Multiverse: Becoming a Giant of Light, Godslayer from the Start

Flat on the ground, Ishtar immediately recognized Su Mo's voice. She'd been wondering why Assassin hadn't finished her off yet. Now she knew—it was because he had shown up.

"You're just here to laugh at me, aren't you?" she growled, venom dripping from her tone. Proud as she was, even in defeat she refused to accept humiliation—especially from the same guy who had dared to spank her the night before. A disgrace. An absolute disgrace for a goddess!

Despite being in Rin Tohsaka's body, her beauty as the Goddess of Love and Beauty was undeniable. Now, seeing her so battered and disheveled, Su Mo couldn't help but chuckle.

"You actually look a little cuter like this."

Ishtar had certainly been beautiful before in her arrogant, haughty way—but for some reason, Su Mo found her current, humbled state far more charming. Like a spoiled brat finally getting a taste of discipline. Like a mischievous child who'd finally been put in her place. He couldn't help himself—this was genuinely amusing.

Ishtar, however, wasn't sure how to react.

"You're… actually calling me cute?" she blinked, shocked. She'd thought he came here just to mock her. Hadn't this man always maintained a 'goddesses are a distraction' kind of attitude? Didn't he always treat her like she was just annoying background noise? So why was he suddenly complimenting her now?

Su Mo's lip twitched. This was mockery! How could she not get that?! He was literally here to laugh at her! Just as he was about to say that out loud—

"Hmm?"

Su Mo noticed something strange. His brows furrowed as he placed a hand gently on her forehead.

—This wasn't a standard Servant summoning.

—She wasn't here as an independent spirit form.

—She was possessing young Rin's actual body?

Only now did Su Mo realize the truth.

Had this been ten years in the future, he would have immediately guessed that Ishtar had possessed Rin's body. But this was still the Fourth Holy Grail War, and Rin was only about seven years old. The Ishtar before him appeared to be around seventeen, so he'd assumed she was just projecting an older version of Rin's image. After all, she had pulled similar tricks during the Grand Order Babylon.

So, up until this point, Su Mo hadn't realized Ishtar was in a possession state. And now that she was defeated—that meant young Rin was dying along with her. Absolutely unacceptable. Forget how good Rin looked in black stockings ten years from now. Simply for Sakura's sake, he couldn't let Rin die here. Instinctively, Su Mo reached out and helped her sit up. He invoked the solar authority he had received from Mithra.

The life-giving blessing of the sun passed from him into Rin's body. With just a touch, Su Mo was able to transmit magic to heal her. No weird rituals or excessive drama were necessary. Just like how he'd replenished energy for Kiyohime before—this was just the same. And Ishtar felt it immediately.

Though it was hard to believe… this man was actually trying to save her? He didn't want her to fade away? "You're… doing this for me?" she asked quietly.

She had thought of Rin, of course. But this guy clearly had no real connection to the Tohsaka family. There was no way he came here just to save a little girl. Which left only one explanation—

He was trying to save her.

The thought sent an involuntary ripple of emotion through Ishtar's heart. To be abandoned, and then have someone—an enemy, no less—offer a hand when you're on the verge of collapse…

Even for a goddess, it was hard not to be touched by that. If Su Mo had always treated her well, Ishtar wouldn't have cared. To her, it would've just been another faithful believer doing what they were supposed to do.

—And believers who fawn over goddesses get nothing in return anyway.

But because Su Mo had always treated her coldly… because he'd constantly challenged her pride and dismissed her with disdain… Now that he was choosing not to mock her and instead reached out in aid—

Even though she completely misunderstood his intentions—it felt special. It felt real. Deeply moved, Ishtar whispered, "Don't waste your strength. My divine core is already shattered. It's too late to save me." Facing an enemy like that… not even a goddess could endure such punishment. And yet, even in her defeat, Ishtar had not gone down easily. As a goddess with authority over war, her battle prowess was nothing to scoff at.

Even against an Assassin whose Noble Phantasm had anti-female effects…

She had still held on long enough to eliminate Rider before she fell. Unfortunately, that was as far as she got. With Assassin supercharged by multiple Command Seals, she'd stood no chance in the end. And now, even with Su Mo here, her divine core was too broken to last more than a few minutes.

Hearing her words, Su Mo didn't respond. He just glanced at her wordlessly…

…and continued channeling his power.

I'm not doing this to save you. He was saving his future Rin, after all! But that single glance from Su Mo—meant purely as calculation—was completely misinterpreted by Ishtar. "You're still trying to save me, even if it's already hopeless?" First came surprise, then confusion, and finally, a flash of realization dawned across her expression.

So that's what it was. She understood now. She finally understood everything. Of course—everything made perfect sense! Clearly, Su Mo had come to appreciate just how adorable she truly was… and had fallen hopelessly in love with her.

That must be why he was desperately trying to save her now. Yes, only that could explain his actions. Realizing this, Ishtar's cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes sparkled with joy. As expected of her—her charm was simply too overwhelming! Even a god as powerful as him had fallen head over heels and couldn't bear to let her disappear from this world.

Sigh… So this is what it means to be a heartbreaker. Ishtar hummed to herself happily. Unfortunately, no matter what, she still had to return. Not just because she had lost the Holy Grail War. Even if she had won, her time in this world was only temporary. She would have had to return to Uruk, to the Age of Gods where she truly belonged.

This Holy Grail War… was just her sneaking out to have fun. That realization left her feeling a little melancholic. Her divine core couldn't be saved. Her time in this world was almost up. And more importantly—she would probably never get to see Su Mo again.

How cruel.

Just as she was starting to realize his feelings…

They were to be separated forever. Never to meet again. Come to think of it, Su Mo wasn't so bad after all. He'd recognized her from the start, but he hadn't been overly disrespectful. He just didn't do what she asked. Looking back now, his reaction had been understandable. After all, he was a god too. If he had simply accepted her divine blessing without resistance, wouldn't that have been an admission that his divinity was lesser than hers?

From that perspective, even the incident where he spanked her could be seen as nothing more than a gentle counter. In hindsight… maybe she had been the unreasonable one. The reckless, spoiled Ishtar—normally someone who would never self-reflect—was having a rare moment of introspection.

It was only because her departure was near, and she was so moved by Su Mo's genuine effort to save her, that she was now seeing him through a new lens. A lens colored by the belief that—he liked her. All of this combined to shift her entire mindset.

The way she looked at Su Mo now was gentler than ever before.

Sigh…

It's all because I'm too charming. Now I'm leaving behind a poor, love-struck man who'll pine for me for the rest of his life. If only he knew that we'd never see each other again… how heartbreaking that would be. Thinking this, Ishtar spoke in a soft, tender tone that was utterly unlike her usual brashness.

"Could you lean in a bit?"

"…Huh?"

Su Mo looked at her, puzzled.

What was this goddess up to now? That voice sounded weak… was she about to collapse?

But confident in his own strength, Su Mo didn't feel threatened. Even if her divine core wasn't broken, she couldn't possibly hurt him. So, he leaned in. And before he realized what was happening—he felt soft, sweet lips press against his. The proud, stubborn Ishtar… was kissing him. Her gaze was filled with embarrassment, but also an unguarded sincerity.

She blinked, and murmured, "We may never meet again…"

"But I'll never forget that you loved me."

"So don't you dare forget me either!"

"This unique blessing from your goddess—you better keep it close to your heart!"

Alongside the taste of sweetness, a divine blessing flowed into him. It was the power of Ishtar's divine protection. A mark—so that Su Mo would never forget her. At the very end, Ishtar, the goddess who had once scorned him, now branded him with her presence and carved his name into her heart. In the tales of men, there are always stories of those who wait forever for lovers who never return. Until now, Ishtar had never understood them. She thought such stories were just sentimental nonsense penned by lovesick poets.

But now…

Now, standing at the edge of farewell, she finally understood why. The goddess of love had finally, faintly, tasted what it meant to fall in love. And sadly, if nothing unexpected happened… this would be goodbye forever.