Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

Merely gazing upon her was like witnessing the origin of life, returning to the womb of the mother at humanity's dawn.

A strange, unique feeling.

Difficult to accurately describe in words.

Her pair of violet-red eyes radiated maternal brilliance.

Like a gentle mother looking upon her mischievous child.

Yet.

In the surrounding ocean, endless black-red hues emerged.

As if the entire sea had been stained with blood, so red it turned black, seeking to destroy everything in existence.

"The primordial mother goddess of Sumerian mythology, embodying the principle of [Regression], Tiamat—the Second Beast of the Seven Evils of Humanity."

Nameless revealed her identity in one breath: "Considered the mother of all humanity in the Sumerian world, she can be affectionately called 'Tiamom'!"

This string of titles left all viewers bewildered—

-[What are the Evils of Humanity? There are seven? Besides Tiamat, who else is there?]

-[The mother of Sumerian humanity? No wonder she feels so maternal, making me want to throw myself into her embrace!]

-[Does Tiamom accept 1-year-and-200-month-old children?]

-[Pfft, above commenter, you don't want to be a baby—you're just lusting after Tiamom's body, you shameless!]

-[Heh, Tiamom is the cutest in the world, definitely not some cruel Evil of Humanity. Everyone like this comment!]

...

These people truly don't understand the meaning of the Evils of Humanity!

Souma watched the crowd's carefree reactions with a strong sense of dissonance.

The Evils of Humanity—these are Beasts that seek to destroy mankind.

Had it not been for his continuous battles and the sacrifices of countless heroic spirits, there would have been no hope of victory.

"It's not weakness or ignorance that destroys humanity, but arrogance!"

Souma sighed quietly in his heart.

The less one knows, the easier it is to be trapped in a narrow perspective, utterly unaware of the vastness of the world.

In the video.

After displaying the mother goddess's might, Ereshkigal looked at Nameless with slight surprise: "You know of her?"

Back then, the mother goddess was exiled to the imaginary number space, leaving no records in human history.

The gods viewed her as a dire threat, fearing her return would annihilate them, and kept her under strict surveillance.

Now, Nameless's use of Ea to sever the chains between heaven and earth also released the gods' hold over the mother goddess.

This allowed the mother goddess to awaken once more, breaking free from her imaginary prison.

"I know many things—far more than you can imagine," Nameless replied with a smile.

"Hmph, a mere mortal daring to be so insolent before us gods!"

Ereshkigal couldn't help but snort.

This guy truly showed no fear of her at all.

Yet it inexplicably filled her with indescribable joy.

The nameless one wrapped the slightly recovered golden chains around his wrist and then continued to request, "By the way, could you also preserve the soul origin of another person for me?"

"Damn it, you're asking too much... This is the last time!"

Ereshkigal stomped her foot lightly but still didn't refuse him.

This adorable demeanor instantly left countless people even more stunned—

-[Damn, is this really the terrifying, despair-inducing Queen of the Underworld?]

-[Too cute, I'm dying!]

-[It's over, even a goddess can't resist Nameless's charm and instantly surrenders!]

-["Last time"... "Very last time"... Damn it, I was just getting into it, are you tapped out already?]

-[F*ck, I feel like the wheels of that carriage just ran over my face!]

Rin Tohsaka stared blankly at the screen.

The mighty Queen of the Underworld, who looked exactly like Ishtar—meaning she looked exactly like Rin herself.

After Ms. Hiratsuka publicly played the video, all her classmates were sneakily glancing at her!

Without even asking, Rin knew these people were definitely imagining her making the same kind of expressions.

Damn it!

Wasn't this basically public humiliation?

Rin tried her best to stay composed, but she could still feel her cheeks burning like fire.

She stole a glance with the corner of her eye at Souma, who was sitting by the window.

The more she looked, the more she felt an uncanny resemblance between him and the Nameless one.

Coupled with the figure she kept seeing in her dreams and Ereshkigal's bashful demeanor toward Nameless in the video, Rin found it harder and harder to look directly at him.

Damn it, it was all [Alaya]'s fault!

She turned her attention back to the video.

That nameless heroic spirit who walked through human history, after settling many matters, suddenly reached out as if to touch her.

But for some reason, he withdrew his hand.

With a soft sigh, he said, "I'm sorry. I'm just a passerby in human history. To form bonds would only bring loneliness... I truly apologize."

"Do not form bonds, lest you invite loneliness?"

Ereshkigal murmured these words, then suddenly widened her eyes. "You're leaving?"

"Yes."

The other party nodded, his handsome face filled with apology. "How about I give you some flowers?"

"No! Flowers can't grow in the underworld!"

Ereshkigal shook her head without hesitation.

The underworld—the land where all things perish—could never harbor any living beings.

"No, you're wrong. There is a flower in the underworld. One and only one, the most beautiful flower in the world!" Nameless suddenly refuted her words.

"Where?"

Ereshkigal looked astonished.

She was the mistress of the underworld—how could she have missed it?

"Right in front of me."

Nameless smiled. "You are the most beautiful flower in the underworld!"

"…Hmph, you're spouting nonsense again!"

Ereshkigal stomped her foot, her cheeks instantly flushing red.

This infuriating man always found ways to tease her—what a scoundrel!

Unable to hold back her frustration, she snapped, "If you do this again, I'll ignore… you…"

Her words trailed off as she realized the space before her was empty.

The man had vanished without a trace, just as he had arrived.

Even with her divine perception, she couldn't detect the slightest trace of him.

Passing through your world!

"Do not form bonds… lest you invite loneliness…"

Ereshkigal stood frozen in place for a long, long time, whispering these words to herself.

Finally, she understood their meaning completely.

After what felt like an eternity,

She sat alone on her throne, gazing at the desolate underworld, and sighed softly:

"I could have endured the darkness, if only I had never seen the light… Why did you have to show me the light?"

The mistress of the underworld—feared by all, loathed by the gods—once again stood guard over the lifeless realm.

Only this time, she was lonelier than ever before.

Then, a deafening roar erupted from above, and a massive hole tore open in the sky.

Ishtar's voice rang out from above: "Ereshkigal, did that bastard come to see you?"

"He's already gone," Ereshkigal replied indifferently.

"Aaargh! That bastard! I swear I'll make him pay! How dare he call me a monkey? I have to find him!"

Ishtar's furious roar echoed throughout the underworld.

The scene froze.

Lines of text appeared on the screen—

[Decades later, Ereshkigal joined the Three Goddess Alliance, determined to protect humanity in her own way…]

[This side story ends here!]

[To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next video!]

The screen slowly darkened.

"Mere gods, thinking they can descend into reality?"

Souma scoffed in disdain.

Listen here, the Age of Gods is long gone!

The world itself rejects the descent of any deity.

No matter how powerful you are, you can't manifest in this era.

"Huh? What the hell is this?"

Souma's gaze abruptly shifted to a spot three seats away.

On that young lady (Tohsaka Rin), why was there a familiar—

Divine aura?

***

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