed royal power, stood before the sand table, smiling as he asked the war goddess who had once again won a victory.

Ishtar's guilty smile froze, and her gaze towards the sand table flickered uncertainly.

"At least, Uruk... wasn't it saved?"

"boom!"

A finger was slightly spread and pressed down on Ishtar's head. The tightening force made the great goddess clutch her head and wail.

"Let go, let go, it hurts, it hurts so much..."

"Kusa is gone! The Euphrates has breached its banks! The Reed Plains are flooded! Gugalana has fled too!"

"If Quetzalcoatl hadn't returned in time, Uruk would have been finished! What good would it have done to you!"

"Speak! Are you an undercover agent sent by Apusu?"

Samael's smile became increasingly distorted, and the fingers covering Ishtar's head were like iron clamps tightening, almost squeezing the great goddess's head down a size.

"A little... a tiny little accident!"

"I admit I was wrong, okay...?"

Ishtar circled around Samael, howling in agony, while making excuses with a mournful face.

Watching the priest and city goddess, who were supposed to be in a "sacred marriage," leaping and bounding up and down the palace tower, Siduri, Anna, Merlin, and the others sighed and were speechless.

Half an hour later, Ishtar, with a large bump on her head, stood by the pillars at the entrance of the palace tower, holding a clay tablet inscribed with cuneiform script, her eyes brimming with tears, and sobbing in grievance.

"Woooo..."

"This is outrageous...this treatment is too much..."

On the front of the clay tablet, a praise stamped with the royal seal is prominently displayed: "I am a useless goddess."

“Siduri, I’m telling you, he’s blaspheming, and he’ll be punished!”

Seeing the rather devout high priest approaching with a hint of pity, Ishtar was indignant.

Even Siduri, who had the best temper among them, couldn't help but roll her eyes and gave a frustrated reminder.

"Your Majesty, this punishment was your own choice."

"The priests said that, given your status as a goddess, preferential treatment is permitted, and you may use jewels and currency to atone for your sins, thus compensating the Kusa inhabitants who were relocated to Uruk..."

"To deduct my savings from the Babylonian treasury—what a wicked condition!"

Ishtar's head shook like a rattle-drum, her eyes filled with grief and indignation as she rebuked him.

"You can only choose one: the money or the dignity of the goddess..."

"Waaah, Siduri, please help me..."

"You regret it? Then I will report to the High Priest and request that you be punished more severely."

"No! I meant to say that my arms are sore and my neck hurts. Could you help me carry you?"

The high priest, who had originally exuded a sense of solemnity and respect, turned pale, his lips twitching slightly. Without a word, he turned and left.

A moment later, Samael, who was standing in front of the sand table, heard Siduri's report and snorted irritably.

"It makes money, it's not shabby."

"So, it's only right to suffer a bit for this goal. And if she's not taught a lesson, do you believe she'll dare to do it again?"

Siduri, who had a natural reverence for the gods, nodded helplessly.

Ishtar held the clay tablet she was being punished with, was convicted by the royal seal, and subjected to a suppressive spell cast by a priestess.

Therefore, once this thing is presented, the great goddess will be unable to alleviate the burden through the amplification of her divine power.

Previously, the high priest thought that this extra option was somewhat disrespectful to their chief god.

As a result, when Ishtar heard that she wouldn't have to pay compensation and could be forgiven for her debts, she didn't hesitate at all and directly chose the second option, showing no integrity whatsoever.

“Siduri, in the name of Ishtar, will send compensation for the property losses of the Kusa people who have lost their city-state, and help them rebuild their homes around the city-state.”

"Remember to spread the word that Kusa sacrificed himself for Uruk, for the survival of Sumer..."

"Just as the two goddesses are twin sisters who jointly protect Mesopotamia, the Kusa people are also the brothers and relatives of the Uruk people."

Samael tapped the edge of the sand table, and with a hint of annoyance, transformed the two troublesome goddesses into figures of great righteousness and sisterly love, helping them regain their integrity and clean up the mess.

Siduri nodded seriously. Although this priest did not have the almost magical ability to rule like King Gilgamesh, he was better at understanding people's hearts and minds, making people more approachable and trustworthy.

"Oh, and before you leave, tell Ishtar that the mud slabs must be carried until dark. If anything touches the ground even once, the fine will be two cartloads of jewels!"

As the high priest turned away with a pile of tasks, Samael seemed to remember something, frowning and humming softly.

Goodness, for an ordinary person to be forced to stand in the mud all day as punishment, that must be incredibly grueling.

Anna, Merlin, and the leopard man, who remained where they were, couldn't help but smirk, almost bursting out laughing.

Hearing the woman's tearful wails at the door after hearing about the new punishment, Samael's previously depressed mood improved considerably.

But then, his gaze toward the vast land beyond the South Gate was filled with gloom and helplessness.

Putting Ereshkigal and Ishtar together on a mission without any backup plan was absolutely the biggest mistake.

But who knows how they both have the ability to mess things up at crucial moments? It's practically an irreversible causal law!

