Inside the empty temple, a small patch of previously calm space suddenly rippled slightly, and Ophis staggered out in a rare state of disarray, nearly falling as she landed.
"Haa..."
At that moment, purple magical energy surged from the ground, enveloping Ophis's body. In a flash, the weakness that had engulfed her disappeared completely.
"Call Siduri over."
Only after magically transmitting her order to the guard outside did Ophis slump onto her throne.
Everything done so far has been necessary… But this sense of weakness is still uncomfortable.
Originally, the concept of weakness didn't exist for an infinite being like herself. Unless one could obliterate her instantly or neutralize her infinity entirely, attempts at weakening or exhausting her were meaningless.
Certainly, Ophis could be injured, and combat expended energy—but all of that was merely part of infinity. No matter how much was subtracted from infinity, it remained infinite.
Yet now, she had willingly partitioned off that infinity…
"Hey! What the heck is wrong with you!?"
Surprisingly, the first to storm in wasn't Siduri, but a furious goddess who slammed the door open and stomped straight into the hall.
"Ah, Ishtar… Finished your exploration of the southern jungle?"
"Exploration my ass!? Just now, your presence totally changed, didn't it!?"
Ishtar looked extremely agitated. At the moment Ophis blocked the giant serpent's attack, her aura had momentarily felt astonishingly similar to Enkidu's.
If one had to describe it, it was like a fusion of Ophis and Enkidu, with Enkidu's presence actually overpowering Ophis's own.
…That was an absolute nightmare for Ishtar.
Although technically sisters, Ishtar and Enkidu had completely opposite worldviews and never got along.
They'd hardly even met many times, but their first impressions—and every subsequent encounter—had been exceptionally terrible.
Considering how Enkidu, who was usually quite gentle, strongly disliked Ishtar, Ophis was convinced the problem lay with Ishtar. After all, from Ophis's perspective, Enkidu was always correct. Judging solely from personality, anyone could easily determine who was more troublesome.
In any case, Ishtar utterly despised Enkidu, so Ophis suddenly resembling Enkidu was practically a disaster for her.
Besides…
"Forget it, let's drop that for now."
Striding quickly through the hall, Ishtar stood in front of Ophis and grabbed her right arm.
"Can you at least explain this?"
Red energy tore at the skin, golden brilliance resisted but simultaneously shredded flesh, and purple mana continuously repaired the damage.
This was the current state of Ophis's right arm.
"This is way too much. Even you can't possibly be numb to this level of pain, right?"
Ophis's body was composed of pure energy, yet all sensations—including pain—remained fully intact.
After all, a physical form served as a medium for interacting with the world. Lacking sensation in any area would only result in imperfection.
Though, having said that…
"It's easy enough to just shut it out."
Tilting her head slightly, Ophis spoke casually.
Feelings and sensations were actually things she could freely control. At worst, she could directly revert simulated nerves into pure energy.
Ishtar let out a speechless sigh.
"Forget it. I guess your personality is just impossible to change."
Saying that, Ishtar casually sat down next to her.
"So? Can't you just cut it off and regenerate?"
Ophis shook her head slightly, raising her arm—still caught in an endless cycle of destruction and regeneration—in front of her and lightly flexing her hand. A faint smile crossed her lips.
"It took considerable effort to obtain this sensation. Throwing it away now would be too wasteful."
"I see… Though I don't really get it. Suit yourself."
Ishtar glanced at the arm again.
Just what exactly is that…?
The sensation from that arm undoubtedly reminded her of the Chains of Heaven…
And that bizarre red energy…
"This girl really is full of secrets…"
Ishtar licked her lips lightly.
Normally, once something piqued her interest, Ishtar would never allow it to escape her grasp. Even if it inevitably ended up discarded after mere moments of amusement, she'd always seize it first.
But Ophis was a different matter entirely.
I feel like digging deeper would end up dragging me in as well…
Thinking this, Ishtar sighed again.
Besides, she couldn't understand Ophis's mindset at all. Last time with the Bull of Heaven was the same…
Strictly speaking, Ishtar was partly responsible for Enkidu's death, yet Ophis—fully aware of that—had never shown even a hint of anger toward her.
Originally, Ishtar had been quite excited to see this emotionless girl finally display some fury. But seeing Ophis so indifferent, she hadn't known how to react.
Later, drawn by curiosity—and also the mischievous desire to provoke Enkidu by getting closer to Ophis—she approached often. However, rather than answers, she only discovered more secrets. Although Ophis didn't entirely ignore her, she remained persistently indifferent to all her provocations.
And the more she learned, the less Ishtar dared to investigate further.
Ophis felt like an existence from an entirely different dimension. If she pursued too far, would things spiral beyond control…? Unable to predict that, Ishtar had stopped probing further, settling for being mere acquaintances.
She'd originally intended to keep her distance, but now she'd been summoned again…
Ishtar sighed once more at the thought.
Better an alliance than antagonizing such a dangerous, mysterious being. With that reasoning, she'd accepted Ophis's offer.
Still, this body felt strangely emotional… and seeing Ophis—this deceptively innocent-looking girl—made her strangely protective…
It felt like she couldn't just leave this girl alone.
Ever since getting summoned this time, nothing but trouble keeps piling up…
"So what's next? I doubt your arm will recover anytime soon. Will you be staying here to rest for now?"
Ishtar shook her head helplessly.
"Our goals still align, at least temporarily. I'll be a bit more serious during this period—"
"Yes, actually, there's something I need from you."
Ophis nodded lightly.
"Huh?"
"After you return from the southern jungle, Ishtar, I'll need you to take me to the Underworld."
"Hah?!"
Ishtar was completely stunned.
The Underworld… That place ruled by my damned sister?
Wait, so she got summoned too…?
"No, wait—That's not the point! Even someone invincible like me might never return once entering Kur! Your strength feels greatly reduced, plus you're injured. Isn't entering the Underworld like this just suicide!?"
Frowning deeply, Ishtar looked seriously at Ophis.
"I hate to admit this, but you're Uruk's single most important asset right now. Your life doesn't belong to you alone anymore—do you even realize that!?"
Faced with Ishtar's sudden seriousness, Ophis's lips curved slightly, displaying that familiar, final-boss-like smile once again.
"You don't need to worry about me, Ishtar."
"I told you, you're not the one I'm—"
Ishtar tried to argue, but Ophis raised her hand to stop her.
"After my last battle with Enkidu, I reconsidered many things."
"Huh?"
Ishtar was stunned again.
"You have it backwards, Ishtar. Whether it's Uruk, its people, or my own life—all of these belong solely to me… No, it's better to say, they're all part of 'me'."
"Haaah?"
This time, Ishtar was utterly dumbfounded.
Wait a minute, you're definitely a fake Ophis, aren't you? This change in personality is way too extreme! Even I wouldn't say something that arrogant, considering Father God's existence…!
Ophis offered no further explanation, only calmly smiling.
"You underestimate me far too much, Ishtar. 'Infinity' isn't merely a part of me—it's my very essence. Thus, even after voluntarily discarding that infinite power, I myself remain 'Infinity.' Compared to my Infinity, something as trivial as Kur poses no threat at all."
Ophis boldly declared.
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T/N: woah... thats true... discarding part of infinity... still leaves you with infinity...