"You really didn't know?"
Standing on the streets of Kutha, Ishtar stared at Ophis with open surprise.
"Kur—the Underworld—is literally right beneath Kutha. It's not a metaphor, it's physically located underground."
"..."
Ophis stayed silently expressionless.
The Underworld was underground? So technically, if you got a group of burly, Age-of-Gods muscleheads and started digging, you could dig your way down to Kur?
...This kind of operation was possible?
She'd spent most of her time staring blankly into space, and Enkidu certainly hadn't taught her detailed geography about divine realms—so how could she have known Kur's actual location…?
She'd only guessed she might find a path in Kutha simply because Ereshkigal was the guardian goddess of this city.
Had she known it was this straightforward, she wouldn't have specifically summoned Ishtar to guide her.
"Well, technically, you could dig down and eventually reach the Underworld. But no matter where you dig from, your point of entry into Kur is entirely controlled by Ereshkigal. Usually, it's fixed… but if you're intending to make trouble, who knows what dangerous spot she'll drop you into."
As if sensing Ophis's thoughts, Ishtar explained casually.
Watching Ophis seem to seriously consider this, Ishtar hesitated briefly before lifting her head proudly.
"Well, since you've been rather agreeable lately, if you sincerely ask me, it's not impossible I might consider accompanying you down there."
"…No need."
This unexpected refusal caused Ishtar's lips to twitch awkwardly.
"You clearly have no idea what awaits in Kur, right? It's Ereshkigal's territory! Unless you're at the rank of a Divine King, even high-ranking chief gods would have almost no chance surviving down there. Even you would end up toyed with and killed by her without my guidance."
"Like how you were toyed with and killed before?"
"Wh-wha!?"
Ishtar froze stiffly.
Indeed, back when gods were still free, Ishtar had recklessly invaded the Underworld.
The result was clear: Ishtar was thoroughly humiliated and beaten by her elder sister.
She had actually died once. If her backing hadn't been incredibly strong, she might've never resurrected.
"Th-that was just me being careless! Even someone like me learns from mistakes—I'd definitely reach her throne easily this time!"
"…"
Ophis wasn't convinced at all.
According to myth, Ishtar had gone down fully armed with numerous divine tools, and barely made it to Ereshkigal after exhausting every single one.
Currently, Ishtar possessed no divine tools at all. If she persisted this time…
Exactly as Ereshkigal had stated before: she wouldn't even qualify to challenge her by the time she arrived.
If she took Ishtar along to Kur, she'd likely have to worry about protecting her instead.
Besides…
"I have something extremely important for you to handle, Ishtar."
Seeing Ophis's serious expression, Ishtar raised her brows, intrigued.
"Oh? Fine, then—let's hear it."
...
CLANG—!
Flesh collided with axe, yet it sounded like steel striking steel.
The area where Kingu and Heracles battled had become a vacuum zone no demonic beast dared approach. All creatures nearby instinctively avoided their battle, circling around to continue assaulting the northern wall.
The next second, Kingu transformed into golden light and withdrew, while several blades instantly appeared, striking Heracles almost simultaneously without the slightest gap.
But each blade shattered uselessly into golden dust, dissolving away.
Kingu's green eyes, gleaming faintly with gold, narrowed slightly.
Even attacks equivalent to B-rank Noble Phantasms weren't enough?
Enkidu's body could recreate any weapon—or anything else—using mud, provided she understood its form and nature. However, the stronger the creation, the greater the mental and computational strain required. If possible, she'd rather minimize this unnecessary expenditure.
Winning with minimal effort—that was also a fundamental principle of weapons.
"GRAAAHHH!"
Heracles roared violently, rushing forward once more.
Golden light gathered swiftly in Kingu's palm, forming a brilliant spear that shot forward.
Heracles easily dodged the projectile, continuing his relentless charge.
Kingu clicked her tongue slightly.
Not so easy, huh…
Whether the weapons were E-rank or EX-rank didn't matter. As long as Heracles had the slightest bit of energy, he dodged or deflected every single one, revealing no openings.
However, Kingu guessed that A-rank would be his absolute limit.
The reason was simple—if Heracles remained undamaged by even A-rank Noble Phantasms, this muscle-bound mountain of flesh would be absurdly tough.
Kingu raised one hand lightly, causing the earth in a radius of dozens of meters around them to erupt with golden radiance, engulfing both combatants.
The golden light rose upward, condensing into countless deadly weapons pointed unerringly at Heracles, leaving no escape.
The moment they formed, every single weapon hurtled toward Heracles simultaneously!
This sudden, overwhelming attack was impossible for the berserker—currently devoid of rational thought—to handle. He was instantly impaled by countless blades, his life extinguished in an instant.
Yet, Kingu, eyes closed, clearly sensed another surge of life-force swelling rapidly within Heracles, as if about to burst forth and burn fiercely again.
"ROAAAAR!"
Within mere seconds, a mysterious force shattered every weapon lodged in Heracles' flesh, and his life-force instantly reignited, roaring back to life.
Kingu opened her eyes again, smiling slightly.
"Weapons designed to kill divinity are certainly effective, as expected… but there's also a strong reaction from your status as a hero, hm?"
Eyeing Heracles with interest, Kingu murmured knowingly.
"A demigod hero, capable of resurrection… I see now."
Countless weapons manifested once more, surging toward Heracles again.
Learning from the previous experience, Heracles successfully deflected most of the incoming barrage, though he sustained some injuries. However, immediately afterward—
Six chains shot up suddenly from beneath the ground, piercing directly into Heracles' vital points.
Heracles died again!
"The great Greek hero who conquered the Twelve Labors—Heracles, I presume?"
During the initial attack, weapons that previously killed Heracles lost their effectiveness—meaning he could develop immunity to whatever killed him once?
While Heracles's life-force reignited yet again, Kingu fully embraced the villainous tradition of excessive talking, leisurely stepping closer while mocking softly.
"Your power is certainly impressive. Against anyone else, I imagine you'd be nearly invincible."
Even top-tier heroic spirits like that "little sun" would find it quite difficult to quickly improvise twelve different ways to kill him under pressure.
Unfortunately…
"How unfortunate for you! If you're the embodiment of perfection in a single aspect, I embody perfect and nearly infinite suppression! From that perspective, you're completely countered by me."
Killing Heracles required twelve—perhaps even thirteen—different methods, each needing at least B-rank power.
But Kingu could easily wield far more than just twelve different A-rank weapons!
Even more crucial, from Kingu's perspective—
"If my observation isn't mistaken, your physical body has itself become a Noble Phantasm, yes? An ultimate weapon elevated through the Trials... However, only your body is a weapon."
Arms outstretched arrogantly, Kingu proclaimed proudly.
"Unlike you, while I may be a flawless member of the new humanity, at the same time my body, my mind, my very soul—every aspect of my existence—is wholly and entirely a weapon. In other words…"
As she finished speaking, countless weapons appeared once more, perfectly locking onto Heracles from every conceivable angle.
"A mere half-baked, incomplete product like you could never surpass a weapon like me!"
Weapons rained down again in golden torrents, descending mercilessly upon Heracles.