What was supposed to be a perfectly good ambush turned into a disaster. Not only did they lose Kusa, but even the Bull of Heaven, who had fallen into the underworld, escaped.

In the end, Uruk almost suffered the consequences.

In the end, it was Kukulkan who rushed over and threw out the Sunstone, barely managing to save the day.

Samael sometimes felt that even if Gugalan were brought over, it might not be so troublesome.

Currently, the main culprit has already surrendered and accepted punishment. So, in order to be fair, what kind of punishment should Ailey, the accomplice who let the Bull of the Sky escape, receive?

As darkness fell, the ancient snake stroked its chin, deep in thought.

Since I'm cleaning up your mess, how about... I spank you?

Meanwhile, the golden-haired goddess, who was taking stock of the damage and repairing the gun cage in the underworld, suddenly felt an itch in her delicate nose and sneezed loudly.

Furthermore, a strange tingling sensation rose from the tailbone all the way to the top of the head.

Bah! That damned Ishtar! Completely unreliable! I'll hang you by the temple gates and bake you into a crispy mess!

Looking at the crisscrossing ravines of the Underworld and the surging waters of the River Styx, Ai Lei's pretty face darkened, and she spat inwardly before speaking with resentment.

I went to help, but ended up making things worse and causing a lot of trouble.

Recently, she has been too ashamed to face the Uruk priest.

Chapter 136 How dare you! (2/4)

As night fell, Uruk fell silent after the disturbing patter of rain stopped. The people, whose bodies had been exploited and whose spirits had been stirred, finally got a good night's sleep.

On the astrological table, the solar calendar stone, which had been hastily placed, shone brightly against the backdrop of starlight, projecting a sky full of star charts and celestial outlines into the night.

Golden patterns of light, appearing and disappearing intermittently, rippled outwards with a peculiar rhythm, eventually spreading to the outer edge of Uruk and cascading down like a beautiful canopy adorned with tassels, covering the fortified city.

The dark clouds that had originally blanketed the entire Mesopotamia were driven out of the area protected by the sun's rays and could only linger and surge a few dozen miles away.

Even the overflowing floodwaters on the ground had to retreat and detour, unable to penetrate it even a little bit.

To the north, the Nabistin Tooth, forming a buffer, will deflect the rainwater washed down from the cedar forest outside the line and then lash towards Tigris along the ditches.

If all goes well, these turbid currents will flow along the riverbed into the Persian Gulf.

But beyond the light patterns and fangs, the water was vast and turbulent, reaching a height of seven or eight meters.

If this continues, within seven days at most, the floodwaters lingering outside the city will completely submerge the walls of the Babylonian defenses.

Leonidas, who was defending the north wall, was filled with worry.

This time, their opponents are not only monsters, but also an enemy called "Nature".

Meanwhile, at the Royal Palace Tower.

"As you have entrusted, we have made contact with the King."

As the magic circle on the ground gradually lit up, Merlin wiped away his sweat with a sigh of relief.

As the light patterns emerged and surged, an impatient hum came from within.

"What business do you have with me? Speak quickly! I'm very busy right now!"

Immediately following were sharp explosions in the air, the deafening roar of the etheric tides exploding, and the strange, grating sounds of sharp blades cutting into the air, one after another.

They could even hear inhuman roars and screams from it.

"Buzz!"

After a moment, the magic circle stabilized, and the interconnected projections gradually became clear. When everyone saw Gilgamesh's current condition, they gasped in shock.

Trees! Trees that are densely packed, growing in a haphazard, crooked pattern!

They emerge from the black soil, some reaching hundreds of meters in height, others tens of meters. Not only are their branches menacing, but their roots and bark are also covered with vein-like patterns.

From a distance, these things look like deformed arms reaching out and grasping from the soil, their branches rubbing together and constantly emitting eerie cries that send chills down your spine.

Now, this monster is growing all around the hero king, and even throughout the entire cedar forest!

Furthermore, from the air, these things called the Dawn God's Arms have already invaded two-thirds of the wasteland, and it won't be long before they cover the entire Uruk region.

No! If no one had stopped them, they might have already spread to the north wall!

As everyone watched the scene constantly shifting in angle on the screen, and the dense barrage of swords, spears, and halberds raining down on the strange forest like bullets, their expressions became solemn.

Unlike the southern rainforests of the Mayan goddess, which teem with life, this area covered by cedar forests was devoid of any living creatures, and the land was riddled with gullies.

Layer upon layer of deathly, gloomy red and black mud flowed forward with its roots spreading out, while the roots that surged out from the earth were hung with the skeletons of beasts, and the branches that collided and twisted with each other also passed through the corpses of birds.

Seemingly due to the divine patterns on the tree bark and the black tide beneath the roots, those branches, harder than gold and iron, grew continuously, frantically intertwining into the shape of arms and thorns, crossing and covering the two figures in mid-air.

The dense barrage of bullets only managed to slow down the advance of the cedar forest.

"Jill! Watch out on the left! It's coming out!"

The green-haired beauty unleashed the surrounding chains, severing hundreds of creaking black shadows that swept towards her. While noticing the ground trembling, she didn't forget to warn those behind her.