Uruk, Royal Palace, Night, Brightly Lit.
After being completely unable to win and bullied by Ritsuka for a good while, Ereshkigal-chan chose to temporarily yield to make Ishtar shut her mocking mouth, allowing the Chaldea party to take the King of Heroes' soul back first.
But as for jointly protecting Uruk, Ereshkigal-chan hadn't yet agreed, and Ritsuka still needed to work hard.
For example, she was currently still in the Underworld with Mash, even though the Holy Grail had been retrieved by Guinevere, and Guinevere and her party had already left.
"I say, are you really that reassured about Ereshkigal-chan?"
"Ishtar, the one who decided to trust Ereshkigal-chan and wanted to stay behind to chat with her was Ritsuka. I'm not reassured about Ereshkigal-chan at all. I was just thinking that if they hadn't returned after two days, and she didn't appear in Rin's body at night, I'd just grab you and make another trip to the Underworld."
Inside the palace, the King of Heroes had been working diligently since his return, with Siduri and the ministers constantly bringing him clay tablets of state affairs.
Outside the palace, Guinevere's words were one thing, but in reality, she trusted Ereshkigal's character, and she also trusted Ritsuka's ability to 'conquer' servants.
Moreover, after returning from the Underworld, the weakening symptoms of Uruk's residents had vanished, and even those on their deathbeds from illness had recovered their health within a few hours.
From this point alone, it was clear that Ereshkigal-chan was also a tsundere.
"Hey, so let's assume Ereshkigal-chan has already defected to our side. What do you plan to do next? Continue to wait for the King of Heroes to prepare to subjugate Quetzalcoatl? Or take Anna and subjugate Gorgon first?"
After the battle with Ereshkigal-chan, Guinevere had witnessed Mash and Ritsuka's growth and believed that in the ever-tightening time ahead, it would be difficult for them to achieve further growth.
Therefore, Guinevere no longer wanted to slack off and delay any longer.
Quetzalcoatl, one of the supreme gods of Aztec mythology, the Feathered Serpent, the God of Life and Harvest, the God of Wind and Rain, the Sun God, and so on.
As one of the Three Goddess Alliance, she occupied the forest region of Mesopotamia, with the divine servant Jaguar Man under her command. According to the original plot that Guinevere knew, she would soon come to Uruk to challenge the strong, decide the outcome with wrestling, and agree to grant the winner one wish.
In the original story, it seems Merlin schemed to eliminate half of her divinity, which allowed Ritsuka and the others to defeat her through trickery and bring her over to their side.
However, since Guinevere had already decided to stop slacking off and delaying, and she didn't need help from people like Merlin...
"Ishtar, do you know the way?"
It was early morning when they had gone to the Underworld, and it was already noon that same day when they returned. To challenge the Sun God at this time was clearly foolish, but Guinevere was determined to challenge the strongest Sun God, the Feathered Serpent—Quetzalcoatl.
"Are you sure? Are you not going to ask Gilgamesh?"
"His silence is consent."
Ishtar nodded. She had no desire to dissuade Guinevere, and she was equally curious to see what Guinevere looked like fighting seriously.
Ishtar extended her hand and summoned Maanna, offering Guinevere a ride. However, her Maanna was too small and shaped like a longbow; Guinevere had no intention of standing there all cramped up.
Instead, she used Vimana. Without even bothering to reclaim her Holy Sword from the Monster Front, Guinevere flew with Ishtar toward the forest region.
One hour passed, then two... Surprisingly, the two of them flew in silence the entire way, and Guinevere miraculously didn't say a word to tease Ishtar.
After three hours, they entered the depths of the forest region. Upon seeing the towering Aztec temple, both felt the scorching aura of a Chief God.
"Guinevere, are you sure you don't want me to step in? You're just a mere human, after all..."
"But as a local god, you should know that being a god isn't just about power. Gilgamesh, with only half a god's body, has defeated many gods, and he doesn't even take your marriage proposal seriously."
"Hey, shut up! Don't bring up that dark history."
It was hard to jump around on Maanna. After shaking her small fist, Ishtar sighed and continued:
"Then, using a phrase from the knowledge this body possesses, I wish you good fortune in battle. However, if you really can't win, remember to call me in time. Since you actually gave me information on the Bull of Heaven's whereabouts and we've already established a pact, I wouldn't mind lending a hand to save you."
"Tsk, I'll take your blessing, but your rescue... I won't be needing it."
Guinevere naturally smiled, and after her smile, she didn't delay at all. She directly stepped off the edge of Vimana, smashing into the ground in front of the temple like a cannonball, kicking up a cloud of dust.
At this moment, Guinevere's entire body was already enveloped in crimson, frenzied Mana.
"Quetzalcoatl?"
"Guinevere Pendragon?"
The moment Guinevere saw Quetzalcoatl, she instantly recognized her from her memories.
The woman wore a chieftain-style feathered headdress, her body draped only in a bandeau and a front-slit skirt, both fashioned from two simple wraps of cloth. Even her feet were bare.
Against her mature, voluptuous figure, her emerald eyes seemed to hold a smile, and beneath her curved lips, a gem was firmly embedded in the center of her chin.
"I'm surprised you know my name! And that you didn't call me Arthur Pendragon because of that sword."
Quetzalcoatl leaned on a jagged greatsword, her gaze fixed on the Excalibur in Guinevere's hand.
Even from different eras, the knowledge granted by the Holy Grail allowed Servants to deduce another's True Name from their Noble Phantasm. Besides, Excalibur was so famous that nearly any Servant would recognize it.
"Miss Guinevere, I've been staying here without intervening, but that doesn't mean I'm indifferent to the outside world. Because I love humanity so dearly, if the people of this era truly cannot withstand the Calamity, I will grant them a dignified end before the final moment."
Guinevere remembered that in the original plot, Quetzalcoatl hadn't said this. But the original plot was only a reference; knowing this, it wouldn't be hard to persuade Quetzalcoatl.
"So, to get you to side with Uruk, all I need to do is prove my strength?"
She raised her sword and stepped forward, but Jaguar Man with Taiga Fujimura's appearance pounced first. Guinevere spotted its weakness at a glance and sent it flying with a strike from the sword's spine.
"..."
A whistle sounded. A battle-hungry glint began to emerge in Quetzalcoatl's smiling eyes. That single blow that sent the Jaguar Man flying had clearly piqued the interest of this battle-loving big sister.
The next second, Quetzalcoatl's foot slammed into Excalibur's spine. But Guinevere wasn't sent flying. In terms of Strength, both of them only had a B rank in their current forms. Moreover, Guinevere was under the effect of Mana Burst.
Swinging her sword, she sent Quetzalcoatl flying. Guinevere gripped the sword with both hands, took a deep breath, and pursued her instead!
She, too, wanted to enjoy a hearty battle.