Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King's Personal Knight

"Hmm~ how lively indeed—"

Below, Quetzalcoatl watched as Alaric and Ishtar disappeared into the distance, her smile growing even wider. "Truly, they shine as brightly as the sun~~"

"Ah, Kuku thinks the same, huh? He—is like the sun, just as cool as you guys!"

Beside her, Jaguar Man gestured theatrically, fully agreeing with Quetzalcoatl's opinion.

"Such a good boy—how could we let that guy lead him astray?"

Meanwhile, Alaric and Ishtar flew rapidly across the vast sea of trees, streaking through the sky like brilliant meteors! Endless sacred strikes and gemstones clashed against one another, leaving behind miniature explosions of light, like tiny suns, in the air of the forest.

This endless forest was nothing more than a backdrop to the battle between Alaric and Ishtar. Riding aboard the Heavenly Vessel, Alaric finally reached the domain of the skies.

This was a state powerful enough for him to challenge Ishtar head-on.

Soaring through the heavens and diving to the earth, unimpeded, unstoppable.

With the Holy Lance firing holy strikes, Alaric managed to deplete over a hundred of Ishtar's gemstones within a matter of minutes!

Due to being bound by the body of Rin Tohsaka, Ishtar had lost her divine omnipotence. To launch attacks, she could only rely on gemstones infused with magical energy—a costly method of attack that significantly limited the Sky Goddess's capabilities.

She couldn't, like Alaric, freely fire attacks simply by using the Holy Lance.

Thus, as the battle progressed, the situation became increasingly unfavorable for Ishtar.

The two, like shooting stars, sped beyond the forest and soared into the high heavens, launching attacks amidst the endless sea of clouds! Streams of multicolored light burst forth continuously, creating ripples across the cloud sea below.

"Hmph, not bad, huh—Even a knockoff Maanna in gold isn't too shabby. This goddess shall confiscate it!"

"Do you have enough gemstones left?"

Holding the Holy Lance, Alaric chuckled lightly. "Goddess Ishtar, you only had a day to prepare. Surely the number of gemstones you could gather was limited, right? After fighting for this long, how many do you have left?"

At these words, Ishtar's gaze wavered slightly, and she replied nonchalantly, "Plenty! I still have lots of gemstones left~"

Seeing Ishtar's attitude, Alaric immediately laughed. "Then let's keep going. Do you have enough gemstones left?"

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Alaric drove the Heavenly Vessel forward, closing the distance between himself and Ishtar!

"Hmph, let me show you my true power!"

Golden light flickered in Ishtar's eyes as several radiant gemstones appeared once again in her hands!

The second battle for the skies had begun!

...

Several minutes later:

With an enormous explosion that engulfed the heavens, a miniature sun with a diameter of over a hundred meters evaporated the sea of clouds, and the terrifying shockwave spread continuously toward the distant horizon.

Depleted of all her gemstone reserves, Ishtar and Alaric both plummeted to the ground.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch—you idiot—"

Ishtar shook her head and groggily climbed to her feet, only to be met by the cold tip of the Holy Lance.

Alaric stood, holding the lance in one hand, its tip mere inches from Ishtar, as if a slight movement could pierce her through.

"Just kidding. The fight's over."

Under Ishtar's gaze, Alaric smiled and withdrew the Holy Lance.

Alaric hadn't expected Ishtar to burn through all her gemstones in a self-destructive final attack, causing them both to crash to the ground.

Judging by Ishtar's complete depletion of gemstones, this battle was undoubtedly Alaric's victory.

But Alaric had no intention of emphasizing this point. Instead, he sought to reconcile with Ishtar.

"Goddess Ishtar, I have a request. I hope you'll agree."

"If you beg me, I might agree~"

Completely lacking the demeanor of a defeated warrior, Ishtar brushed her hair back with a hand, glanced at Alaric, and a playful glint appeared once more in her eyes. "Hmm-hmm, this time I'll make you bow down before this goddess so you'll learn what awe truly means!"

Ishtar, having already steeled herself to suppress any resistance from her host, was determined to make Alaric perform the kiss of submission.

Hearing Ishtar's declaration, Alaric simply smiled faintly.

As for the kiss of submission, Alaric had no qualms. A great person doesn't fuss over trivial matters. Kissing her feet was no big deal—he wouldn't even mind kissing her cheek or lips.

The kiss of submission was inconsequential. What Alaric wanted now was to know the whereabouts of the Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal.

With this in mind, Alaric smiled and spoke. "Goddess Ishtar—please introduce me to the Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal."

"Hmm? Just kneel and kiss my feet, and that insignificant Ereshkigal—"

Ishtar flicked her hair arrogantly, eager to see Alaric reluctantly kiss her feet in humiliation, but her words abruptly caught in her throat.

A name that shouldn't have appeared at this moment escaped someone's lips.

"What? Huh?"

Hearing her sister's name from Alaric, Ishtar was instantly puzzled. "Wait, Ereshkigal? What does this have to do with Ereshkigal? Wait—Don't tell me Ereshkigal is here too?!"

Mentioning her sister, Ishtar grew excited, waving her arms as she spoke. "You mean that Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal?"

Alaric wouldn't have mentioned Ereshkigal's true name without reason, meaning Ereshkigal must have also appeared in Mesopotamia.

When? How did she not know?

"Hmm? Ishtar, you didn't know—"

Seeing this, Alaric pieced together a part of the truth.

Yesterday, when Ereshkigal temporarily took over Ishtar's body, Ishtar had been completely unaware.

She didn't even know that Ereshkigal had been summoned here via chain summoning. As Gilgamesh once said of Ishtar:

A bona fide idiot goddess, especially after possessing Rin Tohsaka, who amplified that foolish personality.

"Are you thinking something very rude right now?"

Although Ishtar didn't know what Alaric was thinking, she could tell from his pitying gaze that it wasn't flattering.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter! What's going on with Ereshkigal?"

"If you beg me, I might tell you, Goddess Ishtar."

The tables had turned.

Alaric's eyes curved into crescents as he looked at the flustered Ishtar, but before she could blow up, he quickly changed his tone. "It's simple. Because you were summoned into this world, your counterpart, the Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, was also chain-summoned. She briefly acted using your body yesterday, which is why I know about her."

"Huh? Ereshkigal used my body? And I didn't even know?"

Hearing this explosive revelation, Ishtar could no longer remain calm. But all her emotions condensed into a single sigh. "So that's how it is?"

Though unbelievable, Alaric's explanation made sense to her.

"So? What do you want with that idiot Ereshkigal?"

Ishtar waved dismissively, quickly accepting the fact that Ereshkigal had been chain-summoned.

Even if Ereshkigal had used her body, Ishtar was only a little surprised, not resentful.

She felt a sense of relief.

That girl could finally walk upon the earth.

The regrets of ancient mythology had found a small resolution in this familiar land.

Even the mischievous Ishtar couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